North American Branch - Underground Testing Facility

Following the disturbing discovery of the First Unit's fugitives, the remaining members spent their time contemplating in between their ongoing activities. Kota remained on leave, finding himself in the Outer Ghetto far more often than in Fenrir's headquarters. Ichiro continued his desperate search, his concern growing stronger with each passing day. Soma spent nearly minute every bouncing between his bedroom, the doctor's office, and the City of Mercy like a sword-wielding ping-pong ball. Alisa, Sakuya, and Neo's whereabouts remained unknown.

All was somber and still in the Far East… but after Director Shicksal's fateful announcement, the entire organization fell into absolute chaos.

In a wildly bold display, Johannes returned to the Den personally to announce the near completion of the Ark Project. The news was received in vastly different ways, with many God Eaters either rejoicing or lamenting the revelation. Some even found themselves the subjects of infighting, as not every member was awarded passage. The news even reached across the Atlantic, throwing everyone, including Lenka, into a state of uncertainty. Even as he sat quietly on the operating table, he could feel his teeth clenching as he tried desperately to make sense of it all.

Unkeen as he was to the idea of global annihilation at the hands of a massive Aragami, at the moment, there was little he could do about it. Utsugi was powerless to make any attempts to stop it and if he didn't find a solution for his problem, he would likely remain that way. So instead, he swallowed his irritation for the time being, his eyes slowly following a technician as she paced back and forth before a pair of screens. She muttered quietly to another doctor, who nodded silently in response. He wasn't sure what they were discussing, but he was certain that it couldn't bode well for him.

"Mr. Utsugi."

"Yes?" Lenka leaned forward on the table, his concerns for the apocalypse momentarily forgotten.

"I'm afraid it is as we feared."

"Oh…" At her confirmation, the Squad Captain visibly deflated. He had known that such a result was inevitable, but he had hoped that he would have more time.

"I am sorry. The medication has successfully halted your deterioration… but the Oracle infection remains very much active. As it stands, your God Arc's usage will continue…"

"It's going to reject me… I'm no longer compatible."

"I'm afraid so."

"Damn…"

Lenka hung his head, his frustration rising as he stared at his clasped hands. He had known that it was coming. For the past couple of weeks, he had been noticing slow, subtle changes in the handling of his God Arc. The phase shifts had been delayed and his shield slower to activate. He had suspected that his compatibility may be failing him and made a point to mention it prior to his journey overseas. The good doctors of North America had provided him with a miracle drug. Surely they could offer him a new God Arc as well.

"Is there… anything you can do?" The New-Type questioned with hopeful eyes.

"The best that we can offer you is a new God Arc… but do bear in mind that, in time, you will likely see a similar outcome."

Lenka's eyes fell once again at the assertion. It seemed that he was destined to continue rotating endlessly through God Arcs for the foreseeable future. But it was better than wielding no weapon at all. Resigning himself to his fate, he sighed. "All right. Let's do it."

. . .

Far East Branch - Sakaki's Office

In the doctor's office, three occupants were scattered across the room. Sitting behind his desk, muttering quietly about enzymatic solutions, was Sakaki himself. His attention was focused almost entirely on his work as he carefully examined the results splayed across his various screens. Leaning against the wall in typical fashion was Soma, arms crossed, and staring intently at the pale child laying silently on the office floor. She had been resting for some time now, and he was beginning to wonder if she would awaken at all.

Her episodes had been growing more frequent as of late, leaving him to work tirelessly. Between searching for both food sources and various reagents for the doctor's experimental purposes, the veteran had little time to do much of anything else. He had been initially against Paylor's poking and prodding. But he quickly gave in when the child's condition continued to worsen. While he wasn't keen on the idea of him experimenting his hypotheses on their companion, he was willing to help him, so long as the result would stop Shio from losing control. He didn't know how they were going to suppress the presence within her, but he owed it to her to try. He didn't want to lose anyone else.

He wasn't sure he could handle it.

Hm?

Soma's eyes shifted slightly as they detected movement. In the center of the room, Shio had finally awakened, her golden eyes snapping open with vigor as she rolled her body upright. It seemed that she had returned to her usual self… for the time being. From behind his desk, the doctor addressed her, typing wildly across the keys with his eyes glued to his computer screens.

"Good morning. I see you're awake."

"Good morning." The child responded happily without a care in the world, as though she hadn't been collapsed on the floor only moments ago from yet another violent episode.

"Now then, is that Shio speaking to me?" Paylor halted his keystrokes and stood, looping slowly around his desk to approach the sitting child. "Or… am I talking to a god? She Who Will Devour the Stars?"

"I dunno…" She answered truthfully with a tired expression in her eyes. "Do… Do stars taste any good?"

From the wall, Soma joined their conversation, staring down at her. "I don't think so. And their worlds are no better. This one is drowning in so much filth, I can't imagine who would want it."

"Ah… Okay. If this world is bad though, then why do I … Well, sometimes… I need to Devour…"

Soma raised quickly from the wall and Sakaki started as her skin began to radiate with a familiar hue.

"We can get you food, don't worry! Quick! Food!" Sakaki lifted his arm, gesturing towards a large bucket sitting nearby on the coffee table. Soma fought back the urge to wretch as he quickly retrieved the pile of… something for their hungering companion.

"Ah, food. Doctor, you are a good doctor."

Soma crossed the room in moments, placing the bucket carefully in front of her, and earning a smile of approval. He turned his eyes back to Sakaki as Shio practically dove into the bucket, shoveling food into her mouth in a manner that was eerily familiar to him. He tried to ignore the disturbing sounds as he addressed the doctor. "How long is this gonna keep going? These little episodes of hers?"

"You know about as much as I. She only recently started exhibiting human traits. But since that day, she's been unstable at best. There is a chance that it is her souls. Her duality is at war inside her. On the one side, her humanity, or whatever is closest, on the other…"

"The Singularity inside her." Soma's nearly growled the words as his father's image reentered his mind.

"Yes… exactly. You've realized it already, I'm sure. It was those missions your father sent you on. The Singularity is a part of her core. And without it there can be no Devouring Apocalypse, and no final days." Sakaki paused for a moment to observe, watching as Shio looked lazily around the room. "I am not willing to hand it over to Johannes. Not until I am certain what it is capable of. I know there is another potential inside her. I… I can feel it. And I plan to test it, one way or the other."

"Listen, old man." Soma turned, his voice hardening as his eyes narrowed. "I don't give a crap about either of your plans. And I'm not taking sides in this damned fight, so hear me now… If you think we're just strings to be pulled, then you're just as bad as him."

Sakaki offered a reassuring smile, unfaltering under his harsh gaze. "I assure you. your worries are unfounded. I have done nothing to Shio, and I will do nothing. All she needs is company and companionship, as you've been sharing with her. And I think that, in time, she'll be able to -"

His words halted as the room around them began to tremble, rocking his furniture and threatening to throw both men off balance. The tremors continued for a few moments, knocking articles from the table and pens on to the floor. And as the power cut out, Soma went on high alert.

"Damn it! What was that?!"

"I… I don't know. Well, worry not. The backup generator should kick into motion at any moment." Sakaki calmly assured him as Soma fumbled around blindly in the darkness. Outages were not unheard of in the Far East branch and should pass in due time… but as the speakers in the room activated, the doctor realized he had made a terrible mistake. "Oh!"

"Doctor Sakaki, how nice to know where you are."

At the sound of Johanne's smug voice, Paylor erupted into a fit of panic. "No… No! Damn it all, no!"

"What the hell is going on?!" Soma glowered upwards at the speakers as the lights in the room turned a crimson red.

"The backup generator - I should have known! - It's only activated during emergencies… It's controlled by the Branch!" As the lights returned, Sakaki looked nervously around the room. "It bypasses all the extra security I've set around the room! They've found us!"

"We're completely exposed. Curse that bastard and his tricks!"

"Our cover's blown! We're done for!"

Snarling, Soma turned his eyes towards the doorway, contemplating his next course of action. His father would stop at nothing to get to Shio. He would probably resort to violence if necessary… and without his God Arc, he was vulnerable. Despite his superior strength, with limited capabilities in unarmed combat, he would easily find himself overwhelmed up against multiple adversaries. Their location was revealed, leaving them nowhere to hide and in the barricaded office, they had no escape. They were trapped. Enraged, the veteran steeled himself in preparation for whatever may come.

. . .

Far East Branch - Outer Ghetto, Section E26

A heavy sigh escaped from the young God Eater as his mind replayed the events over and over again like a broken record. He had hoped that having some time to think would have strengthened his resolve. But instead, he found himself sitting quietly at the table beside his mother and sister, staring lazily at a drawing on the wall. His mind wandered, recalling the Den lobby, where he watched other members bustle to and fro. He envied the carelessness, the determination, and apparent lack of guilt that some of the other members displayed. A few God Eaters had easily made their decision upon receiving their tickets. Shun, Karel, and Otto, Gunter's hot-headed companion, had decided unanimously and immediately that they would board the Ark to begin life in the new world.

Others were adamantly opposed, citing the immorality of the project or other personal reasons. Soma had refused outright, having no desire to allow his father to go through his plans in the first place. Ichiro had, unsurprisingly, refused as well, having little desire to enter a world without Neo in it. Kota had asked him if he would take his leave were he to locate the New-Type, but he had never gotten a clear response.

The remainder of the Den fell in the undecided camp, as there were many God Eaters that simply didn't know what to do with the information they'd been given. Kanon and Brendan specifically, seemed to be on the fence. Both wanted to do their part to help usher their species into a new age… but they weren't keen on wiping out more than three quarters of the population to do it. Other members included Hibari and Tatstumi, the first for humanitarian concerns and the second simply following whatever the other chose to do.

Then, there were others like Gina and surprisingly, Gunter, who in a shocking turn of events was considering staying behind. His reasons were unclear, although the most obvious reason seemed to be the awfulness of the entire situation. Otto had cited the possibility that he may be staying behind to continue the search for his 'missing girlfriend', much to his irritation. And while he had adamantly reassured him that that wasn't the case, he never truly denied whether or not Neo was indeed a factor.

With such indecision among those around him, Kota found himself worrying more and more frequently if he had actually made the right decision. On the surface, he couldn't imagine doing anything else with his mother and little sister at stake… but beneath, a part of him couldn't shake the feeling of overwhelming remorse for those they would leave behind. For what purpose? Why should he be allowed to continue on living in exchange for the lives of so many others? The answer was clear to him; he shouldn't.

But what else was he supposed to do?

"Huh?" Kota blinked slightly as his vision left him. Had he gone blind? No. He hadn't, but he was certainly surrounded in darkness. A rolling blackout? He remained still for the time being, waiting for the darkness to pass. When the power finally returned, he looked at his sister, who stared curiously back at him. It seemed that she was just as confused as he was. What was going on here…?

"We interrupt this broadcast for a critical news bulletin."

Following the backup generator's activation, the television resumed its operation and continued their program. But shortly after, their show was quickly halted by an urgent news report. Startled and alert, Kota quickly turned his attention to the screen, watching intently as the reporter spoke to the audience.

"Moments ago, Fenrir's Far East branch came under assault from an unidentified Aragami. At this time we have little details. The number of casualties and the extent of the damage are still unknown. In the wake of this unprecedented assault upon the branch, we await announcement from Fenrir's Press and Information Bureau."

Leaping to his feet, Kota stared wide-eyed at the television screen. An unidentified Aragami? There? How? Without wasting another moment, he quickly pulled out his phone and dialed the number. His foot tapped impatiently as he listened to the tone.

"Come on… Answer, answer, answer!" He mumbled worriedly, every muscle in his body rigid. When the line finally connected, he launched immediately into a concerned tirade. "Sakaki! I finally got through. What's going on over there?"

. . .

Far East Branch - Veteran's Floor

The clock ticked quietly on the wall and Ichiro's brown eyes slowly followed the second hand as it journeyed around the face in its endless circle. In the background, a television program played, although he could scarcely hear the words being spoken. The wall screen had been left neglected since his arrival, with his New-Type constantly keeping him hard at work. Her shenanigans monopolized so much of his time, that he rarely had the chance to use it. Ironically, now that he finally could, he quickly found that he had almost no interest in it.

He simply couldn't focus on activities like watching television shows when Neo was still missing somewhere out in the wild. His searches had been fruitless once again and he was nearing his last legs. He couldn't keep up at this pace, he knew, but he also couldn't give up. The Director had made the announcement, sending the entire Den into pandemonium. The Ark Project was nearing completion… it's only missing piece hiding a few floors away in Dr. Sakaki's office. While he couldn't see Schicksal finding her any time soon, he knew that her discovery was inevitable.

Eventually, he would find her. And when he did… it would be all over. The end of everything. He was running out of time and Neo still hadn't been found. Now, he was beginning to wonder if she ever would be. The idea of her perishing in the wilderness, lost and alone, haunted nearly every fiber of his being. Her stress levels rising and her hunger growing. Far too much time had passed since he had seen hide nor hair of her. And should the worst come to pass…

Slowly, his eyes began to drift once again toward the bottom drawer of his dresser, which held the key that he didn't want to use. He had clung desperately to the hope that he wouldn't need it. That it could remain in place for the remainder of their existence, however long it may be. But were his greatest fears realized, then he would be left with no choice.

"Huh?!" Ichiro's fingers gripped the sofa cushion beneath him in a startled reaction as the walls began to shake. His eyes moved swiftly across the room, observing the rattling furniture and shaking items. A tremor? While he had experienced many things since his arrival in the Far East, an earthquake certainly hadn't been one of them. What was going on? His unease began to rise as the vibrations stilled… then escalated to alarm when the power went out.

Left in the blackness of his room, the veteran could do little but wait for the generators to activate and return him to light. Stumbling around in the dark wouldn't do him any good. A minute passed… and then another. Ichiro waited silently as he remained in the darkness, listening only to the sound of his wall clock. Was something wrong?

"Finally…" Ichiro muttered quietly to himself as the systems came back online, illuminating the room around him. No longer blinded, he slowly leaned back against the couch, his mind reeling for answers.

What was that earthquake? Why had the generator taken so long to activate? What had caused the outage in the first place? Surely, the tremors hadn't been enough to cause such disruption. Fenrir was heavily fortified with various systems in place to guard against these exact scenarios. The only possible way a surge like that could occur was if the system was overloaded entirely. He didn't want to think about the possibilities of what could cause such a thing.

"Ugh…"

He shook his head as he tried to rid himself of the unpleasant thoughts. He knew exactly what could cause such an incident, but he didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to accept it. There was simply no way. Her days as Reaper were finally behind her, but Oguruma's programming was still present in her mind. She wouldn't awaken so long as it remained in place. She wouldn't lose control. She wouldn't lose herself. She wouldn't give up on her humanity. She wouldn't…

"…critical news bulletin."

Hm?

The sudden shift in vocality captured his attention, drawing Ichiro back to the present. He could have sworn he had been watching an anime just a moment ago. Looking up, he noticed that his program was missing, a news report in its place. Narrowing his eyes, he leaned forward, listening intently as the woman spoke to him through the screen. And the moment he saw the headline rotating beneath, he felt his heart stop in his chest.

"Moments ago, Fenrir's Far East Branch came under assault from an unidentified Aragami. At this time we have little details. The number of casualties and the extent of the damage are still unknown. In the wake of this unprecedented assault upon the branch, we await announcement from Fenrir's Press and Information Bureau."

"No… no, no…"

His head fell into his hands as the crushing reality washed over him like an ocean wave. Was he wrong? Was he too late? Was Neo truly lost? Faced with the unavoidable truth, he could feel the world falling away around him. So it had come to this. The day had finally come… and it left a bitter taste in his mouth as his eyes fell once more to the dresser drawer.

Steeling himself, Ichiro forced his body to stand and maneuvered around the table towards the dresser. He tried to remind himself of the news report as his revolve waivered. He couldn't afford to turn back. He didn't know how much time he had left to take action. But if she was already making strikes against their headquarters… it couldn't be very much.

Striding across the room, he knelt to the floor and slid open his drawer. Tossing clothes aside, he quickly found what he was searching for and hoisted the metal box from its resting place. Lowering it to the floor, his fingers slid along the cool surface, stopping above the keypad. His fingers moved deftly in practiced motions as he entered the eight-digit combination.

12132053

Beep, beep

The familiar sound echoed through the room as the code was accepted before springing open the top with a quiet hiss. Slowly, he lifted the lid, gazing scornfully at the contents inside. He had never thought that he would have to use them. Of course, he had also never thought he would need to use his experimental compound either.

Reaching forward, the veteran quickly gathered the boxes contents, storing what he needed in accessible compartments. His motions were swift and precise, practiced over years of repetition, but they were hollow. His body moved on autopilot as he secured his weapon and rose to his feet. Turning towards his closet, he wondered for a moment once again what more he could have done. Was there anything at all? Would it have even made a difference? Shaking his head, he forced the thoughts from his mind. It didn't matter now. Nothing did.

Only his mission.