Forgotten Carrier

Utsugi's return to Headquarters was met with borderline panic. Ichiro had been conducting an experiment upon receiving the message that Neo had taken off on her own following a violent reaction. He had nearly knocked over his entire concoction in his haste, shedding his lab coat and making his way to the lower floors as fast as possible. His first mission was to locate the New Type, ensuring that she was safe and, more importantly, sound. When she arrived back at base, the guardian relaxed slightly, speaking with her briefly to get a gauge of her current state. Seeing nothing too far out of the ordinary, he left her to her activities and turned his focus onto other matters.

Retiring to his room, the veteran responded to Utsugi's inquiry and invited him to his quarters for private conversation. He arrived promptly. The two spent roughly a half an hour going over the events of the mission, specifically the points just prior to Neo's episode. After going over the details with a fine-toothed comb, her guardian was easily able to discern what had happened.

Rising from his refrigerator, Ichiro tossed a cola towards his Captain, which he tensely caught. "Why do you think we keep our cellphones silent?" Ichiro inquired, leveling a look of minor irritation.

Lenka frowned, gripping his offered beverage a little tighter than necessary. "No one ever gave any reason. I just assumed it was for strategic purposes or a personal peeve. Besides, those stipulations only apply to members of the 1st Unit. Federico had no requirement, or reason, to assume he should do so.

"Well, in the future, be certain to inform them so it doesn't happen again."

"Why did she even react that way anyway?"

Ichiro paused, taking a moment to consider his question. As he made his way back to his sofa, he was struck with a feeling of familiarity. It was in this very room that Lindow had asked him a similar question so long ago, shortly before enacting the new stipulation. Unfortunately, he had no more answers now than he did then. "I'm not sure. Neo has always hated that sound. Her ears are hypersensitive… it probably pisses her off."

Lenka stared incredulously at him. "Hamasaki, that's incredibly dangerous."

"Which is why we silence them."

"That isn't the point!" Lenka nearly shouted. He was trying his best to be patient, but this was beginning to wear on his nerves. He wasn't sure if the other God Eater was dense, unconcerned, or willfully ignorant. "This is exactly the sort of unpredictable behavior that I was worried about. Federico and Annette were terrified. We can't have her lashing out at random."

"It wasn't random. Federico ignored multiple warnings."

"How was he supposed to know that? Hamasaki, you gave your word that Neo wasn't going to attack anyone unprovoked."

"And she hasn't. Neo didn't want to hurt him, that's why she made him back off."

"Hamasaki. This isn't a good look and you're putting me in a tough position here. I have agreed to keep her origins confidential as well as her presence here, but this is getting out of control. I don't want to hand her over either, but I can't put everyone else at risk. We can't have her hurting people."

"And she won't, so long as you avoid her triggers. I've told you before, Neo is reactive. She doesn't engage, she only retaliates to those she perceives as a threat."

"I understand that, but…" Lenka sighed, his own patience wearing as thin as the other's. "Those are the only triggers then? Alarms and lab coats?"

"The only two she's ever reacted to."

The Captain frowned, slowly relenting as he pondered. The fact that she could erupt at a moment's notice in response to such things was highly problematic. On the other hand, such triggers were also easily avoided, which was how she had survived in the Far East for so long. For now, he would let it go, keeping her under observation while they tried to work out a solution. He had given his word just as Hamasaki had, and he intended to honor it. So long as Neo didn't harm anyone further, her position was safe. "Just… keep a close eye on her, yeah?"

"Of course."

. . .

"Hey, lover boy. You alright?"

"Huh?" His hazel eyes blinked, focusing forward as a hand waved slowly in front of his face. At his response, the limb disappeared, replaced by a pale face with white hair."

"I… what?" Ichiro muttered, trying to regain a sense of his surroundings.

"You were staring again. Jeez, the way you swoon over her, you'd think you were head over heels."

Sighing, the guardian waved her away, sitting up from the wall of the transport. "Knock it off, Gina."

The sniper snickered, but backed off, stepping away as she glanced out the window of their transport. "Fine, fine… but seriously. You okay?"

"Yeah. Just have a lot on my mind." He replied, shifting his eyes momentarily back in Neo's direction.

"Hehe… I'm sure you do."

"Zip it, Gina."

It was true that there were many different things concerning him, his conversation with Utsugi being one of them. With his research at a standstill, supplies running low, and time running short, he was stretched dangerously thin as it was. Now, he had the New Type to worry even further about, with her turbulent moods changing by the day. It seemed that her condition was deteriorating faster and faster and at the moment, he wasn't sure how to stop it. He wasn't even sure that he could. Ichiro had promised Utsugi that Neo wouldn't hurt anyone so long as they didn't threaten her, and he truly believed that to be true.

But for how much longer, he didn't know.

As their transport lowered to the ground, Ichiro turned his attention back to the sniper, with a look of abject irritation. "And I don't swoon, by the way."

"Haha! Whatever you say, Romeo."

. . .

Wandering across the derelict bridge, the four God Eaters kept their eyes peeled for any incoming threats. Gina and Annette had caught wind of someone matching Kanon's description in the area and wanted to investigate. But rumors of a Tezcatlipoca wandering around had made them think twice. Thankfully, Ichiro had been more than willing to assist them in the search and, much to the sniper's delight, so had his sharpshooting companion.

Annette was markedly less enthused about her presence, keeping a safe distance from the woman for their entire journey. While Neo didn't appear to be in any sort of temper at the moment, it was entirely possible that that could suddenly change. And if it did, she didn't want to be caught in the middle of it. It wasn't necessarily that she was afraid of the New Type. She just didn't want to risk making her angry. Thankfully, she was able to avoid doing so, as the four of them wandered through the area, each covering a different direction.

"Hey Romeo, you see anything?" Gina called, her eye scanning over every possible crevice for a head of pink hair.

"Must you keep calling me that?" Ichiro groaned, unamused by the sniper's playful grin. "No, nothing yet. Annette?"

"Negative, Captain."

Turning, he shifted his attention to the New Type. "Neo, anything?"

Unsurprisingly, she shook her head. "No sign of Kanon. A Deusphage, but not much else."

"Alright, then. Let's - wait, what?!" Ichiro jolted, whipping around as the gravity of her words sank in.

Surely enough, Neo's claim was accurate. Stomping off in the distance was the Tezcatlipoca. A massive, armored variant of the Quadriga with a dragon's helm encasing its human-like skull. It was similar to its lesser in almost every way, with the exception of its chest cavity with a green, Aztec-styled design.

Ichiro was beyond annoyed at Neo's utterly careless response to such a dangerous creature, but not entirely surprised. This was simply how she behaved these days. "Well, since it's decided to show itself, we should probably take care of it. Kanon may be in hiding somewhere nearby."

Annette nodded her head. "Right!"

Neo shrugged, seemingly disinterested either way. Their mission was to locate Kanon. Whether or not they slayed an Aragami in the process was irrelevant to her. Gina however, was utterly ecstatic.

"Oh, you're going to make such beautiful flowers." She muttered, slowly loading her rifle with divine bullets.

"Uh… what?" Ichiro questioned, turning his head towards the older God Eater. Even Neo lifted an eyebrow at the sultry lilt to her voice. The smile on her face was almost erotic and her half-lidded eye locked on as she made her way forward. "Gina, where are you… Gina!"

His words fell on deaf ears as she took off at a sprint. With her bullets loaded and her target in sight, the world around her was now nothing more than scenery. It was only her and her prey, her eye gazing through her rifle's sight. Then, she fired. Annette and Ichiro watched in disbelief as their sniper engaged, her bullet soaring to maximum range before colliding with the Aragami's missile launcher. Whatever people said about her, Gina was one hell of a shot.

Neo smirked at the display, shifting her own weapon as she ran off to join the other God Eater. Gina's performance had piqued her interest, lighting a fire in her chest and lifting her spirits. Her initial disinterest had waned, slowly replacing with excitement as she stood by the older woman's side. Lining up her own sight, Neo fired, her bullet soaring over a similar trajectory… and landing directly in the same location. As the Tezcatlipoca roared, loading its missiles in retaliation, the sniper smiled at the younger woman. "I knew I was gonna like you."

With cheerful grins, the women were off, leaving the slower God Eaters to trail behind.

When they caught up, the two Buster Blade wielders quickly found themselves in the center of a circus. The large, heavy-footed Aragami was a favorable opponent. Its size and speed made it difficult to outmaneuver their strikes, and its projectiles loaded too slowly to catch either of them off guard. The biggest challenge was the two women firing around them. It didn't take long for Ichiro to pinpoint the source of the rumors. And as promised on that day in the headquarter lobby, the veteran finally understood why everyone thought that Gina was crazy.

It was because, to some extent, she absolutely was.

Her love of shooting was disturbing, going far beyond any typical marksman. Combat was like a fixation for her, and her desire for bloodshed bordered on fetishization. Overexcitement wasn't unfamiliar territory for him. After all, growing up with Neo required a certain level of patience. But whereas the New Type grew overstimulated to the point of losing control, Gina was wound up over the sheer thrill of the hunt. It was an obsession that crossed the line into carnal enjoyment.

And now, the two of them were working together.

Bloodlust fueled bloodlust as both women took pure joy in their destruction. Neo alternated between melee and range, leaping in and out of the fight at her own whim. While in sniper mode, Gina egged her on with every shot, taking great pleasure in what had quickly become a friendly competition.

Using a ledge as a springboard, Gina fired a bullet into the monster's exhaust. With an twisting aerial maneuver, Neo unbound the right missile launcher. With a twirl, the sniper fired mid-spin and pelted the Aragami's helm. Following her to high ground, the New Type bend forward, placing a shot between both of their legs and right into the Tezcatlipoca's skull.

The display would be awe-inspiring if it weren't so dangerous. It seemed that the two marksmen were determined to perform the most difficult, most unusual, or occasionally, most stylish shot. With every back and forth, their moves got more challenging and more outlandish… and Ichiro didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed.

Annette was simply perturbed. As a member of the 2nd Unit, she had never worked with the 3rd Unit sniper. In fact, up until this moment, she had never really interacted with Gina at all and the only things she knew about her were the tales of her prowess. Now, to see the woman in action, alongside of Neo, she was alarmed. While she wasn't generally one to believe the word of gossips, she couldn't deny that the two of them, at least on the battlefield, were certainly unhinged.

Even still, both melees did everything in their power to end the battle as quickly as possible, working in and around the snipers' gunplay.

Unfortunately, their target practice wasn't the only area of concern. Their skillful antics aside, the heavily armored Aragami wasn't going down easily. Without a way to get in a fatal strike, the four of them found themselves endlessly hammering away at their opponent. As the battle drew on, the monster grew weary, its stamina starting to wane as it lost patience with its smaller, endlessly moving adversaries. When it turned to retreat, Ichiro discovered firsthand the second half of Gina's problem.

"Hahaha! Yes! I love it when they run…" With an unsettling chuckle, the sniper took off in pursuit of their fleeing target, leaving the three of them behind.

As Neo quickly followed, her guardian was struck with yet another sense of déjà vu. He could vaguely recall something similar happening during The Great Barrier Breach. If he remembered correctly, it was Gina who had drawn a Vajra directly into their quadrant, pursuing it over the entire distance with an understandably frustrated Soma trailing close behind. This time however, she had backup.

"Quick, don't let it get away!"

Goaded by the older woman, Neo found herself right alongside her in hot pursuit. Naturally, Gina fell behind as the distance between her and their target grew, unable to keep up with its long strides. While it wasn't very mobile in actual combat, in open field, it was a force to be reckoned with. It was moving too quickly for the sniper… but not for Neo.

Entering Burst, the New Type quickly outpaced her teammate, accelerating at alarming speed across the empty landscape. Weapon firmly in hand, her strides grew in length, pushing her forward towards their fleeing target. Reaching higher speeds, she slowly overtook the Aragami to run alongside of it. Maneuvering towards the front legs, Neo pressed onward with a final burst of speed. It was right where she wanted it. Imbuing her weapon with Oracle energy and willing it to extend, she swung and clotheslined it.

With no hope of stopping its momentum, the massive Aragami toppled, its body tumbling to the ground. The earth quaked beneath her feet as she passed, decelerating from her sprint. She could hear Gina cheering from behind her as the Tezcatlipoca attempted to stand. It wasn't given the chance.

With the monster halted, the remaining three were able to catch up to it, Gina taking aim at its wobbling limbs. Three divine blasts erupted beneath its feet, knocking it sideways once more. Startled, dazed and confused, the Aragami collapsed completely on its side. The green chest cavity fell open alongside of its launchers as it landed, utterly disoriented.

Then, the battle was over.

Returning to the fray, Gina appeared alongside of her newfound ally, each angling their barrels at the Aragami's chest. The two smirked in silent exchange, locking in their bullets of choice. Then, wordlessly, they fired at point blank range into the squishy opening, blowing a gaping hole through its center. The bullets exploded with a loud splat, flesh and sinew covering the both of them and their God Arcs as they blew it apart from the inside.

Silence fell over the entire area, with the melees staring incredulously at the filthy pair. And within moments, the field was alight with raucous laughter. Gina threw her bloody head back in pure delight as Neo shifted her weapon back into scythe form to extract the core. "That was amazing. You are fantastic. I have got to hunt with you again sometime!"

"Likewise." Neo smiled, turning her head towards the sniper, and earning an even wider smile in response to it. In her excitement, the New Type had forgotten her physical changes, gracing Gina with a wide smile and a glimpse of razor sharp fangs.

At the sight of them, the sniper's face lit up, reacting with amusement rather than confusion or fear. "Those are nice. You order those in?"

"Uh… yeah." It took a few moments for Neo to realize her mistake.

"Awesome. I may get a pair of those…"

The New Type's first instinct was to close her mouth, hiding her smile and proof of her biology. But strangely, she found that she couldn't, her mouth pulling once again into a wide smile. It seemed she had nothing to worry about for the time being, as Gina thought her fangs were accessories. That worked in her favor and Neo saw no reason to correct her.

From the other side, Ichiro and Annette simply watched them. The rookie didn't know what to make of the situation, although a part of her wanted to be astounded. Wild as they were, the two of them were clearly accomplished soldiers who had earned their place as top marksmen. And together, they made a highly effective, albeit destructive, pair.

The veteran was torn. While he found the woman's behavior incredibly frustrating, he had to admire her strength and accuracy as well as her vibrant personality. She took great joy in doing what she did. It just so happened to involve massacring everything that moved. Even still, he couldn't bring himself to be upset with her. Not when she had brought his companion so much joy. It was nice to see Neo truly smiling, a rare sight in recent times.

Perhaps Gina wasn't a terrible influence on the New Type after all. Although, he was a little apprehensive to leave the two of them without supervision. As the pair continued their playful banter, her guardian couldn't help but find himself smiling right along with them.

. . .

Far East Branch - Mess Hall

At Headquarters, Annette's fellow recruit was having a far less exciting time. With his own rotation on break at the moment, he had joined a pair of his 3rd Unit comrades for some much-needed food and relaxation. They discussed their progress in the search and rescue operation, comparing notes on what the others had found, which unfortunately, wasn't much. The discussion eventually drifted to their missions and exploits, with Federico earning encouragement from his teammates at his growth. That was until the topic shifted to his most recent quest, Tropical Fish.

Otto took a bite of his sandwich, offering a sympathetic smile to the New Type. "Yeah, I heard about that mission. Glad you're not dead."

"Yeah, it was pretty tough, but we fared alright. I think Annette was getting some advice from Neo. She's been getting better."

Caleb paused, holding his beverage to his lips as the New Type's name was mentioned. "Ah… yeah, that makes sense. Reaper's really strong."

Federico nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she is. Probably the strongest I've ever seen. Seriously, the women in this branch are terrifying. Objectively speaking, it's great, but…" His voice trailed, his mind flashing back to her enraged expression in the Infernal Subway.

"She's off her rocker?" Otto offered, resting his arms on the table.

"Well… I mean, I wouldn't go that far… She was certainly in a foul mood, that's for sure. I think the heat was probably getting to her."

Caleb shook his head, earning a look of confusion from the rookie New Type.

Otto agreed with him. "Nah, Reaper's always like that. Chick's a loose cannon."

"Is she really that bad?"

Caleb nodded solemnly, placing his drink on the table. "She certainly can be. A while back, Hamasaki had to stop her from tearing Otto's head off."

"What?! No way…" Federico muttered.

Otto shrugged. "It's true. Then, she started muttering and had a total meltdown. I'm telling you, the girl's nuts."

"That's crazy."

"Well, she's crazy, so…"

"Should someone like that be in active combat? She sounds really unstable."

"She is, but there's nothing anyone can do about it. Director's favorite. That woman literally gets away with murder."

Federico paused, his eyes growing wide as saucers. "Wait, that's… I thought that was just a rumor."

"Dunno. The guy's dead, we know that much. But whether it was an accident or not, nobody really knows. My money's on the latter."

The New Type shuddered at the thought, the look on Neo's face appearing in his mind once again. At first glance, one wouldn't expect someone so small and quiet to be so destructive. But after seeing her in combat as well as lashing out at himself, he couldn't be sure. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but at this point, he couldn't entirely rule it out. "Hey… wait, isn't your friend going out with her or something? I think I heard it through the grapevine."

Caleb nodded. "Gunter? Yeah, he is. He's been with her for a while now, actually. He's pretty determined.

"Does he know?"

"Yeah. Kind of hard not to, to be honest."

"Oh… so why -"

"Because he's an idiot." Otto shrugged. "You can't tell the guy anything. He's not gonna be happy until he ends up in the ward." Finishing his meal, he sighed.

"I see." Federico grew silent, Caleb and Otto continuing their chatter as they moved on to other lighter topics. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do moving forward with the New Type. Even though they were in different units, it was entirely possible that they may end up side by side again at some point. It may be better to give her a wide berth in the event that it happened. For now, he would focus on the present. As he returned to his luncheon, a disturbing thought crossed his mind. The Captain had been very quick to get in between the two of them. Almost as if he had seen it coming.

Now, he couldn't help but wonder… what would have happened if he hadn't?