Slamming the lab door behind her, she dashed to the exit of the building and burst into the freezing New York air. Only stopping once when she felt her lungs would burst, she sped through the dark streets towards the café hoping she would catch Armin closing up shop. As she rounded the corner of Maria street, the sight of a familiar blonde head brought tears to the corner of her eyes. He turned and his eyes widened in shock at her disheveled hair and wind-burnt face.
"Mikasa! What-" She slammed into him and they nearly slipped on the ice, all the while crushing him in her arms.
"Mikasa! What did you see in the laboratory?!" She looked at him with tears pricking her eyes.
"...sadness."
"What do you mean?" He grabbed her hand and they huddled together as they made their way to his apartment. She began explaining what she had seen, him only nodding and stroking his chin. They reached his building and he began fiddling with his keys, both of them desperate to escape the cold. Once inside, they rode the elevator in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. When they finally made it inside his small studio apartment, they both collapsed onto his tiny couch and breathed a sigh of releif.
"Okay, let's break down exactly what you saw."
Hours of brainstorming and two cups of ramen later, they had nothing. Armin laid down with a sigh. "I don't understand...something of that size defies the laws of nature. It should be crushed under gravity."
"That's exactly what I was thinking, but I have only really seen its eyes, and both times it was dark so I haven't even seen the rest of its face.", she said with a mouth full of ice cream. "Has it been genetically engineered? Titan Industries definitely has the technology and the funding, but building a living organism? That's impossible."
Armin shook his head. "Apparently not."
They both began to ponder in silence again, logical minds desperately trying to understand. But something was bothering her immensely. The eyes had held emotion clear as day. The bright green orbs seemed shocked to see her, but she thought she saw a spark of recognition. How is that possible? I glimpsed the eye for maybe half a second the first time I saw it...this creature is way smarter than it seems. Biting her nails, she fretted over what her next course of action should be. Should she go back? She knew if she didn't her curiosity would drive her insane, but her common sense told her otherwise. The eyes had seemed desperate, even afraid before she had bolted, and that image haunted her mind. She knew she would cave eventually.
"You okay Mikasa?"
Startled out of her thoughts, she heaved a heavy sigh and smiled at the blonde. "I'm sorry Armin, just lost in thought. I think I might head back for the night.". She yawned and went to stand up, but a hand grabbed her wrist.
That's all it took.
"I can't believe you killed the mom! She was our main target!"
Mikasa!
"At least we got the little one, she'll still catch a pretty penny."
Mikasa!
"Come here honey, you got allotta customers wait'n for you."
"Mikasa!"
She found herself staring at the ceiling, her chest heaving with Armin hovering over her, tears running down her face. She looked into his frighten eyes and immediately began sobbing. He held her close and remained silent, which she appreciated.
Why is my life so hard? Why did this all happen to me? I just want to be happy.
She laid in Armin's embrace for what seemed like hours before slowly closing her eyes, tear tracks still fresh on her face.
Faint warmth began glowing behind her eyelids, and she blearily blinked them open. Slowly looking around, she realized she was still at Armin's apartment. Laying back down, she let her mind catch up to her body. Right, she had an episode last night. Her past weighed on her so heavily she felt that she had not moved since the incident. Her life had come to a stand still with the loss of her parents and the trauma she endured. She was only here and alive because someone happened to see them enter the house that night, or that's what she was told. She preferred not to think about it. However, there were times when she felt like she should have died that nigh along with her parents so she wouldn't have to be alone in this world. Sometimes Armin was the only one who grounded her. He had been by her side through thick and thin and had never given up on her. She could never repay him for what he had done for her.
The smell of eggs wafted into her nose, and her stomach flipped. Shakily getting to her feet, she made her way into the kitchen. "Good morning sleepy head.", Armin said in a sing-song voice. She rolled her eyes and hungrily turned towards the food cooking before her.
"I wanted you to have a real breakfast, to help with all of the pressure you are under. Home cooked meals are just the best." She nodded. "I don't remember the last time I had an actual breakfast.", she said, rubbing the back of her head. Sliding down into a chair, she closed her eyes and yawned. Work consumed her life these days, her constantly struggling to make earn a promotion--her paycheck right now barely payed rent, let alone water and electricity. All of her time and energy went into making ends meet and work, it was hard to think about things like eggs and bacon.
Armin set the plate down in front of her and sat across from her with a cup of coffee. "You aren't going to eat anything?". He shook his head. "I ate before you woke up, it's almost noon."
She froze mid swallow.
"Don't worry, I called your office and said you were sick." She sighed in relief.
Looking down to her empty plate, her thoughts began drifting again. She could never had fathomed that something like this would happen to her, but she hadn't had any luck in life so far, and that was an understatement. Pursuing biology was her biggest dream in life, and her parents were more than proud of her drive and determination. Their absence left a gaping hole in her confidence, and she dropped out of school because of what happened. However her half-degree seemed to be coming in handy with her newfound discovery. The thought almost made her chuckle.
Almost.
Feeling eyes on her, she looked over to find him staring at her. "You're thinking about it." She sighed. "Kind of...". He stood up and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's hard, but you have the strength of a hundred people and a blazing drive, I know things will be ok." She rolled her eyes. "That was pretty cheesy Armin...but thank you." He chuckled and thanked her.
A few hours later she was walking home after a hug and a heartfelt goodbye, him telling her to call if she needed anything. Wrapping her thin coat around her, she speeded through the streets as quick as she could to relish in her apartment's heater. As she turned a corner about a block from her building, a newspaper stand caught her eye--more specifically the headline.
"TITAN INDUSTRIES UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR SUPPOSED ILLEGAL EXPERIMENTATION"
Stopping in her tracks, she ran over and quickly paid for the paper, eyes scanning the story.
"Titan Industries is under investigation after numerous reports from anonymous employees that illegal scientific activities were taking place in their Manhattan headquarters. Employees and passerby's of the building have claimed to have heard strange noises coming from under the building, some even describing it as an animalistic roar."
Hands shaking, she flipped to the next page and saw an extremely blurry photograph, but she immediately recognized it, since she knew exactly where it was taken.
"Below is a leaked photograph of what seems to be a laboratory, and an unidentifiable object is seen in the top right-hand corner. If you have any information regarding these activities, please contact the FBI."
Slamming the paper shut and throwing it into a trash can, she ran home.
After a sleepless night, she found herself dozing off at her desk the next day. All the adrenaline from the past week was starting to catch up to her body, and she was absolutely exhausted. Her body and mind were stretched to their limit, but she had already taken a day off of work and couldn't risk another lost day of pay. Rent was due soon. Laying her head in her lap, she closed her eyes.
A little nap is okay...
SLAM
Every nerve in her body lit up as a stack of papers hit her desk.
"What do you think you're doing Ackerman?!"
Mr. Ackerman's permanent scowl filled her vision. Immediately straightening up, she explained in a calm and soft voice. "I'm sorry sir, It has been a really rough week for me and I haven't gotten much sleep. It won't happen again." After staring at her for a few tense moments, he sighed. "You're a good worker, so I'll let you off the hook this time. Get some sleep tonight so you don't fall asleep at work.". She nodded "Yes sir." He stared for a few more seconds, but then got up and made his way back to his office, yelling at Connie and Sasha on the way. Sliding down into her seat, she sighed and began sorting through the paperwork.
The rest of the week went by slowly, but she didn't go near the doors in the lobby. She past by them everyday when she went to her office and when she left, but she never even stopped to look at them. On Friday afternoon, She packed her things and made her way to the elevator, once again one of the last people leaving. She stood in front and stared at the numbers announcing the floor the elevator was on, lost in thought.
"You always look so spaced out, Ackerman."
For the second time that week, she nearly jumped out of her skin only to turn around to Mr Ackerman standing behind her. How is he so quiet?! "I'm sorry sir, I just have a lot of things on my mind." He regarded her carefully.
"We all do kid."
The elevator dinged and they rode down in silence, nodding to each other as a goodbye once in the lobby. She paused however, and for the first time that week, looked back at the doors. She turned to look at Mr. Ackerman, but she only saw his briefcase exit the spinning doors. Swallowing, she turned around and made her way to the doors slowly. Reaching out, her hand hovered over the doorknob. She stared at her shaking hand.
She turned around and left.
Bright reds and yellows lit up the streets of New York City as Autumn arrived in full force. Leaves drifted down to the sidewalk as taxis honked at each other, the air crisp in her lungs. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled the scent of her pumpkin spice latte that Armin had given her, silently thanking him for the small source of joy. Autumn was her favorite season of the year. The air always seemed the cleanest and the chill was refreshing. The changing of the leaves was one of her favorite things to watch--they reminded her of her mother. She always loved Autumn.
It had been a month since her elevator ride with Mr. Ackerman, and a month since she left the doors. She liked to think the whole event was something she dreamed up in her head, but Armin assured her that their conversations were very real, and the newspaper proved it. The controversy had died down after the CEO had issued an official statement about the accusations, and there hadn't been anything since. Work was the same as it always was, making coffee and sorting papers. She had managed to save some money after a slight increase in her measly paycheck for good work, so she had the luxury of Chinese food once or twice a week. She had begun to actually talk to Jean instead of one-sided conversations, and found that he can be pretty fun to talk to. She did keep turning him down for coffee though, but she made sure to be nicer about it and say "Maybe another time.". She spent more time with Armin, and his consistent presence helped her stay more emotionally intact. Overall, it had been an improvement from last month.
After taking orders for coffee, she began her daily routine of sorting forms and contracts. It was the start of the week, and she and Armin had once again visited the Natural History Museum, a monthly venture for them. It was a place she felt like she could geek out in, her half-biology degree shining through the cracks. It was a nice distraction and effective way to put the double doors to the back of her mind. Mentally face-palming, they once again surged to the front of her mind. The itch for an explanation was so powerful now that she could barely stand it, and she had come to the decision that she had to satisfy it before she went crazy. That was what she told herself.
The day moved slower than usual, her knee bouncing as she watched the clock rotate. Once the hand hit 5:00 pm, everyone simultaneously stood up, gathered their things, and left. It was kind of eerie watching it happen. As she looked at her phone while waiting for the office to completely clear out, Mr. Ackerman glanced in her direction and quirked an eyebrow, but disappeared out the doorway before she could blink.
She waited and extra hour before she got up and headed downstairs, just to be safe. As she swiped her card, she surprisingly felt little fear as she walked the dark hallways, feeling more curious than afraid. The air was unnaturally warm in the building, and she wiped some sweat off her brow, turning a familiar corner as the room came into view. Stopping to catch her breath, she did her breathing exercises to prepare and calm herself. It will be fine, worse case scenario I can just run away. Taking a step forward, she slowly approached the door and and turned the knob as quietly as possible. She cringed as the door squeaked open, and a hiss of air blew her hair back. Blinking her eyes. She slowly peeked into the room. It was extremely dark, and the lab was a complete mess. There was no red or green light this time, and she let out a sigh of relief. Stepping completely into the room, she turned on her phone camera and began looking around for any paperwork or reports that could aid her in her quest for knowledge. It was a circular room, with a large chunk of the wall being a large glass barrier, and based on the shape it seemed as though the hallway she had come through was a bridge that led to the lab, seeming to be in the middle of an enormous room. As she shuffled through paperwork and documents, she came across some barely legible writing on a notepad.
Subject E
Seems extremely intelligent, even recognizing fear and anger in my lab mates. Shows minimal aggression, only tensing when we take samples. Has only "roared" once--unexplained reason.
That was all she could decipher, with the notes sighed H.Z. At the bottom. Setting them down, her mind began to swirl. What does this mean? Is the organism the one whose eyes I saw? It must be somewhat human then, and from what I could make out it seemed enormous! How can they contain something that size? She went back to searching with her mind reeling, and failed to notice the room around her beginning to illuminate. As she reached out to pick up a vial, green light lit up her hand. A wave of Dejá Vu washed over her, and she began trembling. This time she knew where the light was coming from. How did I not sense or hear it?! How long has it been watching me?! Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned around to face the window.
Her heart nearly burst out of her chest at what she saw.
Once again, an absolutely enormous pair of eyes were illuminated through the glass, with pupils blown to almost the size of the iris. They were a stunning vivid green-goldish color, and were staring at here unblinkingly. The lab was a bit brighter than her previous encounter, so she was able to discern more of the face attached to the eyes.
She wished she hadn't.
The eyes were the only thing beautiful about this creature. It's face was compromised of sharp angles and high cheekbones, with a dark mop of messy hair slightly covering it's--no, his--features. He sported a hooked nose and had dark rings around his eyes, emphasizing the green eyes. But the mouth was absolutely horrid. Enormous teeth jutted out of the skin of his jaw, which escalated into a serrated jaw. Saliva leaked through the gaps because of the lack of lips, and slid down the sharp chin. She couldn't see anything below his collarbone. It was absolutely terrifying.
Stumbling over a chair, she began backing towards the door, but stopped. The eyes had drooped as soon as she began moving away, and dare she say it, looked sad. Is this the organism that the notes were referring too? Her mind was spinning, and the creature just stared at her, not moving a muscle. He hadn't blinked once. Taking a deep breath, her hand slipped off the doorknob and she took a step forward. The eyes widened a smidge, but otherwise it did not move. She continued to creep forward, not taking her eyes off of him. However, her eyes kept returning to his mouth, which continued to make her uneasy. I bet he can open his jaw to an unnatural angle, considering his lack of lips and serrated teeth, kind of like a snake. The thought did not make her feel better. She took another step forward, but immediately stopped when he took a step towards the glass, close enough to where his breath was fogging the glass. All of her common sense was telling her to run, but there was something in his eyes that made her stay.
She took a step closer to the glass, but he did not move this time. By now she was about six feet out from the glass and he seemed to be about ten feet away, but one step could cover triple that if he tried. Gathering her courage she took one step closer and began studying his face. Now that she was closer, she could see the rings around his eyes, almost like a raccoon. The sheer difference in size between them was enough to make her stumble back when he leaned forward, let alone his menacing appearance. His shoulder began to slowly move and she took another step back as his arm began moving upward. She held her breath and nearly gasped as a massive hand reached up and hesitantly came closer to the glass. After a pause, he laid his hand on the glass in front of her. From the bottom of his palm to the top of his index finger had to be at least ten feet, probably more. She strained her eyes in the low light and saw the vast complex of veins under tan leathery skin, leading to a unnaturally muscled arm. Taking a deep breath she slowly closed the gap between them and laid her hand on the glass near the center of his palm. The image of his massive hand against hers engraved its way into her mind. A low rumble vibrated around her, traveling all the way to her bones. She couldn't help but smile.
Wow
Chewing her nail, she smiled manically at the screen, her glasses reflecting the woman's smile.
Found you!
