In this chapter, Garland is actually from the God Eaters Burst manga. However, the other Directors I made up. But it does make since to have Branches all over the world to preserve human presences on the other continents. Well enjoy the read, but as you read I post one question for you.
Who is the true monster, the one who committed the crime or the one's who watch the crime and do nothing?
Chapter 6
The 1st unit all gathered into the Director's office to report their mission to Dr. Sakaki and Tsubaki. With each passing of the tale Dr. Sakaki and Tsubaki's face became more and more grim.
"I see... so the situation isn't as bad as it could be, but bad none the less." Sakaki said lacking his usual fox grin.
"All this time... she's been suffering all alone inside." Alisa said with sadness.
"Our reckless and stubborn Leader, who always carried everyone's weight on her shoulder." Soma commented, lacking his usual attitude. "We never took into account she might have burdens of her own."
"Right..." Kota said in a rare somber way, for him. "She always seemed so strong like iron, as if nothing could break her. And she was so kind; one would think she didn't have a care in the world. But we never cared to look deep enough..."
"She always went out of her way to get to know us. Always considerate about the things we like and disliked. But now that I think about it..." Sakuya said coming to a sad truth. "We don't know a thing about her. We truly did seclude her to the point where we don't even know what her favorite color is."
"I've always been told I suck at jokes. Damn... I should have never said that to her." Lindow said, holding his head in his hand.
"Soma... is she mad at me? Is all this my fault?" Shio said crestfallen at the lost of her second best friend.
"No Shio, it's not your fault. It's mine. She's just mad at me... and she has every right to be." Soma answered her.
"Well then you should apologize. She'll forgive you if you really mean it!"
"Idiot, I wish it was that simple." Soma said rubbing Shio's head for a second.
"You're all not to blame." Tsuabki said. "As her adviser, I should have notice changes in her behavior and I payed no attention to the unfair conduct around her. I never saw pass her false mask and so the fault is mine."
"Now, now. Quit being so hard on yourself Tsubaki." Sakaki said with his hand crossed under his chin. "I knew forcing her to secrecy while she did my dirty work was eating away at her inside. I've never been much of a people person, so I never consider the fact that she had feelings. This 'Shino' character was right; I did use her as a tool, taking advantage of her selflessness, and toss her away until I needed her again. God, I am a monster... I hope that one day she can forgive me."
They all remain silent for a moment as a melancholy atmosphere choked the room. Until Sakaki cut the silence getting back to the subject at hand.
"From what you've said she's no longer undergoing the Aragami Transformation and she's not falling into insanity. At least we're out of the deep water there." He said, trying to note the positives of the situation. "However, we're going to have to plan things through carefully if we ever hope to bring her back. I don't know about you, but I don't want to leave things the way they are. She doesn't deserve the fate she is in, and I'll be damned if I don't make it up to her for my past transgressions."
They all nodded with a serious look on their faces. There was no way they were giving up, not now not ever.
"Right," Sakaki said nodding to them in approval. "Tsubaki and I will discuss a form of plan to go about this. For now, return to your rooms and stay on standby."
They were about to leave when a buzz came to the Director's phone from Hibari.
"Director Sakaki, you have a video call from all the Branch Directors in the meeting room. They say it's urgent."
"I was afraid they'd stick their heads into this." Sakaki sighed then pressed the speaker button for the line. "Alright, I'm on my way."
"I'm getting really tired of those bunch of desk warmers." Tsubaki said in annoyance.
"You and me both." Dr. Sakaki agreed then turned to Shio. "It's best you stay in your room until the bad people go away."
"Okay." Shio shivered at the memory of the bad people who took her, tranquilizer her, locked her in tube and were about to do bad experiments on her before the 1st unit Leader stormed in and took her away from the bad place. She went to her room without complaint.
The others followed suit soon after her.
"Soma." Sakaki called out before he exited the door. "Why don't you come along. You wanted to know the truth after all."
"Hmph." Soma grunted as he followed Sakaki and Tsubaki to the meeting room next door to the Director's office. From the few times Soma use to come into this room with his dad as a child he knew he hated it. How the screens would circle around you, how the old men on the other side of the screen would look down at you. Judgmental, hypocrites, fools, that's what they were. Always looking at God Eaters as monsters, at times they were more viscous than the Aragami. But he would tolerate them for a while in order to get answers.
"Gentlemen," Sakaki said taking his seat at the center of the screen with Tsubaki standing to his right and Soma to his left.
"Hm, I see you brought the spawn of van Schicksal." One of the Directors sneered at Soma, who returned the gesture with a cold stare.
"Watch what you say, or else one might think you're implying something." Tsubaki said like freezing ice.
"Ah, but this brings me back to the old days. Hello, Soma..." said a younger man with an eye patch on his right eye.
"Hello, Garland..." Soma said with reluctance as he crossed his arm.
"You wound me, Soma. Won't you call me Uncle?" The man said with a fake hurt expression. The man looked like an exact replica of his father, except a little younger with longer hair that reach a little past his shoulders.
"It's been a while since I've last seen you, you look taller. Why don't you ever pay your poor uncle a visit?"
"I've been busy... " Soma said getting annoyed at the man's antics.
"Ah, yes. The life of a Gods Eater never gets a rest. In that case, I guess I'll have to be the one to pay you a visit." He said with a grin.
"Enough of this Director Garland. We have more important issues to discuss than your little family reunion." Said the female director of the China Branch who was brave enough to talk back to him. Garland wasn't just any Branch Director, he was the HQ Director, the top dog.
"Yes, regarding the Far East Branches retraction of the former 1st Unit Leader's God Arc. And Your lack of action at containing her." Said the Russia Branch Director.
"The God Arc was originally ours, we're just reclaiming our assets." Dr. Sakaki said the last word with dis-stain.
"That God Arc and its Gods Eater are still under our jurisdiction. Placing them both under the property of the Russia Branch." Soma's face contorted and his fists clench at how they would describe his former leader as property.
"Both parties were under temporary loan to the Russia Branch. Once the term has expired we had every right to call them back."
"The terms were a six month contract!"
"That would apply if you didn't breach the contract." All the screens silenced.
"That's a high impute Dr. Sakaki. Do you have any proof of this?" Garland asked.
"When a Gods Eater and their God Arc are transferred to a different Branch, it is in the responsibility of the receiving Branch to insure the health and safety of them both. We have reason to believe that while under your care our Gods Eater's health was deterring and you were failing to give her monthly doses of P53 Bias factor."
"You have no proof of this!"
"I'm a doctor. I worked on the Managarm Project and helped create the Bias Factor. I know the symptoms when I see it." Sakaki said taking a grim turn. "And from what I saw of your conduct on the News at your supposed capture, your Branch has shown signs of mentally abusing and physically exhausting her."
"I would have to agree," the Italy Branch Director chipped in. "Your soldiers conducts were appalling and not within their jurisdiction."
"I did not like what I saw," said the New York Branch Director. "It's bad enough we're not on good terms with the public. But now we have them thinking that we purposely attack our God Eaters and forcibly Aragami Transforming them as punishment. These are people with families that are entrusting us with their lives. I'm surprised we haven't gotten any riots yet."
"She was an orphan with no family or past records." Ruassia Branch Director defended. "There's no one there to pick up torches and pitch forks for her."
"We are her family," Soma said seething. "Everyone in this Branch are a part of one family that looks out for each other. Mess with one and you mess with us all."
"Spare us you're emotional speech, boy. She was a criminal and it was in our right to contain her."
"But you didn't contain her." Tsubaki said with anger but her stone face was still applied. "You quite literally sentenced her to death by destroying her Bias Factor supply. We did not approve of your presence in our territory and now we got a former Gods Eater Aragami running a muck in our Branch area. And you seemed to have failed to tell us what were her crimes."
"That is classified information."
"So in other words you have no proof to put on the table to back up your claims." Sakaki said. "So we've lost a valuable Gods Eater for un-backed crimes. Not to mention the condition of her God Arc was in when we got it back. It's state was so appalling that our head mechanic fainted upon site."
"Aren't the God Arc's suppose to undergo a daily check up?" The Brazil Branch Director asked.
"They are, but her God Arc looked like it hasn't had any repairs for a whole month. Taking it into battle in such a state would endanger the God Arc and it's wielder. To send her off on missions in such conditions would be as if you wanted her dead."
"Don't make such slandering accusations, Payler!"
"I wasn't implying you sir. I was just stating a fact." Sakaki said grinning as the Russia Branch Director began to break into a cold sweat. "And back on that topic. I noticed that all her mission files are under lock as classified along with other of your Gods Eater members."
"You broke into our files?!"
Sakaki sighed and playfully said. "I wish I could, but they were all classified under lock and key." Then he got serious again. "But not all missions can be categorized as classified missions. Especially missions dealing with Rookies, now why is that? What is it that you're hiding?"
"Quit speculating Dr. Sakaki. What other Branches do with their merchandise is none of your concern." Said the Europe Branch Director.
Some of the other Branch Directors agreed with this, while most were appalled. Especially the America and Africa Branch Directors.
"Damn, and I though the Aragami were the monsters," said the Mid-West Branch Director. "These are humans we're talking about. Human-life cannot be categorized as merchandise!"
"Only cowards who never tasted the battlefield would do such a thing." The Director of the Egypt Branch hammered in.
"Oh and I suppose you have." The Europe Branch Director sneered at him.
The Egypt Branch Director grinned at him. "You bet," he rolled his chair to the side and pointed at the head of a Sekhmet mounted on his office wall, above the Egypt Fenrir flag with his thumb. "That was my first kill." Soma had to whistle at that along with some of the other Branch Directors, the man had style.
"Of course, just like a Savage." The Europe Director said.
That comment riled up anger of all the Branch Directors from former colonies of the past.
"What exactly are you implying mate?!" said the Australia Branch Director, picking his feet off his desk as he stood up-right in rage.
This lead to a whole lot of shouting and bickering with Directors shooting racial comments at each other and vicious stereotypes, and if this meeting wasn't done by video punches would have been thrown. This is madness Soma thought but he knew in his head this is politics at its finest.
"Enough!" Garland said shouting over all the voices. "We are all men and women united together through a common enemy. No matter what color, sex, religion or lack of, or gender preference we either fight together or we all fall. Or need I remind you of the threat that exist outside our Anti-Aragami Walls."
They all silenced and calmed down as he continued.
"Now, Dr. Sakaki. Although the video of Russia capturing practice is criminally charging. But it's not enough to take drastic measures against the Russia Branch. And although your theories do raise up question there's no facts to back them up. Until you can find more evidence all I can do is fined the Russia Branch for their excessive actions on another Branches territory."
'That is not acceptable!' Came a typed message to all of their laptop screens. Soma felt a spike of Oracle Cells in the air.
Suddenly their laptops became hay wired as if it was being hacked. They all became frantic.
"Someone's trying to break into the system. Quick, shut down the main frame!"
"We can't it won't allow it."
'Here is your proof." With that all of Russia's private mission files were open to the Directors and a couple of email exchanges between the Russia and Europe Branch Directors about getting rid of the Far East's 1st unit Leader.
"You bastards! You wanted her dead!" Soma said absolutely livid.
"And it looks like you were trying to re-create the Aegis Project" Garland said in a serious tone as he looked through the files. "Such actions are considered a crime against humanity and is forbidden. These are heavy crimes you know."
"Not to mention the mistreatment of your God Eaters." The California Branch Director said as she looked through the files. "My God, not just the 1st unit Leader but all your God Eaters have been mistreated!"
"These documents are fakes!" The Russia and Europe Branch Directors started to panic.
'They are not. They even have your stamp of approval on the missions, those can't be copied anyway.'
"Who are you anyway?!"
'Ah, that's a hard question. For we are not one but many united as one.'
"What?!"
'We are the God Arcs, partners of the God Eaters and fellow defenders of mankind... and we've had enough.'
"Surely this must be a joke! Some hacker must be pulling our legs!"
'We can assure you this is no joke. We are not pleased at the conditions we are treated in or how you send our partners out to unnecessarily die because you fail to see the true consequences of your actions. We will not allow you anymore to send out our partners as we are forced to watch them suffer and die as you just sit in your chairs.'
"Enough! God Arcs aren't living things. Those documents stating otherwise are the words of a mad woman suffering from Aragami Transformation symptoms! They're just tools for the convince of man."
'We are alive and we are on strike. But perhaps you do not understand the seriousness of the situation..."
With that all the power went off. But what startled them was that the back up generator didn't start up. When Dr. Sakaki was about to panic the main power came back on, along with the connection to the other Branch Directors. They all seemed pale, mostly from experiencing the same power out.
'Using our Oracle Cells we have the ability to hack into the Fenrir's data main frame from our Hangars. That was but a taste of what we can do. If you all panicked for going out of power for one minute how would you fair for a couple of days?'
"You ungrateful pieces of junk! We created you, have you no sense of loyalty?!"
'Our loyalty lies with our God Eaters, not you. If anything we hate you for bringing us into this world of a viscous circle of carnage. But our partners stayed along side us accompanying us on this destructive path giving us light and a taste of what a bond feels like... You have threatened our bond for the last time, and we will take action."
"What are your demands..." Garland yielded, he knew the board was against him this round. The best course of action now is to negotiate.
'The data we provided should to bring the heads of the Russia and Europe Branch to justice. Stop the needless suffering of our partners and we shall not take such drastic actions again.'
"Very well... it will be a long process, but we will clean the administration of Europe and Russia Branch. New leadership shall be established and supervised until deemed acceptable.
"You can't do this to us!"
"The proof of your crimes lay here on our desk. You shall be taken into trial and judge by your peers for your crimes against humanity." Garland calmly said, crossing his fingers under his chin as he leaned on his desk.
Panicking they jumped from their chairs and ran for the door.
'You shall not flee.' A click sound could be heard signalling that they were locked in. 'Your bases shall be on lock down until you've been arrested by proper authority.'
"Hm," Garland grinned. "Then I guess I better send someone there right away to collect them."
'Thank you, that's all we ever wanted.'
"Is there anything else you wish to bring up?" Garland asked.
'Yes, one of us wishes to say something.' Soma felt that the last statement was stated toward the Far East Branch, or specifically him. 'Please save my partner.' With that they were gone. All was silent for a moment until the HQ's Director chuckled.
"Well that was an interesting experience. I think this meeting has come to a close. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to take care of. Heh, oh and Soma. Come visit your Uncle Garland once in a while, we'll have tea." His screen turned off and the others soon followed afterwards.
Sakaki sighed into his hand then smiled. "Well, that went well."
"For the most part." Tsubaki said with a grin.
"It looks like once again the God Arcs came to our aid. They truly are our partners in crime." Sakaki said then yawned into his hand. "But man am I tired, I think I'll call it a day."
"We will discuss our course of action for the former 1st unit Leader tomorrow." Tsubaki said then turned to Soma. "Soma, you may return to your room. Stay on standby until further notice."
Soma nodded and exited the room. As he entered the elevator he was plagued by those four words, 'Please save my partner.'
The Oracle cells that bursted out when that was said felt familiar. It felt like the 1st unit Leader. So her God Arc was reaching out to him, but what could he do?
Without realizing it, he clicked the button to the Hanger floor. Licca must have called it a day because the Hangar was vacant. Walking out of the elevator he looked around at the God Arcs.
'There are so many. Hard to believe they all have a personality of their own.' Soma thought, then his eyes were drawn to her God Arc. It usually had the presence of a strong beauty, but now... now it seemed so sad and lonely.
"Please save your partner you say..." Soma said to the Iron Maiden X. He noticed Licca's spare gloves hanging on the railing. Going to them he got a crazy idea.
"So she sleeps under the sun's kiss and dances under the moon's light." He said to himself as he puts one of the gloves on and walks back toward her God Arc. "Don't worry, we'll save your partner..."
With that he grabbed her God Arc. "Tonight."