He stood there, with the blood seeping out of his body, both on the front and back. The dark, red liquid stained his clean white coat, and Drake's dark-grey sleeve, dying the colors with its deep ruby appearance. Ricardo lifelessly hanged his head, as Drake's hand remained at his wound. The fingertips, were now soaked in a deep red stain, and were slightly visible on the end of the hole. Drake's face showed no expression; just the dead empty cast in his eyes, without a single trace of life or any emotion within it.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
The others quivered at the very sight, as the silence filled both the recording and the lab. They continued staring at the video, never tearing away their vision at the screen. Alisa watched in dreadfulness, dismayed at the sudden violent nature of Drake, and speechless at his murderous intent of killing Ricardo. She made an audible gulp, as her throat suddenly became dry.
"I'm not going to let you go about your merry way Ricardo." Drake coldly replied to the still masked man. He began to pull back his hand from Ricardo's chest, however… "What in the-"
A person's hand gripped at Drake's arm, clawing at the sleeve. Drake winced, and gazed upward at the person's mask. The others became shocked just as much as Drake in the video. That familiar sneering, stifled tone, mocked at Drake, "Did you really think that you could kill me so easily, Cain?" Ricardo lifted his head, looking directly in Drake's eyes. There was no sense of pain in Ricardo's speech. It was cold and calm, strong and sound; it terrified Drake as Ricardo's voice never changed at the throbbing of the wound.
"No…that means….you…." The hint of fear in Drake's voice became clear as day, as he trailed off his sentence.
"It's not that hard to put two and two together, now is it?" Ricardo continued gripping on Drake's arm with one hand. With his other hand, he reached for his pocket, and pulled out some sort of short blade. The flat and wide edge faintly glistened against the lights; its back side was slightly jagged, and the size was bit larger compared to a kitchen knife. As Sakuya and Drake noticed the slightly large knife, they both pointed out in unison,
"A hunting knife?!"
Ricardo twirled the knife in his hand, and brought down the knife to Drake. Refusing to get stabbed, Drake caught Ricardo's arm; little by little, he pushed the knife away from himself. Ricardo refused to be outdone by Drake, and began to push down as well. The two arm-wrestled against each other for a few minutes. Drake winced at the pain in his arm, as the struggle further nailed down the stress. Short sparks appeared on his armlet, and Drake grunted at the agony tearing his limb.
Frustrated and impatient, Ricardo drew back the knife, as Drake lost a bit of his balance. He brought down the knife once more, and Drake became wide open. All too fast, and all too quick Drake hesitated at the attack, and used the bracelet as a shield on the knife. The blade bounced off leaving a blade mark on the armlet.
"Owwww!" he screamed. Drake cringed as the knife's attack stung his wrist, and travelled through his arm like lightning. The sparks from his armlet flashed about on the attack.
Ricardo lifted the knife, and was about to shove it in Drake again. Drake used his armlet to protect him, and whacked the knife away. Ricardo lifted the knife and plunged it at Drake for the third time. He did it again, and again, and again. While doing so, Drake blocked at the attacks, however the only shield he was able to use was his armlet. Each time an attack struck him, and each time the knife grazed his red lifeline, he grunted at the aching discomfort it brought upon. The electric sparks increased with each hit.
With no tolerance and persistence anymore, Ricardo ceased his assault, and in the next moment, Ricardo swiftly planted one foot on Drake's stomach. There, he thrusted his leg, launching Drake to the entrance's doors.
"Ummpff!"
As Drake was forcibly pushed by Ricardo, his left hand was pulled away from the chest, separating each other. The blood then leaked, causing a massive spill on the floor. Drake propelled to the entrance's doors; there, he collided to the closed metal entry, as his back took the hit, producing a loud crash. He coughed out some blood, and slowly slid down on the wall. He held his ribcage, wearing a pained expression as the soreness gnawed at his body.
Within an earshot, Lindow silently stammered, "That can't be…t-t-t-the stabbing…I-I-I-it was shot directly to the chest…how is Ricardo still alive?"
Drake struggled to get up, placing his bloody hand to the metal door; he pushed his weight to the door, and began to slowly move his legs to lift himself. His whole body trembled as it did so, while his armlet made cracking sounds from the visible flashes.
Ricardo caught his actions; he searched in his pocket, and pulled out a small silver ball.
"Ah shit! There it is again!" cried Soma.
With full might, Ricardo threw the ice grenade to Drake, aiming at his armlet. Unable to spot the small silver ball in front of him, Drake's armlet was then caught by the freezing bomb. By the force of the grenade, Drake's hand was then pushed to the entrance's doors. The sub-zero mortar exploded as it came into contact; as it froze in a few seconds, the ice grenade pinned Drake's right hand to the door behind him. The huge red bracelet stopped flashing.
"Shit!" he cursed. Drake glanced at his trapped hand; he then glanced back at Ricardo. He breathed heavily, as exhaustion took a toll on his body. Drake stared at Ricardo, regaining his composure. Ricardo then began moving towards Drake, about to approach him; however, he was then later stopped by Drake's words. "What the hell was that attack on my armlet, Ricardo?"
"You know what it is, Cain. I trapped you with it as of now." he sighed.
"Not that you bumbling old fool! I meant your foot and knife!"
"Oh?"
"When you crushed my armlet with your foot, you weren't affected by the oracle cells as they leaked out. The same thing with your knife; as you kept on attacking, that too was not affected by the oracle cells."
"Affected? Please, I have no idea what this so-called 'effect' of the oracle cells you speak of." he said in a monotone voice.
"I'm talking about how you were never devoured by the oracle cells, as you came into direct contact with it!"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"….."
As soon as Drake yelled that, the room came into a stiff silence. Everyone turned their attention to Ricardo, and allowed Drake's words to sink in their heads. As some noticed what he was getting at, they began to eye daggers at Ricardo. Immediately realizing Drake's words, Sakaki pushed a button on his keyboard, pausing the recording.
"I see… so that is what Drake is questioning Ricardo…this shouldn't happen or rather it's impossible…" he mumbled.
Alisa, unable to recognize the situation, asked Sakaki, "I don't understand; what's impossible?"
Sakaki stepped over to the monitor and pointed at Ricardo while facing the God Eaters. "Take a look at Ricardo here; do you see anything strange about him, other than his wound here?"
Alisa stared at the masked man, with his white coat riddled with blood, and the unfazed posture he showed. She thought back to Drake's words, and continued staring at Ricardo. As she continued staring, she gasped.
It finally hit her.
"Wait, you don't mean!"
Sakaki nodded. "Right, that's what Drake is questioning Ricardo about."
Kota swiveled his head to the two, still confused. "Wait, what? I still don't get it, what was Drake asking Ricardo about?"
"Kota, what is an aragami?" asked Sakaki.
"Huh? Uh, doc, why are you asking me that?"
"Just think for a bit Kota. What is an aragami?"
Kota gripped his pale-yellow beanie, as he tried to answer Sakaki's question. "Uh…a being made of oracle cells? Don't they eat almost anything because of that?"
"Right; and they do. And what's injected in a God Eater's body in order to wield a god arc?"
Kota muttered under his breath, "What the heck are you trying to get at, doc…" He then spoke louder to answer his question. "Oracle cells; they're the only weapons that are able to fight the aragami."
"Right, so look back at Ricardo." Sakaki pushed a button on his keyboard, and rewinded the recording. He stopped at the part where Ricardo stomped on Drake's armlet. He pointed to Ricardo and turned to Kota. "Do you see anything happening to Ricardo as he stomps on Drake's armlet?"
"No..."
"That's the idea. Oracle cells are made to eat or devour almost anything once it comes into direct contact. Not just living creatures, but inanimate objects as well, such as buildings. The question is this; since the oracle cells from Drake's body leaked, how come Ricardo's foot isn't devoured by them?"
For few seconds, Kota tried to process Sakaki's explanation. He jerked his head and flatly said, "Oh…that's you mean."
"The only way counter-attack oracle cells, is to use oracle cells. In a sense, you fight fire, with fire. From the looks of it, I suspect that Ricardo could be using material or armory, that are similar to Fenrir's; anti-aragami armor. It's the same thing with the knife." Sakaki pushed another button and fast forwarded to the recent brawl. He stopped at the point where Ricardo slashed Drake's armlet. "See how when he's in close combat with Drake here? The oracle cells aren't devouring his arm, or the ballistic knife in his hand. In other words, Ricardo is using anti-aragami materials against Drake."
The room came into another stiff silence as they gaze at the screen. They began to wonder how Ricardo had access to such equipment. Lindow then broke the tense atmosphere.
"There are two things that I'm more concerned about." Spoke Lindow.
"What's that Lindow?" asked Sakuya.
"Well, one, look at Ricardo." Lindow steps over to the screen, and pointed to Ricardo's wound. "Look at the stab wound; his stab wound is right where his heart is. You can see all the blood seeping out of his body, but look at him. He's totally fine; no signs of struggling on the wound, so how is it that he's still okay? I highly doubt that's he wearing an armor beneath his clothing."
Sakuya examined Ricardo and Drake; she overviewed Ricardo's body and compares the two men's bodies. Sakuya then spotted what Lindow was explaining; the building of Ricardo's body is no different to that of an ordinary average adult man. "You're talking about his build, right? If Ricardo is wearing an armor, his upper body would be bit larger. What's more, he wouldn't be bleeding so much."
Alisa then spoke up. "Oh! I see what you mean. If Ricardo has some sort of armor or padding in the upper body, he wouldn't be wounded. But wait…since Ricardo isn't wearing any armor, and he was stabbed in the heart, but is still alive, doesn't that mean?"
"Ricardo isn't human." answered Soma.
"…"
"You're right." said Federico. "No human should be alive after being….uh, well, stabbed in the heart. If we encounter him again, we'll have to be wary around him."
Soma gave a nod in return.
"Oh yeah, what was that other thing that you're concerned about Lindow?" asked Federico.
"The anti-aragami materials." he answered. "How does Ricardo, an outsider of Fenrir, have access to such an important method? Only Fenrir has access to those methods and ideas, on how to create bio-weapons and shields."
"Since that info is restricted to Fenrir, then that means only one thing." said Soma.
Kota turned to Soma, and questioned, "One thing? What's that?"
"There's a spy in Fenrir. What's more, that spy is here in the den, since we got attacked."
"!"
"If that's the case, then the spy should be someone on the Maintenance Unit." added Sakaki. "The Maintenance Unit are solely responsible for repairs on bio-weapons, what's more, they are also entrusted with the Far East Branch's security system."
"We'll have to talk to Licca later then." replied Alisa.
"Right; in any case, we should continue on the video, there's a bit more." Sakaki fast forwarded the recording, and continued where they left off.
"I'm talking about how you were never devoured by the oracle cells, as you came into direct contact with it!"
"….Ha-ha! Impressive Cain; despite being cornered, you're very observant and rational. If you've noticed, then I don't need to explain, right?"
"…..È vero, in questo modo, non devo ascoltare un vecchio fossile vagante su e su."
"Silenzio!" Ricardo flipped the knife in his hand, and pointed it at Drake. With a sound of a click, a gunshot resounded in the room.
Drake ducked at the bullet as it homed in on him.
"Whoa!" As the bullet buried itself in the doors behind him, Drake looked behind him, seeing a tiny hole. He turned his head back to Ricardo, and spotted the knife with smoke coming out beneath the handle. "A ballistic knife, that's some hidden card you have."
"Are you serious?! Just how many weapons does this guy have in his arsenal? He's practically armed to the teeth." commented Kota.
"Federico, what did Drake say?" asked Alisa, as she turned to him.
"He said, 'True, that way, I don't have to listen to an old fossil rambling on and on.'"
Alisa showed a doubtful look and thought, Since when did Drake have the time for witty remarks?
"Scherzare quanto vuoi Cain. Se si mantiene questa resistenza, io ricorro a uccidere i tuoi amici."
While Ricardo talked, Federico translated. "Joke around all you want Cain. If you keep up this resistance, I'll resort to killing your friends."
"Non sarà in grado di, vecchio. Io li difenderò da te." Drake began to pull his arm, while locking his vision on Ricardo.
"You won't be able to, old man. I'll be defending them from you."
"Non si possono difendere, Caino. Non sarà in grado di, perché si condurli alla distruzione. Il modo in cui si è ora non è diverso rispetto a prima."
"You can't defend them, Cain. You won't be able to, because you will lead them to destruction. The way you are now is no different compared to before."
"Zitto, Ricardo." growled Drake.
A faint cracking sound echoed, as Drake's hand trembled. Soma's ears twitched as heard it. Was that his arm?
"Shut it, Ricardo."
"Stai solo andando a ripetere di nuovo. Non importa quante volte si prova, il risultato è sempre lo stesso. Ecco perché il vostro destino è segnato. E 'per questo che sei Caino."
"You're just going to repeat it again. No matter how many times you try, the result is still the same. That's why your fate is sealed. That's why you're Cain."
"STOP IT." Drake's voice became more cold and harsh; he glared at Ricardo, as his arm continued trembling.
"Shall I spell it out for you? You-"
"STOP IT."
"Are a-"
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH RICARDO."
"Killer to humanity."
As the last words were finally said, Drake roared at Ricardo like a wild animal. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT RICARDO!" A cracking sound resounded through the air. The camera failed to process a clear image of Drake; instead he quickly turned into a shadow. The shadow then tackled Ricardo, as he got sent flying through the air, and crashed in front of the missionary desk.
There he was, in the center of the room, with his back slouched and lowered head were clear. His blazer got scuffled with blood and dust, and his hair became disheveled. With his bloody left hand, he gripped onto his right arm.
The huge bracelet was not on his wrist anymore. Behind Drake was the separated armlet, still encased in ice on the wall.
Black tentacles and faint dark mist wrapped his arm, while Drake gripped on it even tighter. He collapsed on one knee, and writhed at the pain. Still on the ground, Ricardo pointed his gun knife at Drake once more. Hearing another click, Drake forced himself to roll out of the line of fire. The bullet missed, and instead, it hit the block of ice, and shattered it, causing an exploding sound. The armlet fell to the ground as it broke free.
"Damn you!"
Drake scrambled to get up, and ran up to the higher floor. He gripped on his arm, as he escaped from Ricardo, disappearing into the foggy mist.
"You're not getting away, dammit!"
Ricardo pursued chase as he vanished into the haze.
The screen suddenly went black.
"What? Is that it? Don't tell me that's it! We still don't know what happened to him after they disappeared." panicked Kota.
"That's the only video we have Kota." said Sakuya in a low voice. "It's the only recording we found."
"…"
"Let's review what know so far," announced Sakaki. "First off, Ricardo intruded in the den by hijacking the security system. He held the God Eaters that were in the main hall, hostage. He then contacted Drake, by using Lindow's phone, and threatened him."
"I was with Drake at the time. We were both in Clara Vincenzo's grave." added Alisa.
"At that time, he disguised his voice by using a voice changer. You two then arrived, only Ricardo's men ambushed you two as well. After that, Ricardo shot Drake in the heart, however, for some odd reason, he survived that shot. His eyes glowed at that time."
"I don't believe that Drake just managed to 'survive' that gunshot." replied Soma. "That was a fatal attack, and yet he's still alive."
"Huh, could Drake have something in his body that's different, other than the oracle cells?" wondered Federico. "Ricardo mentioned about something about the 'Pulsation of the Infinite' and how they failed to destroy it."
"I'll try looking into that later, see what I can find." answered Sakaki. "Now where was I? Oh, right; Drake fought Ricardo and a few of his men. During that time, Drake managed to steal a chloroform gas grenade, and later released it. After the chloroform grenade exploded, Drake arrived down to the lower level. From what we see in the video, I believe Drake was attempting to retrieve the security system. The two had another fight, and Drake stabbed Ricardo with his hand."
"….." Alisa showed a grim expression as Sakaki said that.
"However, Ricardo was un-phased by that attack, and was clearly alive."
"From that video, since he was clearly bleeding, and wore no chest armor, we suspect that he's not human." stated Federico.
Sakaki nodded. "Right, and during that second fight, Drake ripped out his armlet. By leaving the bloody hand print and armlet, we managed to find these. After that, the two vanished into the upper level of the main floor."
"I suspect that Drake may have escaped to the helipad." said Sakuya. "He wouldn't go to the elevator, because he would be trapped as Ricardo is chasing him."
"Most likely; the only things we don't know so far is Ricardo, his relation to Drake, and a woman named Clara Vincenzo. We can put the matter of Dalarik aside for now. Right now, I want everyone here to continue looking for clues. If you find any new information be sure to contact everyone else."
They all nodded.
MEANWHILE, IN THE HANGAR
A lone girl stood typing in front of the terminal. She did not wear her usual worn out mechanic gloves, as they were placed on the floor, lying beside her feet. She scratched her head, ruffling her medium short grey hair. She scowled at the terminal and sighed. She mumbled to herself, "Why are you always so secretive? I can tell just by the first look on the situation when that guy intruded here. You're obviously keeping something from us, Drake. Just like that time when Lindow was inspecting the Aegis project, and went missing. Now you've gone and disappeared too; you're acting a lot like Lindow you know that?"
Licca lowered her hands. In the corner of the hangar doors, a faint glint shimmered on the floor. Licca noticed it and approached it. There, she saw a golden amulet on the floor. What's this? Some sort of pendant? She picked it up, and examined it. As her fingers fiddled with the ornament, she opened the lid, stumbling onto the inside. A picture of a woman with long dark brown hair tied in a side ponytail appeared. Her hair flowed in the wind, while the gentle sunlight showed her smile and pale blue eyes. Who is this girl? Licca examined the backside of the lid. There, she found something engraved.
Happy birthday Cain
May 17 1999
End of Chapter 9: Unwrapping the Truth