He walked down the pathway, as very few people walked about. It's an early daybreak, so he did not expect many people through the streets in the outer ghetto. The cold wind gave a slight chill to his body, even though he wore his dark, blue coat. The sunlight gave the sky a bright orange, hinted with a tint of red. He stuffed his gloved hands in his pocket, and continued ambling down the pathway. He touched his phone in his pocket, and he began to toy with the object in his palm.
The one thing that I hate about living in the desert; cold mornings and nights. Soma thought bitterly to himself. He approached an intersection, and turned right. As he did, he encountered a large wall, higher than the buildings in the street. It was the barrier that surrounded the outer ghetto. Soma turned his gaze to the top of the enormous wall. He spotted a few God Eaters walking at the uppermost top of the barrier. Most likely patrolling for any signs of activity outside or within the outer ghetto.
He scoffed at the wall, annoyed by his search. Dammit! I revolved around the south part again! Where the hell is that guy? I found his phone on the ground here in this part of the outer ghetto, so Lindow has to be here... somewhere.
Suddenly, Soma began to feel his phone vibrate in his hand, while hearing its loud ringing. He pulled out his phone, and the screen revealed the name of the caller.
KOTA FUJIKI
Soma pressed the answer button and brought the phone to his ear. He decided to skip the short 'Hello?' and got straight to the point. "Kota, did you find anything on Lindow?"
Kota didn't bother to comment or joke on Soma's question. "I asked a few of the civilians if they saw him, but no luck. However, I've heard from Brendan that Annette managed to come across a few of Lindow's feathers in sector S36. She's waiting for you, so head over there."
"Got it. Also, who's looking over the crime scene?"
"Tatsumi and Karel, I think. Plus, you won't believe this, Soma. Karel was tracing the bullet trajectory with one of the computers, and as he did, Tatsumi found a sniper rifle on one of the rooftops! The medical team just scanned the item, and from the looks of it, it was recently shot."
"So you found the murder weapon." clarified Soma.
"Well, yeah basically. Also, there's one more thing that Tatsumi found."
"Which is?"
"A piece of paper was sitting beside it. There's some sort of emblem on it."
"What does it look like?"
"Some sort of spear. It's surrounded by lightning and it's painted in black ink."
"..." Soma pondered at the said evidence. The gears in his head began to turn, as he began to come up with a theory.
Kota noticed the silence. "Soma?"
"Get Tatsumi to show the emblem to Federico. He might know what the emblem is."
"How do you know if Federico knows this emblem?" asked Kota, not understanding his order.
"...Just do it. Federico will give you the answer. I gotta get going, Kota. I'll see you later."
"Huh? W-wait! You still haven't-"
Not letting him continue, Soma quickly hung up on Kota. He scowled at his phone and clicked his tongue, as he became displeased by the clues that were found. In the next moment, Soma ran through the streets of the outer ghetto, proceeding to sector S36. He gritted his teeth, and underneath his hood, he wore a face filled with anxiety.
This isn't good. I don't know the meaning behind that emblem, but if my guess is right, that emblem could only mean it was him. Just from that video, we knew that we should be careful, should we ever meet that guy. I thought it was unusual for him to suddenly start a terrorist fire in the outer ghetto, but the death of that fake changes everything.
Who would've thunk it that tighty whities would stoop this low... He never planned the terrorist fire from the start; the terrorist himself did. The terrorist must have ruined Ricardo's plan. Meaning, Ricardo's got bigger plans for us. That's why he killed him. Ricardo killed his own henchmen.
That guy isn't just an enemy to us; he's an enemy to everyone.
Soma bitterly frowned at the thought, and began to speed up his pace. In his line of work, he met his fair share of opposing people; people who always resisted against the God Eaters. Hell, even his own father turned against Fenrir, even though he was one of the founding members. He was willing to bring about the end of the world. But compared to Ricardo, there was just one thing that made Johannes and Ricardo different.
Their motives to kill.
Johannes would kill if it meant saving another person.
But not Ricardo. He would kill purely for his own selfish reasons and gain. Whatever they may be.
Never in his life has he met Ricardo. Never in his life has he met someone so violent. Never in his life has he met someone who would just gun down their own member right in front them. Never in his life has he met such a terrifying person.
The elevator dinged, as the floor indicator lit the 'entrance' sign. It dinged once more, and the doors slid themselves, revealing the entrance. Sakuya and Alisa stepped out of the elevator; as they did, Alisa noticed the drastic change in the main hall.
"The entrance is practically empty." she said.
"That's to be expected; after the mess that terrorist caused, everyone is practically busy with the remaining mess. Now where could..."
Hearing the voice of the person she needed to see, the voice called out to them from downstairs. "Sakuya!" Licca ran up the stairs and approached them. "Alisa! I heard what happened from Kota and Sakuya. Are you alright?"
Alisa gave a reassuring nod. "Yes, I'm okay. I'm just having a bit of a headache, that's all."
"I see."
"So Licca; I heard from Tsubaki about you having some info for the investigation on Drake."
"Ah, right. I was so focused on last night, that I completely forgot to tell you guys. When I was in the hangar, I found some traces that Drake and Ricardo left behind."
"What are they?" asked Sakuya.
"There were some bullet holes in the hangar doors, plus I found this." Licca reached in her pocket and pulled out a golden amulet.
"Is that some sort of locket?" questioned Sakuya.
"Yeah, plus I think it belongs to Drake."
Alisa took the golden trinket and began examining it. As she fiddled with the amulet, she opened it. Underneath the lid was a picture of a woman and beside it, engraved letters. Alisa became shocked as she saw the face.
"This girl here..." she said aloud.
"Do you recognize the girl, Alisa?" questioned Licca.
Sakuya stepped over to Alisa and eyed the inside. She too, became shocked as she saw the tiny picture. "Wait a minute, this girl here..." Sakuya slipped her fingers in her pocket, and pulled out a small folded paper. It was the photo that Kota and Alisa found in Drake's room. She unfolded it, and placed it near the golden amulet, comparing the two photos. "The girl in the amulet, and the girl in the photo here... it's the same person."
Curious what she was talking about, Licca approached the two and examined the items. Upon first glance, she recognized the connection between the amulet and the photo.
Alisa spotted the engraved letters on the backside of the lid, and read it aloud. "Happy Birthday Cain. May 17 1999."
"Both the photo and the locket here are dated in 1999, and they both have the same girl." Sakuya confirmed the connection between the two items.
"I heard from Doctor Sakaki and Federico about Dalarik and Clara Vincenzo." replied Licca. "The girl in the photo; is she Clara Vincenzo?"
"She might be. Since Drake has two photos of her, the girl could be Clara. But still... it doesn't make any sense..." Alisa gave a confused look, bewildered by the items.
"Let's just assume that the girl in the photos here is Clara for now. We still don't know anything about her." said Sakuya.
Alisa turned her gaze to the inscribing on the backside of the lid. Another question popped into her head, as she stared at it. "Cain... Ricardo kept on calling Drake 'Cain'. So, is 'Cain' Drake's real name?"
Sakuya's ears perked by the name. "Cain? Cain...Cain... I think I've heard that name before, but where?"
Licca began contemplating on the name as well. It couldn't be, could it? Is that what Ricardo was referring Drake as? "Actually, I may know the name. Follow me, we're going to old man Sakaki's lab."
Sakuya and Alisa exchanged puzzled looks to each other. They shrugged it off, and followed Licca.
The three entered into the doctor's lab, seeing the usual few scattered cords on the floor from said owner's chair. Licca stepped over to the coffee table, seeing piles of books spread about. She began searching through the pile of books, and said aloud,"That's weird; that book isn't here... I'm sure Sakaki had it."
"What are you looking for Licca?" asked Sakuya.
"It's not here...then, where's that other one?..." After scouring through the piles of books, Licca found the book she's looking for. "Here it is!" She showed the book to Sakuya and Alisa. Seeing the front cover of the book she's holding, Alisa read the title aloud.
"'Guidebook of the Bible'?"
"The Bible?" echoed Sakuya. "As in the Holy Bible, the Holy book of scriptures from Christianity?"
"That's right." Licca opened the guidebook in her hands, and began flipping through the pages. "Let's see... Ah, here it is:
'The Curse of Cain'
In the book of Genesis, there was the first human family. The first man and the first woman; Adam and Eve. The first child that Eve bore; Cain. The second child after Cain's birth; Abel. Two children, two brothers.
Cain and Abel are the sons of Adam and Eve. The two brothers were farmers; Cain was the crop farmer, and Abel was the shepherd. Since the brothers were the children of Adam and Eve, they were taught by their parents to sacrifice an important possession of theirs to God. The reason was because Adam and Eve had sinned, and their sins were represented by their nakedness. God is the only one who can cover their sins, and so He killed animals to make clothes for the two.
To cover one's sins, one would have to spill blood.
Abel sacrificed one of his favorite sheep, while Cain only gave produce that was little of importance to him. As the two brothers gave their sacrifices to God, it was then noted that God began to favor Abel's sacrifices over Cain's. Cain took noticed of this, and grew jealous of his younger brother. Thinking that God loved Abel more than Cain, he became consumed by rage and depression. Why did God favored Abel over Cain? It was because of Cain's unfaithfulness and selfishness towards Him.
God taught Cain to follow what Abel has done, but he did not listen.
In the end, Cain murdered his own brother.
Cain was the first to kill, and Abel was the first to die.
God noticed that Abel was not present, and asked Cain, "Where is thy brother, Cain?" Cain lied to Him that he does not know; God saw through Cain's lie, and gave him punishment.
The indictment? Immortality, while forever being a wanderer and fugitive on Earth.
Cain was granted a mark by God, as a sign of his punishment. This punishment was known as the, 'Curse of Cain'."
"The 'Curse of Cain'..." mumbled Sakuya. "I get it now. So that's why the name was bothering me..."
"Immortality, and forever being a wanderer?" repeated Alisa. "But that's too cruel for a punishment."
"Perhaps. But the reason that He granted immortality on Cain, is a sign of God's mercy. Though Cain cannot die, the immortality is an indicator to God's wrath. Should anyone try to kill Cain, said person would receive harsher judgment then that of Cain. And besides, the immortality is there to make Cain realize his wrongdoings." explained Licca, as she closed the book.
"..."
"In the recording, Ricardo kept on cursing at Drake. So then, Ricardo did that by referring to him the Bible. Is that it?" Sakuya tilted her head. Now that I think about it, back at the ambush, I heard Ricardo say 'Bibbia'. I think it means, 'Bible'.
"Yeah. Cain was referred as 'The Evil One'. The source for human's sins."
"So what? Is Ricardo calling Drake an immortal murderer? If he is some sort of 'immortal being', that still doesn't fully explain of him enduring that gunshot. Or even what's inside his body." said Alisa, as she dismissed the idea.
"That's true, but if Drake is being referred as Cain, then that just opens up new possibilities." replied Licca.
"How so, Licca?" asked Sakuya.
"Well, one, it would explain Ricardo's motives for ambushing us. Drake was about to be kidnapped. That we know of, but why? It would have to do something about the Pulsation of the Infinite. And two, it brings some light to Ricardo's identity. Somehow, and in someway, he's definitely involved with Drake's so-called, 'immortality' and knows of it. I know it's not the best lead, but it's all we've got. As Doctor Sakaki would say, 'any evidence we find is circumstantial'."
"Hmmm...By the way Licca, how do you know something like this?" asked Alisa.
"The aragami are always referred to as the gods and goddesses from different cultural mythologies. You'd be surprised by how much the research and maintenance units talk about it. Gives me a headache." grinned Licca.
He sat at the couch, staring at a book in his hands. The reader became absorbed by the text, shutting out the world around him. He was alone in his room, only hearing the faint hum of the terminal and furnace. He occasionally flipped the book's pages, having its smooth surface and thin paper rub against his fingers.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"
10 The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for will be a restless wanderer on the earth."
13 Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."
15 But the Lord said to him, "Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.
16 So Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
(Genesis 4:9-16)
He closed the book, and dumped it on the table in front of him.
The Holy Bible
Federico groaned, distressed by his search. This is so confusing, I don't understand. He thought. It still doesn't fully explain the situation... Okay, let's try to straighten this out, Federico; Ricardo referred Drake from the story of Cain and Abel. Cain is an immortal human and the first to kill. Ricardo's badmouthing might have to do with the Pulsation of the Infinite. Meaning, Ricardo knows what's in Drake's body.
However, that brings another question; how does Ricardo know it? My guess is that he might be a member of the Vincenzos. Back when he ambushed us, and after he shot Drake, he said, 'But to think that he would go there of all places is nothing more than an insult.' Drake and Alisa just came back from Clara's grave. He was talking about Clara's grave, that I'm sure. Ricardo's cursing explains of him knowing Clara, and if he's a member, it shows that the Vincenzos are the cause of Drake's 'immortality'.
But then, that brings another question, the greatest one; what did Drake do that made him enemy #1 on a mafia family? The obvious guess is that he might have caused serious harm to the Vincenzos. But what?
Interrupting his thoughts, Federico heard a knock on his door. "Yes? Who is it?" he called out.
A familiar young man's voice came through the door speaker. "Hey Federico, it's Tatsumi. Can you open the door?"
"Oh, sure. Hang on." Federico stood up from the couch and walked over to the door. He pressed the 'open' button. As he did, the door slid itself, revealing Tatsumi. "What brings you here, Tatsumi?"
The second unit leader presented a few items to him. In his hands were a sealed armlet, surgical gloves, a small paper, and a black chip. "Kota sent me to have you look at the evidence here. He says that he can't due to the civilians in the outer ghetto."
"Oh, okay then. Here Tatsumi, I'll take that off your hands."
Tatsumi handed all the items to Federico. "Have you found anything on Drake?"
Federico shook his head. "No, I haven't. What about you? How's the search on Lindow?"
Tatsumi showed a dejected face and shrugged. Federico, understanding his response, says, "No good, huh?"
"I'm just as lost as you are. Anyways, I gotta get going. If I come up with anything, I'll let you and the others know."
"Gotcha."
Tatsumi walked away and approached the elevator, leaving Federico to himself. He headed back inside his room, having the door close. Federico, placed the items on his coffee table, and examined them. He noticed a sticky note on the sealed armlet.
The black chip is locked, and it needs the password and Drake's armlet. Use the surgical gloves for the armlet.
USERNAME: 11TH HOUR
PASSWORD: LAST CHANCE
-Kota
Federico grabbed the paper. As he examined it, he eyes widened. Colored in black ink was a spear, surrounded by lightning. He blinked several times as he stared at the emblem.
"The Vincenzo Emblem. Why am I not surprised?" said Federico, somewhat expecting this. "Might as well take a look at the chip." He placed the paper on the table, and took the surgical gloves, wearing them. Federico then opened the bag, taking out Drake's armlet. As he did, he picked up the small black chip, and stepped over to the terminal. He inserted the chip and Drake's armlet. The screen showed the log in request, and he typed in the username and password.
"May 17 2069. The time is 3:46 PM."
That's Drake's voice! Federico gasped as heard the familiar low voice.
"I just joined the Italian Branch, and have become a God Eater. My days as a God Eater have already begun. Apparently, I'm a member of the defense team. I'm exhausted; new-type training is murderous on my body.
But I can't let that throw me down, after all. The only thing that I have on mind is my objective; and that's taking down Dalarik. It's going to take a while until I finally carry out what I need to do. As I much as I hate this, I have no choice but to follow this decision. As of now, Fenrir is the only one who might be able to take down Dalarik. The higher-ups just need some proper help. I'm only one person, but if I use Fenrir, I should be able to destroy Dalarik. This is a going to be long journey for me."
This is a voice diary. So Drake was recording this?
"*sigh* May 29 2069. The time is 10:56 PM.
I've been monitoring the P.O.T.I. The wounds have stayed at my body longer than usual. It's good progress, but it's extremely slow. I don't know how long it will take, but at this rate it should be gone, if I just give it time. I'm too tired to continue today's entry, so far now, I'll end the recording here.
April...*sigh* April...damn it..."
Federico noticed the change of tone in Drake's voice. Exhaustion become more clear in his voice, and the tone of bitterness was added with it. The hesitation started to reveal a hint of sadness and depression, making the air in the room more heavy. The low, weak, voice spoke up again, struggling to talk.
"April 10 2069... The time is... 8:32 AM... One of our God Eaters yesterday was KIA; killed in action. Got eaten by a Gboro-Gboro... I can't stand it...Seeing the aragami rampage around, and seeing others get killed by them... I'll never get used to it, EVER...
The God Eater had a family; a wife and son. I won't mention his name, due to... various circumstances... *sigh* I visited the God Eater's family. The only thing that was left of him was his ring. I gave the family the ring and... the news of his death. The wife screamed at me, and started cursing at me, for not helping her husband. I even heard her child wailing and crying...The two chased me out of the house, telling me to never meet them again.
The God Eater's death has been haunting me, and I haven't slept ever since. I'm so tired, yet I can't sleep. I'm going to end today's entry here. Too much to think about..."
Federico became stiff, as he continued hearing the recorded entries. He wore a pained expression, as he imagined the wife and son with Drake.
"April 30 2069... The time is 11:56 PM..."
Drake's weak voice hesitated again. A stiffening silence played, but in the next moment, what Federico began to hear surprised him. He started to hear Drake sniffling. It was a weak sob at first, and as a few seconds passed, his crying became more audible. Soft, but clearly audible. Drake's trembling voice started to break down, making it more difficult for him to talk.
"Four...F-four Vajras... broke into the outer ghetto. I managed to take them all down...but...but we suffered heavy casualties, and many...many of the civilians in sector B46 were killed...I...I've been in the Fenrir hospital due to my wounds... I heard from another member that... that...the wife and son were one of the victims... I'm going to... I'm going to stop here for today... I don't want to talk about this anymore..."
After hearing the third entry, Federico felt a twinge of pain in his heart. His face showed pity and sadness, as he heard Drake weep and cry.
"June 9 2069. The time is 1:24 PM."
All of a sudden, Federico felt a chill in his spine. The depression in Drake's voice was not there anymore. It was low and mellow to one's ears at first, but something was different. His voice sounded more like he was dead and cold inside.
"I've been promoted to sergeant on the defense team. Yet, I'm not happy about it. I can see why a few God Eaters hate their job so much; every time we grow stronger, we only lose more of ourselves. Trading away our innocence, and being treated like a tool. This is no different compared to before. It's just on a larger scale. I'm going to be quite busy, so it looks like I won't be updating another entry for quite some time.
January 1 2070. The time is 12:01 AM. The beginning of a new year. It's snowing outside, but there's still work to do. I've been eradicating Vajras and a few other powerful aragami. And it seems that due to my work, I'll be transferred to another branch. Hooray. Well, anything's better than living in here with those rat bastards. I'm going to end my diary entries here. Every time I finish a diary entry, I only feel worse and worse. This is my last voiced entry for these recordings."
The recording stopped, and a cold air filled the room. Federico stared at the screen. He was at a loss for words, and could only whisper one thing to himself. "Drake..."
End of Chapter 13: Investigation Part 3
Author's note: I haven't died writing just yet peoples! With school coming back, it's difficult for me to update. But, don't worry! I'm still in the writing game, so I'm not going to let school bring me down on this job. :3
So far, I'd like to hear some critique reviews on how this story is going. Go and point all the good things and bad things about this story, cause I feel like my writing has degraded. Which is why, I feel like I need to improve. And what better way to do that than listening to feed back? Go ahead and critique to your heart's content!
See you then until the next chapter everyone!
Credits to biblegateway and bibletruth for the Genesis entry I placed here.