Alpha and Omega - Jackal's Story
Chapter 16
In collaboration with Subzero Dragon. Visit their profile to see the other side of this story. Events that aren't mentioned here take part in the other side of the story.
So ends another day with another mission of barely avoiding death. I don't know what has happened lately but there seems to be an increase in the amount of large Aragami that need to be exterminated. Of course, not one of these Aragami was as large as the Ouroboros from my night shift. The Aragami had almost caused the death of my best friend. At the time, I didn't realise just how serious her injuries were. I knew that they were bad but I didn't think they were fatal. Had she been a normal civilian, and thus not had access to God Eater healing abilities, she would have died before the treatment started. Speaking of the treatment, every day since she has been unconscious I have willingly donated my blood, in the event that they would need it for her now or in the future. I can't help but worry about the girl that lies in front of me. Over the past few days, the colour in her face has been returning. I never had time to focus on that before, but just one look at her before and you would think that she was on death's doorstep. I've been told countless times that my blood has been saving her life, but I won't believe it until she wakes up. After all, if she doesn't wake up then my blood would have only been preventing the inevitable. There is still a chance that she won't make it.
I shake my head to prevent the thoughts but only seconds later, new thoughts replace them; all with the same theme of Robin losing her life. I feel a cold shiver run through me with each and every thought. Even my body knows how painful her death will be to me. To be honest, a life without her doesn't seem like much of a life at all. It would be very hard to get over her demise and my abilities as a God Eater would definitely be affected. I expect that I would become a very depressed and cold person.
"You're here again?" A voice I had become accustom to over the time I've been in the Far East snaps me out of my thoughts. I turn to the owner of the voice as he sits across from me; the other side of Robin.
"Did you think I would be somewhere else?" I say with a bit of dry humour. For the past few days that I've been watching over Robin, I've had a person watching over me as well. It feels like that anyway. Just a few days ago, I would have never imagined that Karel would check up on me this many times in my lifetime never mind three days. Every time he does check up on me, it's always the same thing.
"Have you eaten anything yet?" He asks in a somewhat caring tone. I know that it is difficult for him to express emotions such as care but I've gotten used to it and to him over our most recent conversations.
"Yeah. I ate before I came to visit her." Despite the scrutinising look on his face, I was telling the truth. Every time he would ask, he would be met with the same answer and not once did I lie. I had thought about skipping a meal or two to be with Robin in case she had woke up but then I thought that she wouldn't want me to starve myself for her. I can understand why my responses would seem suspicious seeing as how they are the same every time, but this just happens to be something I wasn't lying about. Karel lets out a deep sigh.
"Okay, but what about sleeping? You don't exactly look great." He comments in a rude way but I understand that this is the only way he can speak.
"Don't worry, I've been sleeping a decent amount and in my room." I was forced to emphasise the last part. It was the night after the Ouroboros incident when I had decided to sneak into the Infirmary to check up on Robin and, to my dismay, I fell asleep on the chair next to her; the one I'm on now. Unfortunately, that night, Karel was on night shift and had decided to check in with the medical team when he found me sleeping on the chair next to Robin. He wasn't very impressed but I'd rather face him than the entire medical team. Ever since then, I decided to not sneak into the Infirmary and instead I would wait for visiting hours.
"Good. We can't have you snooping around again." He speaks with a small smile on his face, it seemed almost mischievous. "So..." He speaks again as he tries to collect his thoughts. "I'll be blunt, Jackal." He speaks in a tone that mirrors his words. His sentence intrigues me as I wait for him to continue. "Naoki and I have thought that it would be easier with at least two people on night shift. So, every so often, we would like you to fill in one of those roles." Watching Karel squirm whilst having his ever-so-stoic expression on his face is quite amusing and I can't help the smile that overcomes my muscles. Nevertheless, asking for help must have pained Karel. I'll try not to wind him up about it.
"That sounds good. Just tell me when you need me." I dismiss his worries by giving him my answer.
A few minutes of silence pass by, and the two of us revel in it. It was not an awkward silence which is what made the silence really comfortable.
"Thinking about Robin?" Karel's sudden question and topic catches me off guard. The silence had just become awkward. I stare wide eyed at him for a few seconds before his eyes wander around the room. I suppose I had better give him an answer. I'll keep my non-lying streak up with him as well.
"Not then but before you arrived I was." He raises an eyebrow as if to tell me to continue and I begin to wonder whether I had said too much. In the end, I deem that I have but maybe it would do me some good to speak my thoughts to someone.
"Actually, I was thinking about what my life would be like if Robin never wakes up." I see Karel assume a position that tells me that he is listening intently. It's a welcome change from his usual leg crossed over the other position. With a roll of his hand, he tells me to continue. I find it fascinating that he would pay so much attention to my thoughts. I don't know why he would though. I wonder if he feels some sort of obligation to listen to me because I accepted to work the night shift occasionally. "I was thinking that a life without Robin wouldn't really be much of a life." I ignore the sly smirk that crosses his face and continue, "I'd be depressed and cold... You know... I'd probably be like Soma." I humorously commented. "It does make me wonder though," I speak in a serious voice again, "what was my life like before Robin entered it? You know about my amnesia, right?" I ask Karel.
"Yeah, I think everyone in the Den knows about it."
"The farthest back I can remember would be waking up in the middle of nowhere. After a bit of exploring, I ran into Robin." I hadn't really given much thought about my life before my amnesia after running into Robin and becoming friends with her. However, now, I wonder what kind of life I left behind. Would I have been better off? Is there somebody waiting for me to return? But first and foremost, what is my name?
There is also the fact that Robin has a different coloured Armlet compared to mine. I understand that hers is blue because she became a God Eater back at The Valley, but I've always had a red Armlet. Before I came across Robin, I had noticed my red Armlet. What I didn't know is how it got there. Surely, that means that I was registered with another Branch, right? But how many Branches have red Armlets? The Far East makes one but how many others? After all, I wasn't registered with the Far East before so that means at least one other Branch has red Armlets. I decided to voice this to Karel.
"I won't lie, I have thought about that before. It must mean that you were a God Eater before you met Robin." He speaks as he reclines into his seat. His words reassure my thoughts. However, any further words were interrupted by a newcomer.
"Visiting hours are over now. You must leave." The nurse informs us before checking the machines near Robin, probably checking up on her signals. With much reluctance, I stand from her bedside and leave with Karel right behind me.
"What will you do now?" He asks me but to be honest, I don't know. He will be starting night shift soon, I think it might be a bit too late to join him today. If I were to do so, I'd definitely fall asleep out there. I mean, if I thought I would be going on night shift then I would have wanted to get some sleep before I did.
"I have no idea. Maybe I'll go and speak with the Director... See if he knows anything about my past or even which Branch I was from." I tell him with a scratch of my head before wishing him luck on his shift and heading towards the director's office.
Unfortunately, when I arrived, I noticed a sign put up outside of his door that read 'Important Meeting in Progress'. I wouldn't be able to speak with him today then. I would need to wait until tomorrow. Knowing this, I headed back to my room seeing as how I had nothing else to do.
After an hour of attempting to sleep, I deemed the task impossible. I had too much on my mind. Lingering on my mind were my questions from earlier. I have no idea what I was like before my amnesia or if I am being missed. I hate to think that I am causing someone pain and grief by my absence. However, it is not the main reason for my inability to sleep. Robin is front and centre to occupy my thoughts. It's been a few days since the Ouroboros attack and she hasn't woken up. I was close to losing her but thankfully, my blood helped her pull through. I haven't needed to give any blood today. She mustn't have needed any more. That was good news; especially since she is a haemophiliac. It's easy to forget that fact. Even on the battlefield, when she was injured, I had forgotten all about her haemophilia. I could have at least covered her cuts up sooner and she may not have lost as much blood. However, that's in the past now, but I'll remember it for the future. I should check up on her though. There is still a chance that the Infirmary machines aren't picking up on something which is why she won't wake up. Hopefully, she'll be awake when I visit her.
Arriving at the Infirmary, I notice the sign on the door that says that visiting hours are over. I hear that my breathing has increased with the situation of sneaking into the Infirmary. I could feel my hands becoming more slippery as I placed one of them on the handle. Almost instantly, it slipped off. I would have to calm myself down. I know that I wasn't like this the last time I had sneaked into the Infirmary. Maybe I'm only like this because I was caught sneaking by Karel. I must be fearing being caught again. With a steely breath, I rotate the handle and push the door open.
"Where do you think you're going?" The sudden voice to the right of me almost causes me to have a heart attack. I turn to the person in a desperate attempt to get away with sneaking in, but find out that their face is almost completely sealed by the darkness. The only light comes from the machinery inside of the Infirmary but it's just enough to illuminate certain parts of his face, although they remain indiscernible. Noticing that I am yet to answer, the person moves closer to me. That's when I realise that I won't be able to get away with sneaking this time. In front of me stands a man with short grey hair with a colourful Japanese yukata. The very man I had wanted to see not too long ago. Now though, is the worst time to see him. I can't tell if the smile on his face is one that he usually wears or a more mischievous one.
"Ah, I get it. You're worried about your friend." He seems to shrug his shoulders and raises his hands to a higher level than them as if to emphasise his action. I remain standing in silence, although my face probably shows surprise and horror at seeing him there. "I'll let you see her whilst I carry out her check-ups." He speaks kindly and places a hand on my shoulder, directing me into the room. I must admit that I had never expected him to let me enter the room. I thought I was going to get shouted at, at the least. Possibly even being put into this branch's equivalent of solitary confinement. Although it would probably be better than The Valley's version of it - just an empty cage really. I don't bother to speak and let the director guide me into the Infirmary; fearing that he would change his mind if I were to speak up.
I sat at Robin's bedside, being unable to move my focus away from the director despite visiting Robin. I couldn't help but watch as he carried out the check ups that ranged to simple documentation of computer results to extracting blood. The latter of which greatly concerned me.
"Should you really be taking blood samples?" She had recently lost a lot of blood which mine had to replace but there's also the fact that she suffers from haemophilia.
"Ah, don't panic, Jackal. I only need a sample of her blood to make sure that there is nothing we have missed." His statement does the opposite of what he wants but I try not to let it on. I heard he was a doctor before becoming the director so I should trust him more, but the thought of living without Robin crawls into my mind again. "I'll need time to analyse this." He speaks before heading towards the, still open, Infirmary door. "You should be-" He stops speaking abruptly as we both hear a few voices from not too far away. I knew what that meant, so I had to quickly wrap things up and do what I originally came here for.
"Robin?" I squeeze her hand. I know that she may not be able to hear me, but on the off chance that she can... "Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me." A simple instruction would get a simple answer. She wouldn't need to speak and would be able to conserve what little energy she has. I continue staring into her face. She doesn't look troubled but she doesn't look peaceful either. It is rather concerning- Wait. Did I feel her squeeze my hand?
"I think she's coming around!"I couldn't help but smile at this and tell the Director. He remains in the doorway, seemingly obstructing the view out of the Infirmary and therefore into it. He is doing me a big favour right now. I should probably get a move on. I can come back to see Robin in the morning but I need to know that Robin is okay first. "Can you open your eyes? Look at me." The moment her eyes open, I almost burst into tears of happiness. I dare not to speak my gratitude that she had awoken though, if I were to do that then I would soon see the owners of those voices that are steadily getting closer.
"Jackal?" her voice was quiet and raspy but that is to be expected. I frown slightly when I see her flinch in pain. Nevertheless, my delight never left my face, or tone for that matter.
"Robin! I'm so glad you woke up." I stood up after these words. If I were to hear a response then I have no doubt that we'd get into a long conversation and, as much as I want it, I need to leave the Infirmary as soon as possible. "I shouldn't be in here, but I couldn't not check on you. You look exhausted, so I'll let you sleep. Rest and get better, okay?" I made sure to lower her hand to the bed before sprinting out of the room. Thankfully, the director had noticed the sound in the room and had moved out of the way of the door. I ran behind the vending machine as I waited for the voices to pass. As luck would have it, they would be nurses and they would happen to speak with the director. I take this as my opportunity to sneak away. I give a salute to the director to show my thanks that he provided me with a distraction, before heading up the stairs. The lift would take too long to arrive at this floor so the stairs were my only option where I took them to the floor with my room on it and fell asleep with a happy smile on my face, knowing that Robin is safe.
Unfortunately for me, as I wake up the next day, I realise that visiting hours are quite late into the day. That means I would have to complete a mission before seeing her, something which I really want to do. I complete my morning rituals and eat my breakfast before speaking with Hibari regarding a mission. For today only, I decide to take an easy one but opt to walk to the destination instead. This means that, by the time I get back, I should be able to visit Robin. With this in mind, I gather my things and prepare for a long walk to the Tranquil Temple.
It takes me twenty minutes to walk to the Tranquil Temple and things seem far from its namesake. There are numerous small Aragami picking away at something whilst a Gboro-Gboro feeds on something else across the other side of the place. I ponder over what course of action would be best to take. If I kill the Fallen Ogretails, then I will be able to kill the Gboro-Gboro without any interference from them. However, the medium-sized Aragami could hear me trying to kill them but if I kill it first, I would just need to make sure that the Fallen Ogretails can't see me. Yeah, that would be the better option. With my plan of action decided, I creep towards the Gboro-Gboro.
Unfortunately for me, the only way I could get to the Gboro-Gboro would be to sneak by the smaller Aragami. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself before almost hugging the wall furthest from the Aragami as I continue creeping. One foot in front of another but it seems that, no matter how soft I try to make my feet hit the floor, the snow covering it makes for a crunch every time I step onto it. I make sure to keep my eyes locked onto the three Fallen Ogretails as each crunch stifles some movement from them. It is only a matter of time before they decide to look up and see me not too far away from them. Thankfully, the screaming of their meal drowns out some of the sounds I make as I walk. However, the pained screams of its snack grabs at my heart. Even Aragami don't deserve to be eaten alive.
My heart races as I get to the shortest distance away from them; directly opposite, nevertheless I carry on. I ignore the painful sounds of my heart thumping in my ears and opt to speed up slightly. The crunching sounds become more audible but as I reach a corner, I dive into it and the ground under me makes one last, very loud crunch as I do so. It would definitely attract attention, but seeing as how the Aragami can't see me, they should go back to eating what they were eating. I never got a chance to see it, but it was probably another small Aragami. Anyway, now that I have crept by the Fallen Ogretails, I can get to the Gboro-Gboro without any trouble. Thus, I continue creeping, although at a faster pace than before.
Within a few minutes, I come across the Gboro-Gboro still munching on something. I see now that it appears to be the rotting, half-chewed carcass of a Polar Kongou. I never would have thought that a Gboro-Gboro could kill a Polar Kongou but I guess this world is full of surprises. Regardless, it's time to kill an Aragami!
I change my Arc to Gun Form and fire three OP depleting bullets but it is all worth it for the damage it causes. As the bullets connect with the beast, I can see the damage they inflicted due to the fact that they've caused burn marks on the beast's fins. It looks like I've found the Aragami's weak points. I sprint at the beast that has only just managed to turn around and side step its sweeping motion with its fins, making sure to slash at them as it turns. I back step a few times as its mouth gets too close to me. Once it has stopped thrashing, I run towards the monster again brandishing my Scythe and slashing non-stop as I run circles around the monster; hitting its fins, a few teeth and tail. It falls to the ground, still breathing, but I take the opportunity to assault the Gboro-Gboro's dorsal fin. I'm forced to jump to reach it and I continuously slash with every jump. Before the Aragami picks itself back up, I manage to unbind its dorsal fin. I immediately step back as it lets loose a loud roar, I know it's only a matter of time before the Fallen Ogretails stumble upon us, so I decide to get the Aragami's attention by shooting at it with the intention of dragging it further away from the Ogretails.
I carefully avoid each of its thrashing attacks and continue to pull the Aragami away from the smaller ones. Every so often, I look behind me to make sure that I am not cornering myself or dragging me into an area where I can be easily ambushed. These are the times that I am most at risk. At any moment, I can lose my footing or the Aragami can suddenly attack. Or my attention can be taken away by the sight of an abandoned God Arc. I blink in astonishment at the clearly abandoned Arc before my attention returns to the monster that is growing ever so close to me. Deeming this area to be far enough from the Ogretails, I decide to resume my attacks. I run straight towards the Aragami's mouth which it widens in greed. At the last second, I perform a feint and strike its fins.
In a matter of seconds, the Aragami crumbles to the floor in an unmoving heap. I extract the core and make sure to devour the corpse a few more times just to make sure that it can't get back up, before moving towards the abandoned God Arc. It is bright red and appears to be in the shape of a large hammer. I move my head and look around to see if I can find the owner of the Arc but there is nothing in sight. Finding no other alternative, I attempt to call up Hibari.
"Hibari? Are you there?" I repeat these questions a few times before finally getting a response.
"Jackal? Is there a problem?" She sounds surprised to hear from me. Probably because she didn't expect me to call her up seeing as how I am on a low levelled mission.
"Yeah, I've just found a God Arc out here." I inform her, making the confusion I feel known to her through my voice.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Does anyone else have a mission in the Tranquil Temple?" I try to remain calm, but the fact that a God Eater could be running around without their Arc is alarming and worrying. I move away from the Arc to see if the owner is somewhere nearby. Maybe they are just trying to find it.
"No. Not that I know of." That was strange. Why would there be a God Arc around here if nobody was on a mission? Despite the confusion I feel though, I also feel dread. It can't be good news to find an abandoned Arc. "What does it look like?"
"I've moved away from it now to see if I can find its owner, but I noticed that it is bright red and looks like a hammer." I inform her as I move down the stairs and round a corner, only to find a Fallen Ogretail right in front of me. "I'll need to call you back, Hibari." I cut the connection between us and proceed to eliminate the three Aragami in the area.
The three of them go down without so much as me breaking a sweat. As soon as I had finished killing them, I restarted the connection to Hibari.
"Have you found out anything yet, Hibari?" I continue walking around as we speak.
"Not yet. I haven't received any word of other God Eaters being in the area." I hear her typing rapidly on the computer keys but get distracted by seeing red against the snow. A whole trail of red actually.
"Hibari, be prepared to send out a medical helicopter. I've just found a trail of blood." I tell her calmly although my heart is racing. I quickly follow it and see a revolting sight...
I remember how I crept past the Fallen Ogretails and how I forced myself to ignore the sounds of the Aragami they were snacking on... The thing is, they weren't snacking on an Aragami. In front of me sits the mauled remains of a God Eater. I cover my mouth in disgust and feel something crawl up my throat. Suddenly, whatever was in my throat comes up with tremendous force that I find myself being unable from stopping the sick from landing on the corpse. It makes the sight a lot more gruesome seeing as how the person doesn't even have all of their limbs and the ones they do have has small pieces of flesh between the bones. It leaves a large puddle of blood and vomit. The sight makes me vomit again.
"JACKAL?!" It's only now that I hear Hibari screaming at me, "WHAT'S GOING ON?!" I continue looking at the body as I speak in disgust and disbelief.
"I've found the owner of the Arc." Before letting Hibari assume that the person is still alive, I break the news to her without so much as inhaling; so within the same breath, I speak, "They're dead. There's no need for a medical helicopter." After voicing my thought, I threw up again before resuming. "The most alarming thing to me though," it was a bit easier to speak now, "his Armlet is blue." There is only one place that I know where God Eaters receive blue Armlets and that is the place that Robin and I were at before being transferred to the Far East, and that is The Valley. There is a chance, that one of us knew this person. That is what is the most unsettling.
I arrived back at the Far East about 40 minutes later and headed straight for the bathroom. I wanted to see Robin but I had to make sure that I wouldn't enter the Infirmary looking as though I've been awake for five nights in a row. I'd imagine that, after seeing the dead body of who could have been a friend, I wouldn't look very good. Entering the bathroom, I make sure to splash water on my face and form my signature smile. As soon as I do so, I can immediately see through it. I may look to be in better condition but I can't smile after seeing a dead body. My hands feel painfully cold and there is a tightness in my chest. Nevertheless, I need to visit Robin. She must be lonely without me.