City of Mercy

"Alright, Rooks. There are three rules. Don't die. If you're in danger, freakin' run, and hide. Well, not hide, but stealth. Stealth wins fights."

Four recruits stood at the drop site, Aragami roaming the ground below. Before them stood Lindow Amamiya, imparting wisdom to yet another generation of God Eaters. After resigning his title and handing off leadership to Utsugi, the veteran had instead taken up the role of mentor, guiding new blood into the trials of their cruel world. While two of the young hunters, Federico and Annette, were technically seasoned, they were still inexperienced in combat strategy. Thus, they had a great deal to learn and were happy to join their newest recruits under the corporal of legend.

"…Wait, is that four rules? Damn it," Lindow muttered, realizing once again his numerical error. Why was it so difficult to count to three?

Annette was unbothered, taking his momentary pause as an opportunity to ask a question. "What if you can't run or hide? What then?" The other three recruits nodded in agreement, intrigued by her fascinating inquiry.

Lindow's eyes widened. He hadn't expected such a question and was unprepared for it. But a few seconds of thought gave him his answer as his mind drifted to another young God Eater who once stood in that very spot. "Then, there's just one rule. I call it the big rule. Don't run away from living."

"Um… s-sorry, but… um…" Aki stammered. Her eyes lowered to the ground, wilting beneath Lindow's gaze. She wanted to ask for clarification, but words were failing her. Her anxiety grew as she became increasingly nervous, resulting in even less success.

Lindow watched her flounder, trying in vain to interpret her indecipherable babble. Seeing that he wasn't going to get a coherent sentence out of her, he decided to go on a limb and elaborate his instruction. "It means don't give up. One way or another, everyone must come home. Get it?"

"Sir!" A chorus of affirmation rang out from the recruits, earning a chuckle from the older veteran. A silent nod was Aki's response.

"I'm probably jumping the gun a bit with you guys, but you'll get it. I believe. Train hard and fight hard. Trust each other implicitly. You need friends out there."

"Got it!" The other recruit pumped his fist, clearly inspired by the corporal's speech.

Lindow smiled at the four young recruits. Their fresh faces, so eager to learn, gave him hope. Most of them anyway. It would be a lie if he said that Aki didn't concern him. He had met many newcomers in his time, and by far, she was the most timid. He had no doubt of her capability. Being a new generation God Eater was an advantage in itself. But he had to wonder how effective a soldier someone like her could be. Shaking his head, he resigned to keep a close eye on her during their training.

Difficulties aside, their image was a refreshing one. Four New Types, ready to face the world and join the fight for humanity. It seemed that New Types were becoming steadily more common, popping up in the strangest of places. Perhaps their species was evolving, growing, and changing to find their place in this harsh new world. Whatever the reason, it meant that maybe one day, they could finally turn the tide. See a world where they didn't have to fight. Where people could just live. If they were lucky, maybe it could happen in his own lifetime.

The thought brought an even wider smile to his face as he looked to the sky. If a time like that ever came, he wondered what that would mean for the rest of them. A time when God Eaters were no longer needed. An azure eye suddenly came to mind, bringing a slight falter to his face. He wondered how the three of them were doing.

. . .

Far East Branch – Sakaki's Office

The office door slid open with a quiet hiss. Soma wandered into the room with a dull expression on his face, eyes drifting around the empty room. It seemed that the office's original owner was absent once again. It was just as well. Such had been the case for the past couple of weeks. Between his new responsibilities as acting Branch Director, mediating between branch heads, and his own personal research, Paylor rarely returned to the space anymore. An arrangement that suited Soma just fine.

In his absence, he had set up his own workspace, repurposing the old computers and monitoring software for Aragami activity tracking. The little bat cave he created had proven pivotal in his work for the Nova Remnant Facility. Over the last few months, he had been unable to keep up with the project, performing a balancing act between field operations, Neo, and locating Lindow. The result had been a severe loss in productivity and as a result, he had fallen very far behind. Now, in the New Type's absence, he was catching up on his massive backlog.

Kota, with more free time, had moved into scouting operations, acting as an informant for Aragami activity outside the Wall. Lenka returned from his journey to North America with another supply of medication, part of which he had sent to Russia to aid in Hamasaki's research. Sakuya, when she wasn't cleaning up feathers from their shared bedroom, was doing ongoing damage control and keeping Soma informed on any updates from the rumor mill.

Their roles had changed significantly in the 1st Unit, leading to a reallocation of roles and responsibilities. Though they didn't mind their new jobs, the work was exhausting. While it was a bit relaxing to not have utter bedlam breaking out in the Den every other day of the week, Neo's absence wasn't all sunshine and roses. Since the three members left, there had been quite a few changes to the Far East as a whole. While it was true that there was less cleanup for himself and the local leadership, it also had some unintended side effects.

The first and most obvious was the lack of field operation activity, which became painfully apparent within the first week of their departure. Regardless of the Den's personal feelings toward the New Type, it was undeniable that her activity, while troublesome, was also highly beneficial. Neo's overactive tendencies and insatiable bloodlust had been powering their facility far more than people realized. Alongside of her, Ichiro was another highly active hunter only slightly above Soma himself and Alisa bringing up the rear just behind the three of them. Now, with half of their main firepower missing and other members of the assault unit conducting other activities, the rest of the Den was left picking up the slack. And that wasn't all.

The second problem was the inevitable domino effect. The lack of population control had resulted in more frequent Aragami attacks. Patrols had to be increased and the Defense Unit found themselves spending greater amounts of time on guard duty. The 3rd Unit had also seen their workload increase. Core collection was their main priority, especially with increased energy requirements and repair needs for the damaged Wall. Even the reserves had found themselves taking to the field more often, just to help control the ever-growing numbers.

Each and every day seemed to grow more difficult, and this was all on top of Soma's primary stressor.

A loud beeping emanating from the computer on the desk drew a tired sigh from the veteran. It seemed that his work was never done. Dropping his supply bag by the door, he made his way to the desk, looping around to take a glance at the screen. There was an incoming message through their encrypted channel. Curious, Soma lowered himself into the chair, entering his credentials, and accessing the file. It was an email from Hamasaki. Opening the document, Soma read over the details, lips pulling into a worried frown.

It was a medical report. It seemed they had finally managed to send him an update on their New Type's mental condition. And unfortunately, it was about as terrible as he feared. There was a list of information, including symptoms and diagnoses for Neo's most recent psychological evaluation. He could feel his chest tightening with every line as he read through the document.

Emotional dysregulation disorder: mood swings, irritability, impulsivity, risk-taking behaviors, poor emotional regulation. Index: 2.9, very high.

Post-traumatic stress disorder: anxiety, hypervigilance, self-destructive behavior, agitation, night terrors, flashbacks, severe feelings of mistrust. Index: 32, extremely high.

Paranoia disorder: difficulty forming relationships, distrust, and suspicion of others, with or without adequate cause. Index: 4, high.

Depression: apathy, anxiety, social isolation, irritability, restlessness. Index: 17, moderately severe.

Subject has been deemed extremely hostile; volatile and prone to violent outbursts…

The list went on and on, and honestly, Soma wasn't phased. It only proved what he already suspected and served to confirm theirs was the correct course of action. Much as it pained him, they were right to send Neo away. The New Type was far worse off than any of them had imagined. Of course, one couldn't expect much else from someone who had spent more than half of their life being tortured and the other half in near total isolation. It didn't surprise him to hear how damaged she was. What concerned him was whether or not they would be able to help. Considering how long it had taken just to receive a diagnosis, Soma could only imagine how difficult it must have been just to get a psychiatrist safely into the same room.

Nevertheless, he was grateful to see that Hamasaki was keeping in touch with him. The only thing worse than Neo's absence was having not a clue of her whereabouts or condition. With a tired sigh, Soma closed the message and rubbed his eyes with his fingertips. He could only hope that they would find a solution.

. . .

Russia Branch – Veteran's Floor

The quiet clink of glass echoed in the quiet room, mug resting against the wooden table. After returning with her warm beverage, Alisa took her seat across from Ichiro and sighed. "Surely, there has to be something. What about a dress code policy?" she suggested, taking a sip of coffee.

Ichiro shook his head. "I'm afraid it won't work. I spoke with the head of research, and there is just no way to enforce it. This branch has more doctors than God Eaters, and we can't control everyone without an official statement and policy change, which would require an explanation."

"Maybe enforce operational hours? Surely, people can't be researching passed 2:00 a.m."

Ichiro shook his head again, sharing her saddening expression. "Every research group has their night owls. My father was one of them. It might work for the short-term, but it's only a matter of time."

Alisa sighed. "I guess that's true. I don't know, Ichiro. I understand why we have to do this, but it just doesn't feel right, keeping her in the room all day and night. It feels like we've just moved her from one prison to another."

"There isn't any other option, Alisa… Neo is hostile towards anyone who even resembles a researcher. She will attack them on sight and won't hesitate to kill. She's a loose cannon, and it's simply too great of a risk." The New Type lowered her head, eyes falling to her knees as she finally gave in. Ichiro sighed and similarly deflated, seeing her flickering spirit. "Listen… I don't like this any more than you do. You know I don't. But we don't have any other choice. One more incident, Alisa… One. That's all it would take."

Alisa sighed, placing her mug on the table with a quiet thump. Since arriving in the Russian branch, Neo had been effectively on house arrest the entirety of their stay. She spent most daylight hours in her room and the only time she ventured out was for evaluations, treatment attempts, and occasional strolls around the compound during low traffic times. All were conducted under heavy supervision.

To make matters worse, Neo had become very withdrawn, often sitting in the room by herself without any complaint. While it was unimaginably convenient, knowing the type of person she was, it was alarming and deeply concerning. Certainly, it was possible that she was uncomfortable, feeling overwhelmed in their new environment. But the most likely reason was that she was simply depressed and had little desire to do much of anything else. When she wasn't with one of them, she was asleep, napping upstairs in her plush prison.

"I understand… I'm just worried about her, sitting in there all alone."

"I'm worried about her too… but for the moment, this is the best we can do. Until Neo can catch sight of a lab coat without tearing it apart, freedom within the compound isn't an option." Ichiro sighed, rubbing his temples in exhaustion. "For now, all we can do is keep her company, try to make her feel safe, and do as much as we can to support her during her recovery. Maybe I can talk to some of the higher-ups and bring her out on some missions."

"Yeah… I think that would be good for her." Alisa agreed, nodding slowly. She knew, deep down, that Ichiro was right, much as she didn't want to admit it.

Trying to take her mind off the subject, she instead pondered her treatment options. After going over the report, Alisa felt almost as depressed as Neo was. She recognized most, if not all of the symptoms, and in fact suffered many of them herself. Dr. Oguruma had taken advantage of her mental health; feeding her memory suppressants and brainwashing her into compliance. She wondered what sort of solution they would come up with for Neo's condition. Memory suppressants, antidepressants, injections, and more were all viable chemical options. But in the end, they would only serve as a temporary fix, a buffer to make her less aggressive while she underwent extensive counterconditioning and deprogramming to try and mitigate a lifetime of abuse.

Then, after all of that, there was therapy. Lots and lots of therapy. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if a therapist became a permanent component of Neo's treatment, even long after she graduated from the medication, assuming she did at all. She wondered if they should start evaluating their options now, as she would undoubtedly need to bring her doctor with her back to the Far East. Alisa placed her head in her hands and sighed. Whatever they decided, it wasn't going to happen overnight. It had taken years to put her in this state, and it would probably take years to bring her out of it.

No matter what option they chose, they had a long road ahead of them.