Chapter 2: The Second Herrscher II
Just a few minutes later, still in Babylon Labs' mess hall
Two children both snapped awake, their eyes desperately scanning around them for their third companion as their recent memories from before they were knocked out replayed in their minds. "No, NO, NO! WHERE IS SHE? WHERE'S BELLA? SHE CAN'T BE GONE, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE, I WOULDN'T LET IT HAPPEN! This is a nightmare, it has to be… I can't lose her…" Sirin screamed out when she couldn't find the girl she was searching for, beginning to break down, sitting on her knees. The other children who had shaken them awake after the scientists' departure backed away from her.
"Umm, the scientists were taking her straight to the lab at the top floor…" one nearby kid mumbled. At this information, Shirou was already on his feet and heading towards the mess hall exit, starting to break into a run… "Come on, Sirin! If we get there fast enough maybe we can stop the first injections—" Sirin desperately latched on to this new hope, rushing forward with her friend in order to attempt saving Bella. Having no access to the lift the scientists used, they climbed stairs with all the strength they had, even while still dizzy from the sudden knockouts they had experienced. They finally reached the top somehow without stopping, Shirou having to literally drag Sirin up at some points, when they saw Bella being carried by the cursed head scientist through great metal doors that were closing behind him. "STOP!" Shirou yelled, but the monster didn't even slow down or give them a look as he passed through.
Both Sirin and Shirou rushed forward, trying to squeeze through the door gap before it closed completely, but they were too late.. too weak, too slow, they couldn't run fast enough. The doors slammed shut not even a meter from them, and the two friends crashed into it. Sirin collapsed where she was, weakly pounding at the metal, while Shirou went over to the keypad besides it and recklessly tried to brute force the passcode. He hadn't even gone through 3 attempts when a voice familiar to both of them started to scream so loudly the two children could hear her even on the other side. Sirin sobbed while pounding even harder that her knuckles started to bleed. "BELLAAAA! STOP HURTING HER! STOP IT! BELLA! BELLA! BELLA! Bell— Arghhh!" Before Sirin could continue, however, Shirou's 5th attempt at the keypad triggered defences, and tasers lowered down from the ceiling and shocked them until they passed out again. Unconsciousness, however, was instead a mercy for Sirin at this point. Their friend's screams continued to ring out for a time, before they finally faded away.
When Sirin next awoke, she was being shaken by Shirou. The laboratory doors had opened, the scientists all seemed to have left, but they had left the two friends at the entrance and hadn't moved them. Despair mounting in their hearts, they rushed in… only to find Bella still strapped to the lab table, breathing, but feeling cold to their touches. "Bel…la…"
"Sirin, she's still alive, but her body temperature is dropping and her breathing is getting weaker. I'm going to take Bella back to the kitchen, so I can heat some water and cover her with warm towels. I need you to run back to your shared cell and grab blankets and pillows so she can lie down properly, will you help me, please?" Shirou asked of her. The request jolted Sirin out of her depression and she curtly nodded at Shirou. The elevator door at the lab floor apparently didn't need to check user access, so the children were able to ride the elevator back down to the holding cells and mess hall but not go back up.
Shirou furiously worked, constantly boiling water and adding some to room temperature tap water before soaking the towels, then placing them on Bella's body to give her the heat her body was missing. Sirin watched on, gripping Bella's hand like a lifeline, hoping against everything that Bella would recover and speak to them again. Finally, in the late evening, Bella miraculously began to stir, and opened her eyes weakly. "Sirin, Shirou… you're here…"
"Shirou! Bella's awake! Thank god you woke up, Bella! You're safe now! We got you out of that cursed lab, and we're back in the kitchen! Your body was really cold to touch, so Shirou had been covering you in warm towels! How do you feel now, please tell us the pain from the test is gone, you'll be okay now, right?" Unnoticed by the children , purple lines of energy had begun to spread from Bella's back and chest where the scientists had injected her, covered by her clothing.
"So that's why it feels so warm now… Thank you Shirou… the pain is gone, but I feel numb… I can barely feel.. you holding me… Cough, Cough! Blargh!" As she was talking, Bella suddenly coughed hard, and blood sprayed out of her mouth and stained Sirin's face and hospital dress.
"This cough… is definitely not normal! She's sick like the last time you told me she was tested! And her heartbeat… It's slowing down?! Sirin… I don't know how to stop this… The other children never had these sort of symptoms! They mostly had either fevers or cold bodies, both of which I could help with cold or hot towels! It's never been this bad!" Shirou, rushing to Bella's other side, exclaimed in panic.
"Oh, now I remember… the previous tests only had the scientists inject small amounts of purple energy slowly… but this time they also injected me with some sort of serum that felt like it was burning me from the inside… and I think they had more of that for the others…" Bella coughed harder, more blood staining both Shirou and Sirin now.
"So, this is what's it's like to die…? Maybe it's not that bad.. I can't feel anything anymore… but, it's a pity… I wanted to learn to cook more, learn to cook for you, Sirin, by myself without any help from Shirou, become higher than an assistant chef… If only we had more time together…"
"No, Bella, please, don't talk like that, you'll get better, right? Shirou, tell me she's joking, or this is a nightmare, anything, please—" Sirin turned to look at the only male, desperately looking for reassurance, only to see the boy with tears streaming down his face. Both kids knew they were already witnessing Bella's last moments, it was simply that Bella's best friend was simply in denial.
"Shirou… I'm thankful we met you. Before we arrived, I thought I would never feel joy again after we were left in this place, but the time spent cooking with you, learning recipes, having Sirin as our taste tester… It was the best memories I've had…" As Bella continued speaking, the purple lines finally spread to her limbs and face, stretching across her cheek.
"Sorry I couldn't stay with you, Sirin… but I'm glad you won't be alone… Shirou, please, promise me to take care of her in my place, okay? I want her to be able to eat all the food she wants… in the future…"
"Yes. Of course. Anything, she can have more pizza, burgers and even her favorite instant noodles… I promise you, Bella."
"That's good, then I can go on… without too many regrets… I want to stay, but it seems like… I don't have a choice… I'll see you again, mama…" With those last words, Bella's body grew still.
"Bella? No. no. no, please, wake up, Bella, don't leave me, please, come back, Bella, BELLA!"
As Sirin felt as if her heart had shattered in two… Shirou moved the blanket to cover Bella's head, finally breaking down himself. "You can rest now… Bella, I'm so sorry, I wasn't able to protect you… this is my fault…"
"No, Shirou. Don't say that, Bella said you made her happy when you were both cooking together; you were like the brother she never had, so don't blame yourself for her sake… The ones at fault here.. are those scientists… and SCHICKSAL ITSELF! They took us, experimented on us, and then throw us away! When we cried out for help, no one came to save us! They are all liars, who told us 'these tests of Schicksal are divine works, meant to save others'! THOSE CURSED SCIENTISTS! WHAT GOD WOULD LET CHILDREN LIKE US SUFFER?!" At the words of Sirin recounting the scientists' statements, Shirou felt his disgust, already warping into hatred for Babylon Labs, blaze like the fire of a forge in his chest. He did not normally condone the death of others; but for these animals deluding themselves to be helping with no empathy? There would be no sparing them.
"If there is a god in this world, then I plead to them! Oh, divine being! Grant me the power to kill my enemies, those evil monsters living in the highest reaches of this tower!"