Men with Bloodstained Swords

"Where, where am I?"

Hatteki slowly opened his eyes, gaze white flashing tube, laying on a slab.

"Hungry Hatteki? There is cheeseburger for you."

Hatteki turned and found Hiroshi, the scientist with a prosthetic right hand, walked towards him, wrapped cheeseburger in hand,

"Here you go."

"Thanks."

When after Hatteki took the burger he immediately remembered he missed the daily medicine which he forgot to take, that also caused him to collapse unconscious.

"My pills where is my bottle of pills."

"Relax Hatteki I give to you when you are unconscious, have a chill."

"You did?"

"Yeah, so forget about that.. Here eat. I brought it when you're collapsed down unconscious."

Seeing he missed his medication, Hatteki anxiously looking for it before Hiroshi ensured him that he gave one pill while he was unconscious state with Hiroshi's confirmation, Hatteki sighed in relief and eat the cheeseburger since he was extremely hungry.

"I'm sorry, but have we met before?"

While eating, Hatteki inquired Hiroshi as they in his laboratory.

"Oh, where are my manners, I don't have properly introduce myself, I'm Dr. Tetsuzō Hiroshi, a professional researcher of Brittonia Empire's science and research department. Head of the MRC's technology and engineering corps."

"Hiroshi? Never saw you around here, nor the New MRC Headquarter."

"Heh, that's true because I just returned from attend a big technology conference in Shanghai: all mighty capital of Chinese Confederacy."

"Mm-huh..."

Hatteki nodded, eat the burger without continue the conversation.

Hiroshi took a long gaze at Hatteki while he eating asked him in serious yet casual attitude,

"Just my curiosity, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"What is your backstory, Takamatsuke Hatteki?"

Hatteki eyes widened for a sudden startle, stopped eating and gaze at the ground,

"I really don't know, just remember that I belong to the Code Phoenix Program and obeyed the Imperium's officials though I find the authority rather amusing, so corrupt with amoral bureaucracy, crooked politician dishonesty, underhandedness, a sleazy private life, disregard for the law, self-entitlement, paranoia."

"Yes, but do you know anything else?"

"No, nothing, I know it's crazy, but I felt an important part of life somewhat missing however why did you ask?"

Hiroshi snapped out his deep concentration and response Hatteki by mild 'nothing is wrong' smile,

"Oh! Just chatting up, love to chat with people by the way, your friend? Or partner wasn't it? Tereko Shiori called she wanted to know where you were."

"Yeah she is quite worried, specially quite a lot about me actually."

By Hatteki sarcastic quote, Hiroshi also sardonically replied,

"Seem your colleague worried about you excessively, nice of you unlike my colleagues."

"Your colleagues?"

"Boss precisely, currently we are under his laboratory."

"Umm... What is this place?"

"Ahhh that my boss Kornine's personal laboratory little bit rich but here I am, observing his latest project ever since he got one from the Supreme One's cabinet.

Hatteki look a glance at the special laboratory, grumbled about the lab and why is here, strangely there are no one there in the bright white facility,

"Latest Project?"

Hatteki inquired confusedly.

"Yes that..."

"ERRRRRRRRRR!!"

"Oh shit!"

Before Hiroshi could finish telling, one wrapped corpse lying right in slab right next to them, suddenly started to growl horrifically.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, looks like it's work."

Immediately, Hiroshi took a massive scalped and stabbed that growling corpse repeatedly, until it made itself into silence

"What the hell was that?"

Hatteki utterly shocked to see Hiroshi's hidden violent apatite, distinct from his comedic, affable face and attitude.

"Don't worry about that, I am more or less of a borderline sociopath myself! Still curious about the "Ruinous Power of the Fallen". So wrong when I explained to you."

"What's that?"

Hatteki gaze at Hiroshi's face with surprise and suspicion, and latter notice that Hiroshi stabbed a tied infected Walker, wrapping up in plastic, as his gaze widened, he saw many unpleasant things, both biological and mechanical shattered around the room. While Hiroshi mumbled many dubious things, out of Hatteki's understanding, change the subject immediately.

Seemly that laboratory is filled with corpses mostly infected species samples, Mutant's Noryokus ripped off their bodies, Vector's claws Antamentium blades that tore down from a Noryoku etc. All of this for Hiroshi to study, though he cheerfully referred to himself as a sociopath, he's just very indifferent to all the violence, fighting, cruelty, manipulating, and killing that goes on around him, and all he really wants to do is fiddle around with the latest high-tech gizmos for Science!

*Ring, Ring*

"Hatteki here that's Tereko, she called again."

Hiroshi notified him, shacking his phone, before tossing into Hatteki.

"Hello Tereko?"

"Captain, I see your Kornine's laboratory, remember we have an appointment at Lida Nobeshiba's house in the evening."

"Yeah I remember, I, I been there alright."

"Ugh, now I have to deal with this shit."

Hatteki stood up, made a troubled expression after disconnecting the phone.

"I gotta go, nice to meet you Doctor Hiroshi."

Hatteki nodded, quickly exited the facility after showing some gratitude towards Hiroshi nevertheless Hatteki forgot the most important stuff behind. His capsule bottle and Hiroshi intentionally did not form him, took a gaze at the bottle of capsules near the light and mumbled to himself, elaborating his theory.

"Now, what is secret that you hiding? Holding him from his memories, or I believe that reason for the suppression of memories though soon or later he will awake eventually."