2-7 The Alarm
Date: August 25-29
Place: Kyoto Headquarters
[Yui]
In the middle of the conversation, she was called by someone to go to her uncle and discuss something important. Rei left all of us silenced and thinking in the room, looking at the floor, and couldn't believe what she told us.
"Do you think everything that Rei said was true?" asked Misaki that broke the silence.
Even I want to believe all of it was a lie and think that everything that Rei told us was just a joke to lighten the mood up, but they aren't.
"I think Rei isn't the kind to joke around in a situation like this, " Cedrick said finishing his plate.
Haru and Kazuma just nodded and stood up to help Cedrick clean up the tray and return it somewhere. But when they opened the door someone was waiting for them.
"I'll handle that, " he said and a few people came and took the trays.
[Cedrick]
"I'll handle that, " he said and a few people came and took the trays on our hands and walked away.
But the person who was ordered those people didn't step away from where he was standing before.
"Why are you here?" Kazuma asked that person.
He looked right and left like someone is watching us from afar secretly. Then he sighed, came inside the room with us, and locked the door behind him. Yui and Misaki we're staring at him.
"Pardon me, guarding this room is a personal request from your friend, " he smiled which caught all of our attention.
"You can call me Nelson. I work for Rei's uncle and I've been guarding your room since the morning. Don't fret, I'm on Rei's side, " he exclaimed.
That only means that he also heard our conversation earlier with Rei and he looks like he's the type of person who doesn't turn on his words.
"Don't mind me, just do whatever you were doing, " he said sitting on a nearby stool as he cleans his knives.
[Yui]
Even with another person in the room, my expression won't change. I'm still processing everything that Rei has told us earlier.
Failed experiments lead to death.
A prototype of monsters.
Those were the words she left behind me that cannot be erased. It kept repeating on my mind in a loop.
"Will you think of me as a monster or as your friend?" that was what she said before she left this room and went to talk to her uncle.
"What are we going to do now?" I heard Haru say, shivering at the thought.
No one answered.
"What do you think Mr. Nelson?" Misaki asked.
We were just as surprised as Mr. Nelson was when Misaki chose to ask him. At first, he giggled which makes us all more confused but afterward, he gave his reply.
"I'm not sure. ButーI can ensure you that if words come out what she is, people will panic and do the worst scenarios that you could ever imagine. Rei's life isn't the only thing that can be in danger, a lot of people will. Just take her parents and friends for example, " he explained, with a smile displayed on his face while he said those warnings to us.
"Parents and friends? What happened to them?" Haru asked as he looks directly into his eyes.
"Sleeping eternally, " Mr. Nelson shrugged like he isn't sure if they died.
"Does Rei know this?" I asked for confirmation.
But Nelson only grinned and shrugged like he was toying with us. But there might be a possibility that Rei doesn't know. She did tell us that she doesn't know what happened after she set foot outside.
"So, what now?" Misaki asked looking at the floor because she doesn't know who the right person to ask anymore.
Silence spread to this whole room in a few minutes, allowing all of us to have time to think until Ced groaned and spoke.
"I'm going to stick by her side and see what happens, " Ced proclaimed and looked at us.
He's saying those words gave me some courage to speak up and tell them how I feel.
"Me too, " I replied lifting my head seeing their nervous and scared faces.
"Rei and I have been friends for some years now and I know that you guys are terrified and lost in your thoughts about everything that has been happening lately but I think Rei isー" I was going to say a few more words to make them realize that Rei is not a threat to us.
"I don't like Rei, " Kazuma said crossing his arms that made everyone look at him.
"But I'll be sticking by her side too, " Kazuma said diverting his gaze to Ced as he smirks.
"Ced fell in love with Rei and I want to see how that goes, " Haru smiled and looked at Ced.
Everyone agreed to keep the secret and stick by Rei's side, Ced didn't have any time to respond to the tease the two said when the door flings open, revealing another woman that works for Rei's uncle.
"You all are to come with me," she said searching the room until she locks her eyes on Mr. Nelson who was already standing straight and looked at her with a serious face.
"All of you," she says again.
The others didn't hesitate to follow her walk the long corridors.
"When you go out of this room act normal and forget everything we've discussed for a short while" was Mr. Nelson's last advice to us before we left our room.
Don't let anyone be suspicious.
[Cedrick]
She leads us to what looks like a battle arena which is full of different types of guns, knives, and practice targets everywhere. No one is around this spacious room except for us.
"I'll be going now, " said the woman who ordered us to come here and excused herself as she exited this room.
Then a few minutes of walking around this room, checking and looking that piques our interest until someone entered through another entrance beside the door we went into. It was an elevator that I've never noticed was there before.
A guy who looks like he's in his early 30's, a bulging body with a lot of scars in it. He's wearing a fitted gray shirt with an army cargo pants and boots.
"I'll explain everything after you changed into those, " he said pointing at a table full of clothes.
None of us said anything back and put the clothes on. It was a simple black fitted shirt, army cargo pants and boots like his with some knee pads and a belt which can hold different types of weapons.
Then after we finished, there she walked her way here through the door looking like a true warrior.
Her hair braided to her right and she was wearing the same clothes as us. But she can't even look at us in our eyes. Maybe she's already uncomfortable when she's with us or maybe somewhat even worse.
"Rei, " I whispered when she's fidgeting her fingers, almost getting wounded if Yui hadn't stepped up and stopped her.
"We're still friends, aren't we?" Yui said smiling at Rei.
Rei finally looked at us one by one, seeking our eyes like it holds the truth of our feelings. She smiled and nodded after she noticed that all of us were smiling back at her. Then her tensed body loosen up and she went back to normal.
"You look like a rose with poisoned thorns, " Misaki blurted out and giggles a little when she saw Rei's confused face.
"Everybody, gather around, " a much taller and also had masculine body had appeared behind Rei holding her shoulders as he smiles.
"The young lady right here has requested for all of you to have proper knowledge about the basics technics of fighting and the current situation you are in. But first, let me introduce myself. I'm Takuto, that's the nickname they gave me. And I believe you already know about Nelson, " Takuto said as he looks at Nelson who was smiling and waving his hands. Then Takuto looked at the other soldier who ordered us to change into these clothes.
"You can call me Revine. Nice to meet you, " he said bluntly and averted his gaze to anyone but Rei. He looks at her with such rage in his eyes.
"From now on, us three will be your mentors to teach each and one of you how to be someone who can fight for yourselves and protect others while we're away from the frontlines. Because from now on, you are going on missions and serve our country in exchange for your safety while you stay in this place, " Takuto said.
I looked at Rei and saw her with widen eyes like some of Takuto's speech was not supposed to be included in her request. But she couldn't complain about it and so do us.
From there, our days in this hell started.
We learned a lot of things in a short amount of time. We spend every minute of our day practicing and learning everything that we have to understand our world today.
They thought us how to properly hold, aim and shoot any kind of gun, the technique of knives, and other weapons. Also, the new technologies that they made for the 0-007 that they now call unOrdinary. Like the traps, the cages, and the knowledge where they can be killed easily.
There are also devices to communicate with each other even if we're miles away, the little chip that contains trackers and multiple dialects which they installed in the back of our necks so they can track us whenever they want and we can understand each other even if we speak different languages.
[Yui]
We lived every day with the same schedule. Wake up early, take a shower, eat breakfast, train, eat lunch, lessons about the technologies and the places on the map, have dinner, and finally sleep.
As the days go by, more people have survived and gone to this facility, old or young they train them and make them work.
The morning they called for another meeting started the real battle for our lives. They decided to hold this meeting to decide what we will do. Because the population in this facility has increased, we're running out of food, water, or even places to sleep in.
A lot of people were there with the third line of defense explaining everything we need to know.
Choose a division.
Form a party.
Go to missions.
The explanation lasted till the afternoon about why we must participate in this proposal. Many people agreed and disagreed but their thoughts aren't even considered by anyone because the proposal was absolute.
They handed us forms to fill in and told us to pass these to them after we finished filling them up. It contains explanations of everything we need to know.
When we went and get lunch, there we talked about it and decided what divisions we should go to.
Rei, Cedrick, and Kazuma chose the Assault Division, I and Haru went to the Custodian Division, while Misaki to the Support Division.
We did our first missions the very next day and let me tell you that it didn't go very well, for every one of us.
We got different missions according to what division we chose. For me, it wasn't special.
We just assisted the Assault Division to get ready and carry the supplies they bring back to the facility such as food supplies, medicines, and a lot more.
After we finished our first mission and ate dinner at the same table, no one didn't want to share their experience and I think we all have it rough, I can tell just by looking at their dying faces when they returned earlier.
If you're wondering what it was for me, it was because I kept messing up and getting scolded by others. I hate that feeling.
It went just like that for a couple of days. Going to different missions in different places. The Custodian and Support Divisions have it easier than the Assault Division because they always have casualties in their group and for that, they decided to award people who came back safe and sound with badges and promotions.
And eventually, they formed a pyramid for seeing who's on the top and who's on the bottom. Rei, Ced, and Kazuma have been getting their ranks up.
With Rei's experience in the battlefields and fighting, the higher-ups decided to appoint her some children to form a little party and participate in more dangerous missions.
I've always wanted to see how Rei moves on the battlefield but I'm afraid that won't be possible because I'm always stuck on missions that don't allow me to step outside the facility.
It went like that for a couple of days until the morning that I always hear Rei shouting from her sleep because of her nightmares.
Then an alarm woken everyone up rang.