8-2 Unwavering

Date: September 10

Place: Kyoto Headquarters, Second Headquarters

[Noel]

We kept waiting here for her to pick us up. And when she arrived, she looked so irritated as we saw her scratching the back of her head while walking towards us.

"What happened?" asked Cedrick who had just calmed down a few minutes ago.

"I got an earful about why it took us until today to submit those," she sighed, looking Cedrick thoroughly by the face. "What happened to you?" Rei was suspicious of him. She must have noticed Cedrick's little swollen eyes from his crying earlier.

"I just got a bug in my eye earlier," was what he came up with. "It was an intense battle, don't even get me started," he looked believable with his acting skills.

"Do you want to get that checked first before going to the cafeteria?" She asked looking genuinely worried. "It might be infected later if we don't hurry," she insisted when Cedrick was not replying.

"No, no. I'm alright," he answered. "If I feel a little bit sick, I promise I'll go," he managed to fool her again when she didn't look satisfied with his answer earlier.

[Rei]

My irritation was because even right now, I can't get in touch with the other three, and I'm getting anxious.

"Alright," I sigh. "Let's go get out lunch," I say, leading them to the cafeteria as they walk behind me.

~~

We were already eating our unhealthy lunch when a messenger came running inside the cafeteria, shouting my name as he frantically searched for me.

"Ms. Rei! Are you here?" he bothers a group of strangers to peak if I was amongst those people. "Reaper-san!" he looked relieved but just repeated my name as he checked if it was me, already standing in front of him. And he didn't look like he'd quiet down any time soon, so I dragged him out of the cafeteria.

[Noel]

We could only eat a few spoonfuls before there was a messenger sent for Rei. And without her ordering us around, we immediately followed her outside.

This looks serious from how they reacted.

Then it hit me, when I heard the messenger mention my friends and when she looked at me after.

Something must have happened that I'm not aware of.

And my mind just went blank as I blindly followed them when they started running.

I didn't even notice that the messenger just disappeared and we were inside the Supreme General's Office while he was explaining the current situation.

[Rei]

The messenger was talking nonsense and all of us couldn't understand anything that he was saying.

"Breath," I said, holding both his shoulders as he was doing as told.

"It's. A. Huge. Problem," he continues coughing and breathing. "You're three," he wasn't even finished with his sentence when I instinctively turned to Noel upon those words. And I've never seen him that uneasy. "Go. Office. Hurry," Even with only those, we got the small picture and started dashing when he led us.

Within a few minutes, we finally arrived breathless.

"He's waiting," he then ran away and left us by ourselves.

As we entered, he greeted us with him being in full gear and holding a mass teleportation.

"It's better to see it for yourselves," he paused and took a glance at Noel then back at me. As if he was seeking confirmation if I agreed to it. And it looks like something horrid must have happened that he'd prefer for Noel to close his eyes. But it's about his friends, also I can't always keep him in the dark. He deserves to know so I gave a nod.

"I'll explain it on the way," then teleported us to an abandoned city. It looked more like a ruin instead of a city. The roads, buildings, and other things were destroyed. There were no trees, people, or unOrdinary in sight: an abandoned city, a ghost town.

"It was about the latest private mission I posted on your squad," he didn't have to tell us to follow him as he paused to glance at me, confirming if Noel should know.

"What about it?" I say like I didn't care and he reads it as my approval of letting Noel in on the conversation.

"I need you to ready yourselves for a catastrophe," he takes a knife and enters a random mini truck to hijack. He cut some wires and did his magic. We passed a few bridges and then took a left turn. "It's about those three. They were attacked and are currently in critical condition," he says, trying to look at our expression through the rear mirrors. "But we may have a chance to save them and we're betting everything on it," he says, finally getting out of the car where a tall building stands in front of us, there are a few recognizable faces in the gates who guard and greet the Supreme Leader.

"They are waiting for you inside," they saluted as we walked past them.

"This is the new headquarters that'll soon be introduced to the public," he smirks proudly.

"I figured," I whispered with the other two being quiet and just following our every move.

"We found a hospital next to the police station," he says. "And there was a basement connection between both the buildings. There was some hidden high-tech equipment based on some experts that could save your friends," we went inside the elevator as he filled us in. To the lowest floor, we went.

If it was life-threatening, I know that those three have the common sense to run away, but they didn't or...couldn't? Something must've gone wrong, or someone must've interfered. Were they ambushed?

What awaited us was jaw-dropping and before I could comment or step outside the elevator, Noel beat me to it when he dashed.