Chapter 3

White lay sprawled across one of the chairs in the dimly lit operating room, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm as he slept. Meanwhile, Jacob lay unconscious on the table, his brow creased in discomfort.

"Ouch, my head hurts," Jacob groaned, his hand instinctively reaching to soothe his throbbing temple. With a tired stretch and a hefty yawn, his voice trembled with the ache.

As Jacob blinked awake, his eyes darted around the unfamiliar surroundings, confusion etching lines on his face. "Where am I?" he exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief.

Struggling to piece together the events leading up to this moment, Jacob furrowed his brow in concentration. Slowly, the memories flooded back, each recollection accompanied by a sharp pang in his head.

"Ouch, I remember now, a kid saved my life, and I met his dad," Jacob winced as the memory struck him.

"His father was White, yes, I remember now," Jacob muttered, snapping to attention. He briskly rose from the operating table and turned left, where White slept soundly on the chair.

"So, it's really you, White," Jacob remarked, advancing towards him. His mind buzzed with questions, his face tinged with a hint of anger.

Approaching White, Jacob hesitated, his hand hovering near White's neck, as if contemplating suffocation. Suddenly, a voice behind him caused him to retract his hands swiftly.

"Hey mister, you're awake," Junior said, a grin spreading across his face.

Jacob pivoted, sweat trickling down his brow, a surge of apprehension washing over him, fearing the kid had caught him red-handed.

Junior studied Jacob, puzzled by his immobility. He cocked his head, peering past Jacob, spotting his dad and said "Oh Dad still sleeping "

Junior then turned to look at Jacob and said "Mister, are you alright? You look really sweaty," he remarked, stepping closer.

Junior approached White, gently nudging him. "Dad, wake up! The man's awake," he called out, trying to rouse him from his slumber.

"Wh– what, what happened?" White sleep-talked, his voice trailing into consciousness.

Junior persisted, tapping White gently until his eyes fluttered open, finally fully awake. White blinked, taking in his surroundings as he stood upright, his gaze meeting Jacob's intense stare.

"You finally awake, Jacob. How have you been?" White asked, trying to break the tension in the room.

Jacob's expression was etched with anger and a hint of bloodlust, his eyes fixed on Junior. White couldn't ignore the intensity of Jacob's glare, sensing there was something Jacob didn't want Junior to overhear.

"Hey junior, can you please go get the item and equipment from Becky this morning? You remember, you didn't get them yesterday night, and we're out of equipment and medicine after yesterday's operations," said White.

"But da--" Before junior could finish his statement, White cut him short, saying, "Please son, we need it for patients that would come today."

"Tch," sighed junior, his expression filled with sadness as he walked out of the operating room.

White waited patiently until he heard the parlor door being opened and closed by junior. After confirming junior had left, he turned to Jacob and said, "The kid is gone now, you can tell me what you wanted to say that you didn't want the kid to hear."

Before White could finish speaking, Jacob grabbed him by both shoulders, pinning him against the wall. "Don't you know what you did to us when you left, White?" Jacob's voice seethed with anger, tears streaming down his face as he stared into White's eyes, awaiting a response.

"I don't know what happened, Jacob. Please, can you tell me?" White's voice was soft and filled with sorrow as he lowered his gaze.

Seeing the pain in White's expression, Jacob's grip on his shoulders loosened, releasing him as he began to cry uncontrollably.

White approached Jacob, his hands gently rubbing his back in an attempt to comfort him. "It's okay, Jacob. I'm sorry if I put you guys through a lot. Please, can you tell me what happened?"

Jacob drew in a slow, deliberate breath, trying to steady the tumult of emotions raging within him. "Take a seat," he said, his voice carrying the weight of what he was about to reveal. "I'm going to tell you what happened after you left the United Nations. What they did to us, to your team."

As they both settled into their seats, Jacob began to recount the horrors. "When you left, White, the United Nations were furious. They accused us of aiding your escape with the Gundams. They took our families hostage, subjected some of us to brutal experiments with dark matter, using us as guinea pigs. Most didn't survive. I ended up in the worst of it, my body augmented with mechanical parts. There are times I lose consciousness, and I don't even know who took those parts while I was out cold," Daniel explained, his voice strained with the weight of his experiences.

White's apology was swift, interrupting Jacob's narrative. "I'm sorry, Jacob. I had no idea my departure would lead to such suffering for you and the team. I truly am sorry," White said, his remorse palpable.

Then, gathering himself, White's tone shifted to one of seriousness. "But Jacob, why were you in this abandoned town, scarred by war?" he asked, his curiosity tinged with apprehension.

Jacob turned to face White, his gaze burning with a fierce intensity. His demeanor shifted, his voice hardening. "It was all to find you, White," he declared, his words laden with a simmering anger.

White's eyes widened in fear as he took in the gravity of the situation. The air seemed charged with tension as he processed the imminent danger of encountering Jacob.