"What're we going to do about this guy, though?" Uyama asked as he tugged on Kuro's ever-tightening rope.

"Welp looks like we got him under control, so we'll hold him for info," Enjō smugly beamed.

"Are you sure? We don't know everything there is to know about him. He could be a danger to you," Machida insisted.

Their conversation trailed off as Omega's ears shut off everything but his thoughts.

Like me? Someone like me? What could that mean?

"What does that mean?" Omega suddenly blurted out subconsciously.

"Hm?" Machida looked past Uyama and Enjō.

Omega's nose flared, "What did you mean by a case like mine?"

"I thought you'd be curious. So you really want to know?"

Omega sternly nodded.

"This case was certainly a special one. At first, in 2037, people reported rumors of a younger man that was abnormally powerful and smart. It went further in-depth than that, but after the start of hatching Artificials, his traits fit perfectly with that of a Zeta. The problem is, the caretakers of the man didn't notice those traits before he ran away from home, he acted how the usual Omega would've acted."

Machida scratched his hair,"...clears things up, doesn't it?"

Before Omega could speak, Enjō butt in, "That makes it sound like the Hatchery was a thing before the war though."

"It...was..." Machida muttered,"..Did you think it just popped out of thin air?"

"Uh..."

"The Benno Corporation..." Omega frowned,"...they might have known about that incident beforehand. Some government officials must've known about it and had the corporation make the Hatchery before then."

"Damn, good thinking." Uyama grinned.

"But..." Omega tipped his head down. Machida got up from his bench and put his hand on Omega's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up, I'm sure the cases connect, but we don't know where that person is yet. If I ever find out, I'll let you know."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

As Machida dropped his hand from Omega's shoulder, he commanded outspokenly, "Iseri, Kitt, come with me." The three of them walked off on the park's trashed trail.

"Hm, Omega. You haven't actually seen nature yet, have you?" Enjō looked around with his hands on his head, "I haven't seen much of it myself, but this is it."

"No, it's not. This is a park." Kuro's almost invisible presence reappeared. Enjō rolled his eyes.

"I agree." Uyama placed his hand on his chest, "Nature doesn't have trash laying everywhere and bare trees in April. Unless you're in a desert."

Omega's head was still down, and it continued to be until he came home. Isolating himself in his room, he rolled up into a ball on his bed.

That garage— could that really bring me closer to that guy? He must be even older if it was in 2037. Maybe he's nice, like me...

...Am I nice, though?

It was 5:20 PM when Omega left the apartment without Uyama or Enjō noticing.

———

A razor beats against the sink when a phone buzzes on the counter. He picks it up.

"Good evening, Sheba." Steele put the razor away.

"What have you done with the Omega?" Her blank expression was easy to read, even through the phone.

"I had a chat with him, that's all."

"You just talked to it?" She sounded disappointed now.

"Yes, and what of it?" Steele inquired.

"You could've killed it, poisoned it, anything. Easily." Sheba hissed.

"That wouldn't look very composed of me, would it, Sheba?"

"You're not taking this seriously, Steele."

Steele furrowed his brow, "My Omega, my rules." He could feel her grimace through the phone, "So, how are things in Arima?"

"You already know how. Horrible."

"How come?"

"The ignorant officials above me won't do anything about anything, so I have to do everything that I can do. Which is typically nothing."

Steele sighed, "You see, if you had the influence of Benno, you'd be heard more as a politician."

"That's not what matters, Steele. You don't know anything."

"Maybe I could lend-"

"No."

Steele stared down at the sink.

"My foot is already on the line, I can't afford to have you destroy what I've been trying to build up."

"My apologies, it must be..." Steele scratched his newly shaven chin,"...vastly different there."

"I don't need that. I just need you to keep me updated."

"Goodnight, Sheba."

There was a pause, and then the call finally ended. Steele returned to his dark bedroom and lay on his bed.

———

It was 5:40 now, Omega walked along the littered sidewalk toward the parking garage. The sun burnt bright and orange, and it felt like a great time to go on a walk. It should be past this corner here, He thought. This corner felt different, the sounds of the settling city bumbled down to nothing in Omega's ears. As he walked closer toward it, his stride slowed, and each step took longer to take. He then slowed to a stop. His hand grabbed his shirt, and he felt his heartbeat. He slammed his foot past the corner, then moved the rest of his body slowly. He looked up and around, to see the people around him that he never noticed. They looked at him with grim, blank, and hopeless expressions then went on their way. It was as if the world was a drawing, and Omega was the only painting.

His legs still shaky, he continued walking towards the parking garage. The pressure kept getting heavier until he finally made it to the entrance. He looked down to where he saw the person who looked like him. There was no blood, it looked as normal as always. Omega looked back up at the sun one more time. The sun wasn't there anymore.