26th April 19xx
4 MORE DAYS
----------------------------------------
It's 6:50 AM.
Rising from her bed, Kai put on a shirt and underwear, followed by series of light stretching to loosen her joints and muscles. A simple exercise to help freshen her mind and body. After that was done and dealt with, the next routine was to head to the kitchen to brew some hot cup of coffee and also feed 'Kai'.
It didn't take long and soon enough, she got a cup of coffee in her hand.
Finally, she walked closer to the windows, opening the curtains and the balcony door, letting the morning sun to shine through the previously dark and cold room. A bright and clear sky unfolded before her.
Walking out onto the balcony, sipping the hot coffee, just like yesterday and the day before, she stare at the unchanging scenery of the city.
Where distant and thin metallic structures, the enigmatic skyscrapers, pierced the sky. An ominous structure that emerged itself out of the ground a few hundred years ago. It didn't do anything other than emitting a low, barely audible hum inside. She'd love to see what's inside it, but sadly, it's impossible. To this day, their origins and creators remained shrouded in mystery, but one thing for sure is that no tools can scratch it and its depth might reach the core of the Earth itself. Still, Kai never got bored looking at them. A sense of calmness or mellow always comes whenever her eyes lingers at it.
Gazing downward, Kai observed a multitude of pedestrians. At this height, they resemble not of humans, but moving colorful dots. The bustling streets below maintained their usual frenetic activity, with each individual engrossed in their own lives, oblivious to the world beyond their little home. A peaceful sight despite the chaotic nature of the city we lived in.
A mix of envy and disdain. That was the only thing she ever felt when she saw the scenery below. But even then, she will still prevent this mundane scenery from ever changing.
"...?"
Her attention was drawn to a scene unfolding on one of the sidewalks. A young girl had taken a spill and appeared to be in pain. Quickly approaching her were two figures, presumably her parents, offering reassurance and tending to the injured child.
While observing them, an old memory surfaced, and a scene played out in her mind.
"You're not a human! You're not my child!"
"What have you done to my girl?!"
The little girl stood still in the cabin with the man and women. The woman holding a knife and the man, a gun.
The girl's gaze remained fixed, a portrait of confusion.
What are they talking about?
If I'm not their daughter then who am I?
If I'm not their daughter then it's fine if I just killed them, right?
"Where?! Where is my daughter?"
—ring ring
The sound of a phone call snapped her back into the real world. She went back inside and grabbed my phone from the table beside her bed.
"Hm?"
A call from the office, This early in the morning? She thought.
"Yes, Kai's here."
"Good morning Ms. Kai, we've heard about what happened to Coco. As such, Madam Irene would like to hear your statement of the incident back to HQ."
"...Understood, I'll head over soon."
Ending the call, She walked back to the balcony, searching for the little girl and her parents again, but they were no longer there. Instead, she decided to look up, staring into the bright sky, the one scenery that refuses to change no matter where or when.
The sky that had unfailingly welcomed her since the day she returned here.
The crimson sky.
-----
"Now then... Would you care to let us know what happened yesterday, Ms. Kai?"
A girl with a black veil was talking amidst the quiet and dark vast room. She stood inside the hollow center of a large circular table surrounding her and Kai. The spokeswoman of the interrogation.
"It was a simple accident. A hit and run. Ma'am."
Kai stood straight with her hand behind her back. in the middle of the room. There was numerous chattering. People around her, sitting at the table's edge. Observing, hearing her statement.
"We both know that was not what we were speaking of. Did you not think that we would know? What you've jus-"
"The events at the convenience store." A woman spoke.
The rest of the room grew silent. The voice the person belongs to was seated in a chair in front of Kai, On a particularly large chair. One look and everyone would know that she's the head in charge of this whole meeting. Of this whole organization.
"..."
Kai does not change her expression but instead looks down in response to hearing her voice.
After a few seconds, the girl with the veil continues on.
"...A grizzly murder with three victims and one survivor. All three corpses are mangled beyond recognition. The police interviewed the sole witness but he refused to speak... No, it's more like he can no longer speak."
"..."
"An accident that left Coco in the hospital followed by this murder. Tell me... Could it be that Coco's accident wasn't an accident after all?"
Kai stayed silent.
The girl in the veil started walking. Approaching her. She took out a piece of paper and placed it on the table in front of Kai.
"A sketch of the assailant."
It was a picture, extremely morbid. Almost like a scribble at first glance. A jumbled mess. But the longer anyone looks at it, the clearer it becomes. The image of a beast. Inhuman existence. An abstract living construct that shouldn't exist.
The veiled girl turns to the rest of the men in the room.
"It was sheer luck that she was able to take control immediately! What if she looses control yet again? Would she be able to take control at this duration again? It can't be confirmed that it will happen the same way as this incident." The chatter started again and this time louder.
"...What then, when you fail?" the girl turned around, glaring at kai with a cold expression on her look.
"Seal her." one of the people in the shadow muttered.
"We can't trust this monster."
"Too dangerous..."
The chattering slowly began to grow.
"..." Kai's face still hasn't changed but she slowly closes her eyes.
It didn't take long before the noise intensifies into a Cacophony whose sole subject is 'the containment of Kai'.
The woman in the middle raised her hand and almost instantly, The loud dissonance inside the whole room turned silent yet again.
Now leaning her head forward to Kai. The woman spoke again.
"What happened yesterday?"
After a moment of silence, Kai finally raised her head and responded with a smile.
"I died."
-----
It was a long tiring interrogation.
They keep pressing for the details, Eventually, she had to tell them the truth but not all of them. While, she can't escape from telling them about her dying, she managed to avoid telling them about the assassin.
5 minutes prior.
"you really hate me that much, Marie?"
"Answer the question." The girl with the black veil replied.
Marie Attenborough. A girl that has the power to see through the essence of every living thing. Kai didn't quite understand how it works but she understands that marie can interpret everything from a person's emotional state to intent and beyond. A perfect power for someone with the authority of questionings. However, like every D.S, her ability is not without its flaws. Bound by a specific rule, she must refrain from rejecting truths. If she did, it would comes at a cost, one she must be prepared to pay.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"It was simply a robbery gone wrong."
"What?" The veiled girl, Marie was confused.
Kai ignored her and instead spoke directly to the woman in front of her. Madam Irene.
"With Coco being out of commission, my mission was rendered null temporarily." The room stayed silent. "I figured that I should take a look around town with my new free time. Going to places I haven't been to."
"Stop." Marie suddenly spoke, but Kai ignores her and continued explaining.
"It was a sketchy place from the beginning. A bad side of town. But it is still new. I ended up going to a convenience store I never went to. I was just trying to find something, a drink or a snack for the night. But what happened next was an unlucky occurrence. Both for me and the assailant."
"Stop..." She gritted her teeth.
"I was off-guard and the robbers managed to wound me. Fatally. After that... Well. 'It' got out."
"I said stop." She stepped closer to Kai. Her voice shaky.
"In the aftermath, I finally woke up and found myself in a slaughterhouse... At that point, I decided to just finish what I came there originally for and leav-"
"STO-!"
—Crack!
Suddenly a loud sound rang out in front of Kai. It's coming from Marie. Kai saw her hunching down, grasping at her hand. A faint moan of pain escaping her mouth and she can saw glimpse of a finger on her right arm was in a weird position, the joints, broken. A clear sign of her rejection.
The whole room was still quiet.
"...Y-You!" Marie weakly spoke.
She turned to Madam Irene, to the rest of the crowd. She tried to voice her disapproval.
It was ridiculous! Unreal! Who would believe such a statement?
Yet... nothing came out of her mouth. Marie has nothing to say that would disprove her statement. After all, Kai spoke the truth, and Marie herself knows that.
"...Ugh!" She turned back, glaring at Kai.
A sound excuse with only truths and no lies.
But Kai know that Madam Irene isn't fooled by that. Her eyes told her that she knew that Kai didn't tell her everything, that Kai was still hiding something. Despite that... After a few more minutes of questionings-In the end, she decided not to pry any further.
But she did make it clear...
"Don't misunderstand your lack of shackles to be freedom."
-----
Without Coco, they have to keep an extra watch, an assurance on Kai for a while. Limiting her apparent false freedom. For that, she was forced to wear a band on her neck. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary fashion piece, a collar or choker, but not only was there a tracker built in but also a strong sedative that would activate on command, From whoever was controlling the band. Injecting her body with it.
She was fine with that.
It doesn't change anything. With or without Coco, she was still bound by the White Raven... By Madam Irene.
After they made sure everything was working properly, she was allowed to leave. She bowed and exited the dim hall to the lobby. Still making sure to wear her smile all the while.
Present time.
"Just wanted to hear my statement, she said..."
I was standing on a thin thread the entire time.
In the lobby, there are a few co-workers here today. More than usual. Some looked at her with an expression of wariness and fear, while others just ignored her. She ignored it and walked to head outside.
"Well-well... Fancy seeing you here."
But someone unexpectedly greeted her.
It was a girl, Blonde and had a short twin tail, she wore a suit just like Kai but also wore a bland white shirt inside that suit and a black short skirt. She had an eyepatch covering her left eye and what seemed like a guitar case on her back.
"Q?"
"Hello, Kai. I noticed you just got out of the boardroom. Did you do something again? Finally got Madam Irene? Are you going to be the new boss of White Raven now? Or... Are they finally going to seal you for good?"
"..."
Kai just smiled at her.
"U-uh, alright stop it, man... It was just a joke. I'm feeling kinda weird now." She took a step back, with an exaggerated look of disgust in her face.
"It's just the usual event. Coco got into an accident and I... made a mistake. Marie uses that as an excuse to try and get me." Kai explained to her simply.
"Oh? Marie again... She really got her sight on you, huh? Well, not that it's unexpected with what happened between you and her in the past and all. Really... She gotta let loose once in a while. It's the stress, I tell you! Because she keep seeing what's underneath the old farts at the board, she became like them as well! Sheesh, kinda shitty contract if you ask me."
Q always loves to ramble, The White Raven would probably be in a less heavy atmosphere if she were around the office most of the time, but it was quite an uncommon occurrence for her to be in the office, especially at this time and day. She loves doing field works. Or the free travel fees she got from the field work to be exact. Normally these types of people are trouble but she always did her job so no one could really fault her for anything other than a bad character.
In the end, the results are what matters and she always brings good results.
"...What business do you yourself have, here in the office, Q?"
"Oh. Well, nothing, really... Just finishing my job, had to hand them that relic we got from Brazil." She pointed out the small black box at the corner of the lobby.
Someone was standing near it. A thin and nerdy looking boy. Once he noticed that Q and Kai were staring at him, the boy started to get jumpy all of a sudden.
Q just laughs at his reaction.
"Haha, Classic W..."
"..."
"Oh, what's this? Curious, Are you?" She smiled mischievously and began to lean closer to Kai.
"...Yes, I am."
"Well then..." A mischievous smile formed on her face. "W! Come on! Get over here!" She turned around and shouted to the boy.
Everyone around the lobby started staring at both Q and Kai.
"W-wha? Why? What about the box?" W glances around and asks Q.
"Oh, come on, just use your gloves! It needs blood to activate anyway... You're fineee!"
Kai saw W's frantically using his gloves and running over, bringing the relic in his hand.
She already got used to being stared at every time she went back to the HQ, and for someone like Q, it's not a problem... Kai don't think she even feels shame.
Though the same can't be said about W. Kai ponders a bit.
"S-Sheesh... Please keep it down Q, everyone's staring at us..."
"Oh, who cares... None of their opinions matter anyway." Q shrugs off.
"Hello W. It's good to see you again." Kai greeted him with a smile.
"H-Hello, Kai..." He doesn't even try to look at her.
Kai approach him closer.
"Won't you look at me?"
Seeing his expression always gave Kai a certain feeling. Akin to what she's felt with Coco too.
"I-I'd rather not..."
"Even though it's rude not to look at the person you're talking to though?"
"...Ugh.. Q..." He gestures Q for help.
"Haha, come on, stop bullying him, Kai." Q steps in between us and puts her hands around W.
image [https://i.imgur.com/A969MEV.jpg]
W.
Q's Partner. He was a tech Scientist, mostly tasked with researching and preparing equipment and tools for planned scenarios or an unexpected one. The two of them are always consistently working close together. I never saw them being far apart.
Kai moved away from them, giving W some space. "Did that count as bullying? I'm sorry, W. I didn't realize."
"It's fine... Come on, Q. Can't we go hand this thing already?"
"Now-now, I wanna share our last week's experience with Kai first."
"Ugh..."
Q cleared her throat and began telling Kai her story.
"Anyway, apparently, some locals started to make a cult over this thing. Trying to help some god fighting against darkness or something. Using human sacrifice because of course they do. Real piece of work this cult... They took over a village and even kidnapped some tourists... Hell, we had to go deep into the Amazon just to get more intel about the piece of crap." She snarks as she looks back at the box. "I don't want my sweet instruments to get wet! Like, come on... These things are sensitive. All for a black box... And get this, Kai. We found out how it works. Apparently, if you gave it a fresh human heart, It'll turn white and the sky around the box will be clear and bright... For like a couple of days! That's it! What a load of joke..."
"...That's very interesting, Q."
"Yeah? Well, it's hell for me, that's what. I can't wait to hand this thing and go for some paid vacation... I wanna start a gig again, for crying out loud!"
Kai nodded in approval.
"It's not that bad... Could've been worse, at least we didn't get Elise's job..." W chimes in.
The mentions of Elise's name spark an interest on Kai's end.
"Now that you've mentioned it... I heard Squad 2 got into some trouble, care to tell me, W?" She asked him.
It was quite rare for White Raven to have to give backups, So she knew there's bound to be something odd that was happening.
"Well... I don't really know much more than the rest but I heard the researchers found something major in one of Codex's notes. Problem is, it's linked with the Woodwose Family... So, submitting a request for inspection is going to be complicated. I heard that they tasked Elise's squad for a recon, trying to get enough proof but something bad must've happened at some point... They lost contact with Elise and the backups are trying to find her while also finishing the mission."
"Hm? I thought it was an escort mission?"
"No... The escort was a mission that the backups ended up doing, it was for a member of the Woodwose. He was an insider. The last person to have seen Elise. They definitely know what happened to Squad 2 but they're being stubborn with their intel..."
W stares at the ground with a worried expression on his face.
"C-come on... She won't kick the bucket, W. Not while Jacob's still around." Q says in a lighthearted tone, trying to cheer W up.
"I truly hope so... It's just that I have a bad feeling..."
Kai remember that in this types of situation, she was told that she had to say something as a method of assurance, so she decided to do just that.
"It's okay W, even if Elise died, your sorrow won't last very long. Especially in this line of work. Everyone dies all the time, sometimes over menial things... Before you realize it, you won't even feel sad about it anymore."
"..."
"..."
The both of them just stared at Kai.
Did I say something wrong again?
I think I'll just smile.
"Um.. I-"
Before W can say something, Q interrupts him.
"W-well... Anyway, thanks for listening to my rambling. Wouldn't really want to hold you back from doing, uh... Whatever? Haha, See you around Kai! Come on say something too W!"
"G-goodbye Kai..."
Kai waved them goodbye and walked to the exit.
They didn't look down anymore. In other word, a success.
"Now then..."
I should head back to my apartment and do something more with my limited free time.