~Shika~
Katy didn't say a thing...
"OW OW OW! I'm showee~" Ash cried as I pinched both her cheeks.
I tightened my grip, "If you were really sorry, you wouldn't be laughing!"
"Laughs of regret?" She offered helplessly and I shook her vigorously by the cheeks.
Katy had been watching silently for the past ten minutes, "Ash please don't push your luck. And Shika, let her go."
"She needs to pay!"
I felt Katy drag me away by my collar and I grumbly sat myself on the bed, glaring daggers at Ash's sheepish face.
We were in the small room that was technically and for all purposes mine now. Addie, what I chose to call her, and Colin were with Trent and Cameron getting geared up.
Apparently they were both in scout class.
"So!" Ash joyfully and innocently jumped on the bed, "After the ranking, me and Katy are both Spartans by the way, the lieutenants came for sampling or whatever, and..."
She was talking with the same tone she used to use when gossiping with Gemma, which meant she wasn't taking things seriously. Katy stared at her with a blank look before rolling her eyes and continuing the more relevant part of their story.
"The last time I saw you was when you were recovering from going out on your first mission. Since then Linda kinda made me her apprentice and took me for her squad—"
"And that hot blondish guy with the pretty eyes?! Lieutenant Jokul? He was always hanging around and watching whenever we had combat practice! He's always looking so serious..."
Ash had cut in on Katy and was now babbling away and slightly drooling while Katy and I backed up and cringed.
"Ash that's weird." Katy said with a concerned tone.
"What? The lieutenant's hot. Some of the girls back at the barracks call him Lt. Bolt." She said while wiggling her eyebrows and I felt the urgent need to barf.
"Ash he's my brother."
She immediately stopped talking and finally noticed the concerned faces of Katy and I. Her mouth opened and closed a number of times before she pursed her lips and scratched her head.
"Well," she shrugged, "At least we know your gorgeous looks are inherited."
Katy and I face palmed ourselves and fell backwards on the bed.
"Whahat? Can't a girl be honest?" She laughed.
"I really hate you you know." I breathed from underneath my hand.
"Which just means you love us!"
I grumbled at her optimism.
"So, since you joined the big dogs, what's it been like? Working with the lieutenants?"
I bolted up and looked at Katy. I honestly expected her to just go ahead and tell the others. Katy shrugged.
"It wasn't my place to say," she simply said, "Remember, I'm Katy, not Kate."
I blinked at her and looked down before facing a still waiting Ash, "I guess that means you don't know about my unique relationship with the two other Titan lieutenants."
"Who? Hector and Jadis?" Ash raised a brow.
"You mean madman and woman." Katy said with a huff.
"No, I mean madwoman and sir murderer."
They both looked at me with confused faces, demanding an explanation.
I took a deep breath, "I may know who attacked the orphanage, killed everyone."
Katy bolted to her feet, eyes glaring and fists tightening.
"You know who's responsible for Kate?"
"I have a pretty good and accurate guess, but I want to be a hundred percent sure—"
"Shika! The person responsible for ruining our lives might be right around the corner and you want to wait?!"
This was the second time I had ever seen Katy lose her calm, but the rage that had her now made her eyes look wild and hungry for violence. Ash had to slowly raise her hands and gently force her to sit.
"Yes Katy," I said calmly, "I want to wait. Because rushing into it is probably what killed my parents and almost got me killed, twice. So if there's the slightest chance that things could go wrong and I lose you guys too, then I won't take it."
The door opened and little Addie poked her head in. The air in he room was still sprinkled with tension, so when we all looked at her, she flinched.
"Uh... Lieutenant Cameron wants us all." She said quietly.
Katy looked down before standing and heading out of the room. Ash looked at me, then at the door, before following Katy out. I just rubbed my forehead and sighed.
"You guys had a fight?" Addie asked.
"A rarity, but it gets really emotional when it does happen..." I said while wondering in the back of my mind why I saved her the first day at the barracks.
Then I lifted my head and looked at her, remembering why. Her baby blue eyes reminded me of the innocent toddlers from the orphanage. I didn't even want to think about her story.
We found everyone else in Trent's little lab of mad concoctions. Colin was looking a gun over in his hands and making stupid faces, while Ash had a pair of sai in hers. And Katy,
Katy got a sword, straight up.
Addie walked over to get her own gun and Cameron took her place at my side.
"You guys had a fight?" He asked, casting glances between me and Katy.
"That is none of your business and how in the world did you know that?" I said under my breath.
When Cameron didn't answer, I turned and faced him. The height difference surprisingly wasn't as big as it was a few months ago, but it didn't make the smug grin he carried any less annoying.
I stuck out my hand, "Give it."
He bobbed his head from side to side before taking my left hand in his and pulling off a small clear circle from the back of it. I glared at him.
"You put that on me in the basement didn't you?"
"Maybe, maybe not." He shrugged with a smirk.
"No more listening bugs without my permission, okay?" I glared while poking his chest and he just laughed.
"Do you know you look cute when you glare?" He said while laughing.
"Do you know you're extremely annoying?" I snapped.
"Only seems that way for you." He returned.
"Ooh, couple's a little snappy~" Trent said.
I subconsciously felt my hand move to the left side of my hip where the handle of my Tanto rested. I probably had an inhuman grin as I inched closer to Trent.
"Okay Lieutenant Shika I think that's enough..." I felt a pair of hands grab the sides of my arms and I thought it was Cameron, until the word 'lieutenant' rang through my head.
Cameron never calls me lieutenant.
I felt my eyes twitch as I turned and looked at a smirking Colin.
This brat actually thinks he can hit on me like—
A different pair of hands wrapped round my sides and pulled me back. Katy magically acquired my bladed whip.
"Trent," I heard Cameron from behind me, "Why don't you take the others back to the barracks while I cool off little spitfire here?"
Trent nodded and smirked at me as he ushered out the others and their respective weapons.
"And I expect an accurate headcount of the recruits that came in by the time you get back here." Cameron called out.
"But that's over three hundred files!" Trent yelled out.
"Now."
I heard multiple doors closed and Cameron didn't let go off me until we were both absolutely certain that I wouldn't be able to catch up to the Trent. When Cameron let go, he went round the table to one of the computers.
"Why didn't you let me hit him? He had it coming." I huffed out.
"You would've also just given him more reason to annoy you." He returned.
I groaned and dragged my feet to stand at his side. I looked down at the computer to see what he was doing.
"What are—"
"Shh."
A video popped up. At first Al it showed was a straight horizontal line on a black backdrop. Then the line started to form waves, gentle waves, then sharp waves.
It was a recording.
We would wake, eat, learn, play a little, eat, test, sleep. That was our schedule for the past two months. It gradually began to change. There was less time to play, our studies intensified, we began physical exercises. It didn't help that my neck shock got worse, but for some reason I didn't tell anyone.
It all changed in steps.
They were training us to be tools.
To be weapons.
It's stopped abruptly and I stared at the now blank screen. I heard Cameron take a step back and I could feel his eyes on me, waiting for my reaction.
"That..." I froze a bit, "T-That was my dad's voice."
I was so confused. It was too little to go by, setting aside the past nine months that didn't make sense themselves.
"Neck shocks... He mentioned neck shocks," I took a step back, "Why would he mention that?"
I looked at Cameron and he had a sullen look on his face. I squared my shoulders.
"What aren't you telling me Cameron?"
He took a deep breath and sighed, before walking out of the room.
"Don't you run from me Cameron! What are you hiding this time?!" I yelled while following him.
He didn't answer me until I had followed him all the way to the roof. There, he took another deep breath and faced me.
"Shika, there's something about your family you need to know." He said calmly, "I've been doing research for quite some time ever since your parents... Yeah. There's just something about the current world that doesn't add up."
"I'm listening but my patience is waining." I told him and he held his hands up.
"Sure the last war hit humanity pretty hard, but it's been over fifty years. You'd think we'd be a bit further up in our tech and development right?"
I nodded.
"Someone is manipulating remaining resources to protect themselves and keep themselves 'healthy'. One of the things that can contribute to that, are family genes," he paused and looked into my eyes, "Genes like yours."
I blinked, "Wait what?!"
"That component? 384NX? It was no coincidence that you had it."
"I'm not sure I follow..."
"The component is found in your genes, 384NX Harusa. That's you and Jokul and practically almost every other Harusa before you."
I backed away from him with my hands up, "You're acting so calm about this but you have no idea how it sounds to me do you?"
"Shika—"
"No, no you listen." I went on, "I lived almost eight years of my life in an orphanage because I honestly thought that my parents had abandoned me. Then on a normal day, the only home I've known is invaded and my family massacred. If that's not enough, the next nine months made absolutely no sense to me, and I doubt they would to anyone in my shoes. I find out I had parents, I find out I had a brother and he's alive. I find the murderer of both my families presented to me on a silver platter and I. Can't. Even. Touch. Him. Because he is in all essence a demon and would kill me without hesitation!"
It was pretty clear that I was not going to stop soon, so Cameron had leaned against the edge and just kept quiet. And I just. Kept. Going.
"This thing has been going on for years? So let me get this straight," I said while pressing my fingers against each other, "The reason close to fifty women and children combined were massacred a few days before my birthday, was because of me having genes that some rich fool wanted?"
I forced myself to stop and look at Cameron, who had been silently listening to me. A chasm of silence stretched between us, before he spoke again.
"Shika, the gene is not any normal gene. It's the reason the war ended, because all four sides had super soldiers made from this gene fighting for them." He said calmly.
"A cold war, that extended the original three year war by ten years before the peace treaty. It's a miracle we haven't died out." I said unbelievingly.
"You don't believe me do you?" He asked while leaning back again, "Genes like those, were taken and enhanced further to create machines of war for private security. Why do you think Jokul can take on a tank alone, that on average, needs three Novas and a Spartan? Why do you think the scientists were surprised with your progress and strength explosion?"
I scoffed, turned on my heel and started, "And y'all thought my mind was broken when Jadis got to me. You have no idea the kind of madness going on upstairs right now."
I was halfway to the stairs when his hand gripped my wrist.
"Shika I know this sounds crazy and most of it doesn't make sense," I nodded at those words, "But please. Your parents found something, they started something big and I can't get through the rest of it without your help."
His eyes looked such a pale blue that they looked so... desperate... it was unlike him. As much as ninety percent of our conversation made no sense, a part of me still saw some sliver of logic in joining up with him.
"Give me time." I whispered out finally, not really meeting his eyes.
Cameron sighed and let go of my hand before walking back to the edge, and I turned to go down the stairs. I felt tired and wanted to sleep, but I every time I slept in my little room, things went wrong.
The little benches looked more inviting in the cool air, so I walked over to them and sat down. I took a deep breath, and the past happenings all faded into a dark void.