Division-A

Episode Twenty. (June 5th, 2123. Division-A, South District.)

Akino stood in the doorway, his hands pushed firmly into his jean pockets. The corner of his mouth lifted as he chuckled awkwardly. Turning his head, he noticed Sakagami staring back at him, brows arched in confusion. The woman shrugged, unsure as to what she could do. Akino sighed and faced the two men standing in front of him.

"The Grand Hall? Why are you the one who's taking me?" Akino asked, leaning to the right to make eye contact with the officer who spoke with him. "Usually, it's M-"

The guard stepped forward and tilted his head towards the car parked on the side of the street. "This is official business. Makina and Matoi are already there."

He slouched his shoulders, unable to think of a reason they'd be at his house and the girls wouldn't. Glancing back at Sakagami, she nodded, insisting he goes with them- presumably to prevent any trouble.

With a sigh, Akino stepped forward again and reached for the door, closing it as he walked out. The tall, uniform men walked him to their vehicle; a reflective, black limousine. He jumped into the soft, gray leather seats, staring out the window as they drove away.

They eventually pulled up to the massive concrete building. Akino eagerly stepped out of the limo, not patient enough to wait for the officers to open it for him. He skipped up the stairs and darted towards the front doors.

"Hey, slow down!" An officer commanded as they slowly approached behind him.

Akino stopped, slowly turning around on his heels as he waited for them to escort him into the building. The men climbed the last stair, and with one on each side, Akino was led into the building and guided through the long main hallway leading to Hetsu Koboshi's office. Hideyo pulled open the doors, allowing the boy to bare witness to a room full of familiarity. Lined along the curved walls stood Makina, Matoi, Kiku, and Asuka with Hetsu standing behind her desk.

Hetsu bent over her desk and leaned towards her laptop, clicking on the keyboard a few times before closing it. She straightened her back, staring at the line of people waiting for her to speak. "I see everyone is here," she began. "It's nice to see you all in one place."

"Milady," Asuka started.

Matoi shuffled her way next to Akino as Asuka spoke, whispering in his ear, "did she invite you? Do you have any idea why we're here?"

Akino shook his head. "No, all I was told was that you and Makina were here, too."

Matoi's eyes drifted to the rest of the Omegas. "This is all of Squad Thirteen. Well, what's left of it, at least. It must have something to do with the mission in the North District."

"That's a great question, Asuka," Hetsu applauded, silencing Matoi and Akino. "...And must I say, thank you all for making it here. I know it wasn't easy, especially for you and your squad, Makina. I commend you for your noble efforts."

Makina's gaze fell to the ground in a stiff nod, acknowledging the struggles she had to endure, and the lives that were lost.

"Back to your question, Asuka," she resumed. "I gathered you all here today to discuss a rather important matter. According to your captain's testimony, a human being was found atop a building on the A16 Highway. The gender is unclear, but Makina has stressed that the person was in fact... alive."

Matoi and Akino looked to each other. Matoi raised her eyebrows, suggesting it was him. He shook his head and shrugged, denying her accusations as the old woman went on.

"Not only that, but the person appeared to have an association with the Compactors. Apparently, there were two or three Stage One's following the individual both to the edge of the building where Makina first saw them, and back when they retreated."