Chapter 6

'Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.'

Friedrich Nietzsche

A wave of warmness hit her cheeks as soon as she stepped a foot inside the main building of the Den. The interior of the military base had a Spartan feel to it. Thick, dark metallic materials were built into all surfaces - the type of component that could seemingly withstand heavy attacks like a blast of explosion (although she wasn't so certain it'll do much good against the rampage of an Aragami). Little to no efforts were being spared to cover up or discreetly hide the bundles of cables that connected the computer terminals situated to the sides of the area. There were hardly if any fancy decorations lying around such as paintings mounted up the walls, plant pots and carpets in order to liven up the place like it was supposed to be a home befitting of an aristocrat; it appears the idea of trying to make the complex more visually appealing towards visitors was hardly going to be the Aegis League's highest priority.

The lobby was bustling with activity, as soldiers and other military personnel were either marching briskly in and out of the building or casually mingling over at the red sofa seating in the four corners of the area. A long mahogany counter was positioned in the center of the lobby, where the operator team could be heard relaying information over their headsets or attending the inquiries of some of the soldiers, all of which were performed in a calm, professional manner that they were trained to do. Mounted up the wall behind the operators were the large worn flag of white background and the golden shield of Aegis.

While following closely behind Ren, she could sense the watchful gazes of many around the lobby, watching her intently like some curious specimen that they have never seen before. The mutterings of those she passes by were barely audible, but she could already tell more or less what they were trying to say behind her back. It was something along the line of "Great, another one of those things..."

"Wow, seems like you're the center of attention around here," Ren remarked.

Eva snorted. "They're not exactly rolling out the red carpet..."

The animosity that the soldiers felt towards her was of no surprise to her. People like her were simply considered dangerous freaks, hardly different from the enemy whom they are fighting against. If they had things their way, she reckoned they probably would have put her and every remaining God Eaters left in their custody to be exterminated so that their fears can be put to rest.

They climbed up one of the two stairways besides the reception counter leading up into the next floor that was much less crowded than the one on the ground. Up ahead, the logistics personnel team was seen hauling crates of various sizes into the large, centered elevator; several of the smaller-sized lifts were positioned on either side of the floor. Her eyes flickered to the huge monitor that was almost the size of a movie screen, lying on the wall right above the large elevator.

The screen displayed a black and blue grid map of the current world. Before the cataclysm, she remembered the world used to be divided into seven continents (or six and five, depending on how geographers from the other countries looked at it back then). Her former homeland, Great Britain or simply Britain, was a large island in the North Atlantic Ocean, separated from Ireland in the west and lies off the northwestern coast of the Europe continent. Now, the British Isles, as well as all the islands that were presented during the old world for that matter, has ceased to exist. Instead, the calamity event has reshaped the earth into a single massive landmass known as the Ashland that was said to be bigger than the water that surrounded it, which in turn resulted in an erratic climate that has barely made the planet habitable, at least that's what a scientist told her a long while ago.

Zion itself was located close to the southeastern coast of the Ashland, as the labeled orange dot had indicated on the map. To the further northwest of the city, which she guessed was about a thousand miles away, had been Ebonhold (the city where she was incarcerated for the past five years and recently escaped its destruction about a week ago) that is now greyed out to indicate its inactive status. A dozen more places where Aegis had set up shop was spread out across the Ashland. What became pretty clear to Eva, after studying the map for a moment longer, was that there were more grey dots than the orange, reminding her grimly of their dire situation.

A sigh of relief escaped out of her lips once they disappeared into one of the smaller elevators and the doors slide shut to muffle the noise from the lobby. It wasn't long before the lift's motor began its humming.

"So... About these other God Eaters in the squad... What can you tell me about them?" Eva asked.

"Huh?" Her sudden question broke him out of his reverie. For once, Sergeant Amamiya seemed surprised she made the rare effort to ask him a question this time, considering she wasn't much of a talker and he was usually the one who took the imitative to start the conversation.

"Well... Um... I can't really say I know a whole lot about them on a personal level," he replied while rubbing the back of his head briefly. "But, from what I've heard, they're a pretty talented bunch. Said to be the cream of the crop among the 4th generation God Eaters or AGEs I should say. Colonel Amiella herself handpicked each of them. At the same time though, they can be... troublesome. At least that's what my new squad-mates told me..."

Eva narrowed her eyes. "Troublesome? What? You mean they're like bat-shit insane or something?"

Ren chuckled. "I wouldn't put it as crassly as you did, but... yeah... let's just say, each of them have their unique baggage... My squad-mates were strongly insisting that I tread carefully whenever I'm around them. I heard some engineer got his teeth knocked out for saying something that ticked one of them off. And some poor operator had her hair set on fire for god knows what reason..."

Eva rolled her eyes. "Lovely..."

The motor's humming sound had ceased when the lift reached its chosen floor. It was then followed by the hissing of the hydraulic mechanism doing its magic to slide the doors wide opened, revealing a dimly-lit corridor with blue fluorescent light. She followed Ren's lead, their footsteps clicking along the metallic flooring.

"Here we are..." Ren spoke at last, as they stopped before the double steel door at the very end of the corridor. He turned around, facing the blue-haired woman. "Alright, remember what I said earlier on, about being careful what you say around others? Yeah, I seriously meant that... So... If you've got an opinion about something. It's probably for the best you keep it to yourself..."

"Why?" Eva asked, cocking her head to the side. "Is there a law around here that forbids me from having an opinion?"

"No... But..." Ren lets out a sigh. "Look, all I'm saying is that you need to be more tactful when you talk to others... I notice since the first day we've met, you have this habit of speaking your mind freely. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but... Not everybody is going to take what you said pretty well... Know what I mean?"

He was expecting a head nod or at the very least, a word of acknowledgment such as "alright" or "okay" coming out of her mouth. However, to Sergeant Amamiya's disappointment, the blue-haired woman merely shrugged her shoulders and instead, she said:

"You know... I never understood this notion that... one should compromise their individuality on the behalf of others... I am what I am, Sergeant Amamiya. And if people don't want to accept that, then that's fine by me. I don't need their approval, nor do I care for it. The only person that I ever needed approval from is the one standing in the mirror every morning."

Ren was left sighing heavily afterward. It never ceased to amaze him how difficult of a person she can be. Her assertiveness kind of reminded him of a stubborn and uncooperative, old-timer. But at the same time though, there was something he found quite admirable the way she was able to speak her mind freely without having to worry about what others thought of her.

He turned back around to face the double steel doors, drawing a deep breath as if he was thinking to himself: 'Okay... Here we go...'

A commotion was in progress as soon as they stepped into the bright-lit room that greatly resembled a lecture hall with tiered black plastic seating, mahogany podium, and a huge white projection screen.

Standing over to the left seating set and around the middle rows, one of the participants involved in the shouting match was a young man with short, wavy black hair and had a very boyish face to match with his lean build. Judging from his fairly youthful appearance, Eva reckoned he couldn't have been more than eighteen years of age; hell, for all she knew, he might have been younger than that. Regardless, if a bartender was to see him walk up to the bar and order an alcoholic beverage, he was most likely going to be rejected.

The other one though, whom he was exchanging heated words over to the right seating set happened to be a bulky, muscular woman with long strawberry blond hair and wore a cropped denim vest. She didn't appear very feminine with those multiple facial piercings, revealing broad shoulders, bulging biceps and rock solid abs. If nobody had heard that deep, womanly voice of hers, they could have easily mistaken her for a man. She wore a fierce scowl on her face; her blue-grey eyes burning with rage were fixated upon the boy. Fortunately, there was the distance between them. If not, Eva had no doubt this angry woman would have already grabbed him by the collar of his shirt; then again, given the rising tension of their ongoing argument, she may very well decide to cross over to him and do that.

As for the other four individuals presented in the room, they remained in their seats, making no efforts whatsoever to quell the quarrel between the two.

Seated a row below the angry woman was a young man of curly dark brown hair, who had his arms folded in front of his chest and his eyes closed. Despite the ruckus that was going on around him, he seemed pretty carefree, as his lips were curved into a smile while listening into his portable music player via earphones. The simple fact that he was wearing blue and red striped pajamas had been quite telling of his casual character.

Near the bottom row of the center seating set, another guy and a girl were sitting next to each other with their legs crossed. Compared to the others, the two of them stood out with their black mourning clothes that resembled Gothic Victorian fashion. The handsome gentleman in velvet coat was occupied with playing around his tablet device. As for the striking lady who wore satin long-sleeved dress and birdcage hat, she held up a small gold mirror while applying her dark purple lipstick. They both bear the same hauntingly beautiful features: long flowing silver hair, emerald eyes, and flawless pale skin. If she was a betting woman, Eva had guessed they were twins.

Lastly, there was a comely girl of wavy rose pink hair who sat at the top row of the left seating set. Her teal eyes remained focused onto the page of the red hardcover book she was reading, seemingly ignoring the commotion around her like it didn't even exist. Thin golden-framed glasses sat on the bridge of her nose. She wore a ruffled white blouse and cream-colored skirt with white stockings underneath, giving off the impression of a high-class young lady who had belonged in an aristocratic family.

If there was one thing Eva knew for sure what she had in common with all six individuals in the room, were the same red metallic armlets attached to their wrists - the cursed shackles that were designed to keep their monstrous powers in check, preventing them from turning into the same kind of beasts whom humanity has feared for almost five long decades.

Neither of her fellow God Eaters seemed to be aware of her and Sergeant Amamiya's presences in the room. Eva rolled her eyes as the argument continued.

"Shinji... Seriously, kiddo... I'm warning you now... Just shut the hell up, okay?" The muscular woman asked in a calmer tone than before, having taken a deep breath to restraint herself. "I say it one last time... There was nothing that you and any of us could have done for Yasmin, alright? Nothing! We were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. So, end of story!"

In spite of her request to bury the hatchet, Shinji merely shook his head, refusing to back down. "Yeah... You go on and keep telling yourself that, Colleen... It must be real nice... acting like everything is okay and nothing has happened... I guess they must be right when they say... ignorance is a bliss..."

Neither this Shinji nor Colleen have spoken another word. Other than the faint noises of a page being flipped over, keyboard tapping and playing soundtrack, the room was mostly quiet like a funeral had just taken place. But then, the pregnant silence that hung around the air was broken shortly afterward when a plastic chair crashed into the thick metallic wall; it was thrown with such speed and force that broken the chair in two halves. By now, the rest of the God Eaters who didn't seem too bothered about their arguing before had finally flickered their eyes over to the two.

In her moment of fury, Colleen had almost tripped over the plastic seats on her way towards Shinji. To his credits, Shinji hadn't shown the slightest hint of fear as he stood his ground and continued to egg her on. He may have been a small guy when compared to that Amazonian-sized of a woman, but he certainly demonstrated he was no wimpy, pushover, who'll cower easily when threatened.

The curly-haired man who had stopped listening to his music once the commotion reached a boiling point, bolted from his seat and caught up with Colleen, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. Despite his best efforts to hold her down with all the strength he could muster, he was unable to stop her entirely in her track.

"Calma, calma," he said, trying to reason her. "No need to get so upset over this, Colleen darling."

"Don't call me darling!" The muscular woman shouted, baring her teeth as she dragged her legs forward. "And get the hell off me, Antonio! I've had it with this snot-nosed little shit running his damn mouth!"

Ren who had stood back and watched the quarrel beside Eva was hoping the two God Eaters will be able to talk out their problem in a peaceful and civilized manner without having to resort to violence like a couple of barbarians would do. However, it became evidently clear to Sergeant Amamiya that what he wanted was wishful thinking at best.

"Okay, guys! That's enough! Break it up!" he ordered, making his presence known as he marched right up to Colleen "O'Neill, I suggest you better calm down or-"

"I don't take orders from you! Piss off!" The muscular woman snapped.

The twins and the girl with glasses did not intervene. Instead, their gazes had, at last, fell upon Eva. The sibling was muttering with one another, their faces remained neutral like they weren't sure what to make of her. The latter on the other hand, had a little smile on her face as if she was pleased to see a new God Eater among them; another would-be comrade that shares their burden of being a weapon used to safeguard humanity.

Eva however, wasn't all too pleased to meet her squad as her head shaking had indicated.

"It's so melodramatic in here..." she said aloud. "Honestly, if you guys were hoping to win some sort of award with your theatrics, then please don't... It's dreadful enough as it is, and furthermore... This is a military institution, not some drama theatre.."

Sure enough, the other three God Eaters turned their heads towards the new individual whom they have seen for the first ever time today.

"And just who in the hell are you?" Colleen asked bluntly.

"This is Eva," Ren answered her question on Eva's behalf (even though she probably didn't ask for it). "As of today, she'll be transferred into your squad. So please make your new squadmate welcome..."

Given by their wide-eyed and opened mouth expressions, this was news to the squad. Clearly, nobody had informed them beforehand that this woman standing in front of them with her unkempt sky blue hair and slightly ripped clothes like she had been living in the wilds, was going to be their new squadmate.

"You're kidding me..." said Shinji, his face full of incredulous disbelief. "We haven't had a funeral for Yasmin... Her body's probably not even cold... And yet the Colonel went ahead and send us a replacement!? I don't believe this..."

The whiny voice that reached her ears had her rolling her eyes like she had done so for the second time since meeting her squad. It was of no surprise to her that the boy, given the youthfulness of his age, had lacked the maturity to understand why a grizzled veteran like Colonel Amiella had made the swift tactical decision to replace their fallen comrade.

"You keep going on and on about your fallen comrade like it's the end of your friggin world, mate," Eva spoke up, her British accent coming off strongly. "God Eaters come and go. It's natural in our line of work. And if you're not ready to accept that, then you had best go see a doctor or something. Declare yourself unfit for duty, because clearly... your head's not in the right place..."

She heaved a sigh, as she shifted on her feet and addressed the rest of the squad, "Honestly, I'm starting to think the Colonel's decision to bring me back in the fold... was a pretty hasty one. Desperate, foolhardy and just ill-advised... Sergeant Amamiya here," Her head motioned over to Ren, "informed me you guys are meant to be the cream of the crop among the AGEs... But I'm thinking you lot are more like cream of the crop of being drama queens..."

"What the hell did you just say!?" Colleen snapped, striding down the steps with a twitch on her face.

The muscular woman stood a head taller over Eva, her blue-grey eyes bearing down upon her. Unfazed, Eva lifted her head up, returning the gaze with her crimson eyes. Both women were engaged in their staring contest, sizing up one another.

"I don't like that tone of yours, new gal," Colleen spoken at last. "And I don't like the look of your face, especially... It makes me wanna do violent things to it..."

"Is that so?" Eva replied, removing her hands from her pockets. "Well, what are you waiting for then? Come and show me what you got, she-male..."

A sweat rolled down from Ren's forehead. One of the worst-case scenarios that the Sergeant feared and had warned his charge to avoid at all cost before they entered the room, was about to happen right here and now. "Look guys... How about you just-"

His attempt to diffuse the bad situation was quickly cut off when the muscular woman threw her fist, burying it into the abdomen of her new squadmate.

A gagging sound, followed by saliva escaped out of Eva's mouth. She felt the wind blown out from her stomach as if a brick struck her. Although she anticipated the punch was coming, she did not expect this hulk of a woman was capable of moving a lot faster than what her size implied. It was all a miscalculation on her part that made her looked rather foolish for having underestimated her opponent's capabilities.

Alerted, she recovered in time to push herself off her assailant, evading the haymaker of a second punch that probably could have knocked her down for the count. Before she could formulate her counterattack, however, the muscular woman was on the attack again: charging at her like some enraged wild boar that gave its challenger no room to breathe. Next thing she knew, a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her legs and she was lifted right off her feet by her opponent, who carried her so easily as though she was a toddler. Then, she found her spine slammed into the metallic wall beside the projection screen, the shock of pain shot through her body, forcing her to let out an involuntary cry.

Grunting in pain, Eva instinctively crumbled her hands into fists and swung both her arms simultaneously, the knuckles connecting against the temples of her opponent's head. It did the trick, as Colleen released her grip and staggered back, not before she swore profusely. As she bends down with her hands to her kneecaps and gasping for breath, Eva looked back up at her opponent.

Both Ren and the curly-haired young man named Antonio were trying to talk some sense into the furious Colleen while struggling to hold her back. In the end, however, their efforts were in vain, as the muscular woman threw her arms forward and backward, knocking both men flat on their butts. Then, she came right back at Eva, who had stood up straight and narrowed her eyes - the determined look of a woman who was fully prepared to defend herself.

Eva waited at the last possible moment before she stepped aside to avoid being gored by this woman-shaped battering ram. Her reckless opponent ended up crashing head first into the same spot of metallic wall that she had been rammed into a moment ago; she might have laughed about Colleen's misfortune if she wasn't involved in a scrape with her. Like a well-trained hunter, she seized her golden opportunity: planting the sole of her boot against the back of her opponent's calf, which had her pinned down on one knee. Then, she went and grabbed a handful of the muscular woman's strawberry blond hair, yanking her head back until their eyes were met.

A barrage of fist jabs landed on Colleen's nose, crimson trickled down from one of her nostrils. However, she wasn't about to go down easily. While thrashing around to free herself, she managed to elbow the blue-haired woman in the rib. Eva groaned and backed off at once. Colleen stood back on her feet and turned round to face Eva, blaring her teeth where some of them were soaked in blood. With a roar, she was about to charge at her until the loud, commanding voice of a woman stopped her in her tracks:

"ENOUGH!"

Eva flickered her eyes over to the pair of female figures that stood over by the right entrance. One of the women happened to be an unfamiliar face to her: A long, straight black hair hanging over a fine, frowning face. Chestnut brown eyes, set sunken within their sockets, were gazing at her. She wore the standard, beige officer uniform consisting of a coat and knee-length skirt. The other woman standing beside her, however, was a recognizable character that it'd been near impossible for her to be mistaken: red beret, silver-blond hair, black eye patch and a single piercing blue eye. Suffice it to say, Colonel Amiella had also disapproved of the violent display that had taken place in the room, her face mirroring the same frown as her fellow officer.

"What in the hell do you two think this is!? Some kind of bar where you can get pissed and beat the shit out of each other!?" The raven-haired woman raised her voice, her line of questioning sounded more rhetorical than actually seeking meaningful answers from either Eva or Colleen.

Surprisingly enough, Colleen stood down from the mere presences of this officer and Colonel Amiella, something Eva wouldn't have expected given the woman's hot temper and her aggressive tendency to inflict violence upon others when provoked. Without any protest, the muscular woman had quietly retreated to sit down in one of the seats. Likewise, Eva followed in suit, sitting further away from her, which was probably for the best considering animosity between them. Ren breathed a sigh of relief, as he was thankful the commotion was over at last.

Colonel Amiella took her stand on the podium, glancing her one eye at each and every one of the seven God Eaters presented in the room. "1st Unit, I know that you have recently lost a fellow comrade last week," she began addressing the squad with her usual, calm tone. "She was one of the finest daughters that humanity could ask for... A stalwart defender who was willing to give it her all to defend her fellow men to the bitter end... She will be missed..."

After inhaling a deep breath, the one-eyed woman continued, "But... This isn't the time to be tearing each other apart... By doing that, you will be tarnishing the efforts which your fallen comrade and all those who came before her, who have sacrificed their bodies and souls to try to save this world... If you really wish to honor their memories, then you had best save your anger and strength for our common enemy out there... And right now, we need the strength of the 1st Unit more than ever..."

Eva had to admit to herself, that Alisa had a certain charisma about her that befitted a commander entrusted to guide her troops towards victory. The blue-haired woman only needed to take one look around her, noting the lit in several of her would-be comrades' eyes - the signs of conviction that they actually believe in the Colonel and would even be willing to follow her into the depths of hell itself. As for herself, she wasn't so easily moved by her speech, however admirable it might have sounded. To her, it was all just a catharsis.

The Colonel paused to adjust the black trench coat draping over her shoulders. "And with the lost of Ebonhold, I can't stress enough how dire our situation is," she said. "Therefore, it is imperative that we must unravel the secrets of the Eden Project sooner than later. And to that end, I decided we'll have Eva here," she shot a glance over to Eva, "joining your squad as of today."

Sighing, Eva wasn't particularly fond of being the center of attention, as she felt the gazes of her would-be comrades fixed upon her. Only the curly-haired Antonio and the pink-haired girl whose name she did not know were willing to greet her with a hand wave and head nod respectively when her eyes flicked over to them. The rest of the squad, however, was seemingly indifferent with their expressionless faces.

"She has a lead for our investigation," said Alisa. "And I'm sure in due time, she'll be a great asset for your squad. I expect by next week, we'll begin the investigation once Victory is fully repaired and stocked up. "

Sitting with her arms and legs crossed, Eva raised her eyebrow. "Sorry, ma'am. But uh... Why aren't we starting the investigation now?" she asked. "I mean, I have the coordinates where my old base is located. If you can get us the fastest aircraft, we'll be there in and out, gathering all the clues we can... There's no need to wait a week for some... airship..."

"Well, look at you. You're that eager to get started already?" Alisa replied back with a question of her own and a small smile on top of it.

"No, I was just curious..."

"Well then, let me explain, Ms. Eva..." The Colonel cleared her throat before she began justifying the reasoning behind her decision. "The Ashland is a pretty dangerous place, as you well know. And if you're going to be venturing into a hellhole crawling with monsters and god knows what else is out there, then you had best come fully prepared. That's where Victory comes in. It's one of our most powerful assets, packs a hell of a punch and can take some serious beating too. Believe me, you will definitely need it."

Having said that, Alisa made her way down the steps and towards the exit. "And besides, you need to get acquainted with your squad mates. The more you know each other strengths and weaknesses, the more efficient you will be as a team. You have until next week, so make good use of that time. Now, that will be all. You're dismissed. Oh, and Sergeant Amamiya. A word, please..."

Ren looked over to Eva, giving her a head nod before he went after the Colonel, leaving his charge entirely on her own for the first time. The rest of the 1st Unit has also begun to make their way towards the exit, neither of them sparing a second glance for their newest sister-in-arm.

Just as she stood off her seat and thought about heading out like the others, Eva found herself approached by the raven-haired woman. The officer first drew a sigh and then she shook her head. "It's your first day here, and already you've got in a fight... Can't really say I'm impressed..."

Eva had a glance over to the two silver bars insignia sewn onto the fabric of the raven-haired woman's coat. "I was not aware that I had to impress you, Captain?"

"Amanda Lin," The Captain introduced herself promptly. "I'm the second in command of the Corps. That means I'm your supervisor. Of course, you may have to report the big boss every now and again when something very important comes up. But most of the time, you will be answering to me. And right now, we need to get you settled in ASAP..."

Amanda whipped out the tablet device she was holding by her side, her eyes scanning up and down on its screen. "Right then, your first order of the day is a full medical examination at 1200 hours. After that, you will have your combat readiness test at 1500. Then, you're free to go and tour around the Den or retire to your room. But like the Colonel said, I do hope you make good use of your time to get to know your squad mates. You're more or less going to see them every day..."

"Right..." Eva replied.

"Good, then welcome to Wolfhound."

Fortunately, the rest of her day had gone by smoothly without pressing her knuckles into the flesh of someone or somebody's pressing theirs into hers. The full medical examination that involved a sample of her blood taken and blue ambient light scanning her top to bottom had lasted only a few hours. Then, she went straight for her combat readiness test: an intense simulation battle against various types of Aragami in a background that resembled a ruined city, sweating and grunting as she kept swinging a dummy God Arc blade until she was finally overwhelmed and reality had come back to a dimly-lit spacious chamber.

Before she knew it, darkness has taken over the city of Zion when she stepped outside the complex and felt the cool air against her cheeks. It was the first time in five years that she has tasted freedom. Although she couldn't exactly leave the Den completely without the permission of either Colonel Amiella or Captain Lin, she was at least permitted to walk around the base without having anyone following her closely from behind and watching her every movement at all times.

The nightlife at the Den had been a completely different world than the one she had seen during the daytime. When the blazing sun was still kissing their skin, the majority of personnel had worn the stern professional faces as they kept themselves focused on their work like it was a ritual. With their shifts over for the day, they were finally able to loosen up and be their natural self: conversing with one another with beaming smiles on their faces, clinking their bottles of beer, filling the air with fumes from their cigarettes along with their laughter and cheers.

Even with the end of the world drawing near, people generally couldn't help but resort to their vices such as indulging themselves with alcohol, tobacco or gambling over a card game. For them, it was a coping mechanism to take their mind off from thinking about the grim world they had lived in and the monsters that were prowling near their doorsteps, even for a little while. If not, it was quite likely they'd lost their sanity completely.

"Hey, new gal! Eva! Over here!"

Upon hearing her name being called out, Eva darted her eyes over to her left, where off-duty personnel was seated at rustic picnic benches, drinking icy cold pale lager and eating grilled chicken wings with its sweet, smoky aroma lingering in the air, which made her mouth water. She made a quick survey of the crowd before her gaze stopped at one particular individual seated alone and waving at her.

It'd be hard not to spot this stylishly dressed, cheerful looking young man who wore black trilby hat and black leather jacket complete with a white dress shirt, black tie and blue denim jeans; an unusual fashion that had a mixture of a gentleman and a rebel biker. At first, she didn't recognize who he was until she approached his table, making out his dark brown hair and hazel-green eyes.

"Sorry about what happened earlier," Antonio said after he returned to the table with two plastic plates filled with grilled chicken wings, one meant for him and the other one for Eva. With a snap of his wrist, he cracked open a bottle of pale lager that made a hissing sound before sliding the beer over to her. "Colleen usually doesn't go off like that... It's just been a pretty bad week, you know..."

"If you say so," Eva replied, taking a swig off her bottle.

Truth be told, she didn't know why this Antonio was apologizing and making excuses for one of his fellow comrades' aggressive behavior towards her. If anything, the one who should be expressing remorse for hurting her was the brutish looking woman named Colleen O'Neill, who rammed a fist into her stomach. Even now, the stinging pain on her abdomen hasn't fully subsided. It made a bite every now and again, as a reminder what that brute did to her.

"By the way, I'm Antonio De Rossi," Antonio said as he properly introduced himself. "Despite everything, I'm glad to have you on board. If you need help with anything, you need only to ask."

"Yeah, cheers, I'll keep that in mind," Eva said before she took a bite out of a chicken wing, the charred yet sweet taste hit her tongue and her face involuntarily lit up with delight. It's been such a long while since she was able to enjoy a hot food that was prepared and cooked appropriately.

"So, I heard you were there at Ebonhold. It must have been a pretty nasty business, eh?" Antonio asked, trying to make small talk with his new squadmate.

The memories that popped up in her mind were unpleasant, to say the least: Brick walls and concrete flooring decorated with crimson. Aragami of various monstrous shapes and sizes using their razor sharp teeth or claws to tear apart the flesh of human preys as though it was made of wet noodles. Countless, civilians stranded on the streets begged and screamed for help, but nobody came to their rescue in the end. One vivid image that stood out while escaping the burning city with the two guards who picked her up from the cell, was of a man kneeling down in front of a young boy, probably his son. With tear-stricken face, the father had raised a snub-nosed revolver, pressing its barrel against his son's forehead.

She gave an affirmative nod and taken another swig off her beer as if the alcohol would sweep the bad memory to the back of her mind.

"I just hope we find this Eden Project sooner rather than later," Antonio said. "It's our best chance if we're going to have any future..."

Eva sniffed a laugh. "We hardly know what this Eden Project does or if it even exists anymore... If you ask me, this could just end up being a wild goose chase that amounts to nothing in the end. And it'd be pretty daft to put all your eggs in one basket..."

"Perhaps. But I say we should take that bet."

She lifted her chin, meeting his hazel-green eyes. "So what... You're saying we should just stake everything, roll the dice, crossed our fingers and hope it's going to hit the jackpot?"

The curly-haired man across the table had smiled in response. "Didn't you know, sister? Life's always been a gamble. We've been gambling ever since we came out of our mother's womb. You win some, you lose some. But as long as you have a chip in your hand, it's not over yet."

Eva couldn't tell whether or not this Antonio had a few screws loose in his head, as she studied his smiling face. It seemed strange to her that someone in this dark and bleak world could be very optimistic to locate a vague experiment across a godforsaken land where there was a good possibility it may not be the key to their salvation after all.

Yawning from exhaustion, she finished her beer and stood up. "Well, it's been a long day. I'm turning in for the night. Thanks for the food and beer..."

"Wait."

She stopped in her tracks and turned round to face Antonio.

"Listen, the squad was thinking about going on a mission tomorrow afternoon," he said. "It's just a simple hunting assignment. Captain Lin has already given us the green light. Thought that maybe you wanna stretch your legs too, you know. Since we're going to be squadmates from now on, it'd be nice for you to come along and show us what you can do."

The last line from him had sounded almost like it was a challenge to her. Undoubtedly, she figured her would-be comrades wanted to test her abilities in combat, wondering if she was truly a God Eater that was worthy enough to fight alongside them. And if she had refused to accept this challenge, she'd be seen as a coward.

In all honesty, she couldn't have cared less what her squadmates thought of her. However, she was curious herself whether or not the 1st Unit lived up to the hype that surrounded them.

"Sure, why not," she replied.