Hanashi 09 - Operation Atsuko

Jun arrives at the Haven headquarters, a beautiful mansion that reminds him of the Somnus facility. However, there's a distinct difference between the two: Haven represents light and goodness, while the Somnus facility is associated with darkness and evil. Jun breathes a sigh of relief as he steps out of the car, grateful to be in a safe and secure environment. Remiel, the head of Haven, leads him up a flight of stairs to the male dormitories. The atmosphere is welcoming, but it's unfamiliar territory for Jun, who struggles to reconcile his memories with reality. As they approach a door, Remiel offers Jun food, "Are you hungry?" Jun doesn't reply, wearing a dark expression. He's too preoccupied with thoughts of Atsuko to respond. Remiel opens the door to a cozy room, "Rest here." Remiel urges, before leaving, making sure he locks the door once he's outside. Jun turns around and tries to open the door to the room. He didn't expect it to be locked. He grimaces and is going to try and break the door down yet he decides not to do that. He feels too weak. Tiredness gives him a signal, causing the angry male to walk over to the bed and fall on it. He is exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster of the past few days. As Jun drifts off to sleep, he thinks of Atsuko and makes a promise to save her, even if it means risking his own life. The reality he thought he knew has been shattered, but he's determined to uncover the truth and bring justice to those responsible.

****

As the sun rises, illuminating the morning sky with its golden glow, Jun wakes up from his slumber, unable to recall what he had dreamt about. Rubbing his bleary eyes, he notices a trickle of water coming out from his eyes. Has he been crying in his sleep? Suddenly, the sound of a key turning in the lock distracts him, and a girl with striking blue hair and bi-colored black and green eyes enters the room, smiling broadly at him. "Good morning, Jun," she greets him cheerfully, holding a plate of delicious breakfast in her hand. Seiko, the girl, explains, "I was ordered to bring your breakfast here. After breakfast, you should freshen up and then I will be back to get you.” The breakfast she has brought consists of three soft and fluffy pancakes, grits, bacon, one boiled egg, and a fresh glass of apple juice. Jun decides to eat at his desk, and Seiko serves him his breakfast silently, slightly blushing as she notices that Jun is shirtless, despite the cold draft in the room. After placing Jun's new outfit on the bed, along with body wash and other toiletries, Seiko leaves the room, standing guard outside the door.

As Jun eats his breakfast, he realizes how hungry he is, having forgotten the feeling of an empty stomach. The food tasted heavenly, much better than what he was served at the Somnus facility, where he had been living for years. Outside the room, Remiel approaches Seiko, "Was he resistant?" He asks her. Seiko shakes her head, “Not at all. He just seems dead. Devoid of emotion." 

Remiel expresses his concern, "That sounds alright yet no good. Being Dr.Alistair's lab animal must have broken him." Seiko merely nods in agreement. “Do you remember Atsuko Komatsu?" Seiko replies, "I do. She and I were practically sisters back at the orphanage until I was given a proper home. Atsuko was very sweet and quiet...."

"Do you know where she is now?" Seiko thinks, appearing to be having a hard time about Atsuko's whereabouts. Before Seiko can answer, Remiel speaks instead, "Atsuko has been at Somnus Facility since twelve years old. It was the same for Jun and now he's twenty-three." At the mention of this, Seiko gasps, feeling guilty for forgetting Atsuko after being adopted and getting preoccupied with her new life. "I can hear you guys!" Jun announces as he opens the door, already done with breakfast and holding his new clothes. Seiko jumps and holds on to Remiel out of fear. Remiel chuckles, “I figured. So let me be honest with you. I know about everything that happens at Somnus Facility. I only saved you because I promised your father I would."

“Where is father?” Jun asks suddenly. Remiel's smile fades, “Let me tell you about that soon. As of now, I want to help with retrieving Atsuko. Are you in?" Jun nods in agreement and exits from the room. He goes to the bathroom next door to shower and change his attire. "Will you tell him about his father?" Seiko asks. Remiel answers, "I will but not yet. Don't want to reveal too much ill news to Jun..."

In an instant, the serious situation turns awkward and it's all thanks to Seiko. She hugs Remiel, and he blushes, "Uh, Seiko! What are you doing?" Seiko laughs, pulling away from Remiel, "It's rare to see such a guy like you blush! Around others, you're always serious and sometimes prideful."

"And what does that mean exactly?"

"It means.....that you're my type!" Seiko smirks playfully. She may or may not be joking. Remiel can't help but blush and look annoyed, "Are you fooling with me? If so then it's not funny." Seiko wears a mysterious expression, "I won't elaborate too much." Meanwhile, Jun is in the bathroom, listening to their conversation. He remembers the necklace he's been wearing, which represents half of an angel wing. Atsuko has the other half, and she's very important to Jun. He wonders why such terrible things had to happen, and he realizes that it's because of selfish greed and evil curiosity. He reflects on the fact that human beings aren't disposable toys, but some people see them that way. He believes that those who torment others will soon be tormented in return.   

****

Seiko gives Jun a tour of Haven Headquarters. They explored various areas of the premises, including a dining hall, library, theater room, dormitories, and science labs. However, the one room that caught Jun's attention was the Gem Pods. It reminded Jun of a similar room back at the Somnus Facility, only that one didn't have a name and was more like a prison where he and Atsuko spent most of their time. But here at Haven Headquarters, the Gem Pods seemed to serve a different purpose. As they approached the room, they found Remiel sitting in front of a large monitor with many buttons. He was intently watching a small simulation of Caspien, his expression stern. "Remi!" Seiko coos in a playful manner.

"Hey! I told you not to call me that." Remiel scolds, his face turning a light shade of red.

"Hahahaha, it was worth making you blush, again." Seiko teases even more. Jun, on the other hand, remained stoic and unemotional. He immediately notices the similarities between the Gem Pods and the lab at the Somnus Facility. As he looks around, he sees many people inside the pods, fast asleep in light teal-colored water and connected to wires. But it was the two specific pods that caught Jun's attention the most - they contained his father and Leonarda. His expression turns dark as he whispers to himself, "What is the meaning of this?" Remiel gives Seiko a look, and sensing the awkward tension, she excuses herself to go and get something. "You see, before your disappearance, it was claimed that you killed your father and little sister before running away," Remiel explains, "I knew right away that was a lie." Seiko enters the lab with a newspaper. Jun's eyes become super watery as he looks down. He's starting to come up with many ideas as to why Remiel could have Caelum and Leonarda connected to these machines. He recalls a slight memory of Dr. Alistair complaining about Remiel's interference with Caspien. Dr. Alistair called them glitches.

Seiko shows Jun to the newspaper and the false article made the headlines, 'Boy murders family on his birthday.' Remiel speaks up and says, "Your family may be still alive in Caspien, even if they are deceased here. This applies to everyone else who is connected to these machines as well." Jun takes the newspaper from Seiko and reads the article carefully. Remiel observes Jun and feels sorry for him, saying, "What do you think? Shall we try and save Atsuko?" Jun stops reading the article and nods in agreement.

Overwhelmed by emotions, Jun falls to the ground and starts weeping, tearing the entire newspaper to shreds. Seiko comforts him, rubbing his back and feeling tears welling up in her own eyes. As Jun cries, his hazy memories start to clear up, and he begins to remember his past bit by bit. He realizes that his real memories from long ago now seem like they never happened, but they did happen, and it's a lot to process.