18 What Happened? (1/2)
”Berthold!”
”. . .muel!
”Can you hear him?” Samuel exclaims. ”He's on the other side!”
Both Samuel and Esmeralda listened eagerly one more time. They could still hear the consistent beeping sound. They were waiting for Berthold to utter a word. To call their names.
”Esmeralda!”
”Berthold . . .!” Esmeralda utters. It seemed like a team member was alive.
”Don't worry, Bert! We'll get you outta here—wait, screw that! You have a beeper, don't you! Call the HR!”
”I called already called the HR! Rescue will arrive shortly now!” Berthold answers from the other side. ”Who's with you?!”
”It's me, Sam! Esmeralda's here too!” Samuel exclaims. ”Are you with Ninja guy and Lame leader?!”
”No! I was hoping they were with you,” Berthold shouts back. ”Is there anyone injured right there?!”
”S-sam's injured!” Says Esmeralda.
”I'M FINE!” Samuel shouts back. ”Don't worry about me!”
”But—” Esmeralda mutters.
”Don't worry about me,” Samuel repeats to Esmeralda, way quietly. ”I'm fine.”
”. . . A-anyhow, stay put! Cover your heads at all cost!” Berthold exclaims. ”Don't do anything rash!”
”Are you also trapped?” Asks Samuel, practically screaming to the walls. ”Can you get us out of here? We won't survive at the next aftershock!”
”. . .”
”Berthold!”
”. . . I'm not locked out,” Berthold answers. ”But I think it's impossible for me to dig you two out of the concrete!”
”He . . . he's got a point, Samuel,” says Esmeralda. ”I don't think it's possible to get out here, especially if Doctor Wagner is the only one on the other side. We need to wait for the HR's rescue,”
”Damn it,” says Samuel. ”Rescue. It's a game of chance. It's either the rescue gets here or—”
And before Samuel could articulate the end of his sentence, he was stopped short by a slight rocking in the ground. Esmeralda yelps, and the ducks as she covers her head and nape. Samuel cursed as he goes near her, shielding her with his body as he covers his head as well.
At a time like this, there wasn't anything he could do.
One tends to be vulnerable and on the losing end when nature takes its course. He embraced her trembling body with his, as he shuts his eyes tightly in return. He knelt motionlessly and awaited the enshrouded concrete above and beside the two of them to fall at any moment. The quake wasn't ending at any moment now—he could feel it. Berthold was yelling on the other side, telling them to take cover, to not forget the drill.
Samuel embraced Esmeralda's trembling body as she sobbed fervently.
”Hag, stay put!” He says. ”I'm here! You won't die!”
But if it meant protecting another—
He had the feeling it would be worth it.
It could be.
He shut his eyes and embraced the trembling stature, shawling her with his body as he listens to the ground shake, and the smell of concrete powder wafting against the air as the blocks rubbed against each other in the upheaval.
**
It was afternoon when all of them were able to obtain information regarding ANDROMEDA. From Berthold's perspective (or from anyone's perspective at all), 'ANDROMEDA' didn't exactly look like a laboratory at all. He couldn't really put his mind on it, especially when the task force arrived inside.
The night before, Ephraim gave them specific subjects to work on. He was given the substances, along with Samuel and Esmeralda (Ephraim said to take note of everything they encounter, whether big or small). He was assigned the right-wing of the 'lab' or more specifically, the 'house'.
”How in the world is this a lab . . .” Berthold exclaims as he arrived in the right-wing, where the kitchen and dining hall were located. He opened his journal and started to take notes of everything he could see.
[Creepy. Everything is creepy.]
Berthold wasn't able to think of anything. The right-wing was indeed creepy.
”Haah,” he sighs exasperatingly.
Berthold Wagner started to scribble down his notes. He stares at the spectacle through his glasses. He had myopia, and so his eyes really required glasses. He stretched his back for a bit. It's been a while for Berthold to really walk around, and be outside (although he was well-nigh and literally inside a house). He was, after all, usually stuck inside the hospital doing dayshift and graveyard shifts nonstop. He was a surgeon. He couldn't even leave the hospital even if he wanted to—taking care of patients was both his duty and responsibility.
It's been a while. It's not like he was inactive (he works out about four times a week). It was because he wasn't capable of hanging out outside. He wasn't a workaholic—but he was a busybody. He hadn't had a social life ever since he graduated (or stepped up) to med school.
It took them a few hours to write down the most intricate details they could even muster to evoke from such an abandoned building. When Ephraim summoned all of them in the common area, Berthold sighs as he realized all of them failed to retrieve a certain 'research' in this certain 'laboratory.'
All of them decided to show their journals. Berthold eyed Esmeralda's. It had contained sketches of the Arachnida class, some cobwebs, and some numbers with purpose Berthold couldn't decipher.
”Where's Hiroaki?”
Berthold also wanted to know, and as he opened his mouth to add a follow-up question—
”Everyone, get down!”
”Team, remember the drill!” Ephraim says.