"It's quiet out there." //After radical-6's outbreak, I suppose? B)
[Δ] > in the days following that ever-so-unfortunate radical-6 incident, delta had taken to regularly wearing a gas mask. he knew he would have to make it a habit; mira’s actions in the shelter had determined the future of his timeline, and unlike s o m e people he knew, he was stuck there, so it’d be best for him in the long run not to waste his antidote preserve.
> he imagined – well, as a mind-hacker, he knew – that he must have seemed a bit intimidating, or odd at the very least. there he was, some six-foot-tall old man in a military-grade gas mask, traveling to and fro during a time of such great panic; if he’d have seen something like that, it would have taken him by surprise too. now, however, there weren’t too many people around to be shocked by him anymore. the death toll was finally nearing the end of its increase. it wouldn’t be long before he would have his little meeting with akane and move on to the next stage of his elaborate scheme. honestly, he couldn’t say he looked forward to it. he just wanted to get it over with. feeling the terror of the people, constantly reading their troubled thoughts… it wore him out. he could say with confidence that he’d never been more tired in his life.
> still, he forced himself to go out and walk. he had to stare down the consequences of his decisions. he had to face them, just like everyone else; he wouldn’t have made it this far if that was beyond his ability, and he knew it. once a week, he made himself practice. it would come in handy to harden his shell. he happened to be taking one of those solemn strolls, through the remains of a small shopping district that had recently gone down in flames, when he saw another survivor.
> a survivor? in this town? that was a rare sight. he looked strangely familiar even from a distance, and as the space between the two narrowed, delta felt an indescribable chill crawl at a snail’s pace down his spine. he was hesitant to read the stranger’s mind, though that was a precaution he normally took without a second thought; it was almost as if he was afraid of what he’d see, but that would just be ridiculous. him? afraid?
> “ hello there. ”
> drat. he wished he’d kept his mouth shut, but there wasn’t much he could do now.
> “ i didn’t know anyone else was around here. a… tragic sight to see, is it not ? ”