If I stay

"CRADLE?" the inmate asked.

"Came up with the name myself!" Paylor bragged.

"And they get sent outside the Far East?" Sano asked.

"Wherever they're needed, scouting out any and all habitats suitable for a Satellite Base." Paylor said.

"But weren't they your best people though?" Sano said.

"Perhaps the greatest God-Eaters ever seen. Which is why I knew the moment the Far East started to calm down making them a mobile unit was the best way to make use of their skills for long-term change. Besides it's not like we didn't have our own local heroes before BLOOD Special Forces showed up." Paylor said.

"Sir, we've arrived." Hosu the driver said.

"Oh, I guess we'll get into the Satellite Defense Team another time. This our stop." Paylor shifted from his seat to the window.

The Jeep came to a halt in front of a wall.

"3 coming in, a driver, god-eater, and Director Sakaki." Hosu said to a nearby speaker.

In response, a section of the wall began to rise and Hosu drove the Jeep inward.

"Welcome to Satellite Base SB035-120000, the only official name on hand I'm afraid. The residents don't have their own yet." Paylor said.

Let's hope they do soon…

"(A name like that...)" Sano thought morbidly.

The inmate peered through the window to take in the surroundings.

Rows of houses with mini lawns around the front porch. 1 story and pleasing to the eye. Not too big. Not too small.

Seeing houses fly by in the window, Sano saw a field in the distance.

"(Oracle Factories.)" he thought, glimpsing at the industrial-styled buildings. The structures were labeled. Wheat, rice, vegetables, and fruit. A fair amount of acreage to use.

It's a shame farming is a dead art.

Intrigued by the outside still, Sano's face was practically rubbing on the glass.

"(Is that a shopping district?)" the inmate thought.

Can't say it's too big, but considering the size of this place, it would suffice.

A bakery 'Lin Yun's Sweet Buns'.

'Togo's Tamago', a breakfast joint.

'WacDonalds'...

A few more were rather tightly squeezed in as compared to the housing and even the factories.

If there was anything more interesting than the infrastructure it was the people inhabiting it. Old people watering their plants, parents out shopping, even kids playing.

Before the inmate could think more about this the jeep started to slow down. Upon full stop, Sakaki opened the door and waved at Sano to follow along.

As he stood next to the doctor, Sano noticed he pulled a mask over his face.

At first confused, he was given an answer as Paylor pointed up.

A sign saying 'CLINIC' along with another around the entrance.

"No Entrance without Hazmat and authorization." the inmate said.

"Indeed. From here I must act alone, at least for now. I'd invite you in, but I think it's important you familiarize yourself with this community. You are the only God-Eater in the vicinity. Take this Hosu." Paylor said as he tossed his phone to the driver.

"Yes, sir?" Hosu caught the device nervously.

"I'll be quite busy, so handle my calls for the next few hours." Paylor said.

Even with the mask, his smile was apparent.

"...Yes sir." Hosu said as they slowly drove off leaving Paylor and the inmate. They kept a grim grip on the phone.

"You should see what you're protecting." Paylor said, surprising Sano.

The doctor went off into the clinic without another word.

...We're alone

Amid the silence, Sano could feel the eyes of a few passersby.

"(Did he really just leave me on my own?)" Sano thought, crucially.

It seems that way.

"(See what I'm protecting?)" Sano thought.

It's not like you ever got to stroll around town back at home and as I recall our contract---this IS a mission, right?

"(I don't know what this is.)" the inmate thought, leaning on his god-arc's hilt.

He didn't say it WASN'T.

Sano looked back and forth between the buildings surrounding the clinic. The suburbs-like atmosphere served to ease the tension within the inmate.

"(Lets...look around...)" Sano flipped his blade in reverse grip and walked down the road. As he explored the inmate could do nothing to stop the gazes. If it wasn't already for his buster-blade, the inmate's armlet would've already sent signals.

Sano didn't approach anyone and they didn't carelessly approach him. Shifting through the shopping district, he was nearly swept away by the various smells. Sano couldn't help but think of Kanon and Mutsumi's own cooking.

Upon being reminded he had no money or anything to trade of his own, the inmate continued on.

Sano halted seeing a boxed-in fenced, while the other houses didn't. Then he noticed a smell that couldn't belong to a factory or a shop.

"(Is that---a petting zoo!?)" Sano was shocked upon seeing a round pink body releasing a snort. Then a woolen coat of a baaaa-ing animal. Lastly, the inmate was taken aback by some animal that stood on four legs, but none too tall. There were three of each.

I see you recognize the petting zoo, but not the animals.

"(I know what a pig is!)" the inmate thought.

And the other two?

The inmate stood in contempt.

Right. Should be no surprise. Aragami made the better portion of mammalian species extinct. "

(Most of the survivors got hauled up to HQ for extended breeding.)" Sano thought.

Makes you wonder how the heck these guys got here. The white wooley ones are the sheep, mostly used for clothing, but they are a good meal in a tight spot.

Upon inspecting the sheep, Sano couldn't see any worthwhile qualities as far as eating was concerned.

Those little things over there are horses. Well, miniature horses. Wee, ponies.

The grunting from each horse was always accompanied by a clack of their hooves.

Admiring the creatures Sano couldn't help but drift closer. At the moment there was no one around but him and the animals.

Upon seeing the God-Eaters buster-blade the beasts became wary.

Perhaps I should just hang back. I'm getting curious about what real bacon tastes like.

The inmate rolled his eyes and shifted his god-arc behind his back. Keeping his blade out of sight, Sano slowly approached and the animals fidgeted less.

The inmate kneeled at the fence and one of the ponies approached him. As Sano put his hand against the fence the horse began sniffing through the gap.

The inmate let the horse touch his palm and felt it lightly lick his hand. Once the little horse eased down, it had the same effect on its companions. One by one the ponies, pigs, and sheep approached the god-eater.

"Feeding time!" a voice called from the opposite side of the fence. The animals did a 180 as the backdoor to the house opened. Out came a woman carrying feed bags sporting overalls.

As she started to give each animal its food, they noticed Sano.

"Oh, who do we have here?" he asked.

"(What do we do now?)" Sano asked as the feeder waved at him.

Say hello?

The inmate shrugged and walked around the fence towards the woman in overalls.

"Good day to you. You a new resident?" the lady asked.

"...No, just passing through." Sano said politely.

"Oh, are you scouting? I wouldn't take too long. I can assure you these homes are in high demand for anyone looking to move in their family—or start one." the lady said with a smile.

"Start..a family?" those words confused Sano.

The idea of starting a family was lost to him. Super-Max. didn't have Congical visits. The inmates of his prison would joke to the guards to put Congical Visits in the suggestion box. Half the time the guards would laugh.

The other half would end in a few bumps or getting assigned a dreadful mission.

"Worlds a little less barren than it used to be. I actually lived in the Far East Branch before. It was actually getting packed, and there was almost no room for a newcomer like me at the time. Then a while later, these Satellite bases started showing up.

I was skeptical at first, we all were. These brand new modern homes were just free for the taking out in the middle of nowhere. No aragami attached? I was hesitant, but I knew if I stayed I would risk just being part of the overpopulation problem. Especially with these mouths to feed." the woman said, as petted her biggest pig.

I heard about that, the Branch was ready to burst with civilians and there wasn't enough food to go around.

"There was a food shortage apparently, HQ could only afford to send so much." Sano said cynically.

"Yeah, but look at us now, it's almost like before the world was eaten up by the aragami. Little towns like this are being set up all across the Far East. ...Or that's the plan anyway." the woman said.

"Bringing civilization back?" Sano asked.

"Sounds unreal, but the fact that a couple could move here and start anew, or even start their little business opens up the possibilities." the woman bent down and caressed the smallest pig and in response, it nuzzled her leg.

"It does." Sano said, watching the animals gather around to imitate the child.

"So what do you think? Want to move here? A god-eater like you would be more than welcome, we don't have a big grudge against FENRIR." the woman said, startling the inmate.

Sano was still hiding his armlet, so he thought the fault was his. Then he noticed his buster-blade right behind him and twitched.

What? Was I supposed to keep hiding?

"Attention this is a broadcast for Satellite Base-035. We really need to come up with a name for out little town folks, but onto the news. Sunny skies, no chance of Red Rain, I hear we have Dr.Sakaki on call for the next 4 hours.

My heart goes out to all the Black Plague patients in the clinic. I hope he finds a cure soon. On that note, Chi-You Aragami have been spotted on the outer rims, not close enough to affect our routes, but know they're there.

If you're going out drive safely and avoid the outer rims for 2 days as we've discussed in our Emergency Drills.

This is SB Radio signing off. Leaving you the melodies of Yuno Asihara." the broadcast came as quick as it ended.

Before the inmate could respond to the broadcast music started playing from within the woman's house.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, though this satellite base doesn't get much in aragami we have our Armor Wall and emergency shelter. We've only ever had god-eater here as a precaution twice." the woman said.

Sano was silent growing more tense.

"(Armor Wall..)" Sano visioned a tattered landscape and a ruins. Along spots of blood, but no corpses.

You feeling alright?

"I'll go take care of it. No matter how small, I can't take that chance." Sano summoned his god-arc hands and aimed it upward. It transformed and extended its wings startling the caretaker.

Before she could say a word, Sano flew off leaving her baffled. As he flew over, the inmate entered BURST status and his speed doubled.

"Never again!" he shouted.