Ami and Ricardo were the first to react. While the other Badgers stood frozen with their mouths open, those two went straight to the rookie who was doubled over. Everyone else showed some kind of reaction, but only those two actually moved. Ami rubbed his back and checked his complexion, while Ricardo lifted Hilde’s upper body.
“What, got scared by a corpse?” Jason snickered, hands shoved in his pockets. “You’ve got a long way to go!”
“It was a bit too graphic, Richard,” «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» Aki said as he rose and glanced over at Richard. “That thing looked way too human.”
William Walker’s expression twitched slightly. But he didn’t say anything for a while, just watched in silence as Hilde coughed and emptied the contents of his stomach. Ami kept rubbing his back, offering a bottle of water whenever he lifted his head.
Silence fell. People stared at Hilde for a long moment. Richard frowned at the sight and muttered, “Didn’t think he’d be this fragile.”
No sooner had he said that than Gale Dawson jumped in. “If he can’t even stomach that, how’s he supposed to handle missions?”
“Isn’t it impressive that he’s still more useful than you?”
“This brat watched an illegal enhanced-body carrier explode like a balloon and didn’t even flinch,” Yun said absently, eyes lifted to the sky. Walker’s rough voice cut in, “And yet he pukes just from seeing a non-human head?”
Dawson’s face turned beet red, but Walker paid him no attention. The fixer cracked his massive knuckles one by one, joints popping like small detonations. “What, his guts aren’t right or something?”
“Oppa! You got more water?” Aki murmured, and Ami stuck her head up. “If you have some, throw it here!” Yun and Jason tossed over a couple of bottles. Ami caught them, unscrewed one, and held it out to Hilde as soon as his retching paused. Ricardo steadied him by his collar and raised him back up.
The green-eyed man studied the white-haired rookie, who was still gasping for air. His next words were meant only for Ami and Hilde. “You watched a spectator get crushed between walls, a terrorist’s lower body flattened like a doll, and you didn’t flinch. Don’t tell me that thing made you sick.”
Ami stayed silent, face unreadable. Hilde, for the first time since he’d started vomiting, spoke. Looking out over the ruins, the rookie gave a faint laugh. “Maybe my organs are damaged.”
“Ah, yeah, I heard something like that before. Last time it was aftereffects of drugs, wasn’t it~?”
“Yes.” Hilde exhaled long, eyes closed, gold irises hidden behind his lids. “This time, it’s because of my organs.”
“You were running around fine with those same busted organs. And now, just like last time, you suddenly felt like throwing up~?”
“Yes.” He answered, then leaned forward and vomited again. Even when there was nothing left to bring up, the retching continued. When it finally stopped, his body started to shake uncontrollably. Ami held him firmly, stopping him from collapsing. She’d heard every word exchanged between Ricardo and Hilde, yet didn’t react outwardly. Instead, she frowned, brushed back his white hair, and pressed her fingers to his forehead. Her round black eyes widened further. “He’s burning up!”
“Looks like PTSD symptoms...” Ricardo grumbled as he straightened up. While the others approached, he hauled the gasping rookie away from the debris. “Shouldn’t we just open a Portal and send him back? He’s completely out of it...”
“What’s his Portal compatibility rate?” Richard asked gruffly. The careless question made two Badgers behind them flinch. Yun ignored them completely. “No idea. He used a Portal before we could test for compatibility.”
“What?!” Richard’s head snapped around. “You pushed him through without testing?!”
The others looked at Yun in disbelief. Jonathan Kudo blinked. Ricardo narrowed his green eyes. Aki and Walker both lifted their brows. Jason gave an insolent, drawn-out “Huh?” Ami’s jaw dropped.
Yun studied their reactions, then answered dryly. “While I was away, Gale Dawson and Joe McDonald shoved him into the Portal.”
Gale and Joe went pale.
“I did beat the crap out of them once,” Yun added flatly. The key point was that Richard hadn’t done it yet.
Richard roared. His outburst unleashed a full round of punishment drills. Because Massu Sarin’s death had already thrown things into chaos, he’d been holding back his temper—until now. He stomped through the rubble, bellowing, smashing, venting his rage on both the culprits and those who’d stood by. Lucia burst into tears, but he didn’t care. Normally Ami would have stepped in to mediate, but this time she didn’t move either.
The small Badger just covered the barely conscious Hilde with several layers of clothes. “Let’s call HQ. If the Portal’s too risky, have them send a fighter jet. I’ll fly him to E Sector myself.”
“Hey, could this be some kind of Portal side effect?” Jason pointed at the trembling rookie with his chin. “He really can’t get his bearings.”
They contacted HQ. A video call was opened, and they brought in Doctor Samuel Han and a Portal Construction veteran to consult. Both specialists were furious when they learned Hilde had used a Portal without undergoing compatibility testing. They ranted about its dangers, listing them one by one, and strongly opposed using the Portal again—saying just because it worked once didn’t mean it would again.
Samuel banged the table with his hand. “Tell Yehyeon to send a fighter!”
But when Richard Green reported to Yehyeon, the reply was the exact opposite.
[He’ll be fine. Send him back through the Portal.]
A brief, decisive order. No further explanation. After issuing it, Yehyeon stopped answering altogether.
Jason Trevain fumed at the commander’s judgment, spitting out his anger. “Knew it! He thinks our lives are worth nothing!” No one answered, but he kept ranting. Fighter jets cost too much, so the commander just wanted the cheaper solution—use the Portal, throw them in, treat the Badgers like expendables as always...
The others didn’t voice their resentment so openly, but no one looked convinced either. Still, orders couldn’t be disobeyed.
“Can I take him?” As they prepared to return to Sector 14 where the Portal device was installed, Sylvia suddenly spoke, her gaze fixed on Hilde. Her unusual initiative made everyone stare. Yun cut her off curtly. “No.”
“Why? Someone has to escort him.”
“That someone isn’t you.” Yun’s eyes burned with visceral disgust. “Stay out of that brat’s business.”
In the end, they returned to Sector 14 and went back through the Portal. The completely exhausted Hilde was taken by Yun. Both Walker and Ricardo volunteered to escort him, but Yun refused. He carried Hilde on his back, the pouch holding the Creature’s head tied to his belt, and stepped through the Portal. The Badgers followed behind.
That was how the emergency deployment, which had cost them one life, came to an end.
***
After shoving the dazed rookie into the hospital, everyone dispersed. Ricardo and Kudo changed out of their combat suits and left the locker room. The two men walked side by side out of the Portal Zone, heading toward the base gates in silence. The streets were just starting to wake.
Kudo broke the silence first. “Not going to check on the rookie?”
Ricardo rolled his eyes. “You’ve been paying extra attention to him lately.”
He didn’t answer right away. Dressed in a perfectly fitted black coat, Ricardo walked in step with his comrade for a while without a word. Kudo didn’t push.
They walked the same familiar path as always—the kind they could cross with their eyes closed. When they reached the corner where they usually parted ways, the signal light turned red, and they stopped. Early dawn—no cars, no people. The cold air hung still.
Ricardo was the one to break it, his voice edged with irritation. “So he’s just going to keep hiding his own problem, huh?” It was obvious he meant Hildebert Taleb. “Always acting fine, pretending everything’s okay... he’s just like you, hiding the rot underneath. I hate it.”
Kudo blinked, caught off guard by the jab. Before he could reply, the light changed. Ricardo didn’t wait—he crossed the street without looking back. Kudo followed slowly after, mulling over his friend’s words. “Why don’t you ask him directly, then?”
Ricardo looked back, incredulous. His brows arched as if to say, Do you even hear yourself? But the expression didn’t last. He snorted through his nose—a sound Kudo couldn’t quite read—and walked faster, more irritable than usual, until he split off down his own street without another glance.
***
Ska delivered a short report to Yehyeon, confirming that Hilde had been safely admitted to the hospital. The commander, who had been sitting with his forehead in his hand, raised his head. His eyes were clouded with exhaustion and grief. He looked up at Ska. “Good.” His voice was hoarse. “Well done.”
“The Personnel Director is proceeding with the formalities for Massu Sarin’s death,” Ska said.
“They couldn’t recover the body, right?”
“Yes. But they’ve located it. Once the family’s notified, they’ll attempt retrieval.”
“Good. Unless it’s truly impossible, make sure they bring it back.”
“Yes. And about Hilde—it doesn’t seem to be a Portal-related illness...” Ska trailed off.
The office fell silent. The tall man stared at the floating holographic display for a long moment before asking quietly, “How did you know Hilde would survive using a Portal?”
“Falcon,” Yehyeon answered simply. “I contacted him and asked.”
The aides exchanged glances. Yehyeon didn’t lift his head to meet them. He rubbed his face several times, dry and weary, then murmured to himself in a hoarse, fading voice, “No one knows Hilde better than Falcon...”
