File 7.4 - Seeking Soul

Across the hanger with a room filled with computer terminals, Doctor Kitawara sat down pulling up a secure search in the H.O.P.E. network. He paused and turned to look over at Ed, who stood hovering over the monitor that was supposed to display the result. “You’re just wanting to know what H.O.P.E. has learned so far from the investigation of the attack?”

“Yeah, everyfin ya can find.”

“Should be easy with my clearance. It’s unlikely to be that heavily classified, a terrorist attack.” Flipping through menus and files, Kitawara searched through much of the initial round of documents produced by the investigation. Like he said, it didn’t take long to find. “Looks like the investigation is still ongoing.”

“But they’ve gotta have leads!”

“Well yes, there are some initial reports coming out that are answering a few of the questions.”

“Whacha got?”

Passing off what he found to the main monitor, Kitawara summarized what he found. “Based on some of the wreckage that they’ve already recovered it was a high energy beam that hit the ship’s power plant. Critical mass was reached within seconds as the entire vessel was consumed in the explosion. Based on shattered pieces and overall lack of substantial sections of the main hull the explosion vaporized parts and tore apart the rest.”

“Survivors?”

“None. Such an explosion would have consumed the crew immediately and if they were shielded, the fall of more than a kilometer would have killed them.”

“But there’s a chance! Maybe they ‘scaped before!”

“They are still searching on that off-chance. But that’s not a hope you should rely on.” An alert came up on Kitawara’s screen. He clicked through the window checking deeper about the results. “Looks like security cameras from the port were able to get some of the attack recorded.” Tapping on the panel, the video passed over to Ed’s screen.

On the screen, the distance made it hard to make much out. “It’s tha Niph!” Though Ed immediately recognized the Niph, even if it might have been influenced by what he knew. He felt he could recognize her no matter the visibility. The other ship he didn’t recognize as well. However, his gut was already convinced of what it was. “Can ya fix tha image?”

“This is already the maximum zoom. It’s not like we have magic enhancement formulas. This is what you have to live with.”

“Dammit!” he muttered, pounding his fist on the terminal panel. The metal groaned a little under his force, but held up to him.

The video continued on despite Ed’s complaining. The two ships moved around too fast for the cameras to always be keeping them in view. Every time they disappeared he leaned forward as though it would fix things. Then the moment came. It was fast, faster than he wanted it to be. A single thick beam of energy pierced through the entire Niph. It had no chance at all.

His fingers pressed against the panel with his skin starting to run a little pale. It was all he needed to see and it was worse than he imagined it to be. The video came to a stop on the explosion. Seeing it stare at him only made it worse. He threw his hand in the air at the monitor, roughly swiping it away. ‘Its those bastards!’ Edgar turned away from the terminal as the feeling of paralysis came back.

“H.O.P.E. investigators have determined that it is indeed the work of Ragnarok. It also seems that the organization recently took credit for the attack as well.”

He kicked the terminal at the base denting the metal a little with the force. “Bastards! They’re s’posed tah jes be suicidal maniacs and doomsayers. How tha hell they get ahold of weapons like that?!”

Doctor Kitawara pulled away from the terminal as well, but gave Ed his space. He crossed his arms taking in all of the information. “Ragnarok’s has recently started stepping up their attacks. The attack at Welest was just the start.”

“Yea…” he agreed, remembering that day very well. Though it was more his memories of seeing Shizuka freaking out that burned into his memories more than anything. He hadn’t forgotten that the reports from that incident turned out to be terrorists. “And tha bombin’”

“They’ve become more aggressive as of late. They’re becoming more proof to the military here of the need for something to meet such aggression.”

“Ya mean those machines?”

“Yes. Originally, they were approved as purely a peacekeeping effort. The world is big and so much of the manpower and resources of humanity is focused on survival and recovery that we’ve got nearly no standing military. This base represents the entirety of the whole military power in the world. If something happened that our meager power couldn’t handle we’d be doomed. All of the work we’ve made fixing the Earth would be lost.”

“So ya made tha AESIR.”

“The original scope of the project was much smaller under my predecessors, but with the birth of a group like the Ragnarok it became clear we needed something more and the military requested something that could meet any need. I was brought onto the project at that point. We had a lot of setbacks, but we’ve made a lot of progress now.”

Edgar walked away from the terminal. “Ya don’t say…” The opposite side had thick windows allowing him to look into the hanger. “Powah huh…” He pressed his hand against the pane as his emotions swirled about trying to grasp onto what he was feeling. It processed better than when he first learned, but he still didn’t know what it was that he felt. It was strange. “What makes people do things like that?”

Joining at his side, he stared out at the two machines. “Ragnarok you mean. Fear if I had to guess. Humans hold the unknown with a great amount of uncertainty. That uncertainty breeds fear. And fear is a terrifyingly powerful emotion to control people.”

“Fear…but they kill ‘emselves and others.”

“Humans are a complicated being. We can’t be easily explained as much as we try. Any answer I give you won’t give you the whole picture. It is something you’ll have to find for yourself.”

“And that’ll help me, ya think?”

“I know it will. It’s why I made them. There’s more to it than just pulling a trigger. Killing is easy. Knowing why you kill and for whom you are is the hard part. They are built to protect and show you the path that you believe is right.”

“What I wanna protect? Ain’t so sure ani’more.”

“You’re lost and confused right now. So it’s understandable. But you’ll stand up after this.”

“Dun feel that way.”

“Not right now. Give it time. But you’ll know what’s important to you and when you do the Od will be there for you to ensure you keep what you want safe so you don’t have to lose anything else.”

“Anifin else…” Edgar turned away from the window and leaned against it. All of the heavy talking gave his brain something to think about and that sort of hurt. He wasn’t opposed to serious talk, but he wasn’t really used to it. “I’ll think ‘bout it.”

“It’s not something that’ll come to you immediately.” The door opened suddenly with one of Kitawara’s team appearing through the crack. The woman wanted him for something by the look in her eyes. He nodded to her and then looked back at the kid. “There’s still time. Think about what you should be doing with the time that you have now. Because it won’t last forever and trying to find yourself in the middle of a battle will only get you killed.”

With that the doctor left and Edgar was alone in the room. “Weird man…notfin like before…” He spent a little longer in pensive consideration of what they talked about before walking out on his own. Since he was next to the AESIR hanger, he knew where he was on base.

The day was over. In his mind anyway.