act25side

Once upon the land, there was no meaning in looking up.

There was nothing worth looking at up there, nothing worth exploring. That place was the domain of those who indulged in fantasies, those with their heads in the clouds.

But now, each and every person lifts their heads, looking up at the beam of light connecting heaven and earth.

Looking up at the once untouchable sky.

Among the stars, within the artificial constructs that appear so small before the torrent of light, brews the human ambition of this current epoch.

Kristen, Kristen...

Sure enough, you set this plan into motion a long time ago. Everything you did for the DOD was a fancy show.

Hah! What's the principle behind all this? The efficiency and stability of this high-energy confinement field... I've never heard of anything like that before.

If I recall correctly, you boasted that you were the foremost expert in high energy physics when you joined Rhine.

...One of the foremost experts.

My God...

You should thank your lucky stars, Saria, that there's nobody like Kristen in your field.

It's just not fair. And yet she... she doesn't even bother to publish these results.

The H.A.M.H.R.R. is currently charging.

According to the military's Horizon Arc Project, once the charging phase is complete, all of this energy will be focused and undergo excitation a second time to deliver powerful wide-area strikes.

Sure. How much longer will it take?

Kristen turned the project dossiers into scrap paper... All I can say is, it won't be long now.

This is our last chance to stop it.

As well as our last chance to stop her.

What are you still standing around slack-jawed for, Ferdinand? Time isn't on our side.

Saria, take a look at the densitometer over there.

The needle seems to be fluctuating a lot.

No, I'm not talking about the needle. The wobbling is a normal phenomenon of high-energy confinement fields. I'm talking about... the unit of measurement.

You can take a guess how many times larger this unit is than the one on the instruments in my lab.

The energy it absorbed just now is enough to power every single one of Columbia's nomadic cities for at least six months.

And it's showing no signs of stopping.

And we're now in the center of the laboratory carrying this tremendous amount of energy.

Even if Nasti is a genius, she can't create a receptacle that stores energy in amounts beyond the realm of cognition.

In other words–

No matter what direction it ultimately focuses the energy in, once the second-degree excitation begins, this lab won't be safe from the consequences.

Her end goal has never changed.

If her ultimate goal is the sky, and the sky can only be contested with this amount of energy...

What exactly is up there?

That's none of my concern.

All I know is, this is a reckless experiment.

And it's doomed to fail.

Saria, there's nothing stopping you from packing your bags, finding a nice hillside with a great view, and enjoying a drink while you watch this fireworks show that may well go down in the annals of Columbian history.

That isn't going to happen.

What about you? You were never the risk-taking type.

Me?

Looks like my old friends are coming, and they'll be here sooner than expected.

You're right though. I'm not taking any chances. The technical manual has the location of the escape pod, and I know where it is.

I'm not particularly interested in seeing the one who fired me, and it's not like you need my help.

An opportunity to document high energy physics phenomena of this magnitude is rare, and I don't intend to pass it up. Maybe you'll see a new paper from me in the journals next quarter.

I promise, it'll be era-defining.

Unlike Kristen, I don't tie all my intellect to my personal grievances.

The fact that she's consigning all this knowledge to the grave, knowledge that could transform Terra's entire academic landscape... That's something I can't abide.

Do what you need to do, Saria. We don't have much time.

Stay safe.

Ferdinand.

It's been a while, Colonel.

I'm not surprised you survived, but if I were in your shoes, I'd pretend to be dead.

Get the hell out of Dodge. Go to Victoria or Leithanien. With your skills, you can always pick up a teaching job.

I didn't expect to hear those words coming from you.

Let me say this one more time, Ferdinand: It's over.

I've already spoken with the Vice President. The DOD's defeat is absolute.

As for whether or not this whole situation can be salvaged, or who controls my fate, I actually don't care that much anymore.

Let's save some dignity for each other, Ferdinand. Get out of here, and I'll save a crossbow bolt for myself.

Huh, what was that? Sorry, my mind wandered for a second there.

Also, you're blocking the radiometer display.

This S.H.A.F.T. here runs a lot deeper than I expected...

I'm afraid the military simply failed to fully understand its structure.

Right here... is where the Transmitter's response is the strongest.

You...

What are you doing here, Silence?

Professor... Parvis...

Silence... The location of this lab is supposed to be top secret. How did you manage to find your way here?

Silence tries hard to open her eyes wide, discerning the things in the room.

In the corner of the room, an instrument is humming as if breathing. A Transmitter sits in a transparent tank, bobbing up and down. Across the room are several books with black covers.

As if sensing Silence's presence, the Transmitter increases its activity. A strong wave of dizziness makes Silence furrow her brow and shake her head a few times.

Ah, that's right. You have your own Transmitter...

Hmm, these reactive tendencies... You injected yourself with the Transmitter? Though, I'm not surprised.

Does it cause you occasional discomfort?

An entirely normal response. I also have it inside my body. It can be quite overwhelming for an old man like myself, but it shouldn't be a problem for you youths.

Still, this is the only way to better control the reaction process.

Don't worry. Once this experiment is over, the long-distance intertwining properties of this batch of Transmitter will be lost, and they won't affect the long-term health of the injected.

What experiment? You're conducting an experiment here?

Silence, did you hurt your hand?

Does it get in the way of your work?

I'm fine.

Then I won't ask any more questions. Now is the most critical moment.

That you've found your way here... might just be the help I've needed.

I was just complaining how much easier the data processing would be if you were here.

Lately, I... Actually, never mind.

Tell me, what kind of experiment are you running?

There has only ever been one area of research I've fully dedicated my energy to.

...Chimerism.

Precisely. This is the last question to be answered in chimera research.

But, this is...

Professor, what are all these documents? The text on them seems...

Quite 'evil,' right? This is an ancient Sarkaz tome that records the 'history' of a certain ethnic branch.

That Sarkaz branch not only enjoys long lifespans, but can even transcend the shackles of physical form and exist in the world in a purely spiritual state.

They have been dubbed, the 'revenants.' The pronunciation can be a bit esoteric, but I'm sure you'll be able to find some records in Victorian.

Silence, have you ever considered what chimerism does at the level of the soul?

A soul chimera?

These 'revenants,' the so-called 'soul' in ancient Originium Arts and Sarkaz witchcraft, can they be produced <i>a posteriori?</i>

You...

Are you trying to create an artificial consciousness?

You've always been my finest student.

This is something I've been working on for decades, to little avail. That is, until Ferdinand told me that he and Dorothy had jointly produced this particular 'Transmitter.'