The last thing anyone expects is for Seph to come storming out of his office, his eye filled with rage and hatred. "That damn bastard bitch!" he shouts, punching his fist into the wall. His optic flares as he draws his fist back and punches the wall a few more times, his chest heaving as he stands there, panting. "After all we worked for... And all for what!?"
Tina is beside herself as she grits her teeth, her eyes reflecting deep hatred for the woman. "I'd love to get my hands on her..."
"Just calm down!" Martha suddenly butts in. "We can't get all bloody worked up over this wanker! We need to stay calm and focused!"
"Yeah... but how can we unless we defeat this bitch?" Tina growls.
Sister Nina is off to the side, her gaze fixed on the emblem of the Confederation, the former flag of America now hanging loosely and limply. "We failed..." she mutters. "We failed in our-" Suddenly she tenses as her eyes widen.
A strange feeling overcomes her and she loses her sense of self, even if only for a moment. She feels her lips moving, and her voice speaks, but it is not her speaking. It feels like a new force, one she knows all too well.
Then the moment passes, and she is panting as she is on her hands and knees. Seph is beside her, his eye wide and Tina has her hands over her mouth. Martha and Hunter are shocked as well.
(The scene shows a small flame before darkness snuffs it out. But a small ember burns...)
Hikari ga tsudzuku... ! (The ember is blown away, becoming one of many as the sun begins to rise beyond a war-torn town.)
Hikari ga tsudzuku... ! (The light from the sun overcomes the camera and it fills the screen before fading to show the skyline of Sydney and the name of the series.)
Yami ga sono tochi o shuchō suru kamo shirenai (The image flares before it shows two people trapped in a ruined structure in what was once Shanghai. They are both shaking and are wounded from shrapnel.)
Shikashi, kibō wa enjo no te o kasu (A pair of explosions rocks the area and they huddle and whimper before someone lifts the debris off the two of them. It is a group of Australian soldiers.)
Sekai ga kawaru to (The soldiers help the two children to their feet before one of them grabs a grenade and throws it at some bandits coming to pillage. The grenade explodes before the debris falls away, exposing the Kane family as they are exiled. An explosion rocks the scene before it fades to show a scene of mobile suits attacking Van de Kaamp's borders in Africa.)
Furui risō wa moe tsudzukeru (The scene is engulfed in a bright flash as one of the mobile suits fires its beam rifle. The light fades to show Nina as she stands beside a statue of Jesus overlooking the Church she heads, the figure of Wing Zero: EW version being graced by His presence. Her eyes are locked onto it, and behind her stands a figure that is in shadow.)
Kieru hikarinonakade (The image envelops the screen before Viondra DeWynter steps out of the shadows, her eyes filled with blackness as she sneers. Behind her is a chained eagle.)
Kurayami ga hirogaru ni tsurete (The eagle is shown before a feather floats down, the camera following it as it blows towards the Confederation, where several figures stand in front of Sydney. One of them is Seph Matthews and he glares at the screen with determination in his eye as he waves his hand, and several squads of mobile suits, four of them in shadow, fly overhead.)
Watashitachi no kibō wa tsudzukudeshou (The shadowy machines split off and open fire on Panemian forces with beam rifles. The beams impact several units of muttations and a shadowy shape is launched from one of the old Chinese silos, only for it to streak through orbit and towards the moon. An old American flag is shown behind the moon before a light engulfs the screen.)
Watashitachi ga mada ikite iru kagiri (The light fades to show the three other members, all of them gathered around in front of the Meldney Complex. To the left is Japanese Empress Yuki Minaguma. To the right is Filipino President Gueo Largina. And in the middle is Taiwanese President Chen Yu. Behind them the flag of the Australian Confederation flutters before the camera zooms in on it, only for it to fall away.)
Un, hikari ga tsudzuku! (The image of Sydney is revealed, above it Seph and his fellow leaders side by side with the sun behind them, the Australian Confederation flag above them all as the series name appears below them.)
Chapter 12: I Can Only Imagine
Location: Meldney Complex, Australia - Australian Confederation
Time: 1300 hours
Date: Saturday, 1 January, 0142 AF (2163 AD/0100 ADD)
Seph is shocked. That is all he can say as he helps Nina to her feet.
"What bloody happened?" she repeats.
"Mate... you just gave a prophecy!" Hunter blurts.
The priestess's eyes widen. "What?"
"You heard me!" Hunter says. He shows her the notepad he's written on. "The Devil's Servant will die. The Eagle shall once more fly. And the people expose the lie." He lowers the notepad and shows it to her. "It's all there."
Nina grabs it and looks it over. She doesn't know what to say as she hands it back in silent shock. "You gotta be bloody kidding..."
"No. It's true," Seph says as he looks at her. "Something tells me that now, we need to be on alert more than ever. Panem is going to the shitter. There will be another war. That much is certain. And first off, we need to find Kane. ASAP."
"We're already on it," Hunter replies as he hands over a tablet. The President takes it and scans it with his optic. "We got a bloom of fire from Panem's western seaboard. We picked it up via one of the spy sats we saved."
"You found him?" Seph blurts.
"The hovercraft he was on exploded..." His voice trails off and Seph's optics flashes as he gets the implications. "Besides, this brings up another issue. Those two AI... Vi and Pax. They are far too human to be mere AIs. I've got some of my guys digging around in the supercomputer network because I have a sinking feeling they tapped our comms even though we encrypted them. The guys say that until further notice all comms will have to be done via landlines due to my feelings on this issue."
"Hold on. You trying to tell us that they bugged our quantum supercomputers?!" Tina exclaims.
The Joint Chiefs Chairman is serious. "Something tells me they planted bits of themselves inside our network so they could listen in on our comms. That explains why she knew of the secure link. And how she's always one step ahead of us."
"Those damn pieces of software!" Martha hisses.
Nina is shocked as well. "But I thought..."
Hunter is silent before he sighs. "So did I. The only conclusion I can come to is that Panem had a quantum computer themselves. That would explain everything they've done, as well as how they were able to infiltrate our own network."
"But if we have quantum supercomputers, then shouldn't it be even more difficult for them to hack?" Tina asks.
"Not for them." Hunter's eyes are grim. "The AIs... or should I say the Devil's Spawn... hacked it through careful analysis and planning. The guys say we may have to initiate a full wipe of the computer cores and reboot it with software from early in the 0020s."
"That'll wipe everything we have!" Seph shouts.
"Better to lose it than to have them continue to have a foothold in our systems," Hunter replies. "I want those bastards out of the network." His eyes turn hard. "Or else we'll be at their mercy."
The group is silent for a moment. Hunter is right, Seph realizes. They can't allow those two AI to remain present in their network. But what else can they do...?
Then, like a beam saber igniting, an idea brews in his head. "Hold on... I think I just got a nasty idea," he says. "If they can use it to anticipate our moves... why don't we use it against them and anticipate their moves?"
That gets the others. Tina looks at her husband before opening the doors and ushering them inside. She knows him. He's got something in the works, and he doesn't want anyone to hear about it.
Inside the main office, Seph sits down at his desk and looks to his VP. She nods and presses a button on the tablet she carries, activating all jammers and sensors and scramblers in the room. She double checks the security before triple checking and then running an antivirus scan, this one keyed to detect any presence of Vi and/or Pax. The scan turns up clean a half hour later. Martha lowers her tablet and nods. "We're clean."
Seph nods. "Good. Because I don't want those blokes to find out what we're up to."
"I am curious though, mate," Nina admits. "Why do you wish to undermine Panem so much?"
"Because those blokes have gone too far!" Seph growls. "After World War III, things went down the shitter, and although the world is recovering, it's not recovering in a moral sense. Would you want to live in a world where nations don't get along and it's first come first serve for resources?!"
None of his friends and government members want that. They shake their heads.
Seph bows his head as he reflects back on his own nation's survival. It had only been by sheer luck that they avoided the majority of the nukes. And it was only due to sheer luck that that bastard real estate mogul from his own country had been killed in the blast. And of how many people in the aftermath had almost gone backwards, if not for the actions of the government. His eye narrows as he recalls the efforts of Australian corporations and conglomerates to allay the fears of the people and assist them in getting food and shelter. The barges had been the brainchild of one such corporate head, and they have lasted for over a century due to how effective they were. In fact, if not for the companies and corporations pouring their vast resources into helping the people, then they'd be out of a work force, and they'd have gone backwards. True the populace did suffer, but at least they survived the Apocalypse with their civility and decency intact. That was the big thing. Compared to Panem, Australia was the only country to retain some semblance of what once was the state of the world. Now, he knows that the only way to win is to defeat Panem's so-called 'President' DeWynter. She had outmaneuvered them by blowing up their unified satellite, but he was not about to let this go. He hated her. And once the war broke out... he was going over there.
"They think we have nowhere to run, do they? Well..." Seph's optic flashes. A smirk crosses his face as he recalls the alliance in the works. "They are the ones who have nowhere to run!"
"They have way more forces than we do, though," Martha points out.
Seph knows she's right. But the Gundams they've worked on are completed, and they have proven themselves in more ways than one. "True, but maybe not for long. If we can just somehow convince them..."
Nina shakes her head as she flitters over to the window and looks out at the complex above them. "The only way would be if Newtypes truly existed. Remember that no one, despite all your efforts, has displayed Newtype powers."
"What about you?" Seph asks her.
"That was not of Newtype origins," Nina points out. "It felt more divine than anything."
The President growls as he looks down. "There has to be a way..."
But no one has an answer.
There is only silence.
I had to admit, I was pissed off as hell.
None of us had expected things to go downhill like this.
But there were some good things that came out of it.
Hunter it turns out had been right on the whole thing regarding the AIs Pi and Vax. They had implanted bits of their data into the quantum supercomputers we had. So we decided to use that to our advantage and backtrace it so we could block them. We set up over five hundred different firewalls, each one designed to randomly change code so as to keep them guessing. And if one was breached, the rest then shifted codes, and it was totally randomized. That meant we also had to them initiate a wipe protocol. It turned out to be the best decision I ever made, despite the loss of over one hundred years' worth of efforts. But some spooks up in the intel department had thankfully painstakingly written everything down so as to restore it. I had to admit, my predecessors were not kidding around when it came to those damn blokes.
So I took the chance to sneer as I watched their data being wiped. And strangely it was like the fragments writhed as they were wiped clean. I was baffled, but there was no other explanation other than that those fragments had been linked to the AIs.
Personally I didn't even feel pity for them. They were ex-criminals who uploaded themselves. At least that was our current theory. We just didn't have any data on them, least of all death records. So we had to assume that until we had more data. However, we did get something else that happened. Something even better than we had expected...
It happened three months after the discovery of the AIs' fragments in our system. I'm still not sure as to what caused it to this day, but... whatever it was, I am glad it happened. As for what it was, well... it was the best thing to ever grace this nation.
And it concerned a particular someone who was watching from above...
Location: Anaheim Electronics R&D Division, Sydney, Australia - Australian Confederation
Time: 1700 hours
Date: Monday, 18 April, 0142 AF (2163 AD/0100 ADD)
To Seph, it's incredibly ironic as to how much Gundam has influenced the lives of the people of the Confederation. Their very society is now becoming more and more advanced, and they have successfully developed real life mobile suits. And to go with it, several new companies have been started, one of which is Anaheim Electronics of Mobile Suit Gundam fame. The real Anaheim, however, is solely a mobile suit development company. A bunch of other companies, like a real life Zeonic had been formed as well. And each one is dedicated to making parts for mobile suits, including an old aerospace company that has since moved its headquarters to Australia: Boeing.
He watches as a line of GMs is being completed. The only thing missing is the head units, but for the most part they are complete.
Beside him stands the overseer of this particular facility. The man is well under Seph's six foot two, standing at a full foot shorter than him at five foot two. His hair is a dark red with streaks of grey in it and his eyes are a brilliant, almost platinum, silver color. He has a bit of a paunch, and he wears a brown suit with a red tie. Derrick Nelson is in his late sixties, and has been overseer of this plant since it first opened ten years ago.
"I see..." Derrick muses as he looks back at Seph. "I take it everyone else is on board up top?"
Seph nods as he walks, his hands clasped behind his back. "You got it, mate." He turns to look at Derrick out of the corner of his optic. "And I assume you will be ready for your part?"
The overseer chuckles as he unfolds his arms from across his chest and sweeps them out over the factory floor. "Mr. President, we've got the finest engineers, technicians, and nuclear physicists on the team," he says. "We've been making these babies since the plant first opened. And we've long since mastered nuclear fusion technology. So I have confidence we can keep pace with the military's demand for them."
Seph smiles. "Glad to hear it." Then he become serious. "But seriously. We'll be needing all the power we can get with these things. The more mobile suits we have, the better. And I take it you are working on the next project as well?"
Derrick's silver eyes turn to steel as he waves a hand. The President follows him into a separate section of the facility, one that is heavily shielded from any and all prying eyes, whether electronic or not. Inside is a large lab, and lying on the floor before them is a set of tables. Atop these tables are large cylindrical objects, each able to fit inside a mobile suit's hand. One of them is being examined while another is charging up. Off to the side are several rifles, each one being loaded with energy generation technology.
The leader of the Confederation narrows his eye at the scene before he turns to Derrick. "What's the status?"
The overseer smiles thinly. "As you can see, sir, the beam sabers are complete. We finished testing them some time ago, as you remember, and have installed them on all subsequent mobile suits developed here at this facility. But the beam rifles we are still trying to perfect." He gestures to where a large target has been set up. One of the rifles is manhandles into firing position and a large robotic arm - one of those once used to lift heavy goods - grasps the trigger. A technician manning the robotic arm remotely commands the arm to prepare to fire as personnel scurry behind shielding and several large crates. The technician gives the command to fire, and the trigger is pulled.
Seph's eye widens as the rifle fires, sending a beam of energy right for the target plastered on the thick concrete wall. The blast strikes it, but the gun is overheating, as people are scurrying back to the weapon and opening release valves to expel the heat. The room becomes stuffy and Seph has to adjust his optic to see through the steam.
"I can see why you're hesitant about equipping the beam rifles," he remarks. "What about slug weapons?"
"You mean conventional guns?" Derrick asks.
Seph nods.
The overseer rubs the back of his neck. "Well, that's not really my department. I handle the manufacturing of mobile suits and testing of beam weaponry," he says uneasily. "Sorry."
The President frowns. "Hm. Okay. Well, I'll have to get in touch with the proper department then. Regardless, you're doing a good job," he says. "Keep it up."
Derrick nods as Seph leaves the room.
And just in time, too.
His commset beeps and he reaches for it absentmindedly. He brings it up to his face. "Go."
"Sir, it's incredible!" the voice of his secretary blurts.
Seph winces and pulls it back. "What's incredible, Nancy?" he asks.
"You have got to get down to the church! Sister Nina says its urgent!" Nancy Sanders remarks. Her image comes up on the small screen, her green eyes bright with excitement as her magenta hair falls around her face. She clearly looks like she's been jumping for joy, he muses.
"All right. I'll be right there," he says.
He closes the commset and turns to face Derrick. "Sorry, mate, but I gotta bolt. Something urgent came up."
"I understand," Derrick says as he holds out a hand. Seph takes it and shakes his hand in his firm grip before departing.
He is ushered out of the facility and gets into the Beast rental limo. The door is shut and he looks out as the car weaves its way through the streets of Sydney towards the oldest church in the city, St. Philip's Church.
The building has since undergone some changes since the end of the Apocalypse War. It is still for the most part of the same design as it was Before the Fall, but vines and ivy have since crawled up its sides and front, adding a little touch of greenery to the old Gothic style construction. The windows, once glass Gothic style, have now been replaced with modern windows, making the building a true hybrid between modern and old. A parking lot has since been added, so as to allow churchgoers to come and go as they please.
The doors are open as the rental limo pulls into the parking lot. Seph is out in a flash and breaks into a run, his eye fixed on his destination. He runs into the old building, his boots echoing loudly on the marble flooring. He almost slams into a startled civilian, but quickly ducks down another hallway and emerges into the pews of the church. It's the last service of the day, and Sister Nina is gathering up her prayer books into her arms when she sees the President come into the room.
"Nina!" he bellows.
She looks over, and her eyes widen. "Oh! President Matthews!" She puts her prayer books down and flitters over to him. Her eyes are alight in excitement and - dare he say it, disbelief and awe - as he comes to a halt, almost falling on his face if he doesn't catch himself in time. He looks up as she seems to float to a stop, something held in her hands. "You won't believe what happened!" she exclaims.
"Whoa! Hold on! Let me get my bearings first!" Seph remarks as he stands up straight. He takes in a breath and lets it out as he adjusts his uniform briefly. Then he looks at her directly. "Okay. Now tell me what happened."
Sister Nina holds up the object in her hand, and Seph's eye widens in shock.
In her grasp is a single data drive. At first glance, it seems like a normal data drive, but when Seph holds out his hand to take it, he suddenly pauses. His optic fixes on the drive and he scans it with the built in sensors, examining it for anything that could be a threat, such as an explosive or poison capsule. But nothing is detected. His eye narrows as he takes it, holding it in his hand. The only unusual thing about it, now that he's looking at it closely, is the shimmering, faint glow around it...
He yelps and drops the drive onto the floor of the church. It lays there harmlessly, but Seph isn't too sure about the light around it. "What the bloody hell is that glow?" he asks the priestess.
Nina smiles as she picks up the data drive and hands it back to him. "That, Mr. President, is the answer we need." She gives a cryptic wink as he frowns.
The drive's case is pure white in color, with faint accents of gold, silver, and blue on it. In addition, the light seems to becoming not from the drive itself, but the case. He does a quick scan of the chemical composition of the case to see if it's radioactive, but there is no sign of any radioactive substances in the case. It seems as if the plastic cover is responsible for the glow, like it was painted with it. On a hunch, he scrapes at it with his left thumb, trying to see if he can chip the paint, only to be surprised when there is no paint visible.
He looks at Nina in shock. "You gotta be bloody kidding me..." he rasps, realization starting to dawn in his eye and optic. "You have got to be bloody joking! There is no way in hell that this can be from him!" He jerks the drive as he says this.
But Nina keeps smiling. "Sir, that drive is from someone who wishes to assist us. And... I got this, too." She removes her hand from her robes and holds out a piece of paper folded in half. Seph is confused as he pockets the drive and takes the paper.
He opens it and his eye widens as he stares at the bold letters on the paper.
My dear child.
I have heard your plea.
But alas... I cannot do much to influence the realm of the mortals.
I have seen how destructive your species - my children - has become in my absence. And the downfall of a great nation only harkens the end is near.
Dear child, I understand your anger and frustration. I too am disappointed. All that I have worked and hoped for has been for naught in the new day and age that now exists. My first child, Jesus Christ, is immensely disappointed at the state of the world now.
You have every right to seek what was lost. And thus your mission has been successful on a few occasions, only to be thwarted by that which resides inside the darkest of hearts.
I refer to the woman you call Viondra DeWynter and the two creations that were once human criminals. The DeWynter line has a troubling past, and their ambitions only grow colder and darker as time marches on. Their criminal dealings only show how dark their spirits are. And the Snow line... the ones who started the tradition of master servant relationships between the Districts and Capitol... they only sought to continue their lineage and keep the world in ignorance of what needs to be done.
Your determination is great. I can see that. But even your will is only finite. Despite how much you have endured, you are still a mortal. And yet, I can also sense within you a spirit unlike any other. A spirit that calls for justice.
Justice for those who have suffered.
Justice for the world.
Justice for those who have been victimized.
Justice for a nation slain in war.
And justice for the children who died in that act of violence disguised as a festival.
Your hopes for a world of peace and respect for children's rights is great. You seek to bring the DeWynter line to justice, to have them be judged in a place appropriate for ones of their status.
A wish I cannot fulfill on my own in the mortal realm.
I have seen how low people have fallen. And I have seen new people rising up from the ashes for a better world.
I had such high hopes for your kind, my child. But after seeing your acts of defiance against the evil of men's hearts, I can only conclude that maybe there is still a chance to save it. So... I am willing to take a chance on you. I have stopped paying attention to the future of my children since the end of the war. So I cannot say what will happen. But I do know this.
This drive I have sent to you. It contains all the data you shall need to defeat the DeWynter line. And as an added bonus, I have gifted it with a special program designed to break one hundred years of mental brainwashing. It will affect only those who have fallen under the Devil's Song. All will hear it, but only those who lack empathy and compassion will be affected.
I sincerely hope you can convince the world to heal these divisions.
God
Seph is shocked.
The Big Guy Himself has heard their cry.
He slowly lowers the letter and hands it back to Nina in stunned silence.
Once she has it back, Seph manages to speak, his voice barely a whisper. "How...?" is all he can ask.
The priestess folds the letter and stows it in her robes before speaking. "All I can say is that after five years... we may have a bloody chance after all," she says seriously. "I didn't even take a look at the data drive, so I can't say what's on it. That's up for you to see."
The President clenches his right hand around the drive as he stands up straight. "You damn bet I will!" he states. "Thanks."
"Don't thank me," Nina says as she waves her hand dismissively. "Thank the Lord above for this chance."
I had to admit, to hear that God Himself was getting involved in a way was a shocker.
I mean, hell... it seemed like something out of an anime! But in truth, it only showed how bad things were going to get unless we won against DeWynter somehow.
As soon as I got back to Meldney, the first thing I did was check the drive. And oh, boy...
It was loaded to the brim with data.
I was in shock as I looked it over. At that point, I called in my entire team: my best friends and wife, and the rest of the Confederation. When they learned of the news that week, they were in shock much like I was. In fact, Minaguma outright said that this was impossible, that God had not shown any sign of even existing, and to suddenly show proof right now was unheard of.
That was just the excuse I needed to show her the data drive, along with all the data it contained. President Yu was also in disbelief, but Largina was adamant that it was real. A surprising thing, coming from him. I admit, I was still skeptical about the whole thing, but after seeing what the drive contained, I wasn't so sure that God was just a figment of when we used to believe in such a thing. The truth was that there was something above us, and we just needed a wakeup call to what needed to be done to heal the world.
And it all started with the eradication of the DeWynter line.
So that evening, I put out a call for the other members of the global community who were on our side to meet at Meldney as soon as possible. Thankfully there were no Council of Nations meetings scheduled that week...
Location: Meldney Complex, Canberra Ruins, Australia - Australian
Time: 1300 hours
Date: Saturday, 23 April, 0142 AF (2163 AD/0100 ADD)
Seph is standing in the middle of the office as he waits. His hands are clasped behind his back as he faces the window overlooking the horizon in the direction of Sydney. Behind him sit the rest of the Confederation leaders, including Sister Nina.
The door opens in less than five minutes. Seph turns to face the newcomers to the meeting.
First is King Lawrence III of the UK. While he looks older, he is still going strong. His face is lined with more wrinkles, and his eyes are a bit more sunken, but they still burn with drive and determination.
The Queen of France, Sasha le Fleur, is next. While she does wear the robes of her House, she also wears underneath them a military uniform, a throwback to the old days of Pre-Revolution French nobility. Her hair is tied back in a neat braid, and atop her head she wears the crown of the le Fleur House, a simple golden band with a rose on its front. She carries with her a sword at her side, a mark of her training as a soldier during her youth.
Next up is the President of the Egyptian Union, Aali Wasi El-Ghazzawy. He too is older, having just recently won reelection. He is dressed in a beige suit with a red tie, his blue eyes hard as he scans over the rest of the assembling leadership. He doesn't say anything as he sits down at the table.
Prince Teofilo Oleastro is next to take his seat. His hair is slightly messier, but his brown eyes reflect his drive to see his nation thrive in this new world. He is clad in the royal uniform of the Spanish military, and he is armed with a simple spear. While effective against the Badlanders, it is not going to be effective against the Panemian military, Seph muses grimly as he shifts his gaze to the next seat.
That seat is taken up by Director Rubens Belo of the South American Protectorate. His eyes narrow as he takes in his fellow leaders with a critical gaze. If anything, Seph can understand his hesitance to even be here. But now, there is no choice. This is nearing the final days of the Hunger Games. He can tell that much, and he doesn't even need to be a Newtype to sense it.
Seph steps closer to the center of the table as the door hisses shut behind Director Belo.
Now that the men and women have arrived, he can begin.
He takes in a breath and lets it out. "Okay. Normally I would give some minor speech and all, but this time, I don't see the point. Not since this meeting has to be one of the most critical in history," he begins.
"And what makes it so critical?" King Lawrence asks. His eyes narrow a bit. "You never even said what this meeting was about."
"Actually, there's a good reason for that, mate," Seph says as he reaches into his pocket. "Earlier this month, Sister Nina got a surprising vision... as well as something that Panem would kill to prevent us from knowing."
Murmurs fill the room as he pulls out the data drive. "This... is what Panem would kill to get from us."
"That's what you called this meeting about?" Belo asks, his eyes mere slits. "Just a minor data drive?"
But Seph shakes his head. "No, mate. This meeting is about the contents of this drive, as well as the one who gave it to us."
Everyone is silent as the President jacks the drive into a data port on the table. At once the center lights up and the screens at the seats flicker on, each displaying the contents of the drive. The group is surprised at the sheer amount of data that is streaming into view.
"This drive was, as strange as it sounds, given to us by someone..." Seph's voice trails off as he uncurls his right index finger and points up. "...up there. And I'm not referring to those idiots in the Capitol. I'm referring to God Himself."
Everyone at the table blurts out various exclamations, but Seph holds up his hand and they fall silent. "Look. I know it's hard tp believe, and trust me, even I'm still in shock over it. But the truth of the matter is that this drive was given to us by God, and even He Himself is disappointed at how bad things have become. And actually, this proves that He does exist, something Panem's leadership insists is impossible. This drive is proof of that, as is the program you see on your screens."
Director Belo is the first to spot it. His eye narrows as he scans it over, examining it in detail before he looks up. "How can you be sure this is not some sick trick pulled by someone from Panem?" he asks. "You know as well as anyone what they are capable of."
Seph nods. "True, but if you think about it, mate, there is data in there that even we couldn't get. And that's saying something," he says. He taps the screen in front of him and the next set of data comes up. This time it depicts Panem's criminal underworld and how they are connected to Viondra. "This is something we had no intelligence on until now," Seph admits. "And this is data that we sorely needed, because now we know that in order to truly disrupt their master-servant mentality, we have to disrupt this criminal underworld and its connections to the DeWynter line."
"Hm." Director Belo's eye is hard, but he does see Seph's point.
Queen le Fleur is hesitant to even make such a call though. "Monsieur Matthews, I have to ask. Is it possible that disrupting it may make things worse?" she inquires.
"Maybe, but maybe not," Seph remarks with a shrug. "But we do know that it's how the elites were able to maintain power for so long."
"And what of the Games? What does this have to do with them?" Oleastro hisses. "Because I would kill to slice their heads off!"
"I know how you feel, mate," Seph growls. "But believe me, we'll get there. There is also on this drive data pertaining to their so-called AI 'Gamemakers'. Data that has only confirmed a theory we have had about them for some time now."
"And that theory is?" Minaguma inquires.
Here Seph's eye darkens as his optic flashes red. "That they were originally humans who digitized their minds to avoid Death."
The room goes increasingly cold at those words.
And no one knows what to say to that declaration.
"You mean to tell me that this whole time they've had humans posing as AI?!" King Lawrence blurts.
Seph nods, his optic flashing as he gazes at everyone. "Yes. As hard as it is to believe, it's true. They also bugged our networks, so... we wiped it clean. Thankfully our spooks wrote everything down by hand, and I mean everything. So we're still good on intel."
"Just one question. How were they even able to upload their minds to begin with?" Director Belo asks. His eye is hard as he places his tented hands in front of his mouth. "It seems to me very odd they'd have the technology long before the current age and tech levels we have."
"I have a very good idea as to how," Seph muses as he looks at his fellow leaders and allies. "But it's only a theory until we can confirm it."
The French queen's eyes flicker as she shifts in her seat. "Then care to tell us?" she asks.
The Australian is silent before he looks down. "According to the data on that drive, the Panemians back after the war had sufficient technology hidden away at what was once called Cheyenne Mountain Military Base - now called the Nut by the leadership and elites. That technology was also hidden away at Area 51, which is now a top secret research base for muttation development. Some of the tech hidden at Area 51 was transferred to the old Cheyenne Mountain base, where it was put to use after the First Revolution," he explains.
"And this theory ties into that tech?" Oleastro inquires.
Seph only nods.
"Then you mean to tell us that some of that tech... was... able... to..." Oleastro's eyes widen as he suddenly grasps the implications of what the Australian is getting at. "Oh... God..."
The President is grim as he continues. "My theory is that they possessed technology to effectively digitize a human mind and turn it into software. But since it takes a long time to do so, they never revealed it until the criminals Vi and Pax were near death. Upon learning of it, they decided to use it and thereby cheat death."
"So that would explain it then!" Minaguma whispers. "It would explain every move she made against us!"
Grim silence fills the room. No one is sure on how to speak about this new revelation and theory.
At least until El-Ghazzawy addresses the group.
"With this information in mind, it is clear to me that if these Devil Spawn continue to exist, they will torture and effectively brainwash future generations to continue their insidious 'Games.' Therefore we must start preparations for the future conflict, if it is inevitable," he mutters.
"Mate, you have no idea how right you are!" Seph says suddenly. His green eye hardens into an emerald as his optics flashes bright red. "There will be a war. That much is certain. But what we need to do now is assume that it will be the last one. If it fails... then all is lost!"
King Lawrence is unsure of this, but he nods. "I can only concur. So, what is your plan, President Matthews?" he asks.
Seph jabs a finger at the data drive. "That data drive right now is our biggest weapon against Panem. It contains data on every military asset in this region and then some. It even has locations of every missile silo and muttation pod in the world. That is something they would kill to keep secret. So our mission has to be to remove the muttaton pods from play. But we can't let them know we are onto them. We'll be sending troops abroad for humanitarian reasons, but among those troops will be sabetours to take down the pods' release mechanisms. That is the primary mission there.
"The second objective will be to prepare for the upcoming confrontation between the Districts and Capitol." He holds up a second finger. "Last time we failed to intervene because our leadership didn't want the Snow Dynasty to learn of our potential power. But no longer will we hold back. We have the strength. We have the technology. We have the mobile suits. And we have the drive. We possess things Panem does not, and we also have something else that they lack: humanity. While it may seem better, it's getting worse instead of better!
"And that brings me to my last objective: to wipe out DeWynter, someone has to go in and take her out directly." Here Seph holds up a third finger. "That person will be the one to wipe her smug grin off her face. And that person will also have to deal with being labeled a war criminal, and bear the responsibility of doing a great favor, but also a terrible act that could throw Panem back into anarchy."
"Who will that be?" Tina asks, although she has a feeling as to what Seph will say.
"That will be me," Sister Nina says, suddenly butting in. Seph is surprised as he looks at her.
"What?! Why?" he asks.
"Because she is the Devil, therefore it must be someone who is an angel at heart," the priestess says seriously. Her eyes are hard as she looks at him. "President Matthews, I must inform you that your role is not to kill her, but to bring down her regime and legacy. You also have a unique duty to expose her insidious goals and actions to the world as a whole. So this way she can be brought to justice by the global community, as well as those war criminals of Vi and Pax."
"Hell no!" Seph blurts.
"I am serious, Seph!" the woman shouts. "Your duty is to the world as a whole! My duty will be to kill the Devil Woman in the flesh!"
For a moment there is silence as the two stare at one another. Seph is silent as he looks at her, his eye hard. But Sister Nina doesn't back down. She narrows her blue eyes, and then she speaks again.
"I know you want to kill her yourself. I can see it in your eyes. But that is not what you must do. Your duty has always been to defend the innocent and heal the future," she says. "My duty is to spread the gospel to all who deny it. In slaying DeWynter, I will be saying that God does exist, and that Panem's disrespect of children will not stand. It will show them how low they have fallen. And that it is up to them to heal their shattered psyche and souls."
Seph looks at the priestess, everyone else watching in anticipation of a confrontation.
"Fine..." he mutters. "I don't like it... but I have to admit you have a valid point. So it's your job. But if she lives..." Then he looks up. "I finish her myself."
"Agreed," Nina says. She holds out a hand. "If I die and fail, it falls to you."
The two shake on it.
"Now, back to the matter at hand," Director Belo remarks. "What is the plan to get past Panem's defenses?"
Seph smirks as he sits back down and faces the others.
The meeting ended rather well, and on a good note.
But in all honesty, I wasn't sure if we could even win this one. Panem was at a tipping point. We could see that after tapping into their internet.
Rebellion was brewing again, and therefore we had to step up our game. The State Department was already working double time to keep up with things and also to keep Panem from trying to break into our networks again. Thankfully the firewalls did their job in keeping Vi and Pax out of our networks.
But it was also close to one hundred years of those damned Games.
I was sick of it all. All the death of children by other children. I wanted to end it.
But unfortunately we couldn't do much of anything at the moment due to the need to keep what satellites we had saved hidden from Panem. DeWynter was a cunning one, I had to admit. But now we had an edge.
And the world was starting to take notice as well.
De Kaamp was ousted a few months after the meeting, finally overcome by the people who he had treated to harshly, backed up by a group of GMs lingering behind the wall's remains. The entho-state he created had fallen to the wayside, becoming an old relic as the old guard in power tried to hold on in the face of overwhelming protests and rebellion. People protesting, bombings, lynchings of police and soldiers loyal to De Kaamp, and even outright riots filled the cities and streets. But there was also hope there, as people were finally trying to rebuild what they had lost in their cultural identities.
It also was a huge surprise to the rest of us as to how quickly the coastal Republic of China ballooned into a powerhouse. The wreckage of buildings was being removed and rebuilt in some cases, while streets were being repaired. A fully functional economy was up and running, and bartering had fallen to the wayside there. A strong presence close to the old North Koreans kept them in check and away from the rest of the Confederation. The people there for the first time had been given a measure of hope, and although the older generations were way more cynical, it was the younger generation that had been given the hopes they had been so deprived of.
But it was still uncertain. And the winds would always shift and change in this world. In a way, it resembled that old Pre-Apoc show Game of Thrones or something like that. But things were finally starting to solidify and become somewhat consistent. That was what was needed. Consistent borders, leaders, and policies. And it was a start for healing, too.
Not that DeWynter even noticed it.
And that was the advantage we needed.