Time is like the finest string... something delicate, something precious and something that can easily slip through your fingers without you even knowing it.
With a sigh, I put down the book I have in my hands.
I've been reading far too much, haven't I? I'm coming up with all these philosophical ideas... even though that's not my purpose.
My purpose is the same as it has always been — to lead the greatest army in the world. It's simple. To take every fact, eliminate all uncertainties and reach the logical conclusion. To make the choice that is best for my troops, and for the army as a whole. To serve Master Porky, and do whatever he wishes.
It's a simple job, isn't it?
But... well, sometimes I find myself thinking about more... something beyond the army. If I am to become the Commander, then one day, I'd obviously retire, if not because I'd simply want to, then because of my age which would prevent me from being an effective fighter.
So, what then? What would I do when I leave? To be quite honest, I'm... not sure.
I have given it some thought... I'd like to go somewhere... peaceful? New Pork City is certainly nice, but... but what?
Hm... what's wrong with New Pork City? It... it has everything I need... it's home, isn't it? It's home, and it has everything I'd ever want. And yet... I think I'd prefer somewhere different.
Actually, the Thunder Tower does sound rather nice. It might not seem like a sensible choice for most, but for someone like me, it's perfect.
I've only visited the tower three times, but the building astounds me every time. I've grown rather fond of lightning — my extensive use of PK Thunder might have something to do with that.
So, a tower that makes the stuff by the gallon for all of New Pork City? I'll admit — it's quite interesting for me!
I've even been able to sit in on some of the Pigmasks' experiments with lightning — like seeing the production of a Clayman, scary and yet amazing.
And of course, the Thunder Tower is where Miss Marsh currently resides... hm... all in all, it does sound like a lovely place for retirement.
But that's in the far future, and this is now. I've been at this for quite some time... in fact, I've even hit another milestone — my second year of being with the Pigmasks.
The occasion passed without much incidence — I celebrated the occasion with my regiment, and the Fierce Pork Trooper, as I did last year and saw another of the DCMC's concerts. The Fierce Pork Trooper says I'm doing rather well — he reckons I might have actually surpassed him!
It's a strange thought — I am going to be the Commander of the army, which means I should be the strongest, but actually being the strongest is something that I hadn't ever considered I would reach.
Hm... I wonder if I might even surpass Fassad.
Speaking of Fassad, he's less pleased with my progress, to put it mildly. PSI is something I'm struggling to grasp and that hasn't exactly been the best of news to Fassad. My efforts to learn PK Love are just fruitless as they were before... I simply can't understand it...
I've used it once before, so why am I struggling to replicate it?
I've taken to trying my hand at other kinds of PSI instead — though it was hard, I have managed to learn the very basics of Lifeup. And I mean basics here — Fassad doesn't reckon I'll go any higher than Alpha, and for once, I'm inclined to agree with him.
But, the months have passed by, relatively uneventfully anyway.
Until today.
You see, starting this week, I've been given special permission by Master Porky to take two months off my training — but not for relaxation.
It's actually something much more... interesting.
It happened precisely one week ago, at Beauty and Tasty during one of our meetings.
"So, my friend... I have a very special task for you. Something... top secret."
Naturally, I was rather intrigued — after all, a top secret assignment is intriguing by nature.
"What is it, my lord?"
"Haha... well first, I have a question for you. How old do you think I am?"
Now... this was a question I've wondered ever since I met Master Porky, but I've never received an answer. I started trying to analyse his body to make a guess, but to no avail — according to my sensors, he should have died long ago.
"5000 years?"
"Hahaha! You're not even close! And that... that is my point. I am very old... so old, that I can't even move, or walk, or do anything. So frail, that if it weren't for this capsule, I would be defenceless. And that... that is a problem. This empire needs its king. And this king will not fall, nor will he die. And this... this is where you come in."
"In what way?"
"Well... this capsule is certainly durable... but it's not durable enough. What if someone strong were to come, and destroy it? What would I do then? I would die."
And in similar fashion to Miss Marsh, his bed capsule doesn't seem to be built primarily for combat, rather for maintaining himself, so that is a very real possibility.
"So... you want me to help you prevent that? Well, in that case, anyone who threatens you, I shall eliminate. Terminate with extreme prejudice."
"Hahaha! Very good, very good! But you forget one thing. As Commander of the Pigmask Army, you may not always be at my side. And then what would I do? I require... a backup. A contingency. Something to reassure me, that even in that situation, I, Master Porky, will be the one who comes out on top!"
"What do you need then?"
"I want you, with the help of some others that I have specially chosen, to build something, something that provides me a way of keeping myself safe from all others, if I use it."
"So... something like a safe then?"
"A safe, a vault, a capsule — I care not. All I request, is something to protect me, from all those in the world that would wish harm upon me."
"I see... is there anything specific you'd want?"
"Hm... let's see... I have two requests. Firstly, it's gotta have a window — it's no fun if I can't see someone's stupid face as they hopelessly try and break through my barrier! And the other... it must be absolutely safe. You understand me? Absolutely safe. Nothing can ever touch me. Absolutely... safe."
Absolutely safe... it's a concept that sounds oxymoronic to me. How can something be absolutely safe? Nothing is absolutely safe.
No matter how hard you make a brick wall, you can always knock it down with enough strength.
No matter how bright and powerful the fire, you can always put it out with enough water.
No matter how strong the force, you can always overcome it with a stronger one.
So how can something be so safe, that it is exempt from that? It's... impossible.
And yet, that's exactly the thing Master Porky has tasked me with trying to make possible. In two months. Well... I won't deny that this will certainly be a challenge.
Thankfully, I won't be alone in this. Dr Andonuts is going to be involved, and it's a good thing he is — figuring out how to create something like this would be impossible for me alone.
And so, for the next two weeks, I'll be at the Chimera Laboratory, assisting with this task.
I'm taken to the Laboratory on a Porkship, and when I enter, there are only 3 people — a Pigmask Captain at a desk and two Pigmask Majors standing guard at a door.
The captain looks at one of the majors, who gives a gesture to leave, and they do so — I presume for the sake of privacy, given the nature of my visit.
"Commander!"
"Sir!"
The two majors both approach me, giving a salute of respect. I give a nod of approval, before telling them to stand at ease.
"I presume the two of you are aware of why I am here?"
"Indeed, Commander. In fact, that's why we have vacated this area. We're here to escort you."
"Commander, you should know this — because of what you're doing, you'll require an escort to go anywhere within the Laboratory during this time, which will likely be us."
I give a wordless nod of understanding. It does make sense — such matters require utmost secrecy, and spies from Tazmily are always a possibility. Should they get wind of such an event, they may very well attempt to sabotage our project.
The majors give me another salute, before turning on the spot and heading into the next room.
As I follow them, I can faintly hear the sounds of chimeras being constructed — drills and the like.
But I can also hear their cries, distorted and mechanical in nature, which echo throughout the building.
And yet... there's one sound that stands out above all the sounds. This... this strange clink followed by a monstrous roar, the sound reverberating throughout the entire building.
When I first hear it, I almost jump out of sheer shock... what is this?
It's... it's fear, isn't it?
Fear... I... no, I cannot. I cannot feel this. I shouldn't feel this. The Commander must stand in front of fear, and ignore it. Laugh at it.
But those roars... I don't know what they are, but whatever it is... it's certainly something ferocious.
What kind of chimera is that? I can only say that it's the kind that no person would ever want to face... not even me.
As we head through the laboratory, I wonder where exactly we're going — we've headed up to the second floor, but according to my map, we're not heading in the direction of any of the rooms containing equipment you'd need for this kind of task.
I have a look at my map once more, and that's when it hits me — we're heading to the third floor.
I've never actually been there before — I've never had any reason to.
In fact, now that I think about it, there were always some Pigmasks guarding the only elevator to that floor, and sure enough, when we get there, two Pigmask Colonels are standing guard.
When we approach, they both raise their guns in warning, before the two Pigmask Majors both show an ID card, and the Colonels both lower their weapons, moving to the side to let us into the elevator.
The third floor itself simply consist a single corridor with a door at the end. How ominous.
When we reach the end, the majors turn towards me, before one speaks.
"Well, Commander... this is it. Dr Andonuts is inside of here."
"Thank you. You may leave."
One final salute and the two of them walk back, leaving me alone. With some trepidation, I carefully open the door, seeing what's inside.
It's... it's enormous. Of all the rooms meant for constructing things, this is the largest one I've seen in the Chimera Laboratory — much larger than the one I was reconstructed in, and much larger than the area where Miss Marsh and Mr Geneator were created.
There's quite the assortment of high tech equipment as well, though it's all been put to the side, and the centre of the room is entirely empty.
On the edges of the room, is Dr Andonuts, who's currently looking through a number of his notes in intense concentration.
I rap on the door, and Dr Andonuts turns to face me, his eyes briefly widening, but returning back to normal — I don't think my appearance here is a surprise to him at all.
"Ah... good to see you made it. You didn't have any issues, did you?"
"None, Doctor."
"Good... good to hear."
"How... how are you?"
"Perfectly fine... just doing my business, you know. Chimeras and all... not my preferred science, but one that I'm good at..."
He looks up at me and chuckles. "Maybe even a little too good at. You are fine, aren't you?"
"Indeed."
There's an awkward pause — I hate these, and they're rather frequent with Dr Andonuts, ever since... well, honestly, ever since over a year ago, when I found out about the Nowhere Islands and the cataclysm that forced it to be the last area on Earth.
Since then, there's always been an air of discomfort about, one that's been here for a rather long time, one that both of us are aware of, but one that neither of us have actually addressed.
"I'll get straight to the point then — you know exactly why I'm here."
Dr Andonuts sighs, placing his pencil down. "Yes... his Highness's top secret assignment. To build something that grants him protection unlike anything the world has ever seen. To create him something that could survive the end of the world without a scratch. To build something completely safe."
"Absolutely safe. And we have two months to do so."
Dr Andonuts gives a rather grim chuckle at this. "Certainly quite the undertaking... well, I've already started trying to brainstorm ideas, but two brains might be more conducive to this. Have a look."
He points to a whiteboard on the side, which has some things written on it — possible shapes, sizes and materials that could be used.
"Hmm... if I might make a suggestion, Doctor? Perhaps we should isolate the qualities needed for this capsule, before we attempt to figure out what we will need."
Dr Andonuts laughs heartily at that. "You've got the makings of a scientist within you. Let's get to it!"
And so it begins. Over the course of that first week, we attempt to figure out the various qualities needed.
"Obviously, there would need to be some sort of life support for Master Porky — so, a form of nourishment, hydration and air to breath."
"The air would need some sort of filter then, to ensure that the carbon dioxide would be released, yet it would need to be incapable of being tampered with, and poisoned." Dr Andonuts says while writing it down.
"Some form of temperature control, to make sure it doesn't get too hot or cold inside... and Master Porky would ideally like it to be comfortable, so we would have to keep that in mind."
"And then there's the matter of the outside... if it were to be absolutely safe, then you could throw it into the Sun and it wouldn't do a thing."
"No such material like that exists, does it?"
"None even close. We'd have to make something like that... something that strong."
"Is that even possible?"
"To be quite frank, I have no idea. Then again, they said time travel was impossible, and look at us now."
"So it could be possible."
"It could, but even with the technology in this time, creating something absolutely safe may very well be beyond us. It could be another 10,000 years before such technology emerges. But still, we must try. It wouldn't just need durability, but longevity."
"Everything wears away over time... metal rusts, for instance."
"Exactly. So I believe a heavy dose of protective coatings would be needed, but even those aren't permanent..."
And so forth. We quickly realised all the qualities that this thing would need, in order to be absolutely safe... the only hard part of this process was trying to figure out a shape.
I would have thought that the shape of it would be the least of our concerns, but as Dr Andonuts pointed out, the shape would effect the amount of material we would require, and with the already impossible task of trying to make something absolutely safe, it would be best if it were as small as possible.
Now, of course, the volume inside of it would remain the same — we decided on three times the size of Master Porky's bed machine.
However, surface area would vary with shape, and in the end, we went with a sphere... I suppose that would make this a capsule then? An absolutely safe capsule.
The brainstorming was fairly easy, and after one week, we had isolated each quality we needed to account for.
The challenge... was actually incorporating all that.
We started with the most simple things — temperature regulation and environmental control. With this, we'd ensure that the capsule wouldn't get too hot, or too cold and that a supply of oxygen would always be there.
That last one took some figuring out — oxygen is quite simply, finite. But of course, running out of oxygen wouldn't make this absolutely safe, so we had to figure out a way of replenishing it.
Simply taking more from the surroundings is too risky — it introduces the possibility of the supply being contaminated, so we had to find a way of using what we had.
"What about... photosynthesis? Master Porky would exhale carbon dioxide and plants can be used to produce oxygen."
"But then, we run the risk of introducing plants... I like the idea of recycling the waste though. In fact... I think I might have a better way. Take a look at this."
Dr Andonuts directs my attention to a monitor of his, where he starts a simulation. It shows a laser pointing to a molecule of carbon dioxide, before firing a beam at it, causing it to split into its constituent elements.
"Wow! You can use a laser to split that up?!" The surprise is evident in my voice, though I should do better to hide it.
"Indeed! By firing a high energy ultraviolet laser, we can force a molecule of carbon dioxide to break down into carbon and oxygen." There's a lot of joy in Dr Andonuts's voice — I imagine he's happy to have someone interested in all this and someone to explain this all to.
"So... we can use this laser to recycle the carbon dioxide then?"
"Exactly!"
"But... wouldn't we need a way to power the laser? And that means a source of fuel, which would be limited."
"Not if we use renewable energy. Solar power would be the most effective. In fact, we could make the capsule itself a giant solar panel."
It took some time, but we were able to figure out all of the side details for this capsule — the only thing left was the hardest part.
What it would be made off.
We tried our best, but no matter how you look at it, nothing is completely indestructible.
Anything can be cracked, broken or destroyed with enough force. How much force may vary on the object — for some, it's a simple tap of the hand. For others, a hard punch. Or perhaps you'd need a supernova.
But even then, nothing is completely indestructible.
There's no material like that which exists. So... we had to create one.
But our minds? Our minds alone couldn't hope to do something like that...
So it's a good thing we got some help.
Though unwilling, Master Porky yielded to our request for some assistance, telling us that he would assign some 'special servants' of his, to help.
And as it turns out, special was the right word.
"BoInG! zOOm!"
For those special servants were none other than Mr Saturn.
"Mr... Saturn?"
"Where on earth did the king find them?"
And then it hits me...
"The Thunder Tower... there's a Saturn Valley nearby!"
Dr Andonuts clenches in his fists, in... what seems to be anger? He seems to want to say something, but eventually he just sits down.
"I suppose the king enlisted them to help us... well, I can't say we'll find much better help than them."
"What? The Mr Saturn? They're our best help for this?"
"Indeed. Don't forget that the Saturns have the most intelligent minds when it comes to this kind of thing..."
"wE Mr sATuRN!"
"... even if they do not appear like it."
Well... this is certainly an odd form of help, but... let's see what happens. It could be a good way of finding out more about them.
We inform the Saturns of what we aim to do, which they understand — or at least, I think they do... it's hard to tell.
From there on, it's up to us to create a completely indestructible material. I wrack my brain and databanks to try and come up with something as a starting point... and I managed to find one.
"Dr Andonuts?"
"Hm?"
"I have an idea... but it involves one of your creations."
"Go ahead."
"Your Phase Distorter."
Dr Andonuts's eyes widen, but he doesn't say anything, so I go on.
"To withstand being able to pass through the fabric of time, it must have been rather durable itself. Perhaps we could use it as a base? It isn't indestructible, but it would serve as a good starting point."
He ponders it over for a while, before sighing. "Certainly a good idea... however, we do not have one."
"Well, why don't we make one then?"
"Hm... it is possible and with the technological expertise of the Saturns, it shouldn't be too hard."
"Do we have all the materials we need?"
"All but one, I believe — a very rare material known as Zexonyte."
Zexonyte... where on Earth are we gonna get that? Let's see if my databanks have anything...
'Zexonyte. Foreign material, generally only found in meteorites. Though harmless in nature, it can be used in large amounts to break the fourth dimension.'
"Meteorites? Where are we going to find any of those?"
"Hahaha, you've gone a little bit too far, haven't you? If you think about it, we won't actually need any."
"Why not?"
"You see, Zexonyte is only needed for the Phase Distorter to be able to travel through time and space."
"Ah, and we have no need for the time travelling elements of the machine."
"Yes, so we should be able to make this with what we have."
And so we got to work — building a Phase Distorter.
Without the components for movement through space - time though, we had more space inside of it, enough to put the things we need for life support, including the ultraviolet laser.
Still, even if it were to move through space - time, we know it would be to withstand it, as it is made from the same materials as the Phase Distorter.
Something peculiar I notice during this all is regarding the Saturns — they're able to build it rather quickly for us. I was aware of their technological expertise, but even then, I would have thought it would have taken more than a week for them to do so. They seem to be familiar with this kind of work.
"Doctor, you said the Saturns helped you realise time travel... but how exactly did they do that?"
"Why, they helped me build this the first time."
"... they helped you build the Phase Distorter?"
"Yes. The very first one I made... I wouldn't have been able to have done it without them. Ah, it brings back old memories... if only that red gentleman was here..."
"Hm?"
"Oh, don't mind me. Just the ramblings of an old man."
The Saturns finish the Phase Distorter quickly enough — they've even made it on their own likeness, making it look like a metallic Saturn... just like in Earthbound.
In fact... the Saturns made the Phase Distorter in the movie as well, didn't they? Hm... interesting...
When we finish, we make sure the life support systems could feasibly run on renewable energy, and it's a good thing we did, because we find a problem.
See, they wouldn't be able to safely run on renewable energy — while they would have enough energy, that's only assuming at least one source of renewable energy is present, so if there isn't... well, it wouldn't be absolutely safe, would it?
But the Saturns prove themselves to a valuable asset once again — with their help, we create a perpetual motion machine, something which, according to Dr Andonuts, shouldn't exist.
From what I understand, a perpetual motion machine is essentially a source of... infinite energy. It creates energy from nothing, which I'm fairly sure violates a number of laws in physics... like the conservation of energy?
And yet, somehow... it exists!
We use it to power the machine — it'll be particularly useful for the ultraviolet laser.
This leaves... the actual capsule itself.
"How do we create something durable to everything?"
"Well, we have many durable materials now. It's possible that we could create something durable by combining them together."
Dr Andonuts pulls up a simulation, showing many different materials, first being what looks like diamond.
"Diamond. The hardest natural, organic substance known to man."
He switches it to show an image of molecules arranged in a disordered lattice.
"Metallic glass. One of the hardest man made substances that we've created."
"Metallic glass? That doesn't sound like it would be durable at all."
"It's a bit of a misnomer — they're metal alloys which have a crystalline structure similar to glass. Incredibly durable stuff too because of that."
"Amazing..."
"And next... ah..."
Dr Andonuts pauses when he reaches the next thing.
It's something I've seen before, something... something I know all too well. A material that's long, sharp and pearl white...
A Drago Fang.
At the end, there appears to be blood... is that blood... mine? No, no, it's not there, it's just an image, a hologram. It's not real... right?
At first, I wonder why Dr Andonuts would consider using one of these.
But then, I remember something which Master Porky told me a long time ago... when I first met him.
"You see, a Drago Fang is strong enough to pierce through anything."
And while I imagine he was exaggerating a little, there's still has to be some truth in that... Drago Fangs are incredibly durable, and their hides are said to be almost equally so as well...
"... it makes sense to include these. They are very durable, and so would be useful."
Dr Andonuts pauses for a second, perhaps a silent acknowledgement of the significance of this particular material to me, before he moves on.
"And finally, I thought we might consider using the materials we used for some of the chimeras. Some of the mechanical ones have impressive qualities, such as invulnerability to PSI, as well as considerable durability to begin with."
"They'd make for a good starting point in all this then."
"Indeed. I think that's all the useful materials then... now all we need to do is combine them."
And somehow, with considerable help from the Saturns, and nearly two weeks of solid work, we finally manage to synthesise a... a material none of us have ever seen before. Is... is this it? An indestructible material?
All of us are in disbelief that we could have actually accomplished this, so we test it. Against everything.
Industrial lasers, rockets, PSI... nothing even scratches it!
It's... it's impossible! But the more we try, the more it seems like we've actually done it. We've actually created something completely indestructible! And this was just a small sample of it!
We spend a day celebrating the event, before we realise a harsh truth — we'll need a lot more for the capsule.
We get straight back to it, making more as quickly as we can. We know how to make it know, but the sheer quantity of material means it'll take more time.
Finally, after a month, we finish producing more of the material, casting it into a spherical shape and fixing it onto the Phase Distorter.
"Pass me that spanner, would you?"
"Here. Do you think we'll finish in time?"
"I hope so! The king doesn't react well when things aren't done on time..."
Hmm... I'd always seen Master Porky as a rather reasonable figure of authority — surely he would understand if extensions are needed?
"Still, with the help of the Mr Saturns, we should be able to, right?"
"I think so, yes. Ahh... it's just like old times..."
"What do you mean?"
"Pushing the boundaries of science, with the help of the Saturns... mind you, I don't think these are the same ones I knew, but... I can't help but see the similarity between it all."
"What's it like to do this kind of work then?"
"Funny you should ask. It's a lot different from what it was like back in my time."
"Different conditions?"
"Hm, that's one part of it. I can't say that the king isn't a generous employer — everything here's ten times as advanced as what I had back in my laboratory in Winters. But, this kind of work... I do like it. Pushing the boundaries of science to see what can be done... that's why I became a scientist. Sadly, I rarely have an opportunity to do things like this anymore."
"Because of the chimeras?"
"Yes. I've never been too fond of working with on them, but the king feels my talents are best suited with them."
"But it is a progression of science, isn't it?"
"Yes... but it's also a subversion of nature. To combine two creatures into one, or augment another with machinery... it goes against nature. To twist and turn something so much until it isn't recognisable anymore... I've never exactly felt comfortable with it."
"... neither have I."
Dr Andonuts stops his work, looking at me apologetically. "My apologies... I must have offended you."
"It's fine... I can't say I don't agree with your sentiment."
Because I do see where the doctor is coming from. It's something I've always had trouble grasping, since the day I was created — the fact that I am as equal part machinery, as I am living, organic tissue.
Actually... there's a good chance I'm more machine than human at this point, isn't there?
I wonder... what part of me isn't machine? Because on an external level, it might seem like it's not all that much at all — just my left eye, an arm, and my back.
But internally? It's likely so much more than I'm even imagining. My lungs, my bones... heck, as Miss Marsh proved during our trek through the Death Desert, possibly even my heart.
What isn't replaceable then? What makes me... me? Well... the mind. That's the only thing that's truly mine, isn't it? Everything I am, everything I have... all of it can be replaced.
But not my mind. That's... all I have. Right?
So... what happens if I lose that as well? What happens if I lose the central part of myself, the part that can never be replaced?
I... I don't know.
"My sincerest apologies... I understand it's a... perplexing issue to say the least."
That's one way of putting it. "Do not worry about me, Doctor. Though I would prefer to live without these parts, I do not resent them or you, merely the people and the situation that forced me to live with them. After all, these parts and you both saved my life. I'm grateful for that if nothing else."
"You're most certainly welcome."
"Have you been working on any other chimeras then, Doctor?"
"Yes... just a few things here and there, I suppose..."
"You wouldn't happen to have had anything to do with those roars I keep hearing all over the place?"
He chuckles lightly before responding. "I'm not surprised you asked about that. We're attempting to make a new kind of chimera, one unique from all others."
"Like me?"
"In a way. But while you are mechanical, this one is a biological chimera.
"What makes it unique then?"
"We only use two animals for chimeras... but this one's different — because we're using more than just two."
More than two? What kind of creature would this chimera end up looking like then?
"How many animals are you using?"
Dr Andonuts sighs in what seems like disappointment. "Do you know, at this point, I have no idea how many. We've picked parts from so many different creatures that I couldn't even tell you. All the best parts of every animal, combined into one being."
"So, you're creating some sort of... ultimate chimera then?"
"Hm... we've been calling it 'The Super Duper Big, Bad, Rough Chimera' as per the king's request for what we were to make, but ultimate is a lot shorter... yes, that's essentially what we're trying to do. But we'll talk of chimeras another time... we still have to finish this."
"Yes, let's focus on the task at hand."
Soon enough, we're able to finally finish moulding it into the necessary shape. And when we do... it...
It's... it's a capsule, yes, but not what we imagined it to be...
It's a grotesque sphere with marks and parts ladened across it... but that's not even the scariest part.
Every second, it seems to pulse, as if it had a heart that was beating...
It almost seems to be... alive? It's... like a chimera, unnatural in its very state and misshapen beyond recognition. In fact... I can't help but think of the machine Giygas himself used... the Devil's Machine, was it?
It's... it's unnerving for me, but Dr Andonuts seems terrified by it, as if it's the kind of noise he's heard in his nightmares or something, the kind of sound that you hear once, and never want to hear again. Even the Saturns break their carefree nature and are silent during this entire thing.
"I think... it could use a coat of paint."
"Agreed. I don't think the king would be too fond of how it looks right now..."
So, with as much haste as we can, we make the finishing touches and paint it a shiny grey — we let the Saturns do it, and they certainly have a lot of fun doing it. The Pigmask insignia is the final touch, and then it's almost done... when I remember something, something we may have forgotten.
"Doctor?"
"Yes?"
"This capsule... how would you open it?"
"There's a button on the side here."
"Yes... but there's an issue with that. Once his Highness is inside of there, if you could open the capsule... then you could hurt him. And so... it wouldn't be absolutely safe."
"... indeed. That's why you can't."
What? You can't open it up once you're inside of... inside of it. Oh God... once you're inside... you can't go back out. Because it wouldn't be absolutely safe, would it? If you could go out, it's not absolutely safe.
Which means... if you can't die inside, then...
"... you'd be stuck inside for all eternity, wouldn't you?"
"Exactly. The end of the world could come, and... you'd be still be alive. The entire universe could implode, and you'd still be just fine. But there would be no one else. No one to talk to, no one to interact. You'd be just... all alone. Stuck inside this capsule, this prison, for all eternity."
"That's... that's horrifying."
"It is. But that's what the king will do to evade death."
"Would he really choose that?"
"I... don't know. For his sake... I would hope not. But... one thing I have learned about the king is this — he never asks for anything to be made, unless he intends to use it."
"Do warn him of that then... to be quite honest, I'm scared of what we've made here."
"As am I. But... there's nothing we can do now. After all, we can't get rid of it, because it is absolutely safe."
"Doctor... what would you choose? Would you chose death... or this?"
"Death, in a heartbeat. After all, there's no point in living, if there's no one left to live with you. What about you?"
"I think... I think I would choose the same."
Dr Andonuts nods his head in understanding. "A wise choice... I believe we're done here then. Thank you so much for your help — I must say, you've got a rather innovative mind. If you weren't becoming Commander, I'd be half tempted to ask you to stay on at this laboratory... it'd be nice to have some company and a helper with my work."
"I appreciate the compliment, but I think my talents are better served as the Commander. Still, if we do end this war, and my services are no longer needed... perhaps I might consider taking you up on that offer."
"You're always welcome to... do be sure to take care of yourself. It's no good working hard if you work yourself to the grave."
"I will."
And with that, I leave the room, meeting back with the two majors that have been escorting me all this time.
It's strange... we may have succeeded in our task despite all the odds... and yet, I don't feel accomplished at all. It feels like we've failed... even though we've succeeded.
Because we haven't just created the world's greatest protection.
We've created world's greatest prison as well. Impenetrable to anything, sustaining the inhabitant for eternity... anything inside may be absolutely safe... but the reverse is true as well, isn't it? Anything outside, is absolutely safe from anything inside.
Absolutely Safe Capsule.. it doesn't do a thing. It does no harm to anyone inside or outside of it... and yet, it may very well be the most powerful weapon in existence...
What have we created?
A/N: Pure terror, Claus. Pure terror.
It's been a while since I've done anything for this story — I've been very focused on A Third Of Love, but it has been nice to get back to the Masked Man. After all, writing Nesscas and Naula does get tiring after a while...
So... Absolutely Safe Capsule. First things first, yes, the Masked Man is never stated to have a part in making the ASC, but you know what, I don't care — my story, my rules. Though at this point, I think this story is more or less a reimagining of the Masked Man's role in Mother 3... oh well.
This one was... hard to write. Interesting, yes, but hard to write. I tried to be as scientific as possible when figuring out how the ASC could feasibly be built, but it's a literal paradox, so I kinda had to throw in the towel at a certain point — I think it was somewhere around perpetual motion machines...
The creation of it is something that fascinates me — something I couldn't necessarily say in this story itself, is that I think the ASC is basically a buffed up Devil's Machine. They both seem to be impenetrable prisons — but of course, the ASC can't be opened.
Other than that, a little bit of expanding on Dr Andonuts's relationship with the Masked Man — it's a very odd one, I must admit, but... hey, I think it works.
Next time, Claus takes a trip and gets to visit... home.