Archangel - Chapter 6: True Strength
Archangel continued diving towards the survivors. Scattered shots flew past her, none of them close enough to present any danger. She eyed the helpless survivors on the ground, absorbing the scene before her. Even as the enemy filled her sight, Archangel found herself unable to press the trigger. She suddenly found herself confused at the sheer absurdity of the situation; What am I even still doing here, why the hell am I fighting these people? Archangel questioned herself. Suddenly, Archangel was struck with a memory from the past.
"Archangel, have you ever heard of 'a fighter's honour'?" a male voice asked.
"No, Dr. Mikhailov," Archangel replied, tilting her head slightly, "I can't say I have."
The man smiled, looking out of the glass panes that formed the wall of the Sangvis Ferri aeronautics research facility. He adjusted the glasses sitting on his face, his weathered blue eyes staring off into the distance. The greying hair atop the middle-aged man's head matched the colour of his suit, which bore a name tag labelled "Dr. Valeriy Mikhailov." Standing beside the rather generic-looking man was a rather flamboyant-looking Archangel, clad in her usual form-fitting flight suit, only back then it was coloured white with bright orange markings.
Doctor Valeriy Mikhailov was a senior researcher at Sangvis Ferri who was a member of Project Icarus—tasked with developing technology for flight-capable tactical dolls. He was an experienced computer scientist who was respected by many within the company. Before Project Icarus, Mikhailov used to work for the Vanguard initiative—intended to develop a line of self-aware tactical dolls that would compete with I.O.P.'s products. After the Vanguard initiative was shut down due to budget constraints, Mikhailov was the one who spearheaded the design of Archangel's advanced neural cloud. With Archangel now serving as the research testbed for most of Project Icarus' creations, Mikhailov found himself working closely with her, almost treating her as a sort of protégé of sorts. At least, that's how he described it.
"Figures that you haven't," Dr. Mikhailov said to Archangel, "It's an old set of principles observed by military aviators way back then, principles that seem to have been all but forgotten nowadays."
"I've heard of similar concepts, but never that phrase specifically," Archangel responded.
"It's not a distinct thing, no," Mikhailov clarified, "It's more like a way of thinking, a perspective on the conduct of warfare, if you may."
Archangel didn't reply, instead gazing out of the windows at the clouded skies above. Archangel did not like war a single bit, she despised the suffering and destruction it brought, as well as the greed and intolerance that caused it. Yet she was owned and worked for a military arms manufacturer, an embodiment of the very antithesis to everything Archangel believed in. How ironic, Archangel thought.
"Archangel, I have a question for you," Dr. Mikhailov said once again, bringing Archangel back to his attention, "At what point would you make the distinction between an enemy and non-combatant?"
Archangel looked back at Dr. Mikhailov, slightly caught off-guard by the question. "Well, according to international humanitarian law, there are several fac-"
"No, that's not what I meant," Mikhailov interrupted, waving his hand. "Perhaps I worded the question badly. What I really wanted to ask was, 'What would it take for you to spare the life of an enemy?'"
"Huh?" Archangel asked, confused at the question, "Well, I mean…"
"If you defeated an enemy in a duel, would you be able look him in the eyes and land the killing blow?" Dr. Mikhailov asked, "Forget what your programming would dictate, or what other people say you should do. What if he injured you, or your friends? What if you knew that if you spared him, he would go on to harm those you cared for?"
"I…" Archangel began, before trailing off again. She didn't understand the purpose of this question, but the thought of being put in such a situation terrified her.
"Would you have what it takes to rise above your hatred and fear to see the humanity in the enemy's face? Family, dreams… virtues and vices… all of it. If the situation demanded you to do so, would you be able to pull the trigger?"
Archangel looked back out the window, unable to produce a response. "Why are you asking me this?"
"Just a thought exercise. I'm sorry if I pressured you with that question, it's not one that I expect you to be able to answer," Dr. Mikhailov said, putting a hand on Archangel's shoulder. "There is no correct answer to the question, but It's one that everyone has to face at some point in their life, and I'm not just talking about the soldiers. Guns and armour might determine one's physical strength, but it is one's principles that determines their inner strength, their true strength."
Seeing how much his question troubled Archangel, Dr. Mikhailov tried to cheer her up by changing the subject. "Well, that's what I think anyway. Come on now, let's go and see if we can squeeze in some aerobatics testing today before the sun sets. I do want you to think over the question though, but let's just hope you never find yourself having to point a gun at another person. Haha."
Archangel could see the expressions on the Griffin dolls' faces with clarity, now just a few hundred metres from the crash site. Archangel didn't know how to respond to Dr. Mikhailov back then, but now she knew what she needed to do. Pulling out of her dive at the last second, Archangel zoomed over the heads of the terrified Griffin dolls, disappearing back into the sky as quickly as she appeared. Although she had made her decision in a split second, Archangel never looked back.