OR2-EP0: The Sinister Skeleton
A bit of light appeared in the darkness, and from the faint spot of light flew grayish-white powder, hovering, falling downwards, gradually combining together to form a hard skeleton. Before long, a complete human skeleton appeared in the endless void. What then poured out of the points of light was flesh and blood, organs, skin ... When the combination was complete, the human figure of Michael McNeil appeared intact in front of the mysterious man's eyes.
"Welcome back, General McNeil." The man in black clapped his hands happily, "Though the process was different from what I expected, you have returned in this less than honorable way."
The darkness that had enveloped the surroundings faded away, and McNeil was back in the chamber. Slowly he raised his left hand and then his right, trying to find something unusual in it. After finally determining that no strange changes had occurred in his body, McNeil slowly stood up from the floor and gazed at the black-robed man in front of him and the semi-circular building behind him. He was remembering his last scene before he lost consciousness, being buried in rubble was not a pleasant experience. He believed he was dead, and now he was alive ... perhaps surviving and communicating with the mysterious man in front of him in a different form.
"I should be dead."
"Precisely ... yes." The man in black snapped his fingers, "However, your work is not yet done, so I am tentatively allowing you to return here before your consciousness is completely destroyed. Otherwise, something might happen that I don't really want to see happen."
McNeil sneered a few times and stopped responding to the black-clad man's remarks. He advanced down the side of the chamber and found a bookshelf on the wall. The bookshelf contained many books that seemed to be from different eras, some written on parchment, others on bamboo slips, and the books on the far right were of course the usual printed books McNeil found. He casually picked up one of Hegel's writings from the shelf and began to read it in front of the mysterious man. It was a long time before he closed the book and asked the mystic his next question.
"I was hoping you could explain how I was able to move through that world."
The Mystic took off his hood, revealing a face with a bearded face. McNeil had seen the other man use different appearances in front of him; the appearance was just a disguise for this strange shape-shifting creature.
"Have you heard of parallel universes?"
"Slightly, some internal GDI documents try to explain them."
"Different starting conditions can lead to completely different results, and the effects of changing even subtle factors can have a huge impact on future generations." The Mystic held out his right hand and a ball of light appeared in his palm, which gradually changed and took on the appearance of the Earth, "Let's imagine that if the star had burned out faster, the carbon-based intelligent life you know so well could never have been born... The planets in the habitable zone would have swelled in an expanding plasma fireball to ashes. Thus, in the endless parallel universes, there are only a few worlds where intelligent life exists, and in that sense, any intelligent life was favored by the God to be born."
"Indeed." McNeil smiled back, "I should be thankful that I was born a human and not an animal or a plant."
"Perhaps, but the God probably can't hear your thanks." The sphere of light in the man in black's hand suddenly expanded, instantly enveloping the entire chamber. All McNeil could see was the image before him change from an azure planet to solid earth, and he raised his head to look quizzically upwards towards the chamber, with clear skies and languidly drifting white clouds in his eyes. The young ex-commander took a few steps forward, only remembering that he was still in the huge chamber when he bumped into a bookshelf. Embarrassed, he took a few steps back and waited for the man in black to make his next comment.
"If a monkey were to be allowed to use letter splices in a haphazard manner, it would always have a certain probability of completing a copy of Hamlet." With a wave of the mysterious man's left hand, countless people who were walking appeared on the grassland, and these pedestrians dressed as tourists chatted with each other in a pleasant mood. McNeil was infected by this mood and tried to talk to them as well - again, he forgot that this was nothing more than an illusion created by the Mystic. "Even if the conditions are very different, there is always a certain chance that a Michael McNeil exactly like you will be born in the world."
McNeil pondered over the mysterious man's statement, he didn't quite believe in these strange theories, but the facts in front of him forced him to recognize the truth. He was no longer in his original world and feared that he would never be able to return; the main goal at hand was to better himself with the help of any useful information.
"So ..." McNeil thought to himself that he had discovered the truth, "I've been here all along, and you've allowed my consciousness to be lodged in the body of an other me who is exactly like me. But that doesn't make sense. I mean ... I don't believe that the other me in other parallel world can have the exact same body as me, mind you-"
"... You are not the only one who has undergone various experiments." The Mystic interrupted McNeil's words, "In a more chaotic world, perhaps accepting modifications and all kinds of experiments is one of the necessary conditions to survive."
At that moment, a persona identical to McNeil's appeared beside him. McNeil watched in amazement as that he happily drove around the highway with his family beside him, and he unconsciously took a few steps back in an attempt to hide his inner panic. McNeil didn't have a past, his parents had been killed by the NOD Brotherhood when he was very young, he'd only gotten the information about his origins from Solomon, everything beyond that was a conclusion he'd pieced together based on what James Solomon had said. Perhaps in another world he would have had a completely different origin, a different home, a different family, and a different set of talents, and that was what really frustrated McNeil a little - he was beginning to feel the injustice of having his life completely tied up in the war, while some people were able to enjoy a colorful and rich life, and it was so unfair.
"Who are you ...?" McNeil muttered, as if he saw the shadow of something unnamable and terrifying appear behind the black-robed man, "No, what are you?"
"Lilin." The mysterious man casually replied, "Like you, it is considered a Homō who has gone through many trials and tribulations."
McNeil did not decipher any clues worth pondering from this strange name. He gave up the idea of inquiring about the other party's origins, and instead discussed some intelligence related to his mission. Last time, he had died in vain, a victim of the EU Defense Force's internal conflicts and secret dealings between the enemy and allied, which was one of the last things he wanted to see happen. If he had been able to get more information or a higher position, he would have hoped to change that outcome. Now, it was all for naught, he believed the war would still end in an EU victory, and what happened after that was completely beyond his expectations. He wasn't a war monger, but he wasn't going to stand idly by when war came.
"Then I should protest to you: next time I should have a choice." McNeil coughed a few times, "You made me a hobo, making me rather passive throughout. If I hadn't gotten lucky and hooked up with the Governor-general through a case, I think I'd probably be a nameless corpse casually dumped on the streets during the Rhodesian Rebellion."
"The right to choose isn't always a good thing, and smart choices can end up worse."
"There is nothing worse than that ending." McNeil repeated, "First, as a basis for mutual trust, I would like to be informed of my purpose, and secondly some necessary intelligence."
Lilin nodded, sort of agreeing to McNeil's conditions.
"Good, now for the first question: purpose."
"All humans have a tendency to self-destruct, and all life is no exception." Lilin looked like a qualified priest, "As a matter of fact, the vast majority of the parallel worlds I just mentioned probably have an end result that leads to extinction, and the probability is not low. It is in the nature of you ... humans to kill each other, and I think you are well aware that the human civilization you live in is on the verge of extinction. You are a hero, General McNeil ... is a hero recognized by most people in a civilization, even your enemies. If I hadn't called you here, then by the next day you would have embarked on the same path ... except that it would have been at the mercy of some ambitious people to destroy rather than repair and save the world."
"I am not an expert in destruction."
"Alas, don't be too quick to deny it - I believe your subjective intentions are good, but the objective result is often that you single-handedly push the situation to the point of no return." Lilin pointed to a painting hanging on the wall depicting an old house on fire, "I mean the result, not the process. People tend to only care about the outcome as well, the motive is irrelevant."
McNeil was about to retort when Lilin turned his head away. McNeil followed the other man up, but the black-robed man instantly disappeared without a trace, unable to find a trace McNeil returned to his original position to find another door had appeared in the wall. He cautiously opened the door and walked into the room, inside was a bedroom, there were many materials and food around the bedroom, it looked like Lilin had prepared enough resources for him. After already experiencing the feeling of being pulverized once, McNeil desperately needed to rest, and he couldn't care less about decency as he collapsed headfirst onto the bed and huffed and puffed. He didn't know how long this sleep lasted, and when he finally woke up, the timer above his head showed that he had slept for about two days. Conscious of being somewhat out of sorts, McNeil hastily washed up and made his way to the hall of the chamber where Lilin was waiting.
"You wish me to be a hero?"
"It's a shame that you weren't able to save your world from Tiberium ... Individuals are always powerless in the waves of history." Lilin handed McNeil a copy of the manual, "You believe you have the power to save the day, then I give you ample opportunity to play the role of savior."
"The name of hero sounds a bit vile now."
"People will always pin their hopes on the hero, and they don't care what becomes of the hero after he accomplishes greatness ..."
McNeil finished reading this information and had his own plans in mind. Li Lin had explained to him in the information the possible directions of many different types of parallel worlds, different types of world situations, different types of civilizations, different cultures and societies ... These were things that McNeil couldn't even imagine. He was too weak to have any ability to change the big picture, and could only play an inconspicuous and small role in the middle of the chaos, which was not what McNeil wanted to see. It meant that he was powerless to do anything but stand by and watch when one had a tragedy.
"Frankly, I'd like to find a place to vacation."
"Then I recommend a post-nuclear war wasteland where you don't have to worry about the minions of any superpower following you around trying to dig up your secrets." McNeil's body appeared on the right side of his body, a scene he least expected, a scene he desperately needed to avoid. Something like a world war destroying human civilization was best left in artistry, it should never happen.
"... No thanks, I think I'm still getting used to the intense pace." McNeil smiled awkwardly, "However, you should understand that I struggled for decades in the military to achieve my original position, if I were to be involved in a violent conflict and change of situation as an ordinary person, I don't think even a genius would have the ability to intervene in the situation. Therefore, I hope that I can get some support, so at least I don't have to die an ugly death."
"Then you'll be waiting to be hunted down day and night by the superpowers after they catch hold of you."
"... No way!?" McNeil plummeted, "Lilin, I think they should have tried to pull in characters of unknown origin and with no clear animosity towards themselves, instead of rashly deciding to wipe them out."
"I don't seem to recall that being the case when you ordered the Forgottens of unknown origin to be cleaned up." Lilin glared at McNeil, who immediately went silent. The matter of the GDI suppressing the Forgotten uprising during the Third Tiberian War was a stain that McNeil couldn't erase for the rest of his life, and despite the fact that he had neither ordered nor commanded the entire operation, he still felt that he needed to take responsibility. He had reneged on his oath, he had been the Forgotten's staunchest ally, when he had been nothing more than an accomplice. He had no face to meet his fallen comrades, the traitor didn't deserve it.
He admitted that he had been awful. He had been in this new world for a few months now, and there were still many secrets waiting to be unearthed, or at least McNeil still thought he knew nothing about the truth of the world. If he had a higher position and more access, he could have completely dragged the forces behind the war into the sunlight and made these rats who only hid in the shadows taste worse than death. Unfortunately, he couldn't do it. He couldn't do it when he was a general of GDI, and he couldn't do it even more now.
"Man, I've completed a mission with many times to death, and while it's true that even I find the results disconcerting, you're not going to let me rush to my next destination empty-handed, are you?"
"General McNeil, if you had legions of armies, the balance would be upset ... I am well aware of your talents." Lilin smiled, "What I can give you is knowledge, force is only a by-product of knowledge."
A capital SCORE:D appeared on the left wall.
"... That's pretty bad." McNeil held his head in shame and began to reflect on himself. He should have asked Governor Herzog to investigate the dealings within the Defense Force before joining the army, so that he wouldn't have to choose to stay put and act as a decoy at the critical moment of the dilemma. If it wasn't for the fact that the EU Defense Force had control of the air, he wouldn't even be able to act as a decoy and would only be wiped out by the other side.
"It's okay, people will always fail ... I have also failed, and it is more desperate than a failure you can imagine."
"What have you lost?"
"The entire world. Everything."
McNeil sighed; he didn't want to pursue someone else's past. Everyone had a difficult history to tell, so let the darkness of those pasts remain in the memories forever.
"In fact, I'd like you to tell me bluntly what form of help I can expect from you."
"As I have already said, I only have knowledge ... you can stockpile enough intelligence before running to your next destination."
"Lilin, intelligence expires, and no amount of untested intelligence means anything." McNeil sighed, "Besides, I'm just a soldier, even if you provide me with the principles of the FTL navigation engine, I would still be unable to decipher them. That kind of knowledge is utter garbage in my hands, but in the hands of some true experts it could make history. Therefore, I would like you to provide me with people who have mastered the knowledge."
"No problem-"
"Great, I need 10 mechanics experts, 10 physicists, and 10 biologists right now ..."
"... I didn't say you could take an entire legion on vacation." Lilin immediately dispelled McNeil's illusions, "It seems that you will use every favorable factor to bargain with me."
"I'm sorry, I don't fight unprepared wars, with the exception of the kind of alien invasion that exceeds expectations." McNeil laughed out loud, "I just wasn't used to the ordeal last time, now I think I can change all that ... Starting with the next world, I hope to practically keep the world safe from tragedy."
McNeil thought of all the famous and brilliant people who had appeared in history, heroes who were able to dominate an era - but the world had not changed for the better because of their presence. There were times when times would deteriorate inexorably, and things would only get worse. McNeil worried about this, and he began to wonder if his presence was actually making things worse.
"Let's make a game of it."
"A ... game?"
"Right." Lilin said seriously, "I can't give you any force strong enough to intervene in the situation, but I'm able to give those characters who have already become ancient a chance to fight alongside you. Come, since you wish to find a genius who can research new technologies, I have three alternative figures here."
Images of the three men appeared before McNeil's eyes. Wong Hu Chan, the chief scientist of GDI's Ion Cannon project, who was assassinated by the NOD Brotherhood before the Ion Cannon was actually completed, and whose handiwork had allowed GDI to completely gain the ability to suppress the globe, and even gain the ability to fight back against visitors from outer space during SCRIN's incursion; and Egon Schuller, a big-name EU genius scientist, and a technical full general of the EU Army. A Swiss who received his doctorate at age sixteen and was hired as a tenured professor at age twenty, most of the EU's and GDI's cutting-edge weaponry came from his and his lab's name.
It's worth noting that Professor Schuller was partially responsible for the development of the Ion Cannon after Wong Hu Chan's death.
Michael McNeil saw a third person, and he called out in surprise.
"What's going on?"
"This guy ..."
"What's the problem?"
"He's got a lousy reputation."
Shimada Shinji, the chief director of the Shiro Mind Research Center in Japan, one of the culprits of the Omega Project. This guy who was obsessed with mind technology and superpowers was known for his inhumane human experiments, and later died in an inexplicable experimental accident, with no one knowing the cause and effect of the accident.
"Would the great General McNeil also judge a person by virtue of his morality?"
"If the others are at best slight minus points in terms of morality, he's practically zero in that regard."
"It's undeniable that he's a genius." Lilin pointed to Shinji Shimada's avatar, "If you need occult research, probably this guy is better at it than anyone else."
McNeil was born in the last years of the twentieth century, when Wong Hu Chan and Shimada Shinji were dead and only Egon Schuller was still active in scientific research. More than twenty years later McNeil was fortunate enough to follow Solomon to meet Egon Schuller for a time, when the old, now bald, pedant seemed curious about mind technology and thought it was a whole new field worth delving into - and within one or two years, he was dead.
Perhaps Egon Schuller had really come across some secret that no one else should know about.
"I thought I'd go with someone I knew well." McNeil made his final decision, "I hope you bring me a level-headed Professor Schuller, I don't need a poor man lying in a hospital bed waiting to break like the old me."
A few minutes later a door appeared in the wall of the chamber and a young man in a white lab coat stepped through it, the door closed quickly behind him. McNeil watched helplessly as a greasy bald man approached him, how he hadn't realized that Egon Schuller had actually become bald in his youth. He had assumed that most people started losing their hair in middle age, like him.
"Looks like hell is not quite what I expected." Egon Schuller held up his huge round rimmed glasses, "There are no frying pans or demons here, maybe Satan likes to read."
"You are mistaken, this is not hell." Lilin replied without looking back, "The details are a bit complicated to explain, I think this McNeil can explain the cause and effect to you."
Egon Schuller looked hesitantly at McNeil, who eventually extended his right hand toward the other in tentative greeting.
"You do not remember me?" McNeil exclaimed, "I'm Michael McNeil, General Solomon brought me to visit you when ... it was 2023, you should remember, right?"
"I'm sorry, there were too many people who came to see me at that time, I don't remember." Schuller said without changing his face, "I beg your pardon, my memory is not very good."
A few minutes later, Egon Schuller learned an important fact: he was indeed dead, only in some form or another he had appeared in this mysterious dimension and was soon to go with McNeil to a new world to fulfill an important mission.
"In advance, don't bother me with non-technical questions."
"It's a deal."
OR2-EP0 END
Chapter Notes:
A new story has begun, and this time we'll focus on the eve of the outbreak of World War III in the 2140s.
Names appearing in this work are spelled in their original order, which means that all Japanese names appearing will have the family name first and the given name second.