Chapter Sixteen – Die Welt ist im Wandel

Chapter Sixteen – Die Welt ist im Wandel

“Sure, we live in a multicultural, multilingual world.

But if you don’t speak the same language as me, then I still think you’re a weirdo.”

–Witch streamer CielCiel minutes before being cancelled, 2036

***

I leaned back a little in my stool. “So, Doc, how have things been, besides the whole Phobos situation?”

Radikal blinked owlishly, then casually shrugged. “Things have generally been well. There’s always a slow return to some form of normalcy after such a big event. And the Phobos incident was one that the Nachtwächternetzwerk willingly chose to embark on. There’s some political barking about our Storm device, but it’s hardly the first time we’ve built or purchased something capable of causing mass destruction.”

“Yeah, I can see why people would bitch about it, but it’s kind of pointless to whine about one nuke when you’re sitting on a stockpile of them,” I said.

“Exactly, yes,” he said. “In any case, the state of things is returning to the way we like them.”

“What’s that mean?” I asked.

“There are fewer threats of human extinction this week than there were in the last. Our doomsday clock has slid back several microseconds.”

“Doomsday clock, huh? What hour’s it at?” I asked.

Radikal chucked. “Twenty-three fifty-nine.”

“Ah, well shit,” I said as I reached up to rub my face. “You know, I started to go to school this week. For the first time in… anyway. Uh, learning that we’re so close to everything going tits up kind of makes that seem like a waste of time.”

The doc shook his head. “No. I believe, firmly, that there is a serious need for us Vanguard to have real, stable lives. I’m not a top-tier one myself, but I have been a Samurai for ten years now. Eleven? Ah, it has been a while. I’ve seen some young souls become Vanguards and lose a great part of themselves as they race to the top. They come to their senses eventually, or they’re the kind of person for whom such a high level of power feels natural, but I think that taking things slow and keeping a firm grasp on your humanity is important. If your way of doing this is to attend school and be surrounded by normal people, then so be it.”

“I don’t think there’s much risk of me forgetting my humanity or whatever. Or leaving normal people behind,” I said. I had the kittens to look after, and Lucy to keep me… more or less grounded.

“Ah, I shouldn’t have presumed. Forgive me,” he said. “In any case, what is that I see behind you? The leg of a mechanized system?”

“Huh? Oh, that’s the leg of my mech. One of them. It’s… kind of semi-taken apart. There was this nasty fucking model thirty-something that took a few bites out of my mech and left it all sorts of fucked. I’ve been fixing it since. I have another to use in the meantime.”

“Ah, a mechanic! Perhaps you’d fit into the Network better than you think. We support a number of more engineering-inclined Samurai.”

No way was I gonna head over and embarrass myself in front of the Germans.

“It’s just a hobby,” I said. “Don’t go looking at me if anything breaks down.”

Talking with Radikal was… nice? The guy had this sort of ‘awkward scientist’ vibe in the way he dressed and moved, but it didn’t feel that way at all when he talked. I guess I was stereotyping him based on his looks or something, but as we chatted about this and that, he never really dropped the ball.

Before I knew it, half an hour had passed. He’d told me a few stories about some of the people he worked with, and I got to tell a few about how shit had gone down around the Big Gun.

“I actually don’t know what we’re going to do with it now,” I said. “The army’s still stationed all around it, as far as I know. I think they’re building up an entire ass base right next to the Big Gun? It’s not a really great place for that, but… actually, it’s not terrible either.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” he asked.