030. [Anon Text + Images.]

[explosivecombat]

[Well, good afternoon, network - it's been a few months since this particular device has been active. There's an ID assigned to it, of course; those familiar with Team Rocket's activities in the past may recognize it as belonging to the individual calling himself Seth.

He's been inactive lately, as far as crime goes; that doesn't mean he hasn't been busy.

Today's message comes with a few lines of text and an attachment; the text is definitely deliberate, to say the least.]

What does this world mean to you? Do you think it's something worth protecting, or would you rather sit on the sidelines and watch it burn? This place is more than sunshine and Pokémon battles. If given the choice to make a difference, would you take it?

[As usual, there's a set of photos attached to the message; the first few show a desk in a nondescript room, covered in various mechanical things - those who are familiar with incendiary devices and triggers in your world will likely recognize them. The rest?

Those are bombs. A lot of bombs.

The last two are the usual shot of the Rocket member in question, in full Team uniform and shot from about chest-level, keeping his face and other defining features out of the shot. He's not holding anything stolen this time around; rather, it's one of those white cards that he's used to deliver messages before, the words written on it scrawled out in thick, blocky lettering as though someone had gone over the words repeatedly, obscuring any sort of distinctive handwriting for the sake of making it far less identifiable.

LET'S HAVE A WAR.

The final shot is similar to the first; only the card has changed.

OLIVINE CITY.

YOU HAVE THREE DAYS.]

Comments

[imthe_shit]

You ordered a sniper unit, and they tried to shoot you? Nice place, your country.

[explosivecombat]

Bear in mind that it produced me as well, so I'm not really sure what you were expecting.

[imthe_shit]

[ Snake gives a bit of a smile at that, and then reminds himself this was the enemy. Damn it. ]

So, what happened to the Sniper Unit?

[explosivecombat]

[Well, they're only enemies on a professional level, as far as he's concerned - though, granted, that's getting into an entirely different set of horrible psychological problems.]

I actually don't know; I disappeared into a neighboring country to commit a rather large act of treason shortly after that incident.

[...It's always at about this point in these sorts of conversation that Kimblee tends to realize that his life story is literally ridiculous; now is not any exception to that rule.]

[imthe_shit]

Busy boy. I can see why this sort of place must drive you nuts from inaction.

For me, though, I welcome the holiday.

[explosivecombat]

Again, war is something I enjoy; it's something I do for myself. No matter how noble the goal, it's going to wear one down if they're fighting for someone or something else, like a loved one or a cause. I suspect it's because there's a goal to be set in the first place, in cases like that; there's a "finish line", a point when one's work will be done. Whereas in cases like mine, war is both the means and the goal - it's all-consuming, there is no ending that I'm seeking.

But as I've said, I can admire those with goals, even if I don't fundamentally agree with them - having that sort of tenacity keeps them alive when they have nothing else.

[imthe_shit]

No ending.

So before when you mentioned benefits, are you just benefiting from a war existing, since you don't believe in having a goal for yourself?

[explosivecombat]

That's close, I think, but it's not exactly it.

It's as I told you in the beginning - I facilitate change. It's my role in the world that I came from; I've co-existed with conflict and war all my life, and I've accepted my role as a weapon designed for the sole purpose of bringing death to whatever I touch.

Obviously, a weapon is only as good as the forces that wield it; I admit that I don't have much power of my own, nor do I have much agency. But the way I operate is such that the power I willingly give up is returned to me tenfold - I gave up some of my agency but gained the ability to destroy cities in a single strike; I gave up a few years of my life but gained the ability to affect the course of the country's future, as well as those of all the people in it; I gave up a vital part of my life and gained the ability to destroy one of the most powerful beings in the world; I gave up my life itself and gained the ability to decide the future of humanity, even after death.

I've always been hired to salvage "unwinnable" situations, but those who set me to that purpose just have a grave misunderstanding of how the world works; I'm often called inhuman or some sort of monster, but that's an underestimation of power. The human spirit is designed to be an unstable element, to exist within the rules of the world and yet bend those rules to their will. Where I'm from, the human soul is a tangible thing that can break those rules entirely - it's the only substance on the planet capable of it. Any situations that are deemed unwinnable have been evaluated by someone who doesn't know what they're doing and how to force an exchange of power to their liking.

I'm a weapon that evolves as it's used; I acquire the power I overcome. I use that power to force humanity to change - to bring conflict into the world such that they might learn from it, to show them "unwinnable" situations and force them to win or be annihilated.

It would be very easy to say that as a weapon, I have no power of my own; I won't argue that notion. Yet I decide who inherits the world.

[imthe_shit]

[ Well, that was helpful. Snake is just gonna try and figure out a way to save this information... Unfortunately he's still not the greatest at these sorts of gadgets. ]

So, you're dead?

Have a hard time letting go of things, don't you?

[explosivecombat]

Oh, very dead. Twice over, actually. It hasn't stopped me yet.

And I wouldn't say so, really. It depends on what "things" we're talking about.

[imthe_shit]

If you're dead, you're supposed to "let go" of the living world, aren't you?

Not that I've ever had experience with dying.

[explosivecombat]

That's not quite how it worked with me, unfortunately. My situation is a bit unique.

If things continue on as they seem to have been going when I left, I may not be around much longer; I'm not a ghost or whatever you seem to be thinking, however - I'm not some sort of vengeful spirit or anything. I don't have it in me to be truly angry in the first place, much less angry enough to defy the laws of the world.

[imthe_shit]

You're not a ghost, but you died? Were you speaking metaphorically or something?

[ Snake knows their conversation is drawing to a close. Still, he at least feels like he got some useful information. At least for himself. ]

[explosivecombat]

Not at all. I just wasn't...physically around anymore.

Perhaps I'll explain it to you some other time.

[imthe_shit]

[ Snake knows all about ghosts acting up from the grave... And causing hell. ]

Fine. That's all I'll need to know for now.