Amuro Ray probably wouldn't respond if I just said that the Zeon military wanted to talk to him, but he valued the work he had put into Haro. This was probably the best approach to start a conversation with him, and I would have an easier time manipulating the boy over live communication. I didn't like using such an underhanded tactic, but it was worth it if I could take an important piece away from the enemy. Perhaps I could convince the Flanagan Institute to take him.
It was approaching noon by the time I left the public library. I smiled politely at the librarian at the front desk as I left. Most likely, I would have to return here to check my email again.
As I drove out of the library's parking lot, I lamented the state of technology in the Earth Sphere. Giant robots and county-sized space colonies existed, but I had yet to see a single cell phone since I arrived. Radio and satellite communication were definitely possible, since I was able to use those in my Zaku, but the electronics were apparently too big to fit inside of your pocket. It felt as if this universe had gone all-in on heavy industry and completely forgotten about miniaturization. Giant robots and phone booths were standard in this world.
By 1300 hours, I had reached Zeonic HQ in District Four. Zeonic's headquarters was a campus of several stone buildings with a gargantuan square structure sitting in the center. They reminded me of those old NASA buildings I saw when I visited Cape Canaveral on vacation as a child.
I tossed my bomber jacket into the passenger seat and reoriented my villainous black cloak as I approached the outer perimeter of the campus. A large automatic gate blocked my path forward, and I pulled my car up next to a security checkpoint.
"Please state your name and business at Zeonic," the guard at the gate said without looking at me.
"My name is Captain Sebastian Dogwood of the Space Attack Force (S.A.F.), and I guess I'm here due to simple curiosity," I said with a smile.
"Sir," the guard said with a sudden salute. "Go right ahead! I apologize for not letting you through immediately!"
I returned the salute before saying, "It's fine. Keep up the good work, soldier."
A few minutes later, I parked my rental car near the giant building in the center of Zeonic HQ. I wasn't looking for anyone in particular. Any high-ranking engineer at Zeonic would be sufficient to help me start work on the United Maintenance Plan.
The side entrance to the large central building was closed, so I knocked a few times. Nobody came for a few minutes. The building was probably too big for the sound of my knocking to carry very far. I decided it would be easiest to just stand by the door and wait for someone to come by.
Eventually, an unexpected person opened the door from the inside of the giant structure. A young girl in her early teens held open the door for me. With a slight bow, she said, "I'm so sorry! We only received the message that you were here a minute ago!"
"Okay, thanks," I said, entering the building. "Are you here with your parents, Miss? Do you need help finding them?"
"No, sir. I work here," the girl said.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"I'm fourteen. Oh! My name is May Kauwin! It's nice to meet you!"
"Yeah," I muttered. "Nice to meet you."
My teeth clenched as I noticed the crest on May's neck marking her as a member of Zeon's military. Normal military service wasn't suitable for children, and the military of Zeon was far worse than normal.
"Do you know Helen Whitesmith?" I asked.
"I saw that name once in some database. She works on Project J, I think," May said, scrunching her face in recollection of a distant memory.
"Hmm, I see. Can you bring me to your boss?" I asked.
"Of course! Come this way!" May said enthusiastically.
Fourteen? Jesus. I knew that this universe came from the Shonen genre, so there were a lot of teenagers fighting on the front lines, but seeing it in person was something completely different. To my eyes, May Kauwin was just a child. She should have been in school, not working on machines of death that would inevitably be used to slaughter civilians.
Hell, Amuro Ray was just fifteen years old. Was the biggest threat to my safety really a child just a little bit older than May Kauwin?
How many children were going to join the Federation military? Would I have to kill children before the end of the war? The thought nauseated me.
A moment later, a terrible logic formed in the depths of my brain, unbidden by my conscious mind.
How many children had I already killed?
Some invisible barrier in my mind was pierced, and my compartmentalization, which had held strong until that moment, was shattered. It was as if a leak had been sprung in my mind, and a powerful emotion began flooding the parts of my mind where it shouldn't have been. In between steps, my eyes filled with tears. The same guilt that was tearing Garahau apart hit me like an unstoppable tidal wave.
"Shit," I swore, my voice breaking under the emotional strain. I fell to one knee as tears began streaming down my face. Ragged breaths started hissing through my clenched teeth as I was instantly brought to the edge of a complete nervous breakdown.
I violently threw up on the stone floor.
"Oh no!" May Kauwin exclaimed. "I'll get the doctor!"
I was left there, knelt over splattered vomit. Thus far, my behavior was explainable by a sudden illness, but it would become clear upon any level of inspection that I was experiencing an emotional response.
Like a sailor bailing sea water with a child's pail, I tried to rebuild the mental barriers that had been holding so well just moments before. It didn't work. I could no longer hide behind the necessity of my actions. Millions of innocent people were dead by my hand. It didn't matter why I did it.
I only had a few minutes to get myself back under control. If they found me sobbing and curled up in a ball for no reason, the myth of the pitiless Gray Demon would die forever.