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The following is a transcription taken from a privately recorded interview between an anonymous reporter and Dr. Rachel Thorn:
[REPORTER]: How long has it been since you’ve started development on Fuji?
[THORN]: Seven years, I’d say. I began not long after David was unveiled to the world.
[REPORTER]: You mean, you’ve been developing this thing since the Manhattan Convention?
[THORN]: Essentially, yes. There’s still much to be done.
[REPORTER]: That’s still a lot of work. I’m sure the Accelerationists are happy to have you.
[THORN]: Thank you.
[REPORTER]: Speaking of, would you mind telling me what exactly inspired you to work with them in the first place?
(Dr. Thorn paused after that. She was silent for a moment, before drawing in a breath and speaking again.)
[THORN]: There are three things in this world I treasure above anything else:
- Nature
- Humanity
- The good Dr. Gerbera.
[REPORTER]: Who?
[THORN]: Sorry, yes. Dr. Hanako Gerbera. They’re my partner. Business partner, I mean. While I remain here and develop new proposals for Fuji’s design, Dr. Gerbera oversees field research conducted by our scouts.
Much like meteorologists, they collect data like unusually steep shifts in barometric pressure levels, or seismic movement in the Earth too consistent to be an earthquake, and pinpoint where on the map the next Roil may open. Then, they relay these reports back to me, and I adjust Fuji’s design in anticipation of the next Goliath emergence.
[REPORTER]: So, you can predict when another Goliath will emerge, but can this data help you predict how it will act? Such as where it will go, or how aggressive it will be?
[THORN]: Not exactly. Much like people, the Goliaths are all unique. They each have their own behaviours, defense mechanisms, stress responses–what works as a prediction for one creature will not work for another. Frankly, the only thing they all have in common is their size.
Because they’re all so wildly distinct from each other, we still cannot accurately assess what actions mean what. Whether they attack out of fear, hunger, or aggression, no one can say for certain. By the time anyone might think to contain them for research, they’ve either leveled a dozen small towns, or have already been euthanized by the machines. The intent behind Fuji is that it will eradicate these Goliaths as swiftly and cleanly as possible by studying their biology in real time.
[REPORTER]: How do you suppose that will work?
[THORN]: It’s… a theory I have. While the biological reasoning of these creatures are a mystery, a common pattern amongst them is they have one weakness that can be taken advantage of to defeat them–I’ve been tentatively calling these their “Weak Points”. For example, Matakame had those two “horns” on its back, which split its shell when clogged. Blue Sky had short, delicate legs, and it collapsed under its own weight when tripped.
These methods of euthanization took much additional assistance from the government, but if all works as intended, Fuji would be able to identify each Goliath’s special Weak Point and come up with a solution that will safely euthanize the creatures all by itself.
[REPORTER]: Incredible! So, when it’s done, this’ll be like the ultimate monster-killing machine!
[THORN]: Yes…
[REPORTER]: Is something wrong?
[THORN]: Well, to be entirely honest, I’m not entirely sure how effective this plan is. Other automatons still get the job done quickly, while Fuji is very slow by comparison. It’s also been incredibly expensive, even for a project sponsored by the Japanese government. Most of the budget is going into its special adaptive technology, yet because no Goliaths have emerged as of late, we cannot guarantee it will always work as intended.
[REPORTER]: How come you’re so committed to it, then?
[THORN]: Because… It brings me no joy to see them die.
[REPORTER]: The Goliaths?
(She nodded.)
[THORN]: The first time Fuji was deployed, it was against a soft-bodied, mollusc-like Goliath. “Pearlfish”, the locals called it. Its skin was translucent, and in the core of its body was a bright, throbbing muscle that shifted colors in the light. It beat rhythmically like a human heart.
It happened right off the coast of Okinawa. From the Philippine Sea, Pearlfish flew like it was swimming through the air. In our base in Japan, we could only see what Fuji showed us in its blurry EFP vision. Our machine held its head up as it watched the creature approaching, staying perfectly still, until the creature angled itself up and disappeared into the clouds.
Given how slow it was, I feared Fuji would not react fast enough, and our years of work would be destroyed in a single moment. However, just as I’d hoped, Fuji pinpointed Pearlfish’s “heart” as its Weak Point the moment it saw it. As Pearlfish rapidly descended, Fuji reared up its right arm, and pierced a 90-foot long lance straight through the creature’s core.
Some living things give a death rattle when they die–a final gasp of life before it leaves them for good. From what little we could make out in the feed, we saw Pearlfish rear its head up one last time before falling limp on its spear. None of us heard it, but I’m sure we all felt it, given how our control panels began rumbling soon after. Like the call of a humpback whale, some Goliath vocalizations are impossible to hear without specialized technology. However, if you’re close enough, they can still be felt. I’ll never forget that feeling, that deep rumbling in my bones, of a desperate cry from something that was just about to die.
When its body was retrieved by the Goliath Waste Retrieval Committee, they provided us with additional information about the creature, like they did for all businesses who successfully disposed of the creatures. For a Goliath, Pearlfish was incredibly small, only around one hundred feet long. This led some to theorize it may have been a juvenile, and what we saw as an "attack" might have instead been an invitation to “play”. I never knew for certain. All I knew was it was once a living thing, with nothing else like it in our world. And now, it was dead.
[REPORTER]: Do you perhaps feel guilty about that?
[THORN]: Guilty… yes. Guilty for killing a Goliath, I’m not sure. Guilty for not dispatching Fuji fast enough to prevent ten-thousand deaths, absolutely. When I tried to assure myself that we did all we could, that we prevented thousands more from dying, I still felt no peace. Those people suffered. The creature suffered. No matter what, someone was always going to suffer.
…It’s my wish that Fuji will ensure that no one has to suffer when a Goliath emerges again.
Even if they’re fast, other automatons can be very brutal in their euthanization. On top of repair costs for buildings, clean-up crews still have to deal with spilled viscera. One village had their entire water supply poisoned by gallons of Goliath blood flooding the lake where they lived.
From what I’ve observed of past Goliaths, it takes quite a long time to dispose of them, and it no doubt causes them immense pain. Ultimately, I concluded that the shorter a Goliath has left to live, the less it has to suffer.
[REPORTER]: Do you really think there’s a “humane” way of killing them?
[THORN]: I hope so. For better or worse, these creatures are another part of life’s natural order. As such, I often hear arguments from the Stewards that it is invasive of us humans to interfere with that, but I beg to differ. Like a volcano covering a flower field in mountains of ash, even if it is not out of malevolence, they cause much pain and destruction to the environment.
As much as it pains me to say, I do not believe our planet is capable of housing all of them without endangering itself. Moreover, there are precious things in this world worth fighting for, precious people worth protecting…
[REPORTER]: Such as, your partner?
(She breathed out, and a fond smile graced her lips.
[THORN]: I suppose I’m not very subtle. Yes, I care for Hanako more than words can say.
[REPORTER]: You could say Dr. Gerbera might be your own “Weak Point”, then?
(She laughed.)
[THORN]: Yes, I’d say you’re right. Actually, another part of why I’ve chosen to stay here so long is… I’m worried for them.
[REPORTER]: How come?
[THORN]: Dr. Gerbera is… difficult to make sense of. They’re not rude, but they’re hardly social. When they smile, it doesn’t reach their eyes, and they use the same polite voice for everyone they speak to.
Though, one day, I was there when one of their scouts brought news that an unusually large seismic shift near the Indian Ocean may be a sign of another Roil forming. As I stood next to them, I saw their face light up in intrigue. Once they’d read the report, they handed it to me with a barely-concealed grin. They seemed giddy in the way a child would be before their birthday.
They’re deeply fascinated by these creatures, and it seems the chance of getting to see one in person gets a rise out of them by nothing else. I think I can understand, though. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited to learn that they’re living amongst creatures like the dinosaurs, only bigger?
…Actually, I think plenty of people would find that terrifying. I know I certainly do. And, as much as it concerns me, I do not wish to dull their passion for research. It only scares me to think that Dr. Gerbera might one day throw themself too deeply into this work, and if a Goliath emerges again, I won’t be able to save them from getting too close to it, and...
[REPORTER]: I’m glad they have someone like you to reel them in.
[THORN]: Well, they’re something of a wild card. I can only do so much from a distance. But… I think they know, that they’re very dear to me. It’s not much of a secret.
[REPORTER]: Would you say Dr. Gerbera is also a main motivator in Fuji’s development?
[THORN]: Definitely. They’re the reason I even took this job in the first place. When I first met them, I was young, timid and angry at the world. They’d just bought a bouquet from the flower shop nearby, and when they saw me on the ground, we struck up a conversation. When they left, they handed me a daisy from their bouquet. I kept it until it browned and shrivelled.
We met again at the Convention. I don’t quite remember exactly what we talked about, something about how designing machines for the Accelerationists might be fun, but… I do remember seeing their smile. Not one of their usual polite ones, but an earnest one. One that crinkled the corners of their eyes and showed me their almost-perfect teeth. Once the Convention was done, I left with hope that I could do something good for this world.
There is no current threat of a Goliath attack that we know of, yet the Roils still remain. I know it is selfish, but I… I can not bear to live in a world without Hanako. I want to protect humanity. I want to protect my best friend. And I will do whatever it takes to ensure that I get to see them grow old and grey.