Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

Chapter 104 Exposure Experiments

"Char, do you believe in mutual understanding?"

Char paused for a moment. "In the world I've seen, Newtypes can sense each other's emotions, even the thoughts of the dead. But that's not understanding," it's empathy. Sensing someone's pain doesn't equate to understanding why they're in pain. True understanding requires language, time, willing ears to listen, and an open heart."

"Then why do you still pursue changemakers?"

"Because changemakers can provide the foundation of empathy." Char turned and looked into Mina's eyes. "When people can sense each other's emotions, hatred becomes difficult. You can't continue to hate someone while simultaneously sensing their pain. That's just human nature."

Mina stared at him for a long time, her red eyes flashing with a complex light. "You are pursuing a world without hatred."

""

"I'm pursuing a world where hatred becomes difficult." Not impossible, but difficult. Difficult enough that maintaining hatred requires a tremendous psychological cost. Then, peace will no longer be an idealist's fantasy, but a rational choice for the majority.

Mina lowered her head, a slight smile appearing on her lips. "You always think so far ahead."

"If we don't think too far ahead, Orb no longer exists."

Late that night, Char stood alone on the observation deck of the Dawn Corporation, holding an encrypted terminal in his hand. The screen displayed the complete plan of the "Innovator Project"—four Gundams, the White Base, and the pilots who were about to be drawn into this experiment.

His finger slid across the screen, bringing up the combat data for the Goddess of Justice. That golden machine—no, the Goddess of Justice was silver-white, its paint scheme identical to the RX-78-2. In the UC era, that machine witnessed Amuro Ray's awakening. In this world, it would witness another kind of awakening.

"Who is the pilot of VEDA, the goddess of justice?"

"Currently, this is for you. If you need a different driver..."

"No," Char interrupted her. "The Goddess of Justice is my personal machine. The Innovator experiment begins with me."

"Your decision carries a risk. According to data from the 00th Era, the physiological reactions during the Innovator's awakening process may affect piloting safety. If you suddenly lose consciousness during combat—"

"So I will conduct the initial exposure in a safe environment. Not on the battlefield, but in a real simulation. Four Gundams will be activated simultaneously, releasing a high concentration of GN particles in a confined space. I will be sitting in the cockpit of the Gundam Justice, conducting virtual combat through the cockpit. Even if I lose consciousness, my life will not be in danger."

VEDA paused for three seconds. "The plan is feasible. But we need Dr. Erica Simmons's assistance."

Char shut down his terminal, looked up, and gazed at the stars in the night sky. In some corner of that starry expanse, deep in the Sahara Desert, the Archangel was preparing to depart. Kira, Murrue, Natalie, Mu, Lacus—each of them was fighting for survival. And he, in Orb, at Dawn, before the Veda terminal, was fighting for something else: the future of humanity.

"The Innovators," Char whispered, "are not the end, but the beginning. Like the New Humans, the Innovators will experience pain, confusion, and loneliness while sensing the emotions of others. But at least they have the opportunity to understand why you hate me." Because they can feel it.

The underground experimental field of the Dawn Society.

Four Gundams—the Goddess of Justice, the Goddess of the Sun, the Goddess of Chariots, and the Goddess of Judgment—stood side by side in the four corners of the experimental field. Their GN Drives were activated, and pale green GN particles overflowed from the gaps in their armor, spreading into a thin layer of luminous mist in the air. The particles shimmered faintly under the lights, and the entire experimental field was filled with a strange, refreshing atmosphere.

Char sat in the cockpit of the Justice Gundam, hands resting on his knees, his deep red eyes fixed on the holographic screen in front of him. The screen displayed real-time footage of the test site—the GN particle output power of the four mobile suits, the particle concentration in the cockpit, and his physiological data. Heart rate, blood pressure, brain waves—every curve was being monitored in real time by VEDA.

"Commander-in-Chief Ashar, all systems are normal," Erica's voice came through the communicator, tinged with tension. "GN particle concentration is rising. Currently five times the baseline. How are you feeling?"

"It's normal," Xia's voice was calm. "I feel no discomfort."

"The concentration continued to rise. Six times, seven times, eight times—"

'

When the concentration reached ten times the baseline value, Char felt a change. It wasn't pain, nor dizziness, but a strange "expansion." His consciousness seemed to be expanding outward, and his range of perception was increasing—he could "hear" the heartbeats of the technicians outside the experimental field, "sense" Erika's tension, and "feel" Mina's gaze from behind the observation window.

"Ten times the concentration, stable." Xia's voice remained calm. "My perception range has expanded."

2

"Should we stop?" Erica's voice was filled with obvious concern.

No. Continue.

The concentration continued to rise. Twelve times, fifteen times, twenty times—when the concentration reached twenty times the baseline value, Char's consciousness was suddenly torn apart.

It's not pain, it's overload.

Countless pieces of information flooded his mind simultaneously: the emotions of everyone inside and outside the experimental field, the operational status of every piece of equipment, the trajectory of every GN particle. His brain was instantly overwhelmed by information, and his consciousness began to fragment. He saw Erica's worry, Mina's tension, and the technicians' expectations and fears—each emotion was like a needle piercing his consciousness.

"Concentration twenty times the normal level, pilot's brainwaves are abnormal!" VEDA's voice rang out amidst the alarm. "Immediate cessation of the experiment is recommended!"

"No—" Char's voice was hoarse, "Hold on for—five more minutes—"

He closed his eyes, attempting to categorize, compress, and isolate the flood of information. The new human's brain structure gave him a natural advantage in information processing, but the stimulation of GN particles pushed this ability to its limits. He could feel his brain changing—not a change in physical structure, but a functional reorganization. The neuronal connections that had been restricted by the inhibitory subsequences were slowly being opened up under the influence of the GN particles.

"Three minutes — two minutes — one minute —"

When the experiment ended, Char's consciousness began to fade. He heard Erika's shouts, Mina's footsteps, and VEDA's alarm—then everything went dark.

When Char awoke from his coma, it was already the next morning. He lay on a bed in the Dawn Medical pod, an IV drip in his left hand and an encrypted terminal in his right. The screen displayed a summary of experimental data sent by Erica, showing that the GN particle concentration had reached a peak of twenty-five times the baseline value, and the exposure lasted for fifteen minutes. His brainwaves showed abnormal fluctuations in the later stages of the exposure, but no organic damage was found.

The first step of the Innovator Experiment was a success.

However, this also exposed a problem: the stimulation intensity of GN particles was not sufficient. A concentration twenty times higher could only cause temporary overload of consciousness, not true quantum wave awakening of the brain. To reach the threshold for transformative awakening, higher concentrations, longer exposure times, and—greater risks—were required.

Char put down his terminal and stared at the ceiling. Soft white light cast a halo around it, and the medical pod reeked of disinfectant. He thought of the Innovators of the 00th era—they fought on the brink of death, on battlefields teeming with high concentrations of GN particles. War is brutal, but it is also a catalyst for human potential. This wasn't the path he wanted to take, but perhaps the only viable one.

"VEDA, a personal diary."

"Please speak."

"The first exposure of the Innovator Experiment is complete. My consciousness expanded in the high-concentration GN particle environment, but true awakening did not occur. The threshold was higher than expected, and the risks were greater than anticipated. But I will not give up. For the possibility of mutual understanding in this world. Even if that possibility is small, even if it requires a huge price—someone will always do it."

He shut down the terminal and closed his eyes. Outside the window, the morning light of Orb shimmered on the sea. Further out, in the depths of the Sahara Desert, the Archangel was preparing for takeoff. Kira, Murrue, Natal, Mu, Lacus—each of them was fighting to survive. And he, in Orb, in the Dawn Order, on the front lines of the Innovator experiments, was also fighting for the same thing—to create a world where war was no longer necessary.

The plan for change has been ignited. It will burn, it will spread, it will illuminate the entire night sky. Perhaps not today, perhaps not tomorrow, perhaps not in this era. But the spark has been lit, and it will never be extinguished.

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