Parallel Vol. 6

Chapter 2: Reunion

Soon, a train consisting of one car and one cargo hold rolled into the station.

James and Ayumi stepped into the train, and it rolled back the way it came after the doors shut.

Ayumi took a seat and looked at James who had remained standing. "You were saying about my duties..."

"Ah, yes, your duties." James nodded. "You have two primary duties. The first is not optional, and the second is likewise if you choose to join Suzuki. The first duty is to continue playing L.N.E as is. Discover new secrets, grow stronger and research new ways to manipulate mana like you've been doing."

"Why? What is the purpose of doing all that?"

"Well, most of that is classified. You'll need Level 3 clearance for that. By the way, you're currently Level 7 based on what you've accomplished in Line."

"Understood. What can you tell me then?"

"An increase in strength in-game is directly proportional to how strong you get in reality."

Ayumi frowned in thought. "The syringe?"

"Exactly. We've hooked up all capsules in the compound with our solution. Overtime, you will be exposed to increasing quantities to boost your strength and latent potential. You can think of it as our super-solider serum."

"Is that... safe? Or legal?"

James chuckled. "Legality depends on who you're asking, when. However, regarding safety, I can assure you that it is 100% safe as long as its intake is controlled." The young man paused and then added, "If it makes you feel better, we are not the only ones with this serum. Many nations have something similar. Otherwise, none of their pilots would be able to handle the rigors of Mobile Suits."

"I can tell from your smug gaze that you feel your serum is superior. Am I cleared to know why?"

"No, you are not. But, I am in a good mood imagining Su-chan's annoyed expression. He's so cute when he's angry, you know." James quietly laughed. "But, yeah, ours is superior. It's the only one that allows constant growth. The other countries' serums grant a lot of strength, but then the individual's power is fixed at that level with little chance for growth. Furthermore, our serum not only affects physical strength, but also mental acuity. If you weren't already a genius, you would be hard-pressed not to become one after taking out serum."

"That all sounds to good to be true. What are the side-effects?"

"Should I say as expected?" James shrugged and then admitted, "Fine, it's not all randy dandy. The drug is too strong, so we must administer it in tiny doses. A large dose could cripple the subject, cause madness or in very rare cases, death. Furthermore, if the subject is not used to handling such strength, they could harm themselves or worse."

Ayumi stared pointedly at James.

The man shivered under the deathly stare. "Hey, I know what you're thinking, but I would never risk your life like that. You think Razznik is scary? I would never want to be on the receiving end of Suzuki's vengeance. No, the solution we gave you is one of very few we've been able to create."

James held up two fingers as he explained, "There are two major points of concern when injecting the serum. First is the organs. Our bodies are used to functioning under certain conditions. When something happens that severely disrupts those conditions, it can result in disastrous consequences such as commonly going into shock. The serum, aside from destroying and reconstructing the body, pushes the heart to pump far more blood than usual. However, because your brain knows this should be dangerous, it intervenes, slowing this down to protect you. Unfortunately, this results in less blood going where it should when it should during the reconstruction process, often resulting in atrophied organs or death."