“That is the containment issue. So it seems like an engineering problem. That you will solve eventually.”

“Hopefully. I make no promises in this line of work. I am a medical doctor not an engineer. I oversee the design team and look at things holistically. But it isn’t simple or easy.”

“What about directionality?” I asked.

“Now you are getting into the other headache. The system cannons make it so easy. Just shove in points and a crafting crystal, instant beam. But the cost is even more gut clenching.” I nodded at this. It really was from the numbers I had looked at. “So now we are entering an entirely new problem.”

“The thing with containment, it is one thing to contain the blast and direct it out an opening. It is another thing to make that blast into a beam. How do we turn a crafting crystal into a beam?” I thought about that question and there was no clear answer.

“I can make cannons and bombs all day. But this is something that needs to shoot across at least a mile. That means I need to turn that energy into beam energy. And there is no beam type if you hadn’t noticed.”

“How does one turn fire or electricity into a beam?”

“What about mirrors and using light energy?” I asked.

“The opposite of light is shadow. How does one make a shadow beam? Shadow doesn’t reflect, and I was told we needed an annihilation beam. That means two beams combining into one.”

“What about a long tube so the energy has only one way to go out?” I asked.

“Our first idea. Make an actual cannon instead of those upsized rods the system gives. But energy isn’t like a cannonball. It bounces around and played with the opening and everything else. Every time the energy bursts out of the end as an explosion or shotgun. But that isn’t a beam.”

I didn’t have any more ideas off the top of my head. “I see the problem now.”

“Indeed. It is a nightmare. We are trying different enchanting combinations and designs, but nothing gives a beam property. I have tried working out what a beam skill does and even got one myself. But it just is too complex to work backwards from. Whatever the system is doing, it is structuring the energy in just the right way and drawing it in. The number of types that go into a beam and their usage is beyond complex.”

“And the beam cannons?” I asked.

“I have looked, but the same issue. It isn’t really hidden, but I got the Sense stat and had it upgraded to two thousand. Even then, I can’t tell anything.” Good thing I didn’t volunteer, I would have looked like an idiot, since I had the same Sense stat.

“So, containment and directionality,” I muttered.

“Yes, the two biggest holdups from Clarissa’s beam of doom plan. Just to check, you sure it is absolutely necessary?”

“I am afraid so Doctor Katz. The Divine Empress has stats that boggle the mind and other advantages. Anything less than multiple annihilation beams on her position won’t work.”

“Well, then we are going to be bunkering down for a while. Because we are three years out from a prototype if we are lucky. And that is if we are incredibly lucky.”

“You won’t have a breakthrough tomorrow?” I asked.

“It could happen. But we have to methodically test everything we can. And the testing is the main hold up. The research plans have been drawn up. Unless there is a development, we need to go through each design and combination one at a time and observe the results. Proper science, not this hodgepodge of throwing everything together and hoping it works. That is how idiots get blown up.” I really wanted to tell the good doctor to go faster, but it was clear he had his line in the sand. Probably why he was still alive.

“I see. So we are stuck then.”

“We are making progress. Just slowly. Pick two, cost, time, and quality. I am constrained by cost and we can’t half ass the quality on something like this or you will just blow yourself up.”

We sat there in silence and sipped our water. “So, what news from the front? I am about a month behind on any updates that come my way.” I smiled a bit and began to share everything I had done with the good doctor, except taking the child with me. I knew the good doctor wouldn’t approve using a child as bait and didn’t want to have that argument.

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I finished my story and then had a question. “That meat puppet, flesh wall, and Throne of Tortured Souls, and people coming back after being killed, what is your guess on how they work and perhaps their purpose?” I asked.

“Bio research. That is a direction I hadn’t considered. We have been looking at physical materials, but perhaps biomaterials could be useful.” I let the good doctor mull things over for a bit. “Flesh is one of the types of energy. I hadn’t been thinking too much about that before, but it also has energy absorption properties.”

“The trick would be releasing the energy how one wants it to be released. Beyond the twisted and sick, I could see how it might work. I have just touched on the concept of resonance.”

“Go on,” I said and the good doctor didn’t stop.

“That is when two living, or thinking things have the exact same energy signature. They resonate at a distance. But there are issues with such a thing. A human mind can’t be split like that and the experiences of a person would cause the energy to quickly misalign.”

“With what you mentioned about pregnant women being taken and used and those abnormal children, my guess in vitro experiments. Where they make living clones by imprinting a child with energy within the womb. Since children have no energy until they are born.”

“So, someone could overwrite a child to make a replica of themselves. Keep the child somewhere out of sight with the mother, or put the child into a suspended animation of some kind, using life crystals to keep it alive. Then the main body dies, bam, their mind can leap to a new body. But their would be energy loss and other issues.”

“Like?” I asked.

“Well brain damage. Energy is psychoactive. And while a person needs a brain to live, it would be feasible to jump brains. But the brain would be different. A child’s brain. There would be less room. Energy would get lost. That means it would incur brain damage and create personality issues as chunks of a person disappeared.”

“It would be a measure of last resort I would say. Or something to use on a disposable minion, like you made this Envoy appear to me.” I nodded at this. “All in all, it isn’t practical or something I would advise. The biggest issue I could see would be losing your stats and skills.”

“Ah, well then, nope. I would rather die, than have to grind back up again,” I replied. I could grind, but the mental barrier to doing it all again would be immense.

“Well not all people would choose that. But bioresearch, I understand anatomy, but this would require experiments I am not comfortable with. We are not doing them,” the good doctor said. I stared back at him in a contest of wills.

“The Divine Empress must be stopped,” I said.

“You don’t think I don’t know about the death camps Clarissa has set up. Sorry, processing camps, or supply camps. I haven’t said anything, but you are using people to make hybrids for the war effort and for consumption.”

“Yes, I won’t deny it. It is our only chance.” The good doctor shook his head.

“And you become the thing you are fighting against. I won’t speak out, or publicly say anything. But I won’t experiment on pregnant women like this Master Fleshcrafter. I am a healer, not a killer. I dislike working on this super weapon, but I understand the need.”

“Where the material is unwilling, flesh might provide the answer. We need to win Doctor Katz. Otherwise we are all dead.”

“I will not compromise my principles, Champion Michael. We are not the evil empire as you put it. If we do the exact same things, how are we any different?”

“I won’t make a throne of screaming heads?” I pointed out. The good doctor opened his mouth and then closed it before speaking again.

“Alright, fair point. A throne of screaming heads is…I don’t know what to even say. You aren’t making it up, and it wasn’t like one head?”

“Heads doctor, plural. They were screaming. Their eyes were moving. They had tongues. If we lose, we are going into a throne just like that. You, me, Clarissa.”

“I understand, but I won’t become evil to fight evil Champion Michael. You can find someone else.”

“I won’t threaten you, but we are on the brink of annihilation doctor. Anything that can give us an edge against the Divine Empress.”

“History is filled with examples of bad decisions just like that. Where people wanted to do anything to win.”

“Yes, and victors write history. Look into and consider bioresearch.”

“I will, but no promises,” the good doctor replied and I nodded. That was the best compromise I could ask for and he couldn’t be replaced unfortunately. If it was a time of peace and there was no Divine Empress, I would have gotten rid of him as my chief researcher. But I guess it was good to not have a crazy person in that position.

Why did being sane and careful have to come with ethics? “So, there is one more thing you need to work on as well.”

“What is it?” the good doctor asked tiredly. I smiled, since I knew what would lighten the mood.

“A name. You are designing a super weapon. Like the atomic bomb, or the Death Star. All good super weapons have unique names.” The good doctor grinned a bit at that.

“I will admit a few have crossed my mind. But naming it before it is finished is bad luck. Once it is working, I will pick out a name, don’t you worry. Katz Hyper Cannon, has a nice ring to it, but I will need to think on it a lot more.”

“Well, it needs a good sounding acronym. KHC sounds like a fast-food chain. Katz Focused Cannon, KFC? It turns people into fried chickens?” I suggested.

“Hmm, you might be onto something there. I am glad you are still around. I was worried you know. Clarissa was too, but she has a hard time saying things like that.”

“Thanks doctor. I am glad you made it out as well. Hopefully we have many years of peace once we defeat the Divine Empress. Or perhaps she is permanently missing,” I replied.

“Not thinking of using the super weapon on the rest of your enemies?” Doctor Katz asked.

“Pinning them down is the hard part. And don’t ask. It is top secret, need to know.” The good doctor gave me a look.

“I suspect it is something horrible that I will disagree with. Did you steal her child or something?” I kept my face still, but something must have given me away. “I see. I won’t ask what I don’t want you to confirm.”