Charlotte: After the Plunder

Ponder

Charlotte, the comet that gives rise to abilities as we know them, is due to pass Earth again soon. The Japanese were the first to invent a cure to the 'disease', as they called it. They intend to vaccinate as many people as possible, preaching the disease only brings about suffering to those it infects. The organization supplying the stuff is even non-profit. I'm not sure whether they're angels or idiots, but I suppose it's no matter, everyone has the right to their ideals. It's just almost unreal to think those ideals could bring them so far---the progress they make every day is unbelievable--respectable, surely. The drive behind that must be incredible. Of course, intel suggests it's Otosaka Shunsuke's at the top, or at least close. Formerly, he possessed an incredibly powerful ability, a time leap. Come to think of it, all the Otosaka kids had quite astounding abilities. Whatever may have happened in those alternate timelines must have hardened his resolve greatly, I mean, I can only assume. Whether Yuu has or had knowledge of these alternate timelines, I do not know. His amnesia throws everything into question. I'll admit, giving someone so capable amnesia may be for the best but...still, he was just a normal teenager before, no? Only a few years younger than me. Then again, who am I to talk. Age is nothing when it comes to this messed up ability-driven society. Being used until no longer needed. Though I find the Japanese unreasonably idealistic when it comes to the future, I do feel something akin to gratitude--or is it admiration? I suppose someone had to try to solve things and it sure as hell wasn't going to be anyone I knew.

As I brought my unusually sentimental thoughts to a close, I wrapped up my reading. Leaning back in the chair, I yawned. Report submitted. Let's hope the kid wakes up in a better state than before, if not, preparations have been made to handle it. Recent studies in the United States--or should I say the studies up until Yuu put a stop to them all--suggested that the dosage of Charlotte particles inhaled not only affects the strength of a given ability but can also affect other factors. In simple terms: Earth, like every other mass existing in the universe, radiates undetectable to the naked eye semi matter particles. These particles are known to exist roughly the same all over the universe, the only difference being their unique frequencies. Lots of nearly impossible circumstances must align to absolute precision for those frequencies to be able to affect life--even more so for complex organisms such as human beings. Charlotte is a once in 82.7236 trillion years occurrence---it surely won't happen again, at least not while humanity is around to be a witness. As I was saying, even slightly different frequencies--the difference between 0.00000000000001 and 0.00000000000001002 could drastically change the ability. Just as different waves behave in different things, these semi matter particle waves behave in their unique ways. Research in abilities was and still is, even without ability wielders, making incredible progress. Every week they narrow it down---learning how interactions between Earth semi-matter particles and Charlotte semi matter particles change. They can even pinpoint where exactly a Weidler was first infected. Though it seems like magic, it can be explained--no matter how crazy it may feel. With all this said, researchers are utterly stumped with the existence of Yuu Otosaka. Even a power as incredible as time travel can be explained to a degree--comprehended. But 'stealing' and 'duplicating' another's ability? An interaction that happened long in the past---something that changed who someone was being completely reversed and not only that, putting the user's body through the same process? It simply doesn't make any sense. It doesn't follow the same rules as all the other abilities. It's abnormal, freakishly so. And even if it could be explained, how could anyone possibly survive it?