UNTOUCHABLE - TIAOM

INTERVIEW

A camera was turned on.

It was initially pointing at the red brick wall until it angled to the right, revealing a reporter who's holding a mic towards her mouth.

"Good evening, everyone! This is Amy reporting for duty! I am pleased to announce that another town has been successfully Migrated by the Anti-Even Forces – better known as AEF."

The footage from the said operation was shown as the reporter continues to speak. People are seen walking and being guided by the AEF military unit.

"The Migration started around 04:00 PM in Yongee. AEF helped in transferring about five hundred families to the base camp for the Cleansing that will take place tomorrow. Evens were spotted lurking in the area around 06:00 PM. This resulted in panic as they started attacking people. Luckily, the Special Annihilation Unit (SAU) was able to control the situation. Aside from an old woman who was rescued from being captured, there were no casualties. They will perform the Cleansing at 02:00 AM tomorrow."

The camera went back to the reporter and she's now seen standing beside a tall woman who's sporting short hair.

"And now, I'm with Captain Kim Buranaphan of SAU Squad C," said the reporter, gesturing to the taller woman beside her. "Captain, thank you for giving us this opportunity for a quick interview."

"Pleasure's always mine, Amy. If doing interviews like this would give people a sense of security, then we're willing to do it over and over again."

"That's nice to know, Captain. So, everyone's aware that an attack occurred today during the Migration. Could you tell us more about what happened?"

The captain nodded. "We're about 90% done with the operation when one of our lieutenants spotted Evens trying to break down the barriers. Two of them died trying to destroy it. However, that was enough to give way for the other Evens to get into the perimeter."

"Do you think it has something to do with the storm that's about to hit us tomorrow? Because, as we all know, they behave like ants, right?"

"In the food aspect, yes, they act like ants. These creatures stock food for rainy days, Amy. The other angle we're looking at is starvation. It's very unusual for Evens to try and break into the barriers unless they've been starving for weeks."

"I see. So, how did you handle the situation, Captain?"

"We immediately took action, but it really came to a chaotic point. It was difficult because we (SAU) are dealing with the Evens, at the same time trying to make sure all people are being protected."

"And how many pairs appeared?"

"Four pairs, a total of eight Evens," answered Kim. "But that detail didn't register to us right away. After we killed all the Evens around, everything settled down for a bit. We looked at each other, trying to see if everyone in the troop is still alive while we're catching our breaths. We waited for a few seconds to see if any of the Evens will still move. And then we started counting: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven; we found out that one was missing."

Amy kept on nodding while listening to Kim, her mic pointed towards the Captain's mouth.

"Evens won't leave a site unless they were able to successfully capture a food," explained Kim. "There were 7 bodies in front of us which means that one of them succeeded in capturing a victim. Good thing we found trails right away and caught up with them."

"For the sake of viewers who still don't know, Evens web their victims; is that correct, Captain?"

"Yes, that's how Evens carry their victims back to their colony. And whenever someone's webbed, they'll only have like around 10 to 15 minutes before they totally suffocate due to lack of oxygen."

Amy cringed at the thought. "But I heard that you dived into it again to save the granny who was captured..."

"It was not just me. I have a backup," said Kim right away. "But yes, I jumped into it first since time is of the essence. I quickly approached the Even to stop it. My goal is to free the person inside the web -- to catch some air. And that's what happened. I'm just glad that my backup came within a few seconds. We killed the Even and saved the old lady."

"That's really brave of you. This is the third time you've done that, right? Jumping in right away to save someone?"

Kim just simply nodded while biting her lower lip.

"How are you doing that? Aren't you scared, Captain?"

"I am. I always am scared," admitted Kim, smiling. "But once you're in that situation, and you know that you're the only one who can help in changing the course of that person's life, you'll forget about being scared for a while. I can't just stand there, wasting every second, knowing that if I don't make a move someone in the basecamp will grieve for a loss of a family member."

"I totally understand that part, Captain. But what about your family? Jumping right in there without backup could mean... you know..."

Kim smiled. "I know. Luckily I don't have a family waiting for me."

Amy's jaw dropped. She was too shocked to react to what Kim said.

"Yes, they're all gone," Kim simply confirmed.

Amy looked at the camera, her mouth still ajar. "I... I'm sorry to hear that, Captain..."

"No worries. That was a long time ago. That's the reason I joined SAU because I want to help in making this world a better place for everyone."

"W-what about a girlfriend, don't you have one waiting for you?"

Kim chuckled and shook her head no. "I had one before but we're no longer together."

Sensing that the mood has lightened up a bit, Amy turned back to the camera. "Girls! Did you hear that? The famous Captain Kim is single and ready to mingle!"

Kim scratched her head shyly. "Thanks for announcing my singlehood nationwide, Amy. However, I'm not really looking for a relationship right now."

"Why?" asked Amy, disappointed. "I'm sure a lot of girls are willing to take care of you."

"Well, let's admit it, it's hard to maintain a relationship with the type of work I have. I am always away because of my duties."

"But I'm sure someone out there somewhere will be willing to wait for you, right?"

"At first, maybe. But I'm sure it won't last long," said Kim, shrugging. "I've tried it before, Amy, and it didn't work."