Chapter Text
Ghosts of the GIW!
The data should've been impossible. It should've been lying.
But looking over the data being sent in on a daily basis, Captain Gundam knew it was not impossible. The data did not lie.
... Ghosts were real...
Yes, the afterlife was indeed confirmed to be real.
Due to the data being discovered by the field team in Amity Park, the head of the Neotopian branch of the Sol Defensive Guard, Chief Haro, had requested the Gundam Force members start reviewing anything that pertained to the research of ghosts.
It was only when Madnug had started to delve into the research from years past that it became clear the 'research' was anything but.
Most of the data collected over the years up until a few months ago was completely unbiased and unscientific, which had said disturbing things about the 'research' done. It made Madnug's scientist side squirm uncomfortably as he stood before his superior, with Captain reading over the data he was reviewing now.
"So you have confirmed this data is useless then?" Captain asked as he eyed his brother unit.
"Yes, Captain." Madnug replied, his characteristic stutter not present. "The data is completely irreplicable. If we were to try it, we would be crossing so many unethical lines, it isn't worth even trying."
Captain looked down at the data again. The fact the data was irreplicable...
"Does this experimental process involve live humans?" Captain asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
"Not this one, no." Madnug confirmed, giving Captain some relief before a sinking feeling hit the Gundam Force leader in the Soul Drive.
"'Not this one'?" Captain asked, his processors starting to ache slightly. "Does this mean...?"
Madnug looked down, shifting one of his feet slowly. "There is a high possibility, 87.69%, that some of the data may come from live human experimentation."
Captain groaned as he set the data tablet down and reached up to rub at his aching processors. "And just where did you find this data?"
Madnug looked at Captain. "Some group calling themselves the Ghost Investigation Ward. They seemed legitimate at the time, but... well... after reading the d-data... I've come to the conclusion that they a-aren't."
Captain noted Madnugs stutter was emerging again. It always seemed to emerge when he got nervous, and if he was getting nervous, then that meant what had been found wasn't good.
"Have you compared this with the data gathered by the Amity Park team?" Captain asked as he removed his hands from his helm and picked up the tablet again.
"Yes, sir." Madnug replied. "Looking over the data from the field team, and comparing it to this data I found o-online, it stands to reason the group who gathered this data is w-wildly u-unscientific in their processes."
Captain felt another processor ache coming on. It was bad enough there were ghosts that were real, but now there was some group that was studying these entities in a completely unethical manner? He found himself wishing he hadn't been assigned to this task, but given who he was the superior of, it made sense he would be assigned to make sure the data was... 'up to snuff', as his Soul Drive partner would say.
"Okay, good work, Madnug." Captain finally said after a few moments of tense silence. "Keep an eye out for any other data on ghosts we can find to compare this field team data to."
Madnug saluted before grabbing the data tablet Captain had been looking over and leaving.
Captain sighed heavily through his vents as he rubbed at his aching helm. 'Some days I find myself missing the simple metrics of combat against the Dark Axis...'
Walking down the halls of Blanc Base II, Madnug couldn't help but feel bad for Captain. His brother unit had not exactly been thrilled to read the data he had found, but then again, Madnug hadn't been thrilled to read the data either.
And to make matters worse, there had been implied evidence of human experimentation done by this Ghost Investigation Ward, or GIW for short. Madnug stopped walking as that thought entered his processors. The GIW, or Ghoul Interception Wardens, had been mentioned by the journals Sazabi had found during that Sewer Creep incident. And yet nothing came up when the GIW had been searched for. Even Guneagle, the resident prankster, had been recruited to help search because he was skilled at hacking into places he shouldn't be. And yet even Guneagle's hacking had yielded little info. Oh sure, some info had been found, but it had been scant, only mentioning the GIW being reformed from looking into ghouls and ways to exterminate them. It even mentioned the date the group was reformed, but after that... all data had been scrubbed.
Madnug frowned to himself beneath his faceplate. He had to do a bit more investigation into this Ghost Investigation Ward. Something seemed... too coincidental with this group and their name having the same letters as the former Ghoul Interception Wardens.
Reaching up to his helm, Madnug contacted Guneagle. "Guneagle? It's me."
"Yeah? What is it, Madnug?" Guneagle asked over the com-line.
"I need you to pick up my research into the Soul Drives." Madnug explained. "I have a bit of an investigation of my own I want to conduct. Besides, if anyone can find anything on the Soul Drives, it's you."
"Sure thing, bro." Guneagle replied. "You'd better tell me what it is you're looking into later though if it takes priority over the Soul Drive research."
"I can't say for sure if I can." Madnug admitted. "But I will certainly try to tell you what I can if there is sufficient evidence to support some of my theories on this subject."
"Okay, good luck then!" Guneagle replied before he shut off his own com-link.
Madnug gave a nod to himself before resuming his trek back to his own quarters. With his Soul Drive research being covered by Guneagle, that meant he could now do his own research into this mysterious Ghost Investigation Ward...