The file which James selected expanded forward, covering the other thumbnails as if entering full screen mode.
The playback started with a dark screen and only the name of the file.
[Case 372 – Galatia: Unforeseen Resistance]
The dark screen slowly brightened to show a dimly lit corridor. Not very spacious, and only wide enough for two people to run side by side.
The corridor had visibly damp brick walls and sparsely separated tube lights at the upper angles of the walls.
The angle of the feed hinted at a body camera and the shaking and bobbing hinted at the wearer moving. There were two agents ahead, running, and the camera wearer kept up with their pace. With the sound of their shoes on the floor as they ran, Altair moved slightly closer to the video.
The two ahead took a turn at a corner to their left and very shortly after, the camera snapped left to follow.
Then it happened.
*thwack*. *tap*. *spack*.
Three sharp sounds came in a short moment. Then, the two agents ahead were on the ground.
One was bleeding and spasming while vomiting blood, and the other was slumped beside him, unmoving.
Altair, standing beside James in front of the table, leaned forward towards the screen on the wall. On his face, he had a frown of surprise.
On the screen, camera lurched, then dipped rapidly towards the ground. It seemed like the wearer too was falling.
The camera lifted from the ground shortly and in the distance, a figure was rushing away.
Then, everything seemed to tremble in the video and the brick walls and brick ceiling ahead started crumbling.
Altair stiffened looking at the screen. He hadn't even seen the attack, just the aftermath, but it still felt brutal… and terrifying.
James, watching him from the corner of his eye, finally spoke.
"You want to know what went wrong?"
Altair didn't answer, but his attention shifted slightly.
James resumed. "They believed the target could manipulate sound. Turns out, it was pressure, all forms of it. Internal, external, fluid, solid. The one with the camera had a minor injury, bled too quickly, and collapsed. Rather fortunate, all things considered."
'What?' Altair stared at him.
James ignored the stare. "One of the agents ahead had her blood pressure become so low that she entered severe hypotension. The foremost agent had his lungs burst inside his chest and chocked on blood.
Altair held his breath. This was… intense.
James paused for a moment and backtracked the video to the tremble and collapse.
He gestured to the screen.
"The collapse was caused by explosions. We believe the target set them off. Ten kilometers underground, so naturally the quake that followed did some damage. Four city blocks, several dozen injured. Bit of a mess, really."
James exited the video.
While he scrolled Altair suddenly felt his chest ache, only now realizing he'd stopped breathing. 'What kind of training gives a fighting chance against someone like that? Is fighting him even possible?'
The screen filled with several more thumbnails and even while fast scrolling, they seemed endless.
James suddenly stopped and selected a new one.
[Case 412 – Kruthmanak: Memory Collapse]
High side-view, probably from a security camera inside what looked like a mall.
A female agent, judging by the familiar red full suit, was slowly but casually approaching a teenage boy in a hoody, who stood at a mezzanine. The boy had a coffee cup in his hands as he leaned on the mezzanine and looked in the distance.
Noticing the woman, he turned his attention from the distance to look at her. A few words exchanged later, he got angry and started talking aggressively.
He and the woman locked eyes and then, he blinked.
The woman flinched and staggered. Her hands went to her temples. Her lips moved, but there was no sound.
Altair was no lip reader but her lips seemed to be repeating something, over and over, without stopping and with a blank look. Then she dropped to her knees.
James paused the footage.
"This one deletes memories, not all of it… We're not sure how it works. We only know eye contact is required and the longer your interaction with him the more he can delete."
"But that was a matter of seconds." Altair said with furrowed brows.
James followed. "…and yet she doesn't even remember meeting him. Most victims have it way worse. When we found the boy's father, he could not even remember how to speak or walk. That's how much damage he can cause."
"How did you even find him?" Altair asked grimly.
James tilted his head in recollection. "Bit of hubris. He left an enemy to take the fall for a crime and didn't erase his memory. Wanted him to know it was personal. Thought no one would believe the poor sod."
Altair's lips pressed into a tight line. Right, because this was now his reality now, he almost forgot how things were for others, and for him a little over a month ago.
For most people in the world, powers and abilities were the stuff of fiction. It was possible to pin a crime on someone else like that or commit untraceable and inexplicable crimes that will remain unsolved.
James played more videos.
In a drone-like footage, probably one of SAMANTHA's enhanced satellite videos, an agent tried to talk to a man in an alley. Things seemed to be going well, then a fire engulfed the whole alley.
According to James, the target was a flame user that failed to control his power. He was a truck driver for a gas company and his truck was nearby so when his power erupted, it spread to his truck and everything exploded.
While scrolling, James suddenly broke the silence. "Good guy that flame user. Shame about the truck though."
He continued in a more serious tone. "Fortunately, there was no one nearby. Residential area, middle of the day… A lot of material damage though, the guy's company had to foot the bill. At least they did something useful with all that money."
Altair didn't react to the sarcasm.
"Ah, this one, the shapeshifter."
An older video of low resolution and with metadata [14/03/96 14:57].
The video showed a shapeshifter impersonating an agent, and later causing three agents to be severely injured, and the loss of the target they were going for.
"Terrific, don't you think? The guy could make a good actor. Wears a man's face better than himself. This was a long time ago, before SAMANTHA and all the tech… and people say the technology is bad, they didn't see this and the many others…"
Exiting the video, James said. "For each of these videos, someone either assumed too much, or missed something. A little recon, better equipment and combat training goes a long way."
"Some of these issues could be handled with good training or decent equipment. Gear and gadgets? Only useful if you know how to use them under pressure. Combat training isn't about becoming a soldier but surviving when the plan collapses around you." James concluded.
At this point, Altair thought of how many videos there were and asked. "Are all those videos failed missions?"
James acquiesced. "Accidents, misjudgments, sometimes just bad luck. All these videos are for when things went wrong."
Altair asked in surprise. "How many of these end well?"
James looked at the wall for a moment, then replied. "Enough that the world isn't burning." He turned upwards and with a vacant look he said. "But not enough to relax."
They both remained silent after that.
After some time, James said. "Let's go back."
Altair followed him silently, one eye still on the endless grid of failure.