<strong>Location</strong>: The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Conference Hall 01<br/><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br/><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br/><strong>Who</strong>: Julie Tanaka<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The youngest pilot of the group had expected that Tianran would field this question as well, but when he remained silent Julie decided to jump in before the pause could become awkward. “I can’t agree with the premise behind your question,” she began, keeping her tone entirely earnest and not at all confrontational. “I absolutely feel that the program is at the best combat readiness possible given our current budget and the circumstances we find ourselves in.<br/><br/>“The technology involved here is extremely cutting-edge and not yet as well understood as we would like. To draw yet another comparison, think of the demons as a disease and the Grigori as medication. Normally one would put a newly created drug through years of clinical trials. But if the situation is desperate enough—if the consequence of inaction is a catastrophic death toll—then you have little choice but to fast-track a potential treatment even if you don’t know how it works or all its side-effects.<br/><br/>“That is the situation we are in—forced to rely on methods we don’t entirely comprehend. Unit-00 has problems that I as a layperson could not even begin to explain. But our people in R&D are the brightest and most dedicated group one could ever hope for. Someday this problem will be solved, and I believe that solution will give us insight into this technology that will allow us to use it even more effectively.”<br/><br/>Julie felt the situation was even worse than she had implied—the Grigori were more than just a technology, they were...a presence, almost an intelligence, seemingly living machines that had literal rather than figurative temperaments. Honestly, she was a little afraid of them. She did not think they would ever be well understood, at least not in her lifetime. But outsiders could never understand all this and she could not address it.