04x36 - Why-Man

[bunniefuu]

One step at a time, with stupid
diligence, we worked our way

from a primitive world all the
way to the surface of the moon.

We still don't know who
or what Why-Man is.

We have little in the way
of weaponry against him.

You mean that kablooey
net launcher thing, right?

The netgun grenade.

Yes, and one more.

The capsule Medusa.

Oh, dang! Of course!

They're on the surface of the moon,
which means they can't even talk!

The Medusa wouldn't even
work without the capsule!

What do you mean?

The petrification beam can be both
a weapon and a healing item.

The capsule is filled with air

so that we can issue voice
commands to it over the radio.

If it ever comes to it, I could throw
this at the enemy and, for example,

say, "Ten meters, one se—"

Oh, that's right!
I was about to set it off!

I've got nothing but
concern for Kohaku-chan.

We can save the chit-chat for later.

Yeah, we're wasting oxygen.

Let's head out now!

So fast.

Forget any sentimental
moon landing stuff, huh?

A military man, an optimization nerd,
and a girl on a hair trigger.

They're the fastest-moving trio around.

Our destination is...

the Taurus-Littrow valley!

Taurus-Littrow is...

Right around the neck of the moon bunny.

That's where we found the suspicious
black spot using our satellites.

Any enemies on the moon are
going to spot us instantly,

driving around in this shiny-a*s thing.

Better than landing right
at the destination.

Look...

There's a flag!

The Stars and Stripes that the US planted.

Although it's been completely bleached by

all the cosmic rays hitting it directly.

So Why-Man happens to be right
where humanity planted a flag.

A bit suspicious, don't you think?

The moon's freaking huge.

There's always a logical reason
behind every coincidence.

Don't try to imagine
what the enemy's like.

Making assumptions will be the end of you.

We'll just have to go
and see for ourselves.

Kohaku.

Please release the capsule Medusa.

What's with you, Senku?

You're being mighty
formal all of a sudden.

Do I open it now?

Correct. Quickly.

Kohaku...

What are you talking about?

Senku didn't say anything just now.

It's using Senku's mic
frequency and voice.

It's forging comms!

Thanks for opening it!

Throw it, Kohaku!

Kohaku's perfect martial
arts throw ought to do it.

The gravity on the moon
is a sixth of that on Earth.

That thing will go six times as far.

Nice.

And we finally meet.

So this is the true form of the sinister
black spot writhing on the moon.

Well, sh*t.

Finally.

All the mysteries are
finally coming together.

That light thousands of years ago...

The very mastermind behind
the petrification of humanity.

It was all you!

You're Why-Man!

What happened?

What did you find there on the moon?!

To my eyes,

it appears to be changing shape
ever so slightly over time.

It's the Medusa I threw.
The one we brought from Earth.

The whole capsule is floating.

You're the only ones who could have
faked my voice to send forged comms.

You can speak through
the radio, can't you?

Go ahead. English or Japanese.

Yes.

All this time...

All this time, you were here.

Right nearby.

Medusa, you...

Your very existence...

is the machine lifeform, Why-Man.

Do you wanna die?

"Do you wanna die?"

It's asking if we want to perish.

It's the same message
Why-Man-chan sent us last time.

Right after Senku-chan's team
dodged the petrification beam?

Dude, you know what?

You think maybe Medusa—I mean,
Why-Man—isn't trying to k*ll us,

but trying to petrify us so we don't die?

Senku-chan, I don't know if there's
any point in trying to talk to it...

But either way, the custom all
across the world and across history

when you make first contact

with another nation is to bear a gift.

But we don't have anything.

What would it even regard
as a gift, anyway?

I don't even know if it's a living thing.

Search. What rules
do they operate under?

If it follows rules, it's science.

Well, one thing's for certain.

It did us the courtesy of
asking if we want to die.

In other words, continuing to live
is important for these guys, too.

Why-Man.

Eh, I doubt that's even your name,
but that's what I'm calling you.

Sadly, our science isn't good
enough to replicate your kind.

Still, we can reload those diamond
batteries you need to energize yourselves.

One step at a time, we managed to bring
human science that far, at least.

That's our gift to you.

In exchange, our demands are...

Politely, Senku-chan.

You gotta be super polite
when you negotiate.

Cut that sh*t out with the
freaking petrification beams!

Aiee! Way too blunt!

Why?

Stop it.

Silence is implored.

There's more than one Why-Man.

Looks like they aren't a monolith.

We don't have any intel.

I'm just guessing here, but point is,
you want us to maintain y'all, yeah?

That's what the petrification beam is for.

Of course!

What an elegant creature!

The Medusa, or Why-Man...

Its MO is, in fact,

to promise eternal life to intelligent
beings through petrification

in exchange for having
its own kind raised.

It's a mechanical parasite!

It needs a host species!

Yes. This is known true.

All information will be imparted.

For all civilizations, the production
of radio waves is inevitable.

For any planet emitting regularly
modulated radio waves,

this is evidence of intelligent
life present here.

Why did you petrify swallows
before you did humanity?

Was that a test?

For all hosts, the parasitism
process is the same.

An advance party first is dispatched.

The DNA of a fortunate
life entity is targeted.

Fortunate? Even though
they're getting petrified?

For all creatures,
life eventually is terminated.

For us, too, this is true.

Oxygen, huh?

Why-Man are machine lifeforms.

Oxidation—in other words, rusting—
is what makes them stop functioning.

There exists not a thing
more terrible than death

and not a thing more terrifying.

For all life, the prime
objective is continued life.

Eternal petrification is
eternal evasion of death.

This, truly, is magnificence!

So it's true.

If you ask the Why-Man-chans, being
petrified is a super happy state to be in.

The petrification wave alters
the phases of elements.

For all targets and only for all targets,
the perception is of a visible light ray.

The sudden petrification is eternal life.

For any kind of living
entities on a planet,

if it communicates this
enthusiastically by radio,

then it is the most intelligent.

This is humanity.

This is the host we chose.

The mechanism is such that,

for the individuals whose
brains process most actively,

petrification is released earliest.

For the intelligent, the promise
of eternal life is irresistible.

The effect of this is their eternal
nurturing of us parasites.

For all of us who descended
to petrify humanity,

functioning was ceased by
oxygen, a deadly toxin.

For the rest of us on this satellite,
we awaited our opportunity.

Then, after roughly 3,000 orbits,

the regular signal of
crystals being polished

was amplified by hair
accessories inadvertently

functioning as dipole antennas.

This signal was received by us.

We decided to teach the human kind
to use the petrification device.

We used the same frequency by which

the radio waves were transmitted
through the dipole antenna.

I hear something.

God's voice?

One meter, one second?

We demonstrated eternal life.

For all petrified, death is deferred.

Yet...

Humanity's response to our attempt
to be nurtured was dismissal.

Our desired replication was fruitless.

Even our batteries were not replaced.

Was their cognitive capacity lacking?

Was our choice of host in error?

The radio waves being emitted were sparse.

Our assessment was that you
may be an inferior kind.

That was the instant when...

We're making GPS.

And we're blasting some
powerful radio waves.

This kind possess the cognitive capacity
to emit such powerful radio waves.

Yet, eternal life—petrification—
is not desired?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

A decision was made.

Once again, we must envelop this
planet in petrification waves.

There exists a need to reconvey
the glory of petrification.

We use their methods.

Their frequencies, their vocal timbre.

Twelve million eight
hundred thousand meters,

one second.

Your behavior, entirely,
was indecipherable.

So that's why you asked

if we wanted to die.

Why the hell would we?

What was that misfire, then?

That moment, the poison—oxygen
—was suddenly eliminated

from my environment.

Where am I?

I can move.

I must issue a signal using
a petrification wave.

For all proximal intelligent beings,
my existence must be known.

So that wasn't a misfire?

Why-Man, you did that on purpose, then.

Yes. This is correct.

There's one last thing I don't get.

One thing?!

I hardly got any of that!

Okay, well...

Long story short,
they petrify smart creatures.

The creatures go, "Woohoo, eternal life!"
and take good care of them.

That's what the Why-Man-chans
were hoping for.

You b*stards want us to use our
science to swap out your batteries

and replicate you and stuff, don't you?

But you went and petrified
humanity for thousands of years.

Wiping out civilization
would have ruined your plan.

Why the hell would you
sh**t the ball in your own goal?

On arriving at this satellite,

we discovered abandoned
interplanetary craft.

We assessed that this kind
must be highly intelligent.

Contrarily, the time your kind took
to reawaken was thousands of years.

Your value was overestimated.

There's no point in getting angry.

They're just telling the
truth as they see it.

Sure.

Maybe we're way behind in our science.

We can't even begin to guess
how you're floating around,

giving gravity the finger.

But we'll know soon enough.

It's only been a few thousand
years since we've had

any scientific civilization to speak of.

It doesn't even matter
if we die of old age.

There's seven billion of us
to hand science down to,

and billions more after that.

That's how we got so far so freaking fast.

Now, then, Why-Man, I want to
negotiate with you, one-on-one.

What is he...

Negotiate? One-on-one?

We, humankind, all of us,
and you, machine lifeforms,

are going to duke it out
to decide our fates.