2023-04-22: Scénario
- Cast: Alouette Pommier, Kaworu Nagisa
- Where: Geofront, Tokyo-3
- Date: U.C. 0097 04 22
- Summary: Having received warning of an incoming attack on NERV's HQ by a Super AI operative from a secret source, Kaworu has some questions for Alouette about the terrorist who "heroically" attempted to shoot down Palau. They catch up and also come up with the preliminary stages of a plan.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
The first of the attacks on Tokyo-3 that Rita Bernal had predicted has come to pass. The culprit, not known to her, turned out to be known to NERV: Celebro, the alien threat who delights in his Civilization Self-Destruction Game. It's still unclear what his purposes for that particular attack were, but they don't really need to be transparent to make basic guesses. Kaworu is more concerned with how he acquired Shamshel's data.
But that is a concern for later. Right now, the second attack is scheduled for tomorrow, and Rita did have a name for that attacker: Asciel, the A.I. who wants to be an angel. Rita insisted that she didn't want to hurt anyone, she just wants what they have, but it's a concern all the same.
Celebro had managed to take NERV's defenders largely unaware despite the forewarning. Asciel should not be so successful. And so, in reviewing reports made over the past several months, Kaworu finds one made by Alouette Pommier about Palau--one that mentions a certain A.I. entity...
And so he contacted her and asked her to come in to discuss it in further detail. He waits for her at the Geofront, not in his office but in the gently-illuminated greenery that surrounds the central pyramid that makes up HQ. He hums to himself as he watches the artificial sky, hands tucked into the pockets of his administrator suit.
It's peaceful at the moment, but that peace carries the tension of a string pulled taut. That's why he's outside, for a given value of 'outside' in an underground base. When Alouette approaches, he'll look over his shoulder at her with his usual smile.
"Hey, Alouette. Thank you for joining me," he says, turning the rest of himself to face her.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Alouette feels a sense of foreboding walking through the streets of Tokyo-3 - the fortress city built to defend against the Angels. Maybe it's the fact they know it's going to be the site of an attack tomorrow. Or maybe it's just because it's that different from the Nouvelle Tokyo she is used to.
In any case, she arrives timely at the Geofront, where Kaworu Nagisa waits, wearing her 3G Operator's uniform.
"Bonjour, Administrator Kaworu." She smiles. "It's been a while since we've met in person." She observes, facing the silver-haired youth. He must really have this hands full, she realizes, with the reveal of a true Angel followed by a fake in such a short time.
As far as Alouette understands it, they've received intelligence from an unknown source that seemed to 'predict' an attack - with another one coming tomorrow. And the name of that second attacker is one she is familiar with.
"I'm not sure how or where you would even begin to get intel like this..." She starts, clear skepticism in her tone, but not true disbelief, because the first attack indeed came true. "But they mentioned Asciel by name, right?"
"I met someone named Asciel in Tsutsujidai. She was this... self-styled idol, very big on social media. She was pretty nice, but she was also, how do I put this... scared?" She makes a hand wave. "She had a lot of questions for me about the Oath Over Omega. I think she was also interested in visiting the Super AI on our team." She adds, seriously.
"In Neo-Germany, the AI individual who tried to destroy Palau called herself Atrytone, but she was an idol too, and she recognized me. In the end... she was scared too and wanted to stop Ruin Char without needing a miracle." Alouette summarizes; Kaworu already read the report.
Gazing off into the artificial sky, she makes her conclusion. "I think this tells us a few things about her motives, and what we can expect from her. She seemed to me like a Super AI who learned to take things into her own hands. She fears the Cosmic Law and anything that threatens to take her autonomy. She hates miracles because they can't be relied on. That's why she wants what NERV has." She might not be a machine herself, but Alouette intimately knows the algorithims that drive them. "...We have to stop her, but I'd like to prefer seriously harming or destroying her if we can."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Tokyo-3 isn't completely without its cultural artifacts; it may be a fortress city, but it is still a city and all that implies. It has its restaurants, its karaoke bars, its clothing stores, its cafes. They're just far less frequent and far more austere compared to other cities, even those relatively closeby. It's really only more reason to be uneasy. Nouvelle Tokyo just isn't that far away.
"It has. I hope you've been well," he replies. He knows that she's been busy herself; she was on-site when the Tenth Angel revealed their true nature, and there is of course the matter of Palau, which they're about to discuss.
As for his own informant, that's something he's keeping close to his chest. (Commander Ikari was not pleased with him about that.) All the same, he nods once.
Alouette goes on to describe an idol by the name of Asciel: one motivated by fear, who was interested in the Super AI and the Oath Over Omega. She describes Atrytone: an A.I. who was also an idol, who recognized her and likewise motivated by fear. And, perhaps, a distaste for so-called miracles...
"I see," he says at the end. "Thank you, Alouette. It sounds to me as though she's operating under a grave misunderstanding. I pray this knowledge will allow us to dissuade her from her attack, but... if it's her intent to attack without attempting negotiation, I suppose she's already made her choice."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"Professionally, Ie've been pretty busy up on the Orbit Base, although when are we not?" Alouette nods. "Having a kouhai is pretty good for keeping the load light though. ...Especially one as brilliant as Akane." She grins with a hint of pride. "Personally, things have been very well. Which reminds me..." Something nice happened in Kaworu's personal life too, even if she could only spare the vote for Akane and Rikka. "Congratulations on winning Crown Princeps. Whoever you love must be a pretty lucky person, huh?" Alouette smiles sincerely, clasping her hands together.
Her tone then seems to stiffen a little when the topic turns to business. "Admittedly, I think it'll be pretty hard to dissuade her." Alouette frowns. "Even if it's a misunderstanding, she seemed totally convinced her logic was sound back at Palau. I guess she's just as stubborn as a Brave Robo." She adds, wryly. "It's not impossible, though. Like I said, I'm pretty convinced she's acting on emotion just as much as logic. Namely... fear."
Something else has been bugging her about this alleged attack compared to Palau, though. "With the combined forces of myself, Gridman and... Dr. Hell of all people, Atrytone's plan at Palau was soundly stopped." They couldn't expect much in the way of reinforcements with most taking the fight to Palau itself. "She's not that dangerous that she can expect to successfully assault a base like the Geofront. So what is her game, even?" She considers, cupping her finger on her chin. "...A diversion, maybe? We should be careful."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"Yes, professionally, our superiors do like to keep us busy," Kaworu replies, just a hint of dryness in his otherwise pleasant tone. His smile grows a bit at the mention of Akane, though. "I'd expect so. I'm glad she continues to do well."
The mention of Crown Princeps--and of whom he loves--gets a slight tilt of his head as his eyes squint shut and his smile broadens, a little rueful. "Hahaha... I wasn't named Crown Princeps across from the one I love." His smile brightens as his eyebrows lift. "But she is a dear friend, and I had great fun dancing with her. My boyfriend and girlfriend were there, too. We all had a wonderful time."
Shinji wasn't there, though. But Kaworu keeps that fact--and the emotions that whorl around it--to himself.
Alas, the topic can't remain on pleasure forever. He sobers as she offers her take on dissuading Asciel. Stubborn, hm... It would no doubt still be valuable to talk to her, but he makes a note of that, too.
"Yes, I do remember that from your report. She wanted to reduce the asteroid to rubble with a cannon before it had been evacuated, correct?" It is strange that Dr. Hell of all people would help with that, but that's not Kaworu's concern at the moment. Is Asciel making this attack to be a diversion from something else?
Not impossible. Even Rita can't see everything. "Agreed," he says. He lifts his chin to gaze thoughtfully at the pyramid of HQ--specifically, at the supercomputers housed within, through dozens of plates of steel. "Hmm... so she's interested in other Super A.I., is she... Perhaps it would be worthwhile to provide a diversion of our own."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Alouette laughs a little at Kaworu's dryness. "Our enemies, too..." She adds, before returning to a smile. "I'm glad too. I think it's been a great environment for her.. even if she probably overdoes it with the studying.'
"Oh! I guess I just assumed - I wasn't actually on the dance floor that night. I just heard over the PA." Alouette quickly corrects herself. "In that case... I'm happy for all three of you. And for your friend too!" Her genuine smile turns a little more into a devious smirk when she adds, "Next year, you might just have competition, though~"
"That's correct. It would have been catastrophic if her plan succeeded, so we had to stop her. Although.. it was probably more of a public image thing for Hell."
When Kaworu mentions a diversion of their own, Alouette's mind goes the same way. "Are you considering having the MAGI act as a diversion?" She asks, thoughtfully. That sounds pretty risky - the computers were already targeted before. But Asciel is no Takeshi Todo or Kousuke Entouji - they're probably much more capable of resisting whatever she can do.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Kaworu chuckles at Alouette's enemies comment, but he doesn't remark until the topic turns to Akane. "I agree. From what I've seen and heard, she seems much happier and more vivacious now. Overdoing things is just Akane's way, but I have faith that she won't go astray again."
He laughs a little at her reiterated congratulations. "Thank you." He pauses in curiosity as she smiles. "Oh? I hadn't vied for the title, but if you're interested in it, you're free to strive for it. The way you say that, though--does that mean you've found love of your own?"
A single nod about stopping Atrytone, or rather, Asciel. Perhaps it was simply a public image matter for Dr. Hell; he did make that public announcement about mending his ways.
But he turns his gaze, and Alouette turns with him. "Yes," he replies. "That being said, it would need Commander Ikari's approval, and I fear he's already at the limits of his patience with me. It's certainly true that the MAGI are too important to Tokyo-3 to be used as mere bait."
On the other hand, they're hardly the most important thing in Tokyo-3, and Commander Ikari is more than pragmatic enough to realize it. Kaworu looks back at Alouette. "Perhaps you could take point when she arrives? If she knows and likes you, perhaps her reaction to your presence will give us some insight into her true objective."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"Me too. She's officially a Brave now... so I'm confident she won't stray from the Oath Sworn Through Courage." Alouette nods solemnly, of her trust in Akane.
"Aha... I'm almost not surprised you didn't even try for the title. These things always seem so natural and effortless for you." Honestly, she hadn't considered going for the title yet outside of jokes, but it might be fun after all... "And yes! I'm dating Sho Tachibana - you probably know who she is, she's with NERV, too. She's pretty amazing... in so many ways." Alouette announces, enthusiastically.
Alouette listens carefully when Kaworu lays out his plan in using the MAGI as bait. She wonders what kind of man Gendo Ikari is if he loses his patience even with someone as affable as Kaworu. "I'll leave the MAGI in your hands then." She agrees. "I've already left Guardienne Aviaire on standby in 3G's nearby Marine Base, so I'll be ready to take point." She replies, looking off into the distance for a moment. "If she's making her appearance as civilian idol 'Asciel' instead of 'Atrytone', I wonder if that means something. ...I'll try to figure that out."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
It's quite affirming to see the trust Alouette has regained for Akane, and that feeling is reflected in the warming of Kaworu's smile.
It passes for a faint chuckle as Alouette remarks on how effortless things seem for him. "Perhaps. But only some things. We all have our strengths and our weaknesses." He nods in recognition at the name. "Yes, I'm familiar with her. She's one of the pilots of the Neo Getter." Her enthusiasm says more than her words, though. "It's wonderful that you've found happiness with each other."
It sounds as though Alouette is ready to deploy--but then, she should be, considering Commander Ikari's standby orders. He nods once. "Very well. If we can avoid conflict, that would be for the best, but we must be prepared for her to refuse to back down. Until then, we'll simply have to maintain our defenses and be prepared for her next move."
And to that end, they'll both have to do a little preparing of their own.