2023-09-16: The King of Ruin is Born ~ROOT~
- Cast: Alouette Pommier, Guy Shishioh, Renais Cardiff
- Where: GGG Orbit Base
- Date: U.C. 0097 09 16
- Summary: As the King of Ruin rises, there's a heavy weight on the mind of the King of Braves. Laying out a truth he and Hinoki discovered, Alouette and Renais begin to learn just what the implications of his transformation into an Evoluder are - and why the Bettermen hold such a vendetta against him.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
The King of Ruin shines through Orbit Cafe's window. Since the Invisible Burst, a lot of crew are taking their meals to go, closing the windows, or at least sitting somewhere with a worse view, but...Guy Shishioh, fresh off a discussion with Hinoki Sai and armed with the hamburger meal, sits at a table in full view of the demon. The final battle is ahead of them. And yet, so many questions that aren't even related to Genesic stand unanswered. Most pressing of all to him...
He's set the GaoBrace aside to consider his bare left hand. Just what is the... "'Root of evil,'" he mutters to himself.
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Renais' plans for recreation with her friends from Tsutsujidai fell apart, somewhat, with the Invisible Burst; much of GGG is in all-hands-on-deck mode, and she's no different.
Her boots tap quietly on the tile, a diner mug full of tea in hand, as she approaches Guy's table. The red-orange pallor of Genesic seems to turn the G-Stone on her wrist almost black. "It's a hell of a sight, isn't it?" she says quietly, taking a sip as she looks out the window.
"Are you okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
The Invisible Burst has been stressful for many - and it makes breaks like these all the more important. But like Guy, she prefers to take full view of the King of Ruin for what it is. A vital remember of the stakes at hand.
Today, her own shift ended around the time Renais came up to Orbit Base, so she decided to tag along with her for lunch, taking her advice on what kind of tea she should try this time.
But it means she overhears Guy's musings at the same time Renais does, her eyes glancing slightly up towards the window. "So that's what Genesic GaoGaiGar looks like... it definitely has the look of a king," she comments, witnessing its imposing form. She'd heard of the ultimate King of Braves, already, but it makes her realise it's her first time actually seeing it.
She turns her attention to Guy's words, next. "That's still on your mind, is it? Betterman, Full Frontal... even that green-haired lady from the other day had weird things to say about you." She taps her finger against her mug of tea, before taking a sip. "They treat you like some sort of concept, instead of seeing you as yourself." When Renais asks him if he's okay, she nods. "Mind if we sit with you? You look like you could use the company anyways."
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
"Our inheritance," Guy says, in reply to Alouette's own thoughts. "From Cain, to us. Yeah, c'mon, sit down." He motions to the table. "Not like anyone else wants to look at this thing." He chuckles, as good natured as ever.
Is he OK? He chuckles, but he scratches his cheek, too, as he does when he's trying not to say something. "Just a lot to think about. That's my partner up there, scaring people to death."
"It's tough to ignore, yeah," Guy says, acknowledging Alouette's words. "The Bettermen seem almost more worried about me than about Triple Zero, even with that thing in the sky. When we just have to take that idea that they've got a sense for these things as given...well, what's a guy supposed to think, you know?"
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Renais smiles a little, nodding to Alouette. "You should have seen it back then. Beautiful, especially in action." She looks a little concerned as Guy scratches his cheek, taking a seat.
She exhales slowly, thoughtful. "I've always been kind of jealous of what Guy got, you know. All the upsides of being a cyborg, but... none of the downsides." She takes a sip of tea. "Maybe it's not all it's cracked up to be... but it wouldn't kill them to explain. It's shitty to just insist something like that without telling you *how* or *why*."
She presses her lips together, drumming metallic fingers on her mug with a rhythmic clinking. "Hell, what *could* they be talking about, even?"
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"Our inheritance..." She nods slowly, at Guy's thoughts on Genesic. "Your father designed GaoGaiGar from the knowledge Cain sent us, and then we put together GaoFighGar from there when it was needed. I guess... it's nice to be part of that legacy, in a way."
She takes a seat, listening to Renais's thoughts as well. "Beautiful, huh? Maybe one day, I'll get the chance... if we can return Galeon to his true form." She considers, as she continues to watch outside the window. "I want to make sure that can happen. For your sake, Guy, and Mamoru's, too."
Renais's feelings of jealously are acknowledged, too. It only makes sense. "It's what people would call a miracle, right? Something that we can't just... explain, even now." She takes a sip thoughtfully, considering what the union of man and machine Guy became really is."
"I'd wonder if maybe the Bettermen might have something against the Green Planet, if they consider a G-Stone fused Evoluder the 'root of evil'. But if that was the case they'd probably take issue with Mamoru, and you too, Renais..." She shakes her head. "Something else then..."
"On the other hand, Full Frontal's wording wasn't quite the same. He said you represented an end of 'possibility'... rather than where evil begins, where the door closes for humanity." She considered it could be like Coordinator infertility issues she's aware of, but there's far less Guys than there are Coordinators. "...I wish I understood what they were trying to tell us, too." She concludes, looking over to Renais.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Jealous...Guy chuckles, though he looks a bit uncomfortable, as well. "The truth is I wasn't comfortable with it for a long time. There's something else we know of that's part man, part machine."
He gives Renais a somewhat strained smile. "There's not a lot of daylight between an Evoluder and a Zonderian. This body...if you think about it, the only things it got any better at are being even more violent. The powers I have aren't better at understanding people, or feeling and healing their pain. I'm just better than ever at causing harm." ... A light, mirthless chuckle. "I mean, it's been a while. I've gotten used to it now, but it's the kind of thing that springs to mind, now and again. Especially since..."
He motions to Alouette. "I just had a word with Hinoki. We think we have an idea of what Full Frontal meant, at least. Though it's a bit personal, if you'd rather keep your medical knowledge of me personally to a minimum."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"A Zondarian... I can see the similarities, a little, aside from being far less parasitic." Hm. Alouette puts a plug on that line of thought.
It's what Guy says next that gets her to push him back harder. "That's something I've given a good deal of thought myself. But I don't think you need any sort of special abilities to show kindness, help others with their pain. That you're still considering that in the first place...""
She takes a nice, long sip of tea. "You're the one who told me it comes with being human, and I bet you're someone who'd be out there helping people whether you're a Cyborg, Evoluder, or anything else." She smiles, eyes scanning the GaoBrace for a moment.
And then she looks back up at Guy himself when he mentions that he and Hinoki might've figured something out. "Oh, um... I mean, if it's something you're comfortable with sharing." She nods, as he explains it's a little personal. "I'm still your operator... so I guess it might be important to know about any medical complications that could come up."
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
"Yeah," Guy says, nodding to Alouette. "You're right, of course. The world gave me this body to help protect people." He presses his hand against his chest, eyes lidding for a moment. When he reopens them, he takes a moment to look at the looming silhouette of Genesic GaoGaiGar, the thing they've labeled King of Ruin. "The world still needs people like me. I guess that's true of the Somniums, too. They'd move on otherwise, right?"
They agree, and Guy chuckles. "Well, if this one comes up in combat, that'd be, uh, unique. After I transformed, we did a bunch of tests to tell just what I *was*, now, of course. Hinoki's been reviewing those and running a few more with the improved lab info we have now."
"Long story short...it's likely I can't have children. Or more precisely, must not."
He gets a somewhat hapless smile on his face, trying to play it off like not a big deal, though he scratches the side of his head uncomfortably. "It's the G-Stones in my cells. The G-Stone reproduces more G-Stones by filling and converting compatible resources in a space into more G-Stone. So...during cell division, my G-Stone cells essentially identify everything that isn't other G-Stone cells as mistaken, take over, and replicate themselves. In other words...any child I'd have would just be a clone of me, basically. If that went on unchallenged, it wouldn't even take that many generations for that to endanger or wipe out humanity."
He glances to Alouette, then to Renais. "An end to the possibilities of mankind."
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Renais closes her eyes. To Alouette's speculation about the Green Planet and Bettermen, she makes a vague noise. "It's... not entirely far-fetched, though. What we saw of the humanoid form of Pisa Sol, the one who controlled the Sol Masters' regeneration system, looked a lot like a Lume. Enough that I'd be surprised if the Trinary Solar System *didn't* have contact with Somniums..."
"..." Guy explains the root of the issue, and her eyes open wide. "... I understand."
She sets down her mug, lighting up a little. "Synthesizing a new G-Stone produces an exact copy of the original, in terms of stored information, crystalline structure, capabilities, the damn G--we've never found a flaw in a G-Stone. Before they're faceted, they're even the same shape."
Her expression turns apologetic, as she gestures to Guy. "And you are essentially a living G-Stone. Evoluders wouldn't just 'breed true', they'd... arrest human evolution entirely." She looks a little sheepish. "Or... what you just said, in other words." She picks up her mug again, taking a sip."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Renais's point about Pisa Sol and Betterman Lume gets a thoughtful look from Alouette. "It's definitely not impossible. After all, the Bettermen probably needed to keep up a symbiotic relationship even back then."
And then Guy explains the tests that he and Hinoki conducted... Alouette gives him a grave look. Obviously something she doesn't have to worry about in combat, but the logical conclusion is much more so.
Renais goes further in detail about the sheer ingenuity of the G-Stone. "...I see. I've studied the G-Stone's properties extensively in terms of machinery... but when it comes to the very cells of a person? I can understand why it's something that cannot be allowed to happen. The Somnium also probably see it as a threat to their symbiotic relationship with humanity."
He definitely looks like he's downplaying his own feelings about the situation, she notices. And considering where Mikoto is right now, it feels downright insensitive to point out that there's always other ways to make it happen.
"I guess it probably feels pretty awkward to be someone humanity places their hopes on... and also an existential threat to its possibility at the same time." She concedes instead, with a frown.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
"Somniums...I guess if you think about it, with what we know about them, it makes total sense they'd have found other species. Maybe they've even faced something like Triple Zero before. Lamia and Rice, when we've had dealings with them, they're dedicated to fighting the Oath Over Omega, unquestionably. Maybe they just don't look bothered because Somniums never do, though." Hm. "Anyway, it seems plausible, really. If they can travel in time, then even the boundary of Orange Site isn't a closed door to them."r
To Renais' summary, Guy nods. "Yeah, exactly. It's about the fusion, and what it implies." He tips his head. He's letting his smile be strained, but he's holding it up well. "To be a pinnacle for people to follow, but not mimic...something like that?" he murmurs. "It's rough to think about. But it's something I can do."
He nods to Alouette. "I think that's exactly it. Think about it from their perspective. An organism with incredible strength, that can breed with humans, but never makes anything but more of itself? It's almost textbook. You'd have trouble coming up with a better example of something the Somniums exist to stop. And they don't seem interested in the 'using power responsibly' line." It's a grim chuckle, but it is one.
He finally takes a sip of his own drink, a cold tea, thinking. "I think...they'll wait until the Ruin Apostles are resolved. As far as we know, they're the only ones bringing T0 into the universe right now. Once we bring everyone home, that problem is settled."
His eyes focus again, the massive silhouette of Genesic filling so much of the window. "Not so long now."
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Renais looks at Guy doubtfully. "Are you sure you're okay, Shishioh? This is..." She presses her lips together. "... this is a lot. Somniums are interested in the big picture... so they're looking at you as a..." She trails off.
A virus.
And in some sense, he is. A virus that could destroy humanity. within generations.
"Don't suppose they'll accept a vow of abstinence..."
Not that Mikoto would accept one, either.
"And I think the immediate cosmic threat is higher-priority than the one that's held back by the King of Braves' legendary self-control." She glances out the window. "... what do you think they'll do?"
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"It does sound tough... it's not like you asked to be made this way. You simply did what you had to for Mikoto, right?" She ponders, as the King of Ruin continues to shine the cosmos outside. "Yeah, it really is a lot..." She agrees with Renais.
"I guess I can't blame them for looking out for humanity's interests -- and their own by extension, either." She frowns.
But as they outlined, it's unlikely they'll take action against Guy until the Triple Zero threat is resolved. The question that Renais poses of what they'll do next... "Well.. they all have the same goal, but they're hardly a hivemind, either. They could end up being divided on what measures to actually take when it comes to it. Maybe they have more information that we don't... and they'll act accordingly."
Lowering her mostly-empty cup, she concludes, "But no matter what the Somnium decide... I don't think I could ever accept a solution where we lose you again. Even if that's a little selfish."
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Renais asks the most relevant question for the moment. He shrugs helplessly, hand up. "I can't afford not to be, Renais. But it's not a great feeling to have old discomforts take on a sadistic kind of truth, no."
He nods, quietly, acknowledging what Renais cnocludes. Then he chuckles, a smile tugging at his face despite the somber tone. "Oh, Mikoto'd kill me before they could," he laughs.
"It was the only option left. We'd defeated Zonuda Robo, but Mamoru was injured and GaoGaiGar was destroyed...really, it was more like trying the only thing left to try and praying for a miracle. And...we got one." He smiles, faintly, at that, with real heart. "We did get one," he repeats, softly, to his own thoughts.
"Lamia's already attacked me out of the blue a few times now," Guy confesses. "We've never been able to best each other. But that might mean future attacks come in more dangerous forms. ...there's a possibility this turns into attacks that need GaoGaiGar." He gets a crooked little look again. "Honestly, I'm not totally happy with making you all stand up against something aimed at me specifically. But I don't plan to lie down and die, either."
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Renais gulps down the last of her tea, chuckling softly at the thought of Mikoto finding out about such a thing. She's quiet a moment, thoughtful.
"Lamia might be our best hope, there," she tells Alouette. "At least, according to what I've read... but..." Her mechanical hand clenches at the thought that they'll come after him, properly, and need to be fought off. The prospect of the Somniums endangering others to get at Guy isn't a pleasant one.
"'Making us'? Guy." She looks him in the eye. "You say that like we're not volunteering. You didn't have any choice in becoming an Evoluder to begin with, so don't act like this is your fault, either. We'll handle this the way any Brave would... we'll figure out a solution that doesn't end with you dying, and you'll come out the other end in one piece, I'm sure of it."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Guy's little joke gets a slight giggle from Alouette, too. Oh, that's Mikoto, all right...
But the only reason she's even still here - is the miracle Guy and the rest prayed for all that time ago. "Yeah... you did," she agrees softly, managing a slight smile herself.
But the fact that Betterman Lamia has already attacked him several times? That gets much more of a grim expression - she knew things seemed tense, but...
"Lamia is the one Hinoki-san worked with in the past, isn't he?" She asks, when Renais brings him him possibly being their hope. "I hope so, too, but if even he's trying to ambush Guy, then I don't know..." It's hard to put her faith in beings they don't even fully understand.
"She's right, Guy." Alouette nods. "It's my wholehearted decision, you can't make me not help you find a way out of this." She answers, with just a hint of sass. More seriously, she adds, "If they want to isolate you and make you face this alone... then we'll make sure you'll always have us at your side. Even if it means praying for another miracle..."