2024-01-21: Even If Those Feelings Are Betrayed Hundreds of Times
- Log: 2024-01-21 Even If Those Feelings Are Betrayed Hundreds of Times
- Cast: Kaworu Nagisa, Lina Lombardi, Liam 7-020, Rikka Takarada, Akane Shinjo, Lucine Azul, Sonia Sophia-Grace, Guy Shishioh, Alouette Pommier, Gai Kurenai, Shozo (NPCing Hokuto)
- Where: Orbit Base
- OOC - IC Date: January 21, 2024 - March 0098 (during Controlled Acceleration)
- Summary: The strange child Shozo has been missing ever since the conclusion of the battle against the King of Ruin--but several have had disturbing encounters with Yapool that might well be related to it. Several members of NERV and GGG and their allies come together to share information and plan a rescue while they're still able to pool their resources as a single organization.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
It's been some time since the Gutsy Galaxy Guard and affiliates and allies took off on the Division Train to Jupiter. The main purpose of that mission was to reach the gas giant and defeat the source of the Triple Zero energy therein--and the King of Ruin emanating it, and the Invisible Burst.
That doesn't mean there weren't other things going on too, though. The incident on Mars... and the haunting of the Man in Black. Several people have heard his voice, whispering darkness and poison in their ears. A more limited few have actually seen him face-to-face. Kaworu has not been one of them... but he is not unaware of his presence. And then, on the day that their mission should have been completed, Shozo, wayward son of that vile Man, disappeared...
There hasn't been conclusive word of where he's vanished to. But after the Division Train successfully returned to Earth, and Liam's consciousness was purged of the influence of the Man in Black, Kaworu has decided that their best next step is to gather together those who were on the Division Train--those who volunteer to come, anyway--and have everyone discuss their experiences.
Information is power. The more everyone, and specifically NERV and GGG as organizations, know about the man of Yapool, the more they can guard themselves against him in the future... and deal with whatever game he's been trying to play with them for the past several months.
The meeting place is on the Orbit Base. Kaworu is in one of the meeting rooms already, dressed in his administrator suit, seated at a table with hands tucked in his pockets and legs crossed. There are plenty of seats for everyone who arrives, and a panel window gazes out on the shining curve of Earth beneath the inky black of space.
Guy Shishioh already gave orders in regards to analyzing the data that's been procured so far, and someone will be in shortly to read the report; Kaworu, however, is the one who's organized the meeting itself. Anyone who's actually encountered Yapool has been encouraged to speak up about it, regardless of what that encounter might have been.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina didn't like to think about what happened on the Train. She had wanted to consign it as some terrible dream. But reality isn't so kind. She hadn't even told Elsa, for God's sake. Surely Yapool would have relished in the cruelty of her having to relay the fact that her father died in front of her and she couldn't do anything about it. She still wasn't sure if it had been real. She wasn't sure that a lot of things were real lately.
Lina found herself in the meeting room, staring out at the window into the nothingness of space. She's in her uniform, as she was for most GGG business. Her hair, however, had been cut a bit shorter than it usually hung, tied back in a thin ponytail hanging from the bottom of her head, and her bangs cut out of her eye to frame the left side of her face.
She lets out a sigh and rubs the bridge of her nose. As if she hadn't had enough to worry about with the borders imminently closing between the OCU and the Federation. She found herself having to search for a new, hopefully temporary, home in Japan, a task which Sonia had found an almost concerning amount of glee in, though Lina was thankful for the help. Between the tense powder keg of Sphere politics, the real estate marketing, and most importantly for now, the extended absence of Shozo, Lina had hardly gotten any sleep. It showed in the faint circles under her eyes. It showed in her voice. "That goddamned man..."
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam is recovering, a little bit at a time. Back in January, he endured lengthy surgery to strip out the remains of Crucible's control system, as well as other invasive hardware in his neck and spine. Once he'd recovered from that, he underwent rounds of CRISPR therapy to modify his altered adrenal responses into something far more stable. As a result, he's been off-duty, and thus, he hasn't had as much contact with the others. But he feels he has a job to do here, nevertheless.
The door opens, and Liam steps inside. He looks better than he has in months, maybe even longer. Stress has shaved some of the muscle mass from his frame, but his gaze is alert and attentive without being hypervigilant. The injection ports that studded the back of his neck are gone. He doesn't have any new scars--and in fact, there's the slightest bit of coppery-red fuzz atop his head. He gives Kaworu and Lina nods of greeting--a little worry there, when he looks at Lina--and leads Lucine to a table where they can sit together.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka still remembers that day. If the outbreak of Algernon weren't bad enough, he had chosen to appear before them all to make matters worse. That had been the only time she had seen him - others had had it far worse than she did, it seems, but if he's going to go out of his way to hurt and torment people, something needs to be done. ...And they can't leave Shozo to him, either. Definitely not. She may not have much to contribute in the way of information, but she can offer support.
And so, here she is. This is her first big meeting since joining GGG, so to some, this may be her first time seeing her in their uniform.
"Hey, everyone." Rikka greets as she settles into her seat and waits for everyone else to arrive.
"You look good." She offers, briefly, to Liam.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Arriving alongside the other 3G members, Akane looks a little tired; she forgot this meeting was today and stayed up a little excessively late drawing. (She's had some modest success with posting art for Your Heartbeat Will Answer lately. It's not exactly a large fandom, but that just means it's cozy!)
Rubbing at her face a little to try to wake herself up, she settles into her own seat and pulls out a tablet computer. She's here in large part to take and compare notes; not everything Intelligence does is particularly exciting or glamorous. Sometimes you just need someone to look at the data and start making connections.
She looks over to Liam; he does look probably the best he ever has in the time she's known him. It's good to see.
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
Compared to what's happened before, it's been relatively 'quiet' for the Martian since getting back. Then again, anything's quiet when you've retreated into your social ball, helping Liam with his surgery aftercare, as well as looking through possible plans to implement a bigger greenhouse space in the Nadesico, getting the Dianthus repaired, and other things.
Really, anything that can keep her brain occupied.
However, there's something a little sharper in Lucine's gaze specifically when it came to certain topics. For all the gentle leanings of her personality (as well as her lack of social confidence in normal settings), when she finds an enemy she thoroughly dislikes, she zeroes in on it. It could easily be attributed to naivete, or ignorance towards how quickly this side of her clashes with the other side.
.... Like how when she passes Lina, Lucine turns her head slightly, eyes slightly widened, before she and Liam go towards two seats to sit down.
Or, after they sit down, how she looks up to Rikka and, after a pause to switch gears, smiles like she always has. "... Doesn't he? I think his hair fuzz is adorable, really..."
<Pose Tracker> Sonia Sophia-Grace has posed.
Sonia had not ever been one terrorized by Yapool, but it has affected a few people she genuinely likes, like Lina and Liam. As a result, even if she can't technically really offer anything towards the conversation, she is interested in precisely what is going on.
"Lucine, Liam, nice to see you both." She offers, honestly, before sliding into a chair nearest Lina.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Of course, considering Yapool directly menaced Guy himself, it's small wonder that GGG Green is on the case. Guy's still in the Chief's coat - and there's no longer an Acting on his title of Chief, settling into the room near the front. Taiga and Shigeru are keeping an eye on the Main Order Room at the moment, but Guy's brought Entouji along for analytical purposes. GGG Green's intel head has his hair up in the little ponytail he's managed to keep up...a small reminder and memorial to Papillon Noir, lost to him twice. None of the former Ruin Apostles could be said to be completely over their ordeals, but GGG's support has allowed them to get back to work and focus on the problems facing the organization they've all poured their lives into.
Guy settles into his seat near the front, arms crossing as he regards the crowd. "Good to see everyone," he affirms, eyes knit with thought and concern. Yapool is a foe that's been taunting them at their lowest. It's a kind of attack he's not eager to see continue.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
The appearance of the black-cloaked man upon the Division Train was a certain concern. The battle against Genesic GaoGaiGar however, required enough of Alouette's attention, that the issue hadn't been forced until they confronted Liam's condition.
When she learned of Shozo's disappearance, Alouette told Kaworu she would do what she can... and now the time has come for a meeting about the matter. She's here on behalf of GGG Blue, so she arrives along with Akane and Rikka, trusty note-taking tablet in hand.
Mobile Operations doesn't quite have much in the way of data to offer now... but that kind of expertise will matter a lot more once they actually start planning out a rescue mission. For now, she places her trust in the Intelligence division.
She orients on Liam, too, genuinely glad to see he seemed to take Leina's advice. She offers him and Lucine a smile and a professional nod, but sees fit not to crowd them for now. Instead, she seats herself a couple seats behind Guy, waiting to see what he, Entouji and Kaworu have to say.
"...This mysterious man in black is the kind of enemy I just can't stand. But I think he's counting on us leaving Shozo to his fate to avoid seeing him again." Alouette considers his words about how he's simply here to collect what was his. The violence he inflicted on people like Liam tells a different story, though. "So let's put our heads together and catch him off guard, okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Gai Kurenai has posed.
The movements of the Man in Black have sown distress and misery across the Division Train - not something Gai has been able to ignore. While the strange figure has avoided appearing too close to the wanderer, and hasn't been seen in person since Shozo's disappearance, his influence has still been felt.
When Kaworu, then, reached out to coordinate a meeting about the entity, Gai was all-too-eager to attend.
He is standing at the meeting room's viewport as the group files in, clad, as ever, in his black tee and jeans with his leather coat hung over the back of a chair at the table and his hat in front of it. One hand is resting on the bead necklace as he gazes out thoughtfully into the cosmos, finger pushing the plastic decorations around on the string. Sensing the approach of others, he turns to greet them with a quiet little wave. His expression is serious, but, briefly, becomes a relieved smile at the sight of Liam's recovery going so well - only to cloud again in concern at the obvious signs of Lina's fatigue.
"Chief Shishioh," he says with a nod of greeting to the Evoluder as he returns to his seat, before continuing to look around at the others. He takes a quick note of Rikka in what passes for 3G's uniform, nodding quietly to himself before listening carefully to what the others describe, and ensure he can provide the right knowledge for the problem to hand.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Kaworu smiles in that ineffably patient way he does to everyone as they arrive.
"Liam. Your recovery is coming along well, I see," he remarks. Lucine calls his hair fuzz adorable, and he chuckles faintly. "His growth is heartening."
"As do you," Kaworu says to Rikka, though she hadn't been speaking to him. "Your uniform suits you well." Akane is quiet, and so he merely nods her way.
He looks to one side at Lina in a mix of concern and sympathy. Her concerns are all too human. "You needn't force yourself, Lina Lombardi. Though," he glances at Sonia seating herself nearby her as a faint smile resurfaces, "perhaps there's little need for concern."
He sobers as Alouette weighs in. "Yes. Shozo told me a little about him before, and he has not failed to live up to his description." At last, his gaze ends on Gai, who's been waiting here with him from the start. No words for him, either; some things can simply be communicated with the heart. This is a foe that cannot be tolerated, terrorizing a child in need of a chance for a better life, and they both know it.
Guy arrives with Entouji, and Kaworu nods to them both. "It is." His gaze turns to encompass the room. "Now that we've all gathered, we'll start with an analysis of the data we've managed to garner on the so-called Man in Black. Then, if those who've encountered him directly would be willing to speak on their experiences with him, I encourage you to do so as you will."
In other words, they'll start by discussing the data analysis, and then people can share to whatever extent they're willing to. For now, Kaworu looks over to the analyst who's come with everyone to read the report on Yapool to everyone assembled. "If you would be so kind?" he prompts.
<Pose Tracker> Shozo has posed.
At Kaworu's prompting, an older gentleman with shockingly black hair and a gentle smile stepped forward, nodding kindly to the assembled people.
"Ah, thank you, Mr. Nagisa. I'm Hokuto, a pleasure to meet you all, if only it were under better circumstances." The smile leaves the old analyst's face as he pulls out a remote, turning on a projector with a single tap of a button.
"The vast majority of you all have reported multiple incidents of harassment involving the entity identified as "The Man in Black," or "The Man of Yapool"."
Another press, and the projector shows an image from surveillance cameras across the Train, showing the Man in Black just... staring directly into the image, smiling wickedly.
"This man boarded the Dimension Train through methods we are currently investigating, though we have a number of theories. What was immediately apparent was that he was not someone who stowed away during launch; instead, he manifested on the train at some point during the trip to Jupiter."
The old man pauses a moment to let that fact wash over the assembled minds.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina blinks her fatigue away and lazily waves as people trail in, taking a seat next to Sonia, gently squeezing her girlfriend's hand. "I'm alright, really. Just tired." So very tired.
At the image of the Man in Black, of the Devil himself, Lina's entire muscular system seems to tense up, her hand squeezing Sonia's a bit tighter. She stares directly into his eyes, as if he would be able to see her back. Hell, he might be able to. Her gaze is sharp, firm, and full of killing intent.
She sighs, letting go of Sonia's hand, and stands up. "I think I may be able to illuminate on the 'how.'" She takes a second to compose herself and walks up to the projected image. "It was just before our final attack on the King of Ruin. I was heading to my quarters on the train after...some personal time, when..." She paused, wondering if she was about to sound crazy. "...some kind of tear opened in space. And...I think time, as well, considering who came out. It was my father." She closes her eyelids forcefully, pushing back her emotion before it even comes out. "My father who has been missing for about six years. And it seemed not a day had passed for him. Then the Man appeared, and I gave chase through the tear. It seems as if he has...his own dimension of sorts. A terrible, hellish place outside of the universe."
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
"Thank you," Liam says, lips curling in a gentle smile. It feels good to hear that from Kaworu, and even moreso, Rikka. "You're just saying that because you like touching it." He glances down at Lucine, a gentle tease in his voice. In some ways, cocooning up with her has helped expedite his recovery. He doesn't have to worry so much about doing everything himself.
The big cyborg takes another glance at Lina and Sonia, nodding to the latter--at least Lina has someone looking after her, hopefully--and listens. He doesn't recognize Hokuto, and he tenses up as he realizes what's coming.
Deep breaths, he thinks, once the Man in Black appears on screen in that horrible image.
Liam turns to Lina, his mouth falling open a moment. Her father, he thinks. He swallows, then turns to Hokuto. "I... didn't even see him," Liam says. "He ambushed me as I was preparing to redeploy." Deep, steady breaths. Repeated rounds of EMDR and hypnotherapy have taken some of the edge off this latest trauma, but it's not perfect. No therapy is.
"He was... torturing me, psychically, when Lucine found me."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane looks pretty tired... Rikka can already guess what she's been doing. ...That's cheating, though, since she's been following her feed. She shoots her a small, encouraging smile. She meets Gai's brief glance...
...And laughs, then, at Lucine's comment. She nods back to Liam - then offers Kaworu a smile, too.
"Thanks - I'm glad you think so." She says. She's pretty proud to be here now, sitting with all of them - though she goes quiet, as the conversation turns toward the serious matter of why they're here.
"...Same here." Rikka agrees with a nod toward Alouette. She can't stand it at all. "If that's what he thinks, though... then he really doesn't know us very well."
That's a good thing, in a way - if he's underestimated them, they can use that.
A data analyst arrives, then, and Rikka frowns as she turns her attention to the camera images, and listen to what he has to say.
He didn't stow away, but manifested... Rikka frowns.
"...I guess I shouldn't be surprised." She comments. It isn't the first time she's heard of an enemy like that. Lina and Liam recounts their experiences, next, and Rikka shudders sympathetically.
"...I'm sorry. That must've been horrible." She offers, to both of them.
<Pose Tracker> Sonia Sophia-Grace has posed.
Lina's hand is squeezed in return. The two of them may be pretty chill overall, but this is one of those situations where Sonia is actually just chilling.
"I didn't have any interacts with him, but, um... were we really supposed to be surprised about that? Considering the amount of people in and out of the train, I daresay there weren't really any places one could get away with. Now if Lina's right about this ... warp area, then yes, perhaps he could have been; the push comes to shove here, however, is that whoever this ... person is, they deliberately waited until we were properly in travel mode. Which, rude - but - realistically, they knew we'd be able to be split and alone. Maybe the people picked weren't deliberate, but..."
Sonia hesitates, shuts up, shaking her head.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
... While she hasn't been too overt with it, Akane's spent a little time appreciating seeing Rikka in the 3G uniform. Her hair, her eyes... and yeah, her thighs; she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy a woman in uniform.
Nodding back to Kaworu, Akane favors him with a small smile. "Hey," she offers, quietly. She doesn't think too many pleasantries are the best idea; at the very least, now isn't the best time.
She turns her attention to Hokuto, making notes. "Do we know anything about how that worked?" Akane asks, raising a stylus-holding hand. "Can he move like that because of a metaphysical connection to Shozo, or is it, like, an emotional thing?"
Lina and Liam volunteer their experiences, and Akane makes a few notes. "I... think I heard him a couple of times, but I didn't get blasted with anything that bad," she says, not volunteering much more information than that. She knows when to let herself take a backseat.
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
Alouette's smile and nod is received and returned, but is no less friendly, despite them all being in their uniforms. ... Including Lucine herself, in the lone red and black of the Nergal women's uniform.
Sonia gets a smile and a nod as well, just as friendly; seeing her sit next to Lina likewise makes Lucine glad, as does just seeing Akane and Rikka sit together too. Though, what seems to be plaguing Lina? Lucine can't quite get a read on her just using her own senses, as invasive as that act may be in retrospect. In fact, there's a lot of tired energy in this room, as everyone files in. Guy still bears the weight and responsibility of what was lost and what was reclaimed.
Looking towards Hokuto as Kaworu introduces him, Lucine looks up towards the screen, and considers a moment, before Lina speaks up. "..." The 'how'?
'It was my father.' Lucine's posture straightens in her seat as Lina reveals more, her fingers tightening into fists below the cover of the table. ".... So there was someone else that was attacked..." Lucine had suspected it, but she had denied anything significant due to no one being in the same condition as Liam. How off the mark could she even have been here? To torture someone that way with a glimpse of their missing father? ".... Lina..."
'Have fun trying to put him back together, Lulu.' 'I'll call for you later.' Maybe he realized Lina was just as good a target as she was, if not more. It's not been six years, for Lucine. ".... So you were attacked after Liam was," she says, quietly. "... I should have gotten word out faster." It's a paltry thing to lay at Lina's feet as an apology, even knowing neither of them had much ability to affect things. They were fighting side by side, and Lucine never realized what Lina had been through.
It's just as bad as Liam's own experience. Lucine closes her eyes and draws out a note book. "... I've written down a few things, in reference to the events leading up to what happened." She gives a small nod to Akane. ".... I realized, through your own experiences, that I couldn't... treat him lightly. When he was in the room with Liam, I tried to call for help, but... nothing connected. I couldn't wake Liam up by throwing my shoe against the wall, either. I thought entering the room would trap me in some wrap dimension, but it may have been I already was there, before I knew it... He wanted me to wake up Liam with a kiss. It... did not go well, but I was prepared for that. As best I could. It was all to serve as punishment, for getting close to Shozo."
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Guy notes, "He's definitely not just an intruder. Manifested is a good word. He appeared in my office, once, and created...I couldn't tell you. Illusions? Manifestations?" He grimaces, shaking his head, and his face grows more dire still. "He told me he considers humanity - this entire universe, even - to be a curse that has to be destroyed. He's an enemy who can't be ignored."
Entouji pipes in, "Considering the level of timespace distortions that began after the Galeoria Pliers were sundered - and never quite stopped until the King of Ruin was silenced - there's a good possibility that that instability formed a window of opportunity for the entity to gain access." He has his laptop, of course, keys clicking loudly. Entouji would never be caught dead without a mechanical keyboard.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"He mentioned something of the sort to me as well," Alouette nods to Kaworu, about this man living up to Shozo's words. "But understandably so, I didn't get the impression he wanted to talk about it very much." How long has he been running away from his torturers?
"Precisely," Alouette nods, when Rikka talks of this man not knowing them so well after all. "Either that, or it's just some sick game he's playing." She offers. "It's just the same, though. He's mistaken if he thinks we'll play into his hands about this."
When the data analyst, Hokuto, arrives though, Alouette turns her attention back to her tablet, ready to listen to what he says. Entouji tries to make sense of the data with an explanation of his own, too. "Right... we had no contact with him until after we left Mars. And it seemed like he has been chasing after Shozo for quite a long time... I think it was a matter of right time and place to strike."
Lina, Liam, and Lucine share their experiences with the man of Yapool, then... Lina's experience, in which the longing of a family torn apart is exploited gets a particularly slight grimace from Alouette, before she buries her gaze back into her tablet.
"It's the same here. During the Algernon incident." Alouette offers, when Akane volunteers that she heard from Yapool. "I don't think it was his 'voice'... but it was probably him."
<Pose Tracker> Gai Kurenai has posed.
As the analyst Hokuto speaks up, Gai looks over to him, brow furrowing. There is something... familiar about this individual.
Whatever deductions he might make, though, he keeps them to himself.
"Yapool..." he murmurs. The name is one he recognises, in a manner of speaking - one on the fringes of memory.
"... From your accounts," he says to Lina and Lucine, "and from our experience, it sounds as though he enjoys visiting misery on humans."
Guy says the man in black declared this very universe an abomination to be destroyed, and Gai nods, brows furrowing again in thought.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
"Lucine, it's alright. I don't blame you. You were occupied with Liam. I'd be the same in your situation." She gives Lucine as warm a smile as she can at the moment. She would...keep the part about what Yapool did to her father to her chest for now. Best to not worry the others too much. "And yeah, I was getting close to the kid myself, so that explains it." She turns to Guy and Entouji. "And just when we thought we were done with all that nonsense from T0, hm?"
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Kaworu smiles back at Hokuto, but remains silent once the discussion begins. Akane is correct; this isn't the time or place for anything more than the briefest of small talk. Hokuto's explanation provides a launching board for discussion, and naturally includes everyone's experiences.
Kaworu listens to Lina's anecdote about her encounter with her time-displaced father; his expression doesn't change at all. "That sounds correct based on what Shozo's told me," he says. Liam's tale about his torture at Yapool's hands is unfortunately familiar, as is Lucine's follow-up, though some of the details are new. (A kiss? How strange.)
Guy and Entouji weigh in as well, while Sonia remarks on the thus far predatory nature of Yapool's interations. However, it's Gai and his furrowed brow that get a long look out of Kaworu. He leaves it be for now, though.
"A being of pure hatred, that hails from another dimension... And who considers this universe a 'curse,' and yet sired his 'son' into it." A beat, before he adds, "Shozo is his son, that is--but he's come to reject what his father represents. This must displease him, so it makes sense that he targeted those who've encouraged this in Shozo."
Kaworu hasn't been targeted, but he suspects he's not a satisfying target to a being such as Yapool.
"Yes," he says quietly after Rikka. Akane offers insightful questions, no doubt thanks to her experience with Alexis, while she and Alouette mention they'd heard his 'voice'. He nods to Alouette in turn. "Yes. Even to me, he never named his 'fathers.'" (The sudden plural there might be a touch distressing.) "It can't have been very long, though," he adds. "Shozo was only born about fourteen months ago."
<Pose Tracker> Shozo has posed.
Hokuto said nothing while the others spoke of their personal experiences, of the torments that they faced at Yapool's hand. Suddenly, he bowed low, exhaling slowly.
"I sincerely apologize for how you have suffered. Allow me to continue -- We have gathered further information on Yapool from scans taken over the past year."
When Hokuto straightens his back, he looks genuinely sympathetic and sad.
"Firstly... We have found traces of exotic energy tied to the boy you refer to as Shozo dating back roughly a year or so. Primarily in the Tsutsujidai PLANT, but further traces could be found as far as Riksent and near Mount Fuji. This energy is almost identical to traces we have found throughout the Train, with a few key differences that suggest an added element within Shozo. With that in mind, we have concluded that Shozo's claims of being Yapool's "son" are highly likely." Hokuto crosses his hands.
"There is, however, a clarification to make based on an anomaly from January 22nd of last year. From the patterns we observed, Shozo was not "sired," as you claim, in this universe, but *escaped* to it. The flow state between the two energies, while *capable* of coexisting, was determined to be a clash against one another. Signs of a struggle, as it were."
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Yapool. The monster has a name. In naming him, has he become less frightening, in a sense? (Only in a sense, Liam thinks, because only a fool would think an entity with Yapool's power could be diminished so trivially.)
The cyborg hisses out a breath. "Great," he mutters. No sooner has Triple Zero been contained? Nullified in this dimension? Then they have a new existential threat to deal with, this one capable of reasoning on its own, and acting without possessed intermediaries. In a way, it's... better? In other ways, it's worse.
Liam wraps an arm around Lucine, and squeezes her as he looks at Lina. His eyes are dark with sympathy as he nods to her. "I think he wanted to make examples," Liam says. "To show we weren't safe. The... the Algernon outbreak was... even if he didn't start it, it was the perfect way to hurt us." He glances at Alouette, and nods.
"I think that's an important distinction," Liam adds, to Akane. Hokuto has some more to add, though.
"So... what happened? Yapool came into conflict with something else, and that made Shozo?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka certainly doesn't mind being admired. It's a perk of the job, really.
RIkka listens as Lucine recounts her own experience. She frowns. ...It does seem needlessly, pointlessly cruel. The more she hears about him, the more it becomes clear they need to do something about this.
"...That makes sense." Rikka considers, as Entouji points out the timespace distortions from after the sundering of the Galeoria Pliers.
...Still, she frowns. A curse to be destroyed...
"...That's unacceptable. No one deserves this." She says, with a shake of her head.
As for the incident during the Algernon outbreak...
"I didn't hear his voice, but I saw him when he appeared to everyone. I think... what we all saw differed, just a little, from person to person." She considers - then listens as Kaworu.
"That man... is Shozo's father? ...Or, one of them." She asks, surprised. ...He had told her of his fathers, and the monster they wanted him to become. Knowing that now, hearing what he's after, what he's capable of... it makes a lot of sense. "Fourteen months ago... I didn't realise."
Hokuto offers some clarification... and its worth thinking about. A clash, a struggle... Rikka frowns, going quiet for now.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
"Kid's got a hell of a fight in him, I know that much." Lina heads back to her seat, pausing for a second to look at Hokuto. She...didn't recognize him. Something in her head was telling her that was important. She shakes it off and sits back down. There's plenty of people with NERV she didn't know. Lack of sleep just has her paranoid.
"I'm not going to follow his damn example. Shozo's a good kid. I want to get him back, and as far away from that bastard as we can."
The explanation of clashing energies was a bit over Lina's head, but Liam's clarification helped. "So just as there's Yapool the father, there's...let's just say a mother."
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
"Not quite," Guy says to Kaworu's summary. He glances to Gai, the Ultraman; then to Kaworu, then on around the room, nodding to the people he trusts and respects.
"I thought so too. He referred to himself as 'of Yapool.' I greeted him as a 'man from Yapool.'" He shakes his head. "He corrected me with one of his nightmare visions."
"He isn't 'from' Yapool. He is... 'of' it." He looks to Lina. "You said he 'had' another universe. He is the other universe. A hostile, thinking, alien reality."
Entouji clacks away dutifully. "An entity that could control energies at that scale is operating on macroscopic laws we might not even know about," he says. "But he leaves traces we can track, and there's not many. We can safely assume his presence as we've seen it, in reality as we know it, has been localized to the Division Train approach to Jupiter."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane nods to Alouette, affirming her experience... since it sounds like it was more or less the same one. She takes a few notes, here and there, as Kaworu explains and then Hokuto corrects a couple of things. "Yeah, that sounds about right? I think Alexis kinda stumbled into him around that time..."
She underlines 'Yapool' a couple of times for good measure, before going back to chewing on the ideas she's been presented thus far... and doing her best to swallow down her feelings about the situation orienting on the Galeoria Pliers. If she thinks too hard about this being, in some sense, 'trouble she caused,' she'll go crazy.
"Intelligence is a little swamped, but we'll do our best to support you guys on this one. I think this is an all hands on deck kinda issue, so even if the government situation is changing, I think it's best if we all keep each other in the loop..." Besides, Akane thinks -- she'd be a pretty big hypocrite if she left someone like Shozo to Yapool.
When Guy talks, even though that's data 3G already has, Akane takes a lot of notes. It'll help to have everything on the same physical page, for her.
<Pose Tracker> Shozo has posed.
Hokuto smiles warmly at Gai's correction.
"Thank you for bringing up that point, Commander Shishioh. Yes, it appears that "Yapool" as an entity appears to be a consciousness shared by an entire universe of energy and matter. More than a hivemind, but less than something you or I could call, well, a god." He straightens his back again, and lets out a slow breath through his nostrils.
"Which brings us to another challenging conclusion we have come to. As I stated before, we found traces of Yapool's energy going back 14 months, muddled with what we have associated with Shozo. In that time..." Another slow exhalation.
"Yapool's energy has not dissipated or weakened at all. The radiation appears to have no measurable half-life we can find. It does not end. Shozo's, perhaps owing to his other parent's influence, whoever that may be, is breaking down in ways that could be understood in the natural world."
Hokuto crosses his arms.
"I fear that this puts any rescue attempts on a timeline."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"I see," Kaworu says, taking in this new information from Hokuto and Guy. "It seems I'd misunderstood, then. Thank you for the correction."
Lina voices her desire to get Shozo back and away from Yapool. "I quite agree. He is my friend, after all."
Akane mentions Alexis having run into him back then, and Kaworu nods. "Yes. When I first met Shozo, he mentioned he'd met Alexis Kerib already, so I decided to bring him to Gridman. He and the Neon Genesis Junior High Students chose to take him in." He glances over at Gai; then he looks at Entouji and Hokuto. The news Hokuto presents is grim indeed.
"Have we been able to pinpoint where Shozo's energy signatures have gone?" They need to know that before they can rescue him--and if they're on a deadline, all the more so.
<Pose Tracker> Sonia Sophia-Grace has posed.
When Lina sits down, Sonia takes and squeezes her hand again.
Her gaze goes over her shoulder to Gai, then she props up one foot on her seat and utilizing her knee as a table to take notes on her own device. "I would like to second Kaworu's question and the discussion that entails. If Yapool and Shozo have separate signatures, and Shozo's is breaking apart, is there any way of tracking where the signatures are going or coming from?" She wonders. "Some sort of tracking or model system we can utilize to stretch our timeline safely?"
Hey, she may not know who Shozo is, but Lina likes him and that's enough for her.
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
Alouette connects the dots, connecting it to the strangeness surrounding the Algernon incident. Lucine's eyes widen. "... I see... yes. With that balloon of my dad's... head." The last word comes out subdued; she nearly clobbered Shozo back then.
Liam draws her into a comforting hug, despite being the one who was more hurt by the Man in Black. She feels a pang of guilt, but leans against his arm anyway. ".... Shozo came along to help a team reclaim some research data from my home colony on Mars." Lucine looks down. "... I just... felt I needed to mention that." Tucking a lock of hair against one of her hair clips, she adds, "But I suppose it doesn't matter where he's from, or how many sources he comes from... some flowers specialize in springing from dried ground every time it rains... can't there be people who are similar? We need to make sure he doesn't succumb to, ah, dust." She clears her throat. "... I'm not sure if Shozo would like being compared to a flower, though, ah, a cactus, maybe... or... ah... anyway."
She simply takes it as a sign that maybe her own therapy is having a positive effect, if she's sidetracking into plants. She nods, as Hokuto urges them to keep moving. "... Ah, Right. ... We know now who was affected, and we have more information to make a change. Let's keep our eyes on the prize, then..."
He isn't 'from' Yapool, but is, Guy clarifies. "... I see..." Terrifying, hard to put her mind around.
She closes her eyes, and thinks back to her initial analogy, to try to spin it in a way her own mind can comprehend. "... So Yapool.... is a dry desert, like we have on the furthest parts of Mars, not like on Earth. We simply need to bring the rain. Shozo is tough, but he still needs our help." She opens her eyes, and gaze ahead towards Hokuto. "... So you say we have time. That's enough, once we gain the location."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Alouette takes some notes based on Kaworu's explanation - leaving some room to scratch out and rewrite when Hokuto comes in with some corrections. "So we can't know for sure how long Shozo has existed... and how long this Yapool has been after him?" Alouette confirms, tapping her finger slowly against her tablet.
Her gaze traces from Hokuto, to Kaworu, to Gai - Ultraman. "Can we expect an appearance from this other... parental being?" She asks. "This Yapool universe-person is hostile enough... but it seems like he was trying to escape them both, wasn't he?" Akane mentions Alexis was involved in some capacity, too...
"You have the Mobile Corps behind you for this too," Alouette offers after Akane, nodding to Guy. "Since we're dealing with universal and dimensional phenomenon, some of our tools might be able to do the trick, but..." Hokuto explains they're on a tight schedule. "Seeing as it's a whole dimension we'll up against, we'll have to do a little better than blindly charging in." Sonia puts out an idea of a tracking system, and Alouette looks to Entouji. She doesn't even need to ask, if he's capable. He's probably going to try anyways, after all.
"...So in the end, this is both a rescue mission and a universal-level threat. Well, we won't shirk on either of those."
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
The balloons. Liam's face tightens, and he holds Lucine that much closer. (He can do that again without feeling sharp and immediate guilt. He is deeply angry that it was taken from him in the first place.
Guy clarifies. Liam's eyes grow wide. "Shozo will die if he's not rescued," he says, just to put the stakes on the table.
<Pose Tracker> Gai Kurenai has posed.
Hokuto elaborates on Shozo's nature and when he entered existence, and Gai nods. "That makes sense - I first met him in Tsutsujidai during its... detached time from the rest of reality."
The subject of Shozo's parentage enters discussion, and Gai feels better-footed to discuss this. "The other entity responsible for 'siring' Shozo is known as Rayblood, who desires eternal conquest of all known reality through the iterative possession of 'suitable heirs'. While dangerous in his own right, his threat has been sharply diminished. Shozo may have been a new method to create a new host - one that relied on seemingly similar but ultimately incompatible energies." Alouette asks if that other parent is likely to show himself, and Gai shakes his head. "To the best of my knowledge, Rayblood's essence has been separated from his last ideal host and has great difficulty interfacing with reality."
Hokuto points out that Shozo's energy readings appear to be diminishing, and Gai nods. "The incompatibility between the energies is causing the relationship to break down... Shozo vanished during the final battle with the King of Ruin, I believe in a similar way to how the Man in Black manifested originally. It may be that he has been drawn back into Yapool's self - for what purpose, I cannot fathom."
... Probably torture, if his assessment of Yapool is accurate.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
"Just as Yapool wanted to make examples of Liam and me for befriending Shozo...perhaps he wants to make Shozo an example to himself." Most of this stuff is really beginning to go over Lina's head, but she was sure of that much, at least. "And even if we can find Shozo and get into Yapool...then what? I know we're riding high from the King of Ruin, but he's...he's on another level."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Not from Yapool - of it. He is the universe.
...That's a lot to take in. But the fact that the others don't seem discouraged means she shouldn't let herself be, either. It's a tall order... but, they'll figure something out. There is one complication, though...
"...A deadline." Rikka murmurs. Kaworu mentions Gridman, and the Neon Genesis Junior High Students. ...Yes, she needs to do what she can to help for their sake, too.
Alouette says they'll have the Mobile Corps behind them, and Rikka nods, offering her support as well.
Gai has a lot to explain, then - and Rikka listens. Rayblood - desiring eternal conquest...
"...With parents like that, he really had the deck stacked against him from the start." Rikka murmurs sympathetically. "...I'm not about to stand by and let a child suffer from his parents' selfishness."
Whatever else is at stake... ultimately, that's what it comes down to.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
The energy isn't breaking down. Entouji mutters toward Akane, "We'll need a way to neutralize that." More of a note for Tasks For Somebody Somewhere To Perform rather than instruction, but indeed, it's good for Intel to keep communication open, even between branches.
Guy grunts. "We're a bit depleted, it's true," Guy says, to Lina's skepticism. "I'd much rather have Genesic ready to use...maybe even that G-Armor thing Uncle Liger's been working on. But that could be months. Years, even. We don't have that long." He grins, thumping his chest. "But that's fine. It won't be the first time we've faced long odds. We'll make up the rest with courage!"
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"We call a lot of things gods," Akane reflects, at the explanation from Hokuto. It's a bit of a strange thing, isn't it? Even she's been called a god, but... well, here she is.
A deadline... that makes Akane raise her eyebrows a little. She notes it down, and it's clear the thought makes her anxious. Living in a world of finite things -- even with a new appreciation for the power of it, she's still a little anxious about... expiration dates.
Nodding to Entouji, Akane says, "We'll be in touch with Yamajii about that." Even if that's more Research's remit, Intelligence can coordinate -- and Akane thinks Yamajii is probably in a better position to do that kind of coordination than Akane, a junior member, or Entouji, still relatively recently returned.
Smiling at Alouette as she mentions they won't shirk on either a rescue mission or a cosmic threat, Akane agrees, "Sounds like we've still got our work cut out for us."
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina shakes her head at Guy's response. Of course. What has she been saying to Yapool this whole time? It would be hard, but nothing was impossible!
"That's right! We're Braves!" She pounds her chest as well.
"I'm a Brave! I need to start acting like one!"
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Alouette receives an answer to her question from Gai - and a theory on Shozo's true origins as a suitable host for this Rayblood entity. "It's good that we probably won't have to deal with him... but it's sad he was born that way only to just be discarded." She answers the Ultraman. "I hope Shozo can find a true family of his own, too.
It's good that Intelligence seems to be coordinating even on the spot, but for the matter of the G-Armour... "Sorry to say, but even if we work day and night and switch back to the original GaoFighGar spec sheet, there's no way that thing will be ready in time for the deadline." But Guy has another solution in mind, of course. "The one thing you can count on anytime and anywhere is courage, isn't it?" She affirms, especially as Rikka throws in her support, too.
"Just like always," Alouette concludes to Akane with a slight smile. "Let me know if Intelligence needs an extra pair of eyes. ...This is going to take a lot."
<Pose Tracker> Shozo has posed.
"Before you worry yourselves with the dangers of Yapool's energy, there is some good news... of a sort." Hokuto puts his arms behind his back and looks out the window.
"Right now, the highest concentration of that exotic energy are... Well, you three." He points at Gai, Lina, and Liam.
"The three of you made, unfortunately, direct contact with Yapool -- But that grants us access to enough of a sample that we may be able to use it to access that dimension ourselves."
Hokuto's expression is quietly grave.
"It is my hope that we can give you a measure of retribution for the crimes committed against you."
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam's eyes widen. He looks down at himself, and presses a hand to his chest, as if he could sense the malign power inside him. His face grows stony, at first, before settling into determination it hasn't worn for quite a while. "I'll do whatever it takes," he says, meeting Hokuto's eyes.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
"As if you could keep me away. I'm going to kill that son of a bitch with my own hands, just like he killed my..." She trails off before she says too much.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Kaworu listens quietly to Gai's explanation of Shozo's other father... and his theory on how and why Shozo vanished in the first place. He nods once. "I know you mentioned before you wanted to be a mentor to Shozo," he comments, though he doesn't follow up on that.
While they might have to fight an entire dimension to save Shozo, those present here have already made their courage known. Kaworu smiles, eyes shutting briefly before he looks at Hokuto. "Then let us do so."
There's enough of both Intelligence and R&D that they can get on that as soon as the meeting's over, after all. And once that opening is complete--
They will save their friend.
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
Spirits are rising. Lucine can feel it. Her spirit rises, in turn. "He didn't turn his back on me when I was looking for people, so, ah, I won't turn my back on him!" Lucine says, raising from her chair in the spirit of the moment. "... A-ah, that is... it was voluntary, since... Mom made sure to donate supplies and funds to GGG regardless..." She readjusts her enthusiasm, and continues, "But! I know a thing or two about extracting a miracle from the depths of hell! And it'd give me no better pleasure than to screw up this Yapool's plans, whatever they are!"
Clearing her throat, her chair shifts as she sits back down, and looks to Liam, with a grin, just before Lina almost completes her sentence.
If Lina looks her way, Lucine shares a look with her, and nods, silently.
Lucine doesn't know the specifics, but she knows the spirit of it.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Guy's attention flicks to Entouji and Akane as the concern of Yapool's energy is discussed, and then back over to Hokuto as the man provides some possible remediation. The thought of some lingering evil within him doesn't seem to bother him...he's been fighting evil energies for a while now. "So that's our door," he affirms with a firm nod. "I'll notify Uncle Liger, we're going to need his expertise on a project like that."
He casts his eyes around, matching all those whose energy is rallying as they remember the strength of their courage. "I understand. It's a bit of a moonshot to begin with. But, enemies like this just prove why we're making it." He stands up, fingertips on the table as he offers a confident smile. "I'll let you know when everything's ready. We have to move fast."
<Pose Tracker> Shozo has posed.
Hokuto smiles again, nodding at the group.
"I'm glad you're all decided. Let me just say one more thing before I take my leave." He straightens up one more time, and looks out at the assembled group.
"Yapool and his torments are truly monstrous, but all of us have had to deal with our own pains and deceptions, and we will continue to as long as we live. The things Yapool does are not unique. There was a time where I myself almost gave up on everything after losing my... My Yuko." He exhales, looking out into the middle distance for a moment before turning back to the others.
"Caring for the weak. Helping others in their time of need. Becoming friends no matter where you're from." His eyes move from Kaworu, to Guy, to Akane, to Lina, to Rikka, to Liam, to Lucine, and finally to Gai, giving him a quick, melancholic grin as he turns to walk out.
"Please don't lose those feelings. Even if those feelings are betrayed hundreds of times. Thank you."
With that, he walks out the door.