2024-07-27: The Evolution of Flowers

• Log: The Evolution of Flowers
• Cast: Chloe, Kaworu Nagisa, Serinas Nikola, Liam 7-020, Madoka Kyouno
• Where: Augmented Shibuya
• OOC - IC Date: July 27 0099
• Summary: Augmented Shibuya comes under attack from yet another Meteora, on a particular important day to boot. The battle doesn't go as expected though as strange things start occurring, culminating in a surprising reveal.

---

KTS: Kaiju_Navi has deployed as a Boss for 5 opponents.

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        Chloe stands within the cockpit of her Alto Makhia as it is carried up
 through the launch elevator towards the surface. She still can't shake the
 weird feeling she's had all morning. She can't explain it. It's like she's in
 a dark space... Yet there is a light. It's far, far away. But there's a wall
 before her, sealing it away and blocking her path.

        How can she break through that wall?

        The fact is, she's gone back to the way she was before. Just a doll.
 Her only reason to exist, to fight the Meteora. To seek out her vengeance
 against them.

        Chloe's thoughts are disrupted by the appearance of a hologram in her
 cockpit. It's Prometheus's chief operator, Aoba Iwaza. He looks at Chloe,
 starting to say, "Chloe, I think you should know-"

        But he is cut off as another hologram appears, this time of the fully
 cybernetic Professor Julie. She raises one of her long spindly fingers and
 cautions, "Now now, Aoba. Don't go and ruin the surprise. This is a special
 moment!"

        Aoba briefly shoots Julie an annoyed glare, but ultimately sighs as he
 has no choice but to give in. Chloe glances between the two in confusion,
 before Aoba starts to report, "Our new early warning system detected potential
 Meteora activity. An alert has been sent out across the local region, as well
 as requests for assistance to our allies."

        Julie grins smugly, moving her long arms to rest on her hips, "I'm
 rather proud of that new system. It's not easy to predict the movements of an
 unknowable alien entity that can seemingly appear and disappear at will! In
 fact-"

        But Chloe cuts her off before she can go into a long winded scientific
 explanation, "Then we've received confirmation of a Meteora?"

        Aoba nods grimly, "As of six minutes ago. The first defence team has
 already engaged it. Your mission is as usual. Defend the city. Defeat the
 Meteora."

        Julie butts in herself this time, saying, "Hey now! I keep insisting
 that I need you guys to capture one of them! Yet you keep screwing it up!"
 Aoba looks in Julie's direction, before his hologram vanishes as he ends his
 tranmission. Julie growls, "Heeeey! Where do you think you're going!?" Her
 transmission too ends.

        Chloe's cockpit isn't empty for long though, as the holographic form of
 her co-pilot, Noa, appears in it. She seems rather worried as she looks at
 Chloe. Chloe can guess the reason why, given what today is. Noa starts to say,
 "Chloe, I-"

        But Chloe doesn't let her, asking, "Are you ready to fight?" Chloe
 steps forward, putting her arms and legs into the holographic representations
 of her Makhia's and establishing her neural connection to the machine.

        Noa hesitates for a moment... Before nodding. She closes her eyes and
 clasps her hands in front of her, saying, "Artemis, goddess of the bow, grant
 my archer your mighty blessing. Noa, the electric doll AARC, offers you her
 song."

        Chloe can feel it through her mental link as the elevator shudders to a
 stop. It has reached the top. As she waits, she hears a voice coming from over
 her shoulder, "So, Chloe..." Chloe turns her head to look, once more seeing
 the holographic form of Professor Julie. Though this time she's leaning
 forward over Chloe's shoulder from behind. She continues, "When you face the
 Meteora on the battlefield, there's something I want you to ask it..."

        Chloe looks forward again, watching as the large screens making up the
 cockpit's forward wall show the armored shutters of the surface elevator
 sliding downwards. The sandy dunes of the African desert are revealed.

        The scene that greets Chloe, as well as anyone else who arrives to
 assist, is that of several of the mass produced Pallas Makhia already in the
 middle of battle. A few have been rendered inoperative, lying on the ground,
 some in several pieces.

        And hovering in the air above them, a large spherical object roughly
 400 metres in diameter. Numerous blockish shapes. making up its hard shell.
 overlap each other, growing more condensed and layering over each other as
 they reach towards a central point. They give the impression of petals, as if
 this is a giant flower bud just waiting to open.

        Chloe freezes, her eyes going wide in shocked recognition. It's that
 one. The one from that day...

        And with a voice filled with a more sinister tone, Julie finishes, "Ask
 it if Coco tasted good."

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        It's been a year since the Meteora attack in which Coco Coconoe
 perished. Kaworu remembers that day well, as he does many things. Thus he also
 remembers the Meteora that swallowed her up. He gazes on its petal-like
 exterior and spheroid shape with a lack of smile from within Unit Beta's entry
 plug.
        
        The call for assistance to defend against it had arrived promptly. With
 increased attacks over the past year, NERV agents have made regular trips to
 Augmented Shibuya, including their mobile suits--thus why Kaworu and Unit Beta
 happened to be ready to engage. They, too, rise from underground in a familiar
 sequence, arriving up top to the sight of many Makhia already on the field,
 some of them defeated.
        
        "...So we meet again," he murmurs. "I'm sorry. I can't let you have
 your way."
        
        Unit Beta draws her Heat Rapier from her back, then launches up into
 the air on her A.T. Wings and thrusts forward to strike at the Meteora's
 exterior. Kaworu already knows they need to expose the core, so it's best to
 get on with it.
        
        Chloe might have some trouble with this one, after all.

KTS: Kaworu Nagisa: Will Barrier Activates.
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa targets Kaiju Navi with Penetrating Stab!
KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        Chloe's city needs help with a Meteora? Has it really been a year since
 the last time already? Well, she can answer the call for help on behalf of the
 SAL...

        The Queadluun-Rhea speeds through the sky. As soon as as she's in
 weapons range, the anti-ship cannon rotates into the ready position and fires
 bright blue bolts at the distant monster. Serinas's greeting towards the other
 pilots on the radio is considerably warmer! <<"Heeey! It's good to see you
 folks again!">>

KTS: Serinas Nikola targets Kaiju Navi with AA-76/QD Shoulder Cannon Warning
 Shots!

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Liam is supposed to be on leave. He signed the paperwork. NERV's
 personnel officers granted his request. Unfortunately, eldritch kaiju don't
 care about things like 'mental health days' and 'taking time for self-care'.
 (In this, they are not that unlike certain people in NERV's leadership.) He
 got the call less than two hours ago, and after leaving his apartment and
 girlfriend and gardening show binge-watch, he is here, in the cockpit of his
 Akashima, in Augmented Shibuya.

        Another set of elevator doors slide open with a heavy groan, and the
 lift comes to a stop. The clamps holding the Akashima in place release, and
 the machine takes a step forward, onto the sandy ground. Its head turns to
 face the foe--

        "Kaworu," Liam says, tension solidifying into a knot in his chest. "Is
 it--" It is. Liam recognizes this Meteora; it's been seared into his memory,
 joining the cast of his nightmares. Words fail him for a moment, but his
 instincts do not. The Akashima raises its arm cannon, sinks into a low, steady
 stance, and opens fire, pelting the kaiju with lead. "Don't hold back," Liam
 says. "We're with you, Chloe!"

KTS: Liam 7-020 targets Kaiju Navi with Akashima Arm Cannon Shot!
KTS: Liam 7-020's Tactical Intelligence activates Valor!

<Pose Tracker> Madoka Kyouno has posed.

A distress call was a distress call, no matter where or when. Even if Pharos
 was elsewhere away from Kamogawa, doing its own investigation of the marine
 waters of the Indian Ocean, Madoka wasn't the type to properly sit around when
 any signal came in.

A singular green streak erupted from Pharos, carving a line through the sky
 while swinging in. A breath out from the pilot inside, craft corkscrewing as
 it unfurled its arms and legs. A quick check of the target. Wow, a sphere...

"Uh...hi. Pharos only has me on-board, so lets get this over with." A glance
 over at the Unit Beta. NERV. Good, good. ANother exhalation before setting her
 sights on that Meteora, pulling out the Promus rifle and...One shot. Two. A
 few to test the exterior. Careful. Be a bit careful.

KTS: Madoka Kyouno targets Kaiju Navi with Promus Shot!
KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to engage Guard against Kaworu Nagisa's Penetrating Stab!
KTS: Kaiju Navi successfully reacts to Kaworu Nagisa's Penetrating Stab, taking
 3360 damage!

KTS: Can't find an attack from Nikola.
KTS: Kaiju Navi engages guard against Serinas Nikola's AA-76/QD Shoulder Cannon
 Warning Shots!

KTS: Kaiju Navi successfully guards Serinas Nikola's AA-76/QD Shoulder Cannon
 Warning Shots, taking 3360 damage!

KTS: Kaiju Navi engages guard against Liam 7-020's Akashima Arm Cannon Shot!
KTS: Best Defense! Kaiju Navi successfully guards Liam 7-020's Akashima Arm
 Cannon Shot, taking 3375 damage!

KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to engage guard against Madoka Kyouno's Promus Shot!
KTS: Best Defense! Kaiju Navi successfully reacts to Madoka Kyouno's Promus
 Shot, taking 3780 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        Given that they've been taking a beating, the pilots of the Pallas
 Makhia are likely relieved as additional forces arrive. The Meteora itself
 shows no sign of recognition of their arrivals, but then one probably wouldn't
 expect it to. It just continues to float there in the air as Unit Beta rushes
 in, swinging with its rapier. It carves a deep wound into the Meteora's shell,
 though the structure beneath varies little from its surface. Simply a solid
 creamish colour with no noticeable internals.

        Strangely, in that brief moment that Kaworu's weapon makes contact, he
 may sense something about the Meteora. Something about it feels different.

        Serinas, Liam and Madoka soon join in too, unleashing a barrage of fire
 from their weapons. They blow chunks of the Meteora's shell off, also digging
 into its tough structure beneath. But it's hard to get a sense for whether any
 progress is being made. Especially as the destroyed structure quickly starts
 to regenerate the damage.

        It's Noa who responds to to the greetings, gratitude in her voice as
 she says, <"Kaworu, Serinas, Liam, Madoka... Thank you. I'll do what I can to
 help you."> Music begins to play over the channel as Noa begins to sing.

        ~ I paint the greatest scenery
          And that is to have you fighting with me
          I hear you calling out my name so loud and clear
          Believe in me, we will hear the sound of victory! ~

        Chloe doesn't hear Noa though. As the battle wages, Chloe and her Alto
 Makhia are still frozen there. Her pulse pounds in her ear. Her heart racing
 at a speed that would be unsustainable if not for her genetically engineered
 body. A flood of memories and emotions of that day flood her mind. The sight
 of the Meteora, lowering down towards Coco. Its petal like layers closing
 around her.

        That sickening crunch.

        "Chloe! Chloe, snap out of it!"

        During a brief pause in her song, Noa's voice shakes Chloe from the
 waking nightmare. She turns her head to look at Noa. Noa calmly says, "Focus,
 Chloe. This is your chance. You need to destroy it."

        Right... She's right. The dread brought on by the memory of that day is
 quickly replaced with a burning anger.

        Parts of the Meteora's shell break off, floating away from it as large
 numbers of spiked shards. They then rapidly accelerate outwards, blasting out
 towards everyone as a cloud of projectiles, including the few Pallas Makhia
 that are still standing. They take varying degrees of damage, another one
 going down as a result.

        The voice of Aoba Iwaza then echoes over local channels, <"First
 defence team, stand down and fall back. To all responding units, this is
 Prometheus Control. To destroy the Meteora, you need to locate and destroy its
 core.">

        Another voice then cuts in over the channel, <"Heyheyhey! I keep
 telling you people to capture it! CAPTURE! Are you deaf or something!? How am
 I supposed to figure out how to stop these things if I don't have any
 samples?">

        Aoba counters, <"Professor Julie, you can't seriously expect us to
 capture this thing... Not in this situation!">

        <"SHUT UP!">

        Chloe's voice cries out, <"I'll kill it!">

KTS: Chloe targets Serinas Nikola, Liam 7-020, and Madoka Kyouno with Sound
 Spirit!

KTS: Chloe's Emotional Support Co-pilot activates Alert and Strike!
KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Kaworu Nagisa, Serinas Nikola, Liam 7-020, Madoka
 Kyouno, and Chloe with Shell Blast!

KTS: Madoka Kyouno accepts Chloe's Sound Spirit!
KTS: Chloe's sound spirit flares with her performance, raising Madoka Kyouno's
 Morale!

KTS: Best Defense! Madoka Kyouno successfully reacts to Chloe's Sound Spirit,
 taking 0 damage!

KTS: Madoka Kyouno's The Want of Caring activates!
KTS: Madoka Kyouno engages evade against Kaiju Navi's Shell Blast!
KTS: Best Defense! Madoka Kyouno successfully reacts to Kaiju Navi's Shell
 Blast, taking 0 damage!

KTS: Kaworu Nagisa engages guard against Kaiju Navi's Shell Blast!
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa's Will Barrier activates, negating 2500 base damage.
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa poorly guards Kaiju Navi's Shell Blast, taking 1350 damage!
KTS: Liam 7-020 accepts Chloe's Sound Spirit!
KTS: Chloe's sound spirit flares with her performance, raising Liam 7-020's
 Morale!

KTS: Best Defense! Liam 7-020 successfully reacts to Chloe's Sound Spirit,
 taking 0 damage!

KTS: Liam 7-020's The Hound activates!
KTS: Liam 7-020 engages evade against Kaiju Navi's Shell Blast!
KTS: Liam 7-020 successfully reacts to Kaiju Navi's Shell Blast, taking 3200
 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        "Yes," Kaworu tells Liam--not that he really needs to confirm it. That
 Meteora is quite memorable. His expression does shift with concern at the fact
 that Liam is here, since he knows perfectly well he's supposed to be on
 leave... but he's already deployed in his Akashima. Kaworu won't push the
 issue.
        
        "Agreed," he tells Madoka in the Midori instead. And, since she is new
 not just to NERV but to this part of the kaiju world, he follows up Aoba's
 explanation by adding, "This is a Meteora, a powerful foe that's capable of
 regeneration. It is only defeated once the core within is destroyed. Be on
 your guard, Madoka Kyouno."
        
        He smiles his faint, lopsided smile as Serinas swoops down in her
 Queadluun-Rhea to assist. They have only a passing acquaintance, largely from
 their shared tour of Augmented Shibuya, but he remembers her too. "You as
 well," he transmits.
        
        And then Noa greets them all, not just with gratitude but with song.
 "Thank you, Noa," he murmurs as those beautiful sounds wash over him. He
 glances at her companion. "...Take care of Chloe."
        
        But... there's something strange about the Meteora. Something
 different. Kaworu's eyes narrow as he feels the reverberation from it back
 through Unit Beta, feeding back into his own nerves. What is that...?
        
        Before he can pinpoint it, the Meteora strikes back, loosing pieces of
 its shell as a volley of spiked projectiles. Unit Beta reverse-thrusts, her
 A.T. Field defending against most of them, but there are so many that some
 inevitably slip past as she turns, impacting and tearing lines along her
 champagne-colored armor. Her wing packs are undamaged, at least.
        
        Whether they capture the Meteora or kill it, though, they can't let up
 on the offense. From the range that Unit Beta has been forced into, she
 thrusts the Heat Rapier several times at blinding speed into the air, creating
 a shock wave to rush forward towards the Meteora and hopefully break off more
 of its shell--and hopefully also create a sonar-like effect that may help
 Kaworu pinpoint what's different about it this time.

KTS: Kaworu Nagisa targets Kaiju Navi with Rapier Wave!
KTS: Chloe fails to engage guard against Kaiju Navi's Shell Blast!
KTS: Chloe's EN Barrier activates, negating 500 base damage.
KTS: Best Defense! Chloe successfully reacts to Kaiju Navi's Shell Blast,
 taking 2625 damage!

KTS: Kaiju Navi repulses Chloe, preventing her from Charging the next attack!
KTS: Serinas Nikola accepts Chloe's Sound Spirit!
KTS: Chloe's sound spirit flares with her performance, raising Serinas Nikola's
 Morale!

KTS: Best Defense! Serinas Nikola successfully reacts to Chloe's Sound Spirit,
 taking 0 damage!

KTS: [Spiritual Adjustment] Serinas Nikola's The Warsong In My Heart activates,
 and her spirit is adjusted further!

KTS: Serinas Nikola's In the Zone activates!
KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Serinas Nikola engages evade against Kaiju Navi's Shell Blast!
KTS: Best Defense! Serinas Nikola successfully reacts to Kaiju Navi's Shell
 Blast, taking 0 damage!

KTS: [Spiritual Adjustment] Serinas Nikola's The Warsong In My Heart activates,
 and her spirit is adjusted further!

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        Is that... *singing?* It's so beautiful... With this feeling, how can
 she lose?! In tune with the beat, the Queadluun suit dodges the flung pieces
 of shell, darting this way and that, firing beams on the beat and dodging with
 the off-beat and it somehow... *works*. Dancing through the air and firing
 shot after shot... Look, if they don't know where the core is, they'll just
 have to blast away all of it until the core is exposed! She can do that, right?

        Right now, Serinas feels like she can do *anything!*

KTS: Serinas Nikola targets Kaiju Navi with AA-76/QD Shoulder Cannon Repeated
 Fire!

<Pose Tracker> Madoka Kyouno has posed.

It takes only a second to check the trajectory of those shots, leaving it to
 chance before shifting herself to move once more. Best to keep moving. Keep
 being a moving target. The drills serve well.

<"Thanks!"> A quick nod of appreciation for Noa; It's an enjoyable song,
 watching...

<"...Get the core, win the battle. Thanks, Kaworu."> Always dependable. Good to
 know where to hit when it comes down to it, the same as Angels. (She's done
 her proper reading. Mostly.)

"Ah-" It's near-instinct to dodge things when they're flying your way. To back
 off from the sheer amount of shards, to weave and bob as the Vox nimbly moves
 about. Side to side, before switching onto the attack, pushing in. "And...!"

The green sword coes out, a pure slice of energy from the wrist. A slash,
 another slash, trying to carve out a direct line to the core.

<"If it has a core, we can get it...!">

KTS: Madoka Kyouno targets Kaiju Navi with Promus Slash!

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Liam would rather not be here. But at the very least, he can watch
 Chloe's back as she confronts the monster that killed Coco.

        A bittersweet smile crosses his face as Noa's song plays on his cockpit
 radio. She's putting her heart into it, and it reminds him of what's at
 stake--but he can't not think of Sheryl. The Akashima's gun barrels spin
 down, and Liam takes stock of the damage. The same as last time, it
 appears--it's like fighting something made almost completely of solid stone.

        "Incoming!" Liam cries. The Akashima sidesteps, sinks into a crouch,
 and plants itself before one of the downed Makhia, turning its left shoulder
 into the shower of Meteora shrapnel. Shards of stone-like matter rip into the
 machine's armor, but it holds--and, perhaps just as importantly, shields the
 damaged friendly craft.

        "Deep breaths, Chloe." Liam can hear her anger, and her panic. He
 doesn't blame her at all, but he can also see too clearly how it could get her
 killed. "I'm switching to saturation fire." The Akashima starts to circle the
 Meteora with wide, purposeful steps, keeping itself between it and the allied
 units as much as Liam can. The gun barrels spin up again, and an even more
 ferocious hail of lead starts to pepper the kaiju. Liam's trying to hurt it,
 of course--but he's also trying to intercept more of that shrapnel with his
 own cannonfire.

KTS: Liam 7-020 targets Kaiju Navi with Akashima Arm Cannon Suppression Fire!
KTS: Liam 7-020's Tactical Intelligence activates Trick!
KTS: Kaiju Navi engages guard against Kaworu Nagisa's Rapier Wave!
KTS: Kaiju Navi poorly guards Kaworu Nagisa's Rapier Wave, taking 4500 damage!
KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to engage guard against Madoka Kyouno's Promus Slash!
KTS: Kaiju Navi poorly reacts to Madoka Kyouno's Promus Slash, taking 4500
 damage!

KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to engage guard against Liam 7-020's Akashima Arm Cannon
 Suppression Fire!

KTS: Critical Hit! Kaiju Navi poorly reacts to Liam 7-020's Akashima Arm Cannon
 Suppression Fire, taking 5031 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Liam 7-020's This Is My World activates, causing Sparkle!
KTS: Liam 7-020 rattles Kaiju Navi, making its next maneuvers more difficult.
KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to engage guard against Serinas Nikola's AA-76/QD
 Shoulder Cannon Repeated Fire!

KTS: Kaiju Navi moderately reacts to Serinas Nikola's AA-76/QD Shoulder Cannon
 Repeated Fire, taking 7550 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        The cloud of shards impacts against the Alto Makhia, some against the
 collection of blue hexagonal panels that appear to form its barrier. Others
 against the thick armor itself. In the cockpit, Chloe glares at the sight of
 the Meteora on her screens. She can hear Liam telling her to breathe calmly.
 But she can't, her breathes coming in rapidly as she replies, <"How can I!?
 That thing... That thing!">

        Floating in the air beside her, Noa glances at Chloe briefly with
 concern. But she then goes back to performing her role, "Mirror Generator
 online. Successful energy absorption from enemy attack. Deploying Mirror
 Phonons." Chloe raises her hand above her head. The Alto Makhia follows suit.

        Several clouds of glowing particles appear in the air above the Makhia.
 They starting rapidly swirling. Columns of loose sand start to spiral up from
 the ground around the Makhia. They flow into those swirling particles, rapidly
 condensing together to form dense stone arrows.

        Chloe swings her hand down. The Alto Makhia does the same. The stone
 arrows are sent blasting forward at high speed towards the Meteora.

        Unit Beta unleashes a series of shock waves to blast into the Meteora's
 shell. More chunks of the alien entity's structure goes flying. From what can
 be seen, both with the eye and from the additional effect Kaworu is hoping
 for, nothing has changed with the Meteora's structure itself. Whatever is
 different, must be something less physical.

        ~ I see no moonlight shining near
          Hopelessly, darkness has binded my feet
          I fear the world has coldly turned its back on me
          It's you who comes all the way here for me ~

        Noa's singing appears to encourage Serinas quite a bit, which is the
 point! The shots from the Queadluun-Rhea's energy cannon burn through the
 Meteora's structure. They are joined by the rapid from from Liam's gun. Madoka
 then comes in swinging, cutting into those same spots in an attempt to get
 towards the Meteora's core.

        Judging by the Meteora's size, the group seem to be getting close to
 the Meteora's center. Where one can presume its core to be. However, after the
 last round of attacks, something strange happens. A warning comes over the
 radio from Noa, <"Look out everyone, I'm detecting rising energy levels!">

        Sure enough, light begins to emit from the Meteora's surface. It grows
 so bright that it makes it impossible to look at the entity.

        It doesn't last too long though. And once the light passes, everyone
 will see...

        ... The Meteora's surface has changed. Where once before it consisted
 of numerous chunks overlapping each other, weathered and battered as if from
 countless battles. The Meteora's entire surface is now entirely smooth, not a
 mark in sight. That includes the damage the defenders have so far inflicted.
 The surface of the Meteora also appears to be vibrating, giving it a strange
 sheen. However, readings show that the Meteora's overall mass has decreased by
 roughly twenty percent.

        Chloe looks on in shock, <"What... What's going on?">

        Noa frowns, <"I don't know, but I'm detecting another reaction again.
 It's a Thorn Wave! Everyone, brace yourselves!">

        A huge pulse blasts off the Meteora in all directions, rapidly
 expanding outwards. A few of the fallen Pallas Makhia are the first to be hit.
 As the wave washes over them, the sections of their internal structure that
 have been exposed due to damage simply turn to dust, broken down at the atomic
 level. The more thicker matter of their armor is able to withstand the
 breakdown, but losing quite a bit of it in the process.

        And that same wave rushes out towards everyone and everything else on
 the surface.

KTS: Chloe has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Chloe has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Kaworu Nagisa, Liam 7-020, Serinas Nikola, Madoka
 Kyouno, and Chloe with Thorn Wave!

KTS: Kaworu Nagisa engages react against Kaiju Navi's Thorn Wave!
KTS: Critical Hit! Kaworu Nagisa poorly reacts to Kaiju Navi's Thorn Wave,
 taking 6510 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Ace Attacker activates, causing Insight L1!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Defiance activates, causing Sparkle!
KTS: Madoka Kyouno has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has gained
 proficiency bonus.

KTS: Madoka Kyouno has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Madoka Kyouno fails to engage React against Kaiju Navi's Thorn Wave!
KTS: Best Defense! Madoka Kyouno successfully reacts to Kaiju Navi's Thorn
 Wave, taking 0 damage!

KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Liam 7-020 fails to engage react against Kaiju Navi's Thorn Wave!
KTS: Best Defense! Liam 7-020 successfully reacts to Kaiju Navi's Thorn Wave,
 taking 0 damage!

KTS: Chloe fails to engage react against Kaiju Navi's Thorn Wave!
KTS: Critical Hit! Chloe poorly reacts to Kaiju Navi's Thorn Wave, taking 6510
 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Ace Attacker activates, causing Insight L1!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Defiance activates, causing Sparkle!

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        "You're welcome," Kaworu tells Madoka. There's no need for further
 conversation at this time, though. Chloe has joined the fight, and while her
 emotional state might be in stress, it's surely better than doing nothing.
 This is how she will reach resolution.
        
        The Meteora, though... Its change isn't in its physical state. Then
 what's changed must be...
        
        "..."
        
        As Noa's song reverberates, Kaworu reaches out with his considerable
 senses towards the Meteora, reaches for the consciousness at the center of its
 being--a sort of hail, accompanied by Unit Beta lowering her sword.
        
        However it responds to that, it also response with what Noa calls a
 Thorn Wave, which explodes outwards in an all-consuming wave. Unit Beta is
 caught up in it too, and it impacts with enough force to break her A.T. Field
 and slam her away and down. She lands with a tremendous CRASH, jolting Kaworu
 within her entry plug, as both of them share the bone-rattling sensation of
 the final instant of a fast fall.
        
        "...How unpleasant..." he murmurs.
        
        Unit Beta shudders and struggles, her long white hair draping over her
 armor and faceless mask, her shimmering wings flickered out. As she rises, she
 seems vulnerable--
        
        Until an iridescent light with an edge finer and sharper than any sword
 could ever manage cuts the air towards the Meteora. It glimmers orange just
 before impact.

KTS: Kaworu Nagisa has activated the Attune Spirit Command.
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa has activated the Enable Spirit Command.
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa targets Kaiju Navi with Separation!
KTS: Chloe targets Kaiju Navi with Counter Arrow!
KTS: Chloe's Emotional Support Co-pilot activates Alert and Trick!

<Pose Tracker> Madoka Kyouno has posed.

"Chloe..." The word of concern wordlessly echoes, listening to the girl's
 exclamation. It's an obvious thing to pin down, glancing over for a moment.
 Vexing. <"Breathe, Chloe. Deep breaths."> She can't exactly coach her through
 stress alleviation techniques, so that's all she can give.

Pushing in, trying to dig into the core. The grunt of exertion, trying to keep
 herself collected. How's everyone? Is this Meteora going to do anything weird?
 Where's the core? In, in, in- Noa's warning is heard, a second passing between
 processing and movement, leg pressing against the Meteora's armor to rocket
 herself away on that verbal warning alone.

<"What the-"> A hand raised to shadow her eyes from the light, trying to gaze
 through her fingers...Even then, she couldn't see anything. Not until that
 light died down... <"Completely healed!?"> The obvious statement echoed out.

Noa's warning is again, swiftly obeyed. To back away from that...what'd she
 call it, Thorn Wave? To brace herself against the blast, the wave smashing
 against her, driven back and back with the Item sheild holding firm. The unit
 glimmers with green as its pushed, Madoka gritting teeth from the pushback.
 <"Gh- Noa!? What's going on with it!?"> A question already asked, and yet. The
 Vox shimmers, flakes of paint wafting off the surface, as if it had been
 lightly sanded by the blast.

There's concern on display at Unit Beta's fall, only a glance spared to check
 that it wasn't serious. It wasn't. Back to it. A check of reserves for the
 Promus rifle before nodding. Adjust the energy. Play entirely by feel, the
 wind shifting around, the way the Vox tweaks and shifts naturally...One shot.
 Two. Three. Four. Hit the armor. Hit it. Trust the machine.

It's a part of you.

KTS: Madoka Kyouno targets Kaiju Navi with Promus Improv!
KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Serinas Nikola fails to engage react against Kaiju Navi's Thorn Wave!
KTS: Serinas Nikola poorly reacts to Kaiju Navi's Thorn Wave, taking 6510
 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        The song is beautiful. The battle is beautiful. Serinas can do
 anything. She'll blast this thing away until they see the core, and then--!

        But then the song stops. Things feel... off. No problem, Serinas tells
 herself. It made the surface look nice, but it didn't regain volume, right?
 There's some weird energy field, but... She can still see where the dance
 leads: She'll tear it apart with the Queadluun's claws!

        But as she starts to charge in, the 'thorn wave' hits.

        In an instant the Meltrandi battlesuit goes from unscathed to its armor
 looking... moth-eaten. If she *had* taken much damage, would it still be able
 to *move* now?

        <<"Then we don't give it the chance to do that again!">> It took *some*
 amount of time to charge that attack. Maybe if they all hit it...?

        She flies closer, running the shoulder cannon hot until its muzzle is
 glowing, trying to drive the Meteora into others' attacks!

KTS: Serinas Nikola targets Kaiju Navi with AA-76/QD Shoulder Cannon Setup
 Shots!

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        "I know," Liam says. "We all saw it. And we don't want it to take
 anyone else." The strain in his voice is palpable. "Right, Madoka?" If Chloe
 can't listen to him, maybe she'll listen to her.

        The Akashima lays down more suppressive fire, its arms shaking from the
 rhythmic recoil of its cannon. At Noa's warning, though, it abruptly
 stops--Liam's viewscreen darkens automatically, sparing him flash-blindness.

        "Dammit," he hisses, as the Meteora becomes visible again. "What's it
 even doing?" At the command to brace, Liam takes a calculated risk. He
 pushes both pedals to the floor, activating the Akashima's flight system; the
 massive machine lifts off with a dull, pulsing roar, accelerating remarkably
 fast for something of its size. It's a tense few seconds, but the force of the
 Thorn Wave passes below Liam's suit with meters to spare. A chunk of loose,
 damaged plating falls from its shoulder, and disintegrates.

        "Keep shooting it!" Liam says, as Madoka seems to grow frustrated. "It
 did something like this last time!" The Akashima reaches the apex of its
 ascent, and starts pulsing the jets. Liam sends it into a controlled fall,
 towards the more massive kaiju. With five seconds until impact, it whips its
 progressive sword free of its mount, and activates it. With two seconds until
 impact, Liam starts driving it at the Meteora's mass, trying to carve in deep.

KTS: Liam 7-020 targets Kaiju Navi with Progressive Blade Drive!
KTS: Liam 7-020's Tactical Intelligence activates Trick!

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        Kaworu reaches out with his senses, trying to touch upon the
 consciousness of this entity. Much of what he senses is wholly alien in
 nature. Hardly surprising. But then, alien entities is something Kaworu has
 some experience with. So with some effort, he's able to push deeper. Until, in
 a tiny corner of this creature's mental space, he finds an anomaly. A faint
 voice that only he can hear. Yet it is not calling out to him.

        Come... to... me...

        Unit Beta's blade of light slices towards the completely spherical
 Meteora. It impacts against the shimmering shell and penetrates far less than
 it should have. It was not completely ineffectual though, as a crack forms at
 the point of impact.

        The arrows fired by Chloe strike the Meteora as well, yet they too are
 met with tough resistance. Somehow, the Meteora has managed to further
 reinforce its already durable shell.

        But still, the crack in its surface grows.

        Both Madoka and Liam call out with questions, and all Noa can do is
 reply, <"I... I don't know! The readings are confusing, shifting rapidly. One
 moment it reads as a Meteora, the next it reads as something closer to being
 alive, then back again. Back and forth! We've never seen anything like it.">

        Chloe clenches her fists, her Makhia mimicing her. She doesn't
 understand what's going on. Even if she had been in a calm state, like Noa
 said, this is all new to them. But seeing Madoka's shots impacting against the
 Meteora's shell to much the same effect as the other, Chloe growls, <"Why
 won't this thing just die!?">

        The cracks grow larger, spreading and branching out.

        The shots from Serinas's battlesuit smash against the shell. Quickly
 followed by a strike from Liam's sword, which much like the other attacks
 mostly bounces off the hardened surface.

        And still, more cracks form.

        The Meteora's shell is still intact, cracked though it may be. And yet,
 the vibrations of its surface seem to slow, the shimmering effect lessening.
 The giant orb slowly begins to fall, rapidly accelerating towards the ground.
 Did they do it? Is it over?

        The orb hits the sandy dunes beneath hard, kicking up a cloud of sand
 that briefly obscures it. This is followed by a loud crunching sound that
 echoes out across the desert.

        As the cloud of sand subsides, everyone will be able to see that a
 section of the Meteora's shell, the section cracked by their attacks, has
 broken apart. The inside of the Meteora's new form is shown to be hollow. And
 nestled within the interior...

        Is a person.

        No. Not exactly. The creature is clearly humanoid in shape, yet is
 still roughly as large as the Meteora was. Meaning it could very well tower
 over everyone here several times and more, should it stand up. Yet it isn't
 doing so. Its surface is also coloured much the same creamy colour as the
 Meteora's insides, much like the shell that now mostly surrounds it. Its eyes
 are currently closed, while it is still, curled up in a fetal position. It
 even appears to have long hair rolling down its back.

        What's most alarming though is its face. A face that bears a striking
 resemblance to Noa's. Her own face modeled after another's. The face of Coco
 Coconoe.

        <"W-What..."> Chloe's mind can't process the revelation. There's too
 many thoughts and emotions swirling around in there.

        Even Noa is briefly shocked at the sight, her song faltering. But she
 is far more quick to recover, turning to Chloe, <"Ignore it, Chloe. That thing
 is a Meteora! It's not Coco. It's only a fake..."> She falters again for a
 moment, the irony of her being the one to say that not lost on her. But she
 steels her resolve again, <"My readings indicate that the Meteora's form is
 only at about thirty percent density compared to normal. We only need one good
 shot from the Rail Cannon. We need to destroy that thing.">

        Chloe is clearly struggling. On the one hand, she has felt so empty
 without Coco around. On the other... She stares at the screens showing the
 familiar, yet alien form. <"... You're right.">

        The Alto Makhia reaches back to grab the two large rifles on its back.
 They split down the center, folding out to double their length. The Makhia
 brings the two weapons together in front of it, joining them and forming one
 giant railgun. It levels the weapon towards the idle Meteora, energy starting
 to gather as it starts to change.

        Noa reports, <"Setting target charge to 150%. Current charge... 80%.
 100%. 125%. 145%. Chloe, now!">

        Chloe pulls the trigger...

        <"STOOOOOOOOOP!">

        The Makhia's cockpit suddenly goes completely dark, everything shutting
 down. Chloe glances around in surprise as she is released from the holographic
 control mechanism, "What!?"

        The only source of light in the cockpit is Noa's holographic form, who
 is also looking around, "A remote shutdown command!? I can't override it! I've
 lost all external comms..." From the outside, all that seems to happen is the
 Alto Makhia's cannon charges down and the machine goes completely still.

        Professor Julies voice then echoes over the local channel to everyone
 else, <"Phew. That was close! We almost lost a chance at getting our hands on
 such an incredible specimen!">

KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to engage guard against Kaworu Nagisa's Separation!
KTS: Kaiju Navi successfully reacts to Kaworu Nagisa's Separation, taking 3840
 damage!

KTS: Can't find attack #1.
KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to engage guard against Chloe's Counter Arrow!
KTS: Best Defense! Kaiju Navi successfully reacts to Chloe's Counter Arrow,
 taking 3096 damage!

KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to engage guard against Madoka Kyouno's Promus Improv!
KTS: Best Defense! Kaiju Navi successfully reacts to Madoka Kyouno's Promus
 Improv, taking 4125 damage!

KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to engage guard against Serinas Nikola's AA-76/QD
 Shoulder Cannon Setup Shots!

KTS: Best Defense! Kaiju Navi successfully reacts to Serinas Nikola's AA-76/QD
 Shoulder Cannon Setup Shots, taking 4050 damage!

KTS: Serinas Nikola begins a Formation attack!
KTS: Kaiju Navi engages guard against Liam 7-020's Progressive Blade Drive!
KTS: Kaiju Navi successfully guards Liam 7-020's Progressive Blade Drive,
 taking 5120 damage!

KTS: Liam 7-020 completes the Formation attack!
KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Kaworu Nagisa with Pass!
KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Serinas Nikola with Pass!
KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Liam 7-020 with Pass!
KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Madoka Kyouno with Pass!
KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Chloe with Pass!
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa accepts Kaiju Navi's Pass!
KTS: Best Defense! Kaworu Nagisa successfully reacts to Kaiju Navi's Pass,
 taking 0 damage!

KTS: Madoka Kyouno accepts Kaiju Navi's Pass!
KTS: Best Defense! Madoka Kyouno successfully reacts to Kaiju Navi's Pass,
 taking 0 damage!

KTS: Liam 7-020 fails to engage Guard against Kaiju Navi's Pass!
KTS: Best Defense! Liam 7-020 successfully reacts to Kaiju Navi's Pass, taking
 0 damage!

KTS: Chloe accepts Kaiju Navi's Pass!
KTS: Best Defense! Chloe successfully reacts to Kaiju Navi's Pass, taking 0
 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        A voice reaches out from within the Meteora, but while Kaworu can hear
 it, he knows it's not for him. It bears a superficial resemblance to a certain
 young woman, but whether it is her or not... he can't quite tell. He
 certainly has more experience with entities like this than most, but that's
 only entities like this. It's not quite the same.
        
        Still, even without Noa's frantic explanation, he can tell that there
 is something more and more strange about this being. Can you hear me? he
 calls back to it. They can't hear you.
        
        The shell cracks completely, and the core within that crashes down into
 the sands... is a person. Or the form of a person, perhaps not unlike how
 Lilith took the form of a person. Kaworu is silent as it unfolds, bearing the
 face of Coco Coconoe.
        
        "Chloe..." he murmurs, glancing over at her in her Alto Makhia. She
 attempts to open fire--but then her unit shuts down at the remote control
 command of Professor Julies. It seems she's going to insist on collecting
 this entity as a specimen.
        
        He glances back at the entity. Unit Beta stands, but does not move.
 "....."

<Pose Tracker> Madoka Kyouno has posed.

<"Eh!? What do you mean, alive!?"> The most obvious answer is met with the
 most obvious question, confusion clear on Madoka's face as she mentally
 tallies the hits down. Cracks. That meant something. That meant...Was this
 counting as winning if no one had a clue?

Crack after crack after crack, Madoka staying her rifle as she watched. Braced,
 tense, brow furrowing. It's falling. It's crashing. Releasing a breath she was
 unaware of holding, and- <"...A person?"> Strange things. Stranger things.
 Linking this to the same stature of Ultras...Wait, was it a person? <"But it's
 taking the form of a person! Isn't that something!?"> Even if it wasn't alive,
 why!?

She's too far away to stop Chloe. To turn and watch... "..." Thank the...stars?
 Was this a success? It didn't feel like it. <"What are you going to do with
 it, Professor...?">

This was...a win. Right? Right?

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        The Akashima lands with a thunderous crash. A wall of grit sweeps
 across the desert as its jets and mass displace several tons of sand and rock.
 Liam settles his machine into a defensive crouch again, its blade raised to
 parry, but the Meteora seems to be growing... quiescent.

        "Get back!" Liam cries, as the thing starts to descend. The Akashima's
 Float System activates again; it rises, flowing into a backwards hop to put
 distance between it and the kaiju. It's surprisingly graceful, which speaks to
 Liam's coordination.

        The Meteora... hatches?

        "That's..." Coco. Impossible. A chill runs down Liam's spine as he
 stares at the viewscreen. "Could be a trap." But he turns every sensor in the
 Akashima's suite on the Meteora anyway, in case it decides to be something
 other than 'terrifying and enigmatic'. But Chloe has other plans.

        So, too, does Julie.

        "Chloe? Noa?!" Liam's Akashima turns to their disabled machine. As
 Julie chimes in, he weighs the merits of shooting the Meteora himself, purely
 to spite someone who reminds him of some horrid people. He swallows the
 impulse down. "So that implies," he begins, "that you have a means of
 containing one? Because if it's still a potential threat, we can't let it go
 free."

KTS: Serinas Nikola engages charge against Kaiju Navi's Pass!
KTS: Best Defense! Serinas Nikola successfully reacts to Kaiju Navi's Pass,
 taking 0 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        One moment it's alive, one moment it's not. As far as Serinas is
 concerned, the science people will look at the data later and then maybe get
 all excited and find out something that may or may not help fight these
 things. Right now, she needs to finish it. She's close, now, trying to gauge
 if there's time to pour more attacks in before it attacks again, and then--

        It cracks.

        No, it... hatches?

        "Why does it look like you?" she asks, puzzled.

        But, it needs to be destroyed, right? How best to attack it...

        Her strategizing is interrupted by Professor Julie.

        It's weird, how she's only spent a few days around her Human
 grandparents, and yet the vibe here feels kind of familiar. It does sound like
 something gramma might say.

        Still... She looks up. Even from the viewpoint of her Queadluun-Rhea,
 this thing is bigger than her Queadluun-Rhea is to miclone size...

        <<"Yeah, just how *do* we capture it?">> Serinas wonders. <<"It can't
 do that thorn wave thing again, right?">>

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        There is no further response to Kaworu's pressing. It's possible that
 his 'words' didn't reach the intended target. Though given that his probing of
 the Meteora's consciousness is showing a rapid decrease in activity, it's not
 out of the question to assume it's some sort of form of sleep. Or certainly
 inactivity. Which would naturally make further 'conversation' difficult.

        Professor Julie replies to Madoka like it's the most stupid question,
 <"Duh, study it, of course! Whenever a Meteora is destroyed, the entire body
 disintegrates into nothing in just a few minutes. It makes collecting samples
 EXTREMELY frustrating. Which has made progressing our understanding of them
 quite difficult.">

        Liam and Serinas both ask similar questions about containing it and
 Julie hmms, <"Do we have a way of containing a four hundred metre humanoid
 Meteora? Something I haven't seen in the two centuries they've been attacking.
 Of course we don't! We're already extremely lucky that it's not currently
 doing anything! Though I do have some theories... And this is the perfect time
 to put them into practice!">

        <"As for if it could attack with a Thorn Wave again, dunno! I would
 assume so. We're just going to have to wait and see~">

        <"Don't you worry your pretty heads though. We'll keep it under guard.
 After all, I wouldn't want it to try and run away before I can learn all its
 secrets!">

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Is it a win? It, like the rest of the Meteora's circumstances, is
 unclear. Kaworu doesn't get a response. He doesn't expect any further attempts
 will bear any fruit--or flowers, as the case may be--and so he leaves it at
 that.
        
        The others pose quite a few good questions. Professor Julie has
 remarkably vague answers, even on one as extremely pertinent as 'how do we
 secure it.' It dwarfs all of them, after all. Still, she seems content with
 the current state of affairs, insisting that it's all well in hand.
        
        "As you wish," he thus says neutrally. "Shall we return to base for
 repairs, then?"

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        <<"...I don't see what else we can do. ...It was good to see you all
 again!">> Serinas turns and starts flying back the way she came, then
 hesitates. <<"The song was really nice. I suppose I could come underground and
 talk? Maybe you'd like me to contact gramma and grampa and see if they've got
 any ideas for what to do with this thing? ...Ah, wait, I'm maclonized, do you
 have tanks down there or...?">>

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        The Akashima looks up at the towering effigy. In its cockpit, Liam's
 face pulls tight in a conflicted scowl. They could keep trying to destroy it.
 They should. Does Earth really need one more existential threat, on top of the
 Vajra and that new disease and everything else? Kaworu seems accepting, or
 perhaps resigned, in that uniquely Kaworu way.

        "Understood," Liam says. "We expect you'll alert Tokyo-3 the instant
 any of that changes."

<Pose Tracker> Madoka Kyouno has posed.

<"Hah...If you say so..."> It's a strange feeling. A person. A person? No, not
 a person. Maybe. She's...Not sure. Still, the Vox follows her movements,
 scratching its chin in the same manner. <"I don't mind staying here until its
 secured.">

There's a glance over at Chloe and her disabled suit. A face of concern.
 <"Chloe, if you need anything, don't hesitate to reach out. The Jersey Club
 will do what they can."> Within reason.

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        NERV's administrator provides his agreement, to which Julie replies,
 <"Excellent! Oh... Do what you want, I don't care it's not my department. Hey
 Aoba! Stop hiding and do your job!">

        Prometheus's chief operator replies with a sigh, <"I wasn't hiding. I
 was just trying to manage my growing headache at the thought of keeping a
 Meteora on our doorstep...">

        Aoba lets out another sigh at the situation, before replying to Liam,
 <"Of course. The Professor's attitude aside, we're all professionals here.">

        Then to Madoka he says, <"I'm sorry, Miss Kyouno. Chloe's Makhia is
 still offline, she can't hear you. But I'm sure you can tell her that in
 person. And as a friend of Chloe's... Thank you.">

        Aoba then says a bit more officially, <"All units, return to base.
 Thank you for your help, to all those who assisted. We'll provide maintenance
 and accommodations as you need. It's the least we can do. As for your needs,
 Miss Nikola. I'm afraid we don't get maclonized visitors, so we don't have any
 tanks available. But our hangars are quite spacious. I'm sure we can
 accommodate you for a short time.">

        Several of the launch elevators burst out of the sandy ground, slowly
 rising up and opening to allow access back down into the underground hangars.
 From a couple of them, two of the mass produced models of Makhia emerge,
 moving over to take hold of the Alto Makhia and drag it back to the elevator.

        It seems Julie isn't going to risk reactivating Chloe's Makhia just yet.

        In the cockpit, Chloe can feel the movement, guessing as to what's
 happening. She slams a fist against the wall, "Damnit!" She then presses her
 back against the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor. She stares into the
 dark environment of the inactive cockpit, only the glow of Noa's hologram
 letting her see anything. Not that she's actually focused on whatever she's
 looking at. Her thoughts are a dizzying array of confusion, longing, anger,
 regret and helplessness.

        Noa floats over to hover near Chloe, concern in her voice as she
 starts, "Chloe..." But she stops. She can only imagine what's going through
 Chloe's head right now. After all, it's not like Chloe is going to open up to
 her about it, even if she presses...