2022-10-10: Strategy Meeting

• Cast: Koji Kabuto, Liam 7-020, Sayaka Yumi, Tetsuya Tsurugi
• Where: Fujinomiya City - Photon Power Research Institute
• Date: U.C. 0096 10 10
• Summary: After returning to the public eye after the Battle of Torrington, Sayaka sets up a strategy meeting with the members of the Photon Power League, along with an unexpected visitor from NERV. In the wake of threats like Triple Zero and Alexis Kerib, the League plans their next move.

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<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.

It has been a turbulent week or so, if nothing else. In the public eye, Sayaka Yumi had last been seen in the Battle of Torrington, fighting off what appeared to be Amuro and the Conqueror King Nu Gundam. In truth, she escaped the desperate situation in one of the Shuffle Alliance's rescue ships.

Although she had only suffered minor injuries, the Alliance still admitted her to a highly secured medical facility in the neutral colony of Side 6, due to the nature of the battle.

Having returned to Japan, however, there was much to be done; the first being to plan the Photon Power League's next move. And so, she called in her long time battle partner Koji, along with Tetsuya (especially at Jun's urging), for a strategy meeting on how to handle the events that had recently unfolded."

When Koji arrives in the director's office, which has been comfortably set up, Sayaka greets him casually, but her face suggests a need to get to business. "Sorry I couldn't get a hold of you so long. Turns out I was evacuated by the Shuffle Alliance of all people, and they've always been the types to keep things secretive." She crosses her arms. "Still, we're a team. So I'm not going to hide anything from you. And we're going to need to plan our next move." There's much to explain, but she takes the time to let Koji settle in, and ask any questions he has on his mind (was it REALLY Amuro Ray for one).

<Pose Tracker> Tetsuya Tsurugi has posed.

It has been a turbulent week for basically the entire Photon Power Labs.

And not just because a certain orange unicorn exploded into reality a few days ago.

No, it has been turbulent becuase...

TETSUYA TSURUGI

IS A FATHER!!?!

Yes, he was called into duty basically the week after the birth to try and punch an old friend directly in the cosmic cheeto-dust-encrusted face. Sadly, a Triple Zero-empowered Amuro Ray is not the kind of threat a single Great Mazinger can handle, even alongside others. It needs a special treatment. 'Bringing the D Team back together' levels of treatment.

Tetsuya Tsurugi, FATHER, sits in the seat across from Sayaka and cranes his head back as Kouji enters. Sayaka takes the time to let Kouji try and process everything, but the time for that has long past and Tetsuya has been up for the past twenty four hours keeping an eye on his son in the terrible, all-consuming dread that Orange Amuro might explode out of a closet to smother the infant in his crib. Fortunately, Jun sent him off before he could booby trap the entire nursery. And also ushered him off to less stressful work.

And so he is sitting here, staring at Kouji, wasting absolutely no time in saying: "Amuro's back, and infected by Triple Zero. We need to bring him down."

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

Between visiting Side 6 upon Leina contacting Shiro, and dropping LiSA off at Orbit Base to help with the repairs, Koji's been pretty busy in his own right. He might even, in fact, have just missed Tetsuya and Sayaka's departure from the very same hospital he visited Leina at.

Upon seeing them both in the same room, a tension he hadn't really processed he was carrying deflates out of his shoulders as he exhales. Sayaka explains where they've been and Koji's lips start to quirk in amusement at the irony he's just now picking up - and then Tetsuya cuts to the chase and the smirk vanishes in favour of a serious nod. "I heard from Leina at Side 6, and I've looped Guy in already." He grabs another chair next to Sayaka, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "I'm glad you're both okay. When the Minovsky saturation dispersed and I realised we'd lost the tracking ping for Sayaka's Ichinana... I was worried."

The Shuffle Alliance, huh? That's something to put a pin in for later. "I'm already working on getting the specs for the RX-93 through Londo Bell, they're being tight about it but I can just go through Bright if they get too difficult and I think they know that. While the Reine Noire fight footage indicates that the Aura can push a machine far beyond its specs, knowing the baseline we're facing off against is going to be essential."

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Liam has been to the Photon Power Labs before, but this time, he's alone. The mission is critical--ascertaining the whereabouts of Dr. Yumi and Major Tsurugi--but that still doesn't stop him from feeling self-conscious about the whole thing. His NERV ID and official credentials got him inside, with directions to Dr. Kabuto's office, but this is not his territory. He keeps his back straight and his eyes busy.

        '--is going to be essential.'

        Someone knocks at the door.

        Liam stands outside, wearing his NERV uniform: the tan jumpsuit with maroon accents and matching beret. His gaze flicks back and forth between the three people inside. He recognizes Tetsuya--that's one of the missing accounted for--but not the woman. Is that Dr. Yumi?

        "Apologies for the intrusion," Liam says, and he looks down at the floor. "NERV sent me to ascertain the whereabouts of two missing pilots." Who are right here in this room.

<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.

"Tetsuya's right, it really is Amuro. I may be a bit of a skeptic, but aside from his unit, those were moves I've only ever seen from him... it was unmistakable." The three of them have been dealing with phantoms from the dead a lot lately... "By the way, Tetsuya, congrats on the baby! Jun's been sending me pics non-stop.. I hope we can visit soon."

Sayaka continues reporting what she knows to Koji. "The rescue was officially organized by Argo Gullski, but Sayla was there too. Seems it confirms our suspicions about her unretirement, and perhaps this was one of the cards up her sleeve, so to speak." Her face turns to a sharp frown. "I didn't get to ask her much, she's in just.. awful shape right now, but I'm sure you know that from Leina." Or could guess from Amuro's appearance, of course, but she leaves that part unsaid.

Aside from Leina, Koji also mentions getting in contact with Guy. "I'm glad you were able to reach Guy, I couldn't get through to 3G at all during the battle. Did something happen?" 3G is usually the fastest to responding to cases of Triple Zero, after all.

And then when he squeezes her hand, Sayaka squeezes his back just as affectionately. "I sacrificed the Ichinana, but I made it out with the pilder. Wish I could have gotten to you sooner, though."

Suddenly, a tall, young man carefully steps into the office, not one of her personnel nor one of the invitees to the strategy meeting, but he introduces himself as from NERV. "One of your subordinates, Tetsuya?" she asks, and then turns to the young man. "I'm Sayaka Yumi, director. And likely one of the missing pilots you were looking for."

<Pose Tracker> Tetsuya Tsurugi has posed.

One might say that the ace Sayla had up her sleeve...

......Was the black joker......

... ... ...

(Tetsuya is allowed to make dad jokes now, it's the law)

"I was wondering what happened to 3G myself," Tetsuya thinks aloud, "I haven't had the opportunity to make my way up to knock on their door, but I assume something went wrong on Orbit Base. Otherwise, there's no way they wouldn't have responded." Even with Guy out of commission, they'd definitely send GaoGaiGo at least. But they didn't.

And Earth's premier emergency response team *not* sallying forth at the first sign of Triple Zero is eminently bizarre.

"Thank you," he asides to Sayaka. "I'm still a little overwhelmed. But you're always welcome in our home." Also, what goes unsaid is that he will absolutely murder anyone who dares to harm even the smallest hair on that child's head with the kind of fury that has not been seen since he almost single-handedly genocided the Mycenaean race.

But it's Tetsuya, so that's... probably a given?

The door slides open. He glances back, and--

"Liam," Tetsuya grunts, recognizing the young man from various briefings. "Don't worry, I'm safe. Great Mazinger isn't so fragile that something like Triple Zero could kill me through it." That... might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it's true that he was relatively unscathed.

Like... Relative to what kind of nonsense Tetsuya Tsurugi has gotten himself into, historically speaking, that is.

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

"Mm. A couple days after you two went off-grid, Orbit Base came back up, apparently they'd suffered sabotage to their communications and force projection."

Koji looks over as Liam enters. "And that's probably exactly why NERV's sent Liam to check up on us." He smiles at the young man, waving him in. "I mentioned you two hadn't checked in to Guy and I guess that trickled down to NERV proper because of the disappearance of Operator Pommier and a couple of their other agents."

"Tetsuya, Sayaka, this is Liam, I've been talking to him about some of the other ongoing situations, like Tsutsujidai. Am I correct in that's the reason why you've joined us, Liam?"

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Recognition flashes in Liam's eyes as Sayaka identifies herself. They are both present and likely unsubverted--that's mission accomplished, as far as she's concerned--but he can't help but think of what he heard through the door. Argo Gulskii showed up at Torrington and evacuated downed pilots?

        Half-molten armor sprays outward from a single point of crushing impact. Plasma conduits tear as the meteor hammer keeps going. Pain arcs through the simulated Mobile Trace interface, but somewhere in the agony, Liam knows: the test is over. The simulated Proto Helios is destroyed. He is dead.

        "Acknowledged," Liam says, his eyes going distant for a moment before he claws his way back to the present. "That was my objective: locate and ascertain the condition of Major Tsurugi and Doctor Yumi." The clinical, impersonal (depersonalized?) tone starts to fade, by degrees. "Correct. GGG personnel located Operator Pommier. She's... in Tsutsujidai."

        He takes a step forward, and shuts the door behind him. "Ouka Nagisa and Dr. Ohta may be there as well, given the timing of their disappearance. Akane Shinjo appears to be the party responsible, and direct mental manipulation is the likely vector." A pause. Liam takes a breath. "Mamoru said Alouette 'gave up'. I don't know what that means. But either Akane has expanded her capabilities in an unprecedented way, or she's crafted a kaiju that can influence others' behavior."

        "Alouette was the one who sabotaged Orbit Base. I... didn't know her as well as some others, but she would never do that unless something compelled her."

<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.

Sayaka isn't quite aware of what exactly is going through Liam's mind, but she can see he's unsettled in some manner, so she tries to reassure he isn't unwelcome. "It's nice to meet you, Liam. If Koji and Tetsuya trust you, then you have my trust too." She smiles. "Still, like Tetsuya, I've survived through a lot too. In a much weaker mech to boot."

The situation at 3G as explained by Koji and Liam makes Sayaka feel a little uneasy. "A sabotage, really..? I know Guy places his utmost trust in all of his staff, but-" Ah. The timing feels very intentional, but there's no way Shinjo could have known about Amuro revealing himself with Triple Zero.

"I've mostly left the investigations of Tsutsujidai to Koji, but I know he had a bit of a personal investment for Akane Shinjo's situation. I imagine a lot of people do. You think she's using that for her benefit?"

Sayaka, for one, is mostly used to fighting the type of kaiju that rampage and destroy - that was all Hell was interested in, but using them for mental warfare doesn't sound out of the realm of possibility. "I didn't know Alouette Pommier very well, either. But Guy seemed to place a lot of trust in the girl. Taking advantage of that... it feels cruel."

<Pose Tracker> Tetsuya Tsurugi has posed.

"It wouldn't be the first time someone within GGG was subverted to attack its systems from the inside," Tetsuya observes with a quiet grunt. "The last time this happened, I believe it was Mikoto. I'm sure the parallels are particularly painful for Guy." Repli-Mamoru doesn't necessarily count, after all. He was a replica! But also very tragic.

Though Tetsuya also... doesn't really know all that much about that particular situation.

But the subject is raised on what exactly did the subverting. A name comes up, one that Tetsuya...

Absolutely does NOT recognize.

A bushy brow rises in an inquisitive arch. "Sorry. Who is Akane Shinjo?"

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

"Oh, right, you've been more focused on Angel-related incidents lately, huh Tetsuya?" Koji frowns. There's a short version of this story, but it boils down to pointing Tetsuya Tsurugi in full Battle Mode at a teenager. Neither of them would forgive themselves for that mistake.

"The situation is a little complicated, but... I'll be as brief as possible. Akane Shinjo used to be a resident of Nagoya, but her family moved to Nouvelle Tokyo shortly before the occupation. After a... bad time in school, she disappeared shortly after February 14th, 0095." Bloody Valentine. "Sometime around January this year, NERV and Londo Bell agents kept discovering what was essentially a pocket reality based on Nouvelle Tokyo; a ward named Tsutsujidai, where Akane Shinjo was apparently moved to by an entity she refers to as her 'Guardian', 'Alexis Kerib', who is... definitely not human.

"Apparently she has been using kaiju to control the shape of that reality according to her desires, including lashing out violently at aberrations to that desire, among which include a 'Vessel of Light', Gridman, who apparently appears to fight her kaiju. She believes that by killing one of these Vessels, she can close the holes in the barrier that kept Tsutsujidai separate from our reality and put it back where she wants it; however, those who have directly interacted with her have indicated that she's really just a traumatised teenage girl who alternates between lashing out at the world and desperately wanting to run away from it - and since Tsutsujidai manifested on our side as a PLANT near the Junius 7 area in the middle of July, in a fashion I suspect is similar to the Fuji Anomaly, I suspect things have become much more difficult for her, mentally.

"It makes sense. If I hadn't had Shiro to look after, and a supernatural entity appeared to me offering a place where I could have mother and father back... I might have taken that offer." Juzo Kabuto was, after all, hardly a doting guardian.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Not the first time? Liam's eyes go a little distant once more, as he thinks of Guy, and how he must feel. Losing Alouette under these circumstances is gut-wrenching enough, but how much worse would it be when it's reinforcing a pattern of suspicion? "...It is cruel," Liam says. "Whether she told her to or not."

        Liam falls silent and lets Koji do the filling-in. "Alexis Kerib is with BioNet," he says. "As I understand it, BioNet sees Akane's kaiju as a resource; he acts as her handler, encouraging her to make more. Before this happened, she seemed... to want BioNet's protection? Its cooperation? But all she succeeded in doing was disrupting its operations. If Kerib can't keep them away from her..." Liam trails off here, his hands tensing. He looks across the table at Koji, eyes glimmering with that same sense of empathy.

        Koji just eloquently outlined why he empathizes with Akane. Of course, he's not the only one here who does.

<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.

When Koji mentions how enticing a deal like Akane's would have been to him, Sayaka continues to hold his hand tightly, but then she thinks for a moment. "You know, Koji, you might be onto something there."

Her eyes gleam a flash of intuition. "None of this makes sense if you think about it like a mental attack. If it's really Akane behind these disappearances and sabotages, you would think she would want to do more.. damage. If she's only causing them to give up and run away, then maybe she's offering them a taste of her own fantasy." She frowns once again. "Her own twisted form of kindness. It might be more effective than we think."

Liam explains that Akane's guardian, Alexis Kerib is a collaborator of BioNet. "I see. Nothing good comes from working with BioNet." Being scientists at the forefront of cutting edge research, the Photon Power Labs have had a number of run-ins with the science crime organization. "As far as I can tell, cooperation is more of a means to an end for them, and betraying their collaborators is inevitable. I can't imagine Akane is safe with them, not to mention this Alexis.. creep." Her eyebrows ruffle up in disgust. "If Akane isn't safe, then of course, that means the people she took in aren't either."

"In the end, this is a strategy meeting, and as easy as it is to talk about how much things suck, we need action, too." Taking out a notebook, Sayaka begins to outline all of the problems the four of them are currently facing.

"As for Amuro and the Nu Gundam, we need 3G's support. They're the only ones who can purify him. I think we should talk to Sayla soon, too. Once she's feeling better."

"Akane Shinjo... this one is complicated. For now, we should continue gradually separating her from Alexis and offer our own support network if required." She glances over to Liam, who looks distant, but not in an uncaring way. "Liam, are you going to continue looking into the missing people?"

Jotting down one final note, she adds, "Koji and I are putting the final touches on our new projects. These are both problems we can't really punch, but it doesn't hurt to have the option, right?"

<Pose Tracker> Tetsuya Tsurugi has posed.

Another child turned into a weapon for the sake of someone else's ambitions. Tetsuya slowly exhales, a calming exercise that he took up after the last time he flew off the handle and basically wiped out an ancient civilization in a singular all-consuming horror show of self-destructive wrath. It's true, sending this man on a warpath against a teenager would be... Probably some kind of warcrime? It'd be cruel at the very least.

He's too tired right now, though. "Gridman. The name of the entity that attacked the MAGI a few weeks ago," Tetsuya observes quietly, but...

Kouji...

"All we can do is keep moving forward," he says with a grunt. "You and I both know that beautiful illusions are just that. In the end, they disappear like the early morning mist once the sun rises. Though it must be harder for... the younger ones." Those like Tetsuya, like Kouji and Ryoma, they're old enough now that even their scars are things that they own. Things that are such vital parts of them that having them denied by a sweet dream is almost anathema.

"The Nu," Tetsuya says, the subject shifting to something approximately more punchable, "It was much larger, to start. Expanded with the power of Triple Zero, no doubt. Moreover, if it could mass-produce those funnels at a whim, stopping it will be... difficult. Mmn..."

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

"From what I've seen of Kerib when he actually decides to fight... He won't have much of a problem keeping BioNet away from Tsutsujidai - but he might actually relish Akane having more enemies. Before Tsutsujidai manifested, the spate of unusual kaiju attacks - including the one here in Fujinomiya - were likely him using Akane's kaiju, preying on..." He frowns. "I think she has a sense of responsibility over the things she makes - that any damage caused by them is somehow her responsibility for having created them, no matter who was using them. That's the only reason I can think of for her showing up at the hangar trying to take credit for the attack on Shiro."

He pauses.

"Huh. I don't think she left the screwdriver I handed her behind when she left." Koji that was at least a month ago and you're just now noticing?

Tetsuya moves onto the Amuro Problem. "Manifesting funnels out of The Power? Crap, that's a problem. Not out of line with the Reine Noire rebuilding itself despite the beating it got, but directly doing so for a primary weapon definitely raises the threat level substantially."

He ponders. "Maybe Sewashi and Nossori's pet project could help... Help us meet it on the same terms."

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        "...It makes sense, Doctor," Liam says, a faint frown on his face as he weighs Sayaka's words. It shows a lot more heavily in his eyes--even when they're hollow, they're expressing how empty he is. Would he accept an offer like that? The illusion of safety and comfort, in exchange for his freedom?

        He wants to think he would say no, unconditionally. But he's certain that the others would've done the same. He's not as disciplined as Ouka, as brave as Alouette, or as perceptive as Yuka.

        'It must be harder for... the younger ones.'

        Liam meets Tetsuya's gaze. His fingers tighten. That scar tracing his brow is just barely visible beneath his beret. If he turns around, they could all see the zipper-scar on the back of his neck, and the injection ports. "He's using her," the young man says. "Isolating her. For all we know he could be putting ideas in her head. I--"

        Is he going to look into the missing.

        "I'll try," Liam says. He's silent on the matter of pet projects; that feels like something he doesn't have authorization to know about.

<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.

Sayaka shakes her head. The story that Koji, Tetsuya, and Liam are painting... the way Alexis promises her a perfect world, isolates her in it, and tells her that things that happen outside are her fault. "It's like.. textbook abuse." She doesn't have much more to say on the specific topic, but it makes her sad that the world failed her this badly.

Onto the topic of the Nu Gundam again, Sayaka nods. "The fin funnels were definitely a problem. They were relentless, and couple that with Amuro's signature aiming style. We definitely need a strategy..." And Koji mentions Sewashi and Nossori, and their photon printer. It sounds silly, but it was able to build a replica of Mazinger Z, after all. "That's an idea. Not sure how we can use it exactly, but for something like that, we need unconventional means."

Liam says he'll try looking into the missing people and Sayaka nods. "That's good. It seemed like you're really worrying about them. Of course, we'll do everything we can to return them safely, too. But their friends will most likely have the best luck." Sayaka implies that at Liam probably views at least some of them as friends.

"I think this wraps up the meeting." She slowly shuts the notebook. "We shared a lot of information, and we have at least a little bit of an idea what to do." Glancing at Liam once more, she smiles. Something about him really is familiar... "And Liam, you may not be a member of the Photon Power League, but thank you, too. If you're investigating Tsutsujidai.. stay safe."