2022-11-07: Trail of Revelations

• Cast: Celebro, Jana Cektru, Shota Hebikura
• Where: Celebro's weird doom cavern
• Date: U.C. 0096 11 07
• Summary: Dr. Cektru and Commander Hebikura move on what they believe to be the base of an alien threat. They find only his echos...and his rearguard.

---

<Pose Tracker> Celebro has posed.

Where is it? Don't worry about it.

Somewhere in an industrial park associated with the Monster Research Laboratory, an otherwise-abandoned basement has been converted into something that might resemble an office if you had both ADHD and a terrible disability that caused objects to randomly fly out of your hands.

It is dark, here, lit strangely. There are...devices? Some half-assembled. Some that look perilous. Some that definitely do things you're not supposed to do to a living soul. Most have been broken in some critical way that makes their true purpose obscure.

There is a computer at one end. It's been shot with a blaster. There are piles of papers, littered throughout the space.

This place...this wasn't Shinya Kaburagi's laboratory.

This was Celebro's.

<Pose Tracker> Shota Hebikura has posed.

NERV's gears sometimes ground slowly. STORAGE, Hebikura most vexingly included, had to deal with the unthinkable: the hole left by an entire missing Evangelion unit - pilot and all. Civil Defense's forces were simply pulled to the snapping point, and a single unit commander's strong recommendation to split their attention one more direction to pursue a potential Kaiju Controller that wasn't related to the ongoing matters was rejected, and its appeals ignored.

With Yoko helping with picking up the slack on Evangelion Team's previous defense zones, as well as STORAGE's own missing personnel, there simply wasn't the time or ability to put boots on the ground.

The team needed a break. Everyone needed a break. Hidden from prying eyes, the SPACE CAPITAL GUILD, of intergalactic bounty hunters, prepares to deploy mayhem on the Earth below. On their boomerang-like craft, invisible to the eye thanks to stolen light-bending technology, they await the arrival of their shadow backer - to collect payment in advance.

Two seijin, one more of a clam with arms, and another most of a starfish in a vaguely humanoid arrangement, await by their teleporter. The Illusion Demon, Jugglus Juggler, arrives.

"Gentlemen." The dark moon purrs. "Perhaps not a question you hear often, uhu, but--"

The green-eyed alien spikey leans in, arms shrugging. "How much for you to leave?"

NOVEMBER 11,
10:15 PM

Captain Hebikura had given Jana a window of less than a week to make it back to Earth for help following up on their prior encounter with the internal leak suspicious character they had chased after while discussing matters over the clear site. He impressed on the doctor how few people he could trust to help him in the matter, only the people he could trust.

When she arrives at the industrial park, she finds the captain, in jumpsuit, with baseball cap on at night, rubbing the back of his neck and chewing. A fruity bubblegum scent lingers about him, giving away his choice of chew.

Four black balaclava operators mill about at the entrance with the captain, wielding flashlight-equipped electric stun rifles. At least Hebikura seems sheepish.

"So it turns out I can trust you, and also four of my closest friends who forgot their unit patches at the barracks. We're not taking chances, and securing the site."

Things do not go that loud at all, the four flashlight toughs fanning out and pointing their gun-mounted torches about slowly to reveal the room while Hebikura steps immediately to the computer, only to be once again disappointed.

"I love bureaucracy." The captain mutters darkly.

<Pose Tracker> Jana Cektru has posed.

There are many problems facing them now, and Dr. Cektru is well aware of their shortages here. So she mad her way over in order to help with this business. "I see," Jana says of trusting, as she arrives in dark blue clothes at the site. She did indeed make it within the week; her new 'job' is not one that keeps her busy at all hours of the day.

"Very well." Securing the sight is reasonable. But the room is revealed, and...

Bureaucracy slowe them down, all right. "Maybe some of the papers have something useful in them," Jana says, because she's looking for an upside, but there is frankly not much of an upside.

"...At best, this is confirmation."

<Pose Tracker> Shota Hebikura has posed.

Hebikura taps his finger on the burned screen of the monitor, frowning. "You've been monitoring things off-world - I've not had the chance recently." The capped man squats down, inspecting the computer's damage mark with an intense squint, then breaks for a wan smile in Jana's direction. "Don't sign this off to best now, Doctor. We haven't given chance... a chance?"

<Pose Tracker> Celebro has posed.

Oh, there's upside.

The computer's shot, sure, but the papers tell a story, and one that to folk from beyond the solar system, is alarming.

Diagrams; sketches, of a...process? It will take time to decode, but as the men sweep, for now, at least, nothing emerges from the shadows to attack.

What becomes obvious first is that this is Ultra technology. A thing of souls and tethers, bonds and forces far more than material. Compilation...no. Compression? No, but there is that. Extraction. Yes.

A Medal. That is the first step, the conceptual goal. The result of a process by which an entity's extracted nature might be focused, compressed into a coin-sized and -shaped object. And from there, expressed.

What is the process to create it? What can be Medalized? How would you express this power? Questions that this lab was put to.

One of the lights by the far wall is flickering. The light here is terrible in general. Might just be going out.

<Pose Tracker> Jana Cektru has posed.

Jana confirms, "I have."

But then the mn in the cap suggests giving things a chance, Jana pauses, and then inclines her head. "Fair enough," she say. "Let's give it a chance, then."

A process. Jana frowns, when she looks over the papers. "No, this is more than just a confirmation," she says, as indeed it turns out to be. But she has a feeling about the light there. "Hm," a comment, and then she walks over to the far wall, to get a closer look. It's out of place. It might just be going out, but...

<Pose Tracker> Shota Hebikura has posed.

The doctor gets a long look from the captain with gradually pursing lips, Hebikura trying to staring contest a little more out of Jana than 'yes, correct', but she drops to papers, and he chuffs and turns to pull at the housing for the computer, to get a better look at the internals.

"Now... Doctor, I'm really not an expert at computers. . ."

Leaning over the front to peer down at the scattered papers Dr. Cektru goes over, the Captain's eyes widen and he whistles. "That doesn't look like Japanese." He opines mildly, a truly massive understatement.

He looks up - and she's at the far wall. He shrugs, before thumbing to the goons. "Papers. Take a picture, then collect them."

The commandos look amongst themselves, but Hebikura continues past the tactical operators to follow Jana. "Are you familiar with the contents?" He probes, before clarifying. "Of the papers."

<Pose Tracker> Celebro has posed.

The notes scatter on the floor, quickly reviewed for photographing by the gathered team. They don't know them, but later review by those who can read the language of Space will know the meaning. And review by those who know the happenings beyond the world wall will know to fear it.

Devil Splinters. Scattered, broken cells of an evil god. No...worse. An evil Ultra.

A name. A being. An essence to be sought and made Medal.

       The picture depicts a face that would be an Ultra's, were it not demonic black. A horridly wide grin, and eyes that sweep up along its skull. A name, written in the script of Space Language.

       BELIAL.

Behind the lamp, a single red light ignites at about head height. Then it moves. Revealed in the light, it is a thing of all white armor, with unfamiliar etching on its breastplate. A head split down the middle, with a Zaku-like red eye at its center. One of the android footsoldiers of Gillvalis! A Valis Raider!
%It lunges at Jana immediately and drives a punch straight at her stomach, then marches straight past at the soldiers who are, presumably, fumbling for their guns.

It jukes to the side of the first shots and then produces a sword from out of sight, lunging at the nearest soldier inhumanly fast.

<Pose Tracker> Jana Cektru has posed.

Dr. Cektru moves on from the look pretty easily, used to keeping secrets as a rule, and working with teenagers enough these days to be immune to the staredown. However, she takes the point. When Hebikura asks her a direct question she says, "Somewhat. Enough to be concerned by them. I've done some reasearch into Ultraman phenomena before..."

BELIAL.

Jana is tougher than a human, but not a combatant by her species's standards; the Valis Raider's fist slams into her stomach and gets an "-Oof!" out of her, knocking her backward and to the ground. "Wait--!"

It's going to take her too long to recover to save the first soldier. But she does start going for a weapon of her own.

<Pose Tracker> Shota Hebikura has posed.

Hebikura emits a soft click of the tongue.
She's strong to techniques that work on space cowboys and high schoolers.
A Top One Percent Intellience, clearly, even among doctors. The ones at STORAGE were. . .

Missing, actually. Another problem to solve. Hebikura hadn't hoped that Yuka was here... Because he didn't want her to be hurt. And this place, dark and scattered and filled with a terrible energy: was terrible to occupy.

"The monitor is shot, but if you have a personal, we could see if the processor-"

Shota Hebikura does not get to finish his sentence, eyes tracking a light shifting closeby while the closest operator shines his light on the sound-and light, taking a thunking step to highlight the shape, and reveal not a malfunctioning light at all.

"Con--!!" Is the syllable the operator reflexively shouts, gurgling the rest of the sentence as the inhuman speed and strength of the robotic trooper falls on him and the pair go tumbling.

"Jana! Get back!" Hebikura shouts, as he scrambles forward, towards the soldier who struggles, badly and certainly not usefully, against the jumpscaring goon.

Oops, no. He's going for that electric stun-rifle, that the soldier dropped. He's actually really only interested in Jana's life, expecting the soldiers to fight for their own. Flatfooted by the scare, the rest are not useful yet!

<Pose Tracker> Celebro has posed.

With the Raider's mercilessly strong and relentless movements, the engagement with the soldier is brief. Its sword is wrestled aside, and then it simply rears back and smashes the man across the jaw, sending him toppling. It sounded uncomfortably like a cannon going off.

The Raider turns and is in the process of pulling a blaster out from out of sight when Hebikura gets his weapon up. A few sprays of stun shots cause it to stagger one, two, three steps. It stands up, now analyzed and prepared, and starts to just WALK DIRECTLY AT HIM AT SPEED, pulling a Valis Blaster up into view, the emitter glowing a deadly red. The same type of weapon Kaburagi himself used on them before.

This one's not tuned for stuns.

<Pose Tracker> Jana Cektru has posed.

Truly terrifying!!

Jana can fill in with what she knows about where Yuka was, at least--in theory. But in practice, whether she has a personal or not she doesn't get to use it just yet.

Jana from the ground scoots back immediately as directed, but she's reaching into her purse. While the soldier struggles, she grits her teeth--she does not like watching humans come to harm. Nevertheless--

He's going for the stun rifle. Jana sees the Raider turning to walk towards her boss, and finally pulls a small device seemingly made of plastic and bright lights, with just a little bit of metal.

She points it straight for the Raider. "I came prepared this time. Get down!"

She fires a blue beam of light straight for its center mass.

It's not a wholly dissimilar weapon, actually. It certainly isn't from Earth.

<Pose Tracker> Shota Hebikura has posed.

Hebikura tries to acquire the Raider with his gunsight, but the struggle is quick -- and he really isn't that good with guns. It's not a problem for long.

Would it cost four lives and Jana's further trust to see them through this? He really didn't want to drop this particular masquerade. A snap of trigger-pulls, and a snarl of an expression twists his face. His struggles with this, too, is ended with Jana's voice.

The captain just throws himself aside, keeping eyes on the Raider and not even bothering to look at Jana.

As he lands on his shoulder, he brings the gunsight up to fire more at the Raider to stun it even for a moment. It's probably not as effective as a real blaster, but it makes Hebikura feel a little better.

What a situation.

<Pose Tracker> Celebro has posed.

The sparks on its armor grow less impressive with each hit. Is it adapting? Is that something they could do before? It seems fully intent on disabling everyone it can reach, at least. Once Hebi dives, the Raider brings up that blaster--

And Jana's shot goes off.

There's a glorious moment of incandescence as the beam of light seeps into the armor, filling it, energizing it in ways it isn't for.

Then the entire top of the Raider explodes in a shower of sparks and crackling pyrotechnics. Chunks of alien robot hit the walls.

The now orphaned legs stand there. Really quite a well-balanced machine, all things considered.

The lair falls still again. But more traps are possible.

<Pose Tracker> Jana Cektru has posed.

The history of Jana's planet is an interesting one. It includes ray guns! That's a thing that's true.

It would seem for the moment that Jana's trust is not a casualty of this battle. Instead, the Raider is. Jana fires her weapon, and that brief moment sees an explosion.

She winces. "Ugh. Honestly..." Her nose wrinkles. "Well that was unpleasant."

She gets to her feet, putting away her weapon, and moves to the fallen soldier in order to check him for signs of life. "Please keep that a secret," she says to all of them. "I don't usually carry it. But given that he used such a weapon on us last time..."

 <Pose Tracker> Shota Hebikura has posed.
<poem>
It's over in a flash of bright light.
Ah. That pattern again. It's almost pleasant in the familiarity.

Hebikura rises, shrugging and clearing the emptied power pack from the stun rifle with a slap if his hand. The reload expands into a hands-out and helpless continuance of his shrug. Callous, perhaps, with a man down, but now there's a very real threat to everyone's lives to be cavalier towards! It's his role, and finally one he'd *like* to play.

"It's fine that you brought something to handle heavier threats, doctor. Kaiju specialists..." Hebikura winks at her. "Often do."

Retrieving a reload from the downed soldier, Hebikura reloads his only lightly effective armament and gestures down the hallway. "Shall I go forth, my good Doctor, or would you like the front?" He asks, smirkingly, before continuing down the lair's path with the gun-mounted flashlight first without waiting.

<Pose Tracker> Celebro has posed.

The party progresses deeper in. More remainders. One or two more Raiders besides. But though the end of the evening will leave them with clues as to his scheme, Shinya Kaburagi - and the parasite Celebro - elude them. Where has he gone?

Somewhere far away, in a dark room in a dark place, an alarm - a small light and a beeping sound - ignites.

A girl with short brown hair looks over at it. "Whassat?" she asks, her eyes hazed over.

The other girl here, a good half-head taller, her longer, darker hair hanging down her back in an unkempt ponytail, looks at it for several lingering moments. Her opinion is obscured by a white surgical mask, but the slumped posture suggests little interest. "A random encounter," Hass says. "Hand me that."

"Yeah," Namiko says to her, finding an object that looks like a long wire, and hands it over. "What's this for?"

The apparatus Hass is building lights up, red light shining into her burning red eye.

"His Majesty's essence," Hass says.