2023-06-01: Banagher's Resolve
- Cast: Akane Shinjo, Banagher Links
- Where: The Garuda
- Date: U.C. 0097 05 27
- Summary: Amuerei calls for Banagher Links to convince him to give up the location of Laplace's Box. When he arrives, he finds Akane Shinjo waiting for him. Vist made a mistake, perhaps, in victimizing two young women with such devoted partners.
<Pose Tracker> Aumerei has posed.
Aumerei needs time with Banagher Links. It's not negotiable. If Puru-1 is allowed to experience relief in front of him, he'll drift from the stated objective, or so she says. She needs him right now -- and she needs him in a particular state.
She has time to kill before her meeting with Martha, and after the shit she pulled, she needs to prove that she's still a collaborator. Accordingly, she's asked for some time to interrogate Banagher in one of the... 'debriefing' rooms in Dr. Murasame's sector of the Garuda.
Clad in a black suit -- borrowed from a deceased Vist Foundation pilot's room -- Aumerei waits patiently for Banagher to be brought to her. Her expression sours a little. She's on a /schedule/ now, dammit -- she has to meet with Martha at 7:00.
"Come on," she hisses, tapping her finger frustratedly at the back wall. This leads to some apparent good news for those monitoring her, though...
... she's started to swirl with a thin fog. A tentacle winds up from the wall to grasp her by the leg, binding her to the Garuda. To all appearances -- she's regressing. Becoming a God, and a kaiju, all at once. The worst elements of all her past selves.
<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.
After Leina was taken from him, Banagher cried himself out. Curled on the uncomfortable cell bed where she was just moments ago, he hid his face in his elbow and sobbed, knowing he was being watched by hidden cameras.
Are they taking Leina to torture her more now? Feeling and seeing the reality of what's been done to her, abuse and torment that goes so deep it's torn apart her spiritual form, knowing he could've prevented it if he'd just given up sooner.
It's too much to bear. Banagher bites his lip to keep from wailing.
When guards come for him, the young pilot of the Unicorn stares at them with empty eyes, all his earlier fight lost. Walking between the few sent to collect him, Banagher keeps his head down, trying to hide the tears still trailing down his cheeks.
Resolving to keep his silence no matter what he's faced with, Banagher looks up as the door to the interrogation room opens.
"...Akane..?"
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"That's right," Akane says, expression a little flat. "Do you mind giving us a little privacy?" she asks the guards, irritated. "I'll put in a good word with Mrs. Carbine. We're meeting about an hour from now." Insistently tapping the foot that's enwrapped with a tentacle as if to draw attention to it, she adds, "I /can/ just push you out and make a box around us, but I don't really want to cause that kinda problem..."
The guards glance between each other for a few seconds. "... You're bluffing. She's bluffing. Your little sit-down's off."
"No, the part about meeting with Mrs. Carbine is definitely true. They let her into Degiff's room to take her suit," another says. "I guess her file says she hijacked one of the 3G Mechanoids with one of those things, too." Gesture at the tentacle wrapping around Akane's leg.
The first guard shuts her eyes for a few seconds, deep in thought. "Are you saying she could hijack the /ship/?"
"She made a PLANT out of thin air. The people, too. Yeah, she could." There's a growing sense of unease in the conversation between the guards -- even though they're acting like neither Aumerei nor Banagher is there to hear the conversation.
"... Okay then. 20 minutes. If something doesn't pass the smell test, you two are done. You need to wash your hair before meeting with Mrs. Carbine anyway."
The door shuts behind Aumerei and Banagher, in this dim room that Light does not reach.
They'll have to light it themselves.
... The fog pooling at Akane's feet gets a little more intense. A camera starts to display a fiction -- the version of events where Akane tries to do what Leina failed and seduce Banagher.
"Yep. Akane. So originally I was going to hold out on you because I thought there was no shot you'd keep a secret," Akane says. "But frankly, you're in such a miserable state that you need the hand up. So we're clear, if you screw this up for me, we're not friends? But..."
She leans in toward Banagher. "I am going to get every single one of us off this stupid boat before they finish picking up a new full MS complement. These people all suck. I hate what they did to Leina. They're trying to do it to Rikka too. I need you and Alouette to help me with this because --" She takes a run at it. Her head hangs.
"Because..." She starts to look so, so small, her lilac hair curtaining her face.
"I can't do this myself, Banagher Links. You're one of the people in the whole world who loves her best. I'm just some idiot kid who fell into her life through her mom. The best I could do for Rikka was give her something to hang onto."
She can't meet his gaze. "... Please. /Please/. Stop trying to give up. There's no one on this ship who can fight for her but you. I'll try to get Alouette in position to support you. I'll -- do my best give you a chance. Alouette can do something to turn this around. I'll get her in position to help. I can clear Rikka's head up long enough to get out of here, if we can get everyone in position. But Leina..."
She looks a little further off, turning to the side, tentacles still wrapped around her leg. "... I needed people who loved me. She needs that now. You and Audrey. It can't be anyone else."
<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.
Banagher looks from the guards to Akane as the conversation happens. Part of him wonders if he should lash out and try to escape -- he's unbound, and there's only two guards now. This might be the best chance he gets.
...but it doesn't feel right. So he waits, silent. Is that a tentacle on Akane's foot? The argument seems to fade away from around him as Bangaher stares at it. Could Akane always do that? It would've been helpful at HaroCon if she'd manifested a few extra limbs to help carry all those crepes.
As if fleeing from the horrible reality in front of him, Banagher's thoughts float away from him. Maybe Akane could be the greatest Haro engineer of all time, if she could summon infinite tentacles. Is there a limit? How strong are they? How dexterous? Is this like Yuliana's thing?
The door shuts.
Banagher blinks back to reality.
"Uh." He says, glancing back the way he came, then ahead at Akane. The fog grows stronger, and he steps back out of it. "Will it hurt you if I step on..." He trails off.
"Keep a secret?" Another few blinks. Reality grows stronger, and Banagher's eyes sharpen.
As Akane goes on, he looks briefly offended, but it's clear there's something more going on here. Banagher sits down in the chair before him, across the table from the Goddess. His expression goes from confusion, to desperation, to something along the way to hope.
Banagher glances up at the cameras, but quickly back to her. If Akane is speaking this freely, the room must be safe.
"I'm so--" A shuddering breath, and a clench of his fists. "I'm so glad they didn't get to you, too. These people are monsters, and we have to get all of you out! Whatever it takes, Akane, just tell me, and I'll do it!"
Banagher goes quiet again as Akane hangs her head. As he listens, he extends a hand across the table, letting it wait there. If she reaches out, he'll squeeze her hand, trying to offer whatever comfort he can muster.
Banagher looks at the tentacles, concerned, now, rather than curious. "You can count on how much I love Leina. I'll fight for her. I'll do anything. Now and always. Nothing will make me give up on her. If we can just get Leina free safely, I know Judau will find her. Even if I'm not around."
What use would Vist have for a spare illegitimate heir after the Box is sealed, after all? What bargaining tool does Bangaher have but his own life, ultimately?
"Okay." Banagher agrees, his voice softened from his passionate declaration. "I'll do it. I won't give up. But I won't let them hurt Leina anymore, either -- or Rikka, or Alouette, or Audrey. Or you. If they figure you out, Akane..."
He doesn't have to elaborate.
"If they tell me it's Leina or the Box, I'm going to give them the stupid Box. And they /will/. It's only a matter of time. If we're going to get everyone safe and keep Vist from winning, we've got to act fast."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Huh -- you know, I actually don't know," Akane starts, as she absently lets a tentacle slither up from the floor along her leg. "I've never done this kinda thing where someone could touch it?" A beat passes before she allows herself to add, "... probably don't test it though. It's, uh -- if I want to do something weird with an electronic system, these just kinda happen?" It's... weirdly relaxing to be able to have this kind of conversation.
'Monsters,' huh. Akane thinks about that, and murmurs, "Monsters are usually better-behaved," with a flat expression on her face.
She looks at the hand, and tentatively slides her own across the table. "Uh -- this is actually -- kind of awkward for me," she stammers out, before giving Banagher's hand a quick pat. "I'm not great at touching guys either..." Usually she wouldn't cop to this much -- but the relief of being able to speak freely catches up with her.
"Okay. I need you to hold out for her. It might suck, but giving up the Box isn't the play. They want it /bad/, too -- right now I'm supposed to be negotiating with you to give it up." She scratches at her shoulder nervously, adding, "It might not be enough, anyway. Dr. Murasame has Leina and Rikka both booked for stuff -- the last time we talked he was talking about tests we could push ASAP... if he gets nervous or thinks Martha thinks she'll get something out of it, he might ditch. Then we've got nothing."
Closing her eyes for a moment, she does her best to sort out her feelings. Then, she admits, "... I wanna pull you up on this, but... you're..." She sighs. "If I didn't think there was any other way to help Rikka, I'd probably be bargaining exactly like you are, haha... I guess we're both a little pathetic."
She glances off, noting, "I'm hoping to thin out the security a little bit and then add a little chaos here. When something starts going off the rails, I need you to be ready to go. It might be a couple days, but... I'm gonna do everything I can to give you your best shot at helping her, okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.
Banagher watches the tentacle move. "It's kinda cool. I mean, I'm guessing this isn't normal for you, but I'm glad you've got it now. I guess you're taking out the cameras?"
"Oh, sorry." Pulling his hand back, Banagher smiles a little awkwardly at her explanation. "I didn't know. I wish I could do something better to comfort you. You've been holding out alone for a while like this..." He slumps. "I"m so sorry, Akane. You and Rikka – you never should’ve had to be a part of this."
Another glance at the cameras. "Do I need to act like you almost convinced me or something, when we're out of here?" Banagher takes a breath, fury building as he hears Murasame still has tests prepared for Leina and Rikka. "Even though Vist has me, they're still keeping that pervert doctor around? I shouldn't be surprised anymore. Why are they letting him do what he wants -- why did they even allow him to take more subjects? All they had to do was reveal they had Leina and I would've given up immediately. I can't understand --"
A vision of the destroyed Institute testing facilities comes to mind, and Banagher grits his teeth.
"I can't understand... What does Martha even have to gain from working with Murasame. Why does she keep letting him hurt Leina and Rikka. If he gets away, he could activate their conditioning and take them wherever he wants."
A sense of cold settles over the young pilot, enhancing away his fury.
"I have to kill him. Or the girls, they'll -- never be safe. Murasame could reappear at any time and start hurting them again." Banagher doesn't sound like himself, as he says it.
"Believe me, I'll be ready. The less security the better, but anything you can give me, I'll make it work. They won't keep me from her." Golden eyes are serious. "Be careful, Akane. We won't get a second chance. If you can get Rikka and Alouette out of here, I'll get Leina and Audrey and make a path to the Unicorn."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Hrrm..." Akane chews on it. 'Almost convinced'... if Leina couldn't accomplish that with seduction, objectively it's a poor idea to have her do /better/. She weighs it, tapping a foot a little to give the energy somewhere to go.
"... Real talk I think the best option is for me to 'get mad' and slap you for rejecting me?" Akane reflects, after a little while. "Doesn't hurt your negotiating posture, makes it look like I'm getting worse." She seems unenthused about hurting Banagher, but... what other choice does she have?
Akane lets Banagher talk. Sometimes you just have to run the murder feelings out; she gets that much. She gives him a few more sentences to talk.
"So yeah -- I think that's right. Both of us have two hands and two people we wanna get out," Akane agrees... but there's an intensity that builds, bit by bit, as she thinks about the /other/ half of that statement.
"But don't you /dare/ kill Dr. Murasame if he doesn't try to kill you first," she says. It sounds like it's agony for her to say, and it is; the thought of him ground to dust under a kaiju's feet has been a warm, warm thought for Akane lately. But...
"In the position they're in right now? You'll /ruin/ Rikka and Leina. They'll never trust you again. It'll set their recovery back months." How does she explain this...? /She/ knows exactly what she means, but she doesn't think just thrusting her heart out there about it is the play.
"Right now," she says, trying to cool down and ending up coming off clipped, cold, "so much of their conditioning is wound up in him. This kind of thing happens a lot with BioNet subjects. If you just kill him, you're going to leave them with -- stuff in their head that there's no easy way to pull back out." A beat. "Ever tried to get a drawstring out of a waist without a knot at the end? 'cuz that's what you're kicking over to someone else to fix because you think no one else is gonna handle it."
<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.
"Rejecting you."
It takes him a minute to find Akane's train of thought, and then he gets stuck in an odd place between rage and embarrassment. He shouldn't be surprised. If Vist would kidnap and experiment on innocent girls in order to get the Box, of course they'd try and have Leina convince Bangaher... in /that/ way.
"That's fine. I'm pretty tough, don't worry about it." A little smile. "If someone asks, I'll act all uncomfortable about our meeting."
Akane's intensity breaks through the chill on Banagher's heart, and he blinks up at her, surprised. He opens his mouth to argue, but any words die before they can escape his mouth. Akane's right. He hates it.
"Damn it." Banagher sighs. "Damn it..."
Murasame has made himself invaluable, even to the people who hate him. If he's done it on purpose, he really is brilliant. It's disgustingly twisted.
"Alright. I promise to that, too. I'll keep that asshole alive, if it comes down to it. All that matters is saving Rikka and Leina. I hate this --" His hands clench. "So much. But if it means getting rid of their conditioning even a day earlier... We have to keep him alive."
Banagher doesn't ask how Akane figured all this out. He knows bits and pieces of her history, and he knows she's had to watch Murasame work. She's had plenty of time to put it together.
"I'm really glad you're here." He murmurs, once he's calmed a little. "Sorry to say it that way. I'd give anything for you and Rikka to be home safe. But I wouldn't have figured this stuff out on my own."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"... You'd better be a halfway decent actor," Akane says, with a bit of a grimace. If nothing else, she can /really/ give him something to remember her by; she doesn't like it, but it's a lot less bad than, say --
-- stabbing someone.
"It sucks," Akane agrees, "but... it's better that they get to make their own choices about what happens to him, right?" She lets herself trail off, there, and then nods to him. "Thanks. If anyone can keep it together, it's you, right?"
Her eyes turn a little distant, her expression becoming a bit vague. "I could be anyone for her sake. I think you might be that kinda person too."
Banagher doesn't ask -- but it's a thought that's rattling around in her head too. She feels the need to say, "I'm... pretty glad I decided to read myself in on Intelligence procedure," with a nod. "I could've done a lot worse here."
She nods to Banagher, and admits, "I don't wanna be here? But... someone told me once that the world was better with me in it." Distantly, she murmurs, "Right now this place is kinda a world all on its own."
Finally standing and letting the tentacle begin to pull away from her, the fog begins to clear -- and she walks over to Banagher and takes him by the shirt collar. "... Much longer than this and it it's gonna get sketchy. I'm not patient with guys," Akane says, before --
-- hauling off and slapping Banagher with her other hand.
"/Pathetic/," she hisses, pulling him up and moving toward the door. ... as much as she'd hate to admit it, while she isn't angry at /him/... she /is/ angry, and frustrated, and scared of how limited her options are. While she can't indulge it too much... this /does/ give her an opportunity to get some of that energy out of herself.
She moves toward the door, Banagher still in hand. Tapping the keys to open it again, she gives him a second slap -- at the same time letting go, meaning the force might well send him sprawling.
"Fine. Hold out forever. It's not that I don't care, but this is gonna hurt /you and me/ more than anyone else," she says, her expression cold. "You can't win this if you aren't /selfish/, Banagher Links."
Allowing the agitation to overtake her, she says, "Take him back to his cell. Put Alouette in there with him for a while, too. I bet they'll wreck each other's moods like happened with me and Treasure Chest. Don't let them get /too/ comfy though. I'm still kind of in the mood, so I need Alouette prepped sooner than later."
<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.
"I'm, not terrible..?" Banagher says. He does not sound confident in his acting abilities. "But I can do this. I've /got/ to. And you're right, the ones who should be able to make the choice about Murasame are the ones he's hurt most. I'll keep him alive."
A nod. Banagher looks down at his clenched fists. "Whatever Leina needs. It's not about me, in the end. It's about saving her."
"We'll make this right, Akane." Banagher murmurs, as the fog begins to clear.
Perhaps he's a better actor than he thought, or perhaps Banagher is just shocked at the sudden change in Akane, but when she grabs him by the collar and slaps him, he reacts with a genuine cry of shock. Golden eyes blow wide. This is the first time he's ever been slapped before. It stings more than he thought it would.
Akane hauls him to the door, and Banagher doesn't try to defend himself. Trying to pull away as the door opens, as though he was making an escape attempt, the young pilot goes down /hard/ as Akane slaps him again. He hadn't been expecting that one.
"Akane, please--" He begs, bringing a hand to his face where she slapped him. "I can't, please--"
Sprawled on the ground, it's an easy thing to let tears return to his eyes. Banagher looks pathetic, easily destroyed by Akane's spite. Horror glimmers in his expression, more genuine than not. With how Akane's leveraging her sexuality as a smokescreen for her duplicity, what else has she had to do while held captive here? A broken little sound escapes Banagher's mouth.
"Please don't hurt her!" He calls out, as the guards pull him from the ground. "Please, Akane --"
Golden eyes meet red ones once more. Deep, deep down, perhaps Akane can see a glimmer of thankfulness.
Banagher is appropriately depressed on the way back to his cell, though his tears dry quickly. Determination rekindled in his heart, the young pilot steps back into his cell.
He won't be alone for long.