2010-04-24 - Stay Wide Awake

SOMA PERIES' QUARTERS

THE SHIROGANE

NOW

In several hours, Revive Revival will lead a mission out to the Baldur Bay colony. Thanks to the arrival of the Turn X, it will blossom into a minor disaster. In any event, that is the future, and this is now. Preparations need to be made; going concerns tended to; plates spun.

And that's why Revive Revival is at Soma Peries' door. He jabs the buzzer with a fingertip. Unlike his last visit, he's in full uniform. It doesn't do much to diminish the impression given of a beautiful young thing -- Revive Revival just makes any outfit look good.

Hanging outside the door, he waits, patiently. The Innovade has had a busy few days. But he's always got time for Celestial Being.

Lieutenant Soma Peries is in uniform.

This should not come as a surprise. She's always in uniform, unless she's sleeping, bathing, or working out... and in the case of the last, she has a special workout uniform which is gradually becoming uncomfortably tight in some places. It will have to be adjustedsoon.

Only a few seconds after the buzzer sounds, the door is opened. Soma immediately snaps into a salute when she sees who it is. "Captain Revival." Her greatcoat is hung neatly on a hanger, and not a place in her quarters even looks lived in, save for the chair that as just pushed out when she got up. "You wish to speak with me?"

Soma pauses just a moment before stepping back out of the doorway. "Please come in and have a seat." There is notably only the one chair.

"Lieutenant Peries," Revive says, returning the salute casually, almost glibly. It's closer to playing with his hair than it is a military gesture. But then, "Cyber-Newtypes" are funny people like that.

Entering with a further nod to the smaller but increasingly curvier Super Soldier, Revive smiles -- not much of a smile, but enough of one. He knows better than to waste charm on Soma Peries. It's actually something of a welcome break. He can stop pretending he enjoys being around people. Soma doesn't care one way or the other. Or so he presumes.

"Ah, thank you," Revive says, moving and sitting down -- on the bed. He crosses his legs at the thighs and laces his fingers over his knee. He sits like a teenaged girl. "I was hoping we could have a chance to talk, since the last chance we had... was not the most appropriate venue." Revive shrugs his shoulders gently, as if to say, what can you do.

"You mentioned that you had proposals that you'd like to submit for operations." Revive pauses. "But first, I'd like to talk about Celestial Being. And Allelujah Haptism."

To tell the truth, Soma does care if Reivive enjoys being around people... or specifically, around her. She cares for a completely different reason than most others, though. He is a superior officer, therefore her presence should not be annoying in any way. The charm isn't necessary, though.

Soma tilts her head slightly when he chooses to sit on the bed, but she makes nothing of it... or of his method of sitting. "Yes. That day was... difficult." There's a hurt look that crosses her face as she stands at ease in front of Revive. "I trust things have proceeded more smoothly since then."

When the proposals are mentioned, she gives a brief nod. "Yes, I--" Pause. "Celestial Being..." That's muttered, more than anything else, but definitely audible, and the hatred in those words can be felt without any special mind powers on either side. Since she's more ready this time, the mention of that name doesn't completely blindside her, but she does pause for a moment, repeating it, "Allelujah Haptism..."

Soma is perhaps lucky that this little meeting is about something that transcends Revive's general loathing for humanityh -- his specific loathing for Celestial Being. "Oh, yes, smooth sailing," Revive says, gesturing toward the chair, bidding Soma sit down across from him. "But that's another conversation."

Revive Revival smiles wanly when Soma repeats the name. "Yes," Revive says, his tone not quite a whisper, but not really full-fledged speech, either. "Allelujah Haptism. I thought the name might strike you as familiar, Soma. I dug into my files," Revive says, smirking slightly. It's his cute little way of saying 'I psychically molested my twin sister.'

"So, yes, Allelujah Haptism. Agent of Celestial Being. Pilot of the Gundam Kyrios. Gundam Meister." Revive pauses, looking away for a moment. Then he turns and directs his gaze to Soma, looking her dead in the eyes. "Super Soldier."

Once Revive gestures at the chair, Soma moves to take a seat. "Of course." Another conversation. Soma saw Leo's face the day after, but didn't want to assume what happened... To be honest, she's been rather busy with planning those operations she mentioned. And occasionally running another scan for Ralla, because a tiny part of her hopes that everything is a lie and that Ralla will just walk in the door one day and everyone will have a good laugh over this. Well, everyone but Ralla and Soma, who don't really laugh.

"The name is familiar, but..." Soma shakes her head, closing her eyes for a moment. "Gundam Kyrios..." Amber eyes open again, but she looks to be concentrating quite a bit. "The Winged Gundam. Yes, I remember. He's the one who destroyed my Pitaya." Her custom GN-X. She has the Ahead Smultron now, but that GN-X was a good machine for as long as she had it. "That is his name?" A slight frown comes to her face. She doesn't remember getting his name, but she does remember... "Subject E-0057."

Looking up, she matches Revive's gaze, though hers is not nearly as sharp. "Subject E-0057 was a reject from the Super Soldier program. He was considered to be defective. I do not know how he came to be part of Celestial Being, however. Until we met in battle, the institute had assumed he was dead."

"Well, assuming people are dead... doesn't always work out." Still clutching his knee, Revive rocks back a bit, and chuckles grimly. He's totally unaware that the joke is really on him there. What with Ralla.

"But yes, that /is/ his name. Allelujah. Rather ridiculous, but there you go," says Revive Revival.

"What's more, he's... mmm, I don't even know what the correct technical term is," Revive continues, "but he's a split personality. There's Allelujah -- and there's Hallelujah. One's a sweet, kind boy. The other's a cruel psychotic. But this broken reject of a Meister is... my resources are mostly to do with Celestial Being. Beyond Mister /Haptism/, I couldn't find another child from your program."

Revive arches a purple eyebrow. "To find out where /they/ are... we'd have to get that information out of MITHRIL."

"So it seems." Soma grees instantly... then pauses, looking at Revive. Is he trying to say something? Perhaps she should keep holding onto that one tiny shred of hope after all...

"It is not my place to judge whether a name is ridiculous or not, Captain." Ironic that -she- was the one who named him, she just doesn't know it. Or rather, Marie did. "Two personalities... Yes, I experienced that while fighting Subject E-0057." He is a failed project, a test subject, a -thing-... therefore she calls him by serial number rather than by name. "Further proof that he was a defective experiment." He may be a strong fighter when the Hallelujah personality takes over, but the entire matter is just wrong. "He is still not to be underestimated. However, I do not believe he or his Gundam have been sighted anytime recently."

Another name. MITHRIL. "They took the first lab's children. My..." Soma stops short and shakes her head. "I spoke with Teletha Testerossa after that incident. She was not willing to negotiate." One hand slowly curls into a fist. "Attempts at coercion were not successful." And they led to her and her rescue party being shot at.

"Don't worry, Lieutenant," Revive says. His lips twitch. It's nearly a smirk, but not quite. It's a nasty little expression. "MITHRIL will be dealt with soon enough."

Revive reaches up and rubs his jaw. "As will Celestial Being -- as will Subject E-0057. In due time, in due time. But you're correct. He hasn't been spotted in months. I wouldn't be shocked if not even Celestial Being knew where he was." Revive sets his hand back down on his knee, and leans forward, as if inviting Soma into some sort of plot. "I've already got people looking for him. It would be in everyone's best interest to see such rogue elements suppressed, would it not?"

Revive then leans back, and smiles serenely. It's a gentle thing. Revive Revival can be downright maternal when he wants to be. "But we can discuss that more when the time is right. I'm sure you and he have lots to catch up on." Revive obviously means it as a joke, but he doesn't put much effort into telegraphing it. "For now, I'd like to hear those... proposals of yours."

There's so much hhatred for these groups from the Super Soldier, it's easy enough to feel her emotions on the subject matter. "...of course. Everything in due time." She wants them dead now and her comrades returned and MITHRIL and Celestial Being dead now. Yes, twice. That dead.

"If the pilot is indeed missing, there may be... one day." Soma lets her gaze pan over to her piloting helmet. "After my first encounter with Subject E-0057, I experienced a minor mental breakdown. It was later discovered that his Quantum brainwaves interfered with my own. The scientists at the Institute made that helmet for me after I recovered to help block him out. If he is nearby... I can sense it if i am not wearing my helmet." She looks down slightly. "However, there is also the chance that I may become unstable." She's an al-detector that beeps by shooting things at random.

"Ah... yes, my operations proposals." Looking up again, Soma reaches over to pass a datapad to Revive. "These are some proposed attack runs." Many of them are on rebellion forces in China, a few on various Katharon and DC holdings, and one randomly mixed in that includes an all-out frontal assault on the ship where it is beleived Yazan Gable is currently assigned in the Crusader fleet.

Revive nods slowly as Soma explains the Strange Case of the Explosively Socializing Brainwaves. He closes his eyes for a moment as he listens, and when the tale finishes, he gives the young Super Soldier a vaguely sympathetic look. "So noted. Thank you for telling me, Lieutenant. This information will no doubt be most useful -- and, of course, precautions will be taken." Like, say, putting a bullet into Allelujah's face. Or Soma's, really. It just depends on who might hold more long-term use.

Revive takes the datapad, uncrossing his legs so that he can hunch forward a bit and skim. He can't be reading them all the way through -- he's whisking through the files, spending barely a second on each one. And then he hands the datapad back. "And I presume you would like permission to organize these?" There's another smile, albeit a professional, grim one. "Granted. Focus on China first. Loosening Katharon's foothold in Earth will send them into the stars -- where they're scattered and weaker. But, ah -- the assault on the Girty Lue... hold off, for the moment. That one, I suspect, will require a fair bit more..."

Revive seems to be searching for a word. He contemplates for a few seconds, before settling on: "...firepower. We can't have Gable /surviving/, you know."

A bullet to the face would certainly end the threat of the crazy Super Soldiers... probably. Soma has only been shot at personally a few times, and was never actually hit. "If I feel the presence of Subject E-0057 again, I will be sure to inform you, Captain."

She didn't honestly expect him to read all the proposals in detail, but most of Soma's operations are fairly straightforward anyway. "Yes, sir." Although she doesn't smile, there's a definite pleased look on Soma's face as she's given the go-ahead to begin her operations in China. "Of course. Priorities must be followed." Soma glances down at the datapad briefly. "I know that it may seem that I am attempting to go after Yazan Gable because of a grudge for what he has done." End of statement. No buts, no ands, nothing. Soma leaves it at that.

"...I believe we are in agreement on this point, Captain."

Revive Revival stands, pushing off of his knees and dusting his hands gently. "Indeed we are. I understand what it's like for... post-humans like us," Revive says, letting his tone dip into the serious, perhaps even the grave. "But I want to tell you something, Lieutenant Peries. When a job needs to get done -- sometimes it's for the best to have a personal stake in it. Not to let it overtake you, of course, but to give yourself that extra push to get the job done. Don't be afraid of it, Soma. It's a tool. Use it."

Revive Revival begins to walk toward the door, and glances at the Super Soldier as he does so. "I've got a Katharon hunt to prepare for. We'll keep in touch, Lieutenant. Keep up the good work." Revive lets warmth seep back into his tone -- to make it sound like he's /proud/.

Post-humans. That's such a... nice and generic way to put it. It is nice to have someone she can relate to, though, now that Ralla is gone. She knows she can talk to Louise or Leo about anything, but she can't really expect them to -get- some things she feels. "This may br true, sir. I will not let my emotions overcome my common sense, though."

Once he is on his feet, Soma rises as well. "Good luck on your operation, Captain." She raises her hand for another salute as he looks back from the door. "I look forward to flying together to accomplish some of these goals." That's right. She -is- doing a good job, isn't she? There is, as usual, no smile, but Soma's expression is definitely at peace... pleased, for now.