Closed are the Gates of Heaven 1a (AdEva, IC)

[PalusAbel]

"Pfft... Pfffft..." Commander Sheridan tried in vain to contain her laughter. It was a vivacious and sincerely mirthful sound that rang through the hallways. "Oh, Gilles, you're too much. Too much! I don't know what manual you pulled that out of, but it certainly wasn't mine! I would know - I wrote it! Ooh, boy. Hey, you and me, let's go get a bite to eat in the cafeteria. My treat." As her arm came swinging in from his left, Gilles suddenly realized that he had a severe itch on his left buttock. He bent down to scratch it, just enough for the Commander's arm to sail over his head.

Sheridan's dissatisfaction was immediate and palpable. "Hey... that was intentional wasn't it? What? You don't think I'm 'hip' enough to hang out with you young people? I'm not that old." The Commander made a show of counting her fingers, indicating the numbers past ten with a quick waggle. She rather conspicuously seemed to have forgotten what came after sixteen. "Okay, smarty pants. What do you want to do? Here I am trying to spend quality time with you and off you go brooding. I'll let you pick the activity, then."

[AmberVael]

Grace reopened her laptop as Layla entered, pulling up the folder that the book was in. She kept her eyes on the screen as she spoke, apparently not attaching any real significance to Ty's lack of glasses or his unusual eye color- that is, assuming she's noticed the latter at all. It didn't seem like she had, at least. "You're welcome! I'd just be glad to have someone to talk with about this kinda stuff. Do you want me to send it by email? I'll need an address to send it to." She looked up at him and smiled back, then started as Layla came up behind her.

"Oh! Hey Layla. Um, probably. Beowulf is public domain. There's probably a more modern translation out there, at least. Or well- a translation that isn't Heaney's. He did a great job on it, but that's because his style matches the older style of the book. It's... not accessible as it could be, I guess."

With a few clicks Grace brought up a larger selection of texts and began to scan through them. "You might like something by William Buck better- his translations have some fantastic imagery. And I do think he skips over some of the more... well, he doesn't leave long lists and repetition of entire paragraphs in, if I remember right."

"But what do you guys like to do? I don't want to just bury you in old books." Grace's smile became a little sheepish.

[Durami]

Gray would rest against inside the nerve mess hall, a cup of coffee in his hand and documents scattered about him, his brow furrowed in deep concentration, he had to learn as much about the situation as he possibly could. "Almost makes me wish I didn't retire..." he would utter in frustration before sliding his hands through his silver hair and folding up the documents and placing his now empty mug away.

After what would seem to be a few warring minutes Gray would would walk towards the pilots area and calmly press the com button. "Permission to enter the premises?" Gray would ask in the casual accent of his British heritage.

[Zazax]

Looking everywhere but toward the girls, Ty shifted uncomfortably. This was his chance. "Oh, email would be great. Hold on, I'll go write it down for you." He quickly spun and made his way back to his room.

Once inside, the first thing he did was retrieve the sunglasses. The instant they were once again in place, he relaxed completely. That had been close.

He quickly jot down the email address and made his way back into the common room in time to hear Grace's last question. He smiled sheepishly and turned a little bit red as he handed the written address to her, still somewhat embarrassed even if he was no longer panicking. "Uh, for fun?" He chuckled nervously. "Uh, I've never had a lot of free time, but most of it was spent reading or gaming. Usually by myself, although sometimes with my sister."

He located a nearby sofa and plopped onto it, hoping his awkward departure and sudden reappearance with his glasses wouldn't raise any questions. he hadn't thought it was too suspicious, but he really didn't want to explore the line of inquiry any such questions would begin.

[CrimsonKnight]

Layla smirked. "Sorry, reading's not exactly an interest of mine. I tend to stay pretty active, you know? I run and swim a lot. Played all kinds of sports, at least before getting picked up by NERV. None of it was serious, I just do it for fun.

Biggest thing I guess is my Muay Thai training. Pretty brutal, but effective. If they'd give us more sim time, I'd like to see if I can begin using some of it in Grendel. Supposedly they were gonna set it up so I'd have someone here to continue training under, but with the way everything's been going so far, I haven't met them yet, assuming I wasn't lied to. Not that it wouldn't be the first time with NERV...

She tilted her head towards Ty.

"Anyway, by the sound of it, we do have one thing in common. I do consider myself a pretty decent gamer and brought all my systems. You like shooters? Because I will take all comers in Ca-"

Layla was interrupted by a buzz at the door, followed shortly by the sound of Gray's voice on the intercom. She looked quizzically at the others and shrugged, as if to say "Should We?" To stall for time, she decided to find out what it was he wanted.

"Depends, mate. Why do ya want to come in?"

[Durami]

Mathew would let out a small chuckle before answering. "even though I've read your files, I'd much rather like to actually get to know you all personally, if you'd all rather spend time with each other in peace for awhile I could come back at a later time, I've only just recently arrived here so I'm sure I could find something to do. " He would then remove his hand from the com and wait, curious to see their reaction.

[AmberVael]

Grace's head flicked towards the door first, then she looked to the others, trying to gauge their feelings on the subject as she considered her own. Her instant reaction was no- she'd already had enough of NERV for... well, forever. She had also been hoping to have a little down time with her fellow pilots and finally get to know them a bit better; so far all they had shared was an escalating series of nasty situations, and while hard times pulled people together surely they could do better than that.

On the other hand, it occurred to Grace that this was exactly what their last operations director had done, in fact, he had done it in an almost identical manner. Maybe this was some kind of protocol or standard attempt for a director- a way for NERV to get the pilots to trust and talk to someone, another way to keep their eyes on them. If they turned him away NERV might read into that and try and monitor them in a different manner, perhaps one less easy for them to track and oversee. Maybe.

Or perhaps if they spurned him too frequently he'd go mad and shoot someone.

"Friends close, enemies closer." The fourth child quoted quietly. "If you're up for it, I say let him in. See what he does."

[Zazax]

Ty fidgeted and glanced up at Layla as he answered her question. "Shooters? I'll play shooters. Can't make any promises about skill, though." He gave a nervous chuckle. "Most of my practice was against the AI or my sister. The former was easy to exploit, and the latter let me win as often as I won legitimately, so I don't have very many accurate points of reference."

He hesitated, unsure whether or not to continue, but decided it was okay to do so. "As for physical activity and sports and stuff, that's more my sister's territory than mine. Not from any lack of enthusiasm on my part; my condition just makes those kinds of things somewhat difficult. I'm still up for trying, though."

The buzz at the door caught his attention and he listened to the brief exchange, not having much to add.

When Layla gave him her questioning look, he gave her his best 'sure, why not' shrug. They'd barely even seen their new Operations Director, let alone spoken to him much, and while normally Ty would be just fine and dandy with that, if this new Director was going to be their in-between for the rest of NERV, it might pay to get to know him a bit better.

Maybe that way he wouldn't get himself shot again.

[garter_snake]

Gilles sighed. "Very well, Commander. A game of chess, then. I'd like black."

The commander blinked, surprised, and then a predatory grin settled in.

"Oh-ho. Alrighty then, buster, I hope you're ready for a schooling! King's pawn to E3!"

...you're not helping your age case, Commander. Gilles thought. "...queen's pawn to d5."

"Pawn to c3!"

"King's pawn to e5."

"Ha! Knight to f3!" Sheridan shouted out enthusiastically. A couple of passerby gave them odd glances.

Maybe it would have been a good idea to relocate somewhere else first. Gilles thought. "King's pawn e4."

"Knight to e5!"
"Bishop d6"
"Knight to g4!"
"Pawn f5"
"Geh." The Commander's face darkened. "You will be avenged, brave knight. Pawn to h3."
"Pawn takes knight, g4."
"Pawn takes pawn, g4."



Not bad, so far. Gilles thought. I have control of the central four squares, and taking her knight weakened white's far flank.

"Knight to f6."
"Rook to h4." Sheriden's initial exuberance was gone, replaced with a look of concentration.
"Kings side castle."
"Pawn g5."
"Bishop g4."
"Rook takes bishop."
"Knight takes Rook."
"Queen takes knight."
"Queen to d7."
"Pawn to f3."

Now then... I think I'm in a decent position. I think I'll develop a bit more. Knight to c6 would threaten the two center squares that I don't occupy right now, so I'll do that.

"Knight c6."


A broad grin broke across the commander's face. "Queen takes Queen, d7."


fuuu...

Gilles glared. Should have just traded. This **** is why I hate queens. ...Well, it's fine. My board position's still pretty good, so I should be able to make it up if I play well.

"a8 Rook to e8."
"Queen to g4."
"Knight to e5."
"Queen to h3."
"Pawn takes Pawn, f3."
"Pawn take Pawn, f3."
"Knight takes Pawn, f3. Check."
"King to e2."
Perfect. "Knight to g1, check."
"Shoot!" Sheridan clapped a hand to her face. "Grr, you got me there. King to e1."
"Knight takes queen h3."
"Bishop takes Knight h3."
"Bishop to g3, check."
"King to e2."
"Pawn to c5."
"Pawn to d4."
"Rook to f2, check."
"King to e1. Man, that poor king. You sure are a bully, Gilles."

Gilles didn't respond. All right. Her king's pretty isolated. The question is if I want to develop the right flank and wear her down with attrition or try and break her left and go for an early checkmate. Gilles hesitated, thinking of his coat hanging in the restroom. It was only a matter of time before someone found it. ...Allright. I'll go for the win, here.

"Rook takes pawn, e3."


"Bishop takes Rook, e3."


Shiiiiiiiit.

"Rook to h2, check."
"Bishop to f2."
"Rook takes bishop h3."
"Bishop takes bishop, g3."
"Rook takes bishop, g3."
"King to f2."
"Rook takes pawn g5."
"Pawn takes pawn, c5."
"Pawn to h5."
"Knight to a3."
"Pawn to h4."
"Knight to b5."
"Pawn to h3."
"Rook to g1."
"Rook to f5, check."
"King to g3."
"Rook to h5."
"King to g4."
"Pawn to h2."
"Rook to h1."
"Pawn to g6."
"King to g3."
"Rook to g5, check."
"King takes pawn, h2."
"Pawn to a6."
"Knight to c7."
"King to f7."
"Rook to f1."
"Rook to f5."
"Rook takes rook f5, check."
"Pawn takes rook f5."
"Knight takes pawn d5."
"King to e6."
"Knight to c7, check."
"King to e5."
"King to g3."
"King to e4."
"Knight to e6."
"King to d5."
"Knight to d4."
"King to e4."
"Pawn to c6."
"Pawn takes pawn c6."
"Knight takes pawn c6."
"Pawn to f4, check."
"King to f2."




Gilles sighed. There's no way I'm winning from this position.

"I resign."

Spoiler

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The game, if anyone's interested.

http://www.apronus.com/chess/wbedito...6_Nxc6_f4*_Kf2

[PalusAbel]

"Whew! That was the first game I've had in a long time. I was getting a little nervous there. Not many people play chess around these parts, so whatever skills I had before got a little rusty. Not that I was ever an expert, mind." Sheridan rubbed her brow with her sleeve, sighing all the while. "I still had fun, though. I hope you did, too. Hmm... I guess you're not such a stick in the mud after all. I'm real sorry that we got off to such a rough start, Gilles. Here's my apology gift."

Sheridan reached over and removed the collar from Gilles' neck. It deactivated with a series of beeps and collapsed into a more portable form, which Sheridan promptly placed into her pocket. "Run along now, kiddo. You left someone waiting in the bathroom, didn't you?" She teased him with a smile.

[garter_snake]

Gilles carefully backed away, rubbing his neck as if to be sure the collar was gone. Losing the collar was nice, but... How does she know? With a nod, Gilles fled.

Returning to the restroom, Gilles retrieved the plastic knife and opened the stall door. He reached in and carefully retrieved his coat. Gorbachev had been taking a nap, and the sudden motion caused him to wake. He meowed sleepily in protest and Gilles put the greatcoat back on.

Gilles headed back to the dorms. ...it's been a long day. Gilles thought. As he rounded the corner, to see the door, he saw a strange man standing outside it, and quickly stepped back, peered suspiciously around the turn.

Who's this guy? About six feet tall, with broad shoulders. His muscles were visible through the cloth of the dusty black vest. Cheek length silver-blond hair framed a pale, angular face that never seemed relaxed, A pale, angular face framed by cheek-length silver-blond hair that never seemed relaxed, even when taking a drag off of that half-done cigarette in his left hand. He was knocking at the door and saying something in a British accent, but Gilles couldn't make out what it was at this distance.

This guy looks like trouble. He's built like a soldier, but he's in civilian clothes, not a NERV uniform. Suspicious. Gilles flattened himself against the wall to stay hidden, as he continued to sneak peaks.

Spoiler

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Stealth roll here. It was a failure, but I think it's opposed for Matthew to notice him.

[CrimsonKnight]

Layla looked at both of them, then nodded. What the hell, potential enemy or ally, it would benefit them to learn more about him if they were going to be stuck with him for the duration.

"Fine, come on in. The door's open, there's no lock. Or at least, no lock that we can use, anyway."

She continued brushing her hair, partly because it was resisting her efforts to untangle it and partly to give off a vibe of disinterest to Gray when he stepped inside.

[Durami]

Grey would prepare to open the door before his body would tense slightly, he would stop and turn around, a soft smile on his face. "Your technique is superb, but you have a mewing cat in your hands" Grey would utter softly before opening the door and step inside, presenting himself to the pilots, his hair slightly rustled in and his hands in his pocket. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance in a much more relaxed fashion, Didn't really have much of a chance to talk to you all so I hopped we'd get this chance in peace, have you all managed to relax a little and wind down from the battle, I Saw the vids. good work."

[AmberVael]

Good work? They'd scampered around futilely until Sheridan threw a prototype that luckily stunned the thing, at which point they grandly executed a twice crippled foe. Grace wasn't inclined to think of their work as good. "Thank you." She replied quietly, as she sat up on the couch, her posture upright and proper and her attention completely on the director. "Though I don't know if the commanders entirely agree."

[CrimsonKnight]

Layla sneered at Gray. "Damn right it was good work. I'm not saying that that missile strike was unwanted, but maybe next time it would be nice if you NERV asshats actually did more to help than leave it entirely to four teenagers to stop a frigging monster from god only knows where.

*sigh* Sorry, I shouldn't be taking it out on you personally seeing as you just got this job, but I'm still pissed at the guy you replaced and I'm f***ing furious with Sheridan for all the crap she keeps on pulling. Unbelievable that NERV thinks she is the right person to be in charge of all this. Pretty sure a drunk duck could run this place better than her."

She looked like she wanted to say something more, but kept her mouth shut and leaned back in her chair. Her hair was finally arranged in a presentable manner, and she slid her barrettes on to keep it in place.

[Zazax]

Ty shrunk back in his seat as the older man entered, and eyed him warily. If their work was so good, why had the Vice-Commander said what he had said to himself and Grace? Did the new Operations Director have different standards? Was he just trying to be nice? Or maybe it had been directed at Layla.

It should have been at me as well. It's easy to hit a target that's been incapacitated and is being held ri-
Enough. I'm done thinking about that.

Ty winced ever so slightly and held his forehead again for a moment as his headache flared up again. When it subsided he lowered his hand and addressed the new Director. "Um, thanks." He waited a moment, then something occurred to him. "Sir? Speaking of that missile. Should we be expecting more things like that as help, or was that a one-time deal?"

[Durami]

Grey would look to Grace and nod slightly. ""Yes, Good work, four teenagers where tasked with fighting something that has never been fought, gotten thrown around, and faced a fear that would and could drive a grown man insane, and still managed to fight until the last second. Yes you had help, One missile that could have only managed it's job because you all had worn the angel down and kept it occupied. and had you not been there to finish it off who knows what it would have done, Yes as soldiers go you made some small errors here and there, but No plan survives the battlefield. Now it's our job to see what occurred, work on the faults, and perfect what did work.

He would turn to Layla next, "I thank you for the apology, it's good to see you know when your temper is flared, that is a trait most fail to grasp. From what I saw we had some major issues occur that caused us to be unable to aid you in the mission till the missile arrived, and we shall do what we can to prevent that from occurring once more. We also made some mistakes on our end and just like I said before, we'll work on what didn't work, and perfect what worked well. As for the commander, If she's here, she's good...I wish I could explain in a better way, but this is not the sort of job you put just any one in charge off, her being eccentric...well she has the qualities for the job, we're all a little odd here though, aren't we?" he says with a slight smile as he looks towards the pilots before turning to face Ty. "I'm afraid I've yet to entirely obtain all the information on our resources, I've just arrived and spent my trip re-memorizing all the protocols and rules.

[garter_snake]

"Merde."


Gilles quickly pulled away after hearing the man speak to him. He saw me. And he noticed the cat, too. What, does everyone in the base have cat-dar, or something?

Gilles heard Layla's muffled voice, and the sound of the door opening and closing. Hesitating a moment, he rounded the corner and went after him.

Pausing for a moment at the door, Gilles stopped to listen. There was a discussion going on on the other side. Did the others know who this guy was? Gilles quietly turned the knob and stepped into the room while Director Grey was responding to the others.

[AmberVael]

Grace's attention remained on Grey as he spoke, but her expression remained placid and calm, entirely unremarkable though her posture was somewhat stiff. She was equally unreactive to everything he said, and might even seem a bit bored since she looked back down at her laptop after he finished, her eyes tracing over the lines of Beowulf once more. "Is the fight with the angel what you wanted to talk about, Director?" The fourth child asked, her voice still soft and polite.

[CrimsonKnight]

Layla's good humor disappeared quickly.

"I wear bunny ears to court but still am a highly competent lawyer? That's eccentric. I own every single toy and bit of merchandise ever made for a kid's show? That's eccentric (and possibly obsessive). I motivate my subordinates, a group of kids who are the only ones who can pilot my giant robots to save the world from alien monsters and who, with one exception, have zero military experience, by shooting them, possibly torturing them, and forcing them to wear collars with built in microphones, GPS trackers, and a goddamn bomb if I ever feel like killing them without breaking a sweat?! That is f***ing psychotic. And that is the lady in charge of this getup."

She was starting to breath heavily in anger, and took a moment to forcibly check her emotions before continuing in a neutral tone.

"Look, no offense, but you just got here, and you obviously don't have a damned clue. Open your eyes, learn what's actually going on around here, and maybe you'll be useful. I'm not holding my breath. Hell with this, I'm done here."

She leaped to her feet suddenly and stormed into her bedroom, emerging a minute later with sneakers and a light jacket on over her sweats and tank top.

"I need some time alone, time to clear my head. I'm going for a walk. Later guys."

She headed for the door just in time to find herself face to face with Gilles.

"Oy, there you are Third! Just in time to meet the useless fecker who replaced our last useless fecker of an Operations Director. Don't mind me, I was just leaving."

Brushing past him, she headed straight for the elevator banks. Other than the tense trip back from the school in the APC with their Section 2 escorts and later during the battle against the first Angel while she was inside Grendel, she hadn't actually been outside of the complex on her own since arriving. Right about now, she could use some fresh air.

[PalusAbel]

"Hey hey. Enjoying the view?" Sheridan stepped up onto the viewing platform where Layla stood gazing out at the city. "I worked hard, you know, to get this city built. It's our greatest stronghold against the Angels. I know that our beginnings were a little... rough... but I'd appreciate it if you didn't deride my life's work." She leaned against the railing, eying Layla coolly. "I don't think I ever apologized to you. What do you say? Do you think we can start over?"

[CrimsonKnight]

It was actually a pretty beautiful afternoon, all things considered. A stiff breeze was coming in from the sea, but the clear sky and warm sun kept it from being unpleasantly chilly. Layla stood on a seawall similar to the one they'd battled the first Angel on earlier and gazed out to sea. Funny being on an island between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans without ever being on a boat in her life. Even the trip here had been by air onboard one of NERV's massive airborne EVA transports.

Sadly, her peace would be short-lived, as who else but the current object of her disgust would choose to show up behind her. Layla whirled around in surprise at her voice, face already bending into a snarl.

"The hell?! Goddamnit Sheridan, do you have anything useful to do around her more important than bugging the sh*t out of me?!"

Even as she glared at the Commander, though, a voice of suspicion began to rise in her head. Why the hell was she here? Without the collar, she'd have had to waste time getting someone to track her down (probably some of those pleasant Section 2 chaps she'd met earlier), and for what? They'd had their stupid meeting less than an hour ago... so why did she feel the need to follow her here, alone?

"Rough scarcely gives it credit. And it's a little late for apologies. Guess you'll just have to live with the fact that one of your EVA pilots hates your guts. So did you have any particular reason for following me out here? This is a bit off the beaten trail between your office and the buffet line in the cafeteria."

Layla's face took on an evil-looking smirk, even though she knew she was treading dangerous waters to continue to antagonize her like this. But she just couldn't help herself. When life gives you lemons, throw them right back in the face of the bastard who'd made them in the first place.

[Zazax]

He's talking to us before getting up to speed? That's a bit odd.
Or maybe he's lying.
I don't think so.

Ty diverted his gaze to his fidgeting hands in his lap. "Oh. Okay."

I still need to speak to the Commander about that. Later, though.

When Layla shot to her feet and stormed out, Ty watched, startled, managing to mumble out a "Goodbye" as she left. It would be wrong to say her statement didn't reflect his own thoughts at least somewhat, but if their new Director really was not yet up to speed, she may have been a little harsh. It was possible he really wasn't aware of what had happened before he arrived.

If that was the case, Ty resolved to wait for his reaction. He imagined seeing that would reveal more about the kind of person he was than any conversation Ty could possibly have with him.

[garter_snake]

"So..." Gilles said, pointing with his thumb at the only adult in the room. "Who is this guy?

[PalusAbel]

Before Gilles' question could be answered, a piercing siren rang out. "BLOOD TYPE BLUE. BLOOD TYPE BLUE. ALL PERSONNEL, REPORT TO BATTLE STATIONS." The message blared again and again with no sign of stopping. "My God... It hasn't even been a day." Sheridan turned toward the Torre del Cielo, face frozen in shock. Near its peak, a crystalline red scepter began to force its way through. It was an artifact of alien geometries, with curves that defied logic and edges that almost seemed to cut the eyes. Before its wielder became visible, a blinding beam of light lanced out and carved away at the cliff face supporting EI-01's corpse. The impromptu research station that had cropped up around it and all its staff fell into the ocean along with the Angel, never to resurface.

The scepter's wielder came into full view not long after; if it took any pride in its deed, none of it showed through. The humanoid being comprised of floating stones held together by an unseen force seemed to emanate nothing but cold ambition. It swung its scepter, creating a blazing scarlet gash in the air. Into this distortion it flew, and it reappeared above the viewing platform where Sheridan and Layla stood. "I'm sorry, Layla. Wake up soon." The Commander uttered these words softly, and then fired the shot that sent Layla's brain over the railing in a macabre rain of meatballs.

END OF EPISODE

Spoiler

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Any spent Fate is restored, and all player characters receive 250 experience.

_________________________________________________

Having finished her task, Sheridan fled back inside the facility, leaving Layla's motionless body where it lay. A cell phone flew to Sheridan's ear. "Get the pilots to the cages now! The Angel's right on top of us. Click. The phone connected to the command bridge. "Get me eyes on that thing now! What's it doing?!" As she spoke, the Angel had inverted itself, so that its footless legs that tapered to needle-like points thrust up at the heavens, and its horseshoe-shaped head, halo included, hovered close to the earth. The Angel released the scepter, allowing it to float freely alongside while a small ball of light materialized in its extended hands. Within moments, the amorphous scarlet glow had formed itself into a miniature facsimile of the creature, no taller than the average human.

This doll had manifested upright, complete with its own scepter, which it now took in its right hand. The larger body mimicked this in its upside-down state. Indeed, the smaller body continued to find its mirror in the larger, except that the Angel's supposedly primary body did not teleport along with its miniature. The small Angel leaped out of a portal, the same kind of scarlet gash its counterpart had used to close the distance between the Torre del Cielo and Nerv-Chile... right into the pilots' common room.

Spoiler

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All player characters present (Gilles, Grace, Ty, and Mathew) must Test against Angelic Fear. Due to its being encountered in-person, it has an effective Fear Rating of 2. Mind the new Fear rules.

[garter_snake]

It looked like the man was about to speak, when a siren interrupted him.

"BLOOD TYPE BLUE. BLOOD TYPE BLUE. ALL PERSONNEL, REPORT TO BATTLE STATIONS."

The hell? looked around. Flashing strobe lights illuminated the room, as the alarm repeated. But we just fought one!

A blinding red light split through the center of the room and some...thing stepped out. It was about five and a half feet tall, and shaped like a man carrying a scepter, but that was where the resemblance ended. Rather than flesh, the thing seemed to be made up of small, angular rocks, that floated centimeters apart and made up its body and limbs. It had no hands or feet, and its limbs tapered to sharp points. Whatever force holding the pieces of its body together gripped he staff as well. It turned its head, a chunk of obsidian smoothed in the shape of a horseshoe, so that its flat gaze rested upon the humans assembled there.

Gilles bolted out the door. He would have screamed, but his lungs felt paralyzed. He ran until he saw a turn in the hallway, then ducked down it without regard to where he was going, and started running again, trying to put as much stuff between him and the Angel as possible.

[Zazax]

Before Ty could head to the door in response to the alarms and announcement, he found his path blocked by the scepter-wielding creature.

It just teleported right to us. How did it know we were here? Or who we are?
If I had to guess, it Pinged us and zeroed in on our different AT-Fields.
But what about all the other ones? There were multiple Fields that shared each of our patterns.
Perhaps it looked for individuals separated from the rest of their 'type' and near others.
That... also makes sense. If that's the case, then this Angel is intelligent enough to differentiate which one of each of us was actually us.

Off to the side, Ty noticed Gilles sprint for the door.

If I'm right, that won't help at all, Gilles. It'll Ping you through the walls and teleport right to you.
We need to get to the Evas.
It's in the base! How can we get it with the Evas without leveling portions of HQ?
If it has an AT-Field, how can we even hurt it otherwise?

Ty glanced to the new Director. Maybe he could do something?
He turned to try and get Grace's attention, and when he saw her he realized something.

Command might not know it's in here. We need to let them know. Where's my phone...
Forget the phone. The collars have microphones, remember? Just come out and say it, then phone on the way to Unit-00, just to be sure. That way we won't tip the Commander off to us knowing about what's in the collars, too. Presuming Eli was telling the truth.

Ty blinked. That was true.

He turned back to the Grace and the Director. He deliberately raised his voice. "Well, uh, I wasn't expecting it to teleport into the Dorms, that's for sure." He edged towards the door with practiced movements, trying not to draw attention to himself. "I think we should maybe make our way to our Evas, wouldn't you say, Grace?"

Spoiler

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Ty's Fear Test succeeds spectacularly. Whoo.

[PalusAbel]

"Third Children, cease your unsightly running. It is not becoming of you. Cut the alarms!" Vice Commander Lonell seized Gilles and threw him bodily into a wall with one hand. The other was holding a radio, into which he barked the last command. "Honestly, continuing to sound the sirens even though we know exactly where the enemy is. Pilot Gilles, regain your composure. I expect more from you. You will die before you dishonor me. On your feet! When Gilles had a chance to study his surroundings properly, he would notice that the bulkheads in the corridors beyond Lonell were in the process of sealing or had already done so. Lonell stood in the company of a dozen operatives equipped with automatic rifles and standard-issue combat armor. The Vice Commander was noticeably lacking armor or weapons of any kind other than his highly-trained body, but still he radiated a sense that he was in complete control, despite the identity of his opponent.

Spoiler

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Ever-supporting Lonell has successfully used the Death Before Dishonor talent on Gilles, allowing the pilot to Snap Out of his Fear on his next "turn". Get back to the action, trooper.

[Durami]

Mathew would waste no time in moving between the angel and the pilots, his gun in his hands as he positions his body to cover them as best he could. "Go" He would state utterly calm, his smile gone from his face, now only a soldier remained. He awaited the angels move, his body tense, his nostrils flaring slightly. In his mind however was a torrent of emotion, the sight of the angel almost maddening, but he knew monsters, he understood monsters, he looked at himself every morning after all.

but like that the mask of the soldier would slip away once more and a smile would once again appear. anyone who saw it may assume him to be insane, but in his mind he had a small moment of relief, aside from all his self loathing, and his bitter hatred, the thoughts that weighed most heavily in his mind was the thought of his orphanage, the children under his care at the side of the lake. his grip tightened against the barrel. If he died, he died protecting the pilots. making sure they get to make a difference in their lives, just like he wanted to show his little ones back home that they can do as well..."this will make a good story for them at least, I hope some one tells them."

[AmberVael]

Grace leaped from her seat as the angel appeared, instantly getting herself in motion even though her scarred side protested with pain at the sudden movement. "Move!" Grace grabbed for Ty's wrist as she shouted at him and then ran out the door after Gilles, trying to pull Ty after her if he wouldn't come on his own. Some part of her felt alarm and fear- it roiled in her as acid and fire, tension that had only begun to submerge flaring back to life. But ultimately she couldn't bring herself to care about those base emotions- she felt detached and distant from them, disdaining herself for their existence. She had to act, and their best chance were the EVAs.