Episode 10: Bringer of Distress

<Darkling> Rasia, Wilhelm and Lahja were just dropped off outside of the cages at the locker rooms to get changed and prepped. Corrin was already onsite at the base ahead of them.
<Darkling> Lit has already headed up to the Operations Room and left you all to do your thing.
Rasia pulls on a plugsuit padded even thicker than the one she started with, chewing on the glove as she gets used to the stiffness of it.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja changes into her own plugsuit, which has yet to change much. She looks fairly hyped after changing.
<Darkling> A thundering boom is heard through the base as monitors and anything else not screwed down shake and rattle.
Wilhelm_Faustus changes slowly. He was familiar with plugsuits but it was an entirely different experience actually putting it on.
Rasia bristles, baring her teeth. She jogs for the cages, licking her teeth. She almost looks overstuffed, all that precision-corded muscle muffled.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> He steps out into the Cage, fidgeting with his suit. All twitching stops as he pauses to stare up at Null Drei.
Corrin sits in his entry plug, waiting for the others. He's somewhat twitchy, constantly looking from one side of the plug to the other and even up and down a few times.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja gets pumped into high gear at that rumbling, making a run for the cage.
Rasia stops to look over at Wilhelm and Null Drei, standing on Unit 01's hunched neck.
<Darkling> Lit's voice comes on over the loudspeakers and in the plugs. "Pilots, we need you in your plugs and ready ASAP, that last blast was a direct hit on the dome."
<Wilhelm_Faustus> He says something to Null Drei, then climbs into the entry plug.
Corrin abruptly stops searching, head jerking around to the front. "Ready and willing, sir!" he replies.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja gets into the entry plug. "I'm ready, sir. Is there any intelligence you can provide us about this Jotun?"
<Darkling> "Not much, we have a visual. Routing to your hud."
<Corrin> "Just a weapon..." Corrin mutters quietly as he waits, hands gripping the control yokes as he leans forwards slightly.
<Darkling> An image flickers up on the screen of a tall, feminine, humanoid figure, head to toe in white. It floats along silently above the ground towards the base. In the place of arms are four long and writing tentacles. It's head is three faceted, with mirrored open gaping eyes and a maw on each side.
Corrin stares at it, grip tightening.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> "...she's a beauty."
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja stares as well, but with a sense of awe and admiration. Seems she echoes Wilhelm's statement. "... Pretty."
<Corrin> "The head looks like a weak spot."
Rasia sniffs, before remembering all she'd get is LCL. She tightens her grip on the controls, lying flat on the 'horse'. "Eat. Arms."
<Wilhelm_Faustus> "...careful. Her AT Field is strong...she's smarter than the others too."
<Darkling> For a moment the tentacles stop writhing, as blue energy collects in the frontal mouth. An instant later they flail backwards as a powerful energy beam is emitted and thrown forward, the base rocked to it's core.
<Darkling> "Pilots, prepare for launch."
<Wilhelm_Faustus> He closes his eyes, attempting a brief moment of relaxation.
<Corrin> "Yes, sir!"
<Rasia> Unit 01's jaw strains.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "I look forward to meeting you. And shooting you."
<Darkling> "Launch!" Lit commands, and the pilots jettison up through the base, landing in the wastes between the Jotun and the base.
<Corrin> "Moving in now!" Corrin announces.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> "...I'll be staying back here."
Corrin pushes both yokes down, sending Unit 02 into a run towards the alien figure. "Come on, come on...come and die!"
<Darkling> Corrins yells come through to the other plugs as garbled gibberish.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> 04 draws one of its assault rifles and carefully moves forward. Not nearly as far or fast as 02. She's definitely being cautious about this one, and moreso when the gibberish comes.
<Rasia> Unit 01 falls forward onto all fours, rocking its body side to side to get used to the new A-Type before taking off across the ground. Tail lashing the soil behind it, the Aesir leaps up and slams into Angerboda's AT Field, claws leaving ripples in it.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> Null Drei's feet leave the ground, hovering forward  without any urgency.
<Darkling> Angerboda's tentacles wave, testing the air before it, and it goes into a slight crouch.
Rasia blinks, Unit 01's head cocks back slightly.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> A yelp of surprise and Wilhelm is struggling inside his plug.
<Corrin> "What the hell?" Corrin shouts in surprise, still pushing fruitlessly at the field. "How'd it do that?"
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "What's this? Careful! It's calling up worms!" 04 looks down at one leg as Lahja says that, quite possibly in vain.
<Corrin> "I don't care how big you are, you freak!" Corrin yells at the looming figure as Unit 02 continues to push. "I'm still smashing your head in!"
<Darkling> Lits talking to you, though only Wilhelm and Lahja can understand at this point. "What's going on pilots?"
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "Communications have been cut off from Corrin, sir! I'm presently being attacked by a giant worm it created. But not for much longer!"
<Darkling> "...check the monitors again.." He's talking to one of the bunnies.. "..she says there are Trolls in the form of worms."
<Corrin> "Captain! Is that you, sir?" Corrin yells as he continues to try and get through. "Sir?"
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Unit 04 does a peculiar thing. It lowers its rifle and sticks one leg out in an awkward way, then fires. Lahja lets out a surprised yell as the bullet connects, her eyes widening. This was interesting. But not in a good way.
<Rasia> Screaming. The gibberish, the tall, imposing figure. Rasia's jaw falls open, and Unit 01 twists back on itself, fleeing with thunderous noises. Completely ignoring the creature swatting fruitlessly at its legs, Aesir and pilot flee the shadows of the past, shrieking and nearly losing control of herself.
<Darkling> "What he hell is going on out there?!"
Wilhelm_Faustus continues to try fighting off the hoarde of creepy-crawlies making their way along his plugsuit.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "I got the worm, sir! I blew it up in one shot!" She tries to make it sound like it's a good thing. But there's that definite sense of pain in her voice...
Rasia whimpers in her plug, curled up tight. Unit 01 curls over, hunched like a goblin.
<Darkling> The Jotun's tentacles flare behind it again, and a blast fires from it's forward face at Lahja, tearing through the air.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Perhaps the pain has done her some good toward reminding her of the gravity of the situation. Unit 04 leaps off to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast.
<Darkling> "Get it together guys! Bring this thing down!" Lit's sounding more frustrated that you've heard him before.
Rasia jerks around, Lit's orders chilling her stomach.
Wilhelm_Faustus settles down, then rests back and starts calling up screens to review battlefield data.
<Corrin> "Pilot Rasia! The enemy's over here!" Corrin shouts over his shoulder, baffled and confused by what's happening around him. Even as he still uselessly tries to break through the field, he sends firing data to Wilhelm's Unit.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> "...you realize I don't have a gun, right?"
<Wilhelm_Faustus> With an annoyed grunt he pushes the stream of useless data out of sight.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja seems to take Lit's orders to heart. 04 dashes forward, its field colliding with the Jotun's. She levels her rifle at Angerboda and pulls the trigger, the bullet engulfed in a peculiar blue. She swears loudly and liberally as the bullet bounces.
<Rasia> Compelled more by horror and fear than bravery and hate, Rasia charges back into melee, the vessels around the bases of its claws erupting and bleeding as its AT Field helps push through the Jotunn's.
<Darkling> Angerboda sidesteps the charge, moving just out of reach.
<Darkling> "That's better pilots. Work together." Of course only Wilhelm can hear this properly now.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> After a moment to concentrate, synchronizing better with his Aesir, Wil uses his AT Field to form a funnel. An energy beam blasts from Null Drei's eyes, seeking out Angerboda.
<Darkling> The blast takes the Jotun in the side, which barely fazes it as it swings a long tentacle around to slap it against Unit Ein, tearing at it's chest.
<Rasia> The tentacle opens up the armor all across the ribs and back of the Aesir, lighting up Rasia's flesh with sympathetic pain. She screams and screams, and instantly drops to the snow, the Unit mimicking her desperate attempt to shield herself. Steam oozes from the giant's wounds, a toxic sizzle filling the air.
<Rasia> Her Synch Ratio plunges, and the pilot is rendered a quivering ball in the plug. Lit might detect a few toxins in the LCL.
<Darkling> "Someone give me a status update. We're getting bad feeds here!"
<Wilhelm_Faustus> "...I suggest getting civilians to shelters, sir."
<Corrin> "Damnit." Corrin snarls, then sends his Unit forwards, hammer arcing down in a tight swing and into Angerboda's shoulder.
<Darkling> "Noted. Evacs are underway. Why are the other pilots not responding?"
<Wilhelm_Faustus> "The harbinger's AT Field is scrambling verbal communications, sir."
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Unit 04 looks down at the badly damaged 01. Lahja stares for a moment, thinking of her leg and perhaps feels some sense of empathy. Peculiar. She doesn't dwell on it, though, and quickly raises 04's rifle to fire off a single shot, the bullet slamming into the Jotun.
<Rasia> The best Unit Ein can manage is to swat weakly at the Jotun's legs, before Raz curls up again, bawling and cowering.
<Darkling> "We're reading Unit Ein is on battery, can she get connected again?"
Wilhelm_Faustus calls up a communication window to Null Ein. "Pull yourself together!" Though she may only hear gibberish.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> As quickly as his synch ratio spiked, its falling again. This was going to take some effort. Null Drei's arm stretches out, palm facing Angerboda directly.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> Blue hexagons gather in its parm, spinning and rotating, burning red hot as they're sent screaming in a single blast.
<Darkling> Angerboda yet again moves out of the way as the blast sails past it harmlessly.
<Darkling> Mid spin, it flails a tentacle at Ein, hitting only snow and ice.
Corrin takes advantage of the opening created by the thing's attack. With a yell, he causes Unit 02 to barrel shoulder-first into Angerboda, sending both skittering across the ice. As they skid to a stop, he slams his Unit's hammer into it with more enthusiasm than precision.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Unit 04 quickly takes aim and fires at the Jotun. Not one of her better shots at all, but it hit. "Hang in there, Rasia!" she says, knowing it's probably going to be gibberished.
<Darkling> Enthusiastic, and effective. Following the hit, the hammer and bullet shot to the Jotun cause it to recoil slightly, and a a sudden flash of blue symbols reel in the pilots' minds with the sound of a roar.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> "...you know that we can't..." Who is he talking to?
<Darkling> "What was that Pilot?" Lit sounds confused now.
<Rasia> Unit 01 finally gets to its feet, crawling like a whipped dog towards a power station, swatting snow off of it.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> "...don't listen to it..."
<Wilhelm_Faustus> Another synch ratio spike as Null Drei settles into a bracing stance, both hands held forward as it unleashes a heavy blast.
<Darkling> Angerboda dodges back, missing the blast, but throwing off it's attack, it's tentacles lashing harmless over Null Zwei.
<Corrin> "That all you've got?" Corrin laughs, flipping a switch, then charges in again, yelling yet again as he does so. The hammer-swing goes wide.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> The symbols barely register with Lahja, the girl a bit distracted by her episode of human empathy. Whether the empathy remains or not is unclear, but the distraction is certainly gone. "Thank you, Pilot Corrin!" And then a well aimed shot goes flying into the Jotun, the bullet surrounded by glowy blue symbols.
<Rasia> Finally the alarms stopped. Her ears still rung from the beeping. Unit 01 moved sluggishly, clumsily, barely responding to what few commands she did give. The armor even rattles as Rasia shivers, its head slung low.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> Another superheated blast of AT Field is fired off, cutting through the cold air and slamming into Angerboda.
<Darkling> The Jotun rises up, ready to slam into Unit Zwei, only to be thrown off by the blast and slamming into the ice instead.
<Darkling> "Good work Wilhelm, Now get Unit Ein back in there!"
Corrin uses the opportunity to leap forwards, 02's hammer raised and arcing down as it drops. The blow misses again, and the Aesir lands heavily next to Angerboda, the glowing hammerhead sinking deep into the ice.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja seems quite in her element now, free to fire away with impunity. She takes aim and fires, and in the split second before the bullet leaves the gun Unit 04 makes a subtle turn. The shot connects. Just as planned.
<Rasia> Unit 01 runs soullessly back into combat, its claws grazing the Jotun's flesh, no roar or howl of hate.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> The snow explodes off to the side of the Jotunn, a missed heavy blast.
<Darkling> The Jotun itself misses a swing as Null Zwei dodges out of the way.
Corrin lets go of the hammer, taking in Rasia's sudden appearance as he leaps aside, then swings with his shield arm.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Another shot from 04. It simply grazes the Jotun, prompting some more profanity from the pilot.
<Darkling> Luckily for the other pilots, that profanity comes off as garbage anyway.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> With help from the data streaming in from Corrin's Aesir, Null Drei lands another hit on Angerboda.
<Darkling> A scream of rage rips through the plugs and the pilots' minds, flashing blue in their eyes.
[<Corrin> "Shut up and die!" Corrin screams right back.
<Darkling> The Jotun swings another tentacle at the crippled Ein, wrapping around Zwei instead, tearing away flesh from it's arm and leaving a toxic sludge in place that sizzles away.
<Darkling> Tanks roll up into the battlefield, laying a covering barrage of fire at the Jotun.
<Darkling> "Get some marker lights on that thing as well" Lit orders. Guide lights flare to life, tactical data being fed to Corrin and Lahja.
Corrin stares at the thing as it pulls the tentacle back, his jaw clenched as pain continues to shoot up through his Unit's wounded arm. Still off-balance, Corrin pushes Unit 02 forwards again, swinging his shield at an angle towards the Jotuun's neck. Orders or not, he knows what to do with the data. The swing goes wide, again.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> "I'm going to see your pretty little red heart soon. And then I'm going to poke a hole in it." 04 takes aim at the Jotun, then fires.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> More synchronization fluxuations from Null Drei before it fires off a heavy shot, a screaming white-hot piece of field striking Angerboda.
<Darkling> "We're reading dangerous levels in your plug Wilhelm. Report to me!"
<Wilhelm_Faustus> "...she's going to die. We're going to kill her!" He shouts, gripping his controls tightly.
<Darkling> The Jotun turns it's attention to Null Ein, wrapping a tentacle around it's leg and tearing flesh and armor from it, muscle tissue sizzling viciously underneath.
<Rasia> Unit 01 falls to the ground in a thunder, its eyeslits dimming as it whimpers, splashing the ground with steaming blood. Its pilot screams again, not even uncurling to defend herself.
<Darkling> "Get that thing away from Null Ein now!"
<Corrin> "Get off her, you bitch!" Corrin yells, slamming into the figure again and sending both across the ice for the second time. Even before they've stopped, Unit 02 is hammering whatever it can see of the Jotuun with its shield, its other, seared arm held back.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Lahja fires off another quickly aimed shot from Unit 04. Seems she's a bit nervous now, seeing 01 back into the fight and barely avoiding doom.
Wilhelm_Faustus snaps off another blast from Null Drei's field, hitting Angerboda.
<Darkling> The Jotun flails furiously, hitting naught but air.
Corrin continues to hammer the Jotuun, movements now controlled again. "Die. Die. Die!"
<Darkling> The Jotun is pushed back, it's leg crumpling under the hammering blows.
<Corrin> "I won't fail! You won't make me fail NERV!"
<Lahja_Ilvainen> Unit 04 opens fire as Lahja gets over her distraction, the well placed attack ripping through the Jotun's crippled leg and messily tearing it off.
<Wilhelm_Faustus> Another shot from Null Drei removes another leg from Angerboda.
Corrin lunges in for the kill, yelling as he tears into what's left of Angerboda. Angerboda's right arm goes limp with a spurt of ichor from a slice of the shield. Inside the plug, he's pushing the yokes as far forwards as they go, wild-eyed.
<Lahja_Ilvainen> 04 runs forward in a blur, then stops, rifle aimed at the head. The bullet tears away a few good layers of Jotun flesh, revealing something red and shiny! "Pretty..."
Wilhelm_Faustus stretches his arm out inside the plug, Null Drei mirroring the move. He seeks out the core, intent on killing Angerboda. Fingers spread, AT Field condensing, friction generating heat. A chunk of the field rips free and zeroes in on the Jotunn, slamming into the core.
<Darkling> The core splits apart, shattering into tiny fragments and the rest of the body goes limp to the ground.
<Darkling> "Standby by for Evac, units are on their way." Lit orders. "We're bringing you home pilots."
<Corrin> "Sir?" Corrin says, jerking upright in his plug. Unit 02 is still standing over the body. "Yes, sir!"
<Darkling> ===================END===================