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Post by Gaia on Sept 7, 2017 15:14:09 GMT -8
Vanguard.EXE
A pillar of purple flames struck from the sky, scorching the ground about five feet in front of the "cuddling" Navis. The intensity of the flames could be felt from a distance, but, it didn't pulsate with heat or carry with it the smell of scorched air. Rather, it pulsated with malevolence and ire found within a zealot's soul, fresh from the holy flames.
The pillar took shape and gave form, and Vanguard stepped free of the raging pyre. The darklight blaze behind him gave way, and faded into his being. He stood tall, in a black suit of close fitting armor that coated his toned, seasoned physique. His purple visor cut against the light in the area, and, while dark, his glowing red gaze was still easily visible behind them. Most noticeable were the writhing fields of purple flames that made up his hands, as well as the coils around his wrists filled with miscellaneous chips. Most of these chips radiated a purple, malevolent energy.
He turned his red gaze to glare directly at the two Navis, just casually sitting in the middle of the Netopian Border Netspace as though it were common thoroughfare, or a place to relax and sit back.
He had no need to study either of them, albeit to account for anything he could glean from actually seeing them up close. The one with the armor was most definitely a Darkloid - he could detect its malevolent soul from here, without need of his analyzer. As for the one on its lap, it was harder to tell - it looked and acted as though its soul was filled with darkness, but, it was more like it was assimilating outside data rather than using its own.
Mimicry of dark intentions is just as bad as true dark intentions. He wanted this to be swift, and decided not to give them the time to ponder the new intrusion, however abrupt his arrival might have been.
"You're trespassing on an NIA Investigation Scene. The Netopian Border is closed off to Agents unassigned to its Netspace, and neither of you are Netopian Agents - nor are you typical Netopian Citizens." He decided not to mention that they had been keeping tabs on their conversations - while he didn't know too much about the legendary beasts himself, to think that they were intent on finding them within Netopian borders was crazy.
"I'll give you but a moment to either explain yourselves, leave, or be exterminated."
His voice didn't waver, and his conviction was evident. Vanguard wouldn't mind putting either of them down - one less piece of darkloid scum to worry about. He'd rather not get his hands dirty if he didn't have to, though; an inactive darkloid was just as well as any other Navi.
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Post by Tiefy on Sept 7, 2017 17:04:59 GMT -8
As usual, Thrash employs the ever-valuable tactic of spacing out and mentally filtering roughly 80% of everything that Nightshade says. A number of key terms and phrases do manage to catch the Daemon's nonexistant ear, especially the mention of a name from its own time. So, the ONB's legendary battling ace is still going strong? Everything else is just garbage, predictably - bless the boy's heart for trying, but he clearly watches too many detective films. One has to wonder just why all of this has been thrust upon his-
*PIFF!*
...Oh. Thrash is suddenly shaken out of its daze by what appears to be either a warning shot from an ill-informed bystander who doesn't realize the risks that come with firing upon an Official, or else just a total dick showing off a new toy to the first person within visual range. The source of the voice makes himself known very quickly, confirming the answer of that query to be 'a little of both'. And much like Nightshade, not terribly worth listening to or acknowledging in any way-
Oh again. The apprentice Daemon is now actively engaging the newcomer in banter. Not feeding the trolls, yet another lesson that Thrash will have to pound into its student's increasingly-thick skull. A more sensible and heartless teacher would've written him off by now, ESPECIALLY with the drivel he's spouting off now. It's a really good thing that Thrash has mastered the art of filtering this nonsense out of its mind entirely - this is not something that the Daemon woul-
...And now they're apparently leaving? Such is the problem with ignoring stupid things - the world around oneself just becomes a timeless, shapeless blur, and before you know it the sun is already setting. Well, at least this way, there's no moral pressure to warn this dolt about the potential massacre he is about to wander into. That'd be pretty fun to watch, actually... and if there really IS a Cybeast wandering about in the vicinity, this chew-toy would serve as a valuable distraction.
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Post by Gaia on Sept 7, 2017 20:10:49 GMT -8
Vanguard.EXE
The larger Navi made little interactions, and regarded him with less than interested amusement. That was fine; she seemed the more collected of the duo, either way. Of the pair, he could already tell where to focus his attention. The weakest link.
As likely as this may be a family reunion, he doubted very seriously the validity of the rest of the navi's rampant and utterly incomprehensible excuse. He stretched the story too long, jumped between ideas and thoughts too spontaneously - telltale signs of a story made up from thin air, as opposed to one with concrete flow.
He didn't like liars. The Navi's hesitation at the very beginning of the story was his buffer time, and the Navi just assumed that he had a position to be watching. Changing the course of attention from him to someone else would've given him the distraction he needed to sound believable - unluckily for him, Vanguard had seen all of this before.
Snaking out a hand, he reached to grab at the so-called Daemon's wrist, clamping his burning purple fingers around his arm. Slitting his eyes to one side, he locked eyes with Daemon's, taking away his primary attention from the Navi he called Thrash. There were many places he could decide to take this, and one of those was just outright attacking them, here and now. As entertaining as the prospect was, he recalled his altered code. If it was still much the same, he could possibly suffer from pains throughout the fight as he strained old wounds, and possibly open up new ones. They were hard enough to heal the first time; he didn't want to bother doing it again.
Just then, he considered, perhaps they had similar changes made to them. It wasn't so far fetched, even if they weren't aware of the fact. There was opportunity to be had here. Vanguard decided to take the route of faux belief.
"If you're so worried about the Darkloid's threats," he began, calmly, loosening his vice grip on Daemon's arm, "then, perhaps you'd like to return to the NIA Headquarters with me, and give an official report?"
He'd drag them both right into a cell with no outside connection, and no possible route for escape. If not, then, well . . . he'd get to test his latest theory.
What if he wasn't the only one bleeding?
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Post by Shine on Sept 8, 2017 7:45:18 GMT -8
As the showdown between Thrash, Nightshade, and Vanguard was going down, Shine slipped into the area to try to find out what was going on (after having just recently dealt with a pair of rather powerful viruses thanks to the aid of a few others). She probably wasn't supposed to be here, but as a "wannabe spy" she couldn't control her starving desire to collect more information, especially on important matters that actually held global impact!
Perhaps she wasn't the only straggler here, though. While the aforementioned trio went on about their business, Shine approached the mysterious figure that Nightshade and Thrash had ignored prior to Vanguard's arrival to see if they knew anything. She peaked her head out from around the corner of a nearby structure to try to get the figure's attention. "Hey! Psst! You know what happened here?" She spoke in a loud whisper as to not alert the others who weren't too far off.
Shine knew a little of the border incident that occured recently thanks to reading up on the news after it had happened, and that was what spurred her interest into collecting more information on the matter. Everything seemed to be under wraps though, so it was hard to learn more than was shared by local news media. She was the type to take the initiative and investigate further when something caught her interest though, and this case was no exception.
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Post by Zane on Sept 8, 2017 13:28:46 GMT -8
The navi hadn't expected to be intercepted by someone from the other direction. He had just been here to obtain final confirmation on the details they had already obtained. After that he was just going back to do his original job, but instead he got cut off instead. He was in a uniform that those who knew things would recognize, the uniform of an agent of the NIA. So unlike some, he wasn't here illegally. He was here because of a report he had obtained about requiring some assistance before with a problem here. But when he arrived he had missed the show, but then received orders to just stick around for a bit. Then he had just recently obtained his orders to depart, so he had proceeded to do so in a casual manner to not arouse suspicion.
That is, if no one else put together from Vanguard's talk that the only ones that would be here anyway would be agents of the NIA. Of which he was only here because of an earlier call. But he was a bit behind on some news as well, so he didn't have all the details that Shine would like to hear at least and likely some she knew already.
"Some fights broke out here. First one was because of the terrorist, Genesis. And then an unknown target caused the remaining damage in battle with another of our operatives."
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Post by Nightshade on Sept 8, 2017 15:43:36 GMT -8
Nightshade rolled his eyes. "Don't you have something else to do? I told you what I know about the border. Usually informants are left alone. I just want to take my sister and leave." He swiftly wiggled out of Vanguard's grasp and dusted himself off. "And I lived around here long enough to know what you actually think of doing. So let's make a deal. You go about your business and I get my sister back home and get the hell out of this darn place already. I have 0 interest in these piles of rubbles."
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Post by Genesis on Sept 8, 2017 16:45:31 GMT -8
*It was a strange thing, returning to the scene of the crime as one would put it. Normally he didn't do such a thing, but it was something he had no qualms against either. It wasn't a matter that concerned him, put in a more simple manner. Though it was probably a bit surprising to both the departing agent and Shine when the man they were speaking of flew by, heading straight back to the place he helped destroy. And apparently got all the blame for on official records, but he didn't know that, or would mind if he did know for that matter. He had ignored that agent because he assumed they were one of the remnants from his last visit, which meant they wouldn't exactly be in a talkative mood right now. That meant moving on to someone who might still be sitting around here from his last visit who landed the shot that broke the wall's back: Vanguard. And with his particular skill set, it didn't take long to notice he was here and also not alone. So the onyx armored navi descended, his cloak covering him as he made landfall not far away from the group in question. They looked like they were engaged, but his check had already confirmed what he had suspected.*
"No repairs after all..."
*That confirmed his suspicions and as such, his biggest concern with the present situation. That put a bit of a damper in his plans, but he could adjust accordingly. Perhaps use the knowledge to his advantage, but otherwise he would need to exercise more discretion than he normally would. Except he didn't really know how to do that. This was going to be troublesome in more ways than the obvious ones.*
"I had to come back to ask a few questions in light of recent events. Have you noticed anything strange going on as well?"
*It was vague enough where it wouldn't set off any alarms save for someone else who might know what he was getting at. He had noticed the same thing that had happened like the Darklight Zealot had. And it was hidden enough where even those walking around wouldn't exactly notice it whatsoever. Which was another troubling matter, but not one to have everyone up in arms about. Some people would try to take advantage of such information after all, so best to keep it under wraps for now.*
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Post by Shine on Sept 8, 2017 17:13:27 GMT -8
"Our operatives"?! Shine's eyes widened and her face turned just the slightest shade of red, but not nearly enough to match the red mask she wore. Looks like she was busted! Even had the stranger not said those words, Shine was a citizen of Netopia herself so she was more or less able to discern the uniform he was wearing now that she was up close and the rain wasn't obscurring her view.
She nervously stepped out from behind the corner now since there wasn't really any point in hiding anymore. "Oh, I-I'm sorry! I guess I'm not supposed to be here, but I was just curious to see what was going on was all. I can leave if you want me to." At the very least, she at least was able to learn one new piece of information: the name of one of the navi's involved. Maybe the news had already mentioned "Genesis" by name, but if they did then Shine simply didn't catch it so this was at least an extra tidbit for her.
Almost as if on cue, another navi had just flown by. Had she been better educated she would have recognized this navi as Genesis, but Shine was still oblivious to the identity of the individual so just chalked him up to being another one of NIA's agents. She turned back to the agent she was already talking to as Genesis joined the other group of three in the not-too-far-off distance. "You guys sure have a lot of people on the case here, don't you?"
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Post by Tiefy on Sept 8, 2017 19:50:20 GMT -8
<...It would seem that the Border is not as closed off as you think.>
And finally, the "elder sister" of the pair chooses to chime in. Silent and motionless throughout this whole debacle, one could easily mistake the silver-plated hulk for some sort of scrapped art piece or debris from whatever obliterated the surrounding area - an ornamental suit of armor, sitting in a heap amidst a particularly large crater, a tiny golden statuette set in the dirt in front of it. Now that Vanguard has a chance to look more closely, the pile of tangled metal appears to be occupied by some sort of gelatinous mass - a translucent purple something, radiating a powerful aura of DarkPower. He'd almost say that this creature was MADE of raw dark matter, simply inhabiting the armored shell as an outer carapace. And now, it finally makes a move - a brass-lined hatch on the thing's left shoulder opens, revealing a glowing red eye the size of a Navi's head that now stares back at Vanguard...
<My apprentice here may be a fool, but he is right about one thing - judging from the condition of our surroundings, you have much larger things to worry about than antagonizing a pair of stragglers. I will provide any information that you need in order to bring this farce to an end, but I am quite certain you do not have the luxury of time or manpower to leave your post unattended for much longer.>
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Post by Gaia on Sept 9, 2017 11:47:41 GMT -8
Vanguard.EXE
Vanguard was attempting to be civil with the two perpetrators, and the one's insistence on blatantly lying to him - as well as presuming his intentions - made it exceedingly difficult.
As the Navi pulled free from his grasp, Vanguard turned and reached again, this time clamping down on Daemon's shoulder. Before he could return a response, though, his recently calibrated systems sent a message to his visor - quickly followed by a series of other messages, his field of view was filled with transparent boxes of text. Before leaving the NIA Facility, he connected the security protocols of the border to his own systems, wanting to be in the know should something else arise - three other individuals had just entered the Border's Netspace, or the logs were just recently sent to his records. Of the messages, only one was cleared with an NIA Badge; the other two were outliers.
He cursed under his breath. Had the NIA actually set up a perimeter, or were their only security measures a simple warning when someone entered? If there were a perimeter set, he worried for what their definition of a durable security system was.
First among the new arrivals was a familiar voice, from behind him. It wasn't too far off to say that the Onyx Overlord also carried about him a certain aura, as though the very fabric of the Net was willing to bend at his call. While their last encounter had been abrupt and purely professional, he currently lacked the luxury to even acknowledge him. Hopefully, he would understand.
Then, the previously inattentive bystander made herself heard. Vanguard turned his head to consider her, just behind Daemon. It made him wary of the fact that he was off to the side, with her and the Daemon in just the perfect position to close in on him and attack him all at once. He didn't deter himself, though; her pulsating dark energy was nothing new to him, and she would find his own steely red gaze just as unwavering.
"I have no intentions of escalating this beyond a simple conversation," Vanguard responded, primarily in response to Daemon's statement, but, loud enough so that Thrash and even Genesis would hear the conviction in his voice. His next statement, while vague, should've been suffice enough to answer Genesis' own without giving too much information to the others present. "There are far too many unanswered questions and dangerous happenstances to risk such an endeavor, especially here.
"As for the topic of my post, this border is my post." Using his free hand, he tapped the side of his visor to run a communications request to the other NIA Officer in the vicinity. "And I'm ordering the compliance of all Non-Authorized Individuals to return with me to NIA Headquarters. I want to know why you're at the border, who sent you, and, if we deem it necessary, we'll release you."
He met eyes with Daemon and Thrash, the main problem at hand. He knew, from his own orders, that neither of the two individuals would likely be released once taken in. "My advice is to come peacefully, and quickly. The less trouble you give me, the less trouble I'll return."
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Post by Zane on Sept 9, 2017 12:33:56 GMT -8
At the sight of Genesis soaring by, the man practically lost his wits. But he managed to maintain his composure and instead opted for the other response, palming his face with his hand and shaking his head. Speak of the devil they said and he would arrive. This was most unfortunate. He was considering just letting Shine leave so if things popped off she wouldn't get caught in the inevitable crossfire that was the walking arms factory filled with numerous kinds of illegal warheads that the Onyx Overlord represented, but the communication he received changed his mind on that matter at least.
"He isn't one of ours. But you don't need to leave, just follow me and we have a chat back at Headquarters."
He started using his own communicator, though the person he contacted hadn't been Vanguard. He was letting them know that he at least would be bringing in someone, peacefully at that as opposed to their numerous rebels. Though Vanguard would notice that his communication had gone through to another agent that was on the field now, but the voice that resounded from it was one that would likely fill him with mixed feelings.
"They haven't complied yet, so I imagine they have no intention to."
He touched down from above on a single knee, not even a single hint that he had been there at all. But gazing upon him was like an inferno given life. Was it a navi? There was no signs or signals, any readings at all radiating from him. It was like he wasn't even there. One that could easily be mistaken as part of the scenery or completely unnoticed. Covered in a desert brown cloak, a hood covering his face from view save for dull blue eyes that glowered through the shadowed space. His arms looked more akin to magma as skin, possessing three barrels above the wrists with some parts of his red armor able to be seen. But his eyes showed his contempt on their own, moving from each one present as he stood in full.
"Because they feel they have no reason to. Which is easy enough to rectify even should they try to flee now."
As things stood they would either listen to Vanguard's orders now or they would refuse. And the latter put them in the same camp as Genesis, who would already refuse no matter what. If they listened to him, then he could proceed to not do to them what he already intended to do to the one who already caused them some rather annoying losses. And if they ran, it wouldn't be long before they showed up again. And no matter what their purpose was:
Rosso would make certain to eliminate them on sight if they decided to turn from him and run now. Because fleeing was just the same as admitting guilt to him as well.
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Post by Genesis on Sept 9, 2017 13:07:05 GMT -8
*He didn't look perturbed by having to wait his turn, waiting patiently at that even. It made sense as the others were here first, so they had priority as things stood. But he already knew not to expect a fight even before Vanguard announced it. He wasn't someone to attack with no rhyme or reason, same as himself in that regard. But he nodded still at the confirmation he received, all he really needed from the questions that he had asked. In which case, fighting here definitely was even less ideal for all involved from both of their perspectives. Still...*
"Even if you ask me to, I will always refuse to comply with the NIA. Though I will at least answer your two questions honestly. I came to ask those questions and no one sent me here."
*He would never agree to go with the NIA as things stood between them now. He was hostile with them until the bitter end. But he wasn't hostile with Vanguard and also had no reason to lie to him, so he would answer him. Of course, however, they would have no reason whatsoever to deem it necessary to release him. Very few thinking individuals would ever consider that just from a look at his outstanding record right now. So rather than cause trouble, he was going to walk away until someone landed that he hadn't even noticed at all. And it couldn't have possibly been an oversight given his earlier check. Even with the navi right in front of him, he wasn't getting anything at all. First that golem, now this navi?*
"Far too many unanswered questions and dangerous happenstances, one could even say."
*He knew of plenty who were confident in a fight with him. It came with the trade. You had to stay confident in yourself no matter who you were up against. Though the new arrival wasn't exactly wrong, either. He had no intention to comply and with Netopia presently in lock down, you only got out from their watchful eye if they allowed it. All you had to do was slip up and then they would pick up where they left off, likely with an area lock as well to top it all off. So he didn't continue his attempt to leave, instead focusing on the herald of flames.*
"...I suppose things have to escalate in your case. Fine. I take it you know the risks, then?"
*His purple eyes and tone of voice revealed that the question had its own purpose. The answer would determine his approach with this one. He probably didn't have to worry about Vanguard taking a shot at him right now either, but would keep it in mind as taking a shot unaware could still change the entire flow of the battle to come, black data beginning to flow out of both gauntlets. He wanted to at least give a warning to the siblings, but he knew that his opponent would pounce the moment he let his guard down. And for now the only way he could gauge him would be for him to strike first.*
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Post by Shine on Sept 9, 2017 14:54:17 GMT -8
"Okay, lead the way." Shine had to give credit where it was due: the NIA Agent seemed friendly enough despite her trespassing on his territory. A part of her held respect for NIA as well, so compliance with their requests was no problem for her. Besides, things looked like they'd liven up here shortly and she didn't want to get on anybody's bad side by being caught up in all of this.
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Post by Nightshade on Sept 10, 2017 3:32:33 GMT -8
Nightshade would swiftly avoid getting grabbed on the shoulder and hop closer to his sister for protection. He seemed to relax a little, having Thrash by his side surely helped him alot. His tail instinctively began a slow wag as he reached up with his eyes. He stood there in silence, subtly asking his elder sibling what their next course of actions will be. While he patiently waited for his big sister to answer, he noticed Genesis. While he knew something about him from the ONB files seeing him in person was a whole other thing.
Nightshade would give him a slow almost imperceptible nod, signaling that he understood what was going to happen and that he and Thrash were in his exact same situation...mostly. To be fair, he didn't seem that bad of a guy despite of all the things he did. At this point, Nightshade was curious to ask him his motives.
The little cat would inch closer to his sister to the point of him being within her arms's reach and stood at the ready for whatever was to come. It was not that hard to understand that he put all of his faith in Thrash's transucent crystalline claws.
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Post by Tiefy on Sept 10, 2017 6:41:33 GMT -8
Though the beast remains motionless as the situation spirals closer and closer to inevitable violence, Thrash's mind is now racing.What has transpired over the course of the last few minutes has been a cascade of failures and forseeable consequences - of all the cute delusions and notions her younger 'sibling' had, involving herself with the ONB now stands among the worst decisions of the Daemon's centuries-long life, with allowing HIM to remain among them a close second... no, that one's probably worse, she would've wound up getting dragged into this either way. And now, with the odds ramping up and the stakes as high as they could possibly be, the time to allow Nightshade to muddle through his life and continue making these mistakes has passed - no more merely baring fangs, it is time for the serpent to deliver its venom, and fast. Entrusting the NIA with their well-being is not an option - this fire-crowned Darkloid agent cannot be trusted at his word. At present, the situation is firmly in the NIA's control, at least on the surface... the masterstroke, in this circumstance, would be to stir the pot and remove that control, at least temporarily. Chaos is the great equalizer, after all...
<...I do not believe that to be a good idea, as convenient for you as it may seem - there are factors in play that you and your superiors are clearly not aware of. Questioning us later is not an option - you need the answers we have now, and we have answers that can only be obtained at this moment as well.>
It now begins to fall into place in the Daemon's mind - yes, there are far too many unanswered questions. The NIA need answers from any witnesses or survivors they find in the area - they are just as blind and clueless about the situation as anyone else. And more and more, it is becoming obvious that the ONB were expecting such circumstances...
<I am beginning to suspect foul play, relating to our mutual presence here. My young disciple here came to this place acting on intelligence from... a reliable source, claiming that some dangerous force is still actively prowling the vicinity. Something violent, powerful, and dangerous enough that they would risk the NIA's ire to locate and contain its threat personally. As you no doubt overheard, he has a personal theory as to this entity's identity... how curious then, given my own ties to his sources, that my return home from Electopia's network was so perfectly timed with both this incident AND my little brother's own mission here. Especially given that I have a personal history with the creatures that he believes to be what his sources seek.>
Shuffling slightly, but still remaining seated in a meditative pose, the Daemon taps a single thick, gelatinous finger against the golden idol sitting before her - Vanguard should have a good view of the object by now, and of the two bestial shapes that it depicts.
<And yet, we have found nothing but you - the harbinger of a nest of hornets, waiting to explode at the slightest provocation. And no sign of the so-called 'beasts' that my disciple was sent to locate. The destruction we see around us is reminiscent of the havoc that they once wrought during times of antiquity... given the circumstances, you can see our dilemma, and the root of my suspicions.>
And with that, the armored serpent reaches a claw up to a patch on its armored chest... pulling off a polished golden insignia that seems to have been forcibly welded on, before casually presenting it to Vanguard - hopefully, he will immediately recognize the regalia of the NIA's eastern counterpart...
<There are two possible answers to this conundrum - either the beast still wanders nearby, placing the entire region and all within it at serious and immediate risk... or the ones responsible for our presence here manipulated this meeting into existence, hoping that we would serve as either a provocation or a distraction for some other nefarious purpose. I am leaning towards the latter at this juncture... and either way, your proposed resolution would create a dangerous window of opportunity. I propose, therefore, that we act in tandem on this matter - you and whatever back-up you wish to be present will accompany us as we finish our investigation. You will thusly remain on your patrol while keeping a watchful eye on us - if the worst-case scenario turns out to be true and the force that my disciple was sent to find is still running amok, you will have additional support in containing and removing it. Should we succeed, you will have fulfilled your duty as guardian of this border, the incident will stand as a shining example of international cooperation for the world's benefit, and a great many lives will potentially be saved in the process. And if not...>
And now, the elder sibling finally moves, turning her shoulders and head to face the younger brother, a cold expression in the empty eyes of its mask...
>...If there is nothing to find, and this whole matter was nothing but a wild goose chase, then we will have confirmed my other theory - that we were manipulated into this position as patsies for a greater scheme. In which case, you will still be here when our malefactors make their move, instead of leaving the border unprotected whilst escorting us elsewhere. And at that time, if you still wish to question us, we will be more than willing to provide whatever information or compliance you ask, as our already-tenuous loyalties will have by then been compromised. Of course, you could ignore all of this and continue as you planned from the beginning - creating a dangerous hole to be exploited by either our phantom monster in the vicinity or whoever would concoct such a story, while you're occupied in dealing with us. There's also the chance that we would resist arrest, even if I am just a fragile old hag - and regardless of who actually emerges victorious in that altercation, the defense force here would be compromised and deprived of valuable time and resources, left prone and vulnerable to whatever comes next. Or you could even just let us off on our merry way - but that would be just as dangerous and inadvisable as the other alternatives, frankly. The choice is yours, of course... cooperate for mutual benefit, or risk helplessness in the face of catastrophe.>
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