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Post by Nightshade on Oct 10, 2017 10:19:36 GMT -8
Aeron's ears twitched lightly as he was pet by the NIA secretary. "Right, no time to lose. Just make sure to not overextert yourself, Lady Mistair." He said in his usual soft and shy tone hopping up and rushing to the exit again.
Thorn sighed. "There he goes again. Man, if I had all his energy..." He commented before hearing Mistair's request. He tossed the shard at her right after. "Here. I got all I need from it. I can move around again, and I don't delete people by touching them."
The purple dragon was about to add something when the cat chimed in, cutting him off. "Magnolia is a higher up of the Creamland Knights and has been tasked to eliminate Rosso."
"And aside from that I had followed Genesis.exe for a while. Apparently he was approached by an ExONB: Resonance.exe."
Nightshade paled at the mention of that name. "What? The Gospel Juuka? I thought he was MIA"
"Well he's with Genesis and is collaborating with him. I made sure to keep an eye out for the two...and I found a cool thing in the place they were headed."
"The Cybeasts are in Netopia." He and Nightshade said at the same time.
"My comms device went crazy and turned off as soon as I approached the site where huge flames and destruction were going on. I wasn't able to go anywhere near it, but I was close enough to see some pretty awesome fireworks. Anyway, this thing right here can malfuction only in one scenario if not destroyed outright. Excesssive bug concentration. And I know there is one entity able to leaves such a trace in the area around him."
"On my end I heard that Magnolia wanted to kill off Rosso. From her lips no less. However, something struck me as odd. Why would the creamland knights come here in netopia? And why hunt Rosso? For the exact same reason I was sent here. Just like Blues knew there was a cybeast lurking somewhere in Netopia, so did the Knights."
Thorn crossed his claws and nodded. "Considering the recent happening all over the net, it's no surprise Creamland is sending agents over here. The borders were only the beginning, and may even be unrelated to this whole ordeal. Nebula got attacked by someone and we had a massive breach of dangerous Bug Viruses. Not only that, but Representatives of the Underking also manifested in Electopia to pledge alliance with the ONB. Aeron was there on the scene when it happened."
"Now, holding a cybeast captive is a direct violation of a few international rules. But aside from legal rules, Greiga and Falzar are a huge military deterrent. The other countries fear an assault or war acts, as such they sent some of their agents here to veryfy their hypothesis and make sure to be prepared."
"I never thought Multibug Organisms like Greiga could be contained, but the possibility is there. The fact that the Knights are targeting Rosso means that they have intel we don't know about. Although pure speculation leads to me believing that Rosso may indeed be able to hold at least one cybeast captive for a few days or so."
"What we would like to know is if we can truly trust you. I accepted to collaborate with the NIA because you seemed to be on the good side. I even considered remaining here after the situation settles, but you need to come clean. Is the NIA holding a Cybeast captive? I can doubt Blues' methods but I know he was right."
"Thing is...it all points at Rosso. And it is kinda hard to believe he is a good guy if two fifth of the world want him dead. Even the Undernet is on high alert. The fact that someone like Resonance.exe is back in action only makes things worse. Not because of his power, but the knowledge he possesses."
"If the Cybeasts are captive, we are more in danger than ever. Greiga and Falzar themselves are a thing...Juukas are a whole other level. Beasts in navi form. Able to think, decieve, strategize. If that power falls in the wrong hands it would be the end of us all. You can trust me on this. It's my whole life I have been researching this stuff."
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Post by Zane on Oct 10, 2017 11:37:28 GMT -8
That took care of the blue dragon. Now to see what leaps of logic these two would take to come and discuss something with her, catching the piece in hand. She didn't lower her hand yet, as she wouldn't need to. But first came listening to the rest, which basically came spilling out of their mouths more than anything else. Though if it was Resonance, that would explain who she felt sneak past her during the battle. Genesis must have been acting as a distraction for him to get inside Rammount to see what they were up to. Before she addressed any of them, she said something they probably wouldn't want to hear at this moment.
"Rosso, I have a task for you."
"What, Mistair? I just got back and didn't even report in yet."
The source of the heat that had increased had been Rosso's return to the headquarters himself. He was in the room and behind Nightshade and Thorn. Though once he looked at what was in her hand, his eyes seemed to gleam with some sort of sadistic joy. Almost like he knew exactly what it was without any sort of explanation. Mistair continued since he sounded less than motivated to accept his next job, though the look in his eyes said otherwise now.
"This is a piece of the Shadow Devil. Can you--"
"Done. I'll be back."
He took it hand after briskly walking past the two discussing him. She was going to comment that he had done that far faster than she was expecting but he was already engulfed in a blaze. All that was left after that was a sort of laughter that echoed through the room for a moment. She found he usually did that when it was related to certain targets. Gate was one of them. Even if 'they' couldn't pay him back for his home invasion, they had someone else who would be more than willing to. Now then...
"Back to what you were saying, where to begin..."
There were a few leaps in logic there, all relating to a wrong assumption. The fact of the matter was no one knew the Cybeasts were here. In fact, Blues had sent them here on just any large signature. He didn't know what it was but wanted to see if the NIA needed help dealing with it. Which was the normal thing to do. While they fought each other and argued, they ultimately worked together when it came to large threats. This was why he ordered Nightshade to confirm if it was a threat or not and if it was, 'then' to act. Blues just hadn't accounted that he probably sent the wrong agent for this and tipped his own hand as a result. The fireworks were likely largely in part due to Genesis, who had immediately proceeded to do immense fireworks as soon as he arrived to her displeasure. She couldn't confirm Magnolia's exact words to Nightshade. When she was monitoring him, Magnolia's side didn't get through. But she had heard what Gate wanted, which was to get to the NIA HQ. Which was a side objective to reaching Rosso, but Rosso was otherwise occupied so he wasn't here to begin with. She couldn't clear up that misunderstanding on the grounds she only had at best half of the conversation. As for recent happenings all over the net, that was a bit more vague. What else had happened that was remotely as strange as anything here? Nebula being attacked should be something that was normal in a sense. Any large group would always have attackers, some better than others. The viruses were probably their own fault rather than the actual attackers, however. And while the Underking was a problem, he was an amiable one. That probably wasn't an issue either.
As for violations, that was a different story. There were no official rules stating anything relating to those creatures. The only official rule they could claim to have was that termination or driving it back was always the end game. Plus if it was a violation, then what the ONB had done had caused quite a number of violations that they could bring up. So she wasn't about to try and debate law with people who would probably try to overlook the ones they also violated. And she was pretty sure the Undernet was always in high alert, but that might be her opinion. Regardless she imagined it was mostly telling them to not bomb them or anything rather than actual alert. She would take this from the bottom up, running her hand casually through her hair. Save for one detail that she would add at the end rather than in order.
"I suppose I'll start with your largest concern. There isn't a single beast in navi form that has concerned us in some time. The only difference we've noticed between the beast itself and the navi is that the navi is a smaller target. Resonance is a navi with ideas that cause him to stand against us, so it's not surprising that he's back as well. Only somewhat annoying, actually. The knowledge he can offer is limited to what he knows, and that is limited as well. And if Magnolia was with the Knights, why would she announce herself before even getting close to her target when she was with someone that could lead them to the NIA HQ, where she could instead wait to act? Why announce herself sooner and fight Gate instead of doing her original mission and letting us know about that mission at the same time?"
"Also, you should probably get your communication device checked. As I can guarantee it wasn't one of the entities you think it is. If anything, that probably happened thanks to PlagueMan. Lastly, the Cybeasts aren't captive. As of some time ago, they're pretty free and at Rammount. Courtesy of Genesis, Resonance, and our nameless crusader who also showed up at the border given the state of Rammount now and Rosso's return and exit."
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Post by Nightshade on Oct 10, 2017 13:06:08 GMT -8
"PlagueWho?" Thorn asked.
"Alright then. What's our next step?"
There was a shine in Nightshade's eyes. A shine that not many could mistake. It was the sort of facial expression that gave out its intentions even if half of it was covered by a mask.
"I would say secure the Cybeasts before they tear down the entire Net."
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Post by Zane on Oct 11, 2017 6:11:27 GMT -8
She was glad to see that went about as well as she expected it to. She knew Vanguard had something to say, but spoke up before the Darklight Warrior could get his word in edge-wise. Nightshade had already revealed his intentions a while ago on what he wanted and why he was so adamant on going after them. So since there was no better time than the present, might as well get right to it.
"You and Thorn can head on in first. We'll send in support shortly after. It won't long."
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Post by Nightshade on Oct 11, 2017 6:45:47 GMT -8
Nightshade nodded and turned over to head out. Thorn remained a little bit more, standing on the doorframe. "Hey..." He told Mistair with an oddly calm tone. "...take care of him when he comes back. He's...he's a good guy through and through. It would be a shame wasting his potential." With that said, even the purple dragon left to assist Nightshade in his suicidal quest too reawaken a long lost power.
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Post by Gaia on Oct 11, 2017 7:37:10 GMT -8
Vanguard.EXE
After the trio continued to ignore his analysis, rather remniscient of the pair of Darkloids from the border, Vanguard simply allowed Mistair to handle the back and forth between them. Much of what they said was either already on his mind in one way or another, or terribly falsified and over simplified.
He knew the correct answers to the majority of their queries, but, knew that Mistair was better equipped for telling them; especially considering her ability to skirt around words, much better than his own curt attitude. He would've flat out told them their inconsistencies and falsalities without offering any corrections to the matters. Vanguard still didn't know exactly who these two even were, and the fact that they were drawing such strong but false conclusions about the whole situation made them a bother. If they went after the wrong leads, well . . .
Then, he felt it. The temperature rised. A second later, Mistair made his presence known before he could arrive, and Vanguard glared from his kneeling position on the floor at his ever present adversary. On the same side, sure, but, for how long? He didn't say anything, and Rosso was quickly dispatched again. He hated that he got to see him in his weakened state, but, it wasn't going to injure his pride.
He stayed silent and allowed Mistair to delegate the situtation, Nightshade bolting at the first chance to chase after his wild dreams and Thorn following quickly behind him. Now, at least, he knew both of their names, too. He turned about to survey the room, with the cataclysm of battle still scarring its walls and the floor still seeping with left over sludge from the whole debacle. What a day . . .
Vanguard turned back to glance up at Mistair, who was still resting her working arm on his own working shoulder. "You didn't tell them the cybeasts being in Netopia was our fault. They're both wrong . . . and it's dangerous, but necessary to keep them that way." His voice was plain, but, he spoke with understanding. The fewer people on the inside who knew their own worries about the whole situation, the fewer that could panic over the weight of it all. It was the first time he had ever said anything that hinted he and the NIA were one. Like he were taking responsibility. ". . . There's much to do. We don't have proper time to have that aforementioned conversation. It's important, though, and so I'm willing to put things aside if you are."
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Post by Zane on Oct 11, 2017 7:58:19 GMT -8
She smiled as they bolted off, but sighed as they left. She didn't mind good guys, but they could bring their own share of problems. And they definitely were apparent problems. It was only now that she stopped putting up the bravado and winced a bit. Better to not let Aeron know his own results too after all. If they had he would've kept trying and doing a dance she wasn't in the mood for. And while she tried to point out the inconsistencies, she managed to do so for Vanguard's sake more than their own. If nothing else Nightshade would be easy to work with until he got tired of her taking advantage of his attention span and priorities, that is.
"Far as they need to know, Rosso did it. It makes moving forward simpler that way."
Because if Rosso did it, then there was also no proof linking it back to the NIA whatsoever. They could completely deny his existence and be perfectly fine after it. No one would be able to question them about it, and the only ones who could verify it were those who met Rosso in person. But as they would be the ones making the accusations, that wouldn't be their best way to approach it either. Dangerous but necessary was the way it had to be... and she was glad that Vanguard was understanding about it too.
"We can set it aside for now. After we finish taking care of everything else. Plus we'd just get interrupted if we started now, no doubt."
She was tired all the same as Vanguard after all. Just had managed to play it off well enough. But that took care of the trio's concerns for a while anyway. Though why she had sent the duo off to Rammount... when she knew the situation there, was another question. She hadn't made to call for any sort of assistance to be sent after them either. But she imagined Vanguard would draw one of two conclusions from this course of action.
"Not like we can repair everything, so it'll probably be better if we just got to moving what was necessary first instead."
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Post by Gaia on Oct 11, 2017 8:19:57 GMT -8
Vanguard.EXE
. . . He'd probably never say it out loud, but, in his time with the NIA, he had slowly grown accustomed to the team. Even if he hadn't been with a team the whole time, the simple fact of authority and responsibility he held within the greater picture . . . it felt natural. His namesake . . . it gave him a name and a purpose, afterall. The team he was supposed to be spearpointing wasn't ready yet, back at Siega Corporations; they were still in beta testing, most of them. This felt like a close second to that.
He still disliked many of the practices the NIA upheld, but, knew at the very least that, while they were in practice, they were at least controlled. He knew that even the Cybeasts were in proper containment before outside influences took them out of their grasp . . . or, at least, he could gather as much. On the inside looking in, he could get a better grasp for what the NIA was for. He enjoyed it in premise, but would make a few changes to its practice.
With that in mind, he didn't like the facade they had to put up. It wasn't exactly their fault that the situation spiralled out of their control, but, no human would take that into account, nor would any of the other countries, when assigning blame. The fact was, though, that they didn't have time to debate over whether or not this was the best course of action, nor whether or not Rosso could still be trusted. What they needed to do was get the more valubale holdings within the network somewhere safe.
He was exhausted, but at least moving supplies wasn't going to be a whole lot of fighting. Vanguard still had one good arm, afterall, and could at least be of some use in that facet. Besides, he'd rather not leave the base on an intense mission until he could at least recuperate. "I agree. We've much to do, and not much time to do it within - now would be a perfect time for another assault, while we're running low on agents and are trying to move supplies." He grins and bears against the pain, standing up from his kneeling position. The majority of the pain was in his left arm, the broken one. So long as he didn't use it much, he should be fine. The fires that naturally vented out from his body had long been used to, once again, cauterize the wounds on the outside. It wasn't a perfect fix, just like it wasn't one the last time, but, it at least stopped him from bleeding.
"By the way . . . I know that Rammount was last reported as Offline. Are you hoping it's still inaccessible when they arrive . . . or are you sending them to their dooms?" He was already moving, positioned behind Mistair to follow her through the base so that she could direct him in what to grab on his way out.
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Post by Zane on Oct 11, 2017 9:49:37 GMT -8
"I really would prefer if another one did not occur now. Let's do this as quickly as possible."
It would be the perfect time for it and she didn't want more on their plate now. She was moving at a slow but steady pace, mostly to accomodate for the leg. It was pace that wasn't too bad at least, as she could highlight what they needed to take. Quite literally in fact, as the pale green light would coat what she wanted him to take care of. Information in the databases she could do herself and in a rather swift fashion too. It was one of her specialties among other things. And Vanguard asked the question rather than making assumptions, which she was actually glad about too. She could explain her own leap in logic there, as she could only draw some conclusions based on what they had now.
"Believe it or not, I'm fairly confident in the strength that Genesis possessed. Rosso didn't get to finish them off, as he would've been more pleased than annoyed on his return. That means what crashed Rammount wasn't the Cybeasts, but the finale of the Overlord and his compatriots. This lets me draw a few conclusions. The first is that the network crashed as they defeated the Cybeasts for us. That would be too good, so that scenario is highly unlikely. The second is that it truly is inaccessible so they don't get themselves killed but have their dreams dashed. This is also unlikely, as..."
She pulled it up herself. The status and everything showed as offline, but Vanguard could see and feel that he could access it if he wanted to. Something was messing with them again, and whatever it was wanted someone to believe they couldn't get there. The only ones that would be forced to believe that were the humans. Which would still hold the NIA back from making a move ultimately because of that belief.
"We can still go there. The third is that they are heading to their dooms and will die, hopefully quickly rather than slowly. While this outcome is unfortunate... it's not the worst that could happen. They could lead more people to our headquarters without asking, for example."
She was still a bit annoyed about that. For obvious reasons, of course. Maybe a bit vexed by it. Ultimately, she didn't want a repeat of it. Plus they already admitted that they didn't trust them either. Like the ONB all over again, that meant they would be willing to leak any and everything they knew to someone else that they felt more trustworthy. Which was causing her to at least consider their termination if they knew anything worthwhile.
"And I would rather not have them around if they really will turn on us at a moment's notice. It's fine to have loyalty to yourself, but it is not fine to trample over the trust that others place in you."
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Post by Gaia on Oct 11, 2017 14:25:10 GMT -8
Vanguard.EXE
Whatever items Mistair's pale green light outlined, Vanguard simply touched with his working hand. Like a vacuum, the void of his darklight palm absorbed the supplies with ease, no matter their size or shape. A unique property of his darklight energy within his body was that it was connected to its own unique server, where he could store supplies and retrieve them at will through his hands. Weapons, chips and meneial objects alike were at his disposal.
As they went down the halls and collected supplies, Vanguard listened to her own explanation. He had been a bit preoccupied, and not quite as observant of Rosso at the time, to realize that he hadn't been in the best of moods upon returning. That would serve to reason that he didn't finish off the assailants . . . he also figured that the Cybeasts hadn't crashed Rammount, as it reportedly collapsed before their release. Likely, this information wouldn't go into an NIA report; that wasn't of consequence for the time being, though.
Of even greater interest was the disillusion put in place for the human side, by making the Rammount network appear offline but remain accessible. This was likely to stymie any investigative efforts into the matter so that whatever it was they were planning could be conducted without interruption. Someone attempting to enter the Network wouldn't be able to tell automatically just by its status, and would have to actually consider it to realize that it was available, meaning the average Navi would even ignore the prospect. It was all so well planned out.
The sad thing is, the depth of the consideration would leave those stacked against them to atleast believe the NIA had a hand in pushing them towards this. He could easily see the assumptions drawn on all sides - blame Genesis and his trio for the collapse, who would then blame the NIA for their wicked game. It would all have looked like a well elaborated ploy to lead them to that exact Network and make it so easy for them all to reach their end goals.
"I didn't recognize either of the trio, anyways," he admitted, looking behind her after scooping up a crate of unknown contents. "I was just about to ask you when we had recruited such questionable fellowship. I hadn't thought much of them, but, to think they would just lead hostilities into the base as they did; even if unintentionally. Foolheartiness just costs lives and causes problems, as it did today."
He picked up the last of the items on one of the upper floors, having left Mistair behind so she wouldn't have to ascend the stairs. As he headed back down, he nodded to her that he was finished. "That's everything. Tell me where we're going, and I'll get us there." The darklight energy was already pouring out of the vents on his wrists and ankles, wrapping around both of their bodies as he grasped hold of her shoulder.
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Post by Nightshade on Oct 11, 2017 14:32:19 GMT -8
Suddenly, a call from Thorn.
"The Cybeasts got destroyed and stolen. Nightshade lost an arm and is in bad shape. Also, he met Forte. And the guy is pretty pissed. One last thing. Nice to know you guys would stab us. Good thing I always tap communications. I left a little thing on the doorframe earlier. You know, because unlike Nighty we at Nebula do not screw around. See ya later."
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Post by Zane on Oct 11, 2017 15:22:38 GMT -8
"Nightshade is in the screening phase more than actually recruited. The others are with their own group and only help him out rather than helping us out. Which means they're liabilities more than anything else. Because all it would take is one slip of the tongue from the chatty one and..."
She was going to continue, but it looked like someone had a good idea. It caused Mistair to pause, pretty much finishing her sentence for her. Again with the assumptions. So she stabbed them because she told them to their face everything but they jumped the gun? Far as she could tell that wasn't her fault. But she wasn't about to argue that right now. That time had long since past. So instead the smile came back to her face as she lifted her hand up in front of her. And instead Thorn found himself back in their headquarters, his ability to leave canceled out as well.
"You know, for people who don't screw around... did you ever not question why a communication device would be named 'Isolator'? I'd explain how it works, but I'm not in the mood. So I have a question for you that your answer doesn't really matter on, but it's more of a formality. If we stabbed you, why would we care what shape he was in? I actually want to ask more than one question right now."
Her smile remained and her tone was neutral. But she tilted her head just a tad, as if waiting for his answer.
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Post by Nightshade on Oct 11, 2017 15:36:40 GMT -8
"You would be blowing up your ally. Listen. I don't have time for this double crossing bull game we all are playing. I want to make sure you aren't going to use Nighty and throw him away when you see fit just like Blues did. I also wanna be sure I did not risk my life to save yours and rescue a traitor. I have been told many things by many different people. Nothing is always true and the only thing I can do is assume stuff and assume the worst. Just look outside. We are little away from anarchy. Yet here I hear you talk about stuff I wouldn't even dream of thinking about my allies. That is the exact reason my assumptions are there. I would't have them if everyone wasn't so focused on playing the spy game."
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Post by Zane on Oct 11, 2017 16:03:37 GMT -8
"I determine my allies, not you."
It was a curt response from her. It was still a neutral tone, but a blunt reply to the very start of his answer. There were too many things to pick apart here. But ultimately it all fell back to the exact same thing. Everyone else was at fault for what was happening to them. To be fair even going into the Blues deal would be too taxing and she already rode that story out so she had to stick to it now. That was their own fault for believing it, mostly because one of them was too blind and the other was too deceptive. But in a relationship when one relies solely on the other, that happens.
"I don't recall you risking your life to save mine. I recall you mouthing off and getting me caught in the crossfire, several times over. It's because of anarchy and untrustworthy individuals who will tell even the slightest thing out of 'trust' before considering anything that we 'have' to talk like this. Because unlike you all, who 'screw up everything', we're trying to actually do good but are constantly the ones being blamed for the mistakes that others choose for themselves based on their assumptions. Like assuming that if we ever wanted to double cross you we would be going through this whole thing. We would've just got rid of you already. As soon as Nightshade and Thrash arrived here the first time. Because 'we' don't have time to play games with 'you'. But we do throw away loose ends."
Her tone remained neutral and her smile in tact. And her eyes hadn't moved from the pure poison navi the entire time.
"Because just as you don't expect certain talk from 'allies', I don't appreciate certain 'actions' taken by them either. Actions that jeopardize as a whole. Your trust issues and his loose lips? Those are loose ends. How would 'you' suggest fixing those loose ends if you left any behind?"
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Post by Nightshade on Oct 11, 2017 16:20:41 GMT -8
Torn thought for a while before giving a slow nod. "You are right. Sorry it's just...well...let's just say I got some memories about stabing and high responsibilities and all that. Being in this whole situation does not help with mental health or stability. I just got carried away by the pressure a little...is all."
But Mistair could tell it wasn't all. But there would be no time to go into those details.
"I left the wiretap there because the enemy attacked with intent of stealing intel. I thought that it was natural for them to come back so I thought I could hear what they would be saying. Nightshade's loose lips is simply due to his honesty. You can't blame him for that. He really doesn't know how to lie."
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