"Maybe you should have thought of that before you teamed up with a soulless smuggler. Ix'is!" The fox muttered glaring with emerald eyes.

Samuel was frustrated by the reaction he got. Staring back at the fox he took a breath and, began to speak.

"You know, I really don't care who he is right now. Hell... I actually didn't even know his name till' you said it. All I care about is finding out why I am here and, how to get out. If he really is as bad as you say then fine but, I don't know that for sure so, I am not about to let it make a bad situation turn worse."

The fox narrowed his eyes, "Seems Master Bant is keeping the same level of company as ever."

*THUMP*

The sting of a punch was the only other response.

Samuel had known it was coming, of course that did not make it hurt any less. He started to clinch his fists but, stopped himself, this would be a bad time for him to loose it. Reaching up to brush a strand of brown hair from his face Samuel once again tried to speak.

"Okay, maybe I did not make it clear, me and this Bant are not friends or, comrades. We just both happened to be in the wrong place at, the wrong time. I do know one thing though you have us at a serious disadvantage. This is your place not ours, as such I apologize for the disrespect. I guess I should start in a better way, my name is Samuel, might I know yours?"

Samuel looked at the fox hoping not to catch another fist to the face.

"erg, you palil'hac, I advise you strike back or we'll never escape." The fox snarled, clearly irritated at Samuel's cluelessness to the situation. Then clocking him again in the gut.

* palil'hac - Pah LIL hawk - mud brain - idiot

It all started to click in his mind, Samuel was never fond of or good at deception but, he didn't seem to have a choice.

"Alright, I am tired of your crap old man!" Samuel let loose a jab at the foxes' face, he only held back a little bit, hoping to at least inflict some pain... as payback.

*WHUMP*

The fox recoiled, the smirked, "About time, I've beat children more aware." then held his jax in mock shock before yelping so the masses could hear him, "TRAITORS! DIE HERE!" Then running to attack, the mob behind him suddenly rally with almost supernatural frenzy, attacking anything that moved, including the guards, and each other.

Amber had watched with veiled amusement as the poor oblivious Overlander seemed unable to grasp what was going on.
This was a riot, and, if used correctly, a chance at escape. If, the opportunity was properly utilized.
With the riot already in motion, Amber looked to the craft that had landed on the pad. That would be a good start for an escape attempt, all she had to do was get there.
Of course, it would be guarded, she'd need to move quickly; chances were that the pilot would receive orders to bail out just in case.
Looking to her sort-of cmpanions, the pair who'd also got caught up in thsi mess, she quickly called, "I'm going to make a dash for that cargo vessel, I'd be lying if I said I didn't need your help though."
No more time, I have to move and wonder dimly if they're following.

Though the red panda was not amazingly strong, she didn't need to be. With startling efficiency she dodged through the crowd; using her smaller size and...skills, to her advantage. She wasn't worried about the guards too much; she always made sure she had someone in the way of a clear shot.
She pitied the Overlander though; he'd be a pretty easy target unlss he hunched over a bit.
Jabbing her palm forcefully into the jaw of a potential threat she kicked out at their stomache, badly widning them before slipping behidn them and continuing her progress towrads the pad.
There was a gap of open ground now; the most dangerous part of this venture. She had to move fast across the expanse and hope that the guards didn't pick her off, or ayone else following her.
On the plus side, she coul run at full pelt and zig-zag.
Yay.

With another deep sigh, Amber broke form the cover of the crowd and made a beeline towards the landing pad; intending to find some more cover nearer the loading sight.

OOC: Sorry the post isn't too good, I have a headache and am really tired right now, lol XP

Bant had vanished, dodging through the ground and keeping low, musing over how being average height for his race suddenly become cumbersome; all the while headed toward the craft.

The fox watched the goings on, making no attempt to hide himself. Watched the others head towards the ship for a moment, then looked back at prison, then back to the ship. A slight smirk cross his face, he muttered to himself, "Two road diverged in a yellow wood and sorry, I could not take them both. Hope you two are happy you're still getting me into trouble even from afterlife." The fox suddenly bolted, his speed was unreal, shoving and throwing his prisonmates and guards like ragdolls.

A few minutes is the best I can do in this condition.

"Today just keeps getting better and, better!" Samuel muttered the words as he attempted to move through the crowd. He was trying to hunch over so as to keep his head from the view above the others. He really wished he had some weapons, like maybe his swords. Suddenly he caught a view of the fox tearing through the crowd.

"For an old one... he has got some power." Samuel began to follow the fox, figuring that was his best bet to get out of this place.

Refinery

The Echidna guard hadn't paid that much attention to the new trio of prisoners, being the Overlander, the Panda and the Canid.

He was aware that their presence was aggitating the regulars- but that made him take all the more pleasure in the fact that it annoyed them so much.
Therefor, for some time, he paid more attention to sharpening his knuckles against a diamond encrusted stone, to keep them reasonably sized, bevelled, but extra sharp and pointy at the ends.

He suddenly looked up when he caught sight of a fox having a face off with the canid and frowned. What followed shortly after was an overlander trying quite hard to reason with the aggressive seeming fox- only to receive a blow or two in return.
The fox's violent behaviour seemed totally and utterly uncalled for... unless...

By the time the guard had clocked on, and was about to open his mouth to intervene, he found himself falling over in a daze as a random hooligan threw a stone, which had been pelted from the broil down below. It was probably not meant for him, but with the frantic chaos that had broken out, anyone caught in the middle would have no one but themselves to blame. It was wild.

"....grrrrrr!" the Echidna guard snarled, feeling his blood boil as he grabbed a hold of some stuck out cave wall ledges to pull himself back up to his feet. That was that confounded sly caper's plan all along... to create a diversion.
"I knew that fox was too big for his boots, in spite of his useful labour skills... he should've been thrown in the Laboratory a long time ago!! And that's just where he's gonna go once I get my hands on him!" the guard ranted.

He looked down from his standing ledge to try and spot him from the crowd, but to no avail. The bustle and total and utter chaos was occupying his mind too much for him to concentrate and to pick out the coulprits.

The guard's look suddenly shot at the cargo ship, which was about to take out some goods. There was probably no other means of escape from this refinary, apart from via that ship. He needed to get his collegeaus' attention.

"Alpha-tier Team A," the guard shouted as he picked up an amplifier he normally used to shout at labourers who slacked off "detain any escapees with your arms!"

At that moment, a group of 6 elite Echidnas dressed in black armour and donning black helmets with black window shields suddenly landed firmly on the ground from the cargo ship. They crouched down.

Amber, Samuel and Bant suddenly skidded to a stop as they saw what was in front of them. And soon the fox would stop in hesitation, so the guard predicted.

"Live ammunition has been authorised." the guard said coldy, loud enough for those attempting to escape to hear.

At that moment, all 6 elite Echidnas raised their guns, and began to fire in Amber, Samuel and Bant's direction.

IC:

As Castellan Wernher strode into the riot with his warriors, the echidna felt his temper beginning to simmer

He was the Warden's second-in-command, and in charge of the detachment of Dark Legionnaires sent to oversee the organisation's interests in the Hole. And how was he treated? Like some janitor sent to clean up Jora-Su's mess!

As the half-a-dozen Legionnaires locked shields and advanced, the mere presence of the dark-armoured warriors began to quell the haphazard fighting breaking out amongst the prisoners. With a cold and ruthless efficiency that the Legion was known for, their raised weapons spat death to anyone foolish enough to stand in their way.

This, unfortunately for them, included Amber, Samuel and Bant. As the overlander and the canine remained caught up in the main brawl, the red panda had made a dash for the landing pad. This bold move had not gone unnoticed by the Castellan.

"CEASE AND DESIST!"

With a carefully practiced aim, Wernher tracked the red panda's progress with the barrel of his service pistol, a sneer spreading across the echidna's face behind the featureless black mask.

Did that one really think she could evade the Legion so easily?

A single, powerful shot rang out from the echidna's pistol, sending a high-velocity bullet tearing through the red panda's left leg. Amber crumpled to the ground as the pain of her injury overtook her.

That should slow her down.

Turning back towards the main crowd, the Castellan tried to spy out the possible instigators of this fight. Somebody must pay for this gross waste of the Castellan's time and energy. As the Legionnaires continued to relentlessly move forward, Wernher began to pass the splayed forms of those his warriors had gunned down. Some were still alive, moaning pitifully and reaching out to him.

To him! Pah! Pathetic fools.

Another few cracks of his pistol rang out across the hangar as Wernher dispatched the wretches.

"Come now, my boy, why resort to such drastic measures?" Dr. Ignatius attempted to maintain some of his candour despite Ash's grave affront to the advance of his legitimate science. "What is it that you seek from me?"

Constable Ash replied immediately.

"You are going to open up that door and allow everyone in here to walk out without any harm. And I want my service stun gloves back, Jonesy's too."

The elder scientist took a moment's thought to consider Ash's demand.

"As you wish. Open the seal. Do not stop them."

As the echidna guards moved to comply, the Doctor was rapidly plotting out contingencies.

Ash and his friends could not be allowed to leave the Hole alive. Even Ignatius understood what it meant if the wider echidna public - let alone the Council and the Brotherhood of Guardians - discovered what was actually occuring deep in this underground facility.

"Well done, doctor. I thought this was going to be much harder. Now, my stun gloves?"

"Take him to the storage area." Ignatius waved dismissively towards the liberated prisoners, with no small amount of distaste evident in his voice. "Such a waste..."

Following the doctor's command, the guards led the group out of the main laboratory doors and towards one of the central access elevators that linked most of the prison's many levels. Below them, somewhere, behind many layers of security, was the prison's storage compound, where all of the inmates' personal belongings were kept safely stowed away.

And now Ash and his compatriots were going to be able to get inside it with nary raising a finger. Well... ...a young feline's claw at least.

As the inmates turned-self-hostages marched away, Ignatius clapped his hands together and shooed his technicians back to work. He knew what he would do now.

Let them walk free. I still have something very special that should make it very hard for them to escape this place.

Tapping his steel cane once on the floor, the echidna pressed a hidden button built into its headcap. Leaning over onto it, the echidna whispered quietly into a disguised microphone.

"Central computer, activate implants in Prisoners 3417, 3418, 3415..."

As the sly old doctor rattled off the numbers from his excellent memory, inwardly Ignatius grinned.

He was glad he had acquired the plans for the implants from an Overlander supplier. And equally glad he had taken the time to insert the small nodules under the right arms of each of his new batch of subjects. Perfectly designed for such an occasion as this. As the central computer switched on each of the implants, Ignatius knew the gradual effects they would have on the escapees. At first, they would notice a growing irritation at eachother's actions and perceived mistakes. Then, it would become a rising anger, as tensions also rose. Eventually, mounting paranoia and rage amongst the prisoners should lead them to tearing eachother apart in short order.

The doctor allowed himself a smirk of victory before continuing with his most pressing work.

Excellent.

Level 3: Laboratory

Allen Khrisnal's head ached. By all rights and accounts, he should have been dead- he was destined for the gas chamber, and despite how he protested and resisted, it was a futile effort. The guards' electro shock batons made sure of that.

And yet, here he was, still alive. Although, the way his body ached and was so utterly sore, he was wondering whether or not that was a blessing or a curse. The eagle shook his head from side to side, dispelling his doubts. He might feel like hell now, but things could improve in the future, as hopeless as that might sound. Regardless, he was still alive, and with that, it meant he could still escape.

To hell with the Echidna Theocracy now. Khrisnal thought, mentally spitting at the name. After all the years of business we've had, for them to suddenly… betray our working relationship like this! Khrisnal glared at the group of prisoners he was being escorted with, all of whom had been bound for the gas chambers. Allen recognised that it was one of the Echidnas whose actions saved him, but nonetheless Allen couldn't feel grateful. It was his damn species and their damn profession which landed him here.

And the others. Allen's keen eagle eyes had spotted them before as individuals belonging to that group in the cargo hauler before, where one of them shot him. As such, Allen had no respect for THEM, either.

Keep your head, together, Khrisnal, don't let your mind roll away. Keep straight, work things to your advantage, get OUT of here.

The guards were unfortunately leading them down lower into this sprawling, spiralling complex after they had exited an elevator. Allen grimaced when he finally realized it, things would just become harder this way. That said… he wondered where he was being led.

Level 7: Storage Compound Entranceway

The group stopped walking. Allen looked up from his droopy position, to eye an illuminating sign above a secure mechanical doorway read 'Storage Compound'.

Two of the guards left the prisoners and other guards remaining, as they proceeded to unlock the door. It suddenly shifted to its side, allowing access to the next room beyond, and yet another door. Allen had already suspected that it was here where his bow, quiver and arrows were being stored, yet from the amount of security these doors, and the necessary card keys there were required to open them existed it was evident that it'd be supremely difficult to retain his possessions.

The two guards turned back, towards Ash. One of them lifted his baton up, pointed straight to him.

"Follow this way, you'll retrieve your stun gloves. The rest of the inmates will remain here." The guard spoke, without tone in his voice.

"Hold up, Ignatius also agreed to return Jonesy his, too." Ash replied.

"And his will be returned, when we've gotten to the storage compound and back. Only you're coming with us." The guard muttered, this time his tone a bit more forceful. Ash nodded.

With unexpected quickness, Khrisnal was behind Jonesy, looking over his shoulder and speaking towards him. The movement was quick and precise, faked as if Allen just intended to walk by the echidna. Ash didn't have time to look back at the eagle.

"Listen." The eagle spoke, in a hurried hush. "You get me one of my arrows, understood? Even if its just the arrow's head. Do that, and we may have a chance of both getting out of here…"

As Ash was about to turn and inspect the eagle, the guards ushered the echidna forward. Ash's vision of his friend, Jonesy, and the cryptic eagle were cut as the first security shut behind him. The next security measure opened, as Ash and his two guards moved onwards towards the Storage Compound.

Bant grimaced for a moment, head racing, finally he stood up to his full height, an individual of 2 meters was rather intimidating to a race with the Mobians' height. His face was plastered with a rugged look of disgust and condescension. "Are you in charge here?"

The fox that had started the brawl wasn't far away now. A look of knowing crossing his face. The speckles of gray fur testifying to an aged man that would have no part in such a pointless event.

Samuel watched as the form of the red panda crumpled to the ground. He felt like he should help her but, she had fallen a little closer to the guards than he would like to be. The overlander's eyes widened as the lead guard began to fire his weapon into the mob, taking do several of the prisoners. Samuel knew there was almost no chance of escaping this situation unharmed. Just as he was thinking this he noticed Bant stand up from the crowd and, shout something at the guards. Whatever it was it seemed to get the lead guard's attention as for a moment he stopped firing and, looked directly at the canid.

Level 7: Storage Compound Entranceway

I don't like this, Ash thought as he and his escorts moved through the hallway towards the Storage Compound. I was joking when I asked for my gloves back. I didn't think he'd actually give them back. What's his game?

As they walked, a guard pressed a button on his comm unit. It squawked briefly. At the end of the hallway, the door beeped in response and began to slide open, revealing the Storage Compound beyond..

The turbines kicked in again and the floor inside the gas chamber slid shut after depositing some more bodies into the disposal chute, but Dr. Ignatius didn't notice. Ignatius found himself less concerned with how the mineral vapors failed to cure the Mange without first killing the infected and more concerned with the new prisoners that had found themselves in his midst, the immune one in particular. He wanted dearly to continue with the day's work, but today's events were beginning to become a distraction. While his mind was normally sharp, his inability to immediately recognize the face of one of his most-promising leads to a cure-all irritated him. Even now that he knew the immune one was here, his mind still struggled to remember the details of his previous experiments with that person. With a few keystrokes on his personal terminal, he brought up the file system he kept to chronicle all of his breakthroughs and findings.

"Do you wish to start the next test, Doctor?" A technician said from the control console.

"No, I wish to enter some information in and check on something. Let us break for an hour."

The tech nodded and left the room as Ignatius pulled up the file. Ah, back when I still kept a journal of every little thing I dictated. I miss using that recorder unit. Damned Warden and her complaints...

IC: Name: Ashley

Ash whistled as he entered the Storage Compound. It was huge, almost warehouse-sized. Rows upon rows of tiered shelves stacked to the ceiling, and all of it filled with equipment, provisions, everything the Hole needed to run. He paused to take it all in, but a jab from one of the guards kept him moving.

"Go left. You'll find prisoner effects on the shelves along the wall," the guard intoned.

Age: 29

Ash noticed that as he got closer to the prisoner items, the guards were splitting up. One started to walk past him while the other kept pace behind him, shock baton nearly against Ash's back. Surrounding me. Smart move.

3/18: New subject brought in for Mange quarantine, fur matted down with a rather large amount of blood. Warden says he's an Interdictor that came into unprotected contact with Mange. She also informed me that the blood is not the patient's own; it belonged to a mange victim. Apparently, after finding a Mange-infected village and a mass grave, the subject had disappeared from his squad. Two weeks later, they found him without his protective suit and covered in blood. In a nearby hut, Interdictors also found the mutilated body of what they think was a member of the Mange cult.

"Stop," the guard in back said abruptly. Ash stopped while the guard who'd passed him did a quick about-face. Didn't even break stride. These guys are well-trained.

"You may secure your personal effects now. Take only your effects and nothing else." Ash nodded to the guard and started grabbing his equipment. In his mind, Ash calculated what movements he'd need to drop both of the guards without getting himself killed. He had to force himself to stop his old bad habit, a habit that'd get him killed quickly here if he struck too early. To take his mind off it, he decided to use small talk.

I asked for pictures so I could see just how far along the Mange was in the cult member, but the Warden shook her head. From accounts, the subject had done enough physical trauma to the body to make it impossible to identify how far the Mange had spread. Fingers and toes were missing, most of the tail had been lopped off and half the face appeared to have been carved off. Guess it's no mystery how the blood had gotten on the subject...

"Man, all this stuff here. What do you suppose happens to it when the owner dies?" Ash said as he sifted through the equipment on the shelfs. Gods, what a mess. Guess you don't need to worry about organization when nobody ever comes to collect their stuff. "So, do you guys get to keep their stuff when they die?" The guards didn't respond, didn't even show expression at his tactless query.

"Makes me wonder if your stuff is up here..." Ash eyeballed the guard behind him, seeing if he could get a reaction. "This place seems to have a habit of being bad for both prisoner and guard." As a visual aid, he lifted left hand up and wiggled his fingers. The guard wondered why until he noticed that the little finger was missing from the first joint up. "Yeah, and that's just from being here a couple months."

3/19: Strange events today. Subject checked out negative for the Mange, despite being covered in infected blood with open wounds. In fact, the sedative I administered to him had no effect either. Will have to test further.

Ash smiled as he found his stun knuckles. As he started to pull it out of the mound, something jabbed into his right hand. Ash sucked a breath in through his gritted teeth and felt around for what had jabbed him. An arrow? No, just the head. Didn't that eagle mention something about... Ash grabbed it and his stun knuckles, making sure to keep the arrowhead obscured. As he got ready to leave, something caught his eye. A black beret. His black beret from the hover patrol. Ash grinned as he grabbed that as well.

"Alright, I've got them. Want me to carry my partner's as well so you don't have to make a return trip?" The guard responded by jabbing his uncharged baton into the small of Ash's back, prodding him towards the exit.

What followed after that ceased to be coherent entries and started being single-phrase notations of what he'd injected into the subject that day. I had forgotten how many things I had tested on him, Dr. Ignatius thought as he read through the many dozens of diseases, toxins, poisons, parasites and chemicals he'd inflicted upon the subject, all without affect. The only thing the body hadn't rejected was physical trauma, a test the doctor had preformed using a bonesaw and the subject's little finger. That had been a messy day indeed.

As he mused upon the tests he'd ran, Ignatius came upon the last entry.

9/07: Blasted fat bureaucrats! I don't care who the boy's father is, how dare the Warden tell me to release him?! I'm about to make my breakthrough, I just know it! Soon, I'll know why his body rejects so many harmful elements and how I can give that kind of strength to the Theocracy. I will NOT let the Acornians beat me to this breakthrough!

Dr. Ignatius smiled as he closed the file. "Now you see how futile their efforts to stop my science were? Despite the wishes of the plebeians, finally you have returned to me, my breakthrough. Oh, the tests I'll perform, the diseases we'll cure. You are the key I've needed all these years, and working together, the Theocracy will become invincible."

OOC: Yikes, long post. Guess that's what I get for trying to fit a bio into an IC post...

And I apologize if I'm stepping on any toes here with the backstory. If something here throws things out of wack, send me a message and I'll change it up.

Interrogation Block

As the trio of inmates were marched single-file through a myriad of winding corridors, Tobias could tell when they were approaching the true interrogation chambers. Whereas their previous 'accomodation' held the desolate aura emanated by all prisons, the place the group entered now was truely...cold...lifeless. Bare grey walls encapsulated the guard platoon and their charges, adding to the sickening, claustrophobic feeling Tobias, Timber and Butterfly were all beginning to experience. To the heightened senses of any Mobian, the place stank of fear.

Fear and hopelessness.

Before them, the tight corridor continued on into semi-darkness. Somewhere, water was dripping. And every few metres lay a door on either side of the corridor, each etched with a single number, long faded and worn. This really was the Hole. Not just some elaborate architectural design carved into rock, but a true pit of despair from which few ever escaped, if any.

Nobody is going to come looking for us down here...

Behind them, rapid footsteps approached quickly, as another dark-clad echidna ran up to the Warden, and mentioned something unintelligible into her ear. Her reaction, however, was far from vague.

"What do you mean, a riot? In the name of all that's holy, what is Wernher doing down there? Starching his damned uniform? He is tasked with keeping the inmates under control..."
Jora-Su's temper flaired and died down as she ingested the news. Casting a bitter stare towards her three 'guests,' she came to a swift decision, and announced it to all present.

"It would appear that my presence is dearly needed elsewhere. It is a shame that I could not personally oversee the interrogation, but alas, I must leave you in the good charge of my best...'inquisitor.' MALLEUS!"

With a terrific screech, something moved, deep in the bowels of the interrogation chambers. As the assembled Mobians waited, a series of heavy, metallic footfalls came crashing towards them...from their left....no, from their right!

Silence.

With a sudden rush of air, the second door to the group's right slid open, carrying with the sudden gust what Jaeger thought was the sound of whimpering. However, it was the thing that emerged in front of them that grabbed his attention in a stranglehold.

In the semi-darkness, its hunched form approached, covered in a dirty rag used as a cape. Pale metal glinted in what little light there was, revealing a skeletal body of steel and titanium that once may have been painted black. And, as Tobias' eyes wondered up to the thing's head, three, glowing red eyes regarded the inmates coldly.

"MastER JOra-SU. You cALLed fOR my atTENTions?"

The thing's horrid voice, sounding like a mixture of grinding gears, tortured metal and the wail of some spectral banshee, echoed down the corridor. Tobias was aghast.

An Echidna AI? Such things were still regarded as impossible to science in the Kingdom of Acorn, and even the rest of Mobius. There had been rumours, sightings even, of robotic entities protecting and serving the echidnas within their island sanctum, but to see one standing before his eyes...

"Yes, Malleus. These three are unknowns. We do not know their purpose for being on our Island. They could be spies. Terrorists. Afflicted with and intent on spreading the Mange. I desire to know what they know."

At these words, the robotic monstrosity approached and examined the three even closer, its red eye-sensors revolving on a turret-like 'face.'

"An exTRACtion proCESS should nOT take lONg, WarDEN. ThESE will MAke inteRESTing SUBjects. I can alREADy DEterMINE effiCIENT means of EXcruciaTION." As it was speaking, Malleus was paying ominously close attention to Tobias' eyes, Butterfly's wings, and Timber's tail.

"Then I shall leave you to your work. Guards, leave them. Malleus is quite capable of handling them."

Not without a sense of relief for escaping the machine's presence, the echidnas retreated back up the corridor from whence they came, leaving Timber, Tobias and Butterfly alone with Malleus.

"COme."

With a speed belied by its hidden, hunched form, the machine thrust out one of its arms, pointing with wickedly serrated fingers towards a door to their left. Wordlessly - Malleus appeared to have some form of wireless control over the doors - the heavy accessway heaved open, as a series of dull lights flashed to life, illuminating the room beyond. The machine was unmoving and unflinching in its command, and the three could only but follow its order.

Stepping inside, the fox, wolf and echidna were met by a grim, foreboding sight. Spreading out around them were the same, grey steel walls, only now splattered with patches of rust ...and dried blood. On each of the walls lay alcoves to which prisoners were to be shackled, evidenced by heavy metal bindings that would fit around the arms and legs of an average-sized Mobian.

"ProCEEd to the hOLDing rigs fOR intERROgation."

"And if we do not comply?" Tobias asked, more quizzical than defiant. The machine was forthcoming in its response.

"ThEN yOU shALL die."

In emphasis of its point, Malleus suddenly stalked up behind Jaeger and gripped its razor-talons around his throat, barely millimetres from slicing the fox's neck.

"I shall comply." Tobias said meekly, as the machine retracted its claws.

"ProCEEd."

Forced to lock themselves into their own braces, the three watched as the machine seemingly prepared itself for the coming session. With another silent command, the floor in the centre of the room opened up, as a large display canister emerged from beneath them. Enclosed within it was a collection of specialised tools as extensive as it was macabre. Tobias thought he spied scalpels, saws, knives, needles, drills and all manner of sinister implements, all carefully chosen for a grisly purpose that was obvious to all. Reaching into the canister, Malleus appeared to remove its left hand-appendage, replacing its blade-fingers with a wicked assortment of miniature saws. With a menacing whir, the machine systematically tested all four saws now plugged into its 'hand.' Without looking back up towards the forlorn trio, Malleus spoke.

"OthER speCIALists opeRATing in my ROLe ofTEN place inDIVIDuals aLONE for SOLitary exTRACTion. I have inSTEAD DEterMINED that it is mOST conDUCive for the exTRACTion proCESS that all subJECTS are to reMAIN in a SINGle rOOM. EmOTIONal disTRESS CAUSed by colLECTive suffeRING enHANCEs the REtrieVAL of reQUIRed INforMATion."

Stepping up towards the three, now hanging by the shackles that bound them, the machine continued.

"I am gOINg to ASk certAIN quesTIONs. The LACk of an ANswer reSULTS in the APPlicaTION of pAIN sTIMuli. A FALse ANswer reSULTS in the APPlicaTION of pAIN sTIMuli. I am EQuippED with VOIce-ANAlysis SOFTware and METaBOLic senSORS that ENAble the DEtecTION of FALsehOOd. Do nOT lie."

The machine turned, facing Butterfly. With a pair of firm steps, it finished moving with its turret-face inches from the echidna bat's own. With a brutally direct statement, Malleus explained its intentions.

"I have deTECTed an INcrEAsed hEARt-rate and pHEROmone proDUCTion. You are afRAID. I have DEterMINEd that the APPliCATion of pAIN stiMULi first to a feMALE subJECT has conDUCive EFFects to inFORmaTION exTRACTion from male COUNterparts. I SHAll beGIN with you."

With a hellish whining, the microsaws on the machine's left hand came to life, and ran up to full speed. Positioning its hand close to Butterfly's delicate wing membrane, Malleus finally began its questioning.

"PlEASe sTATe your ORiginAL and fULL BIRth-name, aGE, and purPOSE for bEINg on the FloaTING IsLANd."

Refinery

Above the chaos, the previously calm gantry guard was a flurry of action, rapidly loading, firing and reloading his high-powered rifle, picking off obstinate troublemakers. He could see the cavern stretch out before him, with the main fight taking place just below him. However, he, and other guards on gantries around the cave walls, could see other patches of discontent arising as prisoners took advantage of the situation to cause trouble.

This is getting a little out of hand. What caused this? Who caused this? The Warden would have their head for this...

Below him, Castellan Wernher casually slammed his stun-gloved fist into a prisoner's ribcage, sending the individual sprawling across the floor. He too could see the spreading malcontent. The Refinery had always been the worst place for this. Too many inmates in one place. Too dangerous...

"Are you the one in charge here?"

Above the din, the lone voice called out to him.

Who was this fool? Some Manged imbecile straight off the street? Did he know who Wernher was? Where this place was? Obviously not...

With a single, elegant movement, Wernher raised his service pistol once more in the direction of the voice's source. There. A canine, a tall one, too.

Bant barely had time to duck as the bullet roared out of the pistol's barrel towards him. As the canid hit the floor, he watched as the bullet exploded through the head of another inmate, the unfortunate rabbit crumpling to the ground alongside Bant.

"You never learn..." The elder fox stated, having seemingly expected this to happen. "Come on, we have to get out of here. The echidnas never like having to deal with this amount of trouble at once. They do drastic things."

Turning on his heels, the fox pointed towards a mineral conveyor-chute leading out of the cavern, and into the Refinery's ancilliary processing facilities. "That's our only way out, every other exit would be guarded. The guards don't watch it as they think it's too dangerous for people to survive the processing machinery."

Samuel, tracking his eyes to where the fox was pointing, also spied the form of the red panda in the corner of his eye. She had, against the odds, crawled her way closer towards the main bulk of the crowd, taking advantage of the confusion and her relatively small size. She was much closer now, but still in trouble - the echidna guards would soon spot her and finish her off as they did the other wounded.

As Bant and the fox began to push their way through to the processing chute, Samuel found himself in a dangerous situation contemplating an even more dangerous decision, as the echidnas slowly tightened the noose around the rioting inmates.

Storage Area

As Ash and his compatriots made their way towards the exit, Warden Jora-Su came storming past the storage compound, making her way further down into the bowels of the Hole with her cadre of guards. It was just as she stopped to take notice of the open storage door that the triumphant Constable emerged with his stun gloves, followed meekly by the two echidna guards of his own. As the eyes of both echidnas met for the first time, Jora-Su's guards automatically raised their stun-guns and other weapons.

"Just what is the meaning of this?"

"Damn it, I hate myself sometimes!" Samuel turned and ran toward the panda, he had to help her. He just hoped that he would still have time to make it to the air-duct after he grabbed her.

He ran, weaving in and out of the crowd, he was almost there. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his left side, a burning pain, he hoped that since he was able to keep going it was nothing serious. He could not afford a gunshot wound if he wanted to make it out alive.

Within moments he made it to her, reaching down he grabbed her and helped her up. He noticed she was bleeding pretty badly, what he did not see was own blood running from the wound in his side. They were now moving as quickly as they could, he knew the others would probably not wait for them. In his mind all he could see was the two of them being gunned down. Letting go of such thoughts he focused on the duct, just a little further...

"If feigned diplomacy was a viable solution, don't you think I would have tried it?" The fox growled as they scrambled for the chute, "Just what the hell are you doing here."

The coyote smiled, "Worth a shot. You know, you really didn't age well."

The fox snarled, "Are you an idiot? You think I'd walk around like you, why don't you try to blend in?"

"Just gotta be me, Sunshine. Ever find what you came for?"

"Leave it, Bant."

"Didn't even blink there when that kid got it instead o'me. Really changed, huh?"

"Leave it, Bant."

The coyote smiled and followed his elder looking companion to the chute.

OOC: I rather like what you did with the Timber/Tobias connection. I deliberately left it somewhat shady to allow for it to develop as the story went along. I'm glad that it worked out well to put that in there; it seemed to make dramatic sense that Tobias's old co-workers would be trying to investigate his disappearance.

IC:
-At the riot scene-
A pair of rough-textured paws suddenly assisted Samuel with the injured red panda, speeding them up considerably. They got to the chute, though gunshots rang overhead, and Samuel helped push Amber into the chute before finally getting a look at his savior. He was a stocky mole with bright beady black eyes and strong foreclaws that were surprisingly dexterous as they tore off a piece of his jumpsuit and he applied it quickly as a bandage to staunch Samuel's bleeding. "Get out through here, we'll provide a distraction," he muttered urgently as he finished tying off the bandage expertly with a nod of approval.

"Who are you?" asked Samuel, puzzlement etching his brow.

Norty pulled a stolen pistol out of his jumpsuit and shoved it into Samuel's hands. "Norty, of the Underground. Now go, and make your escape count!"

Norty was none too swift as he gave a purposeful shove to Samuel, sending the Overlander down the chute. He then looked over and saw some other workers who were breaking out their own stash of weapons from one of the cargo haulers, providing an excellent distraction from the chute and the escapees who went down there. Gunfire ranged in two different directions now, and although the echidnas still held the advantage, the desperation of the situation proved that there was only one choice now for those who had worked under the cruel hand of the echidnas for so long. Even unarmed workers charged with whatever they could grab, knowing their death was nigh anyway.

Norty's intuition told him that the people who just escaped down the chute might just be the ones to break out - perhaps tell the world of what they found, or find a way to free more of the people held here. But he also knew his own chances of survival were slim. He was only glad to have had the opportunity to assist in a greater cause than himself. The tough mole joined his comrades in the fighting, bringing his digging claws into action, sure of his own death and fighting all the harder for it.

It was kill or be killed, now. No turning back.

Amber had seen the enforcers ominous arrival, and had tried to angle herself towards some cover fast, unfortunately, not fast enough.
The bullet tore through her leg mid-stride and she hit the floor hard, as it crumpled under her weight; the searing pain causing her to lie panting for a few seconds trying not to cry out.
Dang it, I'm not going out like this, but if I get up I bet they'll shoot me in the back...I'll have to crawl...slowly...

Gritting her teeth; the red panda painstakingly turned herself around, and began her patient process back to the relative cover of the crowd. She slowed her breathing and heart rate, and tried to relax, particularly the muscles in her left leg. If they contracted it would make things more painful, she had to slow her pulse and try not to bleed to death. She concentrated on breathing exercises as she slid across the floor, she sighed quietly as she avoided any bloody puddles; they'd be infected with mange and she didn't really want it to mix with the blood in her open wound.
She just realised, as she got closer to the crowd, that it would be nearly impossibly to crawl through without getting her injury infected, when the overlander surprisingly came to her rescue.
Wait, what?
Amber blinked in surprise as she was helped up, but didn't complain, this was...uncommon for ehr at best, she wasn't used to it, but she was exceedingly grateful, so she didn't struggle as they made a much quicker progress, hopefully, to an exit.
"Thanks, for the pick up," She gasped, trying to focus on staying calm, and limping in time with his movements; so that she wouldn't jar her left leg.

If he muttered a reply she didn't cath it over the nosie, or maybe he didn't here her..no matter, they were nearing the shute-suddenly she stumbled as a strong sense of dizziness over came her for a moment. Yet as she was about to fall she felt strong hands hold her up and then help her through the shute. Turnign back as best she could, she saw a mole helping the overlander with a side wound.
I'd better get moving...

She started sliding a long again, trying to move as fast as she could now as she thought it would be only a matter of time before someone got the bright idea of shooting down the vent, and she'd really not want to be in the line of fire if that happened.
And if anyone tries following us, my blood trail will lead them right to our location, she thought to herself grimly...

OOC: Such a spoilsport. No post from me right now!
Will soon though (!)- just a quick note that I haven't vanished. And communication is good, I guess
Been caught up and stuff.

Can't articulate how good everyone else's posts were. Wow. Just wow.

Ash adjusted his black beret with his free hand as he walked toward the exit of the Storage Compound. He had been feeling incomplete without it, and now that he had it back he didn't feel quite as apprehensive about the coming experiments he would likely have to endure.

The positive upswing in his mood took a dramatic dive as he turned the corner and found himself at the mercy of a significant number of guns held by a significant number of guards. At the front of the group of guards was a rather tall (and oddly familiar) female echidna in a brown uniform. Ash and the female's eyes met, and immediately he regretted meeting her gaze. In her eyes, Ash saw no way out but death or subjugation.

Subjugation it is. Ash's hands couldn't be raised quickly enough. Even a highly-trained soldier knows when it's best not to fight.

"Just what is the meaning of this?" she roared. The guards behind Ash finally rounded the corner.

"Um, er..." one of the guards stammered. "Dr. Ignatius told us to let him have his effects back."

"And does Dr. Ignatius run this facility now?" The guards shrank back from her reprimand. Ash grit his teeth and thought very careful about what he'd say next, considering his next words may be his last.

"So, uh..." he said, wondering if he was about to say the right thing. "Are all those guards there just to capture me?"

OOC: Wow. Been a long time since I've been around these parts... Hey all! If any of you remember, I used to be ShadowLady when I was still posting here. Feels good to be back, and I hope no one minds my presence in this RP. Ben gave me a link and I just couldn't resist joining. :3 I'll IC later when I have a good character introduction written down.

OOC: Wayhey! You made it Totally awesome!!! *waves the ShadowFoxFire banner*

And now, I am working on an IC as we speak. Final my hectic week is done... but at least I got to pull out some wisdom teeth from two patients.... ha ha ha ha ha ha *shot*

IC:

A Few Miles Away From the Electrocity junkyard, 25 miles from Metropolis periphery location X

"Mind telling me why you've suddenly decided to heed the call of duty again?"

Zephron Helios twitched his large bat ears toward his comrade and shipmate, inquisitive yellow eyes tracking the languid shifting of the feline's cream-and-brown-tipped tail as he worked. The calloused fingers he sent flying over the hangar's main console echoed dully throughout the large chamber, off-setting the hum of the engines and the dim roar of what sounded like rushing air beneath them. Zephron paused momentarily when he heard the heavy thunk-thunk of her boots against the metal flooring. A hand was placed on his shoulder.

"My brother's words haunt me still. Perhaps it is they who compel me to take this course; I know not. In any case, I will answer the summons sent to me, if only to get closure." The female Siamese Jinmin gave the bat a smile that caused him to snort, her silver eyes glittering somewhat in the brown of her facial fur.

"Yeah, whatever. I still don't understand you and your 'closure', as you call it. I'd consider it closure enough if I was suddenly the target of my brother's gun, let alone the whole of the goddamned Air Corps!" Zephron threw up his hands and rolled his eyes, then resumed typing out commands. "Dunno what goes through that crazy head a' yours, Kari, but one of these days..."

Kari waved her hand dismissively, smirking in an uncharacteristic at the bat while brushing her black, teal-tipped bangs out of her face. "Oh, you are one to talk Matthias," She countered. Zephron winced with a muttered "Touché". "More often than not I am the one cleaning up after your messes, if I recall correctly." A sleek black helmet was hurled in her direction in response, which she deftly caught with her left hand: A mechanical limb that held all sorts of surprises. The Siamese Jinmin looked curiously at her companion, who had since then turned his chair around again and was typing at the console furiously. "Zephron?"

The bat paused and shifted his face to the side so that she could see the lopsided grin that now adorned his face. "Yanno what, I really hope to hell that you know what you're doin', you pshycho woman. Just don't die or let someone maim you, 'kay? The Captain would have my scrawny ass if he found out that I let our best scalliwag get away."

With that said, he made a fist with one hand and slammed it down on a large red button located at the corner of the console. Immediately the lights in the airship's hangar began flashing, and a computerized voice issued a standard warning: "All personel please clear the main floor. Repeat, please clear the main floor."

An ear-splitting grinding noise split the air, drowning out the voice as the gears in the hangar doors started turning. The sound of rushing air beneath the airship increased in volume as the giant belly-doors slowly separated to reveal the whisps of clouds passing by, the ground a long ways down. Both Zephron and Kari squinted in the face of the wind, which poured into the hangar in full-force as soon as the doors had been drawn back completely, whipping their hair around them in a wild frenzy.

With a loud squealing of gears the doors locked in place, and all that could be heard for a moment was the roar of the wind. Then Kari swiftly buckled on the helmet that Zephron had tossed her, tucking her ponytail inside and securing the visor in place. She yanked on her aviator's gloves and shook the hand of the bat behind her, while he shook off her thanks with a noisy "Don't mention it!"

At that the Jinmin smiled, nodding for his benefit since the helmet obscured her face from view. "I will return. Count on it, my friend. You have been a great help and I appreciate your efforts on my behalf."

"Yeah, yeah!" Zephron exclaimed, exhasperation evident in his voice. "Just go why don'tcha, before I develop som'more cavities! Scram!" The black-haired bat made shooing motions with his hands, amusement showing in his eyes. Kari merely sighed and obeyed, beginning to make her way down the stairs from his station to the gaping hole in the bottom of the aircraft, checking her boots on the way. When she was standing before the great rift in the floor, the air buffeting her back and forth, she heard Zeph's voice shouting from above. Looking over her shoulder she saw him leaning over the railing in a reckless fashion, cupping his hands to his mouth. The Siamese Jinmin strained to hear him.

"Just stay in one piece, Takeshi!" He grinned as she saluted him, then turned and leaped over the edge. She was gone.

Zephron whistled to himself as he made his way back to his station to close the door.

Takeshi Hikari really was one crazy chick.

--------------------

She was hurtling through the air at a rapid pace, the condensation inside the clouds numbing the fingers she held at her sides in a relaxed fashion. Ever since she had begun training in the Air Corps Hikari had had a passion for the free-fall and the exhilaration it stirred inside her. Katsurou called her crazy, and her superiors had probably agreed. But they had been outwardly glad to find someone who was quite competent in that field; Kari only regretted the fact that her "field" wasn't that widely utilized because soldiers free-falling out of airships proved completely unnecessary in most circumstances.

She still loved it though.

Allowing the wind to rush past her and envelop her in its stinging grip, she continued the count that had started the moment she had stepped over the threshold of the hangar doors. Waiting for the right moment... Waiting....

Now!

Suddenly her feet were drawn together as if by a magnet, a sheet of metal spreading out in a spiral pattern from both soles and eventually connecting them by forming a sort of surf-board shape beneath them. Like a snow-boarder Kari twirled around in the air, fighting the wind for control now that she had provided it with an obstructive force to reckon with. Farther and farther she fell, a second count going on in her head, one that was more crucial to the previous count...

A flash of blue erupted from the bottom of the board, and then she was screaming across the sky on the hover-device Zephron had created for her once she had joined the crew of the Hawk's Wing pirate ship. Her clothes rippled with the momentum as she flew, and Kari looked down briefly to see the ground speeding by at a rapid pace. How long until she caught up with him? She was pretty sure that by her calculations it would be any time now.

Him. Her former superior, Wing Commander Seipher.

It has been a long time, she mused as she flew, dredging up old memories of the Commander. Ever since she had turned her back on the Air Corps and joined Captain Dawson's air pirate crew she had always wondered what Seipher had done in response to her actions. Had he disapproved? She certainly couldn't see him approving of them. Had he raged openly about her betrayal as her brother had, or had he seethed calmly in the shadows like she knew her father did? Either way, the Siamese Jinmin had pushed the fox to the back of her mind, figuring it didn't matter much what his reaction had been since the deed was done. She moved on with her life.

Until a summons had been sent to her recently, about three days ago. It had merely held a pair of coordinates and the time with which she should reach them, Seipher's name scrawled neatly at the bottom as had been his habit. At first Kari hadn't known what to think of the summons... How in the world had the Commander reached her? And more importantly, why was he summoning her? The cynical side of her mind told her it was a trap meant to lure her into the waiting clutches of her former comrades of the Air Corps, now her worst enemies. It would be too easy; Zephron was right when he said she still clung to her old loyalties when all that could get her was trouble.

Pfft. Like she wasn't asking for it right now, on her way to Angel Island to intercept Seipher. Possibly to be captured and imprisoned. Maybe executed.

Beneath her shining black helmet Kari sighed. It was a chance she was willing to take at this point, for her curiosity was certainly getting the best of her.

Then again, she frowned, curiosity killed the cat.

OOC: I apologize if that came out a little hasty... Must admit I am a bit rusty after not RPing properly for a while.
Ben, you would have seriously had a field day with my teeth. Eheh.

OOC: Oh wow *clap clap clap*. You're not rusty at rping at all. Seems only like yesterday that you stopped, in terms of quality. As in, it hasn't gone down, at all! Only up And welcome back, wilkommen zurueck! And all!

Only just read it now as I have finished my other IC scenes. It's 4:42 AM, so XD, I shall post Seipher's response and backstory to Kari's appearance/reappearance tomorrow! Lovely to see another familiar in the form of Zephron

Very well done! Loved the read. And now I'll scheme and plot. Ha ha ha!
Aw, I'm sure your teeth are grand. But my dental hospital always does free treatments. The catch is that it's done by amateur STuDeNTs >>; Gotta start somewhere though.

IC:

"PlEASe sTATe your ORiginAL and fULL BIRth-name, aGE, and purPOSE for bEINg on the FloaTING IsLANd."

Butterfly's blood ran cold as she numbly watched each event unfold to each disbelieving turn. Even in the dim lights of this torture chamber, Tobias and Timber were able to make out her paled features as death itself appeared to get up close.

She currently found herself at the merciless peril of a malformed metalloid creature, demanding some answers to some precarious questions on her part. Furthermore, she was shackled, deep underground in a dark place where every facet of the facility lent nothing but hopeless forlorn and demise.

She couldn't decipher which part of this claustrophobic nightmare was worse- the invasive questions, or the corporal punishment if she didn't comply with the demands.

She couldn't allow herself to pass out despite the overwhelming fear of both trying past and very much present nightmares, as she may find herself never waking up. Again.

She morbidly watched as Timber made a defiant stand towards Malleus. Despite Malleus' ear haemorrhaging shrieks to marshal him back, the wolf appeared too consumed by anger at the fact she was being threatened, to back down. She watched with a mixture of awe and wonder as he risked his life to ensure that Malleus wasn't going to inflict any harm on her without him having anything to do with it first.

She woke up a bit from her paralysed fear when she noted that Malleus began to shear through his shackles. It was a bold move, but very risky.
She didn't want anyone to get hurt. Sometimes people could be too brave for their own good.

"Wait! Stop!" she cried out "don't hurt him. I'll answer all your questions. All of them."

Malleus snapped his head in her direction, his expression predictably would've darkened had he been organic. Perhaps the lack of life overall made him all the more frightening.
What for it was worth, he immediately shut off the screaming blades.

"My original name is…" she hesitated, before taking a deep breath "intervention X. And I will answer your other questions."

Tobias and Timber exchanged glances, but tried to appear nonchalant. Any suspicion amongst themselves as a group could only furthermore compromise their situation.
They then wondered how Malleus would react to this truth, or lie?
If his detectors for lies were as efficient as he had claimed, his contra indication to attack must've confirmed that she was telling the truth.

"sO yOu wIlL ReSUme tHe interrogation tRIal aNd CoMPly WiTh tHE tHEocRaCy's OrDErs? SoUND cHoICE aNd YoUR oNly cHoiCe aSsuMiNG YoU, iNtERvEnTION X, HoLd aNy VaLUe fOr YoUR lIfE aNd tHAt oF yOUr PaRTnErS iN cRImE."

Butterfly simply nodded once in a composed manner.

"YoU sTAtEd An aNSweR fOr qUEstIOnS OnE And Tw0, BuT I sTiLL rEqUIre tHe ANsWeRS fOr 0Ne aNd tW0. To RepEAT, wHaT iS yOuR aGE, and purPOSE for bEINg on the FloaTING IsLANd."

Timber had calmed down slightly, but was still seething at the situation and the menacing behaviour of malleus. Since his shackle had been received some insult from the blades of malleus, Timber attempted to weaken it further by tightening his fist now and again and wrestle it away from the metallic confinement. But it was going to take time. If Butterfly was really going to go ahead with answering that obnoxious AI's questions, he truly hoped she knew what she was doing and might exercise a bit of tact… and to not let her fears override her.

Despite the simplicity of the questions at a glance, and perhaps anybody else, answers weren't as forthcoming as they could've been for the hybrid. But she couldn't risk holding back. Malleus may not give her a second chance before attacking either of her friends.

" I can't give you a number in years, but I know that I am as old as location X. A state of the art laboratory built under the metropolitan's oil ocean- the periphereal border from the metropolitan zone."

She paused, wondering if she was about to be probed for giving the 'wrong' answer, or lies.
Malleus maintained that frozen and emotionless metallic expression. Despite the lack of forthcoming words or action, something about the air she was in prodded her to carry on.

"The facility is top secret and was designed to cover up scientific research that government officials never authorised."

"I was the first experiment. Had undergone many medical trials concerning today's epidemics- I think. Whether it was just one or others…." She hesitated, suddenly falling into a doubtful state of mind concerning the purpose of her existence "until the last 5 years, I hadn't set foot outside that laboratory since I was born. And that's all I know."

There was a pause.

Timber listened on. It was new to him and he hadn't expect that this innocent seeming hybrid from that background. At least he didn't need to act in terms of appearing 'attentive'- whilst simultaneously concentrating on excavating the shackles' lock.

"I ran away from the labs. 5 years ago. And I wanted to get as far away as possible from them…" she said, suddenly feeling scared "I needed somewhere safe. I can't ever go back."

In spite of the detailed account that Butterfly had given, a threatening shriek was given off as a collection of jagged blades reappeared on Malleus' non-sparing shards of metallic knuckles.

"sYsTEmS cUrREnTLY dEtECt No LiES iN gIVeN RePoRT fRoM InTErVEnTiON X. HoWeVeR, OrGAnIsM iS aN IilLeGaL rEsIdeNT oF thE fLoAtInG IsLaND aNd aCcOuNt MiGhT sUgGeSt LiNk with MaNGe EpIDemIc. FuRThEr DeTAiLs AnD aNAlAySiS ReQUiReD…"

Butterfly grimaced as she feared more questions about to be asked.

Malleus appeared to unexpectedly snap his head in Tobias' direction, and prowled over. He suddenly held his metallic face inches from the fox's on face and snapped out his arm with its grinding rotating bladed hand. The AI's eyes burned into Tobias'.

"bEfOrE wE pRoCeED wItH InTErVEntIon X's TrIaL, iT hAS BeEn dEcIdEd t0 DrAW tRuTh FrOm yOuR InTerr0GatIon. We WiLl pRoCeEd StARtiNG fr0m NoW.. y3s?"

Does anyone know where we're even going?
Using her 'gift', Amber could see two other heat signatures ahead, and she strove to catch up to them; glad for once that she had this 'second sight' so to speak. As she slid round another corner a sharp pain stabbed through her leg and she jolted into the side of the chute, gritting her teeth as her 'vision' snapped out and left her in the dark.
Dang it...I'm too tired, I'll just have to scrabble around in the dark and hope there isn't a fork in the road up ahead.
In my condition, it really wouldn't do to be caught on my own...

She began moving again, picking up her pace as she felt the urgent need to catch up with those ahead. Sadly, her speed was to be her undoing; as the level chute became a sudden slope, and, with the aid of her blood slick wound, she shot downwards with terrifying speed.
Out of control, she continued to slide even when she felt the tunnel become straight again. Unfortunately, she also felt the person she slammed into.
They skidded a few more feet before hitting another furry obstruction and successfuly dispelling their momentum.
Pushing back hurriedly off of the people she'd just collided with, she spat out some small hairs before managing to mutter out an embarrassed apology.
Well, at least I found them...they're going to kill me now but at least I found them...oh, wait, better tell them I'm not some wacky echidna guard...
"Before you kick me or something, I'll just add that I'm the red panda from before, okay? I even have a fluffy tail to prove it." She prodded the person infront of her with her soft tail before quickly retracting it; wishing for once that her gift would kick in again, then she might be able to tell what mood they were in...and if the Overlander was behind them, she instinctively turned her head back where she'd come from, but her sight was onyl greeted by shadows, she'd just have to wait. Turnign back to the two creatures in front of her, she wondered if she should begin retreating yet...

OOC: Welcome back and welcome aboard, Shadow Lady! Glad to have you along, your first post was excellent as Bent said

IC:

The Interrogation Room

Even as he tried to pull Timber from his rash course of action, Tobias was inwardly berating himself.

Way to go, Toby, let the kid stand up for the girl. Some Packleader of the Wolfpack you are.

What was he thinking?

I am no longer of the Wolf Pack! I no longer have to look out for everyone else! Blind heroics would have just gotten us killed at a time like this!

Sure. And that chase after Fabius and this girl was just for the exercise. What about that spiel you had in the cell? And what about those feelings? Once Wolf Pack, always Wolf Pack. A Packleader protects his own.

My own? Neither Timber or Butterfly are...

"StATe yOUR BIRth-NAMe, age, ANd purpOSE for beING on the FLOATting IsLAND."

The fox's thoughts were once again interrupted by the machine's cold questioning. He paused, his mind still torn from his self-critique.

"Alright, alright. My name's Tobias Jaeger, 26, and I'm on the Floating Island tracking a significant member of the Mange-cult."

The machine continued to regard him with its piercing, digital gaze, the mini-buzzsaws on its arm still whirring madly.

"YoU LIe."

With a sudden whine of servomotors, Malleus shoved the miniblades into the fox's side.

Somewhere below the Refinery

With a firm, but gentle paw, the apothecary offered his charge the last of his painkilling tonic.

Not long to go now for this little one.

The young hedgehog gulped the strong-smelling fluid down slowly, barely opening her eyelids. The disease that had wracked her body for much of her childhood life had taken its toll, weakening her to the point where she could no longer stand, merely slumped in a bundle of rags in the corner of the cave that served as a makeshift ward. In the dim blue light that emanated from the few glowing crystals that grew from the cave's walls, the apothecary watched with saddened eyes. The hedgehog's face still held the beauty and innocence of youth, despite the great bald patches of bare, dead flesh that marred it. As the hedgehog swallowed the last of the tonic, the ferret stood up slowly and surveilled the many tired, grim faces that surrounded him.

Forgotten and hopeless in a world that has discarded them from memory and care.

"Apothecary."

A weak voice called out to him from amongst the sick. His medicine bowl now empty, the ferret nonetheless could not leave his patients' sides. Wading carefully into the dark cave, the apothecary went in search of the voice's source, hoping that the next round of painkiller would be here soon.

Then again, there was always the chance that the other apothecaries had run out of the tonic. The Underground had managed to scrounge all it could from the Laboratory and medical stores - usually a suicide mission for those that volunteered, given Dr. Ignatius' nature - and had even attempted to produce its own from the cave-clinging algae that grew in the dark tunnels that made up the Underground's hidden world. However, despite their efforts, supplies were never enough, leaving many of the severely Mange-afflicted to die alone and in terrible ague.

It could not go on like this. Could it?

Mineral Chute

As Samuel and Amber were jumbled down into the chute, sudden questions of doubt shot through the human's mind. Questions such as:

What the heck was he doing here?

The swift-moving conveyor carried them along amongst the dirt, grime and precious minerals that the echidnas found so useful, transporting them to some unknown final destination. Somewhere up ahead was the canine and the fox, that much he did know. Machine noises up down through the claustrophobic, dirt-ridden chute as they rumbled forward, down, deeper into the vast industrial heart of the Refinery.

Suddenly, the chute opened up, leaving the conveyor suspended above a large, darkened room. Below them, walkways and great manual processing tools lay quiet and dormant, seemingly undisturbed for months if not years. And ahead of them...

...ahead of them, the mechanical noises were climbing to a grinding cacophony, as Samuel saw what was coming. At the opposite end of the room, the conveyor culminated into what appeared to be a great steel maw of crushing mechanisms, rollers and pulverisors, and behind them, the eerie red glow of a forge.

"You're here! Took your time! Get down off that conveyor before you end up like him." The fox called out from below them, Bant at his side. As Samuel caught where the fox was pointing, he caught a glimpse of the long-dead corpse of what looked like an echidna guard, decapitated and strewn across the floor below the grinding maw.

Not waiting for a second, the overlander hefted the red panda down with him as he clambered off the conveyor, managing to land on a rickety walkway amongst massive and apparantly ancient factory machinery. As he helped Amber get to her feet - she seemed to be able to stand, albeit with a painful limp - the vulpine and the canine managed to worm their way towards them.

"Old manual processing room abandoned long ago. Echidnas have all but forgotten about it." The fox began to explain, appearing to have little time for frivolity or introductions. "Come on, this way."

The elder fox began to lead them through the forest of dead machines and manufacturing tools, knowing exactly where he was going. At the end of the room lay a small accessway leading into a dark tunnel, its door left half-open through what looked like a mixture of age, neglect, and sheer force. Something was still living down here. As the group slowly entered past dust, dirt and the cobwebs of disuse, the fox spoke and gave a stern warning.

"When we come to the first junction ahead, do not - I repeat, not - take the left-hand route. I can't guarantee what'll happen to you if you do. We don't go down there, not anymore. Just stick with me and go straight ahead."

Inwardly, Samuel and Amber both had many questions they wanted answering.

What was down there to make this seemingly indefatigable old fox give such a strong warning? And what was with the use of 'we?'

After a relatively short amount of time - nobody was quite sure how long - the junction the fox had spoken about appeared, with a side door to the left gaping open into an even deeper darkness. Whilst the Mobians' acute senses had easily adapted to the dark, Samuel had to follow behind slowly after his smaller compatriots. With what little he could make out, the overlander thought he saw the sign 'STORAGE PITS' painted above the doorway. Below the sign, barred across the accessway, were a pair of wooden planks crudely hammered into the crumbling walls. As they passed by the hole, Samuel thought he could feel a slight, chill breeze blowing through it, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

Just keep going.

The group continued for some many more minutes, trudging ever forward in the darkness. Plastered across the walls, one could make out the faded remains of grafitti and attention signs, their meanings lost to time. Ahead, a slight blue glow could be seen, increasingly beginning to illuminate the dark passageway.

"Almost there." The fox spoke in a hushed tone, as the floor began to give way into a slight gradiant beneath their feet. The blue glow was stronger now, and its source seemed to lie right at the end of the tunnel below them. The group kept to an even pace nonetheless, trying to keep themselves steady in the dark as the floor continued to drop away from them.

"What is this-" As Amber opened her mouth to speak, she tripped on some large debris, falling straight into the back of Bant, pulling Samuel - who had been helping her limp along - with her, and the trio all collapsed into the back of their elder guide, sending them all careening down the remainder of the corridor in what was possibly the most undignified fall of the fox's life.

With a loud thump, the group found themselves splayed out in a heap, face down at the bottom of the tunnel passage. With a groan, Samuel lifted his head a little, and found himself tasting...

...water?

Around them, a sizeable cavern stretched out, decorated with stalagtites and stalagmites, echoing with the sound of dripping water, and illuminated by the glow of dozens of strange blue crystals that lined the walls. And as the overlander again shifted his head away from the murky cave-puddle he had landed in, the ghostly blue light outlined the forms of many Mobians.

All staring at them.

"If you value your lives, I would take care to choose your next words very carefully, outsiders."

At once, Samuel, Amber, Bant and the unnamed fox felt the cold, hard touch of gun barrels against the smalls of their backs.

Outside the Storage Compound

"Do you think this is a game, Constable Ash? Do you think this is some children's holovid comedy show? How dare you think that you can just walk into one of my most secure facilities, making a mockery of my order and discipline, making a mockery of me!?" The Warden was livid, raising a stun-gloved hand towards them. Then, almost as suddenly as she began, her rage seemed to subside, replaced by an emotionless stare. With a simple raising of a single finger, she pronounced her punishment.

"Kill that one."

Before anyone had a chance to react, her bodyguards raised their firearms and promptly riddled Seamist with bullets, the seagull's corpse falling limply to the floor beside a stunned Ash, Jonesy and Krishnal.

"This is not a game. And when people cross me...people die. Disarm them."

Without further hesitation, the guards originally escorting the trio moved forward to remove the weapons once again from their rightful owners, and to cuff the would-be-escapees. Once secured, Jora-Su strode imperiously forward, examining the trio, but especially Ash.

"I know you. You were one of our former guests. Fate must truely have it in for you to have you return to us like this. I'm sure Dr. Ignatius is practically dancing with glee at the thought of the many experiments he could conduct on you. Such a pity, really..." The warden cast him a sultry look, regarding him up and down. "Such a waste. I know your past record, Ash. Quite the illustrious warrior before that nasty run-in with the Mange. I could have done with someone with your skills by my side..."

The Warden's face suddenly hardened, as she turned to look towards the remaining bird. She detested those without loyalty, whose only covenant was with currency.

When the Theocracy is reborn, such types shall be expelled from our Island along with the rest. Distasteful heathens.

"But now you shall see what happens to those that fail me. Come, bring them. We must bring the rioting scum to heel."

As they were slowly lead away and Seamist's body removed, Ash felt the rough edge of the arrow-head against the fur of his foot.

At least the loose prison-shoes were good for something.

The Refinery Floor

Further down in the Refinery, a fight in the graven image of an all-out-war was taking place, as a number of rioters suddenly produced an assortment of Underground-supplied equipment and weapons. The prison guards and Dark Legionnaires had formed a tight battleline to one side of the great cavern, as the prisoners themselves revelled in their newfound freedom, albeit in a cauldron of blood and fire. In between the larger masses of the two sides, smaller skirmishes occured as guard and inmate fought amongst the plethora of cover that littered the refinery floor.

Castellan Wernher, bestride the lines of his loyal warriors, emptied the last rounds of his pistol into a crazed rabbit charging at him with a leaden pipe. How many of them did he have to kill today? And where was his damned reinforcements?

Above him, echidna sharpshooters continued their deadly rain of fire, picking off ringleaders and heavily-armed insurgents with relative ease.

Why weren't these damned Manged giving up already? He was used to the snivelling, weak creatures easily pushed around with the aid of a shock baton. These... ...devils...were not only fighting, but were forming effective combat units and even...Ancestors forbid...killing his own Legionnaires! Where had all this organisation come from?

"Fight men, FIGHT! Drive them back! Force them over the edge of the landing pad and into the abyss of sky below! DESTROY this diseased filth!" Wernher roared to his soldiers, who responded in time with a strengthened resolve, pushing the shield-line forward with every trudging step, forcing the rioters back towards the now empty pad - the cargo ship having wisely lifted off some time ago.

Above the chaos, the Warden, her bodyguard, and her prisoners, emptied out onto a gantry overlooking the fierce conflict. As Ash, Jonesy and Krishnal leaned over to watch the carnage unfold, Jora-Su stepped up and placed a gloved hand on Ash's shoulder.

"Constable Ash, I give you one last chance. You were an Interdictor. Proud son of the Theocracy. But times are changing, Ash. The Dark Legion will soon emerge from the shadows to rise, and remove the doddering old fools of the Council and the Brotherhood of Guardians - and restore our people's rightful glory amongst the nations! Many of your former comrades in the Interdictor Corps are now counted amongst our number. I give you a fresh start, Ash. Not only freedom from ever setting foot in this place again, but a place at our table when the Legion strikes. Forget your old role as a worthless Enforcer - you can become my Castellan, charged with a company of Dark Legionnaires. Your companion here can join you as your servant, if you wish. My only request is, to prove your worth... ...slay that incompetent Wernher down there and take charge of the situation."

Turning to Krishnal, the Warden gave him an amused, condescending smirk.

"And you, sellsword - I give you this mercy. Assist my aspiring Castellan here in killing Wernher and I shall grant your freedom. You may fly free - and leave this Island for good...

"...Gentlemen, what do you say? My men shall provide you with suitable weapons, should you require them." Jora-Su smiled, displaying her truely wicked countenance, and perhaps even an unstable mind.

The Interrogation Room

As Tobias felt the robot retract his hand from his side, he felt the warm flush of blood soak into his prison uniform.

Dang. It does have lie-detection.

Malleus took a step back towards his display of death, removing the bloodied saw-hand and selecting another, even more sinister, appendage. It was as if someone had caught half-a-dozen metallic serpents, decapitated them, and crudely fashioned them onto a hand. Writhing and squirming, made mobile by a multitude of tiny articulating joints, each 'snake' ended in a tiny drill, which in turn gave off a high-pitched whine as they spun. Stepping back towards the wounded fox, the machine raised its grisly new hand to Tobias' face.

"YoU sHAll spEAK the TRUth nOW, or fACe fURther pAIn stimULI. StATe yoUR NAMe, age, ANd purPOSE for bEIng on the FlOATIng IsLAND."

Tobias gave an audible sigh, seeing Butterfly and Timber watching him out of the corner of his eye, and noticed the results of their mutual attempts to escape.

"I am losing a fair bit of blood you know."

The machine dropped its turret-face towards his wound and considered it for a moment.

"Your rate of blood loss is not fatal. Terminal injury is not required. Yet. Any suggestion otherwise would indicate an unusually weak constitution."

"Maybe..." With that, Tobias drooped his head, appearing to feint.

A screeching unlike any they had heard before issued from the machine's 'mouth,' the wolf and the echidna wishing they could cover their ears. With a sudden twist, Malleus grappled Tobias by the neck and ripped him free of his shackles, holding him high above him.

"If you shall not comply, you shall die!"

As it spoke, the machine rose its drill-cord arm in readiness to plunge the drills into the fox's heart.

I really hope those two are on the ball... ...Butterfly was very good in picking her locks...very good...

...maybe I am still a 'Packleader' after all.

OOC: Groovygerbil has told me that she couldn't continue due to other things taking up her time, just so you know. I don't usually kill off other peoples characters...honest

Maybe...

OOC: SL!!!!!!!!!!!! *glomp tackles*

IC:

"And what guarantee do I have that you'll keep your word?" Khrisnal asked in response to the offer that was laid before him. He didn't really understand the contents of the conversation between the female warden and the Echidna guard he had encountered earlier- he wasn't particularly interested in the politics of the Echidna Theocracy. He was a simple man, and all he cared for was to be free and earning a living doing what he did best, as a mercenary.

Still, he could sense that whatever it was she was talking about, it certainly had sinister connations…

"I always keep my word, eagle." Warden Jora-Su replied, with a slight smirk on her face.

Allen tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at the female echidna. "…I wonder."

Jora-su continued to speak, before Allen could elaborate on his own feelings. "Does it look as if you have a choice anyway? You are in our hands now, sellsword. I am giving you the best offer you could ever hope to achieve in here. Freedom, doing what do you best. Unless, of course, you'd like to go the way of your earlier friend?"

Something in the warden's eyes gleamed. Allen knew the look all too well. He had seen it, experienced it before numerous times. The look of someone who took pleasure in others dying.

"Fair enough, madam, I was just clarifying the situation." Allen shrugged his shoulders, as he walked to the end of the railing to look down at the riot below. "I trust this Wernher you want killed is that hapless man barking out useless orders, yes?"

The warden's face turned to that of a sickeningly sweet smile. It was forced and unnatural. More creepy then anything else. "I'm pleased you can also appreciate how useless he appears to be doing his job." The smile quickly faded. "Now, gentlemen. Weapons?"

"I can kill that man here and now. If I had my bow and arrows then that man would already be a bleeding mess on the ground, allowing your Constable here to help resolve that prickly mess right away. But, my possessions are currently being held in your storage facility and I take it that for you, time is of the essence?" Allen continued.

"Quite. So what are you going to do about it, sellsword?" Jora-su asked. "We had shock batons here. You could even borrow one of my men's stun gloves and…"

"No, I don't think so." Khrisnal sighed. "My forte is more along the lines of distance shooting. And besides, I'm sure that if I got close enough, up and personal enough to that man to kill him, the rest of your guards that are already fighting down there would simply turn their sights on me and shoot me to death."

Jora-su's eyes glimmered. She was impressed. The eagle wasn't stupid after all.

"Constable, did you manage to procure that item I asked about…?" Allen trailed off, awaiting a response.

Jonesy stood in shock as the Warden made her horrific proposal to Ash and the mercenary. Dark Legion? They're here? From his days as a child in the poor districts of Echidnaopolis, the Dark Legion had mostly existed as a boogeyman, a story to tell unruly kids. 'Do your chores, or the Dark Legion will take you away and turn you into a robot' was something Jonesy had heard many times over in his childhood. In all of his 19 years of life, he'd never once imagined an organization as insidious as the Dark Legion would be running a government facility without anyone knowing about it...

He put his head in his hands as the events of the day overwhelmed him. From seeing the events in the marketplace to being thrown into this dark hole by his own leaders just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time to seeing that poor seagull get blasted by the crazy Warden's men... This is... this is too much! I'm just a rookie, dammit! I've only been out of the academy for a week, rookies aren't supposed to deal with things like this!

To his shame, he felt tears start to well up in his eyes. Dammit, not now! I have to be stronger than this! I have to show them I can do this! He wiped them away and looked up to see Ash toss the mercenary an arrowhead. Ash looked conflicted, distracted. It was a look that scared Jonesy, a look he never expected from a battle-hardened veteran. Jonesy regained his composure, hoping that everyone was too distracted by the battle to see him falter. Nobody acknowledged it, though. Everybody was too busy watching the battle and seeing what decision Ash would make. Jonesy knew he'd make the right decision. He'd make the right decision that every Enforcer knew to make: fight the corruption and say no.

Ash turned back toward the Warden, no expression whatsoever on his face. "I'll do it."

What? For a second, Jonesy wondered if he'd misheard everything. There was no way an Enforcer could so easily join a terrorist organization. Jonesy shook the cobwebs out of his head, thinking that maybe his mind was clouded and he needed to refocus. When he looked again, he saw one of the guards handing Ash a pair of stun knuckles and a combat knife. No... it can't be... Jonesy's knees felt weak all of a sudden. How can everyone throw things away so casually? This was something he expected out of the merc, but an Enforcer? How can everyone give up so quickly? If the strong can lose faith so quickly, what hope could you have, Johann?

"Do you not want to take your partner down there with you?" the Warden asked, smirking. "He looks like he could use a harsh lesson in what combat looks like."

"No. I'll go by myself. In fact, I'd prefer taking out your subordinate on my own. I wouldn't feel comfortable taking the job of someone who'd been shot in the back. Besides, I've read Jonesy's file. He's more of a marksman than a hand-to-hand guy." Ash adjusted his beret as he spoke. "Can you guarantee my subordinate's safety whether or not I complete my mission?"

The Warden nodded. Ash turned away and started to walk down the passageway towards the Refinery floor, the guards following his lead. As he left his field of vision, all Jonesy could wonder is if the strong Enforcer named Jonesy that he was supposed have to become in the academy was still just weak little Johann all along.

OOC: Sorry about Groovygerbil. Aww, she'll be missed.
The LP quotes are classic XD
...and so is the boxed cat.

StarFighter 1046

Dear former Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Hikari,

Truly yours,
Wg Cdr Seipher O'shea

Seipher tapped in the last character letters with his digital pen the mail system of his plane. He was also able to digitally inscribe his signature into the message, before sending it off.

And it was this message he had sent that he hoped would've prompted Kari to meet up with him.

"Wow, look! I can see the floating Island!" Dolly called from the backseat.

Seipher took his gaze off the screen, and looked out his window at a panoramic landscaped below, which also cast a shadow upon the ocean it was floating over.

His expression was stern due to being consumed in other heavy-duty thoughts, but he briefly forced a smile for Dolly's sake.

"Yup. It's… something. I guess," he tried not to scoff. He didn't really want to be here. Visiting the Echidnas and seeing their proud and tight regimental culture would only bring back memories of what times were like in his Air Corp. days.

'Why did you leave?!' he growled at the back of his mind 'we were an honourable air force. Had everything going for us. A few years down the line and I would've become the mobian Air marshall. Perhaps you as well. But you left it all behind… and for what Hikari?!'

Seipher began to turn left at 17.6 degrees, his plane swooping lower and lower. He was aiming to land his plane on top of a mountaneous point, known as 'Alpine Ridge'.

'You still like to fly, and you're still flying- so change of heart in career can't be it! You tended to be weak at pulling the trigger…' he thought back at an incident a long time ago. Something that could've pushed some emotions to the limit, but which objective action was a necessasity at the time.

Dolly looked out the window, and began drawing outlines against the background she saw with the condensation on the window. She marked the distant mountains, the skies and the setting sun. And a patch of wilderness pine trees.

'but that could've been overcome. And the air pirates isn't any different on that frontier…'

"So what was it then?!" Seipher cried out loud.

"Huh?" Dolly asked confused, drawing her finger away from the window.

"Oh right. Did I speak out loud?" Seipher's eyes opened widely as he came back to reality.

"Yup. You did indeed!" Dolly giggled "silly Seipher."

Seipher rolled his eyes, though the gesture wasn't aimed at anyone in particular but more the situation.

The kitsune pulled the throttle, causing the plane to remain hovering and somewhat static in the air, before he eventually lowered it to the ground on top of a grassy patch. And ocean of ripples spread across the grass as he brought it to a smooth landing.

As the window shield automatically opened, and a blast of mountaneous air greeted them, Dolly immediately unfastened her seatbelt and jumped straight out of her seat to land on the sunset lit hued grass.

Seipher unbuckled his belt and followed shortly afterwards, checking his state of the art digital watch.

"Coordinates X=13,065.6, Y=56,096.4, Z=89999.76. Time 17:45. Haven't lost my touch," he said with satisfaction "and can the former colleague compare?"

"Dunno what you're babblin' on 'bout there," Dolly said "but I see something coming from the sky. At great speed! Looks like a hover or somethin'!!"

Seipher looked up and put his hands on his hips, his fixed gaze following the approaching figure.

The Interrogation Room

Butterfly cried out after witnessing Malleus brutally butchering Tobias. Her eyes widened somewhat shocked as he winced from his haemorrhaging wound.

In spite of this, he didn't seem to buckle down- begging for mercy. And appeared persistant to comply with the AI's demands and interrogation process all in all.

She also wondered about the somewhat lack of fear her presented when he commented on the fact that he was losing blood. Was he genuinely not scared? Or was he losing grip of reality from the blood loss to be able to take the situation seriously?

What exactly was he holding back anyway?!
Either way, she thought he was taking a big risk in 'trying' this killing machine. Any further false move or word could be detrimental to his very life.
"Timber… do something!!" she cried out, trying herself to hopelessly detach the shackles from her wrists.

Location X labs

The notorious and sinister Dr. Sears was typing away at various computers, mainly trying to hack into some computer systems of a former nemesis of his. Someone who could prove to bring about some influential movements on the upcoming overlander rulings.

Just as he entered a series of codes and hit 'enter' for the computer to begin its defragmenting and 'hacking' process- he suddenly swivelled his chair around when he heard some bleeping noises from one of the other computers across the room.

He wondered over, and stared at the screened inquisitively. Scrolling with his mouse, he clicked a particular command.

'Play'.


"YoU sTAtEd An aNSweR fOr qUEstIOnS OnE And Tw0, BuT I sTiLL rEqUIre tHe ANsWeRS fOr 0Ne aNd tW0. To RepEAT, wHaT iS yOuR aGE, and purPOSE for bEINg on the FloaTING IsLANd."

" I can't give you a number in years, but I know that I am as old as location X. A state of the art laboratory built under the metropolitan's oil ocean- the periphereal border from the metropolitan zone."

"I ran away from the labs. 5 years ago. And I wanted to get as far away as possible from them…" she said, suddenly feeling scared "I needed somewhere safe. I can't ever go back."

"Let's be clear here intervention X. You were released on probation, and now you are coming back," Dr. Sears rolled his eyes, pressing 'play' on the next file.

"sYsTEmS cUrREnTLY dEtECt No LiES iN gIVeN RePoRT fRoM InTErVEnTiON X. HoWeVeR, OrGAnIsM iS aN IilLeGaL rEsIdeNT oF thE fLoAtInG IsLaND aNd aCcOuNt MiGhT sUgGeSt LiNk with MaNGe EpIDemIc. FuRThEr DeTAiLs AnD aNAlAySiS ReQUiReD…"

"Now that's just being greedy..." Dr. Sears commented, before furiously typing away on the keyboard on that very computer.

"Enter command prompt, Intervention X:

Status:
Location X=90.5759,6 Y=56.4820,9 Z=38.765,2
Floating Island. Deep underground.
Signal moderate to clear."

Dr. Sears entered the next set of commands, before punching in enter, and stood back to watch the screen as he folded his arms confidently.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Interrogation block

Before Butterfly could whimper any further, her gaze suddenly hardened as she faced the Malleus creature.

All anxiety, fear, apprehension and terror was drowned out as her right green eye suddenly turned red- the same as her original left eye. But now they were more an artificial looking red colour.

She dragged her arms forward with a jerking forces- causing the shackles to snap at the chains that clipped the actually shackles.

One of the chains slipped from the ceiling, being hoisted upwards, through a ring in the ceiling that had suspended her in the first place, and fell as a heap onto the ground.

Picking up the chain, she whipped across like a lasso and noosed Malleus' neck.

She suddenly dragged the chain with all her strength, and bringing Malleus to the ground and dragging him across the floor on his face.

This caused him to drop Tobias in a heap. Whether the already severely wounded fox was grateful or not was unknown. But he was still conscious for what it was worth.

"You're got more than your fair share of answers you outdated snivelling system," Butterfly said through gritted teeth as she yanked the chain to enforce her words "as you can see, the upper hand is no longer yours. And intervention X insists that you set her and her friends free… NOW!"

OOC: Bit rushed, soz, lol. Gotta go somewhere, will be back!

Floating Island, Alpine Ridge

Hikari saw it in the distance: A tiny speck of what could only be her former commander's aircraft. He had told her to meet him promptly at 17:49, and she relished in the fact that she hadn't lost her touch when it came to following and deciphering military protocol. It wouldn't be long now until she came face-to-face with Seipher, and Kari had a feeling that she had a lot to answer for. A slight motion with the toe of her left foot and the hover-board slowed a little, no longer screaming across the sky but still gliding at a fair speed through the air and toward her destination. Nervousness began to prickle at the back of the Jinmin's neck once the Floating Island came into sight.

Should I really be doing this?

She asked herself, fingers clenching. Commander O'Shea has no more authority over me; he lost it all the day I joined up with Captain Dawson. So why am I obliging him with my presence when it could possibly lead to my death? I am a wanted woman now.

The board wobbled in the air a bit upon encountering a sudden gust of turbulence, but Kari righted it within moments without the slightest panic arising. Flying was second nature to the Mobian cat and she had never felt any fear while partaking in the sometimes dangerous activity. Even when she and her comrades had been caught in a terrible wind-storm with no hopes of escaping alive she had kept her head, trusting the winds to spare them and trusting to the guidance of Commander Seipher to get them through. In then end they had survived, and that experience had only served to further cement the bond between commander and crew. It had hurt the day Kari had betrayed them, and even now she still felt it as a dull ache within her heart.

I let them all down that day.

The Siamese Jinmin grimaced beneath her helmet, shoulders slumping slightly. There was never a day when that thought hadn't plagued her mind, and for the first month or so serving under Captain Dawson in the Hawk's Wing she had wondered if she had made the right choice. Why did I leave them, after all? I had everything going for me then... I was doing what I loved and I was honoring my family with my service at the same time. Why did I give it all up, all those years ago?

As usual, no answer came to mind with the age-old question. Why? Had it been for the riches gained from raiding commercial airships, or the fame? No. The Air Corps had paid all its soldiers a fair amount so that no one was wanting for any money, and they were all recognized for their brave acts with ceremonies and such. It had been a fair setup in Hikari's mind.

Had it been for the freedom, the release from following every order to the letter? Or the right to curse whenever she damn well pleased (No matter that Zephron did enough cursing for the both of them)? Maybe it had been the lack of formality and the easy acceptance she had liked; it took many a person in the Corps to get used to her metal appendage after meeting her for the first time, whereas no one on the Hawk's Wing had seemed to notice or care.

Will I ever know what made me turn my back on a life of honor and duty? A life where I did not have to constantly watch my back to see if the Law was there, waiting to imprison me for my folly. Perhaps not.

Hikari mused to herself as she passed over the wilderness of Angel Island, skimming low so as not to be an easy target for anyone or anything, appreciating the beauty of the land in some distant corner of her mind.

Raising her mechanical arm the Siamese Jinmin flipped open a compartment, checking the coordinates to see if she was heading in the right direction. Satisfied she closed the compartment, looking up to spot the aircraft from earlier easing downward to land atop the Alpine Ridge. Two figures clambered out, and not for the first time Kari wondered with suspicion why Seipher had summoned her to this area. Her scanners didn't pick up any other crafts hiding in the near vicinity, leading her to assume that the vulpine had come to meet her with only that other person as a companion.

Just what is your game, Commander?

Another tap of her left boot and the hover-board slowed its pace even more, allowing her to approach the grounded craft and its occupants on silent-seeming wings. Or boosters, as Zephron would have irritatedly corrected. Sometimes she was too poetic for her own good. And I believe him, She grinned slightly.

Kari flew past Seipher and his companion, circling around them to slow her momentum as she herself landed. Years of using this device had taught her the delicate art of landing, that while taking off and staying airborne was easy as pie, landing was another matter. The Jinmin tightened her circuits of the plane and began spiralling down slowly, the boosters of the hover-board tinting the grass below her shadow a bluish color with their glow. When Kari was about a foot from the ground the board's metallic person retracted itself quickly back into the heavy soles of her boots, leaving her to fall the remaining distance to the earth, crouching to absorb the shock her legs might feel.

Straightening she met two pairs of eyes, one being a little rabbit girl with implants like her own and the other being her former commander. His expression was grim and guarded, and Kari felt her slight humor seep into the ground beneath her feet as she went to remove her sleek black helmet. The oriental tunic she wore over the black pants stuffed into her boots was sure to evoke memories within Seipher. Hikari's legendary need to keep some of her culture on her person at all times had certainly not faded that quickly, had it?

Shaking her black tresses free from the confines of her helmet the Jinmin met her ex-superior's eyes for the first time in years, nothing to shield her from his penetrating gaze. Still, she held firm, approaching Seipher and the rabbit with a brisk step and her helmet under her arm. It was now or never.

Extending her organic right hand to the fox, she gave a small smile before murmuring, "It has been a long time, Commander. How are you?"

Alpine Ridge

Seipher gave Kari a durable stare, his eyebrows creasing as he looked down at the extended arm, before looking back at her again.
There was a long silence…

"Thanks for coming on time," he pulled his gaze away, turning around and walking about three feet away, with his three tails swishing behind him.

Hikari let out a big heavy sigh, followed by an eyeroll and an unimpressed tapping of her foot against the ground.

"All this time, wing commander… ALL this TIME… and this is the first greeting I get…?" Karya demanded helplessly "how unprofessional."

Dolly simply sat on the Starfighter's plane and tilted her head, looking on curiously. She was normally shy when meeting new people for the first time.

Seipher turned around, unsurprised and ready to fire back.

"Don't talk to me about professionalism, Takeshi! Wasn't always your strong point…" Seipher mused. In all honesty though, he appreciated her unique personality at the time. But now he felt betrayed by it. As he was wondering whether it contributed to her abrupt departure "and you left! Why?"

"I…can't tell you." She said looking down momentarily, but then looked back at him with an apologetic expression "I am truly sorry."

"Why not? I can handle the truth," he said challengingly.

"It's complicated. I don't even really now myself…"

"How insightful," he said sarcastically "would that be your best line of argument in a court case?"

"Look, did you call me here just to express how mad at me you are about the past?" Kari enquired exasperated.

"Uhm. No," Seipher said calming down "there are two matters you could help me with."

He strode up to her, holding a device.

"Firstly, my service has been requested to pursue an individual by the name of Dr. Sears. The reasons are classified."

"Okay…" Hikari said, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. It wasn't like Seipher to be discrete about something. He normally wanted all the details of what he was doing, why he was doing it and what the likely outcome was. Perhaps he knew, but had lost trust in the Siamese Jinmin, and was therefore holding back on the full story.

"Why do you need me commander? If it's just one person, I really think that…"
"I'm not as fit as I used to be!" said Seipher through gritted teeth, the palm of his hand feeling the bald patch of his neck. He didn't want to elaborate. It was a touchy subject.

"You were my most competent trainee. I trust your abilities will help me greatly. See it as an opportunity to show me all I've taught you…" he said softly.

Hikari smiled haphazardly, which was sometimes her quirky way of acknowledging something.

"The second matter, may I ask?" she said.

Seipher looked towards Dolly, who appeared to have jumped off the wing of the Starfighter and was chasing some of the evening butterflies.

"If at any point, I die, during this mission or thereafter… I want you to look after her. Dolly," he said pointing at her "she's very young and with oppression of the upcoming war, give or take, she'll have no one too look after her and she is too young to fend for herself."

Hikari fell silent, whilst Seipher just stared at her seriously.

"I know where my loyalties would lie. Do you? I don't turn my back on people."

Alpine Ridge

During the first part of their conversation Hikari could almost imagine that they were in the Air Corps again, just like years ago. Back in their comfortable positions as Commander and Liutenant, reliving another one of their more amusing arguments. Her lips twitched.

And then: "I know where my loyalties would lie. Do you? I don't turn my back on people."

Hikari felt stung. Frowning she replied, "I try to make it a point not to, Wing Commander." She didn't even bother trying to counter the first part of that sentence.

Seipher raised an eyebrow and said, bitingly, "Oh really? Then what would you call that little stunt you pulled all those years ago, hm? If it was intended to be a joke I think it turned out rather poorly."

Kari looked away, fist clenching at her side. He had her there, and they both knew it. There were a few moments of silence in which they stood, riled emotions simmering just below the surface. A quiet giggle from Dolly drew their attention, and they turned to see her twirling around amidst a swarm of butterflies that appeared to have taken a sudden interest in the young rabbit. Kari bit her lip, watching the child frolick to and fro without a care.

"Why me, Commander?" She murmured, ducking her head in apology. "Would not Katsurou be a better guardian for the child? I am, after all, a fugitive from the law. I honestly doubt I could do much for her, given my... distasteful profession." With this she gave him a wry smile, edged with a hint of bitterness. "I highly doubt, given your current attitude towards my past choices, that you would desire her to become like me."

The Jinmin flicked her tail and looked her former superior in the eye once again, noticing that he seemed at a loss for words at the moment. Before he could reply though, Kari spoke again, in a more hushed tone so as not to alert Dolly. "My reasons for leaving the service remain unclear to me, and I highly doubt that I will ever find a true answer for my actions. But what is done is done. I am terribly sorry I betrayed you and the others... Mostly you. You were my idol Commander, and I know that I will never regain the respect and trust you once had for me. It is enough, though, to know that you trust me enough to ensure Dolly's safety. On whatever shred of honor I still retain I will protect her with my life. I owe you that much, sir."

That said, Hikari gave him the traditional waist-bow common amongst Air Corps cadets when addressing higher authority, hoping he got the message. Hoping that he wouldn't push any further or ask any more questions. It already pained her to talk about such things when she was no longer entitled to them as she had once been.

For about the millionth time she wondered if what she had done had been the right thing... Why did I betray them? There must be a reason!

Something was there, lurking in the back of her mind. Perhaps seeing the Wing Commander was digging it up. But what was it? And why couldn't she remember??

Hikari shrugged away the uneasy feeling in her head and focused on Seipher. She wouldn't let him down.

Not again.

OOC: Sorry for delay and that it is short. Root canals and such to do and have done this week, including paedo patients. *moan groan*

Alpine Ridge

Seipher forced an ironic smile- almost forgetting how plagued his life had become since his role in the air corp had waned.

Takeshi's response was actually really well spoken. It was a conscientious and genuine reply. In spite of all the years he admittedly had managed to pent up feelings of betrayal and resentment due her enigmatic and incomprehensible departure from the Air corps., he found himself able to cast aside the negative emotions. For now.

He probably could have been a little less callous when insinuating that her loyalties were perhaps not all there. Ultimately though, he wanted to judge right now whether Dolly would've been in safe hands. He wasn't just going to hand her over to just anyone.

In addition... the problem was that he was almost 100% sure that they her loyalties were still there. There had never been any suggestion throughout their whole careers that there was any signs of disloyalty or deceit. And neither any hint or tell-tale signs that she wanted to leave. She tended to wear her heart on her sleeve, so surely it would've been obvious if the will to resign was gradual?
Did she REALLY know why she left? Or was she holding back from giving him the REAL answer? She sounded genuine when she implied she still didn't know the real reason. Or perhaps it was just a professional cover-up from not articulating personal reasons.

Seeing her again really did remind him of a lot. It wasn't her fault, but he wasn't sure he liked it.
Just by the former argument they had, he did remember the Air corp. days. Life felt a lot more secure and lighter then.
He suddenly realised how isolated and solitary he felt. His health was disintergrating, he was looking out for a young half mechanical rabbit's well-being against today's oppressions, and he didn't have the security of the Air corps. anymore.
He'd fill Hikari on the story, but not now. Otherwise he might just give in to tears. And he refused to show such emotions.

"Thank you. I do trust she'll be safe in your hands if the time comes," he replied "as for Dolly becoming 'like you'- I think it's too late. Katsu wouldn't be able to take care of her. I don't think he has a disposition for ensuring another's safety. At least on a semi-permanent basis."

Seipher frowned.

"When's the last time you saw your brother then?" Seipher asked.

OOC: Sorry for the delay guys.

IC:

Interrogation Room

"...as you can see, the upper hand is no longer yours. And Intervention X insists that you set her and her friends free… NOW!"

Groaning on the floor, Tobias attempted to work out just what had happened in the space of the past few seconds.

The girl... ...she'd saved him. Pulled herself free from her bonds... and had the machine flat on its face and caught up in a chain, all in the space of a minute...

Malleus, if it could even emulate such emotions, seemed far from disturbed at the echidna-bat's sudden surge of strength and aggression.

"YoUR IMpudENCE..."

Demonstrating a formidable physical might of its own, amply supplied by powerful servos and the strength of cold, hard steel, the machine began to rise to its metallic feet.

"...wiLL nOt be TOLerATed."

Raising its single 'normal' hand, the AI snapped the noose around its neck, and in a matter of seconds, had gripped the end of Butterfly's chain. With a flat, computer's stare, seemingly conveying a sense of satisfaction at the echidna-bat's surprise, it suddenly wrenched the chain sideways with its hand, swinging the coiling links and sending Butterfly hurtling into the wall beside Timber with an awful thud of flesh hitting metal.

Now focussed on what it assessed was the greatest threat, the AI began to step towards the dazed Butterfly and Timber, who was struggling once again to escape his bonds.

"YoUR reSISTance hAS deMONstrATEd the NEEd for FURTher apPLICation of pAIN STImULi. SeMI-FATal exCRUCiatION now DETErmiNED to be neCESSary."

"You shall not harm her you abomination!"

Leaping onto the AI's back and clinging on despite his injury, Tobias attacked the thing's neck with a bonesaw he had liberated from its butcher's collection. Sparks flew wildly, as the rapidly-spinning teeth cut into servos, electro-tendons, anything the fox could expose.

His blood was truly up now. There would be no surrender. It was them, or the machine.

Somewhere underground

"You do not speak at all, Outsiders? You are wise, perhaps."

Quintin, being a down-to-Mobius sort of weasel, none-the-less held his weapon firmly down against the newcomer's back. Around him, his people looked on - some with the confused, fearful eyes of infirmity, and others with the firey spirit of defiance and the desire to protect their underground hold. Whispers and voices danced amongst the throng as various individuals suggested what they ought to do.

"Don't take any chances Quintin! Kill them now! We can't let our home be exposed!"

"No, you fool, they could be like us..."

"Noone like us would have just been able to walk down here! They must be agents of the echidnas!"

"Do they look like trained agents? They just fell down the tunnel like a bunch of intoxicated toddlers. These are no spies."

As his fellow patrol members - by fortune, they were just about to venture into the tunnels before these outsiders appeared - looked on, Quintin examined the the haphazard group. One was a red panda, apparantly wounded, a large creature that appeared to be... ...an Overlander, no less... a canine, and a fox, who, even in the muck of the cave floor, Quintin could tell held some form of high status despite his drab prison overalls.

Perhaps it was the well groomed fur and tail. Or perhaps the bitter displeasure of having one's face deposited into a cold, dirty cave puddle. Quintin smiled.

"You'd better let us go if you know what's good for you."

Quintin's smile grew broader, and became animated by a hearty laugh that echoed round the underground chamber.

"The Outsider speaks!" Kneeling down next to the fox, Quintin gripped tightly to the back of the fox's head and lifted it up so he could get a glimpse of his surroundings. "But does he realise his predicament? Does he honestly believe himself to be in charge here? Missing your mansion and servants back home, eh, Mr. Posh Fox?"

Quintin loved the aristocracy. Always incapable of understanding the suffering of his kind. Their ignorance must be paradise.

The fox didn't answer, however, and his eyes were busy dancing round the cavern, examining the faces and forms of the assembly.

They were all Manged, the fox could tell. A pungent stink of dead and decaying flesh hung in the air, and all present wore the torn rags, scraps and old prison garb that marked them as members of the Afflicted. As he continued to peer into the blue half-light, realisation began to dawn on him regarding where they were and who these mole-creatures appeared to be.

"So, Mr. Posh Fox, would you care to inform us all of your reason for being here? Or would one of your comrades like to speak up in your stead? I realise that your kind might have some trouble in seeing us as fellow Mobians. I quite understand."

Refinery Area

As Castellan Wernher dived behind a pair of metal storage crates, he watched as a pair of his Legionnaires were flung like ragdolls over his head. Cursing angrily, he tossed aside his seemingly useless pistol as he peered over the edge of his makeshift cover.

Roaring like a hurricane, and swinging wickedly-clawed paws and a murderous chain, the enormous grizzly bear tore into Wernher's guards like a force of nature. The beast was a giant, easily standing head and shoulders over all who dared oppose it, and in its eyes was the unbound fury of one of the Lost.

Its mind must have been truly consumed by the Mange, as the tales say...

Skirting round the edges of this ursine maelstrom was a much smaller mole, shouting encouragements and urging the creature on.

"Come on, Bruno, smack 'em one! Make them pay for all our suffering!"

Damnation. That mole had to be eliminated.

One of Wernher's soldiers had spied out the leering and jeering mole as well, making a rapid advance upon it with a baton up until the point the creature produced a pistol and deftly placed a bullet through the echidna's skull.

Damnation! We need reinforcements down here! Where was that insufferable Warden and her lackeys?

Instinctively looking up and around him, Wernher then saw the haughty female directing another echidna down towards him. Along with him was an eagle, who took wing above the battleground to apparantly establish an overwatch position.

As the Castellan looked on, the male, uniformed echidna climbed down from the gantry and strode purposefully towards him...

At last! Someone who isn't some braindead incompetant! A real warrior!

"Over here! Soldier! Warden Jora-Su has sent you I take it? Good! We need to deal with this bloody bear and its partner...!"

As Jora-Su watched what was going to be a delicious encounter with her old and new Castellan, she turned to one of the guards present.

"Get the master computer to begin siphoning off mineral vapour to this area. I want this whole section gassed in 5 minutes."

Speaking coldly, her ruby eyes gazed into those of Jonesy, upon whose face a look of realisation and horror was slowing dawning.

"But you can't...you said!?"

"Oh yes, I said. I bargained. And my word still stands. I will gladly accept your partner as my Castellan... ...if he survives. Don't worry. If he and the bird fail to kill Wernher before we seal off this cavern, I'm sure I'll find plenty of uses for you."

With those words, the Warden turned her back on the minor Enforcer and gleefully watched her plan unfold.

Behind her, Jonesy felt like helpless prey in the talons of a primordial and cunning predator.

What could he do?

OOC: Mine's a little bit short this time as well, but I wanted to throw in something since practice was so draining... D:

IC:

Alpine Ridge

Kari blinked. "Last time I...? Oh." She grinned sheepishly, tucking her arms behind her back and replied, "The last time I saw Katsu he short-circuited my arm, the devil. I had to go one-armed for a month while Zephron fixed it up..."

Seipher raised an eyebrow. "One of your crewmates, I presume?"

The grin turned into a fond smile and the ex-lieutenant looked to the sky, Seipher following her gaze. "Yes, he is. He is a genius when it comes to machines... In fact, it was he who upgraded my limb and made it weapon material. I have not carried a gun ever since then, nor have I needed one."

The kitsune opposite her opened his mouth to comment, when a slight tugging at his sleeve caught his attention. Dolly was at his elbow, apparently having tired of playing amongst the butterflies. One of her eyes was on Hikari with a mixture of curiosity and shyness, while the other stayed on Seipher.

"Uncle Seipher...?" Dolly asked, now placing full attention on the ex-commander.

"Yes Dolly?"

"What're we going to do now?" The rabbit cocked her head, throwing a glance at Hikari. "And who's she? Is she coming with us?"

Hikari smiled and bit her lip, turning her head to the side a little and trying to stifle the snicker that threatened to escape at the words "Uncle Seipher". Her former superior would have murdered her and her comrade's if they had ever uttered that phrase years ago, just as she was sure he would probably murder her now. And judging from the roller-coaster way things were progressing, Kari wanted to stay on Seipher's good side as long as she possibly could. Perhaps then she could find out why he was alone in the first place, taking care of an individual like Dolly and carrying around such a depressed aura.

Thinking back to the serious way in which Seipher had asked her help, Hikari figured that waiting would be wise...

"Hey, hey! Easy there buddy. Listen, why don't you knock me around, I whine louder. I promise." The coyote yelped out watching Quintin manhandle the one person he shouldn't.

The fox's stoic expression melted into a sickening looking smile, "Two things happened to the last man who called me 'posh'. First, I slept with him. Then, I killed him. But seeing you? I don't even think a bag could re-catalyze that process."

Amber grimaced, partly at their predicament, and for her part in getting them into it.
Great, and now the fox is helping the situation by insulting the people pointing guns at us, brilliant.
She tilted her head up as inconspicuosly as possible; looking around at their captors, all manged of course, and no doubt as angsty as the mob they'd left behind.
Perfect, I might as well just bleed to death in this cave, and save these guys the trouble of shooting me...ah well, I might as well say something, I can't really make our situation any worse.
"Look, we don't mean any harm, we're just trying to get away from the echidnas,"
She wished she could monitor the crowd better with her gift but it didn't seem likely to be coming back any time soon, it always did have the infuriating habit of cutting out on her when she was injured...

OOC: Sorry for shortness, but am veeeery tired lol gak, so, blame any spelling errors on that (and my magical typo power) as am too tired ot check right now, lol

Samuel was still having trouble getting over the smell of the place, he wondered if would ever get a breath of fresh air again. The pain in his side was getting worse, the fall had probably irritated the wound. He worried he might catch a disease down here, that would match up well with his current luck.

He listen to the Fox's threats and, the Panda's attempt to calm them down. Maybe it was time for him to speak up as well.

"She is right, we are no friends of the echidnas but, beyond that I can only speak for myself." Samuel wondered if it would do any good, maybe he was fated to die in this stink-hole.

Ash stalked forward towards the riot, his face an emotionless mask despite the whirlwind of emotions he was feeling. His loyalty to the Theocracy was warring with his instinct to survive, and the added knowledge that he had to serve the Dark Legion to survive made that war all the more difficult. Serve the Theocracy and die, leaving Fabius unchallenged? Or help the Dark Legion and live, so I can take my revenge? The time had come for him to make a choice, and all he'd been able to do was pretend that he'd made one.

"Over here! Soldier! Warden Jora-Su has sent you I take it? Good! We need to deal with this bloody bear and its partner...!" a uniformed echidna called out as he cowered behind cover. Ash recognized him as the one the Warden had pointed out from the gantry, Wernher, the one she wanted killed. Ash started toward Wernher, debating whether to kill or just wound him, when a loud roar from across the refinery stopped him. The Castellan's plea for help had caught the raging bear's attention. Ash grimaced at his foul luck. Dammit, I'd wanted to catch that beast off-guard, not face it head-on! Near the bear, the loud-mouthed mole looked at Ash as well and grinned.

"Sic 'em, Bruno." With another roar, the bear charged at Ash, bowling over anyone in its way, Legionnaire and prisoner alike. Ash clenched his teeth as the bear approached, knowing that he'd have to dodge or be crushed instantly. He flinched to the right as the bear got within lunging distance, then quickly rolled left. The bear bit on the feint and grabbed only empty air as Ash rolled to his feet and ran for the bear, sparking his stun knuckles to deliver a quick knockout blow. The bear roared again and swiped at him with its paw. Ash fell backward to avoid the attack, then rolled away as the bear swung the chain at him. The bear responded by continuing to swing the chain as Ash kept rolling away from it, unable to pause for even a second to regain his footing.

The bear paused to roar again before swinging the chain down one more time. Ash was ready for it. Again he rolled away as the chain crashed to the ground, but this time he quickly rolled back and hit the chain with his stun knuckles. The bear roared in pain as the electricity arced through the chain into its hands, making it drop the chain and hold its wounded right hand. Ash took the opportunity to get to his feet and charge at the bear. With a quick jab, he drove one of the stun knuckles into the bear's shoulder. The bear roared in pain again as it took a slowed swing at him, but Ash ducked the blow and punched again, this time into the bear's torso. Why is this thing not dropping? he thought as he dodged another swipe. He was too focused on the one paw that he didn't see the other coming around. Ash flew a good twenty feet and landed on his ass, swatted away as if he was an insect.

"Yeah, get em!" the annoying mole yelled from his safe distance away from the battle. "Kill 'em dead, Bruno!" The bear roared again as it charged towards Ash, ready to deal the killing blow. Ash unsheathed the combat knife and ran toward the raging bear, bracing for the impact. As the bear got close, Ash again feinted right and went left. As they passed, he jammed the knife into its knee. The bear fell onto its face as its leg gave out, its momentum making it skid along the ground. Ash quickly turned around and lunged forward, jamming the stun knuckles into the small of the bear's back. This time, instead of pulling it away after a split-second, he kept it there. The bear convulsed as electricity poured into it, thin white smoke beginning to leak from it's nostrils and mouth. After a 10 second dose of, Ash stopped the flow of electricity and got up. He wasn't sure if the beast was alive or dead. All he knew and cared about was that it wasn't attacking any more.

"Bruno...?" the mole called. "Bruno?! YOU BASTARD!" The mole raised his pistol at Ash, who responded by diving behind the fallen bear for cover. The mole stopped, not wanting to shoot his comrade. He looked around the refinery, looking to take his revenge by killing other echidna. His pause gave Ash enough time to retrieve the knife from the bear's knee, pop out from cover and fling it at the distracted mole. The mole's enraged yelling stopped as the knife sunk itself into his chest. The mole looked at the knife without a word, then sagged before falling on his back, dead.

Ash slumped against the bear's smoking body, grabbing a quick breather before he went back into the fray to dispatch Wernher, when he noticed something strange. A wispy white fog was starting to collect on the ground and roll towards the riot. As Ash watched, the fog started to build in size. The realization hit him. She wouldn't... that's barbaric! Ash looked up at the gantry, where the Warden watched with a bemused grin on her face. Ash wondered if this was her plan all along, to see if he could last long enough to her to kill everyone else in the chamber. To send him back to the hell he'd always known, a hell where he would always be the living one standing among piles of corpses.

OOC: Everything's borrowing my time lately. Eep. One scene updated is better than none and the rest are comin'!

IC:

Alpine Ridge

"What're we going to do now?" The rabbit cocked her head, throwing a glance at Hikari. "And who's she? Is she coming with us?"

Seipher slowly turned his head and gave Hikari a cautioning look- just in case the Jinmin was even half tempted to utter any form of amusement.

"Indeed, she will be coming with us. Hikari Takeshi, she is a former student of mine, or collegeau." Replied Seipher tentatively.

"Huh?" she asked confused, tilting her head to the other side as she still regarded the cat curiously.

"That there…" Seipher sighed, placing his hands on Dolly's shoulders empathically as if to lend her some insight as he looked at Hikari "is your friend for life!" he finished before pulling away, and regarding the 'tracking device' he had been given by Dr. Sears.

Dolly immediately looked at Seipher anxiously, half wondering if he was about to run off after having said that.
When she deduced that he was simply lost in thought over that small machine the funny man in the white coat had given him earlier on, she then looked back at Hikari, smiled and waved a metallic arm.
Hikari grinned back and returned the wave.

"…we need to go down this mountain and…" Seipher paused, analysing the coordinates on the portable map on the device "about half-way down, there should be an opening to a cave. The cave descends further and further underground, which is where we want to be."

The sky had now got dark- a deep blue towards the top which descended towards lighter hues of pink and lavender, and the sky was dotted with stars.

"At this time off the night commander?" Hikari asked, slowly wilting the arm she was waving at Dolly "isn't it a bit late? Not to mention past Dolly's bed time?"

"I don't do bed times!" Dolly protested.

Seipher tore his gaze away from the computerized map and looked at his team ups.

"We need to work around the clock as much as we can on this one," Seipher said.
'Or actually, it's just me.' He thought bleakly. As long as this burden was on his shoulders, he didn't really dedicate much thought to getting sleep. Not that he was able to or had managed to get much sleep at all for a long time- another dawning realisation hitting him that this morose existence just seemed never ending.

"Okay then," Takeshi gave in "where to Wing Commander?"

"There. That faint footpath," Seipher pointed towards a rubbled pathway that left beyond a barrier of old wooden field gates. He wondered what the fencing was used for, or used to be used for.

"Okay then, let's go!" Dolly said, taking a massive spring in that direction with her bounding mechanical legs- causing Hikari to look on in surprise.

"Are you armed Lieutennant Takeshi?" Seipher asked smirking "all fairytale and fiction of Brotherhood and Dark legion that have been spoken of as bedtime stories may just turn out to be real. Think you can handle it?"

Alpine Ridge, Mountain Path

"Are you armed Lieutennant Takeshi?" Seipher asked smirking "all fairytale and fiction of Brotherhood and Dark legion that have been spoken of as bedtime stories may just turn out to be real. Think you can handle it?"

"Am I armed, Commander?" Hikari reiterated, smirking back. "Funny you should choose to speak that particular set of words, sir."

At this she raised her left arm so that Seipher could see it, wiggling her mechanical fingers and allowing her smirk to widen. With a click and a whir the pieces of her arm began to separate and re-configure, forming the shape of a slender-barreled energy rifle with a scope and a light with which to illuminate the path as night closed in. Resting the muzzle of her arm-rifle in the palm of her right hand (having tossed her helmet beneath the Starfighter), Hikari winked at a blinking Seipher and lengthened her stride to catch up to Dolly.

Over her shoulder she called, "As for the Brotherhood and the Dark Legion... We will cross that bridge when we come to it, Wing Commander."

The Siamese Jinmin allowed her energy rifle to morph back into its original form as she caught up with Dolly, not wanting to alarm the rabbit. Dolly, skipping merrily along the worn path with an adventurous gleam to her eyes, smiled up at Hikari. The feline smiled back, still awed at the fact that her former superior was entrusting her with the young girl's well-being even after all the hell she had put him through. A pang resonated in her heart before she forcefully pushed it aside, a small voice coming unbidden to the forefront of her troubled mind...

You didn't choose this. You were framed, framed! Didn't choose this.... Framed...

Of course. Right. If only that had been the case. But she had seen it... There had been blood on her hands! Derek's blood.

Derek... The cadet had had so much promise. And she had destroyed that! But why...? Why?

"Ms. Hikari... Are you okay? You kinda got all upset there," Dolly's concerned voice interrupted. Hikari forced those morbid thoughts from her mind, smiling in a strained fashion at the other mecha-hybrid.

"I was?"

"Yeah!" Dolly answered. "You were all frowny and stuff."

"Please, call me Kari. Thank you for asking, but I am perfectly fine Dolly. I was only thinking," The Jinmin said reassuringly. Dolly grinned thoughtfully.

"Okay, Kari. I was just worried for a minute, is all. Uncle Seipher thinks a lot too, so I'm used to it!" The rabbit giggled, earning a chuckle from Kari, who glanced back at Seipher only a few paces behind.

"Old habits die hard, I suppose," Kari murmured to Dolly, who nodded solemnly.

Hikari thought she heard an affronted grunt from behind them at that.

The three followed the path a little further in silence, Dolly skipping and humming quietly with Hikari at her right and Seipher at their back. The rabbit's energetic habits often brought a chuckle and a shake of the head from Hikari, who wondered in amazement at how Seipher had managed to put up with her despite his past statement that he hated kids. It was an interesting turn of events, she concluded, gazing at the two who seemed as different as night and day. But then, was she so different, calling Zephron the womanizer her best friend now? She snorted quietly. His ego would probably be doubling in size if he heard me say that...

Best not to mention it then.

"Kari?" Interrupted Dolly, yet again.

"Yes, Dolly?"

"Were you really a student of Uncle Seipher's?" The rabbit turned wondering eyes on her, and the Jinmin could see the respect she held for the Commander in their depths.

Hikari hesitated, then said, "Yes, yes I was. He taught me everything I know about flying and fighting. He was... IS the best teacher I have ever had or will have."

The mech beside her considered this and then replied matter-of-factually, "Of course he is! Uncle Seipher's the best!"

"Indeed he is." Kari looked at the kitsune following them out of the corner of her eye, wondering if he had heard them, suddenly wishing he had. I wish you could help me, Commander. But I am afraid that I am a lost cause...

OOC: My apologies!!!
You know the ways it goes...

IC:

Alpine Ridge pathway

"My god, what a terrible pun," Seipher muttered under his breath. Had he known that the whit-loving Siamese was going to pull a tongue-in-cheek stunt like that, he would've worded his question about being 'armed' a little more differently. He remembered having to moan at Takeshi a little at times for taking missions and heavy-duty situations a little more seriously back in the air corp days.
It was good to see her confidence with what she had to show, he supposed. But when exactly did she have it upgraded like that, and who did it..?
'Probably after she left and by one of her 'brand new and better' collegeaus... air pirates,' he seethed.
He suddenly scholded himself for that last thought. Here they were, now, teamed up and embarking on a mission and instead of giving her a clean slate, his mind kept wandering back on the past. And what exactly was THAT going to achieve...? Times like these he wished he was a stoic individual, void of any emotions. He was sure he would've been a better air corp officer in so many ways.

"There you are...!"
'Old timer!' was what Kari wanted to finish the sentence with, but thought against it as the triple swishing kitsune finally caught up with the spritely youth runners.

"Have you forgotten the importance of warming up?" Seipher said narrowing his eyes "without breaking into a mad dash? Don't come crying to me when either of you double up in pain from 'knots', 'stitches', and muscle spasms!"

"Awww, I'm sure I'll be alright," Kari said optimistically.

"Yeah!" Dolly reinforced "what's one mean ol' knot, stitch or muscle spasm gonna do to us?"

".... so complacent," Seipher said shaking his head, in which time Kari looked at Dolly and winked, almost causing the rabbit to laugh knowingly.

The pursueing trio fell silent for a few minutes, as they carried on running through the night. Kari continued to illuminate the path as they descended the ever faint stony path. Whilst maintaining their pace, they looked around them and took in the vast panoramic sceneries that consisted of mountains, valleys down below and the odd cloud and drifted around the mountain ridges. Even though it was night time, the open sky and ocean of stars lended enough light for the furries to take in the infinite mountaneous and approaching woodland landscapes.

"Where-oh-where are the Echidnas tonight?" Dolly said, turning her head from side to side as she hopped along merrily.

"In bed... getting the beauty sleep they bloody well need!" Seipher snorted.

"Oh? Why the sore opinion on them Commander O'shea?" Kari asked curiously, her ears perking inquisitively.

"I just don't like them. Do I really need to justify?" Seipher ranted with his eyes shut.

"I think any form of disliking must have some ground..." Kari tried to reason.

"Okay, fine. It goes like this," Seipher grumbled "about ten years ago when I was a junior officer in the air corp, I was stationed in a shrapnel region once known as Albion. Apparently a place that goes back 'many a millenia' to the Echidnas. It was supposedly their original homeland..." Seipher explained, rolling his eyes.

"I was posted there to monitor the situation on the situation between the cat tribe and the Echidnas. Apparently they weren't getting on."

"Why were they mad at each other?" asked Dolly.

"Because our greedy echidna friends tried to take over Cat Country. But they failed. So now, the Cat tribe having had their fur ruffled, were either roaming around Albion for revenge on all those of their own kind that died in the invasion... or were keeping an eye out in case another invasion was to take place."

"...but revenge isn't the answer!" Dolly said defiantly.

"Not everyone sees it that way." Seipher answered in a matter-of-fact manner.

Hikari blinked, a sympathetic expression on her face as she took in Dolly's naive statement. It was a pity that any one simple thing was prone to never-ending complications.

"Anyway, during my stay- my digs happened to get raided by those damned 'chidnas. The Echidna authoratives found a stash of unauthorised items. I don't know what they were..." Seipher said, scratching his chin trying to recall what the items were "I do think that a cat left them lying around, intending to come back and collect them later..."

"But no. I was convincted of importing illegal items into Albion. My pleas flew over death ears and they threw me inside," he growled "I shouted and screamed at them every night- telling them who I was and that they were making a big mistake. I think they understood me, but I couldn't understand some of the funny dialects amongst the wardens. Infuriating jibberish."

Seipher looked on straight ahead, almost forgetting where he was as his eyes narrowed whilst reflecting on the past.

"They told me they were going to move me somewhere new. A confinement deep underground in a week or so. Some mad scientist visited me personally whilst I was behind bars and said he had wonderful experiments lined up for me," he continued "I decided to take my own steps. Somehow I managed to escape..."

"How... how?!" Dolly asked frantically, with Hikari also looking on, awaiting the rest of the story.

"Easy," Seipher answered "in the few days I was inside, I was able to monitor the times each warden would show up at my cell. Morning, noon, and night. Mainly to check up on the prisoners and to bring us cruddy meals was the reason. The important thing about their visits, though, was them opening the cell door. Some how, I had to take on one of them off guard and get out while I could.

"I decided to pick on one of the dumb wardens who didn't seem 'very bright upstairs'," Seipher pondered "Castellan Wernher. Ha ha ha! I chose well!"

"With a name like that..." Hikari sniggered, almost wishing she had been there.

"So he did the night-shifts. I used my three tails to fly to the ceiling and I clawed onto the ledges for as long as I could. Wernher shows up at my cell shouting 'Hello... helloooooooo? Castellan Wernher here. I don't want any games so come out now!'. Obviously I don't reply," the kitsune went on "as soon as he opened the cell and stepped inside though, that's when I let go of the ceiling, free falling, landing on the brute's shoulders causing him to fall to the ground... and then I slammed his face into the gruel he was gonna serve and knock him unconcious before grabbing his keys and making a getaway."

"Euw. So you left his face in gruel?" Dolly laughed.

"I would've left it in worse if I could," Seipher answered "I made a clean get-away, hop-boarded my Starfighter near my digs, and flew the hell off this island. Haven't been back here since today..."

"Wow. I never knew that Commander O'shea..." Hikari said "but what one Echidna did..."

"It was a whole pack that stepped way out of line!" Seipher snapped "I owe them nothing! NOTHING! And they owe me a lot... their politics and ways is corrupt and messed up! They're worse than some of today's overlanders!"

Dolly and Hikari fell silent. But now they felt they had a bit of insight into Seipher's loathing towards Echidnas.
Hikari decided that whatever was so important about Intervention X and getting a hold of it... MUST be important for him to be here right now.

"Okay... here's the entrance," Seipher said, skidding to a halt before a projection of old wooden signs. They looked worst for wear. The biggest sign pointed towards a cave opening, with a mine cart on some railtracks. Within the cave inside, it did appear to have the odd light dimly lighting the interior.

"What about you Kari?" Dolly asked the Jinmin as the trio started their way towards the interior of the cave "do you like Echidnas?"

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OOC: updating other scene now now. lol.

OOC: It's all good.

IC:

Alpine Ridge: Underground Tunnel

"What about you Kari?" Dolly asked the Jinmin as the trio started their way towards the interior of the cave "do you like Echidnas?"

Hikari shrugged at Dolly's question, then, realizing that Seipher was looking at her intently, decided to answer out loud. "I do not have any particular grudge against echidnas," She said slowly, "Our ship's navigator is an echidna, actually. But I do tend to be wary around their kind after hearing tales of what their special forces are capable of."

Seipher snorted lightly. "You would, Lieutenant. Your whole job used to center around that sort of thing."

The Jinmin blinked and laughed quietly at that.

The trio carefully entered the cave's interior, Kari's scope-light illuminating the space and the rusted rail tracks that extended into the darkness. They all blinked a little to adjust their eyes to the dimness and began their descent, following the tracks as they sloped downward inside the mountain. The air was heavy and oppressive, making Hikari feel a little claustrophobic all of a sudden. She shook the feeling off as they walked and tried to concentrate on the silent breathing of her two companions as well as the crunching of her heavy boots on the gravel, keeping the light steady so they could see.

Silence reigned for a few moments until Dolly spoke again. "So... Do you fly a plane like Uncle Seipher does, Kari?"

"Not quite," The feline smiled. "I do fly on an airship, however. It is called the Hawk's Wing." Hikari glanced at Seipher, trying to read from his dimly outlined features whether or not he wished her to go any further in her description. He simply raised his eyebrow and shrugged, though she thought she detected some rigidity about his person...

"Really?" Dolly questioned, ears flopping. "Are you it's captain? What do you do on the ship? What does it look like?" The curiosity in her voice heightened with each question until Seipher sighed in exhasperation, saying, "Take a breath, why don't you? Let her answer one question at a time, kid."

Kari stifled another snicker at his expression and Dolly's subsequent pout, turning her eyes on the path ahead to compose herself. She was beginning to see that entertainment was certainly not a problem with the duo beside her, knowing that saying so would get her throttled. She grinned.

"Kari?"

Coughing slightly the Siamese Jinmin started and blinked at the young rabbit, whose eyes still held a curious sparkle. "Oh, right. Well, to answer your first question, no, I am not the ship's captain. The captain's name is Nathaniel Greyling, but we simply call him Captain Dawson," Kari said. "I am his first mate, though," She added after a pause, causing Seipher to sputter in surprise.

"First mate!?" He hissed, eyes narrowing. Hikari nodded and he twitched. "I can't believe it...."

"I used my skills to the fullest, just like you always told me to sir," She smiled innocently. Dolly looked at her in wonder.

"Cool!" The rabbit exclaimed, her shout echoing harshly off the cave walls and causing them all to wince momentarily. "I mean, cool," She whispered, looking sheepish when she caught Seipher glaring at her for being disruptive.

Hikari only shook her head in amusement and turned her gaze forward again to the eerie shadows ahead of them, adjusting the position of her scope-light so she could lower her arm. She knew she would probably be getting an earful from her former commander later about the bomb she just dropped on him, but she was happy that he let the matter go for the moment. The silence closed in on them again, Seipher's constant warning glances keeping Dolly quiet along with her curious inspection of the earthen walls around them.

The feeling of claustrophobia began to return to Hikari as they rounded a bend in the tunnel, forcing her to inquire of Seipher, "Where will we be coming out Commander?"

OOC: Lol! Your post made me giggle SL! Smashing and just delightful
Eh-he, this was rushed. And my other scenes are still taking time!
Haven't checked spl or nothing. gotta rush, sorries D:

IC:
Cave within, Apline ridge

Whilst appraising Kari's question, Seipher frowned as he looked all around him, taking in the slight mist that haunted the ever narrowing and darker caveways and the jagged ledges that made up the body of the tunnels.

"We're miles away from our destination!" the Kitsune verified "and we won't actually be coming out anywhere, but rather we'll be going deeper and deeper until we get there..."

"Really?" Hikari asked, her heart sinking judging from the sound of her voice. A sweat drop formed on her brow.

"Yes, really." a 'no-nonesense' response was given.

"Why so deep then?" Kari asked, her voice fading as she felt herself feeling faint and giddy.

"Because those damned 'chidnas are keeping intervention X way WAAAAY underground," Seipher sighed as he stared at the device he was holding out in front of him.

"But... but... how do you know the 'chidnas did it?" Dolly asked curiously, hopping along.

"Oh, well... I'm just guessing the subject didn't just 'wander' there by their own free will," the kitsune said giving an eyeroll "unless they're really are a few sandwiches short of a picnic basket! It's not exactly paradise deep underground the floating island."

"D-d-d--d-deep underground the floating island?!" Hikari cried out.

Seipher opened his mouth, about to say something but then couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"Is curiousity starting to kill the cat…?" he joked for the first time, turning to look at the Jinmin.

But the Jinmin didn't answer, her blue eyes became misted and glaze and her expression was becoming slightly numb as her conscious began to warp elsewhere. The darkness closing in on her…
Seipher suddenly frowned in confusion.

"Derek… I… I'm just so sorry," she suddenly said, earning her a baffled look from both Seipher and Dolly.

"..Derek…?" Seipher repeated, that name striking some familiarity.

"Uncle Seipher? Who's Derek?" Dolly asked innocently.

"My hands… I can't just wash my hands in all of this…" Kari continued, holding them out and staring at them.
"Lieutenant!" Seipher ordered, stepping in as he shook her shoulders "snap out of it! You're beginning to freak us out comrade!"

"It's over… aieeeee," Kari yelped, almost tripping over a ledge in the, causing her to swerve the torch in Seipher's eyes. The light temporarily blinded him, his dilated pupils to constrict to another extreme.

"I-i-i can't see, where am I...?" Seipher's asked dumbfolded "gah!"
His answer was met with a crash to a floor after his foot connected with a lever on the ground.

"My gosh, commander O'shea!" Kari gasped, leaping in to pick up the kitsune as well as Dolly "are you hurt?"

Seipher shook his head furiously to rid himself of the dazing stars and dreamlike birds encircling his head after the consequence of the fall.

"Not as hurt as you're gonna get!" he growled, pulling away and dusting himself with his head held high.

"That means he's ok," Dolly giggled. Kari sighed with relief as well. She wondered what had happened back there and she wanted to ask, but decided against it as she noted the full evidence of Seipher's current exasperated state of mind.

Seipher glanced wearily on the floor her was walking, until his eyes fell upon the object that caused him to trip. It was a large metal lever.

"What's that doing in the middle of a cave?!" he demanded in a hushed tone, aware of the echoes that could easily resound from any significant audibility.

"Do you wanna know what I think is more bizarre?" Dolly asked, tugging at Takeshi's organic arm "over there… OVER THERE…!"

"Keep your voice down!" Seipher barked, pressing a middle finger to his lips, but forced a smile afterwards to let Dolly know that ultimately he was just concerned about everyone's well-being and welfare in a dark and lonely-seeming cave as of yet.

"S-sorry…" she stuttered, and bounced right back to her former statement "…this big BIG door opened before you tripped, Kari, and AFTER uncle Seipher tripped on that… lever thing!"

The three furies all turned and noticed streams of light beams cascading out of a portal like door. The wooden beams that framed the opening of the portal-like door also had refracted light on the sides, and their ears were met with what sounded like waterfalls.

Without any prior discussion, they were all drawn towards the opening and consequently jogged to it without delay. As they peered through, they all gasped in surprise.

Within was a boundless scape of ruins that appeared to once configure a whole city and civilisation within. There were horizons of pillars and authentic architecture that were strong enough to draw anyone's attention. What particularly stood out from this golden slated, marbled city was the infinite-seeming waterfalls and streams that cascaded on every path in a seemingly harmonious manner.
Unlike the narrow, claustrophobia inducing cave the furies were previously in, the expanse felt as if it had its own 'outside' sky. It was particularly mezmerising to see the a wavering golden coloured spectrum of refracted lights dancing on the sky-high cave building.

"Oh my gosh… it's so beautiful!" Hikari was the first to speak out as she held her organic hand to her mouth.

"Yeah! Look at the water slides… and and… the waterfalls… and the pretty buildings…!" Dolly exclaimed.

Seipher was open-mouthed for a long time as he took in the surroundings. He turned to look at his device.

"Apparently this is Hydrocity…" he said almost to himself "history and former civilisation… undefined." He finished, disappointed at the 'undefines' and 'unknowns'.

"Looky over there!" Dolly exclaimed, darting off at full speed.

"…Dolly… w-ai…t…!" Seipher called out, but was too late and he watched her disappear, feeling somewhat impatient.

"Lieutennant, would you mind going after her and make sure she doesn't stray? I need to work out more about this place. Try and deem if it's 'safe' to proceed through this route," Seipher explained.

"Sure sure! Have fun!" Kari said running off, hearing Seipher grunt in response.

Hikari ran along the marble floors, enjoying the splashes as she ran along the puddles of water and she skidded with ease to finally catch up with Dolly, who was peering at a pool of water which had discarded large vases and was receiving a never-ending rainfall of water from a slide above.

"Look over there… Kari… is that a chao?" Dolly said, pointing at a lonesome chao sitting on a projected pillar "can we play with it??" she asked eagerly.

Hydrocity

Kari mumbled a response, her senses still taking in the tranquil beauty of this hidden place. How long had this been here? Untouched...

Whatever the Siamese had said, Dolly had obviously taken it as an affirmative answer, and was now charging pell-mell towards the light-bathed pillar and the lone chao perched atop it like a moth to a flame.

Wait! No...something wasn't right.

"Dolly! Wait! Stop! Don't go near!"

Even as the words of warning reached the little rabbit, she had already almost scaled the smooth, white pillar. Peering over the edge, Dolly voiced a friendly greeting to the creature.

"Hello...what's your name...?"

With a blinding white flash, the chao exploded into a thousand shards of starlight, sending Dolly falling backwards off the pillar with a startled yelp. Rubbing her eyes, she was hastily picked to her feet by a scowling Seipher.

"It was a hologram of some kind...Dolly....what did I say about running off like that..!?"

It was then that the lost city came alive once more, as waves of energy seemed to pass through the place like a heartbeat, the air thrumming with a glamour of ancient, almost arcane technology. The white flagstones at their feet, formerly cold and featureless, became warm, with glowing patterns of light beginning to form, pulsating, throbbing, luminescense coming from within the stones themselves. As the stunned Mobians looked on, a loud voice - speaking in a tongue long forgotten, unintelligible to their ears - boomed out from amongst the many buildings, carrying easily over the rush of waterfalls.

And it was then, that they came.

At first, it was a scuttling, echoing out from somewhere, barely audible over the voice and the water around them. But as it continued it grew, increasing in volume and tempo - many things were coming. Fast. Hikari poised herself into a traditional Jinmin fighting stance, preparing herself mentally and physically for combat, even as her mind reeled at the melodic voice, the shining paths of light at their feet - the sheer beauty of it all. Then one of the things scuttled into view.

It had a six, insectoid legs, tapering off to a long slender body about twice the size of Hikari. Mirror-smooth silver skin coated the thing, with strange, shifting patterns etched into its surface that appeared to move even as you studied them. A bulbous, V-shaped head peered at them from between its swift-moving legs, with a single glowing white eye its only defining feature. Behind it, more of its identical brethren followed closely, and approached the trio of hapless Mobians.

"What are they? Machines?"

"We don't know exactly....they appear to be AIs, but they move like something organic, something living."

It couldn't be...could it? Surely they couldn't be...

"No, they're not Ancients. None of the archaeotech that's ever been dug up has matched their physiology. They appear to be... ...Caretakers..."

Seipher's voice trailed off as a Caretaker approached, its head turning quizzically towards Dolly, before regarding the stone pillar before them. Suddenly, it let out a strange, melodic bleeping, and in a matter of seconds, the holographic image of the lone chao returned. Similarly, all around them other Caretakers were 'singing' to a number of other pillars that dotted the plaza. Similarly, the three-dimensional images of a multitude of creatures appeared one by one. Many almost seemed to look like Mobians...but not like any Hikari or Seipher had known of. Others were entirely unknown to the pair, a strange zoo of long extinct and forgotten animals.

"We should keep moving...these things can be unpredictable..."

Refinery

As relentless and unstoppable as death itself, the white fog coiled amongst the legs of the fighting, and rolled over the bodies of those already fallen.

Castellan Wernher, however, was looking on in amazement at the echinda newcomer's skillful craft of killing. Within mere minutes he had dispatched both the bear and it controller, buying his men time and breathing room to deal with the other rioters.

With but more soldiers like these, such uprisings like these would become child's play...

Ash, however, was now marching up to the Castellan with renewed intent and focus in his eyes, as his stun knuckles crackled menacingly at his sides.

"Excellent work, you'll most certainly get a promotion for this!"

"That's the idea."

Wernher barely had time to dodge away, as the newcomer suddenly ran and lunged, transforming into a swirling whirlwind of well-trained fists and artificial lightning. Kicking out with his own powerful legs, the Castellan managed to thump Ash away into a pile of crates which disintigrated on impact. Around them, the riot continued unabated, both Wernher's men and the prisoners ignoring their tussle. Realisation of Ash's true mission struck the Castellan, as he and his opponent picked themselves up and squared eachother off.

"So, the Warden sent you to kill me, just acting as another little pawn in her power games. I'd have thought a soldier of your calibre would have more sense than to serve that crone and her schemes. Even the Dark Legion has such a thing as honour."

"This is about more than just what she wants, or your twisted sense of morals, scum."

"They all say that, before she kills them off too. Behold, even now your doom approaches amidst the poison cloud. And I have a rebreather mask. It shall be good to watch you die, either by my hand or the fumes."

With that, the Castellan ceased talking, and immediately his demeanor changed, from a calm and collected leader to a cold and determined warrior, allowing his martial instincts to flow through and guide him. With a flick of his wrists, a pair of wickedly serrated blades extended out over each of his knuckles.

"Let's see the Ancestors save you."

OOC: Your post made me giggle too Ben...nicely done! <3

"We should keep moving...these things can be unpredictable..." Seipher murmured, eyeing the Caretakers just as warily.

The Jinmin nodded absently, slowly tearing her eyes away from the curiosities before them. Dolly seemed to be the only one who wasn't gazing suspiciously at the creatures, her eyes wide and wondering while her mouth fell open and closed continuously like a fish out of water. Just as she made to step toward the nearest Caretaker Kari placed her organic hand on the rabbit's shoulder, effectively halting the movement and earning her a questioning look. Shaking her head the Siamese feline squeezed Dolly's shoulder and nodded in Seipher's direction.

"Best to listen to the Commander, Dolly. We do not know what these... Caretakers would or could do to you," Kari said quietly. The creature in question looked to one of its fellows at this and rattled off a series of beeps, whistles, and clicks, making them all jump.

"Can it... can it understand us, Kari?" Dolly asked, wide-eyed once again.

Hikari turned to look intently at the Caretaker that had 'spoken', her eyes searching its physique for any sign of understanding and failing to find any. Not that that meant they didn't understand them... "Perhaps," She said at last, shrugging lightly. "Maybe it-"

"Lieutenant! Dolly!" Seipher interrupted, having taken a few cautious steps forward. He waved hand impatiently, these alien creatures making him uncomfortable and concerned with the other two's safety. "Let's go! I'll feel better when we've put a little distance between us," He jerked a thumb at the Caretakers, "and them."

Compliantly Kari obeyed, guiding Dolly forward so that she was walking between her and Seipher in case of an attack. The Jinmin's fur was standing on edge along her neck, betraying her similar discomfort, and she shared her former superior's view in wanting to put distance between them and the source of her discomfort. The all walked slowly and cautiosly with Seipher leading the way, taking them back the way they had come in the hopes of finding a route that led around the Caretakers. The blips and bleeps of their observers followed them as they went, causing a curious tingle to rise within Hikari's metal arm. Ignoring the bizarre sensation she focused on her feet and the measured steps she was taking, quickly becoming mesmerized by the shining floor tiles beneath her.

The tingling intensified minutely one moment, and a pair of eerie red eyes flashed into her mind's eye. Then the sensation stopped.

"Kari?"

Looking up the Siamese Jinmin realized she had slowed her pace, then hurried to catch up to her companions with a last look over her shoulder at the strange silver creatures behind them. What just happened...?

"Kari, are you okay?" Dolly questioned, following her gaze and then turning to look at the Jinmin. "Your arm was sparkin' a little."

Seipher looked at her as well, his eyes seeming to echo the rabbit's question. Hikari fought the urge to gulp as he focused on her, remember that when she was a cadet his eyes had always seemed to unnerve her terribly. I suppose that hasn't changed, then. Shaking her head a little she replied, "I am fine, really. Just a tingle.Their communication was probably jamming a circuit or something..."

"Be careful then, the both of you," Seipher said after a pause of staring. "If that's the case then it could affect your appendages badly, which is not something we can afford at the moment."

Dolly shrugged, "Don't worry about it Uncle Seipher! We'll be fine, right Kari?"

Kari hesitated, then answered, "Perhaps it was just a glitch in my system. But a little caution never hurt anyone, Dolly."

Even as she said this those haunting red eyes appeared in her thoughts again and she suppressed a shiver. Where had she seen them...?

OOC: Sorry I took long!

Interrogation room

"God damnit!" Butterfly cursed in agony, picking her tender form up after the inhumane throw against the cold stone wall. Her eyes were still flaring red, but were now waning now and again as the wake for determination to survive and giving up in shame were at loggerheads.

"My impudence will not be tolerated?" she laughed bitterly, her eyes half shut as she stood warily next to the confined Timber.

"YoUR reSISTance hAS deMONstrATEd the NEEd for FURTher apPLICation of pAIN STImULi. SeMI-FATal exCRUCiatION now DETErmiNED to be neCESSary."

"You shall not harm her you abomination!" Tobias cried out, seemingly out of the blue.

Leaping onto the AI's back and clinging on despite his injury, Tobias attacked the thing's neck with a bonesaw he had liberated from its butcher's collection. Sparks flew wildly, as the rapidly-spinning teeth cut into servos, electro-tendons, anything the fox could expose.

"He's… he's crazy!" Butterfly mumbled feebly, watching the wound haemorrhage as Tobias blindly threw his life at the hell machine itself.

Within a blink of an eye, she stopped, dropped and rolled.

And just as the AI had pulled out an arm, unsheathed with multiple blades to cut off the last living chords of the fox's life, 'fly aimed a drop kick towards the machines' version of 'ankles.

The AI shrieked a deafening malfunctioning wail at this unpredictable move- but Butterfly fought against the threatening outcry and latched onto Tobias' hands, picking him up and flying him elsewhere before he tumbled down in its own sheath of sharps.

On impact to the floor, one of Malleus' katana-like blades snapped out of his arms and bounced off the floor.

"I don't know who or what you are…" an approaching voice came, a couple of shackled rings dropping to the floor and clanging on contact "but your heartless morals and spirit are beyond rescue. Your horrifying and besmirching sinful deeds end today."

With that, Timber pulled back the broken blade he had caught after it had flown out of Malleus' system, and drove it hard into the screen which formerly made up his artificial eyes. It required a force of iron, but the blade managed to penetrate the AI's eye display, causing the hard glass to splinter and the red eyes that made up the pupils suddenly scrambled in glitch, error and fault.

Timber would've normally have seen the job through in terms of ensuring the machine's demise, but instinctively ran out of the confinement, after were Butterfly had flown out with Tobias' elsewhere in their escape.

He could only hope that it would be the last he, himself, and Butterfly and Tobias would see of the dreaded artificial intelligent lifeform.

Hydrocity

Seipher vaguely acknowledged the last two lines of conversation exchanged between Kari and Dolly. His firey eyes darted from the waning breeds of oddly derived creatures that faded in and out of view from their resting positions upon pillars, authentic vases, underwater pools, entry-way buildings, and generally all over the place.

He regarded the large insectiod creature, which was one of the first to appear when Dolly first interacted with what she thought was a chao. Or maybe it was a chao. Chao, after all, went back as far back as the Echidnas did, if not further. Wasn't that so?

"Keep in line…" Seipher mumbled, a sweat drop forming on his forehead, in spite of the coolness of the hydrocity vicinity itself.

It's centipede like body suddenly obstructed Dolly's path, causing the rabbit child to gasp and back up a bit. It bleeped and seemingly howled a foreign tongue, leaving her somewhat confused as she regarded its waning yellow orb like eyes.

"I er…" she choked.

"She doesn't speak your tongue!" Seipher stepped in abruptly, coming in to smack the insect around the mandible.

"Ouch!" Seipher yelped, watching the skin of his glove etched away to leave a visible burn mark where his skin had made contact with the creature's face.

His eyes widened with disbelief. Just… what was this caretaker made of?

"It would seem… that aggression is not the way…" Seipher trailed off, he looked as more and more caretakers seemed to appear.

Suddenly, a lone majestic like figure stepped forwards- walking towards Seipher, Kari and Dolly. He appeared to be slightly scale and had the colour of the inside of a shell. Almost pearl like. His head was crowned and he had a smoothed mussel. On further inspection, if Seipher was to guess what creature this one remotely ressembled, he would've guessed a seahorse.

With a voice that appeared to come from nowhere, he suddenly spoke:

"I have watched your kind from afar from an ethereal realm for centuries and have come to master your tongue," he said "you will find that only I, can communicate with the likes of you tarnished species."

Seipher tried to refrain from scowling at the derisive accusation of the creature that just appeared from nowhere. With such little knowledge on these mysterious beasts, he may find that any false moves could cost him and his team-ups his life.

"Why are we tarnished?" Dolly asked confused.

"Our kind we were once united, proud, and made of authentic principles and these pure shores used to sing with synchronized harmony and honour of a golden aged kingdom," the seahorse explained "we were also the keepers of the chaos emeralds. Talismans of infinite power that kept our civilisation together and the streams within our city flowing with life. As soon as one of your tarnished, ignorant mobian kind came and stole the artefacts out of sheer lust and greed for its power, our city waned and fell apart. And we became a dying breed. Shadows merging to an almost long-forgotten past…"

The seahorse stamped its staff into a puddle of water. As he did so, Kari, Seipher and Dolly looked at the puddle and were mesmerised when they saw a vision of the past appear in on the surface of the water. Creatures, very similar to the ones they had seen early, could be seen bustling around a town which was very much alive with a sense of piece and order. There was something familiar about the town… until it hit them that it was the very city they were standing in now. From centuries ago.

The seahorse turned to Kari and spoke.

"If you mobians wish to redeem your former honour and glory, or perhaps in your more selfish personal affairs- the will to pass through this city alive, we desire a chaos emerald. Do you accept?" he asked the Jinmin.