[[ Truce Canyon - Scenic Trail ]]

Aile says 'Shrike, huh? Alright, I should be able to keep him from falling off the side of the ferry. But would you mind sending someone along with? It sounded like I was held in suspicion, and I want to make sure nothing goes wrong.'

Milo says 'I'll come myself. I want to figure out what is going on here. Let me get all the troops up to date first, though.'

Aile says 'Alright.'

Axl stops his lackadaisical stroll towards the gate a few strides short upon first noticing the group, then the fact that half it seems to have come out of quite the little skirmish. /Hmph. He's worse off than I thought./

Milo rears back and slaps Spider cruelly for his stupidity, sending him sprawling to the floor.

Milo narrows his eyes. "...Change of plans."

Aile says 'What now?'

Milo looks pointedly in the direction of the newcomer.

Aile turns toward Axl... and recoils. 'Oh CRAP! I'm in no condition for another fight!'

Spider says 'mrph...'

Axl cocks his head to one side to get a better view of the disarmed(harha) Aile and the bound Spider, to which he makes a face. "Man, what happened -here-?" /Oh good, he'll be easier to take care of~.../

Milo says 'It appears some people are accusing each other of treason.'

Aile tasers Spider again, halfheartedly.

Milo says 'Do you know anything about this?'

Axl takes a step back as the taser goes off, looking something in the middle of confused and... -really- confused. He shakes his head quickly. "N-no, nothing..."

Milo says 'Well, I was under the impression you were pretty close to Spider, and possibly Aile. Never noticed either of them doing anything suspicious?'

"Him, I'm not sure about," Axl starts, tossing a thumb in Aile's direction, "But Spider..." He looks towards the Fedora-less One, merely gazing his way in a mildly wounded manner. "There's -something- up with him."

Milo says 'Hmm. I see.'

Aile says 'As I recall, Spider accused Axl of a murder. I sided with Spider for the simple fact that I... trusted him more, sad to say. It seems I owe you an apology, Axl.'

Axl nods numbly. "Yeah, got it." His stare is perhaps a bit -too- intense for the moment, innocent emerald eyes harboring a deeper message...

"A murder?" Milo's face darkens a little. "Whose?"

Aile says 'A Reploid woman from Giga City. Marino, I believe she was called, though I was sent here before she joined Spider and the rest there...'

Milo says '...Giga City? Some place from your world, I presume?'

Aile nods.

Milo says 'Hmm. If she's a reploid it might be possible to fix her.'

Axl suddenly tenses, finally breaking eye contact in favor of looking off somewhere to one side. Perhaps he's a bit too distraught over the loss since they weren't on the best of terms, but there it is.

Aile says 'That's what I said too, actually.'

Aile says 'In fact, that's when I met Rika... but she was... a little busy, and quite frankly, a little -off-.'

Axl struggles to raise his voice again, shaking and broken. "No... it's... I saw her, she was hit in the back..." He trails off, trying desperately to not tremble.

Milo says 'She's been a little off ever since since the god she was worshiping was mean to her and she was seduced by a powerful Maverick... long story. But she does know her craft.'

Aile says 'Axl, are you okay? You don't sound too good...'

Axl keeps his head down and tries to push his way past the group. "It's my shift, I gotta go."

Milo moves in front of Axl, blocking his path.

Aile says 'Hold on a moment, Axl, please. We need your help if we're going to get anything fixed around here. Please.'

Axl snaps his gaze up to Aile, letting it become obvious that he's really just trying to run off before anyone sees him in his own brand of mourning. "I siad I have to -go-!" Again, he attempts to push past the makeshift blockade...

Milo says 'I decide who has shifts when here.'

Milo holds his position forcefully.

Aile shakes his head and blocks the opposite path as well. 'You need to talk to us, Axl. You can't just keep running at every mention of her.'

Axl looks to Aile for all of a second, trailing off to the ground between the ones flanking him. He seems to be struggling more than most would over trying to talk about those that've passed...

Axl says '...I... I just don't want to, okay? Just let me go, I'll talk about it later!'

Aile says 'No, Axl. You've got some kind of guilt issue here, I think. What part of this do you feel is your fault?'

"I... I don't..." Axl's legs suddenly buckle under the unseen stress and he drops to the ground, one hand planted to keep him from falling entrely, the other fiercely gripping the side of his head. He tries to form some kind of coherent speech, but fails miserably under the inexplicable bout of searing pain...

Milo says '...'

Aile says 'Well... there's obviously something wrong there.'

Milo says 'Well, what do you make of this? And should I try to heal him?'

Milo says '...Speaking of which, you look like you could use some repairing yourself.'

Axl quickly tries to dart past Aile in a desperate attempt to get away, still held fast by the unknown cause of the odd ordeal..

Aile shrugs. 'Quite frankly, I have no idea.... but he has the same kind of chip in him that messed up Spider so badly. Heal him, yes, but keep him under surveillance. That's my recommendation. And yes, I could use some help.'

Aile gently but firmly grabs Axl. 'I'm -trying- to -help you-. Now calm DOWN!'

Axl fiercely rips himself out of Aile's grasp, giving him a one-second glance that speaks volumes... and in the process, he shows off a pair of irrationally angered amber eyes just before looking back north and attempting to escape once more.

Milo immediately takes after Axl as he dashes away, becoming airborne in a couple of seconds.

Aile dashes off after them as fast as he can with his burden and injuries. 'Yellow eyes...? They were green a second ago...'

Axl is still running at top speed(quite fast, really, but at least he's not Dashing... yet), totally neglecting to notice Milo chasing after him from above...

Milo continues pursuit, wings flapping furiously.

Aile purposely veers a little more to the right and starts yelling in a nice distraction. 'Axl, STOP! Wait up, man! I just want to help you!'

Axl just keeps on running, not bothering to look back or anything prudent to that effect...

Aile shrugs his shoulders. 'Had your chance, kid.' He fishes around in his compartments, yet again, and comes out with a bola. He pegs it at Axl's shins.

Axl stumbles and starts tumbling from the extra momentum as the bola wraps neatly around his boots, leaving him lying flat on his front and ever so nicely prone...

Milo quickly seizes the opportunity to push Axl down from his high position. For what it's worth, he does grab on and use his wings to slow down Axl's decent so he doesn't dent too badly, but he keeps Axl well pinned to the ground.

Aile finally catches up to the two of 'em. 'Just cause one arm's gone doesn't mean the other's not working. I tried to do this the easy way.'

Axl finally relinquishes a cry of pain and a decrease in the amount he's struggling... he -is- still struggling, though, but not enough to make any real impact on his situation. /...Unexpected, to say the least./

Lumine tells you 'Fight back, damnit! I won't let the New World fall to these idiots!'

You tell Lumine 'Screw that! I'm not letting you win, damn it! And if this is the way I have to do it, so be it!'

Lumine tells you 'Give me back control!'

Axl has calmed down considerably since the ropes started binding him, but he's still desperately trying to not make eye contact with anyone.

You tell Lumine 'To hell with that, and to hell with -you-!'

Aile cautiously approaches Axl and attempts to look him in the eyes. 'There's something off about you right now, boy. Look me in the eyes and tell me you're innocent.'

Lumine tells you '*The reply isn't verbal so much as it is just -anger-, trying to destroy Axl's control again...*'

Milo Considering Axl sufficiently restrained, Milo leaps off toward Aile. "So, about that whole healing thing."

Spider says 'mmph?'

Aile says 'If he shows the slightest sign of trying to splode me again, I'm tasering him on max.'

Axl suddenly cringes for what seems to be no apparent reason, but manages to keep his face hidden...

You tell Lumine 'No... I'm so close, I won't let you!'

Lumine tells you '*Another mental attack from Lumine batters down on Axl.*'

Aile relaxes visibly as some of his damage fades away. 'That's a rather neat trick. Thanks much. I'll still have to get the compensators on this thing fixed, but it looks like everything else is probably in order, other than the arm.'

Milo says 'So. I don't see any physical damage on Axl so I'm not sure my spell will do anything, but it never hurts to try.'

Aile shrugs. 'It's certainly worth a shot, I suppose. But I'm still suspicious about those eyes.'

Milo heads over, bends down, and performs some gestures - mostly focussing his spell on the head, which is what seemed to hurt earlier.

Axl doesn't seem to benefit from the casting at all, save for some older scuffs and scratches fading, but he's still keeping up his show of grunting and rolling about in the middle of -something- that doesn't look pleasant.

Aile says 'Maybe we should jast taser the punk and be done with it for a while.'

Lumine tells you 'I will triumph! This is my body!'

Milo says 'Why taser? He seems sufficiently restrained for now.'

Aile shrugs helplessly.

Milo says 'We should really find a place to put him, however.'

Aile says 'Up to you... but he looks like he's in pain.'

You tell Lumine 'You're... persistant... but I won't give up, you can count on it. *he's getting weaker, but this is -Axl- we're talking about*'

Milo says '...And an electric shock would help that?'

Aile says 'It'd knock him out, at the very least.'

Aile sighs and puts away the taser.

Aile says 'Have it your way.'

Lumine tells you 'Why won't you? You know that as long as you resist, the pain will go on... Give into me, and I'll keep you safe~...'

Axl gets out a very faint, stressed whisper in the middle of his exhibition. "...do it..." It's not clear who he's directing it at, however.

You tell Lumine 'I'll take some pain if it means getting rid of you. Not like I'm not used to it by now...'

Lumine tells you 'Then the war will have to continue, shattering your mind more with every step. *Another mental attack, this one stronger*'

Milo says 'So. You said you know where Rika is? Or shall we try our luck in Shrike?'

Aile swears as his hover unit suddenly tips to the right, nearly sending Spider for a spill. He flips open a panel and presses a few buttons, and thin, black metal legs sprout from the side, looking almost spiderlike.

Milo says 'And it might be good to inform Zero about these developments, if we can locate him.'

Aile nods sharply. 'Absolutely... but you can be the one to tell Zero why we have Axl bound. Other than that, I'm with you all the way.'

Milo rushes at Aile, ready to catch him.

Milo says '...What was that?'

Aile says 'That was my failsafe for either hover failure or CRAPPY terrain. I don't like to use it much as it has a tendency to give a bad first impression.'

Axl gets choked off again by another spasm, and seems mostly quiet for the moment...

Milo says '...Also, I STILL need to clear you to my troops. Be right back. You watch Axl.'

Milo runs off and returns in a few minutes.

Aile pins Axl to the ground with three legs. He toys with the idea of the taser a few moments, but decides against it.

Spider mumbles as the hovercraft rocks.

Spider says 'mrph?'

Aile says 'You have three tenths of a second to stop moving before I taser you again, Spider.'

Aile flips two legs up to "grab" Spider in order to help keep him still.

Milo says 'So. Zero is on a stealth mission, so we may have trouble finding him, but presumably if he sees us he'll come out to talk. Shall we?'

Spider stops moving. "Mrph."

Aile releases Axl and nods. 'Let's.'

Aile skitters off behind Milo, two legs still holding Spider rather more tightly than he would probably enjoy.

Spider doesn't look like he's enjoying it, so. He's awake and clearly annoyed now.

Lumine tells you '...Just give in, Axl. It will be easier on both of us.'

Milo bends down to pick up Axl. He strains under the weight, but manages.

You tell Lumine 'Heh. Always taking the easy way out... Mister High-and-mighty Elitist doesn't wanna get his hands dirty...'

[[ Bustling Canyon, Cosmo - Entrance ]]

Lumine tells you 'I just don't want to damage you too much. You are my brother, after all~...'

Milo says 'Where to start.'

Aile says 'Under other cicumstances, my immediate response would be the bar, but we're here on strict business...'

You tell Lumine '...Hell, I'll even deal with -that- if it means getting you out.'

Lumine tells you '*there's a sensation like Lumine is mentally wrapping Axl in his arms.* Just let your brother bring us to a better world, then you can do what you will and nothing will be broken any more~...'

Milo says 'Hmm... if either of our captives is capable of talking, I'd like to know where they're keeping Gforte.'

Spider is wearing a gag, and thus not one for talking!

Aile sighs. 'Spider, I'm going to remove your gag. Any sudden moves, and I'll reintroduce you to my good friend Zappy.'

Spider nods slightly. "Mmph."

Aile carefully removes the gag.

You tell Lumine '*okay, that's a bit much, as Axl goes far enough out of reach to not get hugged* Okay, the brother stuff I can deal with, but you are NOT touching me!'

Milo says '...You can't make sudden moves by talking, Aile.'

Aile says 'You'd be surprised.'

Spider says 'Well, I could bite his fingers, but I really rather not.'

Milo says 'Well... I guess if he's a spellcaster, maybe.'

Milo says 'He never really showed such an inclination.'

Aile says 'I've heard stories about how nimble his tongue is. I'm not sure how credible the sources were, but...'

Milo says 'So, care to answer the question?'

Lumine tells you 'Just give in~... I'll leave you in peace, surrounded by illusions of whatever you choose~... Isn't that easier than dealing with the realities of our harsh, ugly world?'

Spider says '...There's a little cave in one of the cliff walls. We put a Koopa there once, remember? Signas and Gforte are there.'

You tell Lumine '...Y'know, it is. But that's not what I want. Being surrounded by delusions for the rest of my life isn't exactly the way I want to live.'

Lumine tells you 'So you'd rather live as a broken, damaged shell of what you once were? That's what you'll end up if we take the hard route...'

You tell Lumine 'Heh... I kinda feel sorry for you. You have no idea what it's like to live on your own, you've always had other people cater to your every little complaint... you can't say -anything- like that about me!'

Spider says '...Aile, buddy. I'm sorry about this.'

Milo says 'So, which direction is this particular cliff?'

Aile says 'Save the apologies for when you're fixed. We'll have plenty of time then.'

Spider nods in some direction or another. The cliff has no actual location, yay.

Lumine tells you 'And why does that matter? I'm still stronger than you are. That's why people obey me and aid me.'

You tell Lumine 'Oh yeah? Then why'd we totally -own- you on the moon, huh?'

Lumine tells you '...You were lucky.'

Lumine tells you 'Besides, now you're alone~...'

You tell Lumine 'I could still beat you.'

Lumine tells you 'Then prove it~. Just one attack~...'

Milo says 'Hmm.. You have Signas too?'

Sunflash pops his head around the edge of the cliff, quietly checking who was there and where. He stepped further around, but didn't say anything else yet. Watching.

You tell Lumine 'Yeah, you'd want me to, wouldn't you? It's a thing called 'not killing everyone around me in the process'.'

Spider says '...Yes. He came close to figuring out what was happening.'

Axl is more or less out cold now... and bound. Still very much tied up.

Milo says 'Why do you keep inviting all these people to the militia if you just intend to eliminate all of them?'

Lumine tells you 'Mental attacks won't hurt anyone~!'

Milo says '...Well, other than Axl.'

Spider says '...Because I'm addicted to a substance that's messing with my CPU, maybe? Because I'm crazy? Search me.'

Aile says 'Spider... I know where some of your compartments are. you don't want a full search.'

Milo says '...A drug?'

Milo says 'Tell me more.'

Spider says '...Force Metal.'

Spider says 'Made the pain go away, made Redips shut up, made everything -work-...'

You tell Lumine 'You never know... I'm the prototype, remember? Even in my head, something could happen if I used my copy chip...'

Sunflash raises an eyebrow. Lovely discussion going on it seems.

Milo shakes his head, obviously confused.

Aile shakes his head. 'Spider... you have to have known about the radiation. The consequences of overexposure.'

Lumine tells you 'I'm sure your aim is better than that~... Unless you really are just a prototype. Worthless and useless~...'

Milo says 'Anyway. To the cave.'

Spider glares up at Aile. "Of course I knew, but it was all I -had-..."

Sunflash says 'Not that I'm complaining about running off somewhere so soon Milo, but umm....care to catch me up real quick? Short sentences are fine."'

Milo says 'Spider traitor. Axl traitor. Spider capture Signas and Gforte. Aile capture Spider. We now free Signas and Gforte.'

Aile sighs. 'At least tell me you were using Neutralizers... or even some Minus Metal...'

Milo has a distinct smirk while saying this.

Spider says 'No... The problem was that the radiation was what -helped-...'

Sunflash grins, "Good enough I guess. Once we get done, I'd like more detail, but that's enough to run with." He chuckles breifly before mentioning to them to lead the way.

Aile sinks his face into his palm and shakes his head. 'What are we gonna -do- with you, Spider? I doubt we have the facilities here to cure FM exposure, regardless of how much you think it helped you...'

You tell Lumine 'I just don't think I have to use it right now, that's all...'

Lumine tells you 'Then I might as well continue. *Lumine once again mentally attacks the other.*'

Milo starts heading in the direction Spider indicates.

Aile skitters off after Milo.

[[ Cosmo Canyon - Shambled Room ]]

Spider sighs. "...I'll be fine, hopefully. And if not... If Redips takes over again... retire me, OK?"

Aile nods solemnly. 'I promise.'

Axl starts moving again, but slowly... Looks like whatever was going on before is starting up again, and he's in no condition to deal with it.

Signas looks up from where he is bound to the wall, by several lengths of strong field chains. "Well howdy, I didn't know there was going to be a party. I would have dressed up."

Aile says 'You must be Signas.'

Sunflash stands guarding the door/stairway. Yayness. Sword is resting point down as he just watchs and listens.

Signas smiles pleasantly. "First try, good job. You've got me at a disadvantage, though."

Lumine tells you 'Just give in~! *Another attack.*'

Aile says 'Aile. An old friend and partner of Spider.'

Spider is tied to the back of Aile's hoverchair, missing his hat. "Hi, Andre."

Milo looks around. "I don't see Gforte here." He attempts to remove Signas's shackles.

Aile mutters, 'Good riddance.'

Sunflash coughs, grinning faintly.

Aile says 'With any luck, he fell and broke his face. ...Off.'

Signas is freed after a moment of fiddling with, then forcing the lock. He falls to the floor heavily, landing on his feet but falling backwards into a crouch. "Hi, Bob."

Axl cringes once again, much more vehemently... and then stills. -Really- still, this time. He's not even groaning, or making any signs that he's running at all.

You tell Lumine '...not done... not even close... *he fades back into obscurity once again. Lumine Wins!*'

Milo glares at Aile. "Look. Whatever your personal opinion on Gforte. (A), he's still on our side, and (B) an unsolved mystery is never a good thing."

Signas says 'So, what can I do for you..' He looks around, settling his eyes on Milo. '.. Commander?'

Milo says 'Well, I'm trying to figure out what is going on.'

Milo says 'Did you see what happened with Gforte?'

Sunflash mutters, glancing back up the stairs while listening. The whole room gave him the wilies.

Signas stretches his neck. "He escaped a while ago.. days? Weeks? He didn't take me with him, but I didn't say anything, either.

Milo says 'He escaped... how? And he didn't take you with him? That can't be good...'

Signas says 'I think, he picked the lock somehow. He might have had a Met with him.'

Spider tries to stretch and is stopped by the ropes. "Uh, Aile, mind loosening these just a bit? I'm getting a cramp or something."

Aile says 'Not a chance, old friend. This is for both our sakes.'

Signas leers warily at Spider.

Milo says 'Mike... figures. Although how can you pick a lock without hands?'

Aile starts poking other legs into Spider's limbs at random in a vague and probably painful attempt at massage. 'This is the best I can do for now.'

Sunflash rolls his eyes, making a mental note to avoid any possible 'mental fencing' with that Aile guy.

Spider winces at the 'massage'. "...Just forget about it." A pause. "...Can I at least have some booze?"

Aile says 'I was on my way to restock on booze when you JUMPED ME, Spider. That's entirely your own fault.'

Axl manages a very faint grin at the mention of booze, which may or may not be visible depending on which way he's facing...

Milo says 'So. Next point of order, try to find Zero.'

Aile sends a sharp glance at Axl. 'You're a minor, boy. Don't even think it.'

Spider says '...Yeah, but you have to have an emergency supply somewhere on this thing.'

Aile says 'Yes, Spider, but you're not getting anywhere near my precioussss.'

Signas grunts and rises to his feet. "Zero?"

Axl almost mimics Aile in how little his mouth moves when he whispers, "Didn't say nothin'..."

Milo says 'He was on a mission to check on Spider's defenses, but things seem to have gone a little faster than expected.'

Sunflash says '...We're looking for numbers here or what?" He glances at the stairs again before turning back.'

Spider says 'Come on, Aile, do the decent thing for a friend and let me be blissfully semiunconcious...'

Aile shrugs. 'Have it your way, Spider.' He pulls out the taser. BRZZZZZZT.

Aile says 'What? He asked. you all heard him ask.'

Signas grins a bit. It's good to see Spider get the short end of the stick sometimes

Spider twitches heavily and then slumps. "...I hate you, Aile."

Aile says 'I hate you too, buddy. Sleep well.'

Sunflash snorts, shaking his head. A faint mutter of "why me" might be heard as he leans against the wall.

Milo glares at Aile, then at Sunflash. "Not my fault all reploids have stupid names, Sudden Illumination Of Solar Origins."

Axl idly rolls over on his back and vacantly looks at the ceiling. It's clear he's more or less normal now, even though he looks like he looks utterly spent -- his green eyes are the clearest indication of this.

When Spider speaks again, he almost sounds drunk. Maybe the taser worked! "I named myself my own name backwards and noone noticed, hah..."

Signas protests silently, turning to the nearest person. ".. 'Signas' isn't stupid, is it?"

Aile says 'Hey, at least your name consists of more than one letter.'

Sunflash takes a short bow. "I'd rather be named after the Sun than numbers. But moving on, what exactly do we do next, oh fearless leader?"

Milo says 'As I said, see if we can find Zero. He should be around the city somewhere, but he's on a stealth mission, so...'

Spider says '...Aile. One more favor. There's force metal on my arm...'

Aile removes it with two legs and shoves it in a rather deep compartment that's lined differently than the rest. 'Right. Consider it taken care of.'

Signas says 'Zero wouldn't have any reason to avoid you, would he..?'

Aile readies the taser in case that was a big GIANT mistake.

Milo says 'Force Metal doesn't affect organics, does it?'

Signas lets the question trail off on purpose.

Aile says 'Not to my knowledge, but I'd rather not take chances.'

Spider smiles for a moment. "Thanks~..."

Aile says 'That's the answer to both of you.'

Sunflash raises an eyebrow. "Which city? Cosmo or Truce?"

Milo says 'I was just thinking maybe it'd be better if I held onto it.'

Aile says 'If you really want to, that's fine, but I can guarantee you 100% that no radiation from it will escape that particular container. I don't want to be anywhere near that stuff unprotected.'

Spider slowly begins to tense.

Aile readies the taser.

Aile says 'Spider, what are you doing?'

Axl spares Spider a tired, vaguely questioning glance...

Spider says '...Remember the pain I mentioned? Yeah. No force metal equals Spider hurty.'

Aile says 'Ahh.'

Aile says 'Want more taser?'

Signas interjects with a somewhat random question. "Hey, Bob, what did you do with my beam saber?"

Milo looks to Sunflash. "Cosmo. Weren't you listening when I explained to Signas?"

Spider says 'Tasers hurt more. And Andre, I honestly cannot remember.'

Signas nods in agreement, to Sunflash. "You folks'll be looking for Zero, right?"

Sunflash shrugs. "I never listen, you should know that." He then looks towards Siggy. "I might as well, unless Milo needs me elsewhere...?"

Milo says 'Staying together seems to work for now. Safety in numbers and all.'

Milo looks at Signas, expecting more.

Sunflash eats a plump, bright red tomato.

Signas looks around. "Safety for you, maybe. I'm going to go live in a well for three thousand years and try to avoid thinking about conspiracy theories."

Aile says 'I'll be sure to toss some booze down every couple years. Have fun.'

Milo grins. "Sounds like a turtle way of dealing with things, actually."

Spider says 'But then I can't beat you at poker, Andre!'

Signas says 'Right, I don't see any problems with that. >>'

Aile snaps his fingers, then starts his "massage therapy" again, hard. 'I can't believe I hadn't thought of this before. This is probably the only type of 'poker' I can consistently beat you at, Spider.'

Spider winces. "Could you maybe not do this while I'm going through withdrawl, Aile?"

Aile thinks about it for a moment, then begins jabbing at Spider's abdomen as well. 'Nah.'

Aile eventually lets off, his point made... or is that points?

Spider sighs. "...Just tazer me to unconciousness. Please."

Milo grabs Spider's leg and pulls it away.

Axl's lack of badly-hidden sniggering is... odd, to say the least.

Milo says 'So. We don't seem to be finding Zero.'

Sunflash says 'Very observent there. So now what?'

Milo says 'We need to have Spider and Axl looked at. Rika or Shrike?'

Aile says 'I vote Shrike.'

Sunflash shakes his head vehmetly. "Rika is out. Shrike."

Spider says 'I don't care either way.'

[[ Truce - Northern Gate ]]

While in Truce, Milo informs everyone that suspicions on Signas have been cleared.