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Euphonia     ~ THE JOB ~

    There is not a cloud in the sky as the group enters Chrysalis, but neither is there any sort of aurora. All lies in a stark silence save for the gentle humming that the Needle consistently emits, and there is a clear path to the Glitch-occupied island that will be the focus of the night's mission. Euphonia has recommended that the group either attempt to arrive quietly and in as non-threatening a way as possible, or as loudly as possible so that they might make their approach plain from the start. She has also suggested, in an unusual stroke of candid wisdom, that the elites each bring something distinctly otherworldly -- something to demonstrate that their claims of being from a Multiverse beyond were true. Otherwise, they may well assume them to be linked with Euphonia... even if they are one of the many character skeptical of her.

    As Kotone discovered before, this island is blanketed with lush, tropical vegetation whose canopy creates a deep darkness under the veil of night. There are few places upon which to land directly on the island itself, though there are several smaller, less forested islets in the area -- places where the approaching elites can land before progressing to the island itself by some other means. In the heart of this forest lies a singular, large clearing upon which the village - or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it an 'encampment' - is set up. The lodgings are modest at best, and though some of the makeshift homes are made of such modern accommodations as plastic tents, most of them are literally constructed of the wood and leaves of the local flora. It should immediately be evident that these edifices are -not- meant to be occupied for any period of time.

    Several patrolmen wielding antiquated muskets and tattered twine clothing patrol the edges of the clearing whilst others, likely stationed inside watchtowers that dot the campus, watch the skies. Regardless of the number of their would-be defenders, it is abundantly clear that these people would not be able to fend off any sort of invasion. In all likelihood, they were only given arms at all for their value of psychological comfort; the higher-ups would likely say that they had no expectation of winning were any sort of confrontation to arise. This only makes their continued existence here that much more bewildering -- something outside of resources and force has locked these people in a stalemate with Euphonia. When it seems the latter holds all the cards, as it were, what could be the reason?

    Today, Eryl, Septette, Kotone, Flotilla, and all the rest are likely to find their answer. Still, wariness would be wise in this case: Euphonia has been extremely hesitant to allow anyone to make contact with this group before now, and the one time someone made the attempt an impromptu earthquake 'coincidentally' wracked the locale. If nothing else, it does speak of this group's dedication and wherewithal that they were able to rebuild so quickly -- indeed, this is likely why they've not bothered to make more sturdy housing. Those structures, like their occupants, are not likely to survive any barrage the 'overseer' is capable of throwing.

    The tent of the resident commanding officer is clearly marked. It is larger than the rest to accommodate the desk and storage it likely has inside, and two standards flanking the door-flap at its front brandish what could only be the insignia of rebellion. There are two tattered, misshapen flags, wrought from the only silk these people are likely to have to their names. Each one is died a crimson which is covered again by black: a butterfly whose wings are spread wide, a metaphor which comes through all-too-clear even if the image itself is no more distinct than a Rorschach Inkblot. Whatever their method of approach, it is here. It is reality.

    And they are waiting.
Euphonia     ~ THE INVESTIGATION ~

    Of course, not everyone is content to go along with Euphonia's plan. There are others to handle that task and keep up impressions -- no, these people have other plans. Something is clearly not right here, and these deviants are determined to figure out why. Before, Septette had encountered something strange: when she had found a way to isolate herself and a villager from the outside world, even briefly, the shape of things changed. Devastated skyscrapers and emptied streets appeared where waterfalls and greenery had been before. Utopia had become postapocalyptia. What does that portend, exactly? It is likely these few are close to their answer, so close as to have definite hypotheses. Hypotheses that only need to be proven.

    So who better to ask than Glitch? Surely this is why Euphonia had been so averse to the idea of the offworlders meeting them. There is more to this group than meets the eye -- there is a definite reason why they have chosen to reject 'paradise'. So they will likely choose to pursue the more trustworthy of that group: to find the youths who would be more open to discussion and the idea of new, unforeseen hope. Or perhaps they would have more luck visiting the village again, finding out more about the locals? The entire world is open to them, at least until Euphonia decides to intervene.

    Should they choose to find their own way into the Glitch camp, though, they will likely want to wait until the majority of people are distracted by the first group.
Euphonia     ~ THE OTHER JOB ~

    Regardless of where Raine ultimately decides to land, Clive will find him there. He's a rather strange fellow -- he wears an eyepatch and the most smug, decisive grin imaginable. Nevertheless, his tone when he speaks is only genial; he betrays no errant feelings of superiority should he feel them beyond his facade. It may make this aspect of him slightly more genuine, at least, when he hides his hands in his pockets from their earlier, folded position at his chest, slouching his posture to match the poise of his new 'companion', as it were. Equally slack is his greeting which makes him sound every bit as nonchalant as a carefree student from the academy. Still, he at least would -appear- old enough to be an instructor.

    "Yo," He greets. "Today is the day when you, guy I've never met before, get to save the world from the clutches of a bunch of heroes. Doesn't that sound great? And I'll guarantee you now: Eupphy -- that's the boss -- pays really well, so you don't need to worry about any of that. Now, I'm sure that she's already briefed you on stuff, so I'm just gonna give you this before we roll." He raises his left hand out of his pocket, tossing a flash drive Raine's way before any untrained person would have the time to react. "That," He says, pointing with his now-free hand, "is a tiny bit of tech with a /really/ important purpose. Don't lose it, kay? And don't go putting it into any computers other than the one we're looking for."

    That said, he immediately begins to lead onward. Assuming they're on the island by that point, the man whips out a familiar machete, hacking his way through the jungle. As they grow closer to the destination, he puts a finger to his lips. "You probably got this by now, but we wanna not be seen if we can help it. S'why we're using these hero rubes as a distraction, you know? Anyway, we'll be there soon. Move with me when I cue ya."
Starbound Flotilla     The STARBOUND FLOTILLA are here, in their standard Durasteel exploration equipment! Moonfin, the fishman, is in elaborate full-body durasteel armor that looks like a powered cross between a diving suit and a samurai's armor, glowing cyan at the faceplate. Biteblade, the humanoid plant, is in durasteel plating with elaborately carved wood and bone ornaments over glowing powered components that glow an intense green. Pavo the bird-girl wears a pirate-aesthetic set of mesoamerican-style armor, with yellow bands of energized fabric linking the pieces and powering them. Albert the monkey-man is wearing elaborate dystopian commando armor reconstructed with a 'rebel spy' aesthetic: A sleeker faceplate, a slimmer form, and a more chaotic design that integrates thin, resilient plates of durasteel, and lines of bright white. George (just plain human) wears a set of futuristic EVA-combat and exploration armor in a suit that glows a gentle red at the faceplate. Seft, the robotic Flotilla member, is wearing full-on medieval knight armor with a soft energized blue glow below the plates on her body, and especially around the eyes. Each has a heavy industrial-yellow two-pronged plasma-cutter-like tool strapped to their side, a Matter Manipulator.

    The Core Fleet captains are the first ones towards the camp. They walk confidently, without weapons in their hands or any aggressive posture in their step. The other members of the Flotilla who choose to come along are surrounded, though, especially Kotone; Albert makes sure to stay close to her, ready to start intercepting musketballs. They will halt if demanded to, and they will show their lack of weapons, in a sense, plainly. They actually do have weapons, just hidden away in their Matter Manipulators, but they think that if the diplomatic angle doesn't work, they'll not have problems with trying to assassinate the target and fight their way out.

    For now: A simple, diplomatically-intended approach.
Raine Arland      Raine landed at about the approximate point that wouldn't immediately land him into some kind of ridiculous situation with any variables that weren't a factor of the job on this end. Nothing worse than that. And so, he was glad to find that indeed, Clive came to meet him without a hitch. Good. This could be promising. Could be. Better not count those chickens before they hatched.

     "Heh. Is that the pitch you use for all your noble deeds?" Raine quipped, grinning in return. "No need to sell me on it though. I already know what I have to do." A shrug followed. "'Eupphy' explained it pretty well. Nice and simple. Just the way I like it." The flash drive was caught with a deftness that suggested Raine had some training to him. "I just gotta go in, do the thing, and get out. Easy."

     The flash drive was tucked away into one of his jacket pockets and he buttoned it closed. Wouldn't be losing that so easily. That done, Raine proceeded forward, walking alongside Clive. His eyes swept left and right as they moved. "Yeah, I get it. It's why I picked this lovely landing point to begin with. Wouldn't exactly do to get caught right from the getgo."

     He smirked. "If we get caught /after/ the thing is done though, that's fine and dandy." It should be noted that the young man didn't seem to have a single weapon on him. No sort of travel packs or equipment either. Was he just stupidly overconfident? Or just woefully underprepared? ...Well, he didn't seem bothered, so it must have been just fine.
Euphonia     ~ THE OTHER JOB ~

    Clive duly notes the lack of weapons on Raine's part, but rather than greeting it with any sort of concern, the smirk upon his countenance only widens further. "You're a confident sonofagun, aren't you," He says, as much in reply to his words as his appearance. "Good. I like that in a coworker. I've got too many quiet, needy people around me as it is. Nice to feel some -fire- for a change. And on that note, oh -man- is there gonna be fire after we're done here. I've waited way too long for action like this. /Years/." On the note of getting caught, though? He doesn't scoff as Raine might be expecting to -- he just calmly shakes his head. "Nah, we aren't gonna get stuck. You don't know this world like I do, but trust me: Euphonia always wins. Long as she's on our side, we're cool."

    Now -there's- that telltale overconfidence. Still, he's not above quieting down when they finally draw close enough to see the 'metal building'. It's shrouded on all sides by trees and its exterior, while otherwise pristine, is almost entirely draped in vines. A pair of guards -- both of them young, both of them wielding no more than a pair of pistols -- stand at either side of the door, occasionally glancing from side in paranoia. In a hush-hush, Clive says, "Okay, there are a few ways we can play this. They're young, so when they hear people chittering over there when the good guys arrive, they'll probably leave for a second so we can sneak over. Better yet, -one- may go and leave the other so that we can take him out and snag a key card or something. Ooorrr we could just go in classic-style, take 'em both out at once; anything goes, really, as long as we're quiet. I don't think these people even have surveillance cameras... though I wouldn't chance it."

    "And either way," He continues, "it's not like there will be anything left of 'em once we're through. Anyway, I'll leave it up to you. Hell, you probably have some awesome telekineses or something -- I know you didn't come here unarmed because you have nothing else up your sleeve." He gives a nod, and a thumbs-up. "... but hey, I can always pick up your slack if you're feeling lazy, too. Your choice."
Eryl Fairfax     Eryl arrives at the island, presumably via hitching a ride with the Flotilla, since he doesn't have a ship yet. Today, he has his sleeves rolled up, and the fake skin on his arms peeled off, to reveal the spindly, mechanical nature of them. Euphonia suggested that they make their Multiversal nature more salient, so...

    As they progress through the thick bush, he listens out for the calls of any native birds... and begins to copy them. In doing so, he is using that rudimentary sonar of his to ping the surrounding area for signs of ambush, in a way that doesn't give away their approach.

    Upon reaching the camp, he immediately holds his hands above his head, to demonstrate how unarmed he is. "Glitch, I presume? We are here to parlay," he says in a clear voice that carries through the camp. He smiles, a clear and trustworthy smile, keeping arms raised at all times.

    All the while though, his eyes are darting around, marking the members of the resistance, who is armed and who is not, what tent might be the armoury. If this devolves into violence, he wants to be sure that it is as nonlethal as possible. Taking down those who are armed first, and ensuring those who aren't will not be is vital.
Kyra Hyral     Kyra Hyral does not come in with the rest of the Flotilla, so to speak. She is not with the core fleet nor does she arrive with their ships. It's some time later, after the group has flown in and disembarked, that the Rafflesia descends from the sky to Chrysalis proper. She circles around the island, selecting a spot on the opposite side that the rest of the group has chosen tonight.

    "Alright." Kyra tells her passenger as she sets the ship to idle in the atmosphere, ready to go and return to her on pre-programmed flight plans. "We're going to beam down there. I can't really tell if that's a good spot but it's far enough from the others that we're probably not going to be discovering the same things."

    Kyra gives Septette a mischevious grin and heads for the teleports. "I /probably/ won't start a revolution this time but I can't make any promises if it kind of happens. Fortunately, I don't think Souji came with the other group this time so maybe the effects won't be as pronounced. Though honestly..." her face falls a little bit, "...it was some of the other guys that gave me heartburn last time with the Outcasts. I kind of expected Souji's anger. Anyway~!"

    She vanishes into the Rafflesia's teleporter, reappearing down on the ground moments later.
Septette Arcubielle      Septette returns the grin briefly, then nods as she discards her cloak- that unique bladed frame of hers is nothing if not 'otherworldly', after all- and follows the friendly mage towards the teleporter. "That sounds like a good plan... though perhaps we should stay close enough that we shall be accessible to them if they need our help. I don't anticipate that being the case, but one never knows!" No matter how remote the possibility of harm, she seems uneasy at the prospect of being unable to protect her 'squishy' colleagues.

     "I don't have a very high opinion of Souji," the robot girl admits, "but even accounting for his abrasiveness, the two of you seem to get along uncommonly poorly. I'm glad he isn't here, as well." After they beam down, Sept strikes off in the general direction of the village and beckons for Kyra to follow, though she keeps her eyes peeled for anything interesting along the way. She's approaching the camp from a different direction than the others, however, and from a good bit further away; they shouldn't arrive at the same time or in the same place.

     An enchantment she'd placed on herself before disembarking flares to life a moment or two after they teleport in: a subtle, flickering yellow field surrounds Ms. Arcubielle, of the same kind she used to unmask Chrysalis on her previous visit. Perhaps seeing the island from this new point of view will uncover additional clues...
Euphonia     ~ THE JOB ~

    There's a clear disparity in the experience of the armed forces here. Roughly half of the soldiers and patrols scattered around the area aim their guns toward the newcomers within the first few moments of their emergence from the forest, but the other half take far too long to respond, and only end up remembering to cock their rifles terminal seconds in the future. Nevertheless, they hold fast as a cohesive unit, a single, gaunt, clearly older man with thinning silver hair holding his palm in the air to signify 'hold'. Notably, this individual is one of the only people present who is clad in anything resembling armor, and the painted-on butterfly insignia at his breastplate would seem to distinguish him as the leader. This is to say nothing of the bodyguards beside him, or how all the soldiers look to him for guidance.

    And after all, his is the face that Euphonia showed them. There can be no mistake.

    "Hold," He rasps, clarifying the order his gesture had already issued. He alone lowers the barrel of his rifle to approach the group, wisely keeping the guards flanking him with him at all times, one of them facing the other direction in the event of a blindside attack. He takes a deep breath before finally allowing the tension in his shoulders to ease, at which point Eryl speaks. He clarifies - or at least, he says - that they're here in the name of diplomacy, but of what kind? Eryl's words derive no reaction from him at first but for his eyes to scan across the entirety of the Flotilla again. There is a long, frigid silence where the man seems to decide whether he should just order his men to fire then and there.

    Thankfully, he thinks better of it, though this does not mean that his demeanor changes in the least. Before he allows them their time, he asks them a ream of questions himself: "Before we break into any negotiations, I need to know some things. First: did you bring anybody else with you? Second: do you think it's possible that you could've been followed? And third: did Euphonia send you here? If your answer to any of these questions is 'yes', you had better have a damn good follow up for it." The rest of the soliders keep their guns trained upon them, though the less experienced soldiers are all-too-easy to spot by how their legs quiver in their stance, and the look of fear in their eyes.

    Far in the distance, the group may see a trio of men in labcoats skitter underneath a tent. Even from here their terror is obvious.
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa had been very wary after the last time, she knew something was up and Septette was correct. It was best to look for more information on what was going on before acting. It was a simple as that. Also the warning of a possible planetary hazard stayed fresh in Kotone's mind. This was echos of Rory's home world after all and that didn't sit well with the cyborg at all. So here she was again on the island but this time she wasn't alone. She had taken into account the information Septette had told her and had put it into action here. She had a small device that could make just enough interference to hopefully protect herself.

She respects the logic of why she and the other few in the Flotilla who have some idea of what's up? She's going to dig deeper here after the incident with the Glitch, not the ones native to this world? It's left Kotone a bit wiser about rushing in one way or another. Before she did any work on this world she was going to try to find out some more about what was going on.

Still what Septette had shared with her was haunting and she knew she couldn't trust her senses here. She looks to Kyra for a moment before they were to set out.

"Just watch it the powers that be here have some fine control over geological and weather here. Also ya that was a mess I know there's some bad blood but I never felt it's been my place to pry into your life like that. Well here we go, I'm worried about things here I admit but we won't find out what's going on until we land."

She gives her friends a look before she teleaports down. Hopefully this device will cut through anything that might cause her issues here. She was having to trust Septette on this one.
Zwei     Ah, the joys of being in two places at once. Zwei can participate in, or rather, perhaps subtly oversee both operations at once. Both of them it knows about anyways.

    Weiss accompanies the diplomatic group for obvious reasons. She doesn't especially need to bring anything to seem 'otherworldly' though. In fact, it's easier if she doesn't make any alterations to her appearance whatsoever. Skin so starkly white it looks unfinished, hair like threads of nickle, the unnaturally, perfectly averaged face, and the faintly luminescent eyes are all distinctly and obviously non-human in a way far divorced from Euphonia's predelictions for AI design. She's come dressed in greys and greens with a waterproof jacket and tall boots as if the jungle humidity really mattered to her. She picks up after Eryl, juxtaposing his negotiatior-style calmness with more enthusiasm in her wave, taking refuge in audacity. "That's right! No need to worry about us! You've got an evening to burn right? The answer to that would be: no, not that we know of; definitely not, though it probably wouldn't be too hard to find you regardless; and we spoke with her, but we're not here on her orders so to speak." It's about 50% bullshit and white lies. A nice ratio.

    Asche on the other hand is burning a little time of his own before approaching. As far as indications go, there seems to be basically zero air presence in this world, aside from what sensors the Needle almost undoubtably has. This gives him free reign to circle from high altitude for a short while, seeding tactical reconnaissance micro drones into the general area which engage in cours correction as they fall to scatter a wide blanket. He reaches the ground well in advance of them of course, since they'll need a few minutes of freefall to find their positions and start mapping. He also makes zero attempt to blend in, and in fact, couldn't even if he tried. Instead, he's simply employed his interdiction field as a skin over himself to enforce a strict, total vacuum, blocking the atmosphere from so much as touching his chassis. He can't really extend the same to the drones, but they'll at least be able to pick up people and topographical features.
Eryl Fairfax     Eryl allows a look of mild apprehension to cross his face when the guns are trained on them all. He's not worried, of course. These guns are ancient. In all likelihood, they wouldn't even scratch the metal of his limbs. But, if he appears too unconcerned, that might make Glitch think he's here for a fight.

    Right away, he pegs the grizzled man. No doubt that in a fight, he would be the strongest combatant here. Thus, he must be the first to fall, if one breaks out. As he gazes at the face of the man who might die today if he fails, apprehension stirs in his gut. Convincing the starving to accept you is easy, but a paranoid rebel? Is he really cut out for this?...

    None of this shows on his face, of course. He just smiles and begins to answer the questions, carefully framing each one. "It is just us six sir," he says to the first, an actual truth. "I was concerned about an ambush, so I was using sound to check all around me on our approach. There did not seem to be any pursuers." Again, another truth.

    "We are just humble Multiversal adventurers sir. We're called the Flotilla, and we're just here to explore. We heard about Glitch from the locals, and wanted to see what you are all about." Technically, Euphonia IS a local, after all! In addition, by deliberately making the previous answers so carefully structured and avoiding the use of 'yes' and 'no,' he tries to make each one just sound like the way he talks, rather than carefully constructed half-truths.
Euphonia     ~ THE INVESTIGATION ~

    Kyra, Septette, and Kotone beam down to a clearing on the far side of the island that adjoins to another clearing and, by extension, the other side of the camp. They lot of them will have a much clearer view of the men in labcoats who had rushed to duck into the tent, but also of other civilians in the area. There's a mess hall under a tanned awning where a number of people have already huddled in response to the appearance of the Flotilla. Some of them have their hands clasped in prayer while others, those who have clearly seen this sort of thing before, continue to eat their evening's meal without regard for the fact that it may well be their last. There is also a metal building a bit further off, easily missed for the trees which lean in front of it. It looks far more sophisticated than anything else here.

    For her part, Septette would find the landscape... surprisingly similar, albeit -copiously- more bleak. This island is still very much itself, though it the 'never-ending ocean' surrounding it changes considerably. Whole continents, all of them the same terrible shades of brown and beige, circle this little island, and all of them look disturbingly familiar to anyone with experience with any iterations of Earth. The ocean, while not quite so powerfully affected as the continents, seems to lack much of its luster as well: the oceans do not glint with the sun, but instead maintain an eternal, deep, indigo hue which seems to consume all incoming energy whole. The island itself is likewise -shaped- the same, she finds, but all the vegetation on it has long since shriveled. It seems this place in particular has suffered numerous military-grades barrages. For her, that metal building - still standing, albeit rusted over rather than covered in vines - is much more easily visible.

    Presumably, they could do a number of things: converse with the scientists, go to speak with the 'civilians', or make way for the metallic unit... though that /does/ seem to be the posting of some armed guards.

    It might also bear mention that, for Septette, -these- people seem to behave similarly inside and outside of the hallucination. They are still quite 'foggy' and somewhat distant, but their movements are all quite natural.
Euphonia     ~ THE JOB ~

    The man looks to Eryl first, grinding his teeth inside of a closed mouth until he finally conjures words. "You'll excuse me if I'm a little put off by the introduction 'humble Multiversal adventurers'. Something about people from somewhere we didn't know to exist at all 'till we got a message on a computer from some guy of questionable sanity coming here -at all- seems pretty far fetched, especially when," He gestures to Weiss, "you've come with one of -those-. I don't know what it's like where you're from, boy, but here all robots are servants of Euphonia. Granted, most of 'em can't speak, so I'll give this one the benefit of the doubt. But I swear to God, if you give me an excuse --"

    It's at that point that he stops himself. In a moment of epiphany, he squeezes his eyes shut, lifting one hand from his firearm to pinch the bridge of his nose. "... hell, I'm not kidding anyone -- we couldn't stop you if we tried, and I'm not gonna pretend like we could. Look, if I work on the assumption that you would've killed us already if you had wanted to, then I'll just ask, right now, what you want and why you're here." He glances toward Weiss for a moment before looking back to Eryl. In a newly deepened tone, he says, "And if I'm going to cut the crap, so should you. If I mix-n-match what you both have said, I know 'locals' means 'Euphonia'. If you're really from outer space, then of course she would make you see her first. She isn't stupid."

    "So," He continues, "just tell me why you're here, and stop trying to talk pretty. If you're worth the suit you're wearing, then you should know full well that people like me get real tired /real/ fast of talking with people who choose their words too carefully. For the love of all the good things left in this world, just -come out with it-. If Euphonia knows that we're here, then -I- want to know why we aren't dead yet."
Septette Arcubielle      Septette's eyes glow brightly as she examines her ruined surroundings with childlike curiosity. For the most part, the discrepancies adhere to her expectations: with a long-term pseudo-VR overlay like this, one can't afford to have major structural differences between the physical and virtual worlds, lest the 'players' hurt themselves on unseen hazards. "I'm aware, Kotone, but thank you for the warning." Her ear-fins twitch slightly with heightened awareness, though as usual, she's more worried for her companions than herself.

     When they reach the camp, Arcubielle frowns inwardly: perhaps forgoing her cloak wasn't the smartest move after all. She doesn't anticipate being able to get much useful out of the panicky scientists or civilians- not looking as she does now- but approaches the Glitch in labcoats, smiling warmly and folding her arms behind her back in an attempt to appear nonthreatening. "Hello, ladies and/or gentlemen! Pleased to meet you. I'm Septette, and these-" She glances over her shoulder at her friends. "-are Kyra and Kotone. Pleased to meet you!" She finishes by holding out one hand in greeting, seeming to forget that she has knives for fingers.

     This is going to go over well.
Starbound Flotilla     "No tails I can detect." Albert reports.
    "Floran isss not being hunted. Knowsss if hunted." Biteblade speaks up!
    "I trust my associates. I doubt you do, by nature, but to the best of our knowledge, we find ourselves not pursued, nor are there further visitors you need bring your hospitality. Weiss," He gestures to one side. "Is here for their own purposes. Mr. Fairfax," He gestures to the other side. "Is here entirely for peaceful purposes. My associates and I are here as part of a job. You are correct in the assumption that the Overseer was involved in sending us here."

    Moonfin then makes a broad, slightly smug gesture. "But while we are accepting payment from her, we are not here because we adhere to her ideals. And so, we seek an arrangement, one that can benefit you while still allowing us to take our payment. And yet, the Overseer who offers us this compensation does not offer with it any insight into what we must know to bring you those benefits. And so, I shall ask you now. As leader of these Glitch, what do you seek?"

    "Me thought is, the lass got herself a bit of a conscience. Doesn't want to kill ye much, not herself anyway Here's how it is, cap'n. She wants ye gone. We get paid same if ye be livin' or dead. Knows where ye be, she's the one sendin' us here. Ye ain't dead because we be the first ones she sends, matey." Pavo says, grinning a bit and stepping forward. "But me thought is, not a lot of profit from corpses. Much rather we find a way to solve this that ends up with us bein' friends, aye! So tell us what ye want, an' we'll be findin' a worthwhile way ye can get it and still get profit for us!"
Kyra Hyral     "It really isn't, no." Kyra tells Kotone. "Maybe one day I'll talk about it to you but not today. The details of that aren't stuff I tell anyone and I'm kind of upset it came out that one day. It did make me realize that the objections I have to Murasame are all very...personal, I guess. It's nothing, I realize, anyone else would really understand."

    Once they've teleported in, Kyra looks around to take stock of the area. She frowns, noticing the strange difference between the civlian buildings and the sophisticated one that had been obscured by trees at first glance. "Hmmm."

    Septette introduces her and Kyra grins, "Hello! I am always happy to meet fellow scientists. How are you all today?" At the very least, Kyra can be /quite/ friendly when she wants to, even if she does look suspicious with her hood pulled down over her forehead pretty low (it's to obscure a fleshy horn growth currently on her forehead).
Raine Arland      "Only the most confident of confident sonofaguns that there ever was." Raine grinned, jerking a thumb towards his chest. "This is gonna either a huge catastrophe, or something pretty damn interesting. Let's hope for the latter, huh?" And they moved on, speaking like morons. Karma was just waiting to bite, wasn't it?

     No matter. Even if they were confident, as long as they watched their backs, they should be fine. Should be. "Huuuuh. So Eupphy's that great? Well, I wouldn't know, but I'll take your word for it. Far be it for a hired sword like myself to question the greatness of my client now." He chuckled and tapped the side of his head a bit. "That kinda thing's above my pay grade."

     So he said.

     And there it is. The 'metal building'. Raine knelt down a bit to conceal his presence a bit more as he observed their destination. "...Guards out front. ...Morale looks low too. Armed way too lightly to be guarding anything." Raine smirked as he whispered his observations. He glanced at Clive and listened. "...I got an idea." He looked aside and upwards a tad. "I've got a ...friend of mine, that can take care of them without us ever having to lift a finger.

     That said, Raine looked towards the guards again. "Fragarach, take em out, if you'd please?" The air beside the young man shimmered a bit, as if there really was someone else here. And then nothing...

     Oh. Over there! Above the guards. A ghostly figure of a woman faded into sight. She raised an arm, and two large icicles began to form in the air above. "........" She her arm fall, and the two ice spears shot downwards, aiming to pierce from the top of the head and continue straight down cleanly.

     Nice and efficient.
Zwei     "Ooh, he's got you there Eryl~" Weiss answers with an elbow nudge, refusing to add to the already tense atmosphere. She'll dignify the casual almost-racism with a response though, not out of indignation, but out of a possibility of defusing said tension. "Technically not a robot! The body isn't squishy but there's something living up here!" she says, tapping her head. She's not lying, though they'll probably interpret the statement as having an organic brain regardless. "It's pretty much like Moonfin says." She gestures towards the Hyotl. She'd rather not endorse Pavo at this particular juncture though, even if she's basically saying what they're all thinking. "Though they're being paid; I'm not. Long story short, she knows you're here, and she wants you gone, but she's not willing to actually remove you by force, at least not yet, and we don't really know why. Consider this research on a potential business partner! Rifling through her social media!" Spotting Septette, she engages in the wireless quivalent of a subtle headshake. For the love of god please be careful with this sudden introduction stuff.

    Asche meanwhile has other things to do. If the investigative party is gong to go to the encampent anyways then he'll split off. The civilians are already within Weiss' sphere of awareness, and so he heads for the rusted over hulk where external scanners won't penetrate very deep. He receives 3d topology via quantum uplink at almost the exact same time as arriving in the same location as Clive, Raine and Fragarach. The cold spike and cessation of two lifesigns is pretty obvious, and so he doesn't need to charge in just yet to know that someone's there, but then again he's not exactly being super stealthy in ploughing through the brush. If either of them are keeping a sharp lookout they'll spot the hulking, darkened figure off a distance in the trees.
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa gives a nod in reply to Septette but nothing else as they arrive. She nears the camp with the others and she takes a moment to look about this place. She looks to the people, she looks to Septette and it hits her. Her friend has built in weapons to her body she really can't disarm. This might be a bit troublesome but she's attempting to look as nonthreatening as she can. She whispers a bit to her friend however.

"Might want to watch the hands."

She also got the answer she was expecting it was personal and she respected Kyra's desire to not talk about it as she doesn't press on it thustly.

"Good today to you all."

She's keeping an eye out for the others who are doubtlessly here on whatever mission they have from Euphonia. Also she knows the island, why does she feel like she's seen it before?"

Kotone is also not armed visibly either.
Euphonia     ~ THE INVESTIGATION ~

    As Septette pursues the trio of men into the tent, her handshake gesture is met with the point of a gun. A decidedly crazed-looking man clad in a tattered, filthy iteration of the coat others had seen stares at her from beyond bent, cracked lenses. The gun in his hand quivers madly -- even if he were to fire, there's little chance that he would hit his mark; it's much more likely that he would hurt himself or one of his compatriots trying. Perhaps it's a good thing, then, that a much saner-looking man with long, scraggly brown hair that obscure his eyes entirely in the real world grabs the hand with the gun to stop him squeezing the other in some attempt to comfort him. The man seems to respond well to this, falling into the embrace of the other man as though her were a child sinking into the arms of his parent.

    "I-It's a robot, Clark. It's the end. Euphonia found us. This is it. We're..."

    The other man shakes his head. "Shhhhh. It's alright, Luke. It's alright. She talked, so maybe she's on our side? Maybe she's from another branch of Glitch that's come to save us? I've heard that they were trying to resurrect some of the older AI models."

    The third man, one with an odd disparity between thinning on the top and a long, white veil in the back, looks to 'Clark'. "Handle him, Clark. I'll talk to these people and find out what they want." With that, the final man stands and extends his hand to Septette in kind... only to retract it and hold it nervously once he realizes that her fingers are quite literally knives. "G-Gah! I... would you put those things away, please? We're all a bit paranoid, I'm sure you understand, so we... would rather not see strangers with a bunch of weapons. We can talk once you put the knives away, okay? Thanks. Sorry."

    The as-of-yet unnamed man only gives a slight, faltering nod to Kyra when she introduces herself as a 'fellow scientist', though Luke looks over briefly to give a much more candid, warm smile in reply. "Luke," He says. "Sorry, you kinda caught us at a bad time."
Eryl Fairfax     Eryl glances sidealong at Weiss as she elbows him, pinching the bridge of his nose. Oh dear, time for some quick-talking. "Out there in the Multiverse, there is a multitude of artificial life, as sentient as you or I. On my word, my ally here is not cont-" Oh, he's giving up. Eryl can't help but feel a pang of pity. Being this thoroughly outmatched at all times can't be good for you.

    "Very well. We shall, as you say, 'cut the crap.'" He clears his throat, letting the Flotilla say their piece, and then for the man to respond with Glitch's goals. Once that is done, he begins to speak.

    "I can only guess as to why Euphonia waited until now. I suspect she was only able to locate you recently, and wants us to handle it to test our character. But, this is not confirmed." Nodding to the Core Captains, he says, "They speak truly. None here want this to become bloodshed, and I doubt you do either. You have the numbers, but not the experience." Here, he gestures at some of the guards who were trembling.

    "Euphonia does not want you dead, she only wants you gone. Judging by what she has told us, you seek knowledge that she has deemed too dangerous to be public. Minds that hunger for the truth of things are to be commended. But..." Here, Eryl's voice turns cold and hard as he stares hard at the leader. "Throwing the lives of your men away in suicide attacks is /not/ the way to be doing this. A rebellion thrives on public opinion, and such indiscriminate attacks immediately paint you the villain."

    He inhales a long, deep breath and exhales in a long sigh. "But, looking at what you have... I understand why you would be driven to such things. You do not exactly have a leg to stand on, and you clearly know it. So please, listen to my proposal." Now, his gaze turns from the leader to all of Glitch who are watching. He is confident that the leader would accept the offer, but it never hurts to build some public approval too.

    "Leave Chrysalis. I doubt Euphonia would mind. The warp gates are unguarded. If you are doing this for knowledge, all the knowledge you could want is out there, without a tyrant dictating what you can and cannot know. Thanks to the scattered nature of your organization, Glitch will not miss you all until you are long-gone."

    He runs his hands through his hair and gives everyone a sympathetic look. "I know, it cannot be easy to lift your roots and abandon your home. But, as things stand, persisting here can only lead to arrest. I am certain that Chrysalis and Euphonia can change... but until they do, making yourselves scarce is the wisest choice."
Euphonia     ~ THE OTHER JOB ~

    "I dunno if I'm in the right place to talk about how 'great' she is," He says, making a wide, shrugging gesture. "She's sort of the reason I exist, though, so I guess that earns her some points in my book. I more mean, she just has her hands on all the switches around here. You don't have to be too great at Poker if every time you're holding a royal flush, or very good at chess if you start with the king in checkmate... blah blah blah, you get it. And in case you're wondering," He says, only idly glancing over as the silhouette of the summoned woman begins to form, "it's her fault that I make so many godawful references to old games. Just in my DNA, guess you could say."

    Then he looks over in earnest just in time to see the ice pierce the skulls of those poor, unfortunate boys beside the doors.

    Both of their bodies fall slack. The portions of their eyes that remain visible tilt perfectly upward in a vain attempt to fathom the identity of their killer, and they freeze, aptly enough, in that position foreverafter. Their eyes have just enough time to fog over from the chilled mist wafting off the ice before their guns clatter to the ground, and their bodies soon follow. This is all accomplished with a degree of efficiency and discretion that seems to please Clive, who offers a (mostly) silent golf clap immediately after seeing the corpses fall.

    "Not bad, guy, not bad." His hands meander back to his pockets as he peeks out of the brush, looking left and right. "But, quick -- coast is clear." He swiftly darts out of the brush and over to the body of the first departed soul -- a blond-haired man no older than twenty-two -- and takes his key card. He swipes the card in a reader to the right of the door before waving Raine over, holding a hand over the doorframe to keep it open.

    Assuming he moves to enter, Clive would follow shortly after, quickly wrapping around to appreciate the... surprisingly underwhelming interior of the building. In earnest, it seems only to be comprised of two rooms, one of them littered with tables, chairs, and some of each used as makeshift bedspreads. The other contains extremely antiquated radio array complete with a microphone and all manner of transmitters for broadcasting. It's all disconnected, however, and looks as though it has not been used in some time. For his part, Clive ignores all of this, advancing directly to a narrow stairwell tucked away in the bottom right corner of the room.

    "After you," He says, renewing his grin. "Shouldn't be too far now. There's a bit of a bunker down there, if we're right, but it's no labyrinth." No sooner has he said this, though, than has the front door opened. He curses under his breath before stacking against the wall to the right of the door frame. "Hey, y'mind getting a couple more?" Clive gestures outside of the door with his thumb, where another pair of men have appeared.
Septette Arcubielle      Maybe being surrounded by people who accept- or, at a minimum, tolerate- her ominous appearance and synthetic nature has made Septette forget herself in situations like these. Or perhaps she was trying to make a point, and accidentally took it too far. Regardless, she looks surprised, hurt, and more than a little guilty as she watches the trio's reactions. Her fingertips subtly reshape themselves and turn so that the 'edges' face sideways rather than towards her palms, but that can only do so much to mitigate their threatening look.

     "Of course," Septette replies after flinching a bit, and folds her arms under her ribcage as if hugging herself. "I'm not one of Euphonia's, but neither am I of your design. I- we- come from elsewhere. Other worlds, that have started to bleed into yours. That likely seems implausible to you, but..." She gestures towards the Flotilla and company. "So do they, no doubt. ... Euphonia does know you're here, I'm sad to say. But I am no friend of--"

     Abruptly, Septette leaves off as she glances around, looking rather disturbed. She can't quite pinpoint it, but something just poked at the edges of her awareness: some form of ice magic, it feels like. "Quickly. Do you have any magicians here?" She already suspects the answer, and as she glances at the crowd gathering around the Flotilla, a foreboding feeling creeps over her.

     So this is how Euphonia intends to use them.
Kyra Hyral     As the other, unhinged-looking man pulls a gun on them, Kyra tenses up and slowly starts reaching into her hoodie where her needlegun is concealed. She moves very carefully, trying to move only when she's sure the man is not looking in her direction. She doesn't try to talk him down either as that would take is focus on her.

    Relief registers on her face as the much more stable man comes in and defuses the situation. She sighs and lets her hand drop. Only then she says, "Sorry, we're not here to hurt anyone. We're just curious about the state of this island." Kyra explains gently as she watches the unhinged man get handed off to one of the other scientists.

    Calmly, she threads her fingers together, keeping them in front of her where they can be seen, perhaps to demonstrate that she wasn't armed and wasn't about to make any sudden, grabby moves at their hosts. "What seems to be the problem right now? Is it the other visitors? I don't think they mean to start anything either..." she trails off as Septette detects magic from elsewhere-something that Kyra herself hadn't noticed. "It couldn't be one of us." Kyra whispers to Septette. "I don't think anyone with ice magic came down with us on either of our parties."
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa keeps her hands lowered at this point as they bring up mention of robots and AIs she nods a little bit as she looks to them hoping that her friend can disarm those weapons. Which she seems able to. She seems to relax now well in regards to the locals. She listens she's trying to crunch information even their reactions to them give them some ideas. There's other groups, there are people trying to get older model AI's back online? A word surfaces into Kotone's mind for a moment, Titan. She files it away and wonders more and more what the Flotilla has stepped into this time?

At the moment magic is brought up she knows something now is up, she too feels a bad feeling that coming here may have been the worst idea and they are being used. With the mention of there being no other ice users, that gets her attention.

"Septette can you get a fix on where?"

She's in her stealth suit she can go sniffing about but it's clear Kotone's on edge now. Were they all one big diversion?
Raine Arland      "No need to tell me twice." Raine hopped up and ran out of the brush and over to the now unguarded entrance to the METAL BUILDING. Raine took a moment to have a glance about as he moved, noting the antiquated nature of the equipment here. Huh. ...Looks like it hasn't seen use in forever. Wonder why.

     Well, it wasn't his job to find the answers to that.

     Meanwhile back outside, the summoned woman who'd taken out the two guards turned to glance over in Asche's direction, eyes narrowing briefly. "........" However, she didn't bother to call over to the figure in the distance, or pursue. Instead, she turned around, fading from sight. Presumably to follow Raine.

     Back inside, they made their way down to the lower level, Raine leading the way. "Good to know it's not too complicated. That'd make the seven minutes thing a little more harrowin-Hm?" He paused, pressing up against a wall meanwhile. "...Tch. Looks like we've got company outside. Just a heads up." He spoke in a low tone, nodding to the stairwell. "Keep an eye on our backs, would you? I'll focus on what's ahead. Time's of the essence now."

     With that, the man in black burst out from behind the wall, running forward. Floating behind him, the woman, Fragarach, appeared again, and summoned another pair of ice spears. They fired forward instantly, aiming for the head once again. No time to let them gasp and struggle. Just end it quick and keep moving! As he went, Raine kept an eye out for the 'main console', eyes sweeping left and right.

     "Where the hell is it...?"
Euphonia     ~ THE JOB ~

    Thank God it was Moonfin who said that they were accepting payment from Euphonia, because if anyone else had tried that, this man might be screaming right now. Even in light of the way it was politely stated then quickly clarified, the man takes a deep, deep breath. His cheeks puff so far that one might expect stream to fly out his ears in a manner similar to a cartoon character, but after a hard closing of his eyelids, he manages to contain himself. He does, however, tighten the grip on his gun again, raising it just high enough that it might be pointing at the toes of one of the Flotilla's captains for several seconds before he allows himself to slouch again. All these uncomfortable motions take place as the merry band complete their individual statements, then he finally shares more words of his own.

    Surprisingly, the first thing he does is sigh. "'Course she wouldn't tell you. No, no -- worse yet, she probably told you a bunch of goddamn lies. I don't know what she told you guys, but Glitch is -really- only about one thing: freedom. Personal liberty. Self-expression. We fight so that we have a right to be ourselves... but, wait. What -did- she tell you? How much do you know? Do you even know where you -are- right now? Tell me: what do you see? Do you see a bunch of trees, and ocean, and greenery? Do you see flying continents in the sky? If you do, then I hate to tell you, but I think you've fallen victim to the Great Illusion."

    The moment Pavo says it's because Euphonia 'wants them gone', his arms falls slack again, and his head falls back entirely. His eyes turn skyward and for a long, long several moments, he is entirely silent. When he finally brings himself back down to Earth, back into the conversation, he says, "No. We're here because we're trying to find a way to break Chrysalis... but hell, do you even know what Chrysalis -is-? It's a -simulation-, spaceman; a -game-, and Euphonia is the one who made it. The air we breath is a poison that forces us to see things her way. The atmosphere is filled with chemicals that the doctors say makes it even easier for these -things- in our heads to do their stuff. And then the Needle -- oh, Lord. The Needle isn't just her house, it's where those things -come from-."

    "So that's why we're here," He says, "to find a way to break that damned thing. And we've made progress. The lab coats think that they could have found a way to block out Euphonia's lies -- something to make our minds resistant to the chemicals, or the mini robots, or whatever. So we can't leave now -- not until we're sure we can get out of here with that info safely. Then we fight actually have a fighting chance."
Zwei     With the diplomatic party, Weiss is completely silent. The full details of what has been going on here has previously stayed strictly between Septette, the only other with the right toolset to realize the truth independantly. Zwei has a certain policy for the time being on not revealing, slanting, or arguing this information further. For now, Weiss seems ready to let things run their course in how the others react.

    Asche is taking a much more active role however. The guards have pretty clearly been killed by magic, and Zwei has already crunched the numbers with effectively absolute surety that magic isn't a Thing here. It already knows where Septette and Kyra are from Weiss' perspective, which rules out anyone from the party who could be using it, which means third party interference. An additional contractee hired by Euphonia. After all, that would be the smart thing to do. Unfortunately, Zwei isn't beholden to Euphonia herself, nor the paycheque she is offering, and so Asche acts based on where his own compunctions intersect with the Flotilla's interests.

    The thumping of three ton footsteps rumbles through the ceiling of the ramshackle emplacement Clive and Raine find themselves in, followed by the screeching of metal as the Armiger simply rips the entrance wider to accommodate his size. The bass rumble of his scorching electronic tones speaks thusly; "I am aware of both of your presences. Identify yourselves and your objective, lest I be made to classify you as hostile targets." He doesn't really need to have a direct visual to have a good idea of where they are. Conversely though, he had said 'both' for a reason. Fragarach is pretty much invisible to him.
Euphonia     ~ THE JOB (2) ~

    The frankness of Eryl's ensuing commentary seems to genuinely surprise the commanding officer, or at least, so it seems. His eyes widen somewhat, and the entire group who had previously been pointing their guns toward the outworlders seems to relent. The commander nods his head slowly, continuously even after Eryl has finished speaking as though uncertain of how else to respond. When he speaks again, it comes following a decidedly solemn shaking of his head and a low, tired rumble from the depths of his throat. "Were it that I could bring myself to leave," He said, "but once, this was my home. I still have family out there somewhere, still under the influence of this... thing. They aren't themselves, but if I could get out, so can they. I just can't leave -- not when we're so close to figuring out a way to break this curse we're under."

    "But," He holds up his hand, glancing around the messy circle of ragtags under his banner, "but. I realize not everyone feels the same way. Some of you have already lost your families. Some of you are alone, or are brave enough to start a new life out in this other world these people come from. And if you are," He gives a meaningful pause, "then no one here should try to stop you. I - nor any soldier here who wants to keep his tongue - would dare call you a coward if you want to take this one up on his offer. But." He locks eyes with Eryl again, now, shutting his eyelids for another, brief moment.

    "They aren't the ones you're here for, are they," He echoes, as if to remind himself. "And if it's me that you're out to get... sorry, but I'm not going anywhere. I'll guard the things we have here with my dying breath, and with anyone else stupid enough to fight with me. It doesn't matter if it's suicide -- I would rather die fighting so that I could believe, somehow, my doing so will save my wife, brother, and daughter. But if it comes to that," He pauses another moment, "just promise me that you'll let anyone left after I bite it go with you. And promise that you won't let Euphonia destroy all the things that we've worked so hard for here. Please. I'm begging you."
Euphonia     ~ THE INVESTIGATION ~

    The man with the bent spectacles shakes his head fervently once Septette has said where they've come from. "N-No!" He stammers, a quivering hand attempting fruitlessly to straighten his broken glasses. This gesture may make more sense to Kyra and Kotone, who would see him as being far more well-groomed. "No. I... know. It makes sense. Felt something, before. Saw something." He bites his lip so hard that it looks painful, looking away to an idle corner of the room. "I see both sides of the looking glass -- the illusion and the thing that used to be real. In the latter, I saw stars, night sky. There were so many stars... so, so many stars. So close. So much closer than they were before, I know. I told the others -- only the ones on the other side believed me. People here thought I was crazy."

    Clark pats Luke's shoulder, coaxing the man back into another of his strange, open-eyed comas. "If Luke believes you," Clark begins, "then I'll believe you, too. You seem honest, and that's good enough for me. Hell, it's enough for me to feel like anything -real- is radiating from you at all. I had almost forgotten what that felt like. And honestly," He glance to her torso, her fingers, "Chrysalis would usually censor something like you, so it's almost nice to see something... different," He avoids the word unnerving as deftly as he can, here, "for a change." As calm as Clark has been up to this point, though, even -he- looks appalled when Septette starts spouting on about magicians. Still, he doesn't ask any questions that might impede them, instead electing to listen so that he might eventually grasp their meaning on his own.

    The balding man takes his turn to respond to Kyra. "No, no, I know. I know. Just, we're the first ones Euphonia would come for. We're... the only ones who really know what we would need to to... fix things around here. So we were a bit scared, at first." And scared now, far more so than Clark as Kyra, too, joins the conversation about 'intruders' and 'magic'. He looks to Clark for guidance, and it's at that moment that Luke begins to flail madly, sending his gun sliding across the floor.

    A quick glance at it would tell any one of them that it had never even been loaded in the first place.

    "I understand... she came for the research. Came for the research, then she's going to come for me; bring me back. She only sent the first one, the man. So she's going to send the other one after me... the girl. Sweet thing, so sad that she must do these things. But she made her that way, didn't she? To make it harder on us, on her, on me. Or she might come for me herself? No... no. No!" He promptly resumes his flailing, only for Luke to hold him down again in some futile attempt to stop him.

    Meanwhile, in the bunker...
Euphonia     ~ THE INVESTIGATION AND THE OTHER JOB ~

    Kyra, Kotone, and Septette's group would immediately discover one thing were they to look back at that metal building they might've noticed on the way in: the door is open, and neither of the guards are present any longer. Both of them lie there motionless, heads pierced cleanly with bolts of ice, entirely alone in the absence of Clive. Key, of course, had followed Raine down the stairs the moment he had confirmed their deaths, so he is not far behind. Raine would, however, be the first to get a look at the lower floor: a series of sliding doors open for him once he reaches the bottom until he reaches a single, wide room, as large as the two rooms above it combined, with walls lined with wires and bound there by metal staples.

    Clive is breathless once he reaches the bottom, but he is quick to point out the obvious -- the central computer monitor which Raine had likely located beforehand. "There!" He shouts, throwing out his hand in a point. The monitor is attached to a massive chunk of metal and pulsing lights -- an ancient supercomputer linked to all the other databases present in the room by the wires running throughout the area. Reaching it might prove somewhat tricky if only because the floor is so littered with collapsed chairs, tables, and other discarded instruments of research, but in the end, Clive is at least able to punch a button on an adjacent wall to reveal some twenty USB-friendly access ports.

    Clive barely has the time to shout 'Hurry' before a message beams into his mind. It's Zwei -- that 'girl' he had seen in the Needle before, but... not. The other half of her. Regardless, he makes no attempt to respond to her. "C'mon, c'mon!" He looks more flustered now than one might have thought his casual demeanor would allow for. "We've gotta get out of here!"
Eryl Fairfax     As the words of the Gitch leader sink in, Eryl begins to look around again, peering intensely. This was all fake? A simulation they were snared in from the moment they stepped through the warpgate? Some would be horrified at having the wool pulled over their eyes so thoroughly.

    But Eryl? Eryl is /impressed./

    But, he doesn't let that show, and it might only enrage the rebels. So he listens, nodding sympathetically as the man explains the situation. "So she has wrought this illusion from chemical vapours and nanomachines... that does explain the mysterious 1% of the air here, and the odd sensation on my skin..."

    But, he stands up straight and looks to everyone again. Already, he's put the new information together, and has a new approach prepared. "And no doubt Euphonia reacted poorly to the questions of the first people who figured this out?" he asks. It is possible that she lashed out at the creators of Glitch... but it is also possible that they raged at her from a distance.

    "Please, listen. Euphonia is a tyrant, there is no doubt. But just a few days ago, she came to my world to assist my people. My home is a desolate wasteland, it is only just starting to recover, slowly. She put her life on the line to salvage some incredible technology for us, and was quite willing to sacrifice herself so the rest of the team could escape." He curls his hands into fists and looks around impassionedly at the rebels. "A tyrant, but not a bad person."

    Listening to the leader, he nods, slowly reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. Physical closeness to establish emotional comprehension. "Family is a worthy cause. A wife and a daughter you say?... you may not know this, but a scenario like this is a philosophical quandary in other worlds. Is a false utopia better than a harsh reality? Those who would say yes tend to be rather... utilitarian. And if Euphonia really did do all this... I suspect that she would agree to release your family if you left Chrysalis. Three more cast out, to preserve the peace without bloodshed? An easy deal to make, I think."

     And now, he leans in even closer, to look the leader right in the eyes. "But would you be okay with that? Tearing away their veil, exposing them to the harsh truth? Are you prepared for the possibility of them resenting you, decrying your actions? If so... I will ask Euphonia about it, right this instant. And I will promise that the research you have here will not be lost."
Raine Arland      "Tch! This got hot real fast!" Raine ran straight for the main console as soon as he laid his eyes upon it, ignoring Asche's voice. He wasn't a part of the job so he'd deal with him later. Getting to that console ws the job! Reaching into his jacket pocket and producing the flash drive, Raine immediately inserted it into one of the many available USB ports.

     "Okay, there we go! How long is this gonna take to download!?" He shouted over to Clive for confirmation. They needed to move fast. Whatever that was aboveground surely wasn't going to be a walk in the park. But if they got the job done first, then dealing with that would be a bit less of a hassle. Just a tiny bit. Maybe.

     Fragarach meanwhile had vanished again. A ghost for all intents and purposes. She hadn't spoken a word at all yet. For now, the focus was completing the job. For the both of them.
Kyra Hyral     Kyra listens as the 'dishevelled' man reasons through the information Septette has imparted upon him. She nods to him encouragingly, though not entirely sure what he means by 'both sides of the looking glass', being currently unable to pierce the veil of illusion currently layered over this world. She glances to Septette briefly, hinting that she may bother the android for a better explanation later.

    "It may yet try to censor her." Kyra warns Clark, "Though possibly not in the way you are thinking."

    Evenly, Kyra nods. "I understand. You are in a very precarious position and are no doubt targets for Euphonia. It does explain the earlier dismay at us showing up!" The Luke freaks out a little and Kyra lifts her hands up to him in a disarming way. "Calm down, nobody is coming for you right now."

    It's probably not true, Kyra realizes as Weiss imparts upon them that the ice-weilding magic user is definitely offworld origin. "In fact, we're going to make sure of that. I'll stay behind here with all of you while Septette and Kotone deal with our problem."
Starbound Flotilla     Seft looks conflicted. That is, until Moonfin seems to nudge her, as if imploring her to speak. "Polite. Sir, I understand. My people suffer a similar tyranny. I believe I am beginning to understand the nature of the troubles on this planet, and the issues you are facing. My people were subjugated by a Hivemind that forces them to perceive the world through bigotry, ignorance, and violence. And I would help you, but I have to remain loyal to my Flotilla." She says, her eye-visor switching to a somber "u_u" emote. "Somber. But I have gone through what you went through. My father was the one who banished me for disconnecting from the Hivemind. I left behind my siblings."

    She clasps her hands together with a soft whir and her flickering eyes look extremely serious now. "Sorrowful. Freedom from these things will always mean sacrifice. Euphonia's command over your wife and daughter, even while they are happy, is another way she can control you. Trying to keep my brother and father from hating me was a way the Hivemind could control me, despite my disconnection." She puts a hand out. "I wish I could offer to fight Euphonia, find your loved ones, and take them back to you. But right now, the most I can offer is this. You seek freedom. Any of the members of Glitch here may be ferried from here by our Fleet, to the planet Amalgam, currently under the control of the Flotilla and Murasame Zaibatsu. There, we can guarantee good living conditions, and a job with enough freedom that they may acquire their own spacecraft, like we have."

    "Conflicted. Unfortunately, your wife and daughter are not a guaranteed part of that deal. I can guarantee that I will, alongside Mr. Fairfax, attempt to negotiate for their release alongside you, but if you value your freedom... There are times when you cannot keep everything. And you have my promise that things will still be okay."

    Seft seems to have taken this well, and is doing her best to spin this in a way that helps the Glitch most of all. But George and Albert both, for their own reasons, have suddenly gotten into an extremely dark mood. Albert seems to be barely controlling a rising growl, while George has wandered off briefly, grinding his teeth HARD while he tries to get a cigarette lit.
Septette Arcubielle      Knowledge tends to follow an exponential curve: the more pieces of the puzzle one has, the easier those remaining pieces fall into place. Septette feels as though she's nearly got this world figured out, but there's something more pressing than mulling over the information she already has. The research these scientists have already completed is in that metal building; there's not a doubt in her mind anymore. And Euphonia has sent Clive- as well one or more Multiversal mercenaries- to destroy or retrieve that data.

     It's scarcely an instant before she tears her gaze away from the anxiety-wracked scientists- tempted though she is to keep talking to them- and takes off towards the building in the distance, covering yards at a bound and simply dashing -through- the illusionary foliage at a superhuman clip.

     A small profile, extraordinary density, and high speed all conspire to help her crash inelegantly through any obstacles that might remain in her path.

     One desperate ploy comes to mind that might help slow the intruders: with a gesture and an inaudible incantation, Septette forms a flickering bubble of energy around the metal building. It won't prevent them from escaping, but it should be able to shut off the signals to the nanomachines: if whatever mercenaries Euphonia has are still subject to the Great Illusion, that veil being torn away might give them pause.
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa does not even skip a beat as she cloaks, her optic cameo kicking in there's no time to delay now. She sees the guards are dead she knows what has to be done. She moves in now heading in going as fast as she can do. She's moving she knows she's got to deal with things whoever is there is a third party? Hired by likely the employer of the Flotilla. Kotone is cloaked for a reason she's not the f4ront line fighter in this group. Septette is far more skilled than she is. She's making to get inside. She is moving about as fast as Septette ands she's going to make for the inside now. She's got a plan in mind if she can make it in time. Hopefully Septette's set up will give her the chance she needs.
Euphonia     ~ THE OTHER JOB ~

    "That doesn't matter -- you got it here. It'll download, and I'll make sure of it." Clive gives him a decidedly resolute nod. "All that matters now is -you- getting out of here. I'm gonna stay here and make sure everything goes smoothly, but," He pauses a moment, providing just enough time for a translucent, almost ghostly outline of a human being to fade into existence beside Clive. That image eventually resolves as a young, white-haired, robe-clad woman who, odd as it may sound, gives a pleasant nod and a wave as she appears. She opens her mouth as though she were about to introduce herself, but Clive slips a finger against her lips to pre-empt anything of the kind.

    "No time, Note. We got one package in, now -YOU- need to get the other out. I promised this guy that he would have no trouble leaving, and he -isn't-. You got me?" Note's expression changes almost instantaneously from bewilderment to resolution. She nods her head once before holding out both of her hands, an act which presumably conjured two spinning, electrified chakrams -- spiked rings -- into existence at her sides. She looks to Raine and says, in a sweet, almost melodic tone, "Please follow me." After this she gently floats in the direction of the stairs, stopping only once to be certain that Raine is following her.

    Should the latter look back, Clive would give him a small, two-fingered salute. "Chrysalis thanks you, bud." Famous last words.

    Note, for her part, stops in the outside doorframe just in time to see Septette's bubble form; perhaps just in time to make eye contact with Septette before the barrier rises entirely. She tosses one chakram toward Septette in the hope that it will break through the barrier or at least break her concentration, whilst she tosses the other toward the back door through which Clive and Raine had entered. To Raine, she says, "Go, hurry. I will buy you what time I can." But even now, visions may be entering Raine's mind -- rust creeps on to the tiles of the floor, the ground outside the prefab building dries and cracks, the trees wither away...
Euphonia     ~ THE JOB ~

    The commander narrows his eyes, folding his arms as Eryl makes his case. The agent of ReGenesis may not be expecting it of this man's perceived archetype, but in that moment, his face -hardens-. His expression becomes illegible all of a sudden, as blank as a trained diplomats. Either he has calmed down considerably, or this new dialog has made him have a reaction so strong that he has locked up entirely. Either way, his silence does not last long.

    "Boy," He begins again, "this is no heaven of mine. Maybe it was once when I was happy and blind like the rest of them, but I don't want that. Nobody here wants that, and I am willing to bet that at least three-quarters of the people trapped in that fever dreams would hate it, too, if they knew it for what it was. So sure, maybe sweet dreams are better than waking nightmares, sure. But we," He raises his arms skyward, one hand hoisting his gun, "-we- never asked for this! Chrysalis is no heaven of ours! We have therapists on our side, too -- scientists. We have people who could bring them back. We have people who could restart the world and give them the easy wakeup they need from that sugar-coated hell. So you wanna make a case for Euphonia's 'goodness'? You go right ahead."

    "But," He goes on, his arms falling back to his sides, "you don't know her like I do. She may have helped you once, but she took my life away. She took -all- our lives away, and when we woke up -- what did she do? She told us to go back to sleep! She said that we were 'dangerous', that as long as we were around, things could never be 'perfect'. Damn right she's a tyrant! A tyrant, and a little girl who could never accept that people think differently from her! So instead of trying to be a better person and actually -learn- about those people, she made them more like herself!"

    "So my answer is NO," He says. "I won't stop until everyone is -FREE-. I won't stop until the world is back to normal -- a world where people can at least /choose/ to be a part of reality. We didn't ask to be the villains that have to wake people up, but if we have to, we will be. We swore an oath, /Eryl/! We swore an oath to do whatever it takes to fix what Euphonia broke."

    Following that statement, there is a long, pervasive quiet. His breathing quickens, and Eryl can now easily perceive a quickened heart rate. "So no," He finishes, "I'm not okay with hurting people. But we're going to do it any way. She isn't giving us any other choice."
Euphonia     ~ THE JOB (2) ~

    With Seft's words, the commander seems to soften. His arms unlock, and lines of his face unwind -- unwind in ways that make him look like an entirely different person. "You would do that for me? Do you... really think that she would give them back to me?" At that, he bites his lip, eyes closing tightly again. Then... albeit reluctantly, he begins to shake his head. "I... couldn't agree to that. It would mean abandoning all these other folks who are trying to get their families back just like I am. Unless you could promise everyone they love could come back, and that everyone -those- people love could come back, and so on, I could never say yes."

    He begins to shake his head more completely now. "That's why this is all or nothing. We either have one world awake, or one world asleep. I'm not gonna budge on this. If I budge, then she'll just take more, and more, and more... until there's nothing left. -She- is the one who stole everything, has everything, so -she- should be the one to compromise. We've already sacrificed everything we have for her. What more do we have to give? Our willpower is one of the last weapons we have. I won't let you take that from us. My resolve - our resolve - will stay alive. Until the day Euphonia is gone." He begins to take another, deep breath, and in that moment of silence, the atmosphere changes. The soldiers slowly look up, all of their eyes fixing on... her.

    She's finally here.

    "We reiterate:" She announces loudly, boldly, yet in her same monotone as always, "leave, or we will be forced to eliminate you. This is your final warning." Without a word, the commander turns his gun on her, holding his hand up. He starts a countdown. Five, four, three, two...

    Euphonia does not move.
Septette Arcubielle      Septette's bubble crackles and ruptures as the electrified projectile strikes it, stripping away its charge in the process. The entire magical field starts to disintegrate... then abruptly implodes into a lightning-strike, concentrating all its remaining energy- as well as the stolen charge from the chakram- into an enormous jolt aimed at Note. Due to the impromptu attack's reflexive nature, it's hardly the most accurate spell, but it's still rather powerful.

     Now that the chakram's lost its special properties, Septette deflects it with her forearm without suffering serious damage, and dashes towards Note with a grim expression on her face. All those built-in blades, hidden in their previous meetings, deploy with a series of clicks and whirrs as they glow red with heat. "I am sorry, little one," Arcubielle says softly once she's close enough to be heard- then lashes out at Note with frenzied speed and frightening precision, aiming each cut at a different joint. She's aiming to dismember and incapacitate rather than to kill, but if Note keeps fighting back like this, that could change quickly...
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa is cloaked and making her way in she's knows Note is now being engaged by Septette, she's never met her. She does however knows some of the truth of this world. It's not something she enjoys but this nightmare isn't right either. Kotone is moving in trying to get in, she knows there's others in there there were two targets and she's going to try to get in and do what she can, she knows there were others and she's got an idea of who might be in there maybe there's something she can do or say the stealthed cyborg is very likely to come across Raine and Clive as she makes to enter the building anf see just whom is inside.
Zwei     Weiss' tone is a lot less cheery when she speaks up again. Unsurprising considering how frighteningly blank her face has been for a while now. She turns to Euphonia, hands at her side, completely expressionless. "I'm sorry, but I don't think you get to butt in on our job partway through and then try to take over without explaining yourself. I've been keeping quiet on this for a while, but don't think that means I'm 100% behind it. I'd advise you not do anything before offering some context on it, otherwise we could most certainly take it the wrong way."

    Asche isn't even making the effort to be that polite. He can very easily sense the activation of a supercomputer only a stairwell down, and the moment the electricity flows to one of its ports, he begins tracing the data by sensory analogue, following the signature of each of the millions of little transistors involved the task rather than attempting to wirelessly interface with a computer that might not even have outside connection capacity, thus obtaining a copy for himself. He then proceeds to aim directly at the floor and discharge a high powered penetrator from his wrist integrated multiweapon, collapsing half the ceiling and simply jumping down through the breach into the bunker beneath, rattling the loose debris against the floor as his carbon talons crash into the metal and concrete, optics glowing luridly in the semi-dark. "Last chance." he utters. "Without knowledge of your authority or intent, I cannot be blamed for eliminating you to ensure operational integrity." He swivels both arms upward, the peak glow in his optical band swivelling over to Clive's direction. "The same is true of you as well. I have accepted no formal offer from Euphonia."
Euphonia     ~ ??? ~

    The barrier shatters, and in that moment, Note feels a sudden rush of accomplishment. It's a feeling vivid enough, and strong enough, that it steals her awareness for several seconds -- more than time enough for Septette to convert the shield's energy into lightning. The lightning strikes her directly, paralyzing her before she falls down on a bended knee. This gives Septette the perfect opening to attack. Note's wrists are slashed, her legs are cut, and eventually, she loses her right hand entirely. It is around this time, though, that she finally manages to propel herself backwards. Still writhing on the floor, she faces Septette in just enough time to open a hollow cavity on the now-handless arm.

    A brilliantly-colored beam of light emerges from that arm, and she takes it into her opposite hand. In a desperate, last moment maneuver, she attempts to lasso Septette's feet together to provide just enough time for Raine to escape through the back door if they still hadn't. Regardless of her success here, Note produces one more thing from her arm: a grenade which she either throws toward Septette, or holds against the floor with what remains of her arm if she is successful in trapping Septette. She squeezes her eyes shut, muttering something almost inaudible. It sounds like an incredibly flustered 'sorry'.

    Meanwhile, Kotone is able to sneak inside thanks to the 'diversion' created by Septette. She makes way to the computer center where Clive dutifully stands in front of the console. He has two sickles, chained together, one held in each hand. He looks as though he's already poised for Septette's arrival.
Raine Arland      "Feh."

     Raine stood by, not moving even as Note created a pathway for him to escape through. "Sorry kid, guy. But I'm the kinda guy that sees that the job's done before I walk away. Nothing more, nothing less." He swung out an arm and in the process, a trail of crimson energy followed, forming into an ornate blade that he then hefted onto his shoulder.

     "'Sides...looks like you guys are gonna need some support." RIGHT at that moment, Asche BURST through the ceiling, making quite a splash of an entrance. Note was busy with Septette, Asche was looming before them... Raine grinned and stepped forward, standing beside Clive. "Hey, you guard the computer. I got the big guy." He said, giving his partner a sidelong glance and a nod.

     "It's down to the wire. If this fails now, then the whole job was worthless. Catch my drift?" Raine's gaze settled on Asche again. "So! Make sure that download completes!"
Septette Arcubielle      Whatever the skeletal robot was expecting from her opponent, it certainly wasn't that. The energy-lasso snares her around the ankles, and she falls to her hands and one knee: Septette's density works against her here, and she isn't able to stabilize herself quickly enough. She's just getting back up when the grenade comes into focus, and her eyes flare brightly as subjective time slows to a crawl.

     "You've nothing to apologize for, Note," the grinning android intones as she grabs her opponent's hand and tries to wrench the grenade from her grasp, tearing off Note's fingers in the process if need be. "Because I won't let you." A red barrier surrounds the grenade, and Septette throws it straight up as hard as she possibly can. Meanwhile, the blades on her legs re-deploy and slice through the lasso, and she tries to pull herself to her feet...
Eryl Fairfax     Eryl stands there and allows the venomous words to crash over him. The man has every right to be upset with him, he represents what he's rebelling against. "So you know what everyone would want, do you? Is that not one of your issues with Euphonia?" he asks. It's quite a vicious question presented pleasantly, designed to strike at the core so Eryl can have some quiet while he talks. Original Face compiles everything the man said about Euphonia and files it away.

    "I think what you want is an ideal outcome. People should have the ability to choose. But the way you are carrying on, no one would want what you have to suggest. I do believe mutual understand and cooperation can exist between Glitch and Euphonia. It just requires compromise, from both parties." Already, Original Face is bringing up some suggestions, and Eryl begins to rattle off the first one.

    "Euphonia could begin by promising amnesty to all members of Glitch for their past actions. In exchange, Glitch promises to stop their more violent actions. A small step, that just brings the whole affair to a neutral footing. But it can be the first on a path to a better Chrysalis. Would that be acceptable to you?" Eryl's starting to feel confident now. He can do this...

    And then, of course. Euphonia chooses that moment to ruin everything.

    Looking up along with the crowd, a scowl crosses his face, both from irritation and the pain that Original Face brings as it beholds the girl's hovering form. "Euphonia, stop!" he yells, filling his voice with as much authority as he can manage. He puts himself firmly between the Glitch leader and the Chrysalis tyrant, arms spread. Original Face starts running the new data on her, in comparison with what had happened at Fort Verne.

1. Euphonia is here now, despite sending us to handle the problem. Something must have happened to increase her commitment to wiping out Glitch.
2. During Operation URANIA, she utilized nanoswarms to jump to the server room. Said nanoswarms only had 'consume' and 'reproduce' as their driving intents.
3. Glitch represents a return to a world outside this simulation, perhaps one of biological necessity.
4. Towards the end of Operation URANIA, she had to be talked into making an escape using the nanoswarms again.

CONCLUSION: Euphonia is opposed to biological necessities at a fundamental level. Exposure to them may have put her in a temporarily suicidal state. She will attempt to oppose any attempt to revert Chrysalis to a state in which such necessities become a factor.

    "Euphonia! Glitch does not want total annihilation of Chrysalis, they only want the chance to opt out. And with the Multiverse, now they can! Please, just stand down, and we can reach a peaceful agreement. You've done an amazing thing here, don't stain it with hasty decisions borne from personal feelings."