[Altie Gates]

RE relaxes slightly, her hands' glow dying down. There is a slightly charred part on the wall where she had pressed them back. She scoots in front of it, looking down in embarassment. She hadn't meant to get so scared, and...How had she done that? She looks at her hands, a bit bewildered. Was it a subconscious response to a threat? Or maybe a reaction to the specific Reploid? She couldn't be sure. She sighs in overwhelment.

[『ちびまる子ちゃん』正人]

Signas watched as the large mech walked off. Chiba shook his head and stepped back. R sighed, continuing to prod his injury. Kazuo didn't seem to notice the commotion at all, focusing on not exploding. He saw the terminals had finished booting up.

"The IT Pads are running and linked up. Step on it one at a time to teleport to Aquilo Project," Alia said, leaning back in the chair.

Kazuo looked up at the IT Pad in front of him and wasted no time, taking a step. He felt his body glow for a second and become lighter as he felt the teleportation occurring. R held onto his arm and walked over to a pad, only to have Axl stumble in his way and step onto the pad. R stopped, raising a brow before sighing. After Axl teleported, R stepped on. Chiba looked down at Juno.

"Well, another mission. Just great," Chiba said obviously, with a chuckle.

Pallatte stepped over to a nearby IT Pad and hopped on, disappearing with the canister in tow. Layer felt uneasy, and stayed back, waiting for Zero. Signas looked over at X, who stood outside. He walked over, cautiously and stood a decent distance away from X.

[Axl, R, Kazuo, and Pallatte to Aquilo Project]

"X," he said just to get his attention.

[Vérité]

Juno, still trying to grasp the situation, sighs with a frustration. She was weaponless, and she just remembered what put her in this place to begin with. She also recalled her former Federation Captain, who had appeared on the bridge after so long. Was it a coincidence?

[OmegaMan]

Omicron and Helios gave a heavy sigh of relief after the large war machine left the room. The detective then watched Kazuo intently before he vanished. Soon he would have the chance to gather some information and maybe make sense of what Hajime had told him. The detective stepped onto the nearest platform and vanished with the others who were also teleporting out.

[Omicron to Aquilo Project]

Helios started to follow but remembered something. He looked around to look at those present and noticed some of the avid hunters that attended the briefing were not here. Including the girl he saw earlier. That girl, who looked willing to help... Something was odd about her, but Helios couldn't place why. He at least decided that he should look for those who were straddling and remind them to hurry.

Helios turned away from the machines and spoke. "I think there are some straddlers. I'll be back in a minute," Helios said as he approached the door. "And heaven knows what would happen with that big guy walking around."

Zero let his arms relax after the mech left. He was about to step onto a platform, but paused. He decided to see how his blue comrade was doing before going as well. Knowing X, he wasn't handling the situation well. He turned back to look toward the door after Signas called for X.

[White-Jet]

X watched as the beetle mech seemed to freak out at his appearance and scamper off, indicating that he was just as threatening to the Mavericks as they were to the rest of civilization. He couldn't be bothered by his antics at the moment as Signas approaches him, seeming to insist he start making his way towards IT.

"You go on ahead, I'll go last," he mutters, trying to sound docile amidst his personal anxiety of wanting to move things along.

[『ちびまる子ちゃん』正人]

OOC: Reply.

Signas shook his head.

"That is not what I wanted to talk to you about," he said, quietly as to not bring any attention to them. "This mission is one of the most dangerous yet and if things go our way, we can prevent any crisis from emerging. However, in order to do that, I need you to lose any hesitation you may feel. If you're worried about your 'problem' spreading to others on the battlefield, push it away for the sake of the mission. If we have a chance to stop Sigma's return, we can't throw it away for our own personal well-being. All of us are prepared to risk everything and that includes ourselves. It's harsh, but the importance of this mission requires you as a leader. You play a role larger than you can comprehend... and you need to accept that if you want to prevent innocents from dying," Signas finally finished.

[Trip Dering]

Takashi cringed as Shakahn'ti spazzed when he saw X, but, due to his promising RE he'd watch over her, he remained put, just hoping for the best. He nodded when Helios spoke, then turned to RE and asked her: "you ready to head out? Hey... what's with the look? You alright?"

[White-Jet]

(Reaction)

X compresses his lips in concern, "With all do respect sir, my situation isn't all personal. I'm willing to join the battle whenever possible, and am willing to take responsibility for any casualties this substance would force me to take down in the heat of battle. It's the down times that worry me more."

He starts to rub the arm where the upgraded buster used to be, "If this substance is any similar to the Limited, I'm worried it might get restless and start infecting other personnel with a shred of circuitry, turning them into Mavericks and creating bigger problems for future missions ahead. If I can just keep my distance during those times, especially during briefing, we could have a better chance of dealing with Sigma and the origins of this substance."

[『ちびまる子ちゃん』正人]

OOC: Final reply.

"If it infects others, you have to take responsibility. If it takes over your systems, take responsibility. It's cruel and unfair, but we have to proceed and put our all into this. Any faltering due to the substance is, in the end, your decision on how you want to handle it... and I suggest you don't let your mind worry about Axl or Zero and the substance, either. Even if I were to get infected, don't hesitate to do your duty, as a Maverick Hunter," Signas said.

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and faced Helios. He nodded in approval before he walked over to an IT Panel and stepped on, teleporting to [Aquilo Project].

[OmegaMan]

Helios caught the exchange between X and Signas. Zero overheard it as well, but waited. Signas said more than he could think of saying at the moment. Perhaps he should just leave already...?

Helios stepped forward and spoke to X.

"... If you're this concerned, I have an isolated lab location," Helios told him. "I can offer to examine you and find out more about this stuff. Of course, with the negative response my presence gained in the briefing room, I will understand if you do not trust me. And of course, it's more than likely I can't do anything at all to help." Helios then turned back to look at Zero. The crimson Hunter crossed his arms. "And if you're afraid I'll try doing something Maverick-wise, you're free to bring as many comrades with you as you feel comfortable with."

Zero didn't reply. He wasn't sure whether or not to trust this Reploid. Especially after dealing with Hunters like Mac and Shadow... Or Kazuma... Or Redips... There have been too many betrayals to fully trust someone who just happened to know a bit about what they were dealing with.

[White-Jet]

X remained silent a moment, seeming to take Helios' offer int deep thought before addressing the gold reploid, "As much as I want to find out more about this substance, and how to stop it from spreading, I'm afraid my duties as a Hunter are outweighing my own caution. I trust that the Aquilo Base is also aware of what's going on and have a similar location to keep me in and run tests on, so I'll try staying with them a while."

His mood darkens a bit, seeming to hesitate on what he plans to say next before moving closer to Helios (though not close enough to brush metal with metal) and whispering in his ear so Zero wouldn't listen in, "However, I think I have an idea of who's sent that other vial of Ordarium along with the doll that looked eerily like one of our Hunters. As much as I don't want to encourage his involvement, I believe he might be able to help you shed more light on its origins and who else might be out to stop it from falling into the wrong hands. His whereabouts are random, at best, but from what I saw on the tag hanging off that doll, I can only assume he'll be hanging around a city called New Hera."

[Darkrider]

Darkrider and Mikado make their way into the Teleporter to the Aquilo Project after watching the monster leave the room.

As Darkrider passes Helios, X, and Zero, he catches a bit of their conversation, but pays no heed. Mikado didn't catch anything they said, and continued to follow Darkrider to the teleporter.

[Darkrider and Mikado to Aquilo Project]

[Vérité]

Juno, letting her worries come to concern, teleports to the new location

[Aquilo Base]

[OmegaMan]

Helios nods. "Alright," he whispers back. "I'll take that into consideration..." Helios then nods to X before exiting to search for any stragglers. New Hera... Everything seemed tied to it. The visored Reploid keeps that bit of info in mind as he walks into the hallways.

[Helios to Command Center Hallways.]

Zero was curious as to what X told the stranger, but did not pay it mind. X was placing his duties above a suspicious doctor's appointment. That alone told Zero that things may go smoothly. Zero glanced at X with a look that seemed to say, 'Don't push yourself too much.' The crimson Hunter stepped onto one of the platforms and vanished in a flash of light.

[Zero to Aquilo Project]

[White-Jet]

X watched as both reploids parted ways before following after the rest of the Hunters, entering a different IT that led to the same base, but has yet to be touched.

[To Aquilo Project]

[Altie Gates]

RE looks up suddenly, startled by Takashi. She shakes her head rapidly, replying, "N-no, I'm fine! I was just a bit surprised...that's all..." She looks back down, and seems to be confused. The charred wall is visible due to her nervous shuffling. She is also holding her hands behind her back.

[Trip Dering]

{Reply}

Takashi shook his head. "There's something up, miss. But I'm not here to investigate you. So don't worry... if you have a secret, it's safe. As for the wall, I'm sure they don't mind. Let's get going, shall we?" He motioned to one of the teleporters.

[『ちびまる子ちゃん』正人]

OOC: Fuck the order, it seems.

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

Chiba stepped onto an IT Pad, wasting no time as he teleported to [Aquilo Project]. Alia and Layer were all that's left of the non-combat personal, it seems... and one of the few people left. Layer stepped onto an IT Pad, teleporting to [Aquilo Project]. Alia stayed behind to help the few that were left teleport. She also noticed several people were missing.

[Altie Gates]

OOC: Reply

Re nods quietly and walks over to the teleporter. She pauses, waiting for Takashi. "Where exactly are we heading to now?" She inquires.

[Trip Dering]

{Reply}

Takashi headed to the same one as RE. "It's to a different base since this one has gone dark." He shrugged. "Or something like that." With that said, he stepped on the telepad and waited on RE.