The $yndicate Chapter 3; Dusk Security Forces

With the Lawless Land, which was separated from the Mainland of the Veritas, and the Underground, which was isolated from the Mainland, now taken care of, the Dark Messenger made its next stop in the actual Mainland on Planet Veritas. It appeared in 'La Crysta, Central City Of The Dusk', one of the twin Crystal Cities.

Now the Dusk was in perpetual night most of the time, except when the sun ever so rarely brought a sunset onto the usually dark lands. The Dusk was unfortunate enough to be at the base of the Crystal Tree and covered by both mountains and a large cliff that overshadowed the entire city, and to boot, the city was upside down on that cliff. The 'Myst' -- which is one of the energy sources of the Veritas -- blankets the land to disallows for the sun's natural radiance to shine brightly on the ever dim Dusk. Thus, the Dusk Citizens had to make their own light.

As one of the oldest locations in the Veritas, the Dusk has come very far since the times of the Tri-Village Alliance on the Lost World. No longer a village, the city is a bustling metropolis fit for anyone looking to make major moves in life. More technologically advanced than any of the Mainland cities, the Dusk combines the use of Manna and Technology in order to thrive, and has for quite some time. Most major productions happen in the Dusk, and it is known to be one of the most popular places in the Veritas.

The city was made of crystal due to the events that happened where it was frozen in time by one of the late appointed officials as well as the current Ruler, which allows the city to travel through time and adjust itself to different timelines via the Clock Tower.

Now, the Dusk has security forces that protect the people and the city. These forces, known as the 'Dusk Security Forces', are typically run by 'The Phantoms', but there are special forces that are part of the $yndicate. They resided in what looked like a gigantic mansion-like office building.

The Dark Messenger had come from a Dimension Gate into the DSF building to meet with the $yndicate. "Behold," the Dark Messenger began to speak to one of the DSF employees, "I am the Dark Messenger of the $yndicate, the Creator has sent me. I have warned the entire Veritas of our coming so that the $yndicate may prepare the Veritas. Please, take me to the $yndicate of the Dusk."

The receptionist for the Dusk Security Forces blinked at the Dark Messenger when it appeared, but didn't seem at all shocked. "Hmmm, well, if you're part of the $yndicate, then you should speak to the operatives about your presence here. Right this way." The receptionist guided the Dark Messenger into the interior of the DSF Headquarters, which was orderly and somewhat like an office, despite also being a living space. "Step right this way into the 'Spectral Stations', the living quarters of the DSF." The Dark Messenger would be led to rather uniform looking rooms that harbored each and every one of the DSF team members. Though the receptionist did not stop at any of them, the two eventually reached a conference room. "Wait here for the other members of the $yndicate to show up. They will be arriving shortly." The receptionist smiled and walked back to her desk in the front.

In the conference room, the Dark Messenger hovered quietly to itself, awaiting the entrance of the $yndicate. When they were informed that the Dark Messenger had come, the organization quickly made their way to the conference room. Beings of all types were here in the Dusk, but one thing that didn't change about the $yndicate was the fact that many trained, professional, talking animals were part of it.

The first to enter was Badios, a short, plushie-like being with a large hood with a cape attached and a skull on his stomach. "Dark Messenger," said Badios, "The coming of the Ominous One foretells the doom of the old way of life here. The $yndicate is prepared for another transition."

The next to enter were of the Beast Unit, which, as the name suggests, were creatures that were Beastkin. There were several different animal teams here: The cats of CLATZ, the penguins of the Penguin Brigade, the turtles of the Turtle Team, and the pandas of the Perfect Panda Pack, which had a branch up in the Dusk by the hand of the Grand Panda.

CLATZ was a group of cats that served as regular rangers and protectors of the Dusk, consisting of Miyo, the leader, Meena, the girl, Diimos, the demon, Demo the robot, and Momo, the baby. Each of them had different colors: Miyo was red, Meena was pink, Diimos was black, Demo was gray, and Momo was green. The CLATZ made their way to their chairs and sat in them, looking toward the Dark Messenger.

The Penguin Brigade was a little different from CLATZ. Not just because they were penguins, but because their team was full of operatives that handled more complex operations than the CLATZ, who were general defenders and not specialized defenders, like the Penguin Brigade. The team consisted of Penguinne, a penguin with a scarf and a sword who was the boss of all the penguins, Pen, a red penguin and the appointed leader of the Penguin Brigade underneath Penguinne, Ten, a psychotic orange penguin, Gen, a green crazy genius penguin, Jin, an indigo silent penguin, Len, a purple girl penguin, Din, a yellow fighter penguin, and Bin, the blue baby penguin. Each of them had personalized utility belts that matched their personalities and their specialties. They joined the CLATZ at the table.

The next group was the Turtle Team. Though every turtle generally followed the Dream Turtle, the Dream Turtle resided in the Dream World most of the time and left the Turtle Team in the Dusk to represent it. These turtles were Turtle, a short militant turtle with a camouflage bandana, pointed shades, a cigarette, and a handgun. Next there was Kami The Combat Turtle, a veteran war turtle that had several weapons and utilities in his shell, and wore a military combat helmet. The appointed commander was known as the War Turtle, a very large turtle with tank tracks for legs and gatling guns for arms, plus a large tank cannon barrel that protruded from the shell. He wore a captain's hat with a smiley face on it and sharper, pointier shades than Turtle. The final member of the Turtle Team in the Dusk Branch was the appointed leader, Gouzen. This specific turtle was named after the Great Gouzen, who is one of the Water Gods. Though Gouzen still took on the title of 'Great Gouzen' like the Water God, he was still only 'Gouzen'.

When the turtles assembled, it was time for the Perfect Panda Pack, which had operatives all over the Veritas, really, seeing as pandas were a major part of the $yndicate and one of the more favored animals of the Creator. So, the Perfect Panda Pack had some priority all over the Veritas. There was only one unit here to protect the Dusk, but he was very powerful. Pandaman, a small panda that looked like a plush toy wearing a monochromatic scarf. He was a superhero, although the extent of his powers were widely unknown.

Now everyone of the Dusk Security Forces that was part of the $yndicate had gathered, leading the Dark Messenger to finally speak again. "My fellow $yndicate members. The Dark Messengers have passed over this land as an omen of change for the Veritas."

Badios: "We understand. All we need to do is alert our $yndicate units out in the field and we will be prepared."

Dark Messenger: "Wonderful. If all goes well, the entire desolate 'Myst Continent' will be brought to its greatest potential."

So the $yndicate talked for a while about what the expansion process for the Dusk was going to be. They organized a detailed plan in order to get the Dusk to utilize the most maximum of the entire continent's nigh limitless supply of 'Myst' for greater things for Planet Veritas. As it stood, only the 'Crystal City Of The Dusk' was using up 'Myst', but the amount that was being used was minimal compared to how much was produced by the planet. This natural energy was made to feed the lifeforms that lived on the planet as it was, and to harness that energy would give birth to new possibilities for life all across the Veritas, urbanized or wild. The Royal Family already had a laboratory down here, and after a certain incident, the 'Biomechanica' roamed the desolate wilderlands of the Veritas Planet.

Badios: "Of course, we'll need to preserve the habitats of the natural wildlife."

Dark Messenger: "As long as we build with that in mind, we should not overstep our boundaries."

Badios: "Well then, if we're officially concluding this meeting... Everyone, go inform the other members of the $yndicate in the city. Regroup in the 'Twilight Wilderlands' on the outskirts of town. That is all."

The meeting was formally dismissed and the $yndicate was sent on its way. Around the main part of the city, their special operative Diyaux could be found. He was a gothic type person wearing a tight sleeveless black shirt with a giant skull on it, had two large, oversized wristbands that hung loosely from his wrists, sharp bones that encased and protected his arms on either side, and legs that were made up of dark matter. His presence in the matter, since he had great power, was a necessity in the cultivation of the natural land that the $yndicate was instructed to do.

The final member of the $yndicate that was out in the city resided in the 'Entertainment District', performing for others. It was the Tapdancing Cobra & Evil Pies. They normally had their gigs at the club 'Zero One', but they could also be seen performing on the street. The pies weren't actually evil, it was just their act. For entertainment. Regardless, they were picked up and brought along on this mission. All hands were on deck.

Dusk City was vacated by the $yndicate, which was very strange for the Dusk Citizens, who had not been informed of anything by the Queen. All they saw was the $yndicate exiting the city. There were other Dusk Security Forces than just the $yndicate, and in fact, the Phantoms and Mechanica were more prominent than all of the $yndicate's presence in the city combined, but the $yndicate brought something to the table that the very elusive and distant Phantoms did not. They were actually known all over Dusk City, whereas the Phantoms typically stayed anonymous. The Dusk Citizens did not panic, but they were rather worried about what was going on.

Though all went on relatively uninterrupted in the city, the wilderness was not all too kind, as was natural for the 'Twilight Wilderlands' of the Veritas. The Dusk was on the lowest layer of the Veritas Planet's surface, and the Twilight Wilderlands were, though a shared and neutral part of the Veritas Planet, still mostly Dusk territory.

The Twilight Wilderlands were mostly forested regions or desolate plains, but the entire surface of the Veritas Planet was covered in the energy source that it produced known as 'Myst'. Myst provided every sort of resource there could be as a malleable form of energy. Creatures both spawned and lived off of the Myst as well as gained special abilities from the Myst's mystical properties. The trees of what was called the 'Mystic Woods' covered a vast amount of the land, but there were open plains of desolation littered throughout the forested regions as well. Deep in the 'Mystic Woods', however, was a fierce jungle where the most dangerous creatures roamed, and where the Myst was very heavy. The 'Mysti Jungle' was just as dangerous as the 'Mysterious Plains', which were equally as covered in thick Myst as the jungles.

Without the proper equipment or adequate abilities, the Twilight Wilderlands were a very dangerous place. For even the natural life, mutations were prominent due to the experiments that went on here. As of the moment, though, no creatures emerged from the Myst and the $yndicate was allowed to do as they wished.

Badios: "... There is no way to get around disturbing at least some of the wildlife. Do your best not to kill them unless absolutely necessary. What we're trying to do is make a clear path in the forest that reaches all of the open plains and avoids all of the deep jungles. We will build bases as extensions of the Dusk City and connect the city to it when we are done. We are not doing this to the entire planet, but we still must cover a great deal of ground. The best way to get this done is to split up."

The $yndicate all listened to Badios and teamed up with their respective forces, then spread out among the Myst Continent. The CLATZ, most fortunately, had the Cat RYDER, which was their giant mecha. It looked like a robotic cat with robot armor on and long claws. It towered over most skyscrapers and was good for mowing down the trees. So the CLATZ took the Cat RYDER ahead to make a designated path for the people of the Dusk to travel through.

The Turtle Team secured the area for the $yndicate to ward off monsters with their weapons and fighting skills. The Penguin Brigade started working on setting up the first base whilst Pandaman and Diyaux went off together in another direction.

The Tapdancing Cobra & Evil Pies danced for everybody to keep spirits up.

Little did the $yndicate know, some Dusk Citizens were out in the field at an abandoned laboratory that was left behind by one of the children from the Lost World who came to research the Veritas. Here, strange mutant monsters were created that expanded all over the continent before the Lost Worlder did something which caused her to evacuate both her lab and the Veritas. Over time, some of the more curious Dusk Citizens went out to discover this abandoned laboratory as well as the notes that were left behind about the research done at the location. When the $yndicate invaded the woods where the laboratory was located, the Dusk Citizens came out to see what was disturbing nature.

These particular Dusk Citizens were not aware of the $yndicate, so they thought the cute little animals were part of the Dusk's natural wildlife that they'd never seen before. "Oh my word, I've never seen this before!" the lead scientist said. "It seems like some of the native wildlife has taken on more anthropomorphic forms and humanoid personalities." She jotted down some notes as she inspected them, creeping closer. "It seems like a Beastkin uprising is going on out here. But the strange thing is... I've never seen these animals before out here! And even more so, some of them seem to be grossly out of their habitats."

The team of scientists looked to each other and shrugged, then looked back to the lead scientist. "Come on, team. Let us go study them further." The scientists crept quietly nearby the $yndicate, tracking and documenting all of their activities.

Once the terrain of the Veritas started to change unprecedentedly, the Veritas began to react accordingly. She was a living being just the same as pretty much anything and everything within the Veritas Dimension. As such, she had a personal issue with being handled without delicacy by the beings that lived on her.

She was woken up from her slumber by the Depthsroot Residents digging up the Earth Chrysms underground, but she hadn't actually gotten up at all. Now, however, it seemed like some defense mechanisms were kicking in automatically. The thickness of the Myst increased drastically and within it, the creatures that lived out in the wilderness stirred. Noises could be heard all throughout the forested region as the Dusk Creatures moved.

Badios narrowed his glowing red eyes. "$yndicate," he spoke urgently into the communicator, "The Veritas is reacting to our presence. Remember the plan and do as little damage as possible." It was clear that Badios knew something that the other members may or may not have known. The squad adjusted accordingly, the Cat RYDER turning on its headlights to cut through the Myst. It was still difficult to see, but the Cat RYDER served as a sort of makeshift lighthouse beacon for the group. But that wasn't going to be enough.

Even so, the CLATZ continued to mow down trees with the Cat RYDER until they reached the first 'Mysterious Plain'. CLATZ waited at the clearing for the team to regroup and make base, since they weren't trying to down too many trees. That was all that could be done at the time.

The Turtle Team was more equipped for combat than any of the present members of the $yndicate and actually had some conventional weapons at their disposal. "Alright, move out, turtles! Move! Move! Move!" shouted Kami The Combat Turtle, tipping down his army hat and whipping out a machine gun. He ran into the fray and he began to spray. Mostly to scare the monsters off. The other turtles took positions both behind and in the trees, covering Kami The Combat Turtle.

Meanwhile the Penguin Brigade used their utility belts to help them complete the first base in the haze. "We're done!" Pen shouted to the $yndicate, "Come on! Let's go to the next location!" The base initially looked like a clear dome, but that dome quickly began to inhale Myst and power up the base. It was made using the same technology that powered the Dusk with the Myst in the city. "If we can set up more bases, we can clear out the thick Myst and get some energy in the process!" The Penguin Brigade continued running through the clearing made by the CLATZ.

Pandaman and Diyaux were nowhere to be found.

But the Tapdancing Cobra! Now he, was dancing. And he just tapdanced all the way on down the road. Oh yeah, the Evil Pies also did some... Like, floating nonsense. Around Tapdancing Cobra.

Yeah.

"Fascinating!" the lead scientist said aloud. "The creatures seem to have brought about some of the natural elements of the planet and attracted other lifeforms! Come! Come! We must not lose them in the Myst!" The scientists all hurried through the opening, trying not to lose sight of the $yndicate.

The monsters that lurked in the Myst hissed, their sounds surrounding the $yndicate from all around. They were hidden by the Myst for a time, but the closer they got to the base, the less Myst there was, and thus less covering. They did not emerge from the Myst, but continued to chase the $yndicate.

The scientists were unfortunate enough to be caught up in the ordeal, which led to them being picked off by the wayward monsters that dwelt in the Myst. The scientists were defenseless, unlike the $yndicate, which is why they were the main targets. Whether or not the $yndicate noticed, the scientists were carried off into the Myst and the sound of monsters thinned.

"Hm? What was that?" Turtle asked, taking a puff of his cigarette, "Sounds like the creatures have died down."

But one of the other turtles didn't think so.

"Naw..." said Gouzen, smoking his marijuana, "... I saw them carry people off... But..." He inhaled smoke deeply. "... I don't think it was one of ours."

The Turtle Team confronted each other with the information they'd gathered from dealing with the monsters. "We gotta go warn the rest of the $yndicate," they concluded. Because the Myst continued to thin, the turtles were able to navigate better. They reached the clearing where the Cat RYDER and the Penguin Brigade were, with the Penguin Brigade working on the next base. "Everyone!" cried the War Turtle, "Gouzen says that there were some people that were abducted by the monsters. We have to divide the work and save them!"

Badios: "Pandaman and Diyaux should be in the direction of the monsters. Turtle Team, you go back and cut off the monsters and regroup with Pandaman and Diyaux. Meanwhile, we'll leave a trail behind for you guys to follow back to us however far we get. Before you return, make sure those people are brought to safety. CLATZ, Penguin Brigade, and I will continue to set up bases. Is that clear?"

The team agreed and they split back up, returning to their respective duties. The Turtle Team went with the stealthy method of sneaking up on the monsters, taking to the cover of trees and bushes, which matched their camouflage.

Elsewhere, Pandaman and Diyaux were walking nonchalantly, minding their own business. They heard the monsters approaching them after being informed on their communication devices that they were coming in their direction, and they prepared themselves to intercept the creatures.

The assailants behind the abduction were still unknown to the scientists, as they were in the middle of the dark and the Myst was still around. Little light came to the Dusk, as everyone knew, which was one of the reasons why it was 'The Dusk'. So the scientists were out of luck when it came to getting a glimpse at their captors. But they did scream for their lives.

"HEEELP!" the screamed, "We're over here! Save us! Please!" They kicked and flailed about, trying to throw off the balance of the creatures. That was about all they could do right now.

It seemed like the screaming of the Dusk Citizens threw off the concentration of the creatures. They hissed and became sidetracked, then stopped when they could not bear the noise. "Silence, humans! You have already interrupted our slumber. We're going to get rid of you." With a good glimpse of the creatures in the moonlight, it was clear that they were 'Lazarhi' -- the 'Lizardmen' species. They had armor made of their own scales, and they stood upright like humans. They could hear someone coming up behind them, but they didn't account for Pandaman and Diyaux. "Stop following us or we'll eat the humans!" the head Lizardman said. With their ultra keen senses, the Lizardmen suddenly noticed Pandaman and Diyaux as they traveled and quickly dispersed into different parts of the forest, where they were hopefully lost.

Before the Lizardmen got away, both Pandamand and Diyaux saw which directions they darted off into. Pandaman's powers were widely unknown, but Diyaux was known for his ability to control dark matter. He extended his arms out to the side and the oversized wristbands straightened up and stretched out into perfect circles around his wrists. They suddenly filled with a void of spectral darkness and drew in every bit of matter within their wake into themselves, transforming the normal matter into dark matter. The trees and Myst would be converted into energy for Diyaux whilst also making an open space for the rest of the $yndicate to see.

Pandaman seemed distressed about the damage, however, and rushed off to tend to the destroyed land in a hurry. Meanwhile, the Turtle Team split up after the Lizardmen and caught up to each one of them, opening fire on the creatures in order to disable or immobilize them. Kami, Turtle, Gouzen, and War Turtle each shot at one Lizardman, careful not to hit the scientists.

Back at the second base, the Penguin Brigade had just finished building it, and the Cat RYDER was making yet another path leading up to a clearing. Badios decided to stay at the second base in case he needed to go back and help the team.

To keep from letting the Lizardmen get away, the scientists, at the risk of their own lives, screamed out again... Ironically, to save their very lives. "THIS WAY!!!" someone cried out as the Lizardman took him off. "OVER HERE!!" said another one as a Lizardman carried her in another direction. They all called out until the sudden blast that basically wiped out all of the trees in the general area, narrowly taking their lives from them just the same way as the trees were taken. "WOAH! WATCH OUT!!" shouted the lead scientist, "YOU ALMOST HIT US!!" They continued to struggle and squirm, doing what they could to keep the Lizardmen preoccupied so that the $yndicate could effectively catch up.

As with the scientists, the Lizardmen were also almost hit by the dark matter conversion blast released by Diyaux. Terrified, the Lizardmen stopped in their tracks. "Nrrrgg..." It was something that their squad leader didn't want to admit, but it was a losing battle. The Lizardmen regrouped as closely and quickly as they could. "Leave the humans," the squad leader said. "We don't have enough forces. We're risking our lives for a lost cause." The rest of the Lizardmen looked to their team leader with a bit of dissatisfaction, and he knew why. Lizardmen were Lazarhi that were related to Dragons, as most Lazarhi were. Thus, they had a strong sense of pride. Giving up so easily was not part of their normal social code, but... The team leader had a plan.

"We'll need the help of the other creatures in the forest," he explained, to the understanding of the rest of the team, "So fall back for now and we'll come back with as many as we can find who will protect the forest." They all agreed to gather forces, so the Lizardmen dispersed again into the remainder of the forest, leaving the humans for the $yndicate to deal with.

But this wasn't even the beginning of what was to come with the escalation of the situation. Nature itself was being provoked on the Veritas, and because of that, it was only natural that the Veritas fought back. With the unwarranted trim to the trees, which was like her beautiful hair, the Veritas was not enjoying her new look. She was awake, but she had not yet deemed it necessary to intervene personally, and was also building up energy whilst studying the lifeforms on the planet, as she was prone to do. Still, many major reactions occurred based on the natural changes that happened whether or not the Veritas herself got involved directly.

The Lizardmen, who acted on instinct, naturally were at the whim of the Veritas by nature alone. Therefore, they acted as envoys for the planet as she remained stagnant. The Lizardmen spread the message of the coming of the $yndicate all throughout the 'Mystic Woods', and the animals that were disturbed by the initial activity happening there became more directly hostile. The normally shy and distant 'Distortion Moths' fluttered out in swarms, the vibrations from their wings causing spatiotemporal fluxes everywhere they went, which bent time and space around them. A sky full of them generated a distinct barrier of distortion so powerful, it could warp the time and space of what came near it.

Meanwhile, on the ground, the Lizardmen and 'Shirousagi' stampeded around the forest toward the $yndicate in their respective places in the forest, bouncing or crawling around, and even hopping from tree to tree. The Lizardmen were equipped with weapons of various types and the 'Shirousagi' had their strong legs and some 'White Manna' at their disposal, making them great 'Clerics' and general support. The creatures stormed the bases of the $yndicate as well as assaulted the Cat RYDER with sheer numbers. Likewise, they also lunged at the Turtle Team and Pandaman and Diyaux, trying to overwhelm them with numbers, as well.

Badios narrowed his eyes. "Looks like I'm going to have to get in this..." he muttered begrudgingly. "I told them not to get carried away... And why? Because of things like this! Oi..." Badios rushed out of the second base and prepared for combat with the Lizardmen and Shirousagi that were native to the Mystic Woods. "... I just hope that they don't kill these creatures... That may upset the balance of nature even further..." Badios knew that if they didn't do this WITH the Veritas, then the Veritas was going to turn AGAINST them as if it was fighting a disease. So... Badios knew what had to be done. "First... I'll have to deescalate this situation... Then explain to the team what we have to do about the planet." They were all accustomed to the city, so they weren't familiar with the planet and how they needed to treat it. Badios, on the other hand, naturally understood this from learning about his surroundings. Because of that, it was his duty to inform the team.

He sprang into action, hood-cape fluttering in the wind. Badios kicked and flipped off of a number of Lizardmen and Shirousagi, engaging them in direct hand-to-hand combat. Whether it was a clever opening to trip them, flip them, disarm them, or immobilize them with strikes to pressure points, Badios was all over it. His skills came in hyperadaptive learning, assassination, and stealth, so he alone was able to handle himself against even the very experienced Lizardman warriors.

As Badios made his way to where the center of the conflict was, back at the head of the project, the CLATZ and Penguin Brigade were having trouble with the great many creatures attacking them at once. "CLATZ!!" screamed Miyo, the Red CLATZ, "Ultra-Mega-Hyper-Combo-Kitty Power!" There was a bright light that shined across the surface of the Cat RYDER like a glossy sheen, then a powerful force burst all of the creatures off of its body. "Super-Duper-Extra-Special HYPERSTOMP!!!" Miyo shouted. Clearly, they were just making shit up. But of course, as was tradition, every single action of the giant robot had a cheesy name, even if it was a nameless or basic action. That said, the Cat RYDER stomped the ground and released a shockwave that knocked away everything in the immediate area. After that, the Cat RYDER readied itself with claws out.

The Penguin Brigade had a bit of a hassle with the monsters, as they didn't have a giant robot like the CLATZ did. Their utility belts would assist them in defending themselves, though. "Quick team," said Pen, "We need to teleport back to the base! There we can operate the hidden security technology that Gen installed in every base we set up!" So the Penguin Brigade pressed the 'Emergency Exit' buttons on their utility belts and they were teleported back to the base. They immediately took to the battle stations and an array of weaponry emerged from the base all over. They did not open fire, but remained ready to defend their work.

All the while, Badios was still heading toward where the rest of the $yndicate was, moving at hyper ninja speed. He was a black blur of speed and silence as he navigated through the rampaging monsters, incapacitating them wherever he needed to. When he got to the others, he could see the Turtle Team handling the threat.

The Turtle Team had an assortment of guns at their disposal, but they were fighting up close and couldn't make the best usage of their weapons. This forced them into hand-to-hand combat, which they were also skilled in. Well, except the War Turtle, but that was because he had no hands. Either way, Kami, Turtle, and Gouzen were fighting the Lizardmen and Shirousagi as they came.

This meant that the scientists were open.

Badios took the opportunity to snatch up the scientists and bring them back to the base in what seemed like a silent black flash. When he next appeared back at the base, he was appalled to see the Penguin Brigade at the battle stations of the base. "Penguins!" Badios shouted angrily, "We are trying to do as little damage as possible! That includes to the wildlife! We will not use these weapons unless we absolutely must! So do me a favor and look after these scientists. Learn what you can from them while I talk to the team."

After being scolded, the Penguin Brigade went to the scientists and began inquisition. "Who are you? What are you doing in this forest?" they asked.

Finally, Badios got around to contacting the team. "Team," he said into his communication device, "We need to return to the base. The Veritas is rejecting our changes, and it's because we are not approaching correctly. We need to rethink our strategy. Return at once."

After receiving the message, Diyaux, Pandaman, and the Turtle Team all headed back to the base... But not before Pandaman regrew all of the trees that were lost, -- not the ones that were intended to be destroyed to make the paths and bases -- and the Turtle Team cleared the way of all threats so that the $yndicate could return to base.

Once everyone was back together again, Badios said to them, "I believe that the planet is reacting negatively because this is not the type of change that it wants. We need to figure out how to communicate with it so we can compromise. All we have done is anger the wildlife, and I believe that is a direct correlation to how the planet is responding to us. So. We need to find a way to make the planet and its inhabitants understand our advancements so that we may restore order."

The situation sounded serious to the scientists, who were being interrogated by the Penguin Brigade. They overheard what Badios said, and they decided that because he saved them that they would assist the $yndicate. "Um... Uh, uh, well..." The scientists sort of stammered over themselves, a bit flustered by the $yndicate. "... Um! Well, you see... We are scientists! We have lived out in the Twilight Wilderlands for a while now, studying the wildlife of the Veritas. We know a great deal about the natural life of the creatures here! Maybe we can help you out!"

It was admirable of the scientists to join with the $yndicate, but it wouldn't stop the Veritas from advancing. The 'Dusk Creatures' swarmed the base, coming at it from all sides and trapping the $yndicate within. If they wanted to come out, they wouldn't be able to come out without a fight.

The earth itself started to get a little shaky, almost like the planet was moving... Which, in fact, it was. The Crystal Tree glowed with a brilliant light and a surplus of Myst emanated from the planet's surface. The round form of the planet's shape began to unfurl into what seemed to be rather shapely blue legs, with the forests creating a thick covering around the legs that resembled clothing. The planetary legs stretched out, and the planet rumbled again.

The $yndicate gladly accepted the scientists' help, as it was greatly needed, especially now that the monsters were attacking the base. "All right, then!" Badios said to the scientists, "Tell us what we need to do! With our skills and your knowledge, we will be able to subdue the threat. Meanwhile, I want everyone else to focus their attention on figuring out a way to talk to the Veritas."

Just then, the CLATZ came in with a transmission. "B-BADIOS!!!" cried Miyo, "Th-Th-The planet is changing shape!" To the $yndicate, the planet's shifting form brought the entire perspective into retrospect. The Veritas Planet was a conscious creature, and she was starting to assert her presence.

That's when Pandaman spoke up.

"Hey!" Pandaman squeaked in the cutest voice, "I am one of the Perfect Panda Pack! The Earth God, the Grand Panda, has granted me a great deal of his earthy powers! Perhaps I can communicate with the Veritas Planet on behalf of the $yndicate!"

Badios squinted an eye at Pandaman inquisitively. "Is that what you do?" he asked. "Huh, that's actually surprisingly helpful." Badios gave Pandaman a thumb's up. "Go out there and talk to the planet, Pandaman. The power is yours!"

Cheesy 'Planeteer' references aside, the $yndicate still had a problem with the onslaught of monsters. The CLATZ were overwhelmed, and the Penguin Brigade wasn't allowed to take up the battle stations. The Turtle Team was nowhere near enough to handle all of those monsters, and Diyaux... He was much too unstable.

That only left one member.

"COBRA!" Badios cawed, "Get out there and show those hooligans what you're made of!"

Tapdancing Cobra & The Evil Pies shimmied on out into the horde and went to work. The cobra had no arms or legs, and was just an upright cobra wearing a tophat, tap shoes, and wielding a disembodied cane. The Evil Pies were pies with evil looking faces... All save for one, which was the symbol 'Pi'. But it also had a face, yeah.

So, Tapdancing Cobra began to tapdance.

He danced in the moonlight every so gracefully, the sound of his taps resounding in the night. He clicked and clacked through the night, through the horde, through the forest. All the while, the Evil Pies hurled themselves at anyone that didn't pay attention to the Tapdancing Cobra, directing all attention unto the snake.

The scientists got to work.

They rushed to the monitors and observed the behaviors of the Dusk Creatures, inspecting the elements of the situation. It didn't take long for the experts to come to a conclusion.

"Aha!" shouted the lead scientist, "We've got something! You see, the Distortion Moths have created a spatiotemporal flux that is capable of warping time and space. If we can harness that energy that they create, we can repel the monsters with a spacetime barrier!" That idea settled what could be done about the monsters, but nothing about what would be done about the rapidly changing planet. The scientists were baffled by this particular phenomenon, as they hadn't ever experienced the planet doing something like this before. However, they were ready to make some educated guesses.

Lead Scientist: "Okay, so... This is only a theory, but I think that if we can find a method of transmitting wavelengths, we can send a vibration that will resonate with the seismic waves of the planet and allow us to communicate with it!"

Even though the scientists were unsure if the $yndicate had the technology, it was still worth a shot.

Since the $yndicate was taking so long within the base, the monsters were able to break in through some of the windows and invade. The Lizardmen and Shirousagi poured inside, flooding to the main hall where the $yndicate was. Though there were a lot of them, there were more of them being entranced by the dance of the Tapdancing Cobra, who led the majority away from the base.

At the same time, the Veritas was being talked to by Pandaman, who had the special power to communicate with the earth. He would be able to hear the Veritas speaking to him, asking him in an echoing voice, "What Are You Doing To My Body Without My Permission? I Did Not Authorize These Changes!" One of the massive legs raised into the air and on top of the other, crossed saucily.

Pandaman understood the Veritas, but had to report to Badios to know what to do next. He flew back to the base and said to Badios, "Badios! The Veritas has responded to me! She wants to know why we are trying to change her design without her permission!" Pandaman started to tear up a little, holding his hands behind his back. "I didn't know we needed permission..."

At that moment, Badios understood it all. And he had a plan. Using his hypercalculative skills, he quickly put together a few conclusions and began to give orders based on Pandaman's findings and the scientists' ideas. "Penguin Brigade! Absorb the waves from the Distortion Moths and transfer the energy into the Cat RYDER. Turtle Team! Defend the base until we are prepared to erect the spacetime barrier! Scientists! Join me in modifying the communication devices so that I will be able to speak directly to the earth through her waves!" The $yndicate had all of the materials they needed, but still required a bit more time. "Pandaman!" Badois shouted at the panda, "Keep talking to the Veritas until I can talk to it myself. Tell it that we are here on special orders from the Creator and that I will speak to it directly soon."

The $yndicate got to work.

The scientists modified the technology as much as they could in order to allow for them to both send and receive messages directly from the planet. They were astounded by what the $yndicate had to offer, as it was top of the line, even for people of the futuristic Dusk City. They really were a cut above, and the scientists were grateful that they got to witness something incredible go on with the planet itself.

"The communicator is ready to go!" said the lead scientist. "The next time the planet speaks, we should be able to hear it!" The scientists all prepared for something they never thought they'd get to do before -- communicate directly with the planet.