[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/houzIW1.png[/img][/center]
[center][color=MediumSpringGreen]Being a leader sure is fun...[/color]
[color=888888]-Ashley Avenir[/color][/center]

Ashley’s mind raced as Elroy spoke, the fiery freelancer apparently willing to cease hostilities for the moment, even if his ostensible allies were considerably less enamored with the notion. His revelations were troubling enough, but no sooner had he finished speaking, then Mika voiced her own opinion on the situation. The Knight of Tomorrow knew she was in a tough spot. She had an exceedingly difficult decision to make and an exceedingly small window of time in which to make it.

On the one hand, what Mika said made a great deal of sense. Up until now, she’d never seen a monster do anything other than endanger innocent lives. Stacy and Elzy might have been possible exceptions, but there were fairly good odds that both of them were just human espers with monster-like esper states. Not only that, but the fake nuns had indeed murdered a fellow agent and were almost certainly working for The Hand, an organization responsible for brainwashing multiple people. Was it really such a stretch to imagine them doing the same to Elroy, even in light of his great power and experience?

Yet, on the other hand, this monster had yet to harm anyone, despite having ample opportunity to do so. Plus, the “holy man” Elroy mentioned might very well have been the mysterious “High Priest” that had helped The Maiden, Gale, and herself eliminate Sofron a month prior, although she couldn’t exactly tell Mika that. Even so, after taking Elroy’s actions into account, it seemed far more likely that he was telling the truth, especially in light of the fact that there was a [i]second[/i], far more dangerous looking behemoth heading for the one they were currently riding on.

If she was being honest, this entire mission seemed insane from the onset. Even if her small team somehow succeeded in destroying a monster of this size before it entered the city, there was no way they would be able to eliminate the second one as well. And of the two possible behemoths to attack first, why was the less aggressive one chosen to be that initial target? Mika herself already suspected that there was a mole in G.E.M.I.N.I.’s ranks, and with each new puzzling piece of information Ashley encountered, that possibility seemed ever more certain. 

Still, even if Elroy was right, and this “good” train wished to defeat the “evil” train, their choice of battlefield was decidedly less than ideal. Although most of Pax Septimus’s populace had either evacuated or were huddled indoors, a battle between two behemoths in the heart of the city would be devastating in the extreme. As far as the Knight of Tomorrow was concerned, her team’s primary objective was to prevent loss of life, and the destruction of only one of the trains (and the supposed good one at that) would do little to achieve it. A quick glance at the rapidly approaching second behemoth told Ashley that Crazy Train’s writhing path would soon bring it over Pax Septimus Park. It wasn’t ideal, but if any place in the city would be free of civilians during a storm like this, the park was it. However, at their current speeds, the two behemoths would meet a fair bit beyond that zone of relative safety, which meant that, for her hastily formulated plan to work, one of the trains would either need to slow down or [i]speed up…[/i]

[color=MediumSpringGreen]“Timekeeper!”[/color] the high-tech heroine shouted. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“I need you to give this train as big of a speed boost as you can!”[/color] Then, turning to Mika, she added, [color=MediumSpringGreen]“Listen, Cerberus, I know this is a long shot, but the best way to mitigate civilian casualties is to ensure Crazy Train is taken down over the park. If Elroy thinks Peace Train can help us accomplish that, then I’m willing to give it the chance to prove it,”[/color] she added, making sure to keep her shield up and her techno-wand ready in case the train’s ghostly crew started getting too close. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“If not, then we’ll have no choice but to take it down, too. And rest assured,”[/color] she promised with narrowed eyes, her voice low enough that only Mika could hear her over the roaring tempest. [color=MediumSpringGreen]“No matter [i]what[/i] happens, those nuns are going to [i]pay[/i] for what they did to Angel…”[/color]

[hr]
[center]18 | Female | GEMINI | Vision of Tomorrow
Implements of Tomorrow | Wand, Shield | Arcane | Tune of Tomorrow
Raiment of Tomorrow | Stride of Tomorrow 
Light of Tomorrow | Light | Power of Tomorrow
PRO-TEK 4000 Defensive Surgery Implement | Kevlar Coat, Kevlar Padding, Medical Supplies x 2, Flash Bang, Tazer, Clip Light
[Reveal (2), Purity (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Shield (4), Reflect (4), Heal (6), Major Heal (18), AoE (2), Powerful (0), Piercing (2), Purify (6), Homing (2), Avoid (2)

DAMAGE: A | SPEED: D | SENTINEL: C | 1000

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: B | 700[/center]