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Tate wasn't close enough to hear Europa and Wolframite, and she needed to know what they were saying like burning. For that reason, she ventured closer, straining her ears to hear what he was saying.

It was familiar rhetoric. And now she knew the senshi were space aliens... but she also knew that Wolframite had savaged someone on the television. She couldn't watch--playing both sides was cheap, the action of a coward, but she needed the safety provided by Wolframite and the trust of Europa. If she knew Taranis, she might be able to be persuaded to give more information than Tate's friend--she might even know more.

Okay. Rock in hand, just for defense. She couldn't be seen as biased--she could not--but still, Alumo was attacking another civilian. She couldn't be blamed for defending someone else powerless, could she? Probably not. So, another rock was thrown the Negaverser's way. It was just lucky that Azzo and Ganymede were distracting the man, really.

Maia thanked the heavens Ares showed up. She nodded to her captain with a grin standing still and allowing Hypnos and Zirconia to catch up. "Its good to find another member of the court, detained is better than missing. We we're looking for Leto though ..."

Maia frowned as Ares dogded a flying rock and stepped back an arm going out to sheild Hypnos and Zirconia, before looking to the pair.

"You had better get down Zirconia, it looks like things are about to get nasty," she said hastily.

She looked to Hypnos her face completely serious, "Stick close okay, unfortunately we may have to fight and its better to work in pairs okay?"

It was Tate that caught his attention again, and he watched her throw a rock at ...another Nega? What the HELL was that other officer doing? Civilians? He jumped back, avoiding any charge from Europa as he dodged geysers and started to whip his chain around and around and around himself to keep her away and from coming near. As he did, he looked over at Alumo and shouted. "What are you doing, officer?! Civilians are NOT are problem! Kill the damn senshi!" He shouted, utterly annoyed by the complete incompetence of the other member on his side. Then again, it could be the heat. He was sweating and feeling faint, and the heat always made him cranky.

As he continued to whip his weapon around and around, he looked out and called to any civilian who could hear his voice, but hoped Tate heard him most of all. "Civilians. Go find protection! This isn't your fight!" They would get killed throwing rocks at them, and he didn't' want Tate poking any Negas and getting torn to shreds. No. He had to protect her.

Stopping his weapon, he darted and headed for Tate, making his way over to protect her.

The splintering mask came down over and over and over again on Atlas's arms, his face -- everything that was exposed for even the briefest of instants, it seemed, was a target on his body that Moonstone aimed for with no remorse. She was incredibly, psychotically determined to beat every last inch of life out of him, and her tunnel vision was quietly answered with one of his own... one that focused on his own fate as it unfolded before him. With each new cut and bruise he earned, the vision became clearer and more terrible, he was alone, there was no one to save him, everyone else in the field was too busy worrying about their own lives to pay attention to his. The pain he was enduring was his, and his alone to bear.

She was trying to kill him. And even with just the effort, she was enjoying herself. Atlas knew right then and there, as her weapon cracked down on his skull over and over again, that if she succeeded in this she would go back to her comrades and brag about it, as if he were prize game she'd shot down on a hunting trip. He didn't even know her name. She didn't even know his. And she didn't care. All that mattered to her was seeing the life extinguished from his eyes, and taking the story home as a trophy.

Was everyone in the Negaverse like this? Was it true what was said about them... that they were pure evil? Cut and bloodied, bruised and aching, each mark this officer left on him sounded in his mind as evidence.

Do something.

She was evil. She was out for his blood, and saw him not for the heart it circulated through.

The mask in her hands had little grooves in it from where her fingernails had dug into it. What was once a caricature of some animal's face now looked like it had been freshly and carelessly ripped from a tree. The paint had been chipped and abraded off. In its place, the artifact was stained with smears of a more dark and visceral red, courtesy of Atlas himself.

Don't die.

This girl wasn't human. While she may have had a human face, the senshi realized, it was no different from the mask she was wailing on him with: a fake, a crude caricature, an artful imitation of the real thing. And when the layers of paint and careful carvings were allowed to be peeled away, its true nature was revealed: something formless, something unfeeling, something that wasn't really even alive anymore. Was there really that much of a difference between the girl before him, and the ghoulish youma he'd grown able to reduce to dust without much hesitation? Was this what the Negaverse did to people?

Fight.

He had no time to think about this. All he needed to know that his life was worth living, and not something he could allow this monster to take away. There was an unusual clarity in this, that rose shyly above the pain, and he took this opportunity to shove his hands into Moonstone's shoulders in an attempt at pushing her off.

Azzo's attention was caught by two things. One was Wolframite running towards Tate. The other was Alumo grabbing Ganymede. Azzo's face twitched Wolframite was talking about not fighting the civilians that idiot.

And here was Ganymede in trouble. Azzo was not good with this type of situation. To save Tate or Ganymede, Azzo opted quickly for the non-senshi. He'd help Ganymede in just a second. Azzo sprinted to Tate, "Damnit.... Damnit....Sorry." He whispered quickly to Ganymede "Tate watch out." He called remembering that Europa had called her that and he had seen the girl in meadowview, grabbing the girl and tried to whisk her behind him before Wolframite could get her.

He wasn't about to let her have her starseed stolen. He wouldn't let the captain have that pleasure.

His hand was captured and he was drawn forward, and Ganymede started to panic. Just a little bit. He didn't like being this close. Bad things would inevitably happen. Okay, this had been a stupid idea. A very stupid idea. The next time he found himself drawn into a battle like this, he was seriously going to run far, far away.

The question, however, amused him. If his ambiguous gender confused this guy enough for him to actually be distracted by it, then that was good for him. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he teased, winking at him. Yes, winking. Probably not the best thing to do at the current time, but... he couldn't help himself. His outfit was good for something if it posed that much of a problem for people, though he thought the flat, partially exposed chest should be a bit of a giveaway.

Whatever. He wasn't complaining. While Alumo was busy trying to figure the question of his gender out, Ganymede swiftly lifted his knee and attempted to nail the guy between the legs. A low, cheap shot, yes, but he'd take whatever opportunities he could get. While he did that, he tried to tug his hand away, wanting to move back and out of range of Alumo's weapon.

Oh, s**t, rocks everywhere. Tate did not like that--her newfound agility made it easy to ensure the rocks only scored glancing blows, but still! That was her skin getting gashed all to hell. At least her head was okay.

Just dizzy, because suddenly Wolframite was running towards her after telling off the Nega with a staff--and then Azzo, shoving her behind him. Which would have been alright, had Tate been expecting it--she'd just been watching the Captain with the eyepatch, dark eyes a little bit wide. She tangled herself up in her own feet, and crashed to the ground. "********," she said under her breath, hand pressed to her head as she pushed herself up on an elbow. It stung to the touch, which wasn't good--felt slick, too, and she grimaced.

"Azzo," she said, sitting up. "It's fine." Even if Wolframite tried to take her starseed at the moment she didn't care. It'd be more proof that he was, you know, fine.