[Date: August 17, Time: 920 GMT. Weather: Fairly warm and sunny.] [Ben and Marguerite both arrived separately to check out the site for the Bug Zapper mission. They haven't met, but there was a security curtain they had to get through, and we'll say whomever showed up second was alerted that the other was there.] [The actual site is a block in a warehouse district, the cordon keeps people from coming within three blocks, on a public health excuse.] [There's a set of stairs down to a currently shut down Underground subway station.] * Ben's the latecomer. He strolls along the cordoned off street, glancing appraisingly at the buildings lining it, until he comes across Marguerite. [That's all I got.] * Ben is a male in his late thirties, with greying black hair and a weatherbeaten face. He's wearing a grey suit and tie, and smoking a cigarette,. * Marguerite is sitting on a fire hydrant, slowly scanning over the area. She's a mid-twenties woman in a camouflaged jumpsuit, carrying a blue satchel. She's got red hair done up in a french braid. She, too, is smoking. A pile of cigarettes at her feet indicates she may have been here a while. She doesn't look at Ben, but says, "Yo." 'You Marguerite?' * Marguerite looks at him. "Maggie. Or Mad Dog. You must be Ben." * Ben snickers slightly at the 'Or Mad Dog.' 'Yeah, I'm Ben.' * Ben sticks out his right hand. 'Pleased to meet you. Mad Dog.' * Marguerite shakes his hand strongly, but distractedly. She's starting to survey the block again. 'Scoping out the terrain, huh? Good plan.' 'SAB never tells you anything. If you want to stay alive, you have to investigate everything for yourself.' Trust me, it's par for the course. Good intel is rare no matter where you go. * Marguerite speaks with a Midwestern accent, by the way. 'Speaking of informing ourselves of what SAB doesn't bother too, might as well further our introductions a bit. I'm pretty damn hard to hurt. What's your little party trick?' [Notes from Maggie's surveying: The building in the center of the block looks fairly ripe of condemnation, as you get farther away from that building though the quality improves some. On the whole, pretty iffy neighborhood, no civilians around though.] * Ben's accent is American as well, a bit Southern maybe but generally pretty tough to pin down. * Marguerite reaches into her jumpsuit and pulls out a concealed Desert Eagle in a shoulder holster. "Lead." She puts it back and rummages in her satchel, pulling out a rather large shiny chrome weapon. "And plasma." * Ben looks at the plasma weapon appraisingly. 'Nice toy. Where'd you pick that baby up?' * Saldin walks up out of the subway station in the distance, which must seem odd, since it's supposed to be closed down. She is 6'1", muscular, and looks Indian, shaved absolutely bald. She is wearing a loose white shirt, although not so loose around the chest, and loose white chinese pants. She is smiling pleasantly, and starts walking over towards Ben and Maggie at a leisurely pace. (Out of curiosity: Native American Indian or Indian from India?) (India-n Indian) It was a... supplementary payment, let's say. * Marguerite blinks and eyes the newcomer. * Ben also turns to look at the approaching Saldin. (To Mad Dog) 'Friend of yours?' Not of mine. 'Well, it's a bit early for the other dimensional visitors, so probably SAB.' * Marguerite nods and lights up another cigarette. * Saldin comes closer, and now one could see that her eyes are a solid white. Also, there is a strange symbol on her forehead. Some character in some language, probably. Something glints from her neck... gold, perhaps? She finally arrives and bows slightly, saying in a soft, barely accented voice, in English, "Good day to you both." * Marguerite puffs. "Yo." 'Maybe I spoke too soon about the whole dimensional origin question...' 'I'm Ben.' He adds in a deadly serious voice, 'And this here's Mad Dog.' * Marguerite nods. 'Mind if I ask who you are?' * Saldin nods. "Ben and Mad Dog, I see. My name is unimportant, but if it will help you, you can call me Saldin." 'Oh... kay.' * Marguerite snorts. "They gotta call you somethin on yer paycheck, huh?" * Saldin 's facial expression doesn't change. "Paycheck? Oh, you must be here on some sort of job." (To Saldin) 'Lady... Who are you and what are you doing here? Because you're sounding less and less SAB by the second.' * Grysar is now known as Grydle * Marguerite calmly smokes. And eyes. It's early, she hasn't had her RDA of scotch yet, cut her some slack. * Saldin blinks. "SAB? Ah, that would explain why I am here." She pauses, then says, "I am a monk. I deal with unpleasent demons and spirits. There must be something of importance happening soon, and hence..." she gestures in a wide sweeping motion with her hand, and a smile. "Here I am." 'Note to self: Next time, check for SAB clearance first thing.' Ben takes a step toward Saldin. 'Now, do you or do you not have SAB clearance?' * Ben profers his own SAB card. Or whatever the SAB gives its people. * Saldin smiles pleasantly. "I have worked with SAB before. I do not know if I have their 'clearance', but if I am meant to be here, then I will be here." (The official SAB rubber chicken of authority!) (Woo!) * Ben glances over at Maggie. 'It's your site, Mad Dog, so your call. Another hour and I'm off to my own evening's entertainment. So what do you want to do about her?' * Marguerite looks Saldin up and down. "She's not on my team, she can do what she likes." 'You're letting an unknown quantity wander through your mission site? No wonder they call you Mad...' * Marguerite hefts the plasma gun. It says "Bubba" on the side. "It's not like the site's going to remain intact." She grins. 'Fair enough. I just got slapped around by the brass after the last mission due to civilian casualties and property damage and bulls*** like that. So heads up, they *will* dock your pay.' Not this mission. This block is fair game. * Marguerite grins again. "I made sure to check." 'Well, yeah, until the civvies wander in...' * Marguerite points at the cordon. "Ideally there won't be any civilians." * Ben points at Saldin. 'Reality says that's one.' * Ren pops in! He's definitely let Cheshire out. It's fairly obvious that it looks like a not-quite-there ghost-like catguy is overlapping his own self. Extra ears, fur, tail, and all, in addition to his normal appearance. He stops, and waves. 'Holy f***!' exclaims a startled Ben as he pulls out a heavy pistol and aims it at this apparition. 'Show me some SAB clearance! You have three seconds. I'm not f***ing kidding.' Relax! It's just me. * Ren puts his hands up, then slowly reaches into a vest, withdrawing a card. Ren Ran. Sorry if I startled you. * Ben relaxes and puts away the gun. * Marguerite eyes Ben. "Jumpy, aren't you?" * Saldin stands there, seemingly unbothered by anything, as she reaches up inside her shirt from the bottom. Suddenly, a humming noise can be heard, and there is a brieft soft flash of light. 'This is going to be the target of a convergence of hostile extraplanars tonight. And a pretty freaky looking insubstantial guy just materialized.' I'm going to be here. I want to let Cheshire get the feel of the place, in case of any suprises. The extraplanars don't show till we turn on the beacon. * Marguerite eyes Ren. "What's with the getup?" * Ren grins, fangy. Anime fangs do that. "This," *points at himself* "Is Cheshire." * Saldin then, since nobody seemed to notice what she did much, pulls her hand out of her shirt, and nods to herself. Care to explain? Long story. I'll shorten it, though. I'm aprtially possessed, and Cheshire here is stuck with me. 'Oh great. It *is* a hostile extraplanar.' * Marguerite shrugs. "Fine with me." She turns to Saldin. "Care to explain the bit with the shirt?" * Ren turns to Ben. "Not... quite." 'Care to give a slightly longer version of the story, then?' * Saldin nods at Marguerite. "I was simply figuring out what your... mission was, I believe. My experiences with SAB tend to be, perhaps, unstructured." That doesn't explain why you had to reach under your shirt to do it. * Ren thinks for a moment. "Perhaps some other time. But, I think it's time for you to introduce yourself." * Saldin nods, and reches inside her shirt, this time from the top, and pulls out a fair sized amulet, made of gold, among other things. "I could not have done so without this, is all." She drops it back down in her shirt. 'Ben Carmichael.' Ben pulls out his own SAB card. * Saldin continues, "It was easier than asking, and now I understand why I am here." 'That amulet told you our mission?' * Saldin smiles in a quirky manner. "Indirectly." * Marguerite nods, drops her cigarette, and lights another. * Ren glances at Saldin. "Interesting." * Ben notes that Maggie's burning through cigarettes awfully fast. 'You need a better brand.' * Ben exhales a long stream of smoke. 'That's your third since I got here, and I'm still on the same one.' * Saldin closes her eyes for a second, then turns to Ren. "It can be." She eyes Ren carefully. "Are you satisfied with that arrangement?" * Ren shrugs. "I've got my gripes. But Cheshire has his, too. We're in this together 'till it's settled." * Marguerite holds the burning cigarette out. It's unfiltered. "I think I'm fine with this one." 'Suit yourself.' * Saldin nods slightly. "If you ever find yourself... unsatisfied, I might be able to assist. Perhaps. I must have missed your name, though, Mister...?" I just haven't had my alcohol this morning, is all. I go through cigs faster that way. * Ben feels in his pockets for a second. 'Thought I might have a flask on me, but sorry, no.' Oh, I've got a flask. I intend to have a drink, as soon as I've finished looking at the area. * Marguerite eyes Saldin. "I take it you're not heavy firepower?" * Ren glances around more, then settles on Maggie for a moment, then shifts back to Saldin and Ben. "You two are on the other part, I'm guessing?" 'I am. She's a civvie. I thought we should get rid of her, but Mad Dog said she could stick around.' * Saldin says without turning. "Not in the conventional sense, no. I do, however, have, how would you say, a certain way with demons and spirits? I believe I would be of valuable assistance in this 'other part'." * Ren narrows his eyes. "An exorcist." * Marguerite nods. * Ben's eyes narrow. 'Or you want to get right to the target.' * Saldin nods at Ren, since she hasn't turned. "That is what I was implying, yes. However, if you two are satisfied, I have no reason to be bothered." She turns to Ben. "Well, yes, is thaht not what you want to do as well?" * Ben pulls out a cell phone. 'I'm going to call the SAB, find out if they've ever heard of you, Ms. Saldin.' * Marguerite rolls her eyes and makes a little snort. * Saldin says witih a smile still on her face. "Very well. I am sure they will recognize my name." (Ben's so suspicious. Sad, really. ;) ) * Ben wanders off for a minute to hold his phone conversation. * Ren laughs. Probably at Ben. Glad I'm not working with him. * Saldin smiles faintly. "I believe he is just doing his job. It is an admirable trait, devotion." * Marguerite shakes her head. "Guidelines." * Ben can be overheard saying a bit loudly, 'Yes, I said *she* just- what?' * Ren perks his ears. Both sets. They are not always guidelines, but in this case, perhaps you are right. * Marguerite looks around the place again, and sighs. "It'll have to do." * Ben wanders back over. His gun is drawn. 'Oh, SAB's heard of a Saldin alright. Thing is, he's a guy. What'd you do, kill him and try to take his place? And how dumb are you to not at least pick someone of the right sex?' * Marguerite raises an eyebrow. her hand twitches, very slightly. * Ren jumps back, giving them some distance. * Saldin smiles faintly. "Yes, I am usually male. Today, however, the spirits were particularly playful." 'Can you do a little better than that in the explanation department? 'Cause right now, I'm wanting some answers.' * Ben glances around at Saldin and Ren. 'Am I the only one?' * Ren raises an eyebrow. No. But here is the wrong place to ask. An explanation would be nice, sure. 'You people are so blase. Guess that's why you're the decoys tonight. Not enough self preservation instinct to try to avoid it.' Don't really feel a need for Mr. DE to persuade her, yet, though. * Saldin is still smiling pleasantly. "I would have no problem with explaining, if you feel it truly necessary." Perhaps your compatriots realize that I am no threat. Saldin dosen't strike me as a threat. Just someone with secrets. * Ren looks at Ben. "Everyone has secrets. And it tends to piss people off when you go unearthing them with a bulldozer when you don't have to." * Marguerite moves on to her fourth cigarette. * Saldin smiles, and opens her hands in a wide gesture. "I have no secrets, simply things that are difficult and pointless to explain to everyone. There are some days I simply do not look like myself." 'Everyone has secrets. Fine. But this woman's not supposed to be here. She's not on this mission. She just showed up. Am I the only one who remembers that?' Sure, I remember it. * Saldin lets her hands drop, and stands there. She seems unbothered and content to let the SAB people work out what they want to know. * Ren shrugs. * Ben is somewhat incredulous. 'And you're perfectly fine with letting whoever-this-really-is just hang around you all night? You aren't worried? C'mon, Mad Dog.' * Ren laughs. * Marguerite moves quicker than lightning and has her gun in her hand, aimed at Ben's head. "No. I'm not particularly worried." She removes the gun and holsters it. "She's not bothering me, and they won't let her on the mission if she doesn't check out. No big deal." If she's a threat, she'll be dealt with. (The Desert Eagle, since I have mentioned several guns.) "Were you just showing off your not unimpressive quick draw a second ago, or trying to threaten me?' Just offering a reason why I'm not worried. When I'm threatening you, you'll know it. * Marguerite grins. 'Okay. 'Cause I really didn't feel threatened just then.' Ben grins. 'Just so you know.' * Saldin continues standing there with a smile on her face. "I have no worries. I am not a threat, as the spirit-inhabitied person who refused to mention their name mentioned." Or else I would be dealt with, and I would certaintly not want that. * Ren points at himself. "Me? Ren Ran." * Marguerite chuckles. "That means it's drinkin' time." She pulls out a small hipflask and takes a healthy swig. * Saldin turns to Ren and bows sligtly. "Ah, thank you." (Everyone time Ren identifies himself, take a swig! The SAB Drinking Game) (*beans Ben with a bottle of booze) ( No, it everytime Ren refers to one of his guns as another person. ) 'Fine. Well, she's your problem. I'm going to be long gone from here when the action starts.' So will she. * Ren glances at Saldin, then Ben, and laughs softly to himself. He. Whichever. 'Wait. What?' (Ben didn't catch the quick reference earlier to 'the other part') * Saldin nods. "I believe I will, at that. It would probably be more useful of me to be near the... Champion. Perhaps someone of similar purpose would ease her mind." * Marguerite points. "She already said she wasn't going to be a part of my side of the operation." 'Wait wait wait. You want me to take you to the Champion? The person I'm supposed to be protecting from potential threats?' * Marguerite rolls her eyes. Again. If I were a threat, I would be taken care of, remember? * Ben gives Maggie a long look. 'Well, no wonder you were so blase about keeping her around.' * Ren withdraws a revolver, and starts spinning it around his finger. He's got that feral grin, still. * Ben's still got gun in hand as well. She's got to get checked out before she gets near the Champion, right? Calm down, you're takin years off yer life quicker'n the cigarettes. * Ben, cued, takes out a new cigarette, lights it off the old one, and throws the old one down onto the ground. He doesn't make any effort to put it out. * Ren twitches an eyebrow, and stomps on the still-lit butt with one foot. 'SAB said they were going to call me back when they'd got this sorted out. So, Ms. Whatever, I hope for your sake that what they have to say turns out to be good.' Aside from the arguing. Any of you diplomats have anything you want to carry over to us 'blase decoys'? 'Hmm? No, I was just stopping by to see what was up. Say hi, get a sense of what was happening here, stop random strangers from infiltrating your unconcerned midst, that sort of thing.' * Ren nods. "Don't screw up on your end. I'd be there myself, but I wouldn't trust Cheshire near the champion, and vice versa." 'I agree with both of you.' Trust me. We'll make enough of a splash here to distract extraplanars for miles around. If you'll excuse me. I intend to finish scouting the area before this starts. * Saldin smiles, but doesn't speak up or move. In fact, she hasn't really moved since she got here. * Ben exhales a puff of smoke. 'You're going up against extra planars. Those are nice guns, Mad Dog, but are they enough for that kind of opposition?' Keep an eye out for sniping points, Ren. * Marguerite turns to Ben. "You ever seen a plasma weapon before?" 'Once.' Where? * Ren nods. "Been looking out for them. I suspect sniping won't work too well against what we're going up against, though." 'I think it was Peru. It's been a while.' 'It wasn't as big as that, though.' * Ren crouches, then jumps into the air, vanishing mid-leap with a blast of ghostly fur from where he just was. Bubba spits out enough superheated plasma to melt through a bank safe in about a minute. * Ren is now known as NotRen 'Yeah. The one I saw melted through a tank.' As long as I'm not forced into the tunnels I'll be fine. The buildings I won't say much for. 'Some sort of illegal military tech, I think it was. Never found out where it came from. I didn't stick around. Firepower like that ain't healthy. Even for me.' 'Careful inside the buildings. Don't vaporize any load bearing walls when you're still inside.' * Saldin smiles faintly. "If it is her tool, Ben, I believe she would already know that." Sometimes you can't quite help it, but I try. (To Saldin, very dry) 'Well, if you say so...' 'Because who am I to doubt you?' * Ben shakes his head minutely and turns back to Maggie. * Marguerite begins cigarette 5. * Saldin smiles faintly. "Well, you are yourself, of course." She looks quizzical. "Perhaps you would like that explaination now. You seem not to trust that I am not a threat." 'What tipped you off?' * Saldin says, still in the same soft, friendly tone, "The obvious hostility and worrying, I believe, is the best indicator." 'My precious sarcasm is going to waste. Okay, so, what's your story?' * Saldin nods, and says calmly. "I am a monk, trained in the sealing and exorcising of demons, spirits, and multiple other sorts of things. Demons are, of course, our specialty, being the most threatening." 'What order?' * Saldin says something in what sounds like Chinese. Then something in Japanese. Then says, "Those both roughly translate to 'balanced dedication', although the first is certaintly more accurate." 'More detailed, certainly. Accuracy I'll have to wait and see.' We are all defenders, in various senses. We are where we need to be. And I am here. As to my form, as I have said. The spirits I have previously sealed are not pleased. It is my burden to bear. 'But you bear it well.' * Saldin stsnds up a little straighter, which should have been impossible. "I bear it." * Marguerite stands up off the fire hydrant, kicking over her pile of what's got to be a full carton of cigarettes. "I think I'm gonna go practice some trick shots. Catch you two later." She walks off, waving idly. (Ben and Saldin get along so well.) * Saldin nods at Marguerite leaving. "So. Are you relatively satisfied, at least until SAB decides as to whether I am okay in their eyes?" 'I'm not going to shoot you right this second. Well, not unless you make any sudden moves. But I'm sure not letting you anywhere near the target until SAB gives you the thumbs up.' A fair choice. (It's true love, can't you tell? :P ) * Saldin stretches her arms above her head, then looks around. "It is odd that I have shown up so... early. Why would I need to be here?" (Ask Al what Ziggy says.) 'How should I know? Leave if you want. Suits me.' * Saldin chuckles. "I did not expect you to know, I was simply musing to myself. When you are on the road often, it happens." * Ben blows a cloud of cigarette smoke at Saldin. 'They say it's a sign of insanity.' * Saldin says pleasantly. "I find it a good way to practice languages." 'Like English?' * Saldin nods. "Yes. It is hard to talk with people when you do not know their language." [Ben's phone rings.] * Ben pulls out his cell phone. 'Thought I set this to vibrate.' He answers it. * Ben also switches it to vibrate, because loud ringing noises during covert ops that give away your presence and position are bad. 'Ben Carmichael.' * Saldin stands there, seemingly undisturbed. She looks around. 'Only typically male?' * Saldin laughs very lightly, melodiously. 'Probably. Is there some way to, I don't know, check?' 'How about a way that can't be duplicated by any old archer? F*** man, we're supposed to be guarding an oh-so-precious Slayerette tonight from all the big bads, and we're going to let any old body who shows up tag along if they can shoot a bow? What kind of secret agency is this?' * Ben appears about to say something, then pauses, and seems to think better of it. 'He hung up on me.' 'But before he did, he said I'm supposed to check for mystical tattoos.' In a muttered aside, Ben adds, 'because we all know those could never be faked by a determined party...' * Saldin nods, and calmly looks around. "That seems reasonable." Did they mention any tattoos specifically? Places, I mean. Of course you wouldn't want to say what they are. * Saldin , of course, does have that tattoo on her forehead. But that's normal. Yep. 'Of course they didn't mention any specifically,' Ben says in irritation that is not directed at you, but clearly at the SAB. 'Any old tattoo will do. You know, a minor's got a tougher time buying cigarettes than you do infiltrating the SAB.' * Saldin nods, and turns her back to Ben before just pulling off her shirt and holding it in front of her. Her back is absolutely covered in an amazing tattoo, it looks like it's of air, water... something insubstantial. It ripples slightly as she shivers. Would this be sufficient? 'Sure, whatever. That proves you're mystical, like I didn't know that already. That you're Saldin, not so much, 'cause Preston didn't think to describe any of *his* tattoos to me!' 'But I don't need to see any more, no.' * Saldin nods, and puts the shirt back on before turning around. She's so thoughtful. "There are others, but there would be no need to embarass you in showing them if they would prove nothing." [A uniformed Mi-5 official walks up from the barricade a few blocks away.] (Still no Miles or Jason? C'mon, their cool heads will defuse this tense situation.) (Miles has a cool head? HAH!) (But I know someone who does.) (Like Ben, my precious sarcasm is going to waste...) (Excuse me? Jason actually doing research before a mission? ;P) * Mi-5 guy walks up and makes a quick nod to the two. He takes out a datapad and looks over Saldin, his eyes focus on the amulet, her eyes, and her tattoos. * Saldin is now holding the pack that she had stripped off in removing her shirt in her hand. It's actually a sizable pack, but was hidden behind her until she turned around. She eyes the Mi-5 man with a slight smile. * Mi-5 guy shows the datapad to Ben. "She seems to check out, all the visible tattoos match, amulet is right, and eyes are all white. Supposedly she can also use telepathy." He glances over at Saldin. "May I ask you to demonstrate that?" * Ben gives a start at the mention of telepathy. 'Have you been messing around in my brain,' he asks very softly. [Most of the photos are of a guy, but there are a few of a female, the photos match exactly. * Saldin pulls the amulet out. "No, that would be unseemly." She looks directly at the man, and suddenly the amulet flashes, and the hum starts once more. * Mi-5 guy nods. "That checks out." * Saldin nods, and stuffs the amulet back away. "I am pleased you could relieve Ben's worries." [Time: 9454 GMT] * Mi-5 guy then shows his ID to Ben, which looks authentic. 'Oh, my worries are plenty relieved. And if you did go poking around in my brain, I want you to forget whatever you found.' * Saldin smiles. "Well, then, there are no worries, as I most certaintly not would probe into anything you did not want to share. I use my telepathy, as it was given to me, to heal those who have memories they can no longer stand. To allow them to move on, when a demon has shattered their life." (... it's Temperance...) * Saldin puts her pack back on silently. * Mi-5 guy wanders off at this point. Well, he looks purposeful. * Saldin looks at Ben, and then sneezes. "Oof. I feel sick. How odd." * Saldin frowns, and says, looking down at Ben. "I must apologize, but I am confused. I realize I am here, and that this is some task SAB is performing. And I believe I have to go along with you, but I'm not completely sure why. Perhaps you could explain to me what SAB is doing?" * Ben smiles faintly. 'Well, since the SAB vouches for you, apparently...' * Ben hands over his briefing folder. * Saldin starts leafing through it. "Ah, this is very helpful. Thank you." She reads through quickly. "Ah, the Champion. Of course. Now I realize why I would need to go along." 'Yeah, yeah. Every generation, one's born. She alone, forces of darkness, etc.' * Saldin smiles, but it doesn't seem very happy. "You might be surprised what that can mean to a person. Nontheless." He closes the folder. "That sort of money would help many people." * Ben looks down at his watch. 'Okay, enough fun here. I have to get going.' With obvious reluctance, Ben adds, 'You too, Saldin. Come on.' 'We've got us a Champion to catch.' * Saldin nods, and hands the folder back to Ben, almost dropping it in the process. Almost. "Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, let us go." * Ben take the folder and heads for a car he's parked just outside the cordoned off area. It is a 2007 VW Golf hatchback, dark blue with rust streaks and a few dents. (Ben drives a very uncool car. 'Cause not everyone in SAB can have the hot wheels.) * Ben calls over his shoulder, 'Hurry up if you're coming. We don't have all day.' He gets into the drivers' side. * Saldin eyes the car with a sort of amusement. "A vehicle. I almost never ride in these." She gets to the car and opens it with a bit of doing, then sits down, not buckling herself in at all, and holding the pack on her lap. * Ben and Saldin drive off. [End]