[IC] Rise of Humanity!

[Blox]

Beau looked at his watch. Their time to meet here was coming to a close end. It seemed to be at this moment that it would be the 6 of them. If anyone else were to be arriving they would be here shortly but since normally it would be just a couple people running late, it seemed their small group would be as is. Beau could only logically conclude that each of them had a power, a gift that gave them a fighting edge over the ETs. Since they would be working as a team it would be wise for them to get to know each other, not only their names, but what powers they held. It would help them to work as a unit if they knew each others talents; perhaps they could learn to work their powers together for even greater attack and control.

Beau stepped forward to set himself in the middle of the slowly gathering group. His taller frame stood out amongst the crowd, and as he looked around to meet everyone's gaze, he would emit feelings of calmness, helping everyone to come to his attention. He was by no means trying to take control as the leader but he had a gift not only with his powers but with his calm nature to being people to listen to him.

Once he had most of their attention he raised his arms. "Everyone, If I can have your attention please. We may have a few others joining but due to the time frame we were given on our letters it seems that the group we see now will be the group intended for this mission." He looked around at them all again, his eyes glancing over Daily and then realizing she was holding a bottle of liquor. He frowned slightly but would address that later as it didn't settle well with him. She didn't even look old enough to drink, not that those old laws were enforced anymore.

"Let's go around and take turns introducing ourselves to each other by name, powers held if any, and weapons brought for the mission, We will be working together, and to work as one unit we must understand how we all work individually." He paused for a moment, eyes scanning the others.

"My name is Beau Orto. I have a 9mm pistol, a 6 inch blade, fairly well at hand to hand combat. I have a power, the ability to emit emotions on to others including ETs." Beau left the explanation of his powers to this. He would leave out the fact that to use his powers on ETs took much more effort than on humans, a much more physically draining experience.

Beau paused and waited, looking at the others if they would follow his lead.

[Cryptik Wisdom]

As Beau began to speak, it caught Todd's attention. Looking over, Todd started a feel a great sense of calmness come over him; causing him to shudder as he felt it. Even though his high from having taken drugs earlier was dampened by his travel to he rendezvous location, it as still there. The sudden shift in state of mind threw him off. Todd knew how it would feel to be on the drug he was on, he didn't understand the how the shift could happen. "What the fuck just happened?" He said quietly as he sporadically shook his head from left to right. He shifted back to the calm state one more, now trying to make sense of it all. He drew his attention back to Beau, folding his arms in a way where he could the opposite forearm in each hand. Due to not having been paying attention to the end, Todd only picked up 'My name is Beau Orto. I have a 9mm pistol, a 6 inch blade, fairly well at hand to hand combat. I have a power, the ability to emit emotions on to others including ETs.'

His eyes popped open only to immediately close to a slight squint. "It was you..." He said loud enough for those to hear if they were paying attention or waiting for anybody to say something. Todd seeming to sit staring at Beau for a short period of time. Todd looked at Beau as he was studying him, remaining rather silent as he repeatedly moved his hand on his own face. "Alright! I'm game!" He shouted out of nowhere, clapping his hands together as he started to speak. "My name is Todd... oh, I guess you might want a last name too. Ryerson, Todd Ryerson. I have no guns, and basically no weapons. I carry this little switch-blade, but I don't use it as a weapon. That's about it." Pausing for a second or two before adding "Oh! I'm also very skilled in Many forms of martial arts." Looking around the group as he spoke, scratching his left arms with his right have after he finished talking.

[Yahtzee]

Alex smiled a little as Beau an Todd introduced themselves although his eyes widened slightly as he heard Beau speak about his powers. "So there are others." He said to himself under his breath as he buried his hands in his pocket. It seemed like a good idea to take into account everyone's skills and weapons while they waited to see if there were going to be any other arrivals although he did find himself rapidly losing patience with the situation. He was on edge and anxious to leave. It was about damn time that the ETs got some overdue payback for the atrocious crimes they had committed. The anticipation was making him fidget and he kept checking the time as he waited hoping that if he simply stayed quiet things would just happen. As it was it seemed that Beau, who had first introduced himself, was going to be the natural unelected leader although considering they were all supposedly strangers it hardly seemed to matter. If this was a hoax they were all in it together and if it wasn't then there was a mission to undertake.

"Does everyone here have powers?" Alex asked suddenly without thinking it through. "I do and so does Beau but what about everyone else?" He looked around pointedly. "Whoever sent that envelope must have reasons for choosing us and I don't know about all of you but I'm not exactly a fighter." He said as he grew slightly annoyed by the anonymity of the whole situation. "The only thing we really know is that close by there is a building filled with ETs and we're supposedly able to take it down. Does anyone here actually know who these things are from?" He asked although he assumed that no one did. Secret's were the rebel's main weapon and it was one they kept finely oiled and at the ready for use in any upcoming battles.

[Whirlwind]

Daily looked at Fruitcup as he asked if she could repeat herself. ”No sweetie. Talking time is over, put your head down,” she mocked, rolling her eyes before noticing Beau at the center of their little group. Ah good, the elder of the group bringing everyone together in organized fashion. How quaint. Well she’d play along… if for no other reason than Grandpa Beau was kind of cute. Oh and he could emit emotions? How lovely. Maybe he could lull the ETs into passivity while she sliced ‘em up.

What the fuck just happened? ”Hey asshole, there’s a lady present,” she snapped, a sassy smirk on her lips. She hadn’t meant to interrupt him, it was just an impulse phrase she’d come to start saying a long time ago to lighten moods, including her own. So, Beau and emotions, Todd and martial arts. Alex, who just added more questions instead of saying what his powers were.

”I have powers,” Daily said, raising a hand, eyes just slightly glazed. ”The drunker I get, the better I get at fighting… particularly defensively. Not that anyone believes me til I show them, but it’s cool, it’s cool,” she stretched, looking bored. ”Oh, and if you get cut up, I’’ll probably spit on you if I like you,” she shrugged. ”My spit works like an antibiotic,” she explained further, while pulling out her pistol again and a machete she used for building shelter. ”Weapons,” she said, to the point, before putting them back. ”And I know nothing about who sent these. I know a lot of rebel fighters, but none of them ever mentioned any of you, so I doubt it was anyone I know too personally either,” she said seriously, a small frown on her face.

[Decker126]

Murry listen to the others as they introduced themselves and revealed their powers. "My name is Murry Doze" he spoke up. "But, some people like to call me Stinger because of mutation, namely these." He bent his wrists back letting two long stingers slid out from his arms. "The left one has a toxin that can paralyze a human or one of the Others, while the right one's poison is fatal. I've also got a SMG, a baton, a few explosives, a first aid kit, and some flares. Just in case." He paused for a second, wondering if he should inform them of his previous squads fate. It didn't really matter, but he felt that they should what they were getting into. "Oh, and one more thing. Every squad I've ever been in has met with an unfortunate demise. If that bothers you, I guess you can still leave." It was out now. No use keeping secrets from his new teammates.

[Metronome]

Now that he was paying attention, Eli could see that people were going around and introducing themselves. The girl never told him what she had said before, but Eli had found that if things weren't important enough to repeat, then they probably weren't worth worrying about. He watched as the others went one by one, saying their names and their powers. He knew a few of the rebels had these kinds of abilities, but he'd never really developed them himself. Well...maybe that wasn't true. His eyesight was better than it should be.

Eli slid his bow onto his back to free up his left hand. He could hear Beau talking, his voice louder than the rest, like a leader. What he was saying, however, was completely gargled. It was as if Eli was under water, and someone was trying to talk to him. But the man's tone sounded pleasant enough. When Todd spoke, Eli didn't see him mention a power, which relieved him a little. At least he wasn't the only one. The girl, Daily, he wondered how that was spelled, spoke up. She seemed pretty crude, and her powers sounded pretty questionable, but Eli gave her benefit of the doubt.

After Murry, or Stinger, was done introducing himself, Eli decided to take a turn. "Hi everyone," He said with a friendly smile. "I'm Elijah, but you guys can call me Eli. I don't really have any super powers, but I can see really well. Like, really far away, and in the dark. I'm pretty good with my bow and my knives, or so I've been told. I guess that's why I'm here. Oh, and I don't hear very well, so if I seem like I'm ignoring you, I promise I'm not."

[KoiPond]

“Stop saying we’re lost, you aren’t adding anything constructive to our predicament.” Darren mumbled to his inanimate dog. “No one likes a backseat driver...”

They had been walking for quite some time and Darren unplugged his hard drives to save energy since the ability to recharge them with solar energy was waning due to the cloudy sky. Clearly, the journey was feeling more and more useless with each step that was taken.

“If I hear one more word about how I can’t find my way out of a paper bag, I will reconsider our friendship...” the imaginary personalities were starting to annoy Darren. “You know what? Fine, I’m not that sane, I’m talking to a stuffed animal, but unless we stumble upon a rehabilitation group before we get there, the only help I can receive is love and supportive gestures from you.” Darren gridded his teeth and clenched his fists, he took the bag off and threw it on the ground and tried to calm his breathing. “What do you mean you see a therapy circle ahead? What lies are you making up to...oh look at that, people.” Darren picked up the bag and hugged it, “You’re the best friendship companion in the world!”

Darren reattached his backpack, took a deep breath and headed towards the group, attempting to look like he had some form of “style” with his current energy level. He softly spoke to his stuffed dog, "I need you to be cool and not call attention to yourself, last thing we need is these guys thinking I'm insane or something." Andrea Bocelli's rendition of "Funiculi Funicula" danced in his head as he inched his way towards the group.

[Undying Curiosity]

Ray. who knelt silently behind the bush, examined the small group of people who seemed to be slowly getting more comfortable with each other. They've started making conversation, introducing them selves to the others. So far only 5 people have introduced themselves, 3 of the five have come clean about having powers. At first Ray was shocked, If they were all chosen for their powers, than there was a higher population of people with mutations than Ray had previously thought. There wasn't a ton of people here, but there was a good number. If all these people came together from just this city, who knows how many mutated people there are running around. Ray thought he must have been the only person in the city with abnormalities like his, but he stands corrected as he watched the group introduce themselves. Ray wondered why all these people were being gathered here, the letter said to work as a team and take down a near by landing pad, but why this group of strangers instead of an experienced rebel group that know their comrades inside and out? Is this supposed to be a new team? A new rebel branch that is full of misfits with powers? Ray pondered on the ideas but didn't come to a conclusion. If we are going to be making up a team, I might as well introduce myself as well, Ray thought agreeing with himself afterwards.

Ray stood up and walked over to the group, unfortunately for Ray, he forgot there was a thigh high bush in front of him; a bush he used for covers seconds earlier. Ray's legs caught on the leaf riddled bush in front of him, tripping him upon his way to the others. Ray half stumbled, half fell out from behind the bush, making quite a commotion in the meantime. After a few seconds of stumbling away from the bush and closer to the group, Ray gained his composure and stood up right. Ray spoke with a raspy voice,"I heard you guys were introducing yourselves...I was over behind that bush the whole time...Anyway, my name is Ray Moore, I also got one of those fancy letters." Ray said. His eyes shifted from person to person quite quickly, he took in a breath and than continued,"I, like these 3-" He pointed to three who said they had powers,"Have a mutation as well, a power...My bones are half, maybe even a quarter, as dense as the average Joe's. I can jump higher, a lot higher, run faster, move my limbs faster, that sort of thing." Ray finished, giving the group an unneeded smile.

[Andae]

A soft hum suddenly filled the air a few meters away from the group as Mark stepped forwards, his active camouflage shielding him from view, no matter where he was stood.

He'd been there since before Daily had even arrived, checking his chronometer every few minutes and watching each person appear, exchanging small talk before one man, Beau, decided to introduce himself, he knew the letters had been sent out by his superiors, and he knew his own role for the current mission, but this first man, he had the makings of a natural leader. Quietly, he listened as Todd, Alex, Daily, Murry, Eli and finally Ray introduced themselves. Explaining their powers and abilities, it was then, that he decided to make his presence known.

Following the humming sound, his stealthing slowly stripped back, his armour and mask hiding his entire dermis from view, all except the tips of his index and middle fingers for each hand, it also revealed the High-powered battle rifle strapped to his back, along with the .45 handgun and large combat knife strapped to his right thigh and left pectoral respectively. The lenses in the mask shone a dark red as the odd spark of electricity flickered over his armour.

"Well, glad you're all here, there's still one or maybe two more left to arrive, but, this is enough in case they don't make it, you there" he began, pointing to Alex as he finished that first sentence. "Are correct, there is a structure nearby, crawling with Visitors, and yes, you've all been selected to create a special team to eliminate those hostiles." he continued on, finally lifting the mask from his face.

"My name is Mark Dean, and Rebel Command sent me to oversee this mission, for all intents and purposes, I am your temporary leader, however, that is only for command's sake, I'd rather you saw me as one of your own, an equal. While I am by no means a recruit like yourselves, I'm no more higher ranking than any of you, either, I'm just here because of my own certain... Talents, I am proficient in most martial arts, and my power, like The lady there's, is defensive, you hit me, I get stronger, simple." He trailed off a moment, watching them all with a small smirk.

"Oh, and yes, I can turn invisible, but, that's not a power, that's technological, don't try to steal the box, I'll cut your hands off, any questions?" he asked finally, watching them all intently, brown eyes lingering on each for a few moments before moving on to the next, months of planning, had come down to this, a bunch of outcasts who could break the laws of probability, and hadn't worked together before, and he was in charge, go figure.

[Cryptik Wisdom]

Todd listened to the other members of the group introduce themselves as well. With each passing introduction he forgot that he had left out his power when he introduced himself. He opened hiss mouth about to say what his power is when he suddenly saw a figure appear out of thin air. Todd's eyes began to widen, thinking it was a mere hallucination at first. His eyes shifted to the other members of the group to see if they saw the man that he saw as well. He sat there staring wide-eyed with his mouth open for a minute or two while listening to what the man, who he thought was a hallucination, spoke. Todd shook his head violently, attempting to clear his mind of the 'hallucination'. "I forgot something... I guess you could say I have a power... I'm not too sure how handy it will be, but I have the ability to know stuff." He said to the group before tilting his head and zoning out, rethinking what he just said. "I mean, I have the power to just know the how something works just by looking at it. Shit... I could even tell you if its broken or needs repairs, without even having known about it previously or learning about it. It's like a sixth sense, like instinct to know." He looked around the group once more, scratching his left arm with his hand. "I don't know how much use it will be to you guys though, its not really combat worthy. Except for the fact that it lets me pick things up quick by watching." Todd added. He would move both of his hands to the back of his head as he cracked a smile, seeming to chuckle a little bit. "By the way, I think you're right about us being called here solely because our abilities or 'powers' if you will. Why else would they send a drug-" Todd stopped himself. Remembering that a term for being able to stay at the rebel camp was to stay clean. He spun on his heel and took a few steps from the group. "Shit..." He said to himself under his breath as his back was turned to the group.

[KoiPond]

“Well, what if someone’s powers were to turn into fire, the obvious nickname for that is a very offensive, derogatory term and would most likely not boost team unity at all.” Darren said, hearing the end of Todd’s dialogue. He squeezed in the group and sat down, cross-legged and stretched. “Plus, think about it, nick-names based on powers, if we’re going up against an enemy with any inkling of intelligence they can clearly think of how to negate all of your powers. Speed negates strength, fire negates plants, water negates fire, insanity negates intelligence. As soon as you get on the battlefield and start yelling ‘Hey Invisoguy, cover me’ they’ll be sending sound waves and watching them bounce off the mass you take up to pinpoint where your exact location is.” Darren took a breath, “Not that being invisible or being able to turn into fire or plants or being super smart are idiotic powers, not at all, they’re all amazing and can be used very effectively, but there’s always a yin to a yang.” Darren, realizing quickly that his first impression was basically critiquing everyone else, attempted to change the subject as to not be killed before the mission started. “So, umm, anyone here like the indie band known as The Beatles that were mildly popular a long, long time ago?” Darren awkwardly forced a smile and hoped his attempt at small talk would help cut some of the tension. "Also, I'm Darren, what's up?"

[Blox]

Beau turned to Todd as he reacted to the understanding of exactly how his ability worked on others. Beau knew once he had looked away from Todd to another person that Todd had felt a strange sensation, the feeling of calmness abruptly disappearing and pulling him back to the realty of his own emotions. Beau met Todd's stare and stood silently, waiting for Todd to react. He had moved his hand ever so slightly to his satchel, ready to slip his hand in to the bag and withdraw his pistol if needed. It was a measly weapon against the ETs, more of a distracting sting than a deadly weapon, but unfortunately, despite the ETs clearly being the enemies, humanity still proved itself as its own enemy as he had come across many he had to use the pistol on for his own defense. Despite what they were going through as a race, there were still people stupid enough to fight amongst themselves. Just when he began to think of himself at how strange Todd was acting, readying himself to project another wave of calmness to control his edgy behavior, Todd suddenly turned and switched his mood to that of excitement as he shared about who he was. Beau was taken aback by the abrupt change in behavior.

And then Alex joined the conversation, causing Beau to look his way. He seemed to have a lot of questions and not as much confidence yet a determined and resolute attitude to follow through with their given mission. He seemed to be a trustworthy young man.

Daily's brash and loud sailor mouth drew Beau's attention from Alex. He turned to look at her as she raised her hand and began her own introduction. She looked so young, was she even old enough to be on such a dangerous mission? Perhaps her youth was trickery due to good genetics. She was lovely to look at but her immature attitude and short hair cut made him think she was just a teenager. Beau listened to her explain her powers, his eye brows raising and glancing to the bottle in her hand. He tilted his head curiously at her as she finished her speech with a more serious tone, the frown falling on her face showing more of her age. Perhaps she was not as young as she looked, although she did appear to be one of the youngest in their group. Her powers were quite odd and they seemed almost unrealistic, and yet there was no real reality to compare a normal to. He would take her word for now. If her powers were what she really explained them to be she could be very valuable in keeping them safe and healthy along their mission.

Beau looked to Murry as he gave his introduction and abilities. Murry was different from the others. His powers seemed to be more offensive than defensive. Beau wondered what sort of limitations he had or how his stingers affected the ETs. His last comment made Beau fold his arms in concern. He couldn't tell if he was being serious or just trying to look like a tough guy in front of everyone. It didn't matter for him though because he was here for more than himself and a man with so-called bad mojo wouldn't deter him from completing this possibly life-changing mission.

When the soft voice of Eli spoke next, Beau turned to him; it was the man with the plums. Beau unfolded his arms and relaxed again, listening to Eli introduce himself. So, Eli was pretty much deaf. This could complicate communication. They would need to make sure they spoke loud enough for him to hear, being aware of times that they may not be able to speak more than a whisper. He personally didn't know sign language but perhaps Eli could read lips. Beau was articulate enough where he was confident if he were to face Eli and speak with slight exaggeration that he could understand him, even if he couldn't hear very well. Beau would just have to wait and see. Eli was another defensive power holder. He would be a valuable scout for their group.

And then another began to walk towards their group. Beau looked at his watch to see they had very little time left before they should move out. As Ray came forward, Beau looked at him carefully, readying himself to emit emotions that would protect them if this man turned to be someone not of their group. Beau listened as the raspy voiced man spoke, telling them who he was and the power he held of swiftness and agility due to his unique bone structure.

Beau listened carefully as everyone introduced themselves to their group, expressing what they brought to the mission while showing their personalty. It would be interesting to see if they would all get along during the mission. He suspected eventually some of them would clash due to personalty differences. But their personalities were a part of why they were here, their power or ability or craftsmanship that brought talent and an edge to a successful mysterious mission.

And then Beau's thoughts were turned as a humming noise filled the air, rendering himself and he was sure everyone else curiously quiet, looking for the source of the noise. The new visitor, who seemed to have possibly been here all along, announce himself as Mark Dean, their contact for the mission they were all summoned for. Good Timing. Beau had a question but Todd spoke before he could voice himself. Todd hurriedly explained his ability that he seemed to some how forget to mention to the group earlier. Beau listened carefully to his frantic almost rushed words and tried to understand clearly what he was saying. He figured Todd had some ability to figure how something works by looking at it. He could fix things by this easily found knowledge but he wondered if he had the ability to do the opposite and break things down from the inside out? It would be a question he would want to ask Todd later. The younger man seemed to be a bit off and Beau wasn't quite sure. He was having a hard time standing still, not to mention the odd way he was speaking. Such a fidgety guy. And then Todd finished his sentence with the word "drug". Beau glanced quickly around the group to see if anyone else had caught what he heard. He was a patient and perceptive man though and he doubted anyone else had caught on to what Todd had almost slipped up on. A drug addict? Beau thought. This might be trouble. Beau looked at Todd with narrowed eyes, surveying him intently. He would keep an eye on him.

And then Darren spoke up, turning Beau's attention away from Todd and to look at Darren. When did he join us? Beau thought. He didn't remember seeing him from the group earlier, nor did he remember him introducing himself. There was something odd about him for sure. As quickly as he began to speak to the group Darren tried to change the subject to that of music history. Beau would not have it. He was not the leader and had no idea what their next step was to be but apparently Mark Dean did. Beau looked harshly at Darren before looking back to Mark, speaking before anyone could answer Darren's ridiculous question. Darren did have a point though as the ETs were more intelligent and more advanced then them. They would need to stay one step ahead and be quicker. "I don't know a whole lot about the ETs species as a whole, but from my experience they do not process emotions like humans do. They are at such an evolved state that they run more like machines. But I know from experience that because they do not process emotions like we do, when I emit emotions on to them they have a harder time dealing with the experience than a human would. It is ironically the trait that makes us human that is a strong weakness for the ET, such a foreign experience that it is hard for them to process." Beau looked around at the group. "I'm sure we all have some knowledge of the ETs from our own experiences that we can put together as a base before we create our game plan." Beau looked back to Mark.

"So what is our next move? Surely we need to develop a strategy before moving in? Do we have a safer place to do this?" He had several questions but if no one would ask them then he would, and their time was running out.

Beau slipped his hands in to his long dark coat, tilted his head to the side to let it crack, patiently waiting for an answer.

[Whirlwind]

Daily listened as Murry showed off his ‘stingers’. She would have to remember not to get on his bad side… fatal poison? He was certainly an asset among them. ”Doesn’t bother me, Doze,” she shrugged, a look of not caring on her face when he said every squad he’d been in had met an unfortunate end. After all, not many survived these days. So his story didn’t surprise her in the slightest. Nor was she worried. After all, she’d survived this long, several years now without her father or anyone to care about her, and that in itself was an accomplishment.

Eli with a bow. Ah, he can see far in the dark. Useful if this mission was at night. Were they going to have other missions together? Oh great now she was going to have to like these people more if they were. Oh and he had a hearing problem. Awesome. She hated repeating herself.

She scooted a foot to her right, almost bumping into one of the others when a man came tumbling out into the clearing. Ray. Hmm… he was almost too good at hiding in a bush. Probably a pervert. As she was placing a judgment on him he described his bones and how he could move quicker. ”Bet you also break in half easier too,” she said darkly, not meaning it as a threat, but simply that his power did not impress her all that much.

She suddenly heard a humming, and by the look on a few others faces, she could tell they heard it as well. Her ears twitched a certain direction and a man entered the fray. Mark Dean, Rebel Command, and temporary leader. Ah good, their leader. He looked like a pansy. Martial arts though, and invisible tech. Meh, the ETs could probably defend against those things fairly easily she thought.

”Am I the only chick here?” she asked Mark, since he seemed to know who all was coming. She was used to being the only woman in some cases of attacks, but still, she was starting to feel outnumbered. Crap like this is why she developed the hardened personality she had. If you were sweet and nice to guys in this world they lived in now? You got walked on, taken advantage of, or not taken seriously at the very least. Looks like she would have to keep her walls up then if she was to be surrounded by these fellows for a long time.

The fidgety man caught her attention again as he said he knew things without doing anything but looking at them. Odd. Seemed like one of those powers people had a hard time believing, like hers. That was okay though. If it was true, he’d come in handy off the mission. Like when they got back from kicking the ETs asses and needed their equipment repaired. Just as she was mentally praising his abilities though, she heard the word drug. ”Excuse me… Why would they send… a drug addict?” she asked, hoping that was not the end of his sentence. ”At least my alcoholism benefits the mission,” she scoffed, frowning that she would possibly have to deal with a druggy.

She didn’t pay much mind to Darren until he asked if anyone liked the Beatles. Her dad had spoken about them before, and at the name her eyes lit up like a child’s. She didn’t have time to answer him before handsome Grampa Beau cut in and said the ETs were like machines. That much was true. And it was true she knew a lot about the suckers. And since Beau looked to Mark for direction, so did Daily. She saw Beau and Mark as their best bets for focusing this group of freaks.

[Decker126]

Murry didn't show it, but he was relieved that no one seemed to bothered by his previous squads' fate. He listened to the others talk for a bit, during which a man fell out of the bushes, before someone else literally appeared out of thin air. Murry had nearly drawn his stingers when the man identified himself as their leader, Mark Dean. Nice to know who's running this mission. Murry thought to himself. One of the people already gathered, Todd, remembered to explain his ability, while another one showed up talking incessantly about powers before switching to music. Thankfully Beau cut him off and explained a bit about the Others and how he could effect them. He also brought up the very important point about needing a plan, and a safe place to hide.

"I don't have much of a plan, since we don't have a lot of intel yet, but I figured these explosives can clear out any aircraft they may have. As long as we have someone how can sneak in there and plant them. As for a safe place to hide, I have no clue." Murry said shrugging his shoulders. "But, we will need a place to fall back to once the reinforcements come, remember they're not supposed to see us."

[Andae]

Mark's eyes glassed over as the others spoke, filtering out the crap and picking up what he deemed important, he didn't need to hear about the other's powers, he already knew, he'd read their dossier's and had been sure to make himself somewhat familiar with each of them, it was when Todd spoke that he looked down to the addict who'd stood up "Why would they send an addict? because your power makes you an invaluable asset to the team, all of you bring something to the table that makes you different to the others. For example Beau here, can flood the Visitors minds with things they can't understand, while Murry can use their momentary confusion to either paralyse, or kill with his stingers, allowing people like myself and Ray to infiltrate quickly and quietly and do our jobs."

He took a slow breathe.

"Your power, Todd, for example, is brilliant, you learn faster than any human to ever be born, and faster still than most of the Visitors, you could be captured, and find your way out, your power isn't much use in a fight, unless one of us finds and gives you one of their weapons, but, you can figure out how their machines work, you're a tactical asset, if not a combat one." he finished before turning his gaze to the next speaker, Darren "Yes, that's why we're not using nicknames based on our powers... HQ isn't stupid, sure, they have their moments, but, stupidity, not on their agenda." He began.

"We don't use nicknames in the rebellion, we run on actual names, so, I'd be Mark, you'd be Darren, Daily here, is Daily" he continued on, pointing to the young woman amidst them "You get the picture... Anyway, Daily, no, you're not the only woman in the team, Annabeth, the only other female to get the summons is yet to arrive" he added before turning to Beau and Murry.

"Well, regarding plans, there isn't much of one, we sneak in, blow the place to shit, and disappear before back-up arrives, there is no safe zone that the Rebellion has designated, BUT, I do know somewhere the ET's wouldn't think to look, can anyone guess where that is?" he asked simply, a small, knowing smirk on his face as he watched the pair, nodding simply to Murry's mention of the explosives.

"Actually, before you answer, Murry brings up an excellent point, Ray is quick and quiet, I can disappear, anyone else here got a power they can use for stealth?"

[KoiPond]

“Wow, I mean, wow. I believe this might be the most perfect box I have ever laid my eyes on, it’s inspiring.” Darren said as he marveled at Mark’s invisibility box, which he had taken during his rousing speech. “I mean, the edges and the vertexes and the faces, everything is a pristine and perfect calculation of measurements.” Darren’s eyes glowed with the wonder of a child in a candy store. “It almost makes you feel...love and wanted...amazing. I’m going to name it Bob, we’re going to be best friends. Bob the box.” It wasn’t the inability to not take items that fueled his kleptomania, it was the appreciation for “perfect” things or items that seemed to hold worth. It is probably a combination of this and his not hearing the part of Mark’s speech about cutting off hands if someone stole the box that led to Darren taking it and having been far removed from company led him to accidentally speak out loud instead of in his head.

[Cryptik Wisdom]

Todd had kept his back turned to the group since last he spoke, hoping they hadn't caught on to how he cut off at the word 'drug'. As daily Questioned him, he felt it necessary to come up with an explanation as to what he meant and try to cover up what he had actually said. Planting his face in the palm of his right hand, Todd shook his head gently. "No I uh... I was going say..." Trying think up a quick and believable lie as he paused. "I was going to say a drug.. examiner, yes a drug examiner of sorts be-" Seeming to stop himself in the middle of his lie as Daily spoke again. 'At least my alcoholism benefits the mission' Todd Immediately cock his head to the side violently due to finding Daily's tone to be condescending. With that he turned to face her, the stern look of annoyance apparent on his face. "You know what?! Daily, was it? Yes, At least my abilities don't rely on my substance abuse, UNLIKE SOMEONE HERE.... I mean you damn it!" He said viciously, undermining her abilities in return. It now being obvious to whoever was paying attention that Todd was in fact a drug addict. "Do you know how boring it is to know everything about anything you see... The world has no wonders! It may as well be dead to me. Drugs... oh the beautiful creation of man, drugs... are what make everything so much... More! Life is no longer that dull piece of crap that's just there and has to be dealt with." He added as his anger flipped to admiration of the drugs. It was like he'd already forgotten that he was yelling at Daily.

Todd's attention was drawn to Murry as he spoke. The smile that had crept on to Todd's face had disappeared when he realized Murry was talking about the mission. He'd felt if it was about the mission and a potential plan it would be worth listening to if not anything else. 'I don't have much of a plan.' Todd's attention began to stray from Murry when he heard him say that. Well shit if he doesn't have a plan and big mister Mark Dean is acting commander it can't be that important. He thought to himself as he riffled through the bag he had brought with him, the bag that held his 'backup' chems. "Where they hell is it... where the hell is it..." He said quietly to himself as Murry spoke, looking for one of the chems he brought in hopes that he would be able to take it later if the chance was presented.

'Why would they send an addict? because your power makes you an invaluable asset to the team, all of you bring something to the table that makes you different to the others.' Mark's voice rang through Todd's ears. Todd look up as he knew that Mark was talking about him, putting the search for the chems off to the side. He listened to the rest of what Mark had to say about the few people he choose to use as examples. Todd figured Mark must of known what would be the best course of action and what do do with everyone's unique abilities. After all Mark was put in charge as temp leader and he did say he knew about everyone who was supposed to show up so he must of read their files. When it came to the end of Mark's dialogue it dawned on Todd that he must of missed out on something important that Murry said. Should give them more credit than what I have.. He thought to himself.

Todd looked over to the new fellow who only showed up recently as he spoke about how wondrous the box was. The man had been holding on to and looking at the box Mark said not to touch with a great deal of admiration for it. When Todd caught on to what he was talking about his interest had been peaked. Moving over to the man who held Mark's invisibility box. "Can I take a look at that really quick?" Sounding rather excited that someone other than Mark had the box, covering his eyes with his hands to not spoil the surprise of finding out how it worked. He hoped the Man holding it would let him take a look at the box, even if he said 'no' Todd would just spoil it and look either way for it was something new to know about. "Well can I?!" Todd said impatiently as he waited for a 'ye' or 'no' reply on the subject of looking at the box.

[Undying Curiosity]

Ray looked at Mark. Ray wasn't going pretend like he knew what Mark was hinting at. Ray's brow arched as he thought about this place the Others wouldn't look, his eyes shifted upwards as he tried to think; For some odd Ray couldn't think of a good "Safe-zone" would be. "Pretty sure we're the only ones who can be discreet enough for anything stealthy. Besides, if you're planning an infiltration that requires stealth, it would probably be best if we know what we were heading into. The damned letter only said landing pad, but what's landing? You're seasoned rebel, you know how many different air crafts these Visitors have. What if we run into one of those tank looking ones." Ray questioned, caution riddled throughout his words. Ray couldn't help but feel that this plan was hit-or-miss, and Ray didn't like that.

Ray decided to sit back for a little bit and just listen. Ray folded hi arms and slouched back slightly ready for someone to answer. Ray snapped his head at Todd as he heard him speak. Ray gave Todd a slightly disappointed look, of course Ray didn't know Todd well enough to be disappointed, but that didn't stop him. "Drugs never helped anyone..." Ray added in his two cents as he watched Todd scramble for his chems in the back-pack he brought. Ray lost interest in Todd and focused his attention back to Mark, ready for an answer, hoping he'd have one to his question.

[Blox]

Beau looked to Daily as she asked about whether or not she was the only "chick" on this mission. Seeing as their meeting time had expired and the other expected young woman was no where to be seen, Beau figured Daily was indeed the only woman. But since her brazen attitude had carried her thus far he doubted this would be an issue. His protective nature instinctively made a mental note to keep an eye on her and keep her safe, although he figured she could probably kick his own ass if she got drunk enough. He looked at Daily as she took a small swig from her liquor bottle. "Maybe you should ease up on that Daily" he said, their names all known by now. "Save your strength for the mission."

Beau wasn't quite clear on how their mission was to play out. He was starting to feel like a fish in a fish bowl...being observed to see what their next move would be. He looked to Murry as he spoke of his explosives. He wasn't fond of these materials, due to how destructive and uncontrollable they were. His secret fear was blowing up a portion that might be where his daughter was being held. After raiding so many ET camps he had started to come to the conclusion that his daughter might be being held by the ETs close to their heart, their home, like a protected pet. He didn't know why as Rain had never show any display of powers, but being convinced she was still alive gave him this only logical explanation to fall back on. To get to Rain he would need to get close to the ETs....and not just the ETs but their leader, their source.

Beau was broken from his thoughts as Mark spoke. He said something he didn't like to hear. ...we sneak in, blow the place to shit, and disappear before back-up arrives... Beau turned his eyes on to Mark, a look of concern evident on his face, his racing thoughts kept quietly to himself. There was no chance he would simply attack and leave. He was going in deep and looking for Rain, his daughter, find her and free her. He would sneak away from the team once they got close for their attack if that's what it took. He has plenty of years of stealth experience to pull it off. Beau's thoughts drew back to Mark as he asked the group if anyone else had stealth powers.

Before anyone could speak, the group became aware of Darren affectionately handling Mark's secret special box. Beau tilted his head and glanced to Mark, waiting for him to throw a fit for the thieving act. Then Todd came in and shared interest in the same box. Beau wondered why he was interested when he knew he had the powers to simply look and figure it out for himself.

Beau had an idea for their plan but wanted to hear from others before he spoke. Expecting Mark to join Darren and Todd to retrieve his box, Beau turned to the group and looked at Eli. He had been rather quiet. Beau walked towards him and placed his hand on his shoulder to ensure he knew he was speaking directly to him. He kept his voice clear and loud without forcing a shout as he said "I'd like to hear what your thoughts are Eli. Any ideas for our plan of attack?" Beau glanced to Daily and Alex, the others, and looked back to Eli. It was important they had a leader for their group but it was even more important that they worked together as a cohesive and communicative group.

[Metronome]

Eli watched as the others talked. He was very skilled at lip reading, but even still, he didn't know what they were talking about. He didn't think they knew what they were talking about, either. So he hung back from the crowd and looked down the valley at the flight pad. He noted two control towers, probably there to keep air traffic in check. A few ETs moved around the base like little ants. He could tell they were all armed, probably with high tech guns. Eli noticed as a pair approached the base, pausing for a second outside of it, as if waiting for a command, and then continuing onto the pad. Was there an invisible security system of some sort? It wouldn't surprise him; he's seen quite a bit of their technology since they'd arrived.

Eli turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Beau was a good leader, he decided. Eli tilted his head in thought at the man's question, then plopped down on the ground and grabbed a stick. He began to draw the base in the dirt.
"I think they have some kind of force field around the base," He said, drawing a circle around the base to illustrate this. "So running in and causing a scene probably isn't the best idea. I don't think we'll get far. But if we lure them out, then they would have to shut down the force field, and then we can get inside." He paused, looking around at the group and trying to remember what their powers were.

"We could put Alex here," He said, making a little dot off to the side of the top corner of the base, "He's got blasty fire powers, so he could get their attention by looking like a threat. When they come out to get him, Murry can get his back. When they shake the ETs, they can come back and rejoin us. And while they do that, we can go into the base and take the control towers. I think those are pretty important." He circled the towers, shown as sticks in the dirt. "I think Todd could help us at that point. If he can get inside one of those ships, he could probably use his powers to figure it out, right? And he can cover us from the air. And then you, me, Darren, and Daily can take the control towers and get that force field back up once everyone is inside, that way, the ETs can't get back in. Then we clear out whatever is left inside and it's ours."

He looked back up at Beau to see if he was following all this.