Jun 22, 2017
The Templars always remember.
seen from Netherlands
seen from Uzbekistan
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Australia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from South Africa
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from Poland
seen from Hong Kong SAR China
seen from Australia
seen from Germany
seen from Australia
seen from Poland
seen from China
seen from Australia
seen from France
seen from Poland
The Templars always remember.
Battlefield Forensics
Channi Woods strode into the Lab still clad in her Venetian Body armor. During high stakes missions such as this, she tended to be ready to move out on a moment's notice, and will probably keep wearing it until Kyelle was recovered, one way or another.
She immediately located the workstation with the Kaiden field samples laid out in neat piles of plastic baggies. "What do you got for me, Roger?"
The forensics technician barely glanced up from his notes as he continued typing away on his computer. "Good morning to you too, Boss. And thank you for the 2:00am wake up call. It's what I live for."
Channi produces a cup from 'El Loco Mocha' and placed it on the table nearby, "Oh, I guess you won't be wanting this then…"
Roger grabs it from her hand before the words have left her mouth. "You DO care!" It's a scene that you can tell has been played out in various forms over the course of their working together. But still serves to distract them from the sometimes hard nature of their work.
He removes the lid and inhales the aroma of a double shot, Salted Caramel Mocha, and takes a quick sip before starting his report. "mmm… the good stuff…" he says with a smile.
He reaches over and pulls up a baggie with the remains of a cell phone inside. It looks to be pretty well trashed, cracked screen, broken casing, and what appears to be chemical burns. "It's lucky this was in an Otter-box, or it wouldn't even be in this good of condition. Appears to be a personal cell phone issued to Kyelle MacKnight… a Templar." He looks over his glasses at Channi with his eyebrows raised. "Wait a second…" He says. "Isn't she that new Liaison..? What a way to start your tenure…" Channi merely nods indicating for him to continue.
"Nothing special in the firmware, standard Templar encryption we are still working on breaking, but that's not the important part. It's the fact this was so smashed up despite the Otter-box!" He pulls up another collection of plastic bags with samples of cloth in each. "Out of the four different clothing samples, we narrowed it down to… …THIS one being most likely from your person of interest," he says plucking a particularly large piece with some dark splotches on it.
"It appears she got into a fight with something BIG that was able to rip her cell off her gear, along with some of her gear, too. Some of those splotches are blood, but we can tell whoever's it is, is a Bee, so will most likely survive. Just going to need a lot of Ibuprofen!" Channi gave him a 'LOOK' that said she wasn't interested in color commentary this time. "Sorry, Boss."
"There wasn't much in the way of Tissue found in the clothing, so the chances are the injuries were fairly superficial. The spores found in the clothing are another matter."
"Spores? Filth infected, I take it?"
He nods, "Yeah, but these are a new strain of spores. The Lab guys are delving into it now, but they won't have anything definitive for a few days." Channi didn't want to think about what that would mean to Ky's survival chances if they had to wait that long.
"So what are the rest of these scraps from?"
"One piece is from a flight suit, probably one of the chopper crewmen. And the others seem to be from locals that were infected and happened into the scene." This got another nod out of her.
"The Shell casings that were sampled come from two different calibres: 9mm and 7.62mm. We haven't seen any Filth Infected use weapons before, so chances are, she has help, probably from the surviving flight crew member." The redhead actually smiled at this first bit of good news to come from the recovery attempt.
At least she has someone with her. Two have a much better survival chance than one. Especially there…
Search & Rescue Pt1
Channi 'Brooklynn' Woods nibbled on the back end of her stylus as she listened to the voice in her earpiece, then made some notes on her tablet. The on-scene reports from Silviu, the Bouncer from The Horned God, have proven invaluable. If only the Templar would 'chip' their agents like we do, we'd have a lock on her positon by now. But she couldn't give voice to that thought. "Thank you, SCYTHE. Keep at it. LANCE, out." She'd chosen a call sign for him based on his ability to Mow through opposition.
She glanced around the room upstairs at the bar and saw a lot of fidgeting and impatience. It was time to give them what she had and see how they could help bring Kyelle back.
"Ok, thank you all for coming. I don't want to take up any more of your time than is absolutely necessary. Time is of the essence in this case. Here's what we know: (She swipes a couple screens on her tablet and sets it on the table to project on the wall so all could see.)
- Kyelle MacKnight was on a special assignment to Tokyo. Call sign will be STILLETTO. Intel says she was after some new Orochi tech that has sprung up in the area. (Flash images of microchips and persons with different colored shields onscreen.) - Her original team was denied and she was given a pair of raw recruits. - One of them went missing in the early evening. - After that we had nothing until we intercepted an emergency radio call from her, near this location. (Map of eastern Kaiden shows up onscreen with a flashing dot near a major crossroads.) - On scene intel provided by Mr Wolfgan, Call sign for this Op is SCYTHE, indicates one of her team members was killed from close range with flechette rounds. It is assumed this is STILLETTO's handiwork. - The pilots and half the crew were killed from the inside of the chopper, including STILLETTO's other team mate. Assumed to have been killed by the infected team member. - Chopper went down at this intersection here. Smack Dab in the middle of Downtown Filthville. - SYTHE was able to track ammo expenditures and… body parts… south for about 4 clicks (Kilometers for the uninitiated) into this residential community just outside the First Containment wall.
Current status of STILLETTO is unknown. As is the rest of the extraction chopper crew. At this point, we are looking for 1-3 personnel in a heavily infected area. They apparently have no comms, or we would have heard from them by now. It has been 9 hours since our last contact with her. If there are any further questions, get with me now. Otherwise, Clock is ticking, folks.”
Debrief Pt 3
The 'Honorable' (Term used loosely) Andrew Wellington III, Esquire (No relation to Noah), sat on the opposite side of the Interview table in the only chair provided. He had been flipping through folder after folder, making notes here and there on a legal pad in front of him, for over two hours. He still hadn't uttered a single word to her beyond the customary "Morning" and nod of his head as he entered the debreifing room. This was obviously a test of wills. Fine, Challenge Accepted.
Kyelle was forced to stand in a Military Rest, as there was only the single chair. She thankfully chose some low heeled boots today, but her feet were still killing her. And she'd be damned if she'd give him the satisfaction of complaining or even shifting her weight.
Her Latte had already gone luke warm, and sat on her side of the table in front of her. Meanwhile, 'Wanker III,' as she referred to him, sat in his robes and would sip from a fresh mug of coffee that was refilled for him with just a motion to those watching in the other room.
Not a formal branch of the military, there was no regulation stating she HAD to stand there, that she COULDN'T speak, that she couldn't request a CHAIR, but that was a part of the Game. A Game that 'Wanker III' thought he would win easily, but severely underestimated the stubbornness of a Scots-woman!
Promptly at noon, a bell chimed and he checked his watch and then looked up at her. "That will be all." And he gathered his papers and knocked to have the door opened for him.
Not for the first time, she was glad her prescription glasses had a good dark tint, otherwise she was sure there would have been lasers shooting out of her eyes into his receding form.
"Take a seat, I'm sure you need it after four hours of standing in one position like that." She was grateful for a friendly voice and plopped down into the chair she had been coveting for the past 4 hours. Her handler placed a £50 note in front of her. "I just won £100 on you," he said with a smile. "I've seen SAS members ask for a chair after half the time you spent up there."
She pocketed the bill with a chuckle. "Thanks." It meant something to her that he had that much confidence in her. "So why am I here? ‘e didn't even ask me one question today..."
"It has apparently fallen upon him to try to break you. Make you give up on staying a Templar, so you can no longer fill the Liaison position with the Illuminati. At the very worst, make you lose your composure enough to have you 'removed from service.' It's hard to see from your perspective, but you are winning."
Kyelle looked over the tops of her glasses at him and blinked in surprise. "Ya' sure about tha'?" Her native accent becoming more pronounced under stress. "And do ya' mean wha' I think ya' mean when ya' say 'Removed from Service?"
He nodded gravely. "High Command can't have someone with your abilities running around rogue. Especially if you have ties to a rival faction that would love to take you in. It would be a coup' for the Illuminati to successfully recruit an agent of your calibre."
"But ya' say I'm winning…?"
He gave her a reassuring nod and smile, "After your 'tactful handling' of yesterday's events, Mr. Wellington was waiting for the slightest step out of bounds to have you brought up on charges of insubordination. Today, you showed him that you have the patience and mettle enough to withstand his sophomoric attempts to 'get a rise' out of you. Knowing him as I do, he was quite frustrated yet again." His smile held true.
"So wha' happens now? Come back in the morning for more? Keep smiling and saying Thank you?"
"No, I won't allow this to continue any longer. I have the ability to place you on Special Assignment under sealed orders. It takes a unanimous decision by the Cabinet to unseal those orders. You have more friends up there than you think, and after today, I'm sure support for this farce is waning."
She nodded and sighed to herself. "Whatever you and they can do end this would be greatly appreciated. Worst… leave… ever…"
"Well, consider yourself off leave. You depart tomorrow night."
"Where to?"
"Tokyo."
"Team?"
"Your choice."
She gave a genuine smile at that response. She stood back up on unsteady legs, but fired off a salute. "I 'ave things to attend to. Request permission to leave..?"
He gave her a smile and a nod with a relaxed salute of his own, "Granted. And be careful out there."
Plans were already coming to her. She'd have to repack some gear, and acquire a few new items, but that could wait. Right now she was going to take someone's advice and get a quick work out in the Crucible. Take the edge off her frustrations and maybe hone her edge. Going to Tokyo would be no walk in the park, and she'd rather not be distracted by the proceedings of the past few days here.
But first things first: changing out of these damn heels!
Debrief Pt 2
"Is something I'm saying amusing to you, AGENT MacKnight?" As hard as it seemed to believe, the Magistrate was in an even fouler mood than he was yesterday.
Kyelle's smile froze on her face as she realized she let her mind wander. She cleared her throat, "No, your Royalness. Just merely taking my father's advice," the contempt was almost visibly dripping off her words.
"And what advice, pray tell, was that?"
"When speaking in public, imagine your audience in their underclothes. And I must say, you are quite fetching in that peach lace camisole…" Her smile broadened as his face reddened.
"Th-This Interview, is OVER! GUARD? DOOR! NOW!" The last of his command was almost a screech. Flustered, he gathered his papers in a disorganized sheaf, and shoved them into his brief and almost pounded on the door to get away from this profane, and blasphemous individual. She could still hear him muttering as he strode out of the debriefing room and out of sight down the hall.
"Quite proud of yourself today?" She knew this was coming and waited as her Handler came in the door. "Officially, I'll have to place you on leave for this incident. Disrespecting an officer of the court is a considerable offense." Kyelle's eyes widened in shock, but she wisely kept her mouth shut. "No matter how much of a bloody wanker he is," he continued, echoing her words from the night before. Quieter, he said, "Unofficially, it will be PAID administrative leave," he said with a wink. "I must say I'm impressed. That's the fastest I'd ever seen him move…" His smile was brief, but heartfelt.
The relief she felt was almost enough to make her laugh outright, but she knew this was likely being recorded too. Her Handler was going out on a limb for her and she knew it. She wasn't about to endanger him any further. So she stayed silent, although her grin had widened to full smile status by this point.
"Report in Monday morning. Don't go too far from your phone, you will still be on call for any emergent situations that develop. Dismissed."
"Aye, Sir." Once again, she snapped off a salute to him and she exited the debriefing room.
For some reason she felt like going shopping. For tea. And she couldn't stop smiling...
Journal Entry #1
Valentine's day
I hate Valentine’s Day. There’s more factors in why I hate valentine’s day and it’s not just all the couples and love stuff. It reminds me of all the awful things that some kids did on that like sending fake love letters and then pranked on the unfortunate victim. I was a target of those pranks in general. I guess I was an ‘easy target’ since people thought I was just like my brother. Sure, in appearance, we were the most similar out of the four, but personality wise not so much. He was the classic bad boy and a troublemaker. He was the ‘trouble’ magnet out of the four.
On Valentine’s day, it’s also the day my parents ask about my non-existent love life. Let’s get real, dealing with secrets for a living doesn’t usually found love in the mix. I could just not go home and continue working in Kingsmouth…However I get to see my nieces and nephews so…
You could say my nieces and nephews are my weakness. I mean I literally drop everything I’m doing to help/take care of them. I have stopped fighting a monster to answer a call from one of them. I see them because I’m really the only person that they have that somewhat understand what they are going through. Or about to go through. They have been cursed since they live in a town full of ‘since your blah blah’s kid, we will assume you’re going to be like them’ bullshit. I’m not saying my parents are bad, it’s just…. They are the same way. Well, my mom is probably the least judgemental person in the family. My father on the other hand….. That will be expressed in a later journal entry.
I have swayed off topic. To sum it up, I go for the kids, not for my parents, well at least my dad anyways.
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As I guess correctly like every year, they were mildly disappointed at my lack of love life. My father accused me of being a workaholic. Hypocrite as always. My mom was however happy at the fact I actually ‘socialize’ with my ‘co workers’. I was awkward as hell at that photo shoot. I was not paying attention and when I return mentally, everyone was dancing. As you can imagine, I was confused. I didn’t say that to my mom, of course.
That aside, I spent time with my twin nieces, Amanda and Aurora (or Zora), and listened to them about school and drama. I also spent time with the younger ones, Lucie (six), Brant (five), and the youngest Linn (four). My ten year old nephew, Jaydan, was hiding in the attic as it is his getaway from my father. I went up there to get him after my father left to go to the bar. Jaydan hates my father, it’s understandable. The way he treats my mother is sick. It’s Valentine’s Day and yet he didn’t do a thing ‘romantic’ to her again. I guess I hate Valentine’s day because I’m reminded of all the failed relationships in my family and how bitter it can get. Jaydan can see it, the coldness of their relationship. I have seen it a long time ago, I’m just waiting for the snap to happen for 16 years now. I thought it would happen when my brother became a parent at 18 when I was 10. Instead, they stayed together for the grandkids. They stay together for the family.
Hmm, speaking of which I didn’t see my two oldest nephews, Casper and Eli, until very late. By then, everyone was asleep, my father was still at the bar, and I was on the couch waiting for them. Most of my nieces and nephews live at my parent’s house for reasons that will need multiple journal entries to explain. I guess I spaced out again because I didn’t hear my nephews coming in. When I did notice them, they were trying to hide the marks on their necks. I laughed softly at them as I said “I see you two had fun.” Eli was as bright as a tomato. Casper tried to keep his cool, but I could see the blush on his face. There was a small groan of “Auntie M”. I briefly talked to them and hugged them goodbye.
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Now, in my apartment as I feel tired and a tad annoyed by the ‘noise’ next door, I noticed that this journal entry is a bit negative. I guess whenever I write about my family, it goes that way. Or it’s one of the days I hate. However, I also noticed that nothing ‘disastrous’ happened.
I am going to stop here. I have to get ready to fight ak’ab and deal with Franklin’s haunted mansion. Whoopee Doo.
-GP