[Day: Sunday, October 19, 2081. Time: 2:00 p.m.] [It's your first day of work! Although you were told not to come in until 2:00. Hey, guess what time it is? Somehow or another, you all made your way to the Weiss Estate on the western outreaches of Berlin. It's a big estate; a wall surrounds it, stretching as far as the eye can see.] [It's a big wall and you can't get inside it, so you may as well turn around and go home.] [Or you could enter through the large iron gate, instead. A security guard confirms your IDs as you arrive and lets you in.] [You travel up a long path, whether by driving or walking or swimming... ok, not swimming... but anyhow, you head up the path, which circles around a fountain at the end.] [Also at the end is a large two (point three) story building, big and white. It looks like it could be a mansion or a government establishment, if not both. Four romanesque columns hold up a veranda around the door.] [You pass through a double-set of double doors, to a short corridor with another double-set of double doors, then head to the elevator as instructed. Once there, you head to the third floor.] [At least I assume you do. You're not brainwashed, so you don't HAVE to. You'd just be fired if you didn't, is all.] (So we kinda have to. ;P) [Anyhow, the third floor is small! It's basically a hallway that doesn't go anywhere, with a large oak door leading to the Director's office. There's also a nice view of the city from up here. Conveniently, there's three chairs (and two potted plants!). You were instructed to wait until the director was free.] [Think that's all I got to say, so... Session Start!] ( You can arrive in any order. Or already be there. Or whatever!] ) * Gottlieb ascends the stairs, looks around, and takes a seat close to the door, putting his bag on the floor. (phys descrip?) ( go for it ) (A good idea.) * Gottlieb is a rather short, stockily-built man of middle age with greying brown hair, a short-cropped beard, and clear blue eyes. He's wearing a travel jacket over a buttoned shirt and brown trousers. His bag is of a very academic-looking make, leather with clasps. * Gottlieb also wears a pair of respectable-looking glasses and a large watch. * Roseli steps into the lobby right when Gottlieb's made himself fairly comfortable. She's a Latino woman in her early thirties who's about five and a half feet tall. She's quite fit, with short cropped, very dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a pierced nose and eyebrow. Wearing: cargo pants, a t-shirt of some sort, denim jacket, and steel-toed boots. A heavy looking, metal bracelet tightly circles her left wrist. * Gottlieb nods courteously to the new arrival. "Good afternoon." * Roseli walks over to have a seat by him. (Where else is she going to sit?) "Afternoon," she says with an accent as she fishes in one pocket and extracts a pack of chewing gum, tearing off the top and offering a piece. "Gum?" * Gottlieb raises a hand. "No, thank you. My teeth, at my age..." * Gottlieb grins to ward off offense at that. * Roseli makes a face. "Right, right." She takes the pack back and efficiently removes and unwraps a piece, popping it into her mouth - all of it looking like one motion. * Heinrick comes wandering down the hallway, checking his pockets for something before putting his arms behind his back. He looks to be about in his mid-thirties himself, and is just starting to go salt-and-pepper on his short, red hair. He's wearing lightly blue-tinted oval glasses and a short goatee on his face and a fairly pail complection. As for his clothes, he has a long black duster over light khakis, navy blue button-down shirt with tie. * Heinrick is also sporting nice pair of black boots. This is a nice place. * Roseli looks at Heinrick as he walks up. * Gottlieb nods. "Indeed it is." * Gottlieb glances aside at the new arrival as well. "Good afternoon." * Roseli nods to the dude and pops her gum, then offers the pack to him. * Heinrick looks at the already gathered breathren. "Well now. I didn't expect to be the last one here. I worked so hard to be on time." * Heinrick investigates the gum curiously. "What flavor?" (And pale. Gah.) Spearmint. * Heinrick takes a stick. "Thank you. This might help break me of my other nasty habit." Smoking? * Roseli tucks her pack back into a pocket. In a manner of speaking. I was just checking my pipe a moment ago. * Roseli snickers. "Never could get into the pipes." But me too. * Gottlieb nods. And I must admit to occasionally indulging, as well. It *is* an acquired taste, I must admit. So I am assuming you are all contacts as well? * Gottlieb runs a finger down the bridge of his nose. "In a manner of speaking, I suppose." * Roseli shrugs. "I'm here because they told me to be here." (also apparently I took the elevator instead of the stairs, way back there. Oops.) * Heinrick shrugs his shoulders slightly and looks vaguely amused at Gottlieb. "My own words come back to haunt me, it would seem." * Roseli leans back and crosses one leg over the other. She ruffles the back of her hair, then rubs at her bracelet. * Heinrick stands instead of sitting. With his heels together, arms linked behind his back and back straight. * Gottlieb grins at Heinrick and spreads his hands in a "what would you have me do?" gesture. The sunlight glints off of his watch (on his right arm), and a gold wedding band on his left ring finger. * Roseli eyes Heinrick and grins a little. "Practicing your posture?" * Heinrick looks down at Roseli. "Oh absolutely. You would be surprised how a change in stance affects your circulation." Don't think so, actually. * Roseli holds a hand out to the standing Heinrick. "Roseli Tavares, by the way." [After several minutes, the door opens, totally ruining your introductions. ] * Heinrick nods and extends his right hand as well, clasping hers and pushing his glasses up with his other fingers. "Heinrick Volker. Pleasure to meet you." * Roseli nods, lets go, and looks at the door. * Gottlieb stands. "Ah yes, where have my manners gone--ah!" He stops at the opened door. * Heinrick lets go too and relaxes his posture, waiting for the rest of the door. [Two people walk out, side by side. The first is a man in a grey business suit. He's tall, and looks a little muscular. In his mid-forties now, he might have been pretty handsome when he was younger. His hair is blond, combed back over his head, falling just about to his shoulders.] [The second is a woman in her early thirties. Also annoyingly tall, she wears a dark trenchcoat over black slacks and a black sweater. How very black. It matches her hair, which falls unbound past her shoulders. She wears black gloves and boots, too! But one thing that's not black is her eye. 'Cause she hasn't been punched recently. Also because it's solid red, and glows faintly.] * Roseli raises an eyebrow upon seeing the woman. (Is she Afro-German?) ( No, actually she's white. :P ) ( She could be Saki if Saki was older, German, had a red eye, different facial structure... nevermind.] ) (So it's just one eye?) (Does she have two? Is she NASIRA!?) ( Yes, her right eye, in fact. ) (Nasira...from...THE FUTURE!) * Gottlieb inclines his head politely, since he's already standing. [The man nods to you all as he passes. The woman's apparently too busy studying a file to notice you. They both head for the elevator, and a man hits the button.] * Heinrick nods back to the man in return. [And shortly, they're followed out by a third woman, who makes up for their tallness by being rather short. She's got short blond hair and green eyes, and wears a black business suit. Meh, black, but it is a suit. And there's a white shirt underneath the jacket. Anyhow, she's got a tie, so there.] * Gottlieb inclines head to the third person as well. * Heinrick waits for a response from this one first, since the first two were false starts. [She more or less backs out the door, still talking with someone inside. "Oh yeah, Mr. G. I think I'm making a lot of progress with Cyra. She's like a totally different person!... Well, not that different, but I'm getting there, you know?"] [And an older man peeks out the open door after her. He looks to be in his early sixties, his hair completely white. He's cleanshaven and wears glasses. He's slightly chubby, too, but better not tell him that. His suit's not unlike hers, only it's brown. "Good, Karin. See that you do."] [She salutes in a very military-esque manner. "Aye-aye, sir!" By the way, she looks to be only in her late twenties. Did I mention that? I did now. She also looks at you three, noticing you for the first time. "Uh... hi?"] Hello. * Roseli chuckles and offers gum. * Heinrick gives off a charming close-lipped smile and holds up his hand. "A pleasure to be noticed." [The older man glances at you, as well. "Hunhh... I hope you weren't waiting long. I'm Erik Graf, the Director of Section 2. Come on in." He vanishes inside, leaving the door open.] [The girl (presumably Karin), takes the gum. "Oh, hey! Thanks!"] * Gottlieb nods again. Luckily he doesn't seem to be getting a crick in his neck. He nods and smiles at the woman, "Good afternoon then, miss," and heads in. * Heinrick looks at the other. "I suppose that's our cue." He heads on in, glancing over his shoulder. "A pleasure to meet you, Karin." * Gottlieb takes his bag with him too, of course! * Roseli smiles. "No problem." She stands, stretches, and walks on in. [Then the elevator dings, and she jumps with a start. "Ah! Wait!" She hurries to catch up with the other two, calling back. "Nice to meet you, too!"] [You enter into a large, very nice office with a dark blue carpet over its hard wood floors. Two bookshelves line either wall. There's a German flag in the left corner imediately to your left, and to your right is a door that leads to a private bathroom. At the opposite end, three chairs are placed in front of a large oak desk, covered with papers.] [Behind the desk is a comfy-looking chair, but Graf isn't sitting in it. By the time you enter and take all of this in, he's already looking out the large windows on the other side, his hands folded behind his back.] * Gottlieb goes and stands behind (but doesn't sit in, yet) one of the chairs. He nods genially to the director, even though he can't see him! [Incidently, outside you can see a garden that extends as far as the wings of the building. Beyond that is a running track, and beyond THAT, after a field of grass, woods stretch for what seems like an endless distance.] * Heinrick takes a glance at Graf but doesn't take a seat until instructed. Instead he goes to stand behind one of the chairs. * Roseli stands there and looks around. Nice place, which is expected. [Graf says, without looking back. "Forgive my lateness. My meeting with the other guardians ran longer than expected."] [He glances back and nods at the chairs. "Sit."] * Gottlieb nods back. "Thank you." He does so. * Roseli walks on over, taking the seat the other two didn't claim. * Heinrick nods and takes a seat. "How many are there, if you don't mind me asking? [Gottlieb is an old man. He understands the importance of it all. Not like you young upstarts.] ["Six, counting yourselves. The others were recruited earlier in the year; they're about to go operative."] * Heinrick absorbs the information but is quiet for now. Let the man introduce us. * Roseli nods. [He turns around fully. "I'm sure you've already been informed of what our organization is about, but I have to hear it with my own ears: Do you know what you're getting into with this job?"] * Roseli shrugs with one shoulder. "Think so." ["Let me just say, there's no going back from this point. If you join now, you join for life. Should you ever decide to leave, your memories will need to be erased."] * Heinrick looks over at Graf, folding his hands in front of him. "An extreme measure. But understandable given the circumstances." * Roseli nods in agreement. * Heinrick sighs and leans his head forward a bit. "It could be far worse, after all." * Gottlieb rubs his chin. "Mm." * Gottlieb nods. "Far worse indeed." [Graf nods. "This is a top secret organization. We must implement these measures for the sake of national security. Therefore, before this goes any further, you need to fully understand what you're getting into. If you want to leave," he gestures at the door, "now's your last chance."] [He waits a moment to see if anyone does.] * Gottlieb doesn't. * Heinrick glances from side to side to see if the others leave but stays put in case. * Roseli folds her legs and folds her hands. [Erik nods. "Very well. You are now officially guardians of section 2. Congratulations."] ["Again, while I'm sure you've been told what this entails, let me go over it once more."] Please do. * Heinrick nods. "It would help to hear it from the organization itself." ["As guardians, you will each be assigned one of our newly acquired wards. You will be fully responsible for both their training and their welfare. Any and all descisions related to training and combat, from methods to diet to clothing, are in your control."] * Gottlieb nods. They have to listen? [He nods. The conditioning will force them to obey your orders. Watch that they try not to test their limits. The process still isn't perfected yet."] ( + " ) * Roseli considers this, then nods. "Makes sense." * Heinrick raises an eyebrow. "That is quite a bit of influence. What are the consequences of attempting to disobey?" ["That's entirely up to you. But make sure we can rely on them in the field."] I mean neurologically. If it induces them to obey orders, can it be countermanded in any way? [He lifts three manila folders from his desk, handing you one each. "Here's a copy of the compound's blueprints, as well as a log of the combat assessment run by Lydia Sohn this morning." ( http://besm.sandwich.net/MC4/misc/introfight.txt )] * Roseli takes her folder and starts flipping through the information. "All right." ["You'll want to look through it. But for now, let me just tell you that all three of them will need a great deal of training."] Hmmm. ["You're free to use any of the facilities you wish, as well as the holoroom, for training. This includes the shooting range located in the woods behind the compound."] We have our own offices? * Heinrick takes his own folder and starts flipping through it. "So still fledglings. Understandable. It is best to work with them fresh." [He nods. "They will be assigned as soon as we're finished here."] ["As will your charges, of course."] Do we get more information on the charges? When will we be meeting them? [He sits down in his chair. Looks comfy. "You will. And tomorrow, if not later today."] * Heinrick runs his fingers through his goatee, looking at the pages. "Interesting." Hmm. ["The current cirriculum calls for individual training until January."] ["Throughout January, your progress will be measured in several artifical missions run by Ms. Sohn in the Holoroom. Ms. Sohn is, incidently, Control. Meaning, she's the one you will report to."] Aha. So they will be running individually or together? ["The missions in the Holoroom will involve both you and your wards, together. The aim is to build teamwork after you've mastered individual skills."] * Heinrick closes the folder and leans forward slightly. "So what is the process of choosing a guardian and ward pairing?" ["You are Blue Team, by the way, as opposed to the Red Team of the other group."] ["We'll get to that."] * Heinrick nods and smiles slightly. "Forgive my impatience. I *am* a curious sort." * Gottlieb raises an eyebrow. ["Once the training in the Holoroom is satisfactory, we will begin selecting cases involving supernatural elements from the police for you to work on. These will serve as an introduction to live field work while being relatively easy. From there, we will progress to real counter-terrorist operations."] [He shifts position. "During this time, you are not to allow civilians to be able to link you with the organization."] Oh? Sounds reasonable. ["And speaking with the press is out of the question. If you or your wards are recorded while participating in any supernatural activities, confiscate the recording divice and capture the civilian for brainwashing."] Of course, but are we to be allowed a cover for family and the like? * Heinrick nods in agreement. "Otherwise, the integrity could be compromised." [Graf nods. "Do not reveal your true occupation to them. If anyone asks you what you do for a living, be vague."] Very well. * Heinrick smiles at Gottlieb. "You could also say you are tutoring children on the side." * Gottlieb laughs. "No different than my previous profession, then." * Heinrick shrugs lightly. "It is not entirely a lie either." [Graf nods. "That too. Just be sure you don't give away anything that could compromise Blitzkrieg."] ["I don't have to tell you that public opinion of genetic modification is low. We need to prove ourselves capable before the public can be allowed to learn the truth."] Of course. ["Now, have you all been able to look at the combat assessment?"] * Gottlieb looks up from the file. "To a small extent." [He nods at Gottlieb. "What are your initial impressions?"] * Heinrick nods. "Well, the one who calls this other "priestess" seems to have a bit of attitude to her." (Which one is that.) (Ten/Hotaru) (Unless those brackets mean it's not transmitted...) Putting it mildly, yes. Indeed. [He nods.] Other than that, they all have potential. Although I am not sure of the squirrels. Is it unique to that animal or more generalized? Well, nothing that seems too hard to work around. ["She has the ability to summon animals from the surrounding area. Presumably, the holoroom compensated with squirrels, based on the setting."] * Heinrick nods. "So you could get dogs or you could get pigeons. Rather random, that." [He nods. "But it has potential. Incidently, if you desire a change to their genetic modifications, we have a lab capable of performing such a task."] I am assuming too much change would put a strain on the bearer though. Am I correct in that? [He nods. "At least, too much at one time."] * Roseli flips through the log. "It's a good start." [He nods. "Well, I believe we're about finished. Any questions?"] * Heinrick shakes his head. Not here. * Gottlieb shakes his head curtly. "None at this juncture." (?) ["Well, then." He stands up, grabbing three files as he does so. "Mr. Kerner, you'll be training Luana Hall. Mr. Engels, you'll be training Keiko Hanano. And Ms. Tavares, you'll be training Hotaru. In each of these files, you should find a fairly accurate assessment of your ward's abilities, conducted over a fair period of time at Zunkuft before they transferred here."] ( Taht get through? ) (Yup!) (Yuup!! (:) (Aw, geez. I get Ten.) * Roseli raises an eyebrow. * Gottlieb nods. "Very well. Thank you." I don't know a lot about Hotaru, but I might not be best suited for her. Just a guess. [He looks back at Roseli. "What makes you say that?"] * Roseli snaps her gum and says, "Fireballs won't touch me. Can't be mind controlled. Guns? Those hurt." ["I suggest you don't order her to shoot you."] Won't. Just saying. ["I'm sure you'll do fine. Remember, the conditioning obligates them to protect you from harm. Attacking their own guardians isn't possible."] * Gottlieb nodded. Hm. Understood. (s/nodded/nods) [He nods. "Very well. If there are no more questions, I'll show you to your offices, and you can get yourselves set up."] Excellent. ( End? ) (Sure) * Roseli nods and stands, picking up Hotaru's files. "Thank you." (Done!) * Heinrick unfolds his legs. "Very well." He stands and prepares, folder under his arm. [Session End]