JSA HQ briefing room

[caleb_z]

*It only took 10 minutes or so for Caleb to set up for the briefing. He was a little nervous, but not overly so. He’s led teams before, after all. Never super heroes, though. But he has both led teams and chased demons.* This couldn’t be all that different, could it?*3 oversized commercial roadmaps are pinned up to the walls - one of Gotham

Comments

[caleb_z]

“You heard correctly, Mr. Batson. It’s doctor, though. But, uh .. you can just call me Caleb.” *Remembering that his first case for the JSA was to help find the Captain when he was missing, continues:* “It’s good to see you’re doing well.”

*As Jay and Alan enter the room, Caleb takes note and smiles. It was very good to see so many powerhouses turning out. Caleb reaches into his folder, and produces what looks like a photocopy of a drawing in a very old book. The thing on it looks like a humanoid shaped cross between a feline and a bat, with red eyes.*

“Do any of you know what this is?”

[lanterns_light]

Alan looks at the photocopy for a moment, considering. "No, Caleb. I can't say it's familiar to me. Should it be?"

[caleb_z]

“Not unless you specialize in demonology. It’s a breed of demon known as an Al Koyet. They serve the demonic princes as first rate assassins. The ancient texts have accounts of them following prey for years while waiting for an opportunity to strike. As a species, they are bred with a clarity of purpose that seems to never waiver

[green_shield]

::Tara has been silent and taking note she won't need out of habit.::

"So, what? They kill who they get sent after and then kidnap the rest as it were?"

[caleb_z]

“In essence, yes. The victim then suffers an eternity in the lower dimensions.”

[green_shield]

"No known counter to that? Even divine intervention?"

[caleb_z]

“In, uh .. In theory, of course, the presence could always force the soul back to it’s proper resting place. Unfortunately, this would involve directly confronting the power of the combined lords of hell, who aren’t likely to take it well. More people could die in the resulting backlash than god would be willing to sacrifice.”

*Caleb gives off a forced chuckle.* “Besides, Ms. Strong, I’m not exactly sure how to go about obtaining direct divine intervention.”

[green_shield]

::Takes more notes::

"Sorry, Dr. Zukov. Magic is not a field I have work with until last month. Also, what do we call you out there? Your codename or whatever it's refered to."

[caleb_z]

*Caleb opens his mouth as if to speak, but only silence comes out.*

Right, I’m supposed to have a secret identity, aren’t I? *He thinks for a few seconds, his left hand resting on the top of his left shoulder.* “I can’t say I, uh .. I’ve given it much thought. I only go out infrequently, after all. Um .. hmmm .. just, uh, I guess…. I don’t know. Just call me Caleb for now, I guess. I’ll have to think of something more later.”

[green_shield]

She nods and gets to her notes.

[_captain_marvel]

Marvel's brow furrows as he takes in the information.

"What are thier weaknesses? Do they have a prefered set of habbits? A 'modus operandi' as it were?"

[caleb_z]

“No known weaknesses, other than, as with all demons, holy energy. Their habits are remarkably simplistic - be given a target, study your target, kill your target, return and be assigned a new target.”

*Caleb glances back at his hand written notes to see if he forgot anything.* “Oh, right. They, uh … they’re psychology is totally means to an end oriented. In some ways this makes them colder and more heartless than a other demons, and in other ways makes them less so.”

“After all, why kill someone if it doesn’t advance their goals? But if, say, tactically nuking an urban environment will draw your target out of hiding .. or, herd them in a particular direction .. they wouldn’t hesitate.”

[lanterns_light]

"Caleb. Who are these demons after? You?"

[caleb_z]

“If only I knew. That’s, uh .. that’s one of the complications. I don’t know where it is, who it’s after, or even who sent it

[lanterns_light]

"...and what would that be?"

[caleb_z]

“That this intelligence is two and a half weeks old. The, uh … the day after I acquired it, I also acquired the plague. The day before yesterday I woke up, and no one in my building has seen Mr. Price for about 2 weeks.”

*Caleb’s fingers become fidgety as he sits on the desk in front of the room.* “I, uh … and I’m guessing here, but … I’m hoping the chaos of the plague impeded any meaningful progress of the demon towards accomplishing it’s objective. If not, though, we still have an assassin loose on this plain, who can and almost certainly will receive additional strike orders.”

*The very thought of hell having an agent of this nature open-endedly able to operate on Earth brings a chill to Caleb’s spine.*