Calling in the cavalry.
I couldn't believe this. Walsh calls for some important, last minute meeting, and I'm halfway across campus in the middle of an ethics class. My entire military career I had never held poor attendance -- come to think of it, I don't think I've been late for anything in my life, and I wasn't about to start now. It took me the better half of fifteen minutes before I'd finally arrived back at Lowell House. Fortunately, it looked like there were a lot of stragglers who had yet to respond to the last minute call. No doubt more than a few of them had found themselves in the very same predicament I had. As I made my way upstairs, I was greeted by both Forrest and Graham. They must have been waiting around for me to show up, otherwise I'm sure that the two of them would have already been downstairs suiting up for whatever it was that Walsh had in store for us. None of us bothered asking any questions, as it pretty much went without saying that this would have something to do with the recent homicide across town. Instead, we followed the others to the elevator that would take us to the underground Initiative stronghold.
Once we'd filed inside and the elevator descended, I couldn't help but to overhear some of the others. Half of them were wondering what this whole thing was about. Nobody seemed entirely sure why Walsh would call an impromptu meeting like this, especially when she knew that most of us were in class at this time of day. Anyone who had heard mention of the recent body count, both on and off campus, would already know exactly what to expect though. The talking seemed to die down substantially after we'd reached the appropriate level. We all filed out, suddenly surrounded by an even larger group of soldiers who had already arrived and were just waiting around for the rest of us to settle in. It wasn't very long before everyone was seated. Any talking soon subsided once Walsh approached our group.
"Good evening. First, I would like to commend you all for your swift work on recovering the hostile responsible for the deaths on campus. The last thing we need here at UC Sunnydale is a body count. But, I would like to extend our efforts above and beyond the boundaries the school presents. Sunnydale itself is a hotbed of hostile activity. Always has been, back as far as recorded history can date. In recent years, there is no more visible evidence of this than the repeated demises of the owners of local occult shops."
Professor Walsh paused momentarily, before grabbing something off of the table located behind her and turning back toward us to hold it up for everyone to see. It was the latest edition of UC Sunnydale's campus newsletter -- nothing that we all didn't receive on a regular basis by this point. I was almost certain that everyone in the room was up-to-date as far as the newsletter was concerned. I knew that my squad was, anyway. Still, she seemed to feel it necessary that she drive that point home, just in case.
"I'm sure you've all seen this, and if you haven't, let me take this moment to remind you of your requirement to read all local news publications. The most recent owner of the Magic Box is the victim. Sunnydale's finest in blue are, of course, clueless as always. They believe it to be a robbery gone awry. We were able to intercept the corpse on its way to the morgue, and determine that his death was indeed, highly suggestive of demonic activity."
Walsh tossed the newsletter down on the table, the pages skidding across the surface before coming to a halt in a heap.
"Also, the student health center has informed me that a highly unusual number of male students have been admitted, some even sent to the hospital in town for further treatment. They are all ages, races, body types. Different dorms, dining halls, class schedules. No commonalties between any of them, save for sexual activity the night before and the symptoms. Lethargy and a general malaise. We're looking at the possibly of a succubus having been summoned and released upon the student population. The creature is to be tracked, tagged, and brought back here for further study. Do not kill, under any circumstance."
She paused again, looking out over the group. Watching her carefully, I couldn't help but to wonder what exactly it was that was going through her mind right then. Professor Walsh had become something of a mother-figure to me over the years. Still, as close as I felt to her, there was so much that made me feel a million miles away. She chose to keep a lot of things shrouded in mystery. I was sure that it was only out of obligation to her position in the Initiative, though. I mean, I liked to think that she trusted me enough to confide in me if she ever needed to. Still, there was always that part of her I don't think I'd ever be able to figure out -- that part of her I don't think she wanted anyone to figure out.
"Teams Charlie and Delta will be investigating the death of the shopkeeper and patrolling Sunnydale proper. Teams Alpha and Bravo will be following the succubus. All female members of Charlie and Delta have been reassigned to Alpha and Bravo units for the time being, and the appropriate number of men have been swapped out for them. We're not taking more unnecessary chances than needed, people. Charlie and Delta, you're dismissed."
Walsh continued with her briefing after the momentary pause, causing me to drop my train of thought in order to pay closer attention. Alpha squad was always deployed under my command, after all. The rest of us watched in silence as the two teams stood and took their leave. Those of us who remained turned our full attention back toward the Professor for further orders once the others had already gone.
"The succubus leaves behind an energy trail, from victim to victim and place to place. She thrives off the energy she drains from her victims, and uses it to lure in the next target. An energy signature scanner has been developed, with enough sensitivity to successfully track the creature."
Walsh nodded over toward the two Techs who appeared from the sidelines, laying the device in question out on the table behind where she had been standing. The professor continued her briefing, even as the two technicians began handing out sheets of paper to those of us who still remained.
"You will be patrolling highly populated areas, looking for any suspicious behavior and activity. Streets clothes will be required for this, and a cover has been provided. I'm sure you're all familiar with scavenger hunts, so, no need to explain there. Both Alpha and Bravo will fall under the command of Agent Hayes."
My attention snapped up then -- an involuntary response, sure .. but, had I just heard right? Agent Hayes?
"She is the end-all and be-all for this mission. And men, if she feels that you are being swayed by this creature, or have become enthralled, she will send you out. Keep your heads clear and your minds focused. Be careful out there. Dismissed."
And just like that, the remaining teams stood and began to break away. I must have been sitting there for a good minute, because once again both Forrest and Graham appeared to snap me out of my apparent daze. I looked up at the duo after one of them (I'm not exactly sure which) waved his hand in front of my face as if to break me from some self-induced trance. Once they had both realized that I was all right, however, their looks of concern were quickly replaced with those resembling amusement. I swatted the hand away, which as it turns out happened to belong to Forrest, before standing upright and following after the others who had already begun shuffling toward the next room. I couldn't see the other two members of our team -- Harper and Hayes, and at the moment? That wasn't such a bad thing. Graham slapped his hand onto my shoulder, no doubt to provide some kind of feigned reassurance. I granted him a none-too-pleased expression in response to the mock-gesture. He didn't seem to be too threatened by the look though, considering the way he just chuckled in response.
[ Open to all Initiative types. ]
Once we'd filed inside and the elevator descended, I couldn't help but to overhear some of the others. Half of them were wondering what this whole thing was about. Nobody seemed entirely sure why Walsh would call an impromptu meeting like this, especially when she knew that most of us were in class at this time of day. Anyone who had heard mention of the recent body count, both on and off campus, would already know exactly what to expect though. The talking seemed to die down substantially after we'd reached the appropriate level. We all filed out, suddenly surrounded by an even larger group of soldiers who had already arrived and were just waiting around for the rest of us to settle in. It wasn't very long before everyone was seated. Any talking soon subsided once Walsh approached our group.
"Good evening. First, I would like to commend you all for your swift work on recovering the hostile responsible for the deaths on campus. The last thing we need here at UC Sunnydale is a body count. But, I would like to extend our efforts above and beyond the boundaries the school presents. Sunnydale itself is a hotbed of hostile activity. Always has been, back as far as recorded history can date. In recent years, there is no more visible evidence of this than the repeated demises of the owners of local occult shops."
Professor Walsh paused momentarily, before grabbing something off of the table located behind her and turning back toward us to hold it up for everyone to see. It was the latest edition of UC Sunnydale's campus newsletter -- nothing that we all didn't receive on a regular basis by this point. I was almost certain that everyone in the room was up-to-date as far as the newsletter was concerned. I knew that my squad was, anyway. Still, she seemed to feel it necessary that she drive that point home, just in case.
"I'm sure you've all seen this, and if you haven't, let me take this moment to remind you of your requirement to read all local news publications. The most recent owner of the Magic Box is the victim. Sunnydale's finest in blue are, of course, clueless as always. They believe it to be a robbery gone awry. We were able to intercept the corpse on its way to the morgue, and determine that his death was indeed, highly suggestive of demonic activity."
Walsh tossed the newsletter down on the table, the pages skidding across the surface before coming to a halt in a heap.
"Also, the student health center has informed me that a highly unusual number of male students have been admitted, some even sent to the hospital in town for further treatment. They are all ages, races, body types. Different dorms, dining halls, class schedules. No commonalties between any of them, save for sexual activity the night before and the symptoms. Lethargy and a general malaise. We're looking at the possibly of a succubus having been summoned and released upon the student population. The creature is to be tracked, tagged, and brought back here for further study. Do not kill, under any circumstance."
She paused again, looking out over the group. Watching her carefully, I couldn't help but to wonder what exactly it was that was going through her mind right then. Professor Walsh had become something of a mother-figure to me over the years. Still, as close as I felt to her, there was so much that made me feel a million miles away. She chose to keep a lot of things shrouded in mystery. I was sure that it was only out of obligation to her position in the Initiative, though. I mean, I liked to think that she trusted me enough to confide in me if she ever needed to. Still, there was always that part of her I don't think I'd ever be able to figure out -- that part of her I don't think she wanted anyone to figure out.
"Teams Charlie and Delta will be investigating the death of the shopkeeper and patrolling Sunnydale proper. Teams Alpha and Bravo will be following the succubus. All female members of Charlie and Delta have been reassigned to Alpha and Bravo units for the time being, and the appropriate number of men have been swapped out for them. We're not taking more unnecessary chances than needed, people. Charlie and Delta, you're dismissed."
Walsh continued with her briefing after the momentary pause, causing me to drop my train of thought in order to pay closer attention. Alpha squad was always deployed under my command, after all. The rest of us watched in silence as the two teams stood and took their leave. Those of us who remained turned our full attention back toward the Professor for further orders once the others had already gone.
"The succubus leaves behind an energy trail, from victim to victim and place to place. She thrives off the energy she drains from her victims, and uses it to lure in the next target. An energy signature scanner has been developed, with enough sensitivity to successfully track the creature."
Walsh nodded over toward the two Techs who appeared from the sidelines, laying the device in question out on the table behind where she had been standing. The professor continued her briefing, even as the two technicians began handing out sheets of paper to those of us who still remained.
"You will be patrolling highly populated areas, looking for any suspicious behavior and activity. Streets clothes will be required for this, and a cover has been provided. I'm sure you're all familiar with scavenger hunts, so, no need to explain there. Both Alpha and Bravo will fall under the command of Agent Hayes."
My attention snapped up then -- an involuntary response, sure .. but, had I just heard right? Agent Hayes?
"She is the end-all and be-all for this mission. And men, if she feels that you are being swayed by this creature, or have become enthralled, she will send you out. Keep your heads clear and your minds focused. Be careful out there. Dismissed."
And just like that, the remaining teams stood and began to break away. I must have been sitting there for a good minute, because once again both Forrest and Graham appeared to snap me out of my apparent daze. I looked up at the duo after one of them (I'm not exactly sure which) waved his hand in front of my face as if to break me from some self-induced trance. Once they had both realized that I was all right, however, their looks of concern were quickly replaced with those resembling amusement. I swatted the hand away, which as it turns out happened to belong to Forrest, before standing upright and following after the others who had already begun shuffling toward the next room. I couldn't see the other two members of our team -- Harper and Hayes, and at the moment? That wasn't such a bad thing. Graham slapped his hand onto my shoulder, no doubt to provide some kind of feigned reassurance. I granted him a none-too-pleased expression in response to the mock-gesture. He didn't seem to be too threatened by the look though, considering the way he just chuckled in response.
[ Open to all Initiative types. ]