Field Trip-The Prelude

[The Watcher]

Washington D.C.
11.45 P.M.

“I see you have the folder.” A male voice came from the darkened room that Dr. Valerie Cooper had been directed to come to. It had all happened rather mysteriously. Two weeks earlier, Cooper had received a series of late night phone calls from someone known only as “Lazarus”. His messages had been the early warning of things to come over that time. Her own disaster with the Thunderbolts had put her into a precarious position with the government, and she was just waiting for the other shoe to fall.
“Yes, I have the folder, now tell me what this is all about.” Her eyes narrowed as she closed the door to the small office behind her. She took a seat across from the shadowed figure and proceeded to listen as he began to explain Valerie Cooper’s role in the things to come.

“So, what you’re saying is, you want me to sponsor this team? You obviously know little of what goes on in Washington.” She curtly said to Lazarus after an hour of listening to him talk. His talk of mysteries, monsters and mutants sounded like something from a children’s story.
“No, I don’t want you to sponsor these individuals, I’m ordering you to. You have no choice in this matter Dr. Cooper. If you turn me down, you’ll be as washed up in this town as you should be. Now, have you looked over your team?”
Visibly shaken, Cooper gave her blond hair a push out of her face and opened the folder and began to look over the group of individuals that Lazarus had gathered unending information on.
“Criminals, Strippers, Ex-Cons? You certainly know how to pick them.” She turned her nose up at most of these people; they were well beneath her.
“Each one of them, Dr. Cooper, is invaluable in their own way. You need not baby sit them, only guide them through their first mission, from there you will simply step away.” Lazarus leaned forward a bit to retrieve the folder, pulling out a few photos of the people inside. If Dr. Cooper could have seen his face, she would have seen a wry smile as he laid down one photo in particular and pushed it out into the small-lighted circle on his desk.
“She…will be your first. She’s already waiting on the Island. You’ll find Ms. Broussard very…interesting.”
Valerie could hear the mirth in his voice as she looked down at the pink haired winged mutant who was standing in a police line up, flipping the middle finger at whoever had taken the photo.
“So, I take it they are all mutants?” Again, she pushed the photo back across the desk.
“Then you take it wrong, Dr. Cooper.” There was a strain in his voice at the word “Dr.” and Valerie caught that. Apparently this Lazarus held about as much respect for her as she did him. She smirked as he continued to speak.
“Firefly is not a mutant, she’s a fairy.” He stated very matter of factly. “If you had bothered reading each of their dossiers you’d know this by now. Why am I even bothering with you Valerie Cooper? I thought you deserved another chance. But if you can’t study for the test, why take it?” His tone was had taken on a hard edge, daring the infamous Dr. Cooper to speak.
“Read your notes Dr. They are important.” Was all Lazarus said as the door opened and Valerie turned to see someone waiting to usher her out.


Two weeks later, Valerie Cooper found herself standing on a sun washed beach in the Florida Keys. She knew that at least one of the team members had arrived already. She had already had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting the pink haired harlot known as AJ. She had done her best to withhold the look of utter disgust from her face as the woman had shook her hand and welcomed her to “Fantasy Island.”
“The Island’s name is Twilight Cove, Ms. Broussard. I suggest you remember that.” But before Valerie could berate the winged woman any longer, she stood appalled as the girl had turned on her heel and walked away from her, waving her hand in the air and calling out… “Whatevah lady, ah’ve got a tan ta work on. Let me know when the rest of ya happy ass bunch gets here.”

OOC-Have fun! Thus begins the Guardians!

[Enchantress]

Angelee had left the government liaison standing in the lobby of the building she was now living in. She had arrived on Twilight about 3 weeks ago, enjoying the private time she had to herself. Then Ms Thang and her government lackeys showed up and ruined the peaceful quiet of the island. AJ was more than content to grab a blanket, a good book and hit the beach. It had become almost a routine with her. Every afternoon, she’d go out and lay on the beach, reading and watching the tide come in. The crystal waters of the Atlantic soothing her soul.

A bark sounded from behind her as she turned and smiled. “Come on sugah, let’s catch some rays.” Kneeling down, she fell backwards in the sand as Vicki came head first at her and tackled her. The German Shepard had been her constant companion since AJ had gotten her back from Drakon. All another ploy and another long story she didn’t want to think about. Vicki was back with her, and life was happy.

“Come on girl, let’s go.” She stood back up, shook the sand off of her wings and walked silently down the long stretch of beach, looking down every once and a while to make sure Vicki was still next to her. She laughed as the dog ran headlong barking into the waves and splashed around along the shoreline.

Spreading her blanket, she sat down and watched Vicki play. She gave a glance towards the direction of the compound and smiled, she was at last alone. Pulling her hair down from the long ponytail it was in, she shook her hair out and laid back on the towel. She knew if Cooper could see her from the base, she was watching her. With a evil smile, AJ stood up and slowly peeled off the cut off denim shorts she was wearing and tossed them aside. A short time later, the purple bikini top she had been wearing joined the shorts on the beach.

With a delightful sigh, she pushed her black sunglasses back up on her nose, turned on the small battery operated radio she had drug along, and laid down on her stomach on the blanket , enjoying the feel of the warm sun and the cool ocean spray on her naked body. Closing her eyes, she listened to the soft sounds of the music, followed by Vicki’s barks as she chased seagulls down the beach.

[Tessa]

“It’d be nice if I could get a hand here!” Kei hollered in an attempt to get the boat driver’s attention, but he had a set of headphones firmly planted over his ears and didn’t seem to acknowledge the Hawaiian woman.
“Or I could just pull all this stuff out myself and go all ace to the compound, breakin’ my back while I’m at it.” She muttered readjusting her frames on the bridge of her nose and dropping first her 4 duffel bags onto the dock and then her three board bags. This was nowhere near being all her belongings; Kei had only brought the essentials and had made Marco promise to send the rest of her stuff to her within the next couple days.

Jumping off the side of the boat she landed in amongst the stuff on the dock and waved goodbye to the driver who still hadn’t acknowledged her, “Chivalry is most definitely dead, wahine.” Kei told herself, really wishing that the man had decided to accompany her up to the base since she had issues with solitude. The surfer chick grit her teeth as she slung two board bags over her left shoulder and the other over her right, picking up the duffel bags in each hand. Slowly and arduously she made her way to the base, finally reaching the door and dropping a couple duffel bags so she could open said door.

Kei spoke to their government liaison briefly and her first impression made her think of an air-headed beach bunny that used to hang around Ala Moana watching all the male surfers and giggling insanely whenever one would speak to her, so Kei had deemed it important to make a stealthy escape from the woman for the sake of her own sanity. Finding the room assigned to her she dropped her duffels on the bed and leant the board bags against the wall, looking around the room she figured it would work. It was larger than her room at Marco’s but it didn’t quite feel like home yet.
“Quit actin’ like you just got rag-dolled and missed the best barrel of the go-out.” Kei told herself, having caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror…she hadn’t realized how morose she looked until now, “You could be wastin’ away in some facility instead you’ve got yourself a job. True, that beach only looks to be producin’ ankle busters but that’s why you brought the pig with you.” Kei stared long and hard at herself in the mirror finally forcing a smile onto her face.

“Be happy.” She ordered, turning to open one of her four duffel bags in search of her favorite suit and shorts, she knew they had to be in here because she made sure at least 4 times that she hadn’t left them in the laundry or on her floor in Honolulu. Of course, in her search she also managed to dump the other contents of the bag onto the bed and floor.
“Place already looks better.” Kei said proudly as she found the aquamarine colored bikini and the white board short, making sure she had closed the door behind her she slipped out of the denim shorts and yellow tank top she’d been wearing on the trip to the island and quickly slipped on the bikini and the shorts.

Within 10 minutes she had gotten her board and grabbed her board wax, rashguard and a towel heading for the beach she had seen briefly upon her arrival. The water wasn’t producing large waves but at least she’d be able to get out and active.
“And no bunny’s to bug the hell out of you.” Kei laughed as she made it onto the beach dropping her stuff and taking her sandals off, not realizing that the beach wasn’t as deserted as she thought. Pulling the yellow rashguard over her head, she made sure her board was waxed enough and headed for the surf eager to see what the waves were like.

[The Mighty Thor]

It had been months since Xlorvok had seen his own face. Between the time of his capture outside the Princess Bar in Madripoor and now, he hadn't been able to drop his 'John Starling' persona for a second. Who knew what kind of trouble the other inmates would make if they found out he was a Skrull.

He sat staring at Starling's face in the mirror in his cell, when the armored guard called out to him to stand back from the cell door. Used to the procedure, he did as he was told. This routine was usually accompanied by a plate of food being placed into his cell, but not this time. As he stepped back, the door swung open long enough to allow a black suited government type to enter his eight by eight barred home. The agent stood stoically, and spoke one simple sentence, "You've made parole."

The next thing ‘Vok knew, he was on a landing strip situated amongst the peaks of the Colorado Rockys. The government spook shoved him onto the plane, handed him a file and then promptly disappeared, as the pilot wasted no time in taking off. This was all too weird. ‘Vok had woken up a prisoner of the federal government, and he would most likely go to bed tonight as one of their employees. Fate was too strange for his taste some days. Hoping he had nothing to loose, he propped his feet up on the opposite facing seat, and allowed his human features to melt away, revealing his emerald hued skin beneath. The pilot took notice of the Skrull passenger now seated behind him, but said nothing. ‘Vok grinned, glad that his appearance was not quite so out of place here. Maybe this new venture could turn out ok after all.

After an all too long flight, the plane had finally made it over Floridian waters. It was then that Xlorvok had a most amusing idea. In all rights, he should have outgrown such childish notions long ago, but he didn’t care. Let his brother be the responsible one. ‘Vok was entirely too wrapped up in making life fun: both for himself and for those around him. He sat forward in his seat with a wide smile across his face. “Thanks for the lift mate, but I believe this is my stop.” Before the pilot could even respond, ‘Vok threw himself out of the small plane, and dove nose first into the cold waters of the Atlantic, taking on the form of a porpoise mid-dive. He knew that he was still quite a distance from Twilight, but he felt like a swim. Freedom was a wonderful thing, and he was determined to enjoy every second of it.

After a nice long swim, ‘Vok had finally made it to Twilight. He was swimming at full speed when he noticed a girl attempting to surf the mild waves. ”Great, a chance to make a blue ribbon first impression.” Changing shape once more, ‘Vok reverted to his Starling form, which he had always found the ladies preferred over his green cleft chin and big pointed ears. He swam along side her, allowing his long dark hair to trail behind him, flashing a bright white smile up at her. “Nice day for a swim isn’t it? I just couldn’t help myself. Well, I bet ol’ Battle-ax Cooper wants to see me, so I suppose I’ll catch up to you later. Have fun.” And with that brief introduction, Xlorvok swam up onto the beach, not far from where a pink haired faery was sunning herself. ”Taskmaster never sent me on a job like this. I could get used to the view around this place.” With carnal thoughts swimming in his brain, ‘Vok made his way up to the main building, hoping Battle-ax wouldn’t take up too much of his time. He had other things he’d much rather be doing.

[Solace]

The whirling noise from the helicopter blades could be heard as it touched down on the helipad of Twilight Cove and a soft Australian voice could be heard having a one sided conversation on her cellphone. “Yes I know this will be hard on Shinobi and the club Christian, but heaven knows I needed a break from the both of them.” Chandi spoke into the phone; her voice raised and held a great deal of annoyance in it. “Look I know this was last minute, but I have to lead my life and he can lead his.” She paused momentarily as one of the men came over to her and asked her if she would like them to take the bags ahead of her and set them in her room. “Yes that will be fine.” Chandi spoke to the man while she covered the receiver on the cellphone. The petite woman shifted her weight a bit as she began her conversation again, brushing jet-black curls away from her eyes as she slipped her sunglasses on. “Oh and Christian, this little band of servants you’ve sent with me is not entertaining…next time don’t!” the soles of her hiking boots made a soft thumping noise as she traveled along the path and towards the compound. The conversation was halted on Chandi’s end as Christian must have been trying to plead his case somehow, the poor guy had been assigned as her assistant when she’d taken on the job of being a liaison of sorts for the Hellfire club and he just never really gave up the job once she’d pulled away from her responsibilities in the club upon starting her day job. “That’s peachy and all Christian, but I can’t come back. I like the idea of being away from this all for awhile, tell Frank at Rollin’s stable that I’m sorry to have bailed out on them and that Katie is taking over all my riding while I’m gone.” Chandi began listing all the dates that she’d been schedule to ride for Rollin’s stable in some of the smaller races at Belmont. “Well now that my affairs are worked out I believe I’ll be letting you go Christian.” And with that she ended the call and slid the cellphone into the back pocket of her dangerously low jeans.

Stopping in front of the door Chandi surveyed her appearance in the glass pane in the door, figuring that the low-rise jeans, white tank top and hot pink motocross jacket paired with the messy wind blown look her curls had and the hot pink lenses of her sunglasses to top off the image might have been just a little to casual but what did Chandi care. Wasn’t like she really needed to be impressing people much, after all wasn’t like they could fire her for her appearance. “Well mate, so this is your place?” Chandi questioned the liaison as she entered the lobby of the compound and made a waving motion to the men who had carried in her bags and were now leaving. Leave it to Christian to make sure I make an entrance… Chandi laughed softly to herself at the fact that basically her only real friend back in New York had gone to all this trouble to make sure she was able to settle in okay here on Twilight Cove. After the person just gave her a distained look Chandi shrugged and made her way towards her room, itching to get out of her street clothes and into bathers and test out the waters. “The ocean is clayton’s compared to home, but I’ll live.” Chandi mumbled to herself as she searched out the bag in which she knew held her desired swimsuit, while she did so she slid off her boots, jacket and jeans and now stood in her room with only a tank top and undies on.

“If Christian saw me now he’d believe I was lairing it up.” She giggled picturing the look on her best friend’s face if he could see her now, and made a ‘Ha’ noise as she found the hot pink bikini she’d been searching for. “Ripper.” Chandi pulled the tank top over her head and discarded it with her pants and jacket, followed by her undies. Pulling her mass of black curls up into a high ponytail Chandi surveyed herself in the mirror after putting on the swimsuit, appraising every single inch of her slender build. “I am one hell of a spunk.” She fixed one of the straps of her string bikini and made her way out to the beach barefoot; already enjoying the peacefulness of the island that was so unlike the busy high society life she’d lead back in New York. “Time to sunbake.” And with that Chandi took off at a run towards the sandy beach ahead of her, taking notice of the dark haired man coming towards her Chandi paused for a moment to give him a little smile and wave. Least the men are attractive. She let the thought slip into her mind before she gave one last little smile and took off running again, Chandi hadn’t been for a nice long jog and sunbathing afterwards since her days back in Oz.

[The Watcher]

Dr. Cooper put down her binoculars in disgust as the pink haired woman known as Firefly had begun undressing on the beach.
"Some people have no morals." she muttered as the door had swung open to be followed by the arrival of a few of the other team members. She greeted each of them with as much decorum as she could.

"Wonderful...this is what I'm sinking to..." again, it was muttered as she turned away from the window and watched John Starling come into the lobby.
"Don't think I'm happy to see you, I'm not."

Vicki had begun barking louder and louder. This alerted AJ that she was no longer alone on the beach.

[Prodigy]

"Live and let live Dr Cooper ." Said as voice as Nate appeared from one of the shadows that covered the corners of the room the government liason had occupied. "Its not as if we haven't seen anything like it before." A sly smile was firmly placed on the young man's face, he hair short and neat, and he was dressed very much like that of a business man, in a very expensive Armani suit.

He looked at the arriving members of the soon to be team and his smile grew fonder, he was remembering a time for this, when this life was 'fun' rather than a burden, or rather he was remembering someone elses memory, a draw back when when the memories of four differant entities, including his own, occupied the one place, Nate found it hard to assertain which was his and which was theirs. When Nate had gotten involved in this life it had rarely been fun for him; death, violence, sex and that was simply the good days, when you were possessed by an extradimensional demon force the stuff usually hit the fan, and in Nate's case it was an extremely big fan.

Since his expulsion from Extreme, and apparent betrayal of his team mates things had gone pretty much down hill, SHIELD too had granted him a dishonourable dismissal and had sent him on his way, not locking him up more out respect than duty. Nate had moved into seclusion, having very little contact with anyone, with the exception of a few of his closest friends, who had refused to believe of his betrayal, one being James Scott, a government liason for a UN sponsered hero team. In time though he was contacted by his government, a chance for reconcilation was offered, something he didn't need too much time to think about.

He had only arrived on the island a second earlier, when you travelled the shadow way's conventional transport wasn't all that appealing anymore. He was expecting to Val Cooper here, he had during his career as a super hero and agent of SHIELD met her a number of times and was still making his mind up about the woman, though needless to say he was sure she wasn't impressed with his Traitor status still hanging over his head.

"So has all our happy little family arrived yet or are we still expecting?" He asked as he pulled his suit cases through the shadows beside him.

-Shadow Strike

[Local Hero]

Cam sat in the almost empty bar drinking some bourbon and absently going over a map he had picked up of the Keys. "You planning on doing a bit of Key hopping?" The voice flowed over him like soft velvet and he looked up slowly from the papers on the table, his eyes travelling up the slim but shapely set of legs and over the exposed golden midriff. A soft hand cupped his chin drawing his face upwards. "I'm up here." Came the voice once more, it's soothing warmth was echoed in the face which owned it. "Ah always take mah time when ah'm enjoying the local scenery." said Cam, his mouth stretching into a wide grin as he extended his hand to the seat next to him. "Please. Have a seat... ..miss?" The raven haired beauty looked at him momentarily, almost as if she were having second thoughts about approaching him, then with an easy smile sat down. "Rodriguez. Antonia Rodriguez. Pleased to finally meet you Mr Angus." Taken by surprise, Cam almost let out an exclamation. "I am sorry if I have caught you at a disadvantage but time was a factor here." Letting out his breath in a slow sigh, Cam waved to the waitress to bring them another glass. "Ah'm getting used tae folks over here trying tae take advantage." he said slowly, as he waited for the waitress to leave. He poured some bourbon into the second glass and pushed it towards Antonia before filling his own glass once more. "Ah guess ye have something tae dae with the men that have been following me?" he asked, remembering a few near misses with the shadowy suits. "But fae the look o' yer tan ye dinnae look like a vampyre." Antonia smiled apologetically. "No Mr Angus. I am not a vampyre. You need not worry about this Faction seeking revenge for your recent actions in London. We have given them other things to worry about. The men you encountered previously were indeed a part of my.. group. We have been trying to contact you for several weeks now." Cam sat back in his chair, cradling his glass between his hands. "Call me Cam. Trying tae contact me? What for?" Antonia chuckled and took a long sip of her bourbon. "You are a hard man to keep a track of.. Cam. We almost caught up with you a few days back in New Orleans but you managed to elude us there. Your reputation is certainly well earned." As she spoke she pulled her chair around closer to Cameron's. "I'll cut right to the chase Cam. As I said we have been following your exploits for some time." She paused and exchanged glances with the few patrons in the bar. She smiled at him and reaching into her purse pulled out a small file pushing it across to him. As he read through the contents she continued to speak. "We are in the process of forming a small team of 'talented' individuals. People such as yourself. I appreciate you have prior experience of working in a team, not all of it good. If you are willing to hear me out, I'm sure I can convince you to join with us."

A hour or so later, Cam found himself sitting on the the deck of Alabama Jack's just north of Key Largo sharing a plate of conch fritters with the latin beauty who had managed to arouse his attention. There conversation had ranged beyond the proposal to Antonia herself who had come to the US with her older brother Anton Miguel following some troubles in their South American homeland. Anton had worked for their government back home and had managed to pull some strings and get them both to Miami. He had disappeared not long after however and had later turned up dead in New York. Deciding not to dwell on what was so obviously a difficult subject, Cam asked Antonia about the Keys themselves. Having spent mose of her time in Florida, Antonia explained how she knew when she'd crossed the border into Keys territory: "You walk into a bar where you've never been in your life. If everyone there treats you as if you've been closing the place every night for the last eight years, you're in the Keys." Cam chuckled and excusing himself sidled up to the bar and set down their empty glasses next to a line of empty longneck Budweisers. It took about 10 seconds for the bartender to say a hearty hello, then another 15 for the Bud drinker, a sunburned fellow in a tropical shirt and shorts , to introduce himself. In a minute or so, we were discussing his plans to open an authentic bagel bakery south of Key Largo. "Tourists come down here from the north, and they want bagels, real New York-style bagels, for breakfast and they can't get them, so you can see the potential here," he said. Ever curious Cam could not resist asking him where he had learned so much about bagel baking. "I ran a bagel operation up north," he said. "In Boulder, Colorado." It took Cam and Antonia a while to get back on the road because of the corollary to Antonia's theory - you know you're in the Keys when it takes twice as long as usual to say goodbye in any bar. The beer was flowing, the conversation lively and the company in the shape of Antonia was certainly entertaining. Cam was surprised himself at how easily this girl had worked her way into his affections. "Been on the road too long." he thought to himself, a strange smile flickering across his face as he watched the sun begin to set.

The following morning found Cam on his bike once more with a pretty girl at his back and he Cam couldn't help but grin as they rode through walls of thick mangrove that suddenly parted to reveal flat roadside clusters of motels, shopping malls, and souvenir and bait shops. He counted the mile markers backward (Key West was mile zero), and thought about the Keys' legendary anything-goes bonhomie. He hadn't expected to find much of it being a lone drifter. He glanced over his shoulder at Antonia. Things were definitely looking up. They had been enjoying the sunshine bathed them for the past two hours or so when Antonia leaned forward, indicating to Cam that he should take the next exit from US-1 and head out to Sugarloaf Key. From there she had told him earlier he would be able to get transport to the island. As they rode down the main street overlooking the ocean, a building on one of the street corners caught Cam's eye. "Ye fancy a drink?" he asked Antonia over his shoulder. She laughed and punched him playfully in the side. "I think you may have an alcohol problem Cam." "Hey! Ah drink. Ah fall down. Nae Problem." he chuckled as he pulled the bike up to the kerbside.

"The Twilight Tap? Sounds like a place plumbers hang out." he said as he opened the double front door ushering Antonia from the bright sunshine into the relative cool of the stone floored interior of the circular lobby. As Antonia walked ahead of him into the bar proper, he smiled in appreciation of the view. The bar was small compared to some he had seen on his travels but it was well appointed with the same stone flooring throughout the whole of the lower level. From their position at the door they could see that the ground floor was split into a restaurant and bar which both appeared to be doing a fair amount of trade. Opposite the lobby entrance a curved staircase led upwards presumably to guest rooms. Approaching the bar together, Cam was surprised when the barman nodded a welcome to Antonia. "You found him then?" he said as he eyed Cam dubiously. "Don't look like much." Cam leaned over the bar looking the older man up and down before meeting his eye. "Appearances can be deceiving. Look at you." he said softly. The man's face broke into a wide grin. "At least you have a bit of spirit to you." he said with a deep chuckle. "And if Antonia think's you are ok then that will do me. You can store your bike round back if you want. Not many roads where you're going." He poured them both a large frothing glass of beer and directed them to the corner table near the window. "Won't be a boat for an hour or so. Might as well relax some." Cam looked at Antonia curiously as he picked up their beers and headed towards the table. She put her finger to her lips and ushered him ahead with a grin. Once they were seated Cam couldn't stay quiet any longer. "What was all that about? Ah thought this was supposed tae be covert." he said, frowning a little despite the cooling beer sliding down his throat. "Steve Trevor's OK. He was in the business before most of us who are doing it now were born." She said quietly. "Retired now of course, but he still helps us out now and then. Mostly by providing a safe house out here ." She took a sip of her own beer, smiling over at Cameron as she did so. "From what I know of you, I don't think you are going to want to wait for the boat over are you?"

And so twenty minutes later Cam found himself skimming low across across the waves, Antonia's final words still ringing in his ears. "You're official liaison is Dr Valerie Cooper. Word is she was something big in Washington up to a few months ago." She ran her fingers down his arm. "But if you need someone else to talk to, Steve knows how to get a hold of me and I can be at the Tap within a couple of hours." Cam had smiled and given her a kiss on the cheek, his plasma field leaving a tingling impression on her skin as he took off. "Ah may well take ye up on that offer darlin'" he said and with a wave disappeared in a cloud of spray. His bike was safely locked up in a store room behind the Tap. Up ahead he could see the island. "Another team, another island. What is it with these secret agent types." he mused to himself as he felt the cooling salt spray thrown up by his passage. He could make out the main building easily between the trees, the bright sunlight glinting of it's metal surface as it nestled amidst the greenery. Arcing up into the air, Cam landed gracefully just outside the entrance to his new home. Releasing the straps which held his belongings to his body Cam caught the large duffel easily before it hit the ground, swinging it back over his shoulder as he opened the door and entered. Inside stood a woman who looked like she would rather be anywhere but in the Florida Keys. "Dr Cooper ah presume?" he said as he held out his hand to her. After exchanging a few perfunctory pleasantries, the Doctor directed Cam to his own living quarters.

Dropping his duffel onto the bed, Cam made his way over to the window, stripping of his soaked clothes as he did. The trip across the narrow band of water had been tiring without the assistance of his suit to channel his energies but he would have looked rather conspicuous walking from the Tap in his blue costume. Besides he knew it was better not to rely so heavily on the suit since you never knew when you were going to have to fly. After tossing his wet clothes onto the floor, Cam looked at himself in the mirror. In addition to the large scar which ran the length of his left arm, his body showed the dark side of life on the road, fresher scars crisscrossing each other on his forearms and shins. He gingerly touched the scar on his shoulder. The dragon bite. Even after all this time it still ached now and then. With a small shrug he turned away from the mirror and headed into the bathroom, the prospect of a refreshing shower the only thing on his mind for the next few minutes. Suitably refreshed and dressed in a clean if somewhat boisterous shirt and kneelength combat shorts, Cam left his room with the intention of exploring the island and maybe catching a few rays before meeting his new team mates officially. He nodded to Dr Cooper and the man she was talking to as he walked briskly past and out into the sunshine once more. Beyond the trees he spied a path leading away from the building towards the sea. "Beach time!" he thought as he padded quuckly away from the base, the ground warm against the soles of his bare feet. As he exited the trees, he pulled his sunglasses from his shorts pocket and put them on, looking over the beach in a wide arc as he did so. Off in the distance he could here what sounded like a dog barking. Deciding it was as good a direction to head as any Cam found himself walking through the surf towards the noise, the warm water breaking against his ankles as his toes sunk into the soft sand. The barking grew louder as he rounded a stand of palms which reached towards the sun.

A short distance away he could see a german shepherd cavorting in and out of the surf, barking as it did. He walked towards it, stopping as he heard the sound of music and spotted what was presumably the dog's owner enjoying the sunshine. With a broad grin on his face he walked quietly over, admiring the expanse of smooth golden skin exposed to his welcome gaze. A cascade of shocking pink hair fell across her shoulders. "Now that's a sight fer sair eyes." he said with a chuckle as he stopped, his shadow falling across the bronzed skin.

[Enchantress]

His voice echoed in her mind for a split second before AJ raised her head up.
"You're blockin' my sun."

Angelee wasn't sure what to do. Was she dreaming? It had been a good long year since she had seen Cameron, and all the while her thoughts went back to a night, shortly before he left her in the realm between worlds...
"He's here...it's him...deep breath..." Without missing a beat, AJ rolled over, pushed herself up on her elbows and pulled her sunglasses off and glared up at Cameron.
"Ah should ask ya what happened ta ya, but Ah know the answer Ah'll get...so Ah won't bother." she put her sunglasses back on as Vicki settled at her side, barking at Cameron loudly.
Reaching for her clothes, she ignored the fact he was there and got dressed, admonishing Vicki to hush all the while.
"Stop it, he doesn't bite, and when he does, it's not for long sugah." she reached down and rubbed the dog's head and introduced Cameron and Vicki.
"Vicki mah girl, this, is Cameron. Yes, that Cameron...yes, Ah know ah what ah said...but ah was just sore ovah tha fact that he nevah came back afta, well, you know." she spoke more to the dog than to Cameron as she turned and began to tie the strings of her purple bikini top together.
Turning back to him, she crossed her arms and waited, while Vicki sat at her side, ready to take off Cameron's leg should he move.

[The Truth]

~~~~~~~~
Two Days Ago
~~~~~~~~

"You're such a crybaby sometimes. I swear to God Grams' right about you. Big bad boogey man acting afraid of a little ghost." The feiminie voice admonished as De strolled into his flat just a few seconds ahead of the voice's owner.

"First of all....Grams is nutters. Secondly...so are you. And thirdly, that was no little ghost, ok? A ghost'll move little things and rattle chains. And that was no chain rattler. That was more like 'OI! I'm dead as hell and I'm not gonna take it any more!!!'. And furthermore....I wasn't afraid. Concerned maybe....but not afraid." De said in retort as he tossed his keys down upon a coffee table, where they landed atop a small package that hadn't been there whe he had left some months prior.

The woman who accompanied him noticed it as well as she closed the door behind her. The two of them exchanged a brief glance before she moved over to the table to retrieve said package, De instead heading to the kitchen and pulling two beers from the fridge.

"Looks like dad sent you another care package. You know what!? How come you get all the free stuff from dad and I still have to pay for mine!?" She asked rather upset.

"Because you're looney and dad likes me better. Says you take to much after mum. Who takes after Grams. And you know he hates Grams." De replied, exchanging one of the beers for the package as he sat his own down. The sound of cardboard being torn open sprung into the air at the same time as the woman's beer being opened, her bottle tipping towards the heavens as she drank and watched her brother pour four bottles of pills, two vials of fluids (one black, one yellow), and a note onto the table.

He sat on his sofa and cracked open his own beer as he picked up the note, his sister walking around the table to take a seat next to him.

"What does it say?"

"Have I read it yet, twit?"

"Have I shot you yet, De?"

"See that!? Always with the shooting me! I swear...one of these days I'm gonna get tired of it and shoot you back." he commented as he thumbed the note open and began to read quitely to himself, his sister letting her hands pick up and examine the various other contents that came in the cardboard box.

"Dear Natey...sorry I missed your birthday yadda yadda yadda. Sent you the usual yadda yadda... Oi! Lookee this." he said, leaning over a bit so his little sister could see, her free hand coming up to push a few stray red braids back behind her ear as she read along with De, her eyes tracing the note where he ran his finger along it. "I also sent you a sample of a new product I call Invisible Light. I plan to sell it as a fluid, but I know how much you hate needles so I capped them for you. Don't worry lad as this ain't one of those Lovey-Doveys you hate so much. Its more like that Sunshine you love, except without the golden haze over the sight. And better yet...it's virtually undetectable in the piss and in the blood, so you can have a party and not have to worry about any ponce coppers finding it in ya. Be careful not to mix it with Haze or any TGH. One makes you impotent for a week and the other'll kill you. I forget which is which though."

"He's trying to kill you..."

"Hush you. Also....give your sister my love if you see her and tell your mum the money's on the way. Love always...your Dad."

"I still say he's trying ta kill you. And if he knows you hate needles why send you Abyss as a liquid and as a pill? What cha gonna do with the liquid?" she asked as she stood up and moved over to his kitchen, setting her beer down before peeling off her coat revealing various small knives and assorted firearms.

"Paulo likes to shoot up. Says it works better that way. And Aims is all but hooked on the Sunshine, so I use 'em as gifts."

He took a nice long pull from his beer as he sat there, letting his eyes fall closed as he lay his head back. He hadn't been home in months....and before that he hadn't been home in months. In that past year he had probably spent a grand total of somewhere around three days under his own roof. And while the feeling was nothing new to him...it still didnt feel right. He kicked off his shoes and proped his feet up on the table as he sat, prepared to nod off, but was never afforded the luxury as the 'BEEP' of his answering machine popped his eyes open. His sister having taken the liberty of checking his messages.

It was a long line of people calling. Some male, some female, all looking to get in touch with him to go 'party' in one form of the word or another. But there was one message in particular that caught his ear, and the ear of his sister. Aims as De called her, born Amy Lynn Grimes, had been De's partner during his final year working Australia's Nightside. And while hearing her voice was nothing new, the message she delivered certainly was.

~~~~~~~~
Today
~~~~~~~~

De stepped off the helicopter with a curse muttered thru clenched teeth as he finally manuevered his way off the vehicle with a small plastic bag gripped between his teeth, a large gym bag snugly held in his left hand, and four suits slung over his right shoulder. He was presently dressed in a lime green suit with matching tie and shoes over a stark yellow shirt and socks. His dreads, at the moment still red, where whipping about furiously in the tempest caused by the heli as he walked briskly towards the base.

He had tried his best to be civil with Dr. Cooper when he met her, complimenting her on her eyes and hair though mentally he was still upset. The black roots of his hair were as clear as day upon his head and somehow during the rush of his packing, he and Shy, born Shyanne Isabella Niles, had managed to lose his favorite pair of panties.

With a final wink in her direction and his small plastic bag now being held by his left pinky, he set off to find his room. He was in desperate need of another shower, perhaps a shave, and some time to dye his hair up proper.

[Tessa]

Kei had been moments away from catching a relatively decent wave when the dark-haired man had showed up beside her, catching her off guard and making her tumble off her surfboard…losing any semblance of dignity as she came sputtering back to the surface. She noticed immediately that he had already reached the beach by the time she had recovered from her fall.
“Great first impression! You acted like a hodad who’d never seen a wave before.” Kei said to herself as she hoisted herself back onto the board and paddled towards shore, noticing for the first time that the beach had inhabitants.
“Bet they saw you bite it.” She said sardonically as she unhooked the leash from her ankle and hoisted her board under her arm, making her way back towards her stuff, “And if they didn’t, you better count those lucky stars.” Dropping her board in the sand she picked up her towel and started to dry off her hair, deciding her go-out was done for the day. She had caught a couple decent waves before her crash, though they were nothing like the ones she could catch on the North Shore.

Dropping her towel onto her board she grabbed onto the hem of her rashguard, looked over her shoulder to make sure the two people weren’t paying any attention to her and speedily tore the yellow top off her body. Yet another phobia rearing its ugly head, she didn’t care about being naked in front of somebody but having to undress while somebody else was in the room or same relative area made her skin crawl.
“Just try to be normal for once in your life.” She muttered laying her towel out on the sand and flopping onto it, “Or don’t acknowledge them, they haven’t acknowledged you.” Kei put her shades on and just laid out; trying to will some of the aches she had received from the fall away. She was usually sure-footed after spending the majority of her life surfing she didn’t scare easy…but the last thing Kei had been expecting was a swimmer to appear beside her and start to talk to her, all her concentration was on what she was doing so his voice had jolted her out of her state.
“He was hot though.” She said outloud a smirk crossing her face as she put her hands behind her head, “Should have caught a name.”

[The Mighty Thor]

It was sometimes very difficult to get certain images out of your mind. Like the time ‘Vok walked in on Ch’od in the sonic shower. Or the time he came home to the Carnival, only to walk in on the middle of Taskmaster’s special ‘me’ time. There was not enough Oxyclean in the world to wash that image off his brain. And today, Xlorvok came across another of those indelible moments. But unlike most ‘burnt on brain’ images, ‘Vok planned to keep the thought of the naked sunbathing pixie with him forever. Even as he walked up the front steps of the old weather station, he tried to solidify its position in his brain, protecting it from the filth that Valerie Cooper would surely try to pile in on top of it. With only the slightest hesitation, he swung open the double doors, and walked in to find the Battle-ax standing there waiting for him.

In a loud, overly exaggerated tone of voice, ‘Vok broke in on the conversation, not caring that Shadow Strike might have still been talking. “Mighty fine to see you again, Doctor. I’m actually kinda surprised you pegged me behind this handsome face. Guess the men in black filled you in, eh?” ‘Vok grabbed a nearby desk chair by the back, and swung it around backwards. With a flourish he slung a leg over it, and leaned forward against the backrest. Before Val and Shadow Strike’s eyes, his features shifted, going green for a split second, and then realigning themselves in the form of a thickly built World War II veteran named Stonewall. “I woulda thought this old coot was more familiar to ya? But then, I guess it woulda been kinda wily to walk in here as a corpse.”

‘Vok hadn’t seen Val Cooper since the day she identified his body back on Muir Island. He had gotten fed up with the insanity of Mystique’s leadership, and the bureaucratic nonsense that Battle-ax brought to Freedom Force. Never being one to hang around when things got annoying, he allowed Pierce to ‘kill’ him, and as soon as the feds turned their backs, took the opportunity to disappear right out from under their noses. He thought he had flown pretty far under their radar, but his presence here told him differently. Not that he minded much, considering the alternative. It was either sun bathing with pixies, or avoiding the Absorbing Man in the showers. No choice at all really. Resigned to his fate, ‘Vok shifted his appearance once more. Where the well-muscled Stonewall had been sitting, a green skinned Skrull now sat with hand extended. “Since you obviously already have the 411, I’d like to introduce you to Xlorvok, Skrull pirate extraordinaire. But just hold onto one thing, I’m not here by choice, and I’m not here because I like you. So stay out me way, and we'll all be tickled, savvy?”

[Solace]

Chandi ran along half the distances of the beach enjoying the thumping noise her feet made against the soft sand and how the soft ocean breeze brushed against her skin. Like usual the ocean was calmer to her, it was familiar and never changed or left it was a consent and with Chandi nothing was every stable or for sure. The young woman’s gaze soon moved from the ocean to the beach in front of her, and the people who seemed to be occupying it at that very moment, although still a great distances away from them she could make out what appeared to be two people speaking and another sitting further away with a surfboard. “Beauty I’ve got to deal with a Surfie, a White Pointer and a Perve.” Chandi muttered to herself. “Where’s my ticket home?” She questioned already wondering why she’d joined yet another superhero team, she’d left Valiant because she felt confined and stuck in a rut and here she was two years later and back at square one. “Well at least they aren’t all Digger’s.” Chandi smirked to herself as she tried to picture any one of the three people before her in the army as soldiers and soon broke down in a fit of giggles over the very thought, and she half hoped that her suspensions were true and that this lot weren’t tight laced military types. Still being a cooee away from the group Chandi wondered if she should drop the illusion and let her teammates met her as she truly is and soon came to the conclusion that this illusion was her security blanket and she wasn’t quiet ready to give that up just yet. After all Chandi didn’t even know if she could trust the people yet, so she might as well keep her game face on for just a little while longer.

Moving closer to the group Chandi finally got up the nerve to make her presences known to the three people she could see, “I’ve London to a brick that you’ve got about as much of an idea of what’s going on as I do, and if you’ve got more info then me please do tell.” Chandi hollered to the Surfie having honestly not paid much attention to Valerie Cooper, as she’d spoke to her. After all the woman hadn’t really had the time of day for Chandi so in return Chandi would treat her with the same respect. “No drama really if I don’t have a clue what’s going on, usually how things go anyway.” Chandi had kept up her steady running and was now much closer to the dark haired woman. “Excuse me for pushing in, kind of figured it was now or never that I met at least one of the poor souls on this team with me.” She apologized as she was now within five feet of the short dark haired Surfie.

[Local Hero]

Turning back towards the ocean Cam sat heavily on the warm sand. "Ah got held up." he said quietly as he rested chin on his arms which he had folded across his knees. He stared out at the waters breaking softly on the glistening sand. "London was bad. Worse than ah thought it would be. Took a fair bit longer tae deal with they bloody Vampyres than ah thought it would." As he spoke, he shrugged off his shirt, letting it fall to the sand behind him. His back now exposed to the sun was etched with a network of silvery scars and tracks, no longer painful but a reminder of his battles. "When ah got back ye had already gone. Ah was on mah way tae see if ye were New Orleans when ah got sidetracked and had to go look after some family business with Gus. Things got out o' hand there as well." His gaze dropped from the ocean, centering on his toes digging into the sand. "When ah eventually got to New Orleans ye had already left. Ah'm sorry if ah upset ye. Ye ken ah would never dae anything tae hurt ye if ah could help it."

[The Watcher]

Dr. Cooper had been in mid sentence, replying to Shadow Strike when De had walked in.
"Yes, it seems we are all here." she was about to turn and walk away when 'Vok started speaking.
Letting him carry on his bravado, she looked over her paperwork the entire time, then spoke to him.
"Let's get a few things straight right off the bat, shall we? First off, NONE of you were my choice for this team. So remember that. Secondly, I couldn't give a damn if you stay, go, or drown in the tide. I'm here to do a job." she then turned and made her way up the staircase to the computer monitoring area.

[Enchantress]

She stood there listening to Cameron speak, still with her arms crossed and Vicki sitting at her side.
"Ah had things ta take care of too. Ah couldn't set around forevah waitin' for ya ta come back. Ah had to go find Vicki an' get her back."
Angelee reached down and began to rub Vicki's ears as the dog leaned against her leg.
"Ah've become accustomed ta people comin' and goin' in mah life. Vicki here, she's been my one constant. Ah....ah just thought we shared somethin' special, ah thought maybe Ah wasn't just another in a long string of one night stands for ya." she turned to walk away, and looked back over her shoulder at him.
"Ah've grown up Cameron, maybe it's just bettah this way. Ah'm not that little girl ya met on Muir Island, Ah know who Ah am now, and Ah can be happy with that. But Ah also know Ah wanted more out of mah life than for you to be just anotha' notch in mah bedpost."
Calling Vicki to her, she walked along the path down the beach towards the main building. She silently wondered to herself if someone had planned this all along, if it was her mother's odd way of punishing her for leaving their lands. Morgana had an odd sense of humor, Angelee had found out in her time spent with her own kind. She had reveled in the warm glow of knowing she finally knew where she belonged. She had a family, but she didn't feel she really fit in, having spent so much time in the mortal realm. So she left, but Morgana had told her that fate had a way of tricking one around, and maybe this was her mother's way of paying her back for not staying where she belonged.

[Prodigy]

"Skrulls... I hate Skrulls..." He muttered more to himself than to anyone else in the room, Shadow Strike more than Nate had dealt with the shape shifting aliens and every time he did they were nothing but a pain in the ass, even the ones used in SHIELD as covert agents, the vast majority of them you wouldn't trust as far as you could throw them. Nate just hoped this one was an exception to the rule, though from his attitude and announcement that he was a pirate really didn't give him much hope on the matter. Still they were going to be working together and he should at least be civil. "Nathianial Travers." He said holding out an out stretched hand to the skrull.

-Shadow Strike

[The Mighty Thor]

Hand extended in truce, 'Vok watched as Cooper turned her back on him and walked up the stairs. Here he was, trying to be open, honest and candid, and she was holding true to form. Turning to Shadow Strike he nodded his head in the Battle-ax's direction. "Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss." Spinning in his seat, 'Vok now faced the man in the fancy suit. He had plainly heard what the man had grumbled under his breath about the Skrulls. With ears as big as his, it would have been hard to miss. But he decided not to hold it against him. Not yet anyway. If he had kicked the tar out of everyone he ever encountered that disparaged the Skrull people, he would have left a pretty nasty trail of bodies throughout his life. The man’s words didn’t mean much too him at the moment anyway, for ‘Vok was still thinking about the last thing Cooper had said to him. Absent mindedly, he took Nate’s hand, and shook it. “I’m Xlorvok, nice to meet you Travis. Did she just say I could leave?” Giving the man no time to respond, he tossed his chair aside and made for the door, “Yeah that’s what I thought she said. I’m vapor.”

He transformed his skin once more into the guise of John Starling and walked back outside into the warm tropical sun. Leaving the man in armani standing in the lobby alone, ‘Vok made haste down the front steps and out towards the beach. On his way, he passed by the pink haired chick, and waved at her. “I do so wish we could have gotten better acquainted my dear, but I just got the all clear. I’m history”

[Tessa]

Kei looked over at the dark-haired girl in the bikini, “Not in the slightest, I was preoccupied in testin’ out the ankle-busters. Not bad, nothin’ like Pipeline though.” She hoisted herself onto one elbow and thrust her other hand upwards, “Kei Poloa-Miyazaki,” Kei introduced herself, “Your an Aussie, right? Have you met anybody else on this team yet?" Kei looked over the beach noticing the man from earlier, “I met him, he made me bif it like I’d never seen a surfboard before.” She rolled her eyes, “Couldn’t even take the dignity of being thrashed…just fell off the side of the board like a completely barney!” She stood up from her towel and crossed her arms.
“Embarrassing.”

[Solace]

Chandi smiled down at the Surfie she now knew as Kei, “If I’ve got the accent then I’m from The Lucky Country.” Chandi replied taking a hold of Kei’s outstretch hand. “Beauty to meet you Kei, I’m Chandi Atkins.” As she spoke Chandi lowered herself down onto the sand to take a seat next to Kei. “Haven’t met anyone other then mist tightly laced higher then though government liaison up at the compound.” She added as she glanced towards the man leaving the building and the woman heading back to the compound. Pink hair? Nah it can’t be… Chandi pushed that thought of her mind, she hadn’t seen anyone from Valiant in at least a good year and even then it’d only been Zahra whom she’d been keeping in contact with since leaving the UK based team. “So you’re a surfie huh? I used to do a bit of surfing back in Oz…never was very good at it.” Chandi laughed as she thought back to her earlier years when she’d tried her best to take up surfing but she never seemed to have been able to master it.

[Prodigy]

"Nathanial..." Nate muttered as he saw the skrull make tracks before his eyes. He followed him outside where he saw the others gathering, he thought it best to actually go and introduce him self. Walking towards the two women that were closest to him he waved a hello and introduced himself again, "Nathanial Travers."

-Shadow Strike

[Local Hero]

"Ah've travelled halfway round the world for her. Ah've crossed dimensions fer her. Ah guess ah just proved absense disnae make the heart grow fonder." Cam spoke angrily as his brow creased in frustration. "Damn it all tae hell. "Ah did 'port her a message though that ah would be held up. That bloody mither o' hers arranged for it tae 'disappear' ah'll bet." he hissed as he kicked at the sand beneath his foot somewhat petulantly his ire subsiding almost swiftly as it had risen. "If she didnae have a point though ah might be inclined tae argue." He fingered the chain which hung around his neck as he looked out at the ocean once more, trying to figure out where he might have got out from under his other commitments in order to return to AJ as intended. At the end of the chain the small globe began to glow from within, a subtle pulse of blue white light which flowed into the intricate filigre which snaked over the globe. Strands of energy began to wriggle free from the pendant, twisting together in front of him. As he watched the energy it seemed almost alive, each strand moving as if it did so with a purpose only it knew. The face began to form, the one which had got him through some dark times. The one that reminded him what he had to look forward to. "Damnit!" He clenched his fist tightly around the sphere. The face forming ahead of him shuddered then dissolved, becoming dust motes which danced away on the light ocean breeze.

Turning his head up the beach, he caught a glimpse of her hair as she disappeared back into the trees. With a deep sigh he let his eyes drift back down the beach falling on the small group which had gathered while he was lost in thought. Pushing himself slowly up of the sand, he reached down and picked up his shirt from where it had fallen. "Ah suppose ah should say hello at least." he mumbled to himself as he began walking across the sand towards them. As he walked he slipped his arms back into his shirt although left it unbuttoned, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his chest. Forcing his face into what he hoped looked like a welcoming smile he held out his hand as he approached. "Hullo there. Mah name's Cam..."

[Enchantress]

Angelee looked at the man as he walked past her and made the remark. Leaning against the door, she smiled wickedly.
"Tha's a damn shame sugah, Ah was at least hopin' to find out how you like your eggs." her voice poured on the southern charm as she tilted her head and pulled off her sunglasses.
"Ain't that a shame Vicki, this one didn't even get a chance before he bailed on us." she motioned her head towards the dog, then sighed and turned to walk through the door of the compound, speaking to Vicki as she did, knowing the sexy stranger heard her.
"And Ah bet he was a tiger in tha sack, too."

She walked down the hallway, Vicki following behind her left sandy wet pawprints all over Val Cooper's spiffy clean tile floors. Her mind wasn't on the doors, she wasn't looking at what had been up until today a series of empty rooms off the of main living room and kitchen, she pushed off to the door at the very end of the hallway and smiled to herself as she opened the door. One of the perks of arriving early was that she had claimed dibs on the largest of the bedrooms. A huge window flowed across the wall, giving her a panoramic view of the beach and the ocean.
Closing the door, she leaned against it and let out a deep troubled sigh.
"Ah nevah thought Ah'd see him again...Ah mean, Ah thought Ah had worked through all of this. Maybe he did try ta come back, maybe he just couldn't get through tha veil?...but Vicki, didn't he just look...girl, it's been far too long. Ah just wanted ta throw myself in his arms, but a girl's got pride ya know? Ah mean, ovah a year of build up to one night, then he leaves....but what a night....what a night indeed." with a somewhat dreamy smile on her face, AJ sat down on the window ledge and pushed open the window and let the warm ocean air wash over her. It was doing nothing to calm the memories that Cameron had stirred in her.

(OOC-Details OKd by GM)

[Tessa]

Kei quirked an eyebrow looking from Cam to Nathaniel then to Chandi, “Where were they when I had to break my back tryin’ to take my stuff to the base?” She commented looking both men up and down again, “Could have at least used the help with the board bag…” A scowl crossed her face briefly before she broke into a toothy smile and took Cam’s offered hand, shaking it, “My names Kei.” Letting the hand drop she crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for any one of the three to speak again. She couldn’t stand having to carry a conversation alone, especially not with near strangers.

‘Get used to it, not like you can leave.’ She thought to herself as she absently ran her hand through her, ‘with the whole probation agreement and all, you’ve got at least 6 month’s with this team.’ Kei fought the urge to sigh, wishing for the first time since she’d left Oahu that she didn’t have to join this team to appease the government and to avoid jail.

[Local Hero]

"Pleased tae meet ye." replied Cam as he shook Kei's hand. "As fer helpin' ye wi' yer belongings, if ah had been here ah would have offered." As he spoke he looked around at the others, smiling as he did. There was something familiar about the other young woman. It wasn't in her features particularly, it was more something in the way she held herself. "Ah ken this is gonnae sound like the worst line in history.. but have we met?"