Fantasy The Albert Branch (Urban fantasy/Secret organisation RP)

[The Mad Queen]

Welcome to the Albert Branch, a top secret part of MI5 with a very simple purpose: To be a peacekeeping force between the human world and the other beings that share our planet, those considered unearthly and/or supernatural creatures. It follows three simple goals, ranked in order of importance:

1. Protection: To defend the the world (and primarily) Britain from supernatural and unearthly threats both external and internal.
2. Preparation: To prepare the world (and primarily) Britain for coming supernatural and unearthly threats both external and internal.
3. Location: To keep a record of all supernatural and unearthly creatures, ensure they become upstanding members of British society and if necessary, re-locate them elsewhere.

Examples of PPL:
1. Going on missions to track down and capture/kill rogue supernatural/unearthly threats, preventing the public from knowing about them ect.
2. Negotiating with appeasing some of these beings (especially those who could wipe out humanity), testing equipment and performing experiments in order to improve our defences for the seemingly inevitable apocalypse.
3. Keeping a record of all registered creatures, ensuring they find their place in society, making sure they don't do anything to expose themselves or sending them somewhere else (back to their own dimension or to another country).

Vampires, Werewolves, Mummies, Fey, Merpeople, extra-dimensional beings we can't even begin to comprehend, ect. They all exist in one manner or another. Some of them can be negotiated with (see Preparation or Location) but overall the first P comes first as you will be expected to put the protection of the United Kingdom before your own mortality.

Follow these steps and you'll do just fine, and remember employment in the Albert Branch is life plus ten years. Should you be killed on a mission or die of natural causes (lucky bastard) your zombified corpse (or what remains of it) will probably be used for testing or in records. Batting supernatural horrors is one thing, but your other enemy will be bureaucracy as our rather under-equipped and under-funded department battles government cutbacks and austerity. Based on my experiences I'd rather face an actual Vampire than one of those money-grubbing, bloodsucking parasites and I'm sure you'll feel the same, eventually.

If you're listening to this message then you've been recruited to the first ever headquarters of the branch in Northern Ireland, a small yet chaotic county with a long history of supernatural and unearthly activity. Our HQ there was established in 2010 and has seen relative success in the past eleven years. You will be expected to keep it that way and to uphold the secrecy of our branch.

Good luck agents.

​

1.) Cap on characters per player is 3. Should you want to create a new character upon reaching your limit you will have to write them out of the story or place them in Redshirt Status (see Character Sign-up for details)
2.) Cap on players for this RP is 8.
3.) You cannot kill somebody else's character without their consent and the GM won't kill characters without giving a warning first. If it looks like your character is about to do something outright suicidal, I will give you a chance to save them. Your actions in RP will have consequences, so keep that in mind. My inspirations for the RP include XCOM and World of Darkness so be aware.

4.) Please try to be respectful towards each other. In-character conflict is fine but OOC hostility is not.
5.) Rather than outright OP characters I will work with you to try and balance them for the RP.
6.) If you should choose to drop from the RP for any reason, let us know.

7.) A like from me (and only me) means your character has been accepted.
8.) Send Nudes. I am no longer accepting nudes after what happened last time, good day.

 

[The Mad Queen]

The corridors, filled with bustling nursing staff, carers and the occasional relatives who stopped by every now and again were empty; patrolled instead by a single nurse who illuminated the lonely darkness of the home with the light of her phone screen. She let out a heavy sigh, locking the phone and continuing with her rounds, armed with a clipboard.
Slowly and gently she opened the door to the first room and peaked her head inside, staring at the sleeping body of an elderly woman for a few seconds and gently closing it. With a mark made on the clipboard she moved onto room two, finding a man half-asleep in his armchair while his tired eyes locked onto the screen of a television.
"Are you alright?" The nurse asked
"Huh? Oh yes, I was just watching my stories."

The light in the nurse's eyes dimmed as she looked to the screen, seeing that the TV was actually turned off.
"How nice. Well, I won't disturb you." She shot the man a beaming smile and gently shut the door, marking something else off on her clipboard. In the third room, she stared in at another sleeping woman but listened in as she mumbled something in her sleep.

"Ge-get the curtains." Her voice was less than a whisper. The nurse let out a light sigh, not of frustration from her rounds but one of relief, as a small smile coated her face.
"You're still with us."

Gently closing the door, she marked on her clipboard and moved onto room number four. Like all the doors in the corridor it was made of heavy timber and decorated with a copper number, a laminated card with a name and a photo of the resident who lived within. Before pushing it open, the nurse's eyes met that of the photograph, that of a large woman with light brown hair and a beaming smile showing what remained of her white teeth.

The nurse gently pushed the door open, the small smile still coating her face and peaked her head into the room. Immediately the smile dropped, as did her clipboard which clattered to the floor and she opened her mouth to scream.

The Albert Branch
Season 1 Episode 1: Pilot​

Date: 2nd May 2021
Time: 6:40am
Location: North Belfast Business Centre

Chloe stepped out of the clean yet beaten up 1994 Alfa Romeo 164, a car with restored light blue paint and shut the door, locking it as she stared at building in the business centre. She did a survey of the area, making quick glances at the others who had either parked their cars inside or had come in through a gate. It was mostly call centre employees that didn't want to be there, but she noted a security guard making his way to the front gate as the shifts changed over, a small yet well-built man in his forties who replaced a spotted man in his twenties with the tired, heavy eyes of the nightshift.

She shot a gentle nod in the direction of the morning guard, who returned it and she started to march up to the building, her head facing forwards and her eyes like that of a hawk.
By the time she had surveyed the entire area it was 6:45, according to her watch and she walked into a call centre, showing an ID to a rather bored looking woman at the desk.
"Go right ahead. Apparently somebody lodged a complaint about their broadband provider last night."
Chloe stopped in her tracks
"How serious?" She paused "On a scale of one to thirteen."
"I'd say a one or two but it could be more."

Chloe nodded sternly and marched her way inside, making her way past three employees at computer desks and approaching a glass office at the back. Her hand rested against the door and the sound of machinery, the moving of gears could be heard from within. Once inside, a blue light covered her entire body and the voice of a computer spoke to her.
"It's a lovely weather we're having isn't it?"
"Yes, but it looks like it'll be rain tomorrow."
"Have you ever been to Scotland?" It asked
"The highlands are a great destination, I've been four times."

The voice paused before it spoke again.
"Proceed."

The back wall of the office moved to one side, revealing a freight elevator that Chloe climbed inside. As it descended, she checked her watch again, seeing it was now 6:50. She placed her hands behind her back and stood up as straight as possible, awaiting what was on the other side of the lift doors with her head held high.

 

[Eliasdagood]

Aziza is floating on her pillow, eyes flicking over her computer screen. Her chair has been put on its side under her desk, since she has no interest in it whatsoever. She looks up when she hears the elevator, curious as to who is getting here. She’s so bored. This doesn’t look that interesting, to be honest. Certainly not something worthy of a creature like herself. But, perhaps it will prove interesting.

 

[The Mad Queen]

​

What awaited Chloe on the other side of the elevator door was a three way intersection of corridors spanning the entire floor, but her blue eyes were more focused on someone watching the lift.
She knew a little about Aziza, but most information was above her pay grade. Nobody floated in the air without the use of some kind of magic, but the higher-ups wouldn't tell her what exactly Aziza was. Possibly a Fey of some kind? That was Chloe's working theory, but so long as the woman was on the side of the branch it didn't matter all that much.

The time on her watch read 6:52, which was just enough time for a quick chat in her eyes. For the first time that morning she dropped her stern expression and shot the Genie a half-smile.
"Good morning." She called over

Eliasdagood

​

Vera had woken up lying on a sofa inside one of the small offices, checked the time and immediately sprung into the air like a cat, standing over the wooden desk and organising a pile of notes knocked over from the night before.
"Still have a few minute." She muttered, stacking the notes together and making short work before starting to frantically organise them. She glanced up at the ticking clock, seeing that it was 6:53am and sat down behind the desk.

The office was clean, the piles of notes laid out neatly across the desk on either side of a computer monitor and there was no trace of destruction in sight. The Vampire made one final effort of straightening herself up right as the door opened.

"Morning, V. How are you feeling?" The beaming half-smile on the man's face lit up the room "Wait...Did you sleep here last night?"
"I was still working." Vera gave a light shrug
"Homework's important but you don't need to stay over for it." Oliver shook his head "Got word on a Class two before I came in so I'm gathering everyone. Meet me in the briefing room in five, alright?"

She nodded in response, waited until Oliver was out of sight and then rested her feet up on his desk.

-OPEN TO ANYONE-

 

[Eliasdagood]

Aziza waves to Chloe, smiling back. “Good morning! Looks like we have a small bit of drama playing out in a nursing home, but nothing too serious. How’s it going upstairs?” She asks. Her internet access only allows her so much. She wants to be able to leave the base. Maybe she could convince management… she’d have to behave like a human though. Bleh.
The Mad Queen

 

[LindsMagee]

Tempest felt the hot water pelt her as she washed away the sweat from her early morning run. After getting ready, she briefly checked her appearance in the mirror before slipping on her fitted leather jacket. Hopping on her custom black, white, and red detailed electric, Tempest followed her usual routine to work. At around 6:30 Tempest parked her bike in the parking garage across from the Branch agency. She walked to the coffee shop across the street, grabbing her normal latte and the regular drinks of her coworkers who happened to like coffee. Rather than walking into the main entrance, Tempest preferred one of the hidden side doors, sliding her palm against the smooth wall. After a series of clicks, the wall pushed inwards to reveal an elevator door. The elevator dinged and Tempest stepped out into the quiet halls, giving everyone their respective drinks, and stopping in her office. Pristine, as per usual. She slipped off her leather jacket and folded it neatly on her office chair, then clicked her computer on. In the hallway she overheard Oliver saying something about gathering people in the briefing room, so Tempest made her way to the room and sat at her designated place around the table. As she waited for the others to arrive, Tempest absentmindedly sipped on her coffee before reading a couple new case files on her tablet, marking the ones that peaked her interest or concern above the others.

-Open-​

 

[Foster]

Sat in the primary underground loading bay of the facility was a rather unassuming and ordinary white transit van, only recently returned to it's designated bay after a long night roaming the countryside. The two people Sat within the van were far less unassuming. One was a tall and lanky individual who appeared to be covered in half a ponds worth of aquatic plant life and the other a shorter man wearing a rather eerie crow mask, casually playing with a small knife. The duo had been stewing in an awkward silence for sometime now and after a 3 hour car journey it was finally about to break.

"So we really aren't going to talk about this?" asked the taller man, one Cameron Schwartz.

"What's to discuss?" Came the disinterested reply. Despite his tone the other man did stop flipping his blade, turning his gaze on Schwartz. Not that you could really tell behind his mask.

"Don't play coy with me Fletcher, I almost drowned for the sake of a few tadpoles!" Cameron exclaimed.

"If I remember correctly it was your idea to bring them back to base in the first place." Shrugged Fletcher.

"These are incredibly valuable specimens and would have been easy enough to handle with two people but somebody always forgets to turn his bloody headset on. Not even a sorry for standing 30 feet away whilst I'm swarmed by prepubescent frog men?" Cameron asked, clearly somewhat traumatised by the event (although not enough to comment on the scientific value of his amphibious assailants Fletcher noted).

"Are you looking for an apology? Fine. I'm sorry." The apathetic hunter shrugged before tuning his head back towards the passenger seat window and whispering under his breath "Sorry you're such a little bitch."

Cameron's furrowed in frustration for a fleeting moment before his composure broke and a grin spread across his face. "You're a real asshole, you know that right?"

"So I've been told." Fletcher replied, shooting his friend a small smirk from behind his mask. Feeling this particular discussion had gone on long enough the shorter man gave Cameron a hearty slap on the shoulder before climbing out of the van. "Come on mate, these buggers aren't going to move themselves."

Moments later the two men were standing at the back of the van faced with several water filled tanks, each housing a huge tadpole with huge orange eyes that glowed softly in the dimly lit carpark. Loveland frogs. These amphibious cryptids are usually associated with the Loveland area of the USA but occasionally they make their way into the pet trade as "Bull frogs". Of course it doesn't take long for them to grow far, far larger than any bull frog spawn so people sometimes dump them into rivers or ponds. As far as invasive species go these big bastards are some of the worst, playing havoc with the ecosystem. But considering it's illegal to transport them a report of a few in Irish waters was a beautiful opportunity to add a few of them to the Albert Branch's cryptozoology department. Or at least that's what Schwartz kept telling his less enthusiastic companion as they traipsed up and down a freezing river in the middle of the night.

"Might need to get a few of the guys down from the lab to help carry all of these." Said Fletcher as he mulled over the practicalities of two people carrying this many unruly tadpoles. Suddenly the agents phone vibrated in his pocket. Reaching into the depths of his coat he pulled it out, wrestling with the touchscreen controls for a moment before he could read the message.

"Well I'm afraid I'll have to leave this in your more than capable hands Cameron. Oliver has called a meeting that I've got to attend. May the founders watch over you." Fletcher called out behind him, already walking away from the van and out of the loading bay.

"Typical." Cameron muttered shaking his head as he watched Fletcher disappear out of sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few minutes later Fletcher arrived at the briefing room, surprised to find only one other person here already. A slow morning perhaps. Tempest, his favourite undead. Not that she had any competition, she was the top of that list simply because she was yet to try and eat him. In all honesty he barely knew her. But he'd come a long way since his Hazeclaw days, all he'd ever known was the worst of the supernatural world. To think of his father could see him now, working with an undead. He doubted the old man would have approved of the idea. But times were changing. And mostly for the better.

"Good morning Agent Tempest." Greeted Fletcher, the essence of professionalism. He sat down heavily in his usual seat and delicately removed his mask, placing it on the desk before him. More prominent dark rings beneath his eyes than usual betrayed the nature of his long and sleepless night.

"I've heard this is a level two situation. Any idea what we're dealing with?"

LindsMagee

 

[LindsMagee]

Looking away from the files on her tablet, Tempest looked up to see Agent Fletcher enter. He was a fellow rank II agent, but Tempest didn't know much about him other than that rank. There were whispers of the mans past, as there were for everyone at the branch, but rumors and classified information were two separate entities. Noting the circles that stretched under her eyes, Tempest asked "Rough Night?", it was casual smalltalk, but better than strained silence at least until their coworkers arrived.
As Fletcher mentioned it being a level two situation, Tempest's eyes narrowed in thought.
"I'm thinking lycanthrope, possibly undead... What are you thoughts?" Though Tempest was a member of the undead, she didn't usually associate herself as one of them, personally, she'd go back to her normal human life in a split second if given the chance.

Foster ​

 

[Foster]

The sleep deprived hunter nodded slowly at her question, bringing a hand to his face so that he could rub his tired eyes. Not one to give out unnecessary details without reason this is all Fletcher gave Tempest in regards to his night.

"I'm hoping for lycanthrope. Something I'm used to. I'm in no mood for a curve ball." He explained wearily, taking his mobile from his pocket as he did so and tossing it haphazardly onto the desk. Figuring polite small talk had gone on far enough he donned his mask once more, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

"Just resting my eyes. Wake me when the brass get here."

 

[GhastlySquash]

Sitting across from each other in interrogation, was a rather peculiar sight. Two girls, one a young teen and the other a young adult, but both oddly similar. It was as if a pair of identical twins had gone through a time loop and one just aged a little faster.

Of course, the truth was far different. Hailing from the United States, these two weren't exactly accustomed to the quarters they were stationed in. But as the suited gentleman had explained earlier, the issue required a more experienced agency.

"You're a liar." The teenager stated with a growl. As it turned out, she had used a sharpie to scribble her name on the tag known as Emma. Meanwhile, the adult had also scribbled in the same handwriting the name "Emma".

"What are you talking about?" The elder Emma asked. "I'm Emma Lemmings. I don't even know who you are..."

"I'M EMMA LEMMINGS!" The girl slammed her fist on the table. "And this...whatever it is...they'll prove it! They'll prove you're a fake."

"Listen kid, Emma Lemmings is an adult and no offense to you, but you're a little too young to be Emma Lemmings." The Elder Emma shook her head. "And to think the government sent us to England to figure this out. Not like my dad's gonna bail me out-"

"MY DAD! HE'S MY DAD!" Emma was practically fuming. At this time, they were waiting on agents to help diffuse the situation.

 

[The Mad Queen]

​

Chloe straightened up, her hands behind her back while she addressed the supposed Fey. Even if she wasn't too sure on her rank, she had been at the branch for longer than Chloe and that that came with a measure of respect.
"It looks like it'll rain later, but that's normal for this place." She shot her a light, half-smile. Many would see grey clouds overhead as a bad omen, even more so given their line of work but not Chloe, to her it was just the typical weather of Northern Ireland. If anything warm and sunny weather would be seen as a bad omen for the locals.

"As for this nursing home business, I assume a meeting has been called?" It was a class two event, at least so she assumed a team would be dispatched to investigate before it got any worse. Standard procedure, and one she had memorised to a tee. Chloe had read the handbook half a dozen times over before it was shredded, the measure of something being highly classified to the public.

Her eyes glanced briefly to her watch. 6:55am. She still had time for smalltalk, but being punctual to the meeting came first.
"I have to go." She told Aziza "I'll see you at the meeting."

With that, she marched down the hall and entered the room. Two agents sat inside already, Fletcher and Tempest. Both outranked her but she knew bits and pieces about them, at least from non-classified materials and just from reading them. Fletcher was a young man, younger than Chloe in fact but his face and the bags under his eyes showed her an experienced and tired hunter.

Tempest was different. The way she talked and the way she carried herself suggested she was older than she looked but Chloe couldn't be sure if she was a Vampire or a different kind of supernatural being altogether. She wasn't going to ask, as it was not only above her pay grade but it would be prying into the life of a superior agent.

She gave both of them a nod as she moved into the room and took a seat at the long table, taking out a notepad and pen and setting it to the side.
It was then that Fletcher placed his mask back on and proceeded to fall asleep. In any other line of work, she would be staring daggers at him or even berating him for being unprofessional.

But the past eight months had changed her. Instead of calling him out, she simply wondered about what kind of work he'd been doing the night before. Did the man ever sleep? She couldn't be sure if he was completely human but some of the supernatural persons didn't need to sleep at all. Her attention was drawn away from him as Oliver entered the room, and their eyes met.

"Sir." She gave him a firm nod, speaking clearly but taking care not to shout. She didn't want Fletcher to get in trouble for doing a late night assignment.

Eliasdagood LindsMagee Foster

​

Vera made her way through the corridors, quietly humming to herself but stopped in her tracks as she heard something coming from a neighbouring room. The interrogation rooms of the branch HQ often had sound suppression so she couldn't tell if it was her enhanced hearing or just the fact that the two subjects were getting into a heated shouting match.
Or at least, one of them was shouting.

Rather than knock, Vera straight up pushed her hand against the door, hearing a click as it accepted her thumbprint. The agent conducting the interrogation just had his head rested in one hand, but looked up as the Vampire entered and the door shut behind her, sending out another click as it locked.

"What the? You can't just barge in here."

Vera ignored the agent and instead pulled up a chair herself. She outranked him anyway.
"So, explain this to me. Which one is Emma?" She asked

GhastlySquash

 

[GhastlySquash]

The Mad Queen

"I am!" Both girls stated at the same time.

The younger Emma glared at the Elder Emma. "She's a liar."

"I'm pretty sure the police cleared this up, honey." Elder Emma sighed. "I'm Emma Lemmings. this teenager thinks she's me, but she's about 7 years too late. You can check my files." Indeed, if Vera did check the file, it would read that Emma Lemmings had ran away at age 15 but returned a week later. Currently, Emma should be 22 years old.

However, the file also stated the case had been passed down from Task Force Franklin agents after confirming suspicion of a changeling due to a regular DNA test proving both had identical dna. Although it was rare for Fey to return the child, this could also be another advanced prank. The younger Emma was 15 years old, the same age as she was taken.

The younger Emma gave an involuntary shiver at the sight of Vera. Something about her seemed odd. Even the elder Emma seemed somewhat nervous around her. Perhaps neither of them had expected an agent so young, or one that was so direct. Either way, one of them was a fake.

Vera just needed to figure out which one was which.

 

[The Mad Queen]

The Vampire knew about Emma Lemmings, or rather both versions of her. It was all in several files that she'd read through, or rather she'd skimmed them prior to the arrival of both girls.
"You can go." She told the agent
"But I'm the on..."
"I will take it from here. Tell Oliver not to expect me."

The tired agent nodded, looking for any excuse to leave this problems in the hand of somebody else and once the door closed and locked behind him Vera moved her chair even closer to the table, scraping along the floor.
"So you think you're Emma." She pointed at the younger one "But you also think you are Emma." She pointed at the older, more mature one.

She leaned back in her chair, a blank expression on her face as she appeared to be lost in thought.
"There is one question neither of you have asked: What if neither of you are Emma?"

She gave a cartoonish shrug.
"It's food for thought."

GhastlySquash

 

[GhastlySquash]

Both Emmas immediately turned pale. "That...you can't be serious."

"Yeah!" The elder Emma spoke out. "At least one of us should be real. I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm real."

"And I'm pretty sure I'm real too!" The younger Emma challenged. "Listen, I know the cops don't believe me. I know my own mother doesn't believe me. But I know my Dad has too. He just has too! I'd say my friends too but well..."

She looked around. "I don't know how or why the world around me changed. I can't explain it..." In the room with those suited men, they all seemed to believe the other Emma over her. After all, the older Emma was the correct age. The older Emma had friends and family who vouched for her.

The younger Emma seemed to gaze down at the floor. "Maybe I'm...is it possible I'm a fake?"

The older Emma merely sat back in her chair. "I think you've been watching too many movies. It's a textbook case of mistaken identity. I'm the right match. I'm the one that remembers everything. I'm the real Emma. Maybe you're like some clone or something. I don't know. I'm trying to figure it out myself."

The Mad Queen

 

[Eliasdagood]

Aziza nods to Chloe. “Right. I’ll be there in a minute.” She says, checking her work. Looks like the coverup came quick enough to stop too much leaking. She’s already dealt with it. She’s hops down from her cushion, walking after Chloe to the meeting room, and sitting in her usual chair. She shifts about, still finding it uncomfortable, but she should act professional in proper meetings. People get annoyed with her for just levitating everywhere.
The Mad Queen Foster LindsMagee

 

[LindsMagee]

As Agent Fletcher shut his eyes, Tempest yet again lost herself in the midst of files and sips of coffee, barely registering that other agents walked in. Tempest set her tablet against the table and lightly woke Fletcher, letting him know that more people entered the room. Her eyes met Chloe's evenly as she noticed her looking at her, curious as to what she could possibly be thinking. When Chloe's gaze returned to Fletcher, Tempest crossed her legs and waited patiently for the rest of the agents.
"Morning" Tempest greeted everyone walking in, wondering what they would learn about the situation, and what this particular class II would entail. There had been an eerie lack of events the past few weeks, which was a good thing, but Tempest was eager to busy her mind with handling another conflict. She also wondered who would be assigned this particular case, or if this event was connected to others. Just then, Aziza entered the room and Tempest observed how uncomfortable she seemed to sit in her designated meeting chair. She was so used to her levitating that it seemed quite odd to see her seated normally.

Foster The Mad Queen Eliasdagood ​

 

[Foster]

For Fletcher it was if only a few mere seconds had passed before he was dragged back from his brief slumber, the sound of a greeting and a gentle nudge being more than enough to break the thin veil of sleep he'd managed to achieve. His eyes fluttered open behind the sanctity of his mask, concealed by the tinted lenses. He gave a subtle nod towards Tempest to show his gratitude for her early wake up call. The room certainly seemed a little busier now. He recognised the blonde hair of Chloe, another agent he wasn't very well aquatinted with. But despite her lower rank she'd made a name for herself already thanks to her pragmatic and by the books nature. Probably for the best, the branch has more than it's fair share of loose cannons already.

Then there was Oliver, the very reason he'd been unable to sleep for longer. Fletcher had nothing but respect for the man, in his eyes Oliver was a fine example of everything the Albert branch represented. No doubt he would have the information they were all lacking about today's assignment.

"Sir." Fletcher greeted his superior agent with a curt nod, making a conscious effort to keep the sleep from his voice.

 

[The Mad Queen]

​

The officer, outside of a glance towards Fletcher to see if he was awake paid little attention to the movement of her fellow agents, instead she had her eyes fixed on Oliver, ready to take frantic yet detailed notes as to what the superior was about to say. It would all have to be shredded or incarcerated later, but anything she gained now could be the difference between life and death.

Oliver nodded back at Fletcher, and reached for a small device in one of his coat pockets, a remote that closed the blinds in the office and displayed a projection against one of the walls.
"Listen up kids..." He pushed a button on the remote, showing the image of the large, brown haired elderly woman. "Last night this woman was found dead in her room. An autopsy revealed she died of starvation. She'd previously been admitted to Seahall nursing home for overeating. The poor soul was eating herself to death before her family moved her."
He shook his head, tutting slightly.
Chloe leaned forwards slightly in her chair. She'd heard of Seahall before, a mixed purpose nursing home that had two dementia units in total. A few of the old guard RUC had ended up living there, after all.

"And according to multiple witnesses there was nothing wrong with her up to an hour before her death, at least nothing out of the ordinary."
He pressed another button, showing what nobody could feasibly recognise as the same woman. Her smile was gone, instead a look of terror was plastered across her bony, skeletal frame as it lay across a metal slab. There was no meat on her bones at all, and she looked more like something akin to the survivor of a concentration camp.

"Jesus." Chloe muttered under her breath "What could have done this?"
"That's what I need you lot to find out, before anyone else gets hurt. If this thing is still active in the area, it could go up on our little scale of horrors pretty quickly."

He looked across at the table, his old eyes moving from agent to agent. "I'm letting Fletcher and Tempest take point on this one. Just...Try to be discrete, alright?" Even if he wasn't looking directly at Fletcher, the agent would feel as if the old man was gazing at him.

Eliasdagood LindsMagee Foster

​

"I am serious. How do any of us know we aren't fakes?" Vera asked "This entire room could be fake and none of us would know about it." She gave another shrug, then turned her attention to the old Emma "Your memories could be fake. I only know what Americans and the other agents here told me. You are dealing with a Fey, and they are tricky ublyudok (bastards)."

Her eyes then looked to the younger Emma, resting her head on the table while she looked up at the girl.
"As for you, child. What is the first thing you remember?"

GhastlySquash

 

[Eliasdagood]

Aziza leans forward in her seat, pleasantly surprised. This seems like a genuinely interesting case. Starved to death in just an hour… they’ll have to gather more information. Where she has been recently, long term history, probably some questions for the family. Her mind is already spinning with what this could be, and she can’t wait to hit the field with it.
The Mad Queen Foster LindsMagee

 

[Foster]

Fletcher listened with rapt attention to Oliver's presentation, his mind taking in and storing as many key details as possible. This was a case quite unlike any he'd seen before. Killing but with no obvious wounds and simply draining the flesh from the body, although he loathed detective work this case was undeniably interesting. What ungodly creature awaited them at that care home? The young man shivered slightly with anticipation. The hunt was on. But before he got too ahead of himself he was grounded by Oliver's words. "Try to be discreet". Those words were almost certainly directed specifically at Fletcher. And rightly so. The traditional hunt he'd been taught growing up was a far cry from the delicate cloak and dagger operations of the Albert Branch.

"We won't let you down."
Fletcher removed his mask as he spoke, a clear sign he'd got the message. People started asking questions when you turned up in a crow mask wielding a whip blade. And although it pained him to begin any hunt without it the integrity of the agency was more important than family traditions. Turning to Tempest he tried to get a read of what she was thinking considering she'd be heading the investigation alongside him. She, and for that matter everybody else in the room, seemed to be in the same boat as he was. That was fine, mystery was a staple of the Albert Branch work day.

Enough waiting around. He had confidence in this team, even the genie Aziza had been drafted in for it. And sure Chloe was a fairly fresh face but her reputation proceeded her.

"I suppose we should talk strategy. Standard cover should do the trick here, if we pose as detectives we can keep things quiet. Take our time. If we're dealing with a predator it's unlikely to have gone far with such an easy source of prey on tap."

Foster addressed the group as a whole, welcoming his fellow agents to tag in.

The Mad Queen LindsMagee Eliasdagood

 

[The Mad Queen]

Chloe's gaze turned to Fletcher next. Any sign that he was sleep deprived was hidden, now replaced with a fire and determination to see the mission through. She gave Oliver a firm nod.
"We'll catch this thing, don't worry."
"I imagine you will. It's a question of how bad this thing'll get before you do. I already checked out the witness. No history of a criminal record or any supernatural activity. She's a nurse called Rosamie Torres." He was trying to hide it, but his tone was becoming more and more fast paced and he peered outside of the briefing room "There's an agent from the TFF here, so I have to go before he starts throwing holy water around and setting things on fire." Oliver shook his head "I'm leaving this in your capable hands."

He reached into his jacket, producing a small file that he laid out on the table.
With that, their superior left the room, leaving the agents to discuss their next move. Chloe's eyes moved back to Fletcher.
"Sir, there's two dementia units in that home." Chloe added "It would be ideal prey for some kind of creature. Think about it, anything they reported to staff members about strange things would be dismissed as hallucinations." She looked down at her notepad, jotting down a few more notes "It struck at night, so it could be nocturnal or...Strategic. I think what we're dealing with has intelligence."

She started to flick through the file. It was a collection of brief notes about the nurse, the home itself and the victim; one Margret Cotton. Much like the nurse there was no criminal history nor anything of supernatural activity in her past.
"Seahall has a total of fifty seven residents. Any one of them could have been a potential victim but why was this woman targeted?" Chloe asked

Eliasdagood LindsMagee Foster

 

[Eliasdagood]

“Well, it did say she was put in for overeating.” Aziza notes, leaning back in her chair. “How long was she in the nursing home? Since there have been no attacks before this, it’s quite possible that it was already attached to her, rather than having been waiting in the home. It could also be something other than a predator. I’ve seen a few cases where someone wished to be thin… and something like this was the result.” She taps her fingers on the table, very excited. She doesn’t specify who granted those wishes though…
The Mad Queen Foster LindsMagee

 

[LindsMagee]

Twirling her pen in thought, Tempest wrote a few notes on her tablet. Erasing some and pondering others, she was left with a short list of explanations as to what this creature could be. The one that stood out to her most was also one she didn’t want to encounter. The top theory she had was that it was some sort of zombie, that when brought back to life, was left with the need to suck the life out of others to keep itself sustained. The very thought of it made her want to gag. She purposely strayed away from zombies, finding it shameful to even be one of them, and she didn’t want to see what exactly she could have turned out like if her situation hadn’t gone right. However, she had to busy her mind to keep it off of the painful flashbacks from the day she died. Now wasn't the time to be distracted.

“I’m thinking we need to visit the crime scene as soon as possible, before any more evidence could disappear or become tainted. I also have a few working theories on what we could be dealing with, but for now we are going in blind. It would be best to take extra precaution in this case, at least until we understand how to best deal with it.” Though Tempest was nervous about whether she would encounter another of her kind, the exhilaration of being able to work another case fueled her to continue with it. After all, that’s what she was here to do, she couldn’t just let innocent people die. Hopefully we can stop this creature before any more fatalities occur…Tempest though before looking to her coworkers for their ideas.

Interactions:
Foster
The Mad Queen
Eliasdagood​

 

[Foster]

Foster listened patiently to what the others had to say, nodding in agreement where appropriate. He'd been right about this lot, each one had brought something worth considering to the table. The young man's mind worked swiftly, composing a list of key points and theories.

• Seahall had two separate dementia units, a perfect cover for any would be supernatural assailant.
• Possibly a nocturnal suspect, perhaps even intelligent.
• The victim was admitted to seahall due to overeating.
• Possibly a simple misuse of magic? If so Aziz's knowledge on the subject would come in handy.
• They didn't have all day. With so little to go off there was no way to determine how soon the suspect would strike again, if ever.

Fletcher took a worn leatherback notebook from his coat pocket and scribbled the list down as the rest of the team conversed before finally ripping the completed list from the book and presenting them with it. Sure he could have used his phone but stubbornness was a funny thing and Fletcher had always preferred hard copies if possible.

"Good points all of you but as Tempest was kind enough to point out we don't have the privilege of sitting here to mull it all over. We're leaving ASAP. Grab your gear and meet me in the loading bay. Let's not leave our new clients waiting."

And with that Fletcher promptly left for the loading bay, taking his handwritten list back from the table and stuffing it into his pocket as he did so. As he walked purposefully towards the line up of mock Belfast police vehicles a wave of fatigue washed over him, enough that his pace slowed to a halt and he was forced to lean against the nearest wall for a moment. It really had been a long week. His sleep pattern was in shambles and it frustrated him to know just how irresponsible he was being, pushing himself unnecessarily. It wasn't like he was the only person fighting this battle anymore. Before the branch had taken him in it had been a lonely affair. But learning that an organisation like this existed with so many capable agents... Well it was if the weight of the world had been taken off his shoulders. But old habits die hard.

With a soft sigh he pushed himself away from the wall and brought himself up to his full height. No time to rest just yet. But by the founders when this job was dealt with he was sleeping for a week. Pulling a set of keys from his pocket he selected the appropriate fob and unlocked the closest vehicle. Sliding into the driver's seat he was pleased to find it still configured to his own personal set up. Excellent. Whilst he waited for the others to arrive he did a few pre mission checks. Weapons. Check. Fake ID and certificates. Check. Comms? Still turned off but check. Reluctantly he turned the small device on and hooked it into place around his ear. An entirely uncomfortable sensation but one he'd have to put up with. Leaning back in his seat the young agent drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, patiently awaiting the arrival of the others.

 

[Eliasdagood]

Aziza nods, and gets up, snapping her fingers to simply summon her gear to her as she follows Fletcher out toward the vehicles. Field work is always more fun. It’s the only time she’s let out of the offices, but it’s not like she can blame the humans. They know what she’s capable of, and probably don’t want to give her too much time to be bored in public.

She hops up into the passenger seat, a travel cup of coffee appearing in the cup holder on Fletcher’s side. “Long night?” She asks casually, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs. She does prefer hanging out with the agents that know what she is. Much less awkward.
Foster