[The Human Element] Delta Division HQ

[Lady Jane]

The Delta Division headquarters stand as an iconic building on the Alliance City landscape, on a small island just a few miles off the shore of the lake. Though impressive in its gargantuan structure, what is seen is the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Beneath the waves lay crisscrossing hallways of research facilities, residential areas, and meeting rooms. The floors that rise into the sky handle most of the business end of the super hero group, and Samantha Clive's office isn't far from the top.


A conference room on the third floor was booked for a few hours, the meeting place of those called for the day's mission. Voices could be heard upon approach of the room.


"I'm telling you, Drake, it won't work. Time just doesn't work that way."


"So, explain it to me, smartass." Drake Hacherobei and Jayson Allison were getting into it--again.


"I can't explain it to you! That's like you trying to explain to me how gravity works!"


"I can explain to you how gravity works! Not my fault you don't understand."


There was a sigh from Jay. "I walked into that one."


"I think you did." Another male voice joined the conversation, this time Eric Herrington's.


"Eric, you're a fine, intelligent fellow."


"What do you want, Drake?" Eric asked suspiciously.


"Please tell this plebeian pedestrian that I'm right."


"Oh no. I am not getting involved in your arguments. I refuse."


"You're being redundant," Charity London piped up. "'Plebeian' and 'pedestrian' don't really work together in a sentence that way, being as they mean practically the same--"


She cut off as Drake started laughing at her. Her reaction was precisely the reason he phrased it that way. "Too easy," he said.


As the others walked into the room, Charity backhanded Drake across the shoulder. "Okay, guys behave." She grinned and winked at the new arrivals. "We've got people we're supposed to lead, the two of you need to at least pretend to be grown-ups."


"Here that, Jay?" Drake said. "You need--"


"Both of you!"


They were all sitting around the conference table, Charity in pressed blue jeans and a navy blue satin blouse, complimented by a mother-of-pearl necklace and matching earrings. She wore her short hair loose around her jawline. Beside her sat Eric, dressed in an off-white collared shirt and a tweed jacket. Jay wore a nondescript white t-shirt and worn cargo pants, while Drake wore a loud Hawaiian -shirt over a shirt displaying a popular metal band. Drake was leaning back in his chair, his feet propped up on the table. John Smith was also in the room. He stood apart from the group, arms crossed, a smile playing on his face. His golden-colored eyes turned toward the others as they entered and he nodded in greeting.

 

[Belial]

Vladamir simply appeared sitting in a chair holding a glass of thick red liquid and sipping at it. Yes Children lets be very civil now. So is there any particular reason why you have all decided to gather her this eve?

 

[Lady Jane]

"You know," Drake said. "If you really want to make an entrance, you need the whole burst of lightning and crackle of thunder rumbling ominously in the distance. Otherwise, you show up about as lame as Jay here."


"Hey!" Jay took a predictable amount of offence to that.


"Sam's got a mission for us," Charity answered. "She'll be here in a little bit for the details." She glanced at the cup in his hands. "Drinking on the job? Really?" There was no attempt to hide her disapproval.


The three of them plus John seemed not the least bit intimidated by his presence. John could go toe-to-toe with even his incredible strength on a good day, and well, nothing seemed to rattle Drake ever. Eric, on the other hand, edged slightly away from Vladamir, and seemed to be calculating the distance between him and the door. His brow furrowed in consternation when his own very human speed came up wanting.

 

[Belial]

What? I enjoy this particular stock of frost wine, Its been in my possession for a good 300 years and aged ever so well. Besides its not as if alcohol has any effect on me, I just enjoy the taste, better then water, or this soda crap every one is drinking, man Always thinking the vampire is up to know good. Vlad swirled the wine around in his cup a bit mixing it a little and taking a sip. As for the Lightning and thunder nonsense I will make efforts to appropriate sutch devices in the future to help satisfy your stereotypical delusion of a vampires entrance Drake or if you like I could simply just punch holes threw the walls and walk in if you like? he turned to Eric If you ever want to ditch that silly toy of yours for true powers come talk to me Im sure I can arrange something for you. he said Giving him a toothy grin.

 

[Lady Jane]

"There's an app for that," Drake quipped, pulling out his phone and making the aformetioned sounds. "Also for punching walls. It's called having the Paragon of Delta on your side." He jerked hi thumb over to John, who's confusion at being reffered to was rather adorable. He never actually stopped smiling, he just nodded his assent, though it wasn't clear he knew what he was assenting to.


Eric suppressed a shudder. "I-I'm good, thanks." He glanced up at Charity. "Hey, if he can have a drink, why can't I?"


Charity folded her arms and sighed. "Well, he's not supposed to."


"What she means is," Drake interrupted, "'No, dear, you can't have a drink. You're an alcoholic.'" He grinned.


Eric gave him an unamused look. "Thanks."

 

[solyrflair]

Grace walked into the room. No, Girl Prodigy walked into the room. She would need to remember who her identity was right now. Grace would wear blue jeans and a t-shirt, Girl Prodigy wore a reinforced gold top that clung to her like a second skin with capped short sleeves that left her arms bare until you reached the gold gloves halfway up her forearm. A set of gold-finished braces covered the gloves at the wrist. Her tights were a pale blue with a pair of matching boots to her calf with a small 1 inch heel. It made her feel a little taller than her normal frame of 5ft 2in (158cm). A thin gold-metallic circlet rested on her head and held back her shoulder length brown hair. She didn't have a cape, she didn't feel the need. People who flew would do well with a cape, but she couldn't fly, like her mother.


Some of the people she knew, some were new to her. Some knew that Girl Prodigy was Grace, and a few didn't. It wasn't that her identity was secret, but she wasn't about to post it on the Internet. There were people who had helped her build her gadgets, and one that had helped with her training, so no doubt they had mentioned her to others. Eventually all of Delta Division would know, but not yet.


This was her first time being called in to a Delta meeting for heroes. She had said she was ready for weeks now, so there was a bit of excitement along with the concern that they weren't sure she was ready to be a hero at 15. But she was ready, and she would let them see. "Hello, everyone," she said casually to everyone in the room. She had a navy blue mask that matched a thin utility belt. She had added those when she had learned about the meeting, not sure who would be there and not sure she wanted everyone to recognize her.


Half the people were seated, a few walking around the room, others leaning against something. There was some banter going on in the room which spoke of familiarity if not camaraderie. She walked over while they continued, and leaned against the window, looking out over the water of the lake. She listened, trying not to be surprised that they had an actual vampire in the room with them. She knew they were real, but it was like Schrodinger's cat, until you actually looked at one, you always wondered for sure.


"Nice view. Do we normally use this room?" She said we, as if she was already part of the group, trying to include herself even if they hadn't. It was fairly obvious just from the question that this was her first mission.

 

[Belial]

What is every ones obsession with my drinking habits, there are so many worse substances I could be drinking here, at least I chose something that doesn't come from any one in the room. Besides, Im physically incapable of getting drunk, I could drink this stuff like you people breath and still not notice anything, I just happen to like not drinking substances that fish fuck in. he said taking another sip from his cup. So where is Sam, I may live for ever but I would still like to know what is going on I am ever so curiose.

 

[Lady Jane]

Charity chose the moment of Girl Prodigy's entrance as an excuse to completely ignore Vladamir. There were certain arguments that were an exercise in futility, and this was one of them. She'd said her piece, and she was okay with that.


Instead, she turned to the teenage girl as she entered. Charity's look of annoyance at Vlad transformed back into a genuine smile of warmth. "Hey, glad you're here," she said sincerely. "The room is one of about a dozen or so that the mission leaders can book for group meetings till the case has been either closed or gone cold. Between city liaisons, coordinated efforts with the local police and law enforcement agencies, and global events, there's usually several active cases going on at a time that require use of these rooms. Sam keeps us all on a pretty tight schedule." She smiled again, then deigned to answer Vlad's question. "Speaking of, Sam's likely waiting on the rest of the group to arrive. She's never late; she arrives precisely when she means to."

 

[Belial]

Vladamir rolled his eyes Every one has to hate on the immortal blood drinking Monster.

 

[Monalfie]

Pearl walked into the room distractedly, quietly typing away a text on his phone while entering, large wings tucked behind him. He was dressed in a rather simple blue shirt and jeans, a jacket tucked under his right arm. It was with a halfhearted way that the rock star greeted everyone before leaning against a nearby wall to continue his communications. His ignoring the conversation was largely due to disinterest, instead hoping Sam would show up soon to reveal the exact nature of the meeting.

 

[nicholscs]

As the conversation ebbed and flowed, the lights in the rooms flickered, if for an instant. The shadows in the corners of the room and under the tables seemed to stretch and grow for a moment, but these things might go unnoticed unless a person was paying attention.


Quietly and simply, Netherwild entered the room. She moved gracefully and, as she was covered head to toe in a deep, black cloak, it seemed as if she was almost gliding across the floor. Her face was shrouded in shadow and all that could be made out were her eyes; they were all-white, without pupil or retina, just a milky sheen that seemed to look everywhere and nowhere.


She passed across the back of the room and stood quietly, like a sentinel, towards the back, close to the door and along the wall. Her gaze took in those that were present and the state of the room, evaluating and observing.

 

[Lady Jane]

As Pearl walked into the room, Drake's phone conveniently finished playing the sound effects he was using to demonstrate a proper entrance to Vlad, and instead started playing a hit single by Pearl's old band from a year or so ago.


"Whoops, sorry." Drake grinned. Charity evidently didn't buy the apology, and it earned her dreaded Eye Roll.


John caught Netherwild's eye and gave a nod of acknowledgement and a small smile of welcome, while Jay decided he'd better provide some actual helpful answers. "It's an escort mission, from what I understand," he filled in. "Normally getting from point 'A' to point 'B' would be my department, but Sam wants a big show of it."

 

[Belial]

(keep in mind that VLad speaks in a deep Hungarian Accent in a very vapid manner, think some what flaming as he speaks.)


Vlad made a rather human response as his face maneuvered into an expression of pure disbelief or confusion. Say what? he said waiving his left hand in a highly animated fashion What on this earth could the possibly be transporting that would require the guardianship of a Vampire, a shadow creature, Static queen, E.T., Tin Man, The Song bird, the estrogen queen and... he paused for a moment and looked at Drake. What ever it is you do. he said waiving his hand. Anything that has us as a guard is going to draw so much attention that every one with an itch to scratch is going to make a point to show up and see what we are doing. Is this meant to be a distraction?

 

[gatherer818]

Stefan is fighting with his gun on his way down the hallway. "Come on, you useless... why won't you.... ARGH!" Frustrated, he gives up and enters the conference room still carrying what appears to be an extra-bulky assault rifle with all the fixin's - laser on the side rail, scoped and sighted, extended magazine, all the works. Glancing around the room, he says, "Apologies for my tardiness. This useless device is supposed to have a storage mode that makes it appear non-threatening, for doing things like meeting people you don't plan to shoot. It doesn't seem to want to assume that mode, though, so-"


A higher voice from behind Stefan cuts in, "You should have heard the names he was calling it, too! He couldn't even stick to one language, there just weren't enough swear words in English!" Nicholas is his favorite anthropomorphic form, a furry winged creature about the height of an 9-year-old. He has, at Stefan's insistence, at least done away with the symbols he normally wears that wouldn't be well received in this particular timeline. "He even called it a-"


"That's quite enough, it suffices to say that it was frustrating, which is CLEARLY something I deal with all the time anyway." A sharp look in Nicky's direction ensures that line was fully understood. "Ah, I see I've still arrived before Ms. Clive. I'll just stand out of the way until she arrives and try to get this thing to behave - and then I'll work on my weapon if I get the first under control." The look on Nicky's face indicates he didn't understand that sentence was also referring to him...

 

[solyrflair]

As Charity spoke, Grace ran calculations, based on the number of rooms and the probabilities of how often they were used to figure out about how many heroes were registered at Delta Division. It meant that there were a lot more heroes than she had seen, and more importantly, they ran more missions than she had given them credit for. That meant, if she could prove herself as a valuable team member, she would probably be very busy.


As more people entered the room, she started to work up what she would imagine as her group. She had a vampire, who didn't really need a costume, but she wondered if anyone had invented a sunscreen strong enough for them. And then the rocker who was too famous to need a costume. Though the stories that he over-dosed on drugs was fading, the questions about the emergence of his wings still rumbled in the media. Then a mystic person entered the room. Well she assumed they were mystic because their powers took effect before they arrived, ad they wore a black cloak that covered her face, generally the attire of a mystic. And then came a person in some sort of battle suit with a robot pet.


That would make five of them. She understood that normal operational teams ran from 4-6 usually, with the occasional add-on of a specialist when needed. So the only question that remained was whether they should expect someone else to come along. Grace turned to the group, "My assumption is that an escort mission would be designed to see how well we can work as a team. Having a single focus and goal means that even if we have different approaches, we can still achieve the results needed as we build our team work skills."


Then there was one other point to bring up. "And I wouldn't assume that just having us here means that we will attract that much attention. There are several groups that are likely more powerful, or skilled, or have a better understanding of their equipment that would draw a much larger response. I guess that she hopes that as a lesser-known group that we might be able to avoid the attention of others."


Now was the hard part, figuring out who everyone was and what they were really capable of. "My name is Girl Prodigy. And I built all of my equipment. I am a bit of a whiz when it comes to technology, and science, and well... most things." Maybe the rest would introduce themselves and save Sam the time and trouble of having to do that herself.

 

[Lady Jane]

Jay shrugged. "Beats me. The costumed parade stuff is Sam's department. We just go along for the ride." He turned his head to grin at John. Their costumed identities, Blink and Stryker were well known, and had become iconic for Delta. John got a lot of flak for being Sam's poster boy, but he took it all in stride.


The moment Stefan walked into the room, Drake sat up straight with something of a manic grin on his face. Barely before the others' conversation was over, he interrupted. "Stefan! Buddy...pal..."


Jay covered his face with his palm. "Oh, lord..."


"So, I had this thought of a device that could block a teleporter from getting through; taking a section of space-time and offsetting it just a little so they can't focus on it to teleport in. Buuut--" He drew it out. "This dude here's telling me it's impossible." He jerked his thumb over at Jay. "Please tell him he's an idiot."


The truth of the situation was that they were both right. Technology such as Drake was describing was not only common in his timeline, it was practically a staple in most security systems. After all, when the time-space continuum is almost a plaything, it made sent to have some way to secure it. However, it had some serious flaws, one of which was that the shield could be easily circumvented by a teleportation device and a programmer with some extensive knowledge of the system. Most of the hows and whys went right over Stefan's head, as it was far above his pay grade, but he at least knew of its existence. Whether he chose to reveal that knowledge was another matter entirely.

 

[gatherer818]

"Sure, that sounds... reasonable. I know we had teleport interdiction, I really don't know the theories behind them, of course. The specific alternate future that I picked up my favorite tech at had a different one than we do, theirs wasn't time-based, but then, neither were their teleportation devices, either. The teleport I have now is like theirs, actually; it doesn't rely on time travel at all. Something about gravity and wormholes and matter-to-energy conversion, which is why I don't use it much. Occasionally the tiny bit of me that it uses up to fuel the teleport is an important bit." Stefan scowls at the look on Nicky's face, knowing he's thinking about making a comment about exactly WHICH important "bit" would be worst to lose to fuel a teleport. "The other useless device I have strapped to my arm is supposed to be able to project a temporal interdiction field, which stops time-based teleports as well as attempts to enter or exit the time stream near me and more, but that's yet another function that isn't working, or I'd play with it and see if your theory is right or not." Obviously Stefan could no more prove or disprove the theory than summon a T-Rex from Vladimir's wineglass, but leading Drake on a bit about his capabilities could prove entertaining, at least.


Looking over at Girl Prodigy, he returns the conversation to a topic that won't get away from him. "I'm Stefan. I don't have powers, exactly, but I'm from the future. A future, to be more precise - if anyone here isn't familiar with the theories of parallel dimensions and alternate timelines, I'm sure Drake could explain better than myself. I was a Chronokeeper - dedicated to preserving my home timeline from harm, as well as ensuring the Re- that is, my nation's interests were well-served by its citizens. My equipment, even damaged as it is, allows me to assist Delta Division as one of their 'heroes' while they help me in return try to get back to my own timeline. Besides, being a stranded time-traveler makes me as much different, if no more so, than most of you from the common populace here. And this little creature is Nicholas. He looks like an animal/human hybrid right now, but he's actually a robot, originally a scout drone but upgraded and installed with an AI - a cheap one I got in a shady alley from an even shadier dealer, which explains why it's so defective. He can gather information and sneak and scout ahead with the best of them, complete with blending and flight capabilities and some close-combat, just in case. My own capabilities... well, imagine a fictional secret agent - I think your timeline has a cinema collection known as James Bond, though that may be a few decades away in one direction or the other - with gadgets from the far future. I think you'll find that works better than me bragging all day."

 

[solyrflair]

"The power suit sounds like it is using a D-brane string theory and generates a instatonic d-1-brane for localized distortion to the bosonic spacetime array. Which would be different than our commonly used p-brane model of supergravity and non-pertubative strings." Grace was still studying the various string theories, and keeping some of them straight in her head was still hard to do, but as her understanding was improving, she was finding that the minor differences had huge consequences in a 4-dimensional universe.


"James Bond in a supersuit. Got it." No one watched the original versions anymore. They were almost laughable in their depictions of science and politics. But the film industry had started again and Vradian Gossamer was starring in them and was dating most of the female stars from his movies. She didn't blame the girls for fighting over him. Valentina Nerebov and Katelyn Harrington both got arrested a few weeks ago in a cat-fight at a Hollywood restaurant. Vradian just seemed to be enjoying the fact that it wasn't him that the police had in cuffs that week.


Now she wished she had pursued the creation of her own suit, but Drake had insisted she stick with a more versatile power setup. He claimed that having each attribute in its own device, it would be easier for her to upgrade them or swap them out. Since she was still experimenting with making her own powers, he was aiming for versatility. However, she felt he was trying to hold her back. Still, she supposed he might be right.


"Let's just hope we have the script writers on our side then. Its easier to overcome fate and probability than it is to overcome the screenwriters guild." It was a quote from Vradian after he had run his Masserati down a ski slope and through the rental office. He spent that night in jail as well.

 

[Millershipper]

As Girl Prodigy finishes speaking a bland man roughly 5' 9" walks in, his dull orange hair and green eyes taking in those in the room. He seems to blend well with his surroundings. He eyes a seat at the end of the room, where his identical twin sits. The twin nods back, drawing the notice of most in the room. The twin smiles and waggles a notepad where he's been taking notes.


"Good morning, everyone. I'm Jacob Mickelson, known to most as Reiteration. I've been assigned to work with you. Though I've been part of Delta Division for several years, this is my first group tasking, and I look forward to working with you." He sits down next to his twin, and now it becomes apparent that this is not a twin. Everything about the two is identical, down to the last freckle. It's obvious when they sit together that one is a duplicate, which is what Reiteration is known for. He's been reported to have some bodyguard training, and he's been working with Samantha Clive on Delta's PR and diplomacy campaigns.


As he sits down he pulls out a box of paperclips and begins idly playing with a few of them, flipping them back and forth between thumb and forefinger or just running his thumb along the edges.

 

[Lady Jane]

Clipped footsteps on the marble floor heralded Sam's arrival a few seconds before her voice was heard outside the doorway. "...And see to it you call and reschedule my meeting with Senator Cole. The budget must be ready by then, understood?"


A meek "Yes, Ma'am" followed, and then the woman herself stepped into the room. Samantha Clive was tall for a woman, long legs framed by a short brown skirt and professional-looking two-inch heels; a cream-colored jacket completed the outfit, finished by gold-toned minimalist jewelry. Her hair was twisted into a French roll that complimented the smooth curve of her neck perfectly shaped face. She gave them all a nod of acknowledgement. "Good morning." She walked to the front of the room. "I trust we are all here?" There was a slight emphasis on the word 'all', and she raised her eyebrow at Jacob, trusting he would catch her double meaning.


She smiled as her eyes scanned the room. "Quite the mixed company. And I'm sure you're all quite curious, so let's get to it, shall we?" She motioned to the large oval table in the room, inviting those who hadn't already to take a seat. She took one herself at the head of the table and turned on the holographic projector at the centre of the table. An image of a ten-year-old boy flickered into existence.


"The scientific community has been buzzing lately with talk of this young fellow. Ten-year-old Trevor Kirstanza has been living in a small community in Russia his entire short life. His young age notwithstanding, he's made some remarkable progress in the study of clean energy, and has made something of a name for himself. His designs and calculations seem to indicate the verge of a breakthrough on a true perpetual motion machine; something which, once started, will continue to provide energy for practical use. I'll leave the scientific explanation to others best suited to the task if need be, but suffice it to say the effects on the globe's energy resources is staggering.


"Of course, with a discovery of this magnitude, every country is going to want a piece of the poor child. He is, however, to be transported to a secure facility in another part of the country; I've managed to negotiate a watch and assistance from some of our staff, though. Now, the political ramifications of Delta, and indeed all of America's interest in this boy is up to me, but you'll be tasked with the child's safety as he is taken from one place to another. Of course, you won't actually be taking him to the real facility. We'll use teleportation for that. But the route you'll be taking will let all of Russia, and indeed the world, know we've got a vested interest in this matter."


She nodded at Jay. "Mr. Allison, you'll be taking lead on this mission. You've got the details of the route in your tablet, and I trust that will provide you with what you need to plan a strategy?" Her gaze swept the room. "Any questions?"

 

[Millershipper]

Jacob and his duplicate take notes studiously. Occasionally they look up at the hologram in sync, then back to taking notes. They listen attentively, and both shake their heads in the negative when she asks about questions. The time for questions will come during mission planning, and Jay is in charge of that. Time enough for that. The important details are that this mission is as much about diplomacy and PR as it is security. So planning will need to be flexible enough to handle multiple situations. And he will have some of his duplicates on their way to Russia very soon. Best to have an advance team and he knows how do prep some of that.

 

[Belial]

Vladamir faded from view in the middle of the room, then his chair appeared next to Samantha with a rattling thud as vladamir appeared sitting on it. OOH OOH ME!! he said holding up his hand up waiving it like a school kid with a question. Yes Miss Scrumptious, do we happen to know if there are any groups who have already expressed interest in our little boy who might also be capable or willing to go to extremes, such as attacking the super friends here? And if so can I eat them and their children?

 

[gatherer818]

Stefan stares a moment at Vladamir, slowly and vaguely moving his weapon - currently in SLEEP configuration - to point the vampire's way. He'd been trying not to be prejudiced, but suddenly found it much more difficult. "Should be easy enough, with a little luck and a bit of preparation. Nicholas, copy that appearance and save it. But DON'T wear it outside of this building until I tell you, or they'll know we have a decoy."


Nicky's wings break down, starting from the tips and working back, as his fur gets devoured by the nano-array covering his body. The metal chassis shows for a half-second, then is quickly covered by humanoid-looking skin, quickly tossing together a fair resemblance to the boy on the display. "I get to be a decoy again! Yay!"

 

[Lady Jane]

Charity grinned at Nicky's reaction to the situation. "My god, he's adorable."


Sam rubbed her delicately arched brow with an equally as delicately manicured fingernail. "Explain to me how it is that a vampire of several centuries shows less maturity than the teenaged member of our team." She let out a small sigh. "Nonetheless, your question is valid. In answer, it's unlikely Solstice is disinterested in this project, seeing as the control of this technology it provides will give them multiple benefits, not the least of which is enough clout to counter us. Precautionary measures should certainly be taken in the transfer against an overt attack, but it is far more likely they're taking steps to infiltrate the project. The on-going counterintelligence of that undertaking will be a separate mission."

 

[Monalfie]

As Sam entered the room, Pearl moved to take a seat, spinning the office chair around to put his arms around the back. Sitting normally was too much of a hassle with his large wings. He tucked his phone away before focusing back on the conversation at hand, having done his best to ignore the blathering until that point. It seemed a simple enough mission and, while science was not his forte, he knew enough to understand what an impact such a discovery as this would mean to the world. The mutant slipped a cigarette from one of his pockets and put it in his mouth before patting around for a lighter.


"Wonderful news, maybe next this kid can design a phone I don't have to replace every five months." Pearl continued to search, but looked up for a moment while talking around the cigarette. "So why can't we just take a decoy and say he's the real one, for safety?"