Aberrant: Stargate Universe - First Meetings: SG-21 [FIN]

[Adrian Moss]

Major Caine had used the clout that came with the rank of Major to garner his team a corner of the Cafeteria. He had his laptop and some files with him. Having arrived ten minutes early, the tall, buff officer got himself a cup of better than average coffee and sat down.

In his mind, he felt the stir of echoes in his mind. Somehow he had done something like this before ... for himself. He could remember him being the new guy and seeing himself as the new guy. Damien shook his head, clearing away the babble and getting on to what was important - his team. He would have to keep them alive. They would have to keep each other alive. As SG-21 team leader, he had to make sure they had the tools to depend on one another no matter what the situation.

His body was strong and model-tight. In fact, some of the other officers had taken to calling him Hollywood because of his rather amazing, though not Courier-esque good looks. He had noticed some looks from some of the female airmen on the base. That disturbed him. Fraternizing was not good, and being reminded of the closeness of so many female personnel in such tight quarters didn't help his discipline.

The Major opened the first folder. Perault was looking better now than he had a few days before. He was leagues better than he had been when they had brought him in. Still, there we doubts both psychologically and in Caine's own mind about how well Declan could take the combat. Sure, he could kill, but could he be held back if things got insane as real combat often became. Well hell, he had asked O'Neil for the Sgt. and now he had to live with that choice.

Next came Jones. Jones was solid, for a civilian Brit paramilitary contracter. Caine grinned. Well, the man's resume could have been more conveluted ... if he had been Mongolian. There was a rush Damien had though at the thought of seeing Jones in a real fight. The man had a special talent and he flew too. Caine shut the folder. Right now, Jones was their designated engineer. Time would tell if he would make as soldier.

Finally Major Caine examined Olivia's file - correct that, Specialist Jenings-Izumi. She was in his team now. The resident egghead, problem-solver, and perhaps even pioneer was the one Caine had to know the most about and the one he wanted to know the most about. Scratch that, Caine chided himself, he would have to look at all the team equally. There were holes and untapped potential in all of them. With Olivia there was the added discovery of just how much in-field intelligence she could provide. Since Intelligence was the main function of the Teams, she would be called on to make a best guess as to what an object was. She had to get her mind there.

As the first team member walked in, Caine looked up and closed the folder. His fingers scrolled over the laptop into record mode and he was ready to take his first time at the wheel. He knew he was ready. In that much, his voices were in agreement.

[The Red Man]

Declan felt better in his BDU's. The one informality in his ensemble, other than the longer-than regulation hair and his short beard, was the shades. He'd picked up some Raybans from the PX and was wearing them now; it stopped people from seeing his eyes. The newly-fledged nova had figured out that it was his gaze that radiated his 'creep-out' factor the strongest, so had decided to wear them while in the base simply to avoid the awkwardness of having people look away from him and shiver. All. The. Time. Hell, the only ones that didn't seem to do that on reflex were the other 'Specials'. He didn't know why that was, but he was glad of it. It would be hard enough to work with the mixed bag of civilians, soldiers, and misfits as things stood.

He got a mug of coffee, smiling at his reflection on the urn, and stepped over to Caine's table in the corner. He wove with inhuman grace around the obstacles; for a mad moment, he was tempted to jump over tables and chairs to see if he could make it without spilling any of the coffee. But he arrived at the table without incident, saluting Caine with his free hand.

"Sir. Sergeant Declan Perault, reporting as requested, sir." At Caine's return salute and waving motion to be at ease, Dec slid into the seat nearest the wall, keeping his eyes on the room to watch who else was coming and going. He had questions about his team-mates but exercised patience: he'd meet them soon enough.

So he sipped his coffee in silence and watched. And waited.

[Rorx]

Gwyn was on time as usual and in an unconscious duplication went for a coffee before moving over to the corner that the Major had coopted. Spotting the tangle of chairs and tables in the way he indulged himself in kicking in his flight ability and sailing over the obstruction in a lotus position with a cup of coffee in one had and a notebook in the other. He landed in front of teh major and transferred the coffe onto the notebook as an impromptu tray in order to salute.

"Specialist Jones reporting, sir."

After the return salute he sits between the Sgt and the Major, nodding to the Sgt before sitting and glancing around for the last member of their team.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia hated her BDUs. They were designed for people who worked out regularly, who were fit. They showed every ounce of flab on her body, the flab that she couldn't find the motivation to fight fully. She did work out some but that last ten pounds never went away.

She turned and looked in a mirror - and got a terrible shock. Well, terrible wasn't the right word. It was wonderful, but it was a little scary, too. Everyone had claimed a certain amount of physical prowess, but Olivia had seen no such change in herself. But then, she didn't look all that hard at her body anymore. She'd had a classic disassociation with her own body. Her face, yes, she checked that out everyday, washed it, applied makeup. But her body was now better - there was no other way to describe it than "better." Her breasts had risen, stopping their slow decline and sag under gravity's influence. Her stomach was flat, perfectly so and her ass now looked like it had in high school.

"Oh, my God. GIRL!" she shrieked, going ghetto in pure delight. "Look at me!" She did a spin and shrieked, dancing in place for a moment. With effort, she calmed herself down and straightened her clothing. She had a meeting to attend; she could worship her new body later.

Still, she couldn't remove the glow from her face or the wide grin as she grabbed her laptop and hurried out. She double-timed it to the mess, a happy spring in her step. "Hey, guys," she said, grinning as she dropped into the empty seat. A glance at the clock confirmed that she was on time, so she simply said, "We can begin. Since you seemed to be waiting for me."

[Adrian Moss]

If Olivia is late, Caine give no indication of it. If anything, he gives her a broad smile reflecting her suddenly perky nature.

"Okay team. This is our first meet and greet that I am aware of. We are going to cover two things here and another in the gym when we are done here."

"First, we care going to discuss what we are trained to do and how we think all your skills are going to play out on this team. Think about it. Little things can really help us out in the field. Also, you might have a skill that another team member can think of using in some unforseen manner. We will learn to work together."

"Secondly, we are going to discuss what our Special abilities for the same reasons. It is part of what brings us to the Teams and because we've only had them for a few weeks we might again be provided some new insight by others on the team."

Looking at Gwyn and Olivia,

"When you are in the field, you need to trust your team mates with your life. You need to know what the other person will do and anticipate the opportunities that brings. There will be times when you won't have the time for me to give you orders. You are going to have to carry the responsibility yoursel. Since all responsibility for this team resolves down to me - I have to trust you and know you."

"Okay Sgt, you are first."

[The Red Man]

Declan adjusted his Raybans and took a sip of coffee, trying to cover his nervousness at suddenly being put on the spot. The woman with the girlish bounce to her step (and other parts) must be Specialist Jennings-Izumi. He remembered seeing her in the meeting, and nodded a greeting to her and Jones as he leaned forwards. His voice was quiet but strong, carrying easily to the others present.

"In my old life, I was a U.S. Ranger. A good one." Now wasn't the time for false modesty. "But I lost it and got psych-discharged. The NID scooped me up and ran their little science fair experiment on me."

"Before, I was a good shot, fair in hand-to-hand, and could move around quietly without bein' an embarassment to Uncle Sam. Now, I'm better at all of those things. Really better. I'm stronger, faster and tougher. You all saw the display in the gym yesterday, the stuff I was pullin'. Well, I never trained in shi- uh, stuff like that before, but now I know it inside and out. It's like I've got an encyclopedia of how to kick ass in my head." He shrugged, plainly uncomfortable.

"But there's more to it. I can look at things: situations, objects, plans, ...people..." He paused, then swallowed more coffee and continued. "...and see the places that they're weak. I've got a kinda mental IVIS system that can keep track of what's goin' on in a battle and tell me all the best things to do. I'm not sure I can teach that part, but there ya go. I was never a genius, y'know? But now it's like most of the folks round here are slow to me. Not sure I like that." He frowned.

"But there it is. I can help with combat trainin', and in the field I can analyse and react quicker than anyone... well, maybe another Specialist is as fast as me. I dunno all of them - us."

He looked at Caine. "Is that all you need from me, Major?"

[Adrian Moss]

"Good lead off, Sgt.," Caine nods. The handsome, quiet man was a study in contrasts with the former Ranger, being more open, friendly, and openly-confident. Not to say that Declan wasn't a confident man, only his demeanor seemed to be more ... confined.

"I would like to add that US Army Rangers are taught to survive in a variety of environments, a handy skill to be taking along with us to alien worlds."

"I think that lays things out. If anyone has questions, please save them for the last discussion."

"Doctor Jenings-Izumi, would you take the next slot?"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"Well, I'm not military, at all," Olivia said simply, stopping the typing she'd been doing while Declan and Adrian had been talking. "I was pulled into the SG program when my research uncovered proof supporting Dr. Daniel Jackson's research. For those of you who don't know, Dr. Jackson became a pariah in the academic world because he had this wild theory that the Egyptians didn't build the Pyramids."

She let the men chuckle before she continued, "I found his research, and then I began to follow up. Before long, I'd found that he was right. There was an overlooked series of hieroglyphs that were viewed as mythology, but I was able to correlate what happened in them to a real geological event, one which modern science can't explain. It was enough to raise questions, but no one was asking them. So I did. I wrote a paper, which was denied based on the peer review. It was called a 'fantastical misjudgment based on poor academic research.' I wrote a book, figuring that a pop science book would at least get it out there. The book was denied, my evidence disappeared from the museum it had been in, and I had government officials knocking on my door asking to talk with me. I landed here and got folded into the program. Then I got fried, nearly had my skull explode and here we are.

"I can write well, very well. I'm along to record missions for the bureaucrats, and use my knowledge in the field. As for my abilities in the field, I've gotten the basic knife and gun training." She glanced at Declan, meeting his sunglasses, secretly glad that his eyes were hidden. "And I mean basic, Sargent. I am so not-a-fighter that my parents are living in Berkley. Being a pacifist is in my blood." She smiled, almost shyly, unsure if she should be saying this. "You have a lot of work to do with me."

She sat back and disengaged with that silvery gaze that was Declan's glasses. "As for special stuff, I never forget, my brain is faster and better. I have a perfect - and I mean perfect - memory. I can hear what I believe to be radio waves. I don't know if I can talk over it yet, but receivers are often able to transmit as well. And I write really, really well. I'm not talking New York Times Best-seller; I'm talking I'm so good I'm not sure there's any comparison on Earth. That's not a lot of help on mission, but it's important for what I'm going to be doing for the US of A.

"Questions?"

[The Red Man]

"I don't mind that you're not a fighter, so don't worry about me gettin' on your case." Declan smiled at her shyly, his voice quiet, glad that she couldn't see his eyes. "I... I'm kinda a pacifist by nature now. I got sick of the killin', so sick I couldn't take it. That's why they discharged me."

His voice faded away and he shot a guilty look at Caine. "Uh, sorry Major. I was ramblin'. Um, Specialist? You don't need to worry about the combat stuff, kay? We'll run through drills and trainin', but the main part about gettin' through a firefight is findin' cover and workin' together." His lips quirked in a grin. "The cover's damn important, in case I needed to say it."

[Rorx]

"Ok, me then, obviously." Gwyn talks with the occasional flash of an unusual, but not unpleasant accent [Welsh].

"I'm going to be the oddball of the bunch because I don't quite fit as either frontline like the Sgt, nor backroom like Olivia. Forgive me if I seem to be rambling, but I think it will mostly be relevant. At school I was the geek who never got beaten up. The geek part was partly because I was smart, but mainly because I play roleplaying and wargames. This gave me an interest in history, science, and weapons/combat. It was this interest in the weapons/combat side that lead me to studying several martial arts and also historic weapon styles and re-enactment. For my degree I did Physics and Electronic Engineering and soon after began working at AWE which designs, tests and builds the UK's nuclear weapons. There I worked with explosives, learning about demolition, and specialised in bomb disarmament/disposal of nuclear weapons. In the meantime I've picked up my black belt in kyukoshinko karate. Oh, for reasons I won't go into I've also learnt Arabic and Latin in addition to my native Welsh. This lead to what was to be my next assignment which was that I was due to be sent out to Iraq to join a team looking for WMD's. Someone decided that since I had recently finished a 6 month stint teaching Royal Marine Commandos the basics of nuclear bomb indentification and disarmament that I should be sent on the All-Arms Commando course before going out to the Middle East."

He looks around to see their reaction.

"So as you can see I know a little about history, can speak a couple of languages that might be relevant, trained in science, engineering and explosives, can handle myself in hand to hand and recently scraped through the training for the Royal Marine Commandos to get my Green Beret."

Sitting back in his chair and taking a swig of coffee he continues.

"As for what changes there have been since I touched that artifact I have noticed a number. Firstly I'm stronger, faster and fitter than I was. I used to be able to bench about 150kg, but now that's up to 300kg, and if I kick in a power I'll talk about in a minute that goes up to higher than we've been able to measure here so far. If I don't get bored I could run through katas, and/or circuit train all day without getting significantly tired. Oh, and I don't need to sleep anymore apparently. Mentally, i'm more intelligent than I was by a long way, I went off the end of an online IQ test while I was only about 125 before. I'm more observant and don't need my glasses anymore, athough nothing unusual like hearing radio or x-ray vision or whatever."

After another swig of coffee he continues, "As for actual powers that turn on/off i seem to have two or three, as I'm not sure if two are part of the same thing. I can increase and decrease my density. When I increase it my weight goes up to about 800kg and I get a lot stronger as well, this was when I benched everything I could here, and I even managed to pick up the front end of a Hummvee with one hand without strain. I haven't tried out the reduced density much, but I did manage to squeeze myself under a door when I first found out about it. Independently of this I seem to be able to make my hands and feet denser and more like metal at which point my strikes became like hitting someone with a mace or spear. Lastly, and my personal favourite [massive grin] is that I can fly! I haven't had much chance to try it out in here yet but my top speed seems to be at least 15m/second which would be at least 100km/hour. I've largely been practising flying in a manner that duplicates walking/running since when I'm 800kg I'm not sure how many floors in normal building will be able to take it!"

He draws a entirely superflous deep breath, "So that's it, sorry if I rambled on too much, but I thought it might be relevant one way or another."

[Adrian Moss]

The dapper Damien gave a brief nodd to Olivia when she finished her introduction. He remained non-plussed when the Sgt. interjected into the conversation. The man was as long a way from Team ready as anyone else here, though less obviously so.

When Gwyn finished, the Welshman earned another brief nod, conservative as if the Major was hording movement energy. Then he spoke.

"Before we get to questions for one another:"

His head swiveled around and looked at Jones.

"Well get you some air time at a local air base test range facility. Nothing too high or too fancy. If he wipe out in the desert, they'll make me wipe you up with a spatula." A grin, but not entirely joking.

"Jones, from here on out, I want you practicing with Sgt. Perault. You pick him up in the mornings, you go to orientation together, eat lunch and then work out afterwards."

He didn't say that Declan needed the companionship as much as anybody on this base, and putting him with a civilian who needed Declan's skills would be a good match.

"Dr. Jenings-Izumi, you are going to be working with the Sgt. and myself to make sure you are competant in self-defense. I'm not going to call on you to do something you aren't mentally capable of doing. You are NOT a soldier after all."

"Beyond that, I am going to get you clearance to read about all the previous missions so you can make the material the rest of us have to read through more concise and legiable."

"Now, any questions?"

[Rorx]

Gwyn nods at his instructions, they would be no hardship to carry out and he was well aware of how much he could learn from the Sgt.

"Yes Major, I have a couple. Could I also have a copy of the mission reports and Olivia's and Dr Jacksons original work? I spend the nights reading anyway, so it may as well be something more relevant. Also anything towards picking up the langauges of the aliens and/or other civilisations out there could be useful. And lastly, you haven't told us anything about your background or new abilities yet."

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia listened to the Welshman, her mouth slowly dropping open as he casually mentioned everything he could do. It was so far beyond what she could - and what humans could do - that she was truly shocked. She knew that some of the people had gotten some truly inhuman powers, but Gwyn looked so normal that it was hard for her to see him as beyond human.

"The newly enhanced inspire fear in me, and I am one of them. I can't imagine what it would be like to be a human and watch one of these great new giants walking around. The most disturbing are the ones that look normal but can do things that can't even be explained as being the outer limits of human potential. They have shattered that barrier and so rarely show that in their demeanour. I am one of them, and I am afraid."

She might owe Declan an apology. He was very, very normal, much more so than this man who could weigh 1760 pounds - over three-quarters of a ton - who could slide under a door, who could true weapons of his hands and feet and who could fly. Did she have to apologize for something she'd never said? No, she decided, she'd just never let him see how much he discomforted her, that she'd embrace him as a brother in arms.

As she was musing, she almost missed what Caine said regarding herself. Steeling herself, she looked Declan right in the glasses, her eyes seeking to met the shine of his silver. "Actually, I don't have a question as much as a clarification. I don't have proficiency in hand-to-hand combat because... I'm decent fighting at fisticuffs or knife range, but when I get into grappling I... I freeze. Or freak out, and we're talking full-on girly screaming and pounding on chests ineffectually. I don't do it with women, but that's only fifty percent of what we'll be up against - roughly speaking, that is." She said the last grudgingly. She hated admitting that she lost her cool when aggressively grabbed by a man.

She spread her hands and looked at Caine. "I don't know if you want to change your plans for me based on that, but I thought you should know." She glanced at Declan, practicing meeting his eyes by giving his glasses heavy contact. "And you, of course, since it's your neck from which I'll be hung."

[Adrian Moss]

"Dr. Jenings-Izumi ... and I suggest we all call you Olivia in the field, it's good to know what your limitations are and I think we can push past them. It is not my intention for you to get that close to any enemy combatant, but things do happen. What we need for you to do is just be able to hold on for a few seconds until help can arrive. We will train you to earn yourself those few seconds."

"Everything wrong that happens on this team comes down on me. We share in the glory, but the blame rests solely with the leadership. However we make a decision on this team, you have to learn to trust me and my commands. That is how the Team works."

"Now, were was I ..." Caine says the clears his throat.

"I'm Damien Caine, USAF. My family has served in the military since the Revolutionary War. I am formerly of the United States Army, I graduated West Point and served with the Special Forces in Afghanistan - one tour. I was then offered the opportunity to join the SGC and I took it. I served with SG-18 for nearly a year, before the alien device you are all familiar with killed everyone but me on RL-1137."

"People, I take our mission seiously because I've known people who have died doing it. This will NOT happen to my team."

"As for what I can do ... I can do almost anything you can name, except speak Goa'uld. I score in the top 1% in all basic physical and mental tests, though I'm not off the graph like some of you. I'm still what would be considered human, though I could be considered a classic super-man."

"To be more concise about my skills, I not only have the basic knowledge of them, I have the experience in using them in the field. I remember doing things I've never done. I'm getting certified for over 15 more positions on base, in a variety of sections. I even have a singing voice now," he adds with a world-weary grin.

[Rorx]

"Well it sounds like I should be coming to you rather than the library to expand my knowledge base! Thanks for the air base thing, Major, I look forward to it."

He looks around at the others, "So what's next? The Gym for a team workout, or would the range be a better idea?"

[Adrian Moss]

"Well go to the range first. I don't want anyone to be sore from the mats."

And to the Firing range they went. Layed out for each person was a service issue 9mm semi-automatic Glock-17, a MP-5 submachinegun, and a "Zat" gun.

"Okay people, take a stall and take up the gun you think you are most comfortable with. We will free-fire for a while then we will take turns watching each of us shoot. We will develop a rhythm of how we shoot and learn to make out over other sounds the patterns we use - except maybe the Sgt. He may not develop a patter," again with that grin.

Caine steps back and lets his team have at it. As they move up to a station, so will the Major. He will fire for a bit and then step back and watch the others fire. Taking turns they will then be watched while they shoot their favorite firearm and hopefully start learning how each other do it, and to do it better themselves.

[The Red Man]

Declan shrugged and picked up the pistol, weighing it in his hand as he glanced downrange. In one smooth motion and without even seeming to consider the action he brought the sleek black pistol up and placed two bullets into the head of the silhouette target, right where the eyes should be.

The MP-5 was similarly familiar is his hands. In a few short bursts, the target had no center to it's head. Declan frowned at that, wondering if he might need something heavier than a 9mm SMG for fighting aliens.

He moved on to the Zat gun, picking up the alien-looking weapon and turning it over in his hands. His eyes narrowed, and he looked over to Major Caine.

"Sir, what the hell is this?"

[Helstrum]

In a voice just load enough to be herd above any gunfire "From what I have herd since arriving on base that weapon is a Zat gun. It is used to stun a target. I can confirm it being very effective."

He turns his bald head towards Damien and quickly begins to speak "Sir, I am Sargent Joseph Pike. General O'Neil has chosen to assign me to your team. I am sorry I was unable to arrive earlier. It will not happen again, sir."

Pike looks over the weapons that have been laid out for use. "Would you like me to begin with weapons training, or catch you up on what I seem to be capable of, sir?"

[Adrian Moss]

Major Caine nods to Pike and looks him over.

"Everyone, check your weapons."

While he everyone is putting their weapons on safety and putting them down, Damien looks to Declan.

"As the Sgt. said, its a weapon we usually use for stunning targets. Mind you, two shots can kill and three can give you one messed up corpse. It is one of the pieces of borrowed technology we will get the most use out of."

With everyone standing around, its Pike's turn to fall under the exceptionally crisp officer's gaze. His clear, earthy brown eyes look into that of Pike's.

"You're up, Sgt. Tell us your backgound, and what has changed since you became ... different. I'll will bring you up to speed about the others once everyone else has finished for the day."

[Helstrum]

Pike stands stands to address the whole team "I have served in the armed forces since I was 18. I been serving my country for the past 11 years. I have had a fair range of training through my career and have found it all increased since I was changed."

Pausing in thought he takes a moment to look over everyone before he speaks again.

I hope this does not anger anyone to much. Seems to be a point of distaste in everyone I have met since arriving here...

"I was recently posted with what I believed to be an official government branch, the NID." He shifts a bit, seeming disappointed with himself. "I would not have followed there orders had I known who they were when I was assigned to them."

Taking in a deep breath "As for what has changed about me, I find the only need for air that I have is to speak. Unlike most of the Specialists that I have heard of so far, I do not seem to get hungry. Nor do I need to sleep, though I do still enjoy it."

Pausing he looks over at a one of the weapons and points to one of the Zat guns. "I have been able to move objects with my mind. I have also been able to lift up my own bed but have not tried on anything heavier then that yet."

Putting his attention fully on the gun it begins to rise up off the table. After a few seconds it lands back where it was before.

Turning his attention back to the group he continues "My telekinetic ability can also contain the sound I produce while leaving me still able to hear what is going on around me."

Avoiding eye contact with everyone, seeming displeased with himself "I can also glow" This better not get everyone killed...

Returning all his attention to Cain "Would you like to know anything else?"

[Adrian Moss]

"Who did you serve with? Which service and in what capacity?"

"Well need to test you limits of your Telekinetic ability, plus can you manipulate this sound trick of yours to encompass the whole team?"

Caine grins,

"That should do for starters."

[Rorx]

Gwyn noticed the Sgt's slight discomfort with his last power, "Glow? Any particular colour or spectrum? You never know, that might be just what we need to guide in some air evac sometime."

[The Red Man]

Declan just listened, running his hands over the unfamiliar shape of the Zat gun. He tested the weight, how it sat in his hand, then set it down again before looking down the range to see how his team-mates had done on their shooting as he continued to listen to the new guy.

[Rorx]

Gwyn followed Dec's look down the range and was once again pleasantly surprised by how well he'd done. Only a month or so ago on the All-Arms Commando course his accuracy had been a sore point due to his previous lack of training with weapons, now although his skill was obviously amateurish his increased agility enabled him to achieve better accuracy. Even on full-auto with the MP5 there was a marked improvement over what he had previously been able to achieve, perhaps due to his increased strength helping to limit the effects of the weapons recoil.

Having said all that he still only achieved the sort of results that might have been expected of a regular trooper with a few years of experience behind him. Given the enemies they may be facing Gwyn resolved that this was something he would be improving.

[Helstrum]

Standing at attention he responds. "Sir, US army. I was posted in Iraq before placement with the NID. I specialized in fighting at night, I was trained to be able to fight best at night." Which is a shame seeing as darkness isn't much of an issue for a glowing man. Or anyone he is fighting.

"I am unsure about silencing the actions of the entire team, so far I have been able to silence myself, and things I am doing." He stops for speaking and begins looking around the room. Seeing nothing of significant wright he sighs.

"as for my telekinetic ability I believe some weight lifting would be a good idea. The gym will be the best place to test my ability to lift things I believe. Should be able to put together something with a good weight to test out. sir."

He turns towards Gwyn "well, it seems to just be light as if from a light bulb, no special color. I am able to glow from my skin, or direct the light similar to a flashlight. I should be able to flag someone down, but they would need to be expecting it or we would be a bit of luck on our side."

"Cain, anything else you would like to know, sir?"

[Rorx]

Gwyn nods to the comment about the gym, "Well the gym has got stuff to put together a bar massing just over 800lbs, say 400kg, but if you wanted to try something here and now I mass about 100kg and you don't need to worry if you drop me. If you think that feels real easy for you I could push it up to 800kg on the Major's agreement? After that you'll have to try vehicles, they don't have anything much else to use here in the form of free weights."

[Adrian Moss]

Without heat Damien corrects Pike,

"That's Major, Sergeant, or Major Caine, or even more colorful stuff behind my back and well out of earshot. The General gets to call me Caine ... because he is so much cooler than me."

He follows that up with a sterling smile and a winning air.

"Now let's step up and take some shots with the Zat gun. It is one of our best tools."

Caine walks to his firing position, beckoning the rest of the teams. He heffs up the weapon.

"See, its lightweight and balances high on the hand. Now,"

he points it down range,

"you point, touch the trigger and,"

the shot goes off and twists an electrical effect.

"the target falls down."

"Get used to it. There is no recoil. Don't stress the trigger too much, or you will kill our target with a doubke-tap. Remember, a triple-tap incinerates."

The Major's confidence increases as he places his Zat down.

"Go to your stations and get practicing. I'll be watching, because not everyone on the team gets a Zat and I have to parcel them out to best effect."

Mentally he made a note that it would most likely be Olivia and Pike. Pike due to his expertise and Olivia because she could then add to a fire-fight without having to kill somebody. Pacifist solved.

[Rorx]

Gwyn eagerly takes up his position on the firing line and carefully examines the weapon while making sure he keeps it directed down the range rather than drifting towards the others. Having seen as much as he could without starting to take it apart to find out how it works, he took up his firing stance and carefully shot a number of targets with single shots.

Click to reveal..

Gwyn has 6dice for Firearms, so an average of 2.4 sux and no Megas. The same as a Dex 3 Firearms 3 experienced soldier, for some idea of how well he does in general.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia hated guns, hated the way they bucked and the noise they made. A childhood of listening to her parents discuss the merits of gun control had left her loathe to even touch them. Firing them felt like she was doing something very wrong.

Maybe that was why her "cluster" with her pistol was more like a single shot that landed to the right of the center of chest. And that was probably why her burst from the M-5 couldn't be measured because it hadn't hit the paper. The zat gun wasn't even touched, mostly because Olivia wasn't even sure what was the business end - mostly because she didn't care to know.

The new guy was much more interesting. She nodded when introduced, smiling easily. She was still the only girl here, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. A little lonely, perhaps. Maybe one of these bucks will be gay...

"Major, maybe I should fill him in on what was said before." When Caine glanced at her questioningly, she said, "Sir. Sergeant Declan Perault, reporting as requested, sir." She matched Perault's tones and cadence precisely, then continued, "Specialist Jones reporting, sir." Again, it was uncanny. It was her voice, but it was their exact words and tone. "Hey, guys. We can begin. Since you seemed to be waiting for me."

She smiled at Caine. "I can give him an exact debriefing."

[Helstrum]

Pike, Realizing his mistake looked surprised with himself. "Thank you Major, It will not happen again."

The Major's demeanor lightened up his mood. A mistake like that could have been a whole lot worse.

He followed Major Cain and watched his demonstration of the Zat gun. He was glad to be on the other side of this weapons sights. Then again, it didn't even look like this thing had a sight, or any way to aim it effectively. Good thing it at least fires forward.

After the demonstration of the Zat gun he heads to his station. Picking up and examining the weapons there.

Choosing the 9mm pistol he takes aim at the the target, firing a a group of three rounds into the center of his target. A grin on his face as he admires his work. He follows up with 2 rounds to each of the arms. Killing, disabling, showing off. It was a lot easier now then he ever thought it could be. Like going from being an extra to the main cast. I was able to serve my country well before, but now I can do so much more.

After emptying the clip from the 9mm he puts it down and moves his hand to the MP-5 and begins to check it. After feeling comfortable with it he takes aim and opens up on the center of the target. Removing what would be the heart and surrounding organs in a spray of bullets.

He exchanges the MP-5 for the Zat gun next. Speaking more to himself then anyone else "Lets see how this thing works."

He lets of a single shot. Hitting the target in the shoulder. After a little shifting of his grip he tries again. This time getting a shot into the chest of the target without any trouble.

When done with the weapon he puts it down with the others. Stepping away from the firing line he observes his shots, nothing perfect. Everything where it would need to be to get a job done, and done well.

He looks over to Olivia and to Cain "I wouldn't mind being debriefed by Olivia. It would seem she has it down to the T, Sir" And it looks like firing a weapons isn't going to enjoy being around.

((OCC: I am not really sure at which point in time and post order Olivia is offering to debrief Pike. Before he would be firing, or after. If my placement of this is wrong, let me know so I have a better understanding of how to read the posts, thank you.))

[Adrian Moss]

After a few more test firings of the various weapons, Major Caine calls a halt to the drill.

"Okay now. Let's all be in the Sparring Room in fifteen. Wear your sweats. We are going to do some physical prep followed by some Hand to hand training. The Sgt. Perault will be our instructor there. He's going to get a handle on who needs work with what ... and don't worry, I'll go first. You'll get to see me on my ass before anyone else has to go through the ordeal."

"Dr. Jenings-Izumi, while myself and Specialist Jones are being evaluted, please bring Sgt. Pike up to speed on what we've covered so far - in detail."

"Just to prepare you for tomorrow; we are going outside the facility. Don't cheer all at once," the sadistic Major grins, "because with all that fresh air and real sunshine will be a twenty kilometer hike ... with the full packs we will bring on missions ... including the extra equipment that Specialist Jones and Dr. Jenings-Izumi think we should hump along with us."

He grins a marvelous grin to all his team,

"It will be glorious."

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

In her short aquaintance with Caine, Olivia had never suspected that Caine was mad, but she was beginning to believe now. His obvious joy at going outside, where there were bugs and dirt, and lugging a bunch of crap around for miles and miles, made her suspect that he was truly insane.

What had she gotten herself into?

"Sure thing, Ca- Major," she said, silently cursing her near-slip. "I'll make sure Pike is completely up to date by the time that Sgt. Perault gets his chance to maul me." The second she'd said that, she mentally sighed. She really needed to learn to phrase things better.

[Rorx]

"At this stage Major I don't know enough to determine what additional equipment I should bring along. Once I've had a chance to catch up with the mission reports and the sorts of technology that we might run into I might have a better idea of what might be suitable. If you think it necessary to represent that tomorrow I'll just bring along a basic mechanical and electrical toolkit with some basic diagnostic equipment."

"Unless of course you can tell me of anything that your previous team took with them?"

[Adrian Moss]

"We were three soldiers and a physician. We humped a lot of biological testing equipment. Another thought is that once we get out there, I will be rotating Sgt.'s Perault and Pike as scouts, so we will have to carry some of their gear."

A sadistic smile of may such marches past creeps across the obviously deranged Major's face.

"Now the Sgt's here and I come through the Special Forces were you hump your gear over mountains and across deserts because what you carry is all you got."

"Being with the SGC isn't going to be all that bad ... normally," and he let 'normally' hang in the air. "We should be able to exit back through the Stargate within a hour of us arriving, no problem. I want us to be prepared if we can't."

"Also, once we enter a new world, we have to find a high point so we can observer the local area. We find either settlements, or ruins, depending on the world's history. We examine said ruins/settlement, make contact if appropriate, and take lots of footage so that the scientists back here can determine if we need to go back. It can be pretty breathtaking," Caine looks over the group, "or it can be boring. We can't let boredom set in ... so we have testing eqiupment so we can run tests and stay busy and bring back even more data."

"Now coming full circle ... how does that equipment get there? Yes, you got it. We hump it in. Thus we need to learn just how much we can comfortalby carry on a swift morning constitutional."

[Rorx]

"Ok, as I've said before I used to be able to bench about 150kg and no I can do 300kg, so I'd guess a 50kg pack shouldn't be a problem for me. However, although I can guess what's in a biological/environmental test kit I'm not so sure what other sorts of sensors you might have available for say gravity fields, EM fields and anything along those lines that they might want reports on as well. Presumably any helmets we wear will be wired for video, and we'll have other video and audio recorders with us to have a record of any native encounters?"

After a brief pause Gwyn continues, "If carrying a lot of gear is going to be an issue I'm not sure how longer I could maintain my denser form, but that could probably pack half a ton without out any problems for as long as I can maintain it. Although the higher density can have it's own problems so I would prefer to fly or at least float along with you at that point."

[Adrian Moss]

Caine nods to HG,

"That's what we need to find out. We don't want any of us going into a firefight broke-down tired."

In a more hushed, reverant tone,

"We will be the first SG team of Specials going out on a mission. Eyes will be upon us. We are not going to let anyone down, especially ourselves."

"Okay now. You all have," he looks at his watch, "13 minutes to show up for hand to hand."

[Rorx]

"See you there!" and Gwyn sets out at a jog/doubletime pace.

However, he still ends up being second to arrive at the sparring room itself.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia barely managed to not moan when Caine pointed out how long she didn't have left. She hurried to her room, threw off her BDUs and grabbed her sweats. Her attempts to get her sweats on faster than she'd ever tried before might have been funny save for the haste at which she was moving. She didn't even try to put her shoes on; she just grabbed them and hustled to the sparring room. When Gwyn arrived, she was sitting on the floor, pulling on her sneakers.

As she looped one bunny ear around the other, she asked Gwyn, "Hey, you mentioned re-enactments. What's your historical period of choice?"

[Helstrum]

Pike makes his way to the gym without to much hurry. He arrives soon after Gwyn and takes a takes a seat, watching for Olivia to enter so that he can begin his debriefing.

Waiting, he looks over the team, wondering what a Specialist fight looked like.

Noticing Olivia enter the gym he makes his way over to her, but waits until she is done speaking with Gwyn before approaching her.

[The Red Man]

He wasn't looking forward to this.

He knew he was the best person on base - hell, probably the best person on the planet - to teach people combat skills. He knew that what he could teach them would save their lives and the lives of other.

It was the woman. Doc Olivia. She had made it very plain that she hated violence, that she even looked down on it. The sergeant agreed with her. He'd seen death and dealt death on many occasions, all of it violent. And the only thing special about it is that someone's son, brother, mother or daughter died.

In those instances, special was not the same as exciting. Not one bit.

And now he'd have to teach her to defend herself. An academic whose world-view he wished he could share, but instead would have to mold as much as possible so that she wouldn't be a liability. That she was smart, well-spoken and cute didn't help, even if the image of her clinging around his neck wasn't altogether unattractive. He sighed.

Nope, this isn't gonna be fun.

He entered the sparring room next to last, having dragged his feet all the way there while mulling over Olivia's issues from a practical viewpoint. He thought he might have an idea how to help, but it would require building a rapport with someone who probably saw him as a soulless killer. If not now, then she would as soon as they saw action.

He saw the other three and nodded once to them as he headed to the edge of the room and removed his boots and BDU jacket. He didn't need a warm-up. He didn't need to 'get in the zone'. Somewhat bitterly, the veteran mused that 'the zone' was all that was left to him, and there was no way out of it.

The shades came off last, and he bent down to tuck them into his empty boot before straightening up and turning towards the others. He stood there watching each of his team-mates, listening to them speak as he waited for the Major.