UNKD BORACAY (CVU Location)

Located on the small island of Boracay, this UNKD base’s centralized location allows it to effectively defend all of the islands that are collectively known as the Philippines from Kaiju threats with utmost haste and efficiency. As is true for every UNKD base, employees are organized, titled and directed in a manner nearly indistinguishable from those in the conventional US Airforce. Although provisions and space for employees and residents of UNKD were constructed and divvied out with minimalism in mind, the base spares no expenses for its security, mounted defenses, medical equipment, research and development, aircraft storage, equipment manufacture, and hiring quality employees themselves.

For more information regarding the UNKD as a whole, continue here.

OOC:

Standard CVU rules apply.

No large scale destruction without asking me directly and recieving permission.

This is a military base location and only characters who have affiliations with the UNKD personnel based here, who are employed here themselves, or who have a valid reason to be here should be here.

For characters seeking employment here as a member of the UNKD, please pm me so that we can discuss the details. Meta-humans, pilots and foot-soldiers alike are welcome to apply!

If you're wanting to break in for whatever reason, do sell the security properly; there are state-of-the art security measures, trained and armed military personnel, and enlisted meta-humans working for and protecting the location. If you're wanting to attack/raid the place, PM me beforehand for permission, and we'll work something out.

Otherwise, I think that about covers it. Welcome and have fun!

Oh yeah, one other thing:

Coming soon...

OOC List

• Squad Captain Hawk Mama's Profile
• Hawk Squad - UNKD Task Force under the command of Hawk Mama
• Hawk Mama's History

IC List

• Defense, Safety & Security Division - UNKD

"All in favor, hands up."

Seven hands go up.

"All opposed."

Two hands go up.

"Well then it's settled, but the question is, where exactly to put her?" the leader of this particular meeting concluded.

"Do you remember the recent events of France?" a portly man asked.

"You mean that incident with the giant, the mage and the devil who were run off by our Maverick forces? What of it?" the leader asked.

"She did a number on that giant while fighting alone, and using technology that she managed to make with her own limited resources, no less." the portly man replied.

The leader laughed for a moment, "A number? That's not how I remember it. The giant was barely wounded and the pilot's mech was crushed. In fact, the footage seemed to show that the giant was unharmed as it fled from battle. Must have a healing factor or something..."

"You're missing the big picture, Sir. Regardless of whether that meta was sentient or a mindless Kaiju, Miss Leet held her own against a giant monster effectively. She held her own, in single combat, with tech that she had crafted from her own limited resources. You know how the UNKD operates, you're not supposed to take those things on alone and expect to survive. And yet there she is, not a month later and she's fighting another abomination on a port. With her engineering prowess and bravado she'd make one hell of a soldier for the titan slayers over there..." the portly man explained.

"Fair enough, all in favor of offering a Miss Lizzy Leet a position at UNKD?" the leader asked.

Eight hands go up, one stays down.

"You can't be serious!? UNKD stockpiles weapons of mass destruction and terror. They may not be aiming at us, but how can we expect the same compliance from a terrorist!?" exclaimed the hand that stayed.

"The UNKD has been able to handle a walking nuke living in their bases with no issues thus far. I think that they can handle another loose cannon. Besides, we can keep a better handle on her when she's surrounded by armed men than we ever could by just letting her roam around as a vigilante with no chain of command." the leader explained, "And if she turns us down, then we have all the clearance that we need to put a hit on her."

With a small nod and a sigh, the final hand went up. The leader nodded in agreement and concluded the meeting, going straight to work to see about recruiting what may be a very promising soldier.

A message would be sent to the young girl's email, providing her with a brief explanation and a simple choice:

@kaija:

Initially the innovative nerd freaked out at the email, overly exstatic she bounced about like an idiot and played music way to loud. As in poor Dia probably was being called a dozen times by a dozen people about noise complaints kind of loud. Lizzy couldn't help it however, her resources were pretty spotty at best outside of what she'd gotten in Nebraska. She also knew that the giant she fought briefly there was apart of the company that reached out to her. It was the kind of hardware and software a girl like her almost drooled over and she wasn't afraid to admit to that. This was without a doubt the best news she'd had in like months and her jubilation was all to apparent. The latest ordeals had still been clawing at her, the reality of her limits still a factor. A email such as the one received from the UNKD was just about what she needed to shake such an issue off however.

Lizzy arrived at the airbase literally a day after she'd gotten the email had been sent. If someone were to look at when the email had been sent when Lizzy landed, it'd say the email was read one day and two minutes ago. It was the most punctual and on time the gaming gear-head had ever been. She was willing to follow all requested protocols, even kept the weapon systems on her person and of Mjolnir instead in the Portal drone that was to far to call upon efficiently. Much as she hated the label that had been slapped on her she also knew she needed to prove it wrong not expect herself to be trusted.

That said the moment she saw an official she shook off her personal concerns. "Hai, Lizzy Leet" she introduced with an offered hand to shake. "So I know you said I'd be working to clear my own name. However is it possible instead to do so for @the_custodian@renegade84 and anyone else on the teen team Heroes of Tomorrow (@kaede_) outside of the leader. While I am ecstatic for this job opportunity I still owe it to my team to try and free up there name. Even if that means I get thrown under the bus."

@_gaige_:

And older gentleman dressed in blue approached the new recruit. His decorations, along with the confidence apparent in his every stride and the few salutes that he received upon his approach spoke volumes of his rank without him even having to utter a work. He greeted her with an amiable smile and a firm yet gentle handshake. He wanted to make a good first impression with the second young woman that he'd likely be spending a great deal of time with. His pleasant demeanor, in all likelihood, wouldn't last very long.

"Axum" the man replied, her hand in his. He listened to the girl's request, an expression foretelling of surprise, incredulity, and annoyance overtaking him as he mulled it over for a few seconds. His face grew more stern as he gave his reply, "I'd like to start our partnership off on the right foot, so I'll be honest with you. As it stands, that request will be denied. I'm not the person who hands out pardons for criminal activity, no one in the UNKD has that kind of authority. Whoever pardoned you, they were higher powers than I'm aware of. And they didn't pardon you because of past heroics or good behavior either, don't misunderstand. At the end of the day, this is a business just like any other organization. You were pardoned because you're useful and because it benefits the UN having you here. You're a pilot and engineer, so right off the bat you're twice as qualified as most of the personnel here. You learn yourself tactics and logistics and you'll be able to do anyone's job around here."

The man let out a brief laugh then began then gestured for them to start moving. He walked alongside the young woman as they traveled, keeping an eye on both her and the path forward as they they traveled. After traveling for a little over two minutes, making various turns and passing through multiple doorways that worked to section off hallways, the two came upon a... familiar face, albeit somewhat smaller? A blonde woman covered in rippling muscle and sweat, sharp horns atop her head and eyes glistening a deep, blood red. Instead of her usual purple and white attire, she was wearing red sweatpants, a pair of white and green sneakers, a white t-shirt made translucent by rivers of sweat and a black sports bra. She didn't seem overly concerned with her questionable fashion sense. She was drinking from a water bottle when he eyes drifted down and met those of Miss Leet. They flared open for a moment then narrowed as a smile split her lips.

"HA!" The blonde devil exclaimed, almost as though she was laughing sarcastically at a bad joke. She began to walk in the direction of the young pilot, an earnest yet slightly sinister smile on her face, "Hey, Pink Thunder! Next time you shoot a missile into my face, my foot's gonna find its way right up into your *ss. No hard feelings though, just wanted to let you know. Welcome aboard."

The woman waved and passed them by casually, turning down a random hallway to be lost in the labyrinth of the massive UNKD base. Axum led Gaige to a door and knocked, announcing his presence. A voice replied, allowing entry. The man opened the door, then stopped, the suit behind the desk concealed by a velvet chair facing away from the door. The office was as tidy and clean as one would expect from a professional.

"Any last questions? Go ahead and ask em' and I'll help you as best I can. Otherwise, head on in, the person in there's most likely going to be your boss' boss, just keep that in mind." Axum explained, waiting to hear her response.

@kaija:

"I would'nt even label it as criminal. We defended a city under siege, say what you will about all citizens there not all of them were accountable of the previous actions. Not to mention while nothing will absolve what they did, they had been idle. I'm someone who practically carpet bombs enemies and makes it rain bullets and even I think there was a more accurate way to go about it." It was clear she was just venting and purging her system a bit, she understood. Was just that of course she hoped for a more promising outcome. "I get that it's about business and I'm psyched for the opportunity don't get me wrong. But I'm about heroics, I'm a mechanic and there's no denying there's way to much for me to take a wrench to." She remarked following and doing her best to memorize the path and adjacent areas.

That's when the pink contact wearing eyes of Lizzy's found a familiar face, the scarlet eyes and horns didn't phase her. The display of exorcise wasn't particularly new, plenty of people she'd known in Grimm tried to reach physical peaks to one day run amongst the vigilante or upper criminal crowd. She was a bit jealous though, Lizzy was a twig of a figure before someone clearly talented in arts that escaped the nerds knowledge. "Not that I'm judging size or anything but your boot wouldn't fit. Last time we met I was like the size of a fly." She remarked in attempted counter wit and playfulness.

Not long after and Lizzy was soon going to meet one of the true higher ups, but not before having a chance to ask a few more questions. Of which Lizzy tried to think of the ones that might be redundant to the actual bosses. "One, is there a dress code or rules on paint scheme? It may be the antithesis of stealth but I like my style thank you very much. Two, is she able to go giant because of tech or because of powers? And lastly in either case this place obviously has gear for giants, when can I see it?" The last inquiry being the one that spawned a beaming expression, the nerd desperate to explore new technologies.

@_gaige_:

"You ask some strange questions, kid." Axum replied, a light sigh escaping his lips as he adjusted his hat, "You'll need to be in uniform while on duty unless you're given special exception, although given your particular set of skills, you pilot suit should fly as uniform. Only reason why your little friend over there gets away with it is because she's got enough identification sprouting from her skull, and if we cared about fashion, she would've been fired a long time ago. As for your machine, nobody cares what it looks like as long as it gets the job done. We're here to fight, not hold a fashion show, but if you can manage to do both, be my guest. As for the Titan? No tech involved with her powers, she was born that way. If we had tech that could do that, we wouldn't need these aircraft. Her suit is more... pragmatic in design than revolutionary. Girl turns into a mountain, doesn't mean that her clothes follow in suit. Her uniform is innovative, but I don't know if I'd call it high-tech. It behaves a bit like armor, but that's more of an emergent property than it's intended purpose, I mean it's gotta hold up to her throwing punches at kilometers in scale, so that's a given. Plus, it's not like a mountain really needs much protection for practical reasons. No, it's more so she can do her job while maintaining some modicum self respect and privacy, the suit that you're currently wearing is probably far more advanced, tbh. And as for the giant's weapons, that's kinda why you're here. My boss needs to check you over and have you sign some paperwork, but I'm sure that they'll be more than happy to have you working on the tech over here systemically after you're officially in the program. Talk to the giant before you start messing with her weapons, though. She's the one who's going to be using them, so make sure you do right by her or you'll have problems with all of us. Anyways, head on in, you'll have plenty of time to feel the place around while you're here."

Axum gestured to the young pilot to enter the room where a suit was currently awaiting her arrival. Whenever the young girl entered the room, the First Sergent sitting behind the desk would turn to the young girl and present her with a military contract specifically designed for the young girl's employment. Most of the conditions were standard. The girl would pledge her loyalty to the organization, would have to work a given number of hours per day, and would have to undergo training to advance her skills, maintain her skill, and validate her skills to her employers. She would be free to take up residence wherever she wished so long as she was capable of answering a call and going into battle when necessary, but residence on base would be offering if she wished to move in. Given the nature of the girl's employment at UNKD Boracay, her duties would lie primarily in Research and Development, having access to whatever resources were available and keeping copied records of her findings and advancements on site. She would even be allowed to analyze the designs of UNKD models and tech in exchange for specs on her own revolutionary machine. The man in uniform would simply wait for her to ask her questions and sign before they moved on. A few lines escaped the man's lips after the form was laid out on the desk.

"Take your time and read it over, please. We can't proceed any further without that document. After that, we can go ahead and let you get to it."

@kaija:

"I managed to make a name for myself, my image matters. I do technology, of course I'm curious about whats here. And I'm still apart of a team of heroes, why wouldn't I look out for what's basically my squad?" She countered with confidence and arms crossed. Way she saw it while she was obviously a clumsy nerd apart of that showcased why she was also worth being here. In the end a team player, who strived to develop better resources, and had a sense of self worth to top it off. She didn't break the orders of a leader in Nebraska, she rose to the occasion way she saw it.

"Thanks" she concluded before heading into the room to meet those in charge. Most of the document she was fine with, having read it over. It took a few minutes, and she risked annoying others as she attempted to beat box a sick dub step beat of which she most would say butchered. "A few questions though, am I allowed to keep some of my works to myself? Or add them to some things without lending the specs out to as few as possible? Are focus is on fending off monsters, but the tech for such in the wrong hands might as well be WMDS." Her tone was perhaps the most serious it'd been in some time. Essentially she'd soon be designing serious weaponry and defense systems and the showcase of other militaries had displayed what that could mean in the wrong hands. Naturally she wanted some kind of comfort, to know her work even if it couldn't stay hers alone would at least stay within the UNKD.

"Secondly how will my loyalty with UNKD affect my loyalty to my team? I'm honored to be here, but that doesn't change who I am. I don't want to just defend earth from a thirty foot tall crocodile invasion, but also from those who say want to topple parliaments or place entire cities as the collateral for the actions of some of it's people." She asked while signing the papers, it was clear though she might switch to ripping them up if it meant she couldn't continue her outside activities. She'd said it before she wasn't a soldier, repairs needed to the world went well beyond that kind of jurisdiction. This was the opportunity of a life time, but she'd put it aside if it meant the next time certain people stepped out of line she was told to sit on the sidelines and let it be.

@_gaige_:

The man behind the desk waved Axum away, and the soldier promptly closed the door and departed. The boss then turned towards Miss Leet with an amiable smile, ready to give answers for her ears, and her ears alone.

"To answer your first question, we are a military, not thieves. We will not commandeer any specs that you do not wish to share with us, but you must understand that the more cooperation you offer, the more you will receive. You will be compensated for any unique designs that you provide for our organization as well, your payment scaling with the value of your contribution. Royalties included, of course. As for your second question, I'll say this once, and only once. We all know that your friends harbor no ill intent. That's not what this is about. The men upstairs don't like what they can't control. It's why they love our 'Kaija' so much. I'm sure Axum already told you this, but you must understand. You're not here because you're a good guy, you're here because you're useful. That said, your free time is yours to do whatever you want with it. None of us will be watching you. If you have to continue associating with terrorist heroes, there's a simple solution to your problems that will keep everyone happy. Be stealthy. If I happen to forget this conversation, and there happens to be no evidence to lead me to believe that you're working alongside terrorists, then there are no problems, because you're obviously not working with terrorists, right?" the man gave the girl a slight wink, "I think you'll be fine. Now, if there are no further issues, please finish reading and signing the document on the lines provided. When you're done, Axum should be waiting for you."

The man then leaned back in his chair, comfy as all hell in his managerial position.

@lowlaville:

Kaija returned to her room, her body covered in sweat and a sarcastic grin on her face as she came to realize that she and the young pilot in pink seemed to be linked with fate. She stopped by her computer momentarily and checked her email. She had message from a higher-up regarding her recent employment request. They were considering the young gentleman. But he needed to be on base in... TWO HOURS!?

"You gotta be kidding me, when was this sent?" Kaija thought to herself, checking to find that it had been sent a little after 9:00pm the night before, "Are you serious? Less than 48 hours! You jack*sses can at least try to see what's convenient for your employees, gimme a break..."

She walked over to her phone and called Ali... reaching voicemail as expected. She began to sweat a bit when she reached voicemail, but left a very clear message, "Hey, I don't know if you're busy, but you have like..." Kaija decided to lie for her boyfriend's sake, "An hour to get here for an interview. So...if you wanna get mad at someone for the last minute notice, get mad at my bosses, not me. Just wear something nice, try to practice selling yourself as an employee, and get here! If you're hear a bit early, I'll try to give you some advice too, mkay baby? Good luck, hope to see you soon, bye!"

@kaija:

Seattle

Ali woke up, yawning, it was 6:00 in the morning. He didn't want to get up, but he wanted to have a talk with the landlady today. He didn't know whether Uma would pull through or not, but he trusted her more than anyone on this world. Around 30 minutes later, he got out of the shower and picked up his phone. Kaija usually texted him around this time. This was when she usually got off work, and he got up. Convenient time to call. Or Text.

Ali sat down at the edge of the bed when he'd found a voice mail in his inbox.

"Hey, I don't know if you're busy, but you have like..." Kaija decided to lie for her boyfriend's sake, "An hour to get here for an interview. So...if you wanna get mad at someone for the last minute notice, get mad at my bosses, not me. Just wear something nice, try to practice selling yourself as an employee, and get here! If you're hear a bit early, I'll try to give you some advice too, mkay baby? Good luck, hope to see you soon, bye!"

AN HOUR?! Ali couldn't believe what he was hearing. An hour? He was supposed to be get ready, have breakfast and fly across the world in an hours time? 30 minutes had already passed by since the voice mail.

She told him to wear something nice. Ali had bought a pair of jeans and a shirt, to go on a date with a Kaija. He decided to wear that. Ali ran down and out of the house, flying across the streets to the bakery. He bought some puffs and a drink, before flying out, and sat on a bench next to a bus stand. "10 minutes Uma ... you have got to be kidding me," Ali laughed to himself, looking at his phone. There was only 10 minutes until 7:00 AM.

Was this how things were done in Military bases? Ali wondered as he rushed through his breakfast. It was supposed to be 10 PM in another 10 minutes down in Phillipines, and the interview is supposed to be in 10? Ridiculous, Ali thought. But there was nothing he could do about it. After munching through his less than satisfactory breakfast and drink, Ali got up, and tossed the wrapper and plastic bottle down into the trash can.

2 minutes to 10. He had no time to take it easy. A lair of blue lightning covered his entire figure as he slowly rose up, until he was well above the skyscrapers. Ali had gone to Boracay more than enough times now to know exactly which direction it was in. "Here we go!" Ali launched himself at full speed.

Boracay, Philippines

Not even one second had passed in real time, when Ali had arrived in Boracay. His normal full speed at ground level was that of the speed of light. It could already go more than 6 times around a planet as small as Earth. In the air, Ali was much faster. He could circle the planet close to 15 times under a single second. This was how monstrously fast he was.

As for Ali, he himself was not aware of this fact. The realm was billions of miles across, just Shea alone was more than 15 million miles across in a stretch. Earth would be considered an estate of a warlord as powerful as his own father was.

This time however, Ali stopped at the gates, touching ground. He allowed himself to be checked in by the security at the gates.

"I have an interview, my name is Ali Outsider," He said, showing the ID he got from Seattle. Once his activities had become frequent in Seattle, he was brought into the Mayors office, and the affiliation as a citizen of Seattle was made there. Ali now had a name in this world. A place he could call home.

After a brief inquiry with their superiors, the guards let Ali in, and escorted him inside to a waiting room. He called Kaija, "Hey babe, I'm here. In this waiting room. Could you come over?"

@kaija:

"Fair enough" Lizzy remarked satisfied at least enough with the answers. It wasn't full pardon or guarantee but realistically that was to much to expect. Nobody could guarantee that tech here wouldn't get out to others, efforts to keep it so and leave how much she opened up on to her was enough. They didn't necessarily hold her team stuff against her, but there was liabilities to it she had to accept. She finished signing and handed it over "that said I'm kinda not the stealthiest person. So no promises" neon pink wasn't exactly the camouflage color of choice and one couldn't really put silencers on Vulcan cannons and rocket launchers. That all said and done she stepped out to once again meet Axum, this time saluting. Though it wasn't a very good salute, at least she could say she tried to come off as professional as a nerd like her could.

"So uh, can I just go to the labs. I know theres probably like a tour and a room to get acquainted with and so on. I really don't care about that though, that can come whenever. I'd much rather get to dissecting, I mean deconstructing, uhmmm I mean studying." She obviously didn't mean to sound as ill intended as she did. Rather as reports had likely shown, Lizzy had a weird knack for understanding things more by breaking things down reconstructing and so on. A pamphlet on how to build or fix something had never been as good as doing so hands on. "Is there anything ya guys like need in particular? I'd rather not build some new radar thing to find out ya wanted energy shields more ya know? Not that I wouldn't do both if you'd rather" she commented in a characteristic ramble more then coherent sentence structure.

@_gaige_:

Axum smiled as he heard the conversation from the other side of the door. He moved out of he way just in time for the young girl to open the door and salute him. He was earnestly surprised by the pilot's cooperation, and pleased by her eagerness to get started. He nodded for her to follow as he lead her to R&D.

"What do we need? Well, up until this point, we haven't been in need of much to get by. Now, if you're asking what we want, well, I could give you a long list of projects to answer that question. You'll have plenty to do here, trust me. That said, welcome aboard Airman, I look forward to seeing you in action." Axum explained as they disappeared into the depths of the facility.

And so would begin the career of the UNKD's newest prospective employee.

@lowlaville:

Kaija came bursting into the waiting room, a door at either side slamming into the plastic guards on the walls with a surprising amount of force. Her face lit up when she saw Ali, and she rushed over and hugged him tightly. She sat next to him, cleared her throat, and explained what little she could to him.

"So... I kinda lied to you. But I only did it because I care, ok. You're actually about an hour early for your appointment. But this is good, you can get into the right mindset for things. So, from what I gathered from my email, they just want to see what your metahuman capabilities are. They know you aren't a trained soldier, so you're not going to receive the same kind of examinations that I would At least, that's what I'm assuming. I'm gonna tell you what I was they ingrained into my head when I first joined. 'It's more important to have control over your abilities than raw power'. Whatever tests they do, show them that you're safe and in control. Everyone here knows who you are, and after the report that I've submitted and a few of your supersonic entrances they know that you're strong. But no one's gonna hire a meta who poses more of a danger than a benefit. Anyways, we got an hour to go, so we can just chill for a bit and you can ask me any questions, but just keep what I'm saying in mind. I believe in you." Kaija explained, a reassuring look and a slight smile on his face as she prepared for an onslaught of questions.

Time would pass, and the two would fill the time however they could, Kaija letting him know whatever he asked. Only a second after it was time for Mr. Outsider's meeting, a woman in uniform would appear through a doorway and call for the young man with a single word, "Outsider!"

@kaija:

"So... I kinda lied to you. But I only did it because I care, ok. You're actually about an hour early for your appointment. But this is good, you can get into the right mindset for things. So, from what I gathered from my email, they just want to see what your metahuman capabilities are. They know you aren't a trained soldier, so you're not going to receive the same kind of examinations that I would At least, that's what I'm assuming. I'm gonna tell you what I was they ingrained into my head when I first joined. 'It's more important to have control over your abilities than raw power'. Whatever tests they do, show them that you're safe and in control. Everyone here knows who you are, and after the report that I've submitted and a few of your supersonic entrances they know that you're strong. But no one's gonna hire a meta who poses more of a danger than a benefit. Anyways, we got an hour to go, so we can just chill for a bit and you can ask me any questions, but just keep what I'm saying in mind. I believe in you." Kaija explained, a reassuring look and a slight smile on his face as she prepared for an onslaught of questions.

Ali looked at the clock. 10 PM. He waited till Uma was done explaining about the interview. "Dude, is this how things in the military work? Appointments at 11 PM. When do you guys sleep?" He laughed. He'd never heard of such a ridiculous schedule. But to be frank. He wasn't mad or anything at Uma. He can never be. What she did was for his own good, respected that, "So, 'It's more important to have control over your abilities than raw power' I just need to show them stability, and not strength, huh?" Ali asked, smiling.

He understood various applications of his ability without having to resort to brute force. It was rather simple. What Ali worried about was the destructive nature of applications which suddenly budded in his mind. Through his manipulation of electricity, for example, he could kill the power of the entire base in an instant, fry all the equipment which used electricity or use bio-electricity to manipulate people and their actions. What he learned under the tutelage of the Bandit Queen at the Sanctum of the Force also meant that he could be considered to wield the power of the force, under its very many applications. Ali had to decide what he told the interviewers, and whether or not they knew what powers he really had.

He had never told Uma about any other power he knows how to use besides his Electromagnetic manipulation abilities, and he was not entirely sure what was in the report. However, he had planned to keep tricks up his sleeve, just in case the UNKD tried to do something to him. "You...gave them a report of me, like a ... profile?" Ali inquired. He wasn't planning on pressing the matter. He could make thorough inquiries later about that, but Ali wasn't entirely contempt with the idea. More importantly, Kaija had never asked him before doing that.

The concept of a Curriculum Vitae was something entirely foreign to Ali. He didn't know about the process involved in hiring employees, even for a normal company, much less the military, and he was certainly unaware of the strict regulations that goes into selecting individuals for the military, and he was a classified meta-human, the dangerous kind. He would have to have a conversation with Kaija to learn just how big of a favor it really was.

"Anyways, questions: Do I look good? What kind of position do you think I should ask for? I don't know how to fly what you call Jets," Ali said, laughing to himself. He would pause in between questions to allow Uma some time to answer them before resuming. "What are the tests going to be like? Do I have to fight anyone? Is it okay if I used my abilities to 100%? Do I ask them if I can live with you for some time? How many people are going to be asking me questions, and about what?" Ali didn't realize it, but he was actually growing nervous.

Expectations was something he didn't have to face ever since he turned down the position as heir to the throne of Shea. He liked living a carefree life, less responsibilities and more to enjoy himself. However he despised actually doing nothing. He did do things, even back in the realm. But ever since leaving it, Ali had started to feel slower, weaker, and dull. Perhaps staying away from his Master was draining his powers. In the realm of the Beast, the Master's aura was evermore omnipresent. Out here, it felt more free, without two Sage Emperors dictating his life at every single turn point, but he was also longing to go back to his world, even if for a brief moment.

Ali of course, didn't want to stay there in the realm. He wanted to be with Uma. Ali wanted to start his life anew in this tiny world. He would have to find his worth here, and try his best to get along with everyone. Kaija was helping him, and he would make the best of whatever opportunities she presented him with, to turn his life around for the better.

"Outsider!"

The woman in uniform appeared from within the room, and called him out. Ali stood up, "Wish me luck," He kissed her briefly before walking towards the woman, "My name is Ali Outsider, a pleasure meeting you," Ali didn't know whether or not this woman was the interviewer, but he had decided to be as polite as he could, whoever she might've been.

@lowlaville:

"Anyways, questions: Do I look good? What kind of position do you think I should ask for? I don't know how to fly what you call Jets," Ali said, laughing to himself. He would pause in between questions to allow Uma some time to answer them before resuming."What are the tests going to be like? Do I have to fight anyone? Is it okay if I used my abilities to 100%? Do I ask them if I can live with you for some time? How many people are going to be asking me questions, and about what?"Ali didn't realize it, but he was actually growing nervous.

Kaija cleared her throat and clasped her hands together, taking a moment to replay his long list of questions in her mind before giving her answers, "Uh, in order?.... Oh, boy. Um.... Always. I'm not sure you can. They probably just want you to show off. If you can make sure not to kill anyone. If you get a job here, they won't care. I don't know. And... I don't know"

Kaija took a deep breathe, amazed that she was able to remember all of the questions that he spat out. She could tell that he was nervous, and she found it somewhat funny. The man who fought legions, nervous about impressing some suits. Kaija read it as a sign of maturity, that Ali was coming to understand that not every problem could be solved with brute force and lightning. She gave him a small peck on the cheek and looked him in the eyes.

"Hey, hey. You'll be fine, okay. Just remember to keep out of your own head. Listen to what they're saying and do as they ask. It's just an interview, you'll be fine." Kaija tried to comfort him.

He soon departed with the woman, behind a pair of steel doors and deeper into the facility. The woman lead him into a large white black room with a single robot standing at the center. There was a camera in every corner lining the ceiling, and every tile on the floor seemed to move a bit with every step. The woman smiled at Ali and gestured towards the machine.

"Before you speak to anyone else, we'd like a demonstration of you abilities. So, a little test. This machine, this is Dummy. Dummy is one of millions, and is completely expendable. Destroy him, however you can. When you kill Dummy, you be brought a new one. We would like for you to destroy each Dummy in a unique fashion. The higher your score, the better your job. Simple right? Don't worry, he's harmless, and I'll be right here during the entire test. You may begin whenever you are ready." the woman pulled her hand back to her side, and moved back until she was leaning against a wall behind her.

@kaija:

Ali sat out, with the advice from his beloved, trying to be as calm as possible. He followed the woman into a big black room. There seemed to be a robot standing right there at the center. His eyes followed her hand, on to the machine.

"Before you speak to anyone else, we'd like a demonstration of you abilities. So, a little test. This machine, this is Dummy. Dummy is one of millions, and is completely expendable. Destroy him, however you can. When you kill Dummy, you be brought a new one. We would like for you to destroy each Dummy in a unique fashion. The higher your score, the better your job. Simple right? Don't worry, he's harmless, and I'll be right here during the entire test. You may begin whenever you are ready." the woman pulled her hand back to her side, and moved back until she was leaning against a wall behind her.

Kill dummy? That human sized thing she called a machine. Ali looked back at the woman as she went back to lean against a side wall. Was she going to be an observer? He understood, that he had to at least be careful, not to get the woman involved in any of his attacks. If Ali had known there would be a test like this, he would've brought his sword. Alas, even without one, he knew of certain ways he could do this.

Ali started his core, and it began to spin. With every cycle, surges of lightning seeped out from the core, spreading across his entire frame, charging every fiber of his being. None of it seeped out, but it powered his muscles from within. He dashed forward, fist clenched, an attack at supersonic speeds, his fist planted right into the machine's face. It got blown backwards, face smashed to pieces from the power of the fist flying at Supersonic speeds.

Ali waited in the middle until another dummy was brought into the center of the room. He looked at the woman, smiling at her, before returning his attention to the dummy. He walked over to it, then placed his hand on the dummy. It was simple enough to run a powerful current through the Dummy's frame, leading to a meltdown. Ali let it go mid-way. Even if he did not need to worry about hot temperatures, his clothes had a say in the matter.

Yet again, a new dummy was brought up. Ali smashed his right hand straight through where the heart on a human body would be. This was regarded an instant kill. Yet another was brought up. Ali had beheaded it with a flick of his lightning covered palm attack. On the next Dummy, Ali used palm attacks, combined with lightning, with visible repercussions, it was shredded. In one piece but there'd be no way a human being would live after a brutal attack like that. Ali used his speed for the next attack. He walked up to the machine, then in an instant, increased the leverage of his fist up to Mach 10, and smashed his fist against the Dummy's chest. It got blown into the opposing wall, shattering to pieces.

"Here I come!" Ali charged at the next dummy when it came up, transforming into lightning, he smashed right through the Dummy, destroying it swiftly. He used a ball of lightning to attack, a zap, lightning needle attacks and even thought up and used lightning from his eyes like laser to attack and destroy the dummy.

"How am I doing?" Ali asked the woman after a while of smashing. He didn't know how long he was supposed to be doing this. It was beginning to get boring. Ali walked up to the dummy, covered both his palms in lightning, a smashed against the head of the dummy, with enough force to flatten it. On the next try, he took it down to the ground, smashed its throat. His old martial discipline. On the next, he used lightning like a spike, around his fingers and smashed right through the Dummy's jaw and out through the top of his skull. And the next, he poked the dummy's eyes, letting lightning do its job once in.

The more he continued to smash, the more Ali felt his blood boiling. He was the son of the Rage Fiend, a defect in the reincarnation process. Ali forgot how he was prone to lose control if he let his excitement proceed. Ali had grabbed the next dummy's neck and crushed it before throwing it aside. He had torn the next one which came up, clean from the middle using just one finger. And finally, with the next Dummy coming up, Ali actually breathed a mouthful of lightning on the dummy, and completely vaporized it.

No matter his score, Ali decided to stop there. He couldn't afford going out of control. This wasn't all he could do, but it had to suffice.

@lowlaville:

The woman watched quietly as Ali made short work of the Dummies. Although his efforts were impressive, he did repeat quite a few kills with slightly different applications, but his score was impressive nonetheless. Despite the strength of the meta in the room with her, the woman was unexpectedly calm and relaxed, hinting at her experience in sharing the space with beings of absurd power. Unbeknownst to Ali, the fact that his watcher was unharmed was simply another point to add to his score. The various sensors within the Dummies worked to measure a minimum potential for the mutant and the woman took notes of her own. Higher-ups began speaking amongst themselves deeper withing the facility immediately, the introduction of a new metahuman garnering far more interest than a new human recruit ever could.

"How am I doing?"

"The fact that you can destroy one so easily is a good sign, so I'd say that you're doing fine. Very impressive display in my opinion, but I'm not the one hiring, only observing. If you're done, then there's the oral part of your interview. Just let me know when you're ready and we can proceed. Oh, and keep in mind, do not use your abilities outside of the black rooms. Good luck, by the way." The woman explained.

Ali would be free to continue, but in the event that he wished to move on, he would be lead to a room similar to the meeting room that the new engineer of the UNKD was sent to directly. A woman of similar uniform but sterner face would be waiting for him, papers in hand and glasses placed atop her head.

@kaija:

"The fact that you can destroy one so easily is a good sign, so I'd say that you're doing fine. Very impressive display in my opinion, but I'm not the one hiring, only observing. If you're done, then there's the oral part of your interview. Just let me know when you're ready and we can proceed. Oh, and keep in mind, do not use your abilities outside of the black rooms. Good luck, by the way." The woman explained.

Ali has had about enough with smashing the machines. He didn't want to go all out, "I'm ready," Ali gave a nod towards the woman. He listened to her instructions, before being led out of the room. They had walked into another room, where a woman sat behind a desk.

Of course Lizzy had always dubbed her projects in a name synonymous with video games. It at times became hard to distinguish the latest cgi character from the countless remarkable people of the world. Reality was far crazier then fiction, but that was besides the point. She needed to change her naming scheme for projects she concluded. Something told her the military types wouldn't want their latest toys named say Pacman. Mythology worked better, which led Lizzy to uncover the Ancile.

A Roman shield said to have fallen from the skies to signal the devine defense of Rome if not shield the great empire itself. It was to defend against the plagues, which to Lizzy meant defended against biological threat. And fact it fell from the heavens meant physical. Elleven duplicates had been made to go with it, concluding in one true shield and twelve in total. Which was good as it set Lizzy on the right course of how much to work on.

From there the research and development lab became her playground. Two seperate computers were running on one desk, a mix of mathematics calibrations and blue prints on the screen. In between the monitors was a speaker, it flashed in vibrant lights and every once and awhile the audio would dip. Because while it was quality, it was also clear the loud nerd liked loud music and that it had to be at a loud volume. If not for walls designed to help keep sound out she likely would be the bane of all. Instead it was just her and the radio not bothering to many people to much. Alongside the desk was a rainbow colored pyramid of cans of Mountain Dew and energy drinks.

"Right so if I mix the Brutus ideas with those used to replicate repulsion ideas I should be able to get each shield to move at a rate to counter balance the impact. The speed might endanger flight patterns though. A standard shield won't work either however. The amount of kinetic impact is to variable. Ha nano machines son." She remarked in her rambling monologue to herself, while remembering a meme that spawned she was pretty sure from Maverick. "If I could get the machines to generate the shield they could react in accordance and pull from the battery in the exact amount desired." The goal being an energy shield that would properly adjust for high speeds and the titanic might the opposition could project. It was a basic design, odds were someone somewhere just had a bubble shield. That seemed out of place to Lizzy though. The projection had to fight the movement she'd felt and such a shield would have a set amount of what it could take. Lizzy knew though that a hit from a boat wasn't the same as the crushing grip of a titan. That said Lizzy was still fumbling a bit with the Kaija variation. To which with her comfortable chair rolling along the floor the nerd moved from her sparking cluttered metallic mess of a work bench to the computers. Sending a email, to request information on the giants costume. They'd told her it was probably no big deal, but Gaige was confident it'd help understand the requirements of her current idea.

@lowlaville:

The woman sat their for a moment her eyes scanning everything from the young man's posture to his physique and his appearance. Upon general inspection, there was a duality to her thoughts on him. She found herself conflicted by the implications of what he was... and where he was. Although the UNKD didn't didn't involve itself with wars, crime or meta-human control, the organization had seen its share of seemingly unstoppable beings that threatened human civilization as a whole. This particular man was a "God of Lightning" and a prince from another world. Two titles that, in this woman's eyes, bred narcissism, arrogance, apathy towards common man, and sociopathic behavior. The man's origins left a bad taste in her mouth that, up until this particular moment, left her fully opposed to the idea of even wasting their time in trying to hire him. But, despite that, the woman in uniform behind her desk was given her position for a reason, and although her knee-jerk reaction was a negative one, she couldn't deny that this "Ali Outsider" showed good intention in all of his actions thus far.

The fact of the matter was, he was here. Ali wasn't robbing banks with his abilities, he wasn't claiming dominion over the innocent people of the world, he didn't behave in a manner that suggested that he was above the law and he wasn't abusing his powers. He sought to become a part of the world and work alongside humans to accomplish his goals. Although the woman still found an ever-constant distaste in what the boy was, it would be childish of her to place more importance in the man's heritage and physiology than in his actions. She didn't trust him, there was no reason to, but for all his restraint she knew that he was deserving of a chance. After all, he wasn't the only meta-human employed there, and his abilities could be a great resource.

"Here. Read this over and ask any questions that you may have. Sign it when you are satisfied, it is a required document for all new recruits" the woman explained, handing Ali a form to sign, "This interview will be a simple one, but I'm going to clarify something before we move on. Regardless of your abilities or birthright, if you're working here then you are an equal to your fellow soldiers. We value merit here moreso than ability, and this holds true for all of our personnel, human or no. When and if you stand in front of a mirror gazing in pride at your decorations, it won't be because of where you were born or the gifts that your ancestors passed down to you. No, it will be because of what you did with them and how you lived your life. Understand? Now, I only need you to answer one question, but I'll need you to give me an adequate answer. What incentive do we, in your own words, have to hire you and enlist you into the UNKD?" the woman then laid back in her seat, a look of curiosity spreading over her face as she eagerly awaited the Ali's answer.

@kaija:

"Here. Read this over and ask any questions that you may have. Sign it when you are satisfied, it is a required document for all new recruits" the woman explained, handing Ali a form to sign, "This interview will be a simple one, but I'm going to clarify something before we move on. Regardless of your abilities or birthright, if you're working here then you are an equal to your fellow soldiers. We value merit here moreso than ability, and this holds true for all of our personnel, human or no. When and if you stand in front of a mirror gazing in pride at your decorations, it won't be because of where you were born or the gifts that your ancestors passed down to you. No, it will be because of what you did with them and how you lived your life. Understand? Now, I only need you to answer one question, but I'll need you to give me an adequate answer. What incentive do we, in your own words, have to hire you and enlist you into the UNKD?" the woman then laid back in her seat, a look of curiosity spreading over her face as she eagerly awaited the Ali's answer.

Ali waited, somewhat nervously for the woman to speak. She handed him a form. Ali quickly read through it. With how nervous he'd felt, time had actually slowed down to him as he read through, the 10 paged document, mostly concerning various local, international and UN laws regarding codes of conduct and terms of employment. Training, Service and Accommodation, This was not a bad deal at all. While he took around 15 minutes to read it through, in real time, Ali had actually finished reading it in one.

Ali listened to the woman go on about hard-work and about earning his place. He did not mind this at all. Even back in his home-world, he was not respected or revered due to being the son of the Rage Fiend, or the grandson of the Abomination, it was because of his own ability that he was renowned throughout the realm.

"By taking me as an employee, you would have received a hard-working and loyal individual who will do everything in his power to preserve his employers, ma'am," Ali replied in earnest. He really didn't need to lie about it. His beloved, Uma, was here. And that made being within UNKD the best possible deal for him. "I do not mean to boast about my powers, or that I reserve the capability to do anything to you guys, and I am fine being a simple foot soldier, a security guard or even someone who helps clean the mess hall. I will gradually work my way up to whatever it is that I would have earned within this establishment, and it would be purely because of my capabilities. I do take pride in who I am, and who my ancestors were, but they do not define who I am, ma'am. You were right in saying that,"

@kaija:

It'd been a 3 weeks since Bradshaw was out of the hospital roughly. His wounds acquired from the time were more grievous than his performance after might have let on, he had to take time to come back into the swing of things and begin his normal training routine. What took most hospitals potentially months to heal and then rehabilitate was healed in merely two weeks through methods he doesn't understand beyond the surface level and that Maverick seldom revealed in their entirety any way. All that really mattered was that he was back on his feet. Not mission ready. But enough for him to fight near his peak, for a little bit.

To him, being an instructor just out of the hospital was a break. His training wasn't nearly as hard and his body seemed to forget how to not be fit given that he's spent literally decades of his life honing his physical and mental abilities. A little bit of time not spent in the grueling training let him recuperate, maybe for the better even. The Maverick Mutant Hunter never admitted to his work-a-holism, to how his mind gnawed at him for not either doing something productive or proactively looking for something productive to do.

The UKND job's always open.

----

Kaija had requested "the magic" in how Bradshaw trained, and his training was clearly different from any normal soldier's training. His last session with her at STRIKE was a good starting point, allowing him to gauge where exactly she was. From what he'd assumed, given his thinking her amateur, she was clearly "good" and had potential, knowing far more about combat than her extra-ordinary metahuman abilities might have alluded to. The first impression he had of her having relied on her power all the time to overcome everything, to simply take the "hit it harder" was enough. He was wrong. She had skill and grit, and the kid gloves were off when it came to training him. He decided it best to simply, for all intents and purposes treat her like a Maverick.

She'd notice the large amount of gear that accompanied him. There were no mats and he simply opted to go into an inactive part of the air field, where he would drop a bunch of armor in front of her, mandating that they both wear it in order to better prevent permanent damage to various areas on the body. It was lighter than it looked, it looked to be based on those used by Isreali special, hosting a wide variety of protection to various areas of the body. A transparent, cut resistant cloth was the first thing to get put on, embed with perfectly structured aggregate diamond nanorod chainmail or simply what it was commonly called hyperdiamond. The knives with the armor were dull, but real carbon steel. The mesh served to prevent them from getting cut. The crotch plate to prevent them from genociding eachother's genitals. Padding, not bulky and light, serving to prevent them from shattering eachother's bones with things like 5,000 ft lb impact judo throws on solid pavement, while also serving to emulate the heat and fatigue actual armor generates and how uncomfortable and awkward it can be to fight in it. A helmet that was almost invisible, allowing for knives to go towards to areas like the eyes

After that was all said and done, the rules of the lesson amounted simply, there were none. Do whatever it was to take out the opponent.

----

The

"Hope you don't gas out on me again, Giganta."

A little bit more than an hour in and the two stood opposing each other, yet another of their currently 5 minute bouts with a 1 and a half minute break. About to start with the timer counting down, another bout to begin in five.....

Four....

Three....

Two.....

Few opportunities existed for one to hone lethal techniques, by virtue of them being lethal. But taking similar steps to those of Krav Maga and fencing instructors, and combining it with advanced supermaterials made for a surprising focus on hand to hand training for units that required it.

Even after an hour of this, he still had the eye whirring speed his ultra-efficient movement carried when he held the blade. He slowed down, but to him, he'd known the knife like how wolf knew how to use it's claws and jaws. He moved and acted with a deliberate lack of thought, to the point that if a Telepath were to try to read the surface of his mind, they'd find nothing in the realm of thought on the surface until he was given actual reason to think.

T'ill then he was going to take initiative and move in, until she gave him a reason to stop, he'd approach from multiple angles with rapid slashes aimed wherever the edge of his range allowed. The wrists. Eyes. Forehead. Anywhere within reach.

For now at least.

@lowlaville:

"By taking me as an employee, you would have received a hard-working and loyal individual who will do everything in his power to preserve his employers, ma'am," Ali replied in earnest. He really didn't need to lie about it. His beloved, Uma, was here. And that made being within UNKD the best possible deal for him. "I do not mean to boast about my powers, or that I reserve the capability to do anything to you guys, and I am fine being a simple foot soldier, a security guard or even someone who helps clean the mess hall. I will gradually work my way up to whatever it is that I would have earned within this establishment, and it would be purely because of my capabilities. I do take pride in who I am, and who my ancestors were, but they do not define who I am, ma'am. You were right in saying that,"

The woman smiled at his answer. It wasn't the most creative answer, nor unique by any definition, but it was a good answer. His eyes never left hers as he spoke, he didn't stutter as he articulated his intentions, and there was no blush to indicate shame. The only sign of uncertainty that he had shown were the beads of sweat dropping from his forehead that every interviewee who has ever sat in the chair before her had produced. She smiled and nodded at the young man as she took his papers from him, checking them over to make sure that he signed before concealing them within her desk.

The woman wanted to tell the boy right then and there that he was hired, but the protocols for enlisting a metahuman weren't quite so simple. His energy output and physicals were more than impressive enough to prove his worth, but there were more... concerning issues that came into play with this particular individual. There was a reason why she didn't bother questioning him on his demographics or history of employment... it would've been a waste of time. His past was entirely unknown and unable to be validated by anyone on Earth. Only a month or so ago, this young man didn't even possess an identification card or a social security number. To this day, he still didn't possess a birth certificate, medical records or even a basic psychological profile. If Ali truly was a creature from another world that merely appeared human, then trusting him would be a long term goal for both himself and his employers. This because of his past deeds, as they were entirely irrelevant, but because of his foreign and extraterrestrial nature. The woman behind the desk didn't care much about whether or not he would actually receive the job, but she did make a silent wish on his behalf to assist him in his endeavors. He seemed like a good person after all.

"The will be all, Mr. Outsider. We'll be in touch. Oh, and... I figured that I'd let you know that your girlfriend had to go to a training session while you were with us during the interview process. Just give her a bit before you call her, okay? She tends to get a bit distracted when topics involving you come up, so maybe wait for an hour or two before you get in contact with her. I'm sure you'd prefer it if she didn't miss a step during a crucial moment in a fight, right?" the woman explained, sending him a small wink, "You'll find your observer waiting for you outside of my office. She'll lead you out of the base. Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Outsider!"

The very same woman who recorded the results of his demonstration in the "Dummy Room" would be waiting to escort him out of the base. His interviewer, in the meantime, would write her analysis and summary to produce later in meeting.

A few hours later...

"Don't we have enough freaks coming through here lately?"

A round of laughter was shared by everyone at the table except for the head of the board, and the woman whom had spoken to the "freak" interviewing for a job earlier that day. They all had already seen the results of his demonstration and interview, and now was the time to come to a decision.

"Regardless of how you wish to label the young man, he could very easily prove a huge asset to us. Any metahuman who wishes to assist in government affairs should at least be given a chance to prove their worth. I feel as though I shouldn't have to mention this, but out greatest weapon against Kaiju and the like is a metahuman, let us not forget this." the sympathetic woman argued.

"Oh, you mean the size-shifter that was practically raised by the UN? Do you understand how bad of a comparison that is? Hiring illegal immigrants is one thing, but this kid is literally an alien. We have nothing on him. We don't know what species he is or his culture. Hell, we don't even know what his real name is, just what he submitted for an ID. You can't trust something like that, especially not with the materials on a UNKD facility. You can't be this stupid? Are you really proposing that we turn a blind eye to that? Don't you realize how asinine...."

"QUIET!" the head of board exclaimed, interrupting the overly-excited suit, "SOME of you seem to have forgotten that we are here to discuss the matters at hand, not to point fingers and name-call. Now, you spoke with the young man, so I'll ask you first. Why should we trust this extraterrestrial enough to employ him."

The woman wished to answer honestly, but the fact of the matter was... feelings and opinions may matter when it comes to voting, but never when it comes to persuading. Despite the opportunity that she believed that the boy deserved given his behavior at the meeting, she couldn't speak her mind without discrediting herself. So she gave the board an improvised, yet acceptable answer.

"You can't trust him, and have no reason to. I admit that" she answered honestly, "But you can trust what you can keep your eyes on. It is true that there are weapons here that could lead to catastrophe if they were to land into the wrong hands, but the fact of the matter is, if he wanted to cause a great deal of destruction, he wouldn't even need them. The fact that the young man wishes to be employed here and earn an honest living means that we can keep an eye on one more dangerous metahuman, while also gaining a valuable employee and perhaps improving human/metahuman relations. And if he does try something, then the world will at least find out a bit sooner with our personnel keeping their eyes on him. The benefits from hiring him outweigh the dangers, do they not?"

A brief silence filled the room, only broken by the laughter of the head of the board a few moment later. He sighed and cleared his throat.

"All in favor of hiring this, Ali Outsider?" he asked.

All hands rise unanimously.

"Where shall we put him then?" the head asked the rest of the board.

"I believe that the best job for the young man would be a position in which he'll be watched most thoroughly. He also doesn't have the qualifications for a job in logistics, as a pilot, or an engineer. I think it's pretty clear where he belongs. Security detail. Let the 'detectives' watch him while he proves his worth, he can be reassigned if and when he's proven his loyalty and can better fill another role." the woman explained.

Another brief pause as the audience gave thought to her proposition.

"All in favor?" the head asked.

All hands go up.

"Very well, then we have a new amateur security officer. Boracay is turning out to be the weirdest of establishments, isn't it." the head concluded.

"Agreed" the rest of the board responded, including the woman whom had interviewed the newest security guard not too long ago.

@maverick_6:

Although Gaoto wasn’t fond of the presence of another “silver maned” master, Kaija found herself admittedly ecstatic. It gave her an opportunity to train with the legend on familiar turf while wearing her underarmor as opposed to to the civilian clothes that she was restricted to on the S.T.R.I.K.E. premises. It also gave her a chance to meet the man personally, as well as learn more about S.T.R.I.K.E. and develop more connections to help her advance in her career. Still, despite her respect for the man and the newfound convenience that his presence brought about, she became somewhat mischievous after his arrival. From the moment that Bradshaw and Gaoto passed by one another in a hallway, Kajia had a burning desire to instigate a fight between the two, but a fear that if either of them had picked up on her subtle nudges, then her dream would be lost forever. Regardless, Bradshaw was on the UNKD; Boracay premises not to entertain her, but to instruct her, and her dream would have to wait until the opportune moment.

An hour or so earlier, Kaija wore an enormous smile as she reluctantly donned the armor that The Maverick had brought for her. In an actual combat situation, Kaija would’ve worn a far more stoic expression and would’ve shown more concern about the present situation. Even with knives whirling about above the grassy plain, Kaija was having fun through it all. Every movement, every prediction, every timed breath, to Kaija it was no more than a game. It was simply how she learned.

"Hope you don't gas out on me again, Giganta."

“I didn’t gas out on you last time. You’re a teacher, what good are you if you can’t handle a few questions?” she asked.

The very same smile that Kaija had worn at the beginning of their training still held strong through it all, though her armor was slightly less than pristine. Although Kaija herself was unharmed, two gashes in her armor told of previous mistakes that she had made.

The oldest and deepest cut lie horizontally across the midsection of her armor, a wake-up call for her near the beginning of their session. Bradshaw was far from the first skilled knife that she had faced, but he was the most skilled by a decent margin. After realizing that she’d need to focus and step her game up, she began to adapt, and the man began to struggle in his attempts at landing another.

The youngest cut, far more shallow than the first, lie on Kaija’s right hind-arm. The location and superficiality of the cut foretold of the girl’s acclimation to Bradshaw’s tactics and the effectiveness of her defensive. Still, allowing the opponent to injure your wielding-arm is a mistake that could easily cost you your life in a knife fight depending on the severity of the wound. Kaija again adjusted and continued to fight onwards.

30 minutes had passed since Kaija’s opponent had nicked the padding on her shoulder, and despite the solid defense that she was maintaining to keep the man’s attacks at bay, she had yet to land a single blow on anything other than Bradshaw’s blade. She was determined to leave her mark before she struck out.

Four....

Three....

Two.....

Although the two waltzed through the grass with blades in hand, their battle sounded no different than any sparring match that Kaija would’ve had with Gaoto. Their blades almost never met, and simply sailed through the air, dodged and deflected by the motions of two experienced combatants. Every deflection made by Kaija’s wielding arm seamlessly evolved into a lunge or a slash, preventing her opponent from remaining on the offensive. Every attack nullified by her left arm created an brief opening for her to to strike with her right. As the two adapted to one another, it became increasingly unclear who was attacking and who was defending, each motion holding dual intent.

Kaija could sense the ending of their bout, her body recognizing the passing of 5 minutes of time after engaging in enough of them. She decided to take a risk given the short amount of time left in the round. She retreated on the man’s next slashing attack, taking a moment to alter her handling of her blade so that she would be holding the knife in a reverse grip. She’d then advance on the man and feint a wide, horizontal slash, intent on forcing him to move or to attempt to counter. The instant that he responded to her attack, if he did, she’d then pull her knife back to her torso, blade facing outwards, and then launch her true attack. She’d quickly angle her right forearm perpendicular to the ground and make a short advance, then fire the blade forward, hoping to cross over his defenses and plunge the knife into the padding over his collar bone for a hit.

Regardless of her success the end of their bout would follow shortly afterwards, the five minute mark arriving in seconds. Kaija would take a moment to ask her instructor about something that had been bothering her for a while now. It would soon become blatantly obvious how little her employers informed her of certain issues. Perhaps they had a reason for keeping certain secrets.

“One of these days I’m gonna embarrass you, old man.” Kaija promised, a smile holding strong on her lips, “Where were you anyways? You tell me to meet you in two days, then you disappear for almost two months… I understand that spending time with a hot blonde puts you at increased risk for heart attack, but you can at least warn me when you need a breather. I mean, one of the nurses can hook you up with some Lisinopril if it’s that big of a problem”

And there is was. Kaija knew nothing. She simply laughed to herself as she awaited the man’s answer, unaware of the entire affair at the docks.

@kaija:

!@%^

The pain seared from seemingly nowhere, his wound reacting to his constant explosive bursts of movement. His stance switches from a sort of orthodox to a more southpaw stance, his grip reversing on the knife.

*Chink*

His hand deflected her arm and his leg was kicking against the back, of her calf. As he staggered back for a moment, and caught himself in one step. The knife had struck, going alogn the side of his.

The bout continues, with particular emphasis being that guarding the back is very necessary. She does a good job of keeping him out, and he does a moderately good job of not showing that he's fighting his own body. His expression, remaining the same as it always has been.

“One of these days I’m gonna embarrass you, old man.” Kaija promised, a smile holding strong on her lips, “Where were you anyways? You tell me to meet you in two days, then you disappear for almost two months… I understand that spending time with a hot blonde puts you at increased risk for heart attack, but you can at least warn me when you need a breather. I mean, one of the nurses can hook you up with some Lisinopril if it’s that big of a problem”

"You seem like you missed me an awful lot, Giganta. You tryna tell me something?" Same steely expression, but with his brow raised. "If you must know, there was a mission I had to take. Another random rampage by the Docks in New York. Chick with a bunch of superpowers, one of them being these constructs she made with her mind. Made a bunch of swords that cut through buildings."

His fist taps his chest.

"Was wearing a Titanium Nano-Armor. Rated for to Two hundred and fifty ton per square centimeter impacts and her sword cut through like wasn't there. Really, it was learning how to duck and weave in boxing, SF and the field that kept me alive out there. Kinda funny. Poor girl though. Government project, enforcer and cape." What he and other Mavericks sometimes called "heroes."

"Crippled her and then we managed to calm her down, after that. The woman we think is responsible or at least connected, got away."

@maverick_6:

Kaija crossed her arms and smirked as she heard about the man's adventures during his absence. Although she was honestly proud to hear of his success, it was only natural that she would bring up some of her own proud moments.

"Yeah, that's pretty cool. But you know what I did during the two month break? I took out two potentially national threats. Two of them. Each Kaiju... was about... two kilometers large and... hmmm" Kaija realized something during her attempt at 'counter-boasting'... she wasn't bragging about doing anything fresh or unusual, and the killing Kaiju of any size was simply her job. As soon as the word 'Kaiju' escaped from her lips, she felt a wave of Deja Vu and boredom spread throughout body, physically tiring her. Regardless of how impressive the feats may have been to a bystander whom had never met Kaija before, she felt the need to brag about something a little less... work related, "... Uh, I also managed to stop a bank robbery without damaging the store or harming any of the civilians. Surveyed the scene, made a game plan, and handled the situation like a pro. All without gaining even an inch! I mean, I almost got arrested but... well... yeah..."

Kaija cringed internally and looked away from Bradshaw for a moment after telling her godawful story about her mundane acts of heroism.

"That's what I get for trying to show him up, I guess. Those things weren't even giant monsters to me. They were just regular monsters waiting to get their *sses kicked in from my point of view. And a bank robbery... yeah that's real exciting, Uma. Guy just took down a Government-made, artificial heroine with a bunch of powers who can generate matter with her brain! All you've done lately is.... WAIT, WHAT!?" Kaija thought to herself, a few dots beginning to connect in her head, the small details provided by Bradshaw painting an unsavory image

"Crippled her and then we managed to calm her down, after that."

Kaija's eyes widened as the possibility of personal tragedy donned on her. She turned to him, her perky, cheerful demeanor changing to a look of horror. She walked up to him, her heart pounding harder than any of their training had ever forced it to beat. When she spoke to him, her voice lacked confidence or strength. She forced it out of herself, almost ashamed of the thoughts that ran through her head.

"W-what else can you tell me about the meta that you hospitalized? And what do you mean by... crippled? What was this girl's name, Bradshaw?"

@kaija:

"... Uh, I also managed to stop a bank robbery without damaging the store or harming any of the civilians. Surveyed the scene, made a game plan, and handled the situation like a pro. All without gaining even an inch! I mean, I almost got arrested but... well... yeah..."

Kaija cringed internally and looked away from Bradshaw for a moment after telling her godawful story about her mundane acts of heroism.

"Yeah? Good work. Not too often that happens."

He smiled.

The shift in his expression was very short-lived, when he saw the shift in hers.

"W-what else can you tell me about the meta that you hospitalized? And what do you mean by... crippled? What was this girl's name, Bradshaw?"

"Alexis. Code-name: Contingency. Purple hair. Turned brown when incapacitated."

A moment to garner the immediate, non-verbal reaction. And irregardless he, continued, moving to her next question.

"She appeared immune to conventional weapons. So, we used a different method we'd speculated could enable a single man to kill a metahuman. It's based off the concept of a laser lobotomy. While she might have been seemingly invulnerable from the outside. So, we shot her on the inside, using a laser to penetrate through her pupils and fry her brain. It was supposed to kill her, but an incapacitation seemed within reach. Despite this, she was still flying off the handle. So, one of the others who showed up shot her in the spine. And paralyzed her legs down."

@maverick_6:

Kaija froze as her thoughts began to race faster than her mind could manage. A wave of despair and uncertainty ran through the entirety of her body as the teacher that she had looked up to so casually told her about his actions and how he may have very well crippled, if not killed her best friend. She became aware of a very real advantage that her childhood had provided her. Or, at the very least, what it seemed to provide. Although Kaija was accustomed to death and gore, surrounded by it in fact, she was as vulnerable to loss as anyone. Being the only remaining bearer of her family's blood and name, she thought herself immune to it entirely, above a basic human experience. Now loss, or at least thoughts of loss, cut through her like a knife and shattered her inward resolve. And so she decided to bolster the external.

She smiled almost reflexively, unaware of a better response. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes telling of how great a liar she had grown to be.

The man standing before her, in that moment, stood as a very cold reminder of what she was and what she constantly, and unknowingly strove to be. They were killers, through and through. When death rarely hits close to home, it's easy to ignore it, to objectify it, to justify it, to glamorize it, and to find humor in it. Kaija began to, for the first time in a very very long time, sympathize with every family that she's disrupted, intentionally or not. Every family who's lost a daughter to the colossal, careless heel of Kaija's boot, or a delinquent child to a round from her magnum or an ill-intentioned fist... she felt for them all in that moment. Every bit of rage and fury in her mind found itself contested by her own personal experience training and simply spending time with the old man getting to know him. She decided that, in that moment, her best choice of action was to simply not act. Not until she truly understood the entirety of the situation and her initial shock had passed.

"What happened Bradshaw?" Kaija asked, a lie painting her face, "What was Contingency doing to deserve that?"

@kaija:

"She was killing people."

He paused, his face tensing. He only the subtlest of motions to assess that he should construct what he said carefully, as she's human, and her reactions are thus human. His instincts told him what to do in danger automatically. If someone lifted up a building and tried to drop it on him right now, he'd know what to do. This...was hard.

Again, as per usual, his face remained the same. The only that might allude to an unaccustomed sense of dread welling up within himself was a subtle tensing. He felt a fire, burning up within him and with that, he used it to steel himself. His anger is not towards her, and she doesn't deserve to bare any of it. He took a deep, resounding sigh, his unease at his response departing with his breath, at the moment.

"I did it, because I felt that it was what I had to do." He said bluntly, saying what he felt, straightforwardly and without carelessness.

"I'll take it you did know her then. Well, I didn't. Nobody knew who she was, because she was wearing an armor. Never studied the girl, knew much about her or anything like that. Military was raining down artillery on her, so I didn't exactly think I could walk up to her and just bap her on the head and knock her out. Not when nothing else was having an effect. To me, she was just another rampaging metahuman that had to go down, because I didn't know who she was."

One step.

"There wasn't any other way that I'd seen that would take her down. "

His hand goes on his his for a second, another breath, as he walks closer. If she'd allow it, he'd put a hand on her shoulder if she'd so allowed. If not, he'd pull his hand back.

"It wasn't to punish her. I didn't know who she was or that she was being mind-controlled. It was to stop her. And that's it."

@maverick_6:

Kaija began to calm herself as Bradshaw's hand rested atop her shoulder, at least enough for her heartbeat to slow back to a resting pace. Enough for her to allow tears to flow from her eyes, but only a few. She caught herself after a few moments, wiping a few silvery diamonds from her cheeks and taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes and regained her composure. As much as she hated it, she understood. She wanted to ask if she would be met with similar tactics in the event of her own homicidal episode, but decided not to ask obvious questions. It wouldn't be him that would come to fight her anyways, it would be her brothers and sisters at the UNKD.

"I'm fine. I think that I've had enough of practice today though." Kaija confirmed, the strength in her voice returning, "I thought that all of my family had died 16 years ago. I had to nearly lose a sister to realize that I still had one more. It's almost funny. I grew up with Alexis, and she was the first person in my life to see me, my real face, and think nothing of it. I think she even called my horns 'cool' when we first met. She reminded me that I was human while everyone else was trying to find the best mask to help me better pretend. She never saw the need for it... I think I've been in your position so many times that I can't even be mad at you. I've been caught in public a few times without 'my nice face'. I've come to find that not everyone's fond of my way of dealing with Kaiju. The whole point of my training with Gaoto, India, and yourself is to make me more efficient at minimal sizes. It reduces casualties, but it can't prevent them. I'd be a hypocrite for hating you for doing your job, but I want to ask you one thing. If our roles were reversed, would your hands be around my neck desperately trying to wrong a right or would you be talking to me, as I am to you now?"

She then brushed the man's hand off of her shoulder and kept her eyes locked with his. She wanted to hear his answer in that moment more than anything.

After being hired.

Seattle, US

Ali had had a talk with Linda Gayle about moving out. He explained his situation. Although Linda was okay with letting Ali stay with her, he wasn't cool with that, despite now getting a job, and probably enough money to pay rent and stuff in a month. And besides, the prospect of staying with Uma was still someone he looked forward to living, and within UNKD, it would be a generally accepting environment.

Boracay, Philippines

Ali set out very early in the morning from Seattle, and reached the UNKD base around 8 PM night time. He was still fascinated by how that seemed to work. How could there be a different day & night? Back in his realm, all the near infinite continent experienced the same day, and the same night. It was night when it was night. It was day when it was day. But on Earth, a small amount of distance on a circular globe made for days and nights that coexisted. When he put his mind to it, it was easy to put into logic really. Ali realized this world worked on logic, not the whims of a Sage Emperor. And perhaps, it was for the better.

Watching landmasses fly below him, day turning to night, seeing all the lights around the continents as he flew around 30 kilometers above sea level was extremely breath taking. The cold didn't really bother him, his lightning kept the temperature down to a minimum. He flew at a very leisurely pace. Going just over the speed of sound, he watched nests of fireflies, flickering at his gaze as he whizzed past, in streaks. Ali couldn't really see where he was going, and this one time, he nearly collided with a plane going west. But aside from that, there were no complications.

Ali had his contract, the signed copy which the woman gave him. He showed it at the entrance. "Your horribly late kid," The guard chuckled. "Day shift is over," He took the document from Ali to check on it. Despite having seen Ali a few times in the past, and rumors of him having been hired at UNKD, these were still formalities he needed to take care of, "ID," He said.

"Maybe I'll start tomorrow then," Ali said, duffle bag over his shoulder, waiting to be processed. He produced his ID card and handed it over to the guard. After the guards allowed him inside, Ali headed towards Kaija's room. While most had to share bunk beds in shared rooms, Kaija got somewhat different treatment. She was allowed to stay in her own room in the staff accommodation building. Kaija had let Ali in a couple of times on prior occasions. It was spacious enough.

Next morning.

Ali was woken up to the sound of alarms. 4 in the morning? Seriously? He slept only a few hours ago, after having spent sometime talking to Uma. She had obviously gotten up already. He got up, groggy, and got dressed up as quickly as he could. The lady from the day of his interview greeted him outside the door.

"Remember, parts of your job also includes training besides your actual post," The woman said, leading Ali out towards the guard station. There was a new guy there than the last night. "7-10, you will work here as a helper, helping the guard do his duties. Your job will be stop anyone trying to cause trouble. Given your abilities, I'm sure humans are easy to deal with," The woman laughed.

@kaija:

"I'm fine. I think that I've had enough of practice today though."

His scar from nearly being sliced in half, aced.

"I agree."

Kaija began to speak, and as time drew on, he began to think himself more a devil than he. It seemed to him that she was the second superhuman that he would know that would again prove his older ways of every metahuman was horrible, wrong. It was ironic really, all that power and her "monstrous" features, but she'd demonstrated far more humanity than he'd shown for the last set of years. What surprised him more was her presenting that she knew what it meant to be a soldier, and that she even in part understood him.

His instincts were trained, and they roared at him to not form attachments with vulnerable people, as it could be exploited against him. Most cases in combat, they were right, offering practical battle precognition. But it needed to be fed, information, and data. Vocal was a hypersapien and he had some concern.. Timesiphon grew up to be an immortal cosmic entity who'd consumed galaxies at a time in the past and functionally transcended the mortal world, curing herself of her own hunger. Ultra Girl was a near ageless cosmic being of nearly infinite power. Kaija walked around a lot, as functionally a normal person. In a way, he could relate to that, as soon as he took off the armor, he felt more mortal, having only his training and whatever guns he was allowed to carry around him. And it was him who was keeping him alive. With the lack of savvy foes these days, he could only wonder if one would exploit her, or even him, in time of vulnerability, using that to draw another out. It made him uncomfortable to be in such territory that, over the decades, had been rare for him before his wife died.

He sensed the question coming.

If our roles were reversed, would your hands be around my neck desperately trying to wrong a right or would you be talking to me, as I am to you now?"

His hand went at his side, and he answered instantly, and without delay.

"If I saw that you were you, I'd try to talk to you. Something would be up, and I'd try to do whatever it takes to snap you out of it. I'm not going to jump the gun and try to kill you off the bat. But..."

He takes off his helmet, lowering it to the ground as he kept looking her head in the eyes.

"If I couldn't I'd find a way to snap you out of it, I'd have to do whatever it meant to take you down, if other lives were at stake. And if I was ever in the same situation, I'd expect you to do the same thing to me."

@maverick_6:

"That's all that I could ask for then..." Kaija replied, nodding in acceptance.

She walked a few paces away and began removing the armor that Bradshaw had lent to her for their training, folding it properly into a neat stack to return to him. She walked up to him and handed him the gear, a bit of life returning to her face and the redness of her teary eyes fading.

"Despite this... no. In light of this, if you'd have me, I'd like to continue our training just as we were; more regularly if possible. Even if I forget it sometimes, I'm not out here training with you for your sake or for my enjoyment. This is my job, and it would be foolish to pass up such an opportunity over a single tragedy. It would be the most childish decision for me to make at the moment. Every family that doesn't lose someone to my carelessness and every person whose life isn't ruined by crippling injury is worth it. Still..." Kaija's expression hardened as she handed off the equipment and turned away, "That doesn't mean that I'm particularly fond of you at the moment. I'm going to go see my friend in the hospital now, wherever she is, and I'd REALLY appreciate it if you weren't around when I got there. See you later, Bradshaw. And, take care."

And with that, she left, the brutality shown to Alexis Shepard acting more as a motivation for all of her actions than a reason to break down and doubt what she knew she was.

Standard maintnance on apart of Mjolnir was all the teenaged tech addict was up to at the time. Her hands surgical in their work a love put into her designs and the keep up. That said she'd been around enough that some of the other crew of UNKD the various scientists and engineers within the area they knew what she was up to. And couldn't help but to become curious, Lizzy having shown them how to reproduce impressive tech with minimal expenses. They were growing as an R&D team with a natural and functional progress.

"The hell are you up to kid? The Ancile project shouldn't be all that much longer before completion. My granddaughter would be trying to score a drink to celebrate." Doctor Alberto Nietsnie asked a older man who was one of the leading scientists in the base. His age hadn't slowed him down, the guy had more degrees and doctorates then he knew what to do with. Only thing bigger then the man's brain was his shoes, they were practically clownish in size. Well it wasn't that bad, enough to earn him a nick name in college of Clown Shoe. He'd gotten used to it, the name having stuck since he was Lizzy's age and now he was over three times older. "Truth be told most the staff is trying to do so."

"Yup, and here I am coated in grease and oil working as always." She shrugged, just glad she'd to be working that said of course she was brainstorming. "Word got out that soon the guys up top will want to upgrade the barge's a bit. Honestly I think the MVP would much rather get her hands dirty. That said if she could just go in and shoot the latest monster in the head they want that. To do so there needs to be a bit more mobility. Going to work on some test designs for Mjolnir I'm thinking. Try and beat them to the punch. By the time they come down to visit us, maybe we can earn a gold star sticker for having been ahead of the curve." He couldn't help but shake his head, having outgrown the art of drinking however Nietsnie took a seat beside her grabbing his lap top from his bag and beginning to bring up what files he could. While others looked to party the two couldn't help but celebrate in their own particular way.

@kaija:

His armor came off into a pile on the ground, his breathing more so from the heat it generated than anything else, in tandem with the culminating scar across his torso. His body glistening with sweat, and chest aching in pain, he ignored it, both hands on his hips. His breathing steady, ordering his body to calm down.

Clearly, she was shaken up about it. In truth, he could hardly blame her. Not everyone was accustomed to loss. Not even him, truly. Seeing her face harden up as it did reminded him almost a little of himself in a sense, how he'd become since his wife perished in the abrupt manner she did, and daughter dying in his arms. Since then, the closest thing he'd find himself forming was with the things he hunted. Powerful metahumans that were seemingly invincible. Dominant. Who dwarfed him so much in scale that trying to get to him through them was moot. A so called "princess" with more than enough to power and influence to protect herself from most any aggressor, and a thing that literally devoured galaxies at a time, at some point. Now, here he is, a mentor to a chick could probably grow big enough to punt the empire state building into the stratosphere.

He scoops up the equipment in an arm.

"Will do." His straightforward reply to her every statement.

He took the equipment, turning in the opposite direction from where she walked, off to store the armor. Not looking back.

@kaija

Tyrus arrived at the outskirts of the base without ceremony, she simply approached by jeep. Once she arrived at the initial security perimeter the former STRIKE director dismounted her vehicle and proceeded to stroll calmly up to the guard house, utterly unconcerned with their presence or the presence of any other security measures that might be meant to stop someone from breaking in. She removed her badge from her vest and slid it across the counter of the guard house to the guards on the inside. "I need to see Kaija at the earliest possible moment. It's important, certainly for her and quite possibly for others as well." Tyrus retrieved her badge. "Tell her I'll wait out here"

@tyrus_:

"There's a Tyrus wishing to speak with you at the front gate. She's from the International Meta Human Court. She says that it's an urgent message. I don't know what you did to draw her attention, but it's none of my business. Are you available at the moment?"

Kaija took a moment to consider why someone like that could be visiting the base and decided that it would be better to speak with the woman directly than to allow her to leave a message. Especially considering a few of her past mistakes...

"Yeah, why not? No need to send her in, I'll go meet her directly. Thanks." Kaija replied to the messenger.

"Yep." He replied, taciturn as he took his leave.

A few minutes would pass and Kaija would confirm with the guard that she wished to speak with her visitor. She would lead Tyrus into the base and off to a side where they could speak privately. Or at least with relative privacy.

"Uh, nice to meet you, Ms.... Well, I didn't actually get your last name, Tyrus. But uh, how can I help you today?" Kaija greeted the stranger standing before her.

@kaija:

Tyrus followed her quietly and waited until she began speaking. "Just call me Tyrus." She cleared up for her. Tyrus had a real name but she didn't use it, that person...whoever she had been, was dead now. Tyrus was what was left. "A couple of your actions have come to the attention of the Court and I was asked to investigate." She said. "I've already taken care of the investigation, the information is largely readily available and what isn't..." She shrugged. "It's up to me whether or not anything occurs as a result, but I'm more interested in securing your cooperation for something much more important than the ideological mistakes of an inexperienced vigilante."

Tyrus smiled a bit. "I'd like your help with something in exchange for clearing your record."

@tyrus_:

"She knows. Well, at least she knows something anyways. Still, I'm not gonna rush headfirst into anything like France ever again." Kaija thought to herself, "I've already decided that I'd accept my punishment if it came down to it."

"I'm flattered that I actually get a choice in the matter, I am, but don't take it personally if I'm not overly excited yet. I'd like to hear what exactly it is that you want me to do before I agree to anything. Doing a second crime to pardon the first just doesn't sound like a smart idea to me if that's what you're asking." Kaija explained earnestly, "That said, as long as it's legal then it shouldn't be a problem. It's not like I haven't done any of the UN's dirty work before."

@kaija:

"I don't want you to do anything illegal." Tyrus said up front. "In the last few months Konite shipments into Portland have nearly doubled, the gangs there are arming themselves for a lovely little gang war as a result and someone is shipping weapons into them to top it off. A few weeks ago Venezuela was attacked, specifically someone wearing unusual armor, an exosuit if you will, assassinated one of their top Vibranium mine owners. The mines have shifted ownership to his son but production has declined in the mean time. More recently there was some low key chatter about a possible terrorist attack on the polling places in France. I believe all of these events share a singular connection. Unfortunately I can't be everywhere at once."

Tyrus glanced over at Kaija for a moment. "I want you to go to Portland."

@tyrus_:

"I want you to go to Portland."

"...and see what I can do about the thugs. I gotcha." Kaija sighed, rubbing the back of her neck, "Well, if it clears my record, then fine, I'll do it. Though, I'll have you know that I'm alot better at playing the soldier or the hitman than I am at playing the investigator. Just let me know what you need me to do and when you need me to do it. You still might want to request my services from my superiors, regardless. At the end of the day, so long as my services for you are off the books, then I'm gonna be unavailable to help anytime I have responsibilities here. At least if I'm officially working for you then I won't have any distractions until a titan strolls by. And even then, only if it's one of the rare few that will cause a disaster without my intervention. I guess it's convenient that we both work for the UN, huh?"

Kaija smirked as she offered a hand to shake Tyrus', "Does that work for you or was there something else that we needed to discuss?"

@kaija:

"Track down who's behind the influx of konite. I suspect you'll find an exosuit at the end of that particular rainbow. If you do, see what you can do to drive her out of town." Tyrus said. "I'll take care of the paperwork, I appreciate the help." Tyrus said with a slight smile. "I believe that covers everything I wanted to talk about."

@tyrus_: @soul_inspectre:

"Alright, well I'll start looking into it as soon as I can" Kaija replied solemnly, "Pleasure doing business with you, Tyrus"

And with that, Kajia escorted the woman out of the base and began to do some research on konite and the gangs of Portland, as well as looking over any information that Tyrus provided her. Three days would pass before Kaija received an official assignment from IMHC to travel to Portland and investigate, much to her coworkers' surprise. Kaija knew what her strengths were, and although she was confident that she could easily break into and silently infiltrate most institutions for information... she wasn't exactly the best candidate for research or investigation. That is to say, even if she could break into a target location, that doesn't mean that she'd be able to find it herself or even know the best method to go about locating it.

Kaija decided to call in some help for this particular assignment. She had a friend who, not too long ago, she had assisted in stopping a small criminal operation. Without this particular young woman's assistance, Kaija wouldn't have even known about the crimes that had been happening not so far away from them. And even if she did, it's unlikely that she would've been able to handle the situation without more... collateral damage if the young woman wasn't there to assist her. One afteroon, when Kaija was alone and having a moment of peace, she called her companion to ask for a favor.

Kaija waited until she reached voicemail, then spoke, "Hey Erin, this is Uma. I kinda need your help with something. It's not about Ali either, I just... well, I really need your help with something, tbh. I'd rather just tell you in person though. Do you think you could stop by the UNKD base sometime soon to talk. I'll buy you dinner or something, if you swing by. Oh and uh, thanks in advance if I forget to say it later. Bye."

She would continue to do her research for the moment, and regardless of whether or not she heard from Erin, she'd leave for Portland, OR the next day.

@kaija:

As far as messages went, it certainly wasn't the most inspiring. Or the most coherent. Erin laughed softly to herself and set the phone aside. "I think that girl is a little bit crazy," she said to the empty room.

:That girl thinks you are a little bit crazy, White Fox,: returned the ever-present voice in her head.

"No, she thinks I'm a lot crazy." Erin tapped a pencil on the edge of her desk. "UNKD base, though... I've never gotten a peek inside. I have to admit I'm curious."

:Buildings and machines. Things made by men who have forgotten what life is, to wall themselves off from anything that might remind them.:

Erin rolled her eyes. Sometimes, Bear was a little bit patronizing. Other times he was a lot patronizing. "Still. Uma's my friend, and if she's asking for help, I'm going to help her. If you don't like it, you can take a nap or something."

:The dead do not sleep, White Fox.:

"No, but they're supposed to rest. Pipe down for a while, I don't need a whole base full of army men thinking I'm off my rocker. It would look bad for Uma, and she deserves better."

This, of course, prompted a rather long lecture on proper respect for ones elders, which she endured through the process of texting Uma back, changing in to presentable clothes that didn't involve pajama pants, and most of the walk to the base, where she stopped outside the door and presented her credentials (such as they weren't) and inquired after Uma.

@soul_inspectre:

Kaija arrived at the front gate to meet Erin, arms stretched wide and a smile stretching across her face. She was dressed casually, wearing nothing but a white t-shirt, camoflauge cargo pants, and a pair of moderately worn down brown army boots. On her face... she wore nothing. Her two horns stood tall and her eyes were as red at blood.

"Hey, come on in. I'll take you on a brief tour of the base while I let you know what's going on." Kaija explained, draping one arm over Erin's shoulder and pulling her in for a brief sidehug.

She then began to lead the girl around the outer perimeter of the base, letting her take a good look at the men training, the planes that sat outside ready for deployment, the pilots who soared through the air as they practiced their maneuvers, and whatever else there was to observe just outside the base. She met Erin's eyes for a moment to make sure that she had her attention, then began her explanation.

"Ok, so, three days ago I got a message from IMHC, International Meta Human Court, and for some unknown reason..." Kaija explained, a small white lie slipping from her lips, "They want me, of all people, to conduct an investigation on some criminal activity in Portland, OR. So, here's the thing. I'm a soldier. A trained soldier, but a soldier nonetheless. And although I've had the occasional scuffle with thugs, military powers, and metahumans, my job is primarily to kill Kaiju. And Kaiju, although dangerous, aren't really hard to find and they don't exactly waste their time trying to hide from things. I never had any need for formal training on investigation, research, or tracking, so... I don't have any. This job is, honestly, a bit out of my element. You, on the other hand... Well, when we were on the beach not too long ago, you were able to sense a crime going on while I didn't even realize that anything was wrong. Not only that, but you were able to determine the exact location of the criminals, the number of people involved, who was a hostile, and even who was a metahuman in the area. The fact of the matter is, your abilities are much better suited for this kind of job. I would like for you to come with me to Portland and assist me in my investigation. Ask me any questions that you need to, but please hear me out before you shoot me down, ok."

@kaija:

"Uma, I don't know anything about-" Erin started, but stopped herself and sighed. "Please hear me out before you shoot me down, ok." Uma had a point. Uma had... several good points. Erin had never really thought of herself as an investigator, but...

...but what? What did Erin think of herself as?

Crazy, mostly. But... a researcher. So... maybe research this? Not that criminal investigations were really anything related to her field of study, but at the same time, she was good at research. And apparently Uma thought she was good at other things. "I don't know how much help I'd be," she said instead, "I'm... definitely not trained for that sort of thing. Whatever it is. I guess it sounds like you aren't either. Anyway. Sorry. I'll... I'll hear you out." She thought about it. "Oregon, huh? I haven't been in Oregon in a while. It's pretty there." Lots of woods, green spaces. Bear would like the break - he was already bored of the ocean, and wanted to get back to more familiar surroundings. Erin kind of felt the same way, although she wouldn't admit it. At least, not to Bear.

He spent enough time saying "I told you so" as it was.

@soul_inspectre:

"Yeah, it is... Listen, I don't need you to stick your neck out or do anything dangerous for me. I'm just asking you to help point me in the right direction. You've seen me in action; anything goes down and do everything I can to take care of it without putting you in harm's way, promise. I've even got transportation and lodging taken care of for you in the event that you need it." Kaija walked a bit faster, bursting in front of Erin. She turned to face her and raised her palms to bring the party to a stop. She met Erin's eyes and continued, "I know you aren't trained for this kinda thing, but... well, you didn't need training last time. And if you can do the same thing for me now that you did then, I think it'd make a world of difference. At least for me. And hey, if we can play a part in putting a stop to some gang operations in Portland, you might end up helping alot of people."

@kaija:

Erin listened to the spiel, then closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, like that would stop this from being a headache. "Aiya,"she muttered to herself, courtesy of a Chinese roommate her freshman year of undergrad, and the one word of Cantonese that she knew. It was a useful one, though, for those situations where you wanted to swear but probably shouldn't. "So, you want me to go to... Portland? And stop... some gang operations - Uma, this doesn't make the slightest bit of sense. I really hope you're skimming over some details here, because this is the worst informational session I've ever been at, and I actually went to classes the day after midterms. I swear some days I think you're crazier than I am."

:So, you're going to Portland, then?: Really, he'd been quiet for several minutes. Probably a record.

"I didn't say we were going."

:You have that look, White Fox. Besides, there's not much more for you here, and you know it. You've only been staying because of inertia.:

Erin sighed, quietly. "Okay, fine, we're going. But I really, really hope you have more information than this."

@soul_inspectre:

A fire lit up in Kaija's eyes she smirked, then gestured at Erin to keep walking, "Of course, I just didn't want to say too much without knowing that you were onboard. If you're helping me, I'll let you read over the info that my IMHC contact provided me. Oh, and of course I owe you dinner. We don't have to leave until tomorrow afternoon, so that gives us plenty of time. I owe you one, by the way. Next time your cousin causes trouble or you have issues with the mafia, just let me know. Or you know, if a giant lizard is trying to eat you, whatever, haha"

Less then 24 hours later, the duo would would begin conducting investigations on konite trafficking and distribution within their own temporary apartment in Portland, OR.

@kaija:

A month after Hot Debut.... UNKD - Boracay

Lucy stood at the gates of the military base belonging to UNKD. She showed the guy at the outpost her ID card, "Я хочу встретиться с великантом Кайджей! - translation: I want to meet the Giantess Kaija!" She had started growing frustrated. No one at the outpost seemed to understand a word she was saying.

Maybe you should speak English Anna suggested, a remark which was ignored, or unheard by Lucy at all. Anna sighed. That damned thing Solar was doing this, and she had no way of telling her sister that.

"Can't let you in without an acknowledgement from our superiors ma'am. We don't have your name on the list!" The man at the outpost said. He had started sweating since the arrival of this lady, not because of pressure or the heat of the day. It was quite a cool morning. The guard was certain this woman had to be some kind of metahuman to be able to make him sweat simply by being there. "We have notified them, and you will hear from them in a bit. Please wait!"

Lucy understood them just fine. She pouted and remained standing at the guard post until whoever was coming to greet her showed up. Maybe they knew Russian.

@lucyanna:

"We have notified them, and you will hear from them in a bit. Please wait!"

"Why the hell did you tell her that? Kaija isn't even here. She's in freaking Portland!" a soldier grumbled to himself as he returned to the guard at the front game. He passed on the message to the sweating soldier guarding the front gate, then returned to his regular duties. The guard sighed in annoyance, then turned his attention back to the young woman with fiery red hair.

"Sorry for any confusion Miss. Kaija isn't available at the moment. If you would leave your name, present your ID, and leave a message, we'll get the message to her as promptly as we can. Just come up to the booth and I can help you out with that." The front guard explained to Lucy, opening a small sliding panel in his booth to allow the young woman to pass along her ID as well as any other materials that she wished to send to "the Giantess".