ECHO TEN - IC - [Chapter One]

[Forest State]

ECHO TEN

CHAPTER ONE: SHADOW WAR

The Fort, outside of the English city of Birmingham, had been empty until today. Everything in the place had the feel of a newly constructed building, as all of the buildings actually had been recently constructed. It was the newest of Echo Ten's bases, and right now, the only people who were living there were a small part of the support staff and the command unit that was in charge of the newly created Fourth Brigade. That was about to change very soon, as a group of helicopters were arriving at the base's airfield to bring in the main group who would be living here; the agents of the brigade, most of whom were either new recruits who had just passed training, or transfers from other units.

Conrad Glenister, the Major that was at the head of the command unit, was one of the few who was out and watching as the transport helicopters approached, after completing their trip from London. There was also Corporal Miles Randall, who had come here earlier due to not being in an assignment previous to this one, and the young agent was standing near the Major and watching with his arms folded as the helicopters approached and then descended, touching down on the runway while a few more members of the support staff came out to see the new agents arriving.

When the agents arrived, they wouldn't find any elaborate welcome, just the sight of the group that was gathering at the edge of the runway. There were no signs telling them where to go, and no instructions on board the helicopter. When the copters touched down and the doors opened, all they would see was the sight of the old Major approaching them along with the younger Corporal. "Welcome to Birmingham!" Conrad shouted. "This place will be your new home, and I'm what they'd call the boss around here. The housing is to the south of here, and so is everything else you'll need during your stay. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or Miles. If not, things are ready for you to start unpacking. Oh, and take some time to get to know each other. You're going to be trusting each other with your lives, after all."

[Setinel]

Jack was jolted awake by the smack of tires on a runway. He had arrived.
today's the day
He stood from his sleeping position on the metal bench, and moved his dark green beret from covering his eyes to its justified position on his head. His uniform was a simple tan button down shirt, and a green with a single patch on his left side. The patch was a a whale skeleton, with wings on each side. Under it read "NAFJS". Navy Air Force Joint Service.
Jack grabbed his briefcase (holding all of his belongings), and moved out of the helicopter. After the speech, he strode right up to the major, and gave his salute.
"Major Glenister. I understand my lab equipment is in my quarter already?"

[Frinalia]

Simon squinted against the sun and followed the man "he was going to trust with his life" out of the chopper. What do they know about trust? He thought to himself. Simon stood next to Jack and gave a halfhearted salute to the officials before him, before stepping off to the side to make room for everyone else. Maybe it'll actually be fun here. He continued moping to himself. He adjusted the shoulders on his new uniform again. They were still too wide, as it was typically intended for those a little older than he was. Well, time to get to know each other.

[United Kingdom of Poland]

Get to know each other, There's something I never would have expect to hear at Langley Alexandra Read thought as she exited the Helicopter she had been riding in. The ex-CIA/SAD operative was dressed in a pair of jeans with a black tank top under a dark brown jacket. Her fiery red hair was tied back in a pony tail that poked out of a black baseball cap, her similarly colored eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses.

Socializing wasn't something that came easy for her though. A childhood's worth of bullying and 8 years in the lair of secrets had seen to that. Still she figured she might as well try, given that she'd be working closely with the others that flew in with her. Though still wasn't quite sure what to make of the others though. One was clearly military, the uniform and manorisms said as much, and most likely American given the accent. She couldn't identify the what unit though. The other, a red headed boy, couldn't have been any more different. His salute and mannerism made it clear he was a civilian before becoming a member of Echo. As it was Alexandra decided to do what she did best, keep her head down, mouth shut, and eyes open as she studied the rest of her new teammates.

[Altito Asmoro]

The Fort
Suzuki Yoshiharu Watson


Far, far away!....

Friends!

---

The sign of the helicopters dawned to the ground jolted Suzuki, as she woke up from her sleep. She took a minute to composed herself before swallowing prescription's medicine. Her depression has been a little bit better, but at the very least the pill keeps her awake while composing herself better. She grabbed all of her belongings inside a large backpack, training from Echo Ten had enabled her to lifted big bucks. She walked out from the helicopter as with the rest. In front of her, there's Major Conrad. She saw her few times while in her training, he's conversing.

She saluted to him, "Corporal Watson, at your service, sir," she obliged to said that. She looked to the housing on the south, she probably should head there now. But it may be a good idea to stick around for a while, talking with real...friends-to-be.

[i] The other, a red headed boy, couldn't have been any more different. His salute and mannerism made it clear he was a civilian before becoming a member of Echo. As it was Alexandra decided to do what she did best, keep her head down, mouth shut, and eyes open as she studied the rest of her new teammates.

There's another woman in here, just like her. She gave quick salute and offered a hand to her, "Corporal Watson, miss. At your service. May I know the name of yours, Miss...?"

[Ulls]

The Fort,
Birmingham, United Kingdom

Wilhelm stepped out of the transport with his headache. It was a light one but he knew what it meant. He went in his bag and got his water bottle to take a his prescription. Within a few minutes the pain subsided but the aftermath was still there. It was something that felt similar, yet alien to his mind. Of course, there were times that where he could hear strange voices, other times he will see visions and his marks will glow. He was just happy that he finally got out of Boot Camp.

He walked up with the rest of the new members of the unit. He saluted to the Major and spoke," Sir, Private Wilhelm Matthews reporting for duty sir."

He heard the rest of what the major said.

Don't think I can make friends. Like to try and just do my job. All I need to do is just get my head examined. He thought to himself.

" Excuse me sir, but where can I find the psyche ward?" He asked the Major.

[Setinel]

-snip-

Jack turned from the Major letting out a deep breath. How long had it been since he'd socialized? Months? No. Years. Not since... not since flight training when- no. No flying.
Jack purged the thoughts from his head, before throwing up an awkward smile and observing his counterparts. Unfortunately he was dissapointed to see the elite unit he had been promised was in fact several "freaks" to say the least. Ah well. He was forced to talk to at least one.
Jack approached the nearest, a young women, and stuck his hand out awkwardly.
"Greetings my name is er... Jack? Jack. It's Jack."
[i]Oh god what are you doing
Jacks nervous tendency was hidden under his composure, but his fingers on the hand behind his back refused to quit twitching.

[United Kingdom of Poland]

[b][u]The Fort
Suzuki Yoshiharu Watson

The other, a red headed boy, couldn't have been any more different. His salute and mannerism made it clear he was a civilian before becoming a member of Echo. As it was Alexandra decided to do what she did best, keep her head down, mouth shut, and eyes open as she studied the rest of her new teammates.

There's another woman in here, just like her. She gave quick salute and offered a hand to her, "Corporal Watson, miss. At your service. May I know the name of yours, Miss...?"

Alexandra was surprised when another of the new arrivals came bounding towards her. Almost immediately though, she began analyzing this new-comer. While she wasn't using her power, years of bully avoidance and time spent in the agency. [i] Female Japanese-American... no make that English given her accent. Late teens to early twenty's. Possibly military academy given posture and mannerism. acts genuinely nice rather then forcing it.By the time she was done Alexandra figured Miss Watson would probably be good friend.

"Alexandra Read," Alexandra said shaking Watsons hand. "And I don't think you need to salute me corporal. I'm only a private after all."

-snip-

Jack turned from the Major letting out a deep breath. How long had it been since he'd socialized? Months? No. Years. Not since... not since flight training when- no. No flying.
Jack purged the thoughts from his head, before throwing up an awkward smile and observing his counterparts. Unfortunately he was dissapointed to see the elite unit he had been promised was in fact several "freaks" to say the least. Ah well. He was forced to talk to at least one.
Jack approached the nearest, a young women, and stuck his hand out awkwardly.
"Greetings my name is er... Jack? Jack. It's Jack."
[i]Oh god what are you doing
Jacks nervous tendency was hidden under his composure, but his fingers on the hand behind his back refused to quit twitching.

"Alexandra Read. It's a pleasure to meet you." At this point Alexandra finally saw the insignia on Jack's sleeve. She wasn't able to recognize the patch though, she'd never heard of the NAFJS. "May I ask what unit your from? I can't say I've ever seen that patch before."

[Altito Asmoro]

[b][u]The Fort
Suzuki Yoshiharu Watson



There's another woman in here, just like her. She gave quick salute and offered a hand to her, "Corporal Watson, miss. At your service. May I know the name of yours, Miss...?"

Alexandra was surprised when another of the new arrivals came bounding towards her. Almost immediately though, she began analyzing this new-comer. While she wasn't using her power, years of bully avoidance and time spent in the agency. Female Japanese-American... no make that English given her accent. Late teens to early twenty's. Possibly military academy given posture and mannerism. acts genuinely nice rather then forcing it.By the time she was done Alexandra figured Miss Watson would probably be good friend.

"Alexandra Read," Alexandra said shaking Watsons hand. "And I don't think you need to salute me corporal. I'm only a private after all."

"Ah, Private?" said Suzuki, who figured out she could read her down. Clairvoyance isn't quite useful when she has no sense on who to look on her mind. And it requires concentration, something that looks off when she talks to someone. Good friend, perhaps. Maybe even her first and real first friend. Not hallucination, or something. Alexandra shook her hand, replying physically to her hand shaking Alexandra earlier.

"Sorry, Alexandra. I'm not quite know which one's Private and which one's Corporal until...well, they introduced themselves," she chuckled with the idea. "Well, I guess we should probably go to the housing. Unless you have any other idea..." she motioned to Alexandra, who's conversing with another person named Jack.

[Finsternia]

Lagren Theristes
The Fort

As the swirl of the helicopter's blades whispered to a stop, a man of terribly pale complexion stepped out. His pure white hair waved behind him like long strands of silk and almost reached down the floor. He was almost beautiful, one could even mistake him as a woman of incredible height, but the long scar across his face made an unsettling touch. His bright green eyes are more unsettling. They were greener and brighter than any normal green eyes of a human. Lagren wore something quite appropriate, a nicely cut suit with a black tie and black pants and black dress shoes. The paleness of his skin and the mystical white of his hair went strikingly with the black, the contrast so sharp and fitting that it both hurts and invites attention. Nails of atleast an inch long that's painted black adorned his fingers, completing the illusion of androgynous appearance. That is until he spoke.

"YASSOU!" He said as he started running and waving his hand before stopping in front of the Major to make a salute. A rather... awkward and childish salute. "Lagren Theristes reporting for duty sir!" His voice was quite low and is thick with his accent. He slightly elbowed the empty air beside him and giggled, his salute going to his mouth to cover a rather high pitched laughter. He whispered something in Greek before giggling again. He looked around and for the first time recognized his coworkers. He happily waved at his new colleagues, a large grin is plastered on his face. "Hiiii!"

[Kractero]

Good morning, My. The day is January 23rd, 2017. It is 13 degrees Celsius, in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The automated repair processor needs fixing.

The suit that Maya had implanted into her ran through its usual message, waking her up from her nap. She yawned, placing a hand on her chest as if it would alleviate her returning congenital heart defect. There wouldn't normally be a problem due to whatever her suit was doing that made up for the defects that she had, but the suit was kind of damaged in some way, but Maya wasn't tech-savvy enough to understand what the problem was. Something about an auto-updating malfunction inside the suit's processing? She shook the thought out of her mind. If she kept thinking about it, she would eventually be reminded about her best friend, and how she let him...die, after he devoted his time in basically creating her life.

Maya was terribly out of place within the division. Blonde, and at a mere five feet, the rest of the unit towered over her. It took a while for her division last time to get accustomed to her presence, but it managed to be alright. Hopefully it would be this time as well.

Having gathered her things, Maya stepped outside the helicopter, feeling a rush of the cold Birmingham air. At least, cold to a San Diego native. Seeing the large group, her natural instinct was to stay on the fringe. She wasn't comfortable exactly with the whole social interaction thing.

[Setinel]

[b][u]The Fort
Suzuki Yoshiharu Watson



There's another woman in here, just like her. She gave quick salute and offered a hand to her, "Corporal Watson, miss. At your service. May I know the name of yours, Miss...?"

Alexandra was surprised when another of the new arrivals came bounding towards her. Almost immediately though, she began analyzing this new-comer. While she wasn't using her power, years of bully avoidance and time spent in the agency. Female Japanese-American... no make that English given her accent. Late teens to early twenty's. Possibly military academy given posture and mannerism. acts genuinely nice rather then forcing it.By the time she was done Alexandra figured Miss Watson would probably be good friend.

"Alexandra Read," Alexandra said shaking Watsons hand. "And I don't think you need to salute me corporal. I'm only a private after all."

Jack turned from the Major letting out a deep breath. How long had it been since he'd socialized? Months? No. Years. Not since... not since flight training when- no. No flying.
Jack purged the thoughts from his head, before throwing up an awkward smile and observing his counterparts. Unfortunately he was dissapointed to see the elite unit he had been promised was in fact several "freaks" to say the least. Ah well. He was forced to talk to at least one.
Jack approached the nearest, a young women, and stuck his hand out awkwardly.
"Greetings my name is er... Jack? Jack. It's Jack."
Oh god what are you doing
Jacks nervous tendency was hidden under his composure, but his fingers on the hand behind his back refused to quit twitching.

"Alexandra Read. It's a pleasure to meet you." At this point Alexandra finally saw the insignia on Jack's sleeve. She wasn't able to recognize the patch though, she'd never heard of the NAFJS. "May I ask what unit your from? I can't say I've ever seen that patch before."

Jack nodded and moved his shoulder for a better view. The white over the black background stood out vibrantly.
"NAFJS is the Navy Air Force Joint Service. I served as a navy seal, Pararescumen, fighter pilot, and aircraft testing pilot, all at once."
Jack. Moved his arms back to their crossed position behind his back.
"And what of you? You don't look like anyone with... well with a lot of years under thier wings- no offense meant of course."

[North Tyranis]

Mark Akronis
V-22 Osprey
In route to The Fort

The V-22 Osprey flies over the English countryside, the twin-proprotors working furiously. Inside the craft, the two U.S Navy pilots managed the Osprey's flight, checking every so often the myriad of instruments on their control panels. Both the pilots held Top-Secret security clearances for this mission, something that puzzled the both of them greatly. Even more stranger was the fact that they were only carrying a single piece of cargo to some undisclosed location...except the cargo wasn't a what.

It was a person.

Hours earlier, the V-22 took off from Naval Station Rota in Spain, with orders to fly to London, pick up some cargo, and refuel. The command came from Vice Admiral James G. Foggo, Commander, U.S Naval Forces Europe. The fact that the order came from someone so high up the food chain was already strange, but both pilots knew better than to ask questions. When the V-22 arrived in London, however, the pilots were redirected to RAF Lakenheath, a joint Royal Air Force/USAF airbase in Suffolk, England. Once on the ground, a team of airmen arrived on the tarmac and began refueling the V-22, leaving both of the pilots with nothing to do for about an hour. when the plane was refueled, the pilots went back to the V-22, expecting to see the cargo being loaded onto the Osprey. However, instead, they met a man holding a full ruck pack with a rifle case slung over his shoulder. The man wore a U.S Navy BDU with no patches, except for a name sew into the left side that said "Akronis". The pilots, unsure of what was going on, greeted the man. The man analyzed the two pilots with his cold, grey eyes, then introduced himself as Mark Akronis, their passenger for the remainder of the trip. An USAF airman, at that point, also approached the pilots and handed them the new transfer orders, destination: Birmingham, England.

And so, they were here. Mark tried to make conversation with the two pilots, but both stayed silent throughout the whole journey. Mark, giving up on trying to talk to them, had since then fallen asleep. This was no small feat, considering the large amount of noise the Osprey's engines made. Either he was very tired...or he was used to such aircraft. Not that it mattered; both of the pilots just wanted to get the job done and get back to Spain. Both were extremely fatigued and jet lagged. Below then, the English countryside passed by.

When the Osprey entered Birmingham airspace, a burst of static over the radio alerted the Osprey pilots to an incoming transmission. The main pilot answered.

"Unidentified Osprey," came a voice. "This is Birmingham Control Tower. Please identify yourself and your intentions."

"Roger, Tower," replied the pilot. "This is Razor Flight. We are delivering...er....cargo to coordinates mar--..."

"Roger, Razor Flight. Have a good day." The radio clicked off, leaving the main pilot more confused than ever.

"What the hell is up with these Limeys?" said his copilot.

the main pilot shook his head. "No damn clue. Go wake up our passenger and tell him we're here."

The copilot unsecured himself and walked to the back, which was only a couple of steps. He noticed that Mark was already awake, but turned to the loading ramp, holding something in his hand. The copilot frowned, thinking he saw something floating in Mark's hand...

A spot of turbulence hit the Osprey, almost causing the copilot to fall. Steadying himself against the frame, he saw that mark was looking back at him. Nothing was in his hands.

"everything okay, pilot?" Mark asked.

The copilot nodded. "Yes. Just wanted to let you know we will be touching down soon."

Mark nodded and began grabbing his things. The copilot went back to his seat and strapped himself back in, convinced he had been seeing things. The pilot looked over at him.

'You okay?"

"Yeah, just tired. Let's finish this up."

At that time, their destination appeared. Flying low, both pilots saw a nice campus that seemed to blend in with the surrounding countryside...save for all the helicopters flying to and from the small runway. Both pilots could see ground crews helping people offload equipment and gear. The radio crackled again, telling the pilots where to land the Osprey. With some skill and precision, the proprotors were set to a hover position, then used to gently land the craft onto the tarmac. Another ground crew came to start refueling the Osprey. The back ramp lowered, and Mark stepped out, pack and gear in hand. Both the pilots stepped out to take a look around. Mark walked over to them.

"Well gentlemen, this is it," Mark said, shaking their hands. "Have a safe trip back, and thanks for the ride."

"No problem," the main pilot said politely.

With that, Mark walked away.

A few minutes later, the Osprey was refueled and in the air again, in transit back to Naval Station Rota. A few days later, a Naval Intelligence Officer will get sworn statements from both of them, making them swear that they never saw this place.

****

Mark
The Fort
Day One

Mark Akronis, formerly Chief Petty Officer/Special Warfare Operator of the U.S Navy, was in awe at the place that now surrounded him. It was a nice place, a little homey, that seemed to invite one into it's campus. Of course, it as just a mask for the heavily secured base; but nonetheless, it was an alluring mask. While Mark, outwardly, seemed reluctant to be here, inside, he was glad to be here and a little excited. True, he was essentially kicked out of the SEALs just to join this Unit, but maybe, with time, he could return. Meanwhile, he would make the best of his situation here.

Time...

Mark stared down at his hands and flexed them, discharging small, grey Chronon Particles into the air. When he was first asked what he thought about his powers by some Echo-Ten recruiters, he gave them his honest opinion: he was scared of his powers. It made him different, different from everyone else. His main fear over the years, as he learned to control his power, was that he would accidentally end up hurting someone...

which he did, but who would miss a terrorist?

With an indifferent, inward shrug, he kept walking over to the group of "agents", as he and his fellow operators were called. Maybe, in a place like this, he could use his powers for good and learn how to use them. But there would be time for that in the future. for now, he just had to get this first day out of the way...

[Forest State]

"Your equipment should already be set up in the Baumann Hall," Conrad nodded towards Jack, while looking around at the others as they stepped out of the helicopter and began looking each other over or making small talk. It wasn't the best circumstances for creating a new Brigade, as this was a totally new base and everyone didn't know each other yet, but the Major had hopes that they would get along well enough that they wouldn't run into trouble when they had to go on missions together in the future... And that wouldn't be that far from now. He was pulled out of his thoughts, though, when one of the newcomers asked where the psyche ward was. He could recognize the newcomer as Wilhelm, after having read the database files on everyone that was coming in today. "Go south of the Quad, to the medical office. It's inside that building," he said.

"Looking for the psych ward already?" asked Miles, who was watching the group more intently than Conrad. His hyperawareness made him shifty around large groups of strangers, but he was doing a good job of keeping a calm face on and masking the fact that he was carefully analyzing everyone who was there in front of him. "Have we finally got someone as crazy as me?" he added, with a slightly crazy sounding chuckle. "I'm sorry. I'm Miles... Randall. Corporal. Formerly of the First Brigade, Alpha-1 Unit."

[United Kingdom of Poland]

Jack nodded and moved his shoulder for a better view. The white over the black background stood out vibrantly.
"NAFJS is the Navy Air Force Joint Service. I served as a navy seal, Pararescumen, fighter pilot, and aircraft testing pilot, all at once."
Jack. Moved his arms back to their crossed position behind his back.
"And what of you? You don't look like anyone with... well with a lot of years under thier wings- no offense meant of course."

Though Jack wouldn't be able to see them behind her sunglasses, Alexandra rolled her eyes at the first part of his statement. A Navy Seal and a fighter pilot, if I didn't remember what this unit was I would have thought I was in some bad 80's action movie. The second part though, that was a bit trickier to answer. It was well known that the CIA and US Special Forces didn't exactly have all that much mutual respect for each other.

"I can assure you that I have more than my fair share of time down range, It's just that the...government agency I worked for wasn't all that big on putting itself out on display."

[Setinel]

Jack nodded and moved his shoulder for a better view. The white over the black background stood out vibrantly.
"NAFJS is the Navy Air Force Joint Service. I served as a navy seal, Pararescumen, fighter pilot, and aircraft testing pilot, all at once."
Jack. Moved his arms back to their crossed position behind his back.
"And what of you? You don't look like anyone with... well with a lot of years under thier wings- no offense meant of course."

Though Jack wouldn't be able to see them behind her sunglasses, Alexandra rolled her eyes at the first part of his statement. A Navy Seal and a fighter pilot, if I didn't remember what this unit was I would have thought I was in some bad 80's action movie. The second part though, that was a bit trickier to answer. It was well known that the CIA and US Special Forces didn't exactly have all that much mutual respect for each other.

"I can assure you that I have more than my fair share of time down range, It's just that the...government agency I worked for wasn't all that big on putting itself out on display."

Jack nodded. Understandingly. Not everyone was comfortable sharing. The governementire agency part however... he's have to look into that. FBI? CIA? NSA? Maybe even homeland security? Who knew?
"Well should you ever find yourself in need of... well anything really, I'll be in my quarters or the Baum Ann Hall.
Jack gave a salute and was off to the hall. He didn't have much time, so he'd need to get straight to work on his "projects".

[Ulls]

"Your equipment should already be set up in the Baumann Hall," Conrad nodded towards Jack, while looking around at the others as they stepped out of the helicopter and began looking each other over or making small talk. It wasn't the best circumstances for creating a new Brigade, as this was a totally new base and everyone didn't know each other yet, but the Major had hopes that they would get along well enough that they wouldn't run into trouble when they had to go on missions together in the future... And that wouldn't be that far from now. He was pulled out of his thoughts, though, when one of the newcomers asked where the psyche ward was. He could recognize the newcomer as Wilhelm, after having read the database files on everyone that was coming in today. "Go south of the Quad, to the medical office. It's inside that building," he said.

"Looking for the psych ward already?" asked Miles, who was watching the group more intently than Conrad. His hyperawareness made him shifty around large groups of strangers, but he was doing a good job of keeping a calm face on and masking the fact that he was carefully analyzing everyone who was there in front of him. "Have we finally got someone as crazy as me?" he added, with a slightly crazy sounding chuckle. "I'm sorry. I'm Miles... Randall. Corporal. Formerly of the First Brigade, Alpha-1 Unit."

" You can say that, crazy enough to join this unit." He said with a slight chuckle.
" My name is Wilhelm Matthews. Private. Formerly a late night radio personality out of Atlantic City and occult investigator. That is until I went insane six years ago and came to in a Echo Ten black site. After that, said I got magical powers or something, still don't believe them. Though I got a chance to live semi-normally, just never thought it would be as a soldier."

[North Tyranis]

"Your equipment should already be set up in the Baumann Hall," Conrad nodded towards Jack, while looking around at the others as they stepped out of the helicopter and began looking each other over or making small talk. It wasn't the best circumstances for creating a new Brigade, as this was a totally new base and everyone didn't know each other yet, but the Major had hopes that they would get along well enough that they wouldn't run into trouble when they had to go on missions together in the future... And that wouldn't be that far from now. He was pulled out of his thoughts, though, when one of the newcomers asked where the psyche ward was. He could recognize the newcomer as Wilhelm, after having read the database files on everyone that was coming in today. "Go south of the Quad, to the medical office. It's inside that building," he said.

"Looking for the psych ward already?" asked Miles, who was watching the group more intently than Conrad. His hyperawareness made him shifty around large groups of strangers, but he was doing a good job of keeping a calm face on and masking the fact that he was carefully analyzing everyone who was there in front of him. "Have we finally got someone as crazy as me?" he added, with a slightly crazy sounding chuckle. "I'm sorry. I'm Miles... Randall. Corporal. Formerly of the First Brigade, Alpha-1 Unit."

Mark

Mark took note of what the Major said. He looked at his pack with a sigh, wondering if bringing his equipment had been unnecessary after all. Oh well. It was too late too send the equipment he brought back, so Mark guessed he was stuck with what he had brought. However, he still wanted his HK416, which was in the rifle case slung over his shoulder. The rifle had been with him ever since he had joined the Navy SEALs, and had become his best friend (figuratively). A flicker of amusement passed over his face when he heard the question about the psych ward from one of the agents. Mark observed the Major as Conrad answered the question. His first impression was of a tough, skilled man who looked like he had seen some combat. That was good. Mark was one of those people that tended to believe that those who had seen up-close, intense combat made the best battle leaders. It was a logical conclusion.

Mark glanced around at the others, also observing them. It was one of the lessons he learned as a Navy SEAL: observe anything and everyone, and it was a lesson he learned the hard way. Most of the agents seemed normal, though a few had some noticeable differences. He noted that one person, who was talking to some of the others, was kind of shifty and active. Not exactly a bad thing or an obvious sign of what the man was like, but it was an observation nonetheless. There were more people in the crowd than he could take in with his naked eyes, so he briefly closed his eyes and... activated? Activated his self-called "chronon sense".

Despite having spent a number of years developing his ability, Mark still didn't know how he called his abilities forward. It was as if his abilities were reading his mind, knowing they were needed the instance he thought about any of them. His "chronon sense" was one of the more developed abilities of his, something that was more easier to control and use. When his eyes closed, the darkness behind his eyelids was suddenly filled with fluttering, grey shapes. These were chronon disturbances, the way physical object moved and interacted with local chronon particles. He could see the dim outlines of nearby buildings and the ground itself. Mark could also make out the shapes of people, moving around and disturbing the chronon particles around them, as well as chronon fields that surrounded people. Some people, Mark noted with curiosity, seemed to have weird, shifty chronon fields; like they affected time in some weird, unilateral way. He noted that with some people he had observed in the past, that those who had these weird time patterns were important and influential individuals who had a large effect on events. Maybe....maybe...

Mark pushed the thought he was about to have away. So what, chronon fields looked weird sometimes? maybe he overthinking this entire ordeal. With another sigh, he disengaged his chronon sense and opened his eyes, rubbing his temples. He always seemed to suffer a mild headache after using his chronon sense, and sure enough, he had one right then.

At least the new headaches were manageable. Back when Mark was still experimenting with his ability, he used to black out from the shear amount of pain he experienced. Now, with more practice using his abilities, the pain didn't get as bad anymore; it just gave him a mild headache and, after an extended period of use, made him feel tired. Thinking of the side affects made Mark think about when he first discovered his unusual abilities. To this day, he still couldn't exactly remember when he first discovered his powers, only that he began using them unconsciously ever since he was 15 years old. He would, at random and without thinking, freeze random objects in his room, then stop when he realized he was using his ability. From there, he just began experimenting, trying to figure out how his power worked. He was heard about chronon particles from his school's science teacher, who was a quantum mechanics nut. Mark realized that the existence of time particles fit in with what his abilities were capable of. with some further research, he became firmly convinced that his ability revolved around chronon particles; he even said as much to the Eco-Ten recruiters who had recruited him.

Recruiters...

Right. THAT was a day he didn't want to relive anytime soon. He decided to talk to some people, get his mind off things. He noticed, out of the corner of his eye, the man wearing the whale bone insignia congregating with some of the others. He noted that at least a couple of them were Americans. Mark set his things down and began walking over, noting that the jacketed man gave a salute and walked off. The woman with sunglasses was still standing there.

Though Jack wouldn't be able to see them behind her sunglasses, Alexandra rolled her eyes at the first part of his statement. A Navy Seal and a fighter pilot, if I didn't remember what this unit was I would have thought I was in some bad 80's action movie. The second part though, that was a bit trickier to answer. It was well known that the CIA and US Special Forces didn't exactly have all that much mutual respect for each other.

"I can assure you that I have more than my fair share of time down range, It's just that the...government agency I worked for wasn't all that big on putting itself out on display."

Jack nodded. Understandingly. Not everyone was comfortable sharing. The governementire agency part however... he's have to look into that. FBI? CIA? NSA? Maybe even homeland security? Who knew?
"Well should you ever find yourself in need of... well anything really, I'll be in my quarters or the Baum Ann Hall.
Jack gave a salute and was off to the hall. He didn't have much time, so he'd need to get straight to work on his "projects".

Mark made a quick glance in the direction of the man, then said to the woman "Not much of a talker, is he?"

[The Flutterlands]

ECHO TEN

CHAPTER ONE: SHADOW WAR

The Fort, outside of the English city of Birmingham, had been empty until today. Everything in the place had the feel of a newly constructed building, as all of the buildings actually had been recently constructed. It was the newest of Echo Ten's bases, and right now, the only people who were living there were a small part of the support staff and the command unit that was in charge of the newly created Fourth Brigade. That was about to change very soon, as a group of helicopters were arriving at the base's airfield to bring in the main group who would be living here; the agents of the brigade, most of whom were either new recruits who had just passed training, or transfers from other units.

Conrad Glenister, the Major that was at the head of the command unit, was one of the few who was out and watching as the transport helicopters approached, after completing their trip from London. There was also Corporal Miles Randall, who had come here earlier due to not being in an assignment previous to this one, and the young agent was standing near the Major and watching with his arms folded as the helicopters approached and then descended, touching down on the runway while a few more members of the support staff came out to see the new agents arriving.

When the agents arrived, they wouldn't find any elaborate welcome, just the sight of the group that was gathering at the edge of the runway. There were no signs telling them where to go, and no instructions on board the helicopter. When the copters touched down and the doors opened, all they would see was the sight of the old Major approaching them along with the younger Corporal. "Welcome to Birmingham!" Conrad shouted. "This place will be your new home, and I'm what they'd call the boss around here. The housing is to the south of here, and so is everything else you'll need during your stay. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or Miles. If not, things are ready for you to start unpacking. Oh, and take some time to get to know each other. You're going to be trusting each other with your lives, after all."

"Your equipment should already be set up in the Baumann Hall," Conrad nodded towards Jack, while looking around at the others as they stepped out of the helicopter and began looking each other over or making small talk. It wasn't the best circumstances for creating a new Brigade, as this was a totally new base and everyone didn't know each other yet, but the Major had hopes that they would get along well enough that they wouldn't run into trouble when they had to go on missions together in the future... And that wouldn't be that far from now. He was pulled out of his thoughts, though, when one of the newcomers asked where the psyche ward was. He could recognize the newcomer as Wilhelm, after having read the database files on everyone that was coming in today. "Go south of the Quad, to the medical office. It's inside that building," he said.

"Looking for the psych ward already?" asked Miles, who was watching the group more intently than Conrad. His hyperawareness made him shifty around large groups of strangers, but he was doing a good job of keeping a calm face on and masking the fact that he was carefully analyzing everyone who was there in front of him. "Have we finally got someone as crazy as me?" he added, with a slightly crazy sounding chuckle. "I'm sorry. I'm Miles... Randall. Corporal. Formerly of the First Brigade, Alpha-1 Unit."

Private Raphaël Raymond

Raphaël Raymond had his hands on a pack of bloood , which he was leisurely enjoying feeding upon as the helicopter touched down on the runway. The deceivingly young vampire glanced already had plenty of experience in combat. So it didn't take long for Raphaël to pass his ECHO Training with flying colors and officially join the Agency that'll put his vampiric nature under good surpervision. Glad this place exists. thought the french boy, Can't bare to think life without surpervision anymore for a monster like me.

Raphaël glanced out the tinted window as the helicopter landed, sucking out the last remaining drops of blood. It was quite a sunny day outside. So the sunlight posed a great threat to him. Thus, Raphaël clutched his umbrella and opened it as he exited the helicopter to join his soon-to-be peers. He looked around the base and at the many faceless strangers who'll be his friends as he walked only to stop upon spotting what looked like a several very important officers who'll be commanding over him.

As he listened to the Major speak, Raphaël took another look at his comrades. Even after seven years since he was bitten and transformed into the undead bloodsucking creature of the night he is now, it still felt weird standing out as nothing more than a young teenager. Though he only looked fourteen, he was really twenty-one, making him old enough to do all kind of things 'normal' kids wouldn't be able to do. God I hope they'll let me smoke here. Raphaël thought, Does nothing to the lungs but still quite relaxing. Maybe some of these guys might have a pack...

Andrew took note of where his belongings were and chuckled at Mile's joke. Though part of him took it seriously. "I could see myself getting the psych ward every now and then considering my sanity." he spoke up in a thick french accent, his blood-red eyew glowing under his umbrella, making a small smile that bared his fangs as he began to introduce himself, "Bonjour. My name's Raphaël Raymond. Nice to meet you all. Anyone gotta smoke to spear to a bloodsucking monster like me?."

[Frinalia]

More people. Lovely, and even better, conversations; something Simon wasn't fond of starting, unless he had an absolutely irresistible hook. Speak of the devil, one came.

"Bonjour. My name's Raphaël Raymond. Nice to meet you all. Anyone gotta smoke to spear to a bloodsucking monster like me?." Simon chuckled at this, and stepped toward the young vampire, looking him in the eye.

"Isn't second hand smoke worst than inhaling the fumes directly in some cases? Do it in your own spare time." He told him.

"But where are my manners? My name is Simon," He extended his hand and offered it to Raphaël. "I would say, 'nice to meet you', but I can't feel emotion very well."

[The Flutterlands]

More people. Lovely, and even better, conversations; something Simon wasn't fond of starting, unless he had an absolutely irresistible hook. Speak of the devil, one came.

"Bonjour. My name's Raphaël Raymond. Nice to meet you all. Anyone gotta smoke to spear to a bloodsucking monster like me?." Simon chuckled at this, and stepped toward the young vampire, looking him in the eye.

"Isn't second hand smoke worst than inhaling the fumes directly in some cases? Do it in your own spare time." He told him.

"But where are my manners? My name is Simon," He extended his hand and offered it to Raphaël. "I would say, 'nice to meet you', but I can't feel emotion very well."

Raphaël Raymond

Raphaël gave Simon an innocent look. "I understand sir." he spoke with a chuckle and a smile as he took the pack of cigarettes from his comrade, putting them away in his pocket, "I usually only smoke when alone anyway, just like my grandparents tell me. Merci beaucoup, Monsieur."

Raphaël looked at Simon with glittering red eyes and a smile as he clutched his umbrella. "Can't feel emotions well, huh? Is that part of why you're here?" he asked with curiosity, before frowning, "I'm here because I don't trust myself in public unrestricted anymore. Thought I could control myself but almost killing my grandpa and grandpa out of pure uncontrollable vampiric hunger."

The vampire kid sulked his head. He cringed as unwanted memories of monstrous actions flashed before him and sighed sadly as he shook his head. "Anyway, nice to meet you too ether way, Monsieur Simon." he spoke smiling weakly, "I look forward to working with you. Think we could be doing some vampire hunting? I've been doing that work for three years after finishing high school."

[Bycrest]

The Fort
Tobias Marquis

Tobias stepped out of the helicopter to find that his new surroundings to rather dull. When Tobias' foster father, Dimitri, told him he was going to work for some government agency, Tobias expected something a little more grand. He was used to the mercenary lifestyle, which had its hard times but the group also knew when to have some fun. Tobias wondered if anyone else around here even had a sense of humor.

There were plenty of people mingling about in the courtyard, but so far no one had captured Tobias' interest. He would definitely be interest in getting to know the people he would be working with, he wasn't sure how they would handle his approach at small talk. It normally involved some sort of joke about them that would be considered mean since Tobias didn't know any of them yet. For the time being, Tobias decided to wait near the helicopter for further instructions or until someone came up and talked to him.

[Finsternia]

More people. Lovely, and even better, conversations; something Simon wasn't fond of starting, unless he had an absolutely irresistible hook. Speak of the devil, one came.

"Bonjour. My name's Raphaël Raymond. Nice to meet you all. Anyone gotta smoke to spear to a bloodsucking monster like me?." Simon chuckled at this, and stepped toward the young vampire, looking him in the eye.

"Isn't second hand smoke worst than inhaling the fumes directly in some cases? Do it in your own spare time." He told him.

"But where are my manners? My name is Simon," He extended his hand and offered it to Raphaël. "I would say, 'nice to meet you', but I can't feel emotion very well."

Raphaël Raymond

Raphaël gave Simon an innocent look. "I understand sir." he spoke with a chuckle and a smile as he took the pack of cigarettes from his comrade, putting them away in his pocket, "I usually only smoke when alone anyway, just like my grandparents tell me. Merci beaucoup, Monsieur."

Raphaël looked at Simon with glittering red eyes and a smile as he clutched his umbrella. "Can't feel emotions well, huh? Is that part of why you're here?" he asked with curiosity, before frowning, "I'm here because I don't trust myself in public unrestricted anymore. Thought I could control myself but almost killing my grandpa and grandpa out of pure uncontrollable vampiric hunger."

The vampire kid sulked his head. He cringed as unwanted memories of monstrous actions flashed before him and sighed sadly as he shook his head. "Anyway, nice to meet you too ether way, Monsieur Simon." he spoke smiling weakly, "I look forward to working with you. Think we could be doing some vampire hunting? I've been doing that work for three years after finishing high school."

Lagren Theristes
The Fort

Lagren suddenly walked towards the location of the two and stared down at Raphael with an ecstatic expression on his face. "Vrykolakas! I've never seen your kind 'naturally occuring'!" He then placed Raphael's face between his palms and squished them like as if he's playing with a baby. He was laughing too at what he is doing. It was as if he's having the time of his life or was playing with a tiny puppy. "I never expected to see a true vampire in here! I experimented with your kind before but you just seem to be so frail like glass! Your ashes are so hard to sweep off the carpets!" The last sentence was kind of spoken with a hint of venom as his face squishing became quite... harder.

His hands left Raphael's face and he clasped them together. He then giggled again which sent shivers throughout his body. "What is your name little mosquito?"

[Forest State]

The Major and Miles hung around and watched the others socialize for a few minutes, before Conrad looked at his watch and saw what the time was. It was time for everyone to head to the center of the base, where they would head into the Baumann Hall, the place that would be their new home from now on. "Okay everyone, I know you want to talk, but there's a schedule that we're sticking to and the upper brass want everyone unpacked by the time dinner is served," he said to get their attention, and turned towards the stone path leading away from the airfield. "You see this path? It's the main walkway around the base, you follow it from here and it takes you straight to the Quad. That's also where the Baumann Hall is. If you ever get lost, the walkway always leads back to the middle of the base."

"You guys better hurry," added Miles, who was still keeping a safe distance from everyone else. "You don't want to miss dinner... It's first come, first serve, and we still have a bunch of hungry support staff showing up today," he added with a chuckle. "And one word of advice to everyone, don't get on the bad side of the chefs, either. Your enjoyment is going to greatly depend on them, every dinner."

[Frinalia]

With the new revelation of dinner approaching, Simon broke off into a run to drop his stuff off in his room before dinner. If he wanted any chance of survival, he was going to have to eat like a madman. Not just food, but pens, a desk maybe. With any luck, he would find a spare mop lying around. Hopefully the lunch staff gave out free plastic utensils, because those were going down too.

He came up to the rooms and opened the second door on the right before throwing his stuff in there, not even bothering to organize. He'd sort it out later. The room was just what you would expect from a military room. Nothing too special, but there was a desk in the back by the bed.

Now that everything was "sorted out", Simon chuckled, surveying his handiwork. On second thought... He took his stuff and placed it on the bed, claiming it as his. All was well. He started walking back to the cafeteria as quickly as possible, now noticing how odd it must have looked for him to run.