Keep your feet on the ground! [Open]

"Ten minutes 'til drop..."

The voice crackled throughout the cabin of the aircraft, soldiers barely raising their heads in acknowledgement, scientists trading worried glances as the inevitable approached. Parachuting down to the target location was a necessity, there was no place to land within a 50 mile radius and once they were on the ground, the density of the rainforest meant that driving was an impossibility. Helicopter's could've been used, sure, but the mission was time sensitive. This was the quickest way, and the army -- or whatever this military organisation was -- didn't care about the qualms and nerves of scientists. But not everyone aboard the plane was a soldier or a scientist, there were a few, five to be exact, who fit into neither category. Two of them were some sort of business moguls, undoubtedly the people funding this investigation, burdening the operation with their presence because their small lives lacked the thrill that a military operation like this could provide. The other three, though, were much more interesting additions. They were the gifted ones. That was what this organisation had taken to calling them, anyway, but to them it seemed more condescending than endearing. 'Gifted'. It implied that there was something different about them, but they had spent their whole lives believing they were the same. It was a frightening concept, to have lived all your life and then, suddenly, you discover that you can bend the very fabrics of reality with your mind? It was dizzying.

One of these 'gifted' ones was April White. Sitting alone, towards the back of the craft, her hands were restlessly fiddling with one another in her lap as the target location got nearer and nearer, more daunting by the second. She couldn't help but to keep to herself for the entirety of the trip thus far, her nerves about the whole thing combined with her pretty major trust issues pretty much ensured that her anxiety levels were through the roof. She glanced out the windows of the thing every now and then, but couldn't see much of anything whenever she did so, just the fluffy white of the clouds or the vibrant greens whenever there was a crack between them. That was some comfort, at least, for being close to nature -- or the ocean -- always made her feel a little more comfortable, a little more at peace. That was some consolation, when they finally arrived at least she would have two feet on the ground and be surrounded by wildlife.

The other two 'gifted' were a lot like her, when she thought about it, and when she spoke to them they seemed friendly enough. None of them were ready for an operation like this, that was for sure, but at least they were all in it together. The boy, Noah, was the youngest. About 18, his brown hair and boyish good looks suited him well, for as far as April could tell he was a nice guy, a little overwhelmed, but happy. The other woman, Lilian, was a little older than the other two, April wasn't exactly sure but she placed her in her mid-30s at least. She had long, blonde hair and a pale complexion, and seemed to want to keep to herself even more than April did. Whenever they had spoken it had been awkward, as though neither of them were really interested in getting to know one another, but it was never hostile. Thankfully, the trip so far had been without complications as far as the people were concerned.

And then there were the military people. Most of them were just nameless faces to April, but a few had taken the time to introduce themselves to the gifted, to try and make them feel at home. It was a hopeless gesture, but noble, none the less. The leader of the group, April didn't know her real name but she was called 'Princess' by everyone else, had done the best to make sure they knew vaguely what was happening, but, just like everyone else she had spoken to so far, couldn't tell April any of the specifics. It was infuriating, in truth, why couldn't they just tell her? She was undoubtedly going to know as soon as they got there, so what was the problem with telling them in advance? But Princess had been apologetic, and assured them that as soon as they got there, as soon as the mission really started, that they would understand all the secrecy. That it would make sense as to why they couldn't tell them everything that was about to unfold. Whatever you say, April remembered thinking, sure that these military and science types would do whatever they could to keep April and the other two, who they considered mere civilians, as out of the loop as they possibly could. Another of the military personnel who had taken the time out to try and speak to them was a guy called Chris Berry, who April had a little bit of a crush on already. He was charming, impossibly handsome, she had nearly melted at the mere sight of him, but her nervousness had gotten the better of her when he introduced herself, and she was sure that he would never again try and speak to the girl who had barely managed to squeak out her name when he spoke to her.

"Five minutes..."

That drawling voice again, for a second April found herself wondering if there was truly a person at the other end of that voice, or if it was just a prerecorded message. That was silly, of course, but it was just something that popped into her head as she wondered exactly how a person's voice could be so bland in a situation like this? That was when she realised what was happening. Five minutes. A whole new level of panic set in again, her lithe fingers began twisting at the seatbelt tightened securely around her waist. She knew that the drop would be fine, that she would be strapped to one of the soldiers and that the responsibility would be entirely out of her hands, but still it was frightening. Terrifying. What would happen to them after the drop, could the chatter and whispering about 'demons' really be true? Surely not... surely there must've been some kind of mistake.

But they wouldn't have come all of this way, done all of this, if they weren't sure... would they?

That thought bounced around her head for a few minutes, until finally that dreary voice announced that it was time for them to prepare for the jump. April looked up, saw Berry smiling at her and giving her a thumbs up, apparently she was to be jumping with him. Great... that's all I need. She clumsily fiddled with her seatbelt, trying to unclasp the thing for what felt like an eternity before it finally unclipped itself, and stood shakily to her feet, staggering forwards towards her 'jumping buddy'. As she approached him, the underside of the plane (in one section) began to collapse away, opening up to reveal where they would be jumping and unleashing a blast of warmth and humidity at the same time. The leafy canopy below didn't seem ideal for parachuting, but apparently there was a vast clearing up ahead that would be where they were to be jumping. She didn't have long to appreciate the view of the jungle below, before Chris was grabbing her around the waist, fastening himself to her so that she wouldn't plunge to a horrific death. He attempted to say something into her ear, but whatever he said was sucked into the vacuum that was the now open rear plane door. And then, suddenly and without warning, they were falling, rocketing through the sky into the abyss below, preparing themselves for whatever horrors awaited them when they reached the earth.

New York City: Twenty Hours Ago


"So, let me see if I've got this." He cleared his throat, inhaled and laid a pencil's eraser firmly upon his bottom teeth. He bit down on it in a bemused manner, pinching his nose with his other hand while his eyes closed. Expelling his breathe, he looked at the men before him. "You need my company--"

"Yes."

"Shut up. I'm not done." The one who cut him off was a short, portly man with a bushy mustache. He wore military uniform, though the outfit he was with (or even country for that matter) wasn't entirely clear. If he'd had to guess, it was a U.N. operation they were trying to involve him in. He brought the pencil from his mouth and set it down, running his now free hand over his forehead and through jet-black hair before settling it into a clasp with his other. "You need my company--"

"Yes." He rested his head against his hands and grunted in exasperation.

"Are you trying to piss me off? Because its working. I'm a very patient person, and this conversation-- this one conversation has been wearing on my nerves like they were knives in lemon juice." He brought his icy blue eyes to stare at the short man again who seemed to flinch from the glare alone. He looked to the skinny man. He was very lanky-- not even a hint of muscle. "Hey, Pixie-Stick. Get Gobstopper the fuck out of here so I can try to figure out why exactly it is I shouldn't leave your military's endeavor out to dry." It only took that threat before the skinny one and the executive were alone in the room again. The door to the office closed, an awkward silence punctuating the end of annoying interruptions for the time being. "Are we ready?" The man nodded. "Are you positive?" The man nodded again. "Nothing to add? No comments like your friend Gobstopper?" He shook his head, and the executive smiled. "Good. I always did like Pixie-Sticks better." He spun his chair around with his foot, ancy and board. "So, you need my company to finance your operation?" A nod. Perfect. He could hear his own voice without interruption. "An operation which takes place within the next twenty-hours?" Another nod, and this is where his temper started to grow. "You do realize that this is extremely inconvenient for me, right? What am I even financing? You can waste your own money to oppress natives. I have all the oppressing I can handle with my funds right here." The skinny man nodded. A sigh. "He talks too much, you don't talk enough... get Gobstopper back in here. He likes talking. Maybe he can explain this to me."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'll just lay it all on the table: Demons." A pen dropped, and the executive bent under his desk to snatch it up between his fingers.

"Did you say 'Demons'?" A curious smile, and he felt in his chest that they weren't lying to him. At the very least, they thought they were right. He reflected on his own origins. "Alright. I didn't think you could do it, but you now have my attention. Let's hear it."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That was the long and short of it; the entity that disguised itself as an executive had an urge to visit this setting in order to verify for himself the validity of their claims. He hoped more than anything for it to be true; things had been so stagnant these past millennia. Human beings... they were so easy to manipulate through fear or coercion but a demon-- usually, they were much more clever. not necessarily as smart or as ingenious as Human Beings, though. But a demon was difficult to manipulate. At least... it was thousands of years ago. Now, he might discover differently. Truth be told, it had been easily three-thousand years since he last time he'd met one, let alone multiple. His skin itched as he noted the three individuals that had been divided up from the others. Ah yes. He heard them called 'gifted' by some of the others, and the young female called 'Princess' by some of the others. He smiled, noting that all three of them seemed on edge. They were not military. Not by any means. They lacked the stares, the emotionally charged grit. Their nerves were like rusted aluminum foil, crumpled and pathetic in a heap. If he understood everything properly the operation hinged on these nervous wrecks. A frown; how could he get down on the ground? That was his intention in any case. Sure, he was unarmed today but not without his skills to help him survive.

He wondered how many of these poor sods even knew what they were up against? None. Ah, how beautiful it would be. He had been leaning against the hull with a blue alcoholic beverage in hand, staring at the group of soldiers and trying to locate the one in charge. He noted everybody grabbing parachutes, and headed towards the 'spare' that he'd had stowed over to the side. He placed it on his back, and was quickly approached by a uniformed man.

"Sir? Why are you putting on that spare?" The executive raised his eyebrow.

"This parachute?"

"Yes sir, the one on your back."

"This, a spare? This isn't a spare." The panel opened, and soldiers started to plummet through to the ground below. He jogged over to it. "This is mine! I bought it!" The wind consumed his next words as he leapt out of the plane. "I bought this whole damn trip!"

(-20 mp, 0 remaining)

The fall was terrifying, but exhilarating. April had never really experienced anything like it before, parachuting and anything adrenaline pumping had been the furthest things from April's mind throughout her life. As the parachute roared open and their descent slowed, the girl took this moment -- this moment of peace, stillness -- to enjoy the view. The area directly beneath them, the target for their fall, was wide and grassy, without much in the way of plant life to disrupt their landing. Their was a river off to one side of the clearing, and all around was filled with either trees or rocky landscapes. Either way, every direction was filled with greenery. It brought a smile to the young girl's lips as she floated downwards, nature was something she had always loved, despite never really having been able to embrace it. There was something within the trees, within the flora, that felt like home. She had never really been sure why, but like many things in her life, she had decided it was best not to question it. Some things had just been different for her, they always had been and they probably always would, but she had accepted it. Especially now, now that she had been branded as 'gifted'. Labelled as being different, it wasn't just a feeling any more.

As her feet reunited with the ground, the crunch of the grass ignited a wave of contentment throughout her body. Finally back where she was comfortable, she managed a sigh of relief to reveal that at least for now, she was happy. But that feeling was sure to fade as soon as the mission began to take it's course. She remained relatively quiet as Berry unhooked her from him, and she gave him a quick nod and smile of gratitude as she bounded off to rejoin the group, as he gathered up the parachute they had used before joining her with them.

"Alright then," April heard the voice as she was approaching, recognising it as Princess, the military captain of the whole operation. "This is where we'll set up our perimeter. Scientists, business types, you'll be staying here with a few of mine while the rest of us head into the cave due north from here. As soon as everything's clear you'll be permitted to join, but until that point stay here. Get all your equipment up and ready to deal with whatever it is we find. As we're sure you're well aware, this mission is time sensitive. As soon as the initial scans are done with, we'll be underway. Any questions come to me directly, get going."

As soon as she was finished speaking, everyone scurried off to get about their responsibilities. The military personnel got to work with the lifting, unpacking the massive wooden crates that had been air dropped from the second plane. They were filled with all sorts of things, from weapons to computers, and as they unpacked everything the scientists got to work setting everything up, plugging their equipment into generators in the centre of the clearing, while a perimeter wall was built in a circular formation around the camp. In the meantime, other soldiers were pitching tents for who knew what, April wasn't aware that they were planning to be here overnight. It was a possibility, she guessed, because she didn't know anything about the whole thing, it could've been a weeklong investigation for all she knew.

But for now, there was not much for she, or the other two 'Gifted' to do while everything was being prepared. They stood in roughly the centre of the camp, watching in awe as the place was turned from an empty clearing to a military base of operations in a matter of minutes. None of them knew exactly what they were here for, so their activity was limited at the moment, as well as their conversation, considering they had no idea what was going on. As they stood there, agitation, nervousness and excitement building into a crescendo of emotion, Berry approached the group once more -- as he did, April's eyes quickly found the ground.

"Princess sent me over to make a quick apology and to get you all set to go," he said, his charm radiating through his smile. "Here, take these," he said, passing each of them a combat knife and sheath to keep them in. April looked at hers in surprise, her eyes bulging at the sight of it. A weapon?

"What exactly do you think is going to happen that we need this?" she asked, finally finding her voice in this whole, ridiculous situation. "I know you've been training us but... combat? Already?" Her voice was a little shaky at the end, she didn't want to seem weak but it was too soon, wasn't it? Then again, neither of the other two gifted seemed to have a problem with it, or at least neither of them raised their voice to back her up in her questioning.

"You're right to ask!" Berry interjected, before April could attempt to take back her hesitation. "It's just a precaution, no need to worry. Plus, look at how many of us there are. We're trained and ready, and armed to the teeth. Don't worry about a thing, I'll take care of you." He said, with a wink. The blood rushed to April's face and she looked down again, nodding slightly to show that she understood while Berry said something else she couldn't comprehend and then walked away. She looked at the knife and sheath, fiddling with them in her hands, before following Lilian's lead and strapping it to her thigh.

She was stretching her arms and back, readying herself to go, when Princess rushed towards her.

"There's been a slight delay," she said, annoyance rife within her tone. "Preliminary scans are indicating that the mana levels in these areas are much, much higher than we anticipated. This may be more serious than we could've ever imagined. As such, I've called in for back up from another group, but we'd really like to get things underway now, and be joined by them as they arrive. But we can't start anything without you three, so with your permission we'll get going right now."

April was slightly concerned by the news, but did not dare question it again. Noah said something about them all being as ready as they would ever be, and with that, the mission began. The trio followed closely behind Princess as she led them outside the relative safety of the constructed perimeter, flanked on all sides by at least a dozen military personnel. As they began their trek, Princess turned back to the base, intending to leave the remaining personnel with some last minute instructions.

"Everyone else is ordered to stay here. Once the back up arrives, send them in our direction. They'll know how to find us, hopefully. Until then, stay safe. We'll send for you when you're needed."

[[Acquired Combat Knife ✓]]

He touched down like a sir, landing on top of a random soldier with a thud. The soldier grunted, and the executive looked down in surprise. "Hey, Gobstopper!" The short, chubby man from earlier had provided him with an excellent landing mattress.

"...ugh." The man grunted in pain. He didn't move except for a twitch.

"Oh come now Gobstopper. Show me some vim and vigor! We're in the middle of the Amazon Jungle! Tarantulas, Anaconda, other dangerous predators..." He grinned. "Demons." He stepped off of the fat man, wondering aloud to himself. "Say, where is the other Wonka Brother? I rather liked Pixie-Stick. He was quite charming-- silent, just how I like my yes-men." He strolled through the clearing, watching the soldiers set up complex electronic equipment and pitch tents. "This is droll." He observed the leader of some unit, the one called 'Princess' earlier on the plane moving about the camp and decided to follow her. He would know what his money was funding exactly, and would also like to know more about these 'Gifted' ones. Perhaps it was because it was he nosy, and indeed his curiosity did compel him to lend his ear to the conversation that was sure to eventually ensue. Princess, Princess, from the castle do you crawl.

He noted that one of the gifted, the young girl, seemed to have a crush on the big, burly man. He was black. No wonder she liked him: black men usually had large penises, and she most obviously wanted him to give her the D. He chuckled. Oh, honey. Bubba can indeed give you the D. He can give you a capitalized D. Another chuckle. He turned around to a random soldier passing by, and called out to him. "Say, is it all possible you have some liquor around here? I can't think straight without a heavy buzz." The man shot him a quick, confused expression before resuming whatever duty it was that he had. The executive harrumphed, turning his attention back to this 'Princess.' She rushed over to the young girl, shortly after she strapped the knife the Black Dude have given her to her hip. I wonder, was the knife a metaphor? He examined it again. No, its much to small to be a metaphor for that. 'Princess' started to address the group, and he perked up his ears.

"There's been a slight delay," she said, annoyance rife within her tone.

God, she sounds like a bitch. He looked her up and down, examining her figure. With a shrug, he reached his final conclusion. I'd still do her.

"Preliminary scans are indicating that the mana levels in these areas are much, much higher than we anticipated. This may be more serious than we could've ever imagined."

Interesting. A grin cut across his face when the soldier from earlier passed by once more. "Hey jackass! Still waiting on my buzz!" He turned back to the conversation taking place a ways off.

"As such, I've called in for back up from another group, but we'd really like to get things underway now, and be joined by them as they arrive."

You fucking bitch. You fucking, fuckable bitch. I'm not made of money. His thoughts broke on a realization. I have a shit ton of it though.

"But we can't start anything without you three, so with your permission we'll get going right now."

Oho? A trip through the forest? He would tag along as they went, but as the group left the camp the soldier from earlier stopped him.

"You can't leave."

"Can't I?"

"No." The executive frowned.

"Pretty please?" The soldier shook his head. "Wait, aren't you the mook who is supposed to get me my liquor?"

The journey through the jungle was nowhere near as long as she had expected, that was something at least. They had been forced to travel in single file, the density of the plant life and minimal area for safe passage demanding that each individual followed in the track of the person before them, or risk embarrassing slips and falls all over the place. The pack was headed by Princess, naturally, who was followed by a few military personnel, who were then followed by the three Gifted (April in the middle), who were then in turn followed by the rest of the unit. They were moving at a brisk pace, not quite a job but still a steady walk. The heat of the jungle was quite intense, more than April had expected, and the humidity had caused the trek to become quite a bit more taxing on all of them then it should have been.

Regardless, they had reached their destination within half an hour. A wide, yawning cave faced them, the darkness stretching long back into it's confines. How long it was, how deep, none of them were really sure... but somewhere in there, somewhere hidden within the shadows, was their target. This was the source of the spiking mana levels in the area, and this was exactly the point where they planned to halt the demon incursion -- by whatever means necessary.

"Well, here we are." Princess again, turning to address the group as they gathered near the entrance of the cave. "We're not precisely sure what we'll be faced with in there, but be alert. Whoever --or maybe whatever-- in this place, is probably not here to make friends. Let's go."

April shuddered at the thought. How could she have wound up in a situation like this? It was completely out of her hands, her life practically hung in the balance. She was understandably and cripplingly terrified, but by way of some divine intervention her feet began to move, one in front of the other, dragging her into the dark abyss. As they went, the soldiers began pulling what appeared to be glorified glow-sticks from compartments within their apparel, the things strong enough to light their immediate surroundings. That was some solace, at least they could see where they were going, what they were stepping on.

A sudden chill washed over the group. Something was inside. Whatever they were walking into, it did not appreciate their presence.

The executive was stuck chillin' in the camp like a baller drinking massive amounts of liquor. Hurry Back bitches. I never get to have fun. I want to fuck my clones. Without clones, I have to fuck... people. And you people are gone. I can't fuck April or Neptune, I mean, fuck. hurry back. Drunken kisses.