thoughtformed | first stab; video

[Really, at first, Anita looks nothing short of irate, sitting in front of the camera with her arms crossed. She's already heard every possible explanation from the folks at the hospital, and while she's done her best to take it with a grain of salt, she's not pleased. It's difficult to wrap her head around, honestly, and that's saying something, considering what she does for a living and how often she spends her time ass-deep in myths and legends. All sorts of things that people once thought were fictional but were, in truth, real.

This is just a twist she had never expected.]

The funny thing is that this is only bordering on the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me.

[She's certainly seen worse. Nobody is trying to chain her to a bed and slice her up, so, you know, that's a definite plus.]

I'm sure plenty of other people have shown up and started talking about how this just can't be true, so I'm going to skip that part for now and worry about finding out more about this place. I'll assume we're not looking at an island full of humans, given the circumstances. There's nothing wrong with that, but humor me. I'm curious. Are the police any good, or is it all Gangs of New York up in here?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She grins, pulling her jacket open to reveal the Browning strapped to her hip.]

I like to carry old reliable here with me wherever I go. Never know when I'm going to need it.

[Shepard pulls his own pistol -- it whirs and expands when it's drawn, the shape of the barrel shifting.]

Sounds like we're on the same page.

[She smiles, giving him a nod of approval.]

Very nice. Never seen one like that before. Pretty fancy technology there.

It's about two centuries newer than anything else I've seen on the island. But apart from laughing at kevlar, the effect is pretty much the same.

[The department shooting range is in the sub-basement, below the forensics labs, and has precious few shooting lanes, making it a little claustrophobic despite the distance to target. Shepard hands Anita a pair of sound-blocking electronic earmuffs and a pair of safety glasses, grimacing a little before taking some himself. He's used to automated systems in his armor taking care of little things like this, but he can't recharge his armor anywhere on the island, so he leaves it locked up except for SWAT missions.]

[Anita, on the other hand, is quite comfortable with such safety equipment. She puts her safety glasses in place, followed by the earmuffs, then draws the Browning and takes the safety off, stepping into one of the stalls and facing the targets waiting at the far end of the shooting range. She stands with her legs apart, shoulders squared, and looks over her shoulder to make sure Shepard's ready for her to start before facing forward and squeezing the trigger, firing a number of shots into the target opposite her. Needless to say, her aim is excellent. She's had some practice. A lot of practice, actually.]

[Reluctantly sticking to the safety protocols, Shepard nods his admiration. Taking his own place in the next lane, he lifts his pistol and opens fire himself. Despite the fact that his pistol is auto-correcting for recoil, the pattern isn't nearly as tight, although he doesn't miss. The moment his pistol is empty and flashing a warning at him, he takes one hand off the gun and makes a gesture -- something like pitching a softball. An orb of wavering blue energy shoots down the lane, tendrils of it lingering around his fingers, and the paper target vanishes into confetti.

All right. So he likes to show off, a little.]

[She watches the display with interest, grinning once the paper target is reduced to nothing more than itty-bitty confetti flakes.]

Show-off. Nice shootin', Tex.

I've always been competitive.

[He ejects a corrugated black-cylider from his gun, still hissing, elements on it glowing orange with heat, and sockets another; then hits a pair of thumb-keys on the back of his pistol, re-engaging the safety and turning off the biometric scanner. He turns the gun in his hand and offers it to Anita.]

Want to give it a shot?

That makes two of us.

[She raises an eyebrow as he does the exchange, gamely accepting the firearm from him and testing the weight of it.]

Thought you'd never ask. Let's see, here.

[Ready, aim, fire.

Wow.]

You have great toys.

M6 Carnifex. Accelerates a third of a gram of tungsten steel to a little over Mach 5. I'm still getting used to the notion that the size of a bullet actually makes a difference to people around here.

[He shrugs after a moment.]

Wish I could equip the whole department with them, but this isn't the official department sidearm -- it's mine from back home.

Getting your hands on more of them is pretty much out of the question, in that case. Still, it's an impressive piece of work.

[She hands the firearm back to him, then lifts the Browning again, looking at it rather fondly.]

I have plenty of other weapons at home, but this has always been my standby. I've sworn by it for years. I usually keep a 9mm Firestar on my person, too, and I'd feel better if I had my knives here, but if I could only arrive with one weapon, I'm glad I got the Browning.

I know how you feel.

[He holsters the Carnifex.]

All right. You check out. Unfortunately, I've got no excuses left -- next comes the paperwork.

[She makes a great show of withholding a sigh, giving him a clearly theatrical but still-pleading look.]

I was kind of hoping you'd have forgotten about that part.

first stab; video

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