UN Special Forces Poland Research Base

[dakota]

Glad things were getting back to where they should be, Khris hung at the back of the control room, perched in the corner and observing while out of the way. No one had reacted to his presence the first time he got board and moved up from the floor, so he guessed they were briefed on his abilities. He watched pretty much everything that went on, but his attention focused from time to time on Tiger, which he couldn't help.

[albatross]

As Dancer, Peacemaker and Merrow prepare to begin their tests. Tiger watches them intently, and the techs all watch their screens. All three get into their giant robots.

Then as they are getting ready for the test, something amazing happens. A blindingly bright light shines briefly, then stops. Readings go off the charts, the techs all gasp and try to report things at once but Tiger ignores them. After a few minutes the techs calm down and realize they are all talking over each other and quietly wait for instructions. Each robot has its field up, shining softly, nothing like the escape of raw power a moment ago.

"Which one was it?" Tiger asks. She has her suspicions, even as the sunspots linger in her eyes, but she has to be sure.

"Dancer," says on of the tech's. "Shield readings at the maximum or recording instruments can measure."

"Get Jeckle and have her instruct the scientists to make new instruments with another degree of magnitude in the measurements," Tiger says.

"Dancer," Tiger says as calmly as she can. "Can you walk me through that sequence again?"

Dancer sounds confused, "What sequence, I just got in, got ready and started concentrating."

"Get out and do it again please, exactly like before." Tiger instructs.

Dancer does this, only this time there is no brilliant light. She gets out, gets in, the shield comes on but only the low steady glow that Rock was able to generate. Invincible to normal weapons, but still vulnerable to the demons.

Tiger says, "Again."

Fortunately Dancer is a professional ballet dancer and well used to pointless directions from directors, she repeats her entry and concentration exercises, but again the amazing light is absent.

Tiger whirls on the techs. "When did it happen? Show me video feeds." And they can see the video. Dancer gets in, sits down, straps herself in, and then the readings go off the charts. Tiger stands perfectly still, thinking.

[dakota]

Khris saw the flash and dropped from his perch, slipping his sandals on as he hit the floor. "What was that?"Dancer just connect at Rock's level?" He asked as he moved up beside Tiger.

[albatross]

"Beyond that," Tiger murmured. "But... how? She doesn't seem to be able to repeat it. What was different only moments ago?"

[dakota]

"Maybe she's concentrating on repeating it too hard. "Khris suggested. He knew he was out of place, but he leaned into tiger's mic,"Dancer, let's try something different. I want you to pause a minute and relax. then when you get in, don't concentrate so hard doing it same way. Just slip into the machine as easy as you slip into your favorite outfit." After a moment's pause, he looked at Tiger. " sorry if I'm out of place, just thinking it has to do with her mental conncetion with the machine, and less about following sequences."

[albatross]

"I'll try that Khris," Dancer says. And she does, but still the bright light is absent.

Tiger puts a hand on Khris's shoulder and whispers, "Keep her trying." And she descends into the techs and monitors and starts reviewing the data, checking Dancer's vital signs, the timing of the event, ordering techs to coorelate various data.

[dakota]

Khris nodded and keyed the mic. "It's okay Dancer. Let's backtrack a bit, I know this is routine, but something is different from when you got in. Your thoughts, what foot you stepped in with first, maybe the way you were holding your tongue, something. Try to remember what it was and then try it again repeating the process. I know this is tedious, but there has to be an explanation."

[albatross]

Dancer carefully thinks and repeats the exercise slowly and carefully, trying to get it exactly right.

Tiger and the techs have Dancers vitals mapped against the occurance. Heart rate, breathing...

It happened when Dancer was sitting in the robot, the checklist was still in process and technically the training hadn't started yet. Dancer took a deep breath and suddenly her heart rate changed. Right when the light occured. Right before the exercise would have begun.

Over her shoulder Tiger calls to Khris, "Concentrate on the part from when she sits down, while the techs were going the checklist."

[dakota]

"All right Dancer, we think we might have an idea. What were you thinking about when you first got into the cockpit? " Khris said, speaking calmly to sound reassuring. " Once you're in, I want you to think about it again. Relaxed like when we were trying the entire sequence before. You hit on something, we just want to see if you can repeat it and teach the others how to do it."

[albatross]

Dancer seems confused, "When I first get in? I'm not thinking about anything... when I first sit down I haven't even.... Oh." She gets in, and after a moment the bright light reappears and the sensors go crazy.

Tiger is looking at the readouts, "What are doing now?"

Dancer says, "Um. Nothing. Um, no I mean there is something I'm not doing. You know how I can use my powers at will? Remember Kris how you can't sense them when they aren't activated? When I first get into the cockpit, after I get settled in, that is when I concentrate and... "

"So right now you aren't Dancer, you are just yourself?" Tiger asks softly.

"Yes." She says.

"And if you switch?" Tiger asks. And the bright light fades to the small glow they are all used to.

Tiger leans back in her chair, still staring at the screen. Her mind is whirling. She says nothing for a moment.

[dakota]

"That's it kiddo!"Khris said with a big smile. " Whatever it is you don't do, it's driving the readings through the roof." He turned to Tiger and his elation dropped,"causing him to shut off his audio so Dancer wouldn't hear him,"What's wrong? This is a good thing, isn't it?"

[albatross]

Tiger raises an eyebrow, "Not necessarily a problem. A discovery. An opportunity perhaps." She thinks about it for a moment. "Rock's abilities weren't all genetic. He trained. Perhaps that is why he excelled...."

She stands up, "We need to accomplish the same breakthrough with Peacemaker and Merrow. Kris, find Roan, White and Marv and send them to me. Get Dante, Jeckle, Bel, Heckle and Akane. Tell them to get their gear packed and on the plane. Be ready to go. Bring combat gear and get Jeckle to provide nonleathal weapons if available."

Tiger turns to the technicians. "Continue the training with Merrow and Peacemaker. Have Dancer return to the gym and await Roan for a different training program. Lt. White will arrive to supervise shortly. Get me a secure line to the United Nations to the conference room."

Before she leaves Tiger says to Dancer, "Great work. I have just realized I need to run an errand. White, Roan and Marv will tell you what you need to do. See you soon."

[dakota]

Khris nodded, and left the control room. He had no idea why, but he looked for the three OS instructors. When he found them, he passed on Tiger's message, explaining if asked he had no idea what was going on. Once he had the three headed to the control room, he headed to the quarters he and Tiger shared and began to pack his things.

[albatross]

An hour or two later Tiger joins the team at the plane. After take off, Bel flies while Tiger briefs the team. "Dancer has stumbled on a breakthrough. Part of the reason Rock was able to excel because his abilities were not completely the result of genetics or other in born talents but he honed his abilities through training. Dancer has a mystical ability to change into a more powerful version of herself. But when she turns off her abilities then the shield grows stronger. In other words, many of the abilities that increase aptitude with the shield might be hindering performance."

"We need Peacemaker and Merrow to make the same breakthrough. But they cannot turn their powers off at will like Dancer. However, one ability that occurs very rarely is the ability to negate other's powers. And even more rarely than that, sometimes the ability to negate powers is concentrated not in a person but in an object. Finding one of those objects is our mission. We actually need two of them. I called in a favor and got intel from the top world spying agencies. The Egyptian team will go to Kenya. We will go to Des Moines."

She calls up a map of the city on a holographic display at the planes electronics center. "This is a blue print of the city." Tiger hits a button. "This is crime data block by block." She rotates the city view until it is sideways, with everyone looking at a birds eye view. "There." And sure enough, in the midst of a poor, run down section of the city there is hole in the crime statistics. No gangs, no drive bys, few murders or rapes. Theft drops off. Some white collar crimes, but violence is practically non existent.

"Listen up because this is important: If we find the object we are looking for it might be difficult to operate. Don't kill the person using it. We may need to question them. Ideally we ask them to donate it to us to help us fight the demons. We can compenstate them if they want that. But we need it. Push comes to shove we have to bring one back. Use force if necessary. Non leathal. But use it."

[dakota]

Khris sighed," Non lethal force? Guess I'm be guarding the plane." He smirked slightly," That's like asking someone to have sex and telling them they're not allowed to enjoy it."