Worlds Between

Gabriel Intro

Gabriel Tosh was going about his every day life.

[Post here. You may play your family members and environment, and I will interject events and characters]

It was a normal day. Gabriel was running a six mile trail he knew well. He wore his cammo pack so he would not have to stop for water, and a extra canteen encase he needed it. he was trained to never leave home with out a weapon and had his gun belt on with his sidearm, and a combat knife attached to his cammo pack strap. It was like most other mornings... calm, and beautiful as he watched the sun rise over the farm lands in the valley below the mountains. The trail would take him to the top where he could be able to see down into the war torn border only fifteen miles from the base of the mountain. Gabriel hated leave. He had no real family to come home to now that his sister was off at the boarding school for girls and was only allowed to visit during the high holidays, and on Passover or Yomkipor. Alone with his thoughts and the little bit of land he wanted to retire on after a long good life of serving his nation. He wanted a farm, a wife, children, and peace. Gabriel smiled at the thought of 'when', and realized that he should be thinking 'if'. it was only five thirty in the morning, and Gabriel was already angry at himself for wearing his ACU bottoms and boots now that it was nearly 29c. Although it was a nicer day than it had been the whole week leading up to it.

Suddenly, sharp crack was audible nearby. Along with it, the body of Mark DeMarco dropped to the ground as if he had just fallen out of bed. Certainly the last thing he remembered was going to sleep in his home, and perhaps some very strange dreams about a land of tall spires and great canyons. Yet there he was, landing face first in the grass.

"Hey are you okay? Where did you come from?" Gabriel was speaking Hebrew, and looking for a sign of injurers as he rushed forward to see if the man was harmed. Gabriel had no clue what happened to this man with no shoes, but he hopped to find out. "Are you harmed?" he spoke on in Hebrew.

Groaning slightly from the hard and sudden impact with the solid ground, Mark slowly rolled onto his back spitting grass and dirt from his mouth. 'What the hell? Why am I laying on grass and where the hell is my house.' Mark thought to himself as he slowly cracked open his eyes and took in his surroundings before reaching up to rub his eyes and push the tiredness out of his body and reverting back to his training.

Gabriel was kind of shocked to see this man was unharmed. The loud crack sounded almost like a gun shot, but there was no blood or sign of a wound on the man. Gabriel looked him over wondering what had happened to him. He was unharmed, and looked to be in good health. "Are you okay?" Gabriel spoke in Hebrew again.

Mark hearing a unfamiliar voice in a language he didn't quite recognize reacted on instinct and training, tucked his body and side rolled his body away from the person. Springing to his feet his eyes took in the person before him. Noticing almost immediately the hip holster with a pistol immediately took up a defensive fighting stance and started darting his eyes about for possible weapons, cover, or a escape route. In a calm and some what cold voice Mark responded with a low growl in his throat "Who are you? Where am I?"

"American?" Gabriel asked in English now. "I am Sergeant Gabriela Tosh, Of the IDF... Israel Defense forces. You are fifteen Kilometers from the Syrian border. Now that you know who I am I have one major questions and a few not so important ones. Who are you? Are you harmed? And for the love of god where are your shoes?" Gabriela was not worried the man was nervous... He would be too after appearing out of no where...

"What the hell did you say? Syria? That's half way around the world." Mark muttered and brought his hand up to his face rubbing softly hoping this was some crazy dream. " This shouldn't be possible... " Mark followed with before trailing off and comprehending what Gabriel had said. Relaxing his stance slightly replied to Gabriel's questions "Sergeant Mark DeMarco USMC. And I feel fine accept for the abrupt and sudden impact with the Earth." He answered ruefully stretching and rotating his arms. "As for my state of dress I was asleep in my house on base."

"Well this has been an exciting morning in the considering I am on leave. I guess the polite thing to do would be to ask you back to my house then drive you to your embassy." Gabriel was in shock to hear himself himself say that. "I would normal be unwilling to believe you had fallen out of bed had you not somehow appeared out of the sky in front of me... I am just going to chock this up to both of us having inhaled something we should not have and help you out."

Mark chuckled at Gabriel's attempt at humor and how to put this weird day into some semblance of an order. "Maybe along the way I can get some clothes or something I don't think me walking up to my embassy and stating I'm a US citizen, dressed in sleep attire is going to win me any points." Mark said ruefully glancing down at his attire. "That said, I agree something weird is going on and I'm with you this is just one too many drinks or something." Mark finished and somewhat wondered what was wrong with him to be so open, and jovial when he was normally a very closed off person. 'Must be the shock of waking up half way around the world, when the last thing I remember is falling asleep in my bed on base.' Mark thought to himself humorlessly.

Gabriel turned and started walking down the hill back the three miles to his house. "I am sure at the lease I have something that should fit." It seemed odd, but Gabriel had little reason to not trust Mark.

As Gabriel turned and left, Mark followed suite falling in step along side him as he started to contemplate exactly what he needed to accomplish to get back state side and hoped that in the end the chain of command would be willing to listen to this outrageous story. At the very least he was comforted by the fact that he was on leave for the next month so it shouldn't be that bad as going UA, "Hey, how far to your place any way?" Mark asked in a way to occupy the time and also figure out how much time he had to get everything straight in his head.

"Its three miles. At the current pas we should get there in roughly twenty five to thirty minuets." Gabriel was now wondering how on earth he did end up here... was it an air drop? then where did the cracking sound come from? Would The US Embassy believe him?

"Speaking of, I was just thinking that the chances of the embassy realizing I am who I say I am is probably nil without some proper paperwork or at the very least a heads up. Is there any chance you have a Sat phone I can use, or a hookup to dial out from so I can contact someone stateside?" Mark inquired as he followed along the dusty trail back to Gabriel's residence. He had been thinking since they started the easiest way to get this sorted out was to contact command, explain the situation as best he could and hope with a bit of luck they could make this situation unfubar'd.

When Mark arrived at the American embassy, a woman was waiting for him. She was tall, for a woman, and stood with the confident posture of an individual accustomed to power. "Sergeant DeMarco?"

Mark hearing his name turned to look at the woman who had called to him. Mark not recognizing the woman, didn't know who she was or if she was in any sort of military let himself fall back on his military training. After approaching to within about a foot and half stopped and snapped to attention and replied "Sergeant DeMarco Ma'am" and stood there ram rod straight awaiting further information, he wasn't about to make a fool of himself if this woman happened to be a superior officer out of uniform. Thinking to himself 'this situation is already fubar'd best not make it worse for myself, hopefully this all just a bad dream and I'll be back stateside in hop and then just throw myself back into field training.'

The woman's blue eyes swept over him with cool appraisal. "Good. We've been looking for you Sergeant. Would you, and the man accompanying you, please follow me." With that, she turned on her heel and walked into the embassy. A few security officers looked like they might approach them for a moment, then looked past them as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She lead them both into an office where they might talk privately and closed the door behind them. "Sit down gentlemen," she gestured to the chairs in front of the desk.

Mark followed the woman cautiously warnings and doubts running through his head as he processed all that happened. He wasn't blind to what happened outside the embassy check point, and knew for a fact they needed some form of ID to get in irregardless of who they may have been. Something was going on and it set him in a very alert status, so when the woman said to take a seat he chose to remain standing by the door and narrowed his eyes at the woman before him. "With all due respect ma'am but what the hell is going on?" Mark asked as he went through the information he had on hand. "Looking at all the facts, first off how in the hell did you know I was half way around the world? When taking into account time change and the approximate time of day here it can't be more then 0600 hours back Stateside and also the fact that I'm on leave for the next three weeks. So I know for a fact I haven't been reported UA or called since my CO just signed my papers two days ago." Mark finished his eyes almost frosting over and his body tightening something about this woman put him on edge.

A slight smile graced her lips. He was intelligent and she appreciated that. She hoped he would not be too close-minded for what she was about to tell him. "I assure you, Sergeant, there is an explanation for all of this." She stepped into the room to sit at the leather chair behind the desk, her back straight. Delicately boned but calloused hands rested on the desk, her fingers lacing together. "My name is Selene Adair. I am a representative of ASPIDA, an organization that deals with individuals with...special abilities. I am such an individual. Shall we say I have a.." Selene glanced up at Mark with an expression of mild amusement "knack for finding people such as yourselves. Believe it or not, most people do not appear randomly halfway across the world."

Mark scoffed and retorted sarcastically mentally 'Yes cause this happens everyday. In fact just yesterday I saw a man sprout wings from his back.' Glancing about the room he decided to look at Selene and take in her appearance and see if he could get a read on her and her motives. "Say I believe you and this is a big if I might consider hearing more. First though what is the ASPIDA? Never heard of it." Mark calmly replied as he kept up his guard.

Selene suppressed a sigh at the expression on his face. She suspected it would be a long night, but she listened patiently. She was youthful, perhaps in her late twenties, but held the easy confidence of someone who had experienced a great many things. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, and her blue eyes were intent on them both. "There is no reason you should have heard of it. It is not generally wise to publicize a group specializing in individuals with unusual abilities. We are an organization that locates, trains, and protects individuals with unusual abilities" before another, more dangerous group finds them she added silently to herself.

Mark took all this in with a grain of salt so to speak and it was a lot to digest. Mentally thinking to himself 'Something is going on here like I am getting a half truth or something. And why does this stuff happen now?' Looking back at the woman before him "Let's say for a minute I accept what you say at face value. What happens next? I know I have a life to get back too that I spent too much time investing in to let it get pissed down the tubes." Mark responded wondering what his chances were of getting out of the room and somehow getting in contact with Col. MacMillan.

Selene studied him thoughtfully for a moment. "I understand that you want to go back to your life here. But it is not safe for yourself or those around you until you are able to control your abilities. After you have learned control, we would be happy to return you to your position Sergeant, and would be available for further support as needed. You may be impressed, however, at the advancement possibilities within our organization. The Colonel will be informed of your situation."

Mark thought for a moment then said "Just two questions Ma'am. Can you explain just what did happen to me and why it chose now to show? And second just what sort of training?"

Selene was inwardly relieved that he appeared to be accepting the situation. She hated having to fall back on using force with people she anticipated working with in the future. "What happened to you is a complicated, and not completely understood, occurrence. You, Sergeant, traveled between dimensions. Abilities develop at different times in the lives of different people. Often they are first brought out by a stressful event or great shock, other times they take longer to appear in more grounded individuals." She paused briefly, "The training you will receive will be under the tutelage of a Master depending on your personal affinity. You may also be asked to accomplish certain tasks to assist people through the organization."

Mark took a minute to digest everything she said, and latched on to the fact that the way she spoke now that these powers manifested it could become worse which somewhat worried him. He recalled a saying a Gunny he over heard in boot camp say when they were going through the rifle range, 'I don't care who or where you are from. I know you can't shoot, I don't want to see any stupid nonsense, no Hollywood shooting from the hip and I especially don't want to see how good you may think you are! I will show you how to shoot, how to shoot accurately and how to shoot so damn good you'll make the enemy run from you!' Those words stuck with Mark, he knew if he wanted to be good and to continue his life he'd have to invest the time to learn and harness this new change so to speak. 'Besides, maybe if this had come about sooner...' He thought morosely to himself for a minute thinking of all those who had perished in the call to duty he knew before a colder voice interrupted his thoughts. 'What is this crap?! A pity parade?! You know just as everyone else who enlisted the risks you'd undertake on a daily basis! You knew taking this MOS you'd be on the front lines, knew that this could happen so shape up and buckle down!' the second colder voice retorted and that is just what Mark did. He closed his eyes for a brief moment during which if anyone who really knew him looked at him they could see the inner struggle that waged inside of himself for a brief moment before he reopened his eyes and had pushed back the sadness and struggle he had learned to cope with over the years. He took a confident step forward stopping just before her desk and snapped to attention and spoke. "I realize I'm not being given the whole truth, I know how certain agencies run their business by strictly need to know. I accept that fact, though I do hope that when I've been vetted and debriefed I'll get a full disclosure at some point in time. That said seeing as how you found me, and came looking for me. You know who I am and have at least some knowledge of my skill set or even glanced through my service jacket." Mark paused for a moment collecting his thoughts about what he really wanted to do about this abrupt change to his life. "That said, I have just one request where ever we are going can you get someone to stop by my place of residence and pick up my 'busa?" He asked with a almost evil like grin on his face before it vanished and he relaxed his arms behind him and assuming a relaxed parade rest stance.

Selene watched the emotions flicker across his face. Most people may not have caught on to his internal struggle, but a woman with her abilities was more perceptive than most. "As you will discover, Sergeant, our agency is a tight-knit community. We do not aim to keep our members in the dark, but we do aim to protect our members' privacy and ensure their personal safety. You are welcome to ask any questions you may have, and we will be happy to answer what we can." She looked mildly bemused at his last request, a hint of amusement warming her ice blue eyes. "I will do what I can. Though I am not sure what good it will do you where we are going."

Nodding his head as if almost expecting that answer, Mark replied "I almost figured as much but it's still nice to have a set of transportation where ever we are going. And if what you say I did sub-consciously before maybe at some point I'll be able to use it with my unique talents." Glancing about the room again he realized there was another whole world that he didn't know much about but then again he was the type of guy who needed minimal information to get the story straight or the job done. "So what happens now?" He asked hoping to keep things going. The more he kept going the less down time, which meant the less time he would have time to contemplate and think about certain things.

"Now," Selene replied as she rose to her feet and stepped around the desk to stand between the two soldiers. "You come with me, and you will be debriefed upon arrival at Headquarters." And with those words, she extended her right hand to Mark and laid her left on Gabriel's shoulder.

"This isn't going to be a pleasant trip is it?" Mark muttered to him self before adding "Just hope I don't land face first again like I did today"

Selene smiled. "You get used to it," and with that, all three of them disappeared with a sharp popping sound. Their worlds faded to black, and a feeling of weightlessness made their stomachs clench.

Please continue in ASPIDA Headquarters once [Mira Ravenheart] has posted.

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