Konstantinov and Kira both nodded a greeting to Ivan as the man arrived. Technically he outranked the pair, but they weren't exactly known for their adherence to protocol. They weren't sure what to make of Ivan yet; the man was a bit of an unknown, and had arrived with the Chief Inspector's interest. As far as they were concerned, he was untested, but he did seem to have Drayson's ear.
Kira smirked and nodded in agreement with Ivan, in so far of taking things seriously. His ominous 'good thing, too' was met with a fleeting, suspicious glance though. "I think he has called in quite a few favors to make this a reality."
"We have direct lines to most specialists we may need, so really, you're the only one in-house. For now at least."
Konstantinov cast Ivan a glance; he wasn't sure what he classified as.
Two men and a woman entered the Domovoi office space from the stairwell. Two, man and woman, wore very clashing inexpensive suits and police IDs on lanyards around their necks. The man, in his early thirties and of average height, would likely be considered handsome if not for the early hints of worry-line wrinkles, pale complexion, and the fact that his hair was a stark steel-grey despite his relatively young age. He wore a well fitted but off-the-rack brand brown suit, and his ID marked him as Detective Jérémie Favager. He had been transferred from Dominance VII, specifically Paris.
The woman, his apparent counterpart, was a full head shorter then Jérémie. She wore her light brown hair in a tight, professional pony tail and unlike Jérémie, seemed full of life. Which, for a German, was saying a lot. Detective Hedy Köhl had been transferred from a quiet back-water station of Bavaria, a province of what had once been Germany, and had taken to the new posting in DI with gusto. Also in her early thirties, time seemed to have been far kinder to her then Detective Favager. Her suit was off-the-rack as well, but tailored for a more flattering fit.
Walking ahead of the two was a tall, pencil thin man in his late 50s who whore the uniform and rank of a CDPS Captain. The commanding officer of the newly formed task force, Stamen Viktor Aleksandrov had a long and relatively unexceptional career under his belt, minus one anomalies incident some thirty years ago when he was just a young beat-cop in the Bulgarian police force, heralding back to before the formation of the Custody. Back when Nikolai Brandon was just emerging on the world stage.
It was that long forgotten 'anomaly' on Aleksandrov's record that had brought him to Chief Inspector Drayson's attention. Aleksandrov had nearly more years in the service then Drayson had on the Earth, almost, but had never seemed to make it past being a department Captain for one reason or another, but he made up for that lack of forward-moving determination with excellent dedication to the job. Despite his seemingly frail build, Captain Alksandrov did not have such an air about him.
The three approached the impromptu gathering and gave their introductions. Konstantinov and Kira actually came to some semblance of attention in respect of the Captain's arrival, and the handful of others in the area followed suit; he was an easy man to recognize, especially in his uniform so he drew their attention easily. Sokolov even poked his head out of the break room, alerted at the brief silence that swept the room before ducking back out of sight and continuing at whatever he was up to.
"Glad to see everyone is hard at work here. There is so little to be done, after all."
The Captain's tone was dry, serious, and he looked at Konstantinov and Kira, then settled his gaze on Ivan. The man was the senior member, and should have been putting the others to task rather then gossiping. Alex was an oddity in the chain of command, as she wasn't one of his officers exactly.
Before anyone could start babbling excuses though, the Captain cracked a ghost of a smile and seemed to relax. Or at least lowered his squared off shoulders slightly and offered to shake Alex's hand. The man, much like Drayson, didn't seem the type to have an abundance of emotion. He was worn down from long years of stress and devotion to a hard task. "Miss Pirozzi. I am Captain Stamen Aleksandrov. Is it Pi-rotzi or Pi-row-zi?"
He spoke with a heavy Bulgarian accent, making some pronunciations a bit of a challenge for him, but it was clear he had taken well to the adoption of English as the main working language of the CCD despite his age. Detectives Favager and Köhl followed suit, but otherwise kept quiet for the moment.
The two new people could have been a problem if she'd had her shields down, but she never did that unless on a case, interview or with a client. She didn't pry into other's emotions if she could help it. It was a violation of their privacy, her mother had drilled it in several times.
The man introduced himself and asked about her name. It really didn't matter to Alex, she'd resisted the urge to correct the salutation though, she was a doctor and preferred it to Miss anything. She took the man's hand softly and shook it firmly with a smile. "It's Pi-row-zi. But Alex is fine. Or Doctor. I've never much liked Doc."
She grinned at the nickname, knowing that it would likely stick now that she claimed she didn't like it.
Alex wondered what her job was supposed to be now, she could sit down and look at old cases, or review others that were on going, but really she had no idea what it was she was going to be doing. She wondered if she'd be asked to go into the field, to do what? She wasn't Atharim, like her sister.
"Where exactly would you like my help in this set up of a new office?"
Ivan noted that things quieted down a bit and looked away from the group to see three new arrivals to the offices. The man and the woman in back seemed like typical officers in what probably could be called department issue suits similar to his own. CDPS salaries didn't allow for extravagant wardrobes. Though he did have to admit the woman looked pretty nice in hers. Her hair was a bit lighter than he'd have liked- he was quite partial to brunettes, after all- but for all that, she was nice to look at.
But it was the older man in uniform at the front that commanded the attention. He was thin and whip like, but not in a way that suggested he'd be blown over. He walked straight backed, looking as if he was examining everything in the room with his gaze and finding things not up to snuff. This had to be the CO.
Suddenly Ivan realized that he wasn't giving the best first impression. Course, he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to be doing. No one here knew anything really, except that Captain Drayson had put their team together. What it was for, who the CO was, the ranking structure, protocols, and everything else was all pretty much unknown. There was a doctor on the team, for what he didn't know.
Still, for all that they all had excuses, he felt like a kid when he had been caught by his pops lazing around when he should've been doing chores or something.
So of course, the man opened his mouth and confirmed Ivan's feelings with a simple observation. Good job, dumbass! But there was nothing for it but to go on. Drayson was a good cop, so he at least had some hope that the guy he'd put in charge was not some desk jockey mindless pencil pusher who let protocol get in the way of actual police work.
The man conversed with the cute doctor for a moment and then Ivan plunged in. They needed to know, after all. "Welcome, sir. Sergeant Sarkozy."
He gestured to include the rest of them. "We're all honored to have been chosen. But we've been talking about this new team, wondering what Domovoi's about."
"Dr Pirozzi it is then."
Captain Aleksandrov nodded slightly to Alex, then turned to address Ivan's question. It was a valid one; most of those that had been gathered had an inkling of what was going on, and of course all knew the cover story for the new task force. An urban counter-terrorism force. It was nothing ground breaking in that respect, although they seemed to specialize in non-lethal weapons, rather then the more conventional use of firearms.
It was also unusual that the task force's members had been gathered from all around the CCD, rather then locally raised from regional police departments. Of course, the CCD was an unusual place in that respect, as it spanned such a huge region, but each region did have it's own way of doing things, a sort of regional individuality that the CCD simply hadn't been around long enough to have erased.
"Well Sergeant, I suppose it is about time we start getting this out. Detectives Favager and Köhl have already begun their own duties. You all may as well be ready to do so also."
The Captain nodded briefly to Alex, "She, I believe, and yourself, already have some idea I would think. And the others, like I had been when first approached by Chief Inspector Drayson, had a very narrow understanding of what this is all about."
Sokolov finally returned from hiding in the break room, two cups of coffee in hand and offered one to Konstantinov. He reached to accept the offered cup, then paused, eyeing his partner for a long moment before waving for the other cup instead, and Sokolov narrowed his eyes suspiciously and offered the second cup forward. Konstantinov frowned in turn, eyeing Sokolov for a long moment before finally accepting the first cup, leaving Sokolov to eye the second cup with some trepidation. What few other members of the task force on hand roused from their tasks to listen in.
"Task Force Domovoi is, officially, for dealing with terrorist attacks in urban areas. Use of non-lethal weapon systems will help prevent loss of civilian life and damage to infrastructure. That is the official story, anyway."
Captain Alexandrov calmly plucked the cup of coffee from Konstantinov's hand and eyed the contents briefly, then eyed Sokolov, giving the man a chance to save himself should the cup Alexandrov now held be the one that had been tampered with. Sokolov sighed quietly and sipped his own cup, going a bit red in the face as the hefty dose of hot sauce it contained worked its magic.
Satisfied, he sipped the coffee and continued, "Unofficially, we are still a pilot program. We are not a counter-terrorism force. Not exactly. Everyone here was personally selected by the Chief Inspector because we have seen things that defy explanation. I will not get into the details today, but the world is a much bigger, and much darker, place then most understand."
Another sip of coffee and a few whispers around the room, people muttering threats of vengeance or quiet prayers to whatever god they believed in, "And you have all heard the rumours and stories in the news. Heard of the American that claims to be a wizard. Well, they're real. And it will be our job to arrest those that cause trouble. We are the testing ground for new tactics. The Chief Inspector is stringent on non-lethal take downs. We are law enforcement, not executioners, and the legal system is meant to not simply to punish, but to rehabilitate. These wizards, or whatever they are, are still human beings, and they deserve that chance."
Those were, mostly, the Chief Inspectors words, not the Captains, but he had been given a duty and he would see it through. "In light of their abilities, which as yet are still not fully understood, containment will be difficult at best. Hence the medical staff on hand. Until a better means is found, most of these people will be heavily sedated, which will, surely, make the Doctor's job a challenge, if not down right impossible. You, it is hoped, will be able to help assess these individuals after their arrest."
He did not mention Ivan's unique abilities; that would be for him to do on his own terms. It would be made evident in short order, certainly, but it was up to him how to go about it. The same applied to Alex of course, although her abilities Drayson took simply at her word and had no real understanding of it or its application.
Alex hoped that she was there for more than her medical experise, that would be rather boring, she could do that in the last one. Talking to people, getting to understand them. Alex knew she was going to have to put her talents to better use. Somehow.
She wasn't exactly sure. Maybe she needed to hunt down her half sister before her father killed her and get some understanding of what she actually did for the Atharim since they'd kept her along. She couldn't really remember what her father said Furia did, that was what was what the girls mother had been.
Alex hoped that this unit would help get people like Dane Gregory off the streets and confined to someplace they couldn't harm others.
Ivan listened and he couldn't help the smile on his face. He flashed back to both times in the tunnel with Xena- Damn! Akantha! Why did he always forget that? Now that was a job he was excited to do. Protecting his city from creatures out of stories.
Mentally he saluted Drayson. The man went up another notch in his mind. He reassessed the team now, having no doubt that each one had been hand selected as he had. He was curious as to what Dr. Pirozzi brought to the table other than being a shrink. What had she seen that had made her a fit?
"It's an honor sir."
The way the CO looked at him told him he was aware of his power but had chosen not to say anything. In truth, Ivan wasn't sure how to broach the subject at this moment either. Hey all. So I can call on a power and do magic with it.. Nope. Can't show you right now. I have to be tense for it to work. Here. Why don't you try to sneak up on me and scare me so I can prove it. Inwardly he smiled at the ludicrousness of the situation. This was going to be a problem. Again he wondered how the Ascendancy had done it, could call on it at will. Obviously he couldn't call the man and ask him. He was going to have to get creative.
Again, his eye fell on the shrink. Talking to shrinks- well at least talking to them in a session blew. Talking to a cute woman who happened to be a shrink did not. Still, he was going to need help with this.
There was a lot to do as Ivan had no doubt that the next few hours would see the CO and his team laying out the protocols and procedures for Domovoi. But perhaps after than he'd get a chance to talk to the Dr.
Captain Alexandrov seemed pleased with the groups response. Sokolov and Konstantinov seemed unsurprised with the declaration; they had been Chief Inspector Drayson's trusted foot soldiers since shortly after the man had been moved to DI. The others had varying degrees of surprise and eagerness in their expressions. Most knew of fellow officers that had died or been labeled crazy and shuffled out because of the things they were being assembled to deal with. The chance for revenge was gratifying.
"Once the rest of our team has assembled, we will begin in full force. But until then, we already have work to be done. Sergeant, Doctor, you shall both be working closely with Detectives Favager and Köhl. They will fill you in on the specifics. The rest of you, you two especially,"
the Captain pointed at Konstantinov and Sokolov, and included Kira more out of her proximity, "had best get up to speed on whatever toys you have in the armoury."
With that, Captain Alexandrov took his leave, waving off any of the few gathered that moved to salute. There was work to be done, and most of the rest of the task force filtered back to their own tasks, leaving the same small group standing now in the company of the two Detectives.
"Sergeant. Doctor."
Favager nodded to Ivan then offered to shake Alex's hand. "It is good to see a few more of our family has arrived."
Köhl simply nodded to the pair, offering a professional smile of greeting, "Yes. We have spent most of the past few days getting acquainted with the city, and reviewing ongoing cases, and we think have found one of interest."
She produced her Wallet and held it up, displaying the relevant information for all to see. A series of incident reports, nearly a dozen women having claimed to have been raped, although there was little evidence that they had not been willing. No signs of a struggle, no defensive wounds. And no memory of the attack. While the reported cases had all been made within hours of the incident, the cases have generally been ignored as there had been no evidence of date-rape drugs.
"The attacks have been in a five kilometer radius, and we can assume there have been more then what have been reported so far. All the victims report that they were jogging one minute, only to wake up a short time later stripped of their clothes somewhere near the trail."
Köhl tucked away her Wallet once they had brought themselves up to speed on the files.
"We have already spoken to a few of the victims, and I do not believe they are making this up. Who in their right mind would want to have sex in a park this time of year?"
Köhl cast an unimpressed look at Favager, but he seemed to ignore it. "None saw their attacker, and whoever it is, they have been using a condom. But there are cameras in the parks, which must have caught something by now."
Alex was eager for an assignment. To have one this soon meant that there was probably a lot more she didn't know about in this new world. Godlings and Sentient probably weren't the half of it.
But a new assignment was a good thing. She listened to the Captain tell them about what they knew right now. "I'd like to talk to the victims. I'm not sure if I can glean anything else from them, but I can without a doubt tell you if they are lying or not."
Alex wasn't exactly sure what she'd learn, but the mind of a victim was much different yet the same as the perpetrator too. The trauma caused was always there, it just took a bit of finding and rooting around in ones mind to find the right thing, the key to explain something. Alex hoped she could at the least help the girls understand the problem. And at best maybe pull from their emotions so way to find their attacker.
It seemed her and bright eyes were going to be working together. Alex wondered what Bas would think of the pairing. Not that they were serious by any means, but still bright eyes was a cop, so was she in a round about sort of way. Only time would tell.
The CO made the assignments and went his way, leaving the two detectives behind to begin briefing him on the new case. Ivan nodded gravely as seriousness took over. Women who had been raped, had no memory of it, and no sign of any kind of drugs in their system.
When they were done, the shrink suggested that she talk to the vics, gauge whether they were telling the truth.
"Alright. Favagher is it? You and Kohl see what you can find about the cameras. Also areas around the park. ATMs. Traffic cams. Local business' security systems. Anything. Let's get a visual timeline for these girls entering and then exiting the park. Then run pattern algorithms and facial recognition and see if anyone gets our attention."
He looked at the shrink. "Doctor Pirozzi and I will interview a few of the girls and get a read on them."
He smiled slightly, curious to see how she could know 'without a doubt'.
They made their way to his car and got in. "So,"
by way of conversation, "I admit I'm interested to know how can tell whether someone is lying."