New Kid on the Block (Openish)

[Lt. Kalii Duran]

Kalii had arrived at the compound barely more than an hour ago. She didn't know anyone there. Only the commander who had been the one to accept her onto the team. She shook her head at the thought. The woman was a half-vampire, go figure. It didn't bother Kalii though. As long as they were on the same team and they didn't kill humans, she had no problem.

After dumping her stuff in the barracks she felt the need to blow off some steam. She dug through her bags and found some work out clothes. A black sports bra top, a pair of shorts and she kept her combat boots on, then grabbing a small gym bag she headed out to the gym.

Walking through the doors of the work out facility she scanned the area. There were a few people there, no one she recognized right off since she didn't know anyone. Everyone seemed to be doing their own thing. Kalii saw an empty heavy bag over along one of the walls. She set down her bag, opened it up. Pulling out some boxer hand wraps she slide them on.

Taking a deep breath she tilted her head from side to side and made a little cirlce to work out some tension and kinks. She stretched her shoulders a bit then stared at the bag for a moment. Bringing her arms up into a fighting stance she launched a punch at the bag. It felt good to feel the familiar resistance against her fist. Soon she was focused on the back and forth, throwing punches left and right at the bag.

[Lt. Gabriel "Curse" Jordan]

Here I am, rock you like a hurricane Are you ready baby?
Here I am, rock you like a hurricane
Here I am, rock you like a hurricane
Come on, come on baby
Here I am, rock you like a hurricane
Rock you like a hurricane

"Come on, man.... Don't be such a pansy ass. How the fuck do you think your going to survive the unit if you can't even keep up in a mock fight! I'm wiping the floor with you and haven't even broke a sweat!" mocked a tall, muscular blond as he circled a winded opponent who already seemed to be looking for the door. "Around here, we take hits far harder than anything i've thrown at you and the commander won't be please if you can't stand up under an onslaught. It can be a matter of life or death for a member of the crew... Feel me here? You can't make the grade.. You go home..."

As the other man got to his feet, Lt. Curse Jordan went after him again and shook his head as he missed blocking a stiff upper cut and failed to knock away the blow to his ribs. Stepping back, he took off his gloves and tossed them to the ground. There was no way in hell this fool was even worth passing on through to their CO.

"We're done here... Shower up and then see Lt. Devoux about your transfer papers."

Turning on his heel, he walked away from the other man with a disgusted look on his face. What the hell was the army thinking? Sending them a rookie who'd never even see the light of battle just because they wanted an inside mole into their operation?? Did they honestly think they were playing monopoly here or something? For Christ sakes.... Honestly, he didn't know how Kat put up with the bureaucrats. He'd of long ago told them where they could stick their screwed up ideals. Guess thats why he was just a Lt. still and damned happy with the fact.

Just then, another figure caught his attention. It was a shapely female that he hadn't seen before and his brows arched. That was some set of legs she had and the ass kicking she was giving the bag made him wonder if she was as good in real combat as she was banging on a sand bag.

Wandering over closer, he crossed his arms over his broad chest and watched her form. It was obvious she had been trained on hand to hand combat and her form was perfect. Who the hell was she though? Kat hadn't mentioned any newbies coming about but then... the commander had been a bit preoccupied lately. She and John seemed to be sparking fires off left and right and unless Curse missed his guess... His mate was winning. However, knowing his co thought... She'd probably kill herself before she let herself give in. Something about the whole vampire thing and blood.

Shaking himself, Curse brought his attention back to the woman as she worked. He was aware of others coming and going around him but paid them little heed as he waited to see how long it would take her to realize she was being watched.

[Lt. Kalii Duran]

You don’t know that I know
You watch me every night
And I just can’t resist the urge
To stand here in the light
Your greedy eyes upon me
And then I come undone
I could close the curtain
But this is too much fun

Kalii was intent on her workout, but that didn't mean she wasn't aware of her surroundings. She was always aware of her surroundings. Her Slayer senses and being trained to fight since she was fifteen were to thank for that.

Kalii knew someone was behind her, knew it was a he and knew that he was watching her. She gave the bag a few more punches while she assessed the situation. Then without turning around, continuing her assault on the bag she said loud enough for him to hear her,

"I know you're there. Is there a problem?"

Giving the bag a flurry of punches she then hauled off and gave it a wicked side kick. This sent the heavy sand filled bag swinging on it's chain, the kick was hard enough that the bag swung upward, at least half-way to the ceiling. She waited and caught the bag as made it's downward arc. Holding it for a moment to steady it before she whirled around to face the man who was watching her.

Tilting her head to the side she gave him an appraising once over. He looked good she had to admit. He was muscular but not the body builder type. More lean, but every muscle on his body was defined and toned, at least what she could see of it. Putting her hands on her hips she looked him straight in the eyes, not flinching, not intimidated. Quirking an eyebrow up she smirk slightly.

"Is there a problem? Am I not supposed to be here or something?"

Kalii stood there waiting for him to respond. Keeping her eyes locked on his. She had a strange urge to give him a wink and a grin, but figured she was new here and that might not be a good idea. She didn't know who this guy was, but she wouldn't mind finding out a little more about him, that was for sure.

[Lt. Gabriel "Curse" Jordan]

Use my body to keep you alive
Give it to me, give it to me
Yeah, I'm on Durango number 95
Take me to the home, kick boots and ultra live
See heaven flash a horror show
Knock it nice and smooth step back and watch it blow, yeah
Never gonna stop me, never gonna stop

Ok, so she was alert too. That was a good thing with the sort of trouble that constantly seemed to come their way. A soldier of their squad had to be constantly alert and aware of what was going on around them in case of sudden emergencies.

Granted, this wasn't exactly a combat session but at least she wasn't slacking off just because she was in safe territory. In his past experience, only the best were on their guard twenty four seven and any other reaction was not an option.

"Not a problem. Just checking out the competition." the sandy haired officer drawled before grinning and shifting his stance. "An unfamiliar face around here is rare unless we know about them ahead of time and ..... Seeing as I don't know anything about you...Can you blame me for being curious?"

Moving in a clockwise motion around the young woman, Curse gave her a keen looking over. His gaze was assessing while still being his typical flirtatious manner.

"Your angle on your right punch is off just a degree. If you lower your elbow just a touch your blow will come through with more power because it has a solid backing with your body weight. It will also keep you from injuring your wrist." he drawled out before coming to a stop a few feet from the bag. "So.... Whats your name, gorgeous? Why are you here? Anything that might interest me? Lt. Gabriel Jordan, at your service but my friends just call me Curse."

[Lt. Kalii Duran]

Every girl an' boy, Needs a little joy
All you do is sit an' stare
Beggin' on my knees
Baby, won't you please
Run your fingers through my hair

My, my, my, Whiskey and rye
Don't it make you feel so fine
Right or wrong, Don't it turn you on
Can't you see we're wastin' time, yeah

Do you wanna touch (Yeah)
Do you wanna touch (Yeah)
Do you wanna touch me there, where
Do you wanna touch (Yeah)
Do you wanna touch (Yeah)
Do you wanna touch me there, where
There, yeah

Kalii relaxed her stance a bit when he spoke. He had a bit of a southern accent, really more like Texas or somewhere similar than from the deep south. Just enough to be sexy as hell and not make him sound like a backwoods hick without a brain in his head. That was always a good thing. She really hated the all brawn and no brains type. She gave him a bit of a smile.

"Competition, huh..."

She scanned the interior of the gym again quickly, taking in the rest of the people getting their work outs in. Her eyes came back to the man in front of her. He may not know who she was, but she seemed to be the one at the disadvantage at the moment. Having just arrived she knew about next to nothing about the place. Only that it was highly classified, there were very few people outside the actual team members that even knew of the base's existence. At this point, Kalii hadn't even been fully briefed in.

"Yeah, I can imagine a newbie sticks out like a sore thumb around here."

Kalii tilted her head to the side an amused look crossing her face. She let her eyes follow him and she raised up her arms so he could get a good look as he circled her. Listening intently as he spoke. Giving her some tips on her technique. She rolled her right wrist around to check for anything amiss when he talked about possible injuries. Interesting man indeed this one was. She had to admit, he was right on with his assessment. She did have a tendency to tip her right elbow just a tad to high, it was the draw back of going for a face punch with an opponent that was usually several inches taller than her. But, it was good advice and she nodded her head in agreement.

"You're right. That's the down side of fighting guys that tower over me I think. I should really focus on that more, go for more body shots, but a punch in the face is just so satisfying when you feel a nose crunch, ya know."

He completed his circuit around her and she had to turn slightly to face him now as he stood by the bag now. She quirked up an eyebrow when he called her gorgeous and this time she couldn't help but grin at him. Damn, if this man wasn't flirting with her. Definitely interesting, she thought. He introduced himself and then it was her turn.

"Curse...Huh. OK. I guess officially, I'm Lt. Kalii Duran, though I think I've already been tagged with the handle, Slayer. Yeah, there's a story on that. But, you can most definitely call me Kalii, or just Kal if it's easier. As far as what I'm doing here. I guess there's a story on that too, but apparently I was put here because I excel at what I do. Which, I imagine most all of you here do as well."

She wasn't sure exactly what to tell him. Standing in the middle of the gym didn't seem like the place to have the conversation explaining her unique heritage and the additional tweaks the government had seen fit to impose on her. Not that she really minded that much. The process hadn't been exactly pleasant but, the results had increased her abilities. And, even though she didn't always care for some of the hardcore military procedures, she liked what she did. She was good at it, more than good and she had a sense of purpose. There was also that sense of loyalty and honor in an elite unit like this.

"What about you? What's your story? How did you end up here? Or is this not the place to stand around talking about that? I just got in about two hours ago, this was the first place I came besides my quarters. I wouldn't mind swapping stories if you're up for it. Unless, you had something else in mind?"

[Lt. Gabriel "Curse" Jordan]

I'm a beast when you turn me on
Into the future cybertron
Harder, faster, better, stronger
Sexy ladies extra longer

Well, hell.... Wasn't it just his luck that the first interesting woman to be seen on base, besides the insane Rae and the ball busting Kat, was a member of their happy little family. Damn, there went any plans he'd had of getting her naked and wrapping those long legs of hers around him. Should have figured though since she was here, right?

Relaxing his stance a bit, he listened to her talk and let a grin slide on top his face. Wasn't she just a chatty Cathy? At least she wasn't rambling on in Rae's manner or trying to give him the kiss of death.. Well, he supposed that was all right. He had, after all, asked.

"Lt. Gabriel Jordan, former navy seal and the local go to guy when something needs to be done the impossible way. I believe the psychiatrist labeled me as reckless, insubordinate, and entirely to good looking for my own good. There were a few other things tossed in there but those of the ones I remember vividly." he returned with a smirk. "Of course, that was after she screamed my name and the guards came busting in to find us in a ... compromising position."

All right, so maybe he didn't need to fill her in THAT much but.. He was who he was and he simply couldn't help himself as he teased her. The look on her face was priceless and it told him alot about her.. Like whether she had a sense of humor or if she was a stick in the mud.

"I also help train the new recruits on battle maneuvers and strategy when it comes to taking out the things we deal with on a nightly basis. However, after watching you, I'm inclined to think you won't need much training. You might even knock me on my own ass a few times. Makes me curious..... Who are you exactly? Are you a hybrid like Kat.. Or a shifter like Derek? You don't smell like anything but a human.... "

Arching a brow, he waited for her response and grinned.

[Lt. Kalii Duran]

It's tasty, it's like a cupcake
It's cotton candy, it melts in your mouth
And lately I been gettin' hunger pains
When you lick your lips while you check me out

Kalii raised an eyebrow in amusement at Lieutenant Jordan as the man spoke. He had a way about him. An easiness on the outside, with something else boiling underneath the surface. He was a character for sure, definitely a witty one. A wicked little smirk playing on her lips as he spoke about his psychiatric evaluation and his apparent ensuing exploits with a psychiatrist. This one was something else all right.

"Really, that's interesting. The shrink they sent me to was all man and you don't look the type to swing that way. So, they must have more than one. I do recall there was some whimpering involved though, on his part. Leave them beggin' for more I always say. Hence, the glowing review in my psych eval."

The truth was she didn't know shit about what was in her psych eval. But, she was damned sure going to find out. Seemed like they had some kind of access to their records here. If this guy knew, she was fairly certain she could find out. Not that she cared what it said, one way or another, she was just curious and a nosy bitch.

Nodding her head, Kalii listened as he he continued on, giving out more details on what he did around here. The grin was on her face again. Yeah, she'd wouldn't mind some one on one training time with him, even if she didn't really need it. You could never get enough training in or sparring. There was always something to learn. Kalii was smart, she knew how to glean the right information, process it, learn from it. Even if her skills were already honed, you could never ever think you know everything. Thoughts like that put you and everyone around you in danger. It was all about adapting and overcoming.

Kalii licked her lower lip absently as she eyed him. Giving him another assessing review, a deeper more probing once over. She took in his face, his eyes, they glimmered with mischief. He made jokes but there was also an underlying seriousness in his tone and body language. And... Oh yeah, that body. It was something she'd like to see more of.

Tuning herself back into his words, she pulled her gaze away from his broad chest and muscular arms, then looked him in the eye. She laughed when he mentioned she might be able to drop him on his ass. It was the truth, she probably could and she got the distinct feeling he'd probably enjoy that.

"Aah, what am I? Hybrid, shifter? Nah cowboy. I'm all woman, trust me on that one."

Smirking at him again she took a couple steps closer to him and spoke in a low even tone. Complete seriousness resounding in her voice.

"I could ride you at a gallop until your legs buckled and your eyes rolled up. I've got muscles you've never even dreamed of. I could squeeze you until you popped like warm champagne and you'd beg me to hurt you just a little bit more.(*)"

She took a slight step back, giving him his space back then gave him a wink. Swiveling her neck around some to loosen it up, she cocked her head to the side a bit as she thought. She never really knew how to explain what exactly she was. In this case though, at least he knew about what was out there. It probably wouldn't come as a shock to him.

"Seriously though. That nickname I told you about. Slayer. That's pretty much it. I was born into this wacky prophecy thing, called a vampire Slayer. Though, that's a bit of a misleading title right there. I was what they like to call a chosen one. Basically, I was born to kick evil ass, be it vampire or any other unearthly type. I've got superior strength, speed, agility, reflexes, and all that jazz. Then the government snapped me up and decided to do a little upgrading. So, between my 'calling' as a Slayer and the military, I've been training since I was 15. I can kick your ass ten ways to Sunday and there isn't a weapon made yet that I can't handle."

Eyeing him again she watched his face for a reaction. Most guys were intimidated when they heard that. The idea that she could probably kick their ass wasn't always in the plus category when it came to men. Somehow, she didn't think that would be a problem with this one. A smile spread across her face.

"I haven't seen much of the place. But, from what I have seen, it's pretty impressive. Top of the line and state of the art all the way. So, what is the deal here?"

She let her eyes linger on him a moment. That last statement having more meaning behind it than just what the deal was with the facility. What exactly was his deal, she'd like to find out.

((* Quote taken from BtVS. It's one of my favorites and thought it was appropriate.))

[Lt. Gabriel "Curse" Jordan]

You say you don't want it
Just watch and you'll flaunt it
You stare at the ceiling
And ignore what I'm feeling
Well that's fine, hey I don't mind
I can find nothing wrong with it
And you say in your polite way
Oh by the way can you get on with it?

Well, wasn't that interesting as hell? She was the result of some sort of prophecy? And genetically altered? WTF? The Commander sure hadn't mentioned anything like that to them. Curse guessed she'd fit right in with their merry little band after all.

Damn, another woman that could kick ass. Didn't he just love his freaking job? Maybe he could talk her into wearing a pair of high heeled boots and a leather corset while she did it. Of course, given that she was a teammate, that made her off limits so maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Oh well, a man could dream right?

Arching a brow, Curse followed her gaze as she looked around and the shrugged. The compound was indeed impressive. Built straight into the side of a mountain and then buried hundreds of feet down, there wasn't much that could infiltrate head quarters but he suspected that was the point.

As far as he knew, he didn't even thing their position was common knowledge in top secret Pentagon circles. Most humans were more comfortable NOT knowing what they were doing than being faced with the knowledge that they weren't actually alone on earth. That they weren't the only ones walking, talking and moving in their safe little worlds.

Oh yeah, most people would pee their pants if they had any idea that the bogeyman wasn't actually a myth dreamed up to scare young children.

"Yeah, well... Its home. Better than some places.. worse than others. We're pretty well self sufficient and take care of our own business so it works. Most of us have places off base for our down time but otherwise.... You will find us haunting the place. Ladies bunk on the left side of the fort... Gents on the right... Except for Lt. Sheppard. He's been known to try to sleep in the womens bunker... Kind of gotta watch out for him... I think he's got something of sexual identity crisis going on... Or maybe he wants the Commanders pants for something besides just getting them off her... Never can tell with him. "

Smirking at the last cheep shot he'd taken at his friend, the sandy haired soldier glanced at his watch and then frowned.

"Hell... Its almost 20:00. Time to hit the shower and then head in for the team meeting."

Glancing up at the other women, he gave her a nod and a slight bow of the head.

"It's been nice meeting you, Lt. I look forward to finding out if your as kick ass if you say you are... I assume your one of the reasons Kitten called this get together so......"

Turning away slightly he gave her a wink.

"See you soon, gorgeous...."

[Lt. Kalii Duran]

Someone like you and all you know and how you speak
Countless lovers under cover of the street
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you

Off in the night while you live it up I'm off to sleep
Waging wars to shake the poet and the beat
I hope it's gonna make you notice
I hope it's gonna make you notice
Someone like me

Kalii folded her arms across her chest as they continued to talk for a while. She was glad that someone had at least talked to her. Having moved in and out of several elite units she knew they tended to be a little put off by new members. She wondered what had caught his eye, the fact that she was a woman, the way she looked, that she could kick the shit out of the heavy bag or simply that she was an unfamiliar face? Maybe a little bit of all of the above.

Whatever it was she didn't mind. No, she didn't mind at all. He was damn good to look at and seemed to know what he was talking about. She nodded as he talked about the compound and termed it 'home'. That was the truth when you lived how they lived. The base provided what you needed, kept you safe. Kalii chuckled when he talked about Lt. Sheppard. Obviously, it was someone he was friendly with. Just the thought of someone trying to get into Commander Foster's pants had Kalii grinning. She could see some serious ass kicking in this Sheppard guy's future.

"Yeah... I'll be sure to keep on the look out for him. That ought to be interesting."

Kalii saw him look at his watch and his demeanor shifted. It was time to go. There was a team meeting tonight, she hadn't realized it had gotten so late already. Smiling she tilted her head.

"Nice meeting you as well, Lieutenant. No doubt I'll be under scrutiny at this meeting. It's to be expected when you're the newb."

Kalii smirked and responded with a wink of her own when he called her gorgeous again. Now he was just going a bit over the top. But, she kind of liked it. With a little sigh of resignation she watched him walk away. Shaking her head she moved and picked up her bag. Leaping up she spun in the air and gave the hanging bag one last kick, landing softly on her feet. With the smirk still on her face she headed out of the gym, back to her quarters to get cleaned up and ready for her first team meeting.