[017]

[grip_on_reality]

[Menzies appears in the middle of the Plane clearly arriving straight from work. she's in a suit, as well as wearing an ID card hanging from her neck and a belt of police gear around her waist. however, her hair is disheveled and she looks very concerned about something. ignoring her surroundings, she pulls her right arm against her, twisting the fabric of her shirt so see can see the underside of it. she frowns down at a small round scortch mark on her shirt for a moment before she presses against it, still frowning, but showing no sign of pain as she prods at the area]

[after a moment, she lets her arm go and now stares down at her own hands in confusion--as though she expects to find some sort of answer there. she considers silently for a bit, chewing her lip. but eventually she sighs before mumbling to herself:] I wish I had a knife...

[ooc: Menzies' wish has had the accidental side effect of making her invulnerable for a month! Just a warning that if you give her something sharp, she's going to do a little (ultimately harmless) test with it.]

Comments

[most_feared]

Well by the time I'm put on a case, it's pretty much guaranteed there are interstellar laws being broken. Otherwise we let people handle their own business.

[grip_on_reality]

Interstellar laws! [she shakes her head; it's still strange to her to think of an Earth that has such a streamlined process for dealing with visitors from other worlds] That must be something to keep track of.

[curious, she asks:] Does your agency employ many aliens?

[most_feared]

We've got an affirmative action program, but we have to be really picky about it because we have a lot of control over Earth and... well...

[Not something you want to give aliens control over if they have agendas. Or humans, for that matter. But he's going to shove that memory out of his brain.]

[grip_on_reality]

I, ah, take your point. [thinking about that, she adds:] Still, 'ow do people get recruited? I know aliens aren't exactly public knowledge on your end either.

[sometimes she wonders if things would be easier if she let one of her colleagues in on what she's doing, but she's had yet to find anyone she feels confident would be able to handle it. if only Aldrich hadn't been killed, things could have been very different]

[most_feared]

We see a little bit of everything everywhere. So we watch people that do exceptional things, handle close encounters well. Then we run 'em through that test I put you through.

If they fail, the leave not knowin'. If they succeed, they're offered the chance for a job and a suit and somethin' bigger.

[grip_on_reality]

[she whistles, impressed at the possible breadth of their recruiting] No wonder you got me in so easily. [easily in retrospect, at least. that test was no walk in the park at the time--but she has a feeling he remembers that as well as she does]

Speaking of, exactly what story did you feed 'em after that? Do I need to worry about being arrested if I ever go back? [from her expression, she's teasing rather than worried, but she's definitely curious, too]

[most_feared]

I told 'em I'd neuralyzed you. They'll leave you alone.

Just pretend you don't remember anything if you run into one. Accuse 'em of being with the FBI or somethin'.

[grip_on_reality]

[she gives him a confused--and slightly dubious--look at that] What the hell is that? [because while "neuralyze" isn't a word she's ever heard before, it certainly doesn't sound like anything good]

[most_feared]

It means they don't think you remember them. [Bluntly.] So they probably wouldn't be too bothered unless you were really obvious about around like you knew there were aliens living there.

[grip_on_reality]

I'll keep it in mind. [the comment is dismissive; she's not sure she likes this information, and she's much more interested in learning more about it] Do you do much wiping memories in your line of work?

[most_feared]

Enough to wipe my own when I need to.

That's all I'm going to say about it.

[He's up front about that.]

[grip_on_reality]

[she frowns, even less happy about that. she considers saying something else, but his tone was so final that she's not going to push him. she just nods instead, deciding she'll have to approach that one another time--not to mention she still wonders what he did to Turnbull after the mindscape generator. an actual memory wipe doesn't seem to fit, after all. so she keeps both ideas on her list and dismisses the conversation for the moment] Right then...if you say so.

Anyway, I'd better get back and make sure the others are convinced the bullet missed. [she gives him a wave] See you around, Agent.

[most_feared]

[He gives her a little wave as she goes, and sticks around for a second after she's gone. He can't figure out why he feels a little sad all of a sudden. He doesn't know what to do with it, either. He takes out his wallet, pulls out the carte noire to look at, turns it over in his hand, and puts everything away again. Just a blank man looking at a blank thing wondering where stuff is supposed to be.

He fails sometims at this whole people thing.

He finally leaves after that, when he's pretty sure he won't be wandering around looking distracted for a few minutes. Nothing more irritating than an impromptu CAT scan.]