blood and gasoline

“If it isn’t my favorite POG,” Luther answers back, his smile widening. It seems like everyone is heading back early, for whatever mission they have coming up. Luther’s sure there will be some stragglers that don’t show up until the weekend is over, but he’s never one of them. That’s one of the many advantages of living on base. He may not get out as much, but he’s always right there, in the middle of a multi-million dollar training facility, and ready for a mission.

“Congratulations!” Her voice was cheerful, excited for him. And it was nice to hear, she supposed. The last thing you wanted was to hear a teammate fail. Even if he wasn’t her squad, the code midnight crew was all intertwined. They depended on each other, and if he wasn’t up to par, that could be dangerous for everyone. She made a mental note to train with him, or at least watch him some day. Talia wasn’t bad at hand to hand combat, but she preferred almost anything else. She knew she could stand to take notes, though she wouldn’t admit it to anyone. 

Cameron carefully wrapped his hands, padding his knuckles so that he wouldn’t break them—again—as he prepared to train for a few hours. It was always late in the evening that he felt the need to train. It was something about absolutely exhausting himself, physically, that gave him hope for the night ahead—maybe, just maybe, he’d get to sleep without too much trouble, though that hadn’t happened yet.

Instead, he often spent his nights up late, utterly wiped out but unable to get his eyes to close on their own. He thought about everything he had left behind, how he could have been Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, how he might have found someone who wouldn’t end up leaving, how he could have searched for the family he knew existed outside of the San Fernando Valley, but California couldn’t afford to find. According to ADDT, he had been killed in a car accident—all of those what ifs had gone out the window.

There had been someone, once. He met Marilyn when they were only 22—young and foolish, they were head over heels in love. Every time Cam came home, it was her who met him at the airport. Every time he got a letter, he knew that she was the only one who could have sent it. The constant tours, however, the months on end spent overseas, it was too much. They were  only 22, after all. Cam couldn’t have expected her to stay.

Cam shook his head. He couldn’t think about that now. He had made his decision, and, at the time, it had been an easy one. He didn’t have many people who would miss him. The squad he had been with for almost all of his time in Afghanistan had been whittled down to 2 people—1 if you count Cam as one of those they had lost. This one person was bearing the weight of the of everything they had done on their shoulders now—but he was still overseas. He was still doing what he was best at.

Maybe he would take over Cam’s place.

God, Cam could still remember every single one of them. Avery, the surgeon who had left a cushy job in Boston to serve with the Marines, just like his grandfather did, or Bennett, one of three total girls in their squad who could kick more ass than the rest of them combined, or even the new guy, Winters, who had taken to calling Cam “dad,” since he didn’t have one of his own. He was only twenty.

Cam still wears his dog tags around his neck.

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep, calming breath as he pushed the sound of Winters’ voice from his head. When he heard someone else stepping in, he looked up.

“What are you doing here so late?”

And overseas, the hours were always crazy. You slept when you could. When she got back, the nightmares started. Only once every six months or so, but the doctor prescribed a sleeping pill. She hated that even more than the dreams.

But a good long run was the closest Natalia could get to a guarantee for a good six hours of deep sleep. And she liked the gym at HQ. They kept the lights low after a certain hour, and nearly everyone was gone. Occasionally she’d fine someone else, another insomniac on the track. But it was quiet for the most part.

“Well, that’s one way to address your squad leader.” Isabella teased, not really meaning what she said, and had the tone to back it up. “Besides..” She pulled out her own pack of cigarettes and waved it around. “I’ve got my own so I don’t need to.” 

She shrugged at the question. Who pissed her off? God, who hadn’t? She didn’t feel like “the world” was an appropriate answer. “Some hijo de puta in Code Sunrise. Said my undercover skills must not be good enough to be on his squad.” A twisted smile rose on Natalia’s face. “But now his wife knows he’s having an affair, so I’m good.”

Natalia looked at her squad leader through her eyelashes. She liked Isabella. Respected her, even. They had a similar army background, though she didn’t know all the details of Isabella’s service. She expected some of it was darker than the woman let on. That was fine with Natalia. She didn’t need to share every secret and braid each other’s hair to understand this was someone she could trust. 

The headquarters got claustrophobic easily, and Cam wasn’t interested in being poked and prodded and asked to do a million different things all at once at the moment, so he had been looking for some sort of solitude—but, of course, that was impossible to come by in a place like this. With the leadership position he held, everyone wanted a piece of him.

Even now, when he thought he would be alone outside on the sidewalk, he wasn’t. He tilted his head as he looked at the figure standing at the corner, a cigarette unmistakably smoldering between her fingers. Cam knew her—in some capacity, he knew her. She was part of ADDT, that was for sure, but she wasn’t in his squad. That much was for sure.

No, she must have been one of the members of Bravo, and Cam had seen her around. She had certainly seemed uninviting in the way she held herself, but it wasn’t something that was going to stop Cam from talking to her. Even if she wasn’t in his squad, he wanted to know the other operatives who he’d be working closely with—he’d like to know their names if he was going to trust them with his life.

“Great. I like people who don’t try to take my cigarettes.” Her voice said otherwise. She didn’t really like... well, people in general. She just dealt with them. But she didn’t really mind if he joined her, if he wasn’t going to try to steal her shit. So Natalia moved slightly down the ledge she was sitting on, making more room. She took another drag of the new cigarette, two long exhales before she spoke again. If he wasn’t going to leave then she would be civil.

The sweat soaks through Luther’s clothing and drips down his back as the simulation continues. It beads at his temples, and Luther only has moments to wipe it clear of his eyes. He can feel the heaviness in his legs and arms as he turns around a “corner” that doesn’t exist anywhere but outside of the simulation. The walls are old and dusty, and if Luther didn’t know better, he’d swear the air was hot and heavier than their Virginia climate. Desert weather. Luther turns another corner and he knows he’s close to the end of the exercise. There are only three enemies left, by his count, and two rooms to check.

 He ducks under a punch, lashing out with one of his long legs as he sweeps the feet out from under his “opponent”. The enemy disappears, and Luther turns around to see two more rushing him and settles into a traditional Akido stance. Ten seconds later, both of the hostiles are gone and a ringing signifies the end of his round. He turns to the console, checking his time. A smile turns up the corner of Luther’s lips when it pops up that he’s beaten his last score by three seconds. It’s small progress, but it’s something to be proud of. It’s only then that Luther pauses, exhausted, and turns to leave the practice room.

// BASICS

The Smooth Talker, alias Natalia Martines, resembles Diane Guerrero. She’s twenty-nine [29] years old and was born on July 21st, 1986. Natalia identifies as bisexual panromantic and is a cisgender female. The Smooth Talker has been a member of Bravo Squad Midnight since November 2014, and she is currently taken.

// PROMINENT SKILLS

> Deception > Counterfeiting Identification and Legal Documents > Tactical and High Speed Driving > Negotiation > Authentic Accents and Conversational Languages > Widespread Cultural Knowledge

// FAULTS

> Distrusting > Has post-traumatic stress disorder and survivor’s guilt > Little regard for following the rules

// HISTORY

Natalia Martinez was the only daughter of immigrants, the youngest of three children, born in Houston, Texas. Between working in her father’s restaurant and her older brothers, Carlos and Rafael, family always made up the majority of Natalia’s life. Carlos was the perfect first child and created an impossibly high standard. Rafael, however, often caused more than his fair share of trouble for his family. By fifteen, he had joined a gang, and his parents suspected he was dealing drugs. As different as they were, both boys were highly protective of Natalia and kept her sheltered. She was constantly tossed between the two predominant forces in her life that her brother’s provided, wanting to impress them and unable to keep up.

While she mostly obeyed her parents, Natalia was never a particularly good child. Her teachers found her intelligent, but distracted. She made a few friends, though she rarely invited them to her own home. Her parents worried that she was antisocial, but she simply found other people boring, for the most part. It wasnt until she turned thirteen, when her brother Carlos joined the army, that Natalia found something she was interested in. Her brother rose through the ranks quickly, becoming a Sargent. Natalia determined soon after that she would enlist after graduation, much to the disappointment of her traditional parents, who would’ve preferred she marry a nice young boy and take up the family business.

So Natalia spent her teen years working at her family’s restaurant. Her father determined early that she was worthless at cooking, and sent her to wait tables. Beautiful and charming, Natalia quickly discovered that she could have customers eating right out of her hands. She always made twice the tips of the other servers, though when she turned her back on the customers, her smile faded as quickly as it appeared. She was good at putting on an act, but Natalia never really seemed to care much about anything but herself.

Meanwhile, Rafael was slipping further and further away into the darker world of the gangs in Houston. It began with underage drinking, speeding tickets, her parents lecturing him that he was hanging out with the wrong crowd. But things quickly escalated, and by the time Natalia was fifteen, Rafael had been in and out of rehab and was working up an impressive arrest report. He was clean for the second time when she turned sixteen, and taught Natalia how to drive. She’d never had an interest in cars before she finally took a seat behind the wheel. The speed, the control, the pure adrenaline had her instantly addicted. There was only an underground street racing scene in Dallas, and when Rafael introduced her to it, she never looked back. She especially excelled in cat and mouse races, a skill that would later come in handy for her. Her parents often questioned how she came home with expensive sports cars, but Natalia always said she was borrowing them from friends. She traded one brand new car for another, and her plans to join the army faded in her mind as she worked up a reputation for being the fastest young driver in Texas.

Natalia was just eighteen when Rafael was killed in a gang shootout. With her brother stationed overseas and her parents in shock, it was the young girl who had to identify her brother’s body. The sight of him shredded to pieces by bullets was enough to put Natalia back on the right track, and she enlisted in the army only a month later.

She served six years in the army, with a small deployment in Afghanistan. Though she saw little warfare, Natalia’s actions and skills as a soldier brought her attention. She was a good soldier, always quick on her feet and observant of everything going on around her. After her tours ended, Natalia was honorably discharged and offered a job with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She joined a task force involved in the investigation of human trafficking and smuggling, and worked undercover for a year and a half. Her skills were especially honed over these years working for ICE. She excelled at undercover work, often delving so deep into character that she began to have trouble separating her role from her real self. Besides being a talented actress, she was adept at forging documents, and her precision driving skills returned with a vengeance. Natalia would spend four years at ICE, perfecting her skills, before she would be offered a position at ADDT.

Natalia’s biggest regret was leaving her parents to believe she’d been killed while undercover, having lost not one child, but two. She occasionally employed the databases to check in on her parents and surviving brother. As long as they were doing well, she assumed they would be happier without her. While she trusts her teammates, Natalia doesn’t often engage with them outside of work issues.

// PERSONALITY & APPEARANCE

Unlike many others on her team, Natalia’s personality doesn’t change significantly from on the job to off hours. She’s often somewhat withdrawn, and keeps to herself most of the time. She’s not unfriendly with others, but keeps a distance. Strong attachments are rare for her. While she can act charming and outgoing, she rarely does so without good reason.

Her calm demeanor makes Natalia an excellent person to have in an emergency. She always keeps her wits about her, and is good at making quick decisions based on instinct.  On the job, Natalia tends to juggle many balls instead of focusing too heavily on one thing. Though she’s not a particularly good leader, she’s good at coordinating different activities and seeking out where potential problems may arise.

Natalia keeps most of her thoughts to herself. Though she can seem blunt to some, everything she says has been carefully thought through, and nothing slips by her filter. She’s also likely to remember everything that someone else said, and file it away for a later date. Very little slips by her.

Natalia has a tricky relationship with authority. She’s happy to do as she’s told and get work done, but if she has any inkling of doubt in what she’s doing, she’s never afraid to bend or outright break the rules. As this happens very rarely, her record for the most part shows her to be a good soldier and investigator. She never confronts authority leaders head on, but occasionally employs the idea of “it’s easier to for beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.”

Natalia’s day to day wardrobe consists of old Army tee shirts and sweatpants. Though she is very fit, she keeps herself well covered for the most part, only wearing tight fitting clothing when she’s working. When undercover or working a job, Natalia often dresses far more sophisticated. She wears short, tight dresses and heels, as she’s always willing to use her body to distract anyone. She typically keeps her hair pulled back in a low, messy bun, though she styles it while working. She never wears makeup unless she’s doing a job. Natalia has two tattoos, one on each rib cage. Her left side is an ornate cross design; her right, the date of her brother’s death in roman numerals.

// HEADCANONS

> Natalia suffers from survivor’s guilt and post traumatic stress disorder. The psychological issues began after her brother’s death and intensified after returning from Afghanistan. A tank in front of her convoy was hit by a roadside bomb, and though Natalia received awards for her bravery, she is still occasionally haunted by her time overseas. Her mild case of PTSD combined with survivor’s guilt don’t interfere with her job much, but have resulted in some self-loathing issues.

> Natalia speaks fluent Spanish, as well as some conversational Chinese, French, and Italian. She likes to learn languages through immersion, but hates studying grammar rules, so her oral skills are often far better than written. Besides her language skills, Natalia is good at picking up specific accents. When very drunk, she can be persuaded to do excellent impressions. 

> Natalia’s biggest obsession is cars. She’s been fascinated since she was sixteen. After returning from her first deployment, Natalia briefly reentered the street racing scene. She won her most prized possession, a 2005 Bugatti Veyron in a race, though she lies about it when asked. She also enjoys bikes, and on most days, rides her Ducati Monster 821. Natalia must not be spoken to while watching Top Gear. 

> Though she prefers to avoid combat, Natalia keeps at least one weapon on her at all times. Her typical every day carry include a folding knife, a fixed blade, and a 9mm pistol.  Natalia sleeps with a Glock under her pillow.