Time: 2300; Month Before Mission
~+~RP SONG~+~

It was late as SSgt. Susan Markington returned to her bunk after a patrol of the base. Everyone else was asleep when she got a call about someone lurking around the pool. With little sleep she ran to the pool and looked around. It was just a skunk passing through. She tried not to startle it, but it was too late. The skunk sprayed her before running away. "Aaagh! Damn skunks....ugh...well guess I'm not going to sleep now. Might as well swim for a bit and grab my extra uniform." she said as she radioed in and notified the others of a false alarm. As she was about to start the call she saw a body in the water. "Dispatch we have a 419A poolside and I am requesting a 10-31 (Crime Scene Investigation). Copy 10-4. I've got a 444 and a 430 as well. Markington clear."* Susan said into her radio as the skunk came back and sprayed her again. It then bit her left leg. "Aaagh! Damn it! Get off me you bloody creature! I'm not food!" Susan cried as she tried to shake the skunk off of her. She almost fell in the pool, but she heard a gunshot and froze.

As she felt the first bullet go past her left leg she collapsed and took out her pistol before she looked behind her to see the killer. It was a person that she didn't recognize. "Call off the others or I kill you." the killer said as they pointed the gun at her head. Susan glared at the civilian before she was given a left black eye and a broken nose. Susan pressed the button on her radio and said, "430-O." She then looked to her left leg as another shot was heard. As she looked down the only thing she saw was the skunks' head still biting her leg. "Really! You blast off the body and leave the head...that's just gross! Wait...You're not a civilian!" she exclaimed as she heard sirens heading their direction. "Attention all units we have a 444 at the pool. Request back-up." the dispatcher said to all available units before replying to Susan. "Units are en route." they said as Susan heard a third shot. She felt another bullet graze her right shoulder as she stopped the call. "Who are you and why are you firing at me? What the hell did I ever do to you?" Susan asked the gunman as she was put into a headlock.

Susan's pistol slid across the floor to her right as the assailant disarmed her. "Silence! I'll cut out your tongue if you say another word..." the attacker said angrily as they placed the gun against the back of her head. Susan heard the cock of the pistol being pulled back as she closed her eyes and began to pray. "Army PFC James Jackson...Now, I thought I said to be quiet!" James yelled as he pistol whipped her before he heard the sirens. "Listen to me...Do you really want to die? Just let me go and I won't press charges." Susan said as she tried to negotiate before anyone interfered. As Susan struggled to free herself from the headlock, she felt him kick her right rib. After crying out in pain she fell onto her left knee. As she closed her eyes the last thing she saw was her fellow Marines coming to her aide. "If I go down...you're coming with me bastard!" she cried as she pushed off the ground with her right foot and tumbled into the pool. Jackson fell in with her and kept his headlock in place. Susan struggled to get air as they fought each other. As Susan took her last breath she saw that the dead body was the seaman that Jackson had fought with in the mess hall the previous day. They surfaced again for her final image of her comrades before she lost consciousness. The very last thing she saw was her crush. Forgive me my love...May we meet again... she thought as she blacked out. The last thing to go into the water was her right hand as she reached for help.

Tag: OPEN
*LVMPD 401/Disposition Codes

Pool
2300

The base seemed to be in uproar, an army private gone psycho. He did not care much for the details as he tagged along, his pistol holstered until he neared the pool. Taking a medic and another two JTF members, he entered the pool with quick haste, making sure the others had come in from the other entrances.

In a confined space, there was little point in shooting as he directed the others to pull the MPs body out of the water - someone that he recognised by the way others had talked of her. Julien attended to the PFC, yanking the body out of the water, performing CPR on James as he watched a medic deal with Susan. James had quickly spat the water out, but with the lack of oxygen that had gone to the brain, it was an easy pacification. Julien held him in an arm lock against the opposite wall until other military police members took him off his hands.

Tag: (@susan)

TIME: 2310
~+~RP SONG~+~

As Susan's right foot hit the bottom of the pool she pushed off and tried to swim for air. Feeling her captor being pulled off her allowed her to surface. As she was pulled from the pool she was semi-conscious. The medics tended to the skunk head and tried to revive her, she then coughed up water and tried to catch her breath. "Easy Marine." a medic said as he helped her roll onto her right side while she coughed up the water. As she opened her eyes she saw Julien handing off Jackson to the other MPs. She sat up and ignoring the medics she stood up and walked over to Jackson.

~+~RP SONG~+~

As he raised her right hand the other MPs stopped and held him still. "Hey what smells like crank and screams like a girl?" Susan asked as she busted his nose. "Aaaagh! I'll get you for this bitch!" Jackson cried as he screamed in pain. "The broken nose is for killing the sailor! Get him out of here and make sure he rots in the brig! No visitors and no food for a week. Throw him in solitary and make sure he listens to this song while in there. Play it nonstop and see how long it takes him to crack. I'm pressing charges." Susan said to the MPs as she handed them a flashdrive with the song Easy Street on it. "I'm pressing charges against you! That's assault!" Jackson yelled as Susan glared at him. "You better not let me catch you on this base again. You'll be lucky to live another day." Susan said into his ear before she grit her teeth and waved him away.

She then limped back over to the medics to have the skunk head removed and her wounds treated. She clutched her right side and fell forward as she tried to regain her balance. Susan felt someone catch her and help her over to the medics. Her vision was blurred from the chlorine in the pool and she still smelled like skunk. "Damn skunk...I'm going to be smelling like this for a month. I was hoping the chlorine in the pool would get rid of the smell, but I guess it didn't. I'm pressing charges against Jackson for attempted murder and murder in the first degree. His career is over as far as I'm concerned and if he gets to keep his job, he better never get in my way again." Susan said as she looked at who was helping her. She gave them a small smile before watching the body of the seaman being removed from the pool.

Tag: Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell, OPEN

"Damn skunk...I'm going to be smelling like this for a month. I was hoping the chlorine in the pool would get rid of the smell, but I guess it didn't. I'm pressing charges against Jackson for attempted murder and manslaughter in the first degree. His career is over as far as I'm concerned and if he gets to keep his job, he better never get in my way again."

"I'd try bathing in tomatoes," May it sound like a joke, his facial expressions told otherwise. Julien was concerned for the marine's well-being, the fact that she had survived a near death experience. "Gets rid of most of the smell. Or so I read."

The rest would play itself out shortly, Jackson was going away for murder - behind bars in Gitmo, most likely. Julien remained quiet, allowing the medics to check her out. "Probably best to rest up, let the medics do what they're good at." He did not quite understand why the skunk had crept in, probably on a forage for food or whatnot. He turned his focus out to those that hoisted the body out of the water - the chlorine having reacted with the blood, had turned the pool water purple.

For the time being, this was a crime scene. Questions will be asked, and the Staff Sergeant would have to deal with that on her end. Julien was only there to provide backup if things had taken a turn for the worse.

TIME: 2340
~+~RP SONG~+~

As Susan was patched up and given a rabies shot for the skunk bite, she stared at the pool and watched as the body was placed in a body bag and taken away. "May we meet again....Rest in peace Seaman Peter Wallington." Susan said as she watched the body bag being placed on a stretcher before it was taken away. Susan continued to stare at the purple water as she watched the crime scene investigators clean the pool and take evidence. She then heard the medic say, "You're good to go, Ma'am. Just make sure to change the bandages on your bite after dinner tonight and before you shower. Replace your rib bandages as well after dinner to get you through the night."

~+~RP SONG~+~

Susan continued to stare at the pool as she listened to the medic and nodded her head in approval. "Replace both bandages after dinner and leg one before I shower. Any pain medicine needed?" Susan said as she knew they had a major mission coming up. She looked at Julien before hearing the medic reply, "No Ma'am. Just rest for a few weeks." Susan nodded her head before watching the medics leave. She continued to stare at the pool and the crime scene investigators. She then took out her notebook and scribbled down what she remembered from when she arrived to when she was rescued. As Susan closed the notebook she pulled out a piece of the paper and wrote down I've secretly liked you since the first time I saw you. As she glanced up at Julien she quickly folded the small letter and slipped it into his back pocket before she stood up.


Tag: Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell , OPEN

Taught from the beginning of his career with the marines, Julien took in everything around him; subtle changes in the environment to whether a twig had been snapped by an animal or the opposing force, he jumped slightly as he felt something slide into his pocket as he glanced down at Susan with a quizzical look. His gaze hadn't wavered as he took the note out, finally moving to glance at the piece of paper.

I've secretly liked you since the first time I saw you.

He looked from the piece of paper, to Susan back to the piece of paper. Maybe it was the chlorine getting to her. Julien was left confused by the piece of paper, as he folded it back up and slid it back into his pocket - he did not want to add to the emotional rush left by the fight that he held no interest. It had never been a huge part of his life, always worrying about his brother and family and the amount of time away from home certainly wore him down afterwards.

That would be rude of him.

"Staff sergeant, I think you may need to rest up. Best to follow the doctor's orders, they know what they're talking about," Julien replied, levelly gazing at Susan to make sure she wasn't suffering from a concussion, even after the medics had cleared her. "You've gone through an emotional trauma."

"Negative, sir. I need to stay awake. If I fall asleep now, I might not wake up. I need to get my report to Colonel Amberson, so we can get this situation finally put to rest. I won't sleep until I see justice for Seaman Wallington." Susan said as she returned the gaze. She heard Jackson yell for the final time as the police cruiser door was closed, "I'll kill you Markington! You hear me? You will die!" As Susan blinked she gave Julien a hug before saying, "Thanks, for everything, sir." She then broke the hug and wiped away tears. "What I tell you stays between us, got it. This has nothing to do with what happened for the case. Before I lost consciousness, the last thing I saw....was you." she said as she turned and looked at the water. "I sort of felt like I was Jack sinking to the bottom of the ocean at the end of Titanic..." she said quietly as she looked at the water that was still purple. "I really need to get this report to Colonel Amberson. If it waits until tomorrow, I have a feeling I'll be in more trouble than I already am." she said as she returned her attention to Julien, she saluted him and waited for him to return the salute.

As she grit her teeth, she eased her breathing and the pain in her right rib cage subsided. Susan then sat down while clutching her side. "Damn it...Maybe I do need to rest. Sir, Can you make sure Colonel Amberson gets my report? I'll answer any questions she has in the morning. Just make sure you have someone wake me every few hours." She said as she sat on a lawn chair outside the doorway after handing him her notebook. She closed her eyes and fell asleep as she tried not to think about death.

Tag: Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell, OPEN

Maybe it was because he was simply not expecting it, or his reflexes were getting slower.

Susan had hugged him.

His whole posture was rigid, his lips pressed into a thin line, his jaw clenched.

"Thanks, for everything, sir."

This was against regulations, he was pretty sure of that. Or at least it was an invasion of his personal space, something that he did hold quite dearly to him. Julien stayed rigid even after she had broken away from the hug. His professional demeanor taking hold of the situation for him as he stood.

"What I tell you stays between us, got it. This has nothing to do with what happened for the case. Before I lost consciousness, the last thing I saw....was you. I sort of felt like I was Jack sinking to the bottom of the ocean at the end of Titanic..."

If he had not been raised as a gentleman, he would have rolled his eyes. Julien focused on the pool water, knowing that eventually, they would drain it out. Maybe Jackson had rigged the pool water with some delirium, though that was him being overly-optimistic about his situation. He took a step backwards, turning his attention over to Susan. "I realise that you've gone through an emotional time, but I kindly request that you do not hug me again, staff sergeant. You've invaded my personal space, and I don't appreciate it. Any other thoughts of me will stay in your head, and will not be voiced."

Out of professionalism, the Gunny returned the salute.

"Damn it...Maybe I do need to rest. Sir, Can you make sure Colonel Amberson gets my report? I'll answer any questions she has in the morning. Just make sure you have someone wake me every few hours."

He held the notebook in his hand, looking from it to the staff sergeant, "I'm not your delivery boy, Staff Sergeant. I would recommend handing it over to her yourself and you can make your way back to your dormitory, where you can find yourself with a proper bunk to lay down on." With that Julien threw the notebook back into the staff sergeant's lap. "That's an order, staff Sergeant Markington."

"Forgive me, sir. I think the chlorine is getting to me. I'm going to go change and attempt to get some rest. I'll see you later, sir." Susan said as she pocketed her notebook, stood up and returned to her bunk. She then changed out of her wet uniform and put on a reserve uniform that she used for PT drills. She then laid out her wet uniform and hoped it would dry in time for the morning activities. She also knew that it would be needed for evidence. As she went to sleep her mind raced with what had just happened. She had almost died and she was lucky to be alive. After a few hours of rest, she woke up and threw on her shoes before going for a small run.

As she wore her PT uniform she knew she'd get yelled at for being out of uniform, but she didn't really care. She was pissed off and needed to clear her head. As she ran 4 miles (from her bunk to the entrance gates and back to her bunk) she grew even angrier at the Army Private for killing not only a Seaman, but almost killing her as well. As she returned to her bunk she heard her radio go off. "10-27, Markington! 10-40! Over." Susan picked up her radio and said, "10-40, Markington reporting 10-18. Requesting a 10-36. Over." She waited as she heard, "Gunny wants to see how you're doing, Ma'am. I told him you'd meet him at mess hall for breakfast. Over." Susan smiled before she realized what she had done the previous night. "Copy that. En route now. Markington clear."* Susan replied before grabbing her notebook, radio and cover. She also placed her dress blues into her duffel before slinging it over her shoulder.

As she walked to the mess hall she saw a scuffle taking place at the entrance. "Ugh...Here we go again. Alright maggots! Break it up! NOW! I'm not in the mood for shenanigans!" Susan said angrily as she flashed her badge at them. They immediately stopped fighting and stood at attention. "Sorry Ma'am." Private Swordfish replied as they waited for her to dismiss them. "At ease Privates! If you guys have issues take it out on each other in the training fields. Now go eat. Dismissed!" Susan said as she felt like a drill sergeant. She returned the salute before following them inside and looking around.

Note: *Radio Codes
Tag: Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell, OPEN

Poor choice on her form, his eyes narrowed as he watched her retreating to do as he said. Though, he was certain that half of the words he had just told her had flown over his head. But, it was late and he needed to rest - something that he also valued as much as his personal space.

Returning to his bunk, Foxy changed out of his clothes and into his night gear. When he had been training, sleep was a reward that he needed to earn alongside the right to be in MARSOC. Three hours or less often was their sleep, so he came out valuing it more. Time passed swiftly as he waked. His first point of contact was to deal with the staff sergeant who perhaps had not received his message the first time, there was normal gunny and angry gunny. Julien was the latter, and many knew that angering a senior NCO was just a bad idea.

He approached the dispatcher, tapping on the door as he waited in a relaxed stance to be allowed entry.

"I request for Staff sergeant Markington to come meet me at the mess hall."

"Sure, checking up on her?"

"You can say that."

With the message on the way to be sent, Julien was on his way into the mess hall to finally get chow down his system. Grabbing a tray, he was served with a small 'good morning, gunny' as per usual he would reply. But, it was his demeanor that said something to those that had come into eye contact - they quickly turned their eyes averted from him as he ate.

It was soon that Markington had walked into the mess hall, breaking up a scuffle between the two privates. His eyes narrowed as he watched it play out. This was a similar situation that had seemingly sparked an army private's killing spree. Pushing his tray to one side, he stood up, focused on the staff sergeant with a scowl. "Staff sergeant Markington, with me," Julien had yet to be seen barking an order, but the biting tone in his voice indicated serious trouble, as he gestured for Markington to head into the corridor. "Tell me exactly what I said to you at the pool, and tell me your response to it. From what I recall, you walked off without another word. Do you know why I'm a gunnery sergeant, Markington?"

Susan was still trying to recover from the previous nights events as she heard her name called. Guess it's time to face the music... she thought as she followed the Gunny into the hallway. After the door was closed she listened to what he asked.

As Susan stopped in the hallway she saluted the Gunny and said, "Staff Sergeant Susan Markington, reporting for duty and debrief, sir."

"Tell me exactly what I said to you at the pool, and tell me your response to it. From what I recall, you walked off without another word. Do you know why I'm a gunnery sergeant, Markington?"

Susan thought about it and replied, "Basically you told me to keep my feelings in check. Turn in my own report and to keep my thoughts to myself, sir. You then ordered me back to my bunk and I left without another word. Please forgive me for doing that, sir. I don't wish to make you mad. If need be I will put in my resignation and retire, sir." My feelings for you will never change....I will gladly sacrifice my own career to make you happy... she thought.

Tag: Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell, OPEN

"Basically you told me to keep my feelings in check. Turn in my own report and to keep my thoughts to myself, sir. You then ordered me back to my bunk and I left without another word. Please forgive me for doing that, sir. I don't wish to make you mad. If need be I will put in my resignation and retire, sir."

Julien listened to her side of the story, raising his brow at the last part of the statement, "I don't handle the resignations, staff sergeant. That's on your terms, if you want to retire early. My point was going to be that I listened to instructions but seeing as you roughly got that right, I'm letting you off lightly." He was surprised on how easy it seemed to be for Susan to simply throw away her career, as being a career marine - Julien could think on nothing else that he would rather do.

Any tension in his stance seemed to dissipate as he relaxed some, "On another note, have you handed in your report yet?"

Tag: (@susan)

"On another note, have you handed in your report yet?"

Susan had completely forgotten about the report. "Not yet, sir. I was going to do that after eating and my debrief." she replied as she took out her notebook and checked the report from the previous night. "Did you want me to add in the uh, hug...sir?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes. Susan then looked at Julien with embarrassment and disappointment. "I regret what I did and it won't happen again, sir." she said as she relaxed a bit. She was dead tired because every time she closed her eyes she saw PFC Jackson and Seaman Wallington.

Tag: Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell , OPEN
Note: sorry it's short.

"Did you want me to add in the uh, hug...sir?"

"Do you have a brain, Markington? If so, I'd encourage you to think independently," Julien responded, noting the embarrassment in her eyes as she began to apologise profusely for it. At this point, he fell silent for a moment as another member of the base walked past before opening his mouth to speak once more. "Actions speak louder than words. Remember that for next time."

He eyed her for a moment, "That is all."

He wanted his breakfast, that was sitting on the table at this very moment. Julien turned and walked back into the messhall to settle himself back down on the table, picking up his fork and tucking into his chow with a sigh.

Tag: (@susan)

Susan left the conversation at that and returned to the mess hall before grabbing her own food from the assembly line. She then went and sat across from a few of the Privates at the Marine table as she glanced at her watch. She needed to get her report to the Colonel before her shift at the gates. As she ate her food quietly she heard whispers of "Sassy Sue almost died" and "Army PFC Jackson is in lock up awaiting trial...What did he do?" Susan stabbed at her eggs angrily before taking another bite and chewing it before swallowing. As she took a swig of her apple juice she relaxed.

The whispers continued as Susan looked at the men sitting across from her. "You really want to know what happened? Yes, I almost died from drowning. That's it." Susan said quietly and watched as their jaws dropped. They didn't know how to reply to her as they gave her back her notebook. "If I hear you three mentioned any of this to anyone, I will be taking action. I have gate duty in an hour. I need to get this report to Colonel Amberson before my shift. If you want, I'll spar you three at the gym after lunch." she said as she pocketed her notebook before eating more of her food. Susan then finished her juice and stood up. "See you three later for training." Susan said as she took her tray and began to walk away. "Ma'am, we're all glad you're okay." PFC Rightwell replied as he stood with his friends and saluted her. Susan returned the salute before walking away and tossing her trash into the trashcan. She then left the mess hall and reported to Colonel Amberson for her debrief.

Tag: Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell , OPEN