Kyoko Tamashiro
In an alleyway, a windowless van sits parked. Inside is Kyoko Tamashiro. A 15 year old girl who has lives on the streets, in her van. The van is cluttered with the detritus of young teen girl as well as a plethora of techno gadgets and computers. Two men dressed in black suits wearing ear pieces. She sees them approaching via her cameras but ignores them. The men finally use a small shaped charge on the van's back door and extricate the girl who gives nothing but attitude. Finally she is persuaded to enter their car by the threat of contacting child services.
Alexi Volkov
Out in the Russian wilderness, a handsome yet unkempt man sits in his home, which also happens to be a vehicle. This vehicle is an old Russian armored vehicle. Fully armed the agents approaching it are incredibly wary. Through the window of the vehicle they see a shaggy young man sitting in the drivers seat. The floor of the vehicle covered in empty cup-o-noodle containers. They convince Alexei Volkov of a lucrative job in the United States. Hesitant to leave his home/armored vehicle he somehow is able to convince the agents that they should ship his vehicles States-side. Confident that they will do so, he accompanies them to the airport.
Alessandra Silva
Alessandra Silva, a woman who is reluctant to put down roots, is visiting her friend. She too is a woman with a deadly skill set, so she understands when her friend comes by. The need to relax after a job is necessary in their line of work. The relaxation is cut short when she answers the door to several men dressed in dark suits and sporting ear pieces. This is not good. She calls out for Alessandra and closes the door. While Alessandra talks to the men at the door her friend moves to a set sniper position in which she can cover her friend. But soon enough, Alessandra gives the barely noticeable signal that all is good, as she collects her stuff and goes with the agents to the airport.
Victois Vltrois
Somewhere on a farm in southern France, Victois Vltrois, is in the kitchen preparing a gourmet meal for her comrades in arms, a rag tag collection of mercenaries and former military. A lookout calls out the household that two black cars are approaching from the northeast road. People move casually move into position, Victois grabbing her sniper rifle from beside the counter and moves to her assigned sniper position. After talking to the agents at the door, Victois is called down and after hearing what sounds like a new contract job, Victois is off to the airport.
Doctor Zora
At a Dallas hospital, Dr. Zora, is finishing a lecture on the subtleties of emergency microvascular surgery. She is chatting with a small group of medical students and is obviously basking in the glow of their adulation. Dr. Zora's nobel prize can be clearly seen hanging around her neck. Two agents approach her and tell her of a project she is required for. This is nothing unusual for the doctor and so she accepts and is taken to the airport.
As each of them lands on the tarmac of the Las Vegas airport, the relentless heat of the desert heat hits them. Waves of heat make the horizon shimmer in the midday sun. They are then driven out of the city and into the wilds of the desert. They pull into what seems to be an old and abandoned casino. Derelict and seemingly structurally unsafe they are escorted in. Across the floor of the casino with the occasional broken gambling table and empty spots on the floor where slot machines used to be bolted to the floor, they come to an elevator.
The group looks at each other, dubious of an elevator in this abandoned casino. But the doors do open to a rusted and dust laden elevator car. As they all step in the doors close. One of the agents, produces a key and opens a panel which exposes a crisp looking touch video panel which displays a series of numbers and symbols. He enters a series of key presses and the elevator descends at a staggering speed.
We Meet "General" Leon Tate
After a few minutes and seemingly hundreds of feet, the doors open into a vast dimly lit chamber. Their footsteps echo against the distant concrete walls. They walk towards the center of the chamber and are greeted by an old grizzle, uniformed man. Grey stubble for hair and a stern look are what they can see apart from his uniform. He introduces himself as General Leon Tate.
They are escorted into a side room. This round room is encircled with large video screens which are currently dark and is dimly illuminated by lights spot lighting a few seats around the circular table which takes up most of the room. Lush high backed seats surround the table. Kyoko immediately sits down and puts her feet up on the table. Alessandra slowly slips back into the shadows which surround the outer edges of the room.
The rest eventually find their seats as General Leon Tate explains why they are here.
He does not trust the Visitors. They had tracked their spaceships entering the solar system as far out as the asteroid belt inside the orbit of Mars. The military had been on high alert ever since and the two probes sent out had been unable to determine anything. Then when the politicians had turned to befriend the Visitors, without a shred of evidence, persuaded only by public opinion, the general and those loyal to him decided to save humanity in spite of itself.
The Missing Scientist
The general had heard the daughter of a outspoken scientist, Dr. Oliver Winestead, has been trying to get anyone to listen to her of her father's disappearance. He had listened to her and has agreed to look into it. Dr. Oliver Winestead has always been a bit a fringe scientist. This made it harder for him to be taken seriously when he told government officials that the Visitors should allow unhindered access to all of their ships and facilities. Also they should be allowed to autopsy one of the Visitors. They know so much about humans but humans know very little about the Visitors.
He hasn't been heard from for several weeks.
General Leon Tate will give them access to resources and some money. They are to report to him and only him. They are to investigate quietly. Speaking out against the Visitors is politically unwise. Saying this produces an emotion on his face which is hard to read other than it is no longer the stern and stoic expression he always wears. If they are caught, the general can do very little and any knowledge of this mission will be denied.
They are given a duffel bag of cash and sent back to the city.
Life Is Easy For Robert Downey Jr.
In Las Vegas, they scout around and finally Alexi decides that they should stay in first class accommodations. To this, they enter one of the finer casinos and Alexi approaches the front desk. With a flawless impersonation of Robert Downey Jr. he somehow wrangles the penthouse suite for the group.
After settling in, they hit the casino floor. Alexi, still posing as Robert Downey Jr. attracts a huge crowd. While Kyoto notices a woman sitting at the bar, who clearly has been there a while, who matches the description of Nancy Winestead, the missing scientist's daughter.
Befriending the woman they are invited back to Nancy's house. The house is a teeming mass of cats. The woman is clearly not mentally healthy but Alexi distracts her while Kyoko goes on the computer on which she finds Dr. Oliver Winestead's notes on his investigation into the Visitors.
While Kyoko is copying over the information, Victois places a call to animal services and tells them of a house which is overrun with feral and uncared for cats.
Making their excuses they leave the house and as they leave they watch as animal services drives up and begins to extract all of the cats from the house as a hysterical Nancy Winestead screams at the workers.
With a collective shrug, they head back to their casino penthouse suite to look over the information they have just acquired.
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