Welcome to Gaia! ::

Charles waited a week to let the new children get settled before he called them back for a meeting and training session. They were living in the same neighborhood, it would be right for them to get to know one another.

They were called to the Safe Haven. These large grounds have been secured with the latest hight-tech technology. Upon attack, the entire grounds will sink into the ground, covered by an inpenetrable force field. Secret passages, also covered by force fields will open up, leading to a safe escape.

The grounds are disguised as a group normal buildings. Upon typing the entrance code, a door will open, leading to a corridor. Following it, one will eventually end up in a courtyard. A great field of grass, surrounded by buildings. The area is big enough to easily fit over three hundred people. In the middle is a small pond with clear water, surrounded by benches. A large double in the back of the wall leads to a kitchen with latest technology. Just by pressing a few buttons, the replicator can create any kind of food. The doors are flanked by several large trees, providing shade on hot days.

In the left and right side of the courtyard walls, there are corridors leading to different courtyards. The left corridor leads to an extensive playground while the right leads to smaller courtyard which has access to a library and different research means. In the courtyard itself, small scale power practise can be held.

In the corridors leading to the different courtyards, there are secret doors, leading to a system of underground passages. These doors are usually hidden but may be discovered by curious children. They are never locked.

The underground passage network is rather big and one could get easily lost in there. Upon activation of the alarm, arrows will light the way to the exit. Whenever the last person has passed these arrows, they will be turned off to prevent others enemies from following. Traps will then be activated.

The guardians and children already had their transporters, which would bring them to the courtyard of Safe Haven. Jim and Charles waited. Charles paced in front of the benches, lost in thought and looking impatient. Jim was currently standing behind a bench - and tree - that would hide him from the incoming people. Yeah, they were a welcoming pair.

o O (thinks might change around slightly depending on the rest of the initial meeting but I think everything should be ok.)

Joshua had been working on a rather difficult program when the message had come through. Raising an eyebow at the summons he was glad to get out of the house and back into the offices. He had been given a wekk or two off to get to know the young girl, providing he did some of the workload at home. It was only shortly after reading the message again that he realized he was being summoned elsewhere, and he was to bring Candice. Standing up and streaching the programmer looked down at the ratty jeans and decided it would be prudant to at least change. Passing by the closed door of Candice he had to smile. There, pinned up by multiple thumbtacks was a note written in a large black sharpie:



With a chuckle he circled yes before quitely knocking on the door. "Ummm... Candice? I have to go to the offices and I've been asked to bring ya along. You want to be ready for it in about ten mins?" He waited for an answer...

The door opened slightly, obviously tied with a rope to prevent it from opening to far. The pale face looked out and spoke. "What is your name?"

Oh dear... she had been watching Python again "Joshua of McKinley!" He answered trying not to grin. Candice had definatly braught a spark of insanity into his life and he was such a kid himself they had managed to find an accord.

"What is your quest?"

"To bring Princess Candice to the Castle of Dooooom."

"Eeeewww... I'm not a princess. I want to be a Prince!" Candice made a face before openeing her eyes in feigned shock. "Ohhh you cheated!"

"I most certainly did not. You broke the pattern, I get to come in." He snatched onto the opportunity and was rewarded with entry into the girl's room. Looking around he sighed a little, that was somthing he had to work on with the kid. Taking after his own, there was stuff everywhere. Books and papers littered the floor, and there were socks everywhere. "Wow... you rival me in cleanliness Candice. How about we pick up a few things before leaving. Then we'll have time afterwards to get icecream."

Candice made another face before weighing her options. Icecream was a good enough reward and so she ran around tossing papers into boxes, socks into draws and books back onto the shelves. While Joshua cleaned away a few of the papers he spotted a drawing of a small family of three, the father drawn further away and it looked like the kid was scrawled all over, the Mum with a happy face. Joshua glanced over towards Candice before folding it and slipping it into his back pocket. He'd have to ask the counselor what that meant.

In short time they were ready, and after being sent back to his room twice, Joshua was suitably attired to go out with Candice. Stepping to a corner of the appartment, he pressed onto the remote that would activate the teleporter. "Beam me up Scotty!"



The wrenching motion of the teleporter always made him feel a little queasy but he shook it off and looked around. They seemed to be in a park or somthing. He could see Charles on the bench near by... it seemed like he would see Charles a lot more than before and wasn't quite sure if that was a good or bad thing...

Candice blinked at the sunlight before looking around and spotting another kid. This one was dark skinned with a funny bandanna over his forehead. He didn't look too comfortable, the adult he was with more so. She looked like she had just jumped into a puddle which made Candice giggle at the mental image.

"Ah... thankyou" Jenny said, slipping it into a - fortunatly dry - pocket. The water had only come up to about her knees, which was lucky. "I'm pleased to meet you all" She studied the two for a second - a small scruffy looking girl, and an equally scruffy man. At least Zayd looked neat - even if she suspected that behind her he was taking his shoes off.

This assumption was true enough; he had decided that since they were soaked through anyway, there was no point in wearing them. Or the socks.

So there.

He wasn't paying much attention to the others - or to Charles. His main concern right now was getting the soaked shoes and socks off, and deciding on somewhere to stuff them that Jenny wouldn't be able to find them. Then he wouldn't have to wear them. Simple logic.

Maybe logic wasn't his strong point, though; he evidently hadn't realised that she might simply buy another pair.

Charles watched the careful introductions being made and smirked lightly to himself glad that everything was going well.

"Well, I'll be leaving the four of you to get acquintanced a bit more. Please feel free to use any of the facilities we have here. After lunch which is in-" Charles glanced at his watch, "-two hours, we will show you the holoroom and a few programs in which Zayd and Candice can participate if they want to." Charles paused and smiled at the two children.

"If you need me or if there are any questions you can find me in the library. Jim will be staying here for your entertainment." At this he moved into the right courtyard before vanishing from sight.

Jim refrained from rolling his eyes and just shrugged as his boss got out of there. "Ah- he's a busy man." He smiled apoligeticly before sitting down on one of the many benches lining the wall.

((So just get to know each other. Charles is definitly still available if you have any questions for him. He's actually doing work in the library. xD You know how it is, being the leader of a large agency. ;D ))

Being a wiz with technology Joshua figured out the right sequence of buttons to press and then proceeded to show Jenny. "See, ya need to get into the adress book and then you can customize the entry and voila!" he quickly added in her number, not realizing he might have gone a little to fast for her to keep up. "Not I'm assuming if I press this we'd be transported to your place?" Thinking for a moment he added, "Though am sure we'd have to contact eachother verbaly first... just so there is no showing up unannounced." He grinned as if he made a very funny joke before shifting slightly as if embarrassed.

He was looking at her now, Candice smiled slightly and waved before deciding to make the first move. With a suspicious grin she looked over to the adults who were busy chatting with each other. She had noticed him looking around with shoes in hand and had guessed he wanted to hide them, Why else would he take them off? Walking a few steps towards the boy she leaned in and wispered. "I know how to make those vanish." The trickster winked before motioning to the offending foot covers. While she didn't want any of the adults to see what she could do, she was more than willing to help this kid out, maybe she'd get to see what he was hiding. She was curious to find out if he was like her.

"Uh sure..." He showed her the buttons to press, this time going slow enough so she would catch the right sequence. "Computers is what I do so I guess I just have an affinity with them." He shrugged before hending it back to her, everything now in the right location. "There ya go, it should be right as rain."

She grabbed the shoes from him and placed them on the ground. Kneeling by them Candice looked around at the parents and then with a glance that spoke "Don't tell anyone" She closed her eyes and pushed on the shoes, trying to make them sink into the dirt. A few beads of sweat ran down her forehead before slowly they began to sink. Suddenly she seemed to fall into the hard packed dirt before her eyes jumped open and she corrected her descent. Now willing herself out of the earth, Candice let the shoes go where they were now encased in their muddy tomb. With a giggle she held up her hands to show that no mud or other evidance showed of her endevour... well except for the fact that her knees were now all muddy from kneeling in the dirt.

o O (No problems. I'm playing manager at my store right now so I have about the same tight schedual)

"You can call me Joshua. I was only McKinley when I was in trouble." Jpshua grinned, he was more used to the first name bases on accounts of his office job where last names were just for 'bosses' to know. "Though I am often in trouble so..." He let the thought hang for the moment before realizing that it probably wasn't the best thing to say considering he was now going to be a role model for Candice. "Umm... well... I mean that as a joke of course."

Candice could feel the amazement radiate out from Zayd (even if exaggerated a little by her own ego) and grinned, her hands on her hips. That was soooo worth it. She looked back at the adulte, they were still in their own conversation, good they didn't spot her. Turning back she added, "So ya wanna go do anything? What can you do? Is it anything cool?"

"Awsome!" Joshua had officially run out of things to say. Running his hand through his hair he glanced at the two kids and was happy to see them chatting. Well at least it looks like they are getting along... It'll be good for Cnadice to get out of the house more.

Candice's eyes grew round as dinnerplates when she heard that. "Wow... that is So cool!. Are you related to cyclops but with three eyes instead of just one? Or maybe it's like those mystic people in the orient who can charm snakes and stuff, they usually have more arms than two or stuff like that. Or..." Once her brain was jumping from idea to idea it was hard for her to stop. She continued talking for a few more minutes before adding. "By the way, I'm Candice." She held out her hand for him to shake.