Doll Maker's Diary, Part 16: Birth of the Alpha Squad

Doll Maker's Diary, Part 16: Birth of the Alpha Squad

When Claire Hayes recruited Ellie Watts as a CRASH agent, she knew that she would need at least two more personnel to complete her team. So, one Saturday afternoon, she headed into the woods just outside the city, but not before telling Ellie, "Go check out the bar downtown. You might find a person of interest over there." As Ellie and Claire went their separate ways for the evening, one thing was certain: both of them were about to discover new allies - and learn some skills from them in the process.

Ellie walked into the bar and cautiously scanned her surroundings for anyone or anything which seemed suspicious. However, after a few minutes it seemed like she would come up empty-handed. Just as she was ready to go home, she felt someone give a very light tap on her right shoulder. She turned around to find a tall, blonde woman, even taller than herself, and with a more athletic build than hers. Wearing a tight purple dress, the mysterious woman smiled at Ellie, before stepping back and introducing herself.

"I'm Kayla Brooks, former medical student. Years ago I was given a chance to end others' suffering by developing a serum capable of enhancing a person's regenerative abilities - until the program was abandoned for fear of allowing unscrupulous individuals to play God. They were so desperate to hide its existence that they blew up the facility where it was developed - but I survived by injecting myself with the last sample of the serum. What I did not foresee was that it would also grant me the power to not only detect, but also restore someone's life force, or anima, from a short distance. But what I can give, I can also take away - and you're about see how firsthand."

The battle in the bar was about to begin...

Within seconds, a soft purple glow surrounded Kayla's left hand, and the nearby crowd of onlookers stepped back, oblivious to the mayhem which would soon unfold. What happened next, however, left them in no doubt that this would be a battle between superhumans. "This is where you will meet your match!" Kayla warned Ellie, who soon retorted: "Don't count on it!"

Immediately, Kayla went on the offensive. She launched a ball of energy towards Ellie, who jumped out of the way just in time, before counterattacking with a blue lightning bolt. However, Kayla had anticipated such a response and was able to deflect the bolt harmlessly. Eventually the two of them were close enough to each other to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Within a few minutes, Kayla finally overwhelmed Ellie, leaving her as a sobbing mess lying face-down and unconscious on the floor.

"You're not so much swift as sluggish, eh? That'll teach you to mess with me!" she gleefully taunted her fallen adversary as she quietly strolled out of the bar. Most of the onlookers had also fled, leaving Ellie to confront a much sparser crowd by the time she regained consciousness. As Ms. Watts got to her feet, she quietly muttered to herself, "I must find out more about Kayla Brooks before it's too late!"

Meanwhile, out in the woods, farther away from downtown, Claire Hayes was also looking for a partner of her own. She soon spotted a dark-skinned woman sneaking in and out of the trees. It turned out to be none other than Alexa Lowe, who had given herself away by emitting a faint yellow light around her hands. Alexa introduced herself as follows:

"Good evening. I'm Alexa Lowe. Remember when I jumped through a wormhole leading to a distant star? Unfortunately, I had to go back sooner than expected due to unforeseen circumstances - specifically, a sudden stellar flare. I made it to the Earth-bound end of the wormhole in one piece, but only just, and that was after I had been exposed to some of the high-energy particles emitted by the flare. The experiment had unintended consequences as well - I soon discovered that I could emit those same particles myself, generating a localized decloaking field in the process. Would you like me to enlighten you on this?"

Claire offers a challenge to Alexa - who accepts it right away.

Claire wasted no time in offering a challenge for Alexa. "Sure. Then let's see how well your decloaking abilities stack up. I'll hide myself in that cavern over there - its unusual metallic properties make it a natural cloaking zone. So just wait until I've entered the cavern before you activate your decloaking field. OK?"

"I'm up for it." Alexa scurried away to the edge of the forest, while Claire retreated to the cavern, hoping that she would not be found even after a long, thorough search. Immediately Alexa scoured the woodlands for her soon-to-be partner, but even after several minutes, her quest appeared to be fruitless. It turned out that she had somehow forgotten about her ability to decloak nearby objects and organisms. However, she soon remembered everything about her newly acquired ability.

"I'll need everything those particles have given me if I am to pass this test!" she exclaimed as she rushed towards the cavern. At first, it seemed that whoever or whatever she had been looking for would continue to stay hidden. But then Alexa remembered about her abilities, as a dim yellow glow began to develop around her right hand. Soon she was alerted to the presence of someone - or something - inside the cavern. As she ventured deeper, the source of the signal appeared to strengthen. Finally, she found Claire hiding behind a rock pillar and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I knew you'd come! What took you so long to find me in this cave?" Claire told Alexa. "I forgot about my decloaking abilities for a while - until I remembered them. That's how I found you here", Alexa responded happily. The two quickly left the cave and made their way back to CRASH HQ, where Ellie was also headed.

When Ellie, Claire and Alexa finally made it back, they discovered Kayla fast asleep in bed - but tried their best not to disturb her for fear of being found out about their antics. They went to bed as usual, and woke up the next morning to find Kayla missing. As it turned out, she had made her way to the rooftop and waited for the other three to meet her there.

"Good morning ladies. I'm surprised that you are all here so soon." Claire then made a surprising admission: "You did manage to beat Ellie, my partner, at her own game after all last night. However, what you didn't know was that I established a psionic link between you and myself before you entered the bar. Your victory over her vindicated my faith in you."

As for Alexa, she realized that she had to be aware of her powers and abilities at all times, and knowing when she could use them was an important part of being a CRASH agent. "Well, I'd better use my decloaking ability sparingly or risk physical and mental exhaustion, just like everyone else working for CRASH." "That's right, Alexa. You and Kayla should learn how to conserve their powers for desperate situations, just like Ellie & I did", Claire told her new recruits.

The CRASH Alpha Squad assembled atop the roof of a skyscraper, ready to confront whatever awaits them.

"However, all of you have passed your initial tests. You are now cleared to commence further training. Over the next few weeks you will learn how it feels to be a CRASH agent. In the meantime, get some rest. You will need it in light of what we've prepared for you next." The four of them retreated back into CRASH HQ, and made preparations for a grueling training program.

One month later, after completing a series of intense training exercises, Ellie, Claire, Kayla and Alexa assembled in the Proving Grounds, having finally been given a CRASH Suit each for use during combat. CRASH had finally established its first full-time team - the Alpha Squad - and from this point onward, would keep an eye on world events, only taking action in the event that ordinary security forces could not overcome a particular threat.

The first four members of the CRASH Alpha Squad, suited up prior to deployment.

As the Alpha Squad prepared to deploy on a mission to a distant land, Claire quietly told her eager squadmates, "This will be our first mission together. All of you have earned your CRASH Suits - and your place in the team. Good luck." They then boarded a CRASH Dropship, which took off from an underground hangar, before heading out into the wide open skies.