"Exactly how resistant are those creatures to bullets?" Agent Smith asked over the scratch of his pencil on paper as he rapidly took notes. "Also, you mentioned that magic had a greater impact on them; Would enchanting the bullets mitigate their apparent resistance? Or is it only pure magic that can bypass it?"

"I really have no way to properly answer any of those questions." Oliver sighed. After five minutes of intense questioning, he really had very few answers for the enthusiastic agent- especially since he was taking extra care not to reveal many details about himself or his capabilities. "Much of what I do know is second hand information, and I certainly haven't taken time to study or experiment when it comes to those creatures."

"I think that is enough questions, John." Jane finally called him off in an annoyed tone, though with a hint of amusement- despite their somewhat... difficult... relationship as partners, John really was a fantastic analyst; Few in the Bureau could dig out the details quite as well as him. "I doubt he can- or will- answer any more, and we still have a job to do."

"Copy that." John sighed. "Just want to make sure to include everything I can in the report..."

"Maybe hold the report until after we're done here?" Jane asked with a wary look. "Last thing I want is someone to get the dumb idea to show up just to ask all the same questions. I swear, half those analysts think that they'll get better answers just because they're the ones asking..."

"No offense, John."

"None taken." John chuckled as he tucked away his notebook. "And yeah, I get it. But... be safe in there, Janie. I would rather not have to deal with a new partner already, ok?"

"You keep calling me 'Janie' and I'll be the one breaking in a new partner." She replied, though without any heat- while she still didn't like the nickname, John had at least earned a grudging respect from her. Besides, killing him would earn her some pretty severe consequences...

A light mauling... still probably not worth it, even if she was tempted at times.

"Finally!" Eve huffed from where she had been toying with the loaned spear. "I was getting bored. Let's go kill something!"

"I believe cautious scouting is the first order." Oakheart politely reminded her, even as his hand hovered near the hilt of his sword. "Though violence appears to be inevitable in this case, knowing what we face is an important factor in securing our victory."

Hearing the faint trace of bitterness in his voice, Eve could tell there was a story there. Smiling impishly at the elf, she sauntered closer. "Sounds like there's a story there! So, what? Picked a fight with someone you didn't know and got your ass ki- OW!"

Rubbing her forehead where 'The Devil' had just casually flicked her, Eve glared up at him as he chastised her.

"No taunting your teammates, Ms. Hart." Oliver said quickly to defuse the situation- and hopefully prevent Oakheart from explaining; he knew quite well who Oakheart had underestimated, and that it had caused the elf to fail in completing a job...

'What are the odds that, across the vast Multiverse, I would run into the same elf twice...' He mentally berated himself for using his real name when he first met Oakheart.

Knowing there was little he could do to about it except try to steer any conversations in other directions, he glanced down at the petite vampire whose eyes roiled with fury.

"If you truly wish to alter the trajectory of your life, learning how to interact with others without taunting or insulting them would be of benefit to you." He said simply, though his gaze softened the longer he looked at her.

"Working with others is very different from working alone- especially for people that have difficulty trusting others." He said gently, patting the small woman's shoulder. "I know that from experience. And I mean no offense when I say this, but..."

"You seriously need therapy, Eve."

Eve snarled, grip tightening on the haft of the spear... Until what he said fully registered. The exact sentence, 'You seriously need therapy Eve', the tone, even the voice- muffled as it was- were all too familiar... Add in the line from earlier where he emphasized something costing her an arm...

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There was only one person that had ever told her she needed therapy- even if it was true- and that same person had nearly taken her arm. Literally.

And it was obvious why he was hiding his identity behind this ridiculous 'Devil' persona... Especially since she was the one that got the FBI on his back to begin with- specifically the very same FBI agents they were currently working with...

"I'm trusting you to watch our backs in there, Ms. Hart." Oliver said simply, hoping she understood his message- and that he wouldn't end up getting screwed over because of it. Turning to face the rest of his companions for the job, he clapped his hands together sharply. "Well, I'm ready to go! What about everyone else?"

Jane chewed her lip thoughtfully as she watched the little interplay between 'The Devil' and Evelyn Hart. While she couldn't understand exactly what there was between them, she was fairly certain that there was something between them...

And figuring that out would go a long way towards figuring out this mysterious figure in the ridiculous demon mask...

But, at the moment, the job was more important... Which meant she had a difficult decision in front of her: what order they would move in.

Logically, it made sense for her to go first. She was the only one that had set foot inside so far, and it was her job to lead them... But that also meant having the three of them behind her. While Oakheart didn't seem like the type to stab her in the back- his general bearing being one of honor and dignity- she also couldn't swear by that, as she barely knew the elf...

To say nothing of the other two.

Evelyn Hart... was a wanted terrorist, and likely insane; Jane wouldn't trust her even if the vampire was bound, gagged, and locked in a reinforced cell, let alone to watch her back...

And this 'Devil'... She was struggling to really get a read on him. One second, he's acting like a mischief maker and stirring up an argument. Then the next, he's quickly settling the argument and encouraging teamwork and cooperation. He also seems to know quite a bit about all of them- which was even stranger when considering that Oakheart is from a different world!

And none of them seemed to know anything about this Devil... except perhaps Ms. Hart, which definitely isn't a factor in his favor...

She could already feel the headache brewing.

"Ok, this is how it's going to go." She said after a second to think. "I'll be going in first and moving to the left to secure the area. I want Oakheart to follow immediately after, moving to the right. Then you-" She growled softly as she looked at Evelyn. "will come in and move straight forward a few feet..."

"We'll hold position there while our mage-" She jerked a thumb at the Devil. "Joins us. If there are any threats present, we quickly eliminate them and then reassess the situation. If not, we maintain that formation as we move forward."

"Any questions?"

Eve opened her mouth, clearly intending to say something snarky, before snapping it closed with a grimace. After a second, she sighed and shook her head. "No questions from me."

Seeing the sudden shift in the vampires behavior, Jane turned to stare at the Devil- clearly what he had said to her had caused this change, though Jane still didn't understand how...

"It sounds like a reasonable plan, considering the circumstances." Oakheart chimed in, ignoring the byplay- after being burned with his last job, he just wanted to complete this one... preferably without complications. "I have no questions."

"You said that there is a city in there, right?" Oliver asked slowly. "Out on the streets, that formation will probably work... But what about buildings? Will we need to clear those?"

Picking up her ax, a wicked looking thing with a half moon blade on one side and a spike on the other, Jane propped it on her shoulder as she nodded at the question- it was actually a good question, so she didn't mind answering. "We'll have to clear buildings, yes, but we can wait to adjust until we get a closer look at one of them- though it is likely we will have to go single file in places."

"I'll take point on those, followed by Hart with her spear, then you, and have Oakheart watching the rear." She sighed, knowing that was probably the best arrangement- even if it did put the damn vamp in the perfect spot for if she chose to turn on them... Though, considering the little interaction between Hart and the Devil, it was possible she wouldn't...

Or that 'The Devil' would actually be the bigger problem; she couldn't be sure either way.

"Anything else?"

"Then let's go."

Squaring her shoulders, Agent Jane Doe marched through the shimmering portal, followed a second later by Oakheart, then Evelyn.

Staring at the almost wave like pattern of the portal leading into the dimensional pocket, Oliver bounced on his toes in excitement- and a touch of nervousness.

"An adventure into the unknown, with who knows what threats waiting for us." He muttered softly to himself with a grin. "This is awesome!"

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