The midst of her pondering was, quite possibly, the worst time that someone could've come barging in. So, naturally, it was that exact period when the door slipped open, and neither Kate nor Jane realized they had company until a guard was clearing his throat right behind them.
She yelped, naturally, throwing herself away from Kate with such a fright that she very nearly activated her thrusters, something that could've burned the whole building down. Her would-be lover likewise screeched, caught off guard and scrambling to grab the tattered remnants of her ripped-up uniform and use them to cover her idecency. It was only after a few frantic moments that either woman could calm down enough to process their visitors.
Aside of the guard who'd let them in, three women were standing by the door. The one who seemed to be in the lead was a cheerfully-smiling blonde in a lab coat, jotting away something on a clipboard - notes about this whole situation, if Jane had to guess. She had kind of expected science types - but far more interesting were the other two ladies. One white and wearing what looked like a Royal Navy emblem on her tactical vest, the other hispanic with USMC markings. They had the usual sort of webbing and gear, rifles stowed at the front... but underneath it was some kind of strange, shiny black bodysuit, almost like... latex?
Jane was, of course, still the weirdest woman in this room, but they were giving her a run for her money.
"Apologies for interruptin', sugar!" The woman in the lab coat greeted her in a thick Texan accent, stepping forward and offering a hand that Jane hesitantly accepted. "I'm Doctor Johnson, these two fine ladies with me are Sergeant Ramirez and Lieutenant Wellbury. I have got to say, lil' lady, the reports we got did not do you a lick of justice!"
"Uh... thank... you?" She glanced between the the doctor and her escorts. Wellbury looked stoic, but Ramirez offered her a bit of a 'go with it' shrug, her bodysuit quietly squeaking in the process. It bothered Jane that she couldn't spot a seal between the suit and their necks, but that was low on the list of questions she had right now. "I'm sorry, uh... we were just, uh, she was... helping me..."
"She was gonna fuck your jet fighter woman brains out," Ramirez finished her sentence. Both Kate and Jane blushed, mostly because that was truly the most succient way to put it.
Johnson seemed unfazed. "Oh relax sugar, ain't nothin' to be ashamed of. When these sorts'a things happen to folk, why, all kind of feelin's start runnin' through ya." She grinned and nudged her elbow at Wellbury and Rameriz. "Y'all would know a thing or two about that, wouldn't ya?"
"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about," Wellbury responded, still keeping that stiff upper lip. Just behind her, Ramirez just gave the pilot and the plane-woman a quiet nod, miming... aiming a gun at her crotch and shooting? You know what, Jane didn't even want to know. This was already escalating to new levels of bizarre.
"Anyway, we're up to speed on what happened. Now I got myself a workin' theory, and if you're willin', I'd like to get y'all up on out of here." She nodded her head towards the door. "This base ain't got the right setup, but our facility's all fixed up nice and-"
It was Johnson's turn to be interrupted by yet another party storming in. This time, it was a woman who looked to be in roughly her late forties, though no less attractive for it. Stern blue eyes and dark hair tied into a bun, just the slightest hint of wrinkles showing her age - but her posture and commanding presence more than made up for it. The name on her uniform, Hetzer, plus the full bird rank insignia, gave Jane a pretty solid clue that this woman was USAF, not some Brit or a jarhead.
And she looked furious.
"Do you mind explaining what you're doing here, Johnson?!" she seethed, her own accent that of a kiwi - must have been a New Zealander who would up in the states. "Lieutenant Evans is Air Force, which means the Air Force will handle her condition. Your... assistance..." She almost seemed to spit out the word in disgust. "...will not be required."
Johnson scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Colonel, I can guarantee that there ain't no Air Force facility or unit properly equipped for all'a this. She'd be much better off in our care-"
"I will not have you dragging off one of my people, especially one who's just undergone significant physical alteration, to join your little band of ground-pounding BDSM rejects!"
"Ma'am, I will have you know that we do not engage in any such-"
"EXCUSE ME!" Jane suddenly piped up, her bellowing voice causing the bickering to pause for a moment. "First off, who the fuck are any of you?!" She reached over to help pull Kate to her feet, keeping an arm around the pilot's shoulders. "I'm not going with anybody until you all explain what's going on here."
There were multiple sighs and eye rolls from among the gathered personnel, including Colonel Park, now standing in the doorway and looking just slightly pale. Johnson was the first to speak up, mostly because Hetzer was busy rubbing her temples. "Lieutenant Evans, my associates and I represent a multinational unit specializing in the deployment of personnel with highly unusual characteristics. Now admittedly, what's happened to you ain't exactly within our usual bounds, but the changes you've undergone could make you an indespsible asset for keeping the peace around the world!"
"Their unit is a parade of freaks in fetish outfits," Hetzer quickly cut in. "I won't have you getting tied up with their sick experiments. You and those dog tags are both to accompany me to a facility where we can determine how best to put you to use protecting American interests."
"Now hold on just one tootin' minute! In the event that SALEM is unable to respond, we have authority over any artifacts of likely supernatural origin, as well as all those affected-"
"If that authority is surrendered to you - and it has not been surrendured, nor will it ever be!"
"Missy, y'all got no idea what kinda shitstorm y'all're bringing down on your-"
There was a new round of screaming as Jane once again forced her way into the conversation, this time with a brief burst into the air with one of her forearm miniguns. The roof and ceiling were utterly devastated, but she wasn't too concerned about that. "How about before anybody drags me off somewhere, I get a say in things?! I am still a person, for Christ's sake, not some gun you found lying in a ditch!"
Johnson and Hetzer begrudgingly looked between each other, before shrugging, deciding that the suped-up combination of a jet fighter and a human being was probably enough of a headache that they ought to appease her. Park, for his part, had taken to sitting cross-legged on the floor, deep in contemplation of his not-soon-enough retirement as Ramirez and Wellbury entertained themselves with Rock-Paper-Scissors. "Fine then, missy. Which is your preference, keepin' the peace worldwide with us-"
"-or continuing to serve your country like a proper airman?"