[IC] House of Powers (reboot)

[wolverbells]

Athena Wilson | Room 12 - Auditorium

Athe1na had not managed to get too far before she was approached by the graceful chef that she had watched for a minute. She had heard him behind her, introducing himself to the guy that had burst in the room shouting. "Thank you, Arthur. I'll be seeing there, then." She offered him a respectful nod of acknowledgement before turning and walking off towards room twelve. Thankfully it wasn't too far off, which meant that nobody else would be able to catch up to her while she scurried away into the room.

Once inside, Athena visibly relaxed as she exhaled. It had been a bit overwhelming, and even for someone as rude as her, she could not believe how she acted in the kitchen. She should have known better than to interact with strangers. She shook her head before closing the door and going off to explore her room to see if she could find any notes that the staff could've left for her.

Nothing.

With a sigh, Athena let herself plop down on the bed, letting her brain calm down from overworking itself. As she did so, she couldn't help but notice how oddly clean everything was. The building had been damn near perfect since the moment that she had stepped foot inside of it, but she had not taken the time to notice. "I wonder where the clothes are at," she muttered as she got up and rummaged through the closets and drawers. To both her amusement and amazement, they were stocked with things that she could call her own. Athena quickly pulled out her go to style which was black running leggings and a sports bra, along with a long sleeved black V-neck that hung loosely on her torso. She walked off into the bathroom with her clean clothes in her arms, wondering how she hadn't gone to her room beforehand to change. She must have looked like a complete freak, only wearing white pajamas and barefoot. The woman grimaced as she thought of what others must have thought of her. Not like she hadn't already made a fool of herself by her actions. It made her a bit sad to know that no matter how she tried to go up to people, she knew that she wouldn't be able to have a conversation with them due to her disorder.

The brunette quickly shoved her emotions and thoughts away as she tried to work past her flaws and focus on changing. Before leaving the restroom, she quickly brushed her teeth, which was still weird because they even had toiletries set neatly on the sink and in the cabinets under the sink.

'They've thought of everything. They even have Midol for the time of the month,' a laugh escaped her lips as she had quickly looked over at the medicine cabinet as she walked out of the restroom.

After quickly throwing on some socks and black Nike's, Athena made her way out of her room and towards the auditorium with a bit of a rushed walk. She didn't want to be late to anything that meant the staff member would be present. She wanted to know her results now before she could do anything to anyone else.

[ProxyInc]

Bailey Collins

Location
Cafeteria - Auditorium

Interacting with
@aquanthe
@Utrax
@SheriffLlama

---

Blinking Bailey had looked up at the young woman as she apologized, confusion written clearly across his face. 'What?' his broad furrowed but she had already left the table, pushing past a particularly loud man who had barreled in. His mind was already muddled with Maria's voice still echoing in his mind like an unwanted ghost. He wanted to ask her what she was apologizing for, after all he was the one who pushed her earlier. Glancing up at Sienna he asked, "Do you know why she apologized?" hoping she had caught something he had missed.

Before she had a chance to respond the intercom click on overhead. Had an hour passed already? Suddenly Bailey felt weary, as if someone had sapped all the strength from his limbs. It seemed like the adjustment time was over and they were now going to start their 'trials'. Arthur was quick to speak up as he stepped out of the kitchen, encouraging the rest of them to heed the woman's directions and head to the auditorium. Out of the lot of them he seemed to be the most complying.

Bailey sighed loudly before getting up from his table, leaving behind his mess for one of the workers to clear. He looked over at the new guy once again, noticing that none had bothered to answer him or even try to quell his fear. He twitched his fingers slightly before striding up to him. "Uh," he paused, unsure of what to say, "I'm Bailey." he stuck out his hand for the boy to shake. What he going to say? That he was here because he had some super power? He already seemed like he was in total denial, not that Bailey could blame him. The whole idea was absurd. "Arthur's right, we should probably head on to the auditorium. Looks like they're going to start our super power training." Bailey tacked on with a dry, awkward chuckle.

"We can walk together if you'd like? Its a lot to take in." he was aware on just how awkward he had sounded. He readjusted his glasses once again, trying to play off his own unease. As he looked around he noticed the same boy who had sat off on his own the other day, sitting down with a mini hoard of items from the bending machine. "Hey, yo!" Bailey called out waving at him, "We're heading to the auditorium, want to come with?" There was always a safe feeling when it came to facing the unknown in numbers and right now, Bailey needed that little bit of courage to help stave off the niggling feeling of worry that kept creeping.

[CyanideSweetie]

Caebyn -Bynie- Danvers

---

Bynie came back into focus as the loud speaker crackled to life.
It was nine o'clock al-fucking-ready?!

Nearly an hour had passed since she woke up and did she spend it filling her stomach with the nutrition needed to get her through the morning's activities? Did she spend it getting dressed in suitable clothing? Did she spend it getting acquainted with her fellow mutants?  No, no, and goddamn no! She had spent it napping on a table!

In a flurry she jumped up running over to where the food was being served she grabbed a fistful of bacon right before the kind looking man who had cooked it all put it away. "Thank you!" She shouted at him through her already filled mouth as she ran off towards the rooms. She ran past a man she didnt recognize, when did he get here? she asked herself doing a double take and nearly running into the doors.

She shook her head running towards her room she ripped open the door to see a woman she didn't recognize pulling her hair out from under a recently adorned sports bra.  "Oh! Good Lord! Wrong room! So sorry!" she stuttered as she fled from the room. Beat red she crossed the hall and burst through the door that she triple checked had her name plate next to it.

Face palming herself she rushed over to the drawers,  shimmyed off her rumpled dress and threw on a pair of gray sweat pants with a black racer backed tank top. Still tying her pants she hobbled into the bathroom and turned on the sink. Brushing her teeth and smoothing down her hair at the same time she hardly had a moment to be impressed.  Nearly everything here was in the same corresponding spot as it would be at her home. Which made getting ready so much easier, thankfully! She ran back to the drawers,  threw on some socks and hopped around, trying to put on her shoes as she headed to the door. She started down the hall hoping she wouldn't be too awkwardly late in getting to the auditorium.

[Carlyle]

Sienna Morris
^{Current Location: Cafeteria -> Hallway}

Smiling at the new stranger, Sienna shook Athena's hand with a smile of her own. "Not previously, but active, although it might be confusing to consider myself active duty now. Like many of us, I was whisked away on site." Sienna explained to Athena as the two women withdrew their hands from the handshake. When Athena had told Sienna that she was already established in the facility, Sienna was curious as to how long Athena had already been at the facility. Perhaps the scientists and researchers could predict their developing powers, and that Athena's power was slated to be more dangerous than any of those on this side of the building, resulting in Athena needing to be quarantined even further. Regardless if that was the truth or not, Sienna was unable to ask another question as Athena diverted her attention to Bailey, and then shortly ran out of the cafeteria after the entire spectacle was done.

Puzzled, Sienna looked back at Bailey as he awoke from his daze and spoke about the obvious confusion that was enveloping the two Americans. Sienna opened her mouth to respond to Bailey, but the buzzing sound of the intercom turning on had interrupted Sienna before she had a chance to state her thoughts on the matter. Speaking through the intercom was the scientist woman from before, asking the group to make their way to the auditorium to begin what was to be their first tests, doubtlessly the exercises the woman had mentioned the night before. Dressing for the occasion, Sienna wore an outfit akin to gym clothes, although nearly all her outfits were similar. Feeling nothing that was thrilling about walking mindlessly through several isles of items for sale, Sienna had always snatched almost the same outfit from the racks and left the store after paying.

It wasn't long before Bailey had left Sienna to comfort the new guy that had busted into the cafeteria in a panicked state. Sienna had experience in dealing with extremely nervous pilots, but because Bailey had seemed to have the grasp of the situation, she decided to go help Arthur put away the rest of the meal and clean up after the rest of the group. It was best to work together, and the current status of some of the patients in the facility had made it known that group cohesion was sorely needed. Some of the populace were confused and panicking, while others wouldn't speak at all. As Arthur acknowledged and Sienna knew, they were going to have to work together in order to get through this mess and go back to their normal lives outside the facility.

Once all of the leftovers were put away in the fridge and other various cooling units, Sienna made way to the auditorium. A few were rushing to get dressed for the day, and some like Bailey and the newcomer were still conversing. "Count to four. Inhale. Count to four. Exhale." Sienna explained, stopping her trek for a moment to converse with the newcomer. "It'll help you calm down. We all saw it, and many of us are as doubtful as you are. Right, Bailey?" Sienna asked, tilting her head towards his direction as she hoped the man could back her statement up to calm the stranger down. That is, if the newcomer would listen to either of them. The stranger was already panicking, and nervous people were prone not to listen a hundred percent of the time.

---

@wolverbells@Jinxer@HecateProxy@SheriffLlama

[Utrax]

Marcus Bradley

^{Location: Cafeteria//Auditorium -Interaction:@HecateProxy}

---

"Let's go. There's no point in causing them problems."
What? Did this guy think he was the leader or something? Marcus overhead the dude say it and felt like not moving out of spite. He was already in the process of getting up even before the announcement was complete. He supposed someone would try to step forward as the "guy to follow" if they were all developing superpowers-- somebody had to stick to the trope, right? Scoffing when that guy-- Arthur as he'd just told the other dude-- passed by his table, Marcus shook his head and finished gathering up his snacks. Inwardly he admitted that it seemed everyone was doing little bits and pieces of things to get on his nerves. Maybe it was due to the fact that he didn't interact with people much on a daily basis-- there really wasn't much need to. Being out on the countryside, fifty miles away from the nearest market, tended to be rather isolated. Adding in the fact that he was largely home schooled well, the picture was clearer than he'd previously considered-- Marcus figured he didn't like people very much.

And then... a noise caught his attention-- "-- want to come with?"
That guy was starting at him. Within Marcus' head, all of them were "that guys" until he could figure out names, but this one was distinctly red. While he hadn't caught everything the guy said, there had still been enough noise to make Marcus stand from his seat, rather aggressively pushing the chair away from himself. He shook his head heavily at Red-guy, then took a few beats of pause to glare at him in a warning manner. Everything from the way Marcus gripped the table's edge to his tense shoulders, the look on his face and his fixed jaw, could read like a fine instruction manual titled "Why You Should Shove-Off And How To Do So". First step in this figurative manual said "walk by your damn self". Marcus picked up his unopened cookies after a couple of moments passed and began to work on opening them.

[Sazama]

Location: Cafeteria -> Room 8 -> OTW to Auditorium

Eliza wasn't too dazed when another new face bursts into the cafeteria having a panic. It was honestly the reaction they all should've had last night. Nevertheless, panicking wasn't going to do much for them now. They all did agree to come here seeking treatment. It was really no different than rehab, and honestly could be much better than rehab seeing that there were "luxuries" provided to them. Though Eliza didn't find any of this luxurious compared to what she was used to, it was better than nothing.

Eliza pauses for a moment between the panic, the thoughts she had about this place was condescending but at the same time trying to be understanding. It was like she was... trying to adjust. Something that her old self would throw a fit for sure. Looking back at it, she changed somewhat since the death of her father. She felt like she was becoming more sympathetic, understanding. But in truth it made her angry about that fact, she saw those traits as weak. Eliza puts down the fork in hand and leaves the cafeteria immediately leaving behind her plate. Like some of the others, she pushes past the guy shouting in confusion and starts heading to her room to find something more comfortable to wear for the tests.

On the way to her room, she sees an embarrassing complication take place as one of the girls accidentally walks in on another getting dressed. Eliza couldn't help but smirk at the girl as she runs away and bolts into her own room, obviously struck with embarrassment.
"Obviously I'm way too graceful and classy to let anything like that happen to me" Eliza thinks to herself.
Eliza gleams with a smug look on her face as she enters her room and hurriedly puts on a top brand activewear outfit That consisted of workout leggings, sports bra, freerun running shoes, and to top it off a snapback hat. It was an outfit to show off her body, but most importantly it was an outfit that said: "Look at me, do I actually work out or am I just a model for Nike™? The world will never know."
Eliza was taught growing up that your image was most important, and since it was the day they were going to be testing performance levels, all the time and money spent on top-level trainers was finally going to pay off. Contempt with her outfit of choice she leaves the room and starts making her way to the auditorium.

[SheriffLlama]

Cassius "Cas" Williams | Cafeteria/Bedroom/Auditorium

Interacting: @HecateProxy@Aquanthe@KimmiNinja

---

Cassius hadn't expected the reactions he'd recieved when he'd burst in, looking for answers. The entirety of the room seemed to have no problem with being strangely locked up in a pristinely clean facility and being told they had super powers. The young man had trouble coming to grips with the things he had seen, but it didn't appear to phase anyone else. Assuming they all had the same "illness" that he did, they seemed to have settled into the mindset of "follow their instructions and they'll cure us." He swallowed heavily as the others slowly made their ways back toward the auditorium. Some of them looked at him like he was crazy, which frustrated him to no end.

He was very glad that at least two of them thought to engage in conversation with him and give him some advice. As they, too ventured towards the auditorium, Cas decided to follow them. As they walked past the numbered rooms, one opened and a girl walked out, dressed in workout clothes. She was attractive, and Cas couldn't help if his eyes lingered for a minute. As she dissapeared around the corner, Cas turned to the others that had confronted him. "Thanks, I'm going to look in my room real quick, I'll be there soon." He said, turning to look down the rows of doors until he saw his name on door 10. He opened the door and stepped into the room. The sight of the girl in the workout clothes had reminded him; the woman in the lab coat had told him that they would be conducting physical capabilities tests. He nodded to himself as he walked into the room, looking around. It looked pristine, and as he opened the closet he saw that it, too was perfectly organized. What surprised him was that every article of clothing in the closet looked like something in his own wardrobe.

"These guys really don't play..." He muttered and looked at himself in the tall mirror. He was wearing sweatpants, expensive adidas sneakers, a Louis Vuitton sweatshirt, and rolex watch - not exactly physical tests ready. He looked to the bottom of the closet where he saw a selection of shoes. He picked a black pair of nike indoor shoes that he oftened trained in and played football in. First, however, he traded his clothes for a pair of white shorts that rose above his knee in typical football style, and a black athletic shirt that clung to his torso, but still gave him room to breath. He turned and regarded himself in the mirror once more. He was definitely physically impressive. At 6'2 and 190 pounds, his the muscle in his body was clear, even through his clothes. His shoulders filled his shirt, and his legs were rippled with visible definition. He was confident of his body image, some might even say too confident.

He slipped into his shoes and walked out of his room, making his way back to the auditorium. He tried regather his thoughts and remind himself that he was here for a sole purpose - to get better and to get back to his team. He entered the auditorium and sat in an empty row, waiting for something to happen.

[wolverbells]

Athena Wilson | Auditorium

Mentions: @SheriffLlama @HecateProxy

Even with signs that clearly explained where everything was located, Athena had still managed to get lost a couple of times and end up in rooms that were not the auditorium. Fortunately she had not taken too long and had managed to get to the room with plenty time, as what it seemed. There was only one young man in the room, the one that had come in the kitchen shouting and baffled. He had changed and managed to get to the auditorium before Athena, which caused her to feel like an idiot. She wanted to be the first person she that she could get her thoughts in order and be able to get an understanding and a grasp on everything. Second one in wasn't too bad though.

As she picked out a place to sit, Athena called out to the new guy, her voice casual and a bit bored, "Have you calmed down now?" She finally stat down near the man, but leaving plenty of room between the two so it wouldn't be awkward. "I've been here for some time now. Longer than the others.. I have just been introduced. There's no need to worry, you're most likely here due to health concerns. At least that's what I was told about myself." She knew that she wasn't exactly telling the truth, but at the same time she did not feel as if she was lying. She had to keep her voice from either going up some octaves or completely cracking under the fact that she wanted to freak out herself because she had told herself that she wouldn't speak to anyone else. Keeping her emotions in check was her top priority as she spoke to the new man so that he wouldn't be able to suffer the same fate that the others that spoke to her suffered. Athena cleared her throat and made eye contact with the man's icy blue eyes. In a way it felt as if she was looking at her own eyes through a mirror. Creepy almost. "My name is Athena. Please refrain from shouting around me."

The brunette turned her own blue eyes away from him and crossed her arms before slumping a bit in her seat. She knew the others would be walking in soon and she didn't want them to hear her speak again. Especially after she knew that the one young man with glasses, Bailey from what she had heard, knew about her now. Or at least suspected.

[SheriffLlama]

Cassius "Cas" Williams | Cafeteria/Bedroom/Auditorium

Interacting:@Wolverbells

---

Cassius had thought others would be the in the auditorium, but he seemed to be the first one to reach the room. He sat in silence for a moment, but quickly fell victim to impatience. His hand drifted to his wrist to mess with his watch, as he often did, but he realized he had left it in his room. He sighed, then leaned back in his chair. His boredom was thankfully satiated as a new person entered the room - the girl that had stormed out of the cafeteria.

She sat down asking him if he had calmed down, to which Cassius gave a short laugh. "Externally, yeah." He said, looking over at her. He was surprised when he looked her in the eyes, as he noticed that she had piercing blue eyes, just like his. It was an odd factor that he had trouble getting past, mentally. He was slightly perplexed when she said that had just been introduced to the other patients, and that she had been around much longer. "So I assume you think you have superpowers, too?

He regarded her for a brief moment, one that a person took to themselves and seemed to last minutes in their own mind, but in reality only lasted a second. She was pretty, but her face seemed nearly expressionless, and that threw him off. He tried to decipher the girl, but he couldn't really see much. He gathered that she was probably very concerned with her body image, as she wore all black clothing. Black made you look slim, especially with females. Other than that, she didn't leave much to be deciphered. It was rather impressive how neutral her demeanor was, but Cassius could tell it was forced. The only thing he could garner from that was the fact that she was obviously disconnected from her emotions by choice, and probably feared them. He decided he would try again at a later time, and rested his gaze. He extended his hand to shake, saying, "Name's Cassius Williams."

[Jinxer]

Arthur Seymour

Auditorium

@AnnieTimeNow@Aquanthe@HecateProxy@KimmiNinja@Utrax@CyanideSweetie@wolverbells@SheriffLlama

Everyone slowly filtered into the auditorium, mostly sitting apart although not at complete opposite ends of the room. Now that they had all spoken there was less mutual suspicion going on, at least for the most part. By the time Arthur arrived Athena and Cassius had already sat down and were talking, although the conversation looked pretty stilted. Choosing not to interrupt he walked down the aisle and then slipped into a row mid way down that was currently unoccupied.

Not long after the final members of the group filed in did the research lady from the previous day bounce her way in, a wide smile across her face.

"Good morning, all! I hope those of you who stayed here last night got some rest, although I understand it might be hard to begin with under the circumstances." She spun her clipboard up into her hand and glanced down it, nodding to herself and muttering as she ran through whatever was on it. "So first things first, we need to take some quick blood samples from you all to see how much the medicine is slowing the progression of your mutation. We need to finely tune it to each individual so that it moves at a safe and controllable pace. After that we'll break for a quick snack and a drink, get your blood sugar levels back up, and then we'll be doing some basic fitness trials."

The projector clicked on as she pressed a button on the remote, hitherto hidden in her lab coat pocket. Pictures of a small gym appeared on the screen with lots of monitoring equipment around the fitness machines. Mostly they looked to be cardio focused machines but there were a few weights available by the look if it as well.

"There is a gym you can all use at your leisure but we'll be using smaller rooms to conduct individual tests for now. You'll be partnered with a trainer who will take some baseline stats from each of you so we can monitor any drastic or sudden changes in your body's makeup or activity."

She clicked again and the projector turned off. A group of individuals, not wearing biohazard suits like the first lady, walked into the room and stood at the front just behind her. Gesturing to them, a mix of men and women in their early thirties, at most, the lady in the lab coat smiled.

"These will be your trainers. They'll be with you throughout the process so we can get consistent results on any changes going on in you. They've all been through this before themselves so they'll be immune to your illness." Clapping her hands, she pranced away and out of the room, leaving the new tutors with their dazed pupils.

One of them, a man standing at least a towering 6' 7" with a broad chest rippling with muscle under a tight shirt and shorts, stepped forwards with a clipboard that looked comically small in his massive hand. He glanced at it then cast his gaze across the room, storm grey eyes falling upon Arthur.

"Arthur Seymour. You're with me, come." His accent was a thick Russian one and although he spoke fluently his tone was clipped and short; commanding. Arthur stood up without protest and followed the huge man out of the auditorium's main doors and up the hallway to the right, previously locked, and then into another corridor with several doors along it. None of them were labelled in any discernible way but the hulking giant of a man before Arthur seemed to know precisely where he was going and walked halfway down the corridor before pushing into a room exactly like the one the lady researcher had shown them before.

"We'll do the blood test first, then you have a break. Then we come back and do some exercise." The man lifted up several electrodes that were laid out on the running machine to show Arthur. "We'll use these to get a baseline for you. After that we keep track through cameras and sensors in the facility as well as regular check ups. Understood?" He was business like in his approach, not cold or uncaring, but efficient and he seemed like he was itching to get on with things.

For Arthur that worked perfectly so he nodded, sitting down on the chair the man gestured at and rolling up his sleeve to expose his arm. He hadn't really had to have blood tests taken before, although he'd given it plenty of times, but he was surprised with the care the huge man took in fitting the strap higher up his arm and then in choosing a healthy vein. Quickly he drew two vials of blood before handing Arthur a cotton ball to blot the small hole and then a small circular plaster to put on once the bleeding finished.

"Get a snack and drink lots. We have water but nothing else in here, could interfere with the results. Come back in... twenty five minutes and we begin."

The man opened the door and gestured for Arthur to go, which he did, although once he was back in the main corridor with the auditorium a bit further down he wondered how he was meant to know which room to go back to.

[wolverbells]

Athena Wilson | Auditorium - Blood Work - Hallway

Mentions: @SheriffLlama

Athena had found herself suddenly surprised by the young man's question. "Superpowers?" She had let her facade break as she reached to shake his hand and tried to wonder why on earth anyone would ever call her type of disorder a 'superpower'. "No, I don't think I have a superpower. I have a disorder which can be cured. They said that it can." The young brunette quickly caught herself as she began explaining her reasons of being in the facility. "It's nice to meet you, Cassius.... Hope you don't mind me giving you a nickname." She let go of him and went back to folding her hands just under her chest. "I think Cass will do. Your name sounds intimidating, for some reason. You don't look to intimidating." Athena smirked a bit before winking at the young man, then turning her attention to the others that made their way inside, followed by the staff members.

As the young woman watched with an intensity that only she could understand, she realized that she would know continue her studies but while awake. 'They probably need this to happen so they can compare me to everyone else', she thought as she listened closely.

Once everything was said and done, Athena got up and off of her seat before her name was even called. She went straight to the man that had motioned for her. He was tall and lean, yet had a nice muscular tone to him. His skin was a caramel brown and his hair was in a neatly kept military cut and his eyes a hazel-green color that she just couldn't really identify. "Ms. Wilson, we'll just take some blood for now. Physical exam comes afterwards." His voice was deep enough to cause her to shake her head willingly and feel as if he had the utmost authority, even if he was just a trainer of some sort.

She had never been big on needles, so when it came down to her blood being drawn, her stomach twisted and turned and caused her tan skin to pale in the most unnatural way.

"Don't worry, we're done. Go hydrate and I'll see you in thirty minutes in the assigned room."

Athena once again nodded and sucked in a deep breath through her clenched teeth. She was in no state to get up and begin to walk as her vision was blurred out and the room around her kept spinning. Holding on to the walls, Athena was able to make herself out into the hallway and downward back towards where the auditorium. She was certain there would be more to their little meeting but she couldn't walk fast enough. With her hand steadily pushing against the wall, the woman kept a steady yet slow pace, all while working on her breathing to keep her from fainting.

[Utrax]

Marcus Bradley

^{Location: Auditorium}

---

Dazed, Marcus opened his eyes, then blinked slowly. A firm hand was upon his shoulder. He looked up to who it was attached to then swallowed hard. An intimidating woman, her hair cut close to the scalp, glared at him with dark eyes, from a dark skinned face, and a rather unamused smirk on her lips. Curtly, with a thick french accent, she asked, "Marcus Bradley-- are you done with your nap?" As she leaned away from him, Marcus rubbed his eyes, then cleared his throat. "As everyone has already proceeded on with their examinations--" she paused then chuffed "--which you have no idea, of what I am talking about. An update. Follow me." In response to a beckoning gesture from her, Marcus frowned, a deep line forming between his brows. At his hesitation, she curtly told him, "Up. Come. On your feet. You are due for examinations and a blood test. These things will be completed now." Again she gestured for him to stand, with notably more impatience, "There is no time to waste." A sigh escaped Marcus and he pushed himself to his feet. When he shook his head at her, Marcus figured she probably didn't see the gesture, as she'd already began walking as soon as he stood.

Warily, Marcus looked around the auditorium, then figured he was just so tired he didn't recall coming here. Last he knew, he had been standing in the cafeteria, but here he was. Clearly he had missed something important but oh well, it didn't matter now, he figured... but you know what mattered? This woman, standing at the door to the auditorium, holding it open for him, with an annoyed look on her face. While he had many questions for her, Marcus figured only one was important, and only one he should ask. She looked older than him-- everyone sort of did so far-- so that explained why she was treating him like a child, probably. He halted when he stood in the doorway, then realized he was taller than her, which was odd, because Marcus felt as if he were being looked down on.

Clearing his throat, Marcus gathered the courage to ask his question-- "What's your name?"

She held her chin higher then told him, "Nkiru. I will be your trainer for the duration of your time here." Marcus nodded once, satisfied with the straight-forward answer, then walked through the door. He trailed behind Nkiru as she lead him down a hall, then another hall, then into a room, and Marcus felt nervous. When Nkiru gestured for him to be seated, she told him, "First a blood draw-- two vials-- then you will commence a few, ah, physical tests." Quickly and without Marcus' protest, Nkiru drew the blood, then instructed him to, "Hydrate then come back in twenty minutes." Marcus sighed but didn't move. Nkiru arched a brow then asked, "What are you waiting for?"

Marcus really wanted to take a nap in the chair, but he complied. With a bit of haste, Marcus exited the room, tried to note it's location, then began walking toward his room. A twenty minute nap was needed.

[ProxyInc]

Bailey Collins

Location
Auditorium

Interacting with

---

As they had reached the auditorium, Bailey sought a seat apart from the others for the first time. Twice he had been caught off guard this morning, between the odd girls apologies and then the intense stare down from the boy, Bailey's nerves had started to frey. He had hoped to have some space to mentally prepare him for what may come next. Questions and scenarios shot off at rapid fire, going from one possibility to the next. Would they torture them? Give them some sort of medicinal boost? Would there be experiments? Bailey's mind was a treasure trove of curiosity.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long before the woman from the previously stepped out and greeted them. He listened, almost disappointed, to her quip about the days activities. 'Blood work and some exercise? That's hardly bad at all.' Bailey let out a pent up breath as his body relaxed.

"Bailey Collins?" a soft voice caught his attention. As the rest of the group was pairing off with their trainers, Bailey scanned the line before his eyes rested on the upturned face of a cheery woman. Instantly he felt his face grow flush as rose to go meet his trainer. "You alright, dear? You look a little flushed." the woman inquired as Bailey approached. Her voice was smooth, a little deeper than most women his age but it wasn't her voice that had caught him so off guard but rather her appearance.

Bailey nodded silently, eyes boring a hole into the space between his feet. "Okay then, well I am Emma Lythe but you may call me Emma or Em. After all, we'll be spending quite a bit of time together." Emma let out of a light chuckle as she started to walk away. Bailey, who's mouth suddenly felt like the Sahara desert, blindly followed behind her. Looking up he noted how easily he overshadowed Emma, even with the heels she wore Bailey was a good foot taller than the woman.

"In this room, please."

Bailey could hear the smile in her voice and his heart squeezed a little tighter as he stepped quickly around her. "Alright, just take a seat. It'll be a quick prick, then I'll need you to go get something to eat and drink. Then when you get back we'll start the physical part of your test. Sound good?" He gave her a curt nod before settling into his chair.

"You know, when I read your file, I didn't take you for the shy type. You haven't said a word to me nor have you even looked at me." Emma prodded as she gathered the necessary equipment. "Its not very nice, you know."

Sighing, Bailey forced himself to look up. His face turning darker as he watched a smile slid across her face. "I'm sorry." He muttered sheepishly.

"There you are." Emma replied brightly, moving in to quickly stick her patients arm. From here Bailey could see her face more closely, notice the fine lines that creased around her eyes when she talked. The little wisps of hair that has fallen from the neat bun that perched high on the back of her head. More importantly he could see the myriad of colors in her eyes, what once was simple grey slated eyes were now flecked with bits of blue and surprisingly splashes of pale yellow.

Emma looked up at him, catching his intense gaze and smiled. 'Oh god, even her eyes smiled.' his heart battered in his chest.

"You know, you could've just told me what was bothering you." Emma scolded as she placed a bandaid on his arm, "Lots of people are uneasy with needles and blood. I would've given you a stress ball or something."

Bailey couldn't help but let out a small laugh at her. Glad that she had mistaken his flustered state for a phobia, at least in that way he didn't seem so awkward. "Sorry, didn't want to seem like a wimp." Bailey chuckled. He looked up at her, surprised to see a scowl plastered across her lips and her brows furrowed in disapproval.

"Mr. Collins, we are here to insure that you develop safely and with little hassle. For me to do my job correctly I need you to be open and honest. You must take this seriously."

'More misunderstanding.' he sighed internally, it wasn't like he could outright say that he was acting out of sorts because she was beautiful. No matter how true that statement was. Even now, with her visage of disapproval, his heart still squeezed lightly when he looked at her too long. "Who would've thought your type was older chicks?"

Bailey stood up quickly, attempting to be fluid but only managing to stumble slightly before getting his bearings. "Careful!" Emma had reached out to catch him if he had fallen, her voice now riddled with worry, "I took a good bit of blood, you'll need to refrain from quick movements until you can get some food and rest." She motioned towards the door in a polite dismissal.

Bailey didn't hesitate, wanting to our some distance between himself and the woman. As he got into the hallway he wandered down, looking for the vending machine that, that boy had raided this morning.

[SheriffLlama]

Cassius "Cas" Williams | Auditorium/Examination Room/Hallway

Interacting:@Wolverbells@HecateProxy

---

Cassius concluded one thing by the time he finished talking to Athena - She was odd. Not weird, but jut a little off from most people. It puzzled him, and only gave him more questions about who she was. When everyone filed in, she gave him a wink that he couldn't decipher - was it mischievous, flirtatious, or serious? Normally when girl's made such gestures to him, he could tell what they wanted or what they were willing to give him. Athena, however, simply didn't cease to puzzle him. He turned his attention to the people in charge as they explained who things would go down.

Athena was the first to be beckoned by a trainer - hers being a monstrous, muscular man. He still seemed pleasant, however, as he guided her from the room. Next his saw the guy who'd spoke to him earlier - Bailey - be confronted by a woman that looked like a bit of a supermodel (Cassius would know). As he waited for his name to be called, he sat back, wondering who they would pair with him. His question was answered when a feminine voice snapped, "Cassius Williams, come with me."

Cass turned his head to see who the voiced belonged to and was met by a young asian woman. He face had one look on it - No Games. He stood and walked to the aisle to join her. "I'm Mei Lon. This way." She said curtly. She wore black leggings and a maroon tank top which exposed her shoulders and back muscles. He was surprised to see that her shoulders and back were completely rippled with muscle, and she looked like she knew her way around a weight room. She led him through a winding series of corridors until they reached a room with a chair and medical equipment.

"Please, sit down." She said curtly, and Cass moved towards the chair.

"What are we doing-"

"Please, sit. We are drawing blood." She snapped, firing so many alarms in Cassius' head, that he wanted to snap right back. He sat down with an annoyed shake of his head.

"I thought we were going to do physical tests, too." Cassius said, leaning back in the chair.

"If you could refrain from asking questions, we will be done here as soon as possible. I want to be here just as little as you do." She picked up a needle and a tube from a silver tray and began to prep it for injection. Cassius stifled a brief laugh.

"Then why are you here?" He probed, trying to avoid getting into an argument with this woman.

"Because the higher-ups think you I can handle whatever crap you decide to give me." To that, Cassius chuckled, leaning his head back and staring up at the ceiling.

"Yeah I'm sure you think you know me." Cass muttered with evident irritation. Mei Lon dropped the Needle on the tray and turned to face him, not a hint of anything but apathy in her face.

"Cassius Roman Williams, age 24. You're a professional soccer player for the Chicago Fire. You're from Texas but you lived in spain for some time. You're a bit of a playboy with loose morals, you like fast cars, and you're a bit of a hothead, as I can now see." She delivered the facts with rapid succession. "And you would do anything for your mother's sake." She added, picking up the needle again.

"Okay, so you did your homework." Cassius said. "What about you? Don't I get to know something about you-" He was cut short as Mei Lon jabbed the needle into his arm.

"Sure. I'm your trainer. Surprise." She said, then began working. The rest of their interactions were silent, as Cassius really didn't know what to say. She would obviously have nothing more to do with him than she had to. When she finished the tests, Cassius slowly brought himself up; he knew the drill. She placed a circular plaster over the needle wound and led him back to the main corridors without giving another word. Cassius looked around and spotted Bailey again, wandering as though he were lost.

"How'd your super hot trainer treat you?"

[Sazama]

Location: Auditorium -> Hallway

Eliza took a seat in the auditorium and waited silently for the activity to start. She wondered what kind of test that te facility would have them do. Another question on the mind was when they were going to show signs of these so called "powers". Although that question has always been on her mind since last night when the woman in the lab coat demonstrated hers. While they were waiting, Eliza took notice of the new guy that earlier, had been panicking in the cafeteria. He was conversing with the girl that Eliza was cautious of before. His clothes were also of brand name, even the Louis Vuitton sweatshirt hinted that he had money before coming to the facility. He was not only good-looking but was fit as well. In other words, he caught Eliza's eye. But not in a way that she felt the need to throw herself at him. It was quite the opposite, he was a person that could expose her background. If she could clearly see that he was wealthy, no doubt that he could do the same.

"It's best if I avoid him for now, I should lay low so that others can like me for just me." Eliza turned her attention away from the two and towards the front where the woman in the lab coat walks in with a group of people who weren't wearing biohazard suits.

After she explained to them that the group of people standing behind her were their trainers, Eliza couldn't help but perk up just a little. She hoped she would get a cute male or female trainer. Names are being called and Eliza looked at the selection until her eyes rested upon a female trainer who's appearance clearly stood out. She was smaller frame but had a cute vibe to her, Eliza couldn't take her eyes off of the trainer.
Eliza waited for the female trainer to call out a name - hopefully, call for Eliza. She gripped the armrest of the seat in anticipation. But it was the voice of a man that threw her off.
"Eliza Nyko this way please." The voice came from a man that wasn't ugly, but nothing stood out about him. He had medium length, dark shaggy hair but his face had only one emotion to it - annoyance. He wasn't even wearing any activewear clothing, He looked like an elementary school teacher rather than a trainer. But it still caused Eliza's heart to sink. She slowly stood up from her seat, her head turned to the attractive female trainer as she calls out Bailey's name. Eliza couldn't help but heavily sigh and frown.
"Whatever, there's bound to be more attractive people anyway." The comforting thought was interrupted by an annoyed sigh from her trainer as she walked up to him.

"Those of us that actually work don't have forever to wait you know." The way that was phrased threw Eliza off. The tone of his voice also had Eliza wondering if this man already doesn't like her. There was no time to question it as the trainer leads her to a separate room.
On the way there Eliza couldn't help but try and spark up a conversation - after all, she's stuck with him throughout this whole "process."
"Mind if I ask for your name? Since we'll be uh- "working" together?" Eliza's question caused the man's face to contort to a look of disgust.
"I hope you're joking." The man sneered as he leads her into the room.
"I'm sorry?" For a second Eliza's tone converted into that of a valley girl.
The man rolls his eyes as he preps the equipment to draw her blood.
"I read your file, Ms. Nyko. I know your background and your family. I happen to come from New York myself, so I know what your family does, and the crap they pulled. That isn't going to work here." The trainer's rant left Eliza in a shock, she couldn't even form words as he plunges the needle into her arm. She was more confused than mad. Though it was surefire that she would feel anger later.
"I-" The trainer cut her off with more of his ranting.
"I remember when they called you "Princess of New York". What a joke. But then they assigned me to you which is an even bigger joke." He scoffed.
Once the blood work was finished he cleaned up the equipment and turned back to her.
"Your wealth can't buy you out of here Ms. Nyko. You're stuck here, now go get a snack or whatever then come back in about 25 minutes for more testing." The trainer rushes her out the door and closes it behind her.
Eliza couldn't help but clench her fists and storm off.
She heads for the vending machine where on the way she spots Bailey and the new guy who seemed to be conversing. Too angry to remember that she should be avoiding the new guy, Eliza approaches them with her arms crossed.
"Anyone want to switch trainers with me? I'm pretty sure mine is out for my neck." Eliza exclaimed to both of the guys.

---
@SheriffLlama@HecateProxy

[Carlyle]

Sienna Morris
^{Current Location: Auditorium -> Testing Room -> Cafeteria}

Filling into the auditorium with the denizens of the faculty, Sienna took her place nearby the other patients, but far enough where she could use the arm rests without trouble during the meeting. Some of the denizens were already conversing with one another, but by the time Sienna was settled, the meeting had begun. The lab coat woman mentioned that they would take some blood to see how well the medicine was working, take a quick break, and then start the exercise trials. Everything seemed straightforward to Sienna, and for the most part, she had no problems with the plan. Even the air force needed medical information for their pilots, and if the scientists truly intended to stop their illness, there was no reason to deny them the information.

Next, the woman motioned towards a group of unsuited men and woman, hardly any older than those that were sitting in the auditorium chairs. According the scientist, they were to be their trainers, monitoring any bodily activity change and would help them get through the difficulties of everything that needed to tested. Fair enough. The idea of a personal trainer is interesting. Sienna figured, her eyes darting to the line of men and women to their side as she wondered which one of them were hers.

Shortly after the scientist lady disappeared, a well-built man beckoned Sienna forward. The man was obviously taller and more muscular than the native Californian, yet the man reflected the same attitude that Sienna radiated. He appeared confident with his appearance, and even a bit charming for the ladies. The man was everything, almost dreamy perfect and the epitome of masculine prowess.

"First Lieutenant Sienna Morris, it will be a pleasure working with you." The man stated, offering his hand for Sienna to shake. The accent was undeniably from the fly over states, and it was clear that Sienna's trainer was a man born and raised in the heart land of America. He had even included her rank, which had made Sienna smile after the two had shaken hands. To the both of them, it was a meeting of two people from the land of the free and home of the brave.

The man, introducing himself as Ashton Hodge, began to explain what was to be done as the two walked into the testing room. Ashton motioned for Sienna to sit as he began to prep the vials and needle for blood extraction. Sitting down on one of the chairs with lowering arm rests, the blood drawing was done with relative ease, as Sienna was used to having blood drawn in the past for physicals and other needed medical information. No flinching at all, it was a poke and done.

"And we're done. Go to the others and rest until it's time for your physical." Ashton explained, sending Sienna off on her way after a short farewell. Walking down the hallway, Sienna went searching for the rest of the group, believing they would be around the vending machines for a quick snack.

Finding Bailey, Eliza and the newcomer surrounding the vending machines, Sienna waved to them as she approached. Eliza and the newcomer seemed to be conversing about how their trainers treated them, while Bailey was analyzing the machine in front of him. "It seems I lucked out to get someone friendly enough to work with. Sienna lowered her voice. "Through, I think he is one of those needy guys, you know? One of those that would do anything to get the girl." Sienna jested, as if it was all just a joke.

---

@KimmiNinja@SheriffLlama@HecateProxy

[Utrax]

Marcus Bradley

^{Location: Hallway... | Interaction: @wolverbells}

---

A yawn escaped Marcus as he made his way down the hallway, admitting he was a bit lost. Well-- not anymore it seemed. Upon turning a corner, he noticed the hallway became slightly more familiar, with there being the auditorium doors to his left. Now he knew exactly where he was and... he...

One of the others were making their way down the hall and she seemed to be having a hard time of it. Part of Marcus felt as if she were somehow familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on why. Sure, he'd seen her this morning-- right? That was the new girl, the one with the long brown hair, and the weird eyes. Something about light colored eyes always made Marcus feel a bit uncomfortable-- he chalked it up to his slight fear of cats. He never could get over being basically mauled by one that fell out of a tree in the woods...

"Mom-- it was a cougar!"
"... a calico cougar?"

Shaking the thought from his head as he neared her, Marcus felt oddly compelled to help her, but he dug his heels in against the feeling. So instead of reaching out toward her, as he felt he should, Marcus walked up next to her then tilted his head.

Realizing he didn't quite recall her name, Marcus gently cleared his throat, then asked, "Do you need help?"

She looked like she was having trouble walking and Marcus found it odd. Had they taken more blood from others? It was just two tiny vials-- that didn't do much. From what he understood, the hydration's purpose was solely for the fitness-- not because this was a massive blood draw, right? Then again... Marcus tensed slightly after asking that question, suddenly feeling foolish. Why was he trying to help her? Hadn't he come to the conclusion that he didn't want to even talk to these people? Marcus looked away from her then frowned, suddenly not feeling up to chat, but he felt obligated to offer his arm, were she to ask for it.

[CyanideSweetie]

Caebyn -Bynie- Danvers

---

Bynie was one if the last few to make it into the she walked by the snoozing man shr figured a little late wasnt the worse to be. She was half tempted to wake him up but she had noticed before that he had purposefully kept himself separate from the group and she wasn't sure if he would react kindly to her bothering him, even for this. She stupid there a moment, hesitating and then made awkward eye contact with the woman she had walked in on while she was changing. She seemed to only be scanning the room and her eyes didn't particularly linger on Bynie but the slight glance had Bynie diving for a seat, blushing furiously. Why did these things always happen to her?

She listened to the cloning woman intently, and watched as a group of people walked in and then separated, one heading straight for each of them. A man not much older than her walked up. He was covered in tattoos but he had a kind smile. "Hey there," he said extending a hand in welcome. "Im Felix, I'll be your capture today" he chuckled at his own joke and Bynie couldnt help but grin. She exchanged niceties with him for a moment but then he waved her on to 'take care of buisness'. She was glad for his humor, as she hadn't been doing a very good job of making friends in the short while she had been there. Standing up to follow him she avoided eye contact with the others so she didn't have to look at the girl that probably thought she was a pervert.

Felix sat her down and busied himself with preparations,"we will only be doing some very basic tests today; drawing your blood, checking your vitals, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But I wanted to give you a heads up, if you ever need someone to talk to, it if you have any questions, im your guy. I understand how overwhelming this can be," he rolled his eyes with a laugh, "believe me."

Bynie smiles," Thanks that means alot."For some reason she was feeling too bashful to bombard him with all the questions that had been swimming around since her detainment. Then again she had had quite the embarrassing morning and her brain was probably just saving her further torment.

She watched as Felix moved around with ease, administrating the tests with the random witty quip here and there. He had dark hair that was shaved on the sides but long enough to be slicked back on the top. The afore mentioned tattoos started on the back of his hands and disappeared underneath his pushed up sleeves only to reappear at his neck, stopping at the line of his jaw. She couldn't make out a lot out them without closer inspection but she did recognize a few Disney themed ones. He was much more put together than she could ever know how to be!

He snapped get out of her daze with a finger snap right in front of her face. "Earth to, Bynie, hellooooo come in Bynie!"

"Oh! Uh, what?" She stuttered idiotically.

Felix threw his arms up in triumph. "Planet Bynie has life!!!" He called dramatically.

She rolled her eyes with a grin, "hey! It's been a long day!"

His smile became softer,"I know it has champ, just hold in there. Gets some orange juice and a cookie to help you feel better. But don't rat on me I'm technically only supposed to give you water." He shrugged, "Anyway I think your group had probably made its way to the snack machine by now, go ahead and head that way!"

She nodded, taking the cookie in one hand ava the OJ in the other she thanked him syncs walked out. Making her way down the hall she approached her group in time to hear then talk about their trainers."mines too good to be true," she muttered. "He must be gay!"

[ProxyInc]

Bailey Collins

Location
Cafeteria

Interacting with
@Aquanthe
@SheriffLlama
@KimmiNinja

----

Bailey jumped slightly as Cass' voice caught him unaware,"Oh, haha. She's- well, she seems nice." he blustered. Feeling the heat rise to color his cheeks once more. 'Why'd I have to get her?' he moaned, though the better part of him was actually slightly pleased that he would be getting to work with Emma. She's seemed so warm in comparison to the rest of the staff.

"So, uh, how was your trainer?" Bailey tried to shift the topic off himself and onto the newcomer. They didn't have much of a chance to chat before going to the auditorium and after this mornings confusion, Cassius seemed to be taking the situation a little easier

Another voice chimed in before Cass had a chance to respond, a young woman that Bailey recognized from the first day. "No luck, Eliza?" He smiled at her, welcoming the distraction. "Its kind of exciting though, though to be honest I kinda expected something more," Bailey paused, searching his addled brain for the word, "Ahhh, sci-fi. Yeah, science fiction." Not that he was complaining about a little blood draw and some exercise. Bailey might be a little on the scrawny side but he was actually in pretty decent shape. Looking over at Cassius he could feel his ego deflate a little, maybe not as good in shape as that guy but at least he wouldn't be dying within the first few minutes.

"Hey." Bailey greeted Sienna as she appeared listening to her comment about her trainer. "Seems like there's all sorts of characters here, maybe you and Eliza could switch?" he joked.

[Jinxer]

Arthur Seymour

Interacting: No one directly.

It seemed to Arthur that reception to their trainers was mixed, some feeling lucky with who had been chosen to tutor them and others less than happy about who they were stuck with. He himself had no strong feelings about his own trainer, an impassive man who didn't appear to have any particularly noticeable character traits beyond being Russian. Most residents, and tutors, appeared to be from the States as far as he had seen so far. Arthur wondered how he had become infected, seeing as at least most of the others were from the same continent even if they were still from far across it.

Shaking away his thoughts, they were of no use without more information to make useful deductions, he made his way to the kitchen and quickly brewed himself a cup of tea. Grabbing some biscuits on the way out he took a seat at one of the tables and ate the biscuits in between taking sips from his still scalding hot tea. He was lost in thought as others arrived to view the snacks available from the vending machines, considering everything that happened so far. So far they knew very little, although everything that the researchers had said seemed logical, at least on the basis that the core issue was valid: that they had powers caused by an infectious illness.

He took another sip, locking his worries away for now. They still knew so little and he had yet to get a proper read on those who ran the facility. Suspecting that his own tutor would continue to be as impassive as he had been so far, Arthur cast his eyes over the other residents, wondering how he could gather information without alerting the researchers. If they were honest then all was fine and they had nothing to fear.

If they were lying to them then that begged the question: what and why were they doing? And how could they make it out?

With a sigh, he realised that it was coming up on time to return and he pushed himself to his feet, swallowing the last of his tea and popping the final piece of biscuit into his mouth. After returning the crockery to the kitchen he walked back in the direction of the auditorium and the private session rooms, nodding at the other residents as he passed, too consumed by his thoughts to enter into much conversation for now.

Upon returning to the room his tutor, still nameless to him, nodded towards the treadmill and held up a fistful of electrodes. Arthur let the man place them across his body and then stood onto the machine. He started on a low setting worked his way up, letting his body warm up as the muscles got used to the strain he was putting them under; he was in good shape but his days as an athlete were long gone and he exercised less than half the amount he used to.

The tutor occasionally changed settings on the treadmill, adjusting the speed up or down as well as the elevation and taking notes on whatever he saw on his computer screen, presumably displaying feedback from the electrodes on Arthur's body. After a good twenty minutes the tutor signalled for Arthur to slow his pace down and climb off the treadmill before nodding his head at one of the weight machines.

They carried on this like for roughly half of the machines in the small room before, finally, the tutor put down his clipboard and pen, signalling for Arthur to stop but made no suggestion that he should move onto another task.

"That's it for today, Arthur. Tomorrow we will use the other machines and then we will start from the beginning the day after. Your body needs strength to fight this illness, to control it. You are not in poor shape but you can be better. Go and relax now, you are free until this evening."

Arthur nodded, exhausted, and walked out of the room feeling as if his body was ready to fall into a puddle at any moment. Sure, he'd been running and to the gym in recent months but nothing like that full workout. He had a sense that, at least with his tutor, it wasn't just about measuring his vitals and keeping him fit; the end goal was to make Arthur as fit as he could possibly be to maximise his chances of beating the ailment afflicting him. At least, that was the story the tutor was giving him.

Making it to his room, Arthur stripped off his sweat soaked clothes and then stood under a maximum temperature shower, letting the scalding hot water roll off his head and shoulders, soothing his muscles screaming out for relief. Reluctantly, he left the shower and changed into clean clothes, before noticing there was a folder on his desk that hadn't been there before.

Curious, he approached the desk and opened the folder carefully, seeing a stack of papers inside. Instantly his eyes were drawn to the logo at the top left, the insignia of the university he lectured at, and pulled the pile of papers out and cast his eyes down the paperwork submission form. There was a sticky note attached to the top paper and he pulled it off, reading the words written large on it.

Apparently they insisted you mark their work as usual - we'll collect it from your room when you're done!

With a small smile, Arthur scooped up the paperwork and grabbed a small container off his desk before heading from his room to the lounge area. He liked to be somewhere more open when he marked work, rather than cooped up in an office and that was the same here, his room felt too isolated and confined.

Pushing his way into the lounge he glanced around the luxurious room before his eyes fell on a fully stocked bar. Leaving the file on a table he circled round to the other side of the bar and found a kettle and an all singing all dancing coffee maker and made himself a quick brew before returning to his chosen table and sitting down with a sigh, looking at the pile before him.

Despite everything, this small piece of normality was reassuring and, after a moment's contemplation, he leaned forwards and opened the folder, pulling out the first paper and turning the top page over.