Still Not Safe [M&M 2nd ed]

[Haven]

At least for those of you who decide to accept the handshake, that is.

((Hmmmm))

Lorne's heartrate goes way up, his palms become sweaty inside his gloves, and so on.

That's just what I was talking about...but I can overcome it. I've been working for SECT for a little more than a year, they've been examining me all this time, my tendency is well documented...I WON'T be kicked out of SECT for this...I'm sure...

He claps his hands behind his back and gives the commander a nod and a smile, attempting to keep his discomfort from showing, before quickly looking away in embarrassment--hopefully, the Commander's moved on to the next in line by then.

[ChronicLunacy]

Ben Brooks

Underground again...man, I wish they'd give us a window every now and then. I suppose it's for security reasons, though. We're vulnerable to an assassin's bullet without our PSA's. Ben thought as they approached the underground complex. He was used to being put underground, but it got claustrophobic even for him. At least in London SECT he was able to go out into the city sometimes. He could even drink if he wanted to, seeing as London's drinking age was determined by if you could see over the bartop. Now he'd have to catch a chopper to the mainland if he wanted to do get out to the real world.

When everyone saluted them, Ben felt mildly uncomfortable. They weren't in the military, sure, but all of these other people doing the saluting apparently were. It was like being applauded, only silent, which was eerie. He settled for "Thanks," as he accepted the Commander's strong handshake.

Instead of going to his room, Ben decided to take a walk to get to know the area and hopefully see a few people he knew from the other bases. SECT personnel got moved around a lot so it was likely he'd run into an acquaintance or two. The MSAS pilots might be here, too. There were few enough of them that Ben knew most of them by face if not by name. Mostly, though, Ben just wanted to get out and by himself for awhile. He'd spent hours cramped into the tiny passenger compartment of that helicopter, then hours before that on a plane, always surrounded by people. Moments of solitude were golden.

[Cubey]

The commander does not react in any way to Lorne, so it seems he's okay with it. More likely than not, he knows about Lorne's phobia and does not interpret it as a sign of disrespect.

Nobody bothers Ben as he walks away, so he's free to wander about the base. Passers-by (a large variety of people - technicians, armed guards, general assistants, even white collar looking types and office ladies) do not react to his presence - even if they know who he is, they do not interrupt him. Or maybe they do not interrupt him exactly because they know who he is.
At least there aren't any press or activists around.

[kamikasei]

Cat returns the Commander's handshake firmly. The mass salute makes her a little uncomfortable as well - not to mention the talk of being "the best humanity has to offer" - but she knows how to go with the flow in this sort of situation.

After the Commander leaves, she looks around at the others. "Well, one good thing about so much being classified," she quips. "If we can't tell people where we're based, we can't be pressured to bring back souvenirs - I don't want to think about trying to get lederhosen to fit my dad..."

She follows up this icebreaker with a slightly brittle smile.

[Tengu_temp]

Emi shakes the commander's hand, but her nervousness is noticable in her grip - all those people saluting her, as if she was some kind of a war hero on a parade, give her a barely controlled stage fright. And then there's the whole part with the organized activities. She already skipped school more than she should before, and really hoped that she and the other Shifters will be left to their own devices - but no, they have classes with tutors and everything. During summer vacations.
Did I jinx it? I shouldn't have asked about school two days ago...

[Matar]

Besides which, the flight-or-fight response is generally an obsolete technique, I believe. It complicates everyday life, narrowing our options to only those two in situations where it wouldn't be appropriate. Even in combat it takes more than raw adrenaline to win a fight. You have to understand your opponent, and use tactics, and stay cool. That's what put humans on top of the food chain, no matter how the SEs have tried to knock us off."

"Well, I'm not sure what you mean. The way I look at it, fight or flight is a rule for basically everything. "Should I do this, or should I back?" Retreat or move on, take a risk or back down, stuff like that. I'm no scholar though, so eh."

At least for those of you who decide to accept the handshake, that is.

Obviously Todd accepts the handshake. His grip is firm and strong, especially for someone his age. He asks the commander something.

"Commander? Are there any hard rules about personal training? I mean... I have a few things I need to do and all, but i'd like to clock a few hours of training and stuff after I rest up a bit. Is it against... uh..."

Todd searches for the correct word to use.

"Uh... regulation to activate our PSA when not being supervised or anything?"

[Cubey]

"I'm afraid so. Your only PSA training will be on Saturdays, and it will be fully supervised. You won't have access to amplifiers except for that and SE-related emergencies." Clayton looks like he's in thought.
"But this might change depending on progress with your PSA. We will allow more training if we're sure it won't be dangerous to you or others."

[Matar]

Todd pats the commanders chest.

"I won't feel any pain at all, don't worry. Mwahahaha!"

Todds laughs a little.

"Hah, well uh. Until then, I take it normal training is up to us? Don't take it the wrong way dude, but i'll be a bit upset if I find out I can't train or hit punching bags 'n stuff."

[Cubey]

"There are no limits on non-PSA training - we have gyms and other physical exercise facilities. I think there's even a pool. You can use them all as you see fit."

[Matar]

"Alright!"

Todd jogs off to some random place. He finds a tree that has just the right amount of shade and lays against it. He gives his body and the ground around him a once over to make sure there's cut around him that will hurt him or anything. Though he would normally put something in his mouth to avoid biting his tongue while sleeping, he didn't bother with it this time. After making sure everything was okay he nodded off against the tree in just a few minuets.

[Cubey]

There are no naturally growing trees or other greenery on the base, but there are flowerbeds and plant pots (with plants inside, of course), so Todd finds something that provides him with enough shade eventually.

[Matar]

There are no naturally growing trees or other greenery on the base, but there are flowerbeds and plant pots (with plants inside, of course), so Todd finds something that provides him with enough shade eventually.

Todd does exactly that and remembers for furture refrence that there are no trees here in order to not look silly if anyone asks him.

[Cubey]

(There are trees on the island, but you'd have to leave the base to reach them - and that's more than just a few minutes' walk away.)

[Matar]

(There are trees on the island, but you'd have to leave the base to reach them - and that's more than just a few minutes' walk away.)

(How far, exactly? I was thinking that Todd jogged for about 30 min, tops. Fine either way, just curious.)

[Cubey]

(He can't find a wild tree in such a short time - maybe if there weren't any checkpoints on the way to outside the base, with guards who bother him for ID and stuff. And if you could travel around the base in a straight line instead of moving around buildings, walking up and down ramps etc.
So, a plant in a pot it is!)

[Drascin]

Andy had dozed off a bit in the helicopter, missing the whole discussion, but is woken up by the rotors stopping - it seems the lack of one noise can startle someone as much as the presence of it.

He stays attentive for the whole travel-and-explanation - well, he's getting lost the first time, that's for sure, but paying attention is sure to help. He's not entirely enthused by the prospect of classes, but truth be told he couldn't say he didn't see it coming from a mile away. Damn it, maths pursued him even here.

After the Commander leaves, she looks around at the others. "Well, one good thing about so much being classified," she quips. "If we can't tell people where we're based, we can't be pressured to bring back souvenirs - I don't want to think about trying to get lederhosen to fit my dad..."

She follows up this icebreaker with a slightly brittle smile.

Andy's smile in return, however, is as big and sincere as his usually is. "Heh. Lucky you. Mom is still going to want me to get her a souvenir, even if she has to wait until the crisis is over and the stuff is less classified. And woe be me if I dare not bring one. I'm half-thinking of breaking off a little bit of the next monster and storing it for her. After all, how many mothers can say "my son brought me an authentic piece of antinatural alien"? In the mom league, that has to be big points. And, dunno about you, but between the alien and having to go around in small souvenir shops' shopping districts, I'm not entirely sure which is more scary. At least the alien's honest about that he wants to ruin you" he jokes, following Cat's lead. Any scariness of his words is completely dispelled out by his tone of voice and frank, nice face.

"Well, let's head inside, I want to see where my room is before going off to explore - I'm rather prone to getting lost, but knowing the bed you can come to is a surprisingly great motivator for coming back instead of just losing yourself around" he winks at the rest f the group.

[Fri]

James stayed silent in the helicopter and the monorail, with ears covered with his walkman's headphone. He ignored the conversation, as his eyes were locked into the scenery below. Either that or he was dozing off in the whole journey, you can't really know because he kept his shades on for the whole journey

As the monorail stops, James straighten up. He slung a duffel bag across his shoulder and jumped off the train.

He looked around, and accepted the handshake, without saying anything. He only lost his cool twice. When Andy and Cat mentioned their family, he jerked up a little.

And when The Commander mentioned about schooling, you can clearly see that he winces.

[Tengu_temp]

"Well, I brought a lot of baggage with me, so I better find out which room is mine and start unpacking..." While true, it's still just an excuse - with all the people around, Emi wants to find recluse in a more private environment. She goes off to ask someone where her room is, but suddenly remembers something, stops and turns towards Lorne.
"Um... It's very nice that you and Ben helped me out. Thanks.", she says with a friendly smile.

[kamikasei]

Cat stifles a yawn. "You're probably right. I'm still dopey from the flight - think I'll find my room, stow my stuff, and hunt down the pool so I can get some exercise and have a shot at actually sleeping tonight." She looks around at the others. "Do any of you swim? And maybe we could explore the place afterwards too."

[ChronicLunacy]

Ben Brooks

Ben found the nearest best view of the ocean and sat down on a bench that had been set out by some forward thinking individual. It was the North Sea, so it was rather cold, but Ben had always had a high body temperature. Besides, he'd dressed for the helicopter ride, which meant a heavy jacket, so he felt completely fine. He let the wind brush the ear-lengths, black bangs from over his eyes and stared out at the water, enjoying being alone for the first time in what seemed like forever.

[Cubey]

Entering the bunker, you encounter a steady but mild drop, that continues until you're several meters underground. This passage is really wide, there's enough place for two trucks to pass each other. As you can clearly see, when the vehicle that carried your luggage arrived. When the drop ends, you encounter a huge lift - but there is no need to take it and get even deeper down, as a sign conveniently marked "high clearance quarters" points at a side passageway instead. These high clearance quarters are further broken up into smaller sections, and you find easily find signs leading you to "PSA squad - men" and "PSA squad - women".

Each one of you receives a seperate room all for themselves (your keycard opens your room's door, although it does not work for other rooms despite having the same clearance level), and that still leaves slightly less than a half of these rooms unoccupied. As for the rooms themselves, they are quite spacious - more than enough for one person, and possibly causing jealousy in operatives who are accomodated in less luxurious conditions. Just like the commander said, furniture is already in the rooms, including a simple but comfortable looking bed, tables, chairs, desks and shelves, and even a miniature fridge and a personal computer - the last one comes with internet access, it is year 2017 after all. The only discomfort is lack of any windows, for obvious reasons - you'll have to live in artificial light. Bathrooms and showers are shared for each of the quarters' sections, rather than having seperate ones for each room. Unpacking takes time, more in case of those of you who brought more luggage, but is not a problem.

Both Ben and Todd rest uninterrupted. It feels peaceful, despite being right smack in center of an organisation dedicated to fighting horrible monsters. Well, you defeated a pair of SEs recently and they cannot appear all the time - right?

Since the commander didn't plan anything for you for this day (and the time schedule that you can find on a desk in your rooms doesn't mention anything either), you have a full day free for yourselves. Which is only slightly spoiled by the perspective of compulsory exercise and class tomorrow.

[Drascin]

"Um... It's very nice that you and Ben helped me out. Thanks.", she says with a friendly smile.

Andy's eyes deviate towards Emi a bit, wondering what he'd missed, but deciding it was probably nothing important enough to make her uncomfortable by asking.

Cat stifles a yawn. "You're probably right. I'm still dopey from the flight - think I'll find my room, stow my stuff, and hunt down the pool so I can get some exercise and have a shot at actually sleeping tonight." She looks around at the others. "Do any of you swim? And maybe we could explore the place afterwards too."

As they go down the bunker, Andy keeps the chatter. "Point. I just fell down in the 'copter, and if I stay in my room I'm just going to do so again, and then I'll spend the night looking at the pretty ceiling and going "why I can't sleep, man, I'm sleepy, why can't sleep, this sucks" for the whole night" Andy laughs.

"Well, I'm not going to be winning any championships, but obviously I know how to swim. Know thy enemy and all that, you know. I was going to go explore first, but I can reverse the order if you don't mind me tagging along. Always more fun to do stuff with someone to talk with." he winks. "Well, I'm off to unpack, see ya in a few"

However, he says unpack, but Andy's style of unpacking is more the "put big bag in corner and extract things as needed" style, and so he's done in a couple minutes. A few more are used to inspect the quality of the stuff in the room, obviously starting with the bed, and finishing with the computer ("Hey, I have net access. Nice, I don't have to be isolated from the universe!") and then finding swimwear in his bag and putting it on (he considers the idea of just throwing himself into the pool with normal clothes just to see the reaction of the others, but decides against it, because going for exploration later while drenching would probably not be much fun). Then goes to the entrance and waits for Cat and whoever else wants to come. They're going to have to find the pool first, too, so the more eyes the better.

[Cubey]

The pool is *theoretically* marked on the map, a copy of which is placed in each of your rooms - but the plan is so complex and unfamiliar that finding it will be a challenge.
Andy also discovers, that late June might be late June, but it's still the North Sea and venturing out in swimwear only might be a bad idea. It's pretty cold... and onlookers give him strange views.

[Haven]

"Um... It's very nice that you and Ben helped me out. Thanks.", she says with a friendly smile.

"Of course. He was being completely unfair to you." He smiles back at her.

"Do any of you swim? And maybe we could explore the place afterwards too."

"It's always nice after a good gymnastics routine, but I think I need to get myself acquainted with the labs first. Perhaps we can all meet up for dinner later."

Since the commander didn't plan anything for you for this day (and the time schedule that you can find on a desk in your rooms doesn't mention anything either), you have a full day free for yourselves. Which is only slightly spoiled by the perspective of compulsory exercise and class tomorrow.

Lorne is apprehensive about this--not that it'll be challenging, but he hasn't really had classmates for so long. But I guess it's not too different from having teammates.

After unpacking, he immediately goes to find the R&D section of the base and get set up in the labs.

[Matar]

Todd just sleeps under a potted plant. He dreams about tomorrows practice and the future ahead. He also dreams about pie and cake. Every now and then he rolls in his sleeps and grumbles something under his breath.

[Cubey]

Although most of R&D takes place in other facilities, Lorne manages to find a small research section in the base as well. And he just has enough clearance to enter... although he might not have it if he wasn't hired as a scientist already.

The staff seems awfully busy, analyzing data obtained from your first mission. Some wildly speculate on what are the consequences of 01A springing up from beneath the Earth's surface, something that SEs were seemingly incapable of doing. Others test some kind of expensive Sophium-based radar against plates of mixed Sophium alloys - they want to find out how exactly 01B knew where you were hiding.
Although Lorne recognizes several familiar faces, nobody walks up to talk with him. They're all just too busy.

[Drascin]

The pool is *theoretically* marked on the map, a copy of which is placed in each of your rooms - but the plan is so complex and unfamiliar that finding it will be a challenge.
Andy also discovers, that late June might be late June, but it's still the North Sea and venturing out in swimwear only might be a bad idea. It's pretty cold... and onlookers give him strange views.

((Andy's much more energic than I am and I've gone around in swimwear at 10ºC without much of a bother. Is it really much colder than that?

But either way, I had intended for him to wear the swimsuit as shorts, but also use a small jacket for the torso, though more for avoiding weirding people out than any cold))

[Cubey]

Andy's much more energic than I am and I've gone around in swimwear at 10ºC without much of a bother. Is it really much colder than that?

Nope, it's not that cold. Very well then - Andy's able to endure the weather without any discomfort. He still sticks out of the crowd, though.

[Matar]

((Oh hey, do I still have that peice of... glass stuff that I picked up after Devon blasted the SE, or did it desolve as well? I wanna turn it into a neckless first chance I get if I still have it.))

[Drascin]

Nope, it's not that cold. Very well then - Andy's able to endure the weather without any discomfort. He still sticks out of the crowd, though.

He would stick out anyway, I think. But yeah, the light blue jacket with the red swimsuit shorts do kinda draw attention to him, most likely.