[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/6zc773j.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/3R5vYYi.png?2[/img][/center][hr][center][color=silver]𝕋𝕙: 𝕊𝕖𝕡𝕥. 𝟙𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘   / /   𝕃𝕒 ℙ𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕒, 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕪𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕   / /   𝕋𝕠𝕨𝕟   / /  ~𝟘𝟟𝟘𝟘[/color][/center][hr]
The more interesting interviews gleaned by reporters during the USARILN East students' stay had been on replay and rehash since the early hours of the morning, with rival stations and small-time newspapers latching on to a different station's interview and reviewing it on their segments as well, forming a disjointed echo chamber of "Marc" and footage of a trembling boy named "Christmas" writing on a notepad, interspersed with conflicting information from an Arbiter that some quick investigation had revealed to be a "Brent Roless" and another Arbiter fleeing down an alley that records eventually revealed as "Siena Santana."

They were the sort of field days that made the hyenas of the paparazzi--normally bloodthirsty--absolutely rabid. There was a great outcry from news stations the morning they received information that the soldiers were starting to pack up and route elsewhere and the exits and entrances of the motel and hospital were jammed with bodies, microphones, and cameras all hoping to catch the last vestiges of the tragic teenagers or, as some stations liked to spin the story, nigh-uncontrollable monsters.

There was a slowly forming divide in opinions after KLPN aired the most sympathetic subnatural interview broadcast in years, the brief, but compelling segment clipped and reposted in message boards and sent along to subnatural activist groups nation-wide within days.

In it, a teenager with scars across his face hung his head and dropped his shoulders, asking for the interview to end, his clothes wrinkled and his hair a mess. The segment ended with a long take of the thin cuff on the student's ankle before the camera cut back to the reporter in charge. Disturbingly human and a small, but noticeable threat to the status quo perpetuated by both the common folk and the people in charge. But it had already spread, and people were already watching, the views on every reuploaded YouTube video spiraling quickly into the millions before yet another version of the report was taken down. For now the majority of the recognition centered on the East Coast, but with a few choice words from a certain reporter and several stations agreeing to spread the news, "Marc" was slowly rising as the poster child of subnatural oppression. The portion of the interview that revealed his powers had the internet abuzz with speculation and potential uses, until a recurring nickname that cropped up was--as typical of simple, internet agglutinative fashion--"Time Scar." 

It had become something of an unofficial tradition by now to name their subnaturals--the public viewing it as akin to naming a pet or, on the other end of the spectrum, heralding a hero. Regardless, it would be media publicity and spread of use that determined what would, in time, become "official" as far as nicknames went.

This meant, of course, that any subnatural who caught the public eye would either be forgotten or crowned with a moniker that may or may not be the worst name in existence. And despite not revealing his powers, Christmas's diminutive stature and generally unimposing demeanor snagged him the unofficial (and quite ironic) name of "Pixie"--a jab at his baby face, his gender, and the fact that he was far from being the bite-sized [i]femme fatale[/i] that a colloquial "pixie" generally was.

Brent's interview had been washed out once the information was found lacking in sufficient sources in an attempt to save face for the station that had originally aired it, but the networked world of 2020 never forgot and never forgave. Opinions were divided between Brent being a mastermind or simply an unstable idiot, and even though he had introduced himself indirectly as "Gearhead," what people saw instead was the array of silver circuits that had danced down his arm, the sight captured in detail by the cameraman who had steeled his nerves and zoomed in instead of flinching away. That, combined with the obvious act on camera had several well-versed internet denizens refer to him as "Proteus." When they explained the loosely applied name, it caught on within a small circle, which then spread like wildfire once people jumped on the bandwagon.

While cyberspace boiled, however, the soldiers meant to guard and detain Experimental Unit B remained contrastingly calm. They met the wall of reporters with stern glares and ready rifles, jabbing the particularly brave ones back before they could approach any of the students being herded out of the buildings and into the waiting cars. A loud warning from Officer Brahms had scared most of the waiting paparazzi into submission, but made the threat painfully clear when yet another reporter broke rank and tried to dash into the center of the forcibly parted aisle of human bodies, microphone raised for a question towards the departing students from the motel. A snap crack of a pistol butt against the man's head knocked him down groaning and Officer Brahms simply motioned for the rest of the escort soldiers to keep moving the students into the cars while a spare soldier shoved the reeling reporter back into the swarming crowd. When the motel group had been safely secured in one car, the APC made its arduously slow way towards the hospital to join up with the second car collecting the students who had remained in the medical building.

Hazel was the last to be escorted out of the hospital, still cuffed with multiple suppressors and surrounded by guards. The reporters snapped plenty of pictures as the soldiers shoved her forward and into the truck, two soldiers sitting on either side of her to prevent any of the students from doing so.

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/3R5vYYi.png?2[/img][/center][hr][center][color=silver]𝕋𝕙: 𝕊𝕖𝕡𝕥. 𝟙𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘   / /   𝕎𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕠𝕟, 𝔻.ℂ.   / /   ℍ𝕪𝕒𝕥𝕥 ℝ𝕖𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕪 ℍ𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕝   / /  ~𝟘𝟡𝟘𝟘[/color][/center][hr]
The military trucks stopped well outside Washington, D.C. where the students and their assigned soldiers were moved to far more comfortable vehicles: luxury limousines lined with leather seating and built-in fridges stocked with drinks and expensive snacks ranging from caviar and top shelf liquor to the more common fare of chips and sodas. The students were shown into the cars at random, blacked out windows concealing the modular, leather design inside. Though the interiors were luxurious, it was made clear by the thick tires and steel lining on the door frames that these were vehicles made to withstand an emergency or more, should the occasion arise. The drivers remained focused on the road ahead, providing no indication of their destination. However, the comparitively short one and a half hour drive and the sight of an iconic white spire across the Potomac would soon reveal that it would still be a while before the subnaturals would return to the comfort of their dorms.

The emblem by the elevators leading from the underground parking lot displayed "Hyatt Regency - East Tower" in silver text, a lavish hotel and resort frequently patroned by executives and politicians enjoying a stay in the country's capital. The East and West towers were connected by both an underground concourse and a skyway, with both towers mirroring each other's amenities from conference floors to the 2,500 square meter ballrooms on the 15th floors.

The students were marched past shocked CEOs of large firms, current politicians, and the general upper echelon of society gathered around the hotel lobby ornately decorated with polished pilasters and carefully etched filigree on semi-elliptical arches over doors. Fluting further defined the heartwood borders of doors and windows, harkening back to classic antiquity in style and taste. Marble flooring buffed to a mirror shine spread out around them while the vaunted roof of the lobby's anterior portion gave the impression of a vast space. In truth, it was a large lobby furnished with embroidered seating and gold-etched tables, but the architecture seemed singularly designed to dwarf.

Further in, two rows of elevators facing one another moved the hotel's occupants between floors in glassy columns, the lavish decor of the lobby giving way to a different sort of modern luxury the higher the floor.

Men and women in only the highest quality suits and dresses gave the students and guards a wide berth, their procession marked by pin-drop silence as almost half of the nation's most influential people watched and judged from a snap impression. 

On a massive, embedded TV facing the east lounge of the lobby, the interview segment with Marcus was replaying with commentary from a different news station about the state of affairs between humans and subnaturals, the golden-haired anchorwoman speaking about the two categories as if they were entirely separate species.

But they didn't get a chance to watch for long because once they had traversed the expanse of the marble tiles, the students were ushered into one empty elevator, the mobile room large enough to fit all of them and their guards with ease. 

1, 2, 3, 4...the elevator continued upwards, slowing down only to pick up more potential passengers who quickly backed away from the doors at the sight of the large group of subnaturals. 15, 16, 17, 18--and only then did the elevator begin to slow down until it deposited them with a soft "ding" on the 20th floor, right in front of the glass doors leading into the lobby of the royal penthouse suite which took up the entirety of the top floor and consisted of 12 bedrooms with individual bathrooms, a 103-inch plasma TV in the cavernous living area, a private pool and jacuzzi towards the west side of the floor that bordered an insulated music room populated by a Steinway grand piano, two Guaneri violins, and a Style 85 harp.

Where the floors had transitioned to modern elegance earlier, the penthouse suite retained that Hellenic-inspired artistry of the lobby floor, gold and silver filigree lining the mullions and lintels of the large windows while a decorative chair rail of curling vines and blossoms in silver relief wrapped around the walls. Cove lighting carefully illuminated the room without irritating sensitive eyes and the ergonomic furniture had been custom made to match the room's decor, even if their designs were undeniably modern. Plush, off-white carpeting and cellula chandeliers finished off the luxury of every single room, ensuring its occupants were as comfortable as could be.

Each bedroom was furnished with a queen-sized bed, a multitude of tasseled pillows and sheets, a sofa, full-length mirror, automated closet compartments, maroon silk robes, floor-to-ceiling windows with adjustable, motorized interior shutters, and a bathroom large enough to throw a small party in; the bathtub was a sunken pool in the center of the floor while a showerhead perched on its raised mount attached to a short post beside the circular tub. Every room, living room and balcony pool included, displayed careful instructions on an electronic screen embedded in the wall that controlled a motorized snack and wine shelf that slid in and out of the wall on a press of a button. The rest of the control screen directed users to room service and other enjoyable amenities at the resort (a gym on the 3rd floor, conference halls on the 6th and 7th floors, a buffet on the 10th floor, a computer lounge on the 11th floor, and an arcade in the first basement floor; surrounding the hotel towers were high-end boutiques, cafes, and restaurants while a short distance away a concert hall advertised the next orchestra showing).

[color f7976a]"You'll be staying here temporarily. Director's orders. No ETA on location change from the Commander, just a warning to avoid issues here. Even the Director won't be able to stop these people if they want you dead. If you're going to go outside, make sure a guard knows. The police force here don't take kindly to subnaturals, even from USARILN, so have a guard clear you over the law enforcement line first,"[/color] Officer Brahms addressed the students after the soldiers had gathered them in the living space.

The short announcement done, the current CO of the group looked towards Hazel, who had been trudged into a corner and kept there. 

[color f7976a]"She can move freely on the condition that everyone here--"[/color] he looked at the students, [color f7976a]"--acts to disable or kill her the second something goes wrong. The soldiers are ready, and if any student attempts to stop someone from eliminating her, they'll be marked for death as well. If she remains obedient, no one needs to get hurt."[/color]

The soldiers around Hazel stepped away as he finished, but they didn't remove the extra suppression cuffs. The message was clear enough: she wouldn't be using her powers until they confirmed she wouldn't lose control again.

[color f7976a]"I'll be on the floor below and four soldiers will remain in the living room on standby. As safe as this place is, there's still a lot of potential danger [i]from[/i] you all and [i]to[/i] you all, so this setup is a bit of double-edged sword. Let's just hope the Director isn't wrong about placing you all here."[/color]

Without waiting for further responses, Officer Brahms left with most of the guards, leaving behind the promised four to keep an eye on things while they waited for the Director to respond to communications.

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/3R5vYYi.png?2[/img][/center][hr]
[hider=OOC Interaction Tags/Notes]
[@VarionusNW] [@Lasrever] [@ERode] [@VampireOracle] [@Zombehs] [@GreenGoat] [@Diggerton] [@banjoanjo] [@Baklava] [@RedDusk] [@Piercing Light] [@Dragonmancer] [@Riffus Maximus] [@Deathmyster] [@Chasers115] [@PapiTan] [@Kyrisse] [@January]

Enjoy the ritzy accomodations.

You have three days IC (so until the 20th of Sept., 1200) before the next update.

Info about stuff in the city? Ask one of the GMs. For generic stuff, you can just write in a coffee shop or the like. For divebombing the Pentagon, make sure the GMs know so the Precursors can kill your character.

General town climate: hatred. Seething hatred mixed with distrust, resentment, and overwhleming fear. The metropolis has been inundated in anti-subnatural propaganda and rumors for years and will be on hair triggers around subnaturals, even if they've been tagged by USARILN. In fact, the cuffs are the only things saving the students from local law enforcement and military forces stationed in the city. The atmosphere is quite tense right now, with news of Cat's Cradle nearby setting the already fearful city on a razor-thin edge.

News will be covering the interviews/photos from La Plata along with precautionary warnings about Cat's Cradle, so expect people to know your faces and hate you for existing.

We may accost certain players with utter bullshit and one of the GMs may just invade a collab if the situation feels right.
[/hider]