[center][h3] [/h3][/center][h3][hr][color=#38547C]Keaton Plasse[/color][/h3][hr]
The park was quiet, as was the area around it. People biked or ran past now and then, but the road was far enough away from the bench that the noise was minimal. Whether that made her feel safer, though, was questionable. Same for the paper bag of flour she’d brought with her, which sat atop the bench beside her, its neatly folded opening contrasting with its otherwise crumpled appearance. Even if she opened the bag and threw flour around the place, she’d still feel exactly as safe as she did now because if the faceless wanted to stop her, they would’ve already done so. It wasn’t particularly hard, with the resources at their disposal. If their group wasn’t being flagged down for congregating at the bench, that meant someone was either protecting them or turning a blind eye. Who, though, was the question. Cara was a good candidate for either, but given that she’d given up every opportunity to turn Keaton in, Keaton doubted it. Gennedy seemed even more unlikely, especially after the fiasco at the loading bay. So that left two possibilities: Someone she’d yet to learn of, or the person the faceless served. 

From the street, the group appeared together, and Keaton gave them a single wave, smiling. They really had to risk coming together, huh? But it was just as well. Again, someone was turning a blind eye, so this didn't matter. Her smile faltered slightly as she spotted someone she didn’t recognize. Or, she did. From the loading bay, the guy who threw some sort of explosive at Archie. But also from the campfire. Nicholas. Why was he here? More importantly, why was everyone okay with it? But, at the same time, Keaton knew it was fine. What was one more person who wanted to help? Worst case scenario, he was a double agent, but he’d be a pretty dumb one if he thought putting himself between all of them was a good way to get intel. So, worst case scenario, he probably wasn’t a spy. Because he wasn’t.

With that out of the way, Keaton refocused on her friends. There was Lynn, shortest and surliest beside Amelia, whose power often failed to precede her personality. Even from a distance, Keaton could make out the changes to Lynn’s appearance, but in comparison… she looked better. Like herself, even, with the usual scowl and shifting gaze. 

Then there was Eli, who looked like she’d seen better days. Keaton realized she probably should’ve checked in with her after leaving the hospital, but it’d always been easier taking care of others. They’d catch up later, then. Hopefully. 

Beside her was Nicholas, who was, well, alright. So there was that. But who was Keaton to judge at this point? She hadn’t judged Archie and Amelia, and the two looked fine. Well, Archie looked—was—a bit taller than usual, and they didn’t look like they did at Homecoming, but a lot had happened between then and now. Plus, this wasn’t the time or place, so maybe a little discomfort was better for everyone.

“So,” Keaton said when the group was close enough, “Nicholas, right? I’m Keaton, and you’re not a spy, but are you sure you want to stick around? We’re about to discuss doing something infinitely more stupid than throwing an explosive at a giant lizard so if you’re staying, know that you’re going to be involved.”

She paused, looking around the group as they seated themselves. “Phones,” she said when everyone was sitting, pulling hers out and turning it off. When everyone had done the same, she looked to Lynn, then nodded. “Right. So. This probably isn’t that surprising, but Lynn and I have been poking around the ship for the past few months. Originally, we were just looking for holes in the story. The Promise, with a pristine record that suddenly shatters when we come around? Seemed like an unlikely coincidence. I’m sure you all know by now, but the Promise has been covering their tracks for years now. The incident with the escaped prisoners? Not a word back on earth. Homecoming and Ariana? Barely mentioned, even on-ship. But this time, in the loading bay, word got out. Not because they wanted it to, but because of the live stream. So for the first time, the world is getting news of what actually happens up here, and the staff is getting backlash.

“Now, one of the main things we’ve been looking into is the possibility of there being children on board. Technically, there shouldn’t be any children, but the Promise has lied before. Plus, where better to carry out human experiments than somewhere off-planet, somewhere where people can be contained and erased if needed? We already know they keep dangerous paras like Salamandra up here—para criminals who have no business up here, who should’ve been killed years ago. And what we’ve dug up, well, there’ve been a few things,” she said, ticking off fingers. “Lynn found a doll tagged with an inmate number in the woods, and I’ve found pacifiers and children's’ books in the supply caches they bring aboard. And the timing lines up; the Promise has been around for seven years. Seven years—more than enough time for a kid to get to reading their first books, even if they were born on board.

“So it became a question of where they were keeping the children. This place is huge, but still limited. The supply cache I found? That was going to the Spire. The structure at the center of the ring, where students aren’t allowed. Now, yes, there are staff families on board, but they number few, and the cache I found… It was too many to be for just a few families. Plus, the Spire is where the labs are. Where they design and build tools, like those tracking chips for Arianna. And that brings us to today. I think our best shot of finding the truth about this ship, of finding out whether children really are being experimented on, is in the Spire. It’s the hardest place for us to access, meaning it’s also the most secure for the staff. If Black and White are hiding something, like their employer, or a bunch of kids, it’d be there.

“And that brings you pretty much up to speed. It’s not much, and our deductions are flimsy at best, but I can tell you this: There are children aboard the Promise, Black and White are hiding something, and the Promise wasn’t created just to rehabilitate parahumans. Other than that, I know as much as any of you.” She paused. “Any questions?”