[ the video's not all that well focused or held, mostly getting her shoulder and part of her face except for the moments she readjusts it back to focusing on her face temporarily. the light is dim, wherever she is, and between the blood drying on her and the way her voice keeps hitching as she stumbles over words, the unsteadiness of her hands holding the tablet, and the way her head tips back against the wall she's leaning against every so often as if she can't quite hold it up - she's not in great shape. ]

You know, someone should get to work on this machine's timing. Adjust it a little bit. Make it stop being a fucking piece of shit. Or taking people who don't want to be taken. Or - I don't know, what else is it up to lately? How long's it been.

[ breaking off. she's forgotten what she needed to say, is looking off at nothing in particular for a long moment. abruptly - ]

What's that story about the lady and the tiger? With the princess whose lover has to pick one of two doors as punishment, and one has a tiger and the other has a woman he'll have to marry. And she makes a gesture to tell him which one to pick, but the story doesn't tell you which one the door had behind it.

I guess a little closure's too much to ask for.

[ blood loss: good for clarity. ]

I could use a doctor.

[ ooc: charlie cutter & tempest get providing aid rights, but if you would rather action it up she'll be wandering around the area for part of the day and can be run into most anywhere just checking everything out. ]

[Don't mind Sunny. The video recording starts with the little girl writing something down, formulas used in coding, supply lists, things an eleven year old shouldn't understand really. And then, after a moment more, she turns to look at the screen.]

How useful would a Stealth Camouflage unit or OctoCamo be for everyone here? I keep thinking that this is a war and more often than not, stealth is necessary. I don't have the things necessary to make them now but I'm sure that we could recover them on missions or if we salvage them. I would prefer fresh parts though to ensure the effectiveness.

And I wouldn't be able to build many once I would have what I need.

I'm really just curious on if anyone else thinks this would be helpful, for the time being.

[ Roslyn is behind the camera again, face stern, Vennett & Lowell seated just behind her. She’s looking as calm and professional as she can, though traces of exhaustion are seeping through regardless of her best efforts. ]

I’m going to make this as brief as possible. We do not have laws governing the actions undertaken recently by people currently in custody. While hopefully there will shortly be a fuller code of conduct, we cannot apply it retroactively. I do not have the resources to keep anyone locked up indefinitely, nor can I provide a fair trial, and it would be morally suspect to do either in the current environment.

I believe there is a solution to this, one that several others agree with, including Lowell Orwin and Vennett here with me, both of whom were held hostage by these people and have a fair amount of insight into their mindset. However, given that you will all have to live with it as well, I’m going to bring this solution to general consensus.

Under this arrangement, as a first part all current prisoners will be released into the custody of someone who will agree to monitor their actions and ensure that they are not able to plan anything further. These parole officers will either be volunteers from the general population or police officers if necessary, and all will be very carefully vetted. If it is necessary we will ask them to submit to a brief telepathic scan.

The second part of this arrangement would be undertaking a set amount of missions under the supervision of Orwin and Vennett with the goal of putting forth effort into our return to Earth. I am assured that they will be doing real work that will benefit us all.

This is the solution that I and others hope will work best for everyone involved, as well as free up resources to continue working towards getting off of this base and setting up an actual system of leadership.

While Jesse Pinkman was not a member of this, as he has given back all powers taken he would be released under the same conditions.

This is being presented to you all as, essentially, a poll. That is the first option. The second option is ‘other’, and if that is your answer I must insist you provide a fully thought through and careful plan that does not simply consist of ‘strand them somewhere’ or ‘airlock them’. Should enough support be shown for a provided 'other' plan over parole, it will be considered as an option. 

Thank you all for your time. I hope this will be resolved very shortly.

[ And cut. ]


[ ooc: this is an ic poll of the population! you may vote once with each character you have in game. roslyn and others are available for question answering and so forth. ]

[ Dick’s sitting in a nondescript corner of what’s probably the cafeteria, facing the screen at a front and center angle that could almost pass for a little rehearsed. He’s tired and drawn, posture curled in and oddly small. He has a hand in his hair, awkward and unsettled. If he's been practicing this, it's not showing much. ]

I, um. Hey.

I just wanted to say I’m turning myself in now. As one of the guys who brought down the systems and took over the base. [ Specificity is important. His eyes aren't on the tablet anymore, but he's still speaking. ]

-Which I know I could’ve done couple of days ago. But I didn’t because I thought maybe... [ a faint, rushed breath out. ] –maybe I could still fix it. And maybe it’d just be easier if I didn’t say anything. [ For the people in jail. And the people on the outside. ]

...But it wouldn’t be. That would just be me letting somebody else take the whole rap for something a lot of people already know I had a hand in. And then not speaking up is on them too. So it has to be this way. [ He’s thinking about you, Kate. 8( ] ( cut for long-winded rambling + an addendum )

( When she speaks, Collette aims to sound warm. She's tired, keyed up, and confused as well as trying to understand what's gone on since the mutiny began, and what's continuing in the aftermath. She brings a question she'd talked to Ros about, in her own way; something she wants to know very simply because she doesn't, and it's all the more important now.

Out of respect for that same woman, she keep's Ros's name out of this. )

When it comes down to do or die, who do you trust here to make decisions to pull people through, and not leave people stranded high and dry, or freeze up and fall into inaction? People who keep their temper in heated circumstances. Ones who maybe aren't going to forget the bigger picture, even if that doesn't make it easy on the smaller scale.

I've got a few names myself! Blue, Kate Kane, Nathan Summers, Caesar Silverberg, Lenalee Lee, Xerxes Break, Gilbert Nightray, Jaime Reyes, Ashraf, Kang, Peter Quill, Donny, Armin Arlert, Chrono and Rosette, even Dick Grayson and Ahiru and Vanadi, of all people, would stand by you figuring things out.

Those are some of mine. What're yours?

( I'm going to keep talking, though, so you might want to tune out if you don't want to hear me ramble about a few maybe important, maybe not things! )

[the feed clicks to audio, and suddenly there's a very loud enthusiastic greeting.]

Hellooooo Exsilium!

Nailed it.

[the greeting ends as soon as its last syllable of "um" drops, and the post switches to text.]

Great! Everyone heard that, right? Now that the whole pleasantries thing is out of the way (as well as our B-Movie undead run-for-your-life quasi-fiasco), there are some suggestions that I must present to make us all the more comfortable. Please kindly lend your ears and open your hearts! The Initiative is welcome to take such suggestions, so I hope you've your ears open. I've condensed these to a brief number! Onward!

(1) A party every Saturday featuring the round Italian pastry covered in a copious variety of cured meats. I also propose that we're offered a number of stylish festive hats for the occasion. Top hats are in season, and nothing is complete without some kind of festive hat to show our enthusiasm.

(2) While I hardly mean to offend the technology offered to us by our captors, we're left regrettably with a single App that does a single boring thing and absolutely no games! I would settle for Birds of the Angry Emotional Feelings, or perhaps the Saga of Crushed Candy! Anything mind-numbing to pass the time. Even some Exsilium produced space-cat forum!

As a side note, anything of interest and practical use may also be warranted for App exploration. Perhaps something for these "missions" I've heard so much about. Or lists. Yes, lots and lots of Apps for lists. Perhaps a App of lists that lists all the App lists.

(3) Also include the Internet On-Line World in the suggestion above.

(4) I suspect it vital that we all learn how to walk on the moon. We're in luck! I've heard of what's appropriately dubbed "the moon walk." It's a series of difficult steps in Midgardian dance that cause the illusion that you're walking forward, yet you're walking back! Quite helpful in the scheme of things while we take residence.

This is a very small list for those of us who have been captured from our homes and drafted into an unknown future-war that none of us even had suspect of happening! All in favor of boosting morale.

Oh, yes.

I see that some of you are quite aware of the handle of "Loki." If you could give me any such knowledge of your experiences with this fellow I would be eternally grateful. Eternally grateful ... IN SPACE!


Posted from my StarkPhone

I just gotta say, a moon zombie encounter was exactly what I wanted for my birthday. You guys sure know how to make a person feel right at home.

But seriously, what the hell was up with that and can we nix that from the schedule in the future? If there are other zany, undead surprises lurking around here, it'd be great if you could give a head's up ahead of time.

The more I talk to other people here, the more it sounds like the UE's genetech is what we have to watch out for. While there are ways of shifting things in the past to lessen the effect, we have more pressing concerns right now. [like, oh, that nuclear missile strike]

Out of the other people who were taken, what innate powers do you have? We need to know just how much the UE got from us - and more importantly, what they couldn't get, because those powers represent our best offense and defense right now.

May as well start myself.

[Text]
high-level telepathy and telekinesis

( PRIVATE to LILY )

( PRIVATE to ELLIE & DICK )

[ Her voice, while somewhat tired, is leveled as she speaks. ]

For the time being, the clinic should be stocked with some personal hygienic products anyone might have been wondering about. There's shampoos, soaps, sanitary napkins, and pads and tampons for the ladies. There's also patches for smokers. Anything else you're looking for, like medicine or bandages, you'll have to check with someone at the clinic.

Anyway, I asked the AI the decrypt a couple of drives belonging to the UE. There were various analytical notes specializing in robotics, specifically robotic spacecraft — rovers. For those unfamiliar: a rover is a vehicle used in space explorations. Depending on the design, they can either be partially or completely operated on their own, or they can transport crews.

There's a couple of bad ideas that come to mind knowing this information: one being they may have plans to come up here eventually and if they aren't fully aware how many of us are here, they'll find out.

Research also indicated "interdimensional colonization". We've been well aware for a while they're able to access portals into other worlds.

The drives also contained some notes on Project Chimera and talks of previous genetic projects the UE's researched. I'll forward anyone who wants a copy of these notes to look over.

[ For those who ask and receive: here. ]

Has anyone begun to compile the information we have together to make it more streamlined? I imagine the AI can likely do it if you ask.

[So this hasn't been a traumatic last few days at all. Still Sky assumes it's better to at least find something to do than sit around and think about how she isn't home. Or about how people were just killed on earth. What she's supposed to do? She doesn't know. She amusingly assumes to herself that at least no one will need her to cook any books here.]

Ugh, hi. I'm Skyler. [Because while only a handful here are associated with her husband, she would rather leave him out of this.]

I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do. [And this is already starting to sound like an AA introduction or something.] I'm a mom back home. It's the one thing I'm really good at.

[It's not entirely true, but she doesn't really know what else to say, and who needs an accountant in space?]

I like to write, and I don't really have powers. Or know how to fight. Well. [She doesn't want to think about the fight with the kitchen knife, so instead she just breathes and nods.]

I'm not sure what I could really do here, but I'm good with children. I have two of my own, and I'd like to help if I can.

[ He looks tired and slightly less chipper than usual, but that's basically the theme of the week, so no surprises there. Right to business, then! ]

Adrasteius is gone, which means I'll be taking over the Transport Clinic — which I guess can just be shortened to the Clinic, now. [ sigh. :c ] We've got people organizing supply runs, which is great, but we're always open to have a few more volunteered hands around. No training or previous experience required, promise, just let me know if you're interested.

Anyway, I hope everyone caught AI's announcement, about the revival technology getting left behind. Consider this a friendly reminder to try to avoid dying, alright? If there are any accidents, on missions or otherwise, I have a spell to resurrect the recently dead. Not that that means you should start getting reckless, because my supplies for it are limited. If anyone else has a similar ability, now would be a really, really good time to speak up about it.

[ He pauses here, starts to add a smile, and... rubs his hands over his face instead. He mumbles something that sort of sounds like don't even have a medical wing yet, and ends the feed. ]

[ Robin’s sitting up on a leaning perch in some heavy darkness, heavy and dark enough that it’s probably a good bet that he's up on the roof somewhere, away from what usually passes for the light and noise of the city. His legs are curled up and his face is drawn and puffy. But the expression he’s putting on for the tablet is set and hard; there are Things to say and he’s here to say them.

Yep, it’s another one of these posts. ]

This ends one of two ways.

We cut our losses and take responsibility for the deaths of 500,000 people, just like we had to last time. Only now we get to cool our heels in some cozy safehouse where we never even have to see the damage. [ A huffed, angry breath. ]

Or we stay here and try to do what they brought us here to do.

Maybe there is no way to stop it. Maybe they’re right and all these people are doomed already. But I don’t want to spend the next- [ his voice catches, but he pushes right past it. ] -The next who knows how long wondering if I could’ve made a difference. If I could’ve stopped the bomb before it even fell and saved everyone when it really counted the most. [ He stops and swallows, but his face stays... pretty icily resolute. Just try and stop him world. ]

Evacuations need to happen too, but we have to make sure there’s an Exsilium to bring everybody back to when it’s all over. So that’s where we need to start. Wherever the bomb is. [ By we he mostly just means... himself. Right now. But. This is the important part, so he forges on ahead. ]

I can't do this myself. I need... I need anybody who knows more about nuclear warheads than I do. Which isn't much right now. [ his tone says that's a change that's probably immanent. ]

Bring the whole arsenal. Nothing’s off limits.

[It's been quite some time since Connor has posted to the network. Besides his busy schedule keeping him from using the tablet more casually, he's been wary of leaving messages 'out in the open', so to speak. Who knows what scheming Initiative members and Templars might be watching?

But desperate times do call for desperate measures. He chooses the video option even though he still thinks there's something decidedly off-putting, maybe even dangerous, about recording your face on these window machines.

His hood is up and the background suggests he's on another roof.]

Are you all so concerned about your possessions that you would overlook murder?

[Someone's furious. Someone's beyond furious. (The United Earth and the Initiative might as well be made up of a bunch of Charles Lee's right about now.) There's a good bit of venom in his voice and at times he simply yells, half at the tablet, half at the city around him.

Needless to say, this wasn't what he was expecting to return to when he came back from his recent Outlands trip.]

The Initiative have made it very clear that not only do they intend to relocate us, but they mean to leave their own people behind to die. The excuse I have heard is that they have not the power to save them.

A bold-faced lie if ever there was one.

( Idealism never killed anyone oh wait- )

[She looks tired, a little strung out, like she's sure most people do right now, but this is important, and it's important that people listen, which means she's using video, in the hopes it'll help make this message stick.

When she speaks, it's steady enough, though there's hints of worry and desperation in her tone, at times. Indications of how serious she's taking this, how hard it's hitting her.]

I know everything's a mess right now, but if you're seeing this, I need you to take the time to sit and listen, please, because I'm trying to help all of us and that won't work if everyone ignores me. Some of are probably going to hate me for this, but that's okay, as long as you keep listening while you hate me.

[a beat; a breath]

We're not abandoning the Exiles.

( this got long winded )

When I was a kid, FDR would do these little— he'd come on the radio, and he'd sound cheery, and he could talk about all kinds of awful things. Poverty, and debt, and then war. [ His voice drifts off, for a second. ] And no matter how bad it all got, he could make you feel safe. I was always crap at that. I can't make you feel safe. But some stuff you've gotta know anyway, I figure.

I got a copy of one of the UE's field guides, and what it says is that the Black Code is the all-clear for a nuclear warhead drop, then carpet bombing. They have… fancier nukes now, I guess, with more than one point of impact on drop.

Now you know.

[Despite everything that's happened in the last few days, Steph looks positively cheery as she comes onto the screen, dressed in civvies with her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. She might not have worn the particular suit for a couple years now, but she's all Robin, all grins and charm, because she doesn't have the energy to be anything else.]

Hey, guys, I know this is kinda last minute, but there's been a change in plans with the whole cookie thing this month. [She holds up a hand as if silencing comments that aren't actually going to come, because this is pre-recorded.] I know, I know, I'm not exactly the regular guy that does this, but don't adjust your sets, Jesse's just come down with a hell of a cold, so I'm gonna run things this time 'round.

For those of you who don't know, I'm Steph, hi, I don't bite very hard.

[Steph pls]

Since Jesse's sick, we figured it'd be best not to cook in his kitchen, 'cause I'm sure we don't wanna give the newbies the sniffles when they first show up. If anyone who's normally involved would like to volunteer their kitchen to be the base of operations, I would love you forever, but if not we can just use my place, 104.

[And a briefly apologetic look because she hasn't actually asked her roommates. Sorry guys.]

We'll still be doing it on the 31st, starting early and hopefully finishing early so we can all head over to Ella's party, and the tent will be set up at the same time on the first, you'll just have me co-ordinating things intead of Jesse.

If anyone has any questions or concerns, now's the time to voice them, if not, I'll see you on the 31st, either at mine, or I'll update this if we get a volunteer.

Thanks.

[A lazy salute, and the feed cuts.]



[[OOC: Same ooc stuff applies; there won't be a log for this but feel free to say characters participated! The thread in the welcome log will still go up and everything will go the same, it'll just be Steph instead of Jesse wrangling things c: ]]

Bullshit is showing up here with everything on me but my comic books. All those Savage Starlight issues, gone. Just like that. Fuck you too, Initiative.

[A pause. Ellie's never really addressed a group of people. Technology is crazy. Okay, there was a point to this whole thing.]

... anyway, guess I just wanted to say thanks to the people that helped me out when I got here. I found who I was looking for, so. Didn't wanna leave anyone with a cliffhanger.

[Raiden is pacing around outdoors somewhere, holding his communicator in one hand as he talks. The shot is sloppy and at times unfocused, but he doesn't do anything to correct this.]

You know, during military phases stuff sometimes comes up that nobody expected. Lulls in combat are like that. Unplanned. So I get why some people are nervous. Use this time to rest up a bit and get prepared for when the war resumes.

[He taps a claw against the side of his head.]

Not saying you shouldn't enjoy yourselves while you can, but a lull isn't the same thing as a ceasefire. The United Earth hasn't agreed to anything, so things could get shitty pretty quickly.

That's why I'm thinking about teaching classes during lulls. Nothing official, really, since we have lots of folks here willing to teach combat tactics, but I wouldn't feel right if I didn't offer. I was a military trainer back home so I can teach you how to survive and protect yourself on the battlefield. There are things that even VR won't prepare you for, trust me.

[A pause]

Speaking of that, I wouldn't mind sparring with someone to keep my reflexes sharp. I know some of you enjoy that sorta thing so let me know if you're interested.

[Soft, rusty chuckle]

Just don't expect me to go easy on you.

[He waves his claws in what is supposed to be a playful salute, but it comes across as clumsy and awkward.]

Raiden out.

[-Disconnect-]

((ooc: Raiden will probably hold his first lessons on the morning of the 25th since he really isn't doing a regularly scheduled thing at this time. You can handwave this and the sparring if you want, and if you want to hash out the details feel free to hit me up in PM or on the CR Meme))

[babydoll is feeling rather sociable today, finally feeling like she can ask a few more questions than she normally would. of course, that isn't much for her. she never likes to pry too much into peoples' personal lives unless they've given her the permission to do so.]

When I first offered, it was a while ago, so I'd like to offer once more. If anyone needs help with training or handling certain weaponry, I can help.

[she pauses, eyes wandering away from the device for a quick moment before focusing at the camera again.]

I was also wondering- what sort of things did everyone do before arriving in Exsilium? What type of jobs?

[it's also the fact that she's from a much earlier time than most of the transports around exsilium that's making her curious. living in the 60s only gave her so much leeway.]

[ The video clicks in and Dinah is sitting comfortably inside some building, munching a hotdog. ]

Someone please tell me there are cheeseburgers in this watery hellhole. Mr. Pinkerman, I think I at least found a temporal alternative.

[ You just give her a moment to finish devouring the hot dog. Once she’s done, she’s ready to get down to business. ]

Oooookay, so I got the You’ve Been Chosen! Tour, saw the sights, got myself soaked wet and found the dirtiest, smelliest and cheapest hot dog stall that has ever been put in a corner. Exsilium, huh?

[ She shrugs, her tone casual, but those who know her might notice the tension in her shoulders and the sharpness in her eyes. ]

Sure beats Apokolips any given day in my list of worlds to suddenly get zapped into. I mean, if you can work out the plumbing issue… [ She points at the rain that can be seen in the window behind her. ] It would be great, really.

Anyway, I’m not much into whining. Name’s Dinah, Dinah Lance, and if you’ve seen a trigger happy…uh, blonde, do let me know. Babs, Helena, Zinda, if you’re hearing this, I’m starving, so be the friends you’re supposed to be and get me something to eat.

[ Previously on As Exsilium Turns a post had gone out about him being gone. One or two encounters with said searchers later, well, he'd better put a stop to this. ]

For those out there who are still looking, Caesar Silverberg has been found and is just fine, thanks. I wasn't even lost in the first place...

Oh, and Onyx? I left something for you in the harbor.

You may want to go get it before it sinks.

[ Or someone else finds it! ]

Does anyone here do any tech stuff? Computers? Robots? Anything?

Because seriously, this network is kinda sad, and there's only so long I can entertain myself coming up with new visualizations for data traffic.

[Someone's finally decided to fiddle with the shiny piece of technology he'd been given. For the past several days, just sitting down and moving stuff around on it, bending it and poking at everything he can find had been enough to keep Link entertained for a while. But as he figures out more of the tablet's inner workings, and connected to the network, he's feeling confident enough to try a post, filter-free and totally unrehearsed.]

[Which brings us to this lovely close-up of Link's bright blue eyes as he stares at the thing to see if there's any indication it connected the way he thought it should. There's a good five seconds of silence, then he pulls back so that it shows his entire face.]

Where can I find more trees? [Simple enough request, right? He's found a few gardens and such, but nothing compares to a good-sized tree. Deeming that good enough for his first trial at talking to people besides face-to-face, Link pokes at the tablet until he shuts the feed off.]

[This is the breathless voice of someone in panic.]

Does anyone know how to get chewing gum out of hair?! It's kind of an emergency...!!

Please help me. I don't want to cut it!

[ The silence in the background is full and steady, which makes the fast, uneven breathing behind the tablet a little more out of place than it might have been. ]

My friend, he- Jericho. [ a huffed breath out. ]

They- it wasn’t even an accident. He didn’t have a pulse when I... when I got here. [ not a certainty, the accident part. but a guess. a good guess his head's rushing to already, but he's too upset, too angry to think it through right now. ]

I don’t know how long it’s been but you- you could tell that with the right equipment. With the fractures and the head trauma that’s- that’s a lot of- [ work to do is what he doesn’t say.

no he won’t say that. ]

Whatever it takes, I’ll- whatever the white coats use to bring people back, we’ve gotta use that. There has to be a way, there just...

There has to be.

[Well, well, well, this is a familiar face, for those who knew him, of course.

Not that he's entirely thrilled to be back, he was in the middle of very important things making very important discoveries... among many other things that he refuses to completely acknowledge.

Right now, there are more pressing matters, such as...]

Well, it's starting to look like I really enjoy being dragged back and forth from city to city. Shoud I just assume really bad things happened or did I miss anything?

( She isn't the Oracle: she has very little faith in the security of this network. Either it has to be a tool for the Huntress, or for Helena Bertinelli. All things considered, Huntress feels a little more pressing.

When Helena speaks, there are traces of Sicily, it's all very charming. With the Huntress, it's all Gotham, rough and harsh, words bitten out more than spoken. )

Any Bats in the belfry?

( A beat. )

I'll rephrase that: keep your eyes on the skyline.

( There's a brief pause and for the trained listener, they might realise that is the sound of a fight happening in the background. Don't interrupt with Huntress with an attempted mugging when she is trying to talk, okay? Okay. )

Anyone else who's washed up here from Gotham, well. On the bright side, ( that was the sound of someone getting kicked in the face ) there's not much this place can throw at us that we didn't have to deal with back home.

( Look at her, being all optimistic. If only it didn't sound so close to scathing. She's on the move, and there's a breath - maybe she meant to say something more? - before a clatter, the pained cry of a male assailant, a sharp crack, and suddenly: silence. At best, she's faintly irritated.)

Nice to see some good, old-fashioned manners. I feel right at home.

( So much derision, and then the feed cuts. One can only imagine how much information she'll try to get out of that guy. )

[The user ID definitely says "Painwheel" but that has to be a mistake. She hardly ever actually shows her face on the network to begin with. And those that do know what she looks like will notice that something is definitely missing.]

U-Um... hi. It's me, Painwheel.

[The deep, raspy voice matches.]

My mask got ruined during the attack and... There wasn't much point in getting it fixed, so I decided to take it off.

[Seems like it was done forcefully, as she's got some serious scarring going on.]

I know usually talk with text, but I was thinking about getting away from that. For a while, actually.

[Painwheel looks really seems really nervous about this, given how she keeps looking away and back to the camera, and awkwardly scratching the back of her head.]

So here I am.

Nutty times around here, huh? It's nice to see things happening, even if it's stuff like "spaceship crashing into building you call home, inevitable relocation into a room with three other people." There are worse things.

[Grump grump. She just sounds dry. It's a little overcrowded here for a girl who likes her privacy, but whatcha gonna do...]

And now a trip home. Or a try for it. What good news for everyone who doesn't want to be here, maybe - if it works they could as well just install a revolving door and kick the people who won't have with fighting in a surprise war right back home. It could make life pretty difficult for the Initiative if it works out, if nobody'll stick around from the goodness of their hearts, or whatever.

It's the first time I've seen a place manage that though. So that's something.

Anyhow, welcome in to all you new people, I hope the Hold has been kind so far. If you're homesick cheer up, it could be so much more terrible around these parts. The group missions aren't so bad. You got armed and you got money and maybe you won't even be here a long time. The future looks bright, right?

[Jaime chooses to use the video function for a couple of reasons: the first is that he’s really, really hoping that someone he can trust will be able to recognize his face if not his voice and the second is that he hopes others will use it too. He doesn’t look happy in the slightest, but he also doesn’t look quite as terrified as he probably should be.] Hi. I guess I’m supposed to introduce myself here. I’m Jaime.

Uh, I already got the run-down from that spooky-weapons-lady a little earlier, but I’m guessing I didn’t get everything about this place because all this? Still makes no sense. So if there’s anything I should know... [He trails off, gaze diverted up into the sky. He tears his eyes away from whatever he's looking at to address the network again.] Aaaanyway, I'm starting to get used enough to this place that I know I'm not gonna make it home in time for dinner anytime soon, but I still want to hear how legit all this is from people who don't actually benefit from spoon feeding me this in--

[He's staring up again. There is a definite boom, and Jaime's eyes widen as he ducks his head as if that will somehow protect him from any debris] Did that spaceship just explode--

[Fade to black as Jaime unceremoniously shoves the device into his pocket, though he does announce his apparent survival a little after the hubbub is wrapped up with the voice-only addition of:] Next time I say I'm even starting to think about getting used to this place, someone should probably hit me. Are exploding spaceships just a thing here?

[Bette is on the network right away, as soon as she’s understood how to use the tablet. Never one to sit around bored or alone, she’s immediately setting out to make connections, to try to prove herself, to show that there’s a reason as to why she was chosen to be here. After all, it couldn’t just be pure chance, right? This was it. This was her moment.

The screen crackles to life and there’s Bette, her mask on, her eyes shining bright from behind her sunny yellow lenses. Any confusion, any worry has been pushed aside to be dealt with later. Right now, she’s just happy to have been chosen to help save the world.]

You know, I’m gonna say it. This place? Not so different from Gotham City. Okay, sure, there’s no creepy architecture, but the stink, the darkness, the gloom, the doom, I’m already getting a sense that it’s all here.

Not gonna lie, that’s kind of why I miss SoCal. Which may or may not even exist anymore, as I understand it?

But that’s besides the point for now.

[There’s a brief pause as Bette contemplates something.]

So, who wants to hang out? Explore? Show me all the stuff that needs to be shown? And, you know, if there’s like anyone here who considers themselves a Titan, Teen or otherwise, drop me a line or something. So we can do, like, a Titans get-Together thing.