~ Marcus in the dining hall with the others ~<br/><br/>He had been prepared for it, knew it was coming, yet the moment it was said, Marcus suddenly found himself at a loss for words.  His mind warred with his mouth and he could only stare at Mari, sure that the knowledge that he knew in advance was plastered all over his face for all of them to see.  He thought it would be easy to play the game and hide his thoughts, but he suspected he was failing miserably.  How did actors do it, play a role that was totally alien to them, and pull it off?   His mind whirled as he watched Mari look from him to Bo, her words almost nervous, hesitant, like she was afraid of what this new arrival would do to the group.  It made sense, in a way; they’d had a long night together and already begun building up trust in each other.  Throwing someone new into the mix brought an unknown quality to the experiment but it was necessary to meet his end goal.<br/><br/>As Mari said her peace and then moved to get something to eat, Marcus tracked her movements, once again noticing how beautiful she was, even under pressure.  He could admire that quality about her, loved it in fact.  Though she was clearly affected by the news, she was trying her best not to show it.  A noise to the left caught his attention and he turned, his eyes falling on a young man standing in the doorway.  There was a moment of silence as their eyes met.  Marcus kept his expression neutral but took the time to study the man standing before him.  He had youthful good lucks and a well toned body, which was currently standing a little stiff.  Marcus bobbed his head slightly to acknowledge his presence but chose not say anything in that moment, using the silence to recall the facts that he knew from his memory.<br/><br/>David Hamilton was an American in his late twenties, with a youthful look and a toned body.  A professional rugby player who kept himself in shape, he was also a man with an inner strength, at least from what Marcus could determine.  It was all there in his file, his life, his dreams, his hopes, but only he had read it.  The others knew nothing about this man, knew only that he was suddenly here, in their space, and that they had to try and accept him.  He’d been chosen as the alternate, instead of the primary, because Marcus had wanted some diversity to the group and Vince’s Irish background had provided that.  At least that had been the main reason.  He’d also had a concern about his dominance and how well he’d be able to work with himself and Bo.  It wasn’t anything he saw or read, just a gut feeling he’d gotten, and since he’d wanted as much diversity as possible it had been easy to name him the alternate and make Vince the primary.  Things had changed though and it was time to see what he was made of, good or bad.<br/><br/>The minute Bo stood and shook his hand then introduced them Marcus let a smile cross his face.  Pushing off the counter, schooling his features carefully, he approached David and clasped his hand in a hard shake.  “Welcome aboard, David” he said, his voice warm.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.  Why don’t you grab some food and join us.  I’m sure everyone is dying to learn something about you.  After all, we’re stuck with each other for a while.”  He let go of his hand then and returned to the counter, filling a plate with fruit and toast before taking a seat next to Mila.  Reaching under the table, he gave her knee a squeeze and then made eye contact with everyone else, making sure they saw his smile.<br/>