<div align="center"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: courier;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Scene 01</strong></span></span></div><br/><hr/><br/><strong>Location</strong>: The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Elevator to Conference Hall 01<br/><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br/><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br/><strong>Who</strong>: Indira Patel<br/><br/><hr/><br/>"Smile!" Indira chirped as the elevator doors slid shut. She spun around on her heel so she could face her assortment of pilots - and one pilot trainee. It was a good selection. Tianran, the ever dutiful ace pilot. Afia, an experienced pilot when it concerned the spawn but more importantly she’d experienced the brunt of the war and survived it. Julie, young and green in nearly all areas but she had promise and was also a surviving witness in their war against the demons. Three different ranks and three different stories, but they represented the commonality all pilots shared well.<br/><br/>The woman gave them an adept demonstration of what exactly she was looking for - an energetic, fresh, and pearly flash of teeth with a confident glimmer in her gaze. It was the smile of a politician or an entertainer. "Unless, of course, the tone turns sad. Then you’d best not smile and instead look serious.”<br/><br/>Indira’s facial expression shifted to give another demonstration of what she expected of them. Her mouth set into a firm line and the corners of her eyes crinkled as she took on a solemn demeanor. The expression almost made Indira seem like an entirely different person. Director Indira Patel, the director of ADAMS Public Relations, was a cheerful and optimistic woman. It was rare for her body language to suggest anything else. At forty-five she was at the prime of her life. Some people treasured their twenties and thirties for their life’s success, though Indira was treasuring her life success right then and there. She had never felt more powerful and beautiful; it showed in how she spoke and carried herself.<br/><br/>The director let out a brief chuckle. That single sound washed away all the solemnity from her body and was replaced with an upbeat, though more lowkey attentiveness as she continued with her instruction to them about the press conference. The glowing numbers that indicated their steady rise to the top floor blinked gold. A fitting color considering how expensive and prestigious the hotel was. “Following standard protocol you are not to endorse any corporate entities or political organizations, not even your own union or country. Pilots have no political affiliations beyond 'kill spawn and demons'. PR handled the nitty gritty and hardball questions yesterday, so you’ll mostly be handling the fluff and morale questions. But be careful. Someone might decide to get clever.”<br/><br/>Indira gave their faces a quick scan and offered a soft smile. “How are you all feeling? Are you nervous? It's alright if you're nervous.”