[The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Light =&gt; Light: Human Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Dotley on 14-09-2013, 01:26:42</h2>
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				Title: <strong>[The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>14-09-2013, 01:26:42</strong>
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				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>The Grigori Program</strong></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong></span></span></div><br><div align="center">“A thousand may fall at your left side,<br>ten thousand at your right hand.<br>But it will not touch you."<br><br>— Psalm 91, the Grigori Pilot's Boast</div><br><hr><br>Welcome to Episode 01 of the Grigori Program!<br><br><hr><br><div align="center"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Outside Navigation Links</strong></span></span></div><br><div align="center">[OOC] Info &amp; Chat (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=183545.msg8809833#msg8809833)<br>[OOC] Character Profiles (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=183557.0)<br>[OOC] Recruitment Thread (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=184938.0)<br></div><br><div align="center"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Inside Navigation Links</strong></span></span></div><br><div align="center">[02] Episode Summary (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=184970.msg8897500#msg8897500)<br>[03] Reserved Space<br>[04] Introduction (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=184970.msg8897540#msg8897540)<br>[05] Scene 01 (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=184970.msg8897713#msg8897713)<br></div>
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				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>14-09-2013, 01:26:53</strong>
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				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Episode Summary</strong></span></span></div><br><strong>Introduction</strong>: <em>How does he do it</em>? The introduction post to Episode 01 gives a snapshot into the morning routine of the pilots at ADAMS Headquarters. It also gives a sneak peek into the unsteady relationship between the Shepherd brothers, Allen and David, and reveals a rumor that a trainee is going to be promoted to pilot.<br><br><strong>Scene 01</strong>: <em>Smile!</em> The Public Relations department of ADAMS hosts a news conference at the prestigious Ritz-Gospel Hotel to both promote and ease concern over an upcoming combat mission that will extinguish a large group of nesting demon spawn. In order to appease the media masses ADAMS has selected a handful of trainees and Grigori pilots to assist in the numerous interviews. But the appearance of pilots won't satisfy the reporters and journalists with integrity. All of the official statements by ADAMS concerning the mission have been stingy with information. ADAMS has refused to release the location of the mission or identify the pilots that have will be assigned to operate the Grigori Units. <br><br>Ace pilot Tianran Jin, pilot Afia Durrani, and trainee Julie Tanaka are just a few Grigori Program participants that have been chosen to make an appearance to boost public morale and garnish support for the mission's objective. Though with such scarce information revealed they may be confronted with some challenging questions from members of the media hoping to dig up a bigger story. Indira Patel, the Director of Public Relations, has a chat with the trio before the press conference begins and they are subjected to the desperate scrutiny of the media. Overall Julie, Afia, and Tianran answer the journalist's admirably and the conference is considered a success.<br><br><strong>Scene 02</strong>: Pilots and trainees have gathered in the barrack's cafeteria to watch the press conference during breakfast. When Grigori Pilot Ian Harker notices Grigori Ace Pilot Cy Cabatuan sitting alone he decides to break the ice and join him at his empty table. After a brief conversation Cy excuses himself from the cafeteria.<br><br><strong>Scene 03</strong>: Percival Yao, the Director of Administration, calls Julie to his personal office to speak with her one on one before officially promoting her from trainee to pilot.<br><br><strong>Scene 04</strong>: The Research and Development department begin general testing and maintenance on the Grigori Units for an upcoming combat mission. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>14-09-2013, 01:27:02</strong>
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				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>x x x</strong></span></span></div><br><div align="center"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font">Reserved post.</span></div>
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				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>14-09-2013, 01:39:31</strong>
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				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Introduction</strong></span></span></div><br><hr><br><strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot’s Barracks - Cleansing Station<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: 6:25 am<br><strong>Who</strong>: David Shepherd and Allen Shepherd<br><br><hr><br><em>How</em>?<br><br>David pulled the corners of his mouth up into a gentle smile, but he wasn’t pleased with the face he saw in the mirror.<br><br>One of the very first life lessons that David had been taught was to smile. Like most important things his older brother, his Allen, had been the one to teach him how it was done. At first Allen’s lessons in smiling had been unintentional. Allen always seemed to be smiling and in David’s youth there had been no site more familiar than the upward curve of his brother’s lips. David had simply copied the movement in childish mimicry.<br><br>It wasn’t until David had been a little older that he’d realized the importance of smiling. That it was not just a game or a natural reaction, but an act that was subscribed rules and expectations. While Allen had taught him how to smile it was his parents who provided the why and ultimate reason for smiles. David had been an ornery child, easily frightened and unable to soothe himself. After the ease of raising Allen his parents had not been prepared to deal with such fussiness when all their knowledge of children garnered from books and lectures had proven ineffective in dealing with David. <br><br>His mother had enjoyed the title of mother but had disdained the act of mothering. If he was not calm and quiet in her presence she was unable to abide him. When he fussed he suddenly stopped being her child and temporarily became someone else’s. Unlike his mother his father had, in his own way, actually practiced parenthood. He’d never passed up an opportunity to berate frowns and tears. You should realize how lucky you are, his father would say. You should feel blessed for this life and be thankful to be my son, his father had said. <br><br>His father had only ever addressed their privileges when it could be used to scold them.<br><br>David thought of his father as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He stopped smiling. The noise of the locker room and showers swirled into a steady, easily ignored background noise as he brushed his teeth. It was lively that morning. All of the pilots tended to get up early, too many years of intense training had rewired their sleeping patterns into a militant cycle, but there was an excited instead of a sluggish energy in the air. He guessed everyone was looking forward to the press conference. David spat a mouthful of fizzy toothpaste into the sink and wiped his lips as he glanced over at the clock. Its glowing orange numbers indicated that the press conference would happen soon.<br><br>He wasn’t excited. David was just relieved that the Public Relations department hadn’t selected him to help field questions concerning the big upcoming mission. Though he didn’t understand why they hadn’t asked for Allen. Maybe they had, but Administration had told them no. Both of them had been assigned for routine synchronization rating tests to help out with preparations for the mission. David didn’t know for sure though. There was so much that ADAMS never told them.<br><br>“You look gloomy.” The smile Allen gave him as he took a sink right next to David sapped all of the grey and blue out of the word.<br><br>“Oh? No, I was just...thinking,” David murmured as he turned on the facet and cupped his hands to take a mouthful of water. He swished it around his mouth and spat again to clear the taste of mint from his tongue. <br><br>Allen made a soft noise that was neither agreement or disagreement with what David had said as he focused on preening himself. David liked and understood the importance of soap and toothpaste, but he’d never understand Allen’s attachment to facial scrubs, lotions, and concealer. Sometimes he wondered if Allen bothered with all of it because Public Relations wanted him to look handsome for photographs and interviews. It wasn’t like Allen had a girlfriend or boyfriend that he needed to look good for.<br><br>It was quiet between them for a while. David squinted at his face in the mirror and tossed a few searching glances over in his brother’s direction as he brushed his hair. He was going to need to dye it again soon. The brown roots were beginning to show in a few places.<br><br>“What were you thinking about?” Allen finally asked. He didn’t tilt his head in David’s direction and just kept looking at himself in the large mirror. A group of female pilots who were using the row of sinks behind them burst into a chorus of laughter as one of woman began to recount an embarrassing story about one of the trainees from last week. David used the sudden influx of noise as an opportunity to think over how he wanted to answer Allen’s question.<br><br>“Last night,” he started and then stopped. David pressed his lips together and swallowed before he continued talking. He frowned as he looked over at his brother. The concealer hid the dark circles that should have been under Allen’s eyes. David framed it as a question even though he already knew the answer. “You didn’t sleep again, did you?”<br><br>“No,” Allen denied smoothly. “I slept as much as I needed.”<br><br>“But-” David started again, but was interrupted by the pleasant good morning greetings of a man and woman who passed by them. They were both wrapped in their own towels and each carrying a toiletry bag. For a moment it seemed like pair had only stopped to be polite, though it quickly became obvious they wanted to talk with Allen.<br><br>“Shepherd, you’ve heard the newest news, right?” the dark haired man asked.<br><br>“Ah, no. I don’t believe I have. Would you mind telling me?” Allen said with an easy and apologetic smile that had the man and woman reacting like they’d just won something.<br><br>“One of the trainees is going to be granted piloting clearance later today,” the woman said. She didn’t seem to mind telling Allen at all. “We think it’s gonna be the third González or - what’s Wallflower’s name?”<br><br>Silence settled over the group for a few seconds though Allen was quick to break it by offering up the correct answer. “Tanaka.”<br><br>“Shepherd, how do you keep track of them all? I can remember all of us, but there’s just too many of the trainees coming and going to remember all their names. How do you do it?”<br><br>David turned his gaze to the floor and tuned out the conversation at that point. He didn’t need to look up to know that Allen would still be smiling. <em>How</em>? Allen would pull up the corners of his mouth, flash his teeth, and there’d be a light in his brown eyes. David had never learned to smile with his teeth. When they’d been younger Allen had used to tease him for it. He used to press the pads of his thumbs hard against David’s cheek and ask him where his teeth were hiding. Brotherly love could never offset the casual cruelty of siblings during childhood.<br><br>“See you later, little Shep.”<br><br>"Later," David repeated out of reflex. He blinked as he drew his gaze back up and watched the man and woman walk off towards the showers together. They were chuckling about something and Allen's smile was still glued onto his face even though their backs were turned. He opened his mouth to try and bring back their conversation.<br><br>“Allen-”<br><br>“We need to report to central command before we suit up for synchronization testing.”<br><br>David obediently closed his mouth and nodded. He zipped up his own tolietry bag and walked by Allen's side as they left the cleansing changing. Out of the corner of his eye he could still see Allen's smile. His brother nodded and greeted good morning to the other pilots and trainees that they passed on their way there. Just watching Allen smile so much made David's mouth ache with sympathy. But it also sparked confusion in him and made him a little sick.<br><br><em>How does he do it?</em><br><br><hr><br><div align="center"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>End of Introduction</strong></span></span></div>
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				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>14-09-2013, 02:16:06</strong>
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				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><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.”
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				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>14-09-2013, 05:00:41</strong>
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				<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>: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>Julie could not help but smile slightly at Indira’s abrupt shift from chipper to serious, and then back again. This whole situation seemed silly. To be sure, the young trainee understood the importance of it all—the more positively the general public felt about the Grigori Program, the less they resented the economic burden it created. But however necessary this might be, there was something absurd about being paraded around as if she were a celebrity. She thought of fame as meaningless—it was the desire of misguided individuals who could not tell the difference between actual happiness and mere ego gratification. Julie’s life was far from perfect, but she was content for the most part. And she was secure enough in who she was that she got nothing out of the attention of complete strangers.<br><br>Still, press was better than the photo shoots. There was nothing quite as ridiculous as striking poses, trying to follow absurd instructions about how to project the mood they wanted, and wearing those outfits. The schoolgirl stuff was the worst—she felt like a fetish object instead of a person. And it seemed more than a little dishonest when they tried to make her look “exotic.” Julie had never set foot outside the North American Union in her life, and only knew a few phrases in Japanese. Whatever her ancestry she was as American as mom, apple pie, and morbid obesity. Hell, she still had a slight Boston accent—a few weeks ago she had gotten some unintentional laughs from her fellow pilots by accidentally pronouncing “car” as “cah.”<br><br>At Indira’s instructions Julie nodded, and then answered. “I’m not too nervous really—I know this is important, but it’s not like it’s life-or-death. Unless I find a way to say something so catastrophically wrong that someone slaps me with a glove and challenges me to a duel,” she joked.<br><br>But there was no reason to think she would be under any particular scrutiny. Unlike Tianran and Afia, Julie had no accomplishments of note and there was nothing all that interesting about her life—sadly, there was nothing special these days about losing one’s family to demons.
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				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>15-09-2013, 17:00:30</strong>
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				<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> Tianran Jin<br><br><hr><br>When they told him that morning that he would be reporting for a press release, the first thing he did was inject himself with painkillers. If he wasn’t going to be flying today, he sure as hell wasn’t going to sit through a volley of inane questions <em>and</em> unmedicated pain. <br><br>This was not Tianran's first press release, nor would it be his last. He had been flying missions for ten years and until the arrival of the Shepherd siblings, had been a favorite in the PR department. His own ambivalence towards the public relations aspect of the Program was not a secret to anyone, but PR valued his ability to keep a straight face. Not once had he broken character on the mic stand, even when asked the most incisive questions about his allegiance to the Asian Union and his family. <br><br>Once they had asked, “Does it bother you that the Grigori Program is uninvolved in providing relief for food shortages? We have been told that your home region is heavily affected by the famine.” <br><br>“Pilots have no say in the Program’s allocation of manpower or resources. Those decisions are left to the council,” he had responded. The solemn, stern look on his face was replaced by a faint, polite smile by the time the next question rolled around. That was how he had gotten through these meetings for his whole life: just wear the same polite smile until somebody asked a question that deserved a punch in the face. Then wear nothing at all until it passed. <br><br>Indira’s concern was not directed at him, he knew. After working with her for so many years, he could usually read between the lines of what she said. If any of them were suffering from nerves, then they had better get it off their chests here, behind the scenes, rather than on camera. He glanced at Julie as she spoke, quietly appraising her. <br><br>He had never exchanged words with her, although this was not unusual, given his lack of involvement with the trainees. She seemed competent, if a bit green around the ears. At least she had some exposure to PR life, even if she had never flown before. Tianran had heard that she was involved in some of “those” PR photoshoots, the ones that dressed up the young and pretty trainees in an attempt to appeal to a younger group of potential enlistees. He was loath to admit that he had been on a few of those photo shoots himself, when he was a young trainee. While PR preferred the family-friendly, wholesome ads for prime time, the ads like Julie’s and Tianran’s had proven to have some success on college campuses. They certainly weren’t Indira’s favorites in the promotional portfolio, but they flew beneath the radar and raked in a good batch of soldiers every year. <br><br>She would do fine. Maybe. Tianran honestly didn’t know much about her other than what he had heard through the PR grapevine. When she made a joke, he snorted softly. She’d be lucky to have something so interesting happen. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>16-09-2013, 10:23:06</strong>
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				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Scene 02</strong></span></span></div><br><hr><br><strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot’s Barracks - Cafeteria<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br><strong>Who</strong>: Ian Harker<br><br><hr><br>“Turn it up!” A female voice pierced through the cacophony of the cafeteria. Opposing choruses of <em>yes</em> or <em>no</em> and even a childish <em>no you turn it up</em> erupted from different tables, though the demand was eventually met. The volume of the flat screen televisions strategically placed on the walls of cafeteria were turned up. Ian tried to ignore everyone’s chatter as his eyes skimmed across that morning’s breakfast spread. It wasn’t anything special, but it was good and Ian wasn’t one to complain about food. Not when there was so much of it. Being one of ADAMS dogs had many of its perks and privileges, and consistent access to food was probably the biggest one. <br><br>“And ya’ll need to shut it. I wanna hear this. That’s our people gonna be up there.” A male voiced bellowed from the far end of the cafeteria. The same chorus of agreement and disagreement wavered across the cafeteria, though the overall noise level did lower. Ian wasn’t particularly looking forward to watching the press conference while he was eating, but if everyone was busy watching it that meant breakfast might be relatively quiet for once. The options for breakfast that morning was the usual rice, different styles of heated bread, eggs, some type of porridge that Ian definitely wasn’t eating, and a variety of fruits. It didn’t take him long to make his selection. He pointed out what he wanted and one of the kitchen personnel served it up on his tray.<br><br>“Harker,” a familiar voice greeted as Ian was just about to place his drink order.<br><br>“&lt;Where’s your tray, Vasquez?&gt;” Ian asked in Spanish after greeting his friend with a lazy smile.<br><br>“&lt;Nothing for me. I’ve got to report for synch testing in a hour. Just getting some coffee. You getting the same?&gt;”<br><br>When Ian nodded Vasquez went ahead and asked for two coffees. One black and one with extra sugar. As they waited for their drinks Ian glanced over his shoulder to choose out his seat. The cafeteria was full though quite a few trainees and pilots were missing their trays. Ian guessed they were only there to watch the press conference. There weren’t that many open seats, with one exception. There was one table full of empty seats. Vasquez caught Ian’s wandering eyes and followed his gaze. They both stared at the figure that sat all alone. “&lt;You know that’s Cyborg, yeah? He’s all touchy about that name now though.&gt;”<br><br>“No shit,” Ian murmured in response as he looked away from Cy and reached for his coffee as the kitchen personnel set the two cups down on the counter. He went for the black one but Vasquez snatched it up before Ian’s fingers could wrap around it. Ian scowled as he realized the joke before the other pilot said it.<br><br>“&lt;Hey now, this one isn’t for you. Sugar needs to take his sugar,&gt;” Vasquez said as a grin that was worthy of smacking off his face took over his mouth. The best response would have been to just outright ignore it, but Ian couldn’t do it. Ian told Vasquez to go fuck himself as he picked up the coffee with extra sugar. It was a tired joke, but for some reason no one seemed to get tired of it. Ian didn’t really like having Sugar as his call sign, but there were worst call signs to have. At least his didn’t have an embarrassing story behind it. Sugar because of the sugar skulls he helped make and decorated during Día de Muertos. Sugar because his personality was far from sweet. The nickname probably wouldn’t have even stuck if Ian hadn’t reacted so vehemently against it the first few times people had called him it.<br><br>Vasquez was still wearing his shit eating grin as he sipped his coffee and said goodbye before making his way out of the cafeteria. Ian set his coffee down on his tray and picked it up. He left the line and started off towards one of the more crowded tables to go sit with some other people he was on friendly terms with, but something stopped him. The image of Cy sitting there with only his breakfast for company made Ian turn around and head towards the deserted table. <br><br>When had he turned into such a goddamn sap? He was going to have to fix that later, but for now he’d give in to it. Ian supposed there wasn’t any harm in it though. He’d never been all that close to Cy, but he did know the guy and Ian hadn’t really talked with him since the ADAMS higher ups had revoked his piloting clearance. Now that Cy had it back there was a possibility they might end up co-piloting Sariel some day soon.<br><br>Ian dropped his tray onto the table across from Cy and slumped down in one of the many open chairs. He turned his dark brown eyes onto Cy’s face. Ian didn’t give him a smile, but there wasn’t anything hostile or displeased in the way Ian sat or looked at the other man. “Hey Cabatuan,” Ian greeted as he lifted his fork and sliced himself a generously sized portion of egg to put into his mouth. “Been a while. What’s up with you?”
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				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kaiten</strong> on <strong>16-09-2013, 15:30:36</strong>
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				<strong>Location:</strong> ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot’s Barracks - Cafeteria<br><strong>Date:</strong> 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time:</strong> Morning<br><strong>Who:</strong> Cy Cabatuan<br><br><hr><br>An irritating twitch reverberated over Cy's synthetic eye as he walked through the familiar corridors of First Haven. His hand came up and massaged the affected area, only giving a slight reprieve, but still enough for it to be deemed effective. The eye always seemed to cause him trouble. Only top notch treatment for Grigori pilots. Of course whether it was from his mistakes or just lack of actual effective technology, it was far from being perfect. He could see well enough out of it, but the twitching caused problems, especially in cold weather. For a second, his gaze passed over a rather shiny panel, one that reflected his face back at him. He frowned a bit as he saw it, noticing a small tear that had escaped, due to the irritant.<br><br>"At least it was just the eyeball you lost, keep positive."<br><br>And he ended the muttering with a nod as he wiped away the tear. No, he still had to remember he had his life and he was still young. At least as young as a Grigori pilot who had been in the program since 15 could be, that tended to raise the mileage a bit more. Still, positivity was the word for today. He had time to get used to his surroundings again, which wasn't too hard, he quite liked this spartan lifestyle. As maddening as living what was close to a civilian life could be, the one thing he did miss was having his own kitchen. It was really the only way he could taste the food that his family made, even if he couldn't make it as perfectly as his parents.<br><br>And that reminded him as he felt his stomach rumble. Taking a hint, he headed to the cafeteria. Decent food, but not his favorite of course, and as soon as he got his food, sat down at a table. It was obvious that at this point, he'd be alone, he'd prepared for that. He doubtfully couldn't call old friends, friends anymore. At least, the ones that still survived. And anyone who hadn't met him before, were usually warned by others. With a sigh his eyes moved to the TV screens, at least that would make it feel less awkward. It was interesting to see the old spin-doctor at work, and he had sort of wished he had seen what exactly the PR department had come up with the day before. He wondered too if they had even announced his own return, but he doubted it. They sort of had to deny it happened. Either way, these were always entertaining to a degree, Indira carefully made it that way. He remembered his own first time in front of the camera. It was a simple question, it wasn't even meant to be tricky: "Do you ever want to visit your hometown while you're a pilot?"... Which he answered, "Hard to say, my hometown is underwater and in ruins." He had said it totally innocently, but he could tell that it almost gave PR a heart attack, and that was the end of his time in the limelight.<br><br>His attention was pulled away from memories and to a voice that came from a person opposite to him. He hadn't even noticed the entrance of said person until he spoke up. Cy's mouth curved in a small smile, despite the fact he received none from the man. It didn't matter, really he was trying to figure out who this man was so he focused less on the lack of smile to this man's identity.<br><br>"Oh... Harker was it? I remember you, I guess I never got to really get to know you. I was being put in a lot of missions back to back for those few years. I've been... fine... but that doesn't matter. You're certainly more seasoned."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>17-09-2013, 03:52:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot’s Barracks - Cafeteria<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br><strong>Who</strong>: Ian Harker<br><br><hr><br>Ian remembered Cy too. He’d known Cy since before the guy had been promoted to an ace, though Cy was a little older than him and he’d been in the program longer. But there was a big difference between knowing <em>of</em> someone and actually knowing them as an actual person. Ian only knew of Cy as a pilot and as someone who lived where he lived, ate where he ate, and breathed the same air he breathed. That fostered a sense of familiarity and camaraderie, but it wasn’t personal. And there were the rumors. Ian didn’t put much faith in gossip, but he’d learned rumors had some truth in them, even if they were all twisted up and mostly wrong. <br><br>He didn’t really know Cy and Cy didn’t really know him. But if Cy was back for good than there was a good chance they were going to be sitting together inside of Unit 03-Sariel at some point. And if that happened Ian would prefer it not be awkward. Though if Ian was being a hundred percent honest with himself it was also because he wanted to size up Cy too. He’d fucked up on his last mission and gotten his co-pilot killed. Almost gotten himself killed too. And that wasn’t a rumor – that was a solid indisputable fact. The ADAMS docs and higher ups might have decided Cy was good to fight and be back inside the cockpit despite his history, but sometimes ADAMS was wrong. If Ian was going to be in Sariel with Cy at any point in the future he wanted to have some confidence that the guy wasn’t going to flip out or repeat past mistakes.<br><br>Ian doubted he could discern if Cy was trustworthy in those regards over one breakfast, but it was a start.<br><br><em>Fine</em>? That was interesting word to choose and Ian didn’t miss out the pause. His lips parted as he placed a large forkful of yellowed egg into his mouth and took his time chewing as he looked at Cy. <em>Fine my ass</em>. Ian lifted a dark eyebrow at Cy as he swallowed. “Hear me out for a second. If a bunch of spawn beat my ass, my co-pilot died on me, I lost an eye, and then I was expected to forget all that and go back to work I’d be the exact fucking opposite of fine, but whatever. If you wanna call that <em>fine</em> than you go ahead and do that.”<br><br>His words weren’t intentionally cruel or combative. That was just the way Ian was. He wasn’t one for bullshitting or being tactful when being upfront was so much quicker and honest. Ian could have been polite and let Cy’s delayed fine get glossed over as he took Cy’s bait to talk about himself. But he didn’t. Ian could have given Cy a sympathy frown or smile and parroted twenty different ways of giving his condolences, but Ian didn’t do that either. If Ian was in Cy’s situation he wouldn’t want any of that nonsense so he didn’t hand it out.<br><br>“So, what? I’m the first person to talk with you today? Can’t help but notice the – you know.” Ian dropped his elbow onto the edge of the table and lifted his empty fork up in the air. He spun it around in a circle to point out all the empty chairs around them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kaiten</strong> on <strong>17-09-2013, 05:12:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location:</strong> ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot’s Barracks - Cafeteria<br><strong>Date:</strong> 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time:</strong> Morning<br><strong>Who:</strong> Cy Cabatuan<br><br><hr><br>Cy smiled a bit at how Ian's bluntness came across to him. It was a rather genuine laugh despite how rude and such the bluntness was, despite the lack of being intentionally cruel. Of course the bit of swearing he had to insert into it got rid a bit of its authenticity, but Cy was willing to let it go. In a way he could tell that perhaps Ian was trying to be empathetic and possibly not like any of the other people. Of course by saying what he was saying, he was... sort of creating a whole new sort of misunderstanding. But at least that one was easier to deal with.<br><br>"Well, I'm not you, am I? The spawn weren't the cause, my own actions or lack there of were. My friend didn't just die on me, I caused my friend's death. And, I'm lucky to have a back up eye, thank you."<br><br>His finger came up and tapped the synthetic eye, an odd sort of inorganic click sounding as it did. It didn't bother him enough now that his body had warmed it up enough, but it still twitched a bit from the vibrations of the tapping. It felt, to Cy at least, that Ian seemed to think that Cy had forgotten all his troubles, or at least didn't put enough emphasis on them. Truth was, he merely had rearranged the parts that had seemed more important, and then moved on.<br><br>"All my problems happened because I wasn't fine. So... yes... I am fine. It's how I'm moving on. Or did those years of mandatory rehab you probably heard about do nothing to me?"<br><br>And he smiled again, confident at least he had said exactly what he had come to understand about his situation, and to reconfirm his general goals to himself.<br><br>"And yes, you are the first to talk to me. Thank you for noticing."<br><br>With another small smile, he picked up his cup of tea, raising his cup as he had learned to do to western pilots, before putting it his to a lips.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Florence</strong> on <strong>19-09-2013, 00:11:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<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>: Afia Durrani<br><br><hr><br>To say that Afia considered these sort of things to be a waste of her time would be an understatement. Sure, public relations were important, strategically speaking, and all. ADAMS couldn't very well keep the Grigori Program afloat without the support of the people. That didn't change the fact, in Afia's eyes, that she was a soldier, not a diplomat, actress, model or whatever exactly they expected her to be for these events. Surely, she thought, there had to be other people with ADAMS better suited to smiling and answering questions and being a pretty face. Afia wasn't good at putting on a smile. She wasn't good at watching her words, giving the right answers instead of the ones she may actually believe. Afia wondered if perhaps she was supposed to be some poster girl token minority. Was she there to get them the Middle-Eastern support, or perhaps the transgender support. Afia had to assume there were more PR friendly people in either category within ADAMS, though perhaps none who were both in one, and a pilot on top of that. Hell, she was a lesbian too, so maybe she had more PR value than she gave herself credit for. She wasn't quite sure how she felt at the thought of being paraded about like that. Still, she owed a lot to ADAMS, she supposed, without them she had no hope of getting her revenge. When they say jump, she had little choice but to ask how high.<br><br>She looked around at the others, her lips neutral, but her eyes expressing her frustration at having to do all of this. Indira's cheerfulness was usually refreshing, but for some reason it just served to further annoy Afia today. It was hardly her fault though, everything that didn't get them closer to finishing this crap and doing something useful was annoying to Afia at the moment. When she asked if they were all nervous, Afia just let out a quiet sigh and replied in a neutral tone, "Frustrated and bored, but not nervous. When can we get back to doing our actual jobs again?"<br><br>She didn't mean to come off like the teenager sulking in the corner of the room, but every moment she was here she couldn't help but think that was a moment she wasn't crushing spawn under the heel of a Grigori, or training to do as much. She would go along with what ADAMS wished for her to do, but that didn't mean she would be thrilled about it. Still, as she took another breath she tried to remind herself that, as far as all the horrible things in the world went, this was probably not that bad. Hell, her childhood had been made up of essentially a string of events that could each individually qualify as worse than this. Yet still, this was all just time she wasn't be productive, and more importantly, wasn't furthering her vengeance.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>19-09-2013, 11:01:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<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>&nbsp;<br><hr> <br>Indira’s inquiry into how the group was feeling had been genuine. Though that didn’t mean she didn’t also have an ulterior motive for asking. Indira would have never made director if she hadn’t been able to harness her inclination to nurture into a tool to control other people. Her bubbly demeanor and cheerful nature wasn’t a façade, but Indira wasn’t made of fluff. Anyone who worked at ADAMS long enough realized that she was made of tougher stuff. At her core Indira was a mother. While her marriage was happily childless she considered the hundreds employees under her direction as her personal children. With so much of the world overrun with spawn and the threat of a demon attack always lurking mothers couldn’t afford to be soft.<br>&nbsp;<br>She was not soft. Indira had never been soft. And she wouldn’t – she couldn’t allow the pilots and trainee in front of her show softness during the press conference. Not that Indira was worried about that happening. So far she was pleased with their reactions. <br><br>Tianran wasn’t a concern for her. He’d never been a concern. For years Tianran had been one of their media darlings. He was able to articulate himself without superiority or shyness, visually appealing, and acquiescent to authority. It was a shame he’d developed softness. Indira couldn’t fault him for it, but it was a headache for her. She had done so much wheedling to hide his illness. But it was necessary. Administration refused to retire him and Tianran’s condition being revealed to the rest of ADAMS or the world at large simply wasn’t an option. Not with how fragile the economic and political climate for 2099 would be. ADAMS couldn’t risk it. Everything about the Grigori Program needed to look concrete and polished.<br><br>Despite Afia and Julie’s relative lack of experience with the press she wasn’t overly concerned with them either. So far Indira had confidence they would do well. Though a not so gentle reminder of their purpose for being there seemed necessary. Indira gave Julie’s joke a courtesy chuckle as she glanced behind her shoulder to check what floor they were on. Almost to the floor their conference hall was on. Indira set her eyes back on her pilot and trainee. She cleared her throat and gave a winning smile as she gave them both a hard look. “I'm glad to hear neither of you are experiencing any nervousness or anxiety. I will remind you that you are both doing your job right now. Your presence at this press conference is part of the moral obligation and responsibility you have to the world that you protect. The masses who pay for your training, food, water, and shelter deserve to see and hear what their generous donations and taxes have rewarded them with.”<br><br>The subtle glint in Indira's dark brown eyes and the strength of her smile didn't encourage challenge or disagreement.<br><br>“If you need a more detailed refresher on why your participation and cooperation with public relations is crucial to the success of ADAMS, well, I’m sure Tianran would be willing to discuss it with you in private. Or we can schedule a meeting with a legal department representative to go over the specifics of your enrollment into the program. But such matters will have to be handled later. Right now I expect you to conduct yourself with the professionalism you would display if you were in the cockpit of a Grigori. Is this understood, Pilot Durrani? Trainee Tanaka?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>19-09-2013, 16:02:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<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>: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br><em>Maybe they should look around at all their non-destroyed communities and non-torn-to-shreds loved ones if they want to see what they’re paying for.</em> She was more than a little jealous regarding the latter, but immediately pushed that line of thought aside. Julie did not care how bad the economy got—for anyone to begrudge the needs of the Grigori Program felt inexcusable to her. Of course, she did not dare say any of this aloud with Indira glaring at them. “Completely understood,” she replied with conviction, allowing no hint of what she had been thinking to show in her expression or tone.<br><br>It occurred to the prospective pilot that there was some humor in the fact that she had to handle the Director of Public Relations in the same way she had to handle the press. Julie would never want to lie to any of them, but they would all get the most sugar-coated version of the truth possible.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Florence</strong> on <strong>19-09-2013, 22:27:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<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>: Afia Durrani<br><br><hr><br>Afia looked at Indira for a moment, before hesitantly nodding her head and replying, "Understood."<br><br>She immediately looked away and tried to focus on pushing out all the negative thoughts concerning this. She knew she needed to be professional, and she would do her best. It didn't mean she'd like it, though. She couldn't wait to get out of this and go home, maybe relax with a nice cigar, put on a movie... All she knew was that she couldn't wait for this borefest to be done with. Until it was, however, she'd act like a good little soldier and march where she was ordered to march and act like she was ordered to act. She was never quite good at mustering a fake smile, so hopefully a neutral expression would be acceptable, it was that or a bored scowl.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>20-09-2013, 01:05:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<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>&nbsp;<br><hr> <br>“Excellent.” The glint in Indira’s eyes vanished with a simple blink. Indira didn’t have direct disciplinary authority over pilots. She wasn’t Director Yao, or the Head of the program, or one of their tactical commanders. But as a director of ADAMS she had enough authority to chide and demand cooperation so she could fulfill the duties of her own job. <br><br>Indira gave each of them a quick look up and down as she double checked their appearances. Their uniforms? Check, but it was a bit disappointing they couldn’t show them in their actual piloting suits. Indira understood that it wasn’t feasible. The piloting suits had been designed and constructed for optimal performance inside the Grigori Unit and survivability. An impressive example of human technology, but to the average layman the suits were just odd looking. They were just so radically different compared to the uniform of a regular soldier. Their hair? Check. Their faces? Check. It seemed they were ready to the meet the - <em>wait</em>.<br><br>She took a step towards Tianran and brought her hand up. With great concentration Indira readjusted and smoothed out the collar of Tianran’s uniform. Indira didn’t bother to ask permission before touching him. In another situation or field of work it would have been rude, but she’d been working with Tianran for so long it just didn’t matter anymore. At least, it didn’t matter to Indira. Last minute appearance adjustments were second nature to her. Straightening a collar was low on the list of invasive acts that Indira had committed on pilots. She’d personally plucked eyebrows and trimmed nails seconds before a pilot was ushered out onto a stage before. Indira’s approach to directing was hands on and involved.<br><br>When the slight crease in Tianran’s uniform collar was fixed she dropped her hand and gave them all a nod before she turned around to face the elevator doors. “Good luck,” she said warmly, though her voice lowered with her next words as she abruptly switched to Chinese. “&lt;Yao is here.&gt;”<br><br>The elevator doors slid open and Indira walked out into the buzz of the press conference.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>20-09-2013, 02:24:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot’s Barracks - Cafeteria<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br><strong>Who</strong>: Ian Harker<br><br><hr><br>Ian racked his brain trying to remember if Cy had been much of a cocky cock before the mission that had cost him his eye and his partner. He couldn’t recall any outstanding incidents of arrogance, though the way Cy talked about what had happened made him sound like he was chewing on a big slice of humble pie. Ian was tempted to just tell Cy to just swallow it already, but Ian’s mouth was busy chewing and swallowing real food. <br><br>He watched Cy with an impassive expression that only dropped for a few seconds when the man touched his own eyeball. Technically his cyborg-like eyeball. Ian stopped chewing egg for a moment as he openly stared at Cy’s eye. It wasn’t Ian’s first time seeing someone with an prosthetic body part, but Ian hadn’t grown up around ADAMS luxuries. He’d certainly grown up <em>near</em> it considering the cities of Portland and First Haven were both in the pacific northwest. While Portland wasn’t a hell zone it didn’t really attract the type of people who could afford spendy prosthetics. Because of that Ian still found himself vaguely curious whenever he saw someone with one. He didn’t stare too long though and didn’t stop paying attention to what Cy was saying.<br><br>Ian shrugged his shoulders when the other man mentioned rehab. The gesture managed to seem neither dismissive or disagreeable. “Why’re you asking me? I don’t know you. But you sure make it sound like it did something for you though. So, congrats on that.”<br><br>While Ian didn’t return Cy’s silent toast he did give the other pilot a slight quirk of his lips in response to Cy’s own smile. Instead of reaching for his coffee cup Ian kept his fingers curled around his fork and began to hack up his already sliced pieces of fruit into even smaller bits so that he could stir it up with his scrambled eggs. Elsewhere in the cafeteria stragglers for breakfast had shown up and the television screens had announced that the press conference would start shortly. “Yeah, couldn’t help noticing most everyone is avoiding you. What’d you do or say since you got back operating clearance? You know, other than the whole mission failure thing. Cause no one could get ignored on this level without some other fuckup along with it.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>20-09-2013, 11:17:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location:</strong> The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Elevator to Conference Hall 01, Conference Hall 01<br><strong>Date:</strong> 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time:</strong> Morning<br><strong>Who:</strong> Tianran Jin<br><br><hr><br>Tianran almost smirked at Afia's comment. At least one of them could say what was on their minds, even if it didn't make much of a difference. To be honest, he wasn't sure which of his duties he preferred, if any. The defining factor nowadays was how many analgesics he was allowed to have in his system, depending on the task. His Grigori cockpit monitor and the seas of cameras that awaited them were just so many blinking lights, at the end of the day. <br><br>It was funny that Indira didn't rebuke him by name. Even if he were to conduct himself better in front of the interviewers, he had no doubt that Julie and Afia were more dedicated to the program. In this instance, however, it didn't matter so much what was in your heart, just what came out of your mouth. <br><br>His impassive expression broke as Indira reached out for him. His limbs tensed up, ready to respond to the invasion of his space, but they smoothed out again as soon as he realized what she was doing. With all the grace of a schoolboy, he waited for Indira to fix his uniform. <br><br>"Thank you," he said, not sounding very thankful. At the mention of Yao, he arched an eyebrow. If she was trying to be subtle, then Yao probably wasn't making a public appearance. If so, why tell only him? It wouldn't change the way he would act. Before he could devote too much thought to it, the elevator doors opened out onto the rest of the world. <br><br>The elevators deposited them in the hallway directly in front of the conference room doors, with a pathway to the door marked off by velvet ropes. Several photographers and reporters (probably those who couldn't get a seat in the actual press conference) were crowded around the velvet ropes, looking to catch anything before the doors shut in their faces. Indira led the pilots to and through the doors without a single word or glance in their direction, no clamor and no fuss. <br><br>The interior of the conference room was well lit and tasteful, with chairs laid out in an audience format in front of panel tables at the head of the room. Indira and the pilots walked down the center aisle, causing most of the reporters and photographers in the room to get to their feet. However, the atmosphere was relatively relaxed. Not all of the seats were full and the reporters seemed to be showing some decorum, taking a few photos but not in excess. The volume of the room did not raise above a dull hum as the pilots made their way to their seats behind the tables. Those seats were marked with glasses of water and name cards in their native languages and Roman letters. <br><br>Tianran walked as he was accustomed to walking. Shoulders back, spine straight, chin up, and as if his side was not throbbing with pain. Casually scanning the crowd, he recognized a few faces from previous conferences. They seemed to have gotten older. He supposed he had as well. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>20-09-2013, 17:44:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Elevator to Conference Hall 01, Conference Hall 01<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br><strong>Who</strong>: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>Julie thought she heard Indira mutter something to Tianran in...she could not remember if he spoke Mandarin or Cantonese, but neither were intelligible to the pilot trainee regardless. The elevator door then slid open. <em>Here we go.</em><br><br>When Julie had said she was “not too nervous,” she had meant it in the sense of “not too nervous to do this.” If Indira thought the group’s youngest pilot was not nervous at all, she was incorrect. Despite her reputation and call sign Julie was not exactly shy—that implied that she feared social embarrassment, which was not the case. But she did have a need to keep to herself, and the end result was just about the same as shyness anyway. There was already enough pain in the world without excessive attachment—if her colleagues did not really get to know her and she did not really get to know them, then she was not hurt too badly if any of them died. And they were not hurt too badly if she died. What made her a little nervous was that in theory a press conference like this was supposed to be about people getting to know her—though in actual practice it was just about telling people what they wanted to hear, and she was fine with that.<br><br>As they walked to the conference room and on to the table, Julie managed a few polite smiles and little waves to the cameras—the photographers were just doing their jobs, and she did not begrudge them that. Finally she took her seat, and settled in to weather what would at best be a tedious affair.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>25-09-2013, 06:51:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Conference Hall 01<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br><strong>Who</strong>: Indira Patel<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br>Once the pilots had settled in their seats Indira gave them all one last gracious smile and expectant look before she made her way off to the side of the room. A flutter of other public relations crowded around her and Indira gave out a few questions instructions to her subordinates to settle before the press conference officially began. The back doors were closed, security did a final scan to ensure who was present was supposed to be present, and the microphones were all given a final test to make sure sound quality was high. When all the final checks were done Indira took a deep breath and gave the signal to begin.<br><br>The noise level in the room dropped down to silence as a public relations legal representative, a short man with dark hair that was peppered with grey, gave the press conference’s opening statement and officially reminded everyone present of legal and safety obligations in both English and Mandarin Chinese. A young woman with dark skin and curly hair stood at his side and acted as an American Sign Language interpreter. While the opening was taken care of Indira slowly milled up and down the right side of the room. Her eyes scanned the crowd as she tried to find Director Yao, but she didn’t see him anywhere. She would never admit it, but his sudden decision to discreetly observe the press conference had set her on edge.<br><br>Indira just couldn’t figure out what it really <em>meant</em> in the grand scheme of things. All she knew was that if the press conference didn’t to go well before it needed to go perfectly now.<br><br>It had taken ADAMS years to figure out the best procedure for taking and answering questions. Gone were the days of preference for certain individuals or seniority declaring which news outfit or journal went first. Now it was all randomized. For the most part. Sometimes it was necessary for ADAMS to shift their randomized results into something not entirely random. But for the most part things were done more fair than in previous eras. The Independent, a popular newspaper from Britain, was the first up. When their reporter was called up he quickly made his way to one of the microphones set up in the aisles. A few more reporters were also called up and took their places in line behind him.<br><br>The man was middle aged with a splash of freckles across his nose. His tie didn’t match the rest of his outfit and there was a tired edge to his voice. “Daniel Murray, from the Independent. Earlier this morning the city of Belfast, of the United Kingdom, was besieged by a large band of demon spawn. Civilian casualties are high, evacuation efforts have been slowed due to widespread structural damage to transportation centers, and ADAMS has yet to release an official statement if military aid will be offered. Do any of you have a message of hope to offer to the survivors of Belfast?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Florence</strong> on <strong>27-09-2013, 11:13:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Conference Hall 01<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br><strong>Who</strong>: Afia Durrani<br><br><hr><br>Afia felt like a sheep as she was herded to her seat, and at there looking as... absolutely neutral as possible, without looking completely bored. The first part of that was fairly easy, the second... well, that was significantly more difficult for the Afghan pilot. Still, she did what she could and tried to act like she actually gave a damn about the questions being asked and whether or not they liked the answers they received. All she wanted to do was get out of here and get back to training. Regardless of what rhetoric Indira might give to them about this being their job too, it didn't feel like it was. It didn't feel as though they were striking a mighty blow against demonkind by sitting around answering some reporters. It felt like they were absolutely wasting time.<br><br>When the first reporter spoke, Afia's facial expression remained largely solid, whether through indifference or force of will was hard to tell from the outside, but there was a subtle look of pain. The thought that demonspawn where assailing cities just that morning and now they were talking about at some conference, rather than stomping them under the heels of their Grigori. It wasn't exactly a shocking revelation, but it was one she disliked being reminded of. She stayed silent on this one, she knew herself well enough to know she did not know the 'proper' way to answer this; the answer that would appease the masses as well as their overseers. She also knew that was far more important than actually speaking her own mind.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>27-09-2013, 15:52:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Conference Hall 01<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br><strong>Who</strong>: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>Julie was content to let any question not addressed directly to her be answered by the others—she had the least amount of seniority after all. Though she did not let her expression change, the young pilot found the question incredibly stupid. The pilots had nothing to do with overall strategic planning for ADAMS, and therefore could not offer any meaningful “hope” other than pointless, boilerplate sympathy. If this man did not know that then he was completely unqualified to do his job. If he did know, then he was probably hoping he could trick a pilot into saying something out of turn to cause a minor scandal and increase his readership. In which case, he could go fuck himself.<br><br>For her part, Julie found any demonic incursion troubling. But she could not allow herself to become emotionally invested in every attack, any more than a doctor could become attached to all her patients. That kind of behavior could only lead to complete burnout or even a nervous breakdown. It would be impossible to explain the need for professional detachment without appearing callous, so she would at no point address the subject.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>29-09-2013, 05:58:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location:</strong> The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Conference Hall 01<br><strong>Date:</strong> 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time:</strong> Morning<br><strong>Who:</strong> Tianran Jin<br><br><hr><br>Tianran glanced down the table at the other two pilots to see if either of them were going to answer. Afia's reticence was most clear, as she was seated next to him, but he didn't see Julie's mouth moving either. He could hardly blame her, green as she was, but Afia ought to be able to drum up some sympathy. 'Amateurs,' he thought, and cleared his throat. <br><br>"Thank you for your question, Mr. Murray. As you may be aware, the current policy of ADAMS is to refrain from deploying the Grigori until civilian evacuation is complete. This policy may only be waived in the event that city authorities decide to compromise evacuation with Grigori battle maneuvers. As for conventional ground aid, ADAMS soldiers are trained to work specifically with the Grigori. The European Union's troops are better suited to the task for the time being." <br><br>He paused to allow that to sink in. He had to make it seem like he was carefully considering his words and not simply reciting the fill-in-the-bank speech templates he had to memorize for years. <br><br>"That said, we pilots wish that we could do more to avert this tragedy. Saving lives is our top priority and as soon as we are able to do so, we will," he said. For the next part, Tianran looked directly into the camera. He tried to soften his brow and jaw, adopt that look that he had perfected in his youth, but it didn't come as easily as usual. How strange. Well, he didn't have the time to worry about that now. <br><br>"To the survivors of Belfast, you are a credit to humankind. The most important thing we can do now is to go on living. Never give up hope and know that soon, the demons will have to answer for what they've done." <br><br>He turned away from the camera. <br><br>"Next question, please."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>04-10-2013, 21:22:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Conference Hall 01<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br><strong>Who</strong>: Indira Patel<br>&nbsp;<br><hr> <br>Indira let out a quiet sigh as she watched Tianran intercept the question that the others failed to react to. <em>Darling, golden boy</em>. Out of all the pilots he was one that she took personal pride in. Indira had seen him enter the program and watched him flourish. Where once he was a skinny boy from nowhere he was now one of best Grigori pilots living at one of the most secure and advanced city in the world. His obedience and ability to, at least in front of a camera, be personable had made him into one of their go-to pilots for media appearances. Yet all good things eventually came to the end.<br>&nbsp;<br>It was very likely she would see his time in the program and his life end. But there would be others to replace him. It was an unkind thing to think, but it was true. The world was an unkind place to be these days. The Shepherd brothers had already begun to fill up the holes for media appearances as Tianran started to appear less and less to the public. One day soon he’d make his last appearance. And then there would be even more holes to fill. Perhaps even Afia or Julie would help fill in the new gaps Tianran’s total absence would cause. They were hesitant for now, but in the past Indira had been surprised by which trainees and pilots ended up adapting well to their moments in the spotlight and who ended up choking.<br><br>The sea of reporters and journalists all took intent notes on their phones and tablets as Tianran finished speaking. There were only a few old school types handwriting out their notes. With Daniel Murray’s question answered the man’s time in front of the microphone was completed. He made his way back to his seat and the next person stepped up. She was an attractive older woman with a dignified peppering of grey in her dark hair. The glasses and heels she wore looked expensive. <br><br>“Kathrina Stone, from the New York Times,” she introduced herself in a crisp and even tone. “It is ADAMS policy in the event of a demon or spawn attack that a Grigori Unit can only be deployed after civilians have successfully been evacuated from an area due to the amount of damage that occurs during Grigori operations. But as we are all aware evacuation takes times and as the clock ticks civilian casualties rise. Pilot Durrani - do you find this policy valid? People die as they wait for the Grigori to be given clearance to combat the threat of a demon or spawn. Do you have confidence that you could fight <em>during</em> an evacuation without causing significant civilian casualties?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Florence</strong> on <strong>05-10-2013, 01:28:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Conference Hall 01<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br><strong>Who</strong>: Afia Durrani<br><br><hr><br>Afia barely resisted a visual cringe as she heard her own name called. She couldn't very well avoid this one. She tried to do her best to keep a sympathetic face as she began to speak, it wasn't hard to avoid looking happy, but it was a little more difficult to keep from seeming visibly angry or frustrated. However, once she began speaking, she, to her own surprise, managed to keep a level tone and kept herself together, "While I certainly echo Tianran's wish that we could do more, however those policies are in place for a reason. The Grigori are powerful weapons, and to send them in too soon would cause more damage than it would prevent. It is important for us to think of when is the best time to deploy our Grigori to both maximize their effectiveness and minimize the collateral damage. To put it another way, you wouldn't use artillery to solve a hostage crisis. Rest assured, however, ADAMS continues to do all it can to save as many lives as possible from the demons and their spawn, and to further ourselves towards a day when we will no longer live in fear of them."<br><br>The truth was, she did wish they could be deployed sooner. She knew the risks and the dangers, but she also knew first-hand the sort of damage demons could inflict, and it tore her up just thinking about people being killed by those monsters as she sat around doing Q&amp;A. She knew it would risk lives to go in prematurely, but she wasn't sure the math really added up in favor of them waiting. Lives were being lost either way. Still, she knew this wasn't the place to argue with policy. She had to be a good little soldier and tout the company line. All she would accomplish by speaking her mind here would be to risk her career, and what good would that do? She couldn't fight the demons without a Grigori, and ADAMS had something of a monopoly on that particular industry.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>05-10-2013, 09:12:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Conference Hall 01<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br><strong>Who</strong>: Indira Patel<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br>"Thank you, Pilot Durrani," the journalist responded before she gave up her spot and slowly returned to her proper seat so the line of questions could continue. There was a noticeable moment of side conversation as the audience reacted to Afia's answer, though Indira was pleased when there was no outbursts. It was a hot topic in which people tended to swing to one side or the other. There were few who stood in the middle. Some thought that whatever casualties or other tragedy as a result of early Grigori deployment was a reasonable sacrifice to cull a demon or spawn attack as soon as possible. Though some were firm supporters of ADAMS current policy and found the possible risks of simultaneous evacuation and confrontation too much to bear.<br><br>Indira lingered at the back of the room with a lineup of assistants at her side. Her dark eyes darted around as she observed and thought. <em>So far so good</em>. If Afia could continue to hold up like that she'd make it out of the conference without incident or embarrassment. Indira could only hope that the Administration director held her same viewpoint, though Indira didn't worry about that. If Yao had possessed any doubts he never would have approved the set up of the press conference in the first place. Indira pressed the tips of her fingers against her lips to hide the brief smile that tugged her mouth upward for a few seconds. So far so good, but Indira knew better than to place too much in hope. She had to stay on her toes.<br><br>The next journalist that took to the microphone was a short man with dark skin and a well trimmed moustache. "Trainee Tanaka," he started with a warm liquid voice. "Last month various politicians in the Asian and North American Union came together to discuss a proposal for a law that would lower synchronization rating testing eligibility from fifteen to fourteen. If this prospal gains traction it is possible that the age that one is eligible to be drafted would be adjusted accordingly. You were drafted yourself into the Grigori Program at a young age and have firsthand experience with this issue. Do you believe fourteen is too young an age for a child to be tested and possibly begin training to pilot?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>05-10-2013, 15:16:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Conference Hall 01<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br><strong>Who</strong>: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>Julie gave an entirely genuine smile to the reporter—his question was intelligent and one of the few piloting subjects where she felt she might have better insight than most. And while the question was loosely related to politics, her instinct was that answering directly would be fine—she was not being asked to endorse any sort of ideology. She was curious as to why he had not introduced himself and his organization—maybe he was nervous and forgot? “That’s certainly an interesting question—I know that within R&amp;D there’s some speculation as to whether the increased neuroplasticity of younger candidates would aid or hinder synch in the long run.<br><br>“It’s my hope that the politicians involved would consult with ADAMS and follow the recommendations they receive—this is more of a technical question in the end. As an analogy, you might ask a politician to draft policy on health care, but not to run a hospital or perform open-heart surgery.<br><br>“As for my instinct based on my own experience...” She paused a brief moment to mull the question. “I’d have to say it’s not something I’d recommend. The discipline and maturity required to begin the program is hard enough to find at fifteen or sixteen years old. Honestly, if the situation humanity finds itself in were less dire, I’d say it would be a kindness to raise the age of eligibility.” Julie was worried she might have come off as too much of a science wonk, but that was just who she was. She was never going to have the easy charm Tianran demonstrated, but hopefully “cute and geeky” had its own appeal. <em>And if it doesn’t, at least that means less press conferences.</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>05-10-2013, 18:13:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location:</strong> The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Conference Hall 01<br><strong>Date:</strong> 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time:</strong> Morning<br><strong>Who:</strong> Tianran Jin<br><br><hr><br>As Afia and Julie answered their questions, Tianran's mouth settled into a polite not-smile, not-frown. The expression was not a total lie; the other pilots were doing an excellent job with their questions. What he had interpreted as immaturity may have been simple nerves or a reluctance to answer that particular question. Perhaps he had judged these two unfairly. Both of them drew a different sort of sympathy and appeal than Tianran, who was cool and professional to a fault. Afia had a more solid presence than him, with more weight behind her words. Julie was more sincere, certainly sweeter than both of them. Maybe Indira had not been wrong to choose the three of them as a publicity lineup. <br><br>The moustached journalist thanked Julie and returned to his seat. The next journalist in the queue was a young Southern Asian woman who could have been a fresher, more idealistic Indira. Tianran masked his amusement and raised his head a bit, in the event that the questions would circle back to him. She gave a brisk smile and said in a loud, clear voice:<br><br>"Glenna Pranoto, Sun Daily. This question is directed at all of you. You say that you wish you could do more in the fight, but it seems that the Program is not maximizing its combat potential. As of last month, Unit-00 has not been deployed for three years since the deaths of Pilots Andre and Bennett. Is there any chance of Unit-00 being restored to combat status soon and if so, do any of you see yourselves as likely pilots?" <br><br>The moment that she mentioned Unit-00, the fine muscles holding Tianran's expression in place went taut. He exhaled a single breath. 'Fuck right off,' he thought and said nothing. <br><br>He turned his head slightly to his left, making peripheral eye contact with Afia and Julie. They were doing well so far, there was no reason they couldn't field this question as well. He didn't care if Indira gave him hell later, he refused to budge on this one. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>05-10-2013, 19:08:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Conference Hall 01<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br><strong>Who</strong>: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>The youngest pilot of the group had expected that Tianran would field this question as well, but when he remained silent Julie decided to jump in before the pause could become awkward. “I can’t agree with the premise behind your question,” she began, keeping her tone entirely earnest and not at all confrontational. “I absolutely feel that the program is at the best combat readiness possible given our current budget and the circumstances we find ourselves in.<br><br>“The technology involved here is extremely cutting-edge and not yet as well understood as we would like. To draw yet another comparison, think of the demons as a disease and the Grigori as medication. Normally one would put a newly created drug through years of clinical trials. But if the situation is desperate enough—if the consequence of inaction is a catastrophic death toll—then you have little choice but to fast-track a potential treatment even if you don’t know how it works or all its side-effects.<br><br>“That is the situation we are in—forced to rely on methods we don’t entirely comprehend. Unit-00 has problems that I as a layperson could not even begin to explain. But our people in R&amp;D are the brightest and most dedicated group one could ever hope for. Someday this problem will be solved, and I believe that solution will give us insight into this technology that will allow us to use it even more effectively.”<br><br>Julie felt the situation was even worse than she had implied—the Grigori were more than just a technology, they were...a presence, almost an intelligence, seemingly living machines that had literal rather than figurative temperaments. Honestly, she was a little afraid of them. She did not think they would ever be well understood, at least not in her lifetime. But outsiders could never understand all this and she could not address it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Florence</strong> on <strong>08-10-2013, 13:31:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Conference Hall 01<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Morning<br><strong>Who</strong>: Afia Durrani<br><br><hr><br>Afia listened to the question asked from the reporter quietly, but with some contemplation. Julie seemed to jump at the answer before Afia could even consider whether or not to answer. She didn't really mind either way. She just wanted the questions answered and for them to be out of this damn room and back to productive work. Still, when Julie had finished speaking, Afia cleared her throat and spoke up, adding her own input to the answer that had been given, "As my colleague has said, Unit-00 has issues that us pilots are simply not equipped to explain, and will be brought into the field once the scientists working on it have determined that it can be used effectively and safely."<br><br>She paused for a moment before continuing, "As for how long it will take to be repaired is, again, not something us pilots are really capable of answering. We simply pilot the Grigori, we don't build or repair them. However, as stated, our R&amp;D department are very good at their jobs. I am confident in their abilities, and urge you all to be as well." She then looked at her two fellow pilots before concluding her reply, "As for who will pilot the unit, it's not up for us to decide. We have many skilled pilots, so it is difficult question to answer. Suffice it to say, there are a number of qualified pilots, and I'm certain whomever is chosen will be up to the task."<br><br>With that said, gave a reassuring, if completely forced smile, and then went back to her previous silent state, content with just waiting for this to be over. She was willing to do what she had to do, and even put some effort into it, but damn, she just wanted to be done with this.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kaiten</strong> on <strong>10-10-2013, 02:04:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location:</strong> ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot’s Barracks - Cafeteria<br><strong>Date:</strong> 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time:</strong> Morning<br><strong>Who:</strong> Cy Cabatuan<br><br><hr><br>Ian seemed to be a little caustic, and Cy didn't exactly know why, but if that's the way that he wanted to be, then so be it. Cy knew that there was nothing good that came with having a fight with him, so he decided to let him prattle on the way he did, half listening to it and filtering the important parts into his ears and ignoring the extra bits that Ian seemed to like to add on. He was free to say what he wanted, but that didn't exactly mean that Cy had to listen to it fully per se. It was certainly a good exercise in patience, to say the least.<br><br>"You're giving me too much credit I think. I didn't have to say anything, in fact this is probably the longest talk I've had with anyone that wasn't trying to figure me out. Or is that still not true? Even if you say you don't know me, at the very least you seem to want to see what makes me tick, even if it isn't to be friendly."<br><br>It was obvious after all, Ian was the one asking the questions, not the other way around. Whether or not the conversation started for a good reason, he couldn't figure out at this point.<br><br>"It's to be expected, I just got back. I'm sure eventually, with time, people will have a little bit more empathy."<br><br>With a small smile, which he doubted did much to someone like Ian, he put down his empty cup and returned it to the cafeteria counter. Then, he headed for the door, but not before leaving Ian with a small parting comment.<br><br>"I must be going, I'll see you again."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>10-10-2013, 08:18:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: The Ritz-Gospel Hotel (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). 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>Indira sucked in her cheeks when Unit 00 was brought up. It was just like the Daily Sun to pull something like that. Indira was mildly disappointed, but not surprised when Tianran went quiet and let the others handle the question. For Tianran the question had a very personal connection for him. It was a delicate subject matter that had to be handled carefully. While all of the Grigori units were unique Azazel had been iconic. The deaths of the pilots and the unit being shelved without the full reasons for why never being released to the public - journalists were always scraping for any bit of new information on Azazel. Indira was pleased when they failed to get it.<br><br><em>Good girls</em>. Julie and Afia managed to handle the question with the grace Indira would have expected from more media experienced pilots. No awkward pauses, no mumbles, no slip ups or sensitive information revealed. Of course, there would no doubt be a flurry of renewed criticism about ADAMS by people unsatisfied with the smooth way pilots had conducted themselves - they tended to view it as dodging questions instead of answering them. But Indira didn't worry about that inevitable criticism. The vast majority of time it just ended up being noise without any serious reaction.<br><br>"Next question, please," Tianran said.<br><br><hr><br><div align="center"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>End of Scene 01</strong></span></span></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>10-10-2013, 08:22:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Scene 03</strong></span></span></div><br><hr><br><strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Percival Yao<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br>"Next question, please,” his computer screen said in Tianran’s voice. Yao glanced up from the papers strewn out across his desk and tapped his pen. After a moment he rewinded the recording of the press conference back to its beginning. Overall it had gone well. Indira had been more than pleased with the Tianran, Afia, and Julie’s performances. Yao wouldn’t exactly say he was pleased, though the press conference had gone as it was supposed to and had provided him with some new, and necessary, information.<br><br><em>Julie Tanaka</em>. As Yao flipped through his pile of papers, filling in what needed to be filled in while dotting all the I’s and crossing the T’s, he occasionally glanced up to remind himself of the person he was doing all this for. Julie Tanaka. Young, bright, and behavioral notes all pointed towards obedience to ADAMS. And apparently quite personable. Yao wracked through his brain trying to find a memory of her from when she entered the program, but he found he couldn’t recall her introduction into ADAMS. As a formality he briefly met every trainee, though there were so many of them that it was rare for any of them to stick in his mind until they did something remarkable or had been part of the program for long enough.<br><br>Julie was both. He most certainly remembered the ‘recorder’ incident that had involved her. It had been strange, of course, and had briefly warranted consideration if she should continue with the program, though in the end the reasonable decision to continue her training had been decided. There were worst eccentricities for potential pilots to have than a strong attachment to a personal recorder. Often time Yao should it was impossible to work at ADAMS without developing or revealing some hang up or oddity. After all, when the world’s greatest minds were gathered together in one place that also meant gathering up the weirdos. The distinct image of Laustin, ADAMS very own director of Research and Development, wandering around the labs in his slippers drifted into Yao’s mind. <br><br>He sighed and shook his head as he flipped to the second to the last page. The vast majority of paperwork was done electronically though a few things, such as what he was filling out now, were still required to be done by hand. Sometimes an electronic signature just didn’t cut it. The sound on his computer was suddenly silenced and the video was replaced with the communication link interface as he received a call.<br><br>“Director Yao? Trainee Julie Tanaka is here,” his personal assistant’s cheerful voice announced.<br><br>“Yes. Send her in now,” Yao as he continued to fill out the last bits of information that the form needed. When the doors to his office slid open Yao lifted his free hand and waved Julie in without looking up. After waving her in he exited out of the press conference recording and put his computer on standby.<br><br>Yao’s personal office was what someone would expect of ADAMS prime director. Modern, sleek, and full of expensive technology and equipment. Though there were a few unusual additions that revealed some personalization. The desk was wooden and old, with several prominent nicks on its surface. It was covered with evidence that it was a desk that had seen a lot of work done at it. Yao’s entire office seemed to display evidence that the place was not only for work, but that someone practically lived there. There was a pile of neatly arranged shoes by the door and more than one coat and scarf hanging on the rack situated there as well. It suggested that Yao was used to changing at the office and leaving clothes there. Not to mention the various personal objects that dotted the rest of the office that someone who was only there nine to five wouldn’t bother keeping there. <br><br>Though most telling was how one corner of the office had been sectioned off by privacy dividers made out of paper and wood. Hidden behind it was a cot and pillows. Yao had a more professional office within ADAMS, though he didn’t bother to relocate for this meeting.<br><br>“Tanaka. Take a seat,” Yao offered. There were two seats in front of Yao’s desk. Both were made out of uncomfortable metal. “Or don’t. Whatever your preference is. It doesn’t matter to me. So, I'd guess you're either confused on why you were called here or you know exactly why you're here. If it's the latter don't play coy. So, tell me which it is."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>10-10-2013, 09:11:16</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Scene 04</strong></span></span></div><br><hr><br><strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Grigori Docking Bay - the Observation Bridge<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon<br><strong>Who</strong>: Metatron<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font">Startup sequence of Unit 01: activated. Pilot preparation: complete. Estimated time until ready for entry plug insertion: eight minutes. Please standby for startup diagnostic results.</span></span><br><br>Metatron officially had no gender designation, but it’s default voice was that of an adult male with a Pacific Northwestern American accent. It was a good voice. Calming and gently authoritative were fitting descriptions for it. In its early days of operation it’s technicians, and even Metatron itself, had experimented with different voices for aural communication. But that voice, with it’s relaxed tone and easy pitch, had become known as Metatron’s voice within ADAMS.<br><br>Headquarters was busy that day. Not only were every day operations running as normal, but all of the functioning Grigori Units were undergoing testing in preparation for an upcoming mission. Without Metatron’s assistance such testing might have taken a week to fully complete. But with Metatron’s help all tests could be ran and analyzed by the end of the day. Metatron was incapable of happiness, but using its intelligence system it had come to the conclusion that helping with these tests was the most efficient course of action under Metatron’s personal operating directives.<br><br>If Metatron was asked if it were happy to assist than it would have said yes. But nobody asked Metaton that.<br><br>The observation bridge was busy. Members of research and development busied themselves at computer screens or in side conversation as they waited for the startup sequence to complete. Metatron took a tally of who was currently there and compared it to the data it had on who was supposed to be there. It went back and checked the pilots first. Allen Shepherd and David Shepherd were both still present and both still inside of the entry plug. Metatron ran down the list of other personnel that were supposed to be there. The technicians, engineers, and researchers were all cleared. Though a few were missing and those missing few were of great importance to the current objective. Without them the objective couldn't be completed.<br><br>Metatron was exactly three seconds away from announcing its finding when the security systems permitted new lifeforms onto the observation bridge.<br><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font">Good afternoon, Director Andre. Welcome to the observation bridge. Estimated time for startup sequence completion is five minutes. Entry activation will be initiated upon your command when sequence is complete.</span></span>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>10-10-2013, 10:38:22</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Outdoors near the Pilots’ Barracks.<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Early Afternoon <br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>The close quarters of Grigori Program did not leave the pilots and trainees much in the way of privacy, but sooner or later one could get away from all the others for a little while. No one could be expected to train every waking hour of the day, after all. Julie had rushed through lunch to have time for a short walk to one of the benches outside on the grounds. Since there was no one else around she sat down, removed her recorder from her pocket, and activated it.<br><br>“Hi, Michelle. It’s January 5th, about one in the afternoon,” she began pleasantly. “I’ve already had quite a day. The press conference went well, or at least I think it did—I’m sure if I’d said anything out of turn, Indira would have given me hell. Thinking about the answers I gave, I have to wonder who I was trying to mollify—the reporters or myself. I’d like to believe the picture I painted—that the road ahead might be difficult, but there’s every reason to be optimistic. That the Grigori might be a mystery in some respects, but we know enough to about them to count on them with humanity’s survival on the line.<br><br>“But I just feel this...unease. Maybe it’s partly the sensation I’m trapped. Being a pilot isn’t something I sought out, but I feel obligated—less by the draft than the incredible importance of our duty here. If a promising trainee gives up or fails, doesn’t that lower the odds of our species surviving just a tiny bit? That’s not something I could live with. And it’s fucking twisted to put that responsibility on a teenager,” she added in frustration.<br><br>“And maybe some of my unease is because I’ll never quite feel like I’m supposed to be someone ‘important.’ I think of us, picking through the garbage for food unspoiled enough that we figure we can keep it down. Or I think of how completely thrilled we were when Mr. and Mrs. Green took us in, and we got to live in their squalid little shack. I feel like if people could see that, they’d look at all the press materials and pretty posters ADAMS has churned out about me and recognize it for the sad farce it is.”<br><br>Julie stopped a moment and sighed. “I don’t know why I’m sounding so miserable on a day that’s been going well. But anyway, it’s time I get going. Take care.” She turned off the recorder and put it back in her pocket. <em>Who says ‘take care’ to someone who’s been dead almost a decade?</em> She was completely aware of how crazy she sounded, but she needed to imagine she was really talking to someone, to get these things off her chest. And there was no one alive who could be completely counted on to listen and to not hurt her—anyone around here might die or leave at any time, but Michelle would never be any more or less lost to her than she was at this moment.<br><br>Some time after she got inside, Julie received the order to report to Director Yao’s office. She hurried to Central Command as quickly as she could.<br><br><hr><br>Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon <br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>Julie arrived in the director’s office and briefly took the place in. She was not all that surprised by the lived-in look—a lot of ADAMS personnel burned the candle at both ends. Those who truly comprehended the nature of their responsibility to the rest of the planet did not take any more time off than they needed to stay sane. <em>And sometimes not even that.</em><br><br>The pilot trainee took one of the chairs that was offered and sat down as Yao finished speaking. “I’m afraid I’m not being coy when I tell you that I’m not completely sure why I’m here, Director. I guess it could be something that went wrong with the press conference, but I can’t think of anything I said that would warrant your attention. Or it could be a promotion to full pilot—only the way the averages are tallied, I’m at 24% at the moment.<br><br>“But anyway, I should probably stop babbling so I won’t have to stay in suspense any longer,” she said with a slight smile.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>11-10-2013, 21:20:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Percival Yao<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br>Yao wouldn’t have been surprised if Julie was well aware and understood why she’d been called into his office. The recent decision to elate her from trainee to full fledged pilot wasn’t exactly a classified secret, though within Administration and the program they did try to keep it quiet until the decision was official. The likelihood of someone letting something slip or someone overhearing something was high. And little <em>somethings</em> had a tendency to worm themselves into the gossip grapevine and grow. Though it was equally as likely Julie discerned the reason herself. Yao wasn’t in the habit of speaking personally with the trainees or pilots unless it was important.<br><br>Promotion certainly counted as important.<br><br>“Yes,” he replied, though Yao failed to clarify what exactly he was agreeing with her on. Though there was nothing in his tone or posture that suggested he was actually agreeing with Julie’s assessment that she might be there for promotion, or review, or her voice counted as babble. Yao’s ‘yes’ could have very well just been a sound with no more meaning behind it as a breath. As he got to the last page of the document he was flipping through Yao penned his signature with such a unique and downright lazy flourish that his name was barely legible. <br><br>Yao clicked the pen closed and set it on his desk. He finally looked at Julie properly for the first time. Yao took a moment to memorize her face. It wouldn’t be difficult. In a job like Yao’s it was necessary to keep track of hundreds of people and remember details concerning who they were and what they did. Julie Tanaka. Her full name was easy enough for him to recall due to its similarity to his own, that increasing common meeting of traditional eastern and western names matched together. It was the face he knew might trouble him in the future. At forty-six Yao was only considered old by the standards of children, but he almost could have sworn a flip of that mindset was valid. The older Yao got the more young people started to all look the same to him. Mostly because all Yao could focus on when he looked at them was just how young they were, how many opportunities awaited them for the world to screw them over or devour them or do it all over again if it had already done it once before.<br><br>“A 24% synchronization rating on an individual level may be low, but when you place that rating in the context of actually operating a Grigori Unit it becomes a passable rating if the other pilot’s rating is high enough to compensate. Pilots are never alone.” Yao leaned back in his chair for a moment. He still needed Julie’s signature penned to the last page of the document to make her promotion one step closer to being official. Though he didn’t slide it over to her and explain fully why she there. Not yet. “Why do you want to be a pilot, Tanaka?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>11-10-2013, 22:28:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon <br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>“To save lives,” Julie said without preamble. “When you grow up like I did, struggling to survive, always under a looming threat with no means to protect yourself... I guess you either have to give in to despair or obsessively fight against it.<br><br>“When I was sixteen I had my heart set on college and then post-graduate work. I was going to get my doctorate in Speculative Physics and apply to ADAMS R&amp;D. False modesty aside, I think I would have had the brains and drive to do it. I wanted to discover something that would help protect people from what I went through when the demon spawn attacked. I didn’t actually ask for my initial synch test—you must already know, but the Department of Experimental Technologies gets paid sort of a ‘bounty’ by the NAU to find potential pilots among the children they care for. The more pilots come from North America, the more prestige and clout the local government feels it has.<br><br>“I had mixed feelings when I was drafted—I wouldn’t say I have a naturally aggressive temperament. And certainly no desire for fame, or glory, or anything frivolous like that. Deep down, there’s a part of me that would like revenge against the demons for taking my only family from me. But that’s not something I would ever act out of—the obsession with causing pain to those who wrong us, it’s caused so much bloodshed throughout human history. It can cloud a soldier’s judgment, cause her to make terrible mistakes. And I just don’t think it’s right or healthy to take pleasure in inflicting death, regardless of context.<br><br>“But what I’ve come to understand in the last two years is that although I never wished for it, I have an extremely unusual aptitude—one vital to humanity’s survival. Talented scientists are rare, but promising pilots are rarer still. I’ve been committed a long time now to the idea of doing my absolute best to succeed here. I could live with being turned away if I were somehow unsuitable to the Program’s needs—but what I couldn’t live with is failing because I held back or gave up for even an instant. It’s unfair that I’ve had such a responsibility placed on me, but if life were fair our world would look absolutely nothing like it does.”<br><br>Julie finally fell silent, satisfied that she had been entirely direct and thorough. The director had every right to know exactly who she was and why she was here—what decision he made with that information was his own business.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>13-10-2013, 20:52:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Percival Yao<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br>Yao did already know. All he had to do was lean over his computer keys, type in a few security codes, and he could have brought up a detailed record of Julie’s entire life history ranging from her first moment of contact with the North American Union’s Department of Experiment Technologies to the press conference she had just attended. But passively reading someone’s background assembled from a thousand different sources and edited by hundreds of people without any input from the actual subject would never be as valuable as hearing it in their own words. <br><br>He made himself comfortable, rested his elbows along on his chair’s arms and stretched out his legs under the desk, as he let Julie speak freely and without interruption. She knew how to speak. Yao had to wonder if her DET boarding school had taught her that or if Julie was just a natural speaker. If life had turned out differently and she had ended up pursuing acceptance into Research and Development she probably would have passed the interview section of her hiring consideration with flying colors. But in this life it just made her an excellent candidate for more press conference appearances.<br><br>Yao appreciated her apparent honesty and her willingness to fully explain her answer. So many trainees and pilots became lost, suddenly laconic, or would only parrot practiced phrases when presented they were presented with such as simple and direct question. Yao gave a soft hum of acknowledgement as Julie pointed out how the world wasn’t fair. It wasn’t. Yao didn’t know if the world had ever been fair or right or just. Yao wasn’t exactly an optimist, but he knew that just because the world and the people in it weren’t always pretty or good didn’t mean it wasn’t worth saving.<br><br>Or at least trying to save it.<br><br>“That’s quite a well thought out and personal answer, Tanaka. Thank you for sharing it with me.” Yao sat up a bit straighter and took a casual glance at his wrist to look at his watch. He wasn’t in a rush to get Julie’s promotion over as he preferred to take a few quiet moments to size up trainees before he heaved the full responsibilities and danger upon them, though Luke was running a bit late. Yao’s dark brown eyes looked back to Julie. “Though talented scientists aren’t as rare as you might think. If you went down to the docking bay right now and started throwing around marbles you’d hit a talented scientist every time. Talent in something is a learned skill that anyone can have. But passion and teamwork? Whether you’re talking about scientists or pilots now that’s rare.”<br><br>Julie seemed to have the former, but Yao wasn’t so sure about the later. Nothing in Julie’s personality or behavior assessments indicated issues cooperating with others, though all that meant was she was good at staying out of trouble. “Within the program who is your best friend?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>13-10-2013, 23:01:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon <br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>Julie’s eyes widened slightly in response to the unexpected question—one she had to spend several seconds mulling over before she was forced to reach the obvious conclusion. “I, um... I guess I don’t have one, Director. It didn’t take me very long to get my call sign, after all.<br><br>“I can do pretty well in a structured social setting—like a military chain of command or even a press conference, something with rules that help me navigate the situation. Even this conversation is related to my duties and position within our organization. But other that... if I just have to be myself, I suppose you could say ‘myself’ isn’t very talkative. But I do my best to get along with everyone and be polite, and I’ve never really had any tension with the other pilots.”<br><br>Briefly Julie wondered if the director’s question was leading up to him censuring her in some way. The other pilots and trainees were a close-knit family, one she obviously did not fit in to. Sure, they had disagreements and rivalries, even outright estrangement, but all that was part of being in a family. Everyone else let their shared experiences bring them closer, but Julie was...well, she was just sort of unobtrusively there and generally agreeable. Maybe her lack of <em>espirit de corps</em> was considered a liability by Yao? But then again, if her behavior were considered unacceptable it would have been addressed long before now.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>14-10-2013, 15:15:21</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Grigori Docking Bay - the Observation Bridge<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon<br><strong>Who</strong>: Alexander "Laustin" André<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br>In his right hand, he held a mug of coffee and in his left, a glazed doughnut wrapped in wax paper. He carried a clipboard and tablet under his arm. The tablet was unceremoniously jammed under the clip with his documents. Deep, dark circles underneath his eyes stood out against his pale skin and white hair. He took a sip of his coffee as he came to stand in front of the Director's chair. <br><br>"Good afternoon, Metatron," he said. "Please display the startup sequence runtime logs and cockpit visuals." <br><br>The words were barely out of his mouth when three windows appeared on both the main observation bridge screens and his personal terminal. He set down his coffee and clipboard and scanned through the runtime logs. As usual, Metatron would have informed him of any abnormalities, but he preferred verifying the data himself. <br><br>As if just remembering she was there, he looked over his shoulder at the new candidate for the Grigori Special Development team. This may or may not have been her first time on the observation bridge, but new members often felt lost without a directive. Or so Laustin had been told by former candidates. Apparently there was a sense of "high tension" on the bridge from so many team members hard at work. If there was anything Laustin had learned from being Director, it was not to write off what people said simply because he couldn't sympathize. That didn't stop him from being a bit terse when he addressed Yeonhye:<br><br>"As your specialty is in weapons development, not pilot synchronization, your role today is less involved. Just observe, take notes if you wish, share your thoughts if they are at all interesting," he said. "Although this is not your field, intimate knowledge of piloting procedures will be helpful. Do not hesitate to ask questions." <br><br>He took a bite of his doughnut and turned back to his terminal. Some crumbs fell on his desk, which he brushed away lazily. <br><br>"Metatron, open audio communications," he said, and spoke when he heard the confirmation noise. "Good afternoon, Allen. Good afternoon, David." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>16-10-2013, 06:51:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Percival Yao<br><br><hr><br>"Politeness and civility are a cornerstone of civilization, but sometimes tension can be good. Disagreements, debate, and even the occasional squabble. Oftentimes they're even nessecary to foster open dialogues so we can avoid groupthink. And it proves you aren't lying to everyone." Yao was glad to see Julie be a little surprised by the question he had posed to her. It meant she was listening and thinking. For someone ignorant to the operation of the Grigori Units such a question might have seemed invading or irrelevant. But it was probably one of the most telling questions he could ask trainees. Operating a Grigori Unit was a complex process, but the most essential part of it was the interaction and connection between its pilots. A pilot who couldn't form any sort of bond with their copilot was next to worthless.<br><br>Julie might not have made any real bonds with her fellows yet but Yao didn't disregard her for it. And it certainly didn't change his decision to promote her. It took time for some people to figure out how to form relationships with others. ADAMS was lucky enough to have some time to spare for their trainees and pilots to learn.<br><br>"I'm not saying you need to go from wallflower to social butterfly or that I want to see you out there picking fights with your peers. But if you truly want to be a pilot that's going to save people you're going to have to start being more than polite or nice when outside of PR appearances. I'm confident you're capable of making a friend or two that you can discuss something deeper than the weather with. You don't even need to like them," Yao explained as he tapped his fingers against the arm of his chair and cleared his throat. "Personally, I hate my best friend. I've never met a more selfish, heartless, and annoying human being. I can barely will myself to stay in the same room with him for longer than ten minutes."<br><br>It was no joke or exaggeration. Yao had timed it over the years and averaged it out. "But our friendship is one of the most valuable relationships I have."<br><br>"I don't except you to really understand the importance of what I'm telling you right now, Tanaka. Honestly, if I was your age and in your situation I would call bullshit." Yao stopped tapping his fimgers and rested his elbows on the edge of his desk. "But I need you to keep it in mind and at least humor it a little. Can you do that?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>16-10-2013, 08:15:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon <br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>Julie was troubled by the turn the conversation had taken, and could not entirely hide this from her expression. She had wanted to believe her self-imposed isolation would not become an issue, but clearly it already was. And it could be that he was right—her social detachment might make coordination with her co-pilot more difficult. That was not a liability she could allow. On the other hand, she could not stand the thought of putting herself in a position where she would be hurt as badly as she had been before.<br><br>But ultimately, Julie knew she could only be judged by her actions, not what was going on inside her head. Maybe she could handle a superficial friendship, one that would allow her to work more closely with a co-pilot without necessarily leading to excessive emotional attachment. “I wouldn’t want anything to detract from my effectiveness as pilot. I’ll make an effort to be more sociable around the others,” she promised. All she needed to be able to do was give a better answer to his question without lying—no one could force her to live in fear of losing someone.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>18-10-2013, 16:46:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Luke Collins<br><br><hr><br>He would kill for a smoke break right about now. He had been neck-deep in work and meetings since this morning and his brain hadn't had the chance to catch a breather for hours. In the early morning, he woke up and went for a jog. During breakfast, he caught up on news and emails. First thing after reporting to the command center, he had a briefing for an upcoming mission with his CO and several strategist analysts. As the tactical commander in charge of the mission, he and his team had spent several days gathering data and outlining courses of action for every foreseeable outcome. The briefing and planning lasted for five hours, with a thirty-minute break in the middle. He ate his lunch during a conference call with a representative from Public Relations. <br><br>If not for another engagement, he would be going back to the war room in the afternoon. As a result of stopping to talk to one of the piloting instructors, he was already running late for said engagement. It was unlike him to be late, especially when it involved Director Yao. He had just lost track of time--it felt like the morning was several months ago and he still had the rest of the day to go. In terms of time he actually spent in the war room, it probably wasn't very different from when he was just another strategic analyst. The main difference was that now, he had to attend all these perfunctory meetings and conferences due to his rank. <br><br>When he stepped out of the elevator into the Director's office antechamber, Yao's assistant greeted him with a warm smile. She did not comment on his lateness and simply gave him a moment to straighten his uniform before pinging the Director's comm line. <br><br>"Major Collins is here," she announced. She turned back to him with another angelic expression. "They're ready for you." <br><br>Luke nodded and entered the Director's office. He had spoken with the Director more times than he would have expected, considering the difference in rank, but Luke never quite dropped his guard around him. Sometimes Yao reminded him of a bird of prey or a snake, watching and waiting to seize any moment of weakness.<br><br>"Good afternoon, Director, Trainee," Luke said, saluting them both in order. When that was finished, he made his way toward the second uncomfortable chair. "I apologize for my lateness."<br><br>He took a second to size up Tanaka. She seemed relatively comfortable, given the circumstances. That was good. Too many trainees had been scared silent by the Director's frank and incisive style of communication. At the risk of curbing his professionalism, he offered her an encouraging half-smile out of the corner of his mouth. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>19-10-2013, 02:57:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Grigori Docking Bay - Entry Plug of Unit 01-Samyaza<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon<br><strong>Who</strong>: David Shepherd<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br>When he was inside the entry plug with Allen it almost felt like no one else existed. Sometimes it didn't even seem like the world itself existed anymore. All of space, time, and dimension was erased away and shrunk until the only things left were himself, his brother, and the confining walls of the entry plug.<br><br>It wasn’t true. David knew that right outside the entry plug there were hundreds of engineers and researchers busy at their work. Scientists and soldiers of various disciplines teeming around the unit as they went through the motions of their jobs. With the visual and audio monitoring cut to one way, observation to unit only, David couldn't see or hear them. But he had watched everyone as he had waited to enter the entry plug so he could imagine everything that was going on. David had never seen the docking bay peaceful. With all the testing going on the bay and bridge were just as busy as if it was a real launch.<br><br>David had to crane his neck so he could glance beside him to see Allen. The suits and helmets pilots had to wear were essential to their survival and acted an important component to operating the unit effectively, but that didn’t make them comfortable to wear. It made David feel smaller. And alone.<br><br>“Allen?” His question activate the communication link between their helmets. He kept his eyes on his brother, but Allen didn’t look back towards him or respond. Allen was just staring with an empty expression at the gentle glow of the status screen in front of them. <em>Start up sequence in progress</em> - the cheerful orange text displayed on the screen gave them only the barest of information of what was going on outside. David parted his lips to ask his brother’s name again, but the orange glow shifted to blue as Metatron enabled mutual audial communication.<br><br>“Good afternoon, Director André,” the brother’s replied in unison. Though David’s voice was almost lost in Allen’s. It was like someone had slipped new batteries into his brother. One moment he was doing absolutely nothing but sitting there and waiting. And then in the next moment Allen’s smile as back in place and he was suddenly responsive.<br><br>“We’re ready for directives.”<br><br>“Yeah,” David agreed as he turned his head away from Allen and looked back to the soothing blue glow of the screen. He had never quite been able get over the strange feeling he got knowing he was being watched, but being unable to see the people that were watching him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>20-10-2013, 16:47:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Percival Yao<br><br><hr><br>“Good.” Yao had waited a moment before he’d said anything. A pilot’s promotion was not something to be done lightly. Yao had taken those few seconds of silence to give Julie a final assessment. In the end he could find no reason to suddenly backtrack or delay her promotion. His assistant’s announcement of Luke’s arrival gave him additional confidence in his decision.<br><br>Yao gave Julie a brief, humorless smile as he picked up his pen and clicked it open.<br><br>“Major Collins,” Yao greeted simply as Luke joined them in his office. Luke might have been late for the meeting, but he had otherwise arrived at exactly the right moment. Yao didn’t return Luke’s salute but acknowledged it with a faint nod as he set his pen on top of Julie’s paperwork. "Apology accepted."<br><br>As the Director of Administration of ADAMS Yao often found himself in a unique position, caught between the conflicting but cooperative worlds of science, politics, and military. Yao had never served in any branch of any armed forces in any capacity - as soon as he had graduated from university he’d begun his work at ADAMS continuing his mother and father’s work. Technically Yao was a civilian and shouldn’t have been saluted, but ADAMS chain of command had a unique and intentional hierarchy. As the Director of Administration he had authority over the other directors and thus became the supreme commander-in-chief. It had taken Yao a while to become comfortable with ADAMS soldiers and personnel with military backgrounds snapping off salutes to him.<br><br>"Tanaka, I'm sure you understand by now that the purpose of this meeting is your promotion from trainee to pilot." Yao slowly stood from his chair with one hand gripping the edge of his desk. With his free hand he gestured to Luke and Julie to stay seated. Once he was standing he slid the folder and pen across the desk. "Unfortunely promotion requires paperwork. Tanaka, your signature is needed on page one, six, fourteen, and twenty-one."<br><br>Yao grabbed his assistive cane in his right hand and walked to one of the sleek black cabinets that lined his office walls. When Yao had first woken up the pain in his thigh had been sharp, though it had sincd subsided. Yao had never been embarrassed or embittered by his need for the cane. It had been a trusty tool to him for almost two decades and he had no intention of getting rid of it by seeking the medical care that would render use of the cane unnessecary. <br><br>"And Collins on the last," he added as he opened the cabinet and removed a plain white package from inside of it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>21-10-2013, 04:02:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon <br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>Julie was caught off-guard by the salute, but she quickly stood to return it. “Sir.” After she had done so, she took her seat once more. She gave a slight nod at his encouraging look.<br><br>The young pilot had increasingly expected that—unless she gave unsatisfactory answers to her superior’s questions—this was direction the conversation was headed. “Yes, Director,” she said quickly, and signed the document at each of the places required. “I wish I could think of a less cliché sentiment, but I’ll do my best to prove that the trust you’re placing in me is justified.” She managed a slight smile.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>22-10-2013, 13:16:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Luke Collins<br><br><hr><br>Luke watched as Julie signed her name three times without hesitation. He supposed that she had been in training for long enough to think this decision through in advance, but it always surprised him how readily the pilots would sign their lives away to the cause. Luke's family constantly questioned his own involvement in ADAMS and the demands of his job were hardly as complicated as those of a pilot. They were always expected to be in prime physical and mental shape, lest they suffer an illness or breakdown that could jeopardize the survival of the human race. It wasn't unusual for newly promoted pilots to crack under the strain. <br><br>She had a good smile. He hoped for the best for her, he really did. But hoping alone wouldn't be enough. To ensure that she and the rest of the pilots could live to fly more missions, he needed to command them well. Conscious of that weight, he reached over to add his signature to the last page.<br><br>"Congratulations, Tanaka. You've worked hard to get here," he said.<br><br>He set the pen down and watched the Director's movements out of the corner of his eye. He knew what was inside but had never seen this scene before, as he had never been present for a pilot's promotion in the past. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Florence</strong> on <strong>26-10-2013, 05:07:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location:</strong> ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Grigori Docking Bay - the Observation Bridge<br><strong>Date:</strong> 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time:</strong> Afternoon<br><strong>Who:</strong> Yeonhye Chae<br><br><hr><br><br>The hot Styrofoam cup didn't bother her hand, as Yeonhye walked down the halls towards her workplace. It probably helped that she was gripping it with her prosthetic arm, because it was still fresh and scalding hot. She'd learned nothing if not to use her disabilities to her advantage. It was the only real way to survive in the world they were living in, at least that's the way she saw it.<br><br>She reached up with her organic arm, and rubbed her temple idly as she walked, trying to get this nagging headache to go away. She hadn't even been drinking the night before, so she just had to assume the universe hated her. Still, she had thankfully managed to avoid any loud obnoxious noises, and the halls were mercifully quiet; busy, but quiet, with people far too busy rushing about to this place or that to stop and make smalltalk.<br><br>Soon enough, she reached the observation bridge and as the doors opened, she silently prayed that things would be at least somewhat quiet until her head stopped throbbing. It seemed that Luastin had just arrived moments before her, but she barely had time to fully take in the state of the room before she was being addressed. She gave a quick nod and replied simply, "Understood."<br><br>The truth was she was interested in synchronization. It wasn't her field, specifically, but everything she knew about the Grigori and how they worked and how their pilots engaged with them was more information she could factor in to her own research. Who knows, perhaps there was some hidden key in the synchronization data... some secret that could unlock the concept of a weapon that could turn the tide in this war for survival; something that could be exploited for an edge in combat.<br><br>For now, she would just observe and keep to herself, not being one to be overly talkative unless it was required. She eventually brought the tea up to her lips and blew on it, before taking a sip, followed by a longer gulp as she confirmed that the temperature had dropped to safe levels. She was going to need the caffeine to keep her alert... and hopefully the soothing quality of the tea would help ease this bloody headache...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>26-10-2013, 08:11:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Percival Yao<br><br><hr><br>"Yes. Congratulations," Yao echoed as he returned to his desk. He lowered himself to his seat slowly as he set his cane off to the side and placed the package down. Just because his leg didn't hurt for the moment didn't mean he could move around however he wished. He was aware he still needed to be mindful of how he distributed his weight. <br><br>Yao opened the package before he slid it over in Julie's direction. Inside was a new identification card waiting on top of a new pilot's uniform that had been tailored specifically for Julie. The solid navy blue and single white stripe of a pilot's uniform almost seemed a shocking change from the consistently pure white uniform of the trainees and the solemn black and white of the uniforms that other ADAMS personnel wore. The only splotches of color that could be regularly found in the official uniforms of ADAMS was the pilots and maintance. It had been an intentional decision long ago to make sure pilots were clearly designated, just as directors and commanders and heads could easily be spotted. <br><br>"You have preformed adaquetly in all required tests and examinations." It certainly didn't count as an encouraging or heartfelt congratulations or encouragement, but Yao had never been one to stretch things out or add sugar. He much preferred to speak in facts when it came to these situations. "You will need to surrender your trainee uniforms and identification by eight o'clock tonight. You have also been assigned to an upcoming mission, though specifications on that are still in discussion. You will receive orders about it - sometime."<br><br>Yao nodded his head in Luke's direction. "Regardless of the details, Collins will be serving as tactical commander during your first mission."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>27-10-2013, 00:53:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon <br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>“Thank you, Sir,” Julie said to Yao. “Well, thank you both I should say,” she added with a look to Collins. The new pilot was a bit surprised by the director’s lack of enthusiasm, but whether he had reservations about promoting her or not did not change the nature of her duties. She accepted the new uniform and card. “I have a couple questions, but I’m sure they are better directed to Major Collins—I know you must be very busy.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>29-10-2013, 17:11:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Grigori Docking Bay - the Observation Bridge<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon<br><strong>Who</strong>: Alexander "Laustin" André<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br>"This will be a routine synchronization test. Let's proceed with Evasive Formation 1," he said, lifting his finger from the microphone button when he was finished speaking. He turned to Yeonhye. "Once the startup sequence is complete, we will have the pilots go through a few basic battle formations. The cockpit and Grigori are both activated, but command lines from the cockpit's main computing unit to the Grigori's execution sequences are cut. In essence, we will be able to monitor the unit's responsiveness to pilot inputs without moving the unit itself."<br><br>He took a sip of his coffee. He had gone with four spoonfuls of sugar instead of three and it seemed like the right decision, in retrospect. He couldn't say that he enjoyed explaining these things to a newcomer, but it was more than worth it in light of the potential insights she could bring to the team. At the thought of the team, Laustin recalled something he had meant to do when they first arrived. <br><br>"Metatron, this is Yeonhye, the new candidate for the development team. As she is unfamiliar with the bridge, some assistance may be appropriate," he said. He looked up toward the ceiling when he spoke to Metatron, although there was no real location where Metatron resided. Perhaps the ADAMS internal servers was the closest approximation, but backup and mobile versions of Metatron's program ran all over the facility. As such, Metatron already knew who Yeonhye was and why she was here. Laustin merely thought it necessary to introduce her to the team's most valuable member. <br><br>"Yeonhye, I believe you already know Metatron. Rather than simply monitoring oxygen levels, however, he does a great deal with the development team." <br><br>Before Laustin could elaborate, a small noise notified him that the startup sequence was complete. He turned back to his terminal and pressed the microphone button. <br><br>"Pilots Goldilocks, Countsheep, commence Synchronization Check 1, 2099-01-05." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>29-10-2013, 17:19:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Luke Collins<br><br><hr><br>Luke nodded and stood up. <br><br>"Thank you, Director. Tanaka and I can continue our conversation in the meeting room downstairs," he said. He gave one last glance to the promotion papers, then to Julie, before saluting Yao in farewell. In response, Yao waved his hand to dismiss them as he worked his way back behind his desk. Luke nodded and turned to exit the office, gesturing for Tanaka to walk with him. <br><br>"Truly, congratulations," Luke said, once the office doors had shut behind them. "I'm sure you know what an important responsibility you've been given, you don't need me to tell you." He intentionally avoided asking if there was anybody back home who was going to hear the news. In many pilots' cases, that answer was no. <br><br>"You said you had some questions?" he asked, giving the secretary a brisk nod and summoning the elevator. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>29-10-2013, 20:07:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command – Outside the Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon <br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>Julie copied Collins’ salute before following him out of the office. She then responded to his question. “Yes, Sir. I suppose the most obvious is, could you tell me which pilot I’m likely to be paired up with?” She intended to keep her promise to Director Yao by making an effort to form some sort of social connection with whoever it was.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>31-10-2013, 18:35:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Outside the Personal Office of the Director<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Luke Collins<br><br><hr><br>Luke smiled affably at her question. It was a question he received frequently, even from pilots with years of experience. With a Grigori, the pilot partnership was so vital that it was always on everyone's mind. <br><br>"I'll be a little unfair and ask you a question in response," he said. "What do you think of the two pilots you worked with for the press conference? Afia and Tianran, right?" As he asked this question, the elevator doors slid open and he gestured for her to enter the elevator ahead of him, like a psychiatrist inviting a client into his office. <br><br>"None of this will go on your psych report, don't worry," he added, laughing gently. "I'm just curious. Because pilot chemistry is so important, the people in the tactical branch become half strategists, half gossip mongers." <br><br>The pilot assignments for the next mission had already been determined (more or less), but Luke wanted to get a more honest response from Julie before she started forcing herself to like anybody. If she truly clashed with either of them, it would be good to know sooner rather than later. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>31-10-2013, 21:38:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command – Outside the Personal Office of Director Percival Yao<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon <br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>Julie entered the elevator ahead of Collins and considered his question. “Well, Afia seems very direct, which is a quality I admire. From what I’ve studied of her missions she does her utmost to fulfill objectives. And embracing being trans when she’s from such a socially conservative culture—you don’t get more direct than that. And I know we have one thing in common—she didn’t want to be at that press conference any more than I did.” The new pilot gave a slight smile.<br><br>“As for Tianran Jin... it’s honestly just weird as hell being around someone so famous that his posters even showed up in my refugee camp from the time I was seven. But I don’t know who he really is anymore than any random person you could pull off the street. We’ve never exchanged more than a word or two. Of course, someone with that much experience, he must have an awful lot to teach someone like me—assuming he wouldn’t resent the burden of having such a green pilot around.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>01-11-2013, 04:10:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Grigori Docking Bay – Cockpit of Unit 01-Samyaza<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon<br><strong>Who</strong>: David Shepherd<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br>“Confirmed,” David muttered along with Allen as the audio communications between them and the bridge once again went silent. David blinked and glanced away from the screen to look at his brother again. He had a soft and obedient smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. The blue glow from the screen cast a cold and pale filter over Allen’s features. David swallowed and shifted in his seat for a moment as he tried to figure out how to speak to Allen. <em>Why do you always do that</em> – that was what he wanted to ask his older brother. But the words jammed in David’s throat and made it hard for him to breathe.<br><br>The blue glow that filled the entry plug suddenly shifted from blue to a dark, syrupy red as a status update flashed across the screen. The sounds of air and metal and movement filled David’s ears as the entry plug was finally inserted into the Grigori Unit and was locked in place. It went dark, only for a second, but it was a second long enough to cause David’s heartbeat to speed up as the red light returned. And with the return of the light came the sudden rush of liquid into David’s piloting suit.<br><br>He’d never quite been able to squash the instinctual urge to panic as the liquid quickly rose higher. It started towards his feet and than worked its way up. It wasn’t water. It wasn’t anything that could harm him or anything that could drown him, but David had to fight the urge now to hold his breath as the fluid reached up to his mouth. He still closed his eyes. A few blinks and a few swallows and it would just be just like breathing air, but David still struggled to do it. He held onto his breath for as long as he could before he opened his mouth and let it fluid flood down his throat. There were a lot of different names for what it was, but he’d mostly heard mostly heard the research and development people refer to it as nutrition.<br><br>David didn’t need to look over at Allen to know his brother was handling the transition much better than he was. Once both of their suits were filled up and they were both breathing a second dose of liquid was released, though this time the liquid filled the entire cockpit of the Grigori Unit. David’s field of vision was blinded by red before the lighting system kicked in and suddenly everything went clear and normal. A natural tone of light took over the cockpit. If David couldn’t feel the heaviness in his lungs and the hug of warmth around him he might have been fooled by thinking his suit and cockpit weren’t filled with anything.<br><br>“Beginning synchronization,” Allen announced as he reached up and officially activated the unit.<br><br>The world might have stayed normal, but David felt a new wave of sickness wash over him as he was synched up with Samyaza. For a second he feared he might experience a feedback kick, though the feeling passed as quickly as it had come over him and David was left content.<br><br>"<span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size"><span style="font-family: courier;" class="bbc_font">Synchronization rating for Pilot Goldilocks is 53%. Synchronization rating for Pilot Countsheep is 37%. Fidelity rating at 89%,</span></span>" Metatron informed them. And certainly relayed the information back to the bridge as well.<br><br>“That’s really high for you,” David commented with a half smile as he tuned his face to look at his brother. But Allen didn’t respond. He’d lost his smile and was staring at the screen with a concerned expression knitted across his face. But there wasn't any information on the screen that should have made him look that way. David frowned as he watched his brother and tried to get his attention. “Allen?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>01-11-2013, 04:20:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Administration Tower Elevator<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Luke Collins<br><br><hr><br>Luke's smile broadened at her candor. People said that Wallflower didn't talk much, but it seemed that when given the chance, she was quite straightforward. As somebody who often had to poke and prod the pilots to come clean with him, he appreciated that. Pressing the button to bring them back down to the main level, he listened and nodded along.<br><br>"The mystique of fame goes away after you've known Tianran for a while. Play mahjong with him when you get the chance, you'll see him be honest for once," Luke said. He had pretty distinct memories of losing horribly to Tianran at mahjong. Luke loved games of strategy, but mahjong had a bit too much luck involved for him to really appreciate it. <br><br>"I can at least say that it's likely you'll be working with Afia in the future. Once mission plans are finalized, you'll all be briefed," he said. "Was there anything else on your mind?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>02-11-2013, 01:13:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Administration Tower Elevator<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon<br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>Though she had considered asking about the mission, Julie decided not to—once the details were finalized she would have her briefing, and until then nothing he could tell her would be completely certain anyway. “There was one other thing I was curious about. Not that I’m particularly eager to try given what I’ve heard, but now that I’m no longer a trainee will I be attempting synch with Penemue soon?” Given how many pilots seemed to have trouble with “Penny,” she figured that if she could handle that duty it would be valuable to the Program. “Or is that just one of those things that Metatron decides by itself?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>06-11-2013, 13:24:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Administration<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Luke Collins<br><br><hr><br>"Seems like all the pilots want to pilot Penny these days," Luke said, laughing. She said she wasn't eager, but it was evidently on her mind. <br><br>The elevator doors opened and Luke led Julie down the hallway, toward another lift that would take them to the pilot barracks. No time like the present to get Julie acquainted with her new surroundings, as well as hand her off to a pilot so that Luke could get back to his work. It was a shame he had to go, he was actually enjoying conversing with her. She lacked the glaring courtesy defects of many of the pilots. <br><br>"All new pilots will be tested for their synchronization capabilities with all the units, including Penemue. If Metatron and the R&amp;D folks think you're good, you're good. They haven't gotten it down to a formula yet, but don't be too disappointed if you can't sync with Penny. He's picky.<br><br>"Still, I know some pilots who failed their initial tests with Penemue, only to pilot him later when they found the right co-pilot. So who knows, things could change down the road depending on your combat allocations," he said as they arrived at the second lift. He summoned a carriage and ushered Julie inside. "Do you have a preference for any piloting roles?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>07-11-2013, 08:14:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Administration<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon <br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>Julie nodded at what the officer told her about Penemue before answering his question. “Well, in simulations I’ve done pretty well with bladed TT weapons, but other than that exception I guess I’m a jack-of-all-trades type. I assume whoever I’m paired with will want to continue with whatever roles they are already most experienced or comfortable with, and I’d be glad to fill in the blanks so to speak.” Maybe some roles were considered more prestigious to some of the other pilots, but the only thing Julie cared about was which duties she could take on to maximize the chance of a successful mission.<br><br>“I appreciate that you’re willing to answer my questions, Sir. I suppose the records Administration keeps on all the pilots and trainees are very thorough, but if there’s anything beyond that you feel you need to know about me I’ll do my best to answer.” She briefly wondered what sort of access Collins might have to her psychological evaluations—was he merely given a yes or no about her fitness to pilot, or did he get to read every embarrassing detail about her problems? Maybe she was better off not knowing.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>09-11-2013, 17:49:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Administration<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Luke Collins<br><br><hr><br>Luke gave a knowing smile in response to her question about Administration. He knew a bit about her, true, but words on paper were only worth so much. It didn't replace the chance to talk to her and understand her directly, which he was glad for, even if it happened to be a busy day. <br><br>"That's helpful of you to offer. I like your frankness," he said. "As for a question, hmm.." The doors of the lift opened again and he held them open so that Julie could exit first. With his other hand, he idly cracked his knuckles as he thought about a question. After Julie was through, he released the doors and led them down the hallway to the pilot barracks. This area was the general pilots' wing, including their mess hall, fitness facilities, and shared community spaces. <br><br>It would be unfair to spring too personal of a question on her here, since they could be within earshot of her new peers. Instead of a more interesting question, Luke asked her something safer.<br><br>"Do you have any short-term goals that you're hoping to accomplish as a pilot? Perhaps something within your first year flying." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>10-11-2013, 02:44:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Central Command - Administration<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon <br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>Julie was relieved that the question Collins chose was not too personal. She would not have enjoyed having her resolution to be less isolated bite her in the ass two minutes after it was made. “I don’t know that any of my goals are unusual—find a copilot I work well with, meet or exceed expectations during missions, that sort of thing. I really want to be able to perform consistently—there have been some pilots in the program’s history, their synch varied a lot or they didn’t always show sound tactical instincts. And of course there are always pilots who become more or less aggressive based on their mood. I know that on the bridge, you have enough variables to worry about without wondering if the pilots are going to have an off day or suddenly get reckless.”<br><br>The new pilot held the box with her new uniform a little tighter as they approached the barracks. She would inevitably be an object of some curiosity now that she had been promoted. It was hard not be nervous about whether or not she would really be able to strike a balance between her promise to Yao and and her desire not to put herself in an emotionally compromising position.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Florence</strong> on <strong>10-11-2013, 05:44:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location:</strong> ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Grigori Docking Bay - the Observation Bridge<br><strong>Date:</strong> 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time:</strong> Afternoon<br><strong>Who: </strong> Yeonhye Chae<br><hr><br>Yeonhye's calm expression didn't appear to falter as she was introduced to Metatron... though the concept of being introduced to a machine was one that she chose not to dwell on for too long at the moment. Introspective questions about the nature of life and what makes a man could wait for later, for now she opted to give a slight polite wave in the direction that Laustin had gestured. She could ponder another time just how intelligent Metatron was, and whether or not she had essentially just waved to a toaster after she was done with the work that was on their table at that moment.<br><br>As the test began, she watched with interest. Sure, she was familiar with the workings of the Grigori, but seeing the technical information and specs on a computer screen or a sheet of paper was completely different from actually seeing the systems kick on, and watching it all work with her own two eyes; seeing the information in real time, rather than just reading theoretical reports and second-hand data.<br><br>Even as David spoke, Yeonhye herself muttered, "Isn't that a bit high for Goldilocks?" She was at least passingly familiar with the average synchronization ratings for the notable pilots they had, though her tone didn't sound alarmed, merely concerned. She held out a tablet computer, jotting something down on it. She preferred the simplicity of keeping her notes electronically. Paper got torn or lost or dirtied too easily, and Yeonhye was nothing if not an advocate of technology. The passing thought of how far separated her tablet and Metatron were passed through her mind, but the thought was banished just as quickly.<br><br>As she continued to watch the seen, the tingling sensation struck her that something was off. She hesitated for a moment before turning her head to Laustin and speaking up, "Maybe its just nerves, since I've never seen this before... but doesn't something seem wrong?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>15-11-2013, 00:08:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot's Barracks<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon<br><strong>Who</strong>: Ian Harker<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br>"I knew it'd be her."<br><br>"Vasquez. You didn't know shit," Ian murmured as he watched Luke and Julie walk into the commons of the pilot's barracks. They'd gotten the announcement just a few minutes ago. One of the administration lackeys had shown up the barracks to tell them about Julie's promotion, confirming at least one of the rumors that had been floating around for the past few days. A few of the pilots that were milling about the room, paused in their activities or conversations to give Julie a stare down or once over, though most returned to own business without a second glance in her direction.<br><br>Ian barely even looked at Julie. His eyes fell on Luke.<br><br>The noisy row of older pilots in front of the television continued their argument about some recent political controversy in the Asian Union. The card game that was being played by a group seated in a circle on the floor was only interrupted by a burst of laughter and giggles, though the comment that caused the humor was too quiet except for its players to pick up.<br><br>Free time was precious and most of them didn’t seem to want to waste it scrutinizing the newbie. That was what meal time and training sessions were for.<br><br>Ian himself was seated at one of the tables with Vasquez and two young pilots who were trying to finish up high school. They were sharing the laptop that contained their math textbook between them and figuring out math problems on tablets. Neither of them even bothered to look at Julie even they were engrossed in algebra. Ian didn’t know why they'd even want to keep up the school thing now that they were pilots. Luckily for everyone saving the world didn’t require a high school diploma. Ian had dropped school as soon as he’d been allowed.<br><br>“Hey. Harker?” One of the young pilots asked as he flipped his tablet so Ian could see the problem that was giving him trouble. “How come this isn’t a perfect square?”<br><br>Ian peeled his eyes away from Luke and looked at the screen and the trinomial that the other pilot offered to him. “Because this part here needs to be positive. If it’s not than it won’t be perfect.”<br><br>“Quit playing tutor and go play tour guide,” Vasquez said as he jostled Ian with a hand on his shoulder. Ian flipped his friend off as he left the table and approached Luke and Julie. He shoved his hands into the front pocket of the hoodie he wore over his pilot’s uniform.<br><br>“Sir.” There was something off in the way Ian spoke to the other man. The weight of the word as it left his tongue made <em>sir</em> sound like <em>bitch</em>. He didn’t snap off a salute along with the title and he stared at Luke for a second longer than he should have.<br><br>“Administration asked me to show you around since your mentors are busy,” he said as he glanced over at Julie and gave her a half smile.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>15-11-2013, 02:37:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot’s Barracks<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon<br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>The younger pilot gave a brief look of surprise at the tone Harker took with Major Collins. But whatever animosity existed between these two, it was none of her business. Short of their emotions affecting a mission of course—then it would be everyone’s business. “Thanks, I appreciate it,” she replied to the other pilot. She looked over the room for a moment, taking everything in. She noted that no one seemed curious enough about her to bother with much more than a glance in her direction, but that was just as well.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>16-11-2013, 13:39:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Grigori Docking Bay - the Observation Bridge<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon<br><strong>Who</strong>: Alexander "Laustin" André<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br>Laustin heard both Yeonhye's comment to herself and her question. He didn't say anything for a few moments, allowing the two brothers to run through the first few steps of the maneuver. She was right, Allen had been producing an abnormally high synchronization rating lately. It was not unprecedented, but generally pilots who achieved exceptionally high synch would then experience a drop in their fidelty shortly after. Allen, on the other hand, had been steadily climbing over the last few months with no drop off in sight. As far as his results indicated, there was nothing inherently "wrong" with this, as Yeonhye put it. <br><br>"What in particular strikes you as wrong?" he asked, without facing her. He was not rebuking her, so much as eliciting her opinion. He acknowledged that a major gap in his professional set was his difficulty to fully understand interpersonal dynamics. It was entirely possible that somebody with greater social instincts would catch something "wrong" in Allen's demeanor that Laustin could not. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>16-11-2013, 14:15:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot's Barracks<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Luke Collins<br><br><hr><br>As they stepped over the threshold into one of the common rooms, Luke scanned the room and immediately located him. Ian was always easy to spot. Despite the average build and dark hair, he stood out for his characteristic demeanor and uniform violations. Besides, there came a point where Luke realized that he always knew where Ian was in a room, without even trying. <br><br>He realized he wasn't at all listening to what Julie was saying. He turned back to her and smiled. <br><br>"Yeah, that's true," he agreed, without really knowing what he was agreeing to. Ian was walking toward the two of them now. Luke dropped the smile and froze his face that way. <br><br>"Harker," Luke acknowledged. He nodded to Julie. "I'll be returning to the war room now, but it was a pleasure meeting you. We're expecting great things from you, Pilot Tanaka." Although his words were warm, there was a clear difference in his mannerisms between earlier in their conversation and this moment.<br><br>He started to turn to leave, only pausing to address Ian one more time: "Thanks for taking the time to bring Tanaka up to speed. I trust you can take it from here?" He fixed Ian with a sharp stare. The weight of that "sir" was not lost on him. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>23-11-2013, 04:17:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot's Barracks<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon<br><strong>Who</strong>: Ian Harker<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br>“Yes, sir,” he replied as he mirrored Luke’s sharp stare. The glint in Ian’s brown eyes was liquid hot and his tone retained its weight. Somehow Ian managed to make such a short confirmation contain the exact same vitriol as <em>yeah-you-motherfucker</em>. For a moment it seemed like Ian was going to say something else to Luke. One corner of his mouth curled up and he moved his tongue inside his mouth without parting his lips. But whatever Ian might have wanted to say didn’t happen. <br><br>“If that’s all, sir,” Ian said to break the few seconds of silence that had settled between the three of them. Each sir that popped out of Ian's mouth was heavier than the last. He dropped one hand from his hoodie and lifted it to rub the back of his neck in gesture that looked casual, but was actually self-comforting. Yet Ian didn’t break eye contact with Luke. He wouldn't break eye contact first and refused to advert or drop his gaze. He wanted Luke to be the one to walk away from this. He wanted to see Luke turn his back first and run away just like he had the last time they’d talked. <br><br>Ian knew he should have just let it go and shrugged it all off, but he couldn't. And if threadbare subordination was the only way he could strike out against Luke without getting both of them in deep shit trouble than that was what he was going to do.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>23-11-2013, 08:51:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot’s Barracks<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon<br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>“I, um, thank you, Sir.” Julie said quietly to the departing Collins. Her own tone carried obvious trepidation. She wanted to be absolutely sure she did not sound disrespectful. But on the other hand, if she sounded too appreciative to their superior that might offend Harker. She did not want to inadvertently take sides in some disagreement she knew nothing about.<br><br>Once Collins was gone, she looked to Harker. She really felt like she ought to say something to defuse the tension in the air, but she was at a loss for words. “So, I’m... really looking forward to seeing... things...” She paused awkwardly. “Can I put this somewhere?” she finally asked, lifting the box with her new uniform slightly higher to indicate it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>cloudcraft</strong> on <strong>25-11-2013, 04:04:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot's Barracks<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon <br><strong>Who</strong>: Luke Collins<br><br><hr><br>"It is. As you were," Luke said. He turned on his heel and exited the barracks without another word. He knew that Ian was attempting to bully him into leaving first, to give himself some sort of moral high ground. With more important things at hand, he wasn't about to let a mere pilot play these stupid power games with him. That's all Ian was, a mere pilot. If he was going to continue this petty insubordination any longer, Luke was going to have to have another talk with him. In the worst case scenario, he'd have to be transferred. But that, in a way, would also be letting Ian win. <br><br>When Luke stepped into the lift again, he waited until the doors shut before leaning against the wall and exhaling heavily. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and screwed his eyes shut. Why on earth was this still happening and why was it still affecting him this much? The whole point of this had been to let him focus on his work more, not jeopardize it further. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>29-11-2013, 01:35:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot's Barracks<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon<br><strong>Who</strong>: Ian Harker<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br>Ian should have been able to find some sort of satisfaction in watching Luke turn his back first and walk away. But he didn't. Instead Ian found himself quietly swallowing down a sudden hardness that weighed at the base of his throat. He dug the blunt of his fingernails into his palms as his gaze focused on the set of Luke's shoulders. Ian only shifted his attention away from the commander and back onto Julie when he couldn’t see Luke anymore.<br><br>"Yeah," Ian replied as he reeled himself back in from distraction. He forced himself to uncurl his fingers. His eyes flicked at the package that Julie showed him and he nodded. There was somewhere she could put it - her new living space. Now that Julie was a pilot she didn’t have to sleep in the bunk rooms that they crammed the trainees in.<br><br>“C’mon mija,” he said with a jerk of his head towards a set of double doors that led deeper into the pilot’s barracks. “This right here is the main commons and where most of us hang out when there’s free time. The oldbies have channel rights so don’t change it unless you’re looking to start shit. They’re always watching the news or AU soaps.”<br><br>Ian vaguely gestured around the room as he spoke and led Julie towards the doors. They silently slid open as the pair approached and opened the way to another long hallway. “There’s some smaller common rooms too if you like it quieter. And now that you’re a real pilot there’s better spaces you get to use too. Mostly the same as what the trainees get but the stuff is all better. The private gym, the rec center, and we’ve even got a special chapel if you want to talk to a counselor. Or god if you believe in that sort of thing.”<br><br>“But the real perk of being a pilot now is having more privacy for sleeping. No more room full of bunk beds for you,” Ian said with a slight smile.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>30-11-2013, 03:27:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot’s Barracks<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon<br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>“Never had my own room before,” Julie noted, genuinely interested to hear this. The DET boarding school had also had large rooms of bunk beds, as had the pre-fab buildings in the refugee camps. And while the pre-fab buildings had been more desirable to live in than more ramshackle structures, the times she had stayed in the latter had at least allowed her and her sister to share a room between only the two of them.<br><br>“So, you said ‘c’mon mija’ a second ago, what does that mean?” If it was some pilot slang Julie figured she had better be up on it. <em>This is new and improved ‘socially-adequate’ Julie, gotta fit in.</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Florence</strong> on <strong>05-12-2013, 01:47:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location:</strong> ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). Grigori Docking Bay - the Observation Bridge<br><strong>Date:</strong> 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time:</strong> Afternoon<br><strong>Who: </strong> Yeonhye Chae<br><hr><br>Yeonhye looked ahead, continuing to observe the situation as she thought over her words. She wasn't entirely sure, perhaps it was just a case of intuition or something of the like; but that was hardly a scientific sort of reply. Truthfully, while she was well enough familiar with the statistics, she knew very little about these pilots personally, and how they generally were during these tests. Eventually, however, she decided on her words and spoke up, "I'm not certain, something simply seems off with the pilot... that combined with his unusually high synchronization levels... Maybe I'm just reading too much into this, I can't say for certain that anything is... well, wrong..."<br><br>She took a sip of her tea, hoping it would help her make sense of this nagging sense of unease she had today... or at least get rid of the headache that continued to plague her. It was thankful that she'd learned long ago to work through headaches. Sleepless nights of staring at print that only seems to grow more and more fine the longer you look at it sort of has a way of building those kinds of skills.<br><br>"Perhaps, its simply my imagination" she said, after removing the lid of the tea cup from her lips, "but I suppose when there's already an unusual factor involved, it doesn't hurt to be extra alert. It is my experience that, scientifically speaking, unusual things don't usually come alone."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dotley</strong> on <strong>17-12-2013, 07:39:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Location</strong>: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot's Barracks<br><strong>Date</strong>: 5 January 2099. Monday<br><strong>Time</strong>: Afternoon<br><strong>Who</strong>: Ian Harker<br>&nbsp;<br><hr><br>Ian raised a dark and thin eyebrow as Julie questioned the meaning behind mija. For a second he thought she might have just been pulling a joke on him, though one look at her searching gaze on him revealed the truth. She really didn’t know what it meant. Ian was sorely tempted to give her a false definition just to provide future entertainment, but he decided to give her a break. No doubt someone else would screw around with her later and he had been temporarily charged with helping her out.<br><br>“What, you don’t speak any Spanish? Tch,” Ian said with a shake of his head. “It means daughter, but it’s used like - what do you eastcoasties say all the time. Hon? It’s like that. Kinda. So you’re mija. Our Commander Collins would be mijo if he wasn’t such a motherfucker.”<br><br>There was such a casual tone to the way Ian insulted their commanding officer. It didn’t sound like this was Ian’s first time speaking against Luke. Nor did it sound like it would be the last. As they neared the end of the hallway the pair came across a large door with a purple border around it. <br><br>“There’s two sleeping quarters. Purple and Orange. You’ve got purple right here,” Ian explained as he stepped in front of the door. It silently slid open. Ian took a few steps in and then paused to give Julie a moment to take it all in. The purple sleeping quarters seemed an odd name when the room didn’t have much purple to it. The room was large, well lit, and there was a row of backless benches that reached from one end to the other. Against two of the walls were stacked rows of strange capsule shaped objects. They looked suspiciously similar to the entry plugs of the Grigori Units.<br><br>Ian gave Julie a half sorry smile as he gestured towards the capsules. “So, it’s not a real room of your own, but still way better than bunkbeds. Might look crammed, but it’s real nice in there. They’re modeled after these places in Japan called capsule hotels. We call ‘em our coffin beds around here.”<br><br>“Soundproof, comfy as hell, you get room for your shit, you can sit up, and there’s a touchscreen to mess around on the internet. Plus if the whole place gets bombed while we’re asleep we’ll survive. Once the door is closed these coffins will probably withstand anything. You’re number thirty-four.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [The Grigori Program] Episode 01: It Will (Not) Touch You</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>17-12-2013, 14:11:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Location: ADAMS Headquarters (First Haven, Watcher’s Island). The Pilot’s Barracks<br>Date: 5 January 2099. Monday<br>Time: Afternoon<br>Who: Julie Tanaka<br><br><hr><br>The young pilot was uncomfortable at Harker’s mention of Collins. She could either let it pass without comment or inquire into what his issue with the officer was—but both those seemed equally awkward. Fortunately, he did not pause for a reply and the choice was made for her. She followed him into the sleeping quarters.<br><br>“Huh, pretty impressive set-up,” Julie said as she observed her new sleeping arrangements. She could not entirely hide her disappointment—she had briefly hoped she might get a little room with an ordinary bed, a place where she could throw some posters up and create the illusion she was a normal teenager. But this was admittedly much more practical. Given how difficult it was to find qualified pilots, safety had to be the top concern.<br><br>“Anyway, I don’t want to take up any more of your time than I have to.” She also did not want to wait around and have him try to drag her into his mysterious conflict with Collins. Plus she figured she ought to change and return her old uniform and ID. “I just need to know where the bathrooms are and I’ll be all set. Oh, and I assume my training schedule will be uploaded to my personal files, same as usual?”
			</dd>
		</dl>
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