JANUARY 13, 2013: NEWSFORCE 1 NEW YORK STUDIO
Marcus Nylund stared at the boy on the stage being mic'd up by a tech, lit against a backdrop of conservative blue that he'd fought and scratched for in the pre-production meetings. He'd argued that deeper shades brought out sallow skin, and the bags underneath the boy's eyes were more pronounced in lighter, robin-egg shades, so striking the right balance had been paramount.Marcus' headset dangled from his neck, chatter barking intermittently as the news crew hustled and bustled in the darkness. His own crew intermingled with the studio's, hooking cameras up to broadband internet, checking feeds on the flash-streams that would host the video a split second after airing. It was cutting edge tech, instant photo-realistic film from lens to screen, and one he and his had developed over a long period of time.
Briefly, he considered the initial plan—wildlife reserves, livestreaming zebras and tigers. Marcus had even began work on camouflage for the units—how to hide them so that the animals didn't roll on by and screw with them. People could watch the animals in their natural habitats: fighting, eating, doing the animal kingdom thing.
Problem was that the tech was expensive, and nobody had wanted it. Well, other than shitty talk show hosts with a scoop.
"He hot?" Shannon, his personal assistant, slid up beside him, chewing on the end of her pen.
"I guess, but he's not my type."
"Har. Is he mic'd?"
"He's mic'd," came the dry reply, as Marcus got a thumbs-up from Donald in the control room. Shannon stood there beside him for a moment, both their pairs of eyes watching the boy who'd gone through hell. Shoulder to shoulder, they observed as the count was given, as the lights went down around them, leaving only the circular, well-lit stage.
"Broadcast is good," Donald said through the comm. "Tighten up on 4."
"I looked into that thing," Shannon said softly, and Marcus half-turned towards her, still looking at the boy.
"Some data came back. The analyst we got can prove from the footage that the designs they used were quite different than ours. It seems like they had the same idea as us and got there first."
Marcus didn't respond, still watching as the news anchor started softballing the Reid kid questions.
Shannon watched him in the dark for a moment, and then said, "They're back at the office if you want to take a look."
"This blue is still too light. Kid looks like he hasn't slept in a week."
Shannon looked at him quizzically. Marcus shook his head.
"I'll get to them later. I want to watch this."
Shannon walked off, leaving him to observe a kid who, for the second time, was on display for the world to see. Cutting edge tech. Flash streams. All over the globe instantaneously and in high definition.
"Their own animal kingdom," Marcus muttered.
Monday, June 12, 2017, 9:00 A.M.: Undisclosed Location
Victor Danya settled into his chair with a comfortable sigh. His coffee was waiting on his desk, prepared just the way that he liked it. He had gotten an excellent night's sleep.Life was good for Danya. Not so much for the unfortunates on the island, but that was the way that the proverbial cookie crumbled. That was just how life went. Perhaps someday their lucky winner would appreciate that.
The number of deaths had remained steady throughout the past day, but the violence of some of them had intensified. A higher rate of kills might have had more impact, a little dash of panic to further motivate the remaining kids, but all in all Danya was pleased. He skimmed his list one final time and turned the microphone on.
"Hello, children," he said. "A lovely morning to you all once again! I hope you didn't miss the sound of my voice too much; those of you listening should be glad that you're still around to hear it. Eight more of your classmates haven't been so lucky.
"Starting us off strong, Blaine Eno and Michael Crowe provided quite the show. Drama, blood, tears—it was all very entertaining, but sadly our friend Blaine had to make his exit stage left with the help of an improvised bludgeon. Take note, kids: even if you haven't got your hands on a real weapon just yet, a little creativity goes a long way.
"Oh, and then Simon Leroy bled out, from injuries that Mr. Eno inflicted and those added by Crowe. It was kind of a drag after the previous performance."
To punctuate his point, Danya gave the microphone an exaggerated yawn.
"Next up, Saachi Nidal took a cue from her partner's earlier performance and split Michael Maxwell's head open. Practice makes perfect."
Danya let out an audible sigh into the microphone as he came to the next name.
"Now we must bid farewell to some of our first day killers. Jay Harland got himself hurt, and his friend Miss Nidal opted to put him out of his misery. Maybe she'll pay tribute to him by naming that cleaver after him or something.
"Another one of our early rising stars, Bridgette Sommerfeld, bit off more than she could chew and took a tumble into the tar pits courtesy of Wendy Fischer. It took her a good, long time to die, too. You kids really should be more careful playing around those pits."
Vital signals could be a tricky business. The collars could pick them up for a while after the person wearing them was effectively out of the running—the cost of security features designed to make very, very certain that deaths were confirmed. Danya personally didn't mind too much; a slightly delayed report could add another layer of confusion and suspicion to keep the students on their toes. They didn't have to believe that his every word was gospel, they just had to believe enough. One bad apple, and all that. And speaking of slightly-delayed reports...
"Jasmine King made her explosive entry onto our list by stomping Paris Ardennes to a pulp, and then putting a bullet in Lance Adams not too long after. Your enthusiasm is admirable, Miss King. Keep it up.
"Finally, here's a little PSA from Katarina Konipaski to you all: just because you got away from someone once doesn't mean they can't come back for a rematch. Eris Marquis didn't keep that in mind, and now her brains are all over the ground."
Danya's dismissive shrug wasn't visible, but his tone of voice conveyed it adequately enough.
"Now, if you've been itching to return to the Isolated Cabin, you can. Anyone camping out in the Mess Hall, on the other hand, should get moving unless you want this meal to be your last.
"That's all for today, children. Keep up the good work!"
Day Three (Monday, June 12, 2017) 09:00
Weather: The warm still of yesterday persists today as well. The breeze around the island is largely gone, with minor exceptions only directly on the coast. The day is sunny and cloudless until sunset, but overnight clouds gather on the horizon. Tonight the moon is a strong waning gibbous. The Third Announcement will arrive at 09:00 on Tuesday, June 13.
Weather: The warm still of yesterday persists today as well. The breeze around the island is largely gone, with minor exceptions only directly on the coast. The day is sunny and cloudless until sunset, but overnight clouds gather on the horizon. Tonight the moon is a strong waning gibbous. The Third Announcement will arrive at 09:00 on Tuesday, June 13.
The rolls:
1. Miranda Millers (KamiKaze) Kasumi White (The Homeless Bearde, Hero Card used)
2. Aria Samuels (jimmydalad)
3. Jasmine King (Punished "Yugi" Kun)
4. Christopher Schwartz (CondorTalon) - Clair Belvedere (CondorTalon, Swap Card used)
5. Everett Taylor (Kermit)
Three days for cards and initial Danger Zone activity:
And a further seven for deaths and Danger Zone exit posts:
As a quick reminder: please remember to be courteous regarding the rolls. Remember not to gloat about/celebrate not getting rolled in chat or on the board, not to send unsolicited death ideas (even in jest), and not to publicly debate about who might or might not get saved, please.