Penumbra sighed,
"Not at first, I went the hard way. I fought and I lost. They helped me and now I owe them a debt. To answer your question: Yes. I trust them to help those like us who need it.. They give us something we all lack as Meta humans - a family. A place to call home."

Home. The thought appealed to her. Her thoughts on the subject were practically written on her face as she considered her words; she was seriously considering the idea of going willingly with this Meta woman to be part of a Meta Family.

"So, if I decided to come with you," Brea said, "would I be a prisoner, or would I be able to leave whenever I want?"

Penumbra sighs, this is the part where she hated,
"At first, they will monitor you, see where your powers are at, help you. Once you have more control of them the more freedom you have." She was hoping that her honesty would continue to allow the girl to come willingly because she didn't really want a fight, there were too many people around that could be hurt.

Brea heard the words and her brow furrowed. It sounded like whatever agency this was didn't like to let go of it's assets. She considered that most government agencies were the same way, or at least she had heard that was the case. Still, to give up her freedom to learn all she could about her new powers. That was a part that intrigued her the most. She so desperately wanted to learn all she could of her powers, and she felt that she had done all that she could on her own. Perhaps she could do this, even though it meant that at first she had to give up some of her freedom for awhile.

"You present a compelling argument Penumbra," Brea said with a faint smile, "I do wish to learn what I have become and maybe your people can help me. I'm willing to give it a try, but first I need to make a phone call. I have to notify people that I will be away for awhile and not to worry about me. Are you alright with this?"

Penumbra nodded,
"Of course, but I will need to be beside you, protection. You understand yes? I will leave my team at our meeting point if that will make you more at ease."

Brea pulled out her cellphone and smiled at Penumbra. "Protection? For whom?" She wondered about the strange behavior of this woman. "If you must listen in then please be my guest."

Brea then made a couple of calls, with Penumbra listening in. She told her friends that an emergency situation had come up and that she wouldn't be able to meet with them today and that she had to go away for awhile. She couldn't tell them where but she would notify them when she got back. She then called her parents back in Massachusetts and told them much the same. Her mother was a bit harder to convince, but in the end she managed to get them to not worry too much about her strange disappearance. She closed her phone and turned to Penumbra.

"Well," she held out her hands, "do you need to restrain me? Perhaps to show you captured me?" Brea found this amusing and smile slightly. Her stomach had taken this moment to develop butterflies and she was beginning to wonder if she was making the right decision. Yet, she was determined to learn all she could about her abilities, and if joining some Ultra Secret Government agency was the only way, then she would do it.

Penumbra shakes her head,
"Your protection." She had walked over to one of her team members and spoke softly to him while still keeping an eye on the girl, when she saw that she had closed her phone she walked back over and seemed to be taken back by the question, "No, You don't need to be restrained. Follow me, we have one more stop to make before we head back." Penumbra led the way to the Carnival, her team walking around them, seeming to block those from getting to them.

Penumbra nudges one and grins,
"You worry too much Nasib. You dont need to protect me." The man laughed and nodded,
"Yes, but this makes us all feel important next to you."

Brea was surprised that she wasn't going to be restrained, and following Penumbra and her men back to a waiting craft of some kind, she had thought several times that it wasn't too late. She could be gone from sight before any of them could blink and know she was gone. But, she had made her decision and was anxious to see what more she could learn about herself and her abilities.

She followed them aboard the Carnival and would go wherever they directed her to so. She was nervous, but she had always been fearless and learned to face any sort of fear that had been thrown her way.

(OOC: Ok, I guess she is wrapped up. I'll leave you be for now, and assume she is wherever you wish her to be until you are ready to disembark back at the MARSH facility. It's been a fun exchange. Thanks! )

Tuesday, July 4, 2017 - 17:50:10 GMT New Mexico

Damn it was big, big and green yet it still moved very fast. For over a year they had been tracking it, however whenever her and her team got close it disappeared as if it ceased to be. It always seemed to happen around towns or medium sized city's here in New Mexico. Even with the sensors ability to detect a meta even when not using a power, still the creature totally disappeared. It was almost as if the big green hulk of a creature just turned the power totally off. However that was impossible for once a meta used their powers, thanks to the countless satellites in orbit tagged with finding and tracking meta's, they were tagged for life. Even she with her nullify powers still showed up on the satellite feeds, as did any meta she nullified. Once designated the information was stored in a central hub in some secret bunker of which Syphon could care less about.

Though Syphon did not know how it worked once a meta's power grew strong enough, A-2, A-3 in power they became like a red dot on the world map and even when not using their powers were forever in the satellites on-board memory and very hard to ever hide from it again. Not to say it had never happened, this green mass of a creature for example, a case in point, but it was very rare. Her and her team had gotten close to it four times now, she'd used her nullify power on it three of those times, each time to no effect. Syphon was starting to think maybe the creature was not a meta at all, but something else instead. Come to think on it, they had ended up tracking this meta from sightings of it by people living in the state and not any normal satellite information. If that was indeed true it needed to be studied and the only way to find out of course was to capture it and this time her team was close, the closet they had ever been thanks to the super speed she had recently absorbed.

Her com unit beeped.

~Syphon orders from MARSH~

~Damn it not now~ She could see the creature in the distance as it leaped further ahead, heading right towards her trap.

~Ma'am they want us to cancel all operations regarding capture of Greenie and divert to L.A at once.~

~No dammit we are to close, we need to catch this thing. I fear it could be more dangerous then any meta.~

~I'm sorry Ma'am we have our orders~

Just then Syphon could hear the sound of the Carnival above her as it followed her even though she was using speed gained from one of her four other captured meta's.

~Syphon we need to leave right away.~ She could hear the door of the ship opening behind her. The pilot, Sonny bringing the Carnival as close to her as possibly considering the high speed she was traveling at.

Reluctantly Syphon turned away from the green hulk, I'll see you again and next time your mine and used her stolen speed to launch herself up into the air and through the Carnivals door. Almost at once the ship turned and headed away to the West and L.A.

TWO HOURS LATER NEARING L.A

AS Syphon stood in the cargo bay looking at the four detainees she wondered at them each so different.

In the first container was a man, long blonde hair, very muscular, quite handsome if she were to be honest. However Syphon was unsure of his powers, having not touched him or absorbing his powers, but he claimed to be some type of God or such but her nullify power had dropped him like a stone.

The second held another man but this one was even stranger, having blue skin, short black hair, and of all things, a tail. Though she tried not to she could not help but feel her skin crawl at his appearance.

The third held a women, quite interesting in that her primary power dealt with light waves, allowing her to render herself and others invisible. After touching her Syphon was able to project powerful fields of invisible psionic energy which Syphon had found out could be used for a variety of offensive and defensive effects.

However it was the man, a young twenty something actually, that had given her the ability to catch Greenie. With the super speed she had gained from him she had managed to keep up with the green hulk even during his long distance leaps. However she had to admit his red uniform with the gold thunderbolt on his chest really did look stupid.

Her com unit beeped once again

~Ma'am?~

~Yes Sonny~

~We are entering L.A, landing in 10 minutes~

~Understood I'll be right there.~

A last look at her four detainees she knew if needed she had a wealth of powers to play with.......

Tuesday, July 4, 2017 - 14:00:00 GMT Los Angeles (6am Local Time)
*Bzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzt.*

He had forgot to turn his alarm off.

*Bzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzt.*

Maybe if he ignored it, it would get the hint and shut itself down.

*Bzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzt.*

Stupid oblivious alarm. Time to find that snooze button.

*Bzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzt. Bzzz-crrrrruunnnnch*

Nate Brady's eyes slowly opened as he gazed at his outstretched arm, his hand resting on his bedside table surrounded by what used to be a cheap digital alarm clock. Pieces of its shattered plastic casing dug uncomfortably into his palm, stringy black wires holding the remains of the display aloft like a broken marionette as he raised his hand up. Giving a resigned sigh, Nate worked his way to sitting on the side of his bed, sweeping the remains of his alarm off the table and into a trash bin nearly full to the brim with similarly destroyed time pieces. Apparently super strength took a little getting used to.

He rose, striding over the window and and pulling back the curtain to allow a flood of golden sunshine to illuminate his bedroom as well as the piles of discarded clothes that almost entirely covered the floor. Nate navigated his way through the mess to his door, taking a moment to look back at the scattering of dress shirts and ties that functioned much like a rug. "I'll tidy this up today...", he lied to himself as he shut the door behind him. Not having a maid also took a little getting used to.

Nate made his way to the kitchen and grabbed the cleanest bowl he could easily fish out of the pile of dishes in his sink. Some Wheatiesâ„¢ and milk later, Nate sat down on his couch to enjoy his breakfast as he flipped through his phone for baseball highlights for the night before. Today was going to be a good one. July 4th. Independence Day. His first one in his own place and out of the stuffy confines of the law school his parents had paid for, his first one totally independent. True, his parents were paying his rent, bought all his furniture, and given him a job, but as long as you didn't count any of that, Nate had got here completely on his own.

Nate finished his breakfast his breakfast and replaced the bowl atop the pile of dishes that had become a fixture of his sink. He was fully awake now, no point in trying to get back to sleep, better to just embrace it and start the day. After all, it would probably be the only free time he got. His parent's had planned their customary July 4th cookout and fireworks for the law firm and he was expected to attend.

"An excellent opportunity to get to know the higher ups.", his father had told him, in a way that sounded less like a suggestion and more of an order, "You'll be seeing these people for the rest of your life."

The rest of his life. The idea was daunting. All his father's partners reminded him of the Cryptkeeper, or Mr. Burns. By this point Nate figured he would have been throwing touchdowns for the 49ers, windsurfing on the off days and drinking with his friends. Instead he was filling out paperwork in triplicate to ensure some studio kept the movie rights to some TV show from the 70's for an inevitable remake. Also, his petition for a company Ultimate Frisbee team had been resoundingly shot down. Things were less than ideal.

Nate's phone buzzed to life as a text from his mother ran across its screen. 12noon. Don't be late! Maybe forgetting his alarm would turn out to be a blessing, he'd have time to get down to the 24-Hour Fitness before heading out to his parents' estate. Probably for the best if he went there during non-peak hours anyway, the last time he was there he'd maxed out the bench press and drawn some odd looks from the other, far larger members. It was hard not to, swinging 500lbs around was way too much fun.

Throwing some clothes for the cookout into his gym bag, Nate slipped into his workout gear and flipflops and made his way down to the street. Los Angeles greeted him with the customary warm breeze that made him wish he could spend the afternoon at the beach, a thought he tried to ignore.

"...the rest of your life.", he muttered quietly to himself as he headed off toward the gym. "That'll take some getting used to."

Swipe the card. Clock in. Hat. Apron.

Walk into kitchen. Ignore morons. Check what last shift didn't do.

Almost everything. Same as always.

Fix their mistakes. Clean up. Put burgers on grill. Wait. Flip. Wait. Take burgers off grill. Wait.

That was all well and good. But it only took half an hour. He had another seven or eight to go.

Working fast food wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be. It wasn't good. Not at all. But it was tolerable. Mostly. When this happens, do that. When that happens, do this. Again and again, ad infinitum. Simple to pick up on. Simple to execute. Low pay, but it got the bills taken care of. Just.

There were two dull spots in the otherwise... adequately lit portrait that was, metaphorically, his job. The first, most expected, and easiest to deal with, were his coworkers. Jason Blake had graduated high school just over seven years ago. Seven. Whole. Years. His coworkers (which was a bit of a misnomer, seeing as they did almost zero work) were, for the most part still in high school. A phase of life that, as has been established, Jason left behind. Seven. Years. Ago. There are few tortures as brutal as taking an adult, even a young adult, and putting them in a room full of teenagers. Telling them they're not allowed to leave for eight hours? Jason was pretty sure that toed the lines set down by the Geneva Convention.

But he could deal with them. He'd force himself to do so. A few blank stares, the occasional raised eyebrow, and a complete non-reaction to the never-ending stream of penis jokes later, and they finally got the message to leave him the hell alone. Some days he thought he'd kill for someone with more sense than hormones to talk to.

Even so, his idiot coworkers were only the second worst thing about his job. The second dull spot was the boredom. The absolute, inescapable, utterly crushing boredom. Jason was a man who lived in his own head. As a kid he'd preferred reading over running. Listening over talking. Math over gym. He had a good mind, even if it had taken life a few years too many to get him to apply it to things other than entertainment. And he was now going to spend eight hours in a small room full of wasted intellectual potential, where the most complicated thing he'd have to worry about was how many burgers he could flip before needing to change his grip on the spatula to avoid wrist-strain.

The answer was about 23, give or take. All patties are not created equal.

Jason gave the first of many sighs that would be forthcoming today. Fourth of July. It was going to be a massacre in this kitchen tonight. And for all that they'd be busy, he'd still have entirely too much time to think. To wonder. To wish.

He shook his head. Those thoughts were brought on by old habits. But things were different now, weren't they? Not the work itself. Never that. But everything outside this stainless steel prison? It had ALL changed. It had taken him too long to get control over his life, but that had only been half the battle. That had left him in control of the next step above nothing. But now.... now he had options.

Jason didn't know what he'd do, which one he'd pick. But that was part of the beauty, wasn't it? He didn't have to know now. He could decide later.

At long last, nobody controlled his choices but him.

Tuesday, July 4, 2017 - 18:16:50 GMT
In a field to the NE of U of M, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
This acquisition had been a rarity, to say the least. It wasn't the first time in the Project's history that a metahuman had willingly turned themselves over or, at least, been taken without a fight, but such occurrences were few and far enough between that, when they did transpire, even the newest members of an extraction team took note and the higher-ups in the Project were notified almost instantly, the higher-ups were always extremely interested in "volunteers," after all. So it was that, as Penumbra and her team escorted Brea Williams to where the Carnival awaited, a preliminary Situation Report was sent up the chain,

~Delta Sigma Three - Three: SitRep on Subject: Williams, Brea. File #: 18056~

~Proceed, DS3-3.~

~Subject in custody. No resistance. Relocating her to the Carnival, now. ETA five minutes~

~No resistance, eh? Interesting. We might have thought she'd have, at least, tried to run.

~She thought about it, Control, Had thoughts about lighting us up, too, Neither happened. Penumbra smooth talked her into "volunteering."~

~So, no gauge on her A-Scale, then?~

~Aside from the estimate from the MARSH and what I was able to glean from that momentary flicker; no. ~

~Understood. Has she been neutralized?~

~Not as yet. I believe Penumbra's holding off on that until we're aboard, Doesn't want to scare her off, I suppose.~

~,Ah, I see, Well, see to it that she is, Mr Henson, Before the Carnival is in the air. Don't let Ms Synklar's "friendliness" supersede protocol.~

~Yes, ma'am. Subject will be appropriately contained before dust off. I'll see to it.

~I'm certain you will. See you when you get home, Mr Henson.~

~See you, then, Victoria.~

A few minutes later,
Even though the curiously friendly girl who had introduced herself as "Penumbra" walked at her side, Brea couldn't help but feel as if she was surrounded, somehow. Two of Penumbra's team mates walked several steps ahead of them, the other two several steps behind, and, for the duration of the walk from campus, none of them had said a word save for Penumbra, herself, who seemed always to have a response but didn't go out of her way to initiate conversation, At least until the group had broached the edge of a broad field off of Green Street.

"Now," Penumbra smiled reassuringly, noting the confused and increasingly suspicious expression on Brea's face, "don't be freaked out by what you're about to see. It's not as weird as it looks, I promise."

"Uh, Yeah," Brea replied. Her own smile was slightly nervous and more than a little skeptical. "Sure, What's there to be freaked out over, anyway, right?"

Ahead of them, nearing the middle of the field, Brea heard one of the lead, what were they? Agents? Operatives?, team members make a call over an unseen comm-line. "Condor, this is DS3-1; ready to come aboard." The lead pair stopped walking.

Brea couldn't quite make out the reply that came back but, whatever it was, it had caused the Middle-Eastern man (Nasib, was it?) to glance somewhat warily back at her before responding; "Negative; she's a vol. Yellow protocol will do. ID's and a Halo."

"Affirmative, 3-1," Brea heard the tinny acknowledgement as they drew nearer to where the lead ‘agents' stood waiting, "Stand clear."

When Penumbra's hand reached out and landed on her shoulder to still her, Brea was barely able to suppress the urge to flinch. She managed, though, and let out a mildly anxious chuckle instead; her eyes risking a backward glance, confirming that the agents behind them had, also, come to a stop,

Yeah, she repeated to herself, nothing to be freaked out by, here.
,When the college student's gaze panned back around, it was just in time to see the air ahead of them shimmer faintly, arcs of silvery energy tracing a large but vague shape in the midst of the field. Brea blinked and her mouth fell open as the sweeping energy field dissipated to reveal a large aircraft, the likes of which she had never seen before, squatting in the field before them.

"That's our ride," Penumbra said as the back of the massive, gray craft's underside opened to reveal a loading ramp leading to its interior.

"Oh," was all Brea could manage. She stood there gawking for a long moment, watching as Nasib and the other "lead agent" strode up the gangplank and took up positions at the top, one on either side.

"Like I said," she heard Penumbra say, "it's not as weird as it looks. Don't freak out. You ready?"

Brea wasn't entirely sure she was but, nevertheless, nodded faintly. "Y-yeah," she answered, her feet moving her toward the ramp. She was aware of Penumbra walking beside her and the "trailing agents" following in their wake, but it wasn't until Brea found herself at the top of the ramp, blinking at the decidedly hi-tech interior of the craft, that she even thought to glance at any of them, and she only thought it when she realized that Penumbra was no longer standing beside her but moving forward into the bay.

"Stand right there for a minute," the dark-haired girl said, moving past twin rows of five egg-shaped pods that lined either side of the rear of the bay. She stopped, just past the pods, and from the sound of it, opened a compartment mounted in the bulkhead just outside of Brea's field of vision.

"Again," Penumbra said, closing the compartment and turning back toward Brea, "Don't freak. This isn't as weird as it looks,"

As the young Prometheus Agent strode back toward her, Brea glanced back over her shoulder and noted that the two "trailing agents" had yet to come up the ramp. Instead, they had taken up positions at the bottom of it, one on either side, as if they were standing guard.

"Hands, please?"

"Huh?" Brea's head swiveled back around to find Penumbra standing in front of her with a trio of curious looking rings in her hands. Two of the rings were smallish - about the size of manacles but not connected to each other in any visible fashion - the third was considerably larger.

"Hands," Penumbra repeated casually, tucking the larger ring under her arm as she snapped open the two smaller ones and held them out. "Nothing to worry about," she smiled, "just protocol, for your protection and ours. They'll take them off again when we get where we're going,"

Brea wasn't freaked out by the appearance of the strange craft; actually she was intrigued by the technology. To be able to cloak a ship from visual, and she assumed, radar and other detection methods, was something that was extraordinary. She had read articles on the research being done on this sort of thing, but nothing had hinted that it was available. Of course, she wasn't surprised that the government agencies were keeping this all a secret; other nations would kill for this technology.

"Stand right there for a minute," the dark-haired girl said, moving past twin rows of five egg-shaped pods that lined either side of the rear of the bay. She stopped, just past the pods, and from the sound of it, opened a compartment mounted in the bulkhead just outside of Brea's field of vision.

"Again," Penumbra said, closing the compartment and turning back toward Brea, "Don't freak. This isn't as weird as it looks,"

As the young Prometheus Agent strode back toward her, Brea glanced back over her shoulder and noted that the two "trailing agents" had yet to come up the ramp. Instead, they had taken up positions at the bottom of it, one on either side, as if they were standing guard.

"Hands, please?"

"Huh?" Brea's head swiveled back around to find Penumbra standing in front of her with a trio of curious looking rings in her hands. Two of the rings were smallish - about the size of manacles but not connected to each other in any visible fashion - the third was considerably larger.

"Hands," Penumbra repeated casually, tucking the larger ring under her arm as she snapped open the two smaller ones and held them out. "Nothing to worry about," she smiled, "just protocol, for your protection and ours. They'll take them off again when we get where we're going,"

Brea looked at the items that Penumbra was carrying and smirked slightly, "I assume those are to neutralize my abilities so I wont be a problem." It was a statement and not a question. It only seemed natural that they would want to make sure she couldn't run, or do anything else to harm them or the craft.

"I have no problem submitting to this," Brea said nodding to the items, "but if I am correct in assuming that those," she gestured with motion of her head towards the egg-shaped containers, "are for restraining those less friendly towards being 'recruited', I ask for your word that you wont put me in one of those. I'm not crazy about being trapped in dark places."

She turned her head slightly and saw the position of the men, and the still open ramp at the back of the craft. Unless they had some means to stop her, like some sort of field over that opening, she thought she could still escape if their answer was anything other than what she desired. She understood that she was giving up some liberties in order to join whatever this was, but she wanted to be a willing participant and not a prisoner. If it seemed like she was going to be the latter, she would be out that door quicker than they could blink. She turned her eyes back to Penumbra, even though her body was slightly turned towards the exit, and watched her for any signs of deception.

Aly tilted her head and smiled as Brea expressed her fears of closed places,
"So long as you don't cause a problem I see no reason to put you in there." She then turned to the rest of her team,

"Lets go. We have one more to pick up before we go back." She paused as the two walked up the ramp and went in their own directions then she turned back to Brea, " I hope the next one will be as easy as you to bring in. But.. Knowing my luck.. It won't be as easy."

Aly tilted her head and smiled as Brea expressed her fears of closed places, "So long as you don't cause a problem I see no reason to put you in there." She then turned to the rest of her team,

"Lets go. We have one more to pick up before we go back." She paused as the two walked up the ramp and went in their own directions then she turned back to Brea, " I hope the next one will be as easy as you to bring in. But.. Knowing my luck.. It won't be as easy."

"I'm trusting you," Brea said looking Penumbra straight in the eyes, "I won't cause any trouble, unless I am threatened." She hoped the certainty of her words were clear in her voice. She held out her hands so that she could place the small bracelets on her, and allowed her to place the bigger one around her neck. She would then sit where they told her to sit, and she would relax and try to enjoy the ride. She liked flying actually, and if possible, she would sit back and try to doze a little while they flew to their next destination. She hoped their next pickup would be as easy it was with her.