Sunny, with a chance of Heartache.

[CadetNewb]

There wasn't much to say, and not much to do other than put on the suit. He didn't care who saw him or not, and Johnathan wasn't in enough of a mood to even care anyways. He guessed it was the same with Steven. The FNG of the squadron simply exited one set of clothing and entered the next without much fanfair, unlike some of the others; he didn't blame them though. Who could? This Hetzer peson? Maybe, considering his circumstances. Wait, no. Or yes? There were too many things he didn't know about these people he was meeting for the first time. Johnathan had the distinct feeling he was going to get to know them much more closely in the moments to follow as he finished dressing. It fit him like a glove. As expected.

[Mr. Blackbird Lore]

Arcadia ventured with them to this new changing room, offering a smile to Emma as they walked. In truth, Pilot Langdon's worry had blinded her to Emma's presence, and she was feeling rather embarrassed about it, but the emotion didn't show. Once introduced to the room, she led her wingman to a pair of lockers, and then to a pair of adjoining stalls. "See you on the other side, Emma," she said in a very light tone. She stripped to her underwear right quick and then slipped into the suit. As promised, it adjusted accordingly, and she stepped out afterward, taking note that some girls from another squadron were being awful dramatic. Then again, things were a little weird, weren't they? They had lost folks after all, and strangers- even members of the opposite sex- were sharing the changing room... Yeah, Langdon could understand that and felt sorry, but had no way to help them.

Instead she turned and awaited Emma's return. No doubt the girls would be looking pretty spiffy in these suits, but Arcadia didn't bother checking herself over; if it was the case, she didn't want to make a deal of it, and if it wasn't, she'd rather not know.

[Kai]

Emma returned the smile, unsure of what was going on, but she followed her wingman the entire way, grabbing the black suit that was left in one of the lockers, and going into the stall next to Arcadia's. She examined the suit- it was very similar to the pilot suit she was already wearing, but there were notable differences- the lines and strange circles, and on the left breast, in dark blue letters, it read, faintly 'TEST'. the young girl slipped out of her current flight suit, felling the chill of the room on her skin after the insulation from her flight suit, and then slipped on the test suit, which felt as cold as the room for a moment, and a bit baggy, but then it began to warm up and shrink, and within a few seconds fit her perfectly, just as her old one had, even though the old one had been tailored to fit her.

The young pilot came out, ready to go, and eyed the other people that were there: Members of green squadron, the girls and giant bearded man of teal squadron, and those of Red squadron, who weren't quite as fresh as everyone else. Emma deposited her old flight suit in the locker she had gotten the Test suit from, and then waited.

Once everyone was ready, Istvan put his palms together, and rubbed them a couple times, grinning. "Yes, good work, it all seems to be working." he muttered to himself, before pointing to the door opposite the one they had entered from. "Come in here, and each of you pick a pod. My, err, Assistant will help you get set up." And with that, he lead them into the other room, which turned out to be a round chamber, the walls lined with ovaloid pods, all of which were open. they appeared cushioned, and had some kind of harness that appeared to match with the test suits they wore. In the middle of the room, was another of the ovaloid pods, and a station with a chair that seemed to be the operator's station. Next to this stood the most average looking person anyone had ever seen, an average heighted, snady-blonde, blue-eyed, Terran, whom had a very blank expression on his face, and was wearing another one of the test suits. The man, however, spoke up, and his voice did not disappoint in terms of comparing with his appearance.

"Welcome, to the newest simulation bay on the Hymn. This is normally a secret, however, Istvan has deemed that you all deserve entry into the project. What you are wearing is known as a linksuit. Yours are prototypes, and therefore slightly bulkier and more sophisticated than the production models will be, as the linksuits will soon be replacing the standard counterpressure suits. As their name implies, these suits are made to link you with things- from armor components, to weapons, and, in this case, simulations. It provides direct control and feedback via your nervous system, allowing for unconventional uses.

"As for today, you will each take a seat in one of the pods, and then I shall close them. Do not be afraid, they will not hurt you, though the first time you link up may be somewhat uncomfortable, though the feeling will dissipate the moment the Simulation begins. Now, please, choose a pod."

[Straken]

The moment the pilots were given permission to choose a pod, Steven strode forward silently with an ambitious stride. True, he had no idea what he was getting in to, but that unknown factor was enough to pique Steven’s interest as well as give him a focus for attention.
He grabbed the closest pod and climbed up inside. Once inside he looked back out over the group of people who were also coming along and felt a slight pang of guilt. “I should really say something to them at some point. If just for the sake of fulfilling my role commanding officer,” he thought to himself as he brushed the guilt away. After a moment of deliberation, he concluded that he would do so at the next available opportunity, for he was in a slightly awkward position to be doing any sort of public speaking.
“Well, th’s should be fun, ay Captain?” Fred chimed in as he grabbed the pod adjacent to Steven’s. “Although I am curious why they have us in combat designed suits for a relaxation session.” Fred began to hook himself up to the harness, and a glance over to Steven showed that he was doing the same; and that Fred had apparently hooked his arm up wrong.
Once the Irishman had corrected his harness, he relaxed back and waited for the ride to start.

[Kokuten]

Hetzer rolled into the simulation bay, leading the freshly changed Teal Squadron in the simulation chamber. The German-American scanned the room, slightly questioning the very purpose of what exactly was going on. The suit he wore was tight-fitting and slightly uncomfortable, and he had questioned the very purpose of it. He looked up at one of the pods and stepped on into it. "What exactly is going to happen here?" asked Hetzer, as the other women of Teal stepped into their own respective pods.

[Mr. Blackbird Lore]

Interesting- it was all very interesting, and like all the others she still had one very big question on her mind: what in the hell was all this for? The suits had an array of military applications, but they were apparently going to be enjoying some relaxation simulation. Of course, if it could connect directly to sims at all, the type of sim was ultimately a moot point, but she couldn't resist the feeling of irony and perhaps a slight mincing of words from Istvan. Even so, she clambered into a pod, hooked herself up, and took a deep breath in preparation.

[Gwathdraug]

The suits, pods, and all the scientific talk and what sounded like explanations flying about but never really explain anything about the situation they were in made Hungary dubious about what was going on.
The big pilot was on the verge of opening his mouth to make some quip about how he would need to be a lot drunker to get into Istvan's devices if he didn't tell them what exactly he was going to do when Siberia, with a simple, quiet nod to his men, strode past them and clambered into one the pods. The Red Lead's act of calmly settling in and then the even more trusting act of attempting to close himself in before one of the assistants rushed over and stopped him made the decision for the squadron.
Jek Ambrus grumbled a little to himself, hoping that Istvan's little simulator would be able to adequately replicate the taste of a good drink as he climbed into his own pod and waited for further insturctions.

[CadetNewb]

Johnathan sighed and climbed into his own pod as well. Here he was moments ago, a fairly young man, and naught 10 feet from undressed, perfectly good looking girls. And nobody really gave a damn. Hell, even he didn't care as much as he knew he should have. It just came to show just how far Terrans had fallen since, well, The Betrayal and following Fall. A lot of things were simply tossed out the window since they just happened to get in the way of something called 'Survival' which Terrans had to rediscover in a hurry or die. He thought about this as he simply sat there waiting for the next big thing to happen. Knowing Istvan, things were going to get brighter. But knowing himself, things tended to get darker first, at least from his perspective.

The FNG of the group brooded in silence.

[Kai]

In turn, each of the pods were closed, the harness in the lid coming and gently but firmly holding everyone in place. The Assistant made sure that all the connections were aligned to within specifications, and then the lids were completely lowered, and locked with a soft hiss. The inside of the closed pod, would probably cause a sens of claustrophobia to those whom were more susceptible to it, but it proved to not be too much smaller than a Scimitar's cockpit- the worrying factor in this case being that the harness was much larger than the safety harness in a fighter. It was quiet, in the pods, calm, and almost tranquil. one had absolutely no sense of what was going on outside. For a few minutes, they just sat there, unable to move due to the harnesses, and, without warning, they received what felt like a shock from each and every one of the points on the suit. The shocks came from all directions, and the users felt like screaming, except that none of them were in control of their bodies any longer. Instead, they all traveled through a swirling nothingness that seemed to be everything yet nothing simultaneously, and each began the journey alone, though, one by one, they all gathered, their consciousnesses being aware of one another- and that bland assistant.

Almost as suddenly as the journey began, it ended. They appeared, in a room the same shape as the one they had disappeared from, though this one was distinctly different. It was much brighter, as if lit by natural sunlight. The roof was much higher, and circling it were large windows, the source of their bright light. The floor was flagged with large, reddish stone slabs, smooth and sporting a vague shine. Instead of one door, there was one for each of the occupants, including the Assistant.

"Welcome, to EDEN, the Extended Device Enhancement and Nurturing simulation, created by Istvan as a place to harbor and develop artificial intelligences before they are released into the world. It was designed to be a paradise world, and there is much to learn and explore, though our stay here will be very local. you are currently on the Isle of Cradal, in the city of Port La Centa, which is the beginning and end of every journey in this place. Around you are hotel rooms, completely stocked with all the food and clothing you will require in your stay. Current weather reports show a sunny day with a light breeze, and temperatures around 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Please dress accordingly. Exits to the beach are on the other sides of your rooms. Also, the test suit will fade from existence outside of this room, so please do get dressed swiftly. I shall meet you on the beach, with another guest whom would like to join your vacation."

With that, the man turned around, and opened one of the doors, revealing a rather nice hotel room, with a large bed, a television, a small kitchenette, a very large dresser, and a door that obviously led to a restroom. directly across from the door into the circular room, was another door with a privacy-glass window, through which they could vaguely see the shades normally associated with a beach: white with dark blue. the sounds of the ocean now began filtering in, as well, beckoning them all to their own rooms. The assistant's door closed, and then vanished.

[Straken]

Steven was dumbstruck as the world around him materialized. In an instant he had gone from a small pod with stale recycled air to a new world entirely. Of all the sensory input his mind was processing, the most stunning was the smell of fresh air. The Captain had been on starships almost continuously for the past decade so he had grown accustomed to the heavy air of the life support systems. Now however he was blindsided by fresh, clean air, and for the briefest moment Steven felt completely at ease. He stood where he was taking several deep and immensely satisfying breaths while the assistant explained the situation. After the assistant left Steven let out a satisfied sigh and turned around and opened his door. The room was quaint and extravagant at the same time. Having lived his whole life either on a starship, in a small farming town, or at school, Steven had never stayed in a hotel or resort, and he had certainly never been to the beach before. Just as advertised, Steven was distracted from his pain and excited for things to come.
Steven confidently strode into his room and shut the door quickly, for also just as was explained, his suit dissipated and Steven was left with a good feel of the cool air. He walked over to the dresser on the far wall and opened it up. Sure enough it was stocked with a good supply and variety of clothing. He rummaged through the contents and eventually found an outfit. He was now sporting a pair of khaki beach shorts, and a redish-brown open faced ‘Hawaiian’ shirt. He was also surprised that everything fit him beautifully. It was not really an outfit he was used to wearing, or had ever worn for that matter, but it looked appealing despite the fact that it showed off the other regions that the virus had left scars on. “Eh, I guess they look pretty cool in their own right. Makes me look distinguished,” he thought as he looked at himself in a tall mirror. He grimaced a little as he rubbed the series of scars on his wrist and ankle; the skin was still rough and constricted.
Brushing the thought aside, he went into the bathroom and took a quick shower and cleaned up his stubble a bit. Feeling refreshed, he walked out onto the balcony where he was caught off guard by the cool sea breeze. He could smell the air from inside, but out here he could feel the cooling winds sweep past his face. He strode over to the railing and looked out at the beach. “This is going to be nice,” he said to himself as a faint smile grew on his face.

Fred, never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, couldn’t help but be curious. “So, what, is this just some big virtual reality video game?” he asked under his breath. But with the assistant already gone, Fred took a moment to stretch before turning around and opening his own door just to the right of Steven’s. “Ah hell yes!” he called as he shut the door and got a full view of his room. He was so excited to look around that he didn’t even notice as his suit dissipated.
“Whoops, bett’r get some dressin’s,” he chuckled to himself. He quickly threw on a pair of colorful swimtrunks, and, much to his enjoyment, a ‘Kiss me I’m Irish’ cotton shirt.