unknownseas | Introductions are in order...

When the hour has passed, and everyone is gathered into the Meeting Room, the door shuts and locks with an unassuming soft click. The overhead lights darken, though there's still some light in the room - complete darkness is hard to get with the windows there, even if the ones in here are a little more tinted than the ones in the rest of the facility.

The video screen taking up the wall in the back also turns on, displaying a fairly simplistic design, static and unmoving. A voice, male, clears its throat over the speakers.

"Greetings to you all, and welcome."

His voice is methodical and even, and even through the slight distortion filter it's been put through, those of you with a Europe can recognize his accent as some kind of European. German, maybe?

"You may call me The Professor, and I will be overseeing this experiment. Do not be mistaken - you are not currently my students, you are my test subjects. Lab rats."

Well, that answers that, at least.

"In order to reduce contact, I will personally be monitoring you from a secondary facility. Do not worry, there are members of staff on-site to take care of any immediate needs or wants you may have."

Not that you've seen any, of course, but...

"By now I imagine you're familiar with your situation, at least somewhat. If you have not yet, please read the rules, and... well, I will go ahead and open the floor to questions. I'd ask for you to be orderly about it, but... having observed some of you, that seems like a foolish hope."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Della approaches this with a light and easy attitude. ]

I'd ask what gives you the right to think you can just snatch a bunch of people from their beds, but the whole evil scientist air's answering that pretty well, so.

[ And then it turns serious. ]

I'm going to say this once: I better be the only person from Duckburg here. If you've laid a hand on any of my boys' heads, I'll make you regret it.

I can assure you, Moon-Chaser, that the only captured souls are the ones in this building. If they are not in this room, they are not a test subject in this experiment.

--Hey, I've got a real name, haughty! You seem to know it if you're the one who... [ She taps her blackberry, pretty annoyed. ] What about you, pretty lax on the sharing, The Professor.

If I gave you my name, Moon-Chaser, it would mean little to you. I am of the opinion that we should remain professional here.

There's nothing professional about calling me that, you...

[ Her hands are balled into fists. ]

I'm sure I don't know what you mean.

Yeah right you don't!

[ And now she's waving the blackberry around. ]

You are the one who wrote all this, right? As the guy in charge of all this? You know everything about us, don't you?

I know a great deal about you, yes. Would you have preferred a title regarding your parenting style? Or your relationship with your extended family, perhaps?

[ Della's still for a moment. ]

That's none of your--!

[ And then she lets out a furious and incoherent squawk and with shocking strength heaves one of the nearby chairs at the television screen! ]