Unprogrammed, the costumes resemble (mostly) white jumpsuits, which provides some physical protection, particularly against cuts and stabbing but not against physical impact injuries.
The costume is fully programmable and the wearer can change the colour, add patterns and the basic unit can be accessorised with a jacket, cloak or mask. The uniforms are only issued while attending the school and are not considered personal property.
The costume incorporates a programmable anonymity collar (invented by the hero Mace). It uses an array of micro holographic fields to change various elements of the students face; it doesn’t disguise so much as alter discrete elements of their face, it can change hairstyle and colour, eye colour and the angles of their face sufficient so that they no longer resemble themselves. Anonymity cuffs can be added and programmed to scramble the wearer’s fingerprints if the wearer cannot wear gloves. A voice changer unit can be added to the collar if required,
The suit contains a program nicknamed the ‘Baby Monitor’ Protocol, which allows the school authorities to listen in through the suit even when a Comms unit is switched off or not present.
Another program (nicknamed the ‘Play Pen’ protocol) can also be used to allow the school to track the wearers location using direction and strength of signal though it needs access to multiple cell towers to triangulate a precise location if switched on. It also incorporates a signal to inform staff if the suit leaves a previously specified area such as the school grounds.
There are also other protections interfaced within the suit and teachers have the capacity to remotely activate the specialist equipment built into the practice suits if required.
This suite of safety programs have been baptised ‘Training Wheels’ by some smart-Alec. This allows the teachers to remotely activate a health monitor hidden in the suit to enable them to check the wearers vitals and a concealed and integrated automated external defibrillator (AED) to shock the heart to restore its normal rhythm if required. It can also turn their costumes into an emergency skinsuit with a hidden transparent hood-like helmet though for it to function for more than about five minutes it would need an additional external life support system added.
The Training Wheels system also limits what communication facilities the student can access through their earpieces; including voice activation to several pre-programmed channels. Channel 1 is set to the school’s HCP’s own encrypted frequency and is the only channel students are initially authorised to have access to.
Encrypted channels available include access to “Trouble Alert”, a separate and anonymous service run by a mysterious individual known as Dispatch, an apparent female who analysed the information and reports from Metawatch, ECHO, HeroNet and even Police and media reports.
Authorised students may listen in but are restricted from interacting with Dispatch except in an emergency. Once unlocked, it can also provide IOVP access (Internet Over Voice Protocol).
Growing up Meta, UK-Style! 