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Futuristic The Genesis Syndicate

Elle Joyner

Elle Joyner

Fracturer of Fairytales
The scream of sirens broke through the deafening ringing in her ears, as the blistering sun swam into focus. A thin sheen of sweat clung to her face and her hair stuck on the back of her neck, a metallic taste like sticky syrup, cloying in her throat. Upon inspection she found she'd bit through her tongue, two neat holes right through the center. There was lump about the size of an egg, at the base of her skull, no doubt the source of her pounding headache, and her hands were scraped in several places.


Never in her life had she blacked out before, but even without the previous experience she knew that was what had happened. What frightened her was why. The smoke had cleared, but she had not imagined seeing it. Thick and so grey it was almost black, spiraling down from the sky, filling the streets in choking gobs.


She’d tried to hold her breath, tried to avoid it, but it was almost liquid in the way it poured in through her nose, poured down the back of her throat, filling her lungs.


Rolling onto her side, Virginia coughed, and brightly colored blood splashed across the pavement. She fought a wave of nausea as she rose to her feet, her legs trembling beneath her, threatening a second collapse. She managed to stay upright, however, and with a few shaky steps, started her way up the block, towards Broad Street.


She had been on her way to meet Nora for lunch at Aldo’s…


She had to find Nora.


~


The sun flickered in through the skylight above, stretched and yawned across her face, as Virgina's eyes flickered open. She’d had the dream every night for the first several weeks… woken at exactly the same moment, and with the same gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach.


It had been six months since that day… Ten weeks since Oswald Malkavich had begun recruiting for Tourniquet. They were small and they were unimpressive, but they were, thus far, the only hope for the GenMuts… The only thing standing in the way of the Syndicate’s hunt. And she was a part of that now. In many way, he had pulled her out of the mire she had sunken into and given her even the smallest amount of hope, and she owed him, greatly for that…


But now the dreams were back… and with them the torment of all that she had lost. Of all that had happened.


Sitting up, she pulled the covers to her chin. For October it had been unseasonably warm, Ginny felt chilled, shivering beneath the blankets.


Haven… Tourniquet’s headquarters was located North of Tempest Falls, a private home, built into a cliff, with a stunning view of the ocean. The high flat roof was set at a level which kept it hidden from the living room by creating the illusion that the home was surrounded by the countryside, but a triangular cut-out in the roof connected one with the sky. The choice of materials – concrete, Rheinzink roofing, wooden facades, stone and exposed aggregate concrete – allowed the building to blend into the landscape, with enough strength to withstand a missile. The upper levels were comprised of bedrooms, living spaces and a fully stocked kitchen, but beneath the structure were the labs and offices, where the majority of their work took place.


This was where she would find Doctor Malkavich.


Reluctantly abandoning the bed clothes, Ginny dressed in a pair of jeans and a long sleeved turtle-neck, before sliding on a pair of thin leather gloves, which stretched up past her elbows. They were not a fashion statement… they were a necessity, and she hated them. After pulling on socks and shoes, she made her way out of her room and down the long spiral staircase to the living room. From here, she approached the elevator that would take her to the laboratories. Swiping her security card she waited for the doors to open, then stepped inside, pressing the button for the subbasement.


Tinny and subliminal music, something by Celine Dion, played overhead and Ginny smirked. Even at a time when the world was falling to pieces around them, there could still be humor in the strangest places.


After a brief ride, the elevator came to a crawling halt and the doors slid open with a chime. Ginny stepped out into the brightly lit hallway. A swipe of the security card would send the elevator back to the upper levels, after which Ginny made her way towards Doctor Malkavich’s lab.


She had been one of the first approached by Oswald and however unnerving it had been, coming face to face with the masked man who would become their leader, over the past few weeks under his instruction, she had grown to trust him in a way she’d never thought possible, again. She had been on the brink of collapse, after losing Nora, and Oswald had, in many ways, saved her life.


Approaching his lab, Ginny raised a gloved hand and knocked, before letting herself in, clearing her throat to announce her presence.


“Doctor Malkavich…? It… it’s happening again. The dream. Could… Is… is there anything I can do down here…? Just to get my mind off of… well… off of things?”
 
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Whistling to himself, Oswald Herbert Malkavich strode from one end of the open white room to the other, stopping now and again to fiddle with this and that - various experiments and mechanical wonders that lay in pieces strewn across a few large tables.


"So much to do!" the tall, thin man stated almost gleefully, rubbing his eyes carefully with the back of a gloved hand. The grey and clouded orbs shifted ever slightly as they darted from machine to machine. "Record: it never ceases to amaze me, that through loss can come such amazing gain. Though my sight is not what it once was, as I've mentioned, what has replaced it is something altogether unique and challenging. Unlocking the full potential of this ability is still in progress and updates will continue as--"


His words were cut off as a beep sounded on one of his monitors, followed by a longer beep. "Company," he said with a smile, pristine white teeth a stark contrast to the scarring that marred his face. "Stop," he commanded the recording, and moved to collect his mask from one of the few clean tables in the lab, slipping it over his head. In seconds, the material had formed to fit him and hugged into place, perfectly aligning the lenses inside with his eyes.


"Connect," he stated plainly and sharply, the mask making a few movements as things inside it aligned with a few specific spots on his flesh and connected right where it should. For a moment, everything was black and then sight returned in spades - his previous lack of sight normalizing. He blinked - three times as always - as he adjusted to the harsh florescent lighting, then smiled behind the strange material. When he spoke, the voice had a crackling, metallic sound. "Another brilliant invention if I'm to compliment myself."


The knock drew his attention to the door and, as expected, in walked the familiar face of Virgina Brauer. She looked distraught as she cleared her throat and spoke, talking of the dream again. Oswald shook his gloved hands in the air in a gesture of dismissal. "Of course, Virg-- Ginny," he said cheerfully, correcting himself. "And again, I did not give you the access card to restrict - you're free to come and go down here if you please."


Smiling behind the mask, he handed over a tablet, the bright LED screen displaying a long list of things that he was working on. A few had clean lines, red, struck through them, showing that he'd already finished those. "Anything there you can assist with if you'd like. So much needs to be done and I worry that any others that may join us would be wary and untrustful if they see the various messes I keep around here of unfinished projects and clutter." He laughed at that, a strange and mechanical sound - as if a computer was laughing - and reached into his white labcoat pocket to draw out a smaller tablet. "The lists are connected across the wireless signal across the lab, so if you'd update your progress or 'claim' projects you're working on, I'll know not to work on them."


Realizing he was not only rambling, but talking strictly business, the male went quite for a moment. "If you'll excuse my rambling on, Ginny, is there anything you'd like to talk about? I know dreams, specifically those that can re-occur, can be a haunting experience. Especially if they lead to reliving a traumatic moment in one's past..."


The silence that followed as he trailed off was telling.
 
Leo woke up depressed and brushed his teeth. He thought a bit and his cell's light buzzed on. There was a loud roar from the hallway, it no longer had much use to frighten him. It went something like.


"Time for breakfast, freaks!"


A metallic clinging sound echoed through the cell block, likely from prisoners banging against the bars. He knew he could be in a more comfortable, less homicidal cell. Leo had been thrown in the block for troublemakers. Leo knew the moment he stopped fighting, the moment he settled with this life it would become his fate. So, as the cell doors swung open all the guards phones buzzed and for a brief moment he felt pain on his head. Leo was smacked by a guard's baton and lied still on the cold concrete floor. He woke up restrained being fed gruel through a tube. Though he knew he had caused discomfort among the guards which delighted him. So, he went about his day in the cell, eating lunch, in the cell, eating dinner, in the cell, go to bed, and so on. This was his punishment for now, for being different. Every once in a while gas flooded the chamber causing Leo to fall asleep, only to wake up with a new scar in his cell.
 
She had only been around him a little over two months, but she had had enough conversation with Oswald to know getting a word in edgewise was a challenge in and of itself. Normally, it might have been a little frustrating, but there was something so endearing when he did it that it never really bothered her. Still... the amount of times she'd started speaking, only to find that initial breath interrupted by another excitable outburst was note worthy.


When he finally fell silent, Ginny smiled and shook her head, picking at one of the gloved fingers. She never got the impression that Oswald's offers were anything but genuine, but the thought of opening up was still too much to take. She wasn't ready to talk about it yet... not yet, "It's just my sister. I... I keep dreaming about that day. I was supposed to meet her, and I never did. And I keep thinking she's trying to tell me something... but that's ridiculous. She's gone. It's silly... Probably just ate one too many Pringles or something."


The smile faded and Ginny ran her hands over her arms, "Anyway. I'll take a look and see if there's anything I can wrap my brain around. I mean, I was a caterer... not a physicist, but I could probably handle one or two projects without causing a reenactment of Chernobyl. Thanks, Doc."


She eyed the list and nodded, "Yeah, definitely. I'll just go, then... and get to work. I'll swing back in a few, bring coffee or something. Good luck!"


With a renewed grin she turned on the heels of her sneakers and slipped back out the way she'd come in, heading down the hallway into one of the unoccupied labs.
 
Zap. Zap. Zap. The sound of the television switching channels filled the living-room. It hadn't been long since she moved into the private home. Headquarters, they called it. The house was beautiful and the view was stunning. Normally, Lucy Mae Austin would've been thrilled to be there, yet she felt... nothing. It wasn't a vacation home or a hotel. No, this was her new 'home' - her only home now.


Zap. Zap. She sat on the couch, legs pulled up, resting her chin on her knees. Her finger mindlessly clicked the remote with a steady rhythm. Every now and then she would zap past a sports channel, and her eyes would be glued to the screen. On the screen, she would see a match of some sort, people running around, chasing a dumb ball. Lucy wasn't focused on that though; her eyes only saw herself reflected in the runners on the screen.


"Next up, the Junior favorite, Lucy Mae Austin is getting ready for her high jump. We're excited to see her improvement this year and it looks like Coach Austin is confident in his daughter. Talent runs in that family, wouldn't you say, John? She's ready, and here she goes, running at a confident speed. She's close to the bar now, and here she goes - oh, it's a beautiful jump, it looks like she'll -... W-what's that? L-ladies and gentlemen, it looks like Austin has fallen down. I can't seem to get a proper glimpse, but the cameras are zooming i- oh dear lord, what is that?!"





Lucy scoffed. She had been training when the Blackout happened. They had heard about the supposed 'genmuts' - mutated humans. People showing signs of different mutations, powers. At first, she had been scared of them as well, who knew what they were capable off? Her family was unaffected though, and what they reported on the news seemed so distant. Life had gone by normally for the Austin family, until the state competition. Ironic, she thought. Having her mutation show its first symptoms on national television. That day was a blur, but the sensations were vivid in her memory. First the feeling of flight, freedom, as she had jumped. Suddenly she felt heavier than ever, falling down to the ground - no pain though. But the panic around her was enough and worst of all the looks.





The next months were a blur as well. Hiding from the media, hiding from her friends and family. Her dad tried his best, but it was draining him, and the day she saw the fear growing in his eyes, she knew it was time to leave. One way or another, she got recruited into this place, the Tourniquet, with other people like her. Coming here was an easy choice.


Click. With a sigh, she turned off the television. "Enough feeling sorry for yourself, Luce..." She spoke out loud to herself, forcing herself up from the couch. Looking around, she briefly checked if any of the others were there. She had only been here for a few weeks and seen a few faces; she hardly remembered the names of any of them. Finding no company, she ran up to her room to change into her sportswear. Running always helped, she thought as she made her way through the living-room, heading for the courtyard outside.
 
There sat a black metal band that wrapped around snugged her wrist, about a few inches long, and a thin glass sitting on top of it. Light began to shine from the band, illuminating a map with a red dot in the center. With her right hand, she moved over to the piece of glass on her wrist and pinched out letting it zoom out and giving a bigger view of the area.


It gave way to a blue dot that was a few centimeters up from the red one and a nod indicated her pleasure before triple tapping the screen, it going dark. With a yawn she moved to a black box which she opened up and pieced together metal pieces, snapping in place -forming a sniper rifle. She took a second and flipped a button on the scope, it making a very very very -ha three of 'em- low hissing noise because it was electrically powered. When she peered through the glass circles it showed a view of the world in blue, giving way to heat signatures that show up in different tints of white depending on the intensity of the temperature.


She adjusted the scope before she flipped another button on it, it zooming in on the target that happened to be over a mile away. The scope couldn't get a facial recognition on the subject, and because of the design of it she couldn't make a visual identification. So, she pulled down the bipod on the rifle and placed it on the cooling system on top of the roof, reaching into her bag and pulling out a tri-rotor drone.


All of this equipment she was using, she stole from the SWAT armory. In this time it was all standard equipment especially for sharpshooters. She turned the drone on, it didn't buzz or anything, it had been advance enough to not make any sound from its rotary blades now. So using that same wrist band, she tapped the screen and switched over to the drone app.


On the screen, it showed video feed from the drone as it hummed through the air and she controlled the drone using the app. The drone flew its way around the buildings reaching closer before the feed grew fuzzy, before finally giving out and she loss control of the drone. "They must be using an electromagnetic field or something...guess it's on foot." she muttered mostly to herself a bit frustrated. Now, not only would she have to go physically identify and kill him, she'd have to find and retrieve the drone.


A slow breath released from her lips as she opened up another black box, piecing together an hk m416 assault rifle modded for close quarters battle. She took in a deep breath jumping from the building onto the fire escape, and then grabbing on to a pipe with her free hand with the grip of boa constrictor and climbing down slowly before her feet touched the ground.


She looked around moving through the alleyways, and eventually near the area where her target was. The facility was secure, something she had not expected but what real intel could she really expect from a bounty from an anonymous client. A glance at the sites on her rifle and sigh following when she noticed the red dot was missing,"What's going on..." The suppressor on the weapon would keep her location disclosed if she was confronted, and she quickly and quietly moved towards the front gate using her ability to hide her appearance from any visual cameras. This was also effective for basic infrared thermal sensors, particularly passive ones. She assumed that's probably what they were using outside anyways considering the high amount of animal traffic that probably occurred.


The front gate was secure, but that was easily remedied when someone had made there way with their ID card swiping in, probably the target she had spotted through the scope. She quickly followed behind before making it inside. This left her with two choices. She could take the card, and remedy any further access points but that came with risks. She didn't know if they were DNA activated, nor if there were certain levels that were restricted to the person. It would be odd for someone with low level access to try high level access. Which left option B, an exploration route....which had its obvious drawbacks.


Deciding to avoid a panic or search of the premises, she nodded staying close to the person to see where they were going. When they had made there away off the path she was hoping for, she slid into a corner and dropped her powers for a bit. It was tiring her out. She would take the time to rest and figure her next course of action. Double tapping the band -which was immune to any electromagnetic fields- the screen popped up. She didn't have a map of the area nor the security system and it would be advantageous to have both.


It wouldn't be necessary to hack their system to obtain either, but it would be necessary to connect and gain access. This would be tricky until she realized something,"Technology is great..." she muttered to herself, and instead of connecting to their computer systems she linked directly into the electric circuit. After a moment of processing, the computer on her band constructed a map of that area and suspected security systems. It wasn't conclusive, but she could work with it.


With a smirk, she faded back into her transparency like an anthro rain drop. When she got into rooms with motion detectors, depending on the type -which she could visually discern- she would handle them appropriately. For infrared, she did her best to force her infrared radiation into several spots using her power, which would confused the system and forcing it to ignore it as anomaly. The other versions she just sent an EMP pulse from her band-buddy that would temporarily short the system.


She had done this all the way until the elevator, in which she needed an access key to get into. A nuisance. She could hack it with her band, but that would probably send a silent alarm. So she had to be patient.


Letting her powers drop and letting the rifle hang from a strap around her shoulder, she jumped up and grabbed the light post above her and crossed her legs along the long halogen lamp.


This was now the waiting game. Time would past and finally a victim would stroll along and walk to the elevator. This was perfect, and so with her skills from being a CIA operative, she dropped on to her feet softly like a feline and waited until the person swiped the elevator open before striking them on the back of the head with a speed of a cobra, rendering them unconscious.


Quick to catch the body to stop any loud noises that would occur from it falling, she grunted a bit. The female was heavier than she looked, but she stuck with it dragging the body on to the elevator and sighed as the doors closed and they began their descent. When it finally reached her destination, she faded back into her transparent form.


The doors slid open and she reached slowly to her side, unhooking a smoke grenade, removing the pin and tossing it in the room where Ohm was. She quickly moved around to get behind him with her rifle rose and pointed at him,"Explain your motives here, or die."


When she spoke, she called her powers off, her rifle and body going back to normal. It revealed the mutli racial, caramel skinned woman. Her hair tied up neatly into a bun, light blue kevlar body armor on her chest with 'SWAT' on the back revealing most of her arms which were exposed. Knee pads, and boots along with the blue SWAT pants rounded up her git-up.
 
Oswald listened to the girl, nodding, the 'eyes' of his mask making a soft click as he blinked.. He let her speak, deciding to stay quiet as she had for him. The difference being that he had been rattling on and her words held a greater meaning than laboratory busy work. Nodding when she finished, he smiled again behind his mask - the fabric's shape shifting to indicate it.


"I've faith you'll do just fine, Ginny," he stated truthfully, having seen the girl's ease in picking up various projects in their short time together. She'd seemed to have little trouble with his maddening sense of 'organization' - or lack thereof. Chuckling, he nodded once again as she headed off. "Yes, coffee sounds wonderous, thank you in advance!"


Turning back to his work he gave another small laugh. It was nice to have someone around - especially one that didn't seem to find him TOO odd to speak with. She hadn't seem to mind his own bizarre sleep schedule either, but he supposed it was because she'd had her own issues with slumber.


He frowned deeply, the material of his mask bunching where his lips rested, as he thought of his own dreams. Reliving, over and over, the night of his wife's death and his own awakening. A shudder wracked him, but he quickly pushed the feelings aside and went back to his work. Before long, he'd began whistling to himself once more.


Before he could get too far into things, there was a clinking sound and the room began to fill with smoke. Blinking in shock, he turned to see a rifle aimed at him through the smoke. "Ventilation Systems, Protocol 2," he commanded calmly, and the vents pulled smoke out of the room as quickly as it had been filled. He looked over his 'attacker', tilting his head at the weaponry and the SWAT body armor and get-up.


"I would be happy to, ma'am, if you would kindly lower your rifle. I'm unarmed here and do not mean to put up any sort of a struggle," he stated plainly, smiling politely behind his strange facial covering. He blinked twice, the black material of his artificial 'eyelids' mimicking his movements, opening and closing toward the center like the shutter of a camera.


Putting his hands before him, he crossed his gloved fingers together, black gloves a stark contrast between his flesh and bright white labcoat. "My 'motives' here are to create and shelter. Not only am I crafting new technology and augmentations, but I aim to build a place where 'GenMuts' - as people are so lovingly calling us - can join together for something better than hiding from scrutiny."


"Well, that and people hunting us down," he said matter-of-factly, chuckling to himself as one eye opened a bit further. It was almost as if he was raising an eyebrow at her.


"Tourniquet is a way for us to band together against the coming threats. To bond, compress really," he said with a mechanical 'wink', "and apply pressure to the bleeding wound that is the Syndicate."


The man laughed a little, shaking his head. "I suppose it all sounds rather grandiose, but I assure you, our intentions are nothing but helpful. People effected by these 'mutations' should not be shunned or tormented for their differences," he finished.


"There you have it, dear. My 'motives'."
 
""In the morning the princess was asked how she had slept. "Oh miserably." The princess said. "I didn't get to close my eyes for a second. There must be something hard under this mattress, for I am black and blue all over!"" A small girl giggled and waited in anticipation for the page to be turned. ""She must be a true princess!" Exclaimed the prince to the queen and king. "Only a true princess could have felt the pea under the twenty mattresses and the twenty blankets, No one but a true princess could be so delicate." The queen said."" There was a pause as the small girl giggled when her father tickled her side. ""Then It is true." Said the king. The prince then married the princess and they lived happily ever after.""


The mans voice stopped as he closed the story book. The girl, who was cuddled in bed with her blanket and teddy bear smiled up at her father who sat on the bed next to her. "I bet I could feel the pea, Daddy." She said. The man chuckled. "I bet you could hunny." He leaned down and kissed her head. "Go to sleep." He stood, putting the book back in the shelf then strode across the room to the doorway and turned to look at his little girl. "Goodnight, Daddy." She girl said as she snuggled into her bed with a smile. "Goodnight, sweetheart." The man replied with a smile and turned off the light then closed the door.


-------------------------------------------


Why did that memory always have to plague her? She sighed in frustration. When she was a little girl her father loved doing things like that, now she hardly ever saw him, and when she did he never had time for her. Work had taken over his life and everything else was just a nuisance to him. She had gotten nosy one day and decided to snoop through her fathers things. What she found there was frightening. Papers that said, Chernobyl on the tops and had things written like, 'Genetic Mutations' and 'scientific research'. Things that made her hate her father for being involved.


Pushing off of the couch and clicking off the stupid television show and went to the kitchen, picking up her cell to see if anyone wanted to fill the empty void within her. It wasn't long before she got a response from her current best friend. When she was dressed and ready she headed out to go and meet Chloe, her best friend, at the cafe they always love to go to.


When she got there Chloe had already got them coffee and pastries. "Nadia!" Chloe said excitedly and got up to hug her favorite person in the world. Nadia smiled at Chloe and hugged her back. Whenever she needed someone Chloe was always there and she loved her deeply. They sat and talked and ate and drank. Chloe was in the middle of telling Nadia about her new love of her life when it all happened.


Black inky smoke began to slip through the sky. The spirals fell upon humanity like tornadoes. The girls shared a look of fear as they reached over and latched hands. It was obvious there was no way to escape it, it covered the sky completely. Then as the smoke washed over them like luke warm water consciousness slipped away from them.


---------------------------------------------


Nadia had been staring at her phone for an unusually long time until the memory receded back into the depths of her mind. She blinked her green eyes rapidly as a tear escaped, falling a long distance to crash onto the screen of her cell phone. Seeing the salty drop there she quickly swiped the tears away from her face and sniffled. She stood from the metal chair, which scraped across the cement, where she had been sitting at a table at a nearby cafe then walked off.


Life was not normal anymore. But something she had been getting used to lately was being alone. There were things about her that were different, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it she couldn't deny that she wasn't the same average girl she used to be. With late in hand she walked with a brisk pace along the side walk away from the cafe. Of course she thought she was some freak. The words "Genetic Mutation" and "Research" came back to her mind which caused her to ball her fists in anger, digging her nails into the skin of her palms. She knew what had happened to her was something that her father was involved in, there was no doubt in her mind about that.


She had been avoiding Chernobyl for a long time. She did, at least, come across at a human being. Unaware of a place of refuge she would bounce around from place to place to stay off the radar knowing full well that those scum bags had ways of locating people like her. She had seen it once. A "GenMut" captured and carried off. She had followed them back to see exactly what it was that they were doing but she could only go as far as the outside of the fence that guarded the large research facility. Shaking all thoughts from her head, Nadia headed for where she was currently staying, hoping that no one was on her trail just yet.
 
The rifle lowered, but she didn't necessarily drop the weapon from the ready. When a target claimed they were unarmed, only a fool would listen to it. Instead, she stepped back and viewed the entire situation around her. The smoke had been sucked into the vents like an angry vacuum being controlled by a housewife who has just started her intense bout of spring cleaning.


'Voice controlled automated system, great intel', was the only thought in her head, and where a normal person would sigh in a mixture of frustration and relief, her face was stale and offered no emotion.


The man before her, her former target, had begun rambling on for a bit that she almost had lost focus. She was a teenage student in the final few minutes of the final period of a High School class day. Well, that was until he had repeated motives indicating to her that he had finished speaking. Despite her lack of interest and struggle to maintain focus, she did hear everything and pondered on it a bit,"So. Basically you are a militia of mutants. Kind of like X-Men? Ha. Perf. "


She slowly faded out into her transparent form, before coming back simply to exemplify her power to him,"I guess I fit the GenMut category, eh?" After breathing a bit heavier than she initially was, much like someone who had just come back from a jog, she reached into one of the pockets on her pants. She withdrew that hand back with a blue pill, placing it in her mouth and dry swallowing it. This was seceded by an unsatisfied grunt, much like a grandfather's response to something his son would say. The pill was one that athletes would take, it was a concentration of b12 vitamins, sodium, and a few other types of electrolytes that provided energy. It was to help keep her body from overworking when she used her powers.


With the quickness of a surge of electricity, she released the magazine and also let the sole bullet that had made its way into the chamber pop out. Dropping the rifle to her side, she used that speed to catch the magazine and the bullet before extending it out to the man before her,"Well. I can't say I care too much about the cause, but it does sound like a safe haven for me. As you can tell, I clearly must be skilled to get in here."


She stopped speaking for a moment before shrugging,"If you give me food, I'll give you my skills."
 
The girl's reply made the masked man blink and tilt his head again. After a moment, he exhaled a bit of laughter through his nostrils, then laughed aloud. "Well, 'perf' as that may be, I suppose that is the closest comparison one could make in the situation, however --"


He stopped speaking, however, when she vanished from sight and then reappeared soon after. His eyes widened. "I suppose you do!" he said excitedly, smiling again. "Temporary invisibility! Astonishing mutation. I will assume that is how you were able to get into this facility."


Thinking on this for a moment he continued. "Though, if you had just set up an appointment or simply buzzed and asked for me, we could have avoided any of this messy business altogether," he stated, motioning to the rifle.


Noting the increase in her breathing, he tilted his head at the pill she consumed. "I'll assume that is to keep your energy levels appropriate for use of your abilities," he said excitedly, nodding. "With further training, such exhaustion from usage could be a thing of the past, I would theorize."


Before he could say any further, the girl moved quickly and released the rifle's magazine, popping a single round out of the gun before catching both mag and bullet and handing them to Oswald. "Impressive as well," he stated, setting both on a nearby table.


Her words tugged another chuckle from him. "Cause or not, this is a place where you'll be safe. I don't require anyone to participate in anything dangerous, should they not be so inclined, but there may be things around here we would ask of you, if you've got the skills. Nothing major, of course, but any little bit of assistance keeps this compound running smoothly."


Nodding again, he continued. "Skilled indeed. If you've shown me anything today, it is that I need to enhance my security systems to prevent further break-ins. Later, if you're up to it, I might have to question your methods on getting past the security," he said calmly, rubbing the chin of his mask in thought.


"AH, and of course. We're well stocked with a number of culinary items of varying backgrounds and flavors. From near ready boxed meals to ingredients of many types. I cannot say we have too many things catering to a more expensive pallet, but we've got a decent inventory."


Extending a hand toward the door, he began to walk in the direction of it. "If you'll follow me, we can head toward the kitchen and pantry. Let me just let my colleague know I'm headed out of the labs so she doesn't worry about coming back to a desolate set of rooms."


Sending a quick text message to Ginny, he walked to the door and held it open. "Shall we?"



Virginia Brauer - "Ginny"
left
Ginny - I've left the labs to make my way toward the kitchen. We've a new arrival that I wanted to show around and she seems to have quite the appetite. If you'd like to join us, feel free. If not, I should be returning to the laboratory to continue work shortly!
 
"Well it helped," she stated briefly in response to the statement about her mutation being how she got into the facility. It did help, she had to admit since it allowed her to come into the facility without any intel and keep her equipment on the light side. She'd prefer OSP (On site-procurement) but she wasn't sure how the facility was, and wasn't too sure that they'd have anything useful for her to procure.


He mentioned making an appointment and she scrunched up her nose a bit, making an unpleasant face. That was a no-go. "Pretty sure making an appointment with a bounty target and trying to escape after I killed him would have been a little bit harder," she didn't smile but she did offer the shrug of her shoulders,"Had you been outside and I could have identified your mask, this conversation would be with a phantom at the moment."


The idea of being able to use her power without suffering from the exhaustion she was currently feeling did pique her interest,"You theorize? Is there anyway to get more concrete findings? " She stopped and then looked around and assumed that'd be yes,"Well It'd be nice to do something dangerous, housework doesn't suit me."


She listened intently to the rest of what he had to say and offered a shrugged when they got to how she was able to sneak in pass their security defenses,"Well to be fair, I don't think you're going to have too many former CIA operatives who specialize in stealth infiltration breaking in..."


When they began walking towards the door, she rose a brow. She remembered from the schematics her band picked up that the elevator was the main entry way into his lab and she sort of..chuckled. It was an awkward chuckle, one that might come from someone who has never chuckled in their life,"So...I sort of knocked someone out on the way here, so there might be an unconscious body on the elevator. They're fine though."
 
The courtyard was large and spacious with a few seats here and there. There were only a few grass-patches, Lucy figured for aesthetic purposes. She preferred running in the woods, but this would have to do. In her mind, she had created a small running track, making sure to avoid the scarce outdoor furniture. The sun was high in the sky, making the sweat on her body glisten as she ran back and forth. First, jogging to warm up. Then a few laps with a higher speed. Then she pushed herself till her vision blurred and the blood was pumping furiously through her body. She didn't run to any music, but the sounds of her own footsteps hitting the pavement was enough to set her into a 'training-trance.'


Deep breath. Slow jog, faster, faster, jump! Her body had moved with the thoughts in her head, and she had jumped as she would've with a high jump. Mid-air, she realized, she wasn't high jumping though - there were no safety mattress to land on. With a scream, she braced herself for the impact and she felt the adrenaline course through her body. Then it happened. It happened pretty quick, but she felt it as in slowmotion - first the finger tips, arms, torso, before engulfing the rest of her body. She landed backwards down on the ground with a loud thud as stone hit stone.


Lucy laid there for a while, breathing hard. Her body was tingling, as it would, when her 'powers' activated. Raising a stony arm, she looked at her hand that was now covered in a stony surface. Or was it stone on the inside as well? She wasn't really sure. Taking a few deep breaths, she relaxed and soon began to feel her body changing back to normal again.


"W-woops, I hope no one sees that..." Lucy muttered to herself as she got up and inspected the human-shaped 'dent' in the ground. Only her stomach grumbled in reply. Loudly. Deciding to leave the place of crime, she grabbed her towel and swung it around her neck and headed for the kitchen. No one was ever there, when she was. Did the other 'gen-muts' never have to eat? Lucy merely shrugged, and turned on the radio. She rummaged through the cabinets and grabbed some ingredients to cook for herself, humming slightly to the tune of a catchy pop-song.
 
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As Michael awoke that morning, the sun shining down at him through the tree tops, he felt that, for the first time in some while, he was in control of his own life. He stood and stretched, first his physical muscles, and then his mind. He reached out telepathically, searching for any non-animal sentience, making sure they were safe. Having just recently escaped the facility that gave them their mutations, he and Orion hadn't really had a solid night sleep, at least until last night. He stretched a hand out and pulled his bag over to him with his telekinesis, reaching in and pulling out some jerky and biscuits, taking a bite of the jerky as he walked over to Orion's bag and grabbed her canteen. He walked over to the small stream and filled both his and hers with water, then back to the camp, cleaning up his stuff.


He wasn't entirely sure what to do now, he didn't want to wake up Orion, she had had less sleep than he had the past few days, so he let her sleep, instead decided to try hunting with his telekinesis. He wander off about fifty yards from camp, and made sure the wind was coming at him. Then he waited, his hand out. He heard a rustling and quietly turned towards it, seeing a small deer walk out. He pushed telekenetic energy at it, but only managed to push it slightly, at which point it bolted. This went on fore quite a while, until he finally figured out how to make the energy hit the animals at a point, similar to an arrow. He even started to aim as though he were holding a bow and arrow, and finally, spotting a rabit, he managed to catch its ear.


He pulled the rabit over to himself as it struggled, wincing as he realized what he was about to do, and then realized it was already in pain. He grabbed it's neck and snapped its neck in one sharp motion, ending its pain. He said a quiet prayer, a reminder of his childhood when his parents were extremely religious, and then walked back to their little camp, grabbing a few sticks and rocks for a fire. He took his shoelaces out of his boots and tied two sticks together so that they formed a cradle, and after skinning the rabit, placed it on a make-shift spit over a fire. He then went over to Orion and nudged her. "Hey, wake up."


@Kagura
 
It had been a long time since Orion had slept so deeply, cuddled up in a coral fleece blanket and finally relaxed for once. Back at the facility, she forced herself to stay awake as long as she could- to a point where she became insomniac. As much as she could rid her body of sedatives, it still reached a point of exhaustion that required sleep. Except when she went to bed voluntarily, the scientists and researchers no longer needed her to sedate her.


Orion, luckily, was a light sleeper and her senses increased two-fold with her lost vision, so she usually woke when people touched her. It was the same today, despite her depth of sleep, when Michael nudged her, she woke up. It was hard to tell, but her eyelids twitched as her eyes moved behind the lid.


Having been born blind, Orion's life had always been the same shade of grey- the back of her eyelids as Astra used to call it. The pinkette found her new mutations came with the ability to 'hear' where objects were, judging by the sound that bounced off of them. It wasn't descriptive, she still had no idea what color looked like or what the objects were, but she knew they were there. There was a time when Michael was nice enough to 'show' her something using his own powers, but Orion had freaked out so bad she had never asked again.


Habitually, Orion reached out and touched Michael's face- she knew it was him from his voice alone, but she took the moment to take stock of his expression. Or would have, if she had not smelled what the man was cooking over a crackling fire. "What are you cooking, Michael?" she makes sure her clothes aren't too disheveled before sitting up. She carefully manoeuvres herself so her legs are off the bed, settling her bare feet onto the campground.


It hadn't been very long since they left the facility, but Orion wondered where they could possibly be headed next. She knew it was dangerous to stay in the same spot but at the same time she didn't want to rush Michael. "Do you think they are looking for us now?" ultimately she decided on that, Orion was not sure what the man did to get out, but she knew the minute the alarm raised she wanted to come with him. Back when Michael was a researcher he had been one of her favourites, and she was glad he was allowing her to come along despite her physical impediments.


@King Of Imagination
 
The woman's words made the tall man's smile widen behind his mask. "Firstly, going outside with this mask on would be quite literally worse than painting a target on my back, Miss... erm, I suppose I don't know what to call you. Introductions later, of course," he said briskly, heading toward the elevator as he continued and prodding at the button with a single digit.


"And, of course there are ways. They require study, though. I'd ask that we study your power and its effect on you - with your permission, of course. Unlike The Syndicate, we're not as keen on experimentation - or dissection of course - of those with mutations," he explained, stopping as the elevator arrived and they walked into the small space to find a female that was waking up from unconsciousness.


"Miss Smitty!" Oswald said brightly, helping her up. "You've suffered a small accident and, if you'd be kind enough to wait on this floor, there is a medic heading this way as we speak!" Shuffling her out after making sure she was well, he tapped a few spots on his phone and re-pocketed it. "I would stay myself, but I really must keep going. Good day!" he finished politely and let the doors close, heading to the correct level where the kitchen was located with another button press.


Looking back to his guest and would be assassin, the male shook his head. "Apologies. Where were we? Ah yes." He cleared his throat. "Given your former CIA nature - that would need verification of course, you understand - we would be willing to give you a few jobs that would be of the more... exciting variety. Though, as we're not quite far in our preparation of Tourniquet, I cannot promise anything death-defying right from the beginning."


Smirking at this, he fell silent until the lift doors reopened and he stepped out quickly. "Just a bit further now," he said with a chuckle and lead the way. Eventually they reached a cluster of rooms that was serving as the kitchen, pantry and cafeteria. "This first room will be the pantry - we're quite well stocked on a good variety as previously mentioned. The second room - and the largest - is our dining hall. It's nothing much, really, but it's a place to sit and eat for now. The third, of course, is the kitchen for preparation of - oh!"


The presence of another person seemed to surprise Oswald, though he strode forward anyhow. "Hello there, Miss erm..." he started, pausing as he looked over the other female. "Austin! Lucy Mae, was it not? Pleased to see you getting used to your surroundings here!"


Meaning to extend a hand, the male looked down to his black gloves and blinked, mask whirring. "Oh, dear. That's rude enough of me, trying to shake hands with a glove on. I swear, I get so used to these things that they feel like a second skin!" he stated with a laugh, removing them carefully and washing his hands in one of the nearby sinks. Coming back, he extended a clean hand toward her. "I am Oswald Herbert Malkavich - Ohm if you prefer - and I'm the founder of this organization. My guest is Miss... erm, I'm afraid I've not yet gotten her name," he finished, turning toward his companion with a sideways look.


@AkuNoOkami


@khuyen
 
"Study me?" she questioned almost in an offended tone, well at least what she thought an offended person would sound. She wasn't exactly good at expressing those types of emotions. In fact, if she did feel offended she probably would have just killed him then and there with side arm she had under kevlar vest.


He watched the woman rise to her feet and he shuffle her off before shrugging her shoulders. She knew she was fine, it wasn't like she hadn't non-lethally done this a thousand times before, but she was curious how he would have responded to a lifeless body.


She grabbed Ohm's arm, firing her side arm square in his chest twice, before shooting him in the head. She immediately discharged the magazine before loading another one into, listening to the metal drop to the ground in a symphony of metal. Using her power, she faded out at the elevator rose to the top floor opening. After that it was an easy walk out and she was off and away.


'Verification' caused her to snap out of her fantasy as she looked over to the masked companion before nodding slowly. Truthfully she had no idea what he was talking about, but that he talked a lot. She walked with him listening slightly to what he was saying....what was he saying?


She looked over to the newcomer as Ohm had given his name and his nickname,"Ohm? What a shocking revelation." She managed to force herself to chuckle before taking a deep breath into grabbing her stomach a bit. She completely ignored the newcomer, and spoke directly to Ohm,"Tatyana Unzhakova." She said simply, matter of factly, and with about as much emotion as a rock.
 
"Eggs, onions, bellpepper, tomatoes, check..." Lucy half-mumbled to herself, as she stood in the kitchen. Her stomach was growling every now and then, looking forward to the omelette she was in the middle of making. "Where do they keep the pans..." Bending down, she rummaged through the cupboards, looking for a pan. Her back was against the kitchen door, as she heard two people enter the kitchen. Odd, she thought, but quickly reminded herself the house was bigger than she had initially thought, and running into people would be inevitable.


She turned her head to glance at them quickly, but managed to knock over one of the pots. "Shit!" Her hands and attention flew back to the pot, managing to grab it just in time. Finally getting the pan, she was looking for, she stood up and turned to the stove. Having been so focused on the pots and pans, she completely forgot about the newcomers. "Austin! Lucy Mae, was it not?" Realizing, a voice was talking to her, she quickly turned around flustered.


"Ah, sorry, I completely forgot to introduce myself, yes just call me Lucy, and you are- eep! " The sentence was cut off with a surprised squeal, as Lucy's eyes finally landed on the person in front of her. A man dressed in black with no head - or wait, there was a head, but also a creepy, looking mask! She jumped back instinctively, grabbing the pan from the stove, raising it up as a weapon. "W-what do you want!?" Her mind was racing, and she felt the familiar feeling of fear creep up her back - the paranoia, she had gotten from having to hide in her old home, was still there.


Lucy's grip tightened around the metal-handle of the pan, and she once again felt a tinkling in her fingers. A shiny, layer of metal seemed to cover her hands and creep up her skin until she was fully covered in a matter of seconds. Her metally eyes blinked in sync with the odd man's 'shutter'-eyes. It took a while for her to hear what he had said. Ohm? Why is that so familiar?


"Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry! Y-you're Mr. Malkavich, of course..!" Lowering the pan quickly, she took his ungloved, extended hand, shaking it firmly with her own metal hand. How could she not have known who he was? He was the whole reason, she even had a place to stay. "S-sorry again, you surprised me there..." She offered a sheepish apology, and gave an acknowledging nod to the woman next to him.
 
She'd settled comfortably into work, following Oswald's diagram for repairing the cables in the all but eviscerated electrical circuit, when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Fishing it out, she pulled off a glove and pressed in the password before peeking at the message, a brow quirked at the curious content. New arrival. She hadn't been aware any new recruits were arriving, and even if they had been and Oswald had chosen not to inform her, she was pretty sure he had not seemed prepared for guests...


Sliding her phone back into her pocket and re-situating the glove, she took a moment to update the logs before making her way out of the lab and down to the elevators. Swiping her card, she leaned back against the wall, waiting for the carriage, her thought rolling back to the message and what it indicated.


Since Tourniquet’s conception, they had been building Haven into a secure compound, but more and more every day, new recruits were coming in… Refugees of Tempest Falls, victims of the Syndicate’s witch hunt. They couldn’t take everyone in, despite a strong desire to, but those who could not stay were relocated to safe houses. But to see so many of them… so many people devastated by the Syndicate’s actions.


After the accident at her work, she had been approached by a Syndicate representative, concerned with the unpredictability of her condition. The woman had given Ginny a phone number, and she had held on to that business card for weeks… tempted to call. But then people started disappearing, bodies started showing up in alley ways, washing up in the river… GenMuts. Every one of them. Picked to pieces like science projects. The Syndicate “Ads” began showing up on television, in print… Warnings to the non-gifted, to be aware… to be diligent. To begin reporting anyone showing signs of genetic mutations.


She had practically been in hiding when Oswald had contacted her. He had heard about the accident and was concerned she might be a target… he had been right. The afternoon she’d left for Haven, they hit her apartment. The following day, her picture showed up in the news…. A warning to stay away from Tempest Falls if ever there had been one.


Caution had been her friend now for several weeks, but there was a time coming when they wouldn’t be able to hide anymore… when they would need to start fighting back, and when that time did come, Haven needed to be ready.


As hard as it was, bringing in new recruits… to take new security measures, make new key cards and passwords and program new identities... in the end, they would be the only thing standing against Genesis… and it would be well worth it.


The elevator arrived and Ginny stepped aboard, taking the car up to the living room. As the doors opened, she spotted the trio in the kitchen, and after hiking her gloves up, she stepped out and made her way over to them. She’d met Lucy only once before, but it had been a pleasant experience. The girl was a little scattered, a little withdrawn, certainly, but then… in their circumstances, they all were. Nevertheless, she seemed nice enough…


“Doctor Malkavich… Lucy…” Eyeing the new comer, Ginny smiled politely and nodded, holding out a gloved hand, “…And you must be our newest recruit. I'm Virginia Brauer. Ginny, for short."
 
With a start, Remington woke up, staring at white halogen lights as they flashed past him, he glanced about, and blinked through the drug induced haze. The darkness, while slow to clear, cleared faster then it would have for anyone else, and Remington knew it, so he continued to play the weak patsy, biding his time. The ceiling above him was coated with a slight amount of dark dust. "Must be fire day... They never clean the ceilings... Ruddy bastards..." Remington thought to himself. He closed his eyes as they moved him through the final set of doors and raised him bodily up onto the platform. One of the five guards moving him slipped up though, and he felt it. Remington smiled, and let out a slight laugh, his eyes opening for a brief second.


"Got somethin' for ya laddie." He muttered as he reached out and slid back the man's sleeve, gaining use of both of his hands for just a moment.


They had broken his legs in the study the day before, and he'd resisted his abilities power to heal him. So now, the guard lay on the floor, screaming his head off, and Remington laughed at him, laughed with his head thrown back as his legs mended themselves. He kicked out at the guards around him with the little amount of force his drugged body could muster. One of the guards caught his right leg, and slammed it against the test chambers restraining cross. Another slammed his fist into Remington's stomach, muttering, "Freak" beneath his mask.


Remington's laugh sounded loud and long as he reached out for the guard that had spoken, raising his right knee up. He'd begun to regain control of his abilities, and the guards were regretting not moving him sooner. He slammed the bone of his right knee's leg through the kneecap and up through the eye of the man, viciously wounding not only himself but killing the guard instantly. He pushed against them and forced the remaining guards back, his laughing had become hysterical as the room began flooding with flammable gas.


"Well lookie here boys." Remington said as he looked up the control box, "Apparently, Yer all Expendable." He grinned wickedly carrying on with his insane diatribe, "Lads, Ya can call me Lucifer if ya like!" he said throwing his hands out to his sides triumphantly, "Because I'll be showin' ya ta Hell shortly!"


He shot forward towards the nearest guard, he'd been reinforcing his jaw's bone structure, his teeth growing in his expanding jaw as the muscle's and tendons grew and expanded to take on the new load. He grasped one of the guards in full riot gear and bit through the armor, tearing the mans throat apart as his arms swelled in size. He viciously tore the mans head from his shoulders and put his arms out to his sides, as he took slow, meaningful steps towards the other guards, his damaged leg had already begun to heal, blood still flowing out of it in earnest.


"Come on lads, Which of ye want ta tussle with Uncle Remmy today?" His vicious eyes showed insanity that had sparked from the constant abusive tests they were putting his body to.


The first guard, the smarter of the two ran for the door, while the second, not so smart, raised an electro wand, and tried to strike Remington down with it. Remington dodged each attack as he advanced on the guard, mocking him, "Oh, That was a close one laddie, Come on, ya nearly had me with that one, try again!" He goaded the soon to be dead man.


He caught the stun wand, in mid swing on the mans fourth attempt, saying, "Third time was yer last freebie laddie buck. Time ta die!"


He took hold of the mans wrist and spun it, rotating the weapon in his hand, he drove the blunt instrument up through the mans spinal column through his internal organs, rewarded with the satisfying hissing squelch sound, Remington forced the weapon the rest of the way through the mans insides, and out through his ribcage.


Remington dropped the man, and looked to the fifth guard, who was pounding on the door, and disregarded him, moving instead, to the man who he had transferred the broken legs to. The man was groaning in pain, so Remington moved to the man with the eye problem, dead as he was, he slid back the mans cuff, and took on some of the damage. He reached out to the man with the broken legs, and did what he had done before, transferred all the damage from himself to the man, who began screaming with a whole new respect for the words Mortal Agony.


With a laugh, Remington muttered, "Think about that the next time ye get given legs ta walk on Gods good Earth Laddie."


Remington was done with the four, so he took his slow time, walking over to the fifth man, "Come on now number five." He goaded, "Don't leave me hangin' here mate! Yer lads aren't really in much O' a sportin' mood no more, and see... I am..." He said as he grinned, and grabbed the man's collar from behind.


He had already swelled to nearly twice the size the cross would have allowed for. So he slammed the man into it. The room was almost done filling with the flammable gas, he knew it too, they only needed a few minutes, and he'd taken his time. So as he strapped the fifth man into the cross chair, he whistled, "Great Rings of Fire"


A moment later, the chamber burst into flame, and Remington Humanitas laughed hysterically through the charring flesh and uniforms of the dead men around him, his body regenerating rapidly as he shared the damage he was taking with the man he'd strapped to the cross chair, speeding up the mans demise, and slowing down the rate at which his body took damage.


After a full hour of continuous flames, Remingtons body collapsed to the floor, and he fell unconscious. He had no idea where he was, who had him captive, or even what day it was, all he knew, is he had killed five of the men that kept him captive, and gotten away with little more then a need of a new pair of clothes. His body mended rapidly while he was unconscious and would return to his normal size, minus the augmentations he placed upon himself earlier, and he would be put back in his holding cell, back on sedatives until they had more need to find further limits of his miraculous body.
 
Blink.


Eyelids open to a vibrant blue sky, one littered with clouds of various shapes and sizes. Sean had taken a nap outside, strung out alongside the edge of the cliff which the hideout had been located. The sounds of wind worked rather well in conjunction with the sound of crashing waves below, providing what Sean would describe as a rather pleasant lullaby. Turning his head to the side would provide the view of the vast ocean in which the dwelling existed off of, though perched up rather high. Sean sat up slowly, turning his upper torso as far to the left as he could momentarily, then following suit with his right. This provided two cracks of his back, which immediately settled the stiffness of his muscles. Or, so he thought. From time to time, his brain was deceiving enough to simply make Sean believe it made a difference.


Immediately after, Sean would slowly get up to his feet. His hands pressed against the ground, both leaving hand-sized craters as he pushed himself upright. Due to his positioning close to the edge of the cliff, the man found himself quickly stepping backward to avoid falling off; when he pushed off the rock, it left the part which he was resting on somewhat cracked. So, as he stood up, the piece crumbled off, hitting various other pieces of rock on the way down until it crashed into the shore below. Sean's eyes followed it all the way down, letting out a relieved sigh in the process. Honestly, had it been his body tumbling all the way down, it would have hurt. Or took him out of commission completely. From time to time, Sean liked to actually believe that having super-strength meant that he had the same level of prowess in durability. Of course, this was not the case - after all, he was in a human body.


Feeling as though he was somewhat parched, no doubt in thanks to the process of slight dehydration he experienced while sweating out during his short state of voluntary unconsciousness. Moving a hand up to his forehead, the Irish man would move his bangs over to the right side of his face before turning his back to the immense body of water. It had been a total of one day since he had gotten to the grounds, thankful that he had done so. With the growing concern for those whom had grown genetic mutations due to the chemical which had been released into Tempest Falls' immediate atmosphere, 'Genmuts' would find more and more disdain for their race. There was nothing that they could have done to avoid becoming what they did; they all had to live with it, too.


Sean was subject to The Syndicate. He knew what it was like being tested on like a lab rat. The feeling of hopelessness, that he might not ever life freely again due to the fact that he was afflicted by a chemical that was originally designed to be a weapon - well, it was on par with his experiences begging on the streets of Dublin. Honestly, the ladder experiences were hard to beat no matter the circumstances. Only losing a limb could possibly be worse; in all honesty. Light blue hues remained fixated on the hideout as he thought to himself, but all roads led back to the same idea: he was lucky to be alive, to have gotten out of the clutches of The Syndicate. He was even more lucky that Oswald Malkavich took him in. The streets would not take Sean back, so he was lucky to have someone willing to open up their life for the cause of the well-being of an entire species.


That was something Sean could fight for. Something that Sean could give his life for without regret.


A sharp inhalation of air occurred as his feet began to lead him toward the safe house. When he finally walked inside, there was one place which the Irishman had been focused on visiting above all else. This was the kitchen. Not only did he need a bottle of water, but he was feeling a splash of coffee, as well. Perhaps with some alcohol! He would have to check the pantry, or... Liquor cabinet? If there was even one of those located on the grounds. If there was one thing that Sean missed since being locked up for the multiple months he had been, it was booze. The lack of Marijuana did not tickle his fancy either, but it fell to a rather hard backseat to juice. Between him and his friends at home, there was one saying that came rather common as night fell day in, and day out. The sound of his old friend's voice rang through his ears as if it were yesterday, while Sean traversed the corridor leading to the kitchen. Popeye has his Spinach. Sean has his whiskey.


Walking into the kitchen, Sean was stunned to see the influx of people which had gathered into the same area at once. Coincidence, or breakfast? Letting off a warm smile, the man was sure to nod his head to the head honcho. "Hello, sir." When his eyes had stopped peering at the mask of the man, both iris would find their way scanning the facial features of the other three people in the room. Keeping his pearly whites on heavy display, he would find it common courtesy to introduce himself. "I don't... Think i've met any of you lovely ladies, yet. My name is Sean Callahan. The pleasure is truly mine." With each syllable pronounced, a rich Irish cadence would accompany it. The price he paid for being from Ireland was the accent, after all.


Moving from the group while expecting replies meanwhile, Sean began searching high and low to make preparations for tea. Eventually, in the pantry, he got the leaves, water - the whole kit n kaboodle. The man even found a tea pot, so he started brewing as fast as possible. After setting up his leisurely beverage, Sean sought to find more immediate relief. Pulling a water bottle from the fridge, Sean would uncap the plastic and eventually down the contents in a total of two gulps. He appropriately disposed of the evidence afterwards.


In an attempt to set up a bit earlier than he should have, Sean's hand would grasp the handle to one of the cabinets nearest to the stove. As he swung it open, the cabinet door would completely snap off of its hinges as though it were a pencil. Continuing to hold onto the handle, Sean peered down at his hand. Pausing slightly, he stared hard at it, half-mad that he busted such a smooth move in front of a room filled with ladies. He was more mad that he was destroying Mr. Malkavich's furniture only one day into his stay. Letting out an awkward laugh, Sean would turn his head from the cabinet in his hand to the man. "Sorry. I made bags of this wood, yah? I'll have it fixed in no time." Following his statement, Sean placed the cabinet on the ground before finally grabbing the mug which he had wanted in the first place. He set it on the table, just as the pot began calling.





@AkuNoOkami
 
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The sun heated Nadia's tanned skin as she waited at the bus stop to take the next bus to her destination. Cars sped by, their tires whooshing against the black asphalt, and honked at each other, stop lights going from green to yellow to red then to green again, bicyclists ringing their bells, people talking and walking, cafes bustling inside and out, bird chirping. All these noises meshed into one, filling her ears. Nadia closed her eyes and breathed evenly until she was jolted with surprise by the air pressure sound of the bus stopping and the door opening with a squeak and clamber.


"You joining us?" The male driver called at her. He recognized her, and she too recognized him, she had taken his bus multiple times, a strange coincidence. With a nod she stepped into the bus, paid, and quickly sat down and scooted over to the window so she could watch the city go by. There was a chilling vibe filling her, causing her to stay on edge. Something just didn't feel right. With a nervous look across the isle at the old woman who sat there with her cane, wearing a white dress with barely seen lavender wild flowers on it. The old woman turned her aged face to Nadia and looked at her with hazel hues. Nadia quickly looked away from her. What? So now old ladies scare you? She thought to herself. Just relax. She sighed and slouched in her seat.


She wore a white v neck T-shirt(dirty) and faded dark blue jeans(also dirty) held on by a black leather belt, finished off with black worn out combat boots she'd had since she was a kid. Her dark brown hair needed to be washed and was a mess around her face, but none of that bothered her as much as being found did. The thought of being found and captured distressed her more than anything. Green eyes watched the world blur by as her thoughts again drifted off and before she knew it too had drifted off into a light sleep, the movements from the bus rocking her along.


---------------------------------------


Hands suddenly covered her eyes. "Guess who." An all too familiar deep voice breathed into her ear. Nadia smiled and reached up, putting her hands on his. "Uhm, the boogie man." She guessed teasingly and they both chuckled. The male removed his hands from her eyes and walked around to stand before her. Nadia looked up at the boy with a soft loving smile. The boy too looked at her with love in his eyes. "I thought I'd come by and pick you up. Do you want to go out?" He asked as he sunk down in to the lawn chair next to her, the sun heating up his dark skin. Nadia stood then walked over and curled herself into his lap then craned her neck so she could kiss his full lips. "Why don't we stay in and watch a movie?" She suggested. The male smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "If that's what you want."
 
Subject: 249 [Min Yi Qiang]


Eden Laboratories : Holding Cell


Darkness. Something that used to scare Min growing up but over the past few months she had to get used to, she had also found there to be things much more frightening than the dark. Like scientist with white coats, needles, acid or being tied down. The older teen laid on her cot not sure if she was fully awake or not, the only thing she could see when her eyes open was black because of the blind fold. She wasn’t sure how long she had really been awake or laying on the cot in general. With no clock or way of knowing the time everything just blurred together in one long nightmarish dream with the occasional black outs.


The sound of voices drew her attention, something about fire and another Genmuts. Possibly one of the other mutts were giving the ‘doctors’ some trouble. It happened every once in a while and broke the monotony of silence with the occasional hum of machines. Months ago she might have tried to do the same thing but after her first two weeks of being in constant pain, she quickly learned sometimes it was better to just comply and save herself the added punishment. Those days seemed so far away now. Min didn’t know how much time had passed since she had been admitted it could be only a few weeks or a whole year. It felt like the later of the two.


A soft click brought her attention back to her small cell as the heavy door slide open, metal grinding against metal. Min was perfectly still in the bed muscles tensed fearing the sharp prick of a needle or burning numbness of some kind of shock. The pain was always worse when she was blind. To her surprise neither came but rather a heavy hand grabbed her thin shoulder to pull her up. “Get up, Docs want to see you.” A low rough voice growled. A guard from what she remembered, tall, built with wide shoulders, short honey blond hair, strong square jaw with slight stubble, cold blue-gray eyes and a slightly crooked nose as if he had broken it at one point. Jones? She had overheard the name spoken in her presence but that could have been any other body in the room as well.


Min didn’t argue or fight the request; she simply got up from the bed. Her shoulders slouched slightly in exhaustion; arms limp at her side as she moved. She felt a large hand grab her left upper arm and another grab her right, two guards. Possibly the copper haired one she had seen tagging along with the blond. Slight smaller stature with a more boyish face, green eyes with flecks of gold holding more life that his counterpart. The hand on her right was slightly smaller than the left so it was possible. She shuffled along with the two guards through the halls forward 20 paces , up an elevator 4 dings, left for 10 more followed by another left for a 8 more paces a final turn to the right and there was a click of a door. Room 129, one of the least painful rooms which gave Min some reassurance that the session wouldn’t be to horrific.


She was guided forward 15 or so paces to the center of the room and pushed into a chair. Her wrist and ankles were strapped to the chair, at least the binds were leather and not some other material that cut into her skin. There was some more shuffling around in there room heavy footsteps mixed with lighter ones spoke of the room having four people, two guards and two scientists, their footsteps were usually lighter. Then suddenly her eyes were assaulted by bright florescent lights. She winched and blinked a few times pupils constricting and dilating, adjusting to the obnoxious amount of light in the room. To anyone else the brightness was no issue but she had been wearing a blindfold for the better portion of her stay at the facility. She understood why, they wanted to limit her shifting options but they hasn’t accounted for all the faces she had seen the first few days at the facility.


As terrifying as it was sometimes she replayed the memory in her mind to keep it sharp in case there was ever a chance of escaping. The fight might have been beaten out of her but Min did hold some hope of escaping. Others had done it so there was a slim possibility of her being able to as well.


The spots in her vision cleared and she was faced with a bare white room with a plane white table with a manila folder on it. Min was really starting to hate the color white. Everything was white and sterile; the air cold and artificial just like everything else in the lab. There was movement out of the corner of her eyes which caused her to flinch, white coat. Min shrank back from the older man fear starting to wined it way through her body coiling tightly around her heart and stomach squeezing them until she felt sick. Min hated the scientist, claiming to want to help Genmuts but using her as some kind of lab rat. They were the exact opposite of what a doctor should be, hurting instead of helping, causing pain and injury instead of healing.


Min didn’t raise her eyes from the manila folder on the desk as the man sat on the other side. She glanced up catching sight of the older an, white hair, graying blue eyes concealed behind thick glasses, pail and freckled skin sunken in with wrinkles showing his age. Dr. Strouce , he was the only scientist she was allowed to interact with. Min glanced away before she could make eye contact watching as wrinkled hands spread several photos turned upside down across the table. The white backing nearly blended in with the table. Even though she only saw Strouce there were others in the room. She could hear shuffling behind her, two guards and other scientist. She wondered who the last person could be. The steps were light and made a dull click when making contact with the linoleum floor. A woman? Before she could consider the possibilities a voice interrupted her musings, bringing her back to the man in front of her.


“Alright 294. Let’s begin.”
 
Michael smiled as Orion touched his face, knowing she wanted to know his expression, and he didn't want her to think he was worried or concerned about anything. That was important. He stepped back and turned te rabit over so it would cook evenly and not burn.


"I'm making rabit, and warming some biscuits near the fire. They're a little dry, but I filled our canteens while I was out." He checked the biscuits, they were warm enough, he just wished he had some butter or something, something to get rid of the dryness. It was a tad bit irritating that this was how they had to live. He had been following negative thoughts regarding the Syndicate, in hopes they could come across other GenMuts who they could help, or who could help them. Suddenly, a number of strong, anti-Genesis thoughts came surging through the area. They weren't far off. He pulled a leg off the rabit and placed it in Orion's left hand, and a biscuit in her right. He telekinetically wrapped up her stuff and his.


"Hey, let's get going, there's people nearby, I think they're friendly. They're at least anti-Genesis, so it can't hurt to check it out." He placed a hand on her back to help lead her through the woods towards the thoughts.


@Kagura
 
Like a light clicking on in a dark room, Remington woke up. He wasn't in transit this time, he was still in his cell, not under guard, his tranquilizer level seemed to have been lowered to allow him to heal properly. He clenched his hands into fists in the heavy titanium manacles they used to keep him in place. He pulled at the one on his right arm, knowing he'd break it first, or more likely the mooring would tear out and he'd have a flail, or better yet, a very handy club with a retraction line.


Remington took a moment to alter his bodies physical makeup, he began to exert the muscles in his legs, and arms, he amplified the muscular build in his core and then began working on his bones. He closed his eyes as the painful modifications took place, letting forth a grunt of effort and pain as his bone structure expanded and the density of his bones increased. He was expending a lot of energy to modify himself, the calcium levels in his body began to drop as he solidified the structures of his chest and his cranial bones.


Within five minutes, Remington had redirected non essential bones into fusions, retailored his muscle structures into tightly woven braids that would amplify his strength by at least ten times in the initial augmentations and then he added basic muscular additions onto it, strengthening the muscles themselves.


Remington smiled, his jaw working furiously with the effort of the grisly visage that was his smile, his face's muscle structure was now guarded by a strange mask of bone that now lay just beneath his skin. He flexed his core muscles, and all of the bindings holding him to the retaining chair they kept him in shattered. The alarms started going off and Remington pulled ferociously at the cable moorings that held his arms in place.


The reinforced Titanium Tungsten retaining rods tore out of the wall and split in multiple places, leaving a horribly twisted glaive in Remington's hand. He took a step forward, and gazed down at his hands, which were soaked in his blood from the tearing of his flesh as he ripped his way loose.


"Showtime..." He muttered as he gave the mooring cable a yank, pulling the broken mooring pillar into his hand.


Outside Remington's cell, a number of guards had assembled with not only riot gear, but a full gas mask ensemble. He was known for being violent so they had used gas on him in the past to put him back to sleep before they would reaffix him to the powerful moorings in his cell. This was however, the first time that Remington Humanitas had managed to cause a disturbance from inside his cell.


So as the guards waited for him, they watched dents appearing in the reinforced door. They felt they were ready for whatever was coming through the door, they felt they were prepared to put the monster back into it's place.


They were wrong.


Remington slammed the door outwards, shouting as he did, "Should never have lowered the dose Doctor! Now I'm awake, and I've had time! And ye know what I can do with time Doctor!!"


Remington shot forward, out of the darkness of the door. He was fast, faster then should have been possible for a being of his size, but he had reinforced his muscles to allow for speed and rapid turning, to allow for quick stops and shocks. Nothing would tear or rip today. Today, Remington was a monster, and Monsters were unstoppable!


Remington laughed sadistically as he moved forward in a rapid spinning motion, the two cables in his hands becoming perfect flails. He moved in a combine like motion, and the guards before him became as wheat, ripe for the harvest. He roared in fury as their blood flew in every direction.


Remington Humanitas was death itself at this moment, and as the terrified guards began to try to gas him, he reacted faster then they could have expected. He shot forward, through the gas, and took up the nearest guard, then back pedaled into his room again. There was a ripping sound, a scream and a gurgle as the man died, his corpse thrown back into the hall as Humanitas reappeared with the mans breathing apparatus attached to his face.


"Jokes on you Lads! I ain't no ones fool!" He shouted from beneath the mask.


He returned to work as they tried to repel him with shields and electrical stun wands, but these attempts only fueled his rage. He bashed forward, his muscle structure expanding with each movement. The first of his flails shattered only moments later in an explosion of dust and pebbles of the cement inlay.


Remington had murdered most of the guards in the hallway, and the rest were retreating to their second line of defense, the impact line they called it. But Remington's mind was beginning to slip as he had rapidly become low on vital nutrients, his brain hungrily begging for a meal. One of the guards raised his shield to block a blow from Remingtons fist and rather then be knocked backwards, was simply blown to pieces, his limbs falling away from his torso almost comically as Remington took a step forward through the gore. Remington laughed, and strode through the gore, picking up the mans discarded shield, whistling as he went.


Then he began to sing...


"Hark where the night is falling


Hark hear the pipes a calling


Loudly and proudly calling down thru the glen


There where the hills are sleeping


Now feel the blood a leaping


High as the spirits of the old highland men


Towering in gallant fame


Scotland my mountain home


High may your proud standards gloriously wave


Land of my high endeavor


Land of the shining river


Land of my heart forever, Scotland the Brave


High in the misty mountains


Out by the purple highlands


Brave are the hearts


That beat beneath Scottish skies


Wild are the winds to meet you


Staunch are the friends that greet you


Kind as the love that shines from fair maidens eyes"


His voice boomed and bellowed as he shouted out the old war song, a moment later, he made it to the next line, and a grin was upon his lips.


"Round two lads." He said as he began running towards the impact line.


The men here were wearing full riot gear, they were carrying a heavy impact cannon, slugs with flattened heads, designed to knock a target flying, heavy cable nets and lots of electrical hazard gear began to fire at Remington, Teargas canisters flew at him and he bashed the first of the back towards them with a flail, shattering it's drum. The device spun and sputtered as it released the toxic chemical within. Remington sighed beneath the mask he still wore and shook his head.


"Amateurs..." He said with a sigh.


A few moments later, he was among them, having dodged a cable net, and deflected the shocking blow of a slug launcher. He roared as he was among them, they fired thousands of tiny needle based implements into his torso, electrical charges coursing through his body. Unfortunately for them however, the electrical energies only fueled his mutations, made him stronger, more durable, his system began to catalyze the electrical energy into his own neurological system and fuel him onwards in a crazed bout of destructive rampancy.


With a laughing roar, Remington's flail went to work, slashing through riot gear and wearer alike, leaving a bloody pile of body parts where an entire squad had been. With urgency of needing to breath clean air, Remington found the nearest room he could, a testing room, not caring one way or another, he pressed through the door and busted it open at it's lock. In his mutated state, he was a monster, only his eyes showing the damaged humanity that remained within him. He fell to his knees as he gasped for breath, his body was beginning to revert slowly back to his normal form. They kept him malnourished in hopes that if he ever did try this, he wouldn't get far, and their plan had worked.


Now, Remington Humanitas was burning on reserves, the electrical overload had given him a good boost, but he had little left with which to fight, and even less that would let him augment his form further, augment him enough to break his way the rest of the way out of the facility.


"Wonder... If I could... eat them..." He muttered, his eyes nearly blind from the pain that wracked his body.


Remington's eyes struggled to stay open as he fought off the delirium of his mutations retracting, his flesh and bone rapidly returning to normal. Within fifteen seconds, his entire body would be as it normally was, only coated in the blood of his foes, many of them he had killed that day. A victory in his book.
 
Subject lazily looked at its observers as it watched them look at her, watching her, waiting for her to do something that interests them and they could test. No matter how much food they gave it, Subject would never think of these weird beings, humans as they wanted to be called, as anything other than a necessary evil. When she had first arrived to it first cell, one much nicer than this one, full of things to eat as appetizers, the humans in their spiffy white lab coats wasted no time in trying to harm it, failing in every attempt.


It had actually taken a very long time for it to even realize what the humans were even trying to succeed in doing, her revolution coming in the form of a sudden pain, very intense pain, that had washed over her suddenly. It was like nothing it had ever felt before, pain that is, but this seemed to be a special type of pain. It traveled through its body, sending her insides of high alert, but then left it without even a quick goodbye.


There were also the times that her skin would start to bubble and her very existence started to seem as if it was being ripped from the very strands of life it had left. Times like those had taught Subject very crucials things about these men, something very important that it would never forget. They were only good for food. Oh, the food. That was probably the best thing about this strange environment it was slowly getting used to. While the pain was every once and a while, a byproduct of something she had heard were called "tests", the arrival of food was like clockwork.


She couldn't tell time very well, but she knew that it seemed to be every few hours that she would get a large meal of something fresh, alive, and this wasn't counting the small snacks it was given courtesy of the less stern looking men that would wander around its home, all of them making noises from their mouths as they looked at Subject. Speaking of which, Subject thought as it started to grow more hasty with its movements, it was near to when its next meal would come to a fruition.


Now looking around, Subject could observe its surroundings with more ease and clarity, the promise of future food giving it a reason to awaken its senses. As of now its was in a clear cell, the wall around it were seemingly invisible, with only slight light differences that could be used to prove otherwise. Its cell was in large room that was surrounded by an even larger completely white room that was filled with silver boxes that had blinking lights on them, as well as desks that the lab humans would use to write things, which Subject assumed were mostly about itself. Above its cell was a rather large cylinder that would be regularly opened and closed to give it food. The humans would use this weird thing that moved them up, something called a "lift", and bring its food with them.


This time was no different than the last. It watched as a set of lab humans walked into the large room surrounding her cell, followed by two gun humans, and a food human. The gun humans were big and had these mechanisms one lab human had explained were "guns". Subject understood the basics, but it had been distracted to listen all that much. The food human was one of her favorite types, mostly because they were used for her meals. This particular food human was different and had two noticeable bulges of delicious fat where the regular humans lacked them. The only problem was these food humans with bulges were always smaller than their counterparts, making the meal even better.


Its excitement at getting a meal not being tempered at all, Subject watched as the food human seemed to be trying to make a scene, even attempting to flee at the sight of her. Subject gurgled as it watched the familiar sight, it was rare for her food humans to just take their role in life with grace, and it was annoying how they would become most agitated once they laid eyes on Subject, something it did not appreciate. Subject watched with excitement as the gun humans and lab humans brought the food human up the lift and pushed it closer to the cylinder that opened into her cell.


The gun humans opened up the cylinder easily, and the food human seemed to be about to make another escape when it was pushed by one of the closer lab humans. The food human fell and hit the ground near Subject with a dull thump, followed by a low groan. Copying the sound, Subject gurgled loudly, catching the attention of the food human. It quickly backed up, forgetting the pain it obviously felt from the fall, in hopes of escaping the inescapable prison. Subject gave the food human no time to react as it tensed its entire being, and launched itself at the defenseless food human.


Quickly covering up the food human, Subject felt its entire being gurgle in glee as its insides started to burn and breakdown the skin of its prey, the nutrients being absorbed sending Subject's body into euphoria. She could barely make out the lab humans scurrying around to take pictures of its meal and the way the food human was being broken down into nothing but pure nutrients. The smothering food human was screaming, even while muffled, and the tone of anguish and despair all rolled up into one did nothing to waver Subject's unquenchable need for food and sustenance.


It would eat, and eat, and eat until their was nothing to eat anymore.


It wasn't long before, Subject had finished the food human off, the meal being very good. Letting out a thankful gurgle, not that they knew that was what it was, Subject let itself destabilize to keep the nutrients in its system as long as possible. Its slightly formed figure melting, the scientists were soon only observing an orange puddle that created more fear in their hearts than it regularly should.


As Subject lay there, almost sleeping, it thought of how it had gotten into such a weird, yet profitable situation. The farthest thing it could remember was certain strange feelings, like terror, and extreme discomfort, and then it would all become clear, like a tinted window being opened. That was back when its hunger had been at its peak, a driving force that went greater lengths than even now, yet, that had been quickly solved by eating the three food humans that were conveniently close to the where it had woken up. It had been weird eating that meal as well, mostly because of all the strange feelings it could remember having while eating them. Those feelings eventually dispersed along with the bodies of the food humans, and ever since it had never felt anything, but pleasure and momentary completeness.


From the, it was a slight blur, not in memory, but more like the speed in which the events had occurred. It had escaped the abnormal building it had found the food humans in easily, but had found itself lost as it wandered the strange surroundings. It had just been about to be tempted to go back to the place when it had been found by the large lights of the flying machines. At the time, Subject had been quite confused at the entire situation, and hadn't been the strongest after her recent birth. Subject had been easily taken in after she had been struck by a weapon called a "taser", yet the effects of the strange device would only be recorded once the lab humans had experimented with it as well.


If it ever had the chance, it would destroy all tasers in the world.
 
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