Flaws Of Our Nature

Serano

Serano

Member

Flaws of Our Nature





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“The origin of a man doesn’t determine his nature, but instead it is how he chooses to face it.”





A gray puff of smoke billowed out from Arthur’s chapped lips as he looked around at the large chamber filled with important people. Off in the distance was a person, speaking German and ranting about something or another that he couldn’t understand. Despite his lack of education in the language, he could understand every word the man called out to the enthusiastic crowd around him.


From thin air, a young woman stepped up beside him with a electronic tablet in her hand. Arthur turned to see who would dare to disturb his thoughts. The petite woman that entered, Ms. Cassandra Drew, had served as his personal secretary for the last ten years and done so dutifully. Arthur Windermere was never one to show appreciation to his underlings. The fact that he had allowed her to stay so long with him was a testament to his faith in her.


Cassandra was about to speak before Arthur raised up his hand to cut her off. Years of “training” had taught her never to interrupt Mr. Windermere in the middle of his thoughts. “You see that man in the distance? He was a true visionary for his time, as well as the very definition of irony.”


Arthur leaned on his black cane as he stepped up to the railing to use to prop himself up. The young lady tucked her long blonde hair behind her ears and meandered over to stand next to him. She now looked down at the throng of people below who were now cheering something that she didn‘t understand. Cassandra made a quick mental query to download the necessary software later. “Who is it? And What do you mean “Irony?”


“That, my dear is Adolf Hitler. One of the most… intriguing figures of the 20th Century. He would start a war that would lead to the deaths of tens of millions of people. What most people do not realize however, is that he was one of the first leaders to recognize the importance of sanctity of nature, passing laws that would enforce humane treatment of animals. You see, he understood that animals were special, something to be respected and understood.”


“Some called him insane, I believe he recognized humanity for what it was… a threat to the survival of mother earth, greater than anything it has ever known.” With a soft sight he reached up and hit a glowing icon that had appeared over his right shoulder.


With a press of the glowy ball, the simulation evaporated around him and was replaced with the image of a large forest separating GenCorp headquarters from the Hyberdine Research facility some ten miles in the distance. Arthur and his secretary, were back in his office standing in front of the large window at the rear of his office.


Cassandra stepped closer to him, but said nothing so that she wouldn’t incur his wrath. Arthur glanced over at her and remembered that she had something of import to bring up. Arthur took a long drag of his cigar, relishing in the taste as he motioned for her to speak.


“Sir,” she said timidly. “There has been another perimeter breach at the Hyberdine Facility.”


Arthur calmly took another draw of his long Cuban Cigar, and relished in it’s flavor. These were relics now, since Cuba had stopped existing over twenty years ago. Yet these were one of the few man-made pleasures he chose to indulge himself in. The long puff served to calm his nerves as he pondered the news.


When the first breach had occurred over two months ago, it was cause for great alarm. Now it seemed to happened every other day. His team had yet to determine if the cause was due to someone or something actually triggering them, or some glitch in the system. His chief of security, a bull of a Russian named Rashinko, said that the breaches were probably a squirrel tripping over the lasers. Because of this, some of the security measures had been taken off line while they investigated for bugs in the system. And despite the security chief’s assurances, Arthur was still worried…


Just then, a large fireball erupted in the distance from the facility. Seconds later a thunderous shockwave slammed into the side of GenCorp headquarters and shattered the glass panes. Cassandra turned and dropped as she shielded herself from the glass. Arthur stood there calmly as the glass flew all around him.


The whine of alarms could be heard off in the distance. Arthur stepped forward over the glass, crunching it under his black Armani shoes. There wasn’t so much as a cut on him, or a single tear in his uniform as he looked out at the smoke that had begun to climb in the distance. He reached over and hoisted Cassandra onto her feet and told her to, “Get that fool Rashinko on the line, and tell him that I need a response team on the double…”


Meanwhile, the facility was hemorrhaging power from it’s generators. It still wasn’t clear what had happened, but someone had manage to place explosives inside the facilities main security centers as well as its power and backup power generators. The resulting explosions had, among other things, revealed three exit routes for the test subjects.


The first one was the main elevator itself. It normally remained in lockdown during the evening hours, but was now wide open and lead out to the main level over the facility itself. The other two exits were ones that the subjects had not previously known about.


On either side of the facility were maintenance ladders that ascended up to the surface through separate escape hatches. These particular entrances were meant to be used only in a crisis, such as a revolt of the test subjects. The Bunker portions and the topside portions were both disguised by sophisticated holograms. With power cut to the facility now, these exits were now revealed to the test subjects. All three of these exits were connected to all of the bunker’s levels.


Inside the Bunker itself, chaos reigned. Most of the scientists were just as desperate as the test subjects to get out; fearing what the level 3’s would do to them. The few security guards that were on duty were quickly overwhelmed by the more capable test subjects.


For the other test subjects, their first priority was to escape this prison. No matter which of the exits they chose to take, all of them lead outside to the large forest that surrounded the facility. Although they didn’t know yet where they would go, most of them didn’t care. This was their best chance for freedom, and most knew it would be their only chance.





(Before Posting, go to the following link for information of what your intro posts should consist of... if your confused that is)


http://www.rpnation.com/showthread.php/2411-The-Flaws-of-Our-Nature-(OOC-Character-Info-Rules)?p=71294&viewfull=1#post71294
 
The wailing was hell to her ears, seeming to echo within her mind in endless repeat, seeming to pound wave upon wave of pain into the back of her skull. Still, her body drove her forward, into the veil of black that embraced her into its dark embrace, stinging her eyes, invading her lungs. She knew naught the direction in which she'd began to stumble towards, but anything was better than the painful heat of the orange beasts just behind her. She could still feel them attempting to lick at her skin, attempting to devour her flesh. But maybe that just might be because she'd already witnessed that pain. Her arm was throbbing, and though she cannot see, she knew the fire had reached her, and by the looks-- err, feel of it, the injury might have been severe.


Niya felt tears running, cascading down her cheeks and making a mess of her already soot marred features. Though, whether the liquid continuing to fall was from the smoke or fear, she was not sure. But what she did know, or rather, was aware of the stirring of instincts within her, urging her forward, driving her through the curtains of of smoke even if she wished to fall upon her knees and curl up like the child she was.


The hybrid had been on one of her many "alone-times," singing softly to herself even if she knew many of the subjects within the facitlity could hear her. But Niya always found comfort in knowing none of which knew the songs that would linger in the air of the rooms originated from her lips, though why she wished for the origins of her strange songs to remain unknown, she did not know. She'd almost been caught once, and she could still remember the intense burning of her cheeks as she felt the redness begin to crawl up her neck, she hadn't remembered the guy's name, but she was sure she hadn't quite interacted with him a lot, his scent would've been familiar. But it was not. Thankfully enough, he'd left her alone just as quickly as he'd popped up. She hadn't seen him around much since then, but she was able to detect his scent at times, sometimes on the other subjects, but she was never quite sure.


She'd been alone in a distant hallway, a good distance away from the other subjects, of course. Though, before the first note to the song had even left her throat, the ceiling collapsed, right before her, blinding her in orange light, just a few feet away from her body, which had fallen to the ground at the sudden tremor that rocked the facility. In the distance, she heard the screams of alarmed subjects... and the cracking of feeding flames eating away at the walls. Niya could remember her own screams, echoing with the rest. Screams that subsided into coughs as soon as the black billows of smoke began to rise. And as the fire continued to spew black breath, she could remember herself veering away from the burning debris, and bursting into the nearest stairwell.


Niya could remember the dull pain of the steps connecting to her body as she stumbled down to what she thinks was the first floor, and towards what she hoped was the exit. But it seems as though she might just be wandering about in circles, for that event felt like minutes ago, ages ago and her body seemed as though it was going to give into her human-side's suggestion. To just curl up upon the ground. Which scared her to no end. The wolf knew better than the human. The wolf knew how to keep her alive.


Niya rammed herself into the nearest doorframe, hands clutching about the whiteness invisible to her own eyes in the blackness of the smoke. She could feel the straightness of the wood, reaching upwards to the ceiling it connected to, which she knew had not fallen yet, seeing as the floor just bellow it was quite clear. But the smoke had not relented, it was still as black as when she'd begun to move, which would've meant only one thing... She was no where near safe, and from the lack of oxygen inside of her, it was only a matter of time before she sinks into true darkness. Niya felt her eyes drifting shut, her mouth moving in murmurs that would be unheard by anyone else, and though most of which are incoherent, there was but one word that seemed to have been loud enough to hear.


"Aniki..."
 
Emma sat in the examination room sipping on a lemonade when a scientist came in. "Oh, it's you again, Jimmy. I'm starting to think you like me."


The man's face remained unfazed. "It's James. And you know that scientists are assigned subjects. We don't choose."


"That hurts Jimmy. After all, I really do like you," the black haired girl said with her trademark malicious smile.


"You know you're not supposed to bring food or beverages in here." He continued to check the forms on his clipboard. "Now, I'm going to need you to go into your hybrid form."


"Learn to lighten up Jimmy."


Emma hunched over. This part was never pleasant. Black wings sprouted out of her back as feathers grew along her arm. And her hair began to shift to hues of blue and purple. When the transformation was done, her breathing had gotten heavy and a few beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Shifting forms had only gotten a little less painful over the years.


As James was doing the routine check, the raven haired girl's eyes darted around the room. There wasn't much in that blindingly white room, just a chair, an examination table and a few things you'd find in a normal doctor's office, including one of those old school apparatuses to check blood pressure or sphygmomanometer.


"Hey, Jimmy. How about you and me meet up sometime in a place less . . . white?"


Not even looking at her, the scientist said a swift, "No."


"Oh, come on. It's not like you're married."


"It is against my principles to get involved with my work."


Emma pouted in a jokingly manner.


Suddenly a loud explosion was heard and the room started shaking. The stoic scientist turned in surprise. Quickly, a smile formed on Emma's face as she grabbed her drink and threw it into face of the man in front of her. As he doubled back, she grabbed the rubber tube off the blood pressure cuff and pushed him into the chair. When James could finally see again, Emma had already tied him to it. Before exiting the room, she turned around and blew a kiss. "Bye bye Jimmy."


Emma began running toward the elevator. Normally, this would be a stupid thing to do, but it was the quickest way to the surface. When the doors opened, she quickly opened the hatch at the top and squeezed her way through. Now the shaft itself was not wide enough to make full use of her wings, but she was able to use them to assist her in making long jumps up. Once she was at the door that seemed to be the 2nd level above ground, she grabbed a piece of metal off the interior of the shaft and jammed it in between the elevator doors. It was difficult given that she didn't possess any god-like strength like some of the other subjects but she eventually got it done.


The hallways here were empty except for the huge masses of smoke and rubble, probably because the level 3 subjects were let loose and no one wanted to meet up with one of those. She ran to the nearest room with large windows, because it wouldn't be smart to exit through a flaming hole in the wall, and crashed through the glass. The shards left a few cuts and scrapes, but the adrenaline rush Emma was feeling distracted her from any pain as she flew towards the woods surrounding the research facility.


Soon, the girl was covered by the shadows of the forest but that wasn't going to be enough. She spotted a nearby river and immediately dove into it. She stumbled out dripping wet and she began to run. The water made it hard for her to fly, but it should get rid of any scent the dogs could trace.


After what seemed like forever, the raven girl stopped to catch her breath. She then burst into a fit of laughter before continuing her escape. That was fun.
 
Shelby was not sure what was going on at first.


She was playing chess against herself as she sometimes did. She could hardly play against most people on lLevel 1. They didn't have the intellect to be a real challenge to her. She knew a few people she could still go against but they mostly resided on Level 2. Shelby at times regretted being knocked out of there but her reasons was valid to her.


But suddenly reason flew out the window. There was so much noise and then there was fire. Shelby stood but she did not move at first. The human in her was dumbfounded by what was going on. Fire was just everywhere. And screams. There was so much screaming and yelling and chaos. It hurt the girl's head to watch it all, but a nearby flame licking her hand made her start.





'You have to get out of here Shelby.'


So many times she had said that to herself, especially after loosing Kaiden. Now, now it seemed like it was finally possible and not just some random thought and want.


'Kaiden...'





Shelby had not seen the man in so long. She had heard he was killed and without any evidence one way or the other she had believed it. But many there was a chance now. She just had to find it. She had to go looking for him. Shelby made her way to what she thought might be the way to the third Level. Kaiden was supposedly there. If he was still alive that is. Even if he wasn't killed before whatever had just occurred could have injured or killed him. Shelby had to go see.


She made her way to the stairs. She knew that others might think she was crazy. She should be looking for a way out. She shouldn't risk a stairway that could be on fire or blocked off. She should make the logical choice in this. But Shelby was not thinking logically.


'Kaiden.'





She had to know if he was alive. She had to get to him. Shelby saw that the stairs so far were fine and she began to ascend up that. But after a few steps she heard a large noise and a part of the ceiling crashed down beside her. Flames and rubble hit her and Shelby screamed but she was mostly uninjured. Smoke and dust filled the air and she coughed. For a split second she almost blacked out. But no. She couldn't let that happen. She continued refusing to give up so soon.


But she saw that the path was block. Cursing she started to dig a little but it was useless. Shelby started to cry, coughing as well. This was not good. She couldn't reach him. She was going to just give up.


The fox in her though did not agree on that. Shelby mostly did not recall what happened next but when she became aware again she was outside, alive thought she had a couple burns and a bruised and her arm might of been broken. Still she was alive and out.


But it did not matter. She had failed.


 
Kaiden wasn't very bothered by the heat. He could very much tolerate it when he needed to, he was, in fact, cold blooded. But what did bother him was the smoke, clouding his vision and almost rendering him blind. Even if he'd managed to snatch a goggles away from a nearby scientists. Morgan, they called him. He could admit the man went down pretty hard, but Kaiden had delt with him quick... His blood was still dripping from the hybrid's chin. Kaiden scowled, feeling his slightly blackened tongue squirm about in his mouth, as if to try and abolish the horrid taste of venom and blood, but of course it was futile. he'd need to remind himself to eat directly after this.


His chest constricted, even with the ball of fabric he'd shoved against his nose and mouth, in attempt to filter the smoke out of his air. But the lack of oxygen was seriously starting to bug him, and frankly, after the bullshit Morgan had given him this morning, he was in no mood to tolerate any crap. Kaiden heard himself hiss, even partly deaf and the massive amount of screaming and crashing going about him, whether from displeasure or from pain, he didn't care. Part of his side was still pounding with pain from the beam that had collided with him in his exit from the confinement. Another piece of bullshit he's pissed about. He was injured, of course, there was pain, of course, and he can't move correctly. GOD DAMN.


Kaiden scowled, kicking open doors with unneccesary force, which had gradually begun to seem unfamiliar in his solitary time, he was unsure of the way, unsure whether the inner map of the facility was still correct within his head. He'd once knew the facility inside and out, even the vent-mazes and the unaccessable hallways were familiar to him, and now, this unfamiliarity of the direction in which he was headed was giving rise to his already piqued temper.. The other way had been blocked out by falling derbis and fire, and there was no way in hell that he was going to try to find a way through that. But he still could admit that it felt nice just being able to walk around, rather than watch movie upon movie of pointless genre. Nevermind the books, he'd almost destroyed his only source of entertainment just trying to read one.


After various kicking and the slamming of doors, he'd finally found the stairs, which ascended to an even blacker curtain of smoke, from what he could tell in the little visibility there is. The flames, he thought, must've originated from somewhere in the second floor, and this staircase, unfortunately, does not lead to any level higher than this one. Still, level two was towards the way out and he had absolutely no desire to linger in a crumbling facility longer than he needs to.


Kaiden climbed.
 
As soon as she heard the alarms go off, Mara knew something was wrong. They were shrill, piercing, even the first few notes sending a throbbing headache spiking through her skull, and she wanted to cover her ears, her already sensitive hearing piqued by their caterwauling. Then came the sound of explosions, shattering glass, the smell of fire, the ground shaking beneath her feet, and Mara froze, every muscle on alert, ready to spring into rapid action.


Surely this couldn't be...but it must be. Could this place be somehow under attack...had one of the subjects, maybe even a terrorist of some kind, sympathetic to their cause, found a way to override the facility's system of security? Did all of this mean that it was now possible she could escape?


Her heart thudding wildly in her chest, her face very still, not betraying the hope coming up to choke her throat, Mara remembered the rumors of a breach, several months before, of her bitter disappointment that it may have been possible she could escape, and she had missed her opportunity. If this was happening now...if this was her chance...well she just better not waste it.


Just then part of the ceiling caved in above her head, and Mara let out a shout of shock and surprise, twisting herself out of the way with her superior dexterity barely able to launch her out the door before the plaster crashes down around her, trapping several students beneath. Mara doesn't make time to try to help any of them, and frankly she doesn't much care. She herself has barely escaped possible death or serious injury.


Some of the others in the common area, where she had been curled up in a chair, resting after her last particularly draining experiment, had already run from the room, whether in fear or hope, Mara is unsure of and does not care about. What she cares about now is escape...and Rhys. Knowing her boyfriend, it wouldn't surprise her if he was asleep through all of this and didn't notice a thing. If she was escaping, she wasn't about to leave him behind.


With her usual feline grace of movement, Mara runs down the hallway, twisting when necessary to avoid others fleeing, noticing the flames growing worse, the glass scattered about the halls at certain points, and bursts through the doors of the cafeteria, finding Rhys among the crowd and seizing his arm, pulling her with him towards the doorway with a burst of relief gripping her heart at having found him. She is already pulling him out of the cafeteria and back into the hall, towards the elevator, which she sees to her shock and joy is now wide open, ready for her accessing it, as she calls out to him urgently.


"Rhys! We can leave, we can go, hurry up, go!"


As she tugs him into the elevator after her, jabbing the button to the ground floor, she grips his hand tightly, jerking it around as she paces the tiny elevator floor. They have barely reached the ground floor before she begins to run again, still holding his hand.


"Come ON, Kittyboy!"


There is none of her usual sarcasm in her tone of the nickname she has for him when she states it now, only continued urgency. But as they approach the front doors, heading straight for the forest surrounding the facility, she is smiling. In fact, even with the smoke of the burning building clogging her nostrils, her breath coming in raspy, irritated gasps, Mara Conway is beaming.


She is escaping.
 
Aliele stood outside in the forest, in all the chaos she couldn't actually tell the exact escape method she ended up using but she did know one thing, she was out! She was free! She could go where ever she pleased with whomever she pleased, she could do ANYTHING!!!!


Now what to do...She knew the first thing she had to do was run as fast and as far as she could but in what direction!? She had so many choices! North, South, East, West and every direction in between. She pulled a notebook and a pencil, opening to the first page and started to write the words "Pros" before she realized that was stupid and put them away. She just had to run and it didn't matter which way as long as she didn't run back to the building she had just escaped from so she just ran forward. Strait into a tree. In her excitement at getting out of there she forgot to look where she was going


"Owww...Note to self, always watch were you're going" She said before she started running again
 
Tony had been trying to figure out what "hypoxia" meant, frowning down at the digital reader. This book had been chock full of nothing but words he didn't know from the very start. With a few deft swipes of the screen and a button or two, he flipped to the very end of the digital story; in a small font, it read, Copyright 1973. Man, was this book outdated.


He saved his spot with a digital dog-ear, pressing the power button afterwards with a long finger. Setting the device down on the table beside him, he examined the clock on the wall. 10:17 PM. He ought to be showing up for an experiment about now. It'd probably go easier for him if he showed up in his own, as well....


Tony was sitting in a wooden chair, legs crossed, pulled up against the wall near an air-conditioning vent. A simple little coffee table on three legs was to his side. He would have sat in a couch, but there were already a few people sitting in the group of sofas; he has kept his distance, like he often did. Presently, leaving the reader on the table, he rose to his feet and meandered towards the hallway leading to the unforgiving white rooms. Before he could enter it, though, he detoured into th cafeteria near it. Oh, what the heck. Let them come for him. If he wanted to conform to Hyberdine and his goons, he'd be on level 2 by now.


He was sipping at a glass of water, staring at a spider spin a web near the ceiling when a pair of scientists entered the room. Noticing quickly, he gave a glance over his shoulder at them, but then just took another sip and turned back to the spider.


They marched over to him. "Norman," one said, referring to him by last name. It was a rather unattractive old male with a mess of white hair. "Come on," he said, simply, taking Tony's arm and pulling him out of his seat. The scientist hardly had to give any effort into it, the boy being so light, but as soon as he was up, Tony tore his arm from the scientist's grip. Taking a sip of water and shooting an annoyed look at the scientist, he started towards the exit. He heard an irritated sound from behind as the two men followed.


Tony had only gotten out of the cafeteria, though, scientists right behind, when there was a sudden noise. It was like a tick, coming from his left. He spun towards the sound, and his acute eyesight had just managed to see a bit of ceiling that didn't really look quite right before the place exploded.


Close to the explosion and with hollow bones beside, Tony was pushed off of his feet and thrown far from where he had been standing, letting out an involuntary "Kree-ar!" as he fell. He smashed down into the opposite wall, his head snapping back to connect with the white surface with a loud crack. There was a searing pain in his leg, and his head, and a dull throbbing everywhere else- he lifted his head to clutch his cranium, letting out a sort of rolling screech in pain. He was vaguely aware of screaming somewhere, and a blazing heat, and alarms and rushing and movement beyond his closed eyelids-


Still clutching his skull, he staggered to his feet, only to falter and drop slightly as his left leg gave a protest. Steadying himself with a hand on a surface- he didn't know what it was- to the left, he managed to open his eyes to see through his massive headache. There was a haze- no, smoke! And fire, leaping before him.. There were figures rushing vaguely through it, and some objects- something, at least....


Limping heavily, unable to put any weight on his left foot, he managed to somehow falter through the smoke, hawk eyes able to discern objects through the smog. But he couldn't breath! The tables- walls- all broken and crumbled. He stumbled over a body, not knowing who it was or even caring, and hit the floor heavily. He was breathing hard, but it was clearer at the floor... He could breath better. Coughing, he crawled on three limbs, away from the fire.


God, how his head throbbed. There seemed to be a red cover over everything he saw- or was that just the fire? The floor- the floor was on fire. There was a pit, he nearly fell into it, climbed past some rubble- the air was getting worse! He fell into a hallway, grabbing at a wall for support, wheezing his breaths. How ironic was it, that, unknowing, Tony was suffering of hypoxia?


Something on the wall. His eyes, he focused- ignored the pain in his leg- the elevator! Why was it open? Did it matter? Throat constricting, he pulled an aching body up to his feet, holding tightly to the door frame. It was a black pit inside, not an elevator cab. He could fly, like he had the other time. Maybe he'd see the moon again... Or maybe the smoke would cover it.


Feathers slowly stood out against his arms, and his feet, adding an insane itch to his aches and pains. Even the eyes of a hawk were struggling to see through the smoke now, as something crashed to the floor behind him. Slowly, his wings revealed themselves- he managed to ditch his jacket- and he let himself fall into the pit.


He fell for a few disconcerting seconds, trying to suck in air and get his wings working- he started flapping, struggling- hawks were not made for perfectly vertical flight- he dug a foot into one wall, wincing as his already-weak bones creaked, jammed a hand against the other, took it off as friction against metal burned it; he braced the side of his body against the cords in the middle, injured foot hanging free, and flapped furiously.


Air caught under his feathers, a warm updraft from the fire helping; he slowed, slowed, and eventually dropped, gasping, onto the metal bottom of the shaft. His leg seared in agony once more, and his head dropped onto the ground, hands pressed against the cool floor.


He gasped for several long seconds. He could breath now. Smoke went upwards. Yes. Good.


Tony laid in that position for a while, the closed third-level doors to his left, air slowly heating up even more, his headache pounding, then subsiding. His side burnt from the cable, and his leg still shrieked in protest. His whole body felt like it had been run over by a rhinoceros... But sounds of crumbling ceiling alerted him from the other side of the door.


He managed to sit up and look upwards. His acute vision showed him a tube of metal all the way up, through the smoke billowing out of level 1, going up and up and up and up....


He had to get out before the entire thing collapsed. With a exhalation of pain, he stood up on his right foot, hand against the wall. He staggered forward, took a cable near the wall in his hands, and started to flap.


It was exhausting work. He had to flap continuously, something no raptor's wings were meant to do. He worked hand over hand up the cable, right foot braced against the wall. His wings worked overtime in the space of the shaft, constricted and crammed in the small area; if he ever stopped flapping, his grip on the cable would not be enough to hold him up. He'd fall. There wasn't any guarantee he'd catch himself.


He had to enter the column of smoke, thinning out as all the flammable objects in the Bunker burned out. He kept his face near the wall, sooty and blackened, where there was a little air. He was out of breath, his hands burned, his head ached, every flap of the wing felt like they had weights attached to them, and his leg hurt like hell. He had hardly been able to make this journey in full health, when he had almost escaped. How could he do it now?


The updraft. Hot air. He could spread his wings and rest, keeping his weight on his right foot, letting the smoke hold him up. He did so, gratefully.


He looked up through the confining smoke. He had to get out before he died of asphyxiation. His normally pale face was burned black.


So many meters left to go....


Tony kept flapping.


Thank God. The doors were open.


Window. Take the window.


The glass was everywhere. He didn't care. He collapsed.


He night air felt ridiculously good after the smoke. He wondered if the moon was visible... But he couldn't lift his head to find out.


Tony's wings merged slowly into his back as the boy slept on the grass outside of the facility.
 
Sigfried Bloch opened his eyes. There was an explosion. A siren. Chaos,bedlam,pandemonium. He stood up from his bed,and looked at the door. He heard thundering footsteps,and screams. But amid the screams was the sound of men barking orders. He needed out. He looked at the door,trying to find a fault. No hinges;it was a slider. With a roar,he slammed on the door with the bottoms of his fists,and caused the door to quake,but nothing more. He growled,and looked at the bed. It was bolted to the floor. Nothing was loose.


He gave the door a kick,near the bottom. It flexed slightly. So...It slides up... He looked at the slot where his food is delivered. It was at abdomen level. Perfect. He began to send kick after kick at the panel,and,about a minute later,it was knocked out. He knelt down,and grabbed ahold of the opening,and heaved upwards. With an ear-rending shriek of metal grinding on metal,the door slowly rose. He quickly shifted his grip to the bottom of the door with one hand,and continued his heave. After a few more inches,he shifted his other hand to the bottom of the door,and heaved with his entire being. The door rose,stopped at about abdomen level,and shuddered. With a beastial roar,Sigfried pulled the door above his head;presumably,he just destroyed the doorframe's internals.


Sigfried stepped through the opening,and allowed his arms to drop to his sides. The door had cut deep into his palms,and blood flowed freely. He looked to both ends of the hall of soulless steel and concrete. People were running to either end,shrieking in terror. He made his way to the left end of the hall,running as fast as his legs could take him. Freedom. A purpose. A queen. He reached a junction. To one side he saw people cramming into a room,with one person madly pounding at something by the door. To the other side was what appeared to be a ladder,with people clambering up it. He looked back to the crammed room,and saw two steel doors closing,as smoke began to pour down. Smoke...Bad sign...


He made his way towards the ladder. Someone looked over their shoulder. A man. He wore a white coat;a reasearcher,probably. He screamed something about "Subject Bravo". Everyone else stopped,looked,and began to panic. "I don't have time for this." He suddenly found himself buckled over,with a sharp pain coming from his shoulder blades. He saw his hands become consumed by a lustrous black shell,and his thumbs grow a vicious stinger... My metamorphosis... It has happened before...Usually when he broke a researcher's hand,delivering his food.


Two arms sprang from his shoulder blades,and the metamorphosis was complete. He was now in the image of an ant man. He rushed the ladder,casually batting aside all who got in his way. He leapt at the ladder,and grasped it with his four hands. He surged surfaceward,heedless of all in his way. Whenever he approached someone on the ladder,he reached up,and grabbed them by the ankle,being sure to sink his thumb inside to deliver a dose of venom,then hurled them off the ladder,shrieking in equal parts agony and terror to their doom at the bottom.


The smoke was thick,now. He continued his skyward surge,breathing only sparingly,to keep the noxious fumes from his lungs. He saw the hatch above him. He crossed two of his arms above him as he made the final surge upward,plowing straight through. The warped piece of metal flew high into the air,clanged off the side of a building,and came to a rest on the ground twelve feet away. He looked around,and saw the smoke overhead,humanoid figures surging this way and that,and he heard the noises of catastrohpe surround him.


He felt the pain in his shoulder blades once more,and his animalistic properties receeded. He looked at his hands;still bleeding. His clothes were unharmed;the jumpsuit with his serial on the back.


02-06032017-L3


He ducked low,and headed for the foliage,seeking escape from the purpose-free life of a prisoner. And,hopefully,to the service of a queen.
 
Adriana woke up from her slumber to a man throwing food into her room. Chow time the man said. Adriana payed no attention to the man as he stood outside her door harassing her Not so tough when your locked up are you.. Said the man. Adriana remembered him now. He was one of the men she attacked when she was younger, his name was Chris and he was particularly cruel to her. She glared at the man in hatred. The all of a sudden she herd a loud boom. An explosion she thought. She heard the scientists screaming about something. Upon closer listening Adriana realized they were screaming about the other hybrids breaking out. She stared at the door and knew this was her only chance to escape this place. She jumped down from her web in the upper corner of her "room" and began looking around trying to find a way out. Luckily for her she noticed that the explosion had put a little dent in her door. That's all I need she thought. Adriana spewed out webbing from her wrist to the door. With all her strength she pulled on the door and in came flying in.


Out in the hallway she saw nothing but chaos. Scientist running for their lives. Level 3's either escaping, attacking the scientist or both. Adriana started at the Chris and instant encased him in her webbing. It took all her strength to fight the urge to infect him with her venom but she knew if she was going to leave she would have to do so now. She began to run down the hall way looking for any way out. Since she had rarely been let out of her room she had no idea if their even was an exit. She trapped every scientist she saw in a thick coat of webbing. Let them burn.


As she was running through the hallway Adriana she stopped and saw a latter. Perfect She instanly began climbing. On the wall behind the latter it said sub-level 3. Then sub-level 2. sub-level 1. Finally she reached level 1. This must be where the main exit is she thought. Adriana ran through level one until she was outside in a gated place. She took a deep breath. This was the first time in a long time she was able to breathe in fresh air. She looked up at the fence it was pretty high but luckily for her there was a tree near by. Adriana spewed out webbing and attached it to the tree and climbed the web to the tree. She was now free but she needed to get somewhere safe before she could relax.


Adriana swung from tree to tree wanting to get as far away from that horrid place as possible. Finally she came to an opening in the forest. It was beautiful. There were flowers everywhere and it was hidden by the trees. For some reason Adriana felt safe here. She climbed up one of the trees and made herself a web to sleep in. It was better to sleep in cover then having the risk of falling asleep anywhere if she kept going. Just as a precaution she en coated the near by trees in a light web so if anyone was to come by the web would vibrate and wake her up. Then for the first time in all her life she fell asleep in peace.
 
​Kaiden was still fighting through the smoke, eyes darting about as he scowled under the clothe pressed close to his face. He'd felt the last of his snake pop loose from his skin, ivory scales sinking back into whatever place they reside until further use, which resulted in an irritating series of prickles dotted about his body. But he'd already gone much accustomed to that. He'd found that the pain of transformation was another form of entertainment back in solitary, it kept his head from swimming in the lack of air and free space, allowing him to focus instead on the painful ache that took over his flesh and bones.


The heat was more intense on the second floor, and it seems as though it was boiling the blood he'd spilt upon himself in further encounters. A level 2 worker had been moronic enough to attempt to grab hold of him, even aware of the grey jumpsuit that marked him a level 3. Or maybe he wasn't aware of such a thing... After all, he'd unzipped the jumpsuit just to his waist and shrugged it off his shoulders so that it flopped over like a sweater tied to his midsection. He'd much prefer his undershirt anyways. But even that was soaked right through with that putrid liquid, and it was, frankly, quite irritating. Kaiden felt through the walls, stepping over body upon body which he cared not to look, besides, none of their scents were familiar to him. The snake glared through his red stained goggles, noting the orange glow to the far side of level 2, where he guessed the entertainment rooms were built, and through the smoke, he could spot figures of lesser heat than that of the fire, darting about with an even colder snake-like object in their hands.


Lab workers and staff...


His brain automatically chimed, setting off alarms within his head, mindful of the goal he'd set in the confines of solitary. He'd kill them all. The snake scowled once again under the clothe, but he dared not set foot towards the group of white-clad workers. They were not worth the time to even ignore. Kaiden turned back to the task at hand, escaping. But of course, with a new set of maze-like hallways, he didn't know exactly what direction to take. Still, he could see new figures begin to shift into view, heat-signatures quite different than from humans, of course it'd be other subjects. But he paid them no heed, for they served him no purpose. They could all die for all he cares... They're not what he's after.


He'll kill the director then hunt down everyone and everything else.


 
Still tugging Rhys by one arm, though panting by now, her breaths spaced out and hard to come by, Mara plunges determinedly through the forest, her nearly perfect night vision, combined with her supernatural flexibility, aiding her ability to weave in and out of the trees without catching herself against roots in the ground or smashing a limb against tree trunks. By the time she is two minutes into her retreat, she is barely able to draw breath, her smoke-irritated lungs scratchy and raw, and Mara pauses, doubling over, and tries to draw breath, coughing heavily, her eyes watering with the force of her struggles to breathe. She grips Rhys's hand tightly as much for comfort as to make sure he stays near in the darkened forest; at this point she has not paid enough attention to him to make sure that he is uninjured, just to ensure that he is out of the facility with her.


As her hacking begins to subside, Mara is still shivering slightly, all her muscles taut, and her nostrils feel irritated as well, as though they have been singed; this paired with her lungs is why she has found it so difficult to breathe. She wipes at her nose, realizing that it is running, a black streak appearing on her hand, and after a few stunned moments she realizes that it must be from the smoke. Mara stares at it, horrified, then wipes at her nose again, relieved when no further black emerges. She takes a few more moments to try to steady her breathing before she looks at Rhys with some anxiety.


"Rhys..."
 
Rhys was not sure what had happened. One moment he was eating in the cafeteria after being experimented on wondering what Mara was doing the next chaos was all around.


He let out a hiss as part of the ceiling fell somewhere. He could swear he heard someone scream and was cut off. He tried not to think of it as he stood. Then Mara was there and she was dragging him out. Rhys let himself be taken. Mara seemed to know what she was doing. He tried hard to block out all the noise but it was hard. The screams and the alarms. It hurt his head. Combined with smoke Rhys was happy to be lead. He wasn't sure he could have made it out otherwise. He felt dizzy and his head ached.


After they stopped Rhys took a moment to breath. He coughed and his chest ached. His vision swung in front of him and he staggered a bit but leaned against a tree. he looked at Mara. She seemed to be okay.


"What....Mara. Are you okay?"
 
Breathlessly Mara nods, still squeezing Rhys's hand hard, and she inches closer, leaning her forehead against his shoulder, relieved to feel his heart beating vaguely against her. Not that this had actually been a concern, but all the same, it was reassuring. She remains against him for a few moments, silent, and then suddenly laughs, the sound hoarse at first, invoking another cough, but when she laughs again, suddenly wrapping an arm around Rhys's torso and squeezing hard, it sounds more normal.


"We're out. We're OUT...we got OUT, Kittyboy, we're FREE!"
 
"Mara not so tight," Rhys said, but he started to laugh a little too. Not that his head was clearing up as both the noise and the smoke were gone or mostly gone, he realize what she said was true. They were outside the facility. They were free. He hugged Mara back, glad that they were able to escape together. He couldn't imagine leaving on his own not sure if she was dead or out or what.


"Finally."
 
Oliver's world shifted with the forst rumble, and then everything came alive with the suddem explosion of panic and alarm.


Now he was moving. Not as fast as he would havr liked lest he miss, but with purpose, his senses on high. He could smell the burning, a slow fine haze steadily polluting the already stifled and maintained air. The noise unimaginable as the sounds of chaos, thundering footsteps and both human and bestial cries alike howled over the whining sound of the alarm overhead.


The situation was unreal, and somewhere at the back of his mind he registered that he was outside the bounds of reason and time. Beyond the point of any real consideration, and without doubt or fear, his body reacting primarily on instinct to the sudden panic and opporunity, and existing purely within the momment without any real form of direction. No clue of he goal toward which he was racing except that if there ever was an opportunity to leave, escape and truly hope and live for themselves, it was now.


Every now and then he would pass a face he recognised, however he paid no mind to these people at all, focused on locating only one, and as he navigated the winding corridors, a hand steadying with the mommentum of renewed speed upon each sharp turn, all else became a palpitating blur. Determined to find her.
 
Mara stops laughing, but she is still grinning, her arms around Rhys, her face against his shoulder, her heartbeat still pounding wildly with her excitement even as the rest of her vital signs struggle towards normal. Lifting her face, her yellow-brown eyes glow as she pulls away, resuming her grip on his hand as her eyes skip towards the expanse of the forest beyond them.


"We have to keep going. I mean, they're probably going to come after us, the ones who survived...and there's other people here, ones like us, they were all running too."


It doesn't highly concern her whether they would want to tag after them, and in fact she hopes they won't. It also doesn't much concern her if any of the other subjects might be hurt and need their help. What she is worried about are ones that might rat her location out, if they saw her and Rhys leaving, but she knows Rhys well enough by now to know to frame her concerns in a better-sounding light.


Then another thought dawns on her- the one other person she truly has concern for.


"Aliele! Do you think she got out?"
 
After running for a few miles Aliele was out of breath and slowed her run to a walk. For once in her life she was actually happy to have such a nimble stature and young figure as it helped her run faster.


After walking for about ten minutes she saw two figures in the distance, one male and the other female. They looked a little young. She quickened her pace so she could catch up to them. Even though she's been walking for a little she still didn't have quite enough energy for a full out sprint like when she started so she settled for a quick jog


"Hey!" She called out to the two "Are you two from Hyperdine?" She asked as soon as she was within earshot. Despite the 4 year age difference in her favor these two were still slightly taller then her. Dammit.
 
The snapping and crackling of the fire seemed to dissolve into chuckles, as if the flames were laughing at her weakness, her inability to escape their burning grasp. The exit was just right there, just a few corridors down from her location. Yet she could not bring herself to stand, or crawl towards the desired destination, her arms just wound about the door frame, which was practically all that was left of the wall in one side of the room. It was easier to breath while on the floor, legs under her having sunk to her knees, but it was still not enough. Her dizziness was rising to a new level as seconds ticked by without a breath of clean air. She could practically sense her end nearing.


Niya's arm had begun to crack, bleeding through skin scorched black as she tightened her grip around the strong frame of the door, feeling the drafts of air created by the impact of the crumbling ceiling upon the floor of the facility, just inches from her own body. She could feel the fire, growing closer, eating away at anything and anyone that was in its presence, it's smoke thicker near that particular area. The gym, just between the two exits out of the facility. An exit blocked, one left. But at the rate she was moving, which was not at all, that exit will be blocked as well, locking her inside along with other unfortunate souls she was unable to get to.


She could still remember the ache she felt in her chest when she'd attempted to dig up another hybrid, fallen by fire and glass blasted into her face by a nearby explosion. The ache when she realized she was unable to assist this woman further. She was 20, from what Niya could remember. And a cheetah-hybrid from what she'd heard. The female was in mid-transformation when the explosion caught her sidewards, burying her into the pieces of concrete pooled about the next room. Her fingers sportted blisters from her attempts to claw the large rocks off the tiny frame of this woman, and even as she dug, she could not recall a name, which shamed her to no end, for she'd have wished to sing a short goodbye. Though strange at it was, she felt as if it was right.


But she was well beyond that. It was now her life that was slipping away, breath by breath, watching driblets of her blood slowly inch down on the whiteness of the door frame. The crimson was striking to her eyes, even with the blackness of smoke obscuring her vision. But from below, she could see it, forming streaks of red down white, marring the clean surface that would soon be charred black, along with herself.
 
Sedina was absolutely unprepared for what will happen as she was brushing her auburn hair in the mirror. She had heard a large explosion and felt the building rattle even from underground, as if the entire Earth shook. Directly above her, she sensed an immense mass of heat; the facility had been bombarded, and was now on fire.


The sudden chaos almost left her paralyzed, reeling through her mind of the current situation as the emergency sirens wailed. Fortunately, she reacted a second later, grabbing her pendant that she was given long ago, and darting outside through her door. Immediately after she passed the threshold, a large section of the ceiling dropped where she once stood.


Not taking her chances or risking any time, she ran, throwing the pendant over her head, where it fell on her shoulders and seized her hair. Sedina typically wasn't one to be headstrong about things, but she knew there was one person she was the most worried about, more than herself. The only one whose name she called.


"Oli!" Sedina shouted, referring to a personal nickname she gave him. She quickly weaved through the crowd in a graceful manner, contradicting the hurried bumps and shoves the other subjects executed. "Oli!" She called again, now frantically pulling her hair outside of the now askew pendant, looking for the familiar face and tall stature. Sedina had always felt the need to look over him. If at least one of them were able to make it out of this facility alive, she wanted it to be Oliver.
 
Turning as a voice calls to her, Mara's eyes narrow, and she steps protectively in front of Rhys, her muscles tensing in preparation to shift if needed. But as the owner of the voice steps into view, her eyes widen with surprise, and she breaks into a smile, stepping forward with one hand lifted, outstretched without touching anyone.


"Aliele...Aliele!"


She takes another step forward, her smile growing, then grabs hold of her hands, squeezing hard, still staring into her face; what were the chances that of all the students, the only one they run into so far is the only one she cares enough about to see? So damn lucky....


"Aliele, you got out! Are you okay?" she asks anxiously, squeezing her hands harder.
 
"Oh my god! Mara! I didn't recognize you from behind!" She said, laughing a little at her mistake "I'm fine, my height came in handy in the smoke" She joked, her height wasn't <i>that</i> extreme "How are you?"
 
"I'm out...I'm breathing...now, anyway...and I'm free!!" Mara laughed, then threw her arms around Aliele in a tight hug, nuzzling her head against the older girl's briefly with unchecked affection. "Can you believe it? I heard the rumors about the breach last month, but I never thought...I hope they're all dead, every person that ever did anything to us in there," she says with darker satisfaction before pulling away, turning back to Rhys.


"We should keep going, some of them might still have got out, be looking for us...though how they're going to make us go back when there's nothing to go back to is beyond me. Still, we should keep moving. I wouldn't put anything past them."
 
Adriana woke up due to a vibrating in her webbing. She looked down and saw three people, one male and two females talking in the woods. Adriana overheard one of them saying she wished all the scientist were dead for all that they had done to them. At these words it took all her strength not to recall the terrible things they did. The last thing she needed now was to lose control of herself and make a stupid decision. She then heard them saying something about moving for who knows who is after us. Not a back idea she thought. As quickly as possible she dismembered her web, wanting to leave no trace what-so ever that she had been there. Adriana flew over them as she continued swinging from tree to tree now wanting to put that place as far away as possible from her. Maybe I should find others to travel with. It is safer in a group. But Adriana shook this thought and continued fleeing. She decided it was best to stay in the shadows and travel alone unless something came up. Until then she just swung silently through the woods.
 
Rhys was happy to see that Aliele was okay. No matter what had just happened back there, they were all together. And free. That was the most important part.


Rhys nodded at Mara's words. He wanted to just sit down and rest for a while but he knew better. They had to get going. Hopefully they would run into a normal human and Rhys could convince whoever to help them.
 
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