Taming of the Bird

[Kian Romanov]

Romanov rolled his shoulder as he waited for the young boy to come to. As he watched him handcuffed to the metal table he was slumping on, he knew that these precautions were necessary. Many would lash out in fear but the folder he had in his hands indicated that this kid wasn't deadly, but had every capability to be. Regardless, maybe a cold interrogation room wasn't the best way to welcome new students.


His eyes scanned the file of his history. Experimentation. He sighed. Not only is he traumatized but he has the talents of a mockingbird, hence his nickname. An interesting power, the first he'd ever come across. In danger too apparently. Also one of the contributing factors as to why they recruited him, he assumed. He saw both potential and a challenge. He put the file down and crossed his arms, impatiently waiting for the boy to regain consciousness.

 

[razorstar]

Loud screaming filled the room, echoing off of the cement walls and making Danny's ears ache like he had been scratching them raw again. His wings were pressed down against his back and his eyes watched everything through the darkness. He was suddenly glad he had been forced to mock a cat. He was supposed to become agile and flexible, but he also could see in the dark now. He almost wished he couldn't, because now he could see the long scratches and dents and mysterious stains in his cell. He could hear the ringing sound of footsteps coming towards him. Coming for him.


Danny's blue eyes snapped open and he instantly tried to pull his hands up to his face to protect himself, only to find them strapped down. He couldn't remember anything but running. He had ran so fast and so far from wherever he had been held. Before he became this, running had been a fun hobby. It was now the main way he protected himself. The teen strained against the cuffs holding his wrists, making sharp tweeting noises of panic. Alarm calls. He could feel his wings flaring before pressing against his back. He froze and fell silent when he noticed that someone else was there.


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[Kian Romanov]

He closely observed the disturbed boy seeming to be reliving a memory. PTSD was not an alien disorder to find here, yet this seemed to be an extreme case. Many students that are recruited are targets with a big X on their back. Living their life in fear of captivity was no way to live at all. He knew this would happen, yet there he stood in fascination until the Mockingbird's eyes snapped open. He was even more captivated by the noises he was making, maintaining silence just to see how far he would go. The wings were an addition he was not aware of. Only until he stilled did he talk.


"Daniel Smith." he began, his accent only slightly evident as he made his presence known. "You're currently in Trent Academy, located in the outskirts of Ukraine. It's come to our attention that you have an...unusual set of powers," he paused, glancing at the wings, "that makes you susceptible to danger. Here we harbor many students with similar qualities to your own. We guard you. We teach you. We heal you." he paused again, not wanting to overwhelm him. "This academy will be your home."

 

[razorstar]

Danny's mind raced, registering the words of the strange man. His mind was almost used to being trapped in new places, but what he had been told stunned him. This man...this man wasn't a part of the Mockingbird Project? The teen could have cried with joy. He didn't care what this man was going to do at this point. Nothing he could pull out could possibly be worse than what he'd been through.


"Why me? What about the others?" Danny asked, feeling that the question was needed. Not that he didn't know the answer. He was the only subject to escape in recent years, and the only one who hadn't been found and dragged back to their holding cell. The others...well, the ones he knew were probably dead and whatever new kids they had grabbed were probably in the process of being rehidden, just in case Danny came back with help.


Not that he was dumb or brave enough to do such a thing.


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[Sulfurlix]

Feet kicked up on the table, Jet let her black boots click together, boredom washing through her as she pondered. What to do.. what to do? Her mentor had gone to some meeting, or something to do with a few other mentors, so he gave her the day off. Well, more like he banned her from the gym for the day, knowing without anyone there, she'd push herself past limits and end up hurting herself. Frowning, though it was blocked by the mask over her face, Jet pulled her feet from the table and stood up. Maybe Arran (her mentor) forgot to tell the gym supervisors she wasn't allowed. Hmph.. seemed like a good idea. Fixing her black jacket, she wandered back into the building, using her shoulder to shove open the large wooden doors.


"Hey, Jet!" Gale came around the corner, bumping her shoulder.


"What do you want, Gale?" She grumbled, blue eyes looking to the taller man from under her hood.


"We're going to the recreation gym to play some ball, you in?"


Jet paused, brow rising. "Yeah.. sounds fun. You have the day off, too?"


"Mhm. The others are just on break, c'mon, let's go." Gale turned on his heel and took off, Jet turning and running after the other student.


As they got to the gym, she slowed down and followed the other in before a ball was thrown her way, slowly looking over the people she was here to play ball with. A few had supernatural abilities, something she was used to here, and the others like her, kids who were good at what they did. "Teams... or everyone for themselves?" She mused, smirk flickering onto her hidden mouth, but her eyes showed the gleam of mischief.


"Teams, Jet. You're with Anne, Gale, Kendrick, and me," Breaker said, lifting his hands to catch the ball as Jet threw it at him.


"Fantastic," she mused. Jet turned and walked to the bleachers, tugging off her hooded jacket, face mask, and utility belt, dropping it all on the bench before pulling her red hair up and walking back to the others. Now she was just left in her black skinny jeans, black knee high boots, and her black tank top that was tucked in. Jet wandered back to the others as they all got ready to play, laughing and amusing themselves by tossing the ball around until they were all ready. Of course, with this group of ten - five to a team - they weren't going to be very nice with their defensive tactics. After all, they were here to train, and being that they've all trained together at some point, they knew what the others could handle, so they were playing safe, just a bit rougher.


((Jet [real name: Kiana]: - link - {Suit: - link -}))

 

[Kian Romanov]

He watched relief wrack through the boy, seemingly registering him as not a threat. His breaths were less shallow, his demeanor was slightly less hectic, he had reacted much better than he had anticipated. He was probably the only person in the entire region that looked at him with relief, it almost made him want to laugh. He really must have been through hell.


"The Mockingbird Project has been in our sights for awhile. You're the only known survivor not in captivity. The current headquarters has yet to be located. Two bodies were found in Jordanian city Amman. No ID." Romanov was not one to beat around the bush. He observed the uncomfortable form before continuing.


"I have a few questions I'm going to need you to answer, Daniel." He knew he should probably remove the handcuffs by now, but a bit of intimidation never hurt. "Answer them and I'll take you to your room where you'll get settled in." Tempting the kid with stability was perhaps cruel but most definitely effective. "Answer them to your best of your abilities. I'll give you a few minutes to collect your thoughts before we begin." He left the room, letting Daniel take it all in.


He walked through the modern marble floors, glancing at a few classroom he passed. He passed by a classroom where a lesson regarding guns was taking place, the other being meditation. He nodded in acknowledgment towards the greetings he received. He ignored the few muffled hellos and goodmornings from intimidated student as he climbed the mahogany stairs. The gym was lively as he caught a speeding ball just inches before it collided with his head, sending a glare towards the redhead "Jet" he had seen before, being the one that hit the ball a bit off course.

 

[razorstar]

Danny forced his body to relax, trying not to think of everything leading up to this. Sure, he would answer the questions-he didn't want to risk being sent out to fend for himself-but he didn't want to have an anxiety attack. He focused on the stupid goose they had him mock, mocking it's calm confidence. He felt a slight cocky grin rise into his lips, and a soft breath of sweet, sweet relief escaped him.


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[Sulfurlix]

Their shoes echoed in the gym as they ran about, hitting the ball around and trying to beat the other team before Jet hit the ball a bit too hard from Joesph, the ball hitting off the ground and flying through the air. The few that were about to run after the ball stopped when they noticed who it almost hit, taking a few steps back and uttering their apologies to Kian. Jet blinked before flashing a grin to the glare she received from the older man. "Nice catch!" She piped up, glancing over to Gale shot her a ridiculing look. She wasn't easily intimidated, and was probably labeled as one of the trouble makers around here for her knack of finding loop holes in rules. "You want to play a game with us?" Jet questioned, lifting her hands up to motion for him to throw the ball back to her.

 

[Kian Romanov]

His eyes scanned the diverse group. The shapeshifter, the telekinetic, and of course, the infamous Jet. She had raised a few red flags when she had first got here, and she had consistently followed this pattern ever since. He had read her file, of course. Everything from her mother's death to the circumstances that lead to her arrest. Arran had more than once expressed pride in the young girl, Romanov, however, didn't see why. He threw back the ball, with a bit of exaggerated force. Didn't Arran mention banning her from strenuous activity when he isn't around? He chose to deal with this later, not even bothering to answer the question as he exited the room, knowing he'd come back after asking Daniel what he needed.


The questions weren't too complicated. He just needed them to not only learn more about the Mockingbird Project but to also understand the kid's psyche and the extent of control he has on his powers. He passed through the now less crowded hallways as he swiftly made his room that had Daniel looking slightly in better spirits. He leaned on the wall opposite to where he was seated. "I need you to tell me, how old you were when you were first brought into the project? What's your oldest memory of your participation?" He paused before asking the next, giving him time to think before he responded. "The location you escaped from is now vacant. Do you have no idea where they might have located?" A slick metal recorder was in his hand, he needed to put what's learned from Daniel into the database as soon as he was done.