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 Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 12:17 am
*THWACK*
*CREAK*
*WHAM*
*SQUEAK*
The solid hits kept landing, the constant rhythm never broken. A lone figure continued her violent dance, circling the poor punching bag without worrying whether or not she was alone. What did it matter? All that mattered was the dance...
Jab.
Cross.
Spinning Roundhouse.
Of course, only one thing could stop her deadly dance.
The threat of dehydration.
Pausing to wipe the sweat from her brow, she allowed herself a slight grin. Sure, she was tired and she wasn't anywhere near her old abilities, but she was further along than she could have ever imagined this soon after life-saving surgery. Stretching her arms briefly over her head, the young woman headed over to a bench where a towel and a cold drink waited for her. Perhaps it was a good time for a break. No sense overdoing it and wearing herself out again.
Ignoring the bench completely, Samantha flopped down in the grass and propped one elbow on the seat to lean back on. Grinning, she opened the bottle and poured the ice-cold sports drink down her parched throat. It certainly was a new feeling, eating and drinking what she wanted with no worries about counting the carbs and sugar, or having to deal with the consequences afterwards of not doing so. But now...with the diabetes completely gone...
Samantha wasn't sure exactly what Uncle Carl and the other scientists had done to her, but with these results... They could be sitting on a cure...an unthought of cure for diabetes...one of the top three killer diseases in the world...
It was staggering. They had to know what they possessed. No matter what they had done, they had to be ready to publish their findings, right? Maybe she was the final test. The test case they needed to prove that it worked...whatever their method was.
Something still gnawed at her though. Frowning, she stared into the grass, lost in her musings. Maybe it was something Shawn had said in the yard some time ago. Or maybe it was just this strange, gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach. She'd learned long ago to trust her instincts. They never lied to her and they usually clued her into suspicious behavior...if she listened to them that is.
It wasn't that she didn't appreciate what Uncle Carl and the scientists here at CRONUS had done for her. They'd given her her life back afterall. How could she complain? And they certainly had been accommodating in meeting any of her requests for...well, anything. Even a full-length punching bag and a constant supply of ice-cold sports drinks and juices. But...something just didn't feel right.
Just what exactly had happened that fateful day in the operating room...?
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Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:48 am
Karen had watched, having finished her talk with Hayden, (( Since I figure it will be running parallel, I can alway double check XD [/endaddendum] )) she was impressed. Karen wasn't a fighter, she knew enough to keep her out of trouble, keep certain undesirables off her, hold her own in a cat fight maybe. But what she had watched was impressive.
Karen coudn't have fought like that if she wanted to she was afraid, and she didn't like that feeling, as after talking to Hayden, she felt a little less secure about the safety of the island, and the doctors, and all that good rot. Still, feeling refreshed from her nap, and feeling better having talked to Hayden, and getting everything off her chest - figurativly, and literally - she decided that it wouldn't hurt to make friends...
That, and she really did need to actually START "working".
"Hi there!" She said to the other girl, once she seemed to have relaxed, then waved, making her way over. "I'm Karen Mariston, I'm a freelance writer, and I'm doing an exclusive on CRONUS. I was wondering if you have anything to say about the labs. Are you an employee here? Or another guest?"
It was odd, because there seemed to be a lot of guests here. More than seemed prudent for a lab of this... kind.
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Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:59 pm
Samantha was a little surprised to note that not only was she not alone afterall, but the other woman seemed quite...talkative. "Well, I definitely don't work here, so I suppose I'm a guest. I consider myself more of a patient though than a guest."
A little less self-conscious than she would have been had her new acquaintance been a male, Samantha didn't worry about her less-clothing-than-normal appearance. Afterall, a sports bra and yoga pants were still acceptable attire for a trip to the gym, so why not for a workout here? She climbed to her feet in order to look the other woman in the eye.
"I think of the term 'guest' as referring to a visit to a resort or hotel or something and this..." she looked around for emphasis, "doesn't seem to fall into either of those categories." Smirking, she shrugged a bit before continuing. "I haven't been here that long and I only came here for...personal medical reasons, so I'm afraid I can't help you much when it comes to the labs themselves. CRONUS doesn't seem very willing to share its secrets; not even to its patients," she finished in a slightly darker tone.
"Karen, you said your name was? I'm Samantha. Samantha Hakan. It's nice to meet you, even in such dreary surroundings. I hope you can forgive my appearance." She glanced down at her tired form and sweaty clothes. "I was trying to fit in the first real workout I've been able to have in a long time."
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Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 8:25 pm
The young women at the other end of the yard hadn't noticed Phil yet. The janitor had been watching for some time, from the shadowy corner next to the compound. Maybe it was his completely unmoving form that had allowed him to escape notice, but he suspected it had more to do with Samantha's fatigue- and the fact that her little performance had drawn all attention to her.
Samantha Hakan; that was her name. Boss Hakan's own niece was nothing like the old dingbat professor at all. Besides the fact that Carl was perhaps the creepiest indiviual Phil had ever met, Samantha had a different kind of.... energy to her. Carl's was a nervous, sinister aura, while Sam's was intense, fiery.
Phil sensed one connection- they were both capable of being quite ruthless.
The other, the writer Karen, Phil knew less about. He'd been interrupted whilst sneaking a look at her file because Carl had come back to his office during cleaning hours in search of lab photos he claimed that he needed. The writer was trying to dig up information on CRONUS- a subject she would learn more about than she probably wanted to.
Phil shrugged and stepped out into the sunlight, sucking in a lungful of moist island air and swinging his garbage spike over his shoulder. That caught their attention.
"A little hot today to be working out so hard, in'nit missy?" He asked loudly, a cigarette appearing in his hand with a flourish.
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 2:50 pm
Karen jumped. Well it wasn't really a jump, it was more of a sudden spasm in place as she stiffened a bit. She didn't like people randomly jumping out of places like that.
Though, considering she'd just done it to Samantha... Hakan?
Her eyes narrowed just a bit. "Any relation to the Dr. Hakan?" She asked, still needing to talk to him again... But if she was related...
She might be a better subject.
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:57 pm
Samantha jerked a bit as well, shooting a glare at the janitor to cover her slight blush. How in the world had she not noticed him standing over there? While scolding herself for her obliviousness, she shot back a reply. "A little warm weather and exercise never hurt anyone. Plus, it's not that bad out here," she glanced down, nodding in disgust at the cigarette in his hand. "Certainly much better for you than those things are."
Turning back to Karen, she remembered this woman at last. She'd witnessed the brief exchange between Karen and Shawn in the exercise yard a few days ago, though she hadn't paid much attention at the time. Perhaps that's why she took so long to recognize her.
"Maybe," she answered hesitantly with a frown. "I don't exactly claim him proudly or anything, but as long as you're not going to pick a fight with me about it...yeah, he's my uncle."
Again, someone's asking me about Uncle Carl...how many people here know him?!? What is the world is he up to that so many people here would despise him so? I mean, yeah, he's rude and sneaky and can be a real pain in the a**, but... How would they all know that?
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:20 pm
Karen nodded her head. "Would you like to tell me about him? I mean, would you consent to be interviewed?" She almost kicked herself for being so informal for something like that! She could have gotten in trouble if she hadn't gotten a sure, sure conset to interview. It wasn't like T.V. of course, but somethings things got... twisted.
Of course, she was curious as to what Dr. Hakan was doing with his niece on the island.
Not that of course, it was any of her business.
But she was a freelance writer, and these sorts of things intregued her... Coupled with Hayden's obscure, if frightening warnings...
Well, no reason she couldn't be friendly with Dr. Hakan's neice, she seemed nice enough... And seemed to agree with her own sentiments.
Eyeing the jaintor's cig she twisted her face into a mask of disgust. "I agree, I hate those almost as much as I hate sleezy men..." Her eyes were focused on the Jaintor as she spoke, letting him know that she meant him.
She was trying her hardest to make him feel unwelcome, since after all, he HAD popped out of nowhere to her.
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Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 6:06 pm
"I'm not sure whether or not you'd like to hear what I'd say about 'dear Uncle Carl.' Not sure you could print it anyway," Samantha snapped back almost automatically with a dark chuckle. She was tired of telling her personal story, however, and she wasn't looking for pity. That seemed to be all she ever got from telling her tale, so she refrained from offering an explanation of why she was on the island.
A reporter though? Here? That could make things quite interesting around here. Especially since Samantha was determined to uncover just exactly what sort of underhanded dealings were going on here on the island. Something had to be illegal, the way they were keeping secrets, even from the patients. Even experimental procedures weren't kept under THIS much security.
"Alright," Samantha finally nodded, "I'll give you your interview...on one condition. I reserve the right to refuse to answer any personal questions that I deem inappropriate or uncomfortable." She knew how to deal with interviewers. Afterall, this wasn't her first interview in her long, interesting history. Whether they were sports announcers wanting to talk to a competing athlete, or some current events reporter wanting to talk to the latest pity case in the hospital, she'd handled it all by this point.
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:27 pm
"That's fine by me," She smiled and moved a little closer, since she didn't want to have to speak too loudly when she started talking. Sitting down she smiled at Sam.
"So then... Let's start with your relationship with your uncle if you don't mind, and don't worry if your opinion of him is 'unprintable' I can work around that," She nodded her head slowly.
Wouldn't be the first time she'd had to.
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:56 pm
Phil smirked slightly at the reporter's little jab. He was sleazy, without a doubt, though he'd mellowed down over the last year or two. He knew he would never completely shake the city slicker aura that he'd picked up years ago. He just hoped it would maybe rub away enough for him to avoid looking like a complete a** out in the jungle.
Still, he took a hint and quietly moved downwind before igniting his cigarette. The hot, humid air gave the Cinnabar tobacco a strange flavor, and while it softened the dry sensation it also made the cigarette taste... off, somehow. I really should have quit before I came down here. He was careful not to trail even a wisp of smoke in the direction of the two young women. It wasn't that women intimidated him, and it wasn't that he thought he had a chance with either of them (though he had half a mind to warn them about a couple of the guards). It was just that it would be more convenient for them to trust him more than they trusted some of the other elements on the island.
Everyone wants these newcomers to trust them, for one reason or another. Phil mused. He would watch, and listen to these two talk. Once he learned where their allegiances lay, he would know where to press.
This island is like a prison. Get the right people on your side, and you can do whatever you want.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:54 pm
"Heh, you get straight to the heart of the matter, don't you?" Samantha joked, smirking. "No matter. I like that. Let's see... Uncle Carl was always kind of the...how would you put it? The 'black sheep' of the family? He never really fit in, never came to family gatherings or reunions, never made any effort to keep in contact with the rest of us...until he wanted something that is." She chuckled. "Not that I suppose I fit in that well either, but that's beside the point. I was always warned to stay away from him. The rest of the family didn't like him or think much of him."
She paused a moment, then backed up to correct herself. "Err..don't get me wrong; it wasn't a warning in the whole 'creepy uncle' kind of thing. Nothing like that. I mean, I never got that sort of vibe or anything from him. More like...there was some other side of him that we knew nothing about, and didn't particularly WANT to know anything about." She frowned, glancing about the yard unconsciously. Was it this place that she'd sensed? Something about it...perhaps...'illegal?' Who knew, if Uncle Carl was involved...
"Maybe because we were both outcasts in our own fashion, but seems we were drawn to each other by some unseen force. Didn't mean I wanted to be or enjoyed his company though," she sneered, expression dark. "Just sorta' happened. Didn't ask for it, didn't want it. Got it anyway."
She paused, taking a sip from her sports drink. "That answer your question, or did you want something different?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:52 am
Karen smiled. "Actually, that was what I was looking for," She nodded her head slowly. She liked this girl, though, how did she ever get written off as an outcast? She seemed pleasent enough, if a little on the sarcastic side, which Karen enjoyed in people actually.
"So you're saying your family never did care for your Uncle Carl?" She asked, nodding her head she commited that last bit to memory, well at least shorthand, the words were what were really important, as well as body language.
Tone can always be faked.
"I'd never of pegged you as an outcast," She said suddenly, as if her last question really wasn't a question at all.
I should befriend this woman, I should befriend her, if only for my job... but that's not the whole of it... No... I just can't have Hayden for a friend here... She couldn't shake the dark feeling Hayden had been right, and she was stuck here. I need to make more friends...
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Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:45 pm
Samantha fell silent, sipping her sports drink for some time while glancing over at the smoking janitor. Karen's last comment had taken her by surprise and she wasn't sure she was very comfortable in answering her inquiry...if it could be called that. Rehydrating herself seemed more desirable at the moment.
Finally... "Let's just say that sometimes circumstances aren't favorable. Circumstances that we have no control over. Perhaps there are changes that we would have made if we could...but it's too late by the time we understand those circumstances for ourselves." She tried to keep her tone emotionless, but it was obvious to anyone that she was struggling.
"So, yeah," she blurted, "no one likes Uncle Carl. That's the general vibe I've seemed to pick up around here as well. How about we move on to the next question?" It wasn't really a question; more of a very definite suggestion.
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Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:31 am
"That works for me," Karen nodded. She thought for a moment how to phrase her next question, not wanting to insult, offend, or alienate her. Taking a few moments to look around she finally figured out what she wanted to ask next.
"So what do you think about this place? Do you like it? What do you think of the work that they're doing here?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 1:50 pm
Samantha paused, staring at Karen in a mixture of suspicion and disbelief. She was kidding, right? What did she think this place was? Some sort of resort?
"I'm sorry...'like it?' Do I like it?" She frowned, shaking her head. What if she really wasn't a reporter? What if Karen was working for the lab, for her uncle, to ask around and find out what the others thought about what was going on...?
Okay, paranoia was kicking into overdrive. This was rediculous. Samantha sighed, ashamed of herself. Sure, something weird was going on around here, but that didn't mean that she needed to be suspicious of every single person that tried to talk to her.
"Alright, short answer: I appreciate the fact that most of the guards are scurrying to get me anything I want," she commented, gesturing to the punching bag and to her drink. "I'm not too happy about the excessive security without any explanation, however. I am also not pleased by the fact that I can have anything I want...but I can't talk to my uncle. I haven't seen him since my arrival and they won't let me even talk to him, let alone see him."
She closed her drink and set it aside, leaning back and crossing her arms again. "Can I ask you something off the record?" Without waiting for a response, she continued, "Do you get the feeling that something else is going on around here? Something that they're not telling us about? I can't be the only one who feels like there's something...not quite legal about this place." The more Samantha talked to other 'guests,' the more the sickening feeling in her stomach seemed to grow. Her instincts never lied to her...even if they weren't always clear in what they were trying to tell her.
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