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Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
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 Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 3:33 pm
Sabin strode out of the elevator, making a bee-line for the strange glass cabinet at the far end of the room. waving his hand in front of it, it slid open automatically with a mechanical hiss.
Carefully, ever so carefully, he selected a small vial that shimmered with a red liquid, and removed a syringe from the drawer below.
He turned back to Zachary who, as soon as he stepped out of teh elevator, it slid shut.
"Take a seat, my friend. Just a simple injection and then I can show you to where you'll be staying."
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 4:25 pm
If it were possible, Zach would have gone a shade paler. But he knew the consequences of getting a disease, and he figured that the shot's pain would only last him a moment. He held his right arm high enough that the sleeve fell back, revealing enough arm to recieve the injection.
This won't be any less painful though, he thought quietly.
"Just... don't miss the vein," Zach murmured, his voice leaving him almost instantly. Shots...
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Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 4:44 pm
Sabin barked a laugh at the vein comment. "Oh, don't worry - we're not drawing blood here - just need to go subdermal."
His voice was still gratingly peppy as he walked over, squirting the needle so that droplets of the crimson serum beaded at the end of the long needle.
Sabin dabbed at Zach's arm with a cotton swab after the sleeve was roled back and alcohol and poised the needle above his exposed flesh, He was fully capable of using the air-jet gun - a needle-free way to get the serum into the man's bloodstream.
But this was far more fun, especially given the man's anxiety around needles that was written allll over him.
Savoring the man's fear for a moment longer, he pricked the skin. With a pinching sensation the needle went it, and then a warm, tight feeling ensued as the serum mingled with Zach's blood. HE could feel the heat travel down to his fingertips, then back up his arm, move to his chest, and then suddenly diverge all over his body.
IT was a tingly, hot feeling, but not especially painful.
"This might give you a fever for the night." Sabin explained. "But if you need any tylenol or medication, you can get some at the town hall in the center of the 'village' as we call it. Though I'd reccomend taking it easy today - the caves are accessable at the base of the cliffs on the East side of the island. Any spelunking gear you didn't bring can be ordered.
Sabin tossed the used needle into the waste recepticle and turned back to the geologist with a pause. Should he tell him anything? Prepare or deceive him about the .... inhabitants of the island?
Options swam about in his head. They were sure to tell him the truth as soon as he encountered someone who had changed. And at this point, there was almost no one who hadn't at least had their first injection.
"Although.... you might wish to be careful.." He cautioned cryptically.
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 4:56 pm
Even between clenched teeth, Zach still let out a wheezy hiss of pain. The pinching feeling of the needle was worse to him simply because his mind made it so.
A momentary heat traveled down his arm, hit his heart, and spiderwebbed across his body until it faded. Zach still didn't question it, instead trying to find a way to brush the tears from his eyes that came with the puncturing of his skin, without letting Duvert see.
"Oh, I'll take some tylenol tonight. I keep all sorts of medicines with me in case I get sick. Thank you though... I do feel about ready to lie down." He was still queasy from his anticipation of the shot.
Curiosity got the better of him this time, and he couldn't stop himself from asking. "Careful of what?"
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Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 5:00 pm
Sabin closed up the cabinet and washed off his hands in the sink before turning to Zachary with mock innocence.
"Hrmm? Oh just.... well... some of our staff has reported seeing some very strange... creatures about ... well, I'm sure it's just stories. You know how people get - away from their home countries, middle of the ocean in a jungle island.. Say they've been seing strange creatures that are convincing mimics....
But I'm sure it's nothing." Sabin waved it off.
"Anyway. I'll see you back down to the fence, and from there it's a brisk fifteen minute walk to the 'village'.
Sabin was already striding into the elevator that opened obediently at his approach.
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 5:13 pm
Again, he was oblivious to the falseness of the doctor. Zach assumed it to be some kind of standard politeness.
He couldn't say how much that bothered him. Strange monsters that even the staff of this island claimed to be real? Well even if they weren't , Zach was terrified. He didn't want to lose another appendage, and not to an animal! He was already defenseless and cowardly enough as it was, he'd be easy prey and he knew it.
"C-creatures? That's not... you're not certain of them...?" he stammered. He boarded the elevator. At least there was a village of some kind here, for whatever reason. He hoped he wouldn't see one of these beasts. It could mean nightmares for a week.
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Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 5:19 pm
Before he knew it, Zach was walking back out the way he came, and Sabin was picking up his luggage from the jeep. A different gate than the one they came in swung open, and just down the dirt road was a large cluster of buildings. Most were uniform two-story units, gathered around a large central builing like spokes in a wheel.
"You're in number 38." Sabin explained.
"And.... I don't know - I haven't seen them myself - but then again, I've busy in the laboratories most of the time. But some people swear they see them. Keep hearing different descriptions, though - so I doubt they're true. Some say they look feline.... some like werewolves... some said they even looked like lizards. But you know how people can be." Sabin laughed as he handed him his duffle.
"There is an intercom in your duplex. If you need anything from us, just dial "0"."
Sabin fished a key from his pocket and put it in the man's hand. "And here you go! Have a good time!"
With a wave and a grin, Sabin turned and started walking back to the labs.
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 10:02 pm
Two CreaturesZach's first encounters and things get weird.Antoinette Devereux The high was gone, the pain was gone, and the tears were gone as well, but that didn't mean that the tattooed woman briskly walking from Jamal's duplex to her own was 'okay'. It was true she had accepted her transformation, but it was also true that she was still cranky about the entire thing. Her tails especially hurt, throbbing with every step that she took, the pair of pants she was wearing slung low on her hips, and her black thong was peeking out in the back. The buttons were unbuttoned to allow extra room for where her cuves widened. Chaffing was the last thing that she needed. Antony had taken a quick shower before leaving Jamal's, and her hair was damp and pinned back. Other than that, she was in the same clothes as the previous day, and her computer bag was slung over her shoulder. All she wanted to do was get back to her duplex unseen so she could smoke and drink herself into a stupor. Zachary Bloodstone After doing a little unpacking, fretting, and taking two tylenol, Zach felt a little more confident about venturing outside. He couldn't sleep just yet. The place he'd gotten his shot still stung, and thoughts of lurking monsters still played across his mind.
Carefully, he opened the door of his room and looked outside. The top floors all seemed empty of other people. However, there was someone walking around way down at the bottom. He couldn't make out a lot of detail on them, other than that they were slow. He figured they'd be more familiar with the island, and headed downstairs to intercept them.
Antoinette Devereux Antony couldn't see the aproaching male, otherwise she would have changed her course to avoid him. Instead, the tattooed woman continued straight towards him and her duplex, unaware of the armless man. Her tails twitched irritably, and Antony winced, a scowl forming over her features almost immediately. "******** tails," she snarled to herself, becoming exponentially more cranky by the second. Zachary Bloodstone Now that he got closer, Zach could see an array of tattoos across her back. But her skin and hair seemed oddly tinged with white, practically shimmering in the sunlight. He noticed she was dressed very laxly, with three white objects hanging out the back of her pants. Odd. Perhaps it was some strange foreign fashion.
This was a bad idea. A baaad idea.
He took his chances. After all, no one else was around - this woman was the only one he could question. "Uh... excuse me?" he called out to her retreating figure, "Hello?"
Antoinette Devereux Antony jumped, and would have dropped her laptop if it hadn't been stuffed in a bag and strapped over her shoulder. "********?!" She chittered, spinning around and locking her reddening eyes on the owner of the voice. Blinking, the squirrelly one glanced down at the height difference before she noticed that his arm was entirely missing. And to think, he was only going to get weirder with transformations. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. Why'd he ******** have to surprise her like that? Zachary Bloodstone The woman's sudden movements caused Zach to stumble back and ultimately trip on the loose sleeve. He landed in a heap and turned bright red with embarassment.
She was definitely taller than him. Boy, did she have a hair problem... there was a mat of white hair all over her chest and shoulders, as well as a little on her nose. It looked like a bad medical condition. He sympathized.
But her eyes were strangely red.
"I'm terribly sorry!" he breathed quickly, climbing back to his feet using just the one arm for support. Usually it was he who was scared by people first, not the other way around. She looked angry, so he explained himself.
"You're the second person I've seen on this island, and I just wanted to sort of, well, meet my neighbors here." He noted that her expression was unchanged, though she did blink. "I'm.. um... Zachary. Your name is...?"
Antoinette Devereux "Antony," she grunted, her arms too full for her to pull out a cigarette at the moment, otherwise she would have by now. The tattooed woman frowned at the other information he offered, pausing for a moment before offering her right hand to help him up. He obviously hadn't seen any of the other islanders. "You're in for a treat then," Antony stated blandly, turning around after he was on his feet, she wiggled her three tails. An audiable noise of pain escaped from her gritted teeth, and she turned around once she thought that her point was proven. "Have you already gotten the injection?" She questioned immediately, not really offering much of an explanation for now. Either way, she motioned for him to follow her, and if he didn't follow, she'd simply grab his wrist and drag him to her duplex. She didn't want to be out and about so that other people could run into her like this. "C'mon, I'll explain it all to you... Just, in private..." Zachary Bloodstone He gladly accepted the help, and took her hand. But no sooner had he collected himself than he saw her three tails, each twitching, covered in the same fur her neck was swathed in. The pained hiss was lost on him. She had TAILS.
Strange creatures on the island... He remembered the not-so-subtle warning that the doctor had given him. He looked horrified. What was she!?
"Yes..." He couldn't refuse to answer her question, but he did begin taking steps backward. In his eyes, she wasn't human, but she could be dangerous. He was shaking again, as usual. "I'm just... I think I'll..."
Her clawed hand caught his wrist, and he just about screamed.
Antoinette Devereux Antony rolled her eyes at his reaction, continuing to drag him to her duplex, "Stop ******** looking at me like I'm a monster, or you'll be in for more than just a panic attack today." He wasn't too hard to pull along, and soon enough, she was unlocking her door and then shoving him inside. The duplex smelled faintly of smoke, but it was mostly aired out due to the windows having been open since yesterday morning. She carefully set her laptop bag on the kitchen counter before turning to glance at the armless man. "Sit," she instructed, pointing at the couch in the living room. "Anything to drink? Eat? Smoke?" Antony for some reason felt like she had to be a good hostess. Maybe it was the fact that he was handicapped, or the fact that she had just dragged him here against his will. Zachary Bloodstone Zach could do nothing as she dragged him into her duplex. He averted his eyes from her for a good while, too, after her threat. His mind still couldn't quite grasp the situation.
The faint smell of smoke met his nostrils and made him cough a few times. He didn't dare say anything about his asthma, though. Not that he could; his voice had completely disappeared on him. It had escaped to somewhere much safer than the room he was in now, cornered. His legs gave way over the sofa, and he pretty much fell onto it.
He snuck another glance at the tattooed woman, in time to meet her gaze again. His terrified expression would be enough to answer her question. Damn, he was not going to make it out of this alive, at this rate.
Antoinette Devereux "Well then," she began, glancing him over before sighing and following him into the living room. When she moved to sit down, Antony quickly stood up the moment her rear came in contact with the couch cushion. So she remained standing instead, hands raising to unclip her hair and tussel it a bit so it wouldn't dry flat. "Look," she restarted, pausing a moment to glance down at him before speaking, "I'm not going to hurt you, but I'm not going to lie to you... And this, obviously, is some heavy s**t..." "I wouldn't be doing this for you if I didn't think you'd wet yourself if you saw one of the further along islanders..." She gave him a pointed look before sighing and disappearing into the kitchen, returning moments later with several bottles of alcohol and two glasses. "Didn't know what you drank... And a little alcohol may take the edge off...." she explained in a gruff voice before pouring herself some Goose. "We're all test subjects... Some lured here, and others washed up... Either way, we're all turning into animals because of the injections they are giving us..." There, she had taken his island virginity. "Any questions Zachary?" It was obvious that she wasn't going to hurt him. Zachary Bloodstone He watched her every move fearfully, though he relaxed a little bit after she claimed pacifism for the moment.
He wondered why she couldn't sit on the tails. The insult stirred some annoyance in him that wasn't quite enough to overcome his fear. But it was there, influencing how he took her short speech. No matter if it was parly out of concern, he wasn't fond of it.
Zach tested his voice. "I don't drink," he said hoarsely, "But now is probably a good time to start."
He listened to the whole story she gave. Several moments passed in which he thought long an hard over the words. And suddenly, his fear was completely gone, replaced with anger. He nearly forget himself in it.
"What is this, some kind of practical joke? Is this what you do to every newcomer? Dress up in a little costume and pretend the place is some kind of terrible game... Is that how you get your fun?"
It had to be one. How could he have been so stupid to believe a total stranger in a cheap costume?
Antoinette Devereux Didn't drink? Well that would explain a bit, and then if he didn't have sex... Well that would explain a lot. His sudden change in demeanor surprised her, especially since this was the man who had been close to pissing his pants not five minutes ago. Her jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed at his accusation, grip tightening on her glass before she immediately downed its contents with a low hiss. "Do I look like someone who ******** beats around the bush?" She barked, rather irritated that he wasn't taking her seriously. Staring at him for several moments, she finally raised her eyebrow and kicked off her flip flops before she shucked off both her pants and thong. Stepping out of the lower garments, Antony immediately turned around to give him a very good view of her tails, and then some. The woman looked back at him, eyes burning with a mixture of pain and anger. "Do these LOOK like a ******** costume to you?!" Her voice wavered through her anger, but she gritted her teeth and pushed the still touchy emotions back for now. "I'm not that much of a ******** b***h." It wasn't long before she bent over to pull her underwear and pants back on, zipping them up but leaving them unbuttoned to avoid the pain they caused her new appendages. "I'm not lying," she said quietly, looking away from him with a sigh as she tried to compose herself. Zachary Bloodstone Zach's rush of anger had already faded... the woman was obviously very pissed now.
He couldn't run though. Maybe now she'd kill him. "Alright... I shouldn't jump to conclusions. I'm saying that there's no such thing as turning people into animals. It's impossible. I took science classes in college, and there's just no way." He paused to let her understand. "You don't see people walk around like that every day. People only dress like that on Halloween. It really looks like a costume."
It was then that he got a full view of what was below Antony's waist. She turned around so he could get a better view of the tails, though that wasn't all.
There weren't any words for a virgin like Zach to say about seeing that.
And boy, was he lucky he couldn't understand what was going on. It kept his thoughts off of his sex-based instincts. He was still unable to believe it (especially what he'd just seen). He was glad she pulled everything back on. This wasn't right at all. If she was telling the truth, then why did the laboratory go through the trouble of hiding it when the rest of the people on the island could just reveal their plan? It seemed senseless. It had to be senseless.
And this woman could not possibly be growing three tails from her... butt.
He couldn't handle being here another moment. The weirdness was not going to go away. Maybe it was the tylenol. He needed a good, cold shower too. "I.. I'm sorry, Antony. I just don't know what to believe right now. And I'd really like to leave."
There's nothing to believe, he thought to himself as he stood up. And if they keep this up, I'm not going to be fooled again.
Antoinette Devereux "You'd think a person with one arm wouldn't be so judgemental..." Antony grumbled openly, crossing her arms over her chest before she glanced back up at Zach. His expression amused her, and she had to bite her lip to keep from cackling in sheer joy, which she covered with a smirk. Oh this boy was entirely a virgin. Antony could tell. Oh this was just a perfect way to brighten her mood. "Fine," she said, agreeing with his last statement and waving towards the door, "But remember, I told you the truth... Despite how entirely ******** up it is..." The woman sighed, dismissing the one armed man from her duplex. Zachary Bloodstone He sighed, but didn't turn to face her as he left. Didn't she have any sense of... well... shame about it? She could be a closet nudist though. Or just very, very promiscuous.
"Yes, this one arm taught me that I should put my trust in doctors over random people." He opened the door. "And for the sake of science, I'll just stand by Dr. Duvert. Good day."
He shut the door quietly behind him. Back to his duplex, he went. Venturing around here alone was dangerous.
If she was telling the truth... but no, over eight years of science classes could not be proven wrong by a couple of little tails.
Antoinette Devereux "Suit yourself," Antony said lazily, not catching the name drop. The s**t would hit the fan sooner or later, and the woman was pretty sure he'd be coming back to apologize at some point. But for now, it was time to get utterly smashed. Joliette Rigiel Joliette closed the darkroom door and walked down the steps away from the boarded up duplex, her heavy repilian feet thumping on the stairs as she decended. She was sorting through a small pile of pictures she'd developed trying not to puncture their corners with her claws.
She didn't notice the one armed man as she stopped at the bottom of the steps Zachary Bloodstone Zach heard footsteps on stairs. Was that Antony girl not already finished humiliating him?
A look over his shoulder confirmed it was someone new. A short brunette with a greenish glimmer to her, as well as somewhat large feet. She was delicately doing something with her hands as she made it to the ground floor.
He ran his fingers through his brown hair a moment before wondering what he could do. She, too, appeared to have a hasty, scaly costume. Maybe he'd humor her and prove once and for all that it was just a little prank for the newcomers to this 'village'.
"Another islander, are you?" he called out to her. He'd be less friendly with them, from now on.
Joliette Rigiel Joliette looks up from her photos her long yellow forked tongue flicked once "Hello, yes, unfortunately... I've never seen you before" she spoke with a strong British accent "I'm Joliette, are you new?" her name discintly very french Zachary Bloodstone French name, he noted.
All seemed normal with her... 'till the tongue flicked out of her mouth.
That couldn't be faked. Was he seeing things? Or was this girl really tuning into some kind of reptile? Either way, his strength deteriorated at the sight that yellow tongue.
Gulp. "Y-yes..."
Joliette Rigiel "I'd welcome ya... but I honestly cannot wish this place on my worst enemy." She gave him a wry smile and pushed her curly hair over an ear with a clawed finger. "You seem a lil nervous, are you ok?" Zachary Bloodstone Strange thing to say about a harmless island, even as a joke.
"Oh... Thanks, but... yes... I'm just not used to the... choices of costume here." He picked a little at his loose sleeve with his right hand, trying as hard as he could to keep from displaying his nervousness.
Please, please, please let that tongue be a fake.
Joliette Rigiel "Oh lord, please don't tell me that gormless arse Sabin gave you the 'this is a movie set' that I got when I arrived here" she rolled her eyes and held a hand palm up towards him "This isn't a costume, believe me if you want or don't, you wouldn't be the first... nor I'm sure you'd be last" she sighs Zachary Bloodstone "...What?"
Not a few hours on this island and already something was seriously wrong. Why would Sabin tell this girl something totally different? There was no movie set here, to be sure. Reality TV show, perhaps. But it still didn't add up.
This Sabin Duvert was shadier than he'd seemed. The thought that Antony was telling the truth made him both guilty and sick. If she was sprouting fur and tails, then what would happen to himself?
Zach chose the best option available - panic.
"This is not happening!"
Joliette Rigiel "I'd love it not be" she sighs.. "Sorry" her tongue flickered and she felt bad for the guy. He made her curious what kinda lifestyle the man had left behind.
She reached and touched his arm "Hey, you need to sit down?" she asked him there was a tone of concern in her voice Zachary Bloodstone The quiet of the morning was certainly betraying the emotions he felt right then. Not a single sound but the chirping of birds. What he'd thought would be a nice getaway for a while was starting to seem nightmarish.
"But... it's impossible. It can't be. Humans can't become animals. I don't want to believe this." The tongue flick scared him back into silence.
This girl already resigned herself to becoming some kind of scaly monster. He didn't want to end up the same, but he could tell, with all honesty, that it would be the same for him. He was weak. He would never be able to stand his ground against an operation as widespread as this one supposedly was. If, indeed, as Antony said, the whole island was an experiment, then he would be lost to it forever, just a number and some kind of animal.
Go, run, get out of here! his mind screamed at him. He would have, gladly, and not given it a second thought. But this time he had nowhere to flee to. He nodded to Joliette. He didn't trust his voice to answer her with.
Joliette Rigiel She led him to sit on the stairs that led up to #28, the unit she herself had just come out of "One sec I'll get you a drink of water" she says and lets herself into #27 returning after a moment with plain old cold water in a glass "I would have thought the same thing , actually I did, but everyone here is turning into something, I know a bat, a wolf, a skunk, a lizard, a snake, and more others then I'd rather admit. I'm becoming a Komodo, the gormless arse's idea of a joke since I arrived here a vegan, and a Komodo is the exact opposite" she sits on the stair beside him "What's your name by the way, I don't think I caught it" Zachary Bloodstone He gratefully downed the water from the supposed Komodo Dragon. Again, her calmness was unnerving, however positive it was supposed to be.
He listened to her rattle off the list. So many different animals, he doubted they used any twice. And the reason for her own animal seemed sinister. Not only was it odd to toy with people so personally, but to go through all this trouble seemed unnecessary. Why not just gather up some willing volunteers and be done with it. He was getting a headache just from trying to piece it together, and still failing.
"My name's Zachary Bloodstone..." He frowned, holding the cup carefully in the one hand.
He couldn't believe it. Not just yet. It would take something astonishing and absolute to make him certain that there was no underlying joke. He'd take the humiliations in stride. Let them laugh. He'd feel better if he just knew for certain that it wasn't a horror movie he'd stumbled into. He had too much anxiety to handle such a trick well.
"Why... do you think that's what's going on? I just don't really think I can believe all of this. I'm a man of science, I just recently got out of college, and what you're telling me is impossible." The headache was getting worse. It was that Dengue Fever vaccination, or WHATEVER these islanders wanted to call that shot.
Joliette Rigiel "Nice to meet you Zachary, Joliette Rigiel is my whole name. Well I've felt enough pain to believe it, and these dont come off. Did you get the shot?... thats the start of this mess for any of us, the git tried to convince me I needed it, I refused and soon passed out. " she points at the scales adorning her arm.
"As for why... Well I think that All those doctors are simply insane... I can't stand any of them, especially after getting locked outside for two months." She looks up in thought Zachary Bloodstone "Pleased to meet you as well." He gave her a weary smile. Finally, someone who wasn't out for his blood. Her story, in however few details, sounded sad. He toyed with the cup some more.
"Yes, they gave me a shot. Hurt like hell, too." He wasn't afraid to swear about these things. He hated shots. "So this is the end for me as well?"
He looked interested and a little confused at the mention of counting in months. "There's a lot of things I need to hear about this place, I take it," he grimaced.
Joliette Rigiel "I don't remember the shot, found out later that I had it... Not the ... end... persay, but definetaly the rest of your life, I've been here since November, I followed a rumor and went looking for Vasile and wound up here... I was told that he was here shooting an ultra top secret movie and I was offered an exclusive if I came ashore... And started getting info for my scoop from the git... And started getting sick and passed out, next thing I knew I woke up in number 27 here" She pauses and looks at him "I can answer anything I know, I won't say I know it all" Zachary Bloodstone He began to formulate a question when the pain of his headache became too much. It was like a knife through the eyes. Wincing, he placed the water cup down and used it for balance to get to his feet.
"I'm sorry, Miss Rigiel... I'm not feeling that well. I think it's the innoculation - I got warned about this. Tylenol isn't doing a thing. I'll just find my way back to my duplex... ow, my head... which way did I come from?"
Joliette Rigiel "I'm not certain, I wasn't watching, what number are you in Zachary?" she asks and stands up looking in teh direction of the higher numbers, he was new, it was doubtful he came from the other direction Zachary Bloodstone "Dr. Duvert said it was #38..." He winced again. It was getting terrible quickly.
He followed the direction of her gaze. Yes, that area did seem to look familiar.
Joliette Rigiel "38? That direction about 5 buildings down. And upstairs, all the even numbers are upstairs... Warning, the nitemares are horific... I hope you have better luck... I live in 27, often stay in 25 or you can find me in the darkroom on 28" She says with a nod And offered him a hand to stand up again Zachary Bloodstone Brand-new experiment or no, he really needed to lie down. This whole day was too much for him. He grabbed her hand and used the leverage to get all the way to his feet. Did he have to rely on others so much?
Oh wonderful, a nightmare. Just what he needed to complete this day. Though he did have to admit it would be hard not to have one after a day like this. He mentally slapped himself whenever his thoughts traveled too close to what he'd seen with Antony, though. He wasn't a pervert!
"Well, Miss Rigiel, be seeing you." He tipped his hat to her slightly as we walked toward the high-number duplexes. "Thank you for the water and the information."
... I think.
Joliette Rigiel "Just call me Joliette, or Joli, and you are welcome, good night" And I hope you don't have as bad a dream as I did hte first night she thought to herself and then wandered into #27
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Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 1:00 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 10:42 pm
You Can't Handle The Truth!
Don't go looking for the answers you don't wand to hear.
You just might get them. Emelyn The sun beat down on the girl, who, although enjoying the burst of warmth, winced at the bright light as she leaned down over her picked 'crop' of beach grass. Most of it was still rather moist, and wouldn't be ready for weaving for almost another week- but in the past few days, she'd been picking out any strands that were dry enough, and she hoped today to find enough ready to complete her third basket. The first was in her mountain home, sitting next to her "bed"- a pile of dried leaves and moss, over which her sheet bundled it all together and folded under into a makeshift matress. That particular basket was her smallest, and shallowest- made only the day before, solely for the purpose of holding her jewelry box, her picture of Mizzie, and her goggles, when she cast them off to sleep. The larger one she'd made that first day was the largest, and sat next to her on the sand, half-filled with nuts and roots. Her digging stick- sharpened by a rock she'd found by the lakeside- was in the basket as well, two inches soaked in dirt still moist from the rainstorms. This basket would be in between the two, she figured, as she sat to complete it, languishing on the sand and enjoying the swell of the waves. Zachary Bloodstone A short man in spelunking gear was following the mountain's curve to the other side of the island. Zach had spent over an hour being lost in heavy jungle brush. Surprisingly, he was having minimal difficulty despite his disability - to all who looked, it was obvious he lacked a left arm. A hasty knot to the shirt sleeve was the most he'd bothered to do that morning. He wasn't planning on talking to any of these other islanders until he'd gotten to the bottom of their little scheme.
Whack. That was another branch that came out of nowhere to hit him in the face. While he liked nature, it was preferrably from the other side of a glass wall. He'd had a rough night, and hoped sincerely he could find the caves that Dr. Duvert had mentioned were on the island. Though that too could be a lie. This was so confusing.
Suddenly, he was out of the jungle and onto the hot sand. The sunlight was nearly blinding. He'd definitely gone the wrong way, for sure.
But there! He could see a girl sitting on the beach, bending over something. Well, here went nothing. He carefully strode down the shining dunes to talk. His curiosity always got the better of him.
Emerwyn The second day. Emerwyn marked her path by sight and scent as she moved soundlessly through the jungle. It was an area she had not travelled before, and she wondered where it could lead. And who it would lead her to. Soon, she felt an old familiar smell reach her nostrils. And a faint, soothing sound reach her ears. The trees began to grow sparse, and she felt sand creep up between her toes. She was coming up on the beach. Vaguely, Emerwyn wondered how far she was from where she'd been discovered all those months ago. But, before she left the trees, she had to remind herself again, "There is no cover there, Emerwyn." And, somewhat reluctantly, she held back. She moved along, weaving through the trees, listening to the small, crashing waves. Soon, she came upon a figure, sitting on the sand. Upon inspection, she found the figure to be Emelyn. All at once, Emerwyn got a great urge to rush up to Emelyn and apologize for the foolish way she had acted the other day. But, once again, the greater part of her mind held her back. After all, another figure, clad strangely, and... somehow, uneven, was approaching Emelyn. Emerwyn got as close as she could whilst remaining hidden, and listened and watched as well as she could... Emelyn The sand crunched in a telltale way behind Emelyn's head, and she turned from her just-taken seat on the sand to see a man coming towards her. She narrowed her eyes- for although she was facing away from the sun, it was still a little bright for her to recognize who it was. "I can't see who you are," she said, her voice clear and carrying as she narrowed her eyes further to the realization that she didn't recognize this man, "oh... could be that I've not met you before. Sorry." She said simply, smiling, and placing her nearly-done basket in her lap. Zachary Bloodstone "Not a problem! I'll be down there in a minute." So the woman had heard him coming. He tried gazing back at her, but the sun was in that direction and he couldn't see a thing. Her silhouette and voice were human, though, and that was a relief enough. He started forward again to get a better glimpse of this beachgoer. He was getting sick of the--
Ohhhh no. This person had a fantastic looking getup. Better than the first two peoples', even. All exposed parts of her were covered with thin spiky brown fur. Her hair was even styled to match it. He marveled at the lengths these people were going to for a simple laugh. It wasn't normal.
He gave her a nervous smile. "Is this Halloween island or something?"
Emerwyn Emerwyn strained her eyes and ears. She picked up only snatches of conversation, and would not dare venture closer. Emelyn seemed happy, at least. It seemed Emerwyn's outburst hadn't had too harsh, lasting effects on her. That made Emerwyn grimly pleased. As for the man, he was a newcomer. She could tell by more than the simple fact that she had never seen him before. She could read the slightly apprehensive way he moved and held himself once he clearly got a look at Emelyn's less-than-human visage. And, now that he was clearly in her line of vision, Emerwyn discovered - he was missing an arm. She wondered whether or not transforming would change that. Emelyn "Hm.." she said, a half-amused sound that escaped her lips as the man came closer. She noted that he was an amputee, but it barely registered as important as she shook her head. "Something like that," she said, drawing her tongue across her lips in a cursory gesture, temporarily protecting them against the sun's onslaught. "It's genetic manipulation." She shook her veritable mane of proto-quills. "Hedgehog," she said simply, reading by his expression that he wouldn't likely believe her... so she kept it 'matter-of fact.' "Oh," she said, realizing that she'd lapsed in her manners. She stood, shoving the basket to the side and brushing sand off her as she came closer to the man. She extended the hand that he would be able to shake. "I'm Emelyn." Zachary Bloodstone He slid down the last dune and stumbled a few steps before coming to a halt in front of dried sea grass. One look at her told him what she'd seen - his left arm. Or rather, his lack of one. He hated that stares that people gave him when they saw it. Sometimes pity, sometimes disgust, no matter what he was uncomfortable with their expressions. But she seemed to have no reaction to it. Was that a good thing, or a bad thing?
Zach squinted a bit. Everyone here has their story straight. "Oh? Genetic manipulation?" He knew his voice sounded a little incredulous, but he didn't want to reveal his nervousness to this person as well.
He glanced at her as she explained her animal. She was very resigned to her fate, it appeared. But when she shook her "hair", it moved strangely. They looked as impossible as the moving tails and the yellow tongue. He shook his own head a second to clear his thoughts. Maybe he was seeing things.
He shook her hand with his own gloved right, managing to avoid touching the quill-like hairs that graced the woman's. He kept his gaze as level as possible, trying very hard to treat this costume as fake. It looked so real... "Uh... Pleased to meet you, Emelyn. I'm Zachary."
Emerwyn Emerwyn had heard the man well enough to know he was in utter denial. What she wouldn't give to live in blissful ignorance of their horrible fate... She sat down against her hiding tree, watching them still. She wanted to be there to comfort the man when he finally accepted the frightening truth... Then she shook her head. "Enough. You can't help anyone anymore... "She galnced at the appetiing foliage beside her. She'd better eat now. After all, you can't fight nature.Emelyn "Zachary," she said, familiarizing herself with the name. She'd long since learned from her travels that if you didn't use a name almost immediately, it could be lost to you, and you would fall victim to the dreaded use of "hey you". "Do you mind if I call you Zach? Or do you not prefer nicknames? And you can call me Em, if you'd like. Most of my friends do." She broached the simpler, sweeter subject, trying to steer the man away from the anxiety he was obviously walking towards. She wondered how many others he'd encountered on the island- and whether or not that look in his eyes was denial... fear... or something else entirely. Zachary Bloodstone "Whatever works for you," he smiled, releasing her hand. She had claws, which had actually made tiny scratches in his leather glove. "Most people call me Zach anyhow."
He noted that she say anything more about being a hedgehog. He was mildly surprised she didn't have more to add to the story of becoming an animal. Nor did she mention that all the people he was meeting on this island were becoming animals, slowly but surely. He didn't want to believe it though, simply because if it was true... it would be terrifying.
He'd press her for more details if he could stand to hear them. She was deliberately pointing the conversation away from the tales of transformation. "I'm surprised," he said quickly, "You're the third person I've met here, and all three of you say the same thing about this place. I'd really like to know more about it, since it sounds..." He produced a word that he figured played along with their game. "It sounds fun. Becoming an animal, getting to run around with fur or scales or who-knows-what."
He chuckled inwardly. That pretty much nailed her. The islanders couldn't possibly have a solid story for their dress up game. His eyes betrayed the cheer he was forcing into his voice. He wanted to finally get the truth.
Emerwyn Emerwyn shook her head as she ate her meal in silence. She could hardly take any more of this. She prepared herself to leave the scene. She had been satisfied. Emelyn was at peace, and had hopefully found it in her heart to forgive her. Though, she'd never understand. Of course, this was because Emerwyn didn't understand herself. The part of her mind that had been practically suffocated out of existence screamed for her to come back to sense, but she was beyond reach at this point. Maybe there was one way, but. Emerwyn sighed as she rose, ducking fully behind the tree now. She wished she could send Emelyn word somehow. She deserved it. Her warped mind toyed with ideas... What to do. A faint idea formed, and satisfied, Emerwyn prepared to leave the scene. Emelyn "Fun?" She huffed a single, breathy laugh, and shook her head. "Well, to tell the truth, the 'being an animal' part isn't so bad. It can even be fun at times. It's Moreau's treatment, mostly, that wreaks the most havoc on us." She spoke gently, for although his words seemed outwardly accepting of their situation, she could hear the jest behind them. He was probably trying to catch her in some sort of trap- waiting for her to 'let out the joke.' "Here, let's sit down." She indicated with a sweep of her arm the area near her crop of beach grass, flattened to the sand with rocks. "Since you're interested, I'll tell you anything you'd like to know." Her approach was to plough forth, answering his questions and not pulling any emotional gambits to try to convince him. He would realize soon enough that she was serious. Either that, or he would use her words to pepper the foundation of his denial. Either way, he deserved to know the truth. Whether he'd believe it or not. She took a cross-legged seat back in her place, pulling the basket back up into her lap. "So. ...What is it you'd like to know?" She said. Zachary Bloodstone This was weird. And who was this Moreau she was talking about? Joliette had said Sabin. Maybe that was a different name for the same guy. He sat down at her invitation.
"Sorry to bother you about it, of course." He tugged at the collar of his shirt with a finger. He'd forgotten it was so hot out, and these heavy clothes didn't help him to keep cool. "I guess I can just start with the basic question of 'how'. What's the mysterious process that's turning you into a... hedgehog, right?"
Emerwyn Emelyn had it covered. Emerwyn smiled at the two. "Good luck, Zach," she said, and she walked off again into the trees, her work for the day completed. Words swam through her mind as she went. She was ready. And maybe, through this, she could help herself with the greater obstacles that lay in the not-so-distant future. Emelyn "Oh, not at all," she said, waving off his polite apology, "it will do me good to have some company. More than just my basket, anyway," she said jovially, lifting her fingers to the nimble, if not monotonous, task of weaving as she spoke. "How... well, if I could answer that one, I'd probably be working on how to reverse it. But as far as we've been told, it's a process that changes a portion of your DNA through a series of serums that are injected into you- one when you arrive, then every few months or so until, assumedly, we're about half human and half animal. You don't change until after the second injection. And yes. This is all hedgehog DNA," she asserted, holding up one of her clawed hands as an example, before offering it back to her task. Zachary Bloodstone He felt a little more at ease now. There may still be some sort of creatures lurking in the jungle, but this girl wasn't one of them, to him. The longer he looked, the less confident he was about the fakeness of her appearance. Not even movie magic could pull off some of her animalistic features with costumes alone.
He processed the information she told him slowly. This was heavy stuff, if it was true. Biology was the class he was worst at of the three basic sciences, so it would be just as beyond him as Em. The story seemed to fit a few details he'd noticed. Things were revolving around shots here. His hand clenched tightly at the thought of having to get another one. That wasn't part of the story given by Duvert. Maybe he'd be able to avoid it, and therefore keep both his humanity and sanity intact.
I shouldn't be believing this, but I am, he thought. Her hand smoothly transitioned into claws. There wasn't a hint of plastic. He wasn't scared so much as guilty now. It was an awful feeling, because there was someone he owed a major apology to.
But no, he was still not absolutely certain. False until proven true. He continued, voice still quick with a slowly growing anxiety. "That's... uh... amazing. And why is Moreau doing all of this?" He made a wide gesture at the island. He hoped he'd gotten the name right.
Emelyn Emelyn looked at Zachary with a slow, 'hell if I know' shrug. "Insanity? A desire to fulfill some strange path he thinks is his destiny? He says its for medical knowledge, for some grand purpose, like curing cancer- but personally, I believe more the 'mad scientist' theory." Lauren Granger Lauren wondered upon the beach for her daily swim, fully equiped with her black bikini and a black sarong covering her boney hips and legs. Her hair was tied back, revealing her pointy ears. Her feet were bare as well, revealing the claws on her feet that matched the claws upon her hands. She spotted a couple of people ahead, one seemed unchanged. She hoped he had been given the talk already, she hated giving people the talk. "HEY! She hollered to the two from the distance as she ran upon them for interaction. It had been so long since she had seen anyone besides Awen, maybe other people would heal the wounds of rejection. Zachary Bloodstone So that was it. A mad scientist with a penchant for turning humans into half-animal creatures. But somehow, he felt drained of emotion. He should be scared, horrified. Nothing came to him.He looked back at Emelyn a moment to look very hard at her hairs. Every spine stuck directly out of her skin. It was not fake at all, he realized with vague sadness. How selfish of him to think it was all a game.
At the loud yell of greeting, he snapped his head to the side to see who it was. A whimper escaped his lips. A woman with claws and pointed ears.
She was all it took to make him crack.
"I don't want to become an animal! I want to go home! I'm scared - I..." He ended with a dry cough from lack of air. He was already siezing up with terror, cutting him off from the breathing he desperately needed to keep crying aloud. Tears formed in his eyes. He believed it now, all of it. He just wanted to get the HELL out of this new nightmare.
He turned his face away from Emelyn and the newcomer. He was ashamed of himself enough as it was.
Emelyn Emelyn's eyes went wide, and then drooped down at the corners with twinges of sorrow. She'd never seen a reaction like this to the 'awful truth', and it touched her. She reached out and put a hand on the man's shoulder, hoping he didn't recoil from the animal-like features of her hand. With her other arm, she gave a cursory wave to Lauren, as if to say: walk up on us gently. "It's okay to be afraid, and to mourn. It's a terrible thing that's happened to you, and you're right to be angry and afraid. Those of us who are on the island... many of us haven't given up hope that one day we might be able to go home, to overthrow Moreau or to discover how to reverse this." She looked past Zach to Lauren, wondering how much she'd heard- and noting that the girl had changed since she last saw her. What was it that Moreau had said she was turning into, she thought, rolling the word 'mongoose' around in her head. Lauren Granger Lauren nearly jumped as Zach had spazzed out just after looking at her. She looked at her claws and her small tail, Damn I'm not that bad am I? She thought to herself. "Oh my... did I come at a bad time cause you know... ho crap are you alright?" Lauren asked the newcomer. She felt akward and wasn't sure exactly what to do. Zachary Bloodstone He shook a little from sobbing. He couldn't stop himself now, not when he'd already started to cry. He just tried to get some breathing through himself. He coughed again. It hurt so much. The truth was terrible.
He tried to get enough air into his lungs to talk, but it wouldn't stay. Every time he tried to find a way to calm down, his mind leapt back to the issue at hand - the zoo of an island. His mind drew a blank for what he could say. He felt sick, horrible inside, and he knew waking up wasn't an option. He barely noticed the hand she put on his shoulder, and held his right hand over his face to protect it from being seen. His red eyes would only get blinded by the sunlight if he tried to look around now.
"S-sorry..." he gasped, and another shudder ran through him. "Just ignore me... I always get panic attacks. I feel so stupid..."
Emelyn "Don't be," she said, referring to his apologies, and speaking in a soothing, milky voice that was honeyed with dulcet tones of understanding. "It's a very big thing, and you have every right to be upset. You're not stupid at all." Emelyn looked up at Lauren, who looked half-frazzled at her attempt to say hello, and eased a calming look in her direction, as well. "He just found out what the island is all about," Em explained, "it wasn't because of you- he's just upset, is all. ...I'm sorry, Lauren, this is Zach, and Zach- this is Lauren." She knew it wasn't the most socially acceptable place for introductions, but even so... it was the right place, based on the circumstances. Perhaps they could distract one another- even in the minutest way. Lauren Granger Lauren beamed a slightly out of place smile "Hey Zach." then caught herself and put a concerned look back on her face. "So, they brought you here." Lauren still wasn't fully convinced that Moreau was back and everything was alright. She had a full on conspiracy theory in her head that someone else was running the island. "Did... you see Moreau?" She asked tentatively. Zachary Bloodstone Shaky, he let his gloved hand fall from his face and instead shoved it into the sand, taking the rest of his body down with it in a curve. He tried to end the sobbing, it was embarassing. Get a grip on yourself.
This was not a time for him to be formal. He still couldn't look up due to the sunlight. "Hello... Lauren. Y-yeah, now that I t-think about it I was ensnared." He kept his eyes on the sparkling sand. "They offered me a job s-spelunking. It sounded too good to be true. It was..."
Lauren's question was one he couldn't answer. "No, Em is the first person... who's said that name to me. I got my shot from Sabin Duvert." He hoped that would help her. He wanted to meet this Moreau now, and Duvert at the same time preferrably, if only to stick it to the sadistic bastards.
Thank god they handn't confiscated his gear. He had a few heavy tools he could use persuasively.
Emelyn "Well, I'm sorry you're part of this particular 'club' now," Emelyn said. "But it is nice to meet you, all the same." She felt sorry for the poor, distraught man- who'd obviously had his share of heartaches in the past- she wondered briefly about the circumstances surrounding his amputation, but now really wasn't the time to bring it up. "Spelunking? Is that what you... do for a living?" She paused, trying not to say 'used to do'. "If you'd like, I could show you some of the caves around here. I live in one of them- though I doubt it would be of much use to you- it's just a duck in the wall." Anything to get his mind off his imprisonment. There would be time enough for him to focus on that in the years to come, Emelyn thought sadly. Lauren Granger Lauren looked a little shocked. Maybe Moreau wasn't back, maybe Sabin had taken over the island and now it would be him toying with them for the rest of their lives. She had heard lots of bad things about Sabin from Jolie, and now he turned the island back into action. Maybe... he killed Moreau? Oh god, Lauren tried not to panic herself. She was, unlike Zach, highly skilled at hiding her feelings. "Yeah... part of the club." She said softly, looking down. How could she be sure Sabin would take care of her like Moreau did? Zachary Bloodstone The whole crying thing was slowly subsiding. A little too late, he thought dryly, but better now than never.
He hated thinking of it as a club. It felt more like lab rats. No one here could possibly want this life. "I was mostly a geologist, but spelunking was a real hobby of mine. I'd love for you to show me the caves around here sometime." He slowly got himself back to his feet, used to his balance problems from years of living with his condition.
Poor Lauren. She must have been here a long time, without any hope... but that tone in her voice reminded him that the fight was not yet over. Though he was only one of the many prisoners here... maybe there was a chance to fight back. Maybe they could survive and reach civilization before they were beyond hope.
Or maybe that kind of thinking was even more hopeless than what he originally thought of this trap.
Emelyn "Well, any time, really," Em said, a carpet of soft concern still the foundation of every word. "In fact, if you ever need anything, I'll do whatever I can to help." She looked down at her hands, which had returned winding the grass fibers about themselves, and remembered that she wasn't exactly easy to find these days. She smiled, mostly to herself, shaking her head down into the depths of her basket. Then she looked up at Zach once more. "If you ever look for me in the village, though, I can assure you won't find me. I've decided to live out here. Ever since... well, suffice it to say, Moreau pulled a dirty trick on us all, and I'd rather not continue to live within his hypocricsy. Oh. ...Lauren," she said, pinning on the words as she recalled, "...I'm sorry." Her voice didn't hold much true remorse in it, but she didn't yet know if Lauren still felt the way she did about Moreau. And regardless how she felt about the man... he may be the only person the girl had ever trusted in her life- or perhaps a sort of mentor, father figure to her. No matter what her entanglement with the red-headed, blue-blooded monster had done or might do to rot her soul.... Emelyn was unwilling to sacrifice the girl's comfort and happiness for even... the truth. Lauren Granger Moreau pulled a dirty trick on us all... Wait a minute, no it was Sabin. How did she know if it was Moreau or not "What?!" Lauren nearly screamed at Em in a mixture of disbelief and teenage emotions. "NO! He didn't, he's dead and Sabin has taken over! How do you know that is was Moreau?" She hoped Emelyn didn't actually know, she wanted to stay in denile. Why else did she stare at the radio phone afraid to dial Moreau? Lauren in her rage forgot about Zach. She didn't want to know the truth, the truth would indeed send Lauren into a very bad place. Zachary Bloodstone Zach nodded at Em, his eyes still red from crying. "Thank you so much. I guess... maybe we'll see each other again some time?" He hoped so. "I'll keep a lookout for a redhead doctor."
After a moment, he snapped his fingers. "The intercom in my room! I'll try giving them a buzz and seeing if I can find out what they say is going on. I'm new here, so I can still play dumb for these laboratory doctors."
Lauren's sudden screaming shocked him, even causing him to jump. It seemed even shriller than a normal wail. Wasn't she on their side? Was she... did she want the changes she so obviously had?
He really needed to find out who this Moreau guy was. Everyone's lives here seemed hinged on a recent conspiracy.
Emelyn Em gave a quick smile and nod to Zach- and she would have replied as well, but Lauren's words, for all their insistance and bravado, were... needy. Not unlike the girl herself, Em thought with a kernel of sympathy for the one who called herself "Thorn". "I'm sorry," she said again, putting her hands up, palms out as if to surrender, "I shouldn't presume. I have no idea what happened." Lauren Granger Lauren looked over to Zach with her arms crossed and gave an intimidating hiss at his jumping, her tail was all poofed out like a pipe cleaner and a slight animal like odor wafted through the air. With a deep breath, she calmed down a bit, her tail dropping but still very fluffy and frazzled in appearance. "Can you find out please?" "Yeah... we don't know what happened. But we are screwed if Sabin has taken over the island. He just might keep leaving us out to the jungle for dead. Sick b*****d. Moreau cares too much about us to leave us like that!" Moreau had taken care of her, Moreau had given her everything and had taken her away from all the evils of the streets. He couldn't leave her to die, there was just no way. But a small voice in her mind told her he did, reality was there trying to tell Lauren the truth. "Smart move living out here. If you want, you can have my bow and arrow that I made. I'll bring it by later." She no longer needed that anymore. Lauren was reluctant to give up her knife though, she had grown fond of the crude tool. Zachary Bloodstone Zach took a good few steps backward, putting more distance between him and the hissing rodent-girl. He was hit with a sinking feeling... she seemed barely changed physically, and yet it could be too late for her to return to the world outside this island.
He was forgetting the days, weeks, and months these people had been trapped here, supposedly without any sort of supplies or technology. He glanced nervously. Emelyn looked and acted normal, but deep down, she could be just as liable to go totally animal as Lauren.
It was sick and wrong. They - himself included now, he realized bleakly - were people, not playthings!
Lauren looked a little calmer now. He grimaced. "I...I'll try to find out what I can. Just, please don't do that? The hissing thing..."
Emelyn Emelyn put her hand out again, this time to Zach. "It's just a noise she makes when she's agitated. I hiss as well," she explained, "though usually when I'm hurt. We all pick up things from the animal DNA that's encoded with ours- but we're always still human. It's what we identify as, and it's our brains that matter." It was less of a lecture than a reassurance- it was a lot to swallow, but she was sure that in the midst of all this science-fiction like dehuminizing, Zach would eventually find the core of what made him human in the first place, and embrace it. "And Lauren, I would love to have that bow. Thank you. I didn't even know you'd made one!" She said, smiling at the girl. As a hedgehog, she wasn't apt to hunt- her meat needs could be satisfied with the occasional grub, snake, or earthworm- but beyond not wanting to mention those unseemly things in front of the already anxious newcomer- she realized that the bow and arrow was more of a peace offering than anything else. That, and she didn't take the wild for granted- anything could happen. The day might come that she'd be glad for the protection. Lauren Granger Lauren blinked as Zach asked her to not hiss anymore, then Emelyn explained it, "I.. oh yeah I did hiss. Sorry." A small blush came across her face. "Don't worry I've not bitten anyone... yet." Happy in her state of disbelief and feeling like her assumption was indeed the correct one, Lauren returned to a chipper state. "No problem, I'm not useing it right now, I can order pizza. I think I'll stay in the duplex's though, might as well take advantage of things even if he's just gonna kick my a** out again later." She stared bouncing slightly, Zach and Emelyn seemed like good people, even if Zach did spazz out just a bit ago. Lauren was quite used to being on the side of controversy because she cared for Moreau so it didn't bother her that others thought he was mad anymore. And socialisation was making the mongoose very happy, no matter how warped it was. Zachary Bloodstone "Heh, it's no problem." He lied innocently. That hiss was inhuman. "I didn't realize you couldn't help it." He felt some more guilt. The longer he talked, the more damage he'd end up doing, he was sure.
"Emelyn, I'll meet you here again sometime... and tell you what happens."
Now seemed as good a time to head back as any. He was a little eager to try the intercom...
He looked over at Lauren. "I think I'm going to try to find my way back to the village and give the laboratory a call. Which is the fastest way?"
Emelyn "Oh, I can answer that," she said, giving an apologetic look at Lauren for jumping in, "don't go back over the mountains- it will take you forever. Just follow that track of woods closest to the mountains, and walk for about.... seven, eight minutes. Then, head south a bit. The forest will thin, and you'll be able to see the village through it. ...Good luck with everything." Lauren Granger Lauren nodded, not at all offended by Emelyn's jumping in, "That's the right way." She looked over at Emelyn. "I better get to swimming before the sun gets down further and the water chills. Bye it was nice seeing you again." And she waved at Zach, "And good meeting you too, don't worrying about spazzing." it's quite intertaining she added in her mind. Lauren walked off into the vast waves of the ocean and could be seen off in the distance, swimming around. Zachary Bloodstone Zach gave Em a small smile. He still felt awful... everything happened so fast. He'd make it up to her. He had a plan... sort of. "Goodbye, Lauren."
He prepared to leave, but before he did, he looked back at the hedgehog girl. "Em, I..."
No, he couldn't say it.
"I wanted to wish you good luck. Living out here... it sounds dangerous."
He mentally slapped himself. At least he knew he'd never have had a chance to begin with. Well, off with him. He clambered back up the sandy slopes and into the forest, following her directions. If the pair of them had survived this long on the island, they'd be better off dealing with thier problems without the hindrance of a newcomer.
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Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 11:42 pm
Liars
Cheerful today, aren't you, Doctor? Zachary Bloodstone Zach paced back and forth in his duplex. Several times his finger hovered over the "0" on the intercom's keypad. He wavered a final time, then slammed down onto it. Emelyn... he would do it for her. He just had to remember that to the lab, he was an idiot. That was the easy part. Sabin Duvert Sabin was back to alternating with moniter duty. He had been given his reward, and was savoring the power trip still, but was willing to take a step back and let the island run for a while in Moreau's possessive hands. After all, give him a semblance of control before he decided to play any of his cards. He looked down at the flashing intercom light, glanced at the village housing chart, and a wide smile met his face. This was someone he was willing to chat with. Glad to. Even IF he had learned the truth. "Zachary!" He beamed, the enthusiasm evident over the intercom. Zachary Bloodstone Yikes. That intercom was louder than he expected. "Oh, Doctor Duvert!" he simpered, "I've just got a reeeally quick question for you. About someone named... what was it? Morris? I think that's what they called him." Sabin Duvert "Morris?" Sabin echoed, a bit befuddled. "I... can't quite say I know what you're talking about there, buddy." Zachary Bloodstone "There was this one creature... absolutely terrifying, covered in brown spikes, screaming bloody murder. They said that a man did that to them. Oh! It wasn't Morris. My bad, it was hard for me to concentrate when I was being chased over here. It was Moreau." He felt his heart pounding. His charade wasn't going to last. Sabin Duvert "Oooohhhh, Moreau." The voice said in an annoying unruffled voice. "Yes, of course. He owns the island. What about him?" Zachary Bloodstone "Oh, you know him?" he stuttered, taken by surprise. That was a pretty good explanation. "This is really weird. Is it possible to put him on the line, or is he..." He trailed off. Oh dear god he was going to get it for this. If that wasn't a red flag to the psychotic doctor on the other end, he didn't know what was. Sabin Duvert "I'm sorry, Moreau's a bit busy at the moment. He really generally doesn't have that much free time. Locked away, doing research. You know the eccentric type." Sabin wasn't stupid. He knew where this was headed. The question remained to continue to lie (or change the lie) or to tell the man the truth. What it really boiled down to is which reaction would be more entertaining to watch...? Zachary Bloodstone Bingo! That was all the information he needed. But how long did he want to be caught on the line now? There was another long pause, and Zach desperately filled it. "I... um... well it's okay, I wouldn't want to bother him in the middle of something that important. It's all for the good of humanity, isn't it? Heh heh." Sabin Duvert "So he says." Sabin replied cheerily. Zachary Bloodstone Zach narrowed his eyes a little at that. Over in their plush little lab, they were devising ways to turn perfectly normal people into monstrous half-humans. Like Emelyn... whether or not she cared at all for him, he could try to defend her. "But then again," Zach said, with the barest hint of a growl in his voice, "What I saw was a tragedy." Sabin Duvert "Hrmm..." Sabin commented indifferently. "I wouldn't know, I suppose." At lest he didn't know about the cameras necessarily. Zachary Bloodstone Oh, I think you do, doctor, he thought to himself, and one of these days you're not going to have a steel wall to hide behind. He let his voice fall back to being its usual fast pace. "Ah well. It's all in the past. Listen, you'll drop me off a map of the island some time, right? I'm eager to see the caves." It was beyond obvious now to both of them that the other was lying through their front teeth. Sabin Duvert "Map?" Sabin said airily. "Yeah... yeah I guess I could get you one of those." There was the rustling noise of paper. "Yeah, I could get you one. But like I said, the caves are on the Eastern side of the Island. Search around the base of the cliffs and you should be able to find a way in. I... ah... I think that there also might be an entrance or two in the mountain as well." Zachary Bloodstone "Oh, oh thanks." Thanks for nothing. "I'll just go out for a walk now or something. This island is very unusual, I never know what I'll see next! Good luck with whatever it was you were doing. So sorry to be a bother." His eyes searched around for an "end" key to the call, but he wouldn't press it QUITE yet. Sabin Duvert "Hrm? Oh you're more than welcome Mr. Bloodstone. That's the outlook - an adventure!" He beamed. "And no bother... no bother at all!" Zachary Bloodstone =Beep= went the button he pressed. The call was over. Relief filled him. He waited a moment, relishing the silence. His heart had practically leapt up his throat during the course of that conversation. But it was over. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and leaned against the wall next to the intercom. He wasn't going to do anything like that again, if he could help it. Now... to devise a way to contact Emelyn again.
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 6:31 pm
Someday
Meeting someone new every day. Joliette Rigiel Joliette trudged into the shade of the townhall and then into the cafeteria. She hoped to god the git didn't pull another stunt with her newest request to the Feral people. But now she couldn't focus on that, she'd been doing her best to keep full so she had little chance of loosing control again... least any time soon...
She headed for the salad bar and got a green salad... and then a minute later piled it high with chunks of ham and grabbed the ranch dressing, a glass of water and a fork sitting at a nearby table to eat Zachary Bloodstone Zach hadn't left his duplex once since the intercom call he'd made. He felt incredibly stupid, but the next morning he found a map lying on the porch outside his room. Despicable or no, that Duvert was efficient.
He was still studying it carefully when he walked into the cafeteria. He was starving. He tossed some spinach leaves into a bowl and took a fork to go with them. There was some water nearby; he could use that as well. He had barely noticed the time going by. But he had an unusual craving for meat... eew. Normally he avoided it whenever possible.
He turned around to find the same short brunette he'd met not a day or two ago. What were the odds? His pace increased when he went to go sit down with her, but he suddenly stopped halfway. His mind buzzed with the realizations he'd made recently. He didn't want to have to keep seeing... them. These desperate, changed people.
He sighed audibly, then put his cup and bowl down next to hers and took a seat. "Miss Rigiel..."
Joliette Rigiel Joliette seemed to be proding at the ham when he sat "Hello Zachary, and please... call me Joliette or Joli, noone has called me miss Rigiel since I first got here" she gave him a weak smile looking towards his salad and then her own meat covered one, she put hte fork down and opened the dressing and started to liberally pour it over the entire ham salad Zachary Bloodstone "Oh - oh sorry." He turned a little red. "It's a habit... hard to break."
He tried keeping his eyes on his salad, stabbing at a leaf with the fork. He couldn't concentrate. He had been feeling guilty ever since he'd finally stopped denying the island's secret.
"Listen, uh Joli... I'm... I'm sorry about the other day."
Joliette Rigiel "Don't worry Zachary, I took no offence, it seems to be par and partial of this island." she grabs her own fork pushing aside some ham to go after the ranch-dripping greens that were under them "I'm going to miss greens" she admits before taking her bite. She looks towards him chewing a few times with her sharp pointy teeth before swallowing. Zachary Bloodstone He took a bite, chewing slowly. He didn't like the sound of that comment she made about the greens. It hinted heavily at "predator". So did those teeth. Almost unconsciously, he leaned backward a bit from her.
"Well, I understand now about the island. I guess it didn't take more than really getting a close look at someone." What sense was there in repeating what was pretty much known? He shied away from the topic. "I really just want out of here, but that can't happen. I was going to ask, but that Duvert is so slimy..."
There was something he could ask without much fear. It was better to have no hope than false hope, at least in his opinion. "Have there been any successful escapes?"
Joliette Rigiel "Escapes? None that I've been aware of" she looked towards the ceiling of the cafeteria, her tongue flicked again and she picked up a chunk of ham between two claws and brought to her mouth before looking at him, he was leaning away a bit "Uhm... so no, I wish there was, perhaps we'd have rescue, but I'm pretty sure noone has gotten away from here" she says and pulls the ranch covered meat from between her claws with her sharp teeth to eat it without paying much attention to it Zachary Bloodstone It was a feeling he'd had all along. He should just stop doubting everything. There were absolutes on this island. He would absolutely go the way of all those he'd met, transforming into a creature right before his own eyes. And there was another absolute - no escape. He would be trapped here the rest of his life.
Still, why wasn't she fighting back? Why weren't any of these islanders he'd met fighting back? Had they given up all hope so soon, or was there something they knew that he didn't?
He didn't even want to know. Ugh, the salad tasted terrible for some reason. He put his fork down.
"Everyone's trapped... forever." He didn't cry this time, luckily. He'd grown slightly used to the idea, even if he feared it beyond almost anything else.
Joliette Rigiel "Unfortunately" she paused and swallowed "And they have a lot of control, I punched that gormless arse Sabin once... Right in the solar plexus" she looked at her hand forming a small fist "Next thing I know I wake up in the meat cooler, I'd really like to know how he did that... " she paused and leaned closer and whispered despite the fact they were alone "Mind you, I'd never hesitate to run away from here if I could" Zachary Bloodstone It was beyond unfortunate.
"He definitely deserved a couple more of those." He smiled maliciously at her story, noting her fist. "But... you went out, just like that? It couldn't have been a coincidence."
That detail definitely had to be part of why no one was making any moves to fight their way to freedom. Joli seemed tough. At the very least she would be able to take down a good number of regular people, armed with those claws and that attitude. But that lost time meant nothing good.
"We may not be able to do it right away, but someday... there has to be an opportunity."
Preferrably before he himself started sprouting fur, feathers, or scales.
Joliette Rigiel "Subject Rigiel Sleep... Just hope you never hear those words with your name... or you wont be awake to remember a portion of hte day, thhats what I heard before waking up in the meat locker..." she loosed her fist and rubbed her hands together. "I would have loved to get a few more punches, perhaps a kick in, make my belt worth all those years of practice, but I doubt he'd take any chances near me again..." She pauses and looks towards him again
"Perhaps some day, you are right about that... What did you do before coming here, was it related to what brought you here?" she asks him curiously Zachary Bloodstone So that was the doctors' little secret - and an explanation for why the island was still populated. He frowned a little at it. But he didn't even want to doubt anything he heard here. His whole reality was backwards now.
"The next time you see him, give him one for me." Much as he would do so himself, he didn't have the spine to even consider it.
"I sure hope so. I... was tricked, I guess. It seemed to be a simple spelunking job for the laboratory here, to investigate their cave systems and such. It sounded good to me. I know I don't look like much, and that's what usually puts people off from hiring me. So this seemed like quite a change in my luck." His face fell further. "Turns out it was the opposite."
"What about you? I'm sure there's more to your story than what you told me before..." Couldn't hurt to know more about these people, since they would be the only ones he'd ever see from now on.
Joliette Rigiel She leans an elbow ont eh table and listen to his story nodding "Sorry to hear that, you seem capable enough to me, you could still spelunk if you wanted to, they dont seem to stop us from doing things we want to activity wise..." she pauses a moment "What brought me here... I"m a photographic journalist, one who loves to follow leads, I heard a rumor that the death of the star Vasile DiRossi was fake and that he faked his own death and was somewhere in this vacinity. Sooo I rented a yacht for a month or so packed all my camera and laptop stuff and headed out to see. Three weeks later I found him, and when I came closer he ran telling me I had to save him and Ambrose, and while he was gone, the Git and another doctor came to the beach and fooled me into believing Vasile was taping a movie here, and I could have an exclusive on it if I came ashore... So stupide me did, was talking with the git in his office and felt sick, I'd turned down his 'vaccine, I was vegan after all, and soon passed out next thing I knew I woke up in a duplex.. and it just goes on from there..." she takes a breath "Sorry, didn't mean to be long winded" Zachary Bloodstone "After my fall all those years ago, I've found myself a lot better at working in the darkness of caves... so I know I won't be losing the other to a cave incident as well. It's one of the few things I have any confidence in, I'm afraid."
"Vasile DiRossi?" The name rang a bell, vaguely. Zach was obviously not into pop culture. "Huh, I guess someone here wanted to add an actor to their collection." It was amazing how quickly you could accept doom for others when it was right there in front of you.
"Sounds despicable. I'm so sorry for you... they violated your beliefs and everything. Nothing long-winded about it. It's a story, after all. You can tell it any way you want." He was now idly playing around with his fork.
Rex Vadnais His stomach was groaning and his mind still a little fuddled from meeing with Antony in her room. Maybe some food would settle him, a late breakfast. Rex made his way into the cafeteria and spied two more faces he'd yet to meet. Well who do we have here..?
Rex got a plate piled high with breakfast sausages and bacon along with a side of maple syrup for good measure, then made his way over to where the two were sitting. "Y'mind if I join yeh?" He smiled friendly and looked at the new faces, a man and a woman. The girl seemed to have changed, scales briding her nose and claws for hands, but the other seemed normal.. apart from his odd choice of clothes. Joliette Rigiel Joliette looked up "Oh my... another new islander, no, go ahead, you are welcome to join us... " she says quietly, she was a bit more withdrawn around multiple people, least now she was. "I'm Joliette" she introduces herself before plucking another ranch-dressing-covered ham chunk off the top of her salade and putting it into her mouth Zachary Bloodstone To actually see the face of the guy who'd just come in, Zach had to look up. Way up. Ulp, tall people, always intimidating just by sight. He sounded friendly, but Zach didn't dare say anything. All the conversation in him had been neatly disposed of.
However, the man didn't appear to have any animal qualities to him, of any kind. He was th first one Zach had seen here not to already be somewhat changed. Still, he felt wary. If Joliette didn't know the guy, then he'd just be apprehensive.
He was still a little hungry, but he knew the salad would disagree with him. He took a big drink of water instead. That would buy him some time away from having to talk. Silently, he waited for the question he figured he would be asked again, just as he had when he'd first come. People had a natural curiosity about the fate of his left arm.
Rex Vadnais "J.. Joliette?" He confirmed, repeating the name to make sure he'd pronounced it correctly. "Please to meet you, I'm Rex." He sat his massive plate down on the table and pulled up a chair across the table from the two. Rex shifted his gave to the other man who sat in silence. "And you name is..? You'll have to excuse me. I don't know many of the people around here and I want to make sure that I get the names down the first time."
He smiled and munched a piece of bacon. Sweet flavorful goodness... Joliette Rigiel Joliette nods "Yes thats right, nice to meet you Rex" she looks towards Zachary, was he nervous again? he certainly seemed like it to her... Well oh well, it was up to him to introduce himself, her yellow tongue flicked as she looked back at her salad popping another piece of meat in her mouth Zachary Bloodstone Carefully, he placed the cup down. He gave his name without looking up, his voice a little wavering. "I'm Zachary..."
He'd begun to turn toward Joliette, but looked back at his salad bowl as soon as the yellow tongue came. He'd forgotten about that little detail. Didn't help his comfort level, but he had to remember that she couldn't help it.
In a way, he couldn't help feeling nervous randomly all the time. He just had to keep himself calm, and above all, NOT get frightened by something until his anxiety passed.
Rex Vadnais "Joliette and Zachary, all right, I can do that." He beamed, glad that he'd pronounced the exquisite french name correctly still. Rex had such an odd way of speaking he often found it hard to do accents correctly. He'd yet to notice Zach's oddly quiet state or lack of a limb.
Rex finished his piece of bacon and decided to mix things up by popping a sausage in there. Nothing better than a mix of flavors. He watched the woman eat her ham in ranch, an odd mix but he'd have to try it. His eyes narrowed in thought when her tounge flicked like lightning from her mouth, "So Joliette, do you know what kind of lizard you've got." Rex inquired, hoping to start a conversation to break the silence. Joliette Rigiel Well that was a silence breaker, and it shocked Joliette, she certainly hadn't been expecting that question, most newcomers seemed to avoid questioning that particular direction.
She looks up and swallows the meat before speaking "Varanus Komodoensis, the largest lizard, and I believe the only one who eats no vegetation whatsoever... not even that of it's prey's diet"
She sighs looks down at her salad again Zachary Bloodstone Aha, this guy was not a newcomer to the island. Wasn't anyone around here newer than himself? He felt like an idiot sometimes, simply being out of the loop.
"You're... you're a komodo dragon?" he stuttered. Those lizards were humongous predators. Her sharp teeth and meat eating were unsurprising now, in conjunction with the lizard they came from. So they did this to her for a simple stab at her dignity...
His eyes darted back to the new guy, Rex. There was not much he could gather about the guy from sight alone. Knowing this place, the man would no doubt be transforming into something equally ironic.
Ugh. There was one question Zach would never, EVER ask himself. That question, of course, being which animal he was fated to become. It was simply beyond him to imagine it.
Rex Vadnais The scientific name rolled around Rex's head a bit, komodoensis. Unfortunately, Zach figured it out before Rex had the chance to make it out for himself. "Oh, a komodo dragon... Y'know, you're the second lizard I've met here. Amaya, the poor girl, I watched her change and helped her through it the night before the labs and such opened." Maybe I should stop, this wasn't exactly eating conversation. So instead of finishing off his statement, he paused by taking another bite out of his sausage.
He swtiched back to the other topic, "But yeah, komodo dragons are pretty gnarly buggers. Mighty cool though.." he spoke about it laxly as though it weren't a bit deal she was changing into an animal and she couldn't stop it. Being relaxed about it simply helped made him feel better about the ordeal, however stern is was. Joliette Rigiel "Amaya's a nice girl, I've met her, she's the one who told me the truth... as for the Komodo... Mighty cool..." she raises her brows her forked tongue flicked again as she watched him trying to figure out if he was being straight. She decides to come back to that and looks at Zachary. "Thats what my research tells me Zachary" she pauses looking back at the table and then back to Rex again deciding to reply to it. "Not sure I totally agree with you, this strikes me as the git's idea of a cruel joke. He didn't seem to like the fact that I was one hundred percent vegan when he first met me" Zachary Bloodstone Zach looked from one to the other. A dropped name, Amaya. He tried to remain focused on their conversation.
But he had a terrible feeling he wasn't welcome among those who had had the true island experience. It was a sort of rift he had noticed, a way he was looked down upon as hopeless, even to those who had no hope.
With his right hand alone, he picked up the tray he'd had and went to clear it all away. He hadn't forgotten to leave his coat sleeve down, so at the very least he'd keep an illusion going. He'd be able to see these people again. He had all the time in the world.
"I... have to run," he said quickly, "Maybe I'll see you later. Good-bye, Joli. Rex," he seemed to add as an afterthought. There was something ominous about how this guy talked so lightly about the transformation process.
He'd take a little walk. It wouldn't soothe him any, but the more used to the island he was... the better.
Rex Vadnais "Indeed, Amaya's a very sweet girl, but she's so young. Do you now how she ended up here?" Rex watched the other man continue to stare down, avoiding eye contact. Was this guy okay? He figured it was nothing and turned his attention back to Joli, who'd continued with her first thought, "Oh a vegan? Gosh, then that's just plain twisted. I may not have met many of the doctors or scientists that work here, but I know enough to have formed an opinion." He paused dramatically, then ensued with, "...they're jerks. Complete and total, unexplained, unreasonable bastards."
Before he cold complete his thoughts about the labtechs, Zach got up abruptly, cleared his dishes and came back awkwardly. He seemed to be searching for something to say, an alibi for leaving, yet came up short. But Rex forgave, the fellow didn't seem to be doing okay, "Sure thing, bud. See y'round." And with that he was off. Rex turned to joli and whispered, "Is he okay? He seemed like there was something wrong." Joliette Rigiel Joli nodded listening to Rex, distracted by Zachary when he returned "Keep well Zachary, and see you around then" she says watching him go and then turning back to Rex "If memory serves me right, Amaya was an orphan and brought here for a youth camp or something like that. As for twisted, That gormless arse is twisted to the bone, he hasn't yet done one nice thing to me, but he seems to love to torment me." she pauses looking towards where Zachary had gone "I think this whole experience has been a lil overwhelming for him" Rex Vadnais "Oh my gosh, I had no idea..." Rex muttered quietly. Heck, he barely knew a thing about the girl or her past, but he did feel a bond with her. Just staying in the shelter at Ambrose's camp had helped him feel as though he knew her better. He popped one of the last pieces of meat into his mouth and chewed it over like he did his thoughts.
Her opinions of the labtechs were from the heart, but her thick accent caused a grin to slip through his lips. A gormless arse, I'll have to remember that.
And then about Zach, "Well yeah, I think the island is alot to take in for anyone! I didn't have an emotional breakdown, but more when numb.. like into shock. It's not an easy thing to get used to." Soon, he'd have to see Awen off into the ocean, so he wasn't fully sure if they'd be here for long. He also was iffy about telling people what she was planning to do, instead he kept his mouth shut. Only opening for the last piece of breakfast. Joliette Rigiel "Yeah, we all come here for many reasons, my friend Hargun is being turned into a bat, she was an artist, and now she can't hold a pencil." She pops another piece of ranch ham in her mouth and watched him wondering what he was thinking of. Rex Vadnais "Hrm.. they like to be cruelly ironic? Further proof that the people that work here are sadistic sickos." What was there that was ironic about Rex? he was a pretty big guy, maybe they'd try to make him an ant or something like that. Though ants are known to carry things several times their own weight. Maybe they'd make him something helpless and unprotected... like.. a goldfish or something weird. At least that way he'd be able to still go swimming. Well, he'd have to go swimming. Things were just plain confusing around here.
"Hmm," he finished, coming to his feet, "I think that I'm going to go take a shower then explore a bit, this island still has alot left to be adventured for me." He picked up his plate laced with maple syrup and cleared it to the kitchen, then returned to the table. "It was nice having breakfast with you Joliette. I'll see you around sometime!" He waved and headed back to his duplex to stand in the hot water. the steam clensed his thoughts... Joliette Rigiel Joliette watched her eatting companion leave "Have a nice day Rex" She says and finishes some more of her food before clearing the table and then retreating back into the darkness of her darkroom
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 12:19 am
Cafeteria
What is humanity if you can't measure it? Cassidy Smith Hunger had, at last, got the best of Cassidy. She came into the cafeteria with the staggered, uneven gait the prosthetic legs gave her, but a smile was on her face. Really, it had barely left since she'd managed to have that bath. She went through the line-up, got her now-customary plate of rare meat, and went to find a place to sit. Zachary Bloodstone This time around, Zach headed to the cafeteria with something to occupy him in the event he got caught in an awkward conversation. His notebook, something he'd had to dig deep into his bags to recoverer, was finally back in his one hand, along with a reliable pen. He was still working on a little entry into it, his first since the arrival on the island.
He wasn't really paying attention to the details around him, incredibly focused inward. He felt almost as though he were in a dream. This morning, he'd woken up and actually thought he was home, until he turned on the lights, giving him an empty feeling. It took him roughly a minute to realize the woman ahead of him in the cafeteria line was even more inconvenienced than himself, by a lack of two important limbs. The wobbly walking pointed to prosthetic legs. They were.... green?
So was the woman.
"I'll never get used to this," he murmured with a shudder. He sincerely hoped she hadn't heard that. He had a tendency to say the wrong thing.
Cassidy Smith Cassidy was vaguely aware of a hot spot in the line behind her that was vaguely person-shaped, and the odour of a person whom she did not know was on her tongue, but she still wasn't really conscious of him until he spoke. She turned around to face him, and smiled. Had he been talking to her, or himself? She wasn't at all sure. Cass ventured closer. "Um, hi there." Oh, lord, but she must be a fright to see. "Did you say something?" He only had one arm? That surprised her, a little, but she was the last person in the world to be remarking upon physical deficiencies, and she knew it. Zachary Bloodstone The notebook and pen clattered to the floor. He was beyond unaware of how rude he was staring the way he did. Not because of the legs. If anything, he'd congratulate her for having the sense to use the prosthetics.
No, he was staring at the scales. The girl seemed to be getting covered in green scales, all over, with a tinge of pinkish skin still visible on the front of her. Sick horror filled him. These doctors were insane. She was so reptilian... and the feathers... and the tongue...
His throat was caught again, and he couldn't answer her. Her step forward was a step backward for him. Just because these islanders never attacked him didn't mean he was still deeply frightened of their changes. He'd pay later, it was unavoidable, but he simply didn't want to witness it. He tried to calm himself, which bought him enough willpower to say a little gibberish.
"I... y... no!"
Cassidy Smith "Oh no. Oh no." Cassidy hurriedly backed up. "I'm sorry. You must be new. I'm sorry." She looked down at the plate of steak. It seemed to her that carrying around a plate of bleeding meat was not helping. After a quick glance around, she took it to the nearest table, left it there, and came back to the man, slowly. She tried to keep her distance, though; seeing that much horror directed at her was not pleasant. "It's all right, really." She spread her hands in what she hoped was a friendly gesture. If she could just keep that tongue under control for a few minutes, maybe this would be okay. "I'm just here for a snack, same as you." Zachary Bloodstone He immediately went down to collect his two valuable possessions. Without his eyes on her, it seemed easier to talk to her. He was going to be apologizing for years on this island. The lizard tongues were getting to him.
"I-I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have- I mean it was my fault - you didn't do anything. I'll be used to you in no time. Don't mind me."
Learn some ******** self control, he thought to himself. He could seriously use it. It always disappeared when he needed it most. That sad look in her eyes practically killed him. He knew exactly how she felt, and it was so callous of him to be reacting like he did...
He looked up again as he rose, pen and notebook in hand again, and shifted his arm to hold them against his chest.
"Yyeah... I'm new here. It's not... pleasant. I know what's going on here, I just... well... it's still a shock to see people that are..."
Oh, why didn't he shut himself up?
Cassidy Smith "I know. It's always a little shocking." Cassidy looked awkwardly away. "Hell, sometimes in the mirror..." She trailed off. "It'll get better." This, dear girl, she told herself, is karma for that crack about Ambrose looking like a horror movie reject, back in the day. Aloud, she said, "Do you need to sit down? I could get you some water, if you thought that might help... I really didn't mean to..." Zachary Bloodstone "Oh no, it's okay, I can get some myself." He didn't want her to trip if she got too agitated while walking on those legs. "I'll just grab some food myself. I'm really sorry to have interrupted you."
He was reminded, somehow, of disease. This whole transformation issue... a terrible epidemic on the island. It seemed sort of like leprosy. He was happy he had yet to actually touch another islander.
Zach put his things down on a tray and grabbed a hamburger almost unconsciously. Why...? He didn't like meat. Realizing he couldn't put it back, he decided to live with it. It was only once. He also took some water, at her suggestion.
He followed her to where she sat, setting his stuff down across from her. He'd just befriend as many crea- people as he could here. He didn't want to end up in another situation like he had with the first islander he encountered, Antony. That lady would kill him. He tried the questions the scaled girl wou'd be able to answer most easily.
"So what's your name? And what is it that you're... becoming?" There were so many blunter ways to phrase that question.
Cassidy Smith "I'm Cassidy. You can call me Cass, most people do." She smiled slightly, trying to be careful not to show her fangs. "As for my serum..." Ugh. What a conversation that had been. Sabin had just stood there and grinned at her, like she was supposed to be happy about it. "I'm a hybrid," she said at last. "There's a few of us around, I know that, they told me, but I'm not really sure who else. Mostly green tree python." She had it written down on a scrap of paper in her room, just so she wouldn't forget. "I... I sort of... I really hate snakes. They decided to give me some macaw wings on top of that, later." It sounded like her own death sentence. "Hence the feathers. To make it easier on me, they said." It occurred to Cassidy that she was venting at this poor guy, and that was the last thing he needed. "I'm sorry. You don't need to hear this. Sometimes, I just get talking... What about you?" Zachary Bloodstone "Pleased to meet you, Cass. I'm Zachary." He smiled weakly.
Sabin was definitely doing an abundance of injections here, if the census Zach had was anything to go by. Sabin injected him, too, which made him wary of what kind of simpleminded choice the doctor had made for him. His mind slid away from the question of what he'd become. Again. He didn't like to think of it as an absolute. It was, but he carefully kept it from being one in his mind. It was the only way to psychologically survive.
"A python..." Snakes were creepy-looking. Her fear was justifiable, but he said nothing about that. "So your legs... were there to begin with?" Certainly seemed so. If she was becoming a snake, then it would stand to reason she'd have to look like one in every way. "God, that man is a sadist."
Feathers sounded like, if anything, an even more stressful burden for the girl. He didn't want to comment - they were beautiful feathers, but still - what the hell was Sabin thinking?? These were feathers growing right out of Cass's SKIN.
"I don't know what I'm going to be... I don't want to ask, either. I just... I can't even think about it. The whole thing seems surreal." And if anyone actually tried to tell him what he would be, he'd never believe them. I'm not going to change... I'm not going to change...
Cassidy Smith "Nice to meet you, too, Zachary." Cassidy looked down. "Yeah, I used to have proper legs and feet and everything, but the last injection..." She winced at the memory. That had hurt. "They told me that I'll likely lose them entirely, or have some weird vestigal things... they weren't even sure of that!" She was getting angry, just a little. She took a slow breath. "I don't blame you for not wanting to know. I only asked because... well, after the feathers, I thought I was going insane." Sometimes she still wondered. "For what it's worth... I hope you got something good, as far as it goes." Cassidy Smith Cass suddenly shook herself. "I'm sorry. I'd nearly forgotten, after so long... the air conditioning in here really gets to me, sometimes. It's the cold-bloodedness, you know." She didn't look straight at him, rather embarassed about it. "I'll leave you to your burger." She stood, wobbling slightly as she found her balance, and picked up her plate. "I'll see you around, maybe." Jamal_Reedy It had been a lackluster day for the tiger man, having spent most of it in his duplex rolling joints and listening to music, and now he had decided he ought to eat. The craving for meat was almost irritating in a way; it was so nagging that even HE was frustrated at the thought of possibly being stuck eating animal flesh for the rest of his life. He knew enough about his transformation to know he was going to be a predator, but what exactly, he wasn't sure. Odds were that he preferred it that way. Regardless of that, however, he ventured out to the cafeteria for something to eat, catching faint whiffs of cooking meats from the outside that made his stomach growl and his mouth water. He strolled inside without giving the space much attention, thus not seeing Zach there, and headed right for the food bar. Please let there be steak...please.... A quick glance rewarded him with just that and he immediately started to heap his plate with thick slabs, ignoring the equally delicious side items that were available. Oddly enough, he was picky enough to take out only the rarest of the steaks there, and had no idea he was doing it. Once fully satisfied with his hoard, he turned, looking for a place to sit. It was then that he noticed the one armed man, who he gave a skeptical, cocked-brow stare. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose, finally, after a truly wonderous sleep on a nice, clean bed, after a even more wonderous shower, was finally begining to feel like his old self again or... at least as closest of an approximation he could muster being half wolf.
He yawned, stretched and took his time getting up. He had no idea how long he had been out. And he didn't care. It's not like he was exaclty on a schedule.
Lazily he grabbed some of his clean clothes - a nice loose polo shirt and shorts, changed in the bathroom, and put on a pair of flipflops on his way out the door.
Even the weather seemed to be more pleasant than he could remember it being when he was out in 'the wilds.' It wasn't even technically spring yet, so in the middle of the Carribbean, it was actually pleasant.
Breathing in a deep nosefull of air - the comforting smell of the cafeteria - now open again and open whenever he so decied to get food - no hunting, no worrying about 'accidentally' sinking his elongated teeth into the uncooked flesh of a small animal.
With a whistle and a small wag on his tail, Ambrose strolled casually into the cafeteria, mentally planning what foods he would load his plate up with.
As he entered the cafeteria, he took a quick inventory of the other individuals there and nearly paused. One... someone unrecognizable and unchanged. His ears flicked back anxiously. Hopefully at least he knew. Then.... just taking a seat... Jamal.
Ambrose had no idea how upset Jamal still was at him. The last time he had made any gesture to Jamal had been Christmas, when he had left him a gift. He had heard tell of him from Antony, heard that he had changed and wasn't very pleased with it - he had even gone to the level of hurting her and Awen. He had been advised to steer clear... and so he had. But it had been weeks since then.... and Jamal didn't appear to upset just.... eating there. Maybe he was feeling better. At least to all appearances, the changes hand't been too unkind on him - he was still quite human-looking in Ambrose's opinion.
Regardless, Ambrose wasn't about to let cowardice or anxiety get between him and a meal, so striding purposely forward, he got his own tray, licked his chops with equal enthusiasm as Jamal had shown over the steaks, and speared a few for himself before heading back to the seating area, a pregnant pause as he glanced near the empty seats near the only individual he recognized.
"Jamal...?" He asked, trying to judge the man's atitude. Zachary Bloodstone Poor Cass. She'd left only a half hour ago, and Zach had been fairly slow at eating... writing was consuming his attention, and it was difficult to do with only one hand.
Zach looked up from his slow eating to promptly begin choking on his bite of hamburger. Here was another islander. However, unlike the rest, this guy appeared to mean business. He was tattooed all over his arms. His eyes... they were expressionless. His general body language, however, appeared to be nonthreatening.
He drank some water quickly to clear his throat, slamming the cup down after. "H..hello?" he greeted unsurely.
A wolf-man entered, saving Zach the trouble of keeping the tiger-striped man's attention. He sighed in relief. However, there was a little tension in the room, so he decided to watch and listen as best he could. There wasn't much sense in secrecy on this island. He didn't know either of the two, so there wasn't anything to say. He gave a polite nod to the newcomer to the cafeteria, and then resumed writing. He couldn't touch any more of that hamburger for a while.
Jamal_Reedy Jamal flopped down at the nearest table...not the same one as Zach, but more or less facing him...and picked up his silverware, casting the stranger another dubious look and snorting. "Who da ******** are you?" he snapped bluntly as he sawed off a generous portion of steak and then jammed it into his mouth, chewing carefully to keep his elongated eyeteeth from cutting his tongue. The black man was not much into the social standard of politeness. "'Nother poor ********, ain't ya?...did ya get da shot?" Jamal gave a crackling sort of growl before tearing into another piece of steak, whiskers crinkling back as he did so. Mmm.... But it appeared his semi-decent mood wasn't meant to last, for he heard the cafeteria doors open and his gaze automatically lifted from his food and he saw Ambrose sauntering in. Oh ******** LOVELY. Jamal had privately hoped that the stint in the wilderness might have cleansed the island of the wolf man, but apparently that was wistful thinking. The acute, natural glare to Jamal's eyes sharpened and he diverted his attention back to his food. Maybe Ambrose would get his meal and leave. He focused back on his steak, eventually abandoning his silverware to picking it up in his clawed hands and tearing it off with his front teeth. "Jamal...?"The black man growled in the back of his throat and glanced back up to see Ambrose standing here. He stared at the wolf man for a moment, slowly moving his hand away from his maw so a piece of steak dangled from his mouth as though he forgot it was there. It hung there for a second before he threw his head back, engulfed it in one motion, and swallowed, then lifted his lips in a sneer. "What do -you- want?" Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose only noticed the cold tension that hung in the air around the tigerman after he had spoken his name, and almost immediately regretted it. The glare that he received could have curdled milk.
"Er..." He said intelligently, his tail sneaking its way between his legs before he had the cognizance to realize what was going on and forcibly kept it back.
I'm NOT scared of the man. He snipped at himself mentally.
But his eyes hung on the piece of meat that was dangling from his mouth and savagly tossed into his mouth. If Jamal wasn't a force to be reckoned with before.... why on earth had the doctors picked a dangerous predator for the man??
"I..." He started up again. Why was Jamal still upset with him? Or was he just this irritable in general? Maybe he was having a bad day.....
"I was going to ask how you were doing...." Maybe direct the conversation to a more positive light. "Did you ever get the... ah.. package from me back at Christmas?"
He hadn't set down his tray yet, but stayed standing awkwardly near the table. Jamal_Reedy Jamal retained his cool, narrowed glare, but he turned it away to his plate again as though Ambrose wasn't worth the trouble. He carefully dug his claws into a fresh slab of meat, doing so in a very pointed, mechanical fashion as though to send a insinuated message to the blonde man standing there by his table. Something along the lines of "Have sharp claws and know how to use them". Ambrose's stammering brought the slightest bit of pleasure to the black man as he pulled his hand away from his plate and licked the juice from the tips of his claws. He passed the blonde a careless glance. "How should I be doin'?" he retorted with a waspish tone. "Jus' fine 'n' ********' wonda'ful, I 'spose. Ain't dat how it 'sposed ta be?" He snorted and speared a portion of steak on the tip of his index finger, then contemplated Ambrose's last question as juice dripped down his hand and wrist as he more or less waved the meat-laden hand about absently before his mouth. What -had- he done with that stupid present anyway?... Oh yeah...he threw it somewhere. Not in the garbage, for some reason, but it had to be lurking in one of his massive junk piles in a corner. "I got it," he grunted in an answer, but didn't elaborate because he didn't care to. He answered the question...what else did Ambrose want? Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose watched the black man make a mess of his meal with a small amount of disdain. The meat on his plate was vividly rare - and it didn't seem to bother Jamal in the least.
Ambrose prided himself in at least making an effort to keep up appearances... or, at least try to keep the lupine urges that poked into the back of his mind in check as much as he could. It was his own personal protest against the changes that had been imposed on him on this Island. He refused to give in completely.
"well, judging from your eating habits, you appear to be taking things rather well." Ambrose said cooly as he set his tray down coincidentally at the next table over, across from Zachary. If Jamal actually was still pissed at him for his single damn comment that had set him off last time in regards to the transformation, then Jamal was a damn hypocrite if he was playing with his food and licking the blood from his claws.
"Glad, at least, that it appears that you might have lucked out in your animal assignment." He sat down, picking up his utensils. Zachary Bloodstone Zach watched out of the corner of his eyes as the black man - Jamal - made an obvious show of devouring his steak. It was sufficiently disgusting enough to make the wolfman leave him, and instead sit down at Zach's table.
With a closer look, he could see that the man had a huge covering of silvery-grey fur, and a snout developing on his face. There was no shock in this, since he'd watched how carefully human this guy had been. And knowing the island, he really should learn to get over it. Everyone here would pretty much look alien.
Zach gazed over at Ambrose. Mammals were a lot easier to contend with seeing than reptiles. The guy still had some blonde hair, and of course some clothes. He wasn't too far off from human...
The look on the wolf-man's face was annoyance. Zach tested his ground anyhow. He was getting more used to trusting these people despite thier appearances and... animalistic habits. Another quick glance at Jamal, and then back to the furry guy across the table.
"Uh... hello... I didn't catch your name?" he squeaked.
Jamal_Reedy "What da ******** does dat mean? Ya gonna rip on how I eat now?" As snapping as that commented sounded, Jamal looked puzzled and took a moment to examine his steak, realizing then how rare it was. Well, that certainly wasn't intentional... It was satisfying his hungry and that's damn near all he cared about (or rather, the tiger cared about). That and Jamal refused to believe he wasn't as in control as he though he was. In truth, while the physical changes had been simplistic and rather mellow when compared to other islanders, the mental changes were much more drastic and refined, the tiger instincts sliding in and out without him hardly noticing a shift. It didn't help that Jamal was already a crude, potentially violent man either, so he wouldn't think much about wanting to cause someone harm if the tiger wanted it. It wasn't out of the ordinary. Ambrose's second statement made him growl and he gave the younger man a sarcastic, exaggerated leer and held out his arms to show off the paler skin. "I wasn't aware dat Michael Jackson been an option fo' a serum," he spat bitterly, shooting Zach a look to see if he was aware of Moreau's evildoing. The fact that he hadn't run away yet at the sight of Ambrose made him believe that he knew what was going on, but the guy still looked nervous. "What 'zactly do you consida' a GOOD animal? One dat makes your nails pop off ya fingers ta make room fo' claws o' one dat makes ya spout three tails from yo' a**?" he questioned heatedly, shoving his plate away as his appetite suddenly curbed at the transformation talk. Ambrose Maurlias Blue eyes flecked with amber turned to Zachary with an inquisitive look. "I'm sorry.... where are my manners..." He commented as he took the seat, across from Zach but far enough to the side that his back wasn't directly facing Jamal. "My name is Ambrose." There was a hint at a smile, but the tension wasn't entirely absent - Ambrose was picking up no small amount of negative emotion from Jamal. "Given your lack of surprise, it appears that at the very least you've been given 'the intro.'" He said, relief at this helping just a bit with the tension. At least he wouldn't have to contend with the shock or horror of a newcomer seeing him.
But at Jamal's comment, Ambrose sighed. Apparently he would have to watch his mouth around Jamal. For someone from the 'ghettos', he sure was sensitive.
"That's not what I meant." He drolled. "Merely with your .... affection for the foods and not hesitating to use your...." Ambrose turned to glance at the man's claws and sizable incisors "merits.... it appears that you've gotten over your horror of the process."
Ambrose's brows lifted at the comment, only now really taking stock at the paler skin on the man's arms, and then wince at the description of the claws. "Mammalian, honestly. Not... any slight against some of the other kind souls like Amaya or Greer or Awen who are facing ... less fortunate changes..... but in my opinion at least... it's better than the alternatives.... at least that's the small nugget of comfort I've been able to find in my own state." His ears drooped at bit.
A quizzical look at the thee tails mention. "Three tails? You... have more than one tail?" Ambrose seemed to try to glance aroundt he side to no luck - the tail and his position blocking Jamal's rear from view.
A wince. "Growing one was painful enough..."
Ambrose seemed to only then realize the present company and looked to Zach. "I... I'm sorry. I'm sure that our depressing conversation isn't helping matteres or your appetite." Zachary Bloodstone "Oh, yes... and each time it only gets worse." He gave a nervous chuckle. There was little need in saying it to Ambrose - the wolf-man seemed a good ways into his transformation and could attest to that himself.
The verbal battle between the two was a little awkward. Zach caught the knowing glance of Jamal. Yes, Zach knew damn well what was going on at this point. The sensitivity of the guy to even the simplest little comment made by Ambrose was odd though. He tried to intervene by pulling Jamal into their conversation. He directed his voice toward the steak-eater. "Yeah, I've been told. I'm sorry for you, and Ambrose as well. This is beyond unethical."
His mention of Antony's transformation, however, caused Zach to blush a little bit. It was hard to forget seeing a girl with three tails... among other things.
He turned his head back to Ambrose again. "Oh no, no. I'm just not much of a meat eater, I guess. I don't know why I picked this up."
He wondered if either of these two could answer the question he was desperate to get Em an answer to - the current status of Moreau. Alive? Dead? Which was more preferrable of the two possibilites, he was loath to think.
Jamal_Reedy It wasn't hard to be sensitive when one was already in a perpetual sour mood and had the irritablity of a predator dwelling in your brain. "Well if I had dat choice, I'd put da claws 'n' teeth away, but since I ain't got dat luxury, I might as well use them," he answered heatedly. "They gonna be there one way o' anotha whetha' I dealin' wit' da -process- o' not." Jamal grunted and tapped his claws on the table top while shooting Zach a condescending smirk in response to his apology and shook his head. "Yeah, we ain't much for ethics out herr," he drawled, the pupils of his eyes constricting as his glare widened into an almost bored expression. "We go more by law of da' jungle." He gave a fangy grin at that, a predatory gleam to his eyes in hopes of perhaps spooking Zach a touch. If Jamal had to be uncomfortable, he was damn well going to make sure everyone else was miserable too. He was having an off-day as it was for some reason. Perhaps dealing with Antony and her transformation had struck a nerve. Who knew? "Far as I seen, Awen's doin' jus' fine. She seems damn right happy even. I can't say dat anyone else I seen lately has been dat happy...as fo' da rest of 'em..." He flicked his fingers in a dismissive gesture. "I know dat Antony didn't do dat well, since I was woke up near da end of her transfo'mation and Anjali didn't seem dat thrilled eitha' durin' hers." When Ambrose made a move to check out his tail situation, he bristled but didn't move, resuming his icy countenance. "I ain't got three tails. Antony do. Now you tell me, what ********' animal out there got THREE tails? Ain't any, is there?" Jamal really wasn't looking for an answer to that question, evident by the finality to his voice. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose nodded to Zach. From his first impression of Zach, at least he seemed like a decent, rational individual. He barely even took account of the fact the man was missing an arm- no strange looks graced the empty sleeve. Ambrose had dealt with so much on the island that such a 'mundane' disfigurement was no object meriting a stare.
Ambrose made a gesture to rub at his temples at Jamal's outburst. Was he innately offensive to this individual? "I just meant...." He sighed. "Nevermind. No offense was intended, Jamal. Merely an observation and I was attempting to be supportive. I know a lot of people - myself included - who have a very rough time after the transformation... looking in the mirror and seeing a different face looking back. And not even one that looks human."
Ambrose looked to Zach. "Please, don't let Jamal scare you. Some of us at least still cling to the basic tenants of human decency." Ambrose said quietly, twirling his steak knife in one of his hands pointedly.
"And good for Awen. .. she was looking pretty down last I saw her - but more power to her for rolling with the punches. I don't know if I would have such solidarity with how different she's becoming."
Ambrose cocked his head. "Antony..? Really? She changed as well?" Antony, other than Angelina and the very newcomers was the only other person who hadn't changed yet. His thoughts returned to ANgelina.... she felt so out of place, why hadn't she changed yet? Not that he wished that fate on her.... "Well... Cassidy is growing feathers... even though she's a serpent..." Zachary Bloodstone Jamal's little scare tactic worked. Zach shrank back a little bit, even though the distance was wide. There was little reassurance from Ambrose's dismissal of the black man's actions. He'd seen those huge fangs tear a steak apart. Preferrably, he wanted them pointed elsewhere, though his fearful response was only more encouraging to Jamal. "I... I didn't know there was any law to the jungle."
Every detail of these transformations sounded horrendous. They looked awful too, but to think you could look in a mirror and not know what was in the reflection...
"I don't mind him... I'm sure deep down he has a great reason to be doing it." He gave a mocking toothy grin back toward Jamal. He'd gained a small amount of confidence in being assured of Ambrose's humanity. As long as the wolf-man was on his side, Zach wasn't as wary. "I'm lucky this island hasn't driven me off the brink. A few more days here and I'll likely be."
Cassidy - the girl who'd been in here only recently! The humor dropped from his voice immediately as he spoke about her. "Cassidy... she told me she wasn't just a snake, but a mix. Duvert apparently gave her parrot feathers."
Jamal_Reedy Most of what Ambrose said had unnoticed because his irritation had reached a crest right then when Ambrose gave, what the black man saw, as a disguised jab at Jamal's actions. Some of the wording he didn't understand, so that didn't help either, but Jamal knew what decency meant and that Ambrose was trying to make him look like a savage. Jamal's jesting manner abruptly dissolved, his mood swinging sharply as he shoved his chair away in mid-growl, a clawed hand grabbing for the steak knife on his own tray. He forgot completely about Zach for the moment, which was probably good for the newcomer, and gave Ambrose a look that would have been lethal if it could be as physically sharp as the knife clutched in his hand. "Ev'ryone best hope dat I don't lose what 'decency' I got left," he snarled viciously at Ambrose as he hunched over the table with one palm down on the table's surface and the knife pointed at Ambrose without the faintest sign of quiver. "It's takin' all I got ta not come over this table righ' now jus' cause it might give you some satisfaction ta think you know what kinda person I be. Ain't no one on this goddamn island know me betta' then Antony 'n' Awen. You think you know ev'rythin' 'bout ev'rythin'...spoutin' bullshit makin' it sound like this place ain't a ********' livin' nitemare. Maybe you learned how ta be fake back wit' your own people, but this brotha' don't play dat game. I ********' know betta'. He got a right ta know how shitty things be herr!" The knife swung around to point momentarily at Zach before it was again leveled at Ambrose. For a moment, it looked as though he was going to complete disregard his refusal to come after Ambrose with his newfound weapon, but instead he gave a hissing exhale and turned on a heel to stalk out of the cafeteria WITH the knife, tension clearly visible across his neck and shoulders. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose's attention was on Jamal, his ears pinned back during his rant, carefully and instincutually metering his breath with caution. Brian, getting a good glimpse of the back of the man's neck, could see the fur of his hackles raising as the knife was pointed in his direction.
"I'm just trying not to terrify someone fresh 'off the boat' as it were." Ambrose said quietly in response to Jamal's proclamation of the horridness of the island. OF course, Ambrose's opinion of the island, despite his initial hatred and proverbial rage against the machine, he had mellowed a great deal since Angelina's arrival (after the first bout of guilt of her presence in this trap).
Ambrose growled animalisticly in frustration as Jamal stalked out, turning back to Zach, his fur finally settling back down as he ran a hand through his blonde hair.
"I'm sorry you had to see that." Ambrose muttered, taking his first bite of his meat with a rather irritated gnash of his teeth.
"Honestly.... most of us arent' that bad.... I... well, if you want perfect honestly, I've seen a few people have 'bouts'.... usually when they're not eating enough.... but most of us who have any measure of self control don't let ourselves slip like that." He hoped... what if Jamal was just an indicator of later changes...? A small shudder passed over the wolfman. He prided himself SO much in his self-control, even before the island. Zachary Bloodstone Guh. After the rant, Jamal just walked out of the cafeteria with a knife in his hand? Perhaps the safest place would be here, where he wasn't. But silently, Zach agreed with him. Personally, he preferred the truth over a lie. To imagine this place as an elaborate gag simply wasn't sensible any more.
"Probably not the same, but I've seen a few involuntary reactions from some of the people I've met." You know, quick-flicking tongues, bristling tails, the usual around here. "Maybe the people who lose control are better off. Lucky them, that they have no idea what they're doing. I guess I'd like the same ignorance sometimes..."
He paused to take another small bite of hamburger.
"Ever since I was told of Duvert's scheme, I've been hoping the entire island was just as against this... this experiment... as Jamal, but there are probably a few ambivelant people, or even ones who are all for it." The emotion in his voice was cold at the last mention. "I'm terrified of this... all of it."
Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose frowned in disapproval at Zach's comment about losing onesself.
"I think that that fate would be worse than death." His ears pinned back. "Losing your self completely? Losing all shreads of what makes you who you are? Your control, your.... YOU?" He shuddered again.
"And don't get me wrong. I hate what they're doing. I had a life. A family. A future. I was working my way to the olympics...." His ears drooped, remembering.....
"And I was even more upset when I first found out what was going on than you, I can virtually assure you. I was the firsts, you know - I didn't know what was happening until I changed." He took another bite of the steak - not quite as rare as Jamal's - but honestly because Jamal took them all. "I just... I don't know. I can't leave - not anymore. I mean goddammit, look at me."
He frowned, glaring down at the meat on his plate as if it had offended him. "I'm a freak. I know I am. But.... I have and do drive myself into a depression if I don't try to see some silver lining - be it the generally amiable companionship, or the fact that I do have to admit now - after much begrudging - that my 'assigned animal' isn't horrid." Zachary Bloodstone "Well, I look at it this way - you wouldn't even know it if it happened." He cast a sidelong glance at his notebook. There, not in himself, was his humanity. Those written words were him, in some ways. "Without memories, there wouldn't be grief to mourn."
He straightened up a little. "But then again, I'm a notorious pessimist..."
He listened to the story. Ambrose had a life, infinitely valuable to those close to him. This laboratory yanked him from it, and he had lost everything. "The first..." How awful. Ambrose no doubt had to watch as all those who came to the island changed before his eyes. At the same time, he balanced his loss of his way of life. Zach was amazed the guy had held out so long on nothing, mentally. What an existence.
"Ambrose, you're not a freak." He felt a wave of pity for the wolf-man. Ambrose had a family somewhere, waiting for him, pining. The guy didn't deserve this torture. "You're a person. A human being. This fur, these changes, whatever the hell they plan to do to you means nothing as long as you know that it isn't who you really are."
He failed to realize that those words were easier said than believed.
Ambrose Maurlias "Pessimism is.... depressing." Ambrose murmured. "Not that I haven't been in a cycle like that myself. YOu go around in circles and circles and circles. And there's no out. Just more self-depreaciating and feeling sorry for yourself."
He hesitated. "But ... as bad as the life might be, and as tantalizing and wonderful you might make your life out in the past to be once you're removed from it.... Nothing's worth erasing those memories. I mean.... it's you... your soul... not that I consider myself incredibly religious... but oblivion is a terrifying concept."
"And... thank you. Unfortunately, I can assure you that not everyone back in the 'real' world would be so understanding." He sighed, knowing the truth of the matter. "Assuming I even could escape this prison, I would only be escaping it to be captured and tested by the government... or a freakshow. I... I'm just glad that I still have a photograph.... as silly as that might sound." Zachary Bloodstone "I can't really let go of my pessimism. I've never had all that many good moments to give me optimism. I don't feel sorry for myself so much as I fear for my sanity during those times." He shrugged his shoulders. "About the only positive thing I can rely on is a story my parents told me as a kid about how my family line is - this is going to sound silly - descended from King Arthur. I like to believe it. It's a nice thought."
"Oblivion's always ahead of us. We just choose when to accept it." He gazed down at his hamburger. "I guess there's always some worth in memories though..." Some memories. Not all. There were some Zach never wanted to keep enduring.
"Oh... oh yeah..." He couldn't imagine a different scenario for Ambrose if he were to suddenly show up in San Francisco like that. If Zach hadn't had a good amount of shock from this island himself, he'd regard Ambrose the same way, and he knew it. Sabin, Moreau... they'd pay someday. Fate couldn't avoid them for long.
Ambrose Maurlias "King Arthur?" Ambrose asked with a quirked smile. "Interesting.... and that is a fun fantasy.... I mean, I know his existance as a whole is questionable to begin with.... but talk about a proud heritage." He mused, sitting a bit further back in his chair. "My family comes from French nobility.... but... that's about all I know. But I've always loved tales of knights and swashbuckling and the like." A nostalgic smile.
"I... I was a fencer. I Still have the equipment, but no one to really train with. Not that there is exactly any competitions or anything. But... I loved it. It was a touch of fantasy in my reality. It probably sounds equally silly, though. But it eventually led me to coming to a head with my parents. Thye thought it was frivolous.... they wanted me to go to Med School....." He sighed. "Eventually that's what got me here. I left home - went to a smaller college instate... the scholarship I got only was enough to cover the first year. I didn't exacly plan far enough ahead. I saw an add in the paper for a $5000 medical study.... it was that or flip burgers all summer for the same amount of money because I didn't exactly have job experience." His expression darkened. "I thought myself too good for the McJob. Ironic." His tail flipped.
"But... as far as memories... I choose to believe something of the immortality of the spirit... again - the depressing to think otherwise. To live a lifetime - experience an existance... and then wipe clean?" He shook his head. "Call it another fantasy, but I choose to believe otherwise. Zachary Bloodstone Zach finished the rest of his burger. "Yeah... but adventure comes with a pretty big price."
"French? Interesting... Fencing sounds like it's very unusual. I didn't here much about it even before I ended up here." He moved his plate carefully to the side a little bit with his hand. "Well, the fast food industry is pretty disgusting, you wouldn't have worked there no matter your other option, hm? At least... not knowing what you do now."
"You are probably right, there is something more to life than just living. But we'll likely never know what that purpose is." He looked up at the ceiling. "To each his own about that though. I'm always wary of spiritual belief."
Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose nodded, chewing down the last bite of meat that he polished off at a remarkable pace considering the amount of food that was on his plate when he first sat down.
With a grin he regarded Zachary. "You know... if you ever have any desire to learn -I'd be happy to teach you. Ironically, now that I think about it, this might be one of the only sports your missing arm might be an advantage - as you can't really use your offhand anyway, and you wouldn't have the impulse to try to use it." He grinned. This was the first time the arm was even mentioned by the wolfman.
"And... This is true - discussions on religion can end up pretty fierce... I try to keep my nose out of them as well if at all possible... Again, I'm not heavily religious - and I almost never really leant a great deal of thought to it, but when there's not much else to do - your mind wanders."
He stood up, picking up his tray. "Anyway, I should probably head back - it was nice meeting you, Zachary." He smiled, waving as he bussed his tray and headed for the exit. Zachary Bloodstone He was surprised to hear of a sport where he'd be at an advantage for once. "Oh, I may - I just don't think I can stand to look at those fencing swords being pointed at me right now." They reminded him far too much of shot needles. And shot needles reminded him of how desperately he had to find a way off the island.
Zach waved Ambrose off. It was still a long day ahead... Zach had yet to see the caves here. He figured doing an inventory of his spelunking gear would be useful. He cleared his tray, returned to his seat, and opened his notebook to scrawl something in quickly. Then, with a dismal expression, he rose to head back to his living space.
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 4:20 pm
Helping Hand
He's only got one, after all. Emelyn The entrance to the cave was low, a dip in the mountain like the great old rock had become depressed, sinking into itself with the weariness of the years. Em didn't think she could squeeze her body past the entrance if she'd tried- which she wasn't. The only part of her body she wanted in that cave was her arm- to reach that piece of stone she wanted. Emelyn scooted closer to the entrance, shimmying in the sand on her stomach, and turning her head to the side so she could stretch more of her arm into the sloping entrance. She'd been canvasing the island for days looking for the right type of stone. She didn't know the name of it, but it was more malleable, and would chip off to the edges without shattering (if it was struck just right). She'd been gently picking through the other, more accessible caves for hours- but they steeped off so quickly and became so dark so suddenly that she hadn't been able to find much to work with. Only in this tiny eyelet of an entrance had she spotted the right sort of stone. "Come on you." She inched her arm closer, wiggling her fingers as if to give her arm more length. "I know you're in there." Zachary Bloodstone Idly, Zach twirled some more thick rope between his gloved fingers. Every once in a while he hand to disentangle his pants legs from sharp spiky plants that grew low on the ground, but otherwise it was a nice day and the shade was helpful. From what he'd seen so far of the eastern half of the mountain, there were very few caves a grown man could enter and exit. A few holes here and there, but none he would bother with.
The squelch of jungle mud gave way to the hard crunching of dry sand beneath his feet. He looked down, surprised. He'd managed to cross both east and west of the island now. The roar of waves crashing into rock was evident. The relentless ocean eroded away the mountain little by little, creating a vast amount of cliffs jutting from high above.
Below, however, Zach very nearly tripped on a wriggling body on the ground, one arm reaching well into a miniature cave. The woman's brown fur and spikes were a giveaway though. She was looking the other way from him, and must not have seen him coming. He leapt backwards in surprise of her being there. "Emelyn?"
Emelyn The sound of someone's voice- saying her own name, no less, startled Emelyn, and she pulled her hand from the cave, rolling over on her side both to unobstruct her veiw from the mass of sand, and to protect her back from the sting of laying flat on the infant spines. "Zach," she said with a smile. "I was just..." she indicated towards the infant cave, "trying to get a stone out of the interior. It's a little further down the slope than I thought when I saw it, though." She looked him up and down, sitting up as she did so, admiring his gear. "Doing a little spelunking?" Zachary Bloodstone She seemed to be doing well, for living in the jungle. After throwing the rope over his shoulder, he squatted down, splaying his hand in front of him for balance. "Fancy meeting you all the way out here."
He gave a sidelong glance to the cave. "I can give you some light," he offered, moving into a sitting position. He tapped the beaten-up miner's helmet he wore. Doubful that his arm was longer than hers, so he didn't think he could fish the rock out of there. "Yeah, I was sort of hoping to. I haven't seen any big caves yet, though. They must all be farther up the mountain... not that I'll be going that high up anytime soon." He shuddered. He'd never get used to heights like those.
Her presence, however, reminded him of something. His brow furrowed a moment in memory. After reaching into his pants pocket for a note, it was crumpled it in his fist and thrown toward the sea.
"I tried the intercom when I got back that day," he muttered. "I think Moreau was murdered by Duvert."
Emelyn "Really?" She spoke with a practiced ease, tainted only slightly by a tinge of surprise. "Well, I've only met Mr. Duvert once- he saved my life when I washed ashore the island." She flattened herself once more, readying herself to snake her arm back into the hole. "But... then again, he also brought me straight to Aubrey for my "immunization". ...So I don't know if either of them are the lesser of the two evils." She looked back up at him, wincing at the sun that hung overhead. "That light would be great now, thanks." Zachary Bloodstone He didn't say anything to that. Weren't these doctors evil? So Duvert saved Emelyn - only to turn her into a hedgehog. That wasn't something Zach considered courteous.
Judging by her uncertain tone, he figured switching subjects seemed like a good idea.
"Oh sure! You keep looking, I'll turn this on." He reached up for the switch on his helmet. The bulb buzzed and flickered, but soon emitted a bright ray of light, though its intensity was lost to the sun's harsh brightness. He turned his head toward the rocky hole and got down on his stomach as well, making sure not to point the hemlet at Emelyn's face.
Emelyn Emelyn turned her face back to her task just as Zach illuminated the thin beam of light that lit up those few inches she needed to see. "Oh... I pushed it into a little crack. That's why I couldn't see it anymore," she said, her mouth close to the warm sand. "I can... just... reach it." Her words were halting as her hands probed the cool stone floor, dipping into shallow crack like a cat's paw might gingerly pat at the water of a fish pond. Her hand eclipsed the stone slab the size of her palm, and she lifted it up with an exaggerated giggle, complete with a triumphant "HA!" as her arm came into the light, complete with the stone. She sat up again, putting the stone to the side, and did something that was very typical of Emelyn- which was a brand of action that, at any one time could be strange, unpredictable... and sweet. She wrapped her arms loosely around Zach's leg and gave it a sandy hug, laughing. "Thank you. I would have driven myself insane trying to find that on my own." Zachary Bloodstone "Nice!" He grinned. Once she'd pulled the rock back out, he sat up. His hand snapped the light back off. He was fearful of getting a new helmet from the doctors here, so he planned to make his lightbulb last.
Before he could pull his hand back down to earth, it froze. What was she...? Slowly he looked down, to find the girl hanging off of his leg, giggling. He let his hand drop to his knees and felt a flush creep up his cheeks. "I-it was no trouble, really..."
She's adorable, he thought. His gloved hand was lying close to one of her clawed ones.
Emelyn She released his leg and stood, brushing sand off her downy fur. She'd hugged his leg for the distaste of that awkward moment of standing, brushing off, and then hugging him- so she'd simply eliminated the moment and hugged what was near. Now that she'd thanked him, however, she could crawl to her feet without feeling awkward or stilted. Everything had... 'flowed', and that was how it suited the hedgehog-girl best. "Anyway, this will come in handy," she explained, bowing to pick up her rock. "I'm going to make a knife out of this. ...Help a lot," she said, looking at it and feeling quite pleased with herself. Zachary Bloodstone His shyer side was greatful that the hug had broken off. It was... awkward for him. He pushed off the ground to get to his feet, noticing that the rope was slowly but surely slipping down his right shoulder. He shrugged it back.
"I'm sure that it'll make a great knife." He didn't want to ask what she'd need a knife for. He was unsure, but he hoped hedgehogs were not predators. Also gazing at the rock, he failed to identify it on sight. It seemed to have some wet sand on it, obscuring its color. His inner geologist was instantly curious. He reached a couple of fingers to lightly brush the rock off, searching for an obvious texture.
"I wonder what kind of rock that is?"
Emelyn She offered it to him. "I don't know the name of it, actually," she admitted, lifting her shoulders in a cursory gesture then dropping them, nonchalantly. "But I remember in France, I visited the caves of Lascaux- and nearby, there were recreationists, showing how the primal man of that time made knives and spearheads. It chipped well at the sides, and could be tempered with flame and the right sort of rock strike." Zachary Bloodstone The sand stayed stuck to his glove as he pulled his hand back, then reached to test its weight. The color underneath was a dark bluish-grey, and shiny. It was familiar...
Putting his thoughts together, he realized what it was. "Flint!"
He spared her the details of what it was, instead gingerly handing it back to her. "I guess you'll have no trouble whittling this down. So you've been to France?" He had assumed her goggles were those of a pilot.
Emelyn She accepted the flint back, and nodded happily. In her mind, she recognized it as correct- the words 'flint knapper' had been flying around an awful lot that day. "Oui! ...And don't quiz me on anymore French than that, because sadly, it's all I know." The 21 year-old laughed and scratched at a point on her neck absently. "I've travelled... a lot. I used to be a youth diplomat." She added the last not to parade her own accomplishments, but rather to save Zach the question that most people asked after she said she was a prolific traveler: why? "Have you travelled?" Zachary Bloodstone "Heh, I don't know any French, just a little Spanish. They're similiar, I think..." He shrugged. Foreign language wasn't something he had ever been good at. He marvelled at the diplomat accomplishment. "Sounds like you led an exciting life."
Yes, led. Ambrose said he wouldn't return to the world, and perhaps she wouldn't either.
"I didn't do much traveling... flying just doesn't agree with me." The helicopter ride to the island had been torture enough. He brushed his glove on his pants leg a few times to get the sand off. "I did fly once before I got the fear of it - I'm from Bath, in England, but I moved to the states when I was three. I've never been back. I guess I never will now."
Emelyn Led. She picked up on the surrepitous use of the past-tense, and her mind chewed on it like a starving child might a piece of bitter meat: painful to digest, but necessary... all the same. "You never know where you'll end up," Emelyn said, not knowing whether she spoke about her own fate at having washed up ashore the Island of Hell, or at Zach's comment about never being able to go to back to Bath. "But unfortunately, I think I believe in a measure of fate. ...I suppose it makes me feel a little better about being here." She put a reassuring hand out to touch the man's shoulder, a gesture that came without words of comfort- or even a large feeling of hope. It was automatic to her nature. Zachary Bloodstone Zach could see a little impression of how the tense had hurt her by a little change of expression, but aloud soon she challenged the idea. He had a little envy of her sense of purpose.
"Yeah... the future's never certain." It did look rather bleak, though. He tried to smile, but just couldn't. "Here's hoping that fate made the right choice for you when it left you here."
There was mild surprised at her touch. He didn't recoil from it. He didn't have to say anything to show he appreciated it. He knew it didn't mean hope, or a promise of escape. It meant support.
She couldn't have given him anything more valuable than that small gesture. He could only be saddened that he didn't have the courage to do the same for her. The moment slipped away.
Emelyn The day wasn't getting any younger, and although having the pleasant (albeit brief) company of her newly christened friend was like a shot of adrenaline to the human in her- that strong, winding soul that desired the sound of another's voice, the touch of another's skin.... there was still that part of her that was irrevocably returning to the wild. Both physically and spiritually, something in Emelyn had been calling her home. Not her home- this New England turned country hopper and now island captive could never truly call the cove of the beach home, nor the concave sigh in the mountain where she lay her head at night. It was the animal in her- that primal, ancestral knowledge that all beasts were born with, whose love of belonging and home... was beckoned to. Humans have always though themselves superior for the gift of the Blarney- the articulation of speech and thought. Since the dawn of man, they have seen this gift as what truly sets them apart- man and beast. It is one of the shames of nature that man does not realize how untrue this judgement is- how little he is connected to his fellow brother, sister, mother- that he must reach out with words. Animals have never needed to create this external bond, for they possess a deeper, innate connection to each other. When a human mother is teaching her child to sit up, to walk, and to learn their telephone number and address... those children of the forest know instinctively where their home is, how to find food... and how to love one another with a silent, invisible line that's been pulled between them like fate. "I'm sorry... I've been keeping you long enough," Emelyn said, holding the flint up with a small but genuine smile. "Thank you again for this. It's been great to see you. I'll see you soon, I'm sure." It was not a fear of keeping the man that truly drew her back into the depths of the forest... but a silent tug at that invisible string. She couldn't understand it's language yet- or even that it was calling to her. But one day, the language would be clear. Zachary Bloodstone "It wasn't me who got it - it was you. Give yourself some credit," he smiled. However, it was obvious she itched to leave, and he stepped aside to let her. Perhaps she had something to return to.
She quickly disappeared into the cover of the jungle like a wraith. If he hadn't felt her touch, it may almost have occured to him that she hadn't been there at all. He could only hope the best for her as she braved the elements.
He cast his voice toward the tall trees. "Take care, Emelyn!" Who knew if she'd even hear him? She didn't seem one for words, anyhow.
Well, there weren't any caves around here, so he began his long walk back through the forest. The island's weather was harshly hot, which made the cool of the shade feel wonderful. He looked over his shoulder at the beach. The piece of notebook paper he'd discarded was long gone. Perhaps the wind had grabbed it, or the ocean had swallowed it. All the better.
It saved him the trouble of having to go burn it.
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 7:49 pm
Crumpled Paper
This piece of paper was left behind on the cliff beach.
This island is a death trap.
People being turned into animals... I saw them with my own eyes. I couldn't believe it at first. Who could? It's beyond horrifying. I can't live like this.
No one can escape though, apparently. Our captors been well prepared for that. Not a single person here has managed to leave, not even the first experiment. We're just experiments. Just numbers. We're not even humans to these people - or at least, we only start out human.
We. I'm a part of this too now. I don't know how I'll go on. Maybe I'll get lucky. Maybe I won't change. I'm sure that's what they all thought before they started sprouting fur, feathes, scales, and other unsightly features. This place kills hope, kills dreams, kills the meaning of being yourself.
I don't want to change. I don't want to become an animal. I just want to stay myself. It's difficult enough...
Somebody, save us.
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