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 Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 5:56 pm
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 5:58 pm
Lauren got a special invitation to come to the laboratories early Friday afternoon. While Moreau himself was scarce, and seemingly irritable to her (not directly to her, but colder than normal, seeming preoccupied), he paired you with some of the lab techs to give you a 'day in the life' of some more advanced science. They allow you to spend Friday and Saturday night in the labs themselves! You can eat in the staff cafeteria and see Moreau off and on.
The storm came in swifty- what was only a few threatening thunder clouds on Saturday morning turned into a full-scale tropical storm by that evening. The winds are dangerous and strong, sending foliage debris and water everywhere. Its not impossible to walk in, but its difficult.
Saturday evening, something eerily familiar happens. The power goes off. With the sinking whine of electricity failing suddenly everything goes to black. But before the islanders can get too excited, there's a loud thumping that can be heard between the claps of thunder, and the power comes back on about four minutes later.
It isn't until later Saturday night, around midnight, that anything major changes. The storm picks up and gets even worse. The island is swept up in gigantic lightning storm, and after a loud crash, and a huge flash of light the power go off again. This time, isn't doesn't come back immediately. You're already in the room they gave for you to stay in, and someone comes by about 20 minutes later, advises you to stay put, and that things are being dealt with.
Early Sunday morning, right at dawn, the rains have settled down as the storm begins to pass. The power comes back on with a triumphant hum of electricity, bathing the village in its normal light, waking you. By the time you seem to realize what's happened though, you begin to feel a tingling in the back of your neck. It almost tickles - running down your spine and giving your chill bumps. It continues for about a minute - then it hits you. A sudden, painful ZOT of electricity that causes all your muscles to spasm violently for a few seconds...then everything fades to black.....
You wake up to one of the medical doctors looking you over, looking relieved when you wake up. He informs you that one of the failsafes when the power goes out like that is to buzz EVERYONE when the power comes back on... just in case.
After running you through a basic medical exam - testing your reactions, checking pupil dialation, he walks you back out to the lab proper.... as all of a sudden EVERYTHING is abuzz. You catch a glimpse of a guerney being wheeled into one of the emergency labs, Moreau himself hovering over it with an ANGRY and WORRIED look. You catch a glimpse of familar curly brown hair on the patient... who is also covered in blood.
You are QUICKLY escorted out of the labs, and advised to head back to the village.
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Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 11:29 pm
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Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2006 9:18 pm
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Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2006 9:19 pm
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Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2006 9:29 pm
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:27 pm
Awen smiled up at the sky watching a few of the white clouds drift by against the blue background. It was nice just to sit in the sunlight. Her body may dry out quicker in the direct sun, but that's what her trusty water bottle was for.
The manta was definately in a good mood after her talk with Sabin the other day. It was amazing how that man could ease the pain of even such a horrible thing as the grave yard. Awen never thought consciously about the issue whether that was a bad thing or a good thing at all, but she was happy. Which is what matters, is it not?
Lauren hobbled over out of Nita's duplex, wishing to feel some sun on her pelt. She had seen a very nice spot by a tree the other day and planned on going there.
Her mp3 player was blaring in her ears, playing Dresden Dolls Girl Anachronism. The song seemed to be a theme to Lauren's life and many times Amanda Palmer seemed to be singing about Lauren in the song. It was especially true now with the way Lauren looked.
I'm really NOT the carefulest of girls now am I? Lauren asked herself smiling softly. Despite the music in her iPod shouting out Lauren felt at peace and thankful of her life. Being close to death does that to one.
She hobbled by the tree and was surprised to see Awen, now changed so much, watching the clouds. "Awen?" Lauren asked. It had been forever since she had seen the blue haired girl, her heart still tugged a tiny bit but she knew she was over her little crush. Lauren had Nita now.
Awen looked up from her place, or rather down from the clouds, at a distantly familiar voice. Her eyes settled slowly on the nice blond hair and vaguely same colour coat. But the smile and greeting was stuck in the moment as she noticed the girl's patchy hair and fur.
Concerned, the manta ray stood up immediately. "Lauren, oh my gosh, are you okay?" Her peace was gone. The images of the graveyard and old friendly faces returned. So she was not the only one with a close call? Or had the mongoose gotten into a fight with Annie?
The poor girl was confused, not just with the situation, but with her ever present conflict. Islanders or Labs? She felt compassion and caring, sorrow for those hurt or lost and hate for the labs for putting people through this. But the labs did so much for her, opening up her world, and few seemed to be genuinely caring for the subjects. The monster was Moreau, but how much blame could be shifted to the others? She may seem unpredictable or moody, changing from one to the other.... but that is because that's how she feels as well.
But at this moment all that Awen was concerned about was her old friend Lauren.
Lauren was startled a bit by Awen's concern. She reminded herself that she looked horrible. It was a natural reaction. She reached her clawed nail down to turn the ipod off. "I'm fine, I'm recovering fast now." She smiled towards Awen, "It's nothing really. It's good to see you." She reached out for a friendly hug.
"I'm just glad your okay..." Awen stepped forward to hug her old friend. God, it had been awhile hadn't it Almost not since the blackout... only a few times after that, wasn't it? If any...
A small smile twitched to her lips. Just glad for the old face. She gestured to where she just had been. "Would you care to sit?"
She moved and sat a little off the center of the tree, giving Lauren enough room to lean against it also. Looknig at Lauren she decided that it had to have been complications. Even the spunky girl probably wouldn't be able to stand an encounter with the wolf. Besides, she hadn't changed from last Awen saw her. Awen was glad that they seemed to be able to deal with the complications still arising in some characters.
"It's good to see you again..."
Lauren went to sit down, "Yeah I'm fine" She set her cane, which had the head of a skull on the top, down next to her slowly sitting onto the ground. It took a ton of effort to do anything and was a bit painful but the pain killers helped a ton for Lauren's current situation. In fact, it made her much more pleasant and less angry around others.
"It's good to see ya too. So what's been up with manta-girl recently?" Lauren asked playfully. Her gaze went to the clouds that Awen had been staring out. It was a gorgeous day on the island and tropical birds where chirping loudly. Occasionally she could make out one that had caught onto the islanders speaking. One violently exclaimed, 'Moreau sucks, Moreau sucks CAAWWW!' but even that didn't make her angry.
Awen was about to delve into some idle chit chat or catching up story but she jumped hearing the damned bird caw. "Holy geez..." She looked over her shoulder and around to see where it came from but found nothing. She hadn't been sure if it was an islander or a bird. Seeing no oversized feathered being she assumed the latter.
Settling herself back into a relaxed state Awen smiled and chuckled softly. "Damn birds...." Although she couldn't say she didn't agree, she refrained for Lauren's sake. "Oh well... I just got out of the labs. Sabin says I had some complications with the serum. Lungs and gills kind of fighting with eachother before both just huffed and refused to work." A simplified version, but good enough.
She nudged her old friend gently. "I assume something similar? Complications... I mean." Did Lauren know of the graveyard?
Lauren just laughed at the bird, "Pathetic waste of some islanders time," She thought outloud.
Lauren looked a bit concerned, "That sucks a** Awen." She nodded, "Yeah kind of. They say I'm refusing to change, I went into a coma for four months, lost fur and everything. It's shitty whatever it is. Maybe my body wants to be the old Lauren again, but my mind sure as hell doesn't." Lauren was likeing who she was becomming and hated herself so much change was the best thing. Had she stayed human and survived the streets she would be too far into drugs, probably have some std, and definately become a sociopath. She already had some sociopathic tendancies but those had faded with the mongoose's genes.
"It just ******** sucked, I don't remember much but yeah it worried the crap out of Nita." That was the worst part of it in Lauren's eyes, "That and I STILL can't be too active. But I'm recovering." Lauren signed hating herself and her body at the momment. Why couldn't it just obey what it had been told?
Awen nodded slowly and gave a small frown hearing about the coma. "Well... it's over now. The both of us are getting better... And back in our own duplexes, getting back to things...."
She smiled brightly and decided that Lauren probably didn't know about the graveyard any more than Awen had. She wouldn't tell her right now.
"It's good to see you again Lauren... It's been awhile. Eerr... not counting the months both of us were out, I mean."
"Um, briefly I believe." Not that Awen hadn't heard of Lauren and Nita as a couple. Small island, news goes around. "Maryke thought that her tail was a fashion accessory." She laughed softly and wondered briefly how the girl was going.
"But hey I should've come to you too you know." She shrugged a little bit. She smiled and was honestly glad that Lauren found Nita.
"Hey I got a new duplex eh? It's half pool!" She grinned a bit. "Which actually leads into the lake too. "
"Yeah well, life does s**t like that I geuss." Lauren replied. "A lake? NO WAY! That's too ******** cool, I ought to stop by sometime and see it!" It was amazing the amount that Awen was pampered by the staff although Lauren never understood why. Maybe she learned the whole ask and thou shall receive rule that other islanders never seemed to grasp.
"So your lungs and gills aren't fighting again are they?" She asked Awen with concern.
"I'm glad your taken care of." Lauren replied to Awen. It was nice, the aquatic islanders seemed to have it the hardest. That and the extreme predators. But at least the island was trying to make it the best for them as possible and Awen had been out for a while now.
"Do you like being aquatic?" Lauren asked with small concern. It never occured to her until now how horrible it would be. Lauren was thankful her and Nita were both mammals.
"Oh my god!" Awen eyes just lit up at the question. "You have no idea! It is so amazing.... Flying through the rivers at speeds I'd never thought possible, being able to explore and just sit at the bottom of the lake in those caves for as long as I wanted to be alone, you really should see how high I can eve jump from the water, or how it is to look out at the clouds from under the water."
Like a giddy kid on Boxing Day describing to someone what they got for Christmas...
Lauren laughed at Awen's sudden excitement. "I really have no idea do I?" Her world really hadn't changed much besides the sudden need for socialisation. Even that really just reinforced what Lauren wanted deep inside. "That sounds wicked awesome! I haven't changed that much and never will. You have a completely different world."
Lauren looked at her claws, she wondered if she would go towards digging later on. She could sort of dig now but not that well. She was still mostly human.
Awen nodded and then wrapped an arm around her friend and squeezed. "Well I dont think I want you to change anyway. I think yer good just the way you are."
She smiled and sighed a little. "But I wish I could show you things from down there...." Shaking her head slowly she gave a soft laugh. "Man, have I changed or what...?"
Lauren wiggled Awen's head things, "Definately, and you have wings!" She pointed at her wing flaps. But at least you don't have creepy orange eyes!" Lauren winked at Awen playfully. "Would be awesome but eh I can still snorkle and MIGHT convince the labs for a scooba suit so I could. Wouldn't that be hilarious, me in scooba gear!"
Lauren layed back folding her arms around her legs and looked at the clouds some more, "I think I see a rat right there" She pointed up.
"Hey!" Awen protested. "I like your eyes! But yeah snorkling gear would be such a good idea!"
Awen didn't lay down up tilted her head up to the sky. She couldn't see the rat cloud anyway but got to looking. "I see some kind of dragon..." Awen smiled and laughed. She hadn't played this game in ages.
"Once I'm up to it." Lauren was tireing again, her eyes drifting. She couldn't stay awake very long and this had been too much excitement. Still she felt like a child trying to stay awake because they were afraid they would miss something. Sleeping annoyed and scared her right now. She was afraid of falling back into a four month oblivion and not knowing it.
"Oh I see it!! But it's turning into a one legged aradillo right now... with squid tentacles!" Lauren said pointing and laughing. "Hey you know I think I see a manta ray right there, but it's wearing a bow on it's head." Lauren pointed up lazily as she yawned.
"Whaaat? No way that's a manta! Looks more like a sting ray to me...." She grinned. "With a bow on it's head."
Glancing over towards Lauren she gave a slightly worreid frown. "Hey there, you alright? Tired already?"
Lauren yawned. Pain was also starting to fade into reality but she couldn't take those damn pills again for another two hours. "I'm tired yeah. I sleep a lot right now. Can't move a lot. I'm a useless lump for the most part. I hope Nita doesn't hate it." She signed. "I should go pack to sleep" She made a slightly pained face trying to get up.
Awen put a hand on Lauren's arm and gently helped her up. She knew that the girl liked to act tough but sometimes people need the help.
"Nita doesn't hate it." Awen said softly as she wrapped the mongoose girl into another firnedly hug. "She's probably worried, but that just shows she cares. I don't think that girl could hate you if Moreau himself tried to engineer a serum to make her."
She sighed a little bit and let her friend go. "Take care Lauren. I'll be looking forward to snorkling."
Lauren waved, grabbing her cheesy skull cane, "I hope she can't." She giggled through the pain, "You too Awen." Lauren waved and wobbled back to the duplex where she could fall into a nap or just lay down for a bit drawing or reading.
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Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 7:16 am
The past few weeks back in the village seems to have been doing you a world of good. Whatever the doctors did to help stabilize you seemed to have worked. Your strength has been slowly returning, and you could swear that you noticed a bit of peach fuzz over your body just the day before. Today, however, it almost seems like you've gone through an immediate relapse. Your whole body aches, you are going through shuddering shivers alternating with a burning fever. Your head aches, your skin itches and sees to writhe. Then you notice the start of the fur growth. All over your body, even your hair, going through an accelerated regrowth. Over the next hour or so, it's almost as if the chemo had never made it fall out. Then, when the regrowth is nearly at an end, you feel a monstrous pressure in your face. It's much like the sensation of your horns when they began to grow, but it's the front of your face, your sinuses... your teeth... A small muzzle begins to push out, contorting your face to be much more animalistic than before... 
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Island of Moreau Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:54 pm
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Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 7:26 pm
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Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 7:30 pm
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 9:58 am
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 9:59 am
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 10:00 am
Christmas Morning
Lauren had pulled quite a few strings for this morning. She had borrowed a ear piece alarm clock from the labs to ensure she had waken up with enough time to make everything perfect for this morning. And she did.
Outside, a few staff members were undertaking orders on getting ready Nita's Christmas present. All were poised in their positions ready to act when given a signal. Everything was as it should be and Lauren was seeing to it. She had someone come ready with food should Nita and Lauren want to stay in for Christmas breakfast.
The only thing out of ordinary was the scratching at the door.
Lauren hurridly got dressed, and opened the door slightly to give a signal to the staff members. She hurried back to push Nita awake. "Nita!! You HAVE to look QUICK! Something's happening outside!" Lauren urged.
Nita rolled over, mumbling. "What? Lauren, what time is it?" She sat up slowly, rubbing at her eyes, trying to make sense of the noise. Suddenly remembering it was Christmas, the red panda girl dragged herself out of bed. She padded to the door, hugging herself against the chill of the early morning. Out in front stood a largish young dog, a familiar-looking red chair, and.. whatever Lauren had planned.
Immediately as Nita opened the door, the staff members around the lab started dumping fake snow all around the duplex. Lauren looked pleased with herself at this even if she hadn't planned that red chair and the dog. She silently marveled at the design of the chair though. It must of been one of Nita's friends gifts.
And a dog?! Lauren hadn't planned this at all. "What?" She asked Nita as she looked back at the dog.
Fake snow continued to fall over the scene. "Merry Christmas?" Lauren said. She hoped everything here would make Nita happy.
"What the hell?" Nita asked, grinning widely. She craned her neck up and waved at the staff members enthusiastic dumping snow all over the porch. "Well, it's not quite a white Christmas!" she exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Lauren's waist.
The dog jumped up to lick Lauren's and Nita's faces, whining happily and wagging her tail. Nita attempted to brace the dog, peering up into Lauren's face. "So, uh, this isn't from you too?"
Lauren hugged Nita back as the dog came to lick them both in the face, "Um.. the snow is and this is..." Lauren pulled out a box from her pocket and gave it to Nita. Inside was a ruby heart necklace. "But the dog and the chair are from someone else." She laughed a bit at the situation, "santa maybe?"
"Down!" Nita said, although her voice was hardly commanding. She had always been much more of a cat-person. The dog sat at her feet, panting heavily.
Nita opened the box carefully, brushing the fake snow out of her eyes. "Oh my God," she said quietly. "This is absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much." Eyes gleaming, she put the necklace on then stood on tiptoe to kiss Lauren's fuzzy cheeks.
One of the staffmember on the roof coughed. Nita blushed and fiddled with the heart. "The chair must be from Gaius," she said. "He's the one who made that chair for our kitchen area." Picking up the accompanying note, the paper crane from Natsumi, a manila envelope, and the beribboned plastic bag, Nita nodded. "Look at this, drowning in gifts!"
The dog leapt up again, demanding attention. "Er, I guess we'd better get her inside..."
Lauren gave Nita a big hug back and turned around to flip the coughing staff member off. "Bad ugh... what was his or her name again?" She asked Nita. She looked at a paper that came with the dog. "Weird, I don't think I know Abjar. You would think Moreau or Aubrey would sign off on OUR dog. But they have seemed to be busier then normal.
Lauren opened the door for Nita and Comet to get back in. "I love dogs! I used to have some mutts come by when I ran away. I kept one around, named him Mange well cause, he had a severe case of mange. Good dog though." Lauren said as she walked on inside the duplex. It was turning out to be a very nice Christmas morning.
Nita followed, touching the heart pendant gently. "I've only ever had cats," she said, shuffling through the door with her arms full. She placed the various smaller gifts on the table and stepped out again for a moment to haul the new chair inside. "Can I see that paper for a moment?"
"You seem like a cat person. Most of the stray cats scratched my arm and ran away. My dad was allergic to pets so we never had any at my house." Lauren said with the residual venom she always had in her voice when talking about her biological father.
She gave the paper to Nita as she requested. "alright..." She said a little puzzled. "Hey I don't think I ever met Gaius or many of your new friends you made while I was out. Maybe we should have a little duplex warming party?" Lauren suggested to Nita.
Nodding, Nita offered, "I think stray cats tend to be more wild." She shrugged and knelt down to look at the tag on the dog's collar. "'Comet,'" she read. Comet's ears perked up; apparently she knew her own name. "Comet it is," Nita said with a grin, amused.
She scanned the photocopied page, mumbling the information. "Comet, female, just over a year old. Normal, playful, average... huh." Nita stood up and set the page over with her notebooks. "Good; the last thing we need is some souped up dog, yeah?" Grinning, she ruffled Comet's ears.
Lauren's comment caught her by surprise. "A party? Uh, sure, I guess we could do that." No harm in her meeting Gaius, right?
"Come here Comet!" Lauren said in baby talk. Lauren didn't really speak baby talk EVER so hearing it would be quite amusing. "Good girl, Look you have two new mommies here and we'll take good care of you." Lauren thoroughly petted Comet as the dog wagged her tail severely. "Good girl!" Lauren said.
Comet barked a little and licked Lauren's face as she jumped up on her. "I think she liked us." Lauren laughed as she talked, still petting the dog.
Nita was unable to hide her smile or the little giggle that threatened to become gales of laughter. Lauren was usually so tough; to see her acting this way was.. absurd. "I'd hope she likes us! She'll probably get big enough that her not liking us could be a bad thing!" Nita continued snickering as she joined Lauren, her tail curling slightly around the other girl's leg. "We'll have to order a bag of dog-food," she said, wondering momentarily why one hadn't been provided. "And probably a leash," she added, watching Comet bounce around. At least there was a lot of island for running around.
"Yeah, why WASN'T there a bag of food that came with you." Lauren said looking at Comet sternly. This made Comet a little anxious. What did she do? What was this new furry person mad at? She whined a little and sat down looking at Lauren as she tilt her head.
"Oh... MY... GOD, could you get any cuter?!" Lauren said as she tackled Comet. Then Lauren made a effort to tackle Nita as Comet joined the family tackle pile. "I HOPE she's house broken".
Nita cracked up again at the expression on poor Comet's face. "Ah well, probably just an oversi-- ACK!" She squawked mid-sentence, crashing onto the pile and barely avoiding squishing her tail.
"Hey!" She pushed Lauren playfully before sitting up, indignant. "Oh, she'd better be house-trained!" Nita shook her hair out of her eyes in a rather futile attempt to regain her composure. Breathless, she said, "We'd better call in to the labs then and get everything sorted out."
Lauren licked Nita's face as Comet barked playfully. "Alright, alright..." She said as she got off the red panda girl. "We might need a crate too, don't want Comet to barge in on... certain intimate times." Lauren added as she got up and made her way to the intercom.
Lauren was having an awesome Christmas morning and spent much time playing with Nita and Comet before heading out for some food from the cafeteria. She hadn't had such a wonderful family type Christmas since her mother was alive. This filled her heart with warmth and love.
She silently thanked Moreau as the day went on.
[fin]
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 10:01 am
Lauren looked out the window of her duplex... THEIR duplex. She couldn't understand anything that was going on. Nita... she was becoming so distant. Lauren wasn't dumb to the signs. They used to talk about everything, everything went so well before... before...
Did Nita blame her for being away for four months?
No don't think that Lauren thought to herself as she sipped on a bottle of wine. She looked at the bottle wondering when her hatred for alcohol had slipped away. Possibly it was the only fun to be had on the island at times like this. The oceans water was cold with the winters of other places right now. LA did that at times.
Was she actually missing that god forsaken place?
"If it wasn't your fault... whose was it?" Lauren asked herself. She shook her head in turmoil. No such thoughts were blasphemous. Where would she be if Moreau hadn't saved her? How many other dirty old men would have taken her as payment for drugs on the streets? The face of that man... still fresh in her face Lauren put her head down into her hands and whimpered with tears. "No... He saved me" Lauren thought "He saved me, it's not his fault. It's MY fault. My stupid genes." A war had gone on in Lauren's body and it was HER fault. It had to be.
So it was HER fault Nita had grown so distant. <********... Good going Lauren, screwing everything up.
She chugged another drink of the bottle. Down the bottle just like good ol' dad. But she wasn't addicted. She just went to it when she felt this way. When things got confusing it seemed to make them a little easier to piece together little by little. Then everything would suddenly make sense.
Comet sensed Lauren's troubles and laid her head on Lauren's lap. Lauren scruffed the dogs fur. "Good girl." She said to the dog. "Want some?" She asked. Comet merely whimpered. "More for me" Lauren said with a smile and chugged some more.
I wonder what mom would think in this situation? Lauren thought to herself. In many ways Lauren's mother was like Nita. Clean, perfect, beautiful, caring. She would of hated the island and Lauren knew that for a fact. So did Nita hate the island?
"She's dead Comet. Damn would I give everything for her to be alive right now." Lauren whispered quietly. "Cancer... if only Moreau had been around. He would of saved her."
Just like he saved Lauren... just like that.
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