[GRO] Quella Fehtan - Teen

[Hivestuck]

Chittentown has always been regarded as the Alternian capital of technological advancement. Such has never been more true in recent nights. The continued success of the space program has only further invigorated the technological and scientific communities of Alternia. Work spaces and educational facilities have been full to bursting with throngs of aspiring minds.

Laboratory resources have never been in higher demand. However, if there's one thing trollian culture thrives on, it's competition. As such, local government officials were willing to pull strings at the request of famed Superstar Authority winners, heroes of the space program, and military officers, Flydra Dromen and Scorpa Devile. Laboratory space was allocated to the pair--though primarily Flydra--for their personal projects. The only stipulation being that the results be published for use in pro-military and Chittentown publicity.

The lab itself is bright and clean. It's been recently refurbished and contains a broad variety of equipment. The facility managers have made it clear that should specific resources be required, one only need to ask... and fill out the appropriate paperwork. The exterior hallway gets quite a bit of foot traffic from stray scientists and interns curious for a peek at the SHEshells and their work.


Only Buzzwulf, Yamashii, and Doutei may post in this thread. Quote the mule when the RP is complete.

Buzzwulf

Yamashii

Doutei

 

[Yamashii]

The subject would arrive soon. Flydra went over her checklist one more time. Tonight needed to go successfully, even if not perfectly, or it would negate sweeps of research. Normally the tealblood was cool headed and calm but even Flydra Dromen felt stress and anxiety on the eve that was to be her greatest achievement. Thankfully, she had the one thing that could keep her positive and hopeful at her side.

"You said you've met this one before, right?" The doctor asked Scorpa for the third time that night. Quella had been the only troll to respond to the experimental trial and the only one to fit the physical requirements necessary to qualify. They had needed a physically strong highblood, specifically blue, in order to test the effectiveness and effect of the steroid Flydra had been developing. This would be the first injection and first session of the physical training and therapy that would push Quella's body past its current limits.

Scorpa's progress had been a complete success but as she was the first, Flydra was certain the second super soldier could be enhanced even further. It would be useful to compare the two of them and improve her results on the third as well. She put her clipboard down on a counter and waited as Scorpa chattered. Her moirail was always good at filling up the silence with noise. The room was fairly quiet for now save for the hum of a few machines. Flydra had halted the other experiments running for now.

"Do you think she'll show?" There had been many others to volunteer only to run away once things began to get too permanent or real. How brave was this Quella going to be?

Doutei

Buzzwulf

 

[Buzzwulf]

Quella padded into the waiting room of the lab, not certain exactly what to expect. So far, the cities had seemed a little frightning. There were hundreds if not thousands of trolls active all night, and dens that went up and up and up until it looked like they would fall over, but they never did. It was all new to Quella. Still, she was excited to get this opportunity, and Scorpa had told her it would be good for her. Quella desperately wanted to be as strong as the yellowblood some day.

The lobby was barren and clean, and smelled like harsh chemicals to the keen-nosed child. She could tell that this place was something she should be worried about. Quella didn't know what kind of troll would mark their territory with something so manufactured. So... unnatural. The blueblood glanced down at the slip of paper she'd been given. It looked like the lab should be right over there.

As she walked, Quella caught a whiff of something cold and sweet and sickly. It was just on the edge of the chemical cleanser, something that hadn't quite gotten washed away by the cleaning staff. It took her a second to identify the smell.

It was sickness. Maybe death.

Trolls came to this place when they weren't well. Or they were made unwell here.

The unease in her stomach beginning to rise, Quella checked in with the guards and made her way into the lab, peeking her head in through the door. Glistening instruments and white-robed doctors swarmed the room. There were trolls bustling this way and that with paperwork and writing implements and beeping tools. the blueblood couldn't manage to catch a glimpse of Scorpa, or her friend that she'd told Quella about. She cleared her throat, ignoring the dryness.

"Ahem. Hi? I'm Quella. I'm here for some kind of test?"

Yamashii

Doutei

 

[Doutei]

"Of course she'll show! She was so excited when I told her about it." Scorpa replied with confidence. The yellowblood was less nervous than the others there that night. Scorpa was less a scientist and more an assistant or cheerleader when it came to the lab work and thus didn't always understand all the ways the experiments could go wrong. She knew it was possible but at the same time, Scorpa didn't believe it could. Flydra was a genius and would protect against anything like that.

"Quella won't let you down, she's got a fire in her." The soldier nudged her uncomfortable partner with a grin. She had faith in both of them that this was going to work. And then the military would see how amazing they both were and they'd build more of a reputation. It was all about getting results right now. The sound of footsteps shuffled by the door and the blueblood appeared, lighting Scorpa up.

"There she is! Cute, isn't she?" The ponytail slithered away, heading straight towards the other girl. Swooping in for a big hug, Scorpa lifted the girl off the ground with glee as she greeted her.

"Quella! You've gotten taller!" Her eyes teased in mischief before placing the girl back down on the ground. Scorpa smiled down at the blueblood with that confident grin that hadn't left her face all evening.

"Now you're going to get stronger too."

Yamashii

Buzzwulf

 

[Yamashii]

Flydra looked over Quella carefully. The blueblood looked rough around the edges with an unpolished vibe to her. Her height was good and her body looked healthy enough to survive the experiment with little risk. The question was, would it work? Not all trolls adapted to the serum and physical stress very well. Some people just weren't cut out for perfection.

"Scorpa has told me good things about you." Flydra offered her flesh hand to shake Quella's. "You are not here for a test but an enhancement. I will be strengthening your body's skeleton and muscular tissues." The tealblood pulled out a series of folders with diagrams and chemical processes detailed on them. The last folder was a contract, given directly to Quella with a pen.

"You were chosen for this because you have the highest potential for success and the highest chance for survival. It is not too late to back out should you feel afraid or unsure but..." Flydra smiled and looked the girl directly in the eyes. "You don't strike me as the type to shy away from power. If you sign that contract giving me permission to proceed, we may begin." The him of machines continued in the background as Flydra pulled a hospital gown from a cupboard and moved to hand it over.

"Unless you had any questions? I am willing to answer them if you do."

Doutei

Buzzwulf

 

[Buzzwulf]

Quella shook the tealblood's hand firmly, trying and failing not to stare at the scientist's other, less-fleshy arm as she did so. The hunter couldn't help but wonder if Flydra planned to do something like that to her. She didn't know how she felt about that, all that cold unfeeling metal. Plus, Quella kinda liked her arms. And her legs.

"My body is still gonna be all, you know, fleshy, right? Just like faster and stronger and bigger?" Quella turned and looked at Scorpa. It sounded like she'd gone through something similar, if maybe a little different. And Scorpa looked fine! Great, even! So it wasn't like Quella had all that much to worry about. "I mean, if Scorpa can do it, I can do it twice as good!" The blueblood replied with a smile.

Quella stared at the paper that Flydra had given her for a few moments, trying to puzzle out all the words floating all over the page before she got frustrated and gave up. "I mean," she said as she began to shrug into the hospital gown. "What is gonna happen here? What do I need to do to get stronger? Do I need to drink a potion or something?" The blueblood's eyes narrowed as Flydra suggested that she was scared. "Whatever it is, I can more than handle it."

She scrawled an X on the contract without a second thought.

Doutei

Yamashii

 

[Doutei]

"Hey!" Scorpa protested at Quella's words. She let it go, though, as she could guess that the blueblood was just nervous. Now that the yellowblood had earned a spot in the military, as well as the celebrity circles, she felt that she was better than a normal lowblood and didn't have to take that kind of talk as much anymore. But for cute little Quella she'd make an exception.

She had high hopes for Quella.

"Flydra'll take good care of you! She always has for me." Scorpa grinned and posed her arms in a flexing pose to show that yes she was still made of flesh but definitely strong now. The yellowblood was here to introduce Quella to Flydra but also to show Quella some of Flydra's past results. Along with provide a hand to hold while Flydra did all of her usual injections and blood draws and what not. Some trolls needed comfort when faced with all these needles. By now Scorpa was just used to them.

"First she needs to do a quick physical for her records and then we'll start the enhancement! Right?" Scorpa nodded to Flydra. It wouldn't take long, just the usual measurements of height, weight, blood pressure, and what not. Scorpa volunteered to help with whatever minor support she could provide. It felt strange to her to do this in a different lab that usual and so she wasn't as certain where the different medical instruments were stored but she'd do her best to find them.

"I'm here to support her and you. Anything you need, let me know and I'll take care of it." The yellowblood winked encouragingly at Quella.

Yamashii

Buzzwulf

 

[Yamashii]

Flydra tucked the papers away with a smile. They went into a drawer in a desk to be handled later. Now, the real work begun. Scorpa chattered on with Quella as the tealblood fished a tee shirt and shorts and handed it over to the blueblood. The baggy fur-lined clothes she was currently wearing would get in the way of what they had to do.

"I'm afraid it is not as simple as ingesting a potion." After Quella changed into her new gear, Flydra began to check her vitals. Blood pressure, normal. Pulse, a little elevated but not by much. It was good that she did not seem to be scared by this experiment ahead of her. She checked the reflexes, they were sharper than average. By the end of this, they'd be even more impressive.

"You will be getting a series of injections, followed by periods of electroshock therapy. There will be scheduled rest for you as well so your body has time to adjust. These things must be done in stages." To the left of them was a tray of several syringes, each one with a different colored chemical inside. The needles varied in size but they all glinted a cold unnatural light inside the lab.

"We're going to start with the first one now. Take a deep breath and relax. It will not hurt you." Flydra selected the first shot from the tray and placed Quella's hand into Scorpa's. Most trolls were more comfortable to have someone else to focus on instead of the cool prosthetic hand gripping them in place as a scary needle plunged into them.

The needle pricked into Quella's skin and the lights flickered briefly before everything went dark for five seconds. Flydra swore under her breath. The only light illuminating the room came from her metallic arm, illuminating the needle sticking out of the blueblood's arm.

"They told me this wouldn't be a problem. Idiots." The syringe pulled out as the lights came back on and Flydra glared at the door in irritation. "The storm outside has been interrupting our power supply tonight. I was told they had looked into the matter and resolved it but it seems not. We have backup generators we can use, however, so our experiment can proceed tonight should this happen again."

Her eyes narrowed and her lips pouted.

"And it better not." Otherwise, the staff would be seeing a lot of a**-kicking Lieutenant Scorpa Devile.

Doutei

Buzzwulf

 

[Buzzwulf]

Quella Fehtan

"Er," said Quella, getting a queasy feeling in the bottom of her protein tract. She eyed the needle in Flydra's hand. It glistened in the artificial light of the lab, liquid within a deep, vibrant, unnatural hue. Quella gulped. It was just so... medical. the blueblood glanced to the tray with all the shots on it, taking in the pure volume. There had to be three, no, more. Lots. That was a LOT of needles. Plus, she wasn't sure what electoshack therapy was, and she wan't completely certain she wanted to.

The blueblood gripped Flydra's arm just as the power went off, squeezing the military troll tight to her chest. If Flydra could do it... well, Quella could too. But it still looked a bit terrifying. She took a couple deep breaths, in, and out, and in, and out. It was just a challenge like anything else, and Quella wasn't gonna blink. That was for sure.

"Alright," the blueblood said, voice stronger now. "I'm ready." She kept her hand in Flydra's as the first shot pressed through her chitin, a dull ache in her upper bicep that burned a bit as the unnamed fluids pumped into her arm. Quella could feel a dull burning, like a long days workout, but it quickly faded. Quella exhaled out as the needle came away from her, releasing a breath she didn't know she had been holding. The lights dimmed and flickered again for a moment as Flydra selected her next infusion.

"That wasn't so bad," Quella said to Flydra with a grin. "I mean if they're all like that, this won't be to bad after all!"

The second injection was NOT like that.

It stung like an entire hive of buzzbugs had crawled under her chitin and set up a hive there. The little blueblood thrashed as the feeling slowly spread through her arm and into her chest, then slowly, ever so slowly, dissipated. She refused to scream, but her feet kicked the edges of the elevated patient's chair and she squeezed Flydra's hand until her knuckles were white wthe the pressure. The only sound in the lab was the squeak of the hospital gurney and the quiet grinding of Quella's teeth.

Yamashii

Doutei

 

[Doutei]

The air was thick and heavy now as the experiment started. Holding Quella's hand, Scorpa watched as Flydra worked and tried to shut up for a few minutes to let her concentrate. Normally the yellowblood would chatter through her own treatments and trials but she wasn't sure if Quella wanted the distraction or not. Her chest filled with pride as the blueblood endured the first injection with no incidents. The second was another story.

"Quella! You can do this!" The yellowblood grabbed a hold of the blueblood's torso and held her onto the gurney so she wouldn't fall and hurt herself. The flailing legs she would allow, and it seemed her arms were under control. Scorpa felt a duty to protect the blueblood because, well, she'd brought her here. Gripping her, the yellowblood waited for the thrashing to dissipate. Once Quella seemed stable again, Scorpa pulled over a wheeled tray and began to attach some wired patches to the blueblood's temples and body. They had to move quickly while the serum was ready for activating.

"That's all of them. At your mark, Flydra." Scorpa nodded to the tealblood. She'd been instructed to do the busywork while Flydra handled the more complicated steps. The yellowblood waited to let Flydra finish her preparations and gave Quella a small smile.

"Don't worry! You're gonna do great, kid! Flydra's got you taken care of." Flydra's work was infallible. After this procedure, Quella would be invincible.

Yamashii

Buzzwulf

 

[Yamashii]

"You're doing remarkably well." Flydra murmured to Quella as her dear moirail set up the electrode pads and wires. It was a complicated process that gave the blueblood some time to rest after her painful injections. The chemicals coursing through her would continue to produce a pained ache as various muscles became inflamed but nothing would swell to an alarming size.

"There is nothing to be afraid of. The shocks will not be strong enough to harm you." The machines hummed and filled the room with white noise as Flydra set to work turning dials and pressing buttons. There was a faint pulse of energy buzzing through Quella's body now but it felt much more pleasant than the earlier experimentation.

"What we're doing is using a small electric current to spark chemical changes in your body to strengthen your muscles and push them past the peak of troll biology." The lights flickered again and Flydra tsked in irritation. Why hadn't the staff switched the lab to emergency power yet? It was very important for them to be able to proceed without interruptions. For another five minutes, things continued without incident.

Lightning flashed and the room was filled with a bright white light before all went dark. Thunder boomed closer than comfortable. A painfully intense shock shot through the electrodes and Quella's body absorbed too much force to comfortably handle. Every muscle spasmed and bulged and the feeling of floating on pins and needles remained.

She was under going a change. A change that was going to kill her.

"Scorpa! We need power- tell them we need the generator NOW!" The shock had likely been enough to overwhelm her pump biscuit. They needed power for the defibrillator in case her heartbeat had gone into chaotic irregular intervals. Failure was not an option, the life of Scorpa's friend on the line.

And Alternia's future super soldiers.

Doutei

Buzzwulf

 

[Buzzwulf]

Quella Fehtan

Quella felt every injection, each worst than the last. The amount of pain was dizzying, but she tried her best to ride it. The blueblood's entire body ached and felt hot at the same time, like she'd been plunged into a fire. Finally, it was over. Small shivers still ran up and down Quella's body, but she'd made it through the last of the injections and come out the other side.

Quella grinned at Flydra as the tealblood applied electrodes and wires all over her body. "Not so bad." she said, panting just a little with exertion. "That all you got for me?" Secretly, the hunter hoped that it was over. As machines all around her began to whir and hum, she quickly realized that was not the case.

It was almost pleasant at first, a small tingle running through her body, up and down her chitin like some sort of invisible beast. Quella could feel her muscles contracting without her permission, her knuckles white then loose than white again from the intermittent pulses. It wasn't fun, but it was a lot more manageable then the shots had been.

Quella was just starting to think it might finally be over when all the lights went down. She'd just opened her mouth to ask "Hey, what gives?" when the blueblood was hit with a blast of energy that shook her to her core and clamped her jaw shut with a loud clack. She could feel the entire world go white, her eyes roll back into her head. It was excruciating. There was a POP from one of the joints of her prongs as it grew too fast for the blueblood's body, the joint cracking like a dry branch. Then another. Then the young troll's entire body stretched and thrashed, a chorus of crackling bone and sinew. The hunter's body slammed itself against the hospital bed, desperately trying to equalize itself as it grew completely out of control.

Quella could feel her pumpbiscuit fading, beating off-tempo. It felt wrong. Weak. Like it wasn't hers. But it also felt...

Amazing.

As Quella thrashed against the bed, completely beyond reason, she could feel her body rewiring itself. She was becoming something else entirely. It felt like being hatched.

yamashii

doutei

 

[Doutei]

"You heard her! Power! Now!" Scorpa roared as she raced to the door to holler at the other scientists who'd crowded around the door to watch Flydra's treatment. The yellowblood loomed angrily as she barked at the technicians to switch to the emergency power. Her pumpbiscuit flipped in panic as she wasn't able to do much but watch the blueblood convulse on that bed. Gripping the doorframe she struggled to think of some way to help. Flydra was immediately preparing to minimize any damage, grabbing a defibrillator.

But first they needed to cut off the electric current. While Flydra's metal arm was normally an advantage, Scorpa wasn't sure how well she'd fare against an overcharged wire or victim. She needed to do something to make it safe enough for the tealblood to step in. Improvising in the short panic, Scorpa ripped her shirt off over her head and wrapped the cloth around her hands as she ran back, Scorpa grabbed at the wires hooked to the machine and yanked them off. The pads ripped off and Scorpa tossed the wires to the ground. It wasn't the safest option but they had to go somewhere! The important part was she'd removed the source of electricity from Quella.

"Flydra! Hurry!" Now it was up to the medic to direct them what to do. Scorpa grit her teeth as she fell into position beside her moirail, determined to do whatever she had to in order to save her new friend's life. In the distance, voices hollered that they'd switched power sources as the other scientists did what they could to help.

Yamashii

Buzzwulf

 

[Yamashii]

Scorpa moved without Flydra even having to say a word, ripping the electrodes off. The tealblood was grateful to have her there to help. The two of them had been together long enough to predict what the other was thinking or what the other needed. Ripping open the gown covering Quella's chest, she used the rest of the cloth to wipe any sweat off of her. They needed the skin to be dry.

"Come on, comeon-" Flydra scrambled to fit the body with new electrodes from her defibrillator to replace the ones they'd just yanked off. Quella's chest was still rising and falling, even if in fast irregular breaths. One pad went underneath the left breast and to the left of the rib cage while the other was situated higher above the right side of the ribs. The machine began to charge. She navigated the controls, setting it to analyze the heart rhythm.

The lights came on, both in the room and on her equipment.

"Clear!" Flydra half shouted, half exhaled and administered the first shock. Not good. The machine began recalculating and she swore. They should have switched the power source at the first sign of trouble, not waited until something went wrong with the experiment. If Quella died tonight, it was due to her own carelessness and over excitement in the pursuit of power. Unacceptable.

Lives were more important than accomplishments.

"Clear, come on!" She called out again, delivering another. "Please-" The doctor pleaded- with who? Watching Quella's body shake and contort was nothing new to the doctor but seeing the face belong to someone she considered important to Scorpa made it much harder to swallow.

"Clear!" Again.

Doutei

good work, scorps

Buzzwulf

flydra's gonna keep going til you decide quella stabilizes!

 

[Buzzwulf]

Quella Fehtan

Quella could feel someone... somewhere. Trying to wake her up. But she didn't want to get up. She felt so comfortable.

"You heard her! Power! Now!" she heard from somewhere far away. Someone shook her. She just wanted to sleep. Who kept trying to wake her up? She was gonna give them a thumpin'.

"Clear, come on!" The blueblood heard. It sounded even further away. Maybe she was finally gonna get some sleep. Quella felt warm and heavy. "Please-" Then there was a thud in her chest as some charge pulled her from her rest.

Oh gog her chest hurt. Quella coughed, still weak. But...

She felt different.

Very different.

Quella struggled to push herself up on the bed, coughing once then twice to clear the taste of copper from her meal tunnel. "What'd I miss?" she croaked out, a little scared. What had happened to her?

Yamashii

Doutei