Machine Fur Project IC

[AJ Fawxe]

Nine went to work on the console as Four approached him. Nodding softly to him Nine ran a quick scan but couldn't quite finish before hearing footsteps coming up to the far corner. Nine thought quickly and dragged them both around the other corner and stayed pressed against the wall. Looking around Nine's eyes went wide as he remembered that there was a guard that would be coming behind him-right where they were now. Dragging Four around to the next corner Nine pressed them again against the wall.

"The patrol looked thin, but the pattern chokes down on section after section in some sort of pattern and right now, they're choking down on us."

Nine went to check the corner they'd just rounded when suddenly he felt an incredible pain go through his leg just below his knee and he gasped and bit down hard so that the only thing that came out was a strangled groan. Dropping down to his knees Nine turned his head to see the guard who'd been eying them up in the prep room coming at them with a sickening smile. Pointing the gun at Four he just shook his head as if to say 'Don't even try it.'

[Fitzwilliam Jinglesworth]

Four stood still, holding his hands up.

"Fine. I submit. Just let him go."

[AJ Fawxe]

The guard smiled and chuckled seeing Four give up. Though if it ended here then the fun was gone. Aiming the gun down the guard pulled the trigger and a very soft hum was heard then the suit caused the patch of flesh underneath to sear with the feeling of hot metal ripping through his mid-thigh. The guard shot again at the other leg and Nine tried to get the jump on him only to be 'shot' in the hip which caused severe pain due to the 'bullet' hitting his hip bone. Biting his lip till it bled


"Come on.. just call it.." Nine almost begged the guard.


The guard just shook his head. "This is the part where the captured intruders are grilled for info. Except you don't have anything to offer me, so instead of hurting you till you spill your guts. I'm just going to hurt you till I'm made to stop. Now.." The gun shifted back and forth from Four to Nine. "Decisions, decisions. Both of ya are scrawny little data miners. Both failures. Both caused us trouble. This is a hard one."

[Isoke]

 As the guard’s weapon scanned from one subject to the next, an effeminate voice spoke over the exercise room’s PA system.  “Exercise terminated, objective failed.  Officer Hastati, report to my office. Now.”  The cold, harsh tone was clear in the woman’s voice that suggested the guard was about to undergo a verbal lashing at the very least.


Officer Hastati looked up at the nearest speaker as the announcement was taking place, wincing when he realized he had been caught in his abusive treatment of the Subjects.  Again.  “Shit.”  He muttered to himself, lowering his weapon to his side and departing while forcing himself to not look at either of the Subjects as he did so.

[AJ Fawxe]

Just as Nine was getting worried he started to formulate a plan. As the guard started to point the weapon back towards Nine he was ready to lunge and slam the butt into his face but then everyone stopped, hearing the voice. His heart skipping beats Nine's expression was borderline ecstatic though still painted with disbelief.


"'Objective failed' due to broken testing parameters would have been more accurate but at least they wouldn't count it against them."


Alex took a deep breath and relaxed now. Two more guards found them and peacefully escorted them out. They seemed exasperated but it wasn't an urge for malice. It seemed more annoyance at the repeated malice that the officer showed towards them and how it interrupted with the testing. "Fun times, eh Four?"

[Fitzwilliam Jinglesworth]

Four groaned, rolling his organic eye. This constant abuse was beginning to get bothersome. He looked over his shoulder at one of the guards. It felt good to be able to complain to the staff and know that they were on his side.

"How'd an asshole like that even get this kind of job, anyway?"

[AJ Fawxe]

Alex sighed and walked out, a residual ache still in his legs from the very twisted game of laser tag they were on the receiving end of. Looking over to Four he chuckled a bit. The guards simply sighed and glanced sidelong at one another, but otherwise didn't respond to Four's question, Alex was used to this, though. "Don't expect much of a response, if they're bored or sure they're not risking anything they'll give you something incredibly vague." Alex leaned over to Four and whispered, "At least, around me anyways. I think they're starting to trust me again." Once they were out into the halls the guards shut the doors behind them and they were as free as they were before. "Well that's done."

[Fitzwilliam Jinglesworth]

Four blinked at Alex, tilting his head in confusion.

"Again? What do you mean, again?"

[shkkf]

Three walked down the hallways towards the Failures gym area. It was basic in what it had, but that was the onlything it needed. He moved to one of the benches that had been put near a few of the lockers. The area wasn't too large, and sported a few punching bags, some threadmills and a few weights. It was enough for Three to do what he wanted. He stripped off his shirt and pants, before putting on a simple short, the type that the doctors and administration had set up for them, sporting the logo of the facility. A triquetra with within the centre sporting a dna string.
 
The cat never understood why they used that particular symbol. Perhaps as it was a meaning towards the genetic manipulation they did, trying to create equality in a way by diversing it, yet keeping the core structure the same. He shook the thoughts from his mind, too much mumbo jumbo in his eyes. He would gladly just rip it off, but the last time he was forced to sew it back togheter.
 
With the shorts finally on, he proceeded to the punching bag closest to him. It was already rather beaten up it seemed and a replacement would be needed soon enough. But it could still function well enough, as Three started hitting it from the sides before punching lower blows as well. Each time the bag moved, the cat began to see the face of the two doctors that had performed the surgery on him. "We owe you!" Those words were what he heard in his head. "As if!!" grunted the male, he wasn't owned by anyone. He made his own choices, or would try to do so!
Wether or not the plan that Two had in mind would win, at the very least it would shake things up and the man was determined to see this through.
 
 

[AJ Fawxe]

Alex cursed softly under his breath and contemplated whether he wanted to dredge up his past but ultimately decided against it instead offering up some simple and vague response. "The guards used to like me, as much as they can like one of us anyways. I messed that up though. They're wary around me but they used to be outright paranoid. I'm gonna head off, alright? I got.. I don't know I.." Alex drifted off and stared up and down the hall.


"What do I have to do? They're done with us for now. What is there to do? Go to the gym? I'm in an okay condition and my specialty isn't physical. I can move quickly and that's all I need. Oh but when we escape there'll be more! There'll be cars and TVs and games and decks of cards to play card games with. There'll be more to do once we're-"

"Outside." The word came out resolutely and refreshingly, a stark difference from the anxious and uncomfortable tone he'd had before his sentence had drifted off. "I need to step out onto the lawn." Alex walked down the hall with a very blank look on his face which was miraculous given how much was running through his head. Alex stopped and blinked startled when a cloud appeared in front of his face and he realised that in all his thinking he'd made it out to the lawn. Sitting down he sighed and cupped his face in his hands.


"The dead cold is closer than I thought.. We can't waste time.. I want to be free from the scientists, free from the corrupt guards, free from the administration.."


Not for the first time the images flashed through his mind. Sobbing hysterically and clutching his head the hybrid turned and watched as smoke came from a terminal he was meant to run advanced cyberwarfare procedures on. It was too much for him and his brain was overtaxed. Even overclocking his systems it was too fast. Then as guards moved in to take him out of the room some exploded and glass flew at them. Alex was terrified and upset-he hadn't meant for them to be hurt but the stress made it happen again and some more guards got hurt then suddenly he felt something hit him hard on the side of the head and there was a knee pressing hard-too hard-into his back. The scientists told them to calm down but they were scared too and hurt. "This is exactly why we have failures like you under closer supervision, you're a bunch of evil, destructive monsters." Then they dragged him out. The therapists tried to undo the damage and it worked, mostly..


"I want to be free from everything," The words slipped from his lips quietly as he buried his face in his knees.

[Lavender_Stripes]

Thirteen gasped, freezing as the flood of information and pictures entered her mind. Emotions swirled with one another and everything blurred into the background. Cold air swirled from her nose and mouth, her eyes seeming to fog over as she became lost in her mind, trying to sort out everything. Tears poured from her eyes, but not of her own volition. It burned against the cold air, but she couldn't bring herself to wipe them. One word escaped her lips. A single word, spoken as soft as the hoot of an owl. "Nine..."

[shkkf]

As Three was panting from all of the working out he had been doing, the male went to his locker. And then to the shower of the room. His clothing was placed aside as he quickly went to take a shower letting the sweat and heat vaporise thanks to the nice wet water that soaked him. Two showers in one day was a bit much and normally he wouldn't do it, but being messy and smelling like sweat and testosteron wasn't particurly fun.
 
Once he had cleaned himself did the feline move to grab his gear and put on his clothing. He stared at the gym and somewhat smirked as an idea popped into his head. The administration allowed everyone they had in the complex, as far as Three knew, play with simple card games. The guards themselves were also always playing games and Three had learned something they had referred to as Patience... A simple game, but something to bring his mind to ease, as his room was not too far he decided to go there and grab a set.
The door opened and he placed his filthy gear on the bed, it would soon be taken away anyways. As the administration did tended to their needs, if poorly. The deck of cards was quickly taken and seeing his chance to go outside and enjoy the nice weather was enough to motivate him to do so.
 
The camera's seemed to have been tracking Three, but then again they always tracked movement. A standard issue or something he imagened. They became normal and he had ^them all mapped out. Seeing an oak tree and a small desk, he put himself to it and laid the cards down. A guard that was stationed outside kept an eye on any of the Subjects venturing out. But in Three's case, the fact he could now fly was more than enough reason for the guards to be extra carefull.
 
The cat did not let it bother him as he spread the cards and smiled. He had once seen a few of the security watch a poker match when he was younger and he would just have loved to learn to play it. Heck, it would be a good training method for the mind. Even chess! Something the successes had, was one of the few things he was jealous about and would love to try his hand on.

[AJ Fawxe]

Alex  drew in a cold breath and let it out, warmed from his body heat it fogged in the air before him and for a moment he was tempted to just run, as he always was when these things came back to haunt him. Now it was so close, he'd never seen much point in going out onto the lawn since it represented a small piece of something he'd never get. Like giving someone love and adoration then making them live the rest of their life jaded and alone. Now it was something close, so close he thought he could just take it. Somewhere deep down though he knew he couldn't do it alone.


Echoes drifted through his mind.


'Failures.. evil.. destructive monsters.. evil.. evil..'

Always that one word above all else. Alex had been told that to be evil was to be vile, hateful, irredeemable. Then he'd been called it and he'd started to believe it. The therapist taught him about the nature of evil though, and some things stuck. Sometimes Alex wasn't sure about it, but he cleaved to it nonetheless. It felt like he was caught in a raging river and those words, those ideas, were a solid rock jutting from the riverbed. If Alex didn't cling to that rock, he'd be carried away somewhere far away, and Alex knew where it was, too. Towards true evil. Sometimes when Alex felt cold and hated by the looks that some gave him he just wanted to give in.


"If you think I'm so evil then let me be evil! Let me show you what this idea of yours truly is.."

Even as Alex said it his face grew tight and his lips tugged down but he shook his head and hugged his knees a little tighter. No, don't indulge, never indulge. Alex simply stood and rubbed the heels of his handpaws into his cheek and rubbed at the damn fur then walked back towards the facility, stopping only when he saw Three, he had a deck of cards. That was oddly enough the first thing he noticed, however he soon put together what he'd learned from One. Going over the details-his fairly light build, felid genus, it all matched. Suddenly shifted back into his planning mode he walked over. "Hello Three, I don't think we've met."

[shkkf]

Three stayed focussed on his cards as he played a queen on a king. As he heard the voice he chuckled slightly.

"Havn't I? I have met all of my unit Nine... I do admit it has been a long time at that." As the cat made a gesture to the other side of the bench. The guard held his weapon sturdy not wanting to lower his attention.

"So tell me, to what do I owe this suprinsing visit?... It is nice to see someone else who has some standards." As he brought his head up and smiled. Taking the cards togheter and shuffling them. "Care for a match? Or was there something on your mind?" As he arched a brow, yet smirked softly.

"I come here to relax you know. This may not seem much, but this small garden lets me put my mind at ease."

[AJ Fawxe]

Alex nodded softly, remembering that just because he didn't pay much attention to them doesn't mean the reverse was true. "Formally met.." Alex corrected himself. Alex found it would be simpler if everyone were on the same level with him as he were with them, though Alex would simply have to live with that, adjust.


"Say I did want to play, I've heard a few things about this game called Tex-us Hold Um?" Alex sounded the name out phonetically and it was only somewhat noticeable that he wasn't entirely clear on it. "It's a game about luck much like our lives, and deception, much like everything in this facility." Alex made an exasperated show of it but when he sat down and adjusted his glasses he shielded his face from the guard and gave Three a very pointed look, trying to communicate to him that he knew.


Hopefully Alex would find a subtle way to communicate through the game.


Blinking Alex looked up to him, "Standards? What do you mean?" The words suddenly registered in his brain as odd.