Kaylee frowned as she was led down the bleak white hallway, plotting her escape route. Spotting her landmark, she braced for the change. Within five seconds Kaylee had gone from girl to New Guinea Singing Dog, golden red pelt shining under the fluorescent lights. Recovering from the fast change, she felt the last bone shift into place and leaped at one of the guards- bowling him over. Despite the fact that her front paws were chained together, the attack was fairly effective until the other guard decided to gang up on her. With a snarl, she clamped her strong jaws onto the guard's throat, piercing his jugular, and released him. She fell to the floor with little grace and got to her feet with even less. As soon as she was up, she was sent flying into a wall by the other guard, who had kicked her in the side. Taking advantage of her slow recovery, the guard crouched over Kaylee and swiftly hit several pressure points on the New Guinea Singing Dog's legs. Kaylee finished recovering from the earlier blow as she was grabbed by the scruff of her neck and dragged the rest of the way down the hall, snarling and barking as she went.
At the end of the hall a reinforced steel door was opened and Kaylee was pulled into the large white room on the other side. As the door shut behind her, Kaylee noted that she was the only one there, which was nerve-wracking as ideas raced through her mind regarding what the scientists could be planning.
Within a couple minutes, she could feel her legs again and was managing to stand up and migrate to a corner, where she laid down, head on her paws, which had been unchained several minutes before, as she waited for something to happen.

Bastien, being led down an adjacent hall, heard the scuffle. Curious, he turned his head, but the guard holding the chain attached to the collar around his neck tugged sharply. Bastian was pulled forward, stumbling on the chains attached to his feet. The noise echoed in the hall, as he was forced into a forward looking position again. He looked at the back of the guard's head with a dangerous glare. If only he could get his hands free...But then again, what would he do if he did manage to get his hands free? He was weak, his bones delicate. There wasn't much he could do.

If only he could fly...

If only his bones weren't so weak.

If only his transformation wasn't into a slender snake killer...

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening broke through his thoughts. The door that would open up to an area where he could mingle with other experiments. Where he could take possession of his life for perhaps a few hours, talking to the others.

He was shoved inside, the chains around his wrists and legs, and the chain attached to the collar, were taken away. The collar remained there, just in case. it was the sort of collar that no matter what size his neck became, it would grow or shorten with his neck.

He couldn't get out of it.

Bastian blinked in the semi-darkness, making his way into the center of the room.

"Aww come on, don't be cross just because i messed up your pretty face mate" Reap taunted to one of the six guards escorting him. six He thought, Thats an improvement on the four from last time. I guess they knew i would try and escape...again. Reap was chained from his neck down, allowing only movement in his legs, the white corridor he was being led down looked the same as every other one here. Just another hallway in his life. He let himself be led without more struggle to a large steel door, as one of the guards opened it they undid the chains on him one by one. Inside the room he saw a girl laying down in the corner. One of the guards began shoving him forward, the guard was bleeding profusely from a broken nose, likewise one of Reap's knuckles had traces of blood on it. Unluckily for the guard, the moment he shoved was the exact moment the chains on Reap's arms were taken off. He turned around in a flash and tackled the guard with a broken nose, getting him on the ground Reap let loose with punch after punch into the guards face, until the five other guards manged to get hold of him and threw him into the room. They helped the wounded guard up and carried him out of the room, shutting the door as they did so. "I'll see you tomorrow mate!" He called out to the wounded guard as the door closed. That was eventful He thought as he inched his way to the far side of the room, away from the girl. He turned so that she would be unable to see what he was doing, but more importantly so the camera on the ceiling of the room wouldn't either. He quickly slipped the passkey he had slipped from the guard during the assault into his pants. Hard part over, now i just have to get through this 'gathering' of other subjects.

Kerrik heard the guards steps long before they opened his door. He was crouched in the corner, tapping on the wall. His visor was on his forehead, revealing his foggy green eyes. "So, your here, huh?" The guards who approached him must have been new, for they were acting like they were going to have an easy time putting the binds on him.

"Alright, let's not have any problems." One of them said, making subtle movements toward Kerrik's left arm. Kerrik sat crouched, not moving, drawing the guard into a false sense of victory. Getting the cuff latched on Kerrik's left arm, the guard went toward the right. "He, and they said you were going to be difficult." The other guard had another set of cuffs for Kerrik's legs. Before the guard could snap the other cuff on his right arm, Kerrik jerked his arm and he back-handed the guard. Startled, but not deterred the guard attempted to cuff Kerrik's other arm. Making a fist, Kerrik brought his arm up and clipped the guard under the chin.

Kerrik turned toward the door. "Your newbies here get weaker every time. What are you doing?" The guards there gasped as Kerrik seemed to be looking at them. He sighed, got up, and calmly took the binds from the other guard that was nearby. After deciding it would be too much trouble to keep messing with these new guards, he calmly started hooking himself up. He stood there, the arm bindings and leg bindings were connected. He followed the other guards, leaving the first two guards in his room.

The hallways were always the most boring part of any walk outside of his room. They were too smooth and featureless. In his mind's eyes, he could swear they were white. Kerrik listened to the two only things he could, the footsteps and breathing of their little group. One of the guards by his side, which was one of the guards that were by his door, had reached over and pulled his visor down. though it had no effect, the feeling calmed Kerrik down a bit. "Thanks." Kerrik muttered softly. "Will you apologize to those other guards from earlier?"

"No problem." said a surprisingly feminine voice. They stopped, Kerrik wasn't sure where. He heard a door unlocked, and the guards unbound him, prodding him forward. The door shut, leaving Kerrik in the room. From the sounds of things, he could hear other people in the room. Though it was by scent he was able to identify them. There was the unmistakable female canine, Kaylee, and a real deadly serpentine scent belonging to the one known as Reap. Not wanting to be troublesome, he went to stand on the side of the door opposite that which it opened. (i.e.- if the door opens to the right, he stands on the left.) He could hear the steps of other people who were being brought to the room.

Marcello sat lazily in his room, flipping through his magazine as he heard the foot steps of the guard growing nearer. They were soft foot steps, careful ones, ones of a woman. He glanced at the clock with a devious grin. Quickly, he threw off his tee shirt and began doing push ups on the floor.

“Two-hundred!” Marcello huffed as the pretty female guard named Joy walked in.

“Oh hey! I didn’t realize it was time, how embarrassing” Marcello said with a devious smile, stretching out his arms as he stood up.

Joy pushed back an escaping smile as a few male guards walked in, holding the chains.

“Eh man! How’s it goin?” Said the guard named Benny as he put Marcello’s chains on. This was a daily routine, the chains didn’t mean anything anymore.

Marcello smiled at one of his many guard friends, accepting the chains nonchalantly. He had never struggled against them, no there was a time and a place to try and escape. Now, there was no plan.

“Just fine, just fine. How’s the Wifey?” Marcello asked with interest as he was escorted down the long white hall. He chatted with Benny before they finally got to the social room. They entered, still chatting away and cracking jokes.

As soon as Marcello’s chains were off and the guards left, he looked around the room. The room was large and colorless. Lots of chairs and tables, a few ceiling fans and broken track lighting. It was a rather boring room. Marcello liked it better when they had out door rec time. Plenty of room to run.

Kaylee was in the corner of the room, in her animal form. She must have tried to fight back, again. Bastian was ever so awkwardly in the middle of the room. Poor guy always looked like he was about to blow away or break if you shake his hand too hard. There was Reap also. Marcello’s confident smile turned into a hateful grimace. He was obviously fiddling with something in his pocket. How annoying, it was sure to be another failed attempt to escape. One that they would all get in trouble for.

Marcello sighed, wishing that his fellow experiments were more sociable. He walked over to Kaylee in the corner of the room with his signature shinning smile.

“Hey Kay, what’s with the fur look?” He asked as he ruffled the fur atop her head.

Xanna huffed angirly at the unlatching of her cell door. She raised an eyebrow, wondering what they wanted with her now.
"Come on, let's go. Were getting you to a social club." The gaurd joked, laughing heartily as the other gaurd intruded into her personal living quarters to attempt to get her to leave.
"I don't wanna go." She retorted. The gaurd rlled his eyes and got on his walkie talkie. "I'm gonna need some backup, subject is resisting." He lunged at her again, but she just sneered. This was a game to her. "You can't catch me." She teased, hurrying to the other side of the room out of reach. Someone knocked on the door and six more gaurds came trudging in, armed with clubs and rope and handcuffs.
"You can either go the easy way, or the hard way, Miss Shaw." One of the gaurds said. She sighed and want towards them, offering her hands to be bound and they slapped a pair of handcuffs on her. Morph as a lion, she could easily break out of them, but she knew if she struggled she would just be beaten again. She was held by two gaurds, then two walked ahead of them, the other four behind. "This is ridiculous." She complained, looking behind her at the too many people surrounding her. "I hate people." She hissed, and the gaurd on her right jerked her arm so she would face forward.
Xanna glared at him, then looked down to his arm that was around hers. She looked back up to his face and he hadn't been paying attention to her. She swiped fast, digging her sharp teeth into his arm and shaking her head viciously.
Immediately the gaurds began tugging on her to try to get her off, but she had a good grip. She was like an animal, the way she attacked him, her eyes were shut almost calm looking at she tore at the gaurds arm.
Finally someone bashed her over the head, then everything went black.
The gaurd picked her up throwing her over his shoulder and went to the room, as they were on the way though, she began to come to.
Her breath was settling, as well as her crazed heart. It had been beating violently before, but she had eased it to a steady thumping. She realized now that she was not touching the ground. Someone had picked her up. She began to struggle again, but this gaurd was very strong.
She looked behind her, seeing the gaurd she had bitten who held a napking to his profusley bleeding forearm.
"Awh, did I huwt you with my wittle teeth?" She cooed, smirking to him. She wasn't lying, her teeth were wicked, but it was the lion in her. All of her feline friends should have it. Or maybe she was just a mistake.
The gaurd opened the door to the cell that held the others, throwing Xanna inside. She tumbled over, a mess. "Ow." She said, shaking her head, she wanted to charge him. That fall had really hurt her head. She growled at him as he closed the door.
She went to the only table in the room and sat down, slamming her head on the table. "F.M.L."
~-~-~-~-~-~-~
Axel had been next to his cell window. He was waiting until, perhaps, a wolf could walk by. How delightful that would be.
He saw one of his canine friends and an eager smirk stretched across his features. He went to his bed and lay down, thinking hard about the brain of the wolf outside.
As if going into a dream, he fell asleep and then he woke up. His golden eyes opening to see the outside world. "Awwesssome." He thought to himself, beginnng to lope around on four paws. He loved to change, it was definitely his favorite hobby.
But he knew he could not stay like this for long, they might be coming soon. If he didn't wake from his 'sleep' they would know what was up, and he could not let this happen. He was already brusied up enough as is. He ran a little more, then went back to the facility, thinking of his human body, he woke up in his normal form.
"Exhilerating." He whispered, as soon as he did, the door opened and two gaurds came in. "Hey Jason." He said cooly. "Sup Tre." He nodded his head upwards to his usual gaurds who cuffed him.
He was used to this, and with so many failed attempts to escape on his hands, he knew the best thing to do was just keep it cool for a while, maybe get the gaurds trust back.
He was transported to a room with plenty of others. He had only seen one or two before and he recognized the girl at the table, even with her head down. He could identify her tattoo's from here.
He went around to the other side of the table taking one of the vacant chairs and propping his feet up on the table.
"Sup, Lion Girl." He greeted.

Matt was dead asleep when the guards walked in. After a quick nudge, he sat up wordlessly, yawning. "Could have let me sleep..." He rubbed the back of his head. They held up the chains, as usual. And as usual, Matt shook his head.

"Not wearing those. You know how it is." He started to walk towards his door sleepily. The guards were on him in a second. Matt did nothing but duck under ones swing, and kept walking. One actually pulled out his stun gun, and shot at him. Matt stepped to the left.

The experiment rolled his eyes. Nothing new. They were on their little walkie talkies or whatever they were. "Subject is resiting. Again." The guard couldn't help but add the last part. His tone was not unnoticed.

"One or two?" Came the reply. As usual. "One." was the gaurds reply.
"Who cares. He'll do as asked." They other end automaticly became apathetic. "Just watch him."

The guards were out of Matt's cell now, pointing their guns at him, but he still kept walking to that dark room with the semi-people. The guards followed him, never lowering their guns. Matt sighed before he walked into the room.

"Hola amigos." He said simply as he walked to one of the tables and sat down, yawning. Mornings were so dull...

The integrity of bondage in her life was consistent to the desire of sanguinary thoughts for a predator. It never left and it always molded her perspective on an important state of being. It could not be altered either. In truth, the system was not much more than the element of restraint that better defined what freedom felt like to Kellyn privately. When she felt the cold reality of metal bound to limit her limbs, it served its purpose. But where he body could not exalt itself under the suppression of being a prisoner to research, the mind tried hard to evaporate in an introvert existence. She tried very well over the years to find a catharsis in dreaming, especially now that writing no longer posed to be a safe escape.

Before they began leading her down the hall, Kellyn had been in the atmosphere of past experience over the last six months. It was an obscure relief to be pulled out from the dark nimbus that hung in her mind about Dr. Patrice, her journals being exposed and used to crudely strip her identity all because of the homicide of another peer. Kellyn didn’t understand why they cared so much about her behavior when she knew they didn’t see them as human beings. Not the definition they claimed to be human. Why would the justice of human society exist in this facility? And how could the immoral individuals who are the alumni behind this research believe themselves rightful judges of behavior?

“How can they call themselves human?” This question often spoke inside of her mind, though it was not the most important for her to answer. Veiled in shadows of imagery, memories, and feelings from solitary confinement with herself, Kellyn came to always be inspired in critical thinking of states of being.

Her feet stopped in the instance of arriving to a metal door that held no definition in its face. She waited to know what was in store for her when the entrance was opened. The only time she paid any mind to guards was when they undressed the chains and cuffs. Kellyn rubbed the calloused developed from constant contact with the clasps on her wrists, busying her hands for a moment as she turned on her heels.

There was only one other peer in their human state, a comforting attribute. Kellyn felt a notion of frustration when others became the forms of their promoted DNA around her, whether in spiritual aspiration or physical transmutation. She was still under the oppressive rule to her probationary period; that there would be no use of the Special ability around fellow students in social recesses. This clearly was one so far since it wasn’t in the schedule of testing or academic hours. They were alone as peers in the room which, any time without a scientist or guard, was relieving. At least in illusion, the video camera still held its own authority over them.

Kellyn’s vision slowly adapted to the dim lighting, pulled out of her thoughts by the physical change. A few chairs and tables, a general white board with a red pen. The only profound feature was the other student. He stood substantially tall, but shallow in most of his features. The dark eyes, or more precisely the nigrescent feelings seething in them, were the heaviest and most defined part of this other student. She didn’t have a problem holding eye contact and craftily observed him as she circled the parameter of the room. Her steps evenly paced from the door toward the white board, the soft cotton shuffling of her uniform a subtle sound. “My name is Kellyn. Do you know why we’re here? Do you mind telling me your name, as well?” Oddly dressed in a request, the girl’s tone gripped the severity of command. She was stalking him, large eyes like translucent azure orbs that calmly glassed over Bastien and the space between them. Kellyn naturally walked with her right side angled for his viewing, while the left profile of her was cast from view, the scars denied their presence to the other experiment. She had never met him in any class and wondered if he knew her at all, or remembered the event that took place half a year ago. The obvious re-cap for anybody would be the tell-tale scars graphed over her face like three, unfeigned tally marks.

“My name is Kellyn. Do you know why we’re here? Do you mind telling me your name, as well?”

Bastien had heard the door open. But he had not moved. Kellyn...the name seemed familiar. Slowly, he lifted his head, studying her silently. She walked funny - must have something to hide on that side. Bastian's lips twitched, in an almost sort of twisted, sardonic amusement. "The infamous Kellyn Kupcake." He emphasized her name with the wrong syllables, tilting his head to continue looking at her from a different angle. "I am pleased to meet your acquaintance. My name is simply Bastien."

Of course he had heard about the event half a year ago. He was very good at listening in on conversations. Seeing as the guards chatted all the time, almost at ease around him, he knew quite a bit of what was going on in the facility. Must have something to do with the fact that none of the guards saw him as any threat. His physical physique - weak, delicate. He kept up that facade almost easily. All he had to do was sit in the corner of his cell, his legs wrapped around him. Or pace, patiently, never showing any signs of a temper. Unless, of course, until the doctors come in.

Then he starts with the hissing and the biting. So more guards come in during experiment time, but less guards come in during...other times. Bastien loved his ability to switch personas on a dime. To give a different face to everybody that approached him. But that meant he didn't know what the real Bastien was like. What if there wasn't one? What if there was only the separate Bastien's, all forced into one body, leaving him with a fragmented mind. But this fragmented mind was quite good at remembering things it had picked up when guards thought he was sleeping. Who knew guards were so eager to gossip?

They gossiped about the experiments, about which of their friends had gotten attacked again, and which of their friends had been promoted to an area with less...violent experiments. And then they talked about how glad they had gotten Bastien, or rather, Experiment #1518 to guard, because, you know, He's so weak and delicate looking. He can't hurt anybody even if he wanted to.

Bastien had to resist spitting out a sharp insult, probably involving the guard's mother and the guard's beard all in one, to keep up said facade of weak and delicate looking. Otherwise he'd get less free time, more guards.

Bastien might not have been strong.

But he was intelligent - far more intelligent, it seemed, than the experiments who constantly tried to escape. What would they do when they got out? They didn't know how to survive.

"And as for your former question, I am not entirely sure why we are here." Bastian still didn't move from his place in the center of the room, as he scanned the room for what might have been the first time. "Perhaps they suddenly wished to let us have friends?"

He smiled.

But it wasn't really a nice smile...

Reap glanced up as Marcello walked in,his face being kept carefully emotionless thanks to years of self training. Then standing up he examined the room they were in more carefully. It was big enough to keep his claustrophobia from kicking in, but that didn't make it comfortable. He had already been planning his next attempt, it would start at the classrooms. Only two guards at the door there, once through he would stay low and alert as he made his way through the many hallways. Following a pair of blueprints he had found buried in the quote unquote: library. He would avoid the heavily used areas, staying on the edges of the compound until he got to the elevator, it would have four guards at least, once he dealt with them he would use his key card to take it up to surface level. Then all he had to do was find a window. The entire attempt would be blown of course if the alarm ever sounded, which was why last time he was using his king cobra he had bite into a small container he had planted on the testing ground and extracted some venom into it. Retrieving the container later he found himself with enough venom to paralyze at least a few guards for a few hours. By then he would be long gone. Hopefully His mind added at the last second. One could say he was a failure at escaping thus far, but no one could say he wasn't a good planner.

The sound of the door opening again, this time it was Xanna, a girl whose company Reap actually liked. His strange eyes, a mixture of human, snake, feline and hawk glanced briefly at the scuffle between Xanna and some guards. He winced slightly when she got bashed in the back of the head. That had to hurt He was on the verge of getting involved himself, when it ended. Sighing he shook his head slightly, Ignoring everyone around him he slowly walked to the table with Xanna and Axle, leaning on it he looked at Xanna. Then merely put a comforting hand on her shoulder, his way of asking Are you alright?

Xanna picked up her head slowly. Who was adressing her? She could not exactly tell, but once she lifted herself up off of the table she could see exactly who it was. Normally quiet little cocky boy. He didn't seem to talk to many at all, so they didn't know him the way that Xanna did, but she knew the real him. Somehow she had eroded his outer shell, the one that blocked off people and he had simply found her easy to talk to. On often occasions he would tell her his feelings about the other women in the facility and his opinion on their looks. Xanna mostly scoffed, rolling her eyes. He never got to know them, he just liked them by animal instinct and what not. She sighed, shaking her head, finally speaking up to the blonde haired boy.
"Well, I just got thrown in here against my will." She said, growling a bit. She lay her head back down slowly but was interupted by a hand on her shoulder. "What?" She snatched the wrist of whoever it was trying to get her attention. Her grip was fast, cat-like, like the lion inside of her. It was strong, as well. She obviously had hidden strength under her white uniform. Her eyes raised to see who it was and immediately released him. "Oh, sorry- I totally thought....I'm fine, thanks." She offered a fake smile then as if he had reminded her of the fall, her hand went to her head to rub the sore spot. "Take a seat," She offered, pushing out the chair next to her for him to join her and Axel.

Matt's eyes snapped open as he heard the slap of skin on skin. He lifted his head up to look over at the three people at the table, and frowned. He sort of wanted to be over there with them, talking. But unless he was invited... Matt sighed. Oh well. Being alone wasn't anything new for him.

... Of course, given a little thought, he realized he was never really alone. Matt shuddered at the feeling. He needed something top distract him. Now. He looked around the dim room, silently counting off the people in here. There was Xanna, Axel, ... Reap, Matt thought his name was. He never talked, so Matt never really got a chance to meet him well. And, turning his head, he could just make out Kaylee (His eyes lingered a bit on her, and his smile grew just a little) and pretty boy - Marcello - in the corner. but they seemed to be talking, so they were out too. He was by himself.

So with another sigh, Matt stood up and walked over to the door of the room, knocking on it lightly. "What." A voice came from the other side.
"Can I have my book?" Matt asked nicely, smiling even though the guard wouldn't see it.
"I'm watching my game." The guard said simply. The sounds of a small TV could be heard from the other side of the door.
"I'm wanting my book." Matt frowned.
"I'm saying too bad."
"Please bring me my book?"
"Shut up."

Matt took a few steps back. This was obviously not working. Time for a new approch. He crouched for a moment, then ran full speed at the door, jumping up and kicking the thing as hard as he could. The door was steel. It didn't take a intellegent person to know it wasn't going to be broken through. But still, it made a lot of noise. Matt slid down the wall, sliding into his fighting stance perfecting, and landed blow after blow on the door. The noise wasn't to terribly big, but enough to annoy the average person.

"KNOCK THAT OFF! I CAN'T HEAR!" The guard yelled.
"Oh I'm sorry. If only I wasn't so bored..." Matt smirked. He kicked the door again.
"FINE! I'll get you yer damn book... hold your damn horses..."
Matt smiled with his victory, and walked back over to his table to wait for his source of entertainment to arrive.

Elspeth stood in the room with four or five people around her; she was hooked up to wires that was all over her body, her head, her legs, her arms, everywhere. She had on what seemed like a white hospital gown; in front of her there was a large grey wolf standing with a muzzle and a choker around it's neck. They all stared before she closed her eyes and felt herself melt away, as if she was cake batter being poured into the pan; it was a weird feeling that she could never describe. The second she closed her eyes, her body fell back like she had fainted from shock of some sort and the wolf that was in front of her suddenly gave the signal of bowing to tell the guards and scientist that she had transferred to the body of the wolf. They started to write stuff on the piece of paper before Elspeth stood again, in her own body.

They nodded before a woman in a white suit walked in with that cheesy smile. "Well, Elspeth, congrats, your strong and healthy and your still functioning normal. I guess its natural for you to hate us since we did take your life away, but I guess drawing and painting is better than anything else. I just want you to be normal; so if you can, please try not to draw, paint or 'doodle' anymore." Elspeth's cold and always present glare shifted towards the lady; it was her therapist, the one who was always smiling and always telling her how it was bad to show some difference than the other people who are here. She said nothing, and did nothing as they handed her her clothes to change into. She was use for them to watch since she has been watched since she was two. Once she was done, they grabbed her arms and led her down towards the room where everyone was staying.

When she had arrived, her glares shifted over everyone, trying to examine on which one was which. She made her way towards the corner of the room; practically grabbing a chair from a table and dragging it to the corner where she wanted it to be. She hated this place; she was anti-social since she had gotten here, really never interacting with anyone who came here. She ignored everyone in there; not paying a bit attention. It was always like this, she set herself off and ignored anyone who tried to interact with her and they eventually left her alone; hell, the therapist would be lucky to even hear her speak. All she did was draw pictures of her therapist being cut up in great and morbid detail; even showing the bones and right vain and what not. She leaned her head onto the wall as she started to stare off in space at the white floor; quietly shifting her feet over one another.

Kaylee looked up at Marcello with a slightly annoyed expression at his cheerfulness.

What's he got to be happy about, I wonder? Does he even realize we're trapped here? her thoughts echoed emptily in her mind, but went unanswered, since no one else could understand her.

Kaylee sighed, putting her head back down between her paws, she wished someone else would change forms. At least then she'd have someone else to talk to. She didn't particularly want to change back to her human form and scramble for clothes, so she stayed in this form.

C'mon. Someone change ove- Kaylee's thought was interrupted by a loud banging, eliciting a growl from the girl gone New Guinea Singing Dog.

As soon as she figured out what was causing the racket, she got up and trotted over, nudging the boy's hand, she sat down next to him, watching the boy patiently as he sat at the table. In an effort to express curiosity, she tilted her head to the side and barked, a single, long, howling note hanging in the air. The signature bark of the breed she transformed into.

“Pokey de poke, pokey poke poke.” Repeated Heroku as the nurse poked a needle in her arm. “Iaahh! Yup, poke certainly is a funny- Errraaugh- word.” She sputtered as her tiny body curled in pain. Why did they have to use such long needles all the time? The nurse looked up at Heroku, annoyed and unwilling to humor her.

“Oh Beatrix. You are such a meanie. Wish I could poke the Meanie. Mhhh, it wouldn’t be as effective as when you do it though.. Those nice man arms are very different from my delicate feminine ones. Does your wife mind it? You’re the butch one yeah? I mean, I would think so since your mustache is growing in so nicely!” Heroku said as sincerely as she could make herself sound.

Beatrix the nurse shoved in the needle even farther, cracking a cruel smirk as she did so. “Oh, my bad” said Beatrix with an evil smile as Heroku cried out in pain. Heroku knew Beatrix was not a lesbian, she knew that Beatrix was in desperate need for a man. She went out to bars every night in search for one.

“Touchy, Touchy Miss Mean- ow, ow ,ow- Meanie! I mean you just don’t seem the type men would like! Men, they like women that can please them. You… hee hee! Well I would think that mustache would be rather prickly on their- Araaaaaaaagh! Oh my hello kitty! Was that necessary!?!” Shouted Heroku as the nurse stabbed the needle from one entry point on her arm, through another.

“Hey Beatrix, its experiment social hour. Gotta transport this one” called a voice from the other room.

“Fine.” Beatrix replied, giving Heroku a quick slap in the face. “You watch your tongue” She hissed as she grabbed her and lead her through a series of doors.

“Yes Sir!” Heroku spat as other guards came down the hall and her face burned while her arm bleed. Beatrix left quickly and a few guards escorted her down the hall, practically dragging the small, thin girl. “Hey there, Boys! Oh sir, are you taking me to the ball!?! I always wanted to go to the ball. We need to go buy a dress and you need a matching tux. Oh and I do not put out on the first date sir! And-“ Heroku continued babbling on, fully incapable of not talking. It went on like this, Heroku babbling and the guards ignoring her until they go to the social room.

The guards left promptly as Heroku yelled after them “Oh no don’t leave! What of the ball!?! I thought you were my prince charming! Hahaha! Well at least tell Beatrix this: Some men don’t mind a mustache! You will find that one capable of loving a horribly fat old hag like yourself! Much love, forever yours, the infamous Heroku Hiroshima!”

Heroku giggled to herself as she waited for the reaction that would never come. That was when Matt started to make a racket of the book. Heroku watched with much amusement and felt much satisfaction when Matt got his way.

Heroku walked over to Matt’s table, a wicked smile strung across her face. “I must say! That was terribly entertaining. But the question I have is will there be an encore?” Heroku asked as her looked expectantly for the guard to bring him his book.

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Marcello looked strangely at Kaylee as she ran off. Oh the lack of social interaction. It was killing him. He scanned the room once again, smiling as he saw Heroku enter. She was very strange but also a fun person to be around. Then he saw Elspeth sitting in her corner, not speaking to anyone. This was the total usual for her. Marcello smiled casually in her direction. She never talked to anyone. Maybe, today was the day she would! She was very pretty after all. He heard she drew pictures… Marcello’s secret passion. Not that he would ever tell anyone that… But hey, it could be fun!

Marcello casually strolled over to her corner, pulling up a chair with confidence. He turned in around at sat in it the wrong way, facing the pretty blonde. She was also turned into a jaguar, just like Marcello. “Heh, Rawr” Marcello said accidently as he thought of Elspeth, the jaguar girl. “Oh… heh, um. You didn’t hear that right?” Marcello sputtered in a rare moment that he showed his self-consciousness. He had a terrible habit of saying the things he was thinking by accident.

The mocking entitlement this Bastien greeted her with made Kellyn's lips crookedly crescent. Momentary relief on the unmarred view of her face came through inadvertantly feminine, easing into a sigh of passivity especially when her gaze dropped its carnal severity of the fellow mutant. Intrisically though, the fibrous strain of annotating Bastien's wry smile on the subject of friendship pulled the shoulders uprightly into a formidable posture.

Her pace around the chairs and tables ended at the whiteboard. "Why would they want us to ever have friends." Inbetween statements, a chuckle escaped. "For the sake of sanity. I guess," she debatedm with her right facade still stronger in relation to understand. In the light her frame was heavier than her current counter part's own physique. Indeed the more she eloquently annotated him, it seemed that someone had taken the element of paper and pensively cut out the shape of Bastien. It was difficult to read any muscular form under the uniform, but placing a category of what animal belonged to his research substance she betted on an arial species.

She found relief in the compressing atmosphere by picking up the red marker. "What's your strongest subject in school, Bastien? Is it also your favorite?" She wanted something lighter to pass between herself and this stranger. Kellyn craftily avoided the deep conversations amongst others, dodging the dynamic speeches. Probing for information, incisive objectives, an razor calculation of others drove much of Kellyn's passion against external forces. It was a familiarized experience with years of disection from simplistic equipment used to splice her identity that drove Kellyn into deeper lexicons of unrest...

On a surface feeling, a light note she let overcome the complexity of what the scientists wanted from them, she hoped Bastien entertained her conversation. It had been a while since being in the company of peers again, most of it just the errant aspect of only placed in classes with them these days. Kellyn, none the less an independent force, didn't sit well in herself having the last person for her relating to being the head psychologist of the M.U.T.A.N.T. facility.

"Heh, Rawr..." Her glare shifted towards Marcello; she had no interest in talking to him and especially after that little, 'Rawr' incident. “Oh… heh, um. You didn’t hear that right?” She just kept glaring at him like she usually did. She sat back straight and crossed her arms, almost as if she was staring him down like he was a piece of meat she was about to eat whole; almost like when a wolf sees a rabbit, or when a jaguar sees a small child playing too close to its territory. After not talking for so many years, she wasn't really sure if she even knew how to, but that never had concerned her in the past; its been almost six years since she became a 'mute.' She just stared at him before turning her head; no way was she going to talk to him now. Before he could say anything, she quickly shut him out by turning her seat totally around, her back facing him now instead of her side; after this, maybe he would turn around and walk off, like everyone else did. She would be happy and doze off into her own little world, even though she looked nothing like that.

She started to block out what the others in the room where saying, and started to think if the guy behind her had already went back; but she wouldn't dare to look behind her.

Xanna scoffed. The idea of being stuck in this room with the amount of growing population would soon get too overwhelming for her. She stood up from the table. Being a special, she decided to just take it easy.

Her bones began to shift quickly, snapping and growing. Her spine broke to support four legs rather then two. A new bone exerted, creating her tail. Her pores burned like flames, hair growing everywhere. Her nose extended and her teeth grew and sharpened, creating the mighty beast of the forest. She shook her mane, for some reason they had inserted male genes when she was stuck with her new powers.

The whole operation of morphing took a total of three seconds, but it was incredibly painful. She sighed, glad that tht was over. She trotted towards Kaylee and laid down next to the dog, a grin seeming to be on the large monster's face.

~-~-~-~-~-~

Axel was bored, Lion Girl didn't seem much up for conversation. He wanted to talk to someone, being cooped up for so long, he wanted to just have a chat with somebody. He closed his eyes then quickly stood, going to the door and baging on it with a fist.

"Awh, what the fuck do ya want now?" The gaurd complained.
"Gimme my pencils and pad." He ordered. The man didn't seem to be happy to leave his chair to retreive anything for a M.U.T.A.N.T., but Axel could tell he did not want to put up with anymore of ther shit so reluctantly he went to a cabinet and grabbed his things then slipped them through the door.
"Now leave me alone!" He hissed, then went back to his television.

Axel shrugged. He didn't care, then he went to the table, facing the newer girl in the cell. She was always quiet, not talking to anyone. But she was gorgeous. So he decided to begin drawing her. He started with her flowing blonde hair, getting the outline just right on the curls at the end. He smirked at his already progress and he began working on her eyes. They were beautiful, but he had no way of being able to get a good look when she was faced away from him. So he began working on her other features, the ones he could see. Her face shape, jaw line, part of her nose and lips. It was beginning to turn out really well, but the artist prayed that she would look at him, for just a minute. He wanted to get this just right.

When he was finished he began to color her hair and skin tone, just waiting to get a good look at her eyes.

Wow. His source of entertainment came faster (and in a different form) than he had expected. Matt looked down to find the source of the hand nudging and found Kaylee looking up at him. A smile grew on his face almost immediatly. ... and probably a little bigger than he should have kept it.

"Hey there Kaylee." Matt reached down and scratched the top of her head and behind her ears. "How are you today?"
He closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly, doing his semi-signiture smile. He held it for a second before opening his eyes again. "Oh right. You can't talk in this form, can you?"

Matt took note of the slight limp in her stance. Her legs seemed to be weak... probably pressure points or something.
"So. You tried to bust out again, huh?" Matt chuckled softly. But he didn't say another word about it. While he did support busting out, Kaylee didn't seem to realize how to do it. She needed a team. And a solid plan. Not just to run away while they were bringing her here (As he guessed is what happened).

Matt got up from his chair and sat down next to the girl, petting her head. "You're probably wondering what that banging was, huh. I'm just waiting for my psychology book. But more importantly, are you alright? Your legs okay?" He scratched behind her ears again.

It was at that moment that Heroku jumped into the conversation, asking about an encore. Matt simply smiled.
"Only if he makes me mad." He said with a straight face. "Although most of the guards know not to get me mad. Especially scar face." He smiled, but inside he was cringing at the memory. His fist clenched for a second, but then relaxed.

And then another one came over and sat next the Kaylee. Matt frowned slightly, sort of liking being the center of attention, but with another animal here, Kaylee would talk to her instead. He sighed.

A few moments passed before there was a banging at the door. "I have your freaking book." The guard tossed it through the small bars on the door. Thankfully right next the Matt, who reached over and grabbed it. But he didn't open it. He had people over now, and was more interested in them and not the words in the hardback.

Reap had to restrain his instincts from kicking in when Xanna grabbed his wrist, her strength was amazing. As was his speed as he mapped out four different ways to break her arm before she let go. He then pulled out a chair, sat in it backwards and rested his chin on the back. He looked around, dreading how such a large room was becoming smaller and smaller with all the people in it. I need, space. He thought, as his leg started getting jittery, a side effect of his claustrophobia. Soon he would began breathing faster, feeling as if a ten pound weight was on his chest, constricting his air flow. Then develop a sweat as the walls seemed to close in on him, and eventually even pass out from his quick short breathing. What right did these scum have to do this to him, they knew his fear of tight spaces, his hate of them. Yet still they shut him up in here, with a bunch of people, still they leave him in a small room to live in. "i have got to get out of here.." He said under his quickening breaths. As Xanna and axle began wandering off Reap took the moment to move as far from everyone else as he could, sit down on one knee and began forcing himself to breath deeply. He closed his eyes, completely engulfed in what he was doing. His breath became slower, and more even. The weight his chest that seemed to be constricting him loosened just a little, He knew that this would cease if he opened his eyes, so instead he adjusted himself so he was half sitting half leaning against the wall as if he were sleeping. He didn't worry about others bugging him, he never had to, people avoided him, and he avoided them. Except for a choice few. Don't make friends, and you don't have to worry about them when you get out. That was one of his many motto's.

Marcello watched as the girl turned herself away from him. He definitely blew it, but that was okay. “Yeah.. I’m sorry. I have a bad habit of saying everything I think. You must have the opposite habit. I heard you draw pictures…” Marcello said, unwilling to leave the mute girl. No one could be happy never talking to anyone.

Before he knew it though, a new companion appeared beside him, with paper and pen in hand. Marcello looked quietly next to him as Axel drew out the pretty blond. He was quite good, depicting her beauty well. But, Marcello knew Axel was yearning for a look at her face. It was something an artist could tell. Her eyes needed that personalization; add the little touches and shades to them. That special twinkle that made them her own.

Marcello was delighted to see Axel, hopefully he would be in the mood for conversation. “Hey man, how’s it goin? That there is pretty good. You need a look at her face don’t ya?” Marcello asked sociably.

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Heroku smiled craftily as she saw Matt give attention to the girl, in her animal form. She looked back and forth between them with a match making smile. Young love, so predictable but cute none the less. Suddenly another girl in her animal form came over. Oh poor Matt, he looked so disappointed!

When Heroku heard Matt’s answer to her question, she was intrigued on the story. “Oh my, a ‘Scar face’? That sounds like quite the interesting tale. Would you mind informing me who this evil villain is? He sounds like he is from the comics.” Heroku said as she imagined an evil super villain.

“Oh and Kaylee you poor thing! Seems we all get quite the battle wounds around here. That horrid nurse Beatrix, that ugly fat one with a mustache, She did this to me.” Heroku said as she pointed to her arm, still bleeding from the needles that had been stuck in. No one had even bothered to fix it as of yet.

Heroku smiled at Xanna, admiring her fluffy main. That would be so cool to incorporate in run way fashion. Lion inspired clothing, oh yes. “Hey to you too dearie” Heroku said as she waved to Xanna. She knew neither could speak to her now, but she didn’t want to be rude none the less.

"What's your strongest subject in school, Bastien? Is it also your favorite?"

Bastien raised an eyebrow. Now was the time for questions, it seemed. He watched as Kellyn picked up the red marker from the marker tray. Was she going to write something down? His eyes sought out the black marker and he walked over, picking up said black marker. He seemed to be pondering her question. What was his strongest subject? He was good at most things - except for, of course, the physical aspect of his education. Why the scientists ever thought physical education was necessary for someone like him was beyond even Bastien.

"Perhaps math," Bastien finally said. "Math, Literature, History. Whatever subject interests me at the moment, I suppose would be my strongest." Bastien kept his voice deceptively soft, as he plucked the cap off the black marker and set the marker against the white board. He paused, as ink bled out onto the previously white surface. A defect on what once was pure.

Bastien drew a circle - a perfect circle. He stepped back and surveyed the shape, before picking up the blue marker and drawing lines through it, branching off of it.

A random design.

"Maybe art, too," he mused. "I should be an artist one day." He chuckled softly, before turning to look at Kellyn. "Speaking of which, what about you? Do you have any dreams? Or are you like the others in the cell down our hall who have no care for their lives and think they can survive out in society?" Bastien was a reader. He had been granted access to the "library" and well, despite what the guards and the scientists tried to do, Bastien was able to form a sort of...idea of what the outside might be like.

And he had read enough fiction to know that outcasts, strangers, abnormalities - they were not accepted.

Thus, he was quite less willing to try to escape than his fellow prisoners.

In fact, he found them absolutely idiotic.

“Yeah.. I’m sorry. I have a bad habit of saying everything I think. You must have the opposite habit. I heard you draw pictures…” Her eyes shifted towards him before she turned fully around; to see the face of Axel and Marcello. She almost glared at Axel and his writing utensils and paper before looking at him; she was forbidden to have pencils and paper unless it was part of her lessons or if she was alone in her 'cell', or so said, but every so often, she would get something to draw on and with. She quickly turned fully around and stood up; walking, no, more like gliding towards the guard. He turned around and looked at her; her glare became more intense as he looked at her.

"What?" He snarled at her; she said nothing more before she pointed towards the notepad and pencil with writing of all the people here on them. He looked at her before tearing a piece off and handing her the paper and pencil. "Don't knock yourself out..." He said as if she was a slow in the head; she made something in her throat that sounded more like a growl before she jerked the paper and pencil out of his hand and slowly walked back towards her seat. She sat down and propped her knee onto her other knee and placed the paper there. She started off drawing about four or five circles inside each-other. Her strokes started off light, thin strokes before they had gotten bigger.

She was now in her own world; as if she hadn't been in a long time. She actually looked at peace and contented; but her picture spoke otherwise, it looked more and more of a figure standing over small kids. They kids looked to be ranging from two years old to five; the figure over it had a locket with the same exact symbol the government had used to display over this organization. She sat crouched down, her blonde hair covering her right side of her face as she kept drawing; finally, after about five or ten minutes, she was finished. Her jotted towards Marcello and Axel who was now talking to each-other as she sat straight up again. She allowed her picture to sit freely on her lap, so if they wanted to, they could peek a look before she flipped it over and started to stare off in space on what to draw next.

"Scar face?" Matt head tilted to the side a little. "He was one of the scientists standing around when I got my tattoo." He held up his left wrist to show her the cresent moon. "I... didn't take it so well. And when I got mad enough..."

Matt didn't finish the sentence. Instead, he held out three fingers and drew them across his right eye.

"He's still got the scars. So the keep an eye on me a lot... I also taught myself how to fight, because after that incident, the guards were more than willing to be... a little rough with me." Matt fist clenched again. These were bad memories. And if he wasn't careful... he might show up. And the experiments had yet to see much of his darker side. He would prefer to keep it that way.

Reap opened one eye, perhaps hoping it was all a nightmare. He was breathing normally again, the room had become just a room again. The need to get up, and work on his story came over him out of nowhere. He quickly traversed to the guard whom so many people had been bugging so far. The guard looked briefly at Reap and moved a few inches away. Reap's eyes examined the guard with a piercing gaze, he stayed like that for nearly a minute before actually speaking. "I want out of here, since that certainly wont happen then you can at least afford to get my novel from my room." His voice was calm,but with a slight edge to it. The guard opened his mouth, about to protest that he wasn't getting anything for anyone when Reap's penetrating glare found him again. With a expression of slight fear on his face the guard left to get the novel. A few minutes later he reappeared and handed Reap a large notebook whose pages were nearly full. Reap took it with one hand, and with the other used the guards close proximity to pickpocket his small tazer off his belt. Reap grinned as the guard shut the door, having no clue that he had just lost his weapon. Reap slipped the small tazer into his other pocket before he turned around to where the camera could see him again. He sat back down on the table, placing his notebook in front of him he drew his pencil out from it and began writing on one of the last empty pages.