Mr. Grimms's Story

Life in a cell is such a boring life…always under surveillance, there’s always almost nothing to do. It’s sad because all she wants is to see them cry, fear for their lives, run and run as the blood fest once again starts.

She knew that with each failed escape, chance for blood fest and success was smaller. Chance for entertainment also, but entertainment could be found in form of those who guard her, in form of those who are called scientists and last…in form of “subjects”.

Somehow she sit still, motionless.

Usually she’s always moving, always searching for a way out.
But…
That’s when she’s agitated…now Velera is bored.
“Ohh, come on…Why won’t anyone come?” She looked up to one of surveillance cameras, hoping for something, or someone to come.
“ What a bore…” She sighed, and her sight went to hands, hands marked with small scars.

Jared finished the book he was reading and sighed. Again it took him only a week to read everything the scientists brought to him, from „Lord of the Rings Trilogy” to a book about quantum physics. He looked over to the gaming console he asked for but it wasn't giving him the thrill.

He got up and went towards the cell door made of reinforced glass. As usual, the staff was busy or was ordered to ignore the man. After driving a scientist towards depression, Jared was prisoned in a cell in Sector Gamma of the facility. The girl already had signs of depression, he just pushed a bit and it ended up with her trying to commit suicide. Human lifes were just so delicate, so easy to destroy. It wasn't his actual purpose, he only was bored and she needed a person to talk to. He used her, as he used everyone since his accident.

He noticed a redhead walking towards his cell. He took a chair, placed in in front of the communicator in the door, and sat down. When the girl approached, he said: „My, my, if it isn't Scar. And here I thought everyone is going to bore me to death. I would offer you a cup of tea but I burned the kettle. Also, I doubt that I'm allowed to give anything to anyone here.”

Tyler entered the alpha sector with the rest of the non-violent subjects. He was in his original human form at the moment and watched the room with a quiet discontentment. He was glad to no longer be chased by the government officials, but at the same time he wasn't too keen on the idea of being paraded around like a circus freak for the pleasure of whatever high-security group of people came down here for the tour of the facility. Unfortunately for Tyler, this was the only interaction he was given with the outside world anymore. He had only been down here for about a year, at least he thought it had been a year, he had given up on keeping track of time as he assumed he would be in here for the rest of his life.

Tyler went to the confectionery stand, as he usually did, and got a huge bag of jelly beans. He had a love for candy, but jelly beans were his favorite. He took the bag and went to his usual booth. He wasn't quite ready to interact with the other subjects yet. As he sat down, he noticed there was a fox sitting in the booth at the corner of the stand. He found it a little odd the way he was sitting in a bipedal position.

"Must be one of the newest test subjects." He mumbled as he ate his candy. He could see the fox was still sore and he felt sorry for him, but at the same time it seemed like he didn't wish to interact with the others here either so he didn't approach the fox. It wouldn't surprise Tyler in the least if the scientists had found a way to bring sentience to animals and the way the emotions were so plain on his face he assumed this was something they had done.

Tabitha yawned and stretched her arms over her head feeling a satisfying crunch as she did so. She slowly disentangled herself from the nest she had made of her blankets and stretched again. She had no idea what time it was, there wasn't much need for time in the facility, and didn't much care. She slept without any particular schedule simply sleeping when she was tired. Her room was dark, it had no windows, with only a sliver of light from under the door to see by. But Tabitha wasn't bothered by this, she could see just fine. She yawned again and debated whether or not to go back to bed, it wasn't as if she had anything important to do, but she decided against it. She changed out of the cotton trousers and t shirt into a frilly green maxi dress and colourful kimono over her shoulders before looking at one of the cameras in the room.
"Y'all gonna let me out today?"

The answer was an electronic beeping sound and Tabitha grinned and nodded to the camera. "You guys are such darlins today."

She wandered down the corridor to the rec area where there was shops and seats and where the other Alpha patients gathered. Tabitha had done her time in the more secure wings, especially when she'd first arrived, and was reminded again how good it was not to be stuck in her room all day. She hated her room, simply because she knew she was locked in, and spent as much time as she could out of it.

There wasn't many patients there and Tabitha sighed, so much for some entertainment. Damn this place was so boring, there was only so much playing with wool and hunting stuff she could stand. She sniffed the air picking up some new scents, one was distinctly animal and she zeroed in on the fox sitting in a booth.
He was well hidden and if she hadn't smelled him, an odd mix of fur, chemicals and...death. She felt an urge to stalk him, he wasn't likely to hear her approach, but she pushed the urge down. She was all too aware of what would happen if she behaved like that and wasn't keen on losing the relative freedom she had.

There was only one other patient in the room who looked human but smelled odd, but then everyone there smelled odd so that was nothing new. She walked into the room without hesitation feeling no insecurity about meeting new people. She was fully confident in herself.

"Morning y'all. Welcome to dullsville." She sat near the human looking guy but also not far from the fox, she wanted to watch him.

Once more she wandered into a strange place, with a strange person. Seemingly simple man visibly bored, and trying to start a chat.
His cell had a window made of glass, beside it was some kind of communication device, and man sat in front of glass window.
Device had a button, button that she pushed, red light changed to green and it seemed he could now hear her.

“Says who exactly?” Her arms crossed as she waited for an answer from this strange man sitting in cell.

Tabitha grinned at Tyler and took his hand and shook it firmly but not too firmly. She had taken a long time to learn how to control her enhanced strength and could now do most mundane things without breaking anything. Though for all she knew this man, who was apparently actually a blob like thing, might not have any actual bones to break.

"Well now." She drawled. "I ain't seen one of you here before an I have seen most. Been here years an seen all sorts but don't think I've ever seen a blob man."

She leaned back in her chair, the position looked precarious but she wasn't worried about falling, and grinned again.

"You mean you haven't guessed, well damn thats another first." She pointed to her eyes that although a normal colour had vertical pupils and looked identical to that of a cats.

"Some genius thought it was a good idea to mix cat and human together, see what happened I guess. They got me." She shrugged her eyes returning to the Fox in the corner. "Pretty normal if you see some of the others in here, if I knew who made me guess I oughta thank them for not doing sumethin worse."

She laughed then a playful sound. "Though its hell on a girls nails, you wouldn't believe how many scratching posts I go through in a month. Must cost em a fortune. Oh I forgot, i'm Tabitha but you can call me Tabby if you like. Its sorta a running joke around here."

She cocked her head to one side and watched the Fox unblinking, damn she really wanted to chase him. "You know there's a kind of dead, not dead Fox over there right? "

There was no noise coming out of the silence in the room. Opening his mouth didn't amplify any smaller sounds either.

He could hear his own echoes and the echoes of his echoes at a low, uncomfortable volume that he couldn't reach with his complaints. Understandably, Hanan had started to shift around his room in the facility after having rested for the past 51 hours. For the same reason of having slept for so long, when he moved he'd take the chair with him, wearing a stiff upper lip as he did so.

It was a dark room, no noise - the Scientists had obliged him and kept everything dark and quiet at his request. But he hadn't obliged himself for a long time, and had kept himself noisy, unrestful, hypocritical in his cell for as long as he could remember so that it wouldn't be quiet. Although his desire to keep the room quiet hadn't changed, he'd become more energetic for lack of a better schedule or company.

As the chair squeaked due to its rubbing against the concrete floor, he stared frowning at the Roman candle in the middle of the room. This was the only luxury that remained, or perhaps the only luxury he ever had. He could remember a time where he had the luxury of being able to read books. Admittedly, all the factors that worked against his health didn't compare to the fact that he hadn't read a single book since the first day he was detained in this facility. He wanted to read one of Kafka's works, ideally "Der Trial", a book he found out about by coincidence, because he was sure it wasn't esoteric. Kafka had become a household name in the collective consciousness of the Merzbows. Eventually he reminded himself that reading Kafka would be a gratification he'd have to delay, as long as he had a duty to fulfill to these scientists. Apparently it was for the safety of others, and he didn't suspect a thing about that - it seemed perfectly unstrange that they were alarmed.

He'd accidentally injured, fatally injured, mortally wounded and maimed a few people. Then he'd done what seems to have been described as "killing quite a few researchers". Their names weren't countless but he couldn't remember a single one of their names, and therefore couldn't lament the loss at all. After all this time of being a subject, it would be suspect that he was in any fit state to lament anyway

Things were just as they were, and would be for quite some time again. Someone magnetized by his strangeness might meander in to ask whether he was alright and then they'd leave again for a number of days, because he was an unscheduled act. He was glad, in a way, that his violent novelty had worn off. People fell in to a steady pattern of hating him with an edge of sympathy.

In a way he wanted enemies and got them, so he'd started to move on to his other aims. He wanted to go outside now.

Seated before GNS-88's large containment tank was the somewhat withered form of Dr. Addler, gazing deeply into a book before the tinted glass. From the other end, only a glow seen from a pair of blue eyes could be seen, and a vague form shifting around. He was quietly reading a story to the subject inside, who was intently watching on the other side. Attention went unbroken as the sound of heavy steps approached.

"... soon borne away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance," Hayden says, before closing the book and raising his head to meet the eyes. There was a bit of silence between them, until a shadow cast itself over the doctor, the eyes of GNS-88 raising up. "Mr. Grimms," he says, in a tone that barely masks his weariness. Reaching over with his massive hand, Grimms takes the book in between his fingers and thumbs through a few pages. "H-hey, that is a classic," Hayden meekly protests, getting up to stand before the titan.

"Doctor, don't you feel that reading material like this is perhaps... a bit inappropriate?" Grimms asks, somewhat condescendingly, before shutting it and presenting it back to Dr. Addler, a slight amount of steam escaping from between the teeth of his mask. "You may inspire it to turn against you."

"It," Hayden begins, hurriedly taking the book into his left arm, looking up to Grimms, pushing up his glasses. Despite the size of Grimms, he was still "This is only a story, she understands that. Besides, she was already given what the monster was not. I think I've well established order here. In fact, keeping her in this ridiculous tank, I feel is-"

"She spreads," Grimms bluntly states.

"Only to the dead, she's no risk to the living," the doctor retorts.

"Exactly, and by that same logic, we're outnumbered," Grimms replies, grimly no less. He then sighs, turning to the side. "But, as much as I'd love to wax semantics with you, good doctor, I would have you know that my little Saiph has arrived, bonding right now, I would hope. If there had been any other venue, I'd allow her to go about as she has, but, well, I would allow no other eyes than yours to understand the depths of my concerns."

"I read, but I'm not sure how I... I mean, we here can provide the help that you, I mean, as her father can..." Hayden begins, cut off as he watches Grimms's eyes dim from within the mask. Conceding to the wishes of Stepping back, he clears his throat. "We'll... do what we can."

"Good, I'll return periodically to check on her progress, but for now I have business to attend. Until then, do try to take better care of yourself, doctor, you look haggard," Grimms says, turning away from the doctor and beginning to walk away. His departure is interrupted by the sound of GNS-88's comm clicking to life, her blue eyes now fixated upon him.

"Grimms," a female voice speaks from the other end, a soft voice, gentle voice, almost human, were it not for an unnatural resonance to it. The eyes of Grimm flicker briefly in response, his head turning halfway to catch the tank from the corner of his eye, greeted by Bashemath's smiling face now partially visible against the tinted glass. "Perhaps, you would read to me in daddy's stead sometime... you could bring material that you deem more appropriate. It would be oh so very interesting from you."

There was a brief silence as Grimms stood there, his eyes flickering momentarily once again. Hayden tenses up, ready to cover for his beloved experiment until the giant silently turns away and starts leaving.

"As you wish," he finally responds, before fully vacating the sector. Hayden audibly sighing in relief, hunching over and rubbing the back of his neck. He then turned to look towards Jared's containment, finally noticing that he's gained a visitor in the form of Flania Scar.

Tabitha instantly recognised and understood the Fox's behaviour, most animals retreated to hide when injured and although this creature was certainly not just a Fox, enough instinct remained for it to seek a hiding place. She bent and picked up the bracelet looking at it briefly before picking up the cup and carefully putting the sweets and fruit back in from where they had spilt on the floor. She wrinkled her nose at the pervading smell of rotten meat that had hit the air mixed with the scent of blood, if anything was guaranteed to get her to avoid hunting the Fox that was it. She wasn't a dog to be eating carrion. It didn't occur to her to question how a Fox smelling of dead meat was up and walking around, things just happened like that at Deep 17.

"Frankie huh." She said aloud. "Cool name."

She walked over to the booth and careful to not accidentally touch Frankie she placed the cup on the table in front of him and put the bracelet next to it. She placed a crumpled piece of tissue that she'd found on the floor, humans liked to wipe their blood with them she remembered, next to the other things and cocked her head. Sometimes trying to think like a human and an animal was hard, should she do something else? Or leave him alone? She decided on the latter remembering how she always wanted to be alone to lick her wounds, literally, when she was injured.

"Frankie."She said quietly pointing at him and then pointing at her own chest. "Tabby." As she figured that was easier for him to pronounce.
"You come back on over when you feel like it. Don't be worrying yourself about anythin."

She then walked back over to the group. "I think maybe leave him alone for a few, that's what I'd want anyhow. So we have Tree man, Blob man, Cat Woman and..." She looked at Saiph. "what about you hon? I'm guessing you're not here cause you like the food. Though I guess someone's gotta like it."

Saiph watches wide eyed at the hyperactive fox, who introduced himself as "Frankie," before falling to the floor, clearly in pain. Then watches as he quietly slinks away, noting, specifically the drops of blood. Raising a brow she looks to the others and scratches her cheek, looking disconcerted.

"Uh, is he alright?" she asks, before regaining her composure and grins when addressed by Tabitha, turning attention to her. "Hey, yeah, I just arrived! So, I'm Saiph Grimms, ah... oh wait, I already said that, didn't I..? Anyways, I... uh," she says, stuttering a bit, before pausing briefly, rubbing her chin, visibly pondering deeply for a moment. "So I can take two places, and sorta stitch them together in this timey... spacey thing. Is really technical so uh... I'll just call them Rabbit Holes, for now. You know, like the one in the story of Wonderland! I love that one~! Like um," she looks around the room for something, spotting the cup and bracelet that Frankie dropped, and with a flash in her eyes, and a snap of her fingers, and with a strange quiet whoosh, both items fall into a distortion of space, reappearing elsewhere, landing on a table not far from Frankie, the cup even landing upright. The distortions close immediately afterwards.

"And that's pretty much how it works in a nutshell," she says, her eyes fluttering briefly, before turning back with a grin. "But, I'm sure ya'll got something cooler than that, right?" She then folds one of her arms and rests her chin on her other arm. "And... ehhhh? Food's bad here, huh? Maybe I should tell my dad about that one, he kinda owns the place."

She then glanced out, watching as Mr. Grimms was making his way to, and stepping into the elevator, causing her to rush to the door, waving as she does, watching only as he leaves up through the elevator. Propped against the glass, she hangs her head bonking it against the glass lightly. "Aw, poo, didn't even say g'bye..." A few lights around the sector dim and flicker briefly. "Ah well, I'll just call later!"

Tyler felt awful for causing Frankie to get too excited and trip. The smell did do one thing, though. It made it clear that not only had the scientists got a fox to walk bipedal and made him smart enough to talk, but they had actually brought him back from the dead. He would wait until Frankie was ready to come back then he'd apologize for that.

Tyler watched as Saiph demonstrated her powers.

"Hmm, that's kinda cool. Seems like you would be the one person who wouldn't be stuck here, being able to basically teleport out." Though he figured there was probably some sort of dampening field that kept her from using her powers to get out.

"Yeah the food ain't great, but the candy is good." He chuckled.

„The girl in the Delta Sector... Funny, I've tried to talk to other members of staff about her and the only answer was dead silence. I guess she's even crazier than we, the patients of the Gamma Sector. And that seemed almost impossible. But I guess weirder things are going on right now. Also, if you're bored and I'm bored, so maybe we should do something together to get less bored? Doc Addler promised me he would let me out to watch the sunset this week, maybe I should ask him if he allows you to join me and watch me?”

Jared noticed Addler watching at him after Mr. Grimms left. He nodded the doctor.

„You could even ask him. Seems he's done talking to Bashe. Hey, Doc! Scar wants to ask you something!”

Hyles could finally use the opportunity to get out of his stinky cell without bloodshed. At least for half an hour. With a girl. Would be romentic if he wouldn't be extremely restrained.

Flania chuckled, surprised he’s that much bored to even start something without asking her first if she wants to spend time with him.

But then again…

“Fine, I don’t mind, it’s always something…”

Flania turned to Addler.

“True is what he says, I want to spend some time with him outside…watch the sunset as he said!” She yelled, too lazy to shorten distance between her and Addler.

Unless I can’t – she thought.

"Tabby." Frankie repeated quietly with a small chatter. He bared his teeth at her, but anger
or malice didn't seem to be in the expression. In reality he was trying to mimic a smile. A little
almost inaudible "Eee" sound escaped his muzzle as he did so.


Taking the tissue with his little hand and instinctively put it on his wound. Whether
he had been taught this or if it was just a creatures natural intuition was up to the observer.
His body ached still from the fall, but the sharpness and the bite of the pain had subsided. Frankie
had decided, however, that no one in the room was a threat. But the newfound emotion of embarassment
was the main cause of him slinking away. He watched, a little less amazed than he should have been as
the cup came floating back to him, along with his bracelet. He didn't bother at all with the band
and instead gingerly pulled the cup towards him, taking another grape and chewing on it, less loud
and obnoxious this time.

He let out a sigh as he laid his head back down on the table, feeling a slight murmer in his chest,
that throbbed out to his open wound on the back of his shoulder. He remained at a distance, watching
everyone else interact. He wanted to go play, he couldn't lie to himself. Tabby and Tyler seemed so nice,
nice as the scientists who had let him out this morning. And Mr. Branches was obviously Magic!
Saiph however, was slightly different. Something about her triggered a primal instinct in him, one
of hunting and the chase, the very animal instincts that still slept within his cranium. He wanted
to follow those instincts, but decided against it for now, he was too sore. And there would be other
oppurtunities.

Frankie started, as if alerted to something the others couldn't see before beginning to happily pant.
He took his cup and poured the remaining jellybeans and grapes onto the table. His ears perked up and he
held out the cup as if it was being filled with tea from an imaginary kettle. He chattered nonsensically
to himself, letting out a few hyena like laughs, much quieter this time. He sipped at the brim of his empty
cup and gingerly ate more candy, more self control showing through than when he was shoveling them down
his maw earlier. He looked around to the people, back to the empty seat across from him, and nodded. He
raised a finger and pointed to each member respectively. "Tyler, Tabby, Branches..." He looked over to
Saiph with a finger point. "Food." He said again with a chortle, as if it were an inside joke.

He continued like this, chattering away, talking to no one, spirits seeming to improve greatly.

Tyler heard Frankie chattering to the invisible person who he seemed to be in the seat across from him. He smiled a little as he looked like he was feeling a little better, but he let him be for a little bit. It wasn't until he heard Frankie introduce everyone to the invisible person that Tyler let out a chuckle, mostly because he introduced Saiph as Food. Tyler moved over to the booth, in a very fluid-like movement, before sitting across from Frankie and next to the invisible person. For all Tyler knew there actually was an invisible person there the way the scientists did things around here.

"Hey there, Frankie, sorry for getting you all excited. I didn't think you'd get hurt." Tyler apologized. He looked down at the food scattered all over the table in front of Frankie and stretched his arm across the room to get a paper bowl thing used for nachos and and his arm snapped back like a rubber band with the bowl. He scooped the food up and put it in the bowl for Frankie.

"There you go. Now your stuff won't go rolling off the table." He said as he slid the bowl in front of him.

"So did you want to get some real food, or did you want to keep eating the candy and fruit? You're a carnivore right? You want to get some meat? I think they got some jerky around here somewhere."

"Why would I want to get out?" Saiph asks, mussing her hair while scratching her head. "I mean, father brought me here, so I'm staying until he says otherwise," she continues, before twisting her mouth and folding her arms, rolling her eyes around and shifting her hand under chin and nervously tapping, tapping her feet on the floor with a rhythm. "Ughh... so uh, is it bad here or something? I mean if it is I c-."

She glanced over at Frankie as he chattered away at seemingly nothing, her right eye visibly fluttering briefly. "Tea would be lovely," she muttered, nearly a quiet whisper, her eyes glazed over, before Frankie began to move again. She visibly winced as he worked with his wound, shuddering a bit, her smile cracking slightly. She returned to silently observing him, as he began to name the others. She cracked out in laughter as she referred to Alexander as Branches. "Branches!? Hah! I like th-," she began to say before he pointed directly at her and referred to her as food. With a perplexed look, she shrugs her shoulders. "Yeah, I'm... not quite sure how to interpret that one."

Walking over to the counter she took a cup, looking over a beverage fountain machine, and huffing after a moment. "What, no Earl Grey? Tch!" With outstretched hand she opened a portal briefly, dropping a tea bag into her cup, and moving over to start boiling some water, propping her head on her hands over the counter.

The staff nearby looked slightly perturbed, talking quietly among each other before one deciding to walk up, a rather short woman in a lab coat, holding a tablet computer. There was this slight different in how they approached Saiph than they did the other subjects. There was an odd bit of hesitation.

"So, Miss Grimms, are you adjusting well, no... problems?" she asks, her tone oddly careful.

"Pshhhh! Miss Grimms? Just Saiph will do, miss makes me sound like a school teacher or something," she says, placing her hands on her hip and rolling her eyes. "But ughhh... I guess? These guys seem cool n' all! But... the food here is a bit, I dunno... bland?"

The scientist stared at her blankly for a moment nodding her head, before tapping away something on her tablet. "I suppose you are right, the food is designed to meet dietary needs, candy aside, but um... I suppose you are used to something more, um, sublime," she says, before finishing, glancing over her shoulder at the tea brewing in her cup, pointing to it with her stylus. "Uhm... did you... get that from off-site? Er, nevermind, just, ask next time if you want or need something."

"It is just tea, but um... sure?" she says, looking perplexed.

"Thanks, and welcome to Deep 17, I hope you enjoy yourself here Mi- er, Saiph, hah!" the woman responds, forcing a bit of a laugh, before walking out and to the others, talking amongst them and showing them the tablet.

"Heh, yeah... ugh," Saiph mutters, slouching over, her smile drops for a moment looking somewhat agitated. The lights flicker momentarily again. "I don't need this here."

Looking back to the others, her eyes shift between them and her tea. "Oh! how rude of me! Anyone else want some? My friend actually loves the stuff, basically lives on it, really. Heh, a real card that one..."

Tyler went about trying to find some real food instead of the junk food he had been eating. He didn't really need to eat, but he actually enjoyed tasting the food. He watched and listened to Saiph as she interacted with the doctor. He finally found a bag of beef jerky, it wasn't the most healthy thing, but it was better than candy. He went back to the table and opened the bag so that everyone could share it if they wanted.

He wondered who it was that Saiph was referring to as her friend. Was the person even real? Was this girl crazy? He didn't know and it wasn't exactly like sanity was a uniform term around here.

"Here ya go buddy." He smiled as he gave Frankie a piece of the Jerky.

"So, who's your friend?" He asked as he turned to Saiph.