Aramay's Story

File: Chimera

Experiment Status: Active

Mental State: Stable

Physical State: Unstable

Notes: Certain files for subject are missing. Purpose of experiment, unknown. Expected results, unknown. All that's left are numbered vials containing an unknown serum with instructions on how to/when to administer. Subject's physical appearance has shown drastic signs of mutation exhibiting characteristics of several species. Mutations are still progressing provided the proper administering of injections following proper instructions. Subject still maintains a rather sound state of mind despite the moderate to severe pain. Said pain allows subject to comply with being given almost any instruction to follow provided that they are promised medication for pain. Best results are shown when administered sparingly.
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With the lab still in a frenzy to round up or take out fleeing mutants it was rather odd to find an occupant still inside one of the open cell doors. She lay on what was a semblance of a bed with a sheet pulled all the way up over her head to block out the flashing red lights. Stomping of panicked footsteps made her ears twitch but she did little else but try to ignore it all. The medicine they had given her still hadn't worn off yet and she considered what time she had left of experiencing painless bliss to be far more important than opening her eyes to look beyond the confines of her cell. Not even the sounds of gunfire and screams stirred her from her place. It wasn't until long after the sound of dead silence took over that the echoing of two pairs of footsteps caused her to peer through one squinted eye. She couldn't understand what they were saying. Their words came out jumbled to her when she tried to listen.

Oren Holmes walked with a guard to a hallway of empty holding cells; gun at the ready. Most mutants had fled but it didn't mean that the area was any safer. "I really think she'll be useful in tracking them down. We can get them back without losing any more resources than we already have."

"What makes you think its even still here?" The guard thought for a moment, then scoffed. "You don't mean that sickly one do you?" He had the same look that just about everyone else gave him. Just let 'it' die already it can barely keep itself alive. But he was adamant with his claims.

Holmes widened the already open door to a darkened cell. "Just because the scientist in charge of her died doesn't mean we have to throw out all that work. There's still enough there to follow through-look, just, give me a minute." He reaches down and pulls the sheet away from Aramay, causing her to curl up and instinctively shield her eyes even though Holmes was using himself to block the harsh red lights from hitting her eyes. The guard tried to hide his surprise that she was indeed still hunkered down in the cell.

Aramay coughed and winced while trying to sit up. She looked rather exhausted for someone having just slept for near sixteen straight hours. "What was with all the noise?" Holmes dropped a bag in front of her. It was filled with clothes. More specifically, ones that would help keep her covered up from curious eyes. And a little extra. They smelled slightly like a dusty attic and looked more like something a vagrant would wear. "What's this? ...I was kind of hoping for something else."

"You have to agree to do us a little favor first."
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Aramay stepped outside the building and into the yard for the first time in what felt like months. It was starting to get dark as the sun began to set. She pulled her hood up over her head to help block out the lingering sunlight. She could see better in low light conditions. She covered her nose and mouth with a sleeved arm to stifle the stench of blood that drowned her sense of smell. It felt like prison before. Now it looked like an extermination camp. The ground was soaked red and squished disgustingly between her toes; the resulting mud clung to her and stained her skin. Looking up she watched as the surviving guards eyed her. They were already given orders to leave her alone but that didn't stop them from looking ready to shoot her from where they stood, after losing so many of their own.

She rubbed her neck sorely and hoped that the injection that Holmes had given her would kick in soon and stave off the pain for a while longer. What hurt the most wasn't the microchip they implanted near her spine, but the transmitter behind one of her ears near the base of her skull. "What's wrong? Why did you stop?" A voice came through clearly that only she could hear.

"She's fine. She just needs a minute to adjust to the light." Comes another voice through both the transmitter and behind her. She turns around to see Holmes in normal street clothing. He didn't look like he wanted to be there. In his hand was what looked like a small walkie talkie. They must've made him go along as back up. She didn't have to ask to know what he was responsible for.

The voice came through the transmitter again. "Please don't use the line unless you absolutely have to Oren." One of the scientists on the other end had a tone of annoyance to their voice. They had lost their test subjects, and they were quick to take it out on Holmes. He paused for a good long minute before responding.

"....understood."
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Holmes stayed a good few paces behind Aramay. While she, cautiously looked around and breathed in the early evening air. The smell of blood still clung to her feet, but she could smell faint scents that weren't naturally part of the forest. They were, odoriferously stale, sweaty, animalistic, and, increasingly laced with a much fresher scent of blood. "At least one of them is hurt." She looked down at a sprung trap that was caked in blood and fur. Readjusting the bag over her shoulder she continued forward.

The stronger the smells grew, the more nervous she became. The more adrenalin would start to rush through her. The more her body would start to ache again. The tree line gave way to a beach and harbor. She could now see darkened splotches in the sand leading towards a warehouse. A trail of bread crumbs as it were to the escapees. They didn't go as far as she thought. She was grateful, being cooped in a small cell didn't really help keep her in shape. Neither did her bodily aches and pains. At least it was overcast.

"You might be able to find a way in without being seen around back." Ara just nodded, knowing that Holmes would be able to see her from where he stood. That was where she was headed anyways. It was darker and no one would likely be walking around that area.

"Don't forget what you are there to do."

"Shhh." Ara hushed them. She couldn't think with them talking in her head. The messages would disrupt any thoughts she had every time they spoke because it literally felt like they were inside her head. And she could smell fresh blood only a short distance away. With the softest of footsteps she circled around to a small window. She couldn't see anything inside except for large crates. It meant that she couldn't see where they were inside, but it would at least block them from seeing her coming in so long as she was quiet enough.

As quietly as she could she inched open the window to slide through. A muscle in her leg spasmed which forced her to freeze. She couldn't move. All she could do was bite her arm until the pain passed. Soon as she could get inside she pushed herself up against one of the crates in a seated position. The pains were already coming back and it was making her breath rather hard. She was inside, and she could hear voices. But she didn't know what she could do without getting attacked first. Curling herself up near the edge of a crate she readied herself and chanced a peak around the corner to find the source of the voices.

Olek

Once Edur removed herself from Olek, he calmly reached over to where he dropped his sidearm, and picked it back up again. The grip of his weapon felt comforting in his hand. Aileen seemed to know the gist of what was going on. He didn't think a few guns would spook her. After all a bear sized jaguar had just sniffed her face. Olek almost chuckled at that. He thought he was going to have problems with Kisa, but she was proving to have more human emotions than he originally thought. It was easy to become twisted from the tortures that most of the group had been through. Kisa approached Olek, briefly examining him as she made her way to a more secluded part of the warehouse. He calmly gave her an approving nod as she walked past him.

Most of the group had earned his respect at this point. Olek was true to his word, he was willing to address the groups trust issues involving himself and Bast. They seemed to be way more relaxed than before. Chris and Edur didn't exactly distrust Olek and Bast. Olek glanced over at Chris and Edur, both were hovering close by. Olek wagered that the two younger members of their group approved of his presence. Welcoming it even. He glanced over at Hawke, he was battle hardened much like Olek was. He was willing to kill for the group, Olek respected Hawke, but was still unsure if he had Hawke's full and complete trust. Dray was quiet; proving to be very difficult to get a read on. Olek knew that Bast was with him 100 percent, she seemed to be very distraught at his previous state. Olek believed that he had won over Kisa's trust with his quick actions involving the bear trap. Aileen would be easy to trust, and so would Eric by extension. They had no complications when it came to trust. He gave a sigh of relief, and quickly ceased his analysis of his fellow escapees.

Once Edur curled up next to Olek, he figured it was time to collect his rifle, which he had so crudely hidden before. He slowly pulled himself up onto the crate he had been resting on. He grunted slightly, trying to be as gentle as possible. He reached behind the crate and pulled the rifle onto his lap. He felt drained, but they would have to move soon. Putting more distance inbetween them and the facility would prove to be very wise. They would also need food. Three of them had lost a great deal of blood. A good meal would be necessary if they wanted to keep on the move. He reloaded his rifle, but kept the safety on.

He glanced over at Dray when Aileen made her rounds. She was a healer alright. That was for certain. Olek calmly scanned the room again. Constantly watching over the group. Olek caught Edur shoot up out of her relaxed position, clearly tense. His grip around his rifled tightened for a few moments until she slowly rested on the floor once more. He looked around for what felt like minutes, but was likely only seconds. Olek spoke up after an eerie silence set in.

"We need to move soon, we can rest for a few minutes, but I think it would be best if we put as much distance between us and the facility." Olek offered a course of action, hoping that this would spark discussion of their next course of action.

Hawke listened carefully, the majority of his attention on Olek and the newcomers. He'd been so focused on trying to keep conscious now that his wounds had healed enough for his body to relax, he was startled out of his half trance by Kisa's sudden show of affection. The garbled comment she gave after took him a moment or two for him to decipher, and he smiled faintly. The healer-woman.... Aileen Tracey, she'd called herself-- she didn't really seem phased by the fact a very large wild cat had just sniffed her like the "something new" she was. Perhaps that was a healer thing....

He sat up as Edur tensed. There was something off about the air. It only lasted a moment or two, but he'd sensed it also. He nodded, growled as his head swam from the movement. "I agree with Barrow. Moving further would be best. Finding a shower, or taking a dip in the ocean wouldn't hurt either. We don't know what escaped, what stayed, or what's been caught. Any of those categories might have followed us. The escaped might be hungry and feral. Or looking for a way to ensure they stay out--at the cost of others. What stayed are likely loyal, at least in part, to the facility. and the caught may be forced to track us down. I can't speak for Bast or Barrow, but the last time I was in a city I was small. Cities change fast. The rest of us are on unknown territory. We don't know or understand the area, just like when they'd rearrange the Arena." He hated having to compare this heavenly situation, being outside and in the unknown, to the Games he despised. But that was as close as he could get for the others. "We haven't eaten since before the games--most of us anyway. We need to move. And we all need food and sleep."

He all but jumped out of his skin as Aileen piped up, smoothing something from a jar onto Dray's hands and wrapping them as she spoke. "For a while, at least, you could stay near me. My grandparents left me most of the land their house is on. It isn't much compared to most, but a house big enough to be an extra-small clinic and plenty of outbuildings and woods around it-- you could hide there safely. People don't come see me often, and without Gran Evie and Gandpa, it's quiet... At least until you found a better spot. Hell, now that I know there are more people like me... I could make the house a haven.... like it was for me...." She seemed sad for a moment, the glimpse hidden as she rummaged through her bag. She brought out a few canisters, and several squares wrapped in plastic. He licked his lips, remembering fondly and exactly what a good sandwich looked like. "Most of this is for me,", she smiled, setting a bit to the side for herself, "But I'm willing to share. Won't be much, with so many people, but it'll be a start, right?" Without waiting for an answer, and in true healer nature, she began divvying up the food.

It looked like they were much more receptive to her presence than she expected by the way they each popped up to look around. They had enhanced senses after all. It was silly for her to think that she could hide so easily from them. She had to duck down to avoid being spotted. The others weren't just staying in one place. They were wandering around and setting themselves up in places that gave her fewer and fewer places to stay hidden from the others. She was so sick most of the time that she didn't get the same chances to really interact with the others. If she knew anyone they most likely didn't survive long enough to make it here. Chancing to look back out; it started to make her wonder if she would even recognize any of them. Or if they would recognize her.

Come to think of it, would they even consider her as one of their own? It would be a little odd for someone they don't know to suddenly pop out and say that they were one of the escapees. Looking down at her clothes, she couldn't think of a way to explain how she would find clothing between coming from the woods and coming here. She still had the bag with extra clothes on her person. At least two of her fellow mutants looked like they would need something better to cover themselves up. One of which...her eyes darted around. One of them could turn into a jaguar, she looked unnervingly feral, and hungry. She would be the last one that Ara would want to catch her scent.

A chill ran up her spine when they started to get restless. Ara silently grumbled to herself. Those stupid guards were so noisy that she was even more at risk of being caught. They were making her fidgety. She needed help. Doing her best to keep it to a whisper she tried calling out to Holmes. "They're going to see me. A little help?" There was a long silence. At first she thought he couldn't here her. She pushed herself further between the crates as everyone started to stir and prepare to leave. Someone then caught her eye. Someone DID look familiar.

"Cover coming your way." Holmes' voice abruptly rang through her skull loud and clear. Ara flinched from the shock and had to cover her mouth. The back of her upper arm caught on a stray nail that stuck out from one of the crates. The shirt tore and a sharp pain from the fresh gash made her crouch down. All she could do was breath through her nostrils till the pain became more manageable again. She could feel a wet heat seep from her cut and soak into the shirt. The shadows that were cast by those same crates deepened, darkening around her so that it would been even harder to see beyond the inky black blanket. It felt like she was sabotaging her own efforts to keep off of their radar. The only redeeming factor were the guards outside making such a ruckus.

She wanted so badly to reach back and wipe away the blood. A thought popped into her head. She wasn't supposed to be able to feel this. Holmes was supposed to have given her that pain killer like he promised. If what he gave her earlier wasn't what he promised...what did he give her before she started tracking down the others? Her hand slowly balled into a fist, helplessly unable to vent her frustrations. He said he wouldn't. Not while she was going to be out here...he lied. And she would still be expected to follow them once they try to leave the building.

Olek

Olek stood on his feet, his shoulders sagging ever so slightly. His attention was on Hawke as he spoke. Washing the scent off of themselves would be appropriate. They left quite the trail of blood in their wake. When Aileen spoke up, Olek's eye opened slightly out of shock. She would be putting herself in high amounts of danger. Olek wasn't going to argue though. They needed food and a place to rest. Olek held his position, doing his best to scan around the warehouse. Now that his eye was adjusted from being in the darkness for so long, it was easy to see most of the warehouse. He was just about to scan where his blind spot when Dray spoke up. ”Guards are here. If you do plan on getting us out of here it better be now.”

Olek shifted his weight and strained his ears. Dray had enhanced senses, Olek would easily take his words as truth. Olek slowly raised his rifle into his shoulder, his finger hovering over the trigger. He scanned the windows and would give the door an occasional glance.

Max and Eric began formulating a diversion in hushed voices. Olek's chest seized ever so slightly at the thought of him not having Bast at his back. He shook his head and banished those thoughts from his mind. The safety of the group came first. He strode over to Bast, and looked at her with a conflicted gaze. He raised his hand to put it on her shoulder, but it only made it half way before he heard a low growl coming from his previous position. He spun around quickly, his rifle quickly zeroing in on the threat. Olek's gaze met Kisa's, his eye narrowed ever so slightly as he padded over to Edur. He positioned himself in front of her in a protective manner, his gun lowered, but his demeanor was still tense and stern.

The last thing that caught his attention beyond the footsteps outside was the sound of tearing fabric. Olek spun once again, his rifle trained on a darkened corner of the room. With a perplexed gaze he stared into dark, after a few moments Olek's eyes widened. He looked over at the rest of the group, then back to the corner. He shook his head. It was too dark, it was dim lighting everywhere else. Can't be.

He kept his rifle trained on the corner of the room, and slowly shifted over to Edur and Chris' position. With a guiding hand he nudged them towards Aileen and Dray. He shot Kisa and Hawke a concerned look, and motioned his head towards the door. His eyes were locked on the blanket of darkness that covered one of the corners of the warehouse. He thought of himself as paranoid, but paranoia had a bad habit of keeping him alive.

"Turn around Holmes." Olek spoke calmly as he stared into the darkness. "This doesn't have to get messy."

Something felt off, he wasn't sure what it was but he felt that something was wrong. He quickly started to survey his surroundings for something out of the ordinary and was about to get up and look around the warehouse, when Hawke began to speak. He listened intently as Hawke suggested that they should wash off the several undesirable scents on them and Chris couldn't help but think of the last time he had a proper shower.When Aileen offered to give them a safer place to hide, he tossed her a small smile. The healer was certainly generous, and helping them was probably going to be dangerous, so he felt extremely grateful towards her.

"Guards are here. If you do plan on getting us out of here it better be now.” He looked at Dray and then towards the others, with an alert expression. He silently scolded himself for not paying attention and hearing them earlier. So he took a moment to carefully listen, the guards outside were being rather noisy and the scent of the lab hung in the air.

Max and the dockworker soon began making plans for a making a distraction so they could escape. He glanced over towards max and the man. He was worried for them, causing a distraction would certainly be dangerous but it was probly the best option so that the rest of them could slip away undetected. He wasn't sure when or if they'd meet up again but he told himself that they'd be alright.

His attention was drawn away from the others when he heard something and smelled the faint scent of blood somewhere in the warehouse. Someone was already in here. Olek quickly moved Edur and himself towards Dray and Aileen, then made a motion for them to go for the door. As he was nudged toward the others he gave Edur a small if slightly unsure smile. He was a little worried about what might happen but he was sure they'd get away safely.He spared a small look toward a dark corner of the warehouse someone was definitely here and Chris thought that some sort of fight was bound to break out soon. He'd rather not but if the guards came in or whoever was in here with them proved to be a threat, he'd fight so that they could all escape. He refused to be brought back to that place, at least not without a fight.

Edur could stand going to the woman's house. In fact it seemed like a great idea. She stood again and bounced up and down on the balls of her. Because she was born in The Lab Edur had no idea what her home would look like. Hopefully nothing like what they had before. She really didn't want to sleep on another hard cot.

Edur gazed around at everyone. Bast and the other man were making some sort of plan and Chris looked distracted. She was brought away from this by a loud growling. Kisa, still in her animal form, was just a few feet away. Edur remember this look. It was the same she'd see everyday. She took a hesitant step back but luckily Olek blocked her from Kisa's view.

Before she even had a chance to thank him Olek was leading both her and Chris away. He spoke to someone named Holmes, a name Edur didn't recognize. Feeling a bit nervous she gripped the nearest hand which just so happened to be Chris's.

Holmes could tell something was off not long after he provided Aramay with extra cover. He wondered if he overdid it. The only response he heard back initially was a tearing sound. In the dying light it was just about impossible to see inside from behind on of the metal cargo containers that was stacked on top of another. He could only guess her location via the tracking chip that was implanted in her just before she was let loose. The only hint that he had of Ara being in trouble was by how hard she was breathing. It was so loud that he could hear it through the transmitter. "Calm down. I can hear you panicking from here." Maybe that was the problem. He could have made a mistake without even knowing. He may have just made it worse. Then again.

He switched channels so that Ara couldn't hear the conversation between himself and HQ. "Why did you have to go and send in the guards so soon?! I thought you didn't want to lose any more subjects!" Holmes tried not to vent too loudly to the scientists in charge on the other end of the line.

A few moments of silence is heard before the line crackles to life. "The sooner we bring them back the better."

Frustration was clear on Holmes' face. "Then why did you send us out in the first place?! If you keep rattling the cage she's going to get shot. We can't track the group if she doesn't even get the chance to slip in with them."[/blue] The bastards were trying too hard to cover their asses. Their methods were ham fisted. Why stick with one option when you can throw it all in the pot at once? [color=blue]"If she's pinned down she can't withdraw." Just then he could hear foot steps followed by a near stampede of boots following soon after. He waited for Aramay to slink back in a hasty retreat, or at least show herself. No good. He had to improve her chances. It would be hell for him but he had invested too much in her to risk losing now.

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Aramay couldn't possibly ball herself up any tighter than she already was right now. She couldn't catch her breath. There was a certain feeling that can only be felt when you knew that all eyes were on you. Its a petrifying feeling, and she didn't need to look out to know that this feeling was justified. It was making her thoughts get away from her. All she could imagine was looking back out to see if it was safe, only to have her last moments be of a pair of large jaws coming at her wide open. Or hearing boots coming closer and closer towards her before hearing the sound of a gun cocking. It forced her to realize that the only semblance of skills she had was tracking. There was no way she would be able to hold her own in a fight if she were caught. And it was assumed that just because she was like the other mutants that they would readily accept her without question. Only now did Ara think it through enough to figure out the slew of holes in the original plan.

The panic she felt was so bad that she was ready to dart out of hiding at a moment's notice in an attempt to flee. She couldn't control a small whimper of fear that managed to muffle out from her throat. The slightest noise would have been enough if the pain in her arm didn't snap her out of her frightened daze. "Turn around Holmes. This doesn't have to get messy." That voice. It sounded familiar. This person knew about Holmes. Olek was mistaking her for him. The tone of his voice did nothing to calm her. The footsteps from the group were heading away from her. At the same time, she noticed the shadows growing out from around her. They were branching out and slowly enveloping one of the the inside ends of the warehouse. Ara could hear Holmes over the transmitter making noises that sounded like him physically straining, as if he were trying to move or hold up something.

Like a trapped animal seeing a chance to find better cover she took the opportunity to look around through the near pitch black area surrounding her. If she could think straight the logical thing to do was to head back out the way she came in. Instead she kept looking high up to find a spot that would be hard to reach. She didn't know why but at the time it felt like the right thing to get as high as possible. Ignoring her aching body she propelled herself through the cover of shadows and up the stacked up crates toward the rafters. Just as soon as her feet touched the wide support beams she heard Holmes retching and in almost an instant the shadows dissipated. Her body just as quickly hit the deck; flattening herself out against a beam while doing her best to ignore the itching she felt from the blood trickling down her wounded arm. The only shadows left to aid her were the ones naturally placed there.

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Holmes felt physically ill. He knew what made him sick. His abilities were rather exceptional but they still had many, many limits to what he could do and how long he could last before something gave. He didn't know it he gave her enough time, or if he only exacerbated his previous mistake more. The only thing he could do was finish vomiting up his lunch and hope that he didn't hear gun fire.

Olek

Olek kept his rifle trained on the blanket of darkness covering the corner of the warehouse. He heard the faint footsteps of the others as they began to head out. His attention was still unwavering, if Holmes was here, he posed a significant threat to the operation. Holmes knew Olek's fighting style, and how he went about things. Olek knew how Holmes did things too, he preferred to keep away from the front lines. The fact that he was here was uncharacteristically like him. He shook his head once her heard Bast begin the distraction. He switched to the private channel that they were both on, and spoke to Bast one last time whilst his attention was on her. "Stay safe, no unnecessary risks." Olek spoke into the radio before switching it off altogether. He didn't want them tracing him, no matter how remote the chance was. He felt unsure of the fact that Bast was running the distraction. Olek's strong suit was fighting, not looking after people.

He suppressed a sigh as all of his attention was on the blanket of darkness before him. Olek didn't want to have to shoot Holmes, but he would if he had to. Olek calmly started to back towards Dray. They needed to go, now that the others had a head start, it would be difficult for any trackers to pursue if Olek was in the rear and Bast was leading most of the others away. It was a sound plan.

All of a sudden the darkness was lifted, and the corner once again shifted into dim lighting. He strode forward and checked the boxes, small speckles of blood littered the area. His brow furrowed once more before he turned to Dray. "We don't have time for this. Lead the way. I've got you guys covered." Olek said as he jogged over to Dray. He put a hand on Dray's shoulder and gave him a confident nod.

"If you see any more unnatural shadows, call them out." Olek spoke in a dark and serious tone. Olek positioned himself to Dray's left, just so Dray could watch his blind side. He preferred to have people watch his blind side for him, but more often than not, Olek usually ended up covering himself. Though it was nice running with a group, especially a group filled with a sufficient amount of fighters. Olek stopped to pick up his mangled vest. He once again wore his shredded armor, it would still cover him from the back, just not the front.

With that he stacked up on the door, and prepared himself to follow Dray whilst taking down any guards that weren't pursuing Bast and Eric.

When Edur gripped his hands he looked at her, she seemed worried, so he squeezed her hand in a gentle and reassuring manner then gave her a confident smile. He was nervous but refused to show it, instead trying to maintain a confident and calm demeanor. He looked back toward the unnaturally dark corner of the warehouse only looking away when Max and Eric left the warehouse to lure the guards safely away from the rest of the group. Soon after he heard the sound of foot steps going away from the the warehouse. Chris felt slightly relived when the guards had moved away from them, but he kept his guard up. This Holmes person could be a threat and he didn't want to be caught by surprise if a fight broke out.

When Aileen started toward the door Chris looked over at Dray who had started to speak.”Keep quiet best you can.” He nodded and quickly followed Aileen through the door. Olek seemed to stay in the warehouse probably to confront this Holmes person and Dray stayed behind with him. Chris wasn't worried in fact he felt slightly relived when Dray seemed to stay with Olek. If they stayed behind or ended up fighting Holmes, Dray would be a huge help he was strong and if Holmes proved to be a threat he'd be outnumbered, Dray might even be able to follow their trail and meet back up with the rest of them when they get to safety.

Kisa

Kisa had been arrogant, cocky and that had been her downfall. With the loss of some fangs, several broken ribs and maybe a concussion of some sorts, Kisa was in pain, but not for long. She hid the pain, buried in a treasure box and left it in the recesses of her mind to wait. She felt the hands of her opponent on her chest, but then they disappeared and there was the sound of a banging sound and- "Agh!" The Jaguar snarled out a yelp as it clawed at its ears with its front paws, trying to get the ringing noise gone, and the intense light that lit up her eyelids.

Confused, and with her senses being hit one by one, Kisa acted more like the wounded and scared animal she was when claws lifted her body and pushed. She roared out in fear, anger and instant mistrust followed by disgust. This being that held her smelled horrible! Kisa turned on the stranger, her eyes open, blindly and desperately trying to get her eyes to focus.

With teeth bared the spotted cat yowled and struggled, pushing away from the unseen stranger. She let out a roar that sounded more like a howl of pain as it jostled its ribs. Then, a new smell. A familiar smell. Olek. Breathing in tiny, slow gasps, she dragged her battered body toward the smell, and felt her muzzle run into clothes, muscle, flesh, along with the scents of Olek. Relieved at finding something familiar the Jaguar stopped to take a breather.

Kyra

Kyra had debating the Jaguar's life - and she'd been weighing more on letting it go and surviving their encounter - when she heard the noise of something flying through the air. Acting on reflex, she turned just in time to see the flash bangs detonate, getting the full effect of the bright flashes. Her eyes were blinking nonstop and her ears were swiveling around nonstop, her tail swinging around to make sure no enemy approached her back.

As a natural born telepath, Kyra instinctively fell back on her mind powers when she found her other senses to be... too blinding. And so, when she felt her mind brush that of the Jaguar, she wasn't surprised, but when she found Olek's, boy was she surprised. The Cyclops's mind was practically surrounded by mental walls as big as the Wall of China. Kyra shied away from the mental barriers and when she was readying herself to send out a mind-blast, she got pushed. Today is so full of surprises, the masked woman thought angrily.

As long as she's lived in the Lab, Kyra had never given into Hate. Well, at least not toward a fellow Mutant. Nor was her Hatred so great as her newly found Hatred was for this Mutant that had dared to touch her. A roar so loud, that anyone nearby would be feeling the vibrations on their skin and in the core, ran through the night as Kyra resisted the urge to shift into her Tiger shape. When I catch this Mutant I'll... The angry, roiling and deep black thoughts snarled inside her mind. You wretched and foul creature.. You've just helped me make up my mind.

Using her telepathic powers to create a mental map of where she was and where the others were, she appeared to glance at Olek and the Jaguar before making up her mind. Yes, I won't kill them but join them... This wretched creature however, will feel my wrath. Kyra's eyes changed colored from Golden to a fiery Red that conveyed her emotions and thoughts. She moved, or rather moved so fast she just appeared in front of both Olek and Kisa, between them and Ara.

Hoping that she wouldn't get stabbed in the back, she sent her thoughts to the turncoat Guard, Olek. Human cyclops, can you hear me?... Before you attempt to stab me in the back, you should know that you've just gained an ally in me. She attempted to send him a piece of how she was, how dedicated and loyal she was and could be toward his cause. While at the same time, she cut open her forearm and thrust the bleeding wound into the Jaguar's mouth to energize and heal the spotted cat's insides.

After that, Kyra ducked her head, hiding her face from everyone and took of her mask along with her coat. She then shifted into her tiger form. The transformation wasn't as primitive or gruesome as Kisa's was. It was more smoother, more efficient and a lot more interesting to watch as she just grew in size. What were her front arms and head fell forward, her back sloped then quickly became the straight back of a tiger. Now, I suggest, that if you want to live, get onto my back. And hold on. She went into crouch, getting herself as close to the ground as possible without completely putting herself in a weak and vulnerable position.

Olek

The bright light seared through his closed eyelid, he was relatively unaffected due to the preparations he had made. Still, his eye watered, and his blinking continued at a semi rapid pace. He calmly strode forward before he noticed a figure dart into the fray, heavily clothed, strangely mutated legs. He aimed his rifle and held his position, Olek was unwilling to be caught off guard. If any more harm came to Kisa, he would use deadly force. Slowly yet surely the new figure that had entered the fray tangled with the masked woman ever so slightly, and started to drag Kisa towards him. Olek's finger rested on the trigger, he took a half step forward; stopping when Kisa started limping towards him of her own accord. Olek blinked a few more times and was able to see with perfect clarity again. Kisa, still stunned by the explosives, nudged into Olek. He gently gave her a reassuring pat on one of her shoulders before he aimed down the sights of his rifle once more at the new figure. His eye slowly widened, he rubbed his eye and started to blink multiple times. He could feel the heat still searing his right side from that day. Olek was not an easy man to shake, but for a few moments he completely lost his composure. His mouth opened to say words, but none came out. Olek unconsciously touched his eye-patch as he gazed at her. Ara.

"Why are you here Ara? How are you here-" Olek's reaction was interrupted by a new one as the masked woman appeared inbetween Olek and Ara. Olek felt a foreign mind brush against his. His walls were immediately thrown up. He was trained for this scenario, he spent years hardening his mind to catch mutants that could interact with his thoughts. Olek gripped a painful memory, ready to send it to the surface, if the foreign entity began an onslaught on him he would make both of them hurt. Instead all he got were words. The woman in the mask looked at him as the words echoed in his mind. She was the telepath.

Human cyclops, can you hear me?... Before you attempt to stab me in the back, you should know that you've just gained an ally in me. Olek raised an eyebrow at the mention of the word cyclops. He would've found it amusing if the situation wasn't ready to explode around them. Olek stood next to Kisa, his rifle still raised and ready to fire. Soon he was transmitted what seemed to be feelings. Loyalty, honor, and other qualities that Olek could trust. She was a fighter, she didn't deal in subterfuge. He wearily nodded his head, and turned his rifle back to Ara. Still weary of her. She may have owed him one big time, but he still didn't really trust her. He didn't harbor a whole lot of trust for either of them while on that subject.

In a few strides, Kyra was next to Kisa. Olek raised his rifle once more and kept it trained on Kyra. He would've been better off putting a bullet in Kyra's head. She was definitely faster and stronger than him. She probably could've shattered what was left of Olek if she honestly wanted to. As Kyra cut herself, she began to feed Kisa her blood. This only contributed to Olek's perplexed state. They could be helping us now just to get to the others later. Not good. Olek couldn't determine if he could trust them or not whilst they stood in the middle of a war-zone.

Kyra once again interrupted his thoughts with her own, as she shifted into a large Tiger. So that's why you two didn't get a long. Olek remarked in his head.

Now, I suggest, that if you want to live, get onto my back. And hold on. Kyra spoke up in his mind. Olek looked over at Kisa, searching her vibrant-blue eyes for an answer.

Olek saw the explosion of concrete beside his right food before he heard the gunshot. He whipped around and noticed a figure on a warehouse roof top at least seventy meters away. He spun on his heels and immediately rained inaccurate fire on the sniper's position. He gritted his teeth and controlled the recoil on his rifle. After about two bursts, the man fell back to better cover. Olek stepped over the shell casings, and gently grabbed Ara's arm. He looked into her eyes with his only remaining one. He searched for anything, fear, regret, recognition, but mostly guilt. After a few moments he let go and perched himself onto Kyra's back. He shouldered his rifle and held on with one hand. He nodded to Ara, and made room for her. He proceeded to pat Kyra on the back, motioning for her to go.

Olek quickly picked up his radio, with his free hand, and started speaking quickly into it. "Dray, Olek here. Kisa's safe, the area's getting pretty bad. I don't have time to figure this out whilst providing cover fire. We have two new additions tagging along, not sure if we can trust them. They both don't appear to be wearing prisoners clothing. You along with the rest of the group should make the call."

Hawke frowned as he listened to Dray, his eyes shut tight to avoid distractions. He'd have to get a new hood soon.... He barked the message to Aileen, listening to the others. "I think it's a good idea.... meeting up somewhere else would be good, but could also be dangerous for us. We weren't exactly sure of each other, or of Barrow and Bast. But things aren't always what they look like. Like Barrow, someone we see as a potential enemy can easily be an ally. I say we let them tag along, for now. Keep a close eye on them, in case they are the bad guys. We are damaged, but not broken nor weak. What do the rest of you think?" Friends close, enemies closer... Enemies can be allies, allies can be traitors.... He shuddered a little, shaking his head hard to get rid of some of the water in his feathers. The soaked "hair" poofed and spiked up awkwardly as a result.

Aileen blinked as she drove, startled at the thought they might have two new mutants joining them. That they weren't sure they could be trusted only made her blood cool further. "That's up to you guys. My job right now is to get everyone safe. If you decide to meet elsewhere, somewhere quiet but at least sort of public would be best, wouldn't it? They won't attack you in semi-crowded areas, too risky to their own operation. Please someone tell me they wouldn't do that....!" Her emotions ran high-- though she kept her voice as calm as possible, it was almost impossible to hide in her words the several kinds of fear that hit her at once: Fear for the people in her care. Fear for the ones that got separated. And fear for herself. "There's a park near where I go to school. If you decide to let them stay, I could take a few of you to meet there..."

Chris was still watching through the window, taking in sights he hadn't seen in years but his attention was soon brought back when Dray began to speak. When Dray mentioned more mutants he was slightly concerned and suspicious. He wasn't sure if any other mutants had escaped from the lab, these two new mutants could be hunting them. He frowned slightly at this thought, he never understood how any mutant could be loyal to the same place that made them suffer so much, but he held a no small amount of contempt towards the ones that did. Then again maybe these new mutants really did escape. They wouldn't know for sure until they actually met them, but if they did escape Chris didnt want to just leave them.

He listened as Hawke and Aileen spoke, when Hawke spoke, nodding slightly when he said he thought it was a good idea to meet up with these new mutants. Chris was about to voice his agreement when Aileen spoke."That's up to you guys. My job right now is to get everyone safe. If you decide to meet elsewhere,somewhere quiet but at least sort of public would be best, wouldn't it? They won't attack you in semi-crowded areaa, too risky to their own operation. Please someone tell me they wouldn't do that....! There's a park near where I go to school. If you decide to let them stay, I could take a few of you to meet there..." Chris like the idea of meeting the other mutants but he wasn't sure about doing it near any people, even if there weren't that many around. They didn't exactl look normal after all. However he was confident that at least some of them could look normal and if he had to Chris could even transform. There isn't anythi very unusual about a dog in the park after all.

He nodded after Aileen had spoken. " I like that idea. We should probably meet them, just in case they also escaped from the lab and the park sounds like a good meeting place."

Edur was very uncomfortable sitting in the car. It was bumpy and the shapes that sped by made her head spin. She whimpered as the radio sparked to life. Her ears perked up as Olek spoke. If there where two other mutants out there she couldn't help but fell worried for Olek. Dray adressed them all of they should meet them or not, and the woman spoke up. "That's up to you guys. My job right now is to get everyone safe. If you decide to meet elsewhere, somewhere quiet but at least sort of public would be best, wouldn't it? They won't attack you in semi-crowded areas, too risky to their own operation. Please someone tell me they wouldn't do that....!"

Next to her Chirs agreed to meeting in the park that the woman talked about. Edur had heard the word park used a few times back in The Lab but she didn't really know that one was. She would be more excited to see it if everything wasn't so panicy. Chirs spoke, snapping her out of her daze and she nodded vigorously. Anyone out there that need their help and came from The Lab didn't deserve to be left out. If anything getting these two would help soften the quilt she had for leaving other behind.

Still Edur was sure she'd cause too much of a distraction. Almost her whole body was covered in fur and despite how matted it was the white was still very obvious. And unlike most others Edur was never able to shift into a full animal. She was stuck in a sort of in between, not fully animal and not fully human. Worryingly she pointed to her fur covered arm. She shook it a bit, trying to show her fears to Chris.

It was too much of a pipe dream. "Why are you approaching the targets openly?" Thinking she could just swoop in and expect everything to fall in place. Instead she had her ear drums rattled. The injured jaguar was much stronger than her. "Those were not your orders." That shove was more than enough to send her back falling head over heels but she quickly bounced back to her feet. A hand goes her bleeding shoulder followed by a hiss of pain. "What the hell is wrong with you!? Get out of there!" She couldn't take the time to reflect now that she was in the fray. "Come back to base immediately." Her head turned to follow Kisa rushing to cling to someone. Someone who had their gun aimed right at her. Her reaction was delayed but her jolt of fear from finding herself in front of a rifle nearly lifted her off the ground. Her hands shot up in front of her defensively. All the while orders and berating for her incompetence were being barked at her.

A familiar voice deafened all the others that made her freeze. "Why are you here Ara? How are you here-" That's why the escapees had a guard with them. He wasn't like any of the other guards that she had known in the Lab. Olek was the only one who put himself in harm's way to help her. Kyra stepped between them before she could explain herself. Aramay expected for there to be repercussions from the fellow hunter. A mutant had to seriouly hate other mutants in order to be a willing hunter. Instead she watched Kyra and Olek stand quietly in pause. Her guard lowered too soon. As Olek trained his rifle on her again. Startling her for a second time. "I'm not one of-I'm with you!" Her voice was choked with panic at the thought of being shot. He didn't trust her. She was already at a bad start. Should have snuck to the truck with the others.

Gunshots ripped through the air forcing everyone to scramble. She chose to hide behind the same cover that Olek did. He was rather gentle when he grabbed her arm. It just so happened to be the injured one. She locked eyes with him, gritting her teeth. The frustration she felt was nowhere near as strong as the fear. The fear and pain were what gripped her the most. Her mind raced to come up with an explanation for him but her mind drew a blank. He looked at her like she didn't belong here. It was going to take a lot more to convince him that she did. If she had better luck with the others, then maybe...

Hesitantly she got up onto Kyra next to Olek. Her body was shaking rather hard; clutching at the bag of spare clothes. And the pain medication hadn't completely worn off yet. It was gonna be hell for her if she didn't take something soon but she was far too scared to speak up. For all intents and purposes she was guilty until proven innocent. Her trial is about to come into session and the jury were made up of her fellow mutants. She didn't say a word to Olek. The pain was making her tired and sluggish.

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Holmes cursed to himself wondering what the hell kind of a situation she would allow herself to get into that would be as complicated as this. He could hear minute sounds coming from her though. Small and barely audible, but he knew what they meant. "I told you not to take too much time." He mumbled more to himself than her. That's why he didn't want to give her the medication. In hopes that she wouldn't take too much time to lure out one or more of the mutants out at a time. Now they would have to come up with a new plan. Either way, if she took too long to come back she would have to deal with more than simple aches and pains.