Modern Day

Aileen couldn't help but shake as she set Aramay back in the water. "If the job I've done "hiding" is so piss poor, as you've put it, how is it I've managed to get through school and part of college, doing what I do best, without any of you lot knowing about me?" She hissed right back, her accent cold and thick with anger-- and fear. "As for this one, I've been looking for a way to help her. It seems, however, that you've made her completely dependent on you. A fool's move, really. If you want a weapon, then why make it so she can't function solo? You want her to live, to thrive, right? After all, a lot of money would have been put into her. Into all of them. So you tell me how to help her, keep her alive. And I let you leave here."

More sense than sight, the darkness wavered around her. Idiot, her inner healer screamed, Exhausting yourself on a fool's errand... If you aren't careful, you'll be stuck here, in a house full of people who despise you... With that in mind, her tone softened. "You're like us.... aren't you? I bet by now you're reaching a limit. If you keep this up, you won't be able to escape, will you? Why don't you show yourself...? Can't do much in this form for her, anyway, can you?"

Kisa

"Okay, that certainly was not creepy." Kisa walked out of the kitchen, her eyes tracing the path the striped cat had taken. She paused, her eyes going a little wide at seeing everyone in the living room. "Did I missing a meeting? Was it mandatory?" The sparkle of mischief in her eyes flickered briefly causing her appearance to darken. The shadow of her Jaguar form was on her, but she wouldn't act on it. At least not at the moment.

Kisa sighed, "Will some lab rat please tell me what's going on?" She sauntered over to one of the smaller couches and flipped onto it. "The tiger told me some stuff, but since she was being creepy, as her usual self is, I couldn't quite understand all of it." She held up a can of food she had hidden on one of her pockets. She attempted to read what the label, but was only able to understand the first word. C-A-M- "B? Or is that a P?" She held up the can up so the others could see. "Does anyone know how to read properly? I can't understand what this is..." She sniffed the can. "I think it's some sort of soup... Or gruel...?" Her face was a question mark.

"Because you just turned a spotlight on yourself by bringing them into your home. They aren't exactly as quiet and careful as you are." He looked to Ara then back to Aileen. "She got herself into trouble when she didnt come back. She wasn't my case to start off with. If I didn't pick her up she would be dying in her cell instead." He paused for a few moments. "Children are dependent on help from others before they are strong enough to go on their own. Just wait until she has a little more time to grow." Holmes looked at Ara, which thankfully she had set back down into the warm water. Warm up her body again, raise her blood pressure, stave off shock. Aileen could be as smug as she wanted. Just because a project can't stand on its own yet doesn't mean it never will.

Aileen was getting on his nerves. He wanted nothing more than to push her face against the cold tile floor for demanding how to help Ara. What did she think he was trying to do here? He was risking far more than she would ever understand just being here. "Use your eyes . The answer is right in front of you." He spoke with annoyance through tightened lips. Within the bag were written instructions to himself. They weren't easy to read but with some patience they were decipherable.

Holmes' body jerked hearing what she said next. To be compared to these idiots who happened to have luck and brute strength where its needed. He wasn't on the run. Orfacing the business end of a gun. "I'm not waiting for them to break down my door." But there was one thing that she was right about. He was wearing himself down to the quick. Not having to move did help. Keeping a muscle tensed for so long however would not allow him to go without repercussions. "If you want to help her so badly. Be my guest. But you're running out of time..."

Aileen would then see the shadows swarm around the window to then dart around the side of the building headed towards the treeline. Like a diver running out of air he only gets half way across the clearing when the shadows seem to spasm after hitting a patch of light coming through the trees. They snap back into a human shape like rubber bands being let go and Holmes seems to fall to the ground gasping to catch his breath from the sudden shock. A plethora of obscenities and swear words fill his mind. Still struggling for breathe, he stumbles while getting back to his feet while propelling himself away from the house. The longer it takes for the other mutants to be alerted, the better chance he would have of getting a safe distance away. Preferably downwind from the mutants with gifted noses.

Kyra

Kyra felt nothing as she surveyed the area called a living room, where most of the mutants she had accompanied in escaping were. Shouldn't be feeling something for them? She delved inside her head, searching for feelings of sympathy, pity, anything of that sort but only felt fatigue nipping at her mental heels.

Why am I here? Why did I decide to join them?

The questions were of the type she hated the most. Questioning herself was not something she was fond of, as she felt herself to be a Thing... Not at all Human, but not quite a Monster yet. Something-in-between the two. A thing that didn't deserve to be here in the moment.

Disgusted and aggravated with herself for thinking and being in such close proximity with these... former targets, she made her way outside. Once free from the confines of the building, the house, the assumed safe place, she let out a heavy sigh. She was starving, exhausted, and frustrated with her current position. No doubt, punishment for choosing these escapees over her... Her what? Masters? Captors? What were they? What was she? Who was she to leave them for feeling something she couldn't properly understand?

That feeling she felt when she saw that wide open area of lily-white snow and no cages. That feeling that had scared her so badly. A feeling so raw and painful... What was it? Fury, Uncaged, Passion, a feeling she couldn't describe that had left her wanting... A feeling that she felt she could feel if she had joined these... Escapees... Yet she didn't feel anything for them, for herself, for anything... Did she choose wrong?

The sound of a bird whistling brought her out of her thoughts, and back into the Present. Flabbergasted by these thoughts of hers, Kyra did her best to bury them deep and forget them as she began a patrol around the area, watching closely for any traps.

Kisa

Sighing, Kisa realized that everyone wasn't even paying attention to her and went back to the kitchen... She thought about what Kyra had said and remembered.... She growled at the memory of the unnerving way the Tigeress had spoken of killing her. She hated the woman more than any of the others... Well, maybe the Ara-thing was a good contender for most hated by Kisa. Oh, hmm, she rolled her eyes at her short attention span and realized that the Tigeresss would be staying behind with the Olek, and Dray. She must have a death wish. Too bad I can't be the one to end her.

Kisa began her search for the food hidden inside the metal containers again and finally stopped when she found something with a fruity smell. Inside were little half-moon shaped squishy stuff. The little half moons were covered in a clear liquid. It had tasted weird and has made her spit out the half-chewed remains into the metal basin thing.

Afterwards, she walked out to see the group still somewhat gathered together. She let out a small burp and a bubble appeared from her mouth. It smelled sort of soapy. Needless to say, Kisa had swallowed some soapy things while looking for food. Of course, she hadn't known what it was and didn't stop eating it until after a few more swallows. She still look pale and her sudden burp turned into hiccups that resulted in endless soapy bubbles coming from her mouth. She felt weird but didn't question herself and instead, tried looking for the one-eyed man leader.

Finally she found him by the door that let to a latrine like room. She looked at him, still somewhat burping soapy bubbles now then. "When do we leave?"