The Facility

Though he was certainly not the first to reawaken, he was certainly making it a point to be the loudest from the moment his eyes opened. His protests weren't clearly enunciated but everyone who was part of the scuffle outside both understood and resented his rabble rousing as it not only came off as someone with intolerable frustrations but also managed to give off a nagging tone that one would attribute to an intolerably bratty child that just had his toys taken from him. This big show he was putting on would have been daunting if he didn't come off as so, pitiful. Where someone might punch a hole through a wall to vent his frustrations as well as show off his strength, Evan would only hurt his hand and turn his already anger reddened face two shades redder.

His maturity level was slipping below his age the longer his tantrum ran on. Until it looked like someone other than the other subjects had enough of his prattling. A guard met up with him in the hallway. The man in uniform looked intimidating up until he and Evan met eye to eye. Then a sort of barrier broke down between them, and the guard's expression softened to the look of borderline embarrassment as he shook his head. "Jesus Ev's you really gotta pull that shit this early on my shift?" They knew each other.

Evan did little to hush his tone at the guard's presence. Instead he greeted him with grabbing at his own crotch while yelling, "Well why don't you suck it Harves!" He was nearly in the man's face. Although he wasn't quite tall enough to meet eye to eye with the man. *Drrzzzzt* Next thing Evan knew he was on the ground groaning as he received a very unpleasant shock to his system. The guard holstered his stun club and leisurely stepped over Evan's temporarily incapacitated body.

"Go wash the s**t out'ch yer pants." For a second that remark made the guard wonder if Evan really did mess himself and prompted a delayed chuckle out of him. Luckily for everyone the lack of a pungent odour meant otherwise.

It was like waking up from a bad dream. He didn't remember anything, but when Byron woke he felt as though he had just had the worst nightmare of his life. He felt stiff, like his muscles hadn't been stretched in too long. He had no idea where he was, there was a weird aroma filling the air, he certainly wasn't home. A feeling of fear crept over him, and he clenched his fist tightly. 'Think...What do you remember? Those men, that came into the gym last night...they drugged you with a needle, and they brought you here. You've been kidnapped, right?' He tried making sense of what was going on. Why would they choose him, of all people?

Hunger clawed at his stomach, and he rubbed his belly with discontent. He slowly sat up in bed, and that's when he really took in the surroundings. He was in a small room, almost like a jail cell, but a little cleaner. There was a tray of food sitting on a night stand by his bed. With little hesitation, he scooped the tray into his hand and began feeding himself with the other, shoving in mouthful after mouthful, until it was gone. It tasted awful, but he was used to things not being up to snuff in the flavor department, it came with his territory, being dedicated to physical fitness and whatnot, not everything was about flavor, as long as it had what he needed to maintain his condition, he hardly minded. Besides, what did he honestly expect from kidnappers? McDonald's?

He heard someone yelling outside, it sounded like it had been coming from down the hall. Perhaps other people had been kidnapped as well? He gave it little thought as he tossed the tray back onto the nightstand. He noticed, for the first time, that his arm was remarkably sore. He rubbed at it gently, as if it would help. He got up to use the toilet, and his head swiveled with disorientation, almost to the point where he fell over. He leaned on the nightstand for support, and clutched his forehead with his free hand. He felt like he was going to be sick. He swallowed hard, and took a few deep breaths, making his way to the toilet.

After he finished his business he began stretching, like he would before any workout. 'No time to play damsel in distress, you've got a body to think about, Byron.' Upon completing his stretches, he began doing jumping jacks in the center of his room, not bothering to close the open door. In his head he counted, each jump releasing a little exhale through pursed lips. '98...99...100' He stood for a moment, placing his hands on his hips, catching his breath. How long had he been out? He couldn't quite get his body to do what it wanted, like it was fighting against him, and he wouldn't have that. He dropped into a push up position and started knocking those out. After a set of thirty, he rolled over onto his back and placed his hands above his head, stretching them more. His whole body ached, and he was sure that he hadn't just been asleep overnight.

Finishing his little workout, he had worked up quite a sweat, it felt good, like he was back in control of the way his body felt. He took a quick shower, and tossed his dirty clothes in the corner, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and tank top that was placed at the foot of his bed. He was starting to think that maybe he hadn't been kidnapped by some lowly street thugs that wanted to take his money, and they certainly weren't after any vital information he had. He began to assume that this was some sort of government thing, the draft? Had he not been told he had been called upon, so when he failed to show, they came looking for him? Well, they could have just asked, instead of drugging him like some wild animal and bringing him here. He sighed heavily, and, with some reluctance, left his room and entered the hall.

Violet enters the hallway about the time the guard steps over Evans. She is careful to avoid getting too close to the guard as she approaches the dazed Evans. After a quick exam determines he has suffered no permanent injury, Violet decides to move him.

"Evans don't try to talk or move yet. You just need to rest for a while, I think."

Violet puts a comforting hand on Evans' shoulder and looks around for help. There's no way a slender but fit woman like her can move the chubby man on her own. Spotting Francis, the young blind man, waiting in a doorway she almost asks him for help. But then someone new steps into the hallway. From his looks he is another experimental subject not a guard and quite strong.

Waving to the big man, "Hey, You're new here aren't you? Could please give me a hand. I need to get this guy into a bed. And I can't move him by myself. One of the guards Tazed him or something. If you have questions I'll try to answer them the best I can while we move him."

Stepping into the hall, he realized what all the commotion had been about. There was a man lying on the floor, apparently stunned, because there was a woman asking for help getting him to his bedroom. It was then he began doubting whether or not he had been drafted by force, this certainly didn't look like any sort of army base, not that he had ever been in one, of course.

"I, uhh..yeah, sure." He moved to the two in the hallway, and noticed another man standing in a doorway not too far from him. He seemed to have a blank stare that wasn't really looking in any particular direction. "Must have done something pretty bad to get himself shocked, huh? Unless they do that for no reason.." He crouched down so he could meet the man eye to eye. "I'm gonna pick you up, and take you where the lady asks." Without waiting for a response, because he felt as though there wasn't much he could do against him, he took the mans arm and placed it over his shoulder. He did a sort of fireman's carry on the guy, being able to dead lift close to 400 pounds, the man provided little challenge. Though he almost stumbled when he stood up straight, he centered himself and looked at the woman. "Where to?" He grunted, wanting to get this little act of kindness over as quickly as possible.

He couldn't think of anything he wanted to ask right off hand, and he didn't feel like having a conversation while a paralyzed man was draped over his shoulders. He supposed he would start with the basics, where were they? Why were they here? How did they get out? Or was he going to have to spend the rest of his life here. If so, where could he workout? The thought of never going home again surprisingly didn't bother him. He didn't have anything going for him back home, his grandma was due to kick out any day now, and it wasn't like she was gonna leave his sorry ass anything, not that she had anything to leave behind. Maybe this place wasn't going to be so bad. Then again, they couldn't have the purest intentions if they had to get members by drugging them and dragging their lifeless bodies to this...building.

There was screaming and shouting a few doors down, something was happening in the hallway, he could almost hear the restlessness in the tones of others, everything he didn't want to hear. By Crombie's puzzled expression, it was obvious he was unsure of what his next move might be. Bits of dialogue and lots of movement, well, he still couldn't quite catch on. It was times like these that really made him itch for his eyesight back. The blind man's mouth formed words, but he couldn't yet gain the confidence to speak loud enough to catch someone's attention. He wondered if they even knew he was there. Maybe even only in the corner of their eye. Finally, Crombie spat, "What's going on?" to no one in particular. He just prayed it was enough for someone to grab him and - er - not grab, he'd grown kind of tired of all that, maybe just tell him what was happening, but the chances of that lessened and he just felt kind of stupid after shouting out some question that wasn't even going to be answered properly, or even in one's right mind.

This was ridiculous. Absolutely, positively ridiculous. He wasn't going to stay here any longer. He couldn't. There just had to be an exit. If only he could just remember which way the elevator was...but that would mean having to cross through the chaos that unravelled in the hall. Hahaha, no way.

The situation at hand still remained unknown to him. Crombie just stood there, keeping his distance from the other subjects, he stood there feeling panicked and afraid to move. It was relatively likely he'd probably cower away if anyone were to approach him, so really, what options did he have.

Violet quickly directs the strong young man into an empty room and to place Evans on the bed.
"Thank you. This is Evans, he's been here longer than anybody else, I think." Violet indicates the groggy, chubby man.
"I am Violet Whitt. I am a evolutionary and environmental Biologist from Princeton University. You, like the rest of us, have been conscripted into an experiment of some sort. I don't know enough right now to even know what questions to ask yet. But there are ... strange and dangerous creatures on this island, be careful. I wish I could tell you more."

Returning to the halllway and approaching Crombie, but addressing both men, "I was going to head out into the jungle for a little walk. Either or both of you are invited join me if you wish."

Evan blinded in a daze trying to see who was leaning over him. It was her again. His first thought was to 'man up' and try to jump to his feet but instead it came out as, "Nah-am fine, ghnnn." He lifts his head and his arms then just as quickly laid back out like a sack of potatoes. Hearing Violet talk to someone who had an unfamiliar voice made it all the more difficult to stay still. Once the man picked him up thought he wanted nothing more than to be put back down. His wriggling was enough to provide a minor annoyance for Bryon but not enough to make him get dropped.

The guard watched Evan get picked up and carried away with the help of the other subjects. "Never could keep yourself out of trouble without relying on others." He softly scoffed before walking out of the hallway and closing the door that prevented the other subjects from having access to areas they weren't allowed to venture into.

He felt himself get flopped onto the bed which both helped jostle him back into reality and curse out the man for not receiving gentler treatment. Most of all he just wanted someone to take his frustration out on. "If you really want to help me you'd get me back out there so I can make sure those asses with security clearance don't find what we could get from that boat!" He holds his head after sitting up because of the migraine he felt since he had woken up. "I wouldn't worry about the old subjects unless they find out you have something they want. Not that I would recommend talking to them-" He had stopped himself and immediately hoped that no one caught that.

Groaning he slowly gets to his feet and does his best to steady himself. Keeping a few paces behind he follows Violet back out to the hallway before steadying himself with the wall. "I'm starting to think that building a hut out on the beach is more enticing than bland food and scratchy sheets in a bleached out room." He shook his head at Violet's last comment. "Sure you want to do that with a blind man and a-a new guy you don't even know if he will snap your neck if you turn your head away for a second."

Byron just sort of...stared, at the man, as he rambled on about getting supplies from a boat and building a hut in the middle of the jungle. What in the hell sort of place where they in? He remembered no jungles close to his home, he must have been halfway across the world, at least.

Before he had a chance to accept the woman's offer of going for a walk out in the jungle, this snide ass decides to tell her that he is the type that might snap her neck while she isn't looking. This boiled his blood for some reason, for this man to just assume he was a killer, after he had just lugged his tons of fun off the floor and carried him to his room. "Hey.." He approached the man, prodding him in the shoulder to get his attention. "Hey! I just heaved your sorry ass back to your room, and you're gonna start spouting stuff like, 'Oh, he's gonna kill ya!' You don't even know me, man, I suggest you watch your mouth." He shouldered past the man to where the woman and the apparently blind man were. "Yeah, if you want to go for a walk, that's fine by me, I could use some fresh air, it feels like I've been out of it for days, and you did say you'd answer any questions I had. At least, the ones you can, and right now, I'd really appreciate that."

He shot the man another sideways glance. "I don't know why I'm here, alright?" He began to raise his voice, it was as if he finally came to reality with himself being captured. "I didn't ask for two guys to come jump me at my damn job, and I sure as hell didn't ask to be ripped from my home and brought to some jungle! So the next time you wanna go on about whose gonna kill someone, you might just wanna think about what that person might be going through, because I get the feeling you didn't ask to be put in here, either."

At this point, his temples were pounding, he turned from the group, pacing down the hallway, giving himself a couple of good hard slaps to the head. It was his own way of venting, self destructive, he knew, but it worked.

It felt like an eternity waiting the room on the bed. The food was still there, but he wasn't hungry in the least. However, he felt the need to walk. Walk about and do something at least. Again, he was on autopilot as he opened the door and started to wander. His arm itched a bit, that sore spot on the back of his arm was starting to irritate him to a slight degree. "Still smells like a hospital." He said to himself as he walked the halls.

The look on his face was that of mild irritation and tiredness. As if he didn't want to be here at all, though it wasn't like he really had a choise. This hospital like place, the shots, everything rose red flags for reasons he could not fathom at all. All he knew was that he wanted out again.

Violet isn't sure but she thinks she heard Evan imply Treeclimber, Minotaur, and the other unusual beings were once subjects like her and the other people here. The consequences of that idea are almost too disturbing to consider. But they also feel too plausible, if scientifically ridiculous, to just be dismissed. She pauses rubbing her sore arm as these and other uncomfortable thoughts come unbidden.

After a few moments Violet shakes it off. She can't let unknown possibilities paralyze her into inaction, she has to do something. Find out more about what this place is and what's going on here. Violet decides to give the new guy a brief tour and try to find the place Minotaur and Sharkcreature fought over Treeclimber. Hoping to find some clue about their identities. And if she runs into one of them, try talking to them.

"New Guy, the elevator at the end of the hallway seems to be the only way out. And it only goes to this floor and the ground floor lobby. At least for us that is. I have some experience navigating jungle environments, so if you don't I suggest you stick by me or the paths once outside. It is very easy to get lost if you don't know what you are doing."

Violet enters the elevator and pushes the button for the ground floor, but holds the door for any who want to enter as well.

Evan furrowed his brow at Bryon's actions more than what he said. He winced when those prodding fingers shoved into his shoulder to push him back. If there was anyone on the island that made a point to decide whether to judge someone on how much they annoyed him, it would be Evan. The words that came out of his mouth where typical. On the other hand, the self-inflicted pain that Bryon looked to be causing himself did give Evan a reason and concern enough to take a mental note of that detail. A head slap today becomes another's head slammed into the wall tomorrow. Nothing to worry about. Not as long as he kept an eye out for himself. But he couldn't just tread carefully. He had to poke at the fire. It was his job to see who was capable of what.

Evan looked Bryon up and down as if he was deciding on how to judge him. Which he was, and how he would react to how the man was speaking to him. "If you think I'm bad. You're going to have a hell of a hard time getting along with the others." He walks into the elevator with Violet. "Bit of advice, you might want to get chummy with the ones who know about this place. Making enemies here will get yourself killed." Normally he would have a smart ass smirk after dispensing a nugget of 'I know something you don't know'. He just wasn't feeling it this time. He lowered his voice so that only Violet would hear him. "I've seen it happen." Judging by the serious look on his face it was safe to say that he wasn't lying.

He already knew what he would do once they were topside again. Check for security, secure his hopefully still hidden stash, and hope to snag other people's stashed goods. That is, if they managed to stash them, and provided they weren't discovered either. Normally he would find a way to sneak it back to his room. This time however, he knew it wouldn't be possible to smuggle in so much of his half earned, half stolen salvage. People will catch on if he kept going back to his hiding spot, and the guards would raid his room like a surprise room search in a prison. They mostly did it just to piss him off. He knew that much.

Byron was already in the elevator when the others crammed themselves inside. He stood, leaning against the back wall with his arms folded broadly across his chest. He ignored everyone and just looked down toward the ground. 'Great, now I've got this mental case telling me that if I don't watch what I say, someone's gonna kill me. Heh, they better be packing something pretty big if they think I'm just gonna lay down and take their shit.'

He closed his eyes and drew his breaths slowly. When the elevator reached it's destination, the doors slid open to reveal a new area. Stepping out, he looked around cautiously, not seeing anything that set off any sort of alarm in his head. He didn't venture far though, he turned to make sure the others were still coming. After all, he had no idea how to navigate through jungle terrain, and he still really wanted to go outside.

"So, what kinds of things are there to do outside? Can we stay out there as long as we want? Not a whole lot of this makes sense." Again, he folded his arms across his chest and started looking around the room once more. He contemplated whether or not he would want to return to this building once he managed to get outside. If there was some sort of hideaway he could make in the jungle.

He dashed the thought from his head. He had no idea how to find food for himself, and water was going to be even more difficult. No, this was going to be something that had to be done over time. Certainly not his first day here. He figured today would be the day he try to find a good place to set up camp once he did decide to make a break for it. That was the best plan he could come up with.