The Facility

Bruce straightened up some when the elevator doors opened, or as much as he could with his hunched body, he huffed and sized Cadmus up with his big doe eyes. To be honest he wasn't sure what he had to do now. He was told to meet the subjects but nothing beyond that. His vocal cords and sinuses had been altered completely so even if he was able to form a string of words into a sentence he wouldn't be physically able to do much but let out a baleful mooing sound. He moistened his lips, a mere habit from his human form and used one deformed hand to point to the word security patched to his long gray shorts, his only article of clothing due to his sheer size and the degree of his deformity.

Down several floors the scientist, now joined by several others and some curious doctors crowded around the security screens watching the confrontation. The head scientist pulled a microphone to access the intercom. He pressed the button and his voice echoed through the halls.

"Welcome, subjects, to your new home. Those of you who have volunteered for a position at our lab we thank you kindly for your contribution as well as those of you who where acquired through less than willful means. The beast you see before you is Taurus, formerly Bruce Fryler and he will be the iron fist you will face should you disobey and become unruly. We have but a few simple rules for you to follow. Do not kill each other, do not attempt to escape, and DO NOT harm the people working here. The entire island is your backyard and the living quarters you have previously seen are yours to take advantage of. Think of it as an impromptu vacation that will last indefinitely. We do hope you enjoy your stay."

The transmission ended with a click and the scientists chuckled and cheered as the first stage of the experiment went off. A bottle of champagne was opened and they took a short break before resuming their research. The one security guard in charge of that cluster of cameras turned to the scientist. "Should we warn them about the other subjects....the....you know..."

"No. Leave some of the fun to chance at least."

Kyle froze, his belt halfway threaded as the sinister announcement echoed through the halls. A cold pang of fear pierced his heart. He did not understand all of the unseen announcer's words, about tires and someone named Bruce, but the voice's intent was clear. The promise of an island vacation had been delivered mockingly, dripping with insincerity.

Thoughts and questions flashed through his mind at an alarming rate. The military man had been right. Ruck's face hardened as he glanced up at the camera's eye, scouring him from not two feet above his upturned face. Prison. His face contorted into uncharacteristic rage.

"Hey! Listen up!" he screamed, jabbing a thin finger at the fisheye lens. "You can't keep me here! You've got no right!"

The words fell away hollowly. He stood for a moment, feeling foolish. The camera stared silently back, stoking his inner turmoil. It was an unsettling feeling, being watched by an unknown party. He wanted a face to put on the disembodied voice.

Suddenly overcome with rage and a desire to see his captors face-to-face, he seized the metal-framed chair from beside the door and smashed it on the ground with all his strength. The plastic back shattered cleanly, sending jagged pieces of blue plastic skittering over the floor. He tried again, heaving the chair over his head and bringing it down again, to more spectacular effect. One of the aluminum legs bent out at an awkward angle, and he fell upon it, stomping at the stressed joint until it broke away. He hefted the metal rod in his hand, panting and grinning savagely. It had a good heft to it and a jagged edge.

He waved it in front of the camera, making sure to show off his new weapon. A part of his mind screamed at him to back off, telling him that he'd gone too far, that he'd only be making things worse for himself, but he couldn't stop. His control seemed gone.

"I'm leaving!" he screamed, not quite sure where he was going. The hallway seemed a good start.

Sophia froze at the sight of Taurus, and she was dumbfounded as to how this had happened to the poor man. She stood there looking around Cabmus, with all comments or plans she had gone, disappearing like a leaf in a storm. She silently stepped around the Cabmus and took a full look at the creature. What happened to him? She wondered, piecing words and pictures together in her head slowly.

She walked right up to Taurus and looked him over, almost touching him at one point to feel the fur covering part of him, but didn't because she was unsure how the creature would respond. As she continued looking, and wishing she could touch, she remembered Crombie. "Could someone see how Crombie's faring? And maybe help him out?" She asked absently, finely looking up to Taurus's head.

Sophia almost dropped to the floor, seeing the transformation of the face sent her into thinking about the pain and suffering it must have cost. "Oh my," She whispered before collecting herself again. "Bring that head of yours down here, I want to see those horns." She looked up at him her voice stern, daring Taurus to ignore her.

“Security…” This had to be some sort of joke, and when Cadmus heard the word “subjects” after seeing this thing, he really knew he was in trouble. “I bet not even Old Macdonald saw this coming.” For some reason, everything about this situation amused him. It was one giant parody gone wrong. “Suppose I can’t expect a big dumb animal like you to talk now can I?” Cadmus knew he probably shouldn’t provoke him, but being dead at this point wasn’t a bad idea. Then again, if he was a part of some damn elaborate experiment, he might be too valuable to simply just toss aside. “Alright, I figured it out. Your wanted to open up your very own petting zoo but sheep just didn’t’ quite cut it.”

With his military credentials, there had to be a way for him to get in on the inside and find out who was really running this freak show. Looking directly into one of the cameras that overlooked the elevator, he smiled, giving it the finger. “How the hell am I to hurt any of you when you cowards won’t even show your face? I always knew this was going to be how I died; transforming into a cow before being put out to pasture.”

“Even your ‘masters’ call you a beast, Taurus. And you’re just okay with that?” Eying the monstrosity, he shook his head, spitting on the ground in disgust before noticing the front doors. “Escape… nigh time I figure out where the hell it is exactly that I am.” Keeping a close eye on Sophia, he narrowed his gazes. “Sure you’ll have your own pair of horns to match in no time. As for ‘Crombie,’ I’ve never left a soldier behind, but he’s going to need some definite looking after…”

OOC: Considering Crombie’s disability, I figure the possibility of crafting some sort of cane from the trees outside would be in order to help him out a bit.

Bruce's brows furrowed somewhat in confusion. He didn't expect this, the woman went boldly up to him causing him to step back cautiously and kick the bench that was behind him. The wood cracked loudly and he grunted. He lowered his head automatically for a moment expecting a shock to jolt through the collar at his neck if he refused. Then he remembered what his job was in that place. He was the security it was his job to keep order and keep them in line and he didn't need them studying his physiology. It was enough that the scientists had done so and turned him into what he was. And then Cadmus made the unfortunate decision to speak up and make several jokes on his form.

"Maaauuuuuuuuuufff" He bellowed, the closest thing to a protest and he pushed Sophia to the side forcefully, but not enough to significantly harm her. His eyes flashed in Cadmus' direction but he simply stared back waiting for him to do something other than run his mouth. He didn't even fully understand what the man was saying. He could sense the tone, mocking and distasteful, the way he'd said Security. Bruce's jaw tightened and he took a few steps up to face Cadmus directly. His large angry eyes stared into Cadmus', his breath expelled in loud huffs the powerful stench of bull emanating from his thick fur. He curled his enormous fist and delivered but a single punch to Cadmus' torso, breaking one rib and fracturing another, not a fatal wound but painful. Immediately a strong current raced through Bruce's collar and into his body causing him to cry out in pain. He fell to one knee and yanked and grasped at the collar helplessly, bellowing and writhing before the current was cut off.

The walkie pinned to Bruce's waist crackled to life.
"Next time I would be a little more careful about what you say, Brucie is a very sensitive guy." The security guard said. "Plus his transformation was completely voluntary, he doesn't care what we call him. He IS one of us."

OOC: Thanks, Maestro, that's the plan. Originally he was supposed to have his cane but something happened with Sophia and it wasn't obvious.

Since Crombie was totally in that elevator, he had stepped out nervously, listening to the reactions of the others around him. He was clearly confused. "What's going on?" He asked softly, they were all speaking of a bull -- a beast. That couldn't possibly be true, but even he heard the sound of an animal nearby. An intercom came on with static and a voice explained the arrangement. This had to be some sort of cruel joke.

Wait?...Formerly Bruce Fryler?

Everyone was panicking, screaming and shouting at the nothingness, but he was just in denial. "Could someone please explain to me what's happening!" Said Crombie, finally speaking up. "What is it? Is it an animal?" There was a whine in his voice. He wanted to know what it was -- what was happening, but absolutely no one was making any sense! He was just hearing bits and pieces, half a picture.

As if that wasn't enough, the panic and emotion of everyone around him was really starting to drive him insane. He could feel the tension and alpha instinct of the colonel, which got to him the most. He furrowed his eyebrows. "Would you stop referring to us as soldiers! I can't speak for the others, but I am not a soldier," he said coldly, staring oddly of to the side of where he assumed Cadmus was. "Sure I have a disability, but I've been able to take care of myself for the last decade of my life, even without my cane, don't speak to me as though I'm a child." He was really on edge and he need to sit down, but for now, he frowned and held his tongue.

Something happened the bull-thing was upset, and Crombie was, once more, utterly confused and flustered.

OOC: Well sorry... when reading I got the impression that the only items left for each of the characters was the cloths on their bods. But we'll get something figured out ^^

Sophia was about to fire back a reply to Cabmus, but instead let out a low pitched squeal as she was shoved aside by Taurus and smacked the wall. "You big lug, watch what your doing." She grumbled checking herself over before standing and seeing the aftermath. When she saw that Taurus had punched Cabmus, she worried about what might have been broken, but then she saw Taurus fall and writhe in pain. "Sorry Cabmus, you kinda deserved that one, considering I was even tempted to punch you for your comment." Sophia didn't go near Taurus again though, self preservation over ruled how much she wanted to help him.

Skirting around Taurus, Sophia went over Cabmus. "Well Crombie, um, ya, I guess it is some sort of animal, though I'm not sure how a full human changed to what ever this creature is. And I think Cabmus here is just reverting to old habits." She said still inching her way along the wall and fear lacing her voice. Now she was scared, and she wasn't sure what to do, but she called on her nursing skills as she made it to Cabmus. "Well, Sir, um, ah." Sophia froze, her mind totally blank as for what to do.

With an enraged bellow of his own, Kyle exploded out of the elevator with his makeshift weapon raised high. He took in the situation at a glance and stopped in his tracks. The expression on his face faded from rage to shock to dumb confusion in the span of a second. The meaty thud of Cadmus's body hitting the floor snapped him back to reality. A sudden onslaught of fear left him frozen to the spot.

The creature's sheer mass was awe-inspiring. It easily towered over him, dwarfing him by a good meter. It's shaggy flanks heaved with a powerful snort that left him weak in the knees.

"Get back!" he cried as a young woman made an entirely inadvisable advance on the creature. He hefted his weapon once again, a foolhardy prospect in light of Cadmus's plight, but by good fortune or providence, some invisible force seemed to constrict around the creature's neck. It fell to its knees, bellowing piteously.

He took his chance. Siezing Cadmus by the shirt collar, he dragged him back into the relative safety of the elevator. The aluminum rod dropped with a clang as he frantically searched for the door controls. There weren't any. He looked up in abject terror.

"What the hell are you?"

The sheer force of the beast alone was enough to put him on his ass, and almost instantly pain surged through his chest and into his abdomen. He could virtually feel the bones cracking in his chest, but Cadmus had nothing more than a chuckle as a retort. “You won the fight, but I won the war.” Watching as the beast wriggled on the floor nearby, he was taken unawares meanwhile, disoriented from the hard blow. Realizing he was now slumped in the elevator after Kyle’s intervention, Sophia’s abrupt involvement also caught him a bit off guard.

“As much as I appreciate your candor, I’ve had more than a few broken ribs in my life. Being punched by a woman however, that is a different story entirely.” Cadmus knew that assimilating with the sort of people he was surrounded by would be tough. He had grown up in an entirely different generation. Having been brought up on the streets of Boston, he was lucky enough to make it home from school without a black eye or so much as a few missing teeth. “Forgive me, but I don’t take kindly to being held against my will as some college rejects science fair experiment.”

Not yet ready to take his chances of standing up, he sighed and leaned his head back, closing his eyes while his fingers returned to the pendant secured around his neck. It would seem that every time things got tough Cadmus found himself doing just that – out of habit more than anything now. Pushing forty was a little too early to be spending the remainder of his years alone. “Suppose I’ve always been a bit of a bother…” He mumbled unconsciously, absorbing some of Crombie’s words.

“You’re not going to be too much use without your cane, so I figure it be best we find you a suitable replacement.” Peeking at Taurus, he wasn’t still sure what to make of the creature. Was this really his future; a part of some DNA splicing experiment. Who would pay for this, and why? “I’m getting too old for this…”

After shouting at the colonel, there were several more odd sounds that Crombie didn't know what to make of. He stayed out of the way of the noise, and just prayed someone would pull him in the right direction. Hearing Sophia's comment he stepped back in surprise.

"You mean it's part human?" Crombie felt for something to lean against so he wouldn't fall over, but he was at a loss for where the walls were and where the exit even was. He wanted to apologize to Cadmus, but he meant what he said before and it seemed too soon anyway.

OOC: Sorry! I detest using ooc so often but I'm extremely lost, perchance someone (who generally knows what's happening) could message me and explain what has been going on and where everyone's at. I think I'm the one screwing this up. Playing a blind character -- I bit off a bit more than I could chew, though, I'm sure this will all level out soon.

Bruce got to his hooves slowly. He'd recovered quite quickly from the shock thanks to the conditioning his body went through soon after his change. Back then he had even less of his cognitive function and it took very little to send him on a destructive rage. Many scientists ended up with broken bones and a few died from being gored to death with his horns. People where much less inclined to insult him to his face at least. Bruce completely dismissed Cadmus from then on. If he provoked him again he would be facing a literal raging bull but for now Bruce felt his message was sent. He returned to his previous spot in front of the bench in the spot between the two sets of glass doors to the outside and crossed his massive arms across his hairy chest.

Just outside the facility a creature twice as strange as Bruce circled the stairway that lead both down to the beach and down into the jungle. He was miles up and out of sight from the other side of the glass doors, even from the outside he looked vaguely like a bird albeit a bird with an irregular flight pattern and a very long trailing tail. Such oddities could be explained away by sun glare and poor eyesight but the truth of the matter was he wasn't your average tropical bird. Tex's wide golden eyes flashed as he watched the outer doors. He'd been monitoring the conversations flitting from walkie to walkie on the several channels that went across the island from his secret cliff home stocked with various trinkets and stolen equipment. He was very interested to meet the newcomers. Not right away of course, he was too cautious and too much of a coward to face them all head on, but one on one he could benefit from their individual needs and desires. Not to mention the emotional stress and turmoil induced by long term captivity was far more entertaining to him than any soap opera. It wouldn't be long until Tex had them all eating from his talons.

~The intercom hisses to life~

'The time is now 12 o' clock noon time. Lunch is now served. Any dishes and uneaten food will be collected one hour from now. Bon appetite.'

Back in their rooms, the slot above their tables open up and a tray of food slides through. Its hot but nothing anyone would consider worth complimenting the chef over. A plain boiled chicken breast accompanied by steamed vegetables and potatoes. None of which are seasoned. The beverage offered with it is an equally uninspiring glass of water. The only spices to redeem the bland meal are the two small shakers of salt and pepper.

Whether the subjects eat the food or not, the food won't be out for more than an hour. Don't fret if the subjects forgo a meal as they will be given another opportunity to eat at dinner time.


Side Note: Please use the ooc section for all ooc inquiries and discussions to avoid clogging the posting areas. It pulls people out of the setting and becomes tacky when overused. This is one of several reasons why I wanted to emphasis with creating a character idea section. Please move the discussion there so I can help remedy the situation.

Kyle shook his head in denial as the humanoid beast lumbered off. He backed up a few inches as the female busied herself with Cadmus. He watched her closely, less than impressed with her sense of self-preservation. She seemed to have a solid grasp of the task, however.

"You a doctor?" he asked anxiously. "Any idea what the hell that thing was?" He turned to the other man in attendance: "Was that thing human? Is that even possible? I mean, that's not how genetic stuff works, right?"

Realization slowly dawned on him and he tugged at his chin nervously. "They're not going to try and do the same thing to us, are they?" He picked up his chair leg again. "Man, I didn't agree to this shit!" He spun on the others. "Did you? Anyone?"

He sank heavily against the wall, sighing in resignation. A PA system crackled on and delivered its bland, sardonic message. He clenched his fist. "Piss off! You try to stick me with anything, I swear I'll make you work for it!"

Tears of rage or fear blinded his eyes and he blinked them away. He turned away and hid his face from the others, trying to get himself under control. He couldn't understand why his emotions seemed so fragile. It wasn't like him. He wondered if the drugs in his system were making him this way.

"You okay?" he finally managed, stooping down to Cadmus's level. "I think you were right about this place. It's a prison." He glanced down at his shoes. "I don't suppose you ever went in for that SERE business?"

When Cadmus was a boy, he spent a lot of time in the woods with his old man. Although the drunk bastard wasn’t much good at being a father, he knew a thing or two about survival. A hardened veteran himself, he did a few tours in Vietnam; and needless to say left a piece of him there when he left. His parents had been divorced, and his dad retreated to the mountains for some time before putting a shotgun in his mouth. He’d always hoped and prayed never to be anything like him, but as time went on, he found himself more and more disappointed.

Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape. A program initiated by the military for high-risk targets. As a ranking officer, his ego never allowed him to think these were skills necessary to possess (but fortunately he did). “Spent some time in Bosnia in the 90’s. Don’t really want to talk about it but what I will say is that I’m no stranger to doing what I have to.” In truth, he wondered what he was fighting for anymore. He’d lost everything a long time ago.

“This is more than just a prison. This is hell.” Of all the things Cadmus had lived to regret, never had he seen anything like this. “I’m not staying here. It’s just what they want. I was never good with following orders.” Pulling himself to his feet, he about collapsed, catching himself and clutching his chest as he drug himself out of the elevator. Reaching the front entrance, he used his shoulders to push open the doors, taking in the fresh air outside.

Crombie frowned, the crackling of the intercom causing him to flinch. He could already tell he'd have to get use to the noise. There were many other sounds of movement and silence and muttering. He heard Cadmus's voice and the other unnamed man, maybe Sophia had said something but Crombie was not paying as much attention as he should have been.

Crombie is, or was, a journalist. Interviewing people who were having hard or dramatic times during their life. His job was to keep people entertained, he seemed to assume the public took comfort in knowing a blind person did all this, someone who wouldn't judge them on their opinions and would merely listen. This was why his media company often deployed him over others, Crombie was more likely to pick up on the details of stories, rather then the irrelevant details of a physical life style.

How much more amusing could this get?

Crombie was in a manipulated environment which he could not control, his people skills seemed far less than useful, and he was out of his mind.

"Could someone please point me in the right direction -- Could we talk about this?" He just desired some sort of closure to what was really happening. He slouched, hands much colder than before, mumbling, "I left my coat in the room."

Not to be left flat-footed, Kyle trailed after the other man. Peering over his shoulder, he flinched as the doors parted with a rush of hot, humid air, heavy with moisture and pungent decay.

"Bosnia?" he muttered. "Is that in the jungle?"

The view that greeted them was nowhere he recognized. The sun shone down through a leafy canopy wreathed in lingering mist. The sound of tropical birds and other jungle denizens was deafening. Past a small clearing hewn from the jungle brush, it was just leafy ferns and jungle trees in every direction, too thick to admit viewing. He thought he could smell the ocean somewhere beyond the trees, but it was no comfort.

"What the hell?" he breathed. "Did we get Shanghaied?" Momentarily forgetting his concern, he turned to the other detainees. "Hey, get a load of this! We're in a jungle!"

When the other man didn't move, he stalked back and took him by the arm.

"Hey, are you stupid or something?" He noticed that the man's eyes didn't appear to be focusing. "You still feeling those drugs? They must have really got you juiced. Hey, why don't you sit down or something?"

He glanced over his shoulder worried that the bull-creature might come back. He shared a wordless glance with Cadmus, realizing the man's intent. Kyle had no desire to stay in the facility any longer than he had to, but this 'escape' seemed far too convenient. He wondered if the seemingly open environment might not just be another, larger pen.

"Hey, man," he said to Cadmus. "Whatever you want to do, it's your call. I'm with you."

Crombie felt the tight grip on his arm. Startled he pulled back. It was the unnamed man's voice that lingered in front of him. He tried to focus on where the voice particularly was coming from. "Are you talking to me?" He asked, to be sure. There was a hesitation in his voice and eventually the grip was released.

"I'm blind," he replied again softer than before, finding it odd that the nameless boy hadn't noticed the clouding in his eyes -- though Crombie wasn't totally sure if his eyes still contained the same clouding as it had when he began to go blind. Oh well.

The man was obviously in hysterics, but he had every right to be. He was doing a wonderful job keeping it under wraps.

Cadmus was surrounded by nothing more than children in his eyes, few of which seemed to look to him for guidance and leadership. He’d been down this road before… well, maybe not this road. “I don’t plan on putting up with this. I’m going to find whose doing this, and when I do, I’m going to kill them. If it is my destiny to become like that thing back there, I’m going to at least exact my revenge before I do.” A strange feeling came over Cadmus, as if he was being watched. Taurus was only one example of what they were capable of, and God only knew what else waited for him out there beyond the trees.

“We need to keep it down. Go back inside. Helping the others should be our first priority. I’m going to go and scout the area.” Crombie was at the forefront of his thoughts, and he knew he needed to do something to help him out. Walking passed Kyle and vanishing into the brush, he tread slowly, still gripping his chest in light of the pain. He needed to find something that could be used as a cane so at least Crombie wouldn’t be entirely useless.

Kyle's head bobbed up and down like a desk toy.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. Do whatever you've got to do," he said to Cadmus's vanishing back. If the older man heard, he gave no indication. The displaced mechanic was having trouble getting a read on the man. His bluster and bravado seemed out-of-place, almost larger than life. A real Colonel Kilgore. Made him wonder if the man might be slightly unhinged.

He braced against the wall, fighting a wave of nausea. Everything was moving too fast. He needed to calm down. Relax. Breathe.

His eyes fixed on the other man, who hadn't moved. His eyes seemed unfocused, dull. What was that he'd said? Blind?

"You really can't see anything?" he asked cautiously, slightly worried that it might be catching. "That's nothing new, right? I mean, have you always been that way?" Realizing how insensitive that sounded, he tried again, almost tripping over himself to string the right words together. "Sorry, I don't mean any offense. This didn't start today, right?"

He glanced back over his shoulder. Cadmus was gone, and the facility was quiet and sterile once again. There was a slight scent of moldy hay in the air. He shuddered involuntarily.

"C'mon," he said, helping the other man to his feet. "We should beat it before that thing comes back. He won't fit down the elevator anyway."

His mind whirled a thousand miles an hour as he wondered what might be done to better himself in this situation. Escape, run, hide. Fight back. All options, maybe. But first they needed to get back to the safety of the den, and--and what? he wondered. His room was little more than a bed and food and a sink, all he needed to be... safe? What?

Where were these thoughts coming from? He shook his head to clear it. He needed to hole up somewhere, take the time to think things over a little.

"I smell food," he muttered, helping the other man into the elevator. "We might as well check it out. I'm famished." He glanced at his shoes, wondering if he'd neglected anything. Something was nagging at him. "Oh, right," he said sheepishly. "I'm Kyle. Kyle Ruck. Who are you?"

"Moooooooouuuuuuuuh" Bruce stirred suddenly. He had been watching Crombie for the past several minutes, studying him with his big brown eyes. It hadn't occurred to him before but that man was certainly different than the rest of the subjects. His movements where unsure and somewhat clumsy but in a way that said nothing about his coordination or stupidity. The man couldn't see.

For the second time that day he took several hurried steps towards the elevator. The door closed seconds before he could reach in and grab the man. His heavy hands hit the elevator door and he scrabbled to try and pry it open. "Muuuuuuuuuh Aauuuuuuuugh!"

He punched the door giving it a decent sized dent after several seconds of his thick malformed hands gliding uselessly over the crack in the doors.

"HEY! Taurus! Don't fuck with those doors! Down!" His walkie shouted at him and he stepped back, his tail whipping from side to side with frustration. He didn't like the other subjects, they where going to become less and less trustworthy as the changes went on and as time as captives went on. He'd seen it before. The blind man would not be safe with them. He snorted angrily and paced outside of the elevator. He sat down on the floor outside of it and waited. It was his job to see that the subjects remained alive and safe to one another and themselves. It was after several long minutes that an idea came to him, however, and he finally stood and left the facility. He needed to find wood and a strong knife to carve it with.

The sightless man had taken no offense from the comments made by the voice at all, though he wasn't exactly paying enough attention in the first place to allow them to register. He left the questions with no reply.

It had occurred to Crombie that he had not yet removed himself from the elevator and back he went. The nameless man had apparently joined him. He was unsure of where the colonel had ended up. The doors were closing as the voice introduced itself. Kyle was his name. That was a name he hadn't heard of in a long while. There may have been a boy he'd known in high school with that name, but now the word was all but foreign with faint familiarity.

There was a loud bang and a muffled sound of something brushing against the elevator doors. He pressed himself against the wall of the small space again, the cold metal of the handle and the actual wall itself causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand straight. He had not wanted to ask what it was in fear of falling deeper into the elaborate abyss of confusion. He refrained from asking many questions to maintain his simple need of sanity, for that was all he had left, along with the clothes on his back.

He stuttered. "Call me Crombie," the dark haired man replied to Kyle Ruck, the newly titled voice which was still nearby him. He listened to the rhythmic breaths Kyle took, Crombie himself had learned to keep his own breathing almost completely silent so he could listen better, but in times like this, practically being unable to hear yourself was even more startling than the actual conflict itself.

The one thing Crombie had hated about elevators now, of course excluding their brilliant convenience (he had to travel carefully down the stairs in his own apartment complex all too often), was how he was unable to disern which way they traveled. Up or down? He wouldn't ask, because of the same reasons as before; there were more important things to focus on. He rubbed his eyes more out of stress than anything else. The corners of his lips pulled back in a frustrated frown, showing his teeth, almost in an effort to contain himself by letting out small amounts of steam at a time. His face was warm and cold all at the same time, he must have looked flushed.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Those who find comfort in the complex may want to head back down the elevator and get familiar with the great indoors. For the ones who would like to venture outside please do so now. Either choice will trigger an event. You MUST decide by FRIDAY of 03/28, March 28th and post either within the Facility or The Island areas or I will mark you as inactive ie, have forfeited their characters receiving stage drawings of the changes. That's a whole five days people. Ample time for even those of us with busy lives to stop by and make a quick post.

-

This place. This place was a hell that Varin didn't know how he was going to get out of or even if he could get out of it. He had gone back to the room that he had awoken in. The food wasn't as...good as he had hope, but there was no time to complain here. If anything there had to be a way outside and back home. At the very least they were feeding, but something in his mind was nagging him that something was wrong. Something that he couldn't place at the moment, but something very wrong.

He scarfed down the food as fast as he could before slipping out of his room again. It seemed that everyone had started to acclamate to this place at least somewhat, though he had yet to feel any safer here than he had with himself at the edge of the cruseliner. That being said, he made himself look small, slipping away from everyone for not wanting to encounter anyone with any questions. However, the fact of the matter was that his mind was racing faster than he could walk.

He leaned against the wall, feeling his own energy sap away from him, but wander the halls he did. Varin's vision started to blur, his body going on auto pilot as he went on. Part him searching for something that would reveal anything about this place.

Violet finally stirs, her head pounding like the morning after a long night of drinking. She thinks to herself, 'I didn't drink that much, did I? I only remember having two at dinner with the captain. I wonder what time it is? How long til we arrive?'

Opening her eyes seeing pure white fuzziness, she was beginning to suspect she wasn't on the ship anymore. Violet paused and felt for the telltale rocking motion. Now certain she was no longer on the ship, Violet searched for her glasses. Finding them on the bedside table she dons them and looks around the bland room. "I asked to be awake for our arrival. Not only did that not happen, I've been placed in guest room. Well at least there's food."

While eating Violet notices the sore spot on her arm and finds a small needle mark. Sigh. Forced inoculations are nothing new to her its just nice to be warned.

Turning to the camera, "All this cloak and dagger shit is totally unnecessary. Just bring out what ever nondisclosure paperwork you require. I'll sign them all, no problem. I was promised creatures like nothing I've ever seen before. I'd like to move on to good parts ASAP."