[Mine? Hahaha thank you :3 Skinnies = My username...except I didn't use it this time ._.

So when do we get started?] 

((Alice! Yay, an oldie <3 Back then it was the real original, I think you guys were some of the first people to RP the plot. On the Crimson Sector- I took off the rule because, while there was a bit of trouble with it on CS, I haven't been on here in forever and, who knows, maybe it wouldn't be a problem here; so feel free put in a Crimson or two ^^

Okay, I'll send more pms out and update the first post ^^

Elainie- I want to start no so badly, but I need to straighten my characters out, so tomorrow afternoon at the latest ^^

EDIT- I figured out my characters, so whenever you guys are ready, we're all set to go ^^))

((I'll get us started ^^))

Hidden in the reddish shadows of the cell, a blue haired girl reclined on the highest of two uncomfortable cots. Her fingers picked lazily at the matress, which was partially shredded due to the previous occupant, slowly flicking pieces of the foamy material into the air. Aitren Shalixon's hazel eyes glimmered with life as she sat up, gathering a navy blue cloack around her, the silvery pattern on its back glinting in the dim light. The cot creaked dangerously as she shifted her weight, but she was well aware of how much weight it would hold, due to her sitting on it as a large polar bear. Her form changed quickly, a snowy white owl replacing the pale girl and taking flight, circling aimlessly near the ceiling.

A few meaningless hoots, and she would know if they had meaning, as she knew the owl as well the human, filled the air and she perched precariously on the edge of the small barred window, leaning over to look out. The hall was similar to her cell, only slightly better lit, that and the walls were "painted" a bright crimson red, which gave the sector its "colorful" name. Rumor had it that it wasn't paint on those walls, but only those in cells on the lower Sectors spread those rumors, no one up here particularly cared.

"Hey, do you know when the Internet clears out the applejuice?" That was another thing about Aitren, she had a strange way of speaking, and a strange way of thinking as well. the question was directed at her roommate, Nertia, one of the few people in the world who spoke and thought just like her. they were so similar that Nertia and Aitren were just like different versions of eachother, one from the arctic, one from the desert.

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An arabian boy strode leisurly around his cell, his thoughts full of varied thoughts, mostly of the Sector above his and those he'd left behind. He would be going back, that he was sure of, but for now it was essential that he stay in Sector 2. Nash walked up to the door and leaned on it, the dim white light filtering in seemed much brighter than the red lights of the Crimson Sector, and his eyes were still not very well adjusted to it. With a flick of his wrist, one of his nails grew longer into a claw, but that was as far as he'd let the transformation go. Nash was one of the most experienced people in the Lab, one of the oldest experiments still alive, excluding Peter of course, who was often rumored to be one of the very first. He was very good at partial shifting due to his frequent use of different morphs.

Like a prisoner would do in movies with a metal cup, Nash dragged his nail accross the bars, a ringing noise filling the air. He stopped as footsteps took its place. A gaurd was at his door within a few minutes. Nash knew the drill, cooperate or he would be out cold with one of those tranquilizer darts the gaurds always carried. instead, he began to chat with the gaurd, who was obviously very nervous. "So, weekly checkup is it?" he chuckled, "Williams still trying desperately to find out if I've turned nineteen yet?" His bare feet were much quieter on the tiled floor than the gaurds hard shoes, which Nash predicted were steel-toed, just because they preffered just kicking uncooperative experiments instead of going through the trouble of getting out the dart guns.

((Well, that was a lot longer than I thought, and I'm not done yet, gotta go))

[Whoa, major time difference! Whoa! When you get on, I'm about to leave, lol.] 

            Masaru watched as his brother, Leo, paced back and forth in the small cell. The incessant padding of Leo's bare feet on the cold metal floor of the cage was enough to drive Masaru insane. But luckily, he was immune to the ramblings and annoying activities of his brother, whose golden hair certainly did nothing to symbolize his character. Masaru was the same as his brother, however, he preferred to remain to himself, unfazed by anyone or anything. But Leo, he was another story. Leo preferred to let everyone in on his feelings, whether he knew it or not. Masaru could tell his brother was still on edge from the last checkup, which was exactly a week ago. Leo had nearly pa ssed out from fear when he came back with the scientists, who dragged him along by his hair and tossed him into a cage. The same had happened with Masaru as well, and if there was anything Leo worried more about than he did himself, it was his brother.

            "Masaru, they're going to come for us today," Leo growled as he paced, his eyes frantic as his eyes darted back and forth. His lion tail flickered back and forth, his ears twitched towards every single sound that was made. His gold eyes, slitted like a cat's. Both boys could hardly remember a time when they were human, and if they did, they were so much different than they were before that they’d be hardly recognizable to anyone they knew before. Their own family would hardly recognize them. Before the lab, Leo had actually had brown eyes, not gold. His hair was a pale brown color, and he hated cats. But now, he had every feature of a human lion, complete with the tall and strong figure and the golden mane of silky hair. His brother, on the other hand, had always been talkative and confident, yet nice and caring. Now he was just cold and quiet and extremely perceptive. They really had changed. Whether or not it was for better, they had yet to fight out, and they would do so together no matter what.

            “Relax, Leo,” Masaru said his first words in a long time. It felt foreign for him to use his mouth, and he debated never talking again for a moment. But his brother always came first. “They’ll come for both of us, and no matter how horrible the experiments and things they do to us are, we’ll still have each other at the end of the day.” The small gentleness still remaining in his heart was shown, but then it was clamped away again when Masaru shut his mouth and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep as scientists pa ssed by. Leo, ever the hyperactive boy, continued pacing back and forth, his lion tail curling around his body with every turn. His stress brought on his shift, and without realizing it, he had changed into a large golden lion. The lion continued on pacing, though this time leaving parallel grooves in the ground where his claws tore through the floor.

[Sorry if it's too short for you. I'd add more, but Sky's part is giving me no creative thoughts on what to do with her. To add to that, I'm about to p*censored* out from exauhstion. (However you spell that. >>)] 

(Starting Time! Looooooove it! I call third post!))

 Nertia Noxilahs dragged her tongue up and down the smooth surface of her cherry Tootsie-Pop. She was proped up on her back, one arms supporting her head while the other held her lollipop in place. She closed her eyes and sighed to herself. Suckers were just about the only thing she could manage to smugle in this accursed place, but they managed to brighten her day considerablely. When she wasn't enjoying their artificial sugary sweetness, she could always manage to stick one onto her roommate, Aitren, and that was always a lot of fun. A snowy owl flew around the top of the ceiling, and Aitren's voice questioned her from it. She opened one bright honey-golden eye lazily, regarding her friend with relaxed amusement. Aitren was a great friend, a kindred spirit if Nertia took the time in going that far to describe it. They had the same basic thought process, which is why it was often dangerous to let them concoct ideas together. It was also, Nerita suspected, one of the reason she had been made Aitrens roommate. The scientists were most likely watching to see who killed who first. Fortunately, Nertia wasn't one for following expectations, and she enjoyed the company Aitren gave. Ironically, acting crazy was one of the things that kept you sane in the Crimson sector. "Mother of flying camels, Aitren, that's at least the 79th time you've asked me," Nerita drawled with mock annoyance. "The Internet clears out to the applejuice when the sky feels like raining." To those who weren't fluent in Aitren-Nertia speak, it might sound like nonsense, but in reality, she was basically telling her friend to cool down and be patient. The scientist would let them out sooner or later. In the meantime...Nertia cocked her open eyelid wider and wondered at which angle she would have the best shot of landing her sticky projectile on one of Aitren's wings. After all, the frosty whiteness was just begging to have some color added to it...

 ((Not sure if I forgot to mention it, but Nertia has this lollipop fetish...))

Sharp, calculating eyes observed the going-ons in the Crimson Sector. A long spotted tail swished against the floor, a soft constant shush-shush against the din of conversation in the otherwise silent hallway. The guards watched their "fellow co-worker" warily. She was in a crouched position, black boots bending upward, hands resting lightly on her knees and against the floor. Auna Sablini was of average height and had a muscled but lean form that was uncommon for someone her age. Tough, military patterned fabric covered almost every inch of her body, from her hard combat boots to her black, studded leather gloves.  On top of her dulling brown hair were two spotted leopard ears, that twitching almost unceasingly, taking in every sound. Auna was almost more animal that human. Her feline ears, nose, eyes, and tail were a testamant to that. But what always made the guards' (and many experiments') blood run cold were her amber eyes, rimmed red around the pupil. No one, save Williams, knew how they had gotten that way, and no one wished to die enough to find out. Those eyes held no emotion, no ounce of humanity ever flickered in their depths. They simply stared blankly, focused on a point that no one else seemed able to see. A sharp twitch of her ears brought Auna upright. She had to go to Master now. It was almost time. The guards sucked in a breath as she p*censored*ed, but Auna never waved from her path. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead, and then she was around the corner and gone from view. She continued her descent until she had reached his office, where she quietly slipped inside.

 One person watched with unbridled interest as Auna p*censored*ed. The 21-year old woman smiled secretively to herself, then turned briskly on her heels and strolled away in the opposite direction. Dr.Miranda was a tall woman, thanks to her long legs. She was dressed in her usual attire, a knee-length black skirt and a form-fitting sweater. Today's color was a rich, pine tree green that set of her hazel eyes quite nicely. Her chocolate brown hair had been pulled up for once, and was secured in a neat ponytail. In the lab coat she had "borrowed" from the employees' quarters, nobody paid much mind to the new face amonth the halls. Things were working to Miranda's favor, just as she liked it. Dr.Miranda was brilliant in both the medical field and the more experimental scientific field, though nothing compared to the genius of Dr.John C. Williams. Dr.Miranda smiled to herself, a cold, determind smile. She planned to change that fact. Though Miranda had been brought to work at the lab only minutes before and told to stay and wait for the good Doctor to come see her, Miranda's devilish curiosity and non-too-innocent intentions had gotten the better of her yet again. She had promptly disposed of her escort in the most conventional way possible (as they were the only ones who really knew that she was here) and made her way to the second floor. Let that old coot find me if he will, Miranda thought to herself. Meanwhile, she walked slowly up the hallway, eyes scanning along for anything interesting that would demand her attention.

The sound of soft breathing came from a cell on the far side of Secotr 2. Katherine Mequinly, better known as Katy, was currled into a tight ball in her cell. She was lying on her side, her pale cheek pressed against the cold, white, tile of her cell. "So sooooft," she cooed to herself, rubbing lazy circles in the dust with her head. Her bright red hair was mused and her clothes were wrinked, but they were always like that. Her long lashes brushed against her cheeks as she blinked, soft and slow as if she were dreaming. Then a rhthymic clinking reached her ears, and Katy bolted up. She rushed to the cell of her door, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. The guards had come to check on Nash again. Nash. She giggled, then chewed experimentily on the concrete of her cell. It didn't taste very good, but Katy continued, cheerfully gnawing until the grains filled her mouth. Nash, she thought again, swallowing the gritty mouthful. He reminded her of his name often, and she enjoyed repeating it to herself. One syllable, she remembered. Nash. When the guards p*censored*ed, she stretched up on her tip toes as far as she could go, her eyes shining. Katy pressed her forehead against the slits in her doorway, making angry red welts across her forehead, but also catching the attention of one of the guards. "You want something," the guard asked gruffly. Katy's feet bounced faster. The guard came closer. "Well?" Finally, Katy couldn't take it anymore. "Candy!" A menancing smile crossed the guard's face. "What," he asked, cupping his hand around his ear and pretending he hadn't heard. "Candy," Katy begged. Her high-pitched voice reverberated across the hall. "Candy, candy, candy, candy, candy!" The guard pulled a piece from his pocket, an ancient mint that had probably been in the jacket when he got it. "You want this?" He dangled the sweet in front of Katy's face. "Please!" The guard threw the piece in, and Katy immediately grabbed at it and shoved it in her mouth. She swished it around in her mouth, her toungue caressing the delightful crinkle of the wrapper, completely oblivious to the man's cold, harsh laughter.

Below Sector 2, stuck in her own cell and feeling very much like a petting zoo animal was Sammy. Most of the female scientist on her floor were in her room with her, hooking her up to various machines, and running their hands through her hair. "Such pretty brown hair," they told her, all while sticking her with painful needles and injecting various substances into her. Sammy hadn't been in this place long. She had only been captured about a week and a half ago, and though she never said anything, she was deathly terrified. Her parents had always warned her about kidnappings, about the terrible things that would be done to her. Sammy's own sister had apparently been kidnapped a couple months before she was born. And here Sammy was, sharing the same fate. Though, in her head, Sammy doubted that. She doubted that her older sister had ever been poked and prodded, and had these terrible fuzzy ears that kept popping up on her head. They were there now, and the scientists in the room stroked them possesively. "Such fine ears. You're such a lucky, lucky girl. You know that, right Samilina?" Sammy nodded mutely, feeling a small lump form in her throat. No, she didn't know that. She didn't want to know that, ever! Being treated like this was most definitely not lucky. A sob threatened to force its way out of her mouth, but Sammy bit it down. "Help me," she pleaded instead, whispering softly under her breath and wishing desperately that someone would hear her.  

 ((Wooh. Long post. Can't wait 'til this thing is up and running.))

[call fourth post ^^ this may take a bit so I'll be saving and editing as I go] 

Two dark forms moved in the shadows. A scientist came mumbling and bumbling about something and the shadows paused and dissapated. The scientist turned around, startled and looked behind him. He shrugged and continued on, trailed by a black bird, and a flying lizard. The bird flew onto a nearby pedistal and cawed ominously making the scientist shudder. He shook his head and sighed, he had heard there were trouble-maker in the institution but he hadn't expected it to be so open. Walking around the corner a floating light came towards him. It was a small flame seemingly fueled by air. There was nothing below it or suspending it and the scientist pushed past it becoming seriously disturbed. Hearing whispering behind him he threw a look over his shoulder and saw the bird, a raven, staring at him with undoubted intellegence. Feeling something warm by his face he tried to turn around again, and felt the floating fire scorch his face. Falling over in disbelief, the flying lizard crawled out from under a nearby table. It moved painstakingly slowly and ended up sitting alongside him. He tried to back away but he felt a wave of fear come over him and froze while the lizard sniffed his face. It's tongue shot out and licked his cheek making him shiver and want to cry. When footsteps sounded at the end of the hall, both the lizard and the bird took flight and shot away from him and into the dark corridors. 

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Meanwhile a young lady sat on the roof not too far away. The wind whipped her moonlit hair and she kept her mouth pursed and whistled with the breeze. She laid down to relax and looked up at the sky where stars should be but were absent.

"I miss the stars," she whispered, "Ursa minor, Ursa major, Libra, Gemini, Capricorn, Pegasus... the sky was my sanctuary, my lover, my inspiration. If I cannot see the stars, I myself am not complete." Shaking her head she sighed at her own cliche. Her siblings were probably having fun tonight, they had been planning more mischief and although she wished she could join them, they weren't in the same sector so they could not interact as much as they wished. They were lucky they could stay so close, there was a stairway that lead to a room near theirs' that was used as a library. Getting up, she jumped off the roof and landed on a small terrace that connected to her room. When she heard a strange sound from behind her she quickly drew her bladed fan and held it infront of her face, narrowing her eyes. That was right before, she was tackled by a familier body.

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"Mari!" the girl yelled.
"Haru, Kar. What are you doing here? I thought you were wreaking mischief on our wonderful caretakers." Mari stated sarcastically. 

"We already did Mari," exclaimed Haru, "But we finished early and Haru insisted on seeing you." finished Kar. "She missed you dearly sister, we haven't seen you in weeks."

"I know Kar and I'm sorry I left on such short notice. My job requires sacrifices you know." Mari replied solemn. Haru hugged her waist and on went the purr machine. Kar managed to get Haru off Mari and after a few more pleasentries and well wishes the twins left a very tired Mari to herself again.

"I miss her when she's gone," whispered Haru while they walked back to their room. "So do I Haru, but you can't go visiting her whenever you feel like it okay? You know the consequences if we get caught." Kar smoothed down Haru's discheveled hair and hummed her favorite song to soothe her. When they arrived at their cell/room he opened it and they walked inside like the good little angels they were, shutting the gate behind them. Haru curled up on the floor underneath the window so she was bathed in moonlight. Kar sat in the corner and thought but after a while he curled up next to his sister who was covered in wolf fur and slept warmly. 

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"Well as unexpected as that was, it was a bit pleasant..." said Mari, trailing off. "I hope they didn't get caught on the way back, that could get messy." Mari walked slowly to her bed and sat gingerly. Turning her body she laid down and rested her head on her arm. A vibration coming from her pocket snapped her out of her daydreams and she took it out, flipping it open and clicking the call button. A flat voice relayed her orders to her and then abrubtly hung up. 

"Time to go out again." Jumping out of bed, Mari geared up quickly, pulling on her boots, jacket and arming herself with her knives and fans. 

"Time to blow some crap up." she yelled, throwing the door open and running to her rendevuz point. 

(I only have one character, I may make another...for now I'll post with this one.)

Tess sat up, she had just woken up, she had no idea what time it was, since in her cell there was no clock. She could've slept hours too late, but she had heard clanking, and woke up to see what that noise was, she looked over at her roommate, who was also her sister. They had some good times together, but also had had some pretty big fights, her sister was a heavy sleeper, must be why she's still sleeping through all this noise. She shut her eyes, still laying down, she tried to catch a few more moments of sleep before she had to get up, and go work in her sector. She didn't work in one that had no danger, like sector one, but she was in sector two, which wasn't that dangerous, but more so than sector one. She would never want to work in the most dangerous one, it sounded fun, yes. but, if it meant risking her life, not for her. She did know a few people up there, okay one person, but there has to be more. After the scientist 'brought' us all here, we have had a down hill life, that will never be normal, ever again.

A clouded leopard paced back in forth in front of the cell bars. She spotted a few guards. Air was quite aggressive, but she had never attacked a guard, so they kept her in Sector Two. She let out one of her famous yowls, and kept pacing. Before you could bl
ink, she was a raccoon.

She was in a cage all by herself, so she was rather lonely. She went up to the bars of the cage and squeezed out of them. She had done this often, but she knew that there was no point in trying to escape. They would only catch you again. Air paced up and down the hallways, looking in various cages.

Not too long after she had her fair share of exploring, Air squeezed back through her cell bars and laid down in the middle of the floor. She fell asleep, and her fur retreated into her skin, leaving a small girl with long, brown hair. She seemed utterly peaceful. Of course, she could squeeze through the bars of the cage like most others couldn't do. And she had escaped several times.

((Any one who's scared of post length as of the moment, don't be too worried. I know that, at least for myself, the first post is always the longest because that's when you introduce the characters ^^

I'll have to post in the morning, just had my Confirmation and holy cow am I tired))

Apparently satisfied with questioning Nash, the gaurd wisely backed away, running to take care of some buisiness elsewhere. The prisoner chuckled, watching him disappear around a corner, the shame that must weigh upon their consciences, should any of them have any, ought to be enourmous. The gaurds lived at the Lab, in various buildings scattered around the main construction, though some lived on the lowest floor with the scientists. Almost all of them were either volunteers or corrupted men and women from the task force, the fire departments, hospitals, and various other "real-world" gaurd positions.

A growl rumbled lightly in his throat as his brown eyes landed on another of the gaurds standing outside of the cell accross from his. It seemed that most of them liked to mess with his self-appointed charge, Katy, probably because of her naivity. He listened to cruel laughter way too much for his liking anyway, and he wasn't going to let it grate against his ears now. "Hey, you! Yeah, I'm talking to you chuckle-boy," He fantasized at having slitted eyes like Auna's for a moment, it would be alot easier to intimidate people then, 
Shut up and let Katy be!" His voice softened as he used the pet name given to her by Nertia, "Katy-kins, it's Nash. Nash, you remember me, yes? When we get out, Nash will get you some good candy, don't take bad candy from bad people, okay Katy-kins?"

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Aitren hop-skipped and turned to see her room mate carefully inspecting the distance between her and the bright red lollipop in her hand. Nertia was her best friend, that much was definately true, but she did have a bit of a problem with lollipops, particularly cherry tootsie-pops. She ruffled her snowy feathers indignantly, lifting into flight, shifting mid-air, and landing lightly on her bare feet, "Don't you even think about it, It takes long enough to get lollipos out of fur, forget about feathers. Last time I pulled some flight shafts." She grinned and crossed the room flopping down onto the cot beside Nertia and pulling her boots from beneath it and shoving them onto her feet, "We'll be swimming in pudding any time now..."

She glanced at the small metal door, very securely closed, something she knew well. She'd spent many a days trying to get out through that door, and the main door, after she'd received shocking news. But that was behind her now, she'd jsut wait with her lollipop-obsessed roommate for the door to open daily. A small red light, its protective cover smashed to pieces, began to bl
ink softly on and off and then opened with a hiss, "Time for the flood."

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Doctor Johnathon C. Williams strode leisurely down the hall, ignoring the other scientists and researchers who scurried around him like ants. The familiar swish of fabric that always accompanied the infamous scientist trained behind him, just as the shadow of a boy scurried along just behind the billowing white lab coat. Peter Kamio often had to sprint a short distance to keep from falling behind, for a man of average height, Williams had a quick step and a long stride. Peter's hair, the color of a golden retreiver's fur, bounced up and down in time with his steps as he hurried to keep up, "Are we off to see her now?" He asked while looking up from his clipboard, only to find Williams had turned a corner and he had not. Peter's face flushed bright red as he back tracked, finding Williams standing in the hall, his foot tapping on the floor impatiently, "Peter my boy, where'd you get off to?" Peter mumbled something inaudible, but williams didn't appear to really care about being kept waiting, he didn't appear to be looking forward to meeting with their guest.

Which, it appeared, wasn't going to happen anytime soon. The door to his office swung open to an uninhabited room, just as he'd left it aside from a few scattered papers. "Miranda..." he grumbled slamming the door behind him and almost running into Peter, "She's not here." Peter's eyes widened for a moment, but returned to normal as his employer handed him his clipboard, which contained a few experiment profiles, diagrams, and papers full of mathematical concoctions which was just about as hard to comprehend as if the moon suddenly became inhabited by iridescant occupants. which, by the end of the genius scientist's life time, may be true.

Peter watched Williams retreat off down the hall, a radio on his belt buzzing almost constantly, and a tranquilizer gun swinging from his hand. Williams's normally straight brown hair now tousled by the wind created by his fast-set pace. Rage radiated off of him like light from the sun, and Peter decided it was best not to be near when the two competing scientists clashed. Instead, he hurried off in the opposite direction to feed the experiments, which he refused to do unless they weren't in their cells, which meant excersize time was the perfect oppurtunity. He had one too many scars from being attacked through the bars of the many cells.

Williams stormed up the stairs, by p*censored*ing Sector One, he was quite sure she wouldn't be anywhere near the other female scientists, who seemed quite obsesssed with the young experiments in that area. She was much more likely to be in Sector Two or Crimson, and he might as well start in Two, he could at least find his kitty while he was there. "Kiiiiityyyy!" he called affectionately, he was the only one in the entire building who didn't feel the least bit afraid, or disturbed at the minimum, of the mutation called Auna, or, as he liked to say, his "kitty"

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Serena Timishi poked a worn out teddy bear on the stomach, one of various stuffed animals that littered her cell. It was nice at first, being showered with affection by the female scientists, but as soon as teddy bears began lining the concrete walls, it began to grow old. Rena fingered the neon green gun in her hand, leaning it back and forrth experimentally to hear the swish of water inside of it. A few rooms down, she could here the scientists cooing over some unfortunate girl, named Sammy by the sound of it. Rena, being to curious girl she was, decided to check it out.

Setting her water gun securely amidst the sea of animals, she shifted into a small hedgehog, its red-brown spines the same color as her hair. She squeezed between the tightly lined bars of her cell, glad she wasn't in the upper sectors, they mostly had doors with windows, and it would be much harder for her to get out when she needed to. Rena scurried down the hallway, keeping to the walls, and peeked into the room where all the noise was coming from.

Sure enough, the girls were "attacking" an experiment, probably around Rena's age, maybe a bit older, and a very new experiment from the looks of it. She blinked and scuttled in, almost getting stuck between the bars, and edged along the wall and between the scientists' feet, thankful they were so occupied at the moment. Rena heard the girls plea for help, though just barely, thanked her hedgehog morph's sensitive hearing, and pawed gently at Sammy's boots, then decided adamently to sit on her foot. Serena wasn't sure how exactly she was going to help, but she believed in thinking on the spot, it was funnerer that way. Well, she didn't think funnerer was a word, but that didn't really matter, it was fun to say.

Mari ran blindly down a long hallway, half ramming into several guards in her haste. When she arrived at the rednezus point she tripped and fell, just managing to direct her fall onto her butt. The impact was a sharp pain that spread across her butt and to her thighs and lower back. Mari winced and slowly got up, rubbing her butt and trying to reorient herself. 

"Note to self," she managed to say, "Never, do that, again." A man was standing before her, and slowly pointed towards her. He then said one word that made her hair stand on end. Quickly and effeciently she tidied herself up and followed him as he showed her to the stairs and through a door she'd never seen before.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" Mari said, mostly to herself. She was creeped out, going down a staircase that she believed may be reserved for emergencies. When the room began to expand she felt her heart thump in her chest. This was way too far down to be the ground level, where was this guy taking her? Finally they emerged into a large room that was covered wall-to-wall in science equipment, books, bottles, and strange solutions were scattered on the 3 desks spread thought the room. Her guide moved aside to let her in and shut the door behind her back, leaving her alone in the room. 

"Guess I have no choice but to stay." she muttered. She stood still for a while, but curiosity soon got the better of her and she went exploring. Walking around the room, opening books, staring into test tubes, and poking the occ*censored*ional strange ob
ject. Every once and a while something would bump or scratch and make her jump. Soon though she began to feel groggy and the stumbled around until she was in the center of the room. Sinking to her knees, Mari fell to the floor and closed her eyes. 

"Why am I so tired?" Mari glanced at her watch. "4:30, I haven't done anything today... What's wrong with me?" Slowly, she rose and rested her head on her hand so she could think better. "Where is this smell coming from?" she groaned, "it's irritating my nose..." Before she had the chance to recognize the scent, a shadow came up behind her and wacked her over the head, sending her spiralling into unconsiousness. 

___________________________________________

"Kar!" yelled Haru boisterously.

"Yes oh my lovable, loud, lanky sister." he replied poetically, catching his sister as she tackled him. He balanced her on his knee and patted her on the head.

"I missed you brother, don't leave me again for more then a second" Haru pleaded.

"Then how wil I use the bathroom my sister?" joked Kar

This shut her up, Kar continued to pet her head as he knew she liked it. Haru smiled up at him and small black wolf ears emerged out of her hair. They twitched under his fingers and he flinched. Startled, Haru jumped off of his knee and her long serpent tail emerged and cracked like a whip. All those who had been nearby stared at her, either fearfully or guarded. Some scientists readied themselves to radio security to subdue her but Kar held up his hand, beseeching them to wait.

"Haru! Haru, calm down my strange, special, spazing sister. Nothing is wrong, you just spooked me." Soothed Kar trying to calm his overrreactive sister before she caused trouble. Her body shook and she groaned, she still couldn't control double transformation yet. Haru's eyes turned red and fur grew along her back, highlighting two lumps that had grown around her shoulder blades. 

"No!" Kar screamed, he slapped Haru across the face. It wasn't much, but it managed to get through to her and she regained her senses. This left her with a dazed face staring off into the middle distance, her body was limp but her eyes were open, alert and alive. A group of scientists immediatly took her into custody. She was moved to a sick room where they poked at her with needles and x-rayed her from ears to tail. Kar watched from outside, every once and a whle catching the words, special or different on the deion of his sister. Well of course she was special, she was his and Mari's sister, and of course she was different, she could mix her two formes. Frustraited, Kar paced back and forth until he was p*censored*ed by two scientists carrying what looked to be large clothes irons attached to a power box. It was set next to Haru and the irons held to her chest. Another scientist then turned a knob and ajusted a few switches on the machine. Kar whimpered as his sister was zapped with about 100 volts of electricity. Haru's body jerked, her back arching and she screamed. Again and again she was zapped, with the electricity raised every time until it had reached 300 volts. By this time Haru was so worn out and her throat so overused that she didn't scream and she let her body shake on its own. 

Now Kar didn't care what happened to him, but how could they do this to his sister?! He loved his twin more then life itself and wanted to kill the scientists that surrounded her for causing her pain. He held out though because he knew there would be dire consequences if he lashed out.

The testing went on for about 5 hours, it was about 10:55 when they allowed Kar to carry Haru to their cell. He cradled his sister's head against his chest and walked slowly to avoid jarring her too much. With all the electricity that had been sent through her body, it was amazing her nervous system and brain were functioning properly. The doctors had *censored*umed this was because her mixed genes that had resulted in an unnatural draconic forme. Whatever the reason, Kar didn't care, he was just glad to have his sister back in one piece. Then again though, she hadn't woken up yet, what all that testing had done to her emotionally was anyone's guess until then.

When he got back to the cell he found that covered food and water dishes had been delivered, as well as medicine and coffee that was to be for Haru when she woke up. Kar lay Haru gently in the corner, where he'd laid out a few blankets that served as a "nest". Instinctively, Haru curled up, her still changed ears, tucking against her head and her tail wrapping around her waist.  Kar inspected the food dishes, uncovering the food, fried chicken, and cool water. 

"Thank the gods they feel obligated to feed us the good stuff" he said unconsiously. That was one of the twin's many running jokes. That the scientists mostly fed them junk from fast food resteraunts as it was easier for them. None of the other kids had any complaints about the food either, as they worked it off during test training or even just pacing in their rooms thanks to their sky high metabolisms. They had to be fed 5 main meals a day because of this, so they would often have all 5 meals come from the same resteraunt then a different one the next day. Again this was because it was simpler for the scientists that fed them.

This leads back into the old saying, "don't bite the hand that feeds you". The problem was, whoever made that up didn't factor in any dna alterted children that were kept and tested on against their will. The children of the Crimson Sector ranged in temperment and with time they all learned that the best way to get by was to do what you're told and get on with your life. Although this didn't stop some of the newbies from pulling pranks on the scientists and even other kids. This often lead to quarrels between them and a wide range of punishments.

In the event that one could not be broken, there was one of two options, be kept alone, wihout food, water or company for as long as it took, or if the scientists felt impatient, an immediate culling and recorded mission failure. Both of these were rare events though, some of the newbies didn't even know of these punishments but then again, most were too chicken to go that far to experience it for themselves.

After inspecting the food, Kar walked back over to Haru, who had somehow regained consiousness and was staring at him blankly. At first he thought she was messing with him, so he quickly waved his hand in front of her to try and surprise her. When she didn't respond, he got worried and put his hands on her shoulders, lightly jolting her body. Haru shook, as if woken from a dream, and a tear escaped from the corner of her eye. Kar wiped it away and hugged her close, fearing that he'd lost her left him empty and scared. Haru hugged him back to *censored*ure him she wasn't going anywhere and they were contented to just hold each other, their hearts beating as one.

"Grrrr" grumbed Haru's stomach. Both Haru and Kar burst out laughing and ended up rolling on the floor when Kar's stomach did the same. When they managed to stop laughing, they moved towards the food and made small talk as they likewise made small work of their belated third, fourth and fifth meals. They spoke very openly, as twins often do, going into intimate details on everything they spoke of. The one subject they avoided, was the past events of that day. Neither one brought it up, and neither one wanted to. What disturbed Kar, was how much Haru was shaking. She couldn't pick up the water bowl as she would've dropped it, so he had to pick it up and hold it to her lips so she could drink. Normally she would've hugged herself to stop the shaking, but something was stopping her from doing it. Kar could see his sister was in pain, but he didn't want to hurt her more by bringing up the day's prior events. Instead he watched her as she ate, sometimes giving her water, and others just sitting there as silent or talkative company. When a grimace crossed Haru's face or she yelped from the pain, Kar tried to comfort her, but all she did was shake her head and try to regain her composure, then resume what she'd been doing. His heart ached from the effort it took to prevent himself from grabbing her and holding her to his chest, protecting her from the world and it's troubles. For now all he could do was watch, as his sister, his twin, his other half, suffered in silence and solitude.

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After a horrible dream, Mari jolted awake to find the sky had turned dark again. Her roommates had left for some reason, so as it so often happened, she had the room to herself. She walked over to a small coffee table where she found a cup of hot tea and a note, saying "Enjoy, we'll be back soon, and try not to stay up all night watching horror movies again!" Surprisingly enough, or not, that was what Mari was planning on doing tonight. Grabbing the remote and the tea, she flopped onto the loveseat that was directly in front of the tv and switched it on to Star Moves. For the whole night Mari sat there, watching horror movie after horror movie, her face rock-stoic as people were beheaded, decapitated and burned.

"I've seen it all before," she groaned out of boredom, "this isn't anything compared to the real life. There's more blood and less cheesy screaming." Flipping off the tv again, she guzzled the now lukewarm tea and lay down on the loveseat. She silently contemplated her life, when suddenly, it hit her.

"Wait! What am I doing back here?!" she yelled in astonishment. Making a mental checklist of everything that had gone on, one big question had her attention.

"What in hell's name HAPPENED?!" 

Vinna trudged along behind Astrik, her lengthy tail trailing degectedly along the ground. She was tired, her will power drained from a day full of training, cleverly disguised as skirmishes between experiments. Brushing stray strands of black hair that seemed to have escaped her ponytail behind her ear, she shut the door tightly behind them, quite put out that the only lock they had was on ther outside, when the gaurds came by during "solitary hours" and made sure they were shut "safely" in their "home". Astrik kicked the umbrella she'd smuggled from one of the employee stores to shade her exteremely sensitive skin from the sunlight across the smooth, cold, tiled floor, glad that they'd been allowed out at night so that, for once, she hadn't needed it. The puny foyer led into the main room, a love seat along the wall furthest from the entrance, facing the old television placed directly beside the framed entry way. There were only three rooms in the small building; if you didn't count the floor above them which they could not access at all; a foyer, a bathroom, and a living room (the term was very accurate, as they basically lived in that room), and everything they had was smushed into the largest (though it put the word "large" in an ants perspective). Not that they had much: a small coffee table, a small television, a small loveseat, and a small queen sized bed.

But, Astrik thought as she plopped down on the bed and ran a ghostly pale hand through her ghostly pale hair, it was a step up from the main complex, despite the cameras that sat both inside and out monitoring them 24-7. "Hey Mari." Vinna folded her legs and sat down where she stood as soon as she entered the room in one swift motion. Astrik laughed, "I bet I know what you did all night, eh?"

"Yes yes Astrik, but what have you been up to? That is the question that has yet to be answered." replied Mari lazily. "I've been waiting forever you know. I can't go to sleep when I have a question to be answered." Mari sat up and looked at Vinna who was sitting on the floor. "You too Vinna, are you two keeping a secret from your ol pal?" she winked and lay back on the loveseat. Pulling out her cell phone, she opened up her recent calls list and displayed the number of the man who'd called earlier. "Would either of you happen to recognize this number? This guy put me though some major crap today."

___________________________________________

The twins, meanwhile, had fallen asleep after their meal, Haru curled up in the nest and Kar by the door. Small rodents and bugs roamed around trying to find left overs with no success. All the bones had been wiped clean and in some instances, eaten. No water or coffee was left even though the aroma still wafted throughout the room. Haru began to snore and the night lurkers scattered in fear. She got up in her sleep and shifted into a wolf, whining as she did so. Her face lengthened, fur grew, fangs sharpened. When fully transformed she began moving wobbly towards the door. Lazily nudging it a few times with her nose, she then fell on her butt and used the force to jump up and ram it. This woke her up with a start and gave her a terrible headache. Bewildered, Haru crawled over to Kar's side, licked his human hair, and slept as a wolf. Kar woke up once, his hair covered in slime, and poked his sister's sleeping form. She grunted and Kar sighed. "At least you didn't wet yourself." he whispered before covering himself in her fur and going back to sleep.