There was a blinding light as the subjects took in their first breath, gasping for air as they were suddenly born into the world and looking at their surroundings for the first time. It seems as though they have no memories of this place, or any place for that matter, as if waking up from their homeostasis chambers was the first thing they experienced. Who were they? What were they? A million thoughts seemed to be running around their heads as they looked down and saw the custom-fit jumpsuits, that while skin tight in most areas seemed relatively comfortable, and a metallic collar strapped around their necks. It was very sturdy, and although it didn't cause discomfort and was rather small, it seemed as though it wasn't coming off any time soon.

As the subjects stepped out of their pods, or were helped out... or dragged to their feet, a woman stood in a white lab coat holding a clipboard, a smile on her face.

"Welcome, subjects. My name is Dr. Yukishima, and I'll explain everything very shortly as I'm sure you all are very curious. You are test subjects of ZAUD, short for Zion Augmented Unlimited Development. We have created you all, and for your purposes now you will all be weapons with superhuman abilities. Each of you has been genetically infused with artificial DNA to give you 'powers' of sorts, and you will find out what they are soon enough once we get you to the training facility. For now we want you to get used to your bodies and everything settled before we begin."

The doctor tapped a few buttons on a keyboard and a hologram was projected in front on them, showcasing a collar and suit similar to their own.

"This is what you're currently wearing and will for the rest of your lives it seems. The collars are fitted to your neck and cannot be removed unless by us, which we should have no reason to unless you are deceased. These collars are controlled by us and will in turn control your powers, nullifying them if need be. They also work very nicely like a dog collar, shocking you if you misbehave, or if need be, killing you on the spot. But if you cooperate, there should be no need. The suits you are wearing are also high-tech, with a special material suited for the hottest, coldest, wettest or driest situations. The material is reflexive, ventilating heat, absorbing it and keeping it trapped inside, locking out moisture or allowing it to pass through easily depending on the situation. My personal favorite, and stays dry and doesn't stain, as well as is self-cleaning so we don't have to do laundry. You all, however, are not and still need to bathe. If you happen to damage your suit we can easily repair it with our machines that pass certain waves over it and causes the material to bond and repair itself. While it is durable it is not going to stop a bullet, these aren't indestructible by any means. They will be the clothes you will primarily wear and are tailored to your own body."

Yukishima make the hologram disappear from sight, having that same bright smile on her face as she turned and saw Hercules walk into the room. He was wearing the same clothing items that the subjects were wearing, and it was obvious that he too must once have been in his position. His blonde hair was slightly swept to the side, his bright blue eyes full of life and confidence. His fair skin looked without flaw, and the jumpsuit adorned to his muscular figure very nicely. He looked like a male model and was built like a linebacker. Hercules stood next to Dr. Yukishima, bowing his head and keeping it down in a sign of respect.

"Ah, Subject 001, nice to see you. This will be your group leader, and you will listen to him when I am not around. He goes by the name of 'Hercules', and was our first subject ever created. He is very experienced and loyal to us, and will help you on your way to growing and becoming stronger. Ultimately you all will report to me, but for now you will be reporting to him. I'll let him lead you into Lockdown and give you the rest of the briefing. I will be with you at a later time, but for now I must leave." Yukishima nodded, waving goodbye as she left the Iron Maiden through one of its many doors. Hercules picked his head up, smiling as he looked over his new teammates.

"Well, glad that's over. She can be a bit wordy. Happy Birthday, and welcome to the Iron Maiden. This is going to be where they monitor and heal you if you get injured, I don't usually hang around her too often, but if you're accident prone or a trouble maker, I'm sure you will." He laughed, his voice filling the room with a deep but strong tone, acting if like this wasn't the first time he has done this. "If you'll follow me I'll take you to Lockdown, which is pretty much home for us. It's not that cushy, but believe me, you'll get used to it."



Hercules lead the group down a series of corridors out of the Iron Maiden before arriving in the dorm part of the Lockdown facility. It was quite large, although bleak, with metal floors, walls, and ceilings. Lights built into the ceiling and walls illuminated the place as they walked in, not too bright but enough to show everything visibly. There were rows of metal doors on each side, seeming to open automatically as there were no handles of anything on the outsides of the doors. There was a stair case on their left and right, leading to the upper level dorms that looked exactly the same as the ones on the bottom.

"This is where you're going to be sleeping. There can be two subjects living in a dorm at a time, but since we are the only subjects, you have the option of dorming by yourself if you choose. However, if problems occur between subjects, I'll see to it that you are split up. The rooms are rather small but comfortable, with two beds and ample living space, enough to serve their purpose but have enough room to be comfortable with other people in the room. If you have any problems with your rooms you can ask me and I will inform a staff member."

Hercules toured them around the rest of the facility, the mess hall, which was large enough for a few dozen people, and seemed to work completely off of robotics. A study, with an assortment of books that lined shelves, as well as desks, paper, pens, lamps and other useful tools that one could need for studying. A gym, with state of the art equipment and weight limits on certain machines that would be too much for even an Olympic weight lifter. Lastly, there was a training facility, a wide and open area with marked large circles that seemed to be the places where you would spar, as well as training equipment such as weapons, punching bags, targets, and there seemed to be a device next to each circle. Hercules explained that you could set minor fighting simulations within the circle, but didn't get into too much details. There were also doors much like their dorm rooms, except 001 explained that these were private simulation rooms that were a bit more advanced.

"This is where you will train with yourselves and others for the most part, and I will be leading you in drills and exercises here. This is to prepare you for tests and challenges given to you by the Dr. Yukishima in the near future. But don't worry, I will prepare you for such." Hercules smiled and sighed, laughing a bit as he scratched his head.

"Well, that's about it for the tour today. Please feel free to ask me any questions if you need to. You are free to roam Lockdown as you wish, although you cannot leave Lockdown at this time. Hence its name. Your powers have been nullified for the time being until I can properly show you how to use them without you hurting yourselves. Feel free to walk around and explore the place as you wish and talk among yourselves. Shortly there will be a large school bell type noise and that signals curfew. I suggest getting into your dorm by that time, as you don't want to be forcibly put in there. Trust me. Other than that I'll be in my dorm on the top left side if you need me, the closest one to the training facility. I've been training all day, and a nap sounds nice right about now." He remarked, although he didn't show any sign that he was tired in the least. Soon he walked off towards the dorms, disappearing into his own as the door automatically opened for him and closed, a 'clink' sound signifying he had locked it.

"I don't like it." One of them spoke quietly - a very tall, pale and emaciated-looking boy in his late teens with long black hair that had a single sad-looking white streak in them and wet, almost transparent skin. He looked like a really sad spider and walked a bit like he wasn't sure which of his legs was right and which was left at times. "I don't like anything." Long, spindly fingers began to energetically scratch and scrape at the jumpsuit's fabric until they've got a hold of the zipper, immediately pulling it down in order to free himself from it's skin-tight embrace.
"I don't like these suits. I don't like the air. I don't like Dr. Yukishima. Collars probably have microphones in them so they hear what we say. I don't like it too. Why are you staring?"

A tall, lean figure stepped out of the pod, covering his mouth with the back of his hand as he did so. Two curious eyes looked around, finding figures standing around him doing random assorted work. For a moment, confusion overtook him, but then he noticed the woman of Asian descent standing in front of him. The woman started speaking and the figure listened intently, until the hologram detailing their clothes and collar popped up.

He raised his hand, his thin fingers moving over the fabric of the clothes up to his neck, where he found the collar. Slowly he tried to put a finger between his neck and the collar, to no avail. It seems like they were there to stay. Slowly he lowered his hand. A second figure looking like the figure himself entered the room, and was introduced as Subject 001. The first?



The man uttered the words carefully and under his breath, but before he got a chance to analyze the situation, he was already being lead on a tour of the facility. These people seemed not to care so much for formalities and slow introductions. Rather, they had just created life, something that was impressive as even Ghost could understand it, and were already overburdening these new lifeforms with.. a variety of outside stimuli.



The man repeated for himself slowly as they entered the dormitory. His face turned and pivoted on his neck, taking in the area carefully to make sure he'd remember what the purpose of this room was here. Being fresh out of that.. stasis pod, or whatever it was, had kind of confused him a great deal. 'Hercules' seemed to waste no time going from A to B, thoroughly explaining every facilities function.



Ghost exclaimed to himself again, looking around at the various equipment sets and simulation chambers. They were impressive, and surely those behind locked doors were more impressive. Never the less, it seemed like they were already done. Hercules said something about a nap, leaving the group of freshborns to themselves.

One of them immediately took to exclaiming how he didn't like anything at all. Ghost ignored him at first, looking around the room a bit more, but finally he did turn around to look at the guy. Memories of the cafeteria came to mind again, as did the training room and the dormitory.



The words came out fast and like a knife, intended to jab where it hurt - at least, that's what Ghost thought. It seemed like this guy was trying to assert himself as the 'pack leader' by speaking first, and immediately speaking ill of the facility. They'd not been here for even as much as a day yet. So far it didn't seem so bad. Easy life. There wasn't really anything that they could want outside of what was supplied, and Hercules even offered to inform the staff of anything that wasn't up to standard or wishes.



Ghost turned around again in silence and started walking around the gym, looking at some of the equipment sets. There were lifting weights and cardio equipment. Basically anything you needed to get strong - or stronger - in a quick manner. As he thought of the words he'd just said he began to grin. It seemed like Ghost was now actually waking up a bit more, and got out of the slumber from being in that pod. His personality would begin to shine through a bit more now.

"Nah. Nah."
The spindly guy was still trying to get his top half out of the jumpsuit. His fingers still weren't listening to him completely but each new motion was a little bit more precise than the last.
"They won't," He continued speaking, looking straight at his interlocutor. "I'll be very obedient when they are around. I know i will."
"Plus there's not a single guard around to beat anyone - they have collars for that. Do you like yours, pretty boy?"
He smiled. His lips were so thin they were almost nonexistent and his teeth were small, sharp and strangely numerous, like really thick needles - maybe something went wrong during his fetal development.

---

Parkinson.

What a strange word to have in mind the very second one would be born. The only clear term, clear image the blonde would have as she weakly stumbled out of the stasis tank she had apparently been 'birthed' from. Her eyes were half-shut, barely capable of coping with the lighting of the room, all the while her body would appear to shiver in various spots as if her being could barely withstand its own weight. 332 was very skinny while being above average in height for a female. Her boney figure being quite distinguishable from the rest with her skin-tight suit. Her long hair sagged over her face, leaving only portions of her slightly plump cheeks and tired eyes to be seen by the outside world. But she could clearly see everything around her, every single little bit of detail.

Weird shapes were surrounding her, mobile objects that resonated but a single word in her mind, one that would become as clear as her assigned name once she full captured such frames. 'People'. 'A person'. Where and how she knew these words were a mystery, but upon seeing concrete proof of their existence, being able to mold shape into her blank mind, made said word appear as obvious as the sky being blue - which ironically would be something she'd barely understand as well.

The introduction of a specific authority figure was being made, some woman in a peculiar coat. That was strange, all these 'people' around her all wore an identical uniform, but she did not. Nor did these other 'people' standing guard behind glass widows and various exits to the large Iron Maiden quarters. It was as peculiar as everyone have different colored hair, skin, eyes ... As Parkinson focused on all of those and taught herself the basics of the human anatomy, the whole speech made by the good doctor would have flown over her head. Most of it, anyway, a few details such as them being made here, experiments to become weapons and so on. While certainly alarming terms that sparked irrational and misunderstood worry in her, the countless amount of input from her surroundings dampened the effects of the dire news they were recently fed.

But then it hit her. Not an idea or a suddenly spark of brilliance. It felt as though some had actually hit her; an acute, rising pain in her head. Just a minute after her 'birth', she'd finally be exposed to the side effects of her very existence, an effect so deeply ingrained in her anatomy that the collar couldn't restrain it. The chronic headaches were already having their effects on her, prematurely provoked by the overwhelming amount of stimuli, knowledge and overall conglomerate of emotions she experienced in such a short time. She did not whimper or even make a peep, as if it was something her body had already grown used it.

Nonetheless, her distress was visible on her expression and Parkinson could only stand still for a brief moment after her first step. Index and major finger pressed on her temple, she attempted to at least soften her throbbing skull's pain. Barely efficient, but still better than another, she could at least walk without an constant spike in the pain occurring each time her foot stomped on the metal floor.

The visit felt like it lasted hours; Parkinson was already sick of it, sick of walking, sick of listening, it hurt her head and she couldn't focus anymore. It was awful really. And with pain, more irrationality took over, and thoughts of violence already emerged. Of course, because of her build and more mature predispositions, she'd be more bark than bite. It didn't prevent her from wanting to slap a bitch though.

In the end, she remembered what the rooms were called but barely recalled what their use was, even if every single term she'd heard would have the definition laid out in her mind. She simply couldn't picture any of their utility without experiencing that. That and Hercules' name. Speaking of which, he was very tall! A lot of the 'boys' were actually taller than her, while all the 'girls' were shorter than her. Well, the one girl and Boomi that is. Boomi fit the criteria of girl, as such she could only label her as such.

But as the tour ended, very, very disruptive and nerve racking voices would echo through. At this point, Parkinson would just sit down on one of the many benches near the gym they had visited, palm set on her forehead as the searing pain raged one.

Complain. Complain. Complain. I hate this complaining.

All this hostility, this whining, this anger in the males' voices, they irritated her like nails on a chalkboard. One in particular annoyed her more, and not just that, he'd also deliver her one of the most unsettling, queasy feelings that coupled horribly with her head pains. That man, his appearance, it wasn't like theirs. He looked awful, repulsive, non-human. While the term 'monster' wasn't what roamed in her mind, she clearly felt frightened by this being. He wasn't like them, as such, she didn't like him nor wanted him near her. The other man, however, wasn't exactly enjoyable either, but at least he stood up to the one who started this all.

"Can you all just ... Complain elsewhere. Your voices, I don't like them ... Right now."

Her eyes squinted at both as her british-like accented voice growled, though her eyes would be quick to escape the monstrosity's gaze and would focus more on the normal GHOST. Nonetheless, the delivery of her reply was obviously quite clumsy. Telling people she didn't like their voices in this specific time wasn't exactly the most expected of things, and made little sense in retrospect. But the message was clear, their bickering was bothering her and compromising her health.

Complaining about their complaining voice ... They made me complain, I hate this. I want them out, NOW.

---

---

A small girl with long, blonde hair was awakening. She felt the air rush into her lungs until it became uncomfortable which caused her to exhale. She must have stayed in her pod for too long as some men began to pull her out. She glanced at their faces and frowned. She looked around to see where she was and frowned once more. She did not quite understand her displeasure with her environment, but it felt like something was missing.

She was standing among others who were probably similar to her in nature. A woman who was not like them began to speak and she was talking a lot. The girl, who had the strangest notion that her name was Reina, did not even understand everything that was being said. "Powers?" The word somehow brought a smile to her face.

However the rest of the speech went over her head. It was too much for her right now. She was too busy trying to figure out what was missing from the room. She scanned the room until her eyes landed on him. He was what was missing. No, he had something that this room was missing. Beauty.

As soon as he began talking, she absorbed every word. "Happy Birthday...implies that we were born today." She began to piece words together in her head until she was also able to form sentences. "My name is Reina. I was born today."

As they left the Iron Maiden, she followed Hercules closely. She felt the need to stay near him. But she was also afraid. She yearned to see her own reflection. She had to know what she looked like. Was she beautiful like Subject 001? Was she ugly like everyone else in this hideous place? Would he not like her if she was not pretty?

It wasn't until they reached the gym that she had finally found a mirror. She stared at herself and felt... relieved. She had clear, pale skin and large, golden eyes. Her lips were small, but had a nice pink tint. However, her favorite part of her appearance was her hair. She had noticed how soft it was, but she did not realize how beautiful it was. She ran her fingers through the strands and watched her reflection copy her movements. She was so distracted that the group was about to leave her behind. She quickened her pace to catch up but could not get the image of herself out of her head. "I am so beautiful..."

Once the tour was over, Subject 001 had left them on their own. The others began to argue quickly. One of them was especially ugly and Reina did not like him at all. Everyone else was okay-looking, but they did not compare to her or Hercules. She did not feel like talking to them so she just left. It wasn't like anyone was going to miss her anyways or at least, she assumed so. She decided to go back to the dorms to claim one as her own. If she happened to run into Hercules on the way, she wouldn't be too upset about it.

There was a bright flash of light, and subject 626 shielded his eyes from the incoming light. A bunch of information rushed into his head, his senses on overload and filling with information. Oxygen filled his lungs, and he sat up for a few seconds, getting used to moving his body around. He looked down at his hands, opening and closing them, before looking at his reflection briefly from the pod. He had stark white hair, gently falling into his eyes as he brushed it to the side. His blue eyes were bright, staring right back at him, his pale skin complementing his features. He had an above average build, tall, somewhat muscular although a bit slim. He tugged on his collar, looking down at his clothes that fit him surprisingly well and was very comfortable at that. It was almost like it perfectly fit to his body. So did the collar, and that seemed to not be coming off any time soon.

A female doctor, who seemed to be of middle age and oriental welcomed them and started explaining things right off the bat. He got used to taking in the senses around him, seeing his location, but listened carefully to the words she said. It felt as if it was no real surprise to him, just going through the motions, even if this was his first time being aware of it. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it felt like he had some deep amnesia. They were apparently just born now, made as weapons, something along those lines. Before he could really process the information well, a person that looked like the rest of the subjects joined them. He was tall, blonde, bright blue hair and fair skinned. There was not a flaw on him, and he looked tall, handsome, muscular and powerful, like an actor from a superhero movie. He was addressed as their leader, but for some reason, Hal didn't take a liking to him. Because he looked and seemed better than him. And that didn't sit well with Hal. The rest of the subjects didn't look too intimidating, one even looked mildly creepy and the other like a greek goddess, but that was besides the point. He knew he would get to know his group soon, even the one who looked like she had a splitting headache, but for now this 'Hercules' guy didn't sit right with him.

As they were led through the various halls and facilities of 'lockdown' he payed extra attention to each detail, trying to process the information as best he could. He had a lack of memory, so he might as well fill his brain with the ones that he was having now. Everything seemed pretty reasonable, and it wasn't luxurious by any means, but it was state of the art technology and now his home. He was sure to find out more about this place, his powers, and his purpose, but before he could ask any questions the Hercules guy decided to go into his room for the night. Despite not liking him, his source of information was useful, and subject 626 looked around the training room in amazement.

His daydreaming was cut short by some bickering between the cast members, and the Aphrodite looking girl seems to have already left because of it. Or she was checking herself out in another mirror. Who knew. He didn't feel like getting into an argument, and he stretched his muscles, having been unused until now as he got used to his own body. Hal could spend time at the gym, but he could stretch in his dorm when it was time. For now, he decided to brush past the group, neglecting them and walking towards the study.

What a bunch of losers... They have barely been alive and they're already complaining and bickering

This is what Hal thought to himself as he grabbed a book, labeled "Science: For beginners." and sat down at a table, starting to read the book. His physical body would come eventually, but for right now, he wanted to mentally exercise his brain and acquire knowledge to get a bit of an edge. Knowledge was power, and he didn't need to know the phrase to believe the ideal behind it as he slowly built up his reading skill, slowly reading words faster and understanding them better. For the words he didn't know about, he simply used context clues, but the dictionary beside him also helped for those pesky words that he hadn't a clue what they meant. Hopefully they wouldn't bring their bickering into such a quiet place, or he would be sure to throw a book at them if given a valid reason.

His head spun as his mental state of mind was sucked into the bright white vortex of reality. Coughing and blinking his eyes open, he was hauled onto his feet by some workers until he was able to remain upright on his own. My name is Boomi. My name is Boomi. The words echoed through his head like the chorus of a song. Opening his mouth, he whispered it aloud, "My name is Boomi."

Boomi's self realization was interrupted when a woman introduced herself as Dr. Yukishima and proceeded to bombard him with information about who, what, where, and why. Our creator. He glanced around the room nervously, glad he wasn't alone. There were others dressed like him, wearing the same collar that he was. A tall lean male entered the room. Hercules. Ok, he's the leader. Boomi etched another mental note. Today is my birthday. What is today?

Led out of the Iron Maiden, they were taken to Lockdown. He immediately knew he wanted to room with someone though he had no clue who that someone would be. The tour seemed to drag on forever, but Boomi made sure to remember what and where all the facilities were. Upon being stranded by their leader, a silence ensued which was promptly broken by a man that looked different from the rest. Terrifying really. Beginning with negative comments, another male replied, obviously unamused by the creepy guy's statements. He made a good point. Every basic necessity was made available to them as well as plenty to do.

A female with a pained expression eventually snapped and told the two to cut it out. Boomi cringed the entire time, his eyes wide like discs before he spotted the girl in pigtails walk away toward Lockdown. Feeling the atmosphere grow hostile, he decided to bounce on after the cute blondie instead. Skipping to her side, he daintily pinched the end of one of her locks in between his thumb and pointer finger before lightly pulling it down then letting it go. Smiling, he liked how it oscillated up and down until finally settling back into its neutral position. "Hey, what's your name? I'm Boomi! Are you gonna pick a dorm? Wanna be roommates?" He flashed her a childish, toothy grin.

The horrifying person finally managed to overpower his own suit and lowered it to his waist, tying the sleeves like a belt. Then he wheezed and finally breathed without anything obstructing him. The sight was terrible to behold - his chest distended and blew up like a baloon, ribs spreading wide and skin between them stretching so hard that it pulsed in the rhytm with the heartbeat. Another groovy detail was lack of nipples or a bellybutton on the thin, almost skeletal torso - and the nauseating crunching sound that the guy's spine produced when he stretched a bit, slowly coming into full posession of his faculties and proving to be quite flexible in a very unsightly way.
"Oh, this is better." He spoke, now much louder and noticeably happier than before. "Still hate the place though. Do you think they'll let me repaint the cell pink?" He inquired, then immediately wandering off to get himself a book from the study without really waiting for an answer. He picked the titles that were as close to recreational as it ever got in the lockup's library. Sci-fi especially roused him, he somehow remembered that.

---

---

A resounding headache was the present surprise that awoken Nexus, a stream of information that dug into his skull had wearily given him much to think about, to say the least. Coughing out loud as the air filled his lungs, his muscles ached as he began to move from the pod that he was inside. Inside his reflection was bounced back to him giving a decent look at himself, with a slightly tanned body and a lithe figure, he looked fairly 'average' from what he could deduct. Still, he brushed away his light brown hair and rubbed his forehead as he managed to stand up with his own two feet and peered through his eyes to look at his surrounding. Right now tuning out the sounds as the world was refocusing in his green eyes, with everyone and thing being blurry to him at the moment. He picked up a few strings of information in his head that were relevant, such as his name and gender among other things that were in his head.

As his senses adjusted, he glanced at the other people in the room as the world reverted back to normal before looking at the one who called herself Yukishima. Her clothing was different, it was like a distinct segregation from themselves as he considered the others who were wearing what he was in the same situation as he was. There were others like during her little introduction that he saw but he mostly put her on the backburner as he looked at his apparel with the skin tight suit and the collar which was explained that cancelled out their abilities. Either way it looked like the collar was not going to be taken off soon but apparently, the suit could be for whatever reason. However, that didn't matter for now as then his attention moved along to who shortly entered after the doctor was done talking. Hercules was what he called and was the expected leader of the group of misfits to be which he didn't care really and if anything it was a tad annoying from what the group looked like so far.

'So those are who created us... Including him.' He thought as Hercules would be a good point of reference to draw from in any case.

Soon after the introductions, they were lead throughout what was known as Lockdown, the place that they all would be staying in with their guide. Taking note of the facilities that they visited and the extra details that were given out, it so far covered all of the basic necessities that they would need. So when Hercules their guide finally concluded the tour, he broke off immediately from the group as he went to go situate himself further with the place. Leaving before whatever would happen with the group to themselves as he disappeared into the facility. Spending a few minutes briskly observing the area as he reviewed what Hercules had told them about, he observed them further into more depth as he made mental notes on them. Soon he after a few guess and tries he reached full circle as he came back to the training room. Coming back to the group, a bit smaller this time as several people decided to go off on their own as well and passed them once more now that he was acquainted with their living space.

Walking into what looked like the library, and peeked inside only to see one of the others from earlier before inside reading a book. He was interesting, to say the most as his white hair was unique but for now nothing particularly else and ignored the other as he entered the room himself. Observing the room for a few moments and glanced back at the book that Hal was reading as the observed the title and deduced the section where the book most likely came from with relevant titles. Once the section of books was found, he went looking for a book with a similar title but he didn't need to find another as there was a copy with the same title as he picked it up before looking around once more. After a few minutes of thinking and ponder, he finally picked out four books which he understood were Encyclopedias and wedged himself into the corner of the room which was blocked by the bookcases unless you came further in. It was a snug spot that hid him well, he stacked a few books that built himself a wall before he pulled one of the books. Thus he began reading, starting with the encyclopedias...

Ghost looked around some more, picking up a weight and weighing it in his hand. It was heavier than he anticipated and frankly he was not the strongest guy around. While the tall.. 'man' spoke some more about a variety of non important issues, he put the weight down again and looked at the closed doors. Behind him Ghost heard the sound of people moving away again, likely to get away from the bickering. Ghost merely grinned at this black figure's comment about the collars. Mentally he was confused. Wait, they weren't going to interact with us at all? .. then what was the point of this? But he didn't voice that concern, since right now his prime objective was to make sure this black figure didn't screw this up for the rest of them. He simply decided to answer his obviously 'threatening' question with a neutral, non concerned answer.



Well, he didn't lie. Probably that would be dangerous, and Ghost didn't trust any of these guys in their presence. Nor the girls. In fact, the girls were probably more liable to be dangerous. Ghost noticed that by now a bunch of people had already left, and even the giant black figure attempted to leave. This left, more or less, Ghost with that girl sitting on a bench holding her head. She had told them to shut up earlier, but the black figure had ignored her and Ghost wasn't going to let the black figure talk more shit without anyone telling him to shut up. But now that he had left, Ghost didn't see any reason to specifically annoy her by talking more.

His eyes were trained on the girl for a moment, trying to figure out why she was holding her head. Nobody else was doing that? .. why did she do that? Curiosity was breaking him apart, and his lack of social training beyond 'conversation' and such wasn't too big. He didn't understand why he shouldn't ask her to explain what she was doing.



His voice rang quite clear, as he was trying his best to be articulate and not slur his words for the purpose of satisfying the girls desire for 'non-annoying voices'. However ultimately this did not change the sound of his voice too much. In fact, he could probably not change that at all. Or could he? ... maybe the scientists could do that for him.



While Ghost did not understand the concept of pain yet, since he had not experienced it yet, somehow he felt like that word described the situation at hand. Her behavior seemed to indicate some type of pain, but Ghost could not compute exactly how or why he related that word to her.

---

Finally.

They had toned down a bit, the vile echoes of this bickering would cease to vibrate in Parkinson's aching head. Her eye lids would slowly go into hiding, golden eyes emerging as the blinding luminescence of every room they were introduced to would have been migraine inducing had lost their hold on the girl's pain. Added to that benediction would be the eye sore departing from the area, clearing any form of queasiness his unholy presence would have brought upon the oblivious Parkinson.

A sigh of relief followed, her eyes scrutinizing her surroundings she had ignored until now. Her head was still pounding, of course, but with a very distracting factor out of the way, she felt a brief relief of tension and could gather herself to deviate her attention away from the plague she was apparently born with.

Something else would catch her attention however, or rather someone. The same person she had scolded would be the first to actually address her. Parkinson's eyes would brush over his being, noticing nothing in particular, other than her basic instinct to be wary of shady looking fellows. What did shady mean anyway? Why was he shadier than the rest? She didn't even know what that lingering term in her still searing head actually meant. But she didn't like it all too much, and like anyone easily susceptible to given ideas, she'd be quick to act upon them. With his approach, her stare would seem more confrontational, unwelcoming. She was on the defensive.

"Huh?"

The mention of pain, someone who seemed to be able to define what she was feeling so efficiently. This guy, he seemed preoccupied of her condition, unlike the others. That made her feel ... Vulnerable. Squinting her eyes at GHOST, the only man to show her kindness until now, Parkinson remained silent for an awkward set of seconds, hands lowering down over her thighs as her golden pupils oriented themselves downwards.

"I'm fine."

Cold and direct, the reply would be swift and dry as her eyes veering back to fixate the man. His kindness and empathy had been taken for pity and opportunism. She did not appreciate being offered some sort of benevolence; the concept of having something free would be a rather tricky one in her confused mind. He obviously wanted something from her, or would be up to no good. Worse yet, he was probably trying to insult her. Insecurity soon ruled, the little of her frail body she could see would be projected onto the rest, and endlessly comparing herself to the others, she truly felt weak.

Clenching her teeth, she'd stand up and march away as the rest did, leaving poor GHOST hanging with such a hostile rejection. It didn't help that she was indeed in constant pain, enough to severely mess with her rational mind. Add a little confusion and Parkinson was a lot less inclined to form her little network of friends.

Tch. I'm fine. If they're fine, I'm fine. I don't need these doctors anyway.

Her aggravation only intensified the spikes of pain on her skull. Her palm ruffled her long, curly blonde hair as she tried to massage her scalp as much as possible to at least gain a mere second of relief. But her state of mind wasn't helping at all.

The dorms, she instinctively rushed her way there as her integrated common sense dictated that she would find whatever she'd need there. And lo and behold, the opened rooms would display the goldmine oh so well. Beds. Just what the blonde needed. Stomping her way to the nearest one, and in her rush would have her shoulder collide with Boomi's who so happened to be holding Reina's locks of hair at that very time. Oh my. No apology would be made, of course. Only thing in Parkinson's mind would be the prospect of laying her throbbing head on a comfortable cushion. Whatever that was.

Reina was approached by what she wrongfully assumed was a girl with short brown hair. The girl made the mistake of tugging on Reina's hair, causing Reina to glare at her. "You shouldn't touch people without their permission," she scolded. She wasn't sure why it was some sort of norm for people to not touch each other unless they were allowed to, but it was the first thing that came to her mind.

After the girl's introduction and offer to be roommates, Reina looked carefully at the girl's face. It wasn't as beautiful as her own but it was still cute and girlish. Her short hair framed it well. She seemed like a good enough candidate for a roommate so Reina decided to give her a chance, as long as she promised not to touch her hair again. And on the other hand, the other girl in their group didn't seem pleasant at all. She even bumped into Boomi without saying a word and immediately entered one of the dorms. Reina had noticed that the three of them were the only girls in the group so there really wasn't many options.

"I'm Reina," she said, finally introducing herself after accessing the situation. "Yes, I am choosing a dorm. I would be okay with being your roommate as long as you do not touch my hair without my permission."

She continued walking with the expectation that the taller girl would be following her. "All the rooms should be the same, so it doesn't really matter which one we choose." But then, she remembered something. Hercules was staying in the top left dorm. Maybe they could get a dorm nearby his. A light rosy tint of pink had reached her cheeks. "Well... it is also important to consider who are 'neighbors' are.."

With that in mind, she kept walking until she reached what was most likely Hercules' dorm. Then she entered the unclaimed dorm next to it. "This is good enough, don't you think?" she asked her new roommate.

She then examined what was going to be her home for who knows how long. It was definitely large enough but it was also very drab. She wondered if there were allowed to decorate their dorms in any way. If so, she would make a lot of changes. However, she realized that they didn't really have any possessions of their own aside from the literal clothes on their back and for some reason, that bothered her a lot. She would like to have many things, even if she didn't quite know what those things would be. Just things to have, to look at, to call her own. She promptly picked one of the beds and laid down on it. This was her bed now, so at least she has one other thing. And this pillow? It was now also hers.

The curfew alarm had not sounded yet but perhaps the fact that they were just given new life was tiring enough, so Reina felt herself drifting off to sleep. She rolled around her bed to make herself feel more comfortable and have decided to sleep on her sides toward the edge of the bed that was against the wall. "Good night, Boomi," she said softly in her last moments of consciousness.

Frowning a bit at the girl's unhappy tone of voice, he pulled his hand back to prevent further dissatisfaction. Boomi blinked a couple of times as the female studied his face with a critical eye and he followed her gaze, wondering what she was thinking about. Something about being stared at so intently made him feel slightly insecure and he nibbled on his bottom lip just as the blondie who was suffering some sort of massive headache earlier collided against his arm before storming into one of the nearby dorms. Woah. I hope she's alright.

Turning his attention back to the pig-tailed girl, his toothy grin returned when she introduced herself and accepted his offer to be roommates. Boomi's initial instinct was to hook arms with her and skip off to their dorm, but he had a feeling that Reina wouldn't be pleased with that so he hugged himself instead and bounced after her, trailing her every step. Up the steps they went with a momentary pause in front of the leader's room. Hercules. Yes, yes I remember. Cocking his head to one side, he pondered why she particularly favored the room next to Hercules', but thought nothing of it.

The automatic doors gave way to a rather bland space. Two beds and a white table at the center. Reina made herself comfortable on the left side so Boomi took the right by default. Plopping down onto his new bed, he fluffed out his pillow a bit and jiggled the mattress slightly to check the comfort level. Ah, this is perfect. I've got a nice roommate and a comfy bed. Sighing contently, he mumbled a short goodnight back to Reina before sitting silently across from her. Waiting until her breath went shallow which signaled her slumber, Boomi quietly stood up and bent over the girl's figure, studying the sleeping girl's facial features. She was adorable to say the least and Boomi held himself back from poking her cute little button nose.

Straightening himself, he wasn't quite ready to go to bed just yet so he made his way out of the dorm to explore. He'd wandered around for a bit before peeking inside the library. There was currently three guys in there: the skeletal dude who was now half naked, a white haired fellow reading a science book, and another male he almost didn't see since the man was tucked away in a corner with a tower of books in front of him. Shuffling over to the table, he was unsure whether he should break the silence or not, but decided it was best he get to know the others.

"Hello everybody! Sorry to interrupt your reading but my name is Boomi and I thought it'd be nice to know yours as well," he beamed in the middle of the room, trying to rouse the boys from their concentration.

---

---

Ghost looked at the girl as she reacted rather hostile to him - hostile, to a degree, in the same way that tall black figure had acted. It left a bad taste in his mouth, but he couldn't tell how or why. So far, this had been normal for him, as everyone had treated him rather hostile. He looked her in the eyes as she spoke, since it didn't occur to him to look away after she had spoken to him so bluntly - he wanted to make sure she understood that he was not inferior to her, some sort of natural instinct within him driving him to 'compete' so to speak. Compete for respect, or perhaps compete for.. competitions sake? Because it was a game of finding out who the weakest, most easy to bully person in the group was? Ghost had made sure to remind himself it wasn't him, although he wasn't sure if other people were even playing the game. Was it all in his head?



His reply came equally as cold and direct as the one the girl had given him, though he lacked the pained expression she had that made her look less cold and more annoyed. Regardless, he watched on as she left the room, leaving him alone in the gym. It made him slightly uneasy at first, but looking around the gym, the thought that there was actually nothing wrong with being alone filled his head. Alone is not lonely. I know that. Why? If you are lonely you are.. alone? But if you are alone you're not always lonely.. His thoughts confused him more than the girl had done, and he wondered how he knew what was what.

Shoulders raised as he shrugged at his thoughts, his mind wandering from the meaning of the words alone and lonely, to the thought of tomorrow. Although he was still just as confused to the meaning of the word 'tomorrow' that had entered his mind, he found some vague concept of the meaning in his head. 'Tomorrow' was not the same as 'today' or 'yesterday'. What was a day?

Lacking an understanding of time, he couldn't quite fathom what a day was, since he had never seen a sun, or a moon, or a night or a day, or.. there were so many things he had never seen but still, the words were imprinted in his head and it was curious and frightening at the same time.

Ghost shook his head. Perhaps there would be a better time to think about these concepts later, for now he was more interested in getting sleep. Following the same direction the crew had taken, he left the gym hall behind him and headed to the dorms. While there were plenty of rooms to pick from, and including some that were probably taken but that he could still pick if he wanted to room with someone else, he still opted for a solitary room. For now. None of these peoples seemed particularly friendly with Ghost and they didn't seem to be interested in them. Rather than force a friendship, Ghost took the thoughts he had earlier to heart. With a thump he laid his body down on the bed and sighed heavily. Being born was a big deal but..

Being alone doesn't mean being lonely.

---

“Uwaaaa~.” a yawn escaped from the newly-awoken woman, totally oblivious to all of the commotion surrounding her. It was only when she finally stretched her arms out and opened her eyes that she finally saw all of the staff breathe a sigh of relief. Tilting her head, the silver-haired woman was helped out of her pod by the staff of the Iron Maiden while she processed the situation. Before she even had a full chance to grasp the situation, a woman wearing a different outfit than the rest of the attendants arrived, introducing herself as “Dr. Yukishima” before explaining the who, what, when, where and even a bit of the why of the whole situation. Thankfully, the woman had managed to get her bearings throughout the information dump, but the watchful eyes of everyone in the facility were a bit of a concern. Sensing this, Dr. Yukishima waved off the other researchers, as it had already been confirmed that Subject-689 had her full mental faculties, if only because nothing seemed particularly off about her. Or, at least, nothing that stood out too much from the rest of the awoken subjects. Well, maybe two things.

Of particular interest to Freischutz, a name which was one of the first things to flood into her brain upon awakening, was the fact that there were others like her within the facility. Eight of them, to be precise. Apparently, the rest of them had awoken earlier that day and had already been given a tour by their senior, whom Dr. Yukishima referred to as “Hercules”. Since the doctor didn’t want to work Hercules too hard, she decided that it wouldn’t be too much trouble to give Freischutz a tour herself before bringing her to lockdown. Along the way, Dr. Yukishima made mention of the fact that Subject-689’s late awakening may have been due to “interesting design choices”, a comment which was accompanied by the woman looking at Freischutz’s chest. Of course, this only spurred the newly-born woman’s curiosity and led to her feeling herself up in front of the doctor, leading to her first tiny, but sufficiently prohibitive electric shock of her newly-given life. If nothing else, it gave Frei a bit more perspective on the nature of the collar around her neck. And a bit of appreciation for the jumpsuit that clung to her shapely form.

With the rest of the tour out of the way, Dr. Yukishima brought Frei to Lockdown, giving a quick rundown of potential activities, as well as the sleeping arrangements that the subjects would have. With that, the doctor cleared her throat and began to take her leave, perhaps a bit more briskly than necessary. The calm woman seemed to get a little bit flustered when Freischutz was groping herself, so maybe she still felt a little awkward about it? ”Later, Doc!” Frei called after her, met only with silence as the doctor speed-walked her way out of sight. Shrugging, Freischutz decided to check out the activity rooms before staking a claim to a dorm. Coincidentally, Frei happened to choose the study as the first place to explore, only to see that there were four other individuals in the room already. Right in front of her was a short, brown-haired girl, who looked to have entered the room not too long before Frei herself had arrived. Scanning the others, Frei noticed a young guy (well, everyone here was technically young) with white hair, and another hidden behind a stack of books over in the corner. Finally, however, she noted the half-naked, gangly-limbed.... man(?) amongst the group, his form more twisted than the others in the room. Regardless of how bizarre he looked, though, he was still one of them. "Whoa~. That guy looks pretty nuts! Wonder what his deal is?" she thought, eventually coming to realize the position she was in.

Oh! An encounter with the others so soon? Exciting. Also without much thought, Frei struck a pose. One hand on the hip, and the other hand forming a V. “Yo~! Subject-689, Freischutz, reporting for friendship!” she chimed, winking as she opened and close the v-sign like a pair of scissors. If one didn’t know better, they’d think she was trying out to be some kind of pop idol. Excited by the prospect of the fact that she was meeting others of her “kind”, the woman’s vermillion eyes practically sparkled as she awaited the group’s response.

The lanky guy, until recently busy with reading a book gruesomely titled "Death Planet" - though he has barely made it through the first twenty pages - violently jerked at the unexpected sound, dropped his reading material on the floor and quickly sat up, his slightly elongated head swinging from side to side on the thin twig of a neck made to look a bit thicker by his collar, with long and glossy hair flailing around and hitting him on his... face Yes, for a lack of better word, this one would've had to do. Quickly noticing the presence of a new face and noting the lack of hostile intent, the eerily spider-like man - one could only hope that nature didn't do such cruel things to a girl - calmed down and smiled - if a display of thin, long and incredibly manifold teeth could be called a smile - before quietly chuckling and mimicking the newcomer's gesture with his own hand. An unproportionately long limb unfolded into the air in a way that could make a less vary observer think that it had more than one elbow, and two slightly twitching, milky white and nail-less digits protruded upwards from a clenched fist.
As if to drive some uncertain point further, the ugly, emaciated guy shook his hand in the air a bit before finally replying to the greeting with proper words - his voice was thin and high, though not quite reaching for contratenor, and very slightly, almost unnoticeably undulating:
"Oh joy!" Man's right hand finally came down from the air and connected with the other one to produce a singular loud clap, signifying his happiness. "Someone wants to make friends!"
"I'm glad that you're so happy. Don't be a sad little thing like me. But don't be a gruff and rough meanie either." He briefly paused, thinking of how to continue the conversation.
"Oh, should i wish you a happy birthday? That's what friends do!" - Somehow, Ψ noted to himself, he knew that it was exactly the thing good friends wished to their friends. Strange, really - for him, his birth's day wasn't very happy. On the contrary, it was sort of sad and filled with things and events he did not found at all acceptable or right. Still, he knew that a Birthday was always Happy - two words went hand in hand. "Happy Birthday, uh..."
"Freishutz! Freishutz? Free... lock? Rifleman? What does that mean?"

---

To be frank, Frei hadn’t expected the bizarre, horror movie monster looking guy to respond first. Perking up a bit more, she watched as the man dropped his book on the floor and stood at attention. Man, was he tall or what? Everything about the guy came together to increase just how bizarre he looked. At the sight of the man mimicking her greeting gesture in his own stretched out, wibbly-wobbly way, Freischutz’s smile grew brighter. ”Hehe. For such an odd-looking guy, he’s pretty peppy.” she thought as she listened to him deliver a surprisingly child-like greeting. A bit of a softie, huh? At the gangly fellow suddenly springing a “Happy Birthday” upon her, Frei’s eyebrows raised a bit as she pondered the term. Considering the circumstances, he was right. In fact, it was everyone’s birthday, right? Huh, then that only made it more obvious that the best course of action was that they all become friends~.

Split between listening to Sir Spindlylimbs and her own inner thoughts, she perked up once again when he asked her about her name. Particularly the meaning. ”Oh! I think it means, uh….. ‘Freeshooter’! Or something like that?” she responded, unsure herself of where she may have pulled that information from. However, being asked about her name only made her realize that the one she had been mentally referring to as “Sir Spindlylimbs” hadn’t given her his name. Nor had anyone else yet. With a swift motion, Freischutz swung a hand out and pointed a finger towards the crowd, the sudden rough motion causing her chest to bounce a bit.
”So, since we’re all about to be friends, why don’tcha gimme your names too, huh?” she chimed, winking once again. Upon doing a mental headcount, she noticed that the other half of the eight subjects Dr. Yukishima told her about were missing. Were they over in the gym now? Had they gone to sleep? That would’ve been disappointing. She didn’t want to end the day without meeting everybody first, but Frei also realized that disturbing people’s sleep was a surefire way to make them upset with you. On the other hand, she was also pretty confident she’d be able to quell any anger directed her way if she did decide to wake the early sleepers up. Whether or not that confidence was justified, however, was another issue entirely.

"Oh! That makes sense, yes." The ugly man winked back for some reason. Or rather, he very slowly, excruciatingly slowly closed and opened his left and then right eyes, one after the other. The whole "winking" thing was also ruined by the fact that skin of his eyelids was nigh-transparent and stretched tightly over the horrible, bulging, inhuman thing that was the eye itself, never actually hindering his vision too much.
"My name is Ψ, like the letter. Pleased to be your friend."

Suddenly, a cheery voice burst from behind him and he jumped; the ecstatic tone startled him quite a bit. Boomi eventually straightened up and chuckled shakily. Huh. I never saw her when we left Iron Maiden. He liked the enthusiasm in the female's voice. It was glad to know that someone else in the group was as flamboyant as he was. Opening his mouth to respond, the lanky, inhuman looking fellow seemed to copy Frei in her strange gesture and proceeded to speak in a voice and attitude completely different from the one he had earlier. Somewhat surprise, Boomi was pleased that this odd guy had a cheery side to him as well, unlike the negative portrayal just an hour ago.

The two proceeded to exchange greetings until the discussion was opened up again to the others in the room. Hm, so big booby girl is Frei. Interesting looking guy is Psi and- Boomi perked up from his thoughts, his composure giddy with excitement. "My name is Boomi! And Happy Birthday to you all too." Pumping his fists, an idea suddenly popped into his head. "Since it's our birthday... I feel like we should celebrate!" While unsure of where the thought stemmed from, it just seemed proper to do something beyond the ordinary during someones birthday. It really was unfortunate that not all of them were present at that moment. "But you guys should pick your dorm buddies first," He suggested. "I already paired up with Reina. She's sleeping right now," Boomi added.