^{Location: Cafeteria ->Bedroom}

---

While Marcus was in the middle of bag 3 of potato chips, the intercom buzzed on, with the researcher lady putting out instructions. Marcus was going to disregard it as more instructional nonsense before the word "call" was mentioned. He sat straight up to listen. SO there was to be only one call? What kind of arbitrary limit was that and why? Shaking his head, Marcus immediately felt a mix of distrust and irritation at that point. Why were they holding contact with his family at an arm's length like this? What purpose did that serve other than to cause him more stress? Grinding his teeth, Marcus began walking out of the cafeteria, three tiny bags of chips in hand, with his focus solely on his thoughts.

Damn these people.

First they take him out of his house, as if that's fine, tell him he's sick, as if that weren't mildly disturbing, shove him into here with a bunch of random strangers, limit his contact with is family, the outside world, the sun itself, and as if that weren't enough they were basically telling him now-- "Oh, you can contact your family but on our time, when we want you to, and only ONE person because screw you, that's why." By the time Marcus made it to his bedroom, his temper was fully flared, and he figured he'd already had enough of this place. Marcus slammed the door behind himself so hard that he heard several, rather loud, cracking and snapping noises come from it but he didn't spare it a glance over his shoulder. To hell with this place, that door, and these "illnesses". Growling, Marcus walked further into the bedroom, then picked up the remote.

Soon he found the calling application then looked over the list of contacts. Shaking his head slowly, Marcus figured that whoever assembled the list was just reaching for straws-- to put it simply, Marcus didn't give a single thought about half of the six person list until he saw their names here again. Three were people he interacted with solely for business, one was a friend, and two were his mothers. That was it. They should have put his dog on this list because Marcus felt more strongly about Coco than the work contacts. Still. If he was stupidly afforded only one call "for now"-- which that phrasing implied more that made Marcus feel irritated-- then he needed to call someone who would have the highest possibility of answering.

This unfortunately meant he was going to call Isiah. A deep sigh escaped Marcus as he settled more firmly into his decision, then activated the app. Isiah answered after the second ring.

"Woah dude," Isiah spoke as soon as the video activated, "When you get a call from some weird application and then you see a guy who you were SURE got abducted by aliens." Leaning back in his large padded desk chair, Isiah nodded at Marcus, tented his fingers, then continued, "Very interesting. Blink twice if you bein' held hostage." Pinching the bridge of his nose, Marcus told Isiah, "Open your blinds, brah? What time's it there?" Isiah went over to an unseen window and let in orange evening sunlight.

"'Bout eighteen," Isiah answered once he was at the computer again.
"Man... tell my moms I called."
"Yeah right-- What else tho?! I mean-- c'mon there's gotta be more'n that, huh?"
"Well," Marcus cleared his throat, "I'm pissed off. That's somethin'."
"You bein' real vague right now."
Silence passed between them briefly. Marcus shifted uncomfortably under Isiah's concerned stare.
"How's Coco?" Marcus asked after a second.
Isiah rolled his eyes, "Still a dog."
"Good," Marcus mumbled before running a hand through his hair.
"You ain't ever been this quiet or awkward before-- they do some shit to ya? Injections? Lace ya food? You gettin' probed in the butt, huh? Oh man, they probin' ya butt ain't they..."

As much as Marcus tried not to laugh, he couldn't help it, not after Isiah began tossing jokes one after the other. They were always like stand-up comedy routines, complete with sound effects and outrageous stories. Isiah went on for a length, making Marcus feel more at ease than he had been since he'd arrived, when the screen suddenly went black. Marcus sat upright, his laughter choking into silence, as he fumbled with the remote briefly. "No no, come on, don' do this shit," he began to groan as he began trying to troubleshoot the problem. He was sure he tried everything to get the application working again-- turning the TV on and off, unplugging it, everything! By the time Marcus finally gave up trying, he was panting slightly, and sitting dejectedly on the bed. He stared at the TV for a long moment before laying back onto the bed in defeat.

"I hate this place," he groaned before adding with a smirk, "But at least there ain't no butt probes."

Damn. Bailey rested against the back wall. As he listened to the fear that threaded through the room and while Arthur did his best to quell the bubbling chaos he couldn't dismiss the fact that Cas was correct. He had seen the towering helix and watched Sienna spurt lighting from her fingertips. Who is to say one of them wouldn't go nuclear? At least they know it won't be you. Bailey's mind scoffed as the adrenaline that had been coursing through his veins had begun to dissipate. Was it emotion that had drew his power out? The sheer excitement at seeing the impossible, possible?

Bailey's mind set to wrap around this new found power, drowning out the various voices that floated across the room. He pressed his fingertips into the flesh of his palm, Nothing. Just the same as before in the pool. Bailey's eyes danced around the room- if only he could touch someone else- before his settled back on the man from before. The one who's anger still burned in the back of Bailey's skull.

Best not.

He folded his arms across his chest, careful to tuck his hands away from the others as a sharp click caught his attention. "I made a thing." Someone voiced, a man who Bailey didn't recognize. On the floor below lay a considerable sized object, "Think I'm going to vomit..." Bailey could hear the weariness in his voice as the man folded back onto the wall, his face awash in sweat as he fought the urge. Sienna was quick though, Bailey hadn't even noticed her arrival, as she rushed to the man's rescue; trash can in hand.

She didn't seemed phased; not by this meeting and certainly not by the thought of impending vomit. A thought that even pur his own stomach on edge. She had tried to talk to him earlier but Bailey had brushed her off. He grimaced as the realization hit him, he had missed the opportunity to ask her more about how she felt at the time. Surely popping off arcs big electricity left some sort of impression, he knew it had on him.

Overhead the familiar click of the intercom distracted him from his thoughts as a woman's voice poured cheerfully though the speakers. Bailey waited, sucking in a deep breath, as he wondered how'd they smooth over this sudden pop in powers, "...you'll be allowed to make a phone call.."

A phone call? His heart stammered in his chest. He had forgotten about the outside world, his friends and family. So caught up in the happenings around him that the very thought of them outside, living, almost felt foreign.

Bailey mumbled an apology as be edged himself out of the lounge, What did they tell them? His mind ran frantic as it explored all the possibilities. A feeling of longing had begun to well up, he missed his life. He missed seeing his phone light up with his mom's name as she rang him at least once a day before he made his way home from university and the way she'd yell at him when he woke up late for class. Bailey's feet couldn't carry him fast enough as he half jogged into his room, wet clothes still pooled in the corner of the room.

He wet his lips, suddenly nervous, as his hand fidgeted with the televisions remote. Apps lined the screen, brightly colored with the promise of entertainment, but it was the plain one- the one with the jet black camera that stood stark against the white that threw his emotions on overdrive. Clicking it open a small list pooled. "One call, Bailey. Just one." He muttered as he pressed select on a name.

Bright blue eyes were the first thing he notice fill the screen, "Bailey!" A voice cried as a sense of relief flushed through him.

"Hi, mom."

"You look well! Are you well?" He could feel her concern flood through the t.v screen. A smile pulled at his lips as he rested his hand at the base of his neck.

"I'm well," He laughed as he watched the worry lines that creased her face smoothen, "It's a little weird, being stuck in here, but it's not too terrible."

I want to come home. His mind echoed as Bailey's smile faltered a little.

His mom sighed from the other side, "I was worried. They told me you were sick and that you needed special attention."

What? No mention that I'm going to be a super hero? Or at least...one hell of a topical anesthesia? He mentally joked but Bailey couldn't force himself to voice out loud. It seemed absurd, even to him, and he wasn't sure exactly how much they had let his family know.

"Sweetie? You OK?" Her brows pulled together as she studied his face, "You're awfully quiet. She was right, Bailey had let the space between then fill with uncomfortable silence as he pondered on what exactly to say to his mother.

Bailey flashed her a grin, "Yes, mom. Just a little tired. Went for a swim earlier and it must of taken more out of me than I thought." He chuckled but his mother only frowned in response.

"A swim? I don't understand, Bail, what exactly-" Her voice began to warp as pixels fragmented the image on the screen.

"Mom? Bailey tool a half set towards the television set. His mothers face twitched across the pane, her voice garbled as it burst through the speakers. "Mom?! Mom! Can you hear me?!"

No, please.

"Mom! Tell everyone that I-" The t.v suddenly went dark a white text appeared. 'Signal lost' Bailey let out a heavy sigh as he clicked off the television set. "Tell everyone that I miss them and that I love you." He finished to the empty screen before him. His heart has sank into his chest, aching as he replayed his brief moments over with his mother. As always, he had wasted what precious time they had. He padded over to his bed, crawling in, Bailey didn't want to think about it anymore. His limbs flooding with fatigue from the days stress. Darkness swirled around the corners of his mind as Bailey felt himself start to slip away.

Location:Room 8
Eliza took a sharp breath at the announcement of phone calls. The moment she was pulling hairs out was finally came. They had all the time to discuss more about powers so she shuffled those thoughts to the back of her mind, where the pain was now dispersing. Slipping quietly out of the lounge and into her room, Eliza sits on her bed and hesitates whether calling her sister would be worth the time. She held the remote tightly in her hands, it felt icy while the room seemed to grow only colder.
It was silent save for the deep and sharp breaths cutting through her throat and out her nose. At the thought of her sister, Eliza’s mind involuntarily moves to remember what had happened at their father’s funeral.

It was a dark and gloomy Spring day in New York. The clouds above were hiding the sun, looking ready to cry as was Eliza. Her eyes strained not from crying but from trying not to. The ceremony was small, and only in attendance of close family members and the company board. All the more reason not to show any sign of “weakness”. And while the ceremony had already finished, Eliza stood still, not taking her eyes off the headstone that read her father’s name and the patch of newly filled in dirt where he rested six feet under.
It was the sound of her sister’s haughty voice that interrupted the eerie mournful silence.
“The board and I have arranged for your departure from New York. Running away just because you lost isn’t what dad would’ve wanted, but if it’ll get you off my back I’ll make sure California is at the best standard for you.” Elaina’s tone was far from comfort, instead it felt like she was gloating. And Eliza didn’t have to turn around to know that her sister was unhinged by the death of their father. She didn’t bother giving a response since that would give away the fact that there was nothing but hurt and defeat inside.
She felt a cold slender hand on her shoulder.
“If you think I don’t love you, you’re wrong. You’re still my sister and now it’s just us. So when you’re ready to come back…” Elaina couldn’t think of what else to say since “comforting” wasn’t her forte. She wanted to say "don’t" but instead she left her little sister to mourn while she walked towards the car to escape the storm that was about to arrive.

Eliza opens her eyes to see her knuckles white from clutching the remote so tightly. There was a small tug in her mind towards the remote, similar to earlier when she held the pen but this time much less intense. The unwanted flashback made her realize that she was not ready to face her sister and decided to not call anyone, tossing the remote aside. She gave away to the exhaustion and plopped her head on the pillow. In the cold desolated room, she was reminded of how on that day the heavy clouds that held in their tears never let them fall, but on this night she did.

Eli curtly nods at Sienna before dry heaves take hold of him, throwing his head back into the bucket. The announcement of phone calls echoed dimly in the chamber of the bucket, though Eli gave it little thought. There was only one phone on the compound, an old rotary model with white plastic that had long since been stained yellow by time. And that hadn't been connected to anything since he was a boy.

A final lurch brought forth the objecting former contents of his stomach. Clear, tasteless. Water, he decided, feeling the final rush of nausea subside. “And at any rate dont think there would be much to say...Atleast yet.” He thinks as his Adams apple resignedly removes itself from the bottom of his chin and back towards its home on his neck. Somehow, despite his optimism, he didn't see telling his father that he just willed a stone into existence would do any good.

“Speak of the devil...” He mumbles, weakly picking up the still shining gem careful not to disturb the bucket. Its surface was rough and uneven and it was more oblong than round than he thought it should be. And considering he just deposited what little was in his stomach back into the world to make it, it was upsettingly small. He rolls the pebble in his hands a few times, letting its weight settle his still churning stomach. Arthur's display earlier had seemed so grand. Pure even. His, on the other hand...Well, of all the things that could have been his divine gift, being a vomiting jewelry maker was not what he expected or wanted.

He shakily stands up, leaving the room with bucket in tow. He didn't feel like embarrassing himself further after that, not that there was much else to say. Finding his room took a while and he could not get the door opened fast enough, happily disposing of the bucket and its contents in the bathroom before falling flat onto the bed.

Soon after the sounds of Eli vomiting began to exist, the female scientist began her issued announcement through the intercom within the lounge. The scientist spoke of allowing them to make a phone call as if to remind them, before cracking a rather cringe joke (or so Sienna thought) as she finished her announcement. Looking to the rest of those that were in the lounge, it had appeared that most of them had already left after the intercom shut off, including Eli walking away with his bucket. Deciding to follow suit, Sienna said her farewell to those that still remained in the lounge and returned to her designated room.

Unzipping her jacket, Sienna sat down on her bed and reached for the remote. Having decided on her previous plan of action, Sienna scrolled through the various television applications until she was met with a rather bland icon with a camera. Pressing a button activated the application, presenting a list of contacts that Sienna had known throughout her life. Her parents, dear friends from high school, even a potential romantic interest were all on the list, and it amazed Sienna how the facility staff knew so much about their lives. Still, despite all the choices presented to her, Sienna refused to divert from the original plan she had thought of, and went to call Kirkland, her second-in-command.

"Donut Hair? We thought you were dead!" A rather energetic man announced, calling the rest of those relaxing in the barracks once the video feed was established. A moment passed before Sienna bothered to respond, the 'Donut Hair' comment rooting itself within her. "I'm... fine, but listen. There is something that I need you to do for me, Kirkland." Sienna explained, taking in each of her comrades' faces. It had been awhile since Sienna had seen them.

"Yes, lieutenant?"

"I need you to tell my parents that I'm fine and dandy. I don't know how much time they've given me for this phone call, but the sickness-" The connection began to fuzz out, resulting in garbled speech and static until the connection had dropped and left Sienna with a blank screen. "-is nothing to worry yourselves over." Sienna finished, sighing as she tossed the remote over to the couch in the bedroom. "Bloody hell... Sienna muttered, laying backwards on the bed as her mind began to wonder if the scientists were controlling every aspect of their lives. The sudden drop of connection as soon as she uttered the word sickness had felt too related, but before her suspicious thoughts carried Sienna away, a sleepy dream state awaited her as she dozed off on her bed.

---

---

As the day began to wind down, Cassius found himself in his room, staring at the smart TV on his will. He navigated through the applications until he found the TV's equivalent of FaceTime. He clicked on the app and was surprised to find a list of people that he frequently spoke to. He quickly looked through the list, but had absolutely no trouble deciding who to call. He selected a contact and the name "Mariella Williams" flashed up on the screen.

A few rings later, the elated face of his mother flashed across the screen, forcing a smile onto Cass' lips. "Hi, baby, how are you?" She said, a slight hint of her Italian accent audible in her tone. From her surroundings, he could see that she was in her apartment, overlooking the Chicago skyline at night.

"Ciao, mamma." He said, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm fine, I'm feeling a little better."

"Ah, buona, I'm glad." She said with a delighted look. The camera angle shook and then arced down, revealing a French bulldog, staring with it's tongue out at the screen. "Oh, say hi to Pancho, Cassie." Cassius laughed briefly, watching his mother pet the dog. He was a strong man and prided himself on being rather tough and thick-skinned, but he knew better than anyone that his mother was his weakness. "I want to see if there's a way to send you all of this mail that was sent to your apartment, Cassie, I tell you. Chicago wants you to get better quick!" She held up a couple envelopes for emphasis.

Cass chuckled briefly. "Fan-mail for the twelfth man of an American club? That'd be a first." He muttered.

"Well, when you collapse on the field in front of thousands of people during a Televised Match, people tend to notice. Schweinsteiger has told me he can't wait for you to come back, because Donovan isn't as confident as you are, baby."

"That's absurd, Donny can keep up to Bastian any day." He said, sitting back on the bed. "Mamma, I've got to get some sleep, but I just wanted to call you and let you know that I'm okay."

"Aye, amore, I know you'll get through this quickly. The whole team wants you to get better as fast as possible."

"I will, mamma, I will. I love you."

"I know you, will piccolo. I love you so much." She said with a final smile, then Cass ended the call. He put the TV Remote on his desk and exhaled a deep sigh.

The next morning, Cassius found himself up at about 5:30, unable to go back to sleep. To combat his restlessness, he swung himself from his bed and donned a pair of black adidas training pants. He slipped on the same black indoor cleats he'd worn the day before, but opted to leave his shirt behind, since it would only end up soaked in sweat. He walked out of the room and to the gym, seeing that the white hallways were already illuminated at this early time. Cass made his way to a treadmill, booted it up, and set himself on a medium jog. He increased the speed and resistance by specific increments. He ran for about 30 minutes, then cut the treadmill belt. He slowed down, and stepped off of the machine, taking deep breaths so his lungs could return to their normal pace.

As he took his time to rest his lungs, he found himself noticing the heavy smell of chlorine, presumably from the pool. He shook his head, not enjoying the effect the aroma had on his state. He tried to shake the smell, but only found his ears also being peaked by something - the sound of sloshing water. He left the gym and turned into the pool room. He saw Arthur putting in laps on the long pull like Michael Phelps. Cass liked Arthur, as he seemed to have a solid head on his shoulders. He called out to the man, "Should I be concerned or scared in this situation?" He said, jokingly refering to the comment he'd made yesterday, although he had no idea how Arthur would receive his joke.

Having grown into a light sleeper during her time in the armed forces, Sienna had awoke earlier than most of her counterparts. A quick shower to wake up, Sienna made way to the kitchen and brewed some strong tea for herself in the kitchen. She reached for a cup from the cupboard, and filled the mug full of tea before Sienna walked over to one of the tables and sat down by herself. Sienna wasn't lonely, but the morning when no one was up was always the best time to think and/or clear your thoughts. The past few days had been a lot to think about, especially the fact that Sienna had literally shot a bolt of lightning from her hands.

Countless minutes had went by to the chorus of deep thinking and tea drinking before Sienna had decided to stop her depressing and confused state of mind. Snatching the pot off the stove, Sienna decided that a walk around the facility would be interesting. The scientist had explained what the facility offered, but so far Sienna had seen little of the entire building. However, her adventure was soon interrupted by the sound of splashing and conversing in the pool area as Sienna rounded the corner to explore the rest of the facility. Wondering who out of the bunch had been early risers just like herself, Sienna slid the door open with her foot, having no free hands to open the door normally.

Upon entering, Sienna was face to face with Cassius, along with Arthur, who was busy swimming around in the pool. A quick glance at the water had shown that no helix had existed unlike the day before, but Sienna shrugged it off before worrying too much yesterday. "Morning, you two. I brought tea." Sienna spoke, announcing her presence, who then realized she had only one mug on hand and walked over to the kitchen area in the pool to get cups in the case either of the men wished for some tea. "Yesterday was a mess, huh?" Sienna said, attempting to lighten up the mood as she dug around in the cabinets, but it was clear she was trying to brush it off like it was nothing. The day before had been bothering Sienna, but she wasn't about allow it control of her like it did earlier in the morning.

---

The woman had remained still in her bed, reflecting over the events of the prior day. It had been one hell of a first day with the others, which made her stomach feel uneasy. The lot seemed to have zero understanding of the reality of everything. Then again, Athena did know more than they did. She had the nearly invisible scar on her neck to remind her that she knew more than the others. After the group had disbanded from the lounge, Athena had thanked Sienna for her kind words and then gone off to her room. Everyone was allowed one phone call, according to the voice that came through the intercom, which brought a great deal of sadness within her; she had no one left for her to reach out to.

With a small sigh, Athena pushed away her thoughts and sat up in her bed. It was about six in the morning and she knew that there was no way for her to go back to sleep, even if she was a bit groggy. Her body protested as she stood up and began walking over to the nearest cabinets, where she had found the workout clothes. Before checking herself in, she had taken to trying to work out. She figured that if she tried to keep up her health, that maybe she could regain control of her disability. She had found it to be somewhat working, but unfortunately things had gone south for a few reasons.

After throwing on some long, running leggings and a black sports bra, Athena pulled her hair up into a ponytail and slipped into her running shoes from the day before. She could begin to hear the quiet voices from outside of the room and down the hall, but could not make out how many there were or who they were. Not taking much interest in finding out, Athena went on with her morning rituals before leaving the room and heading over to the gym that the facility provided. She felt bad for not being able to get with her trainer and do any physical exercises due to her being overwhelmed.

"I'll make up for lost time.."

Her voice was quiet as she walked into the gym and her hands softly went over some exercise equipment as she made her way to the free weights. She knew that she would hate herself later on in the day after the soreness kicked in, but in the bright side, it would help her clear her mind and feel as if she was in control, which is all she could really ask for.

Eli awoke, choking back the lingering taste of vomit in his mouth, the pit of his stomach aching in sudden violent protest of hunger. He wasn't sure how long he was out for, which was somewhat worrying all things considered. He drags his head up, glancing over at the nightstand and reading the digital clock, the bright red digits scorching his retinas for a moment before he adjusted. 6:33. Had he still been at home, he would have been prepared himself for a long lecture from his father about the dangers of idleness and sleeping in.

Thankfully, for now, he was spared the lecture and there were more pressing matter. He hops quickly into the shower, letting the cold water shake the last rogue elements of sleep from his system. He examined the toothbrush with mild confusion. It was...mechanical. Decidedly so. Though he questioned why. It was a brush. Adding a motor to it seemed to serve no purpose. Regardless, he brushes his teeth quickly (only stopping to experimentally press the button, only to be met with violent shuddering from the thing) and dresses before leaving.

He kitchen was barren for the moment, and he wasn't too surprised. If the others routines were anything like his own they probably already ate, though that was purely speculation on his part. He raids the cabinets, eventually happening on a box of....pastries he guessed? They were yellow sponge cake looking things with cream through the center. He wonders for a moment if they would be considered breakfast foods before his stomach growls his concerns away. He pops open the box, gingerly taking one before replacing the box, the plastic wrapping of the cakes crinkling at his touch.

He sits down, regarding the plastic wrapped...food for a moment before daintily opening it. It was soft, but felt dense in his hand as he leaned forward, taking a hesitant bite. “Oh Jes..heavens...” He begins, barely catching the swear. “That....is the single most vile thing I've ever eaten.” He concludes, continuing to eat the offending baked good at his stomachs demand. It was sweet beyond words, and his teeth ached as he bit into it, the cream not helping at all. The cake part was dense and tasteless, like someone had made an effort to shove as much into the small shell it was meant to be as possible as an act of pure spite against the eater. As he finished, he silently hoped there was a special place in hell for whatever succubus concocted these....Twinkies.

^{Location: Bedroom -> Hallway}

---

Groggily, Marcus rolled over, then pleaded with himself to continue sleeping. Every time he glanced at the clock time advanced but he was awake enough to glance at the clock in the first place. Five-- six twenty-- six thirty two-- seven-- seven ten-- eleven-- twelve-- Marcus growled as the clock read seven thirteen. He knew that he was not going to be sleeping any harder than this anymore. Slowly he sat up then stared at the television. After grabbing the remote, he began sifting through the applications, then settled on one that implied it was a music player. The icon didn't have any words beneath it but the icon itself was a set of paired eighth notes.

Scrolling through a list of "stations" made Marcus feel as if he weren't a fan of anything anymore. He hated the feeling of not being able to decide what to listen to or the feeling that no song fit the mood. Still, he reassured himself that since he was half-asleep this was acceptable. Yawning, Marcus selected the 'Classical' station, pretentiously noting that a station name like this captured too broad of a genre but the Metal and Rock type music had been divided down enough for specifics, then listened to the song briefly. With a hum, he cranked the music volume up up, then headed toward the bathroom. Marcus reasoned that if spent enough time in the shower, it'd be time to wake up or whatever by the time he got out.

He opened the bathroom door.
He immediately closed the bathroom door.

Taking a step back, Marcus took a deep breath, then planted his face in his hands. The bathroom was covered in his vomit from the night before, still. He was immediately disgusted by the scene and whatever depraved instinct bid him to ignore the vomit and shower anyway. Nothing a little air freshener couldn't cure, right? Shadow Marcus said within the confines of his own mind. He always liked to say that there was a 'Shadow Marcus' whom these terrible thoughts belonged to but Marcus forced himself to own up to the fact that he was, indeed, about to shower with a puddle of puke within close proximity. Marcus muffled the voice within that tried to convince him to clean it up as he stripped then tiptoed around the vomit.

After a shower that didn't make him feel clean at all, Marcus dressed himself. He sat upon the bed and listened to music, fully staring off into the depths of the void, in awe yet horridly aware of what he'd just done, when a rather insistent alarm went off-- oh, the wake up. Marcus didn't budge. He found himself noticeably not hungry then figured that was because-- well, it was obvious, wasn't it? Wading through a river of vomit has probably never helped anyone's appetite, he figured. Probably, he desperately hoped, only managing to make himself cringe more at the thought. He wanted to distance himself from the bathroom or at least get something solid between himself and his sins. Marcus exited his room, shut the door behind himself, then sat down in the hallway, once more staring into the distance absently.

Caebyn -Bynie- Danvers

---

Bynie found her way to her room quickly after the announcement with the majority of the others. Hoping into her bed excitedly she took her remote and scrolled to the video app. Clicking on it she was quite surprised at the small list of names that were available. Here she was convinced that she'd only be able to call her mom due to that being the only number she had memorized, but here were her mothers, fathers, work place, and even her grandmother's number listed neatly, waiting for her to select. She bit a knuckle weighing her options. She wasn't too worried about work, her mother or grandmother would be welcome warm voices. She longed for the comfort they brought her but she felt a nagging pull of guilt as she looked at her father's name on the screen. She was taken right from under his nose by men in hazmat suits, given goodness knows what excuse. He was probably so worried about her. With a sad sigh she scrolled past her mother's number and clicked on her father's. She fiddled with the remote as she waited for him, she owed him some piece of mind. Besides her and her father used to be very close. Of coarse that was before the step monster came into the picture. As if her thoughts had summoned the woman Vanessas face appeared on her tv. It was only for a split second, long enough for the woman to give her a satisfied smirk and then the screen suddenly went blank. Bynies heart dropped. As soon as the selection screen came back she clicked herbdads name again and an error message reading "unable to complete" flashed onto the screen. "No" she whispered scrolling onto her mom's name and pressing the button repeatedly. The error message flashed again. "No!" She screamed standing on her bed. She chucked the remote at the wall hard, "What a BITCH!!"she shrieked. She felt hot tears start to well up and she angrily dashed at them. She couldn't believe that her one chance to talk to a loved one was ruined by that evil bitch faced ass hat. Sitting on the edge of her bed she took her face in her hands. Why did her Dad ever marry her? She was literally the epitome of an evil step mother.

She stayed in that position, lost in her thoughts for who knows how long. When she finally blinked herself back to reality. Sighing she straightened up, glancing at the clock it shined an angry 3am at her. With a 'hurump' she stomped out of her room and down to the hall to the cafeteria. She wasn't going to let that awful woman drag her down for another second. Marching up to the fridge she flung it open and snatched out a tub of ice cream. Taking her bounty to a table she tore into it. She was half a tub in before her heavy eyes got the better of her and she dozed off with the spoon still hanging out of her mouth.

Location: Room 8 -> Cafeteria

When Eliza woke up, her eyes were puffy and red from crying herself to sleep. She was still in a t-shirt and jean shorts from the night before and her hair unusually disheveled. The remote lay by the edge of the bed, still reaching out to her. But Eliza knew it was too late, what she needed now instead of a phone call was anything else to take her mind off.

Having showered yesterday afternoon, Eliza decides to simply wash her face, mainly focusing on trying to get rid of her red puffy eyes. To little avail, so she simply heads back to the room to change into a fresh outfit. Since there was likely to be some test resuming today, Eliza settles for a black track suit with the jacket unzipped showing off a bright pink colored racerback tank. Finally, she puts her hair in a bun and turns to the mirror to look at the final result.

Contempt, Eliza makes her way to the cafeteria to see if there's anyone making food. Unfortunately, there wasn't. For one there was the new guy Eli looking massively disappointed at eating twinkies, then there was that Bynie girl sleeping with a spoon in her mouth and an unfinished tub of ice cream next to her. Eliza shakes her head and starts to regret even waking up. Rubbing her eyes, she approaches the kitchen area and looks through the fridge for any ingredients. She has never cooked anything in her life but anything might as well be better than nothing. After finding a carton of eggs she calls out to the two, mainly to Eli who was at least awake,

"I'll attempt at making eggs... don't expect a 5-star meal from me though." Eliza starts the stove nervously and tries to crack an egg over the pan. She accidentally cracks it too hard and the yolk instead slides onto the hot stove.
"Ah crap." Eliza exclaims as the missed yolk burns black and sticks on the stove. The 2nd attempt goes without any forceful cracks with the egg sliding into the pan (a few eggshells still in it). She lets the egg cook for a few seconds while turning away to look for salt. She hears a loud crackling and popping sound coming from the stove and whips around to see a small fire coming from the pan. With a look of astonishment and embarrassment for her cooking skills, she screams out
"F-fire! Fire!" In hopes that someone nearby would know what to do. Without any experience of putting out a grease fire, Eliza runs to the sink to fill a container up with water hoping that it'll be enough to put the fire out.

---
@CyanideSweetie@ghastlyInc

Cafeteria
Eli only dimly registered Eliza entering the room, still somewhat transfixed by the abomination of bakery nestled in the plastic coating of pure hatred he was consuming. How....How could something like this possibly....BE? With resignation, he gently wraps the remaining 'cake' back in the plastic before getting up to throw it away. He was about to start making something before Eliza made the offer herself. “Oh...That would be appreciated, thank you.” He says, before dropping the twinkie in the garbage can with an all too satisfying thunk. Normally, he'd be opposed to wasting food. But that was not food. Whatever that was, it had no place in the life of mankind.

He leans on the counter, only now noticing Caebyn face down in dairy product enduced slumber, the light rustle of Eliza collecting ingredients ringing in the background. “....I dont suppose you know if thats normal behavior for Ms. Danvers?”] He asks quietly, looking back over to see the young woman hapazardly attempt to 'cook'.

“Uh....” He begins, watching the second attempt proceed slightly better. “Are you sure you know what you are do-” As if on cue, the formerly docile, if ...calcium rich eggs burst into a small mouth of fire. As she rushed to fill something with water, he decided to intervene.

”Stop!” He barks harshly, his voice echoing through the cafeteria. He approaches the cabinets calmly, opening one and grabbing a lid and baking soda. “Throw water on that..” He says, the harshness of his voice now replaced with his usual indifference. “and you'll end up making the grease jump out of the pan and spread.” He casually rips the baking soda box open, moving the pan to the back burner, careful not to spill any of the contents. An unseen flaming bubble pops as the pan comes to rest, landing flaming droplets of grease on his shirt.

Most of the embers die quickly as they soak into the cotton, so Eli ignores them, instead dumping the baking soda into the pan and firmly placing the lid on. The dying gurgles of the flame echo in the pan for a moment, before it becomes quiet. “We should let that rest for a while..."He says, gently patting away the few remaining pin pricks of fire on his shirt. It was decidedly ruined, not polka dotted with holes and scorch marks, reeking of burnt oil. With a sigh he resignedly pulls it off, cleaning it would only worsen the poor garment. He tosses the shirt gently into the garbage before turning back to Eliza. "Maybe I should take over for breakfast?", he says, asking permission more so as a courtesy than anything else.

@CyanideSweetie@KimmiNinja

"You can never have enough tea." Sienna commented with a friendly smile as she passed a mug to Arthur. She wasn't sure if Arthur took sugar or anything in his tea, but Sienna shrugged away the concern when he took a sip, relishing in the warm goodness of brewed tea. Approaching Cassius, Sienna held out a mug for him as well. "It's not Gatorade or whatever athletes drink nowadays, but it'll be worth it." Sienna jested, attempting to lighten the mood with a terrible joke. The group certainly needed some, whether tea or humor, especially after the day before.

A few seconds passed of idle chatter, although nonetheless friendly conversation while they drank their tea. "I've seen people go crazy because of the heat, but I've never seen anything as crazy as shooting lightning out of our hands or vomiting up gems. Sienna explained, taking a sip of the warm brewed tea. The scientist had said that they were developing powers, and that others had been affected before, but not once were they told that it would be so alarming. It had all came as a surprise, and when they were wowed by one, another power would develop and appear.

Then, Arthur brought up the phone call after climbing out of the pool and drying off. Ultimately, Sienna was suspicious of the whole ordeal--that the program shut off as soon as she mentioned illness. "I'm not sure how exactly it went. I was only allowed to speak a few words before the connection was lost. I'm surprised that this place doesn't have a better connection for all the effort and money that was spent to make this facility look appealing." Sienna explained, setting her mug down on the counter and cupping her chin. "I'm not one to delve into conspiracy theories, but the connection was lost when I mentioned the word illness. I haven't had the chance to ask the others if they had a similar experience, but there might be something more than we're being told." Sienna stated, looking at the others with an inquisitive expression on her face.

---

With sweat dripping from the woman's nose, and running down her back, Athena had finally placed back the few weights she had used throughout her work out. She had lost track of time and what exactly she had managed to do in the time, but it was enough to have her seem as if she had just ran through rain. Satisfied and exhausted, she began to leave the small gym, making sure she had wiped down the areas she was at before exiting the door. 'My body is going to hate me tomorrow', she thought as she tried to stretch her arms and flex her back to offer some type of relief.

After stepping into her room, she beelined straight to the rest room, not wanting the room to smell like sweat. She had never been a dirty person and definitely hated any unpleasant smells. She hoped that the staff would be kind enough to wash their clothes, unless they also had an onsite laundry facility. The thought of it made her laugh quietly. She had always wondered what it would be like to go to a four year university and get to sleep in dorms and experience a 'normal' life. "Guess this is as close as I'm gonna get," Athena muttered to herself as turned on the shower and undressed completely. This brought a new set of thoughts into her mind; how long had it been since she showered? She remembered showering the day that she finally checked herself in, but after that she had been so long in a deep sleep that she couldn't have possibly gotten any sort of bath or shower. Unless the staff actually did that for her as well. The thought made Athena's stomach drop and her face turn a bright red. Strangers undressing her and washing her seemed as if it were out of some horror movie or thriller. ' It can't be that bad... at least they made sure you didn't smell during the days or weeks'. Athena had to nod and agree with herself, it could've been worse.

After some time of enjoying the hot water and massaging the shampoo through her long hair, Athena finally got the guts to leave her therapeutic moment. She guessed that she was probably running a bit late, knowing that she could take years showering and forgetting about reality. With much reluctance, the brunette wrapped a towel around her hair and head, as well as her body, and made her way out into her room to get dressed. "I wonder if they'll make us to some kind of physical test toady." She bit her lip as she sorted through some clothes, opting for a black sports bra, a white, loose crop-top, and some black yoga pants.

Athena slipped her running shoes on and left the room without looking, running her fingers through her damp hair in hopes of it drying sooner rather than later. On her way to the cafeteria, she heard some voices in some rooms that she passed by, and only took a glimpse as she passed the door, but not stopping. Her mind was a bit one track at the moment as she fantasized of scrambled eggs and the possibility of sausage links, and coffee. It brought a smile to her face, which instantly fell when she stepped into the kitchen and cafeteria. There were people already inside and had the kitchen in full use. It smelled a bit of burnt which had Athena wondering what exactly they were doing. "Good morning?" Her voice was a bit cautious as she neared the two that seemed to have been cleaning up some sort of mess. "Uh.. don't mind me.. I just need a blender." Athena smiled a bit at them before going off on a hunt.

She managed to find peanut butter, bananas, some sort of weird tasting protein powder, and soy milk. After the fiasco that the two before her probably had, Athena did not want to try her chances at making any type of food on the stove. Who knew if it were the girl or maybe the stove that didn't work well. Instead, she grabbed a blender and made herself a quick protein shake with the ingredients that she managed to grab that sounded appealing.

Location -> Kitchen/Cafeteria

Eliza stepped back as Eli put the fire out with baking soda, something she would have never figured out on her own.
"Uh.. thanks, sorry about the fire?" She tried to not let her eyes stray onto Eli's now exposed chest and focused solely on the kitchen space around them. At his suggestion of taking over the cooking, Eliza nodded,
"Yeah I guess that's for the best, you should probably get a new shirt though." Eliza averted her eyes away from Eli and shuffled out of his way, hiding the fact that her face was turning red. Mostly out of embarrassment for screwing up something simple as making eggs. She hid her face with her hands as she passed Athena and made her way out of the kitchen.

She walked to the tables and sat in front of Bynie who had fallen asleep halfway through a tub of ice cream. Eliza couldn't help but smirk, the sleeping girl looked too peaceful despite having a spoon hanging out of her mouth. Not wanting to be much of a bother to the peace Eliza let her be and rested her head in her arms on the table. She closed her eyes for just a few seconds and when she opened them she wasn't in the cafeteria anymore. It was her room, and from her view, she was laying on the floor. She attempted to get up but found herself rolling from side to side and when her field of vision shifted, she spots a body mirror on the wall that gave her a view of the majority of the room. It was hazy but from her view, there was no sight of where she should be according to the mirror, but a pen rolling back and forth on the floor.

Eliza jolted up from the surface of the cafeteria table, frantically taking in her surroundings. She sighs out of relief that it was all a dream. She looked to the kitchen where Eli was still kitchen and guessed that not much time had passed. But Eliza was involuntarily shaking, the whole dream felt realistic. She had felt "herself" rolling around on the floor. Did it mean that she dreamt that she was the pen she had a freak episode with the day before? She covered her mouth with one hand when she notices her lips quivering and clenched the other in a tight fist in an attempt to calm herself down.

---
@wolverbells@ghastlyInc@CyanideSweetie

Caebyn -Bynie- Danvers

---

Bynie was lost in the fog of sleep, honestly she wasn't to interested in waking up. She stubbornly tuned out the rustling and the slight commotion. fire...the roof is on fire~ her mind conjured up some electro pop she could feel, with disconnect, her shoulder twitching to the phantom beat. The sudden violent sound of a blender had Bynie lurching upright with her arms in the air shouting "On fire!! around the spoon in her mouth.She quickly settled back down in her chair, removing the spoon with a confused look on her face. Her eyes refocused and her heart nearly leapt out of her chest when she noticed a dark figure sitting right across from her. "whoo!,"She giggled at Eliza, "you scared the tar out of me!" her smile slipped when she realized the girl was napping. Bynie was tempted to wake her, noticing the deep crease between the girls eyes. It didn't look like a peaceful sleep. All of a sudden Elizas eyes popped open, making contact with Bynies. Flushing Bynie stood up quickly, "Breakfast! " She squeaked before scuttling off towards the kitchen. She couldn't believe that she had been caught staring while the girl was sleeping, like a total creeper! She was in the kitchen before she came back to herself, glancing up she had stopped right beside the girl who she had basically seen topless. Turning a swift 180 she darted away only to bump into a wall of flesh. Following the pale skin up to the face she was shocked out of her embarrassment. "Eli?! Hot damn boy, what are you doing half naked?" she had only spoken to the man on a few occasions but he didn't seem the type to parade himself around in undress, Cass on the other hand? She was surprised that boy ever wore clothes, it was clear just in passing that he was quite impressed with himself.

Not one to miss out on some harmless trolling she eyed Eli up and down and wiggled her eye brows, " Boy, we better get you some clothes before you start a fire up in here. " she made her way to the wall where several aprons were. Most of them were pretty gender neutral but she chose the frillyest one available and hustled back to Eli. Before he could have a say in the matter she quickly tied the apron around his neck and waist. Stepping back with a clap of her hands she beamed at her handy work.

---

@KimmiNinja@wolverbells@ghastlyInc@SheriffLlama

Arthur nodded as Sienna spoke, sipping his tea and mulling over what she said. It all chimed with his own experience as well as his own suspicions. While he had never mentioned where he was, or any reason why he might be there, when he had asked after his father and his conspicuous absence the call had suddenly cut out. Just before it had, he had seen the expression on his mother's face. Fear. Like nothing he had ever seen before, it scared him to see her in that state, a sturdy woman who let no adversity get her down. Even during her battle with breast cancer she had barely wavered, ploughing on through the treatment as if it were nothing and coming out the other side as energetic and determined as ever.

Whatever had caused her to fear, for her husband, for Arthur's father, was severe enough for her to be unable to hide it. For the first time, Arthur seriously, desperately, wanted to break out from the facility and as quickly as possible. He would need to start planning, scavenging information where possible, before he made any overt moves; his underlying sense of unease was rising and not everything was as it seemed, he was sure of it.

"Oh, I'm certain there's more to all this. There's probably a perfectly good reason why we're not told everything." He put his cup down and met Sienna's gaze, trying to convey what he really wanted to say, before thanking her for the tea and waving goodbye to her and Cassius. Beginning to feel the cold from his exposed, wet skin, he hurried to the lockers and showered before towelling himself down and slipping into some jeans and a shirt. As he finished doing so the now familiar sound of the communication system rang through the facility.

"Good morning all - we'll be starting your sessions in the next twenty minutes to make sure y'all arrive on time! Artie, if you could come straightaway there's a few things we need to discuss on your results from your last session."

Sounds about right.

He considered hanging around, rebelling against their perfectly reasonable sounding request but decided it would achieve nothing; he was meant to be playing the helpful and supportive character in the play so instead he made straight for his mentor's room. From inside he could briefly hear muffled voices but they were too quiet for him to make out individual words. Not wanting to look like he was attempting to eavesdrop, he stepped forwards and knocked on the door.

The voices stopped almost immediately and the door was pulled open by the still-unnamed Head Researcher who grinned ecstatically at him.

"Come in, come in. We have some major developments to discuss with you!" She guided in him energetically although there was no mistaking the firmness of her grip on his arm as she manoeuvred him into the middle of the room. Behind them his burly, Russian mentor shut the door and then stood in front of it in a posture alarmingly like he was guarding it. Arthur turned his gaze away quickly, letting himself be moved toward a huge tank of water in the centre of the room.

The room itself seemed larger than last time, he could not conceive of this tank fitting in the room last time around and there was no other equipment left over from the last time they had come in. There were steps leading up to the edge of the tank and he was guided up there, all the while being talked to.

"We saw what you managed in the pool yesterday and I, have to say, your abilities are progressing very rapidly! It's very pleasing as our programme is working although it does mean we'll have to step up your regime to keep pace. It's always a race, you see, between you mastering your power and the infection taking control of you. Today we'll try and get you to focus on using your power deliberately."

They arrived at the top of the steps, a small platform running around the tank. It was not quite filled to the brim, its level perhaps a mere foot from the top. Next to him the chipper woman was gesturing at the water animatedly.

"We weren't sure how much water you can control at once so we went with a large volume. It might be your power better initiates when there's more, you see, so this will help us get a proper read." She paused, turning to him with a serious look on her face, and he was struck by how odd that was to see. "There's another matter we need your help with, Artie. You see, the mental well being of the people in this facility directly correlates to how well they can mange their power; if they're distracted then they will make little progress and the virus may get the better of them. If they're focused and don't linger on the fact they're away from families and friends then there's a higher chance of success. I know you're an intelligent person, academic even, so you can understand what I'm saying."

Arthur nodded, seeing the logic in what she was saying. Of course, he was no scientist but he had enough of an understanding of psychology that he knew a positive focus yielded better results in almost anything than a negative one. Maintaining attention on the matter at hand, rather than their de facto imprisonment, seemed a sensible aim to improve their chances. She smiled at his understanding, some tension draining away from her posture.

"Good, I knew you'd understand Artie! So, here's where I need to ask you a favour. See, the people in here kind of look to you as someone to trust. Maybe not a leader or anything but someone who can calm, rational decisions." He could see where she was going but kept his expression neutral. "It's all very well us putting out the facts and trying to explain everything but there are some things we just can't reveal just yet, it'd be counter-productive to the whole process."

So they were definitely listening in back there.

"What I need from you, Artie, is to keep their morale up, keep everyone focused on developing their powers so that they can beat the virus. Is that okay for me to put on you?"

He was tempted to refuse but there had been nothing in what she said that he could see a flaw in. His own feelings aside, the persona he had presented to them was of someone who seemed to 'understand' the importance of what they were doing in the facility and would be naturally supportive of what she asking him to do. Nevertheless, he hesitated but in the end he could see no reason to refuse her request and so nodded.

"I'll try, it won't always be easy though."

She smiled, clapping her hands and sighing with relief. "Oh, I knew you'd say yes. Besides, Artie, we always had our insurance in case you refused."

Then she pushed him into the tank.

He crashed deep under the water, his clothes soaking instantly and weighing him down, hampering his attempts to get back to the surface. Finally his head broke through into fresh air and he gasped for air, staring up at the woman in shock he had no need to fake. He thought he had been playing her but the whole time she had known who he was, what he was like. All the research they had done on them and somehow he had thought he could subvert it, trick them.

From above he could hear mechanical movement, the whirring of cables being reeled in and he looked up to see a lid suspended in the ceiling come down towards him. It had been too high for him to see and he had not expected anything like this, at least not yet. He turned towards the woman and saw her gazing down at him, a hard expression on her face, a dangerous glint in her eye. The lid closed down and he could hear seals locking into place. Water began to fill into the tank, the air escaping through a grate in the lid. Before long he was pressed up against the top of the tank, trying to suck in what little air was left in it before the water pushed up against it and there was nothing more to breathe.