[IC] Mind Games

[Naveah]

It's early in the morning, a thick, low fog blankets the gray-blue ocean and makes the air cold and damp. Up above the mist on the high abandoned city buildings, Celeste crouched down and peered over the rooftops down, through a more transparent patch of fog, at the port where there was a boat full of new arrivals, new children to be brought up here. She frowned and stood up, heading for the fire escape to make her way to ground level, taking one last look down at the pier before jumping down.

Celeste stealthily headed for the edge of the island so she could get a closer look. She concealed herself into a shadow, a rush of cold and hollowness filled her as she faded from view, getting as close as possible to the scene. Children, about ten of them, ages ranging from 7-12 it looked like, were being brought fourth onto the island, none seeming to give any sort of resistance. They looked completely drained of all emotion. Was this something new that the AISE had started doing? It wasn't natural that was for sure, and Celeste knew. Every time she'd watch these new arrivals the kids' faces would be full of wonder and fear, now they just stared straight ahead and dragged their feet as they walked. She narrowed her eyes at the officials, thinking of maybe a hundred things she could call them, contemplating whether or not to try and stop all this from happening, but she knew she couldn't. Her cover would be blown and everything she worked for, even faking her death, would have been put to waste if she acted this very moment. There was nothing she could do right now to help them except keep working in the Rebellion, keep finding out information about the AISE and figure out how to destroy them from in the most effective way possible.

Celeste only stayed a few moments longer before running back towards the Rebellion HQ, slowly materializing as she went. Oh, how she despised this place, every inch of it, every nut and bolt and steel floor-tile, every vile, every needle, every pebble, every shadow. She often thought about what she would be doing if she hadn't had her abilities now, would she rather not have them? No, they're a curse, they just make her more than a freak than she already was, and she was damn sure that anything the AISE could give to them this easily, could be taken away just as quickly and effortlessly. Celeste was almost back to the underground base's entrance when she noticed a figure there, a subject to this place like her. Or wait, could it be more than one? Her eyes went wide as she immediately, instinctively, disappeared into a shadow, hoping the figure(s) hadn't noticed. How could she be so careless? She could have given away their location of the HQ and that would most definitely end in disaster......

~~~
This is where you can decide where your character comes in. You have 3 options:
1.) Your character is new to the AISE, having come in from the boat that Celeste had seen.
2.) Your character is the figure that Celeste sees and does/doesn't notice her.
3.) Your character is minding their own business, doing what they usually do, probably hanging out in the Courtyard or training in the Training Center. They can be socializing with other characters as well.

~LET THE ROLEPLAYING BEGIN ^_^ ~

[Side Character G]

Pat Hogan, the eleven year old child test subject.

Perhaps the one place the boy felt at ease all by himself was the training center; exercise machines, dumbbells and plenty of other tools to take his mind off of boredom while still having that tiny chance of new faces to meet and interact with at any moment. Not that the 'new faces' would be anywhere near happy seeing the angry-eyed, scary-masked, half-naked midget boy pumping away happily at lifting weights, but Pat was completely oblivious of that fact. Truth be told he was only going to be here for a little while until there were more activity as people woke up one by one.

So far, this morning had been quite quiet. The room was filled with little more than his own muffled breath, the soft hum of whatever air conditioning or fans they had, - Pat had never remembered to check the ceiling to see exactly what was attached - and the creaking from various exercise machines. He saw a few familiar faces here and there also taking their time on one of the exercise machines or idly chatting to each other, but he made no move to join them; Pat had been told not to bother others when they were exercising by someone long ago and after many forgettings and facing irritated replies he stuck to that rule.

At the very least, today was going to be an eventful day; he overheard some of the kids mentioning there was going to be new arrivals soon. To be honest they were talking about hijacking the boat as they unloaded them, but that wasn't what Pat was interested in and left them to their meticulous planning. Not that anyone with enough intelligence would fail to catch their light tone of voice and hear their superficial ideas and impossible feats and realize they were joking. Pat, however, made a mental note to check upon them later and made sure they did not get into much trouble - after all if he helped them maybe they'll become his friends - and focused back to his weight-lifting.

Through the windows, Pat could see the weather outside; gloomy as ever laced with shadows that resemble buildings in the distance like any other day. This place really had little change, perhaps the most exciting thing being the experiments, if you can even call that 'exciting'. A dull echo of the ache from when he had been tied down on the last experiment pulsed slowly, but it wasn't strong enough to make him stop the same weight-lifting movement he had done for who-knows-how-long. His mind moved back to the news of the new arrivals; when will they be here?

[Naveah]

Mya found herself strolling through the courtyard, staying close the the buildings. Every step she took she absorbed the vibrations made by other people who were walking nearby. The chilling air she didn't mind so much, as she was wearing black jeans and a grey jacket that kept her warm. The jacket was made of a thin material; thicker jackets she would wear when the weather was colder, but it wasn't as cold as it was usually on regular days. Mya found her way to the training center and headed to the back of the room where there was a training course that she use to practice her combat skills and to train her ear to recognize even the smallest movements of someone's fist being thrown at her. The course was a series of poles and weaponry all in a field of about 5 yards of on each side being the perimeter of the course; it had regenerative properties so if it was damaged it would fix itself after the course session was over.

Mya had been using this course for most of the years she's been here, always working at it to try and memorize the attack patterns, however there are 4 total, ranging on a scale: easy, medium, hard, and extreme. She could never get past the hard level, that one was too quick, she couldn't react swiftly enough, she ended up getting injured the last time she tried, but it didn't matter much since she still hadn't gotten used to the medium level course. Mya, before starting the course, headed for the weapons rack, running her hand lightly over the weapons until she found the one she would use, a spear made from metal and a handle of a softer type of metal, almost leathery to the touch.

[defineunique]

Watcher leaned against a wall, the courtyard scene in front of her. The day was muggy, foreshadowing rain, and the coastal wind was bringing in a chill. The courtyard was mostly barren of people. She assumed her fellow test subjects were trying to stay out of the rain. She didn't blame them. A cold could be deadly here, either from lack of medication or a body already weakened by the latest drug that couldn't defend another affront. She was more at risk than most, however. Her feeble frame shivered against the cold. She usually had bad reactions to the drugs they pumped through her, most left her weak, some would leave her nearly comatose for a period. She, more than anyone else, was risking catching her death in the weather, yet she stood in the cold to bear witness. A new shipment of Testies had arrived. Few knew. It was never something advertised and the shipments were always sporadic, but there were tell-tale signs she knew to look for. Always about a week or so before a shipment security would get a little tighter. Never any more guards than usual, so most never noticed, but the guards would become more vigilant, paranoid almost. Instances of abuse towards the Testies always heightened in these periods, consequences for unruly behavior slightly more intense. Meal portions would also thin out just a tad in preparation for the new mouths. Little things that one might notice individually but would hardly ever think they had anything to do with each other.

She scanned the yard. One lab-rat huddled against the wall on the other side of the courtyard, knees wrapped around her legs. Her head was hidden in her lap but her shoulders gently shook. Crying. Only a few yards from the girl, two boys spoke quietly between each other. They were too far away for her to hear, but their skittish glances darting back and forth and the quickness with which they exchanged words told her they were being secretive. She looked beyond them to the building the girl was huddling against. It was a tall building with many clear glass windows. Anyone with half a brain could tell that those boys were up to something they shouldn't, and any number of those windows could have a supervisor looking down on them, taking their numbers painted to the backs of their uniforms down in one of their little notebooks. If their numbers were written down in a notebook within the week they would be escorted to a drug test and never be seen again. She didn't know what happened to them after that and she wasn't about to ask. Observance was her distinguished skill but it would be dangerous to reveal just how observant she was. Observance gave her knowledge, and here, knowledge was a powerful and dangerous thing to have.

She imagined that if more people knew the children were coming in today that they would want to be here to see it, but perhaps they didn't want to know. Within the first couple days almost half of the batch would be dead. Perhaps that made other Testies sad, knowing so many would die so quickly. She felt empathy for the children, who so young would be tortured and inebriated, their childhood stricken from them in exchange for a life of cruelty, but she didn't feel sadness. She felt a deep hatred toward the foundation that watched over them, that killed them, that used innocents like dirty tissues. The foundation that had wiped her memory and stolen her name. But she did nothing, she risked nothing.

Around the corner the procession of children shuffled forward, directed by a loud-mouthed General-type yelling obscene comments meant to motivate the small ones to move faster, yet she knew immediately by looking that this was physically impossible. The children's heads rolled around as if it was a weight too heavy for their shoulders and their feet dragged against the ground. Watcher's brows furrowed. This is worrisome. A memory swipe isn't enough anymore, they're drugging them out before they even reach the foundation, but what for? What does this mean for the rest of us? She didn't appreciate being clueless.

[Naveah]

There was the sound of footsteps on metal, clanking and thudding outside the training center. The new test subjects that were being forced onto the island were being gathered in the courtyard. Whether it be fortunate or unfortunate, it seemed to be like the drugs had worn off and the subjects were starting to regain themselves, the older ones reacted less to the chemicals than the younger ones so they had the shocked faces first. But it seemed all at one moment, every pair of young, innocent eyes widened. They were as big as they physically could be, not only with shock but with fright, they looked terrified and nervous. The sudden realization shoved its way into their minds, that this is where they would be for now on and there was nothing they could do about it.

Mya froze as she heard the scrambling thunder of the taps of the newcomers' feet and her heart sank. She knew this sound, only having heard it so many times before. Her hand lowered and she stepped away from the rack, clenching her fists by her sides, practiacally shaking with hatred and despair now. A sad look formed in her eyes when memories came flooding back from her past. She remembered how afraid she was when she was first brought here; remembering now only fueled her bitter thoughts toward the AISE. Mya frowned, heading towards the front of the Training Center where the vibrations and sounds would be more accurate, all the while not letting herself forget there was still one other person here. She'd never talked to him, but he was almost always there, or at least he had been for as long as she could remember. She pondered for a moment if he knew what was going on beyond the Training Center doors as well, no doubt he probably did. She leaned up against the wall, pressing her hear to the thick, solid steel and iron barrier.

An Official stood at the front of the group of kids, not wearing any expression of any kind which didn't seem to ease any of their nerves. He suddenly spoke, in a deep, bellowing voice, yet loud and unsettlingly clearly for being so far away from where Mya was, not to mention through a two-foot think wall. She hadn't remembered the Officials giving any speeches. Was this something new they had started doing? The Official's voice rang out through the facility, most likely using a sort of sound/volume enhancing device. The speech was more of an overview of the restictions and expectations that the Association had of the subjects; he proceeded to call out numbers for the children. There were some small noises of crying, which wasn't surprising in the slightest, but unlike in previous "welcomings" this official didn't scold the children who were crying, he just left them to weep and continued on talking. Maybe it was the loudness of his voice that kept him from hearing, or maybe he felt sympathetic but didn't let that show, his voice still was still blunt and his points were straightforward.

[Side Character G]

Pat Hogan, the eleven year old child test subject.

It was finally time.
There was a sudden change in atmosphere in the training center even someone as dull-witted as Pat could sense - or perhaps it was the sudden dissonance of all the training machines and chattering simultaneously drowning down to silence - as the footsteps reverbrated throughout the island. The metal forced to clang by the stampede of footsteps was a small noise on the other side of the wall but it sounded really loud with all activity frozen in here but those, too, came to a sudden stop right outside the building as peculiarly as they started. Then silence.

Pat caught a movement from the side of his eyes but before he could follow suit in order to ask what they were doing there was a loud voice. It was a grown up's voice, which meant it was one of the officials; how did they have such a large voice though? Pat stood there, rigid from head to toe as the official talked. Perhaps it was a subconscious act, knowing from past experience that if he gave them even the slightest doubt that he wasn't listening to them they would punish him. Instead his eyes slowly swept around to find the person who moved earlier. It didn't take long for him to locate her, and as he observed the girl a name popped up in his mind; Mya, if he remembered correctly. She was hugging the wall as if she was straining to listen to the voice even more. Pat's mind reverted back to focusing on the official's speech. He could vaguely make out the words, muffled by the walls despite the volume, but he caught words like 'training center' and 'dining hall'. He thought back to when he was first brought to the island; was he given such lectures before? He gave himself a mental 'no', wondering what was going on.

Pat found the courage to move again only after the official's voice drowned to an end. He walked swiftly and as quietly as he can, not that he was capable of being quiet at all, towards the training center doors, planning to get a peek at the newcomers for that was his main intention; learn about the new prospective of friends he could make. Were they older than him, or perhaps younger? stronger or weaker, boy or girl? His breathing accelerated a little as he felt the excitement build up, making the muzzle grumble as it worked faster to filter out the infectious agents streaming from his breath. He pressed to the door, a hand on the handle and, after a pause and a quick look around the room, - he didn't forget to give a hand wave when his permanently-angry eyes met others - proceeded to open the door a crack very slowly.

[defineunique]

Watcher observed the children. They were huddled together. Some of their heads were still swaying from the drugs they'd been given before arrival, most were gathering their bearings surprisingly quickly. The official was giving them the "tour" which only meant he was pointing at the few buildings around and stating their purpose. He wasn't going to waste his time actually showing them, he would leave that to them. Overall the group contained twelve girls and twelve boys of varies ages. She wondered why it was imperative that they have equal numbers of gender rather than age. She'd noticed that procedure long ago, yet still couldn't figure out why. She assumed that whatever the initial drug was had some important effect regarding gender but without seeing the initial drug trial she figured she wouldn't be able to decipher it. She attempted to recall her own drug trial from the day she was brought to the foundation, but found that her memory of that day was still fuddled. She remembered being held to a table with strong hands as she went in and out of consciousness, her head swimming and her vision blurry.

There wasn't much more of the children to note except to attempt to predict who would be dead within the hour and who would still be alive at the end of the week, but she found she was surprisingly terrible at such predictions. The testing obviously sifted through more than just the strongest and weakest. Mental strength and other abilities were tested within the first few days. Something else was at play as well, though she could only guess as to what it was. She turned her attention to her surroundings. The two boys who had been urgently conversing earlier were gone, most likely scared away by the official. The girl was still huddled against the wall on the other side of the courtyard, though her shoulders were no longer shaking and her puffy eyes were peeking through her fingers at the children. She noted a few faces taking in the new Testies from behind windows and a small boy pearing through the cracked door of the training building. He had a gas mask over his face like a muzzle. How strange. They keep him like a rabid dog. The muzzle had always intrigued her, though she'd only ever seen him from afar like everyone else so she didn't honestly know why he had it. She had noticed how others tended to avoid him like the plague. Other than the muzzle and hadn't ever had a chance to observe what his ability might be. Perhaps he is the plague.she thought to herself jokingly and couldn't help the smallest glimmer of a smile from appearing on her face.

[Naveah]

Mya was frowning as she listened, only to have been interupted by the other subject's steps toward the door, breaking her concentration she had of the words that the official spoke. Instead now she payed more attention to where he was going, she knew who he was, Pat, only having rarely spoken to him, though she would be training in the same area with him constantly almost every day. She knew he wasn't normal though, the sound he made when he would breathe was different than anyone else she had been around; and though she couldn't see, she was aware of the fact that there was a certain machine-like mask he wore over his face, and just hearing others' reactions to things like that in their first weeks, it didn't usually end well for them, being freaked out over something that eventually they would get used to. If he went outside, the door opening would cause them to look around and what's the first thing they see? If they're not already terrified enough.

Her eyes widened and she jumped in the way of him exiting, shutting the door swiftly, making a slight slamming noise. "D-don't go out th-there!" she stammered quickly, her expression was worried. There was no telling what the Official might do if Pat distracted his speech/lecture. And she wasn't only afraid of what the new subjects might think of the harsh punishments, scare them more than they already are, she was afraid of what would happen to Pat. There was no way she would let Pat get into trouble like that, not that she didn't think he could handle himself, he'd probably be way better at handling that kind of situation than she would be, he was a lot stronger, even if they weren't very close, she still knew they were mutual accuantances, and if there was anything she could do to stop another person like her from getting hurt, she would do it. "N-not yet..." she added quietly, her voice more hushed, "After... after h-he's done..talking..."

[defineunique]

Right before her eyes the door with the muzzled boy slammed shut. Her eyes briefly widened in surprise before softening to her normal expression of intrigue. The official hardly gave the interruption a sideways glance but the children went wild-eyed and drunkenly lolled their heads around looking for the noise. How skittish they are when they arrive. Poor things. They don't even know what is about to happen to them. For a fraction of a second she wished she could do something for them before realizing there was nothing. The Foundation frowned upon friendship and comradely. Doubtless they believed that it fostered rebellion. Watcher thought back to the two boys from before wondering where they had gone off to. She was hopeful for a moment that she might be able to see them again. Perhaps she could ask what they'd been talking about, but she new that they'd probably disappear soon if not already.

She glanced at the closed door to the training room. She could imagine hushed conversations and curious faces on the other side. She bit her lip, debating whether to go inside. She'd never been inside the training room before. She'd never had a reason to, given her natural disposition towards frailty. Gaining muscle had never been appealing to her. It seemed like it wouldn't matter if she did. She'd gain some muscle and then lose it immediately during her crazy recovery time as soon as the next test took place, besides, the Testies only ever used it to pass the time and she had always preferred to watch instead. Now, however, imagining what was going on the other side of the door was incentive enough to enter. She had started to make her way towards the building when a loud bell blared overhead. Watcher sighed and spun on her heel, heading in the other direction. All around, other Testies crowded together, all heading in one direction as the bell stopped. The children in the courtyard panicked, some broke down crying, hugging the heels of other children. The official's face turned purple with frustration and he belted "Shuddup you filthy test rats! Thas' da brea'fast bell so you all better go and get it before its gone! We don't have enough food for all'a ya so last ones there go hungry." A cruel smile appeared on his face and he sneered "You're going to need it for what comes after breakfast, Testies." More of the children broke down crying while the smarter ones blinked back their tears and with an air of determination marched into the rest of the crowd to grab their breakfast.

I wonder if we are due for testing as well... Watcher wondered, a chill making its way up her spine.

[Naveah]

Celeste whilred around when she heard the piercing ring of the bell echoing around the island. She knew that sound only too well. She bit her lower lip anxiously as she flickered a glance backwards toward the facility, Mya... you know better than to go... please tell me you're not going to go... not now, not with the new test subjects... she thought, silently hoping Mya had te sense to come back to the rebellion to hide out until the testing was over. Whenever there were newcomers, Celeste knew that some of them were bound not to make it and she always kept Mya from going to those ability tests if she couldn't keep her from taking any others. Celeste pondered the outcomes of the situation all the while keeping a close watch on the figure that she'd hoped would somehow disappear so she could get into the secret underground base unnoticed; risking the security of the Rebellion HQ was not something she was about to do.

(Sorry for the super short post but it's because I'm going to wait until Pat replies to Mya before I RP her again, and I can't really do anything with Celeste because she can't be risked being seen by anyone on the campus)

[Side Character G]

Pat Hogan, the eleven year old child test subject at the Training Center.

Pat allowed the girl to slam the door shut on his face, more from unexpectedness than anything. He peered at her inquisitively and perhaps it was a good thing Mya was unable to see his face, for what else would a timid girl see than an intimidating figure? As Pat was about to rebut her stammers with his own reasoning, he heard the official's voice once more, louder now, and froze. His words died in his throat and gave her a nod, the muzzle making a clicking noise as it shuffled at the movement.

"sorry," He whispered back. "I couldn't wait to meet the new guys, hopefully there will be some cool dudes and dudettes to chat with."

The bell went off at Pat's last word, to which he unwillingly flinched at. Even so, the spell of uneasiness about him woven by the official's threatening voice seemed to melt away at the bell, for now they all had a valid reason to go out. He went for the door eagerly, then remembered about Mya. They had a chat in the past, though nothing lengthy or intimate, but enough for him to catch on the fact that she was blind. He proceeded to take her hand in his, other hand going to the door as he spoke.

"Come on, we can leave now right? You shouldn't miss breakfast."

[defineunique]

Watcher's pace slowed and the crowd bumped her shoulders as they slipped past her. She risked a glance back towards the training building. The area was mostly vacant, only a few stranglers left behind. She bit her lip and looked at the dining hall, her stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten since the day before, but the initial testing was always the worst. She didn't want to risk getting drugged so soon after she had recovered from the last batch. She looked back at the training room door again. The boy with the mask hadn't left the building with the rest of the Testies. The two boys from before flashed back into her memory. They weren't the first to have hushed exchanges in vacant areas. She'd noticed others doing the same, more and more it seemed. What's more there was a different air about the older vets. They didn't risk public displays like the two boys had, but she could tell that something was happening. She could see it in their eyes. With one last sidelong glance at the dining hall she swallowed her hunger and slunk to the training room, partly curious but mostly hoping to avoid any unnecessary drugging.

She reached for the handle to the door and quickly glanced around to see if anyone was watching, her heart pounding in her chest. The courtyard was empty now, the last stragglers finally gone. She looked up, the windows were empty of faces as well. Just out of habit of taking in her entire surroundings she glanced at the roof. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw a figure lurking but when she looked back there was nothing there. She furrowed her brows and slid through the door, bumping into the muzzled-boy. Shocked she gasped, eyes wide. She'd never been this close to someone outside of a crowd before.

[Naveah]

Mya nodded in agreement but knew that later she would have to leave him before the Officials would come to take them to their testing. She wished she could take him to the Rebellion hide-out with her, however it was too much of a risk and if Celeste found out that she told someone then she would never be alowed back, having to get her memory wiped of The Rebellion, and so would whomever she told have to forget. Those were the rules. And those rules she didn't intend on breaking. She hadn't ever told Pat about the Rebellion, he never seemed to ask where she would go when the time was so close to curfew when she would leave. That was a good thing, she hated lying, especially to those she felt were close in a sense.

She was so lost in thought now about what she would use as an excuse if he did ask that she hadn't sensed anyone behind the door, much less opening it, and she stumbled forward, letting go of his hand, as the door behind her swung open. She regained her balance quickly enough though, before turning to face whoever came in. Her first thought was that it would be an Official and her face went even paler than it already was upon thinking this. If it was an Official they would be taken right to Testing without a second thought, but she didn't feel the towering presence of one. Another subject? Certainly not any of the newcomers... Hopefully not one of the newcomers... She tilted her head to the side slightly in question and wonder. The subject's footsetps coming inside were small and light compared to an Official's with their big boots clanking against the metal tile floors, unless that was just because she hadn't noticed them earlier. However, the little breath of air that escaped from her lips as a gasp was enough to confirm her thoughts about who the stranger was. An older girl most likely.

[Side Character G]

Pat Hogan, the eleven year old child test subject who just got bumped into.

---

Instead of the door handle's cool metal touch on Pat's hand, he found the senses of his fingertips brushing against something soft, perhaps something delicate and not at all metallic. It took him a moment to make sense of the situation; the mysterious figure who slipped in through the very door they were at bumped into him with minimal force, only making him take a step back thanks to the difference in their physique. In reflex he supported the figure from the rebound from the bump, hands outstretched to catch her. It was then Pat was able to make out more of the bumped person; she didn't seem all that taller than him, not to mention she seemed very sickly and not-fed. Then again every test subjects here seemed sickly one way or another. He glanced back to Mya to see if she was okay; she seemed to be fine, thankfully. He then proceeded to address the darker haired girl.

"Woah there," Pat exclaimed. "You alright? This isn't the way to the dining hall and you look like you're in a hurry. Come with us, we can show you the way." As breakfast was the main thing on his mind, it seemed natural that every test subject would be headed that way, plus Pat himself had to be there sooner than later; he was required to go to the quarantined area when eating which meant there would be officials on his lookout. He knew very well that if he arrived too late they will grow bored and just close off the quarantined area, making him unable to have his meal and do his business.

[tathgon]

A new boat of children arriving to be tested on. The breakfast bell ringing to signify the need to move... and yet, the torture Issac endured to keep someone else from having to cripples him. Slowly, Issac rises to his feet, pain throughout the entirety of his body. The 'Shield of the Weak' hasn't fallen yet, only been beaten on multiple times for multiple subjects on many an occasion. "Food..." His voice was weak and filled with longing. He needed some to survive today. Testing wouldn't be an easy thing to undergo after today's defending for the weak. Slowly, he limped towards the Dining Hall. Maybe he'd be able to get there before they 'ran out' of food.

Many of the subjects ran past Issac in an attempt to make sure they got food. Best of luck to them, they may need it still. He began to walk through the courtyard, his energy returning when he noticed a few others walking away, hoods up. Interesting, where would they be headed? Certainly not to breakfast. However, stopping to pay attention to them wasn't the best idea. Issac's legs gave way, to tired to continue to carry his already battered body. Great, collapsed in the middle of the courtyard. This almost guarantees more beatings today. He sighed, at least he would be able to recover faster resting and being still.

[defineunique]

Watcher swatted the muzzled-boy's hand away from her shoulder, the door still ajar. It had been kind of him to steady her but she didn't need him touching her any longer than necessary. She didn't like being touched, the only time she ever was was when someone was sticking a needle in her arm or force feeding her one drug or another. "I know where the dining hall is, I'm not going there." She gave herself a mental slap on the wrist for thinking that these two were doing anything of interest. They were only late getting to the dining hall, not skipping.

Through the open door she saw a child stumble to the ground out of the corner of her eye. Unconsciously she bit her lip. Her instinct almost sent her flying to the child to help him up and take him away somewhere to hide him, but she knew that that was beyond stupid. There wasn't anywhere she could take him and she'd be caught before she could get him anywhere. If there she had learned anything from her years in captivity it was that the foundation kept a firm hand on the newest shipments of children. They would notice if one went missing. She firmly planted her feet to the ground, unwilling to be moved anywhere. Not to the dining hall and most certainly not to help the child outside, though a part of her was screaming inside.

[Side Character G]

Pat Hogan, the eleven year old child test subject with a new task in mind.

---

The boy stood there dumbfounded at the swat, and before he could recover from the unexpected reaction, Watcher spoke. It seemed he was wrong about the mysterious girl's intentions completely. He mumbled an apology at her, ending with a light-hearted comment about nothing important as his eyes moved to meet hers as a sign of friendliness he had learnt in the past - but his eyes were drawn to the scenery beyond the other side of the training center's door which was left open. His words trailed off to silence at the sight of one of the test subjects sprawled on the floor. The dirty blond wasn't someone Pat recognized, and he seemed lifeless with his tattered and gloomy body laying like that; and no one seemed to give any notice. Within moments the bare-chested boy sniped out of the center straight for the teen; he had little care about reputations or repercussions, for it wasn't something he concerned himself too much with. He swiftly closed the distance, almost flying to rescue, and went down to help the boy sit up. It wasn't that he forgot about Mya and Watcher, but rather his body seemed to have kicked into action the moment he saw his potential friend [he saw every test subjects as a potential friend if it wasn't obvious] on the floor, neglected from attention.

"Hey dude, you okay? You're one of the new dudes right? What happened to you?" He spoke quickly through the muzzle, staring intently at the fallen teen. There didn't seem to be any critical wounds or symptoms of infections that Pat could make out, not to mention a constant albeit shallow breathing and normal pulse. He seemed extremely fatigued which Pat knew would make him more susceptible to pathogens than on a normal condition. He couldn't make out whether his skin was pale with illness or the lighting, but all in all it didn't seem like the teen wasn't suffering from any diseases or the like. It looked like he would have to wait for a reply before he knew exactly what was going on.

[Naveah]

Mya's clouded, blue eyes widened, simultaneously raising her eyebrows, slightly startled by his sudden action. Had something terrible happened? Although her eyes didn't function to help her see, it didn't mean she would cover them up and not use them. Perhaps this was in part because it had been a habit from when she was younger, before she went blind She was always an expressive child and that's most likely the reason she often gave an impression of having vision, still being able to have character and convey her feelings, though if anyone knew her it was easy to notice that, in fact, she most definitely couldn't see.

Mya quickly glanced to the girl, pondering for a split second if she would go after him too. A moment of silence and Mya was already gone, having followed after the muzzle-boy swiftly. When she reached him, unsure of what was going on at first, it wasn't until she had gotten closer when she realized there was another person there, and she kneeled down beside the two, "Is she or, umm, he... Do you think they're alright?" She gave up on trying to identify the gender of the other when she directed her question to Pat. It seemed to her that so far the other person was unresponsive at the moment. Her face showed concern and confusion, all the while she was still anxious to get to the dining hall as soon as possible, only then to leave again just as fast as she came to avoid people noticing her on her way out to the abandoned city to make her way towards the base. She couldn't risk any of these people following her. There was too much to risk if any of them found out.

[defineunique]

The scene unfolded before Watcher quickly. Muzzle-boy, idiot that he was, ran out to help the child in the dirt with total disregard for rules or punishment. In some way it was admirable for doing what Watcher so longed to do as well, but she couldn't condone his stupidity for breaking the rules out in the open. Perhaps he could handle punishment, but anything beyond the toxins she ingested from the drug tests would be the death of her. If she wanted to stay alive, she couldn't break the rules in public for the officials to see.

As she was thinking, the blind girl ran out after the Muzzle-boy. Watcher slid behind the door and peered out to do what she did best, watch. Between the blind girl and the muzzled-boy the two of them half drug half carried the child to towards the dining hall, but Watcher noted how the blind girl kept fidgeting as if her mind wasn't entirely on the boy draped across her shoulder. Curious, Watcher followed at a distance, careful to not alert the blind girl to her presence. She'd never been as close to her as she had been today, but Watcher had noticed her before and had always been intrigued by her heightened senses. She wasn't about to be on the receiving end of them.

[tathgon]

Issac felt better lying there. he could feel strength returning to his legs. Shouldn't be too long now, just a... Issac's train of thought was cut off by him being lifted into a seated position. "Hey dude, you okay? You're one of the new dudes right? What happened to you?" A muffled male voice asked in quick succession. Issac was both ecstatic to see that someone was willing to help him and annoyed that someone else put themselves in the line of fire to help him.

"Is she or, umm, he... Do you think they're alright?" A female voice asked. Two. Two people decided to put themselves in harm's way to help him. "I'm fine. Please go. I don't want others to get hurt on my behalf." Issac said, quickly moving away from the two of them. Not that it mattered, officials wouldn't exactly not know which numbers broke the rules. His stomach growled, reminding him of his other thing on his 'To Do' list. Get food. "I'd love to stay and chat, but... food." Issac said, quickly attempting to beeline it to the dining hall. He was able to make it a few steps before tumbling back to the ground. Damn... I guess I didn't heal enough. Please food, still be. I need it.