|| Animal DNA || <<Semi-literate - literate only >>

[⚜ Estivel]

It was a rather bright, almost blindingly so, room where a man that looked to be in his twenty's was cleaning up some metal utensils. At the moment he was running a damp cloth over a bottle of DNA extract from a German Shepherd, wiping off some liquid that had been splattered on there during the operation. Very messy, these operations were. He pushed a strand of hair out of his eyes and then placed the bottle down and moving on to a needle nearby. That day had not been a good one; he had decided to step out for a moment and one of the nurses had screwed up an operation. One grand down the drain, and that was only to keep the parents quiet; performing the actual extraction from the animals and making it into a liquid form that would fuse with the DNA of a human cost quiet a bit more. And yet they had to screw it up. As this thought circulated through his mind, his hand slowly tightened until his knuckles went white. Most of the operations usually didn't go well; only one in twenty from what they had seen. That was only the average with all of the operations; Fabian Kelley had an average of one in twelve from the people he had performed on. It wasn't higher mainly due to the person's DNA; the surgeon was not always the problem, for if the body does not accept the new DNA, the body will shut down and fight itself. Overall it's a rather unclean sight, and not pleasant to watch for newcomers.

Fabian, on the other hand, was used to it by now.
It wasn't long before the lab was clean once more, and Fabian smiled for a moment as he recalled he would have to rest of the week off before they would get another patient in. The week would be spent training their current residents here, less than ten he thought. They had a habit of dying out on the battle field, a rather unfortunate event because that meant they had to go through more patients. Or would that be unfortunate? Another smile, yet this one was faded and a tad darker as he recalled he would indeed have to send more of them out for this next mission, which would mean more losses.

They were so convenient, these warriors of theirs, especially considering the state that there country was in; nobody, even their government, could possibly continue to pay for a solider, and then pay for their family when they passed away, something that happened frequently. These creations that Fabian was making only needed to be paid for once, and then they made excellent spies, soldiers, and assassins. Anything they needed them to be really. All of them had a chip lodged in the back of their neck, something implanted a few minutes after they are changed and only if it is obvious that the person has accepted the DNA and the thrashing is only from the pain of their body changing. This chip was a bit of a tracker in a way, and inserted near the collarbone so only the slightest hint of a bulge would show. There had been a debate before about them finding it on another experiment's neck, yet that was dismissed. Even if they could find it, they would not be able to take it out without harming themselves.
And so with that thought passing, Fabian Kelley, the son of the renowned scientist who started it all, turned off the lights and closed the door behind him.

.:.:.

It was dark.
Black orbs, for that is what they indeed looked like, opened and gazed out around the cell in which the owner sat in. The walls were all clear yet practically indestructible; bars would be too easy to interact with the others. This way they could hear each other, but they were restricted to only being able to see the others in their own cell. Not like Fredrick would want to speak to them anyways.
His solid black eyes quite literally flickered towards the door that kept him locked in here. It could only be opened on the other side unfortunately, and was made of pure steel with a slit that opened if they had to give him something. It wasn't too bad, Fredrick assumed, they were allowed out into an area where they could eat, though their time there was restricted. Interaction between them meant more losses. A chuckle ran through the air, the source being himself. He had indeed contributed to quite a few of those 'casualties', or helped anyways. His tongue ran through the air, extending a good three inches before retracting back into his mouth. Normally he would be sleeping at a time like this; Black Mambas were not nocturnal as most believed, and indeed were fast enough to catch their food in the day time. Staying up this late was unusual for him. Fredrick paused for a moment, stopping his breathing completely, as he looked around once more. It was dark, yet he could still sense the others there.

[lycr]

Through the window I see no star:
Something more near
Though deeper within darkness
Is entering the loneliness:
Cold, delicately as the dark snow,
A fox’s nose touches twig, leaf;
Two eyes serve a movement,
that now
And again now, and now, and now

Redness was dancing; flickering in her line of vision, tossing and turning and writhing in different directions, merging with hues of other colors. But of course, all she could see was red. At the end of her vision, it would be all red, the redness of blood.

Asha could recall going mad. When was the last time this was an asylum? Technically speaking, this could be a thousand other places and yet, she would not know.

Her eyes finally opened, she was carelessly tossed from a nightmare into reality. Brown, they were, as dark as melted, stained chocolate that chefs have not bothered to wipe from their kitchen counters. Cast-offs. You know, homeless and starving people could really benefit from the chocolate, and yet chefs will look at them as another mess to take care of. It was an illusion, really.

She was free of her red prison, but now the different kind of prison would have been brought to her, shoved in front of her. This was the sad reality.

Prison could be defined in many ways, none that really suited her.

Asha ignored the pangs of dull pain that rippled through her when she tried to sit up; and finally shoving herself into a weak sitting position, she knew that it was no point. It was a world of black, and whether black was better than red she would never know. A laugh came from one of the other cells, and Asha’s new ears pricked as quickly as if natural to her. Quite some time ago, Asha had no fox ears, now she treated them as if her own that she had been born with them. That was such a queer thought that Asha almost, just maybe, let a strange smile hover over her lips.

(Sorry for such an awful first post, but I need to leave now. I promise I will edit later when I come back.)

[Zwei]

Nightmares.
No other word could describe what Rollo had been living. Darkness seemed to engulf the area, her room. Her ears twitched to the rhythm of a dripping faucet. But how was she to know that the noise wasn't another's blood, being spilled where countless numbers of others had felt pain? Rollo's hands ringed against the fur part of her jacket, but that didn't stop her from getting a cold chill down her spine. Her instincts told her to run. Run far. But where too? Her knowledge about the place she was at, however small it may be, told her to stay put. People have died here. People with lives, loved ones, families. Family. The word rang in Rollo's head. Why couldn't she had stayed home? One more year, she could've left and started college. But who was to say that would have been any better?
Drip. Drip. The noise seemed to get louder the more Rollo tried to cancel it out. Moving her hard pillow over her ears, Rollo accidentally scratched herself. She was reminded of the beast she had become, a living remnant of a monster. Half human. Half bear. She had bear ears. Bear tail. Bear claws. Yet a human body. Her arm still hurt from the transfusion that they gave her, just three days ago. Or was it longer? It was driving her insane, this place was. Rollo had to try so hard just to suppress herself from screaming, let alone ripping one of the nurses ears off. Riiip. Rollo sat up in her bed, trying to find the source of the noise. She couldn't see a thing, as she had learned that Black Bears were not nocturnal. But even in complete blackness, Rollo realized that in her confused thoughts she had torn the sheets on her bed. Great. It didn't matter though. The sheets provided less warmth than the Arctic Ocean, anyways. Laying back down, Rollo closed her eyes and tried to reassemble her thoughts.

[Clowesia]

Sophie

A deep, resounding grumble rumbled from within Sophie's chest as she lumbered from one side of the cage to the other, arms crossed firmly over her chest. It was at times like these that Sophie abhorred her mammalian DNA, rhino's did have a pension for staying up late to socialize. That's what all the rumbling was about. Usually she didn't make such a noise, able to control her instincts to seek out other rhino's easily. 'It's the hormone treatment, I just know it.' She huffed mentally, knowing that just beyond the swerving camera up above that their was a scientist jotting down notes on her behavior. With a loud snort she turned around, her nostrils flaring as she stared into the blinding darkness.

Her unseeing eyes flicked to the large door she knew barred her entrance, a swift contemplation dragging through the edges of her mind that maybe she should just run it down; find someone to talk to. Her ears perked, however, as she heard a chuckle shiver through the air, her body instantly turning to where she knew the source was coming from. 'What the hell is he doing up?' She thought morbidly, all hope for a conversation dissipating in an instant. She knew it was Fredrick's cage that lay in that direction and she knew what he was like. They'd both been here for a long time, they were some of the originals, she knew him. Or as much as one could know about someone that wanted to know no-one. Sophie had kept her mouth shut about a lot of things she'd seen the Black Mamba do on missions, some sort of warped loyalty to her fellow freak.

She turned back to continue her pacing, only to roll her eyes as the sounds of tossing and turning, heavy breathing a rapid heartbeats filled her ears. It seemed some of the newbies were having nightmares, 'Really, they should just get over it already.' She thought with an aggravated snort as the scent of panic and hormones filled the air around her. Sophie had been easy to accept her new life here, easy to accept the horrible things she had done. She'd had blood splattered on her face more times than she could count and not once had she let it phase her. Casting a look to where she knew the girls cages where, she gave another huff. 'They're young, they'll deal with it eventually.'

It was a loud, vicious slue of curses that Sophie found herself flat on her plump arse, a hand groping at her nose as she barked in pain. It seemed Sophie had lost count of her paces and had walked straight into the wall of her cage, her face bumping painfully off of it. Rolling onto her side she held onto her nose, glad that it wasn't broken or bleeding. 'There goes trying to wake no one up.' She mentally, though more concerned about her own pain than anyone else.


...


((I knew those clear walls were going to be a problem the second I read about them. >:U))

[Moondancer]

Gabriel was completely still. He was in a semi-crouched position on the floor of his cell, his weight perfectly balanced on the balls of his feet. His back rested lightly against the wall and his head was cocked to the side, strands of wavy hair falling in front of his face. His eyes were open, dark amber in colour with completely black pupils and irises, the thin black line that outlined them making his eyes look like they'd been permanently ringed with kohl.

It wasn't silent in the cells, it was never silent for Gabriel. He could hear every breath that was taken by the other prisoners, every tiny movement, even their heartbeats. All the sounds that were normally not noticed were magified in Gabriel's ears, made impossible to ignore. Not that it bothered him, not any more. It had at first. For the first few weeks after his operation he hadn't gotten a single moment of sleep. The noise had almost driven him insane.

Now, almost two years later, Gabriel had grown used to it and had learned how to use it to his advantage. Gabriel may not have been the best fighter in the small group of surviving prisoners, but he could hear an enemy coming from a mile away.

Gabriel was pulled out of his reverie by a soft chuckle eminating from the cell beside his own. Sighing, Gabriel turned his eyes to the clear wall the seperated the small rooms. Not that he could see anything anyway, but it felt good to glare at something. He had never been fond of the occupant of said cell, a prisoner by the name of Fredrick. It wasn't that he had anything against the guy in paticular. It was mostly down to instinct; hare's and snakes were never known to get along very well.

Then came the loud thumping sound that made Gabriel visibly wince. That could only be Sophie. He'd managed to block out the rumbling (it was low pitched enough that it didn't bother him too much) but the sound of a rather large collision with a very solid wall was hard to ignore. There went any chance he had of drifting off peacefully.

[Dragoness]

Maeve crouched in her cell of a room. Night eyes reflecting. A low growl rumbled in her throat angrily. She shook her head and stood up, pacing back and fourth. She wanted blood. Not because she liked it but because she was trapped, the scientists didn't consider that maybe an animal that didn't like cages wouldn't like cages any more when part human. She would love to rip them to shreds. She sniffed the stagnant air and kept pacing. Her tail twitched as she did so, ears flicking about. She wanted freedom.

[⚜ Estivel]

((Haha >:V I made them just for you))

It appeared Fredrick was not the only one that was having difficulties sleeping, in fact he could sense most of the people were indeed awake, and a few of them even moving around the small areas each had been enclosed; the body temperature was slightly colder while resting, yet all of the cells near him were vibrating with heat. Yes, they were awake.

The soft thud barely hit his own ears, for snakes hearing was not exactly the most keen, yet the vibrations that ran through the floor made him stifle back a curse as his own body shivered. If he had been stuck with any other DNA infused into his own, perhaps he would have spoken up, even asked if the rhino thing, Sophie something-or-other, was indeed okay. Yet Fredrick had instead been stuck with an antisocial creature that was good for nothing but attacking with speed and precision. It sounded cool to speak of and the snake was indeed a predator that held power, yet that did not mean that he liked what had been chosen for him anymore.
The urge to break the silence, for Sophie's rumbling as well as the bear's frustration with its bedding did not even register in his own ears, continued to nag at him for he knew that he was most likely the only one that had to deal with this issue. Still, he probably didn't have much to complain about; his time spent here during the first year was much different that it was now. At the beginning he went as far as to flirt with a few of them, until he realized that they were mutations like himself as well. Not to mention being taken off of drugs so swiftly did not make his first few weeks pleasant for the ones around him. Only a few remained from that time though, but that was a different matter. The urge remained there, and for a half second he opened his mouth, staring at the form of heat he knew to be Sophie.

"Are you blind or something?"

It was curt and rude, yet still one of the first statement he had said for a while. The others' names he did not know, nor did he particularly want to know them, and so he stuck to those he knew, those he remembered from before.

[Clowesia]

Sophie

Sophie just gave a huff as she sat up, another deep rumble vibrating through the air in reply to the asked question. She gave a clench of her jaw as her self control over the noises she made began to slip. It was unlike her and it would certainly be something she'd discuss with the scientists tomorrow. Hopefully they'd simply remove her from the hormone testing and let her get back to being 'normal.' Of course, if she knew the scientists like she knew she did, they'd up the amount she was getting just to see the ensuing results. Snapping out of her own thoughts she gave a rub of her sore nose before she answered the snake, knowing he wouldn't have understood her primitive rumbling.

"Basically, yes." She sniffed, moving her nose around to make sure she hadn't done to much damage to herself. She was still slightly perplexed as to why Fredrick had spoken to her, but she simply passed it off as him using it as an opportunity to be unpleasant. Standing up her dilated pupils swooped around the area as her hands groped for the wall she knew to be in front of her. As her fingers brushed over the cool surface she gave it a soft rapping with her fingers, just to make sure, before she turned and pressed her back to it. 'Seven strides to the next wall.' She softly recounted to herself before she took a step.

"Now that more than half of you are awake..." She trailed off, hoping to spark a much needed conversation before she did decide to bash down her door and look for good company. Though even she knew she wouldn't make it very far before security would be on her, she wasn't an idiot, just a bit blindsided by instincts. "have any of you heard about any missions coming up? Half the scientists in this place have mouths bigger than my a**. I'd prefer to be prepared, I don't want another Congo incident." Her face screwed up as the memories of that incident flashed through her head.

A handful of experiments had been dropped into the wilds of the Congo to wipe out a small group of insurgents. The information they had received had been little to none, and what they had been told was riddled with lies. It was only after half of the group had been wiped out and the stragglers bloodied and exhausted, pulled out that they had learnt that it was, in fact, a training exercise. Sophie had tried her hardest to never be put in a situation like that again.

[lycr]

Through the window I see no star:
Something more near
Though deeper within darkness
Is entering the loneliness:
Cold, delicately as the dark snow,
A fox’s nose touches twig, leaf;
Two eyes serve a movement,
that now
And again now, and now, and now

Asha almost flinched, the sound of someone colliding with the wall made her feel somewhat sorry that the occupant had done. She could recall challenging the wall and losing a few times, too. And from the noise, that someone wasn’t exactly short or skinny.

Are you okay?

Asha shouted that from her mind, but knew that, from the scent, most of the occupants weren’t new, and it didn’t seem like that many of them are forthcoming, either. Why should she care if they are or not? The brief eight months spent here seemed like an eternity to her already, and she knew that the others stayed here even more. With a restless sigh, an almost silent plea for adventure, Asha shuffled her heels on the floor of her cell, her teeth working furiously against the insides of her mouth, as if she was fighting an invisible enemy, herself.

What was the point, anyways? She is here with no chance of escape, and she most likely will be here for a longer time, too.

With that thought, Asha started to comb through her short red hair, trailing her fingers through an uncontrollable mane of red, separating the tangles.

A growl came from another cell, tinged with hostility and anger.

Calm down, Fluffy. There’s really no point in getting yourself worked up about nothing.

Asha fought down a wave of amusement, before continuing to claw at her hair, faster and faster.


Now that more than half of you are awake... have any of you heard about any missions coming up? Half the scientists in this place have mouths bigger than my a**. I'd prefer to be prepared, I don't want another Congo incident."


Asha's head whipped up, her fingers buried in hair.

"As far as I know, no.” Asha admitted, her voice a croaky rasp. Then, feeling slightly guilty, an “Are you okay?” quickly followed. Asha could bet that a stinging retort will be on Sophie’s lips after her rushed words, but couldn’t care less.

[Zwei]

Rollo let out a huff. Like I'd know anything. Still, she didn't reject the possibility of a conversation. Her ears twitching, she let out a lone sigh. "I didn't know that the scientists let us know anything." She retorted, her rough voice cracking. She grasped her throat, still not used to the low, croaky tone it created. A few moments passed, and her voiced lowered. "Of course, I'm new here. I don't know anything other than the glass walls of this prison." A normal human probably wouldn't of heard her, but Rollo was sure that everyone - or should she say, everything - in the room had been woken by her pulsed voice. It wasn't fair. Why did the government take here here, instead of jail? Because they need more warriors to shift up their cranky bottoms. She thought bitterly, tongue throwing a mean raspberry at the camera she knew was in the upper corner.

Rolling over, she couldn't help but think that she wasn't alone. There were others here, whether they wanted to talk or whether they wanted to crumble up into a corner and die like those before them. Others that never gave up, and survived not only the painful process of transformation, but the painful twists and turns of life as well. Rollo, giving a blind stare at the camera with a stern look on her face, thought to herself. I will never give up.