|| conditions for the revolution || (invite only)

[.synthetica]

- x - x - x -
Nothing was happening until everything happened all at once.

Of course, Santiago was aware that the escape attempt would be staged, being one of the 'co-conspirators' along with his only friends - Smith and Evelyn. Others, trusted people, were also told to be ready... there were ten or so of them in total. Smith had discovered a way to momentarily deactivate the collars which suppressed their powers and a moment was all they needed. The group of ten were set free long enough to wreak havoc. Smith and Santiago, powers combined, smashed through the walls of the facility. Whilst Santiago and Evelyn ensured everyone who wanted to managed to get out, Smith 'neutralized' guard after guard. Their security standards had slipped for a moment and they succeeded in taking advantage of that, though their effort wasn't without losses. Out of the thirteen who attempted the escape, only six survived to see freedom.

Soon all of them were scattering into the forests, placed into pairs. They'd agreed to meet in a nearby town in a week's time.

Now, that week has passed. Escapees, wary and bewildered, are beginning to arrive at the small town. It's built for passing through - the main attraction is the bus station adjacent to the main road, flanked by a gas station, convenience store and small motel. The residences don't hold more than five hundred people, and a few weathered school buildings sit on a small hill overlooking the town. Another store, with everything from electricals to second-hand clothes to fruit and vegetables, is placed centrally amongst the residences. Seen from the forest on the other side of the road, it's a bleak picture, complete with layers of dust and paint peeling from most walls. Then again, many mutants won't have anything grand to compare it to - and they certainly don't plan on living there. Like so many others, mutant or human, they intend to get what they need and not stay any longer than necessary.
- x - x - x -

[.synthetica]

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Username: persimmon
Character Name: "Smith"
Character Age: 22
Gender: Male
Height: 6'6"
Alliance: Rebels
Crush: Open
Relationship Status: Single

Powers:
Transformation;
Smith is (one of) the results of an experiment meant to create the perfect desert soldier, in the role of a damage-sponge and heavy-hitter. Modeled after the Deathstalker scorpion, his transformed form is covered in a thick armor made of a rough, bone-like material primarily light brown in colour, with darker stripes across his back. It's tough enough to take a moderate amount of punishment, such as a volley of fire from a standard assault rifle. Though he doesn't have a tail or stinger, his fingers become three incredibly sharp claws which secrete venom - a powerful cocktail of neurotoxins which causes an intense and unbearable pain, then fever, followed by coma, convulsions, paralysis and death.

Poison resistance;
Transformed or not, Smith is invulnerable to most known poisons. The scientists' testing was interrupted, hence it is unknown whether there is a substance he is vulnerable to.



History: One of the more oppressed mutants, there is little Smith knows about himself, beginning with his name. Constant testing and modification since childhood have left him with an infinite amount of blanks about his origins and youth. Sometimes he thinks he remembers a couple, perhaps his parents, but their faces are different every time and he doesn't trust his memories anymore. The nature of his powers led to many 'punishment'-based experiments, testing his endurance and strength. He was an unrivaled force in the arena.

Personality: At his centre, Smith is deeply insecure, self-deprecating, ashamed and lonely. He's perfectly aware he was created to kill yet can't seem to stop himself from diverge from that path, and it disgusts him. He places the blame of his creation solely on the scientists, but refuses to accept that they forced his hand in any of the murders he's carried out. Outwardly, it makes him a short-tempered and irate individual, immensely distrustful of other mutants. After all, he knows himself - any of them could be just as bad. Most often humorless and dour, Smith leaves conversation and 'playing nice' to others, whilst watching from a distance.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[.synthetica]

During the escape, Santiago and Smith saw flashes of each other - the scorpion-morph standing over a shuddering body, Santiago creating a wall to shield himself and another mutant from a burst of bullets. Smith was quickly consumed in working out his immense amount of built-up hatred for the enforcers... by bringing as many of them down as he could. He was a whirlwind across the scene of the escape, recklessly taking fire from all sides as he sprinted from one armored thug to the other, leaving twitching corpses in his wake. Many others were following his lead, each one with a burning desire for revenge that had suddenly been set free.

Meanwhile, Santiago tried best to keep his panic back amidst all the chaos - his hands shook as he led frightened teenagers towards the exit, but his voice was steady. With almost perfect timing (and no time for grief when he failed to protect someone) he defended those who wanted to escape, and healed every wound he could. He looked incredibly drawn by the time he and Smith met up and made a run into the forest together.

The pacifist and the scorpion made an unlikely pair, whether in their friendship (though both were wary of calling it that in conversation) in the facility, or in their tense, whirlwind romance which began the night following their escape. Deep in the forest, temporarily hidden from the others and from their true selves, they could be together quite easily. They spent their week in hiding wrapped up in each other, and each day made it easier to believe that their relationship was more than the feverish excitement of having finally found freedom.

But as the week drew to a close and conversation increasingly turned to plans for fighting back, their wildly differing opinions suddenly made them realize every single other thing that one disliked about the other. 'Tense' turned to outright arguments which stopped short of physical altercations, and both found that they had no will to overcome their differences. Without resolving anything, they buried the memories of their brief romance and marched to the town in perfect, stifling silence.

They arrived in the middle of the night, using the lack of activity to steal clothes from the store in the center of town, ditching their facility uniforms and burying them well amongst other trash in the skips at the back of the store. Neither slept for the rest of the night, and neither spoke. They waited until dawn broke, and then waited some more. As the sun neared it's highest point in the sky, Santiago spotted a lone figure coming out of the forest.

He sprang up and ran towards Evelyn - Smith remained behind, briefly looking at the two before returning to glancing around the town. People were beginning to appear, and he resigned himself to keeping watch.

"It's good to see you." Santiago said slowly, as if expecting her to disappear. Then, his eyes widened in surprise - he looked around for a sign of Evelyn's partner. "But where's... Why is it just you?" Realizing how his words sounded, he raised his hands as a calming gesture. "I mean.. You know what I mean."

[subtle fox]

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂
Name → Erin Tellan
Powers → Appearance shift,
power amplification.
Age → 24
Location → small town
Tagged → open
▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

It would be fine, they’d said, nothing will go wrong, you’ll be safe, it’s just a four-hour bus ride to the city, no one will know where you’ll be. Well, those four hours had come and gone, and he was stuck in this tiny, disheartening town that only had one mechanic who could fix the damn bus. So Erin was wandering the small grey streets, looking at the small grey houses and small grey cars driven by small grey people.

He knew the place was depressing him, and it wouldn’t be long before he underwent some moderately drastic appearance change. It would be noticeable, he was sure, something like pale hair and skin, and grey eyes to match the grey town. So he aimed his steps to the only bright green thing around: the fields and trees bordering the town. They would be his anchor; he needed one right now.

He was waist-deep in long grasses and wildflowers when he heard a rustle, then a clink of light metal against hard plastic. He dropped to the ground, skin flushing to a range of greens and browns and shadows, breathing quiet. A crackle of stalks snapping, and a heavy body crushed him, corners digging into his ribs, limbs pinned. He bucked, squirmed, and against all odds he was free.

Who were they? What did they want from him? These thoughts beat out a pattern in his head that was identical to the one his feet made against the ground. The people who’d sent him on the bus had told him they were protecting him. They’d said they didn’t know who had been following him for almost a year, but even then Erin knew they were lying. They must have told the people who had been following him where he’d be. He wouldn’t put it past them that they’d sabotaged the bus either. Breaking down in a no-name town out in the middle of nowhere? It was all too convenient.

Even though he had no idea who the men were, or who they worked for, he knew he didn’t want to go where they were taking him. So he ran, faster than he had known he could, the rabbit dashing towards the relative safety of the town.

[.synthetica]

{smith || rebels || shapeshifting, poison immunity || tagged; evelyn, erin}

Though they weren't dressed in their usual black, bulky body armor, Smith was quick to recognize the three enforcers walking, no, stalking, towards something they'd spotted in the long grass. He glanced between himself, Santiago and Evelyn, and the thugs - there was a hundred meters or so between them, enough to give their group a good chance of escape. But the first thought in his mind wasn't a thorough weighing-up of the pros and cons of chasing and bringing down three Precision mercs - he was going to do that regardless of the risks. Shoulders determinedly squared, he stood and began walking towards the group.

"I'll see you in five." He tossed the words over his shoulder, more in Evelyn's direction than Santiago's. After all, he was pointedly ignoring the man's existence.

But a development in the situation ahead caused him to stop. The mercs' prey made himself apparent - a thin man, sprinting like hell to get away from his pursuers (and with good cause). What made him stand out was the rapidly-changing color of his skin, from shades of green to decidedly more human tones, made more intense by his panic. A mutant, then - but not one of theirs.

Then again, Smith wouldn't have his escape jeopardized by anyone... and the chance to pummel some Precision bullies was too good to pass up.

He shifted as he sprinted to intercept them, new second-hand clothes stretching and ripping over his thickened, armored shell. His approach caught the attention of one mercenary, who tried to signal the others - but it was too late. Letting out a vicious snarl, Smith sunk his claws into the man's face and tossed him aside like a ragdoll. His thin lips twisted into a sneer as he stared down the other two. He moved to attack...

And was catapulted back by an unseen force, landing hard on the asphalt as the newly-revealed enemy mutant advanced in his direction.

(so i'm thinking of someone who can push/pull objects within a certain range and with a limited degree of force, but enough to kill if they slam someone into the ground enough times. grade B.)

[subtle fox]

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂
Name → Erin Tellan
Powers → Appearance shift,
power amplification.
Age → 24
Location → outside small town
Tagged → Smith
▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

He could feel them getting closer, begin to hear their laboured breathing as they began to catch up. He was built for speed, dammit; the men hot on his tail, while slower, would catch up to him in no time. He could make it, though. There was only a last small stretch of grass until he reached the edge of the town.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something that made his heart sink into a pit. A large man was powering his way through the shorter grass, and his skin was a thick, glossy black shell. He didn't have time to marvel over the fact that he wasn't the only one. This person - whoever, or whatever, he was - was aimed right at him.

Or, maybe, at the people chasing him, Erin corrected himself as the sound of muscle and skin tearing came from behind. He didn't care who this man was, he'd just saved his life. So he risked a glance behind him, not knowing what to expect.

But what he saw, no one could have expected it. Two of the men were still up. That was a problem, but not a big one. No, that title went to the sight of the shell-armoured man flying through the air, as if pushed by an invisible force. Erin swore, stumbled, unable to tear his gaze away from the new arrival. She was small, young. Maybe pre-teen. But she looked powerful and dangerous and definitely not someone he wanted to meet. Her slender form was upright, dark hair tied back, and as she stalked up to the fallen man, Erin could tell he was in trouble.

As was he, apparently, as the girl fastened her gaze on him and, with a measured gesture, drew him back towards her and into the waiting grasp of the two men.


(ooc: I have to admit, I had no idea what to write. and I hope you don't mind me turning the mystery mutant into a young girl. I figured it would be even more clichéd if it was a man.)

[kotalicious]

(Sorry I haven't posted. I've had some crazy things going on at home this week and I spent the whole weekend with my boyfriend so I wasn't really able to get on much.)

During the fight Evelyn had focused mainly on protecting others. She refused to kill anyone, even healing a few enforcers when they looked like they were suffering too much. She barely saw Santiago the whole time and never saw Smith, which she was actually glad about. She couldn't handle watching him kill.

When she finally got out with a few others she teamed up with a girl not much older than herself. Her name was Charlotte and she was able to control water. The two girls quickly became close during the time they were hiding out together. It was the first person Evelyn felt she could tell everything to and she was crushed when she died.

It happened quickly, no vision to give them a warning. It was morning, the sun had just barely risen. The two girls were walking deep in the woods,making their way towards the town. An enforcer came up behind them. He was silent, despite his injuries causing him to limp and stumble. He had shot Charlotte before either of them had a chance to react. Evelyn had screamed as her friend's blood and splattered on to her uniform. Dropping next to her friend she began to cry, ignoring the enforcer as he closed in on her.

"I'm so sorry Char. Please wake up. You can't be dead. I need you." She had blubbered, holding her hands over her fallen friend's wound and trying to heal her. Of course it didn't work and the enforcer grabbed her, pulling her away from the dead body. "Heal me!" He had snarled. Evelyn refused, keeping her eyes trained on the ground. Watching her friend die had almost made her give up on trying to get back to Santiago, Smith, and the others, almost. When Evelyn had refused the enforcer got angry. He tossed her to the ground and shot her right shoulder. "Heal me or I shoot you again!" He screamed at her, barely heard over her screams of pain. She cracked easily with the pain and healed the man.

The man pushed her away once he was healed and raised his gun towards her head. "You will come with me without any problems." He demanded. With speed she didn't know she possessed she turned and fled, her vision blurred with tears. She continued to run even after she stopped hearing the gun shots behind her, even after she could barely breath. The vision of her own horrible death keeping her feet moving. She stopped only when she had collapsed on the ground, physically unable to run any longer. She had hidden there until it was time to go into town. She still wore her uniform, Charlotte's dried blood barely noticeable.

"It's good to see you too Santiago." Evelyn replied with a soft smile, her voice slightly hoarse from crying. Her smile disappeared when he asked why it was just her,tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. "Please don't ask." She said with a small shake of her head. She stiffened slightly at the sight of the enforcers. This couldn't be happening. She had just made it here, she couldn't go back, not now.

She was going to suggest running when Smith said he would be back and moved towards the enforcers. She couldn't leave him here alone. She took a few steps after him, stopping when she saw who the enforcers were after. It was no one she recognized. She glanced back at Santiago quickly when Smith was thrown backwards. "Can you help Smith? I'm going to help the other man."she said. She knew she wouldn't be able to take on the young looking girl, not with her powers, so taking on the enforcers seemed like a better thing to do.

(Sorry if this is terrible and/or confusing. I'm really tired right now)

[.synthetica]

{smith || rebels || shapeshifting, poison immunity || tagged; evelyn, erin}

Everything spinned for a short while, as his body readjusted after being slammed into the asphalt. A dull ache had spread over his entire back and he was momentarily aware of just how heavy he was - it seemed to take an incredible amount of effort to lift just his arm. He panicked as the girl approached, then panicked more as she turned and wandered back over to the unknown mutant, as if she didn't have a care in the world. If his abilities were solely defensive, then he was completely screwed against a grade A or B who was so completely sure of her abilities. They must've created her for this, he thought grimly as he struggled to get up. She'd actually embedded him in the ground - it took a solid yank to get himself free.

And then he was running with heavy, thudding strides towards the girl, fist poised to strike. Before he could bring it down into her exposed back, his hand was brushed off by the girl's powers and left him unbalanced. A Precision merc took advantage of his predicament by bringing the butt of his gun slamming into his face. Smith returned the favor by slamming his claws straight into the man's abdomen. As he was shaking the body off, the girl spun around and Smith felt his gut twist in fear of the invisible punch that was about to send him flying... but it never came.

Instead, a solid column of stone shot up between them and caught the girl on the chin, knocking her out cold. A forceful rumble beneath the feet of the remaining enforcer knocked him off his feet - Smith followed him and drove his fist through the man's neck. Blood shot up his arm, across his torso, his face - but it was done. The fight was over.

{santiago || rebels || terrakinesis, minor healing || tagged; evelyn, erin}

Seeing Evelyn's tears, Santiago's brown immediately creased in concern. He reached out to grasp her shoulder, his mouth opened to say something, but the comforting words never came. First, he was interrupted by Smith's trademark brash behaviour and narrowed his eyes in the man's direction. They widened in surprise when he saw what Smith was heading for and immediately cursed how bloody rash that idiot was. Soon enough, the scorpion was sailing through the air - Santiago winced as he saw him land heavily on the ground.

The rapid change in the situation had him momentarily stunned - until Evelyn told him to move, and he set off like a man possessed to make up for it. Everything was moving so quickly he didn't have time to think his actions through - a flick of his wrist sent a stone pillar into the mutant girl's face and she dropped like a stone as blood began to ooze from her nose. He ran up closer and sent a tremor towards the remaining enforcer.

"Don't!" He cried as Smith mutilated the fallen man. His nostrils flared in anger and he marched over and punched the scorpion straight in the chest (he didn't even flinch, or give a reply) which caused nothing but a pulsating pain in his own hand. "F***, Smith! How do you live with yourself? Killing people like it's no big deal?" This seemed to work him up more than the fight itself - his chest heaved as he stared Smith down.

Smith stared right back, but was the first to break away - he shouldered past Santiago and began gathering the corpses to throw in the forest. There was nothing they could do about the blood, but they'd be out of the town soon anyway.

Without pausing to watch him go, Santiago turned towards the unknown mutant. "Hell of a way to meet up, right? But, wait... you're not one of ours-- and you look too good to be from the facility, so... just who are you?" His tone was uncertain, he shifted slightly as he spoke. Moved closer to the other man as if it would help reveal his identity, looking at him quizzically.

[subtle fox]

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂
Name → Erin Tellan
Powers → Appearance shift,
power amplification.
Age → 24
Location → outside small town
Tagged → Santiago
▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

Erin was still, his arms tight around his chest, pale grey eyes stretched wide. A speckling of red was bright on his pale skin. He focused on the second man, absently realizing that this man was also taller than he was. And Erin wasn't exactly short. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Who were these guys, anyway? And how did they do what they just did?

"One of... what facility?" Erin backed up, held his hands up. "Look, please, just don't hurt me. I won't tell anyone what I just saw, I promise." Who the hell would believe me, really, he added to himself, I saw an insect man tear apart three men and a psychic girl get knocked out with a pillar of rock that shot up from the ground. "Look, I'll...I'll just go back to the town, the bus is waiting there, and you won't see me ever again." He began walking backwards, skittering around a sizable puddle of blood.

[kotalicious]

Clearly Evelyn was not needed during the fight. She didn't mind though, it was a actually a relief to know that the two boys could so easily take care of threats like these. She did feel safe, that is until she saw Smith kill the enforcer. She cringed and turned away from a moment, squeezing her eyes shut. She hated watching people die. She took a deep breath before turning back to the others. She ignored Santiago and Smith who were clearly in a disagreement. Instead she turned her attention to the unknown man. She was about to speak when Santiago beat her to it. She started walking towards the man as he backed up, moving slowly and cautiously. "Wait. We won't hurt you." She said. "It probably wouldn't be a good idea to go back to town. They'll find you there. It isn't safe." She added, holding a hand out to him cautiously. "Stay with us. You'll be safer." She said, glancing back at Santiago to make sure that was okay.