[CENTER][B]Marcus[/B][/CENTER] They're being assholes again. Really. I'm sure it's all a game to them. 'Oh hey, wanna poke the cheetah with a stick? See if it pisses him off? Oh would you look at that. It [I]does[/I]!' Morons. Well here I am. Sitting in my cage, trying to pretend nothing's happening even though the 'stick' today is a knife and they seem to be taking pleasure in pissing off the poor albino in the cage next to mine. I'd love to spit at them, yell, try to grab them through the cage and bang their heads against the bars--see how [I]they[/I] like it. But I don't bother. I'd only end up with an extra guard shift, which means more eyes on me. Can't afford that with my plan at the moment. I can hear growling and the sharp snap of the cheetah's jaws, clamping down on thin air, just trying to grab onto [I]something[/I]. Ugh... Keeping my eyes shut, I focus on the sounds. More specifically, the sounds of the guards. The way they shuffle, laugh and rattle the bars. Well hey, he's an animal after all. Less than one, even. He's a [I]freak[/I]. It's not like he can [I]feel[/I] it. Oh no. All that growling and trying to get away, scraping of sore claws against metal flooring, lashing tail and ragged breath--all of that doesn't mean a thing. It's an act to them. They just can't see. So I'll wait. The shuffling stops for a moment before something hard and metal is dropped to the floor. I'm going to guess that's the guy's food. And yes, I said guy, because I [I]know[/I] he's not just an animal. I've seen him try to change. I've seen his paws flex slowly into hands, his eyes flash human--just for a moment before he collapses, exhausted and panting like it's the hardest thing in the world to just [I]stay human[/I]. I have to wonder what's been done to him. What's been done to all of us. I open my eye a crack and sigh. Looks like my turn's next. Wonderful. They open the side of my cage unafraid. Why fear me anyway? I'm nothing without an order, after all. "Mark0708241, how are you doing today?" the guard asked, voice low and with a tint of humour. No, he doesn't care, but I decide to answer anyway. "It's Marcus, actually. And I'm doing just wonderful. Really, the lack of a bed in this cage has done [I]wonders[/I] for my spine." The first guard rolled his eyes and looked to the second, clearly thinking 'what a sharp tongue on that handsome devil'... or something like that. "You don't have a name, you're not [I]human[/I]. Need I cut you up again to show you the wires?" I glare at him. "Why don't you try looking at my missing leg for once and tell me that's not blood leaking out the side," I snap, showing him the sticky red puddle now staining the floor. He doesn't answer me, just rolls his eyes. But I really [I]am[/I] curious. If I'm not human, then why does my stump hurt like all the fires of hell? Why does it bleed? Don't tell me that's [I]oil[/I]. He grabs me by my shoulders, holding me up. I never get hungry, but I feel like I've gotten skinny as hell in here and I'm shaking all over. Explain that one, genius. "Listen to me," the guard snaps. "You're not the one in control here. You're not even human. So don't talk [I]back[/I] or I'll take your other leg too." I glare at him. "Go ahead. Maybe then you'd see I'm not an android. What with all the blood and muscle tendons staining your hands." He throws me into the side of the cage and I land with a [I]CLANG[/I]! I try to get back up but can't make it in time. He pulls a baton from his belt and raises it above my head. I cringe at first, but hold it together, sure to meet his eyes. If he's going to beat me, he's going to have to watch me staring into him the whole time. The other guard holds him back, though and he makes a sound very close to a growl, kicking me in the ribs instead. I let out a puff of breath and grit my teeth. "Stop acting," the guard snaps, kicking me again before I can get a breath in. "I [I]order[/I] you to stop!" Shit. Immediatly I lose control of my body. I'm limp, can't breath in, have to force in the air at a normal pace while my head's just [I]swimming[/I] the whole time. I can't do anything now until he says it's okay. I [I]hate[/I] this. "Better," he says, nodding. "Stand." I do as he says--fighting it as hard as I can the whole time, of course. He stares at me, then throws a punch, hitting the left side of my face but I can't even react. I have to stand there. I have to take it. He ordered me to. He throws another, and another, and one more before the other guard tells him it's enough and calls off the order. I collapse to the ground, taking in a deep breath and rubbing my face. That's it. That is [I]it[/I]! As I watch them lock the doors again I know I have to get out. I have to go through with the plan, regardless of danger. I'm just going to die in here, never knowing what I am or why. I'll die alone on the metal floors of this hellhole, never knowing anything more. Well screw that. I'm getting out, and I'm doing it tonight. ----- [CENTER][B]Neil[/B][/CENTER] Bleeding again. Legs and right side near the ribs. At least I seem to heal fast. It must be why they enjoy cutting me up so much. Their way of 'testing'. It doesn't matter, I'm stuck in this body so I can't complain. Beside me they've decided to torture the android. It's getting brutal. They do this often, but it's like their superiority complex has taken a turn towards god. They hit him a few times, force him to stay there until they finally let him drop. I let out a low growl, but they don't even turn to me. Of course not. It isn't like anyone here is human enough to them to hold an opinion on matters such as these. Glancing down at the bloody red meat they've given me I feel my stomach clench. Meat. Ugh. I can't stand the stuff, but this body doesn't seem to want to cooperate with me on that matter. It's all I can manage to digest and I skipped the last meal already. I'll have to eat if I don't want to go through testing hungry and tired again. I take a bite, cringing as the blood runs down my throat, wanting to cough it up. But I don't. I just choke it down and think about something... nicer. Green fields, a meadow, a chair to sit in, a human body... Something along those lines. When I finish my meal I glance at the android again, licking the blood from my lips and sighing. He's managed to sit up, leaning against the back bars of his cage. He looks so thin, I have to wonder if maybe they [I]should[/I] be feeding him or if he was just built that way. I can't seem to recall him being in any better condition, but still... it's unsettling. This whole place is unsettling. Infuriating. Oh how I'd love to sink my teeth into one of those guards. Not to kill them, no, just to immobilize them while they watch us all leave. Watch all of us make it out of here. Proving that we're smart. We're capable. We have thoughts and ideas just like any of them. And arguably, we can be a lot more moral. But for now I've got nothing. No hands to pick a lock, no voice to call out to anyone. Just this painfully annoying body with limbs that scream at me every day [I]why can't you run? Why can't you get away?[I] and all I can do is sit there without an answer. I have to wonder what the android's thinking, though. He keeps glancing back at the panel at the end of the room, the one that controls the doors, the locks, the entrance and exit. I can almost see him calculating. I wonder if he has a plan. Maybe he does. After all, stranger things have happened.