Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Jinxer
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"Behind me you can see people leaving the clinic. These are the first patients to have undergone genetic testing for the relaunched Human Genome Project. We will catch up with some of them later on their thoughts on this mandatory testing, possibly the first ever international collaboration of its type."

As the reporter continues, hood pulled up against the blustery Autumn weather, the line entering the clinic grows ever longer with those trying to get this legally required task out of the way before they must head to work. Most are dressed in suits or carry briefcases and are by themselves, expensive watches on their wrists a source of frequent but brief moments of attention as the queue moves forward slowly. Some have come prepared with books or newspapers in their hands although many more scroll through their much more portable phones, idling the wait away.

Few seem much interested in the reasoning behind the requirement for them to be tested, shrugging and muttering about the inconvenience of it. A minority express equally informed and uninformed opinions but they are apart from the small protesting groups who have formed up outside near every medicinal outlet, trying to shout each other down over whether the testing is a scientific boon or an intrusive and unproven authoritarian move by the government. The queue ignores the passionate argument, shuffling forwards slowly into the clinic.





Matthias Llywelyn - New Haven, Connecticut




It was late morning by the time Matthias finally made his way down to his nearest clinic, following instructions on the email he had been sent. A letter had arrived the day before as well, reminding him of his requirement to attend with the same information on the digital version he was now reading; that had arrived early in the morning, 07:00 sharp which probably contravened some data protection laws but the governments of the world seem little concerned about such a thing. All that mattered was this genome mapping.

Science of any kind was not Matthias' strong suit, being a Master of Arts, that art specifically being medieval history; still, he had read around a little and asked Rhiannon to fill in the blanks for him. She had a way of explaining the complex theory to an amateur like him which made it understandable, if somewhat simplistic. What he had taken from it, at least, was that this whole testing could help make most any treatment that much more accurate, specifically with regards to cancers, and that it was all built on the basis of an old project which had ended in 2003. Beyond that it had become too complex for him to follow, not that he had much interest in the first place so he hardly applied his academic prowess to the matter; Rhian had said it was a good thing so he had just gone with it.

The queue had gone down considerably since the morning news report he had watched although it still took him nearly half an hour to get inside. There were mostly other students from Yale around him although plenty of locals from New Haven had come too, sole parents with their children in tow while their partner was at work and the elderly. He had come prepared for a long wait, his latest novel on the go open in his hand as he shuffled forwards with the rest of the queue. Siege of Heaven by Tom Harper, an interesting and somewhat heavy read in the historical fiction genre. Matthias liked to read such books in his downtime, testing his own knowledge and the interpretation of the author and enjoying successful identification of inaccuracies although Harper, being an Oxford graduate, was proving a tough challenger. So much so that Matthias was reading this book, the second in the series, and finding few enough problematic alterations that he could properly immerse himself in the tale.

His turn came and he marked his page with a bookmark, a leather one Rhian had sent him from a gift store in Cardiff dyed blue with a gold design of the waterfront on it, before stuffing it into one of the near-bottomless pockets of his winter coat. One of the buttons was looking a little lose on the front and he made a mental note to re-sew it when he got back, lest it pop off and he lose it altogether. It had been his grandfather's, probably an antique if clothing could truly be called such a thing, and he had yet to find anything of its kind that fit him so well without an excessive price tag attached.

He was invited into a small room, nothing particularly different to a General Practitioner's office from back home in Wales, which housed a bed, desk and office chair and two guest chairs with a sink in one corner and plenty of informative posters plastered to the walls. It was supposed to appear homely and it was certainly more welcoming than a clinical hospital environment, with its bright lights and constant underlying scent of bleach, but there was no getting away from the fact that the room had a certain businesslike aura to it. The nurse, a young clean-shaven man in plain blue scrubs who named himself as Carl, efficiently took some blood from Matthias' right arm all the while engaging him in friendly conversation.

"I read they preferred sperm to blood from men for this test." It was a bad habit of his, to spout often strange and uncomfortable information, but medical procedures always made him nervous and it helped to keep him calm. Carl laughed, explaining that the tests had come on along way in the nearly two decades since the end of the original project and it was the white blood cells they were really after so blood was the easiest to use. After a few standard questions Matthias was dismissed and he left the clinic quickly, not wanting to dally in a place that made him feel awkward at the best of times, and headed for his favourite cafe shop a few blocks down. It was one of the few in New Haven which served tea, brewed in the British fashion, and so it had become somewhat of a third home, outside of the university library and his actual abode.

He settled down with his drink and a small slice of chocolate cake, Carl's recommendation of a caffeinated drink and something sugary to make up for the small blood loss something Matthias was all too keen to take advantage of.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by RumikoOhara
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RumikoOhara Goddess & Benevolent Dictator

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Two Weeks Ago




Wendy was doing a bit of Cardio to the pounding beat of Heart’s ”Barracuda” when here computer Chimed in to let her know she had mail and then went back to playing the song many credited with why they received speeding tickets. She kept going finally finishing with Creedence’s “Run through the Jungle” 8 songs later and she was only mildly exhausted as she grabbed a towel then dried off the light sheen of sweat she had built up before checking who had called.

Ms. Wendy Wethers you are required under article 1179 - C997 of the Heath code provisions to report to the nearest Health Care Facility
::list provided Georgia. gov//Human Genome Project::

You have 30 days to comply failure may and will result in arrest under the provisions of the National Health Care Act


Wendy had to read the E-mail twice scarcely believing they would need her to report to a Doctor outside of her HMO for Genetics research; she was already tracked and traced genetically as part of the Escatawpa Oncology Genetics Foundation. Then she just smiled chalking it up to Governmental Logic and checked her schedule.

It wasn’t a major concern of her’s to visit a doctor for another test because since Hurricane Franklin she’d been a source of medical scrutiny, a long term patient, and confusing medical case study; she was the only Cancer victim of that disaster free from its ravages.




Wendy sat in a comfortable chair happy she’d managed to set and appointment so close to her home in Smyrna where she lived with an old school friend and her husband in the garage apartment her rent tutoring her friend Mandy’s twins and the occasional babysitting gig with the same. An exclusive center in the Affluent Vinings community it wasn’t as crowded as those she’d seen over the past week on TV which meant no standing in que.

As she waited to be called she was aware of the leers of two teenage boys and a businessman and smiled amused at their clumsy self control. She was used to being stared at by men and boys ever since she’d recovered from her bout with cancer.

So when the nurse called her name Wendy stood and decided to have a bit of fun and did a slow cat walk to the door the nurse stood by just to have a good laugh at how easily her admirers could be manipulated. She had to giggle softly which caused the nurse to give her a “What’s up?” look which Wendy answered with only a smile her bright blue eyes sparkling with delight.

When they entered the exam/phlebotomy room Wendy took her seat and handed the nurse her list of medicines and a print out of her vitals and blood sugar levels for the last 6 months; it was a common request she thought they also might have even if it wasn’t listed in the E-mail.

The nurse told her to wait and about 5 minutes after she left the phlebotomist appeared pushing the usual cart with the tools of his trade. A heavy set blackman about 50 years old his badge said Robert Dodson and they smooth way her applied the tourniquet and held the vials for her blood draw made her think he was an experienced member of his trade.

”I need you to hold still Miss Wethers” he said in a deep and calming tone

”No worries there Mr. Dodson, not my first time” she answered

His technique was as smooth as she expected so she almost could say she didn’t even notice the needle entering her skin.

”I must say I love your skill with a needle Mr. Dodson; i dare say this isn’t your first time either” she said making him look up and smile.

”I was a Pharmacist’s mate in the Navy 30 years, retired and now I’m keeping myself busy as a Nurse, so yes not my first time” he chuckled as he switched vials and it was over.

She climbed into her 72 VW Thing a gift from her foster parents when she went away to college and cranked the strange machine then pulled out onto the Road enjoying the strange looks the square body convertible garnered as she headed to a favorite BBQ starved because she'd skipped any food or drink since midnight last night.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by SheriffLlama
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Mercer Blaine - Nashville, Tennessee




As he attempted to navigate the horrible, congested Broadway Street of downtown Nashville, Mercer's energy drained by the minute. The slow-moving traffic, paired with the thirty-degree rainy day was enough to sap even the strongest of all motivation. Mercer felt this more than he cared to admit. Working on his fourth cup of coffee this morning, his usual vice was starting to loose its rejuvinating effect. He released a long, woeful sigh as he stared out into the rainy street ahead. "Oh my God, please..." He muttered as he leaned back against the headrest.

He glanced down at the clock on his car radio - 8:47. He wasn't making good time at all. He looked down the street, groaning as he stared at the same streetlight for the fifth time in five minutes. The Downtown Clinic was about the length of a football field away, but he had the feeling it would probably take him the length of a football game to actually reach it. He sighed once more shifted in his seat, as if a more comfortable posture would make the wait any less awful.

When the eternity of five minutes past and he'd barely moved a few feet, Mercer shook his head, straightening himself in his seat as he swiveled the steering wheel to the left to pull into the turning lane. He waiting for an opening and banked a right down Rosa Parks Boulevard. He drove down the street to a tiny parking lot he always used when downtown, and parked his SUV. He looked at his phone - 8:54. He shook his head, grabbing his jacket and jumping out of his car and walking down towards the clinic.

He reached the doors in about ten minutes after standing in line with paperwork. A moment of triumph came when he was finally greeted by a young, pretty nurse. "Mr. Mercer, we're ready for you now." She said, waiting for him to follow. She led him to a small room with a white sterile chair. The young woman prepped a few things before apply a tourniquet to his arm and swabbing his arm. The dread began to set in as she picked up one of the IV needles. He exhaled harshly and looked at the ceiling, squeezing the armrest so tightly he felt it would snap. "Don't be scared, I promise it's not gonna hurt." The nurse said, placing her free hand on his arm and smiling brightly at him. He looked down at her and nodded - noticing her piercing blue eyes and charming smile.

"Yeah... Yeah that actually does help, thank y- Holy f-" He clenched his jaw to cut off the profanity that threatened to spew as she quickly inserted the needle into his arm while he wasn't paying attention. He nodded, squinting as he stared at the ceiling. "Yep- Yeah, I could've seen that coming." He said as he relaxed for a moment. "That- uh... that work on everyone?"

The nurse looked up at him for a moment, smirking to herself. "Yeah, most guys."

When the process was finished, the nurse sent him away with a pat on the back that felt somewhat equivalent to a "good game!" when everyone knew damn well that you didn't have a good game. He left the clinic and walked back into the rainy streets towards the parking lot. As he reached his car, he looked down at his phone - 9:06. He nodded to himself, starting the vehicle and pulling back onto the street as he decided to treat himself to breakfast. Sure, he'd made coffee at home before he left, but a quick trip to Red Bicycle Cafe wouldn't hurt anyone.

About thirty minutes later he sat down in the coffee shop with a macchiato and an egg biscuit, swiping through instagram as he ate. He swiped down as a text appeared at the top of his screen.

"9:41 / Lexi Harrington - we still on for 8:30? :)"

He smiled to himself as he quickly replied - you bet :). He took a bite of his biscuit as he ate, watching the cars drive by in the rain. They were definitely on for tonight.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by wolverbells
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Natalie Willow - Austin, Tx




"Y'know, life doesn't have to be that hard, Nat.... You make it seem so much harder than it is." The constant nagging of Natalie's older sister seemed to have been the perfect complement to the shrieks of a two year old as the young mother rushed around her apartment to find a missing shoe that belonged to her daughter. "I'm not trying to make life hard though, Jo. I'm just trying to make the most out of my paid day off. Even if it is because of some stupid government testing." Natalie had gotten up at five in the morning in order to not only get herself ready but to make sure there was enough food made and that she had enough milk in her daughter's sippy cups, plus folding any laundry that she had done the night before. Those few hours were the only ones which were filled with silence and coffee. A match made in heaven.

"Baby shark!!!!! Baby shark!!!"

Penelope's screams pierced through the halls of the complex, of that Natalie was sure. Her daughter's current obsession had stopped playing again through the wireless speaker and she had clearly taken a nose dive off of the tantrum cliff. "I'm glad she only behaves like this at home. I could never take her out if she was like that all the time. Oh! Found it!" With bated breath, Nat walked over to Penny who was already distracted by something else.

"You know what, let me take Penny to day care. They already tested her at the clinic Liam was registered to, she doesn't need to go back to that awful genetic bologna."

Natalie immediately felt a sense of relief as her sister offered to help her out. She felt horrible because it was also Joanne's day off, but she had more to do in order to catch up to the rest of the week than she wanted to admit. Nat turned to Joanne and smiled brightly, yelling at her that she was heaven sent before giving Penny a quick kiss on the forehead and leaving. It was the only way her daughter wouldn't cry or make a huge fuss. If Nat acted like it was no big deal, then Penny would do the same.

After putting her Air Pods in, Nat quickly pulled up her email on her phone and read it a few times in order to try and decipher the what it might mean beyond a "human genome project". Unfortunately there was not much more to it than just a simple go here at this time message. 'The government sure loves their tests,' she thought to herself as she pulled out of her garage. The streets of Austin had become desolate, rainy, and cold since the front had moved through central Texas. There was no way that she was walking to her appointment even if it was two blocks away.

As the young woman drove closer to the clinic, she could see the people that were there to test and those that were there protesting the tests. It was true that this was an invasion of privacy, but with the government taking its time to conduct and email every single person in the country, the risk was too much. Surely there would be major penalties for not adhering. Natalie could only image what would happen if she had refused to take not only herself but Penelope as well.

As the young woman finished parallel parking, she quickly wrapped a scarf around her neck and mouth in order to make it inside the clinic without freezing. She was never one for the cold, especially being at her small size. Once inside, she let the scarf fall and walked up to the small window where it simply stated 'sign here'. She did as prompted and went to sit down to wait and watch as other people went in before her. About forty0five minutes had passed when a nurse came out through a door and called her in.

"Miss Willow, please follow me, we'll be going into room number 4."

Nat smiled and nodded, keeping the same pace before entering the designated room and sitting down. The following was the same as a normal check up that included blood work. Verifying her name, date of birth, and last four before answering a couple of questions that she paid no mind to. "I drank plenty of water so y'all could take out as much as y'all need." Natalie joked around as the phlebotomist prepped for his job. He grinned at her for a brief second before returning to his serious face. needles had never been a problem for Natalie, but they had always been a problem for those that were sticking her. As if on cue, the phlebotomist made a face and took the needle out, apologizing to her that he couldn't seem to find a good vein. She assured him that it was not a big deal, to continue as he usually would. It wasn't until five to six pokes later that they had finally found a vein and were able to get what they needed. Natalie sighed of relief but shook her head when the nurses offered to wrap up her stab wounds from the needles. "I'll be fine, not my first rodeo."

After signing a few release forms, the brunette wrapped her mouth up once more and braced herself for the cold winds. Typically she would have felt a bit dizzy, but it appeared as if she had never had blood drawn in the first place. She left thinking about the situation, but brushed it off as the test not calling for as much blood as usual.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by ProxyInc
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Elijah Edwards


Tsk, the thought plumed with the milky-white wisp of this morning’s cigarette. Winter had come early, surpassing Autumn altogether for the citizens of Syracuse, New York. Not that Elijah minded, it got hot inside his workshop and as long as he stayed busy—he stayed warm. Though this morning had an unpleasant chill seeping past his thick jacket and into his bones. With a soft grunt he moved the cigarette from his mouth and flicked the ashy residue onto the ground beside him.

”Do I really have too?” Elijah muttered to himself, eyeing the clinic that towered before him. A week ago he received a letter saying everyone was to donate blood for some sort of genetic testing. Originally, he had tossed the letter into the waste bin. He had three big projects with looming deadlines he needed to focus on, he was sure that they wouldn’t mind if he skipped out on this. That was until his mother called to remind him to go. And then called again. And again, and well, eventually he got tired of the nagging.

Even his step father could be heard in the background, yelling about it being their duty or something. Elijah smiled a little at the memory. Crazy old man. With that he dropped the still smoking butt onto the parking lot pavement and ground it into the black surface. The sooner he got this over with the sooner he could go back home and get back to work. Even as he strode up to the building's double doors his mind was filled with heated metal and bright sparks flying into the air. He was almost done—a brilliant metal sculpture of a stallion rearing back onto it’s haunches and he was eager to complete it.

Warmth greeted him along with the sterile smell of powerful chemicals as he stepped inside. A handful of people were scattered about, most cupping silver thermos that steamed into the air. A few curious glances were casted at him, and Elijah caught a few double takes as he moved up to the reception desk.

”Um, hello?” he called out with a little half wave as he tried to draw the attention to the gossiping duo hovering around the printer. Both of them rolled their heads in his direction, but it was the smaller of the two—a petite little brunette—that flashed him a smile and disengaged from her chatting partner to come up with him.

”Good morning, how can I help you?” her voice was as chipper as her smile and Elijah felt himself falter a little. Morning people were a mystery to him, even with his early morning jogs he couldn’t muster the strength to people like a civilized human being. To put it simply, the woman before him was clearly a witch and was to be treated with caution.

”Yeah, I got a letter in the mail about a week ago. I need to donate bloo—“

”Oh, you’re here for the genetic screening! Bit last minute don’t you think? Most people came within the first few days of the letter,” she playfully quipped before settling down into the padded chair at her desk. ”Alright, let’s get started mister,” she trailed off flicking her dark brown eyes from her computer screen and back up to him.

”Elijah Edwards.”

He watched her lips purse into a small smile while her fingers quickly tapped across the keyboard. ”Alright, Mister Edwards, if you’ll just fill out the paperwork really quick then we can take you back and get you worked on.” The woman produced a small brown clipboard with thin white sheets of paper attached. As she pressed them across the desk, Elijah reached over for them. The woman recoiled, a shocked gasp escaping her lips. She had seen his hands— calloused and scarred. Elijah mustered his most friendly smile as he took the paperwork with him and said a polite, ”Thank you.”

There was once a time he would trip over his words to explain the scars. He didn’t like the initial reactions from the people around him. And then the small amounts of disappointment from various people when he informed them it was nothing tragic as they had seemed to hope for. Just a byproduct of avoiding safety regulations and cheap welders gloves.

Elijah ticked through the paperwork and handed it back to the receptionist. After a few more moments of awkward silence a nurse appeared from one of the corner doors.

”Mister Edwards, if you’ll come with me please.” She stepped back and motioned for him to follow.

Silently he followed the nurse, taking in the little pictures of patients and staff they had posted up on the walls. ”Getting the genetic screening done,” she asked, clearly making small talk.

”Yeah, that’s what the letter told me. Not sure why but who am I to question the government.”

The woman laughed a little before opening up a nearby door. ”It’ll only be for a minute then you’ll be back on your way. We just need a little vial of your blood,” she said in an assuring voice while she moved to fiddle some drawers attached the far wall. ”If you’ll have a seat, I’ll get started in just a moment.”

Elijah took off his jacket and settled down in a little cushioned chair. He looked around the room, he hated doctor’s offices. At least the ones for adults. For kids they got a t.v playing cartoons and vivid drawings of animals on the walls. Adults got a stock image of flowers against white walls and blue grey floors. It was cold and unfeeling.

”Alright, now if you would roll up your sleeves please,” she said while pulling over a little silver tray.

Elijah followed orders, rolling up his right arm sleeve and laid it down in the chair arm.

”Those are some nasty looking scars you got there.”

”I’m a sculptor.”

”Of what, broken glass?” she joked while slipping the needle into his vein.

Elijah laughed softly, ignoring the quick bite of the needle. ”Metal actually, I make metal sculptures.” He watched red fill the tube and quickly fill the little glass vial attached.

”Metal, eh?” her voice was colored with an impressed tone. ”You any good?”

”God, I hope so. Or else I went 20 thousand in debt for no reason.” The two of them laughed at his response while the nurse grabbed a small cotton ball and placed it above where the needle punctured his skin. She pulled out the needle and set it down before grabbing a small bandaid.

”Alright, you’re all set. If you go out and take a left you’ll find a little sitting area. There we have some juice and cookies waiting to help.”

Elijah pulled his sleeve back down and slipped on his coat, giving the woman another polite smile before slipping back out the door. I guess some juice and cookies wouldn’t hurt . . .

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Lord Orgasmo
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Kale Kahananui - Honolulu, Hawaii




There was a slapping sound as Kale hit the snooze button on his alarm clock. He yawned, stretched and sat up before thinking about his next couple of days off. He briefly recalled something about testing at a clinic, so he'd need to get that done. Something about a Genome Project? Fortunately, there was one nearby. Within walking distance, even. Kale's joints popped loudly as he got out of bed and headed towards his closet.

Grabbing a blue t-shirt, some red shorts, and nondescript boxers, he headed for the shower.

One shower scene later...

Kale decided it would be best to see the doctor sooner rather than later, so he slipped on a pair of black sandals and hit the road.

The hot sun was a "warm" welcome as Kale stepped outside. The salty sea air was a familiar smell, and Kale's first thought was to hang out at the beach. But no, he wasn't supposed to do that today. The short walk to the clinic was mostly uneventful. A few seagulls, cars driving by, and the smell of malasadas being made. Arriving at the clinic, there was a surprising short line. Wasn't everyone supposed to do this? Whatever.

After telling the front desk he was here for the "Genome Project", he was directed to sit in the waiting room. Pulling out his phone and playing around, the 15 minute wait went by quickly. Kale barely heard the nurse say "Mr. Kahananui!".

Following the nurse into the designated blood draw room, the procedure was quick, silent, and relatively painless. Kale still wasn't entirely sure what this was all about. Maybe the government was going to clone him or something? That'd be pretty cool, actually. He could be in two places at once! While that likely wasn't the case, it was still a fun thought. Kale thanked the nurse and stepped back outside.

The next logical step for Kale was some good ol' fashioned breakfast. Kale walked back home with a single thought in his mind: Waffles. The breakfast of champions.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Jinxer
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Matthias Llywelyn - New Haven, Connecticut




With a satisfied sigh, Matthias closed Siege of Heaven and placed it on the table, mulling over the experience. A favourite, final stage, of reading historical novels for him was to read through the historical notes at the rear and then pursue the sources used. Of course, not all such fiction contained such a section but he spurned them; if the writer could not be bothered to list their research then obviously they had not done enough and might as well be placed into the fantasy section, for all the accuracy it purported to claim.

A glance at his watch, an old and simple thing with an analogue face which he had picked up from a small store in Salisbury just before starting sixth form, told him that it was already early afternoon. Quite without realising it, he had been drawn into the respectable and academic prose of Harper and lost much of his day. It was unusual for him to lose track in such a way but also a pleasant surprise. How long had it been since he had been so preoccupied with a tale?

A server wandered between the tables, collecting the leftovers of customers' visits. Clearly she spotted Matthias preparing to leave as he stood up, slipping the book into the large inside pocket of his coat, and so steered toward him. After a moment he recalled her name, having frequented the cafe often enough to know all of the staff to a reasonable extent, certainly to the point that he would be politely expected to know their names and exchange small talk.

"Good afternoon, Eve. I'm sorry, I got somewhat caught up in my book." He tapped the pocket his book was in. "You should have told me get another drink or kick me out." He smiled and she laughed politely at his poor joke, piling his crockery onto her tray.


"S'alright Matt. You know it's only just gone eleven though, right?"

Matt glanced again at his watch, wondering whether he had just misread it but the hands definitely declared it was past two in the afternoon. He tapped it, not really knowing why other than that he had seen those far more knowledgeable than himself on the inner workings of the device do so, and held it up to his ear but the cogs instead were audibly ticking and the hands both moving in response. After a quick check of his phone, to see if Eve was just pulling his leg, he saw a discrepancy with the digital side favouring the waitress.

"Strange, looks like my watch is out. In that case, good morning to you and goodbye. Are you in tomorrow?" She nodded as he moved past her toward the door. "I'll see you in the morning as usual then!" He waved, both to her and Brian behind the counter who returned the gesture, and headed outside into the much brisker weather. It was refreshing after the ever so slightly muggy warmth of the cafe, heated as it was by central heating, bodies and vaporising hot beverages, and he set off toward the campus.

As he began to walk he fiddled with his watch, turning the hands back carefully to match the display on his phone, automatically set to adjust to daylight savings and keep time perfectly with its ever present connection to the internet. The strange thing was he sure that the watch had been working earlier, certainly after the much earlier two o'clock in the morning. Assuming that he had knocked it, Matthias thought nothing more of it, his mind already turning back to the book and looking forward to poring over the historical notes and any suggested reading therein.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by RumikoOhara
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Wendy pulled into the parking lot of the Righteous Que one of the top BBQs in the whole of Atlanta drawing stares as much for herself as for the strange car she drove. But when she stepped out she couldn’t help but overshadow any attention her car previously held as she smiled and almost danced as she walked towards the gate in the iron fence that surrounded the outdoor restaurant. The Music (ELO’s Evil Woman) and the scents were hypnotic as she stopped by the counter to place her order only to hear Yana her favorite waitress say “The Usual?” which she answered with a smile and a nod.

As she waited she looked over at the big screen that was playing the live concert enjoying the old school sounds that still held weight in the musical world. Her foster parents loved this kind of music and had played it often when she lived with them and even now she felt an attraction for the more inventive styles of the 70s and 80s. She couldn’t help it being critical of the new bands and their safe space sounds, their lack of experimentation.

Then was surprised when Marcus one of the cooking staff 20 years her senior grabbed her and started dancing with her which she responded to with a giggle and a wiggle as she joined him dancing to “Living Thing”. The other people at the BBQ stared some amused and others puzzled why a blue eyed blonde was dancing with an older black man and some were just envious. When the song ended they hugged and Marcus told her he’d added a bit of Boudin sausage and dirty rice to her order which was only offered in their catering menu anding how he loved a woman who wasn't afraid to eat.

So when Wendy left it was with what appeared to be two large paper shopping bags of goods filled with enough food to make up her next two meals.





She was almost ready to eat her meal in her car as she pulled into the drive of the large home she stayed in with her friend Macy, Macy’s husband Kyle and their twins Candice and Mandy the two little girls running down the hill to the place Wendy parked her car near the workshop.

”Wendy, Wendy you’re home” they called out as they open her passenger door and piled in practically mugging her.

Wendy laughed as both girls kissed her cheeks and hugged her then she was regaled with their day at school and how they did in their classes as each carried one of the two bags for her to the house.

When they stepped in their mom Macy laughed and told them to sit down Wendys bags as she embraced her friend and looked at her asking ”I hope there was no trouble?”

”It went fine it was just the government overstepping their bounds; didn’t matter to me because I’m so tracked and tested it seemed ludicrous. I walked in waited and they drew blood and bam I was out of there said wendy with a soft laugh.

”Its a personal violation of our civil rights forcing people to be tested or arrested; what is this Germany in 39?
Kyle and his Firm tried to get an injunction but the judge was in the pocket and dismissed it without cause. Something is going on they aren’t telling us and I’m worried said Macy finishing when she saw she was worrying her daughters.

Then she changed the subject poking her nose into Wendy’s bags.”Wow Wendy where do you put it all? There’s enough to have a dinner party. If I ate this I’d need a rascal scooter to haul my booty around the house”

It had the desired effect as Macy pulled out everything in the bags her girls giggling.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by ProxyInc
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Elijah Edwards


”No, ma, it was just a little blood draw,” Elijah sighed into the little receiver on his cell. His mother had texted him at least a dozen time since he had went to the clinic. Apparently there had been whispers of some kind of rumors going around on facebook that had her in a tizzy.

”But it’s all over social media—even a few articles written. The government is trying to locate mutants!” she buzzed back in his ear excitedly. He silently sent up a thanks that she couldn’t see him roll his eyes in response while he moved the phone to his other ear.

”Those are clickbaits, ma. You can’t listen to them. They’re just trying to get views by using flashy gossip. Plus, what does Harold think anyway?” He had hoped that the old man would help be the voice of reason for once.

”Oh you know how he is. 'The government knows what they’re doing, stop worrying so much', she said in her best imitation. Elijah couldn’t do much but smile—that guy was going to be red, white, and blue until the day he died. An admirable, if not mildly annoying, trait.

”You should really listen to him, Ma,” he said with a grunt, standing on tippy toe to polish the top of the metal horse before him. A full polish wasn’t his usual trademark—preferring to leave the metal dull and flat on the outside with slivers of polished ribbons carefully placed to catch the suns rays. But the client wanted it polished from mane to hoof and with the cash they were willing to throw at him, Elijah wasn’t about to argue it.

”Oh, are you working now?”

”Of course, ma. I’m always working, you should know this.” He could hear her sigh softly in response and hastily tacked on, ”But you know I always make time to talk to answer your calls.” He didn’t call her enough; he knew it, she knew it. But she never spoke up about it, knowing he was usually wrapped up in an order or working on a side project. But the guilt would gnaw at him sometimes.

”What’s the project this time?”

Elijah let out a little hiss, he had been working on this for months. Had it really been that long since they had talked for more than a few minutes? He tried to recall the last time he sat down to just talk about their lives and days—but nothing came to mind. ”The Yoya Horse Farm ordered a customer stallion. Oh you should see it, reared back on his haunches. It’s not solid either, I did a basic metal outline of his body that tapers off into this beautiful point,” Elijah launched into full details, the pride oozing through every word. To him it was more than beautiful, and he had loved throwing himself into creating it.

”That sounds wonderful, my boy. Take photos for me, please,” her tone matched his own glowing one. No matter how long they went without talking, she always showed her pride in his work.

”Will do. I’ll make sure to give ya a little tag on my page.”

”I’ll let you go for now. Gotta start supper. Make sure you eat, and go look at what I was talking about! The screenings weren’t for nothing, son. You and Harold may think it’s nothing, but I think these news articles are onto something!” she pressed while Elijah sated her with a few cloying ‘uh huh's'. Anything to shift the conversation off of the impossible.

”Love you, ma. I’ll be seeing you for thanksgiving, alright,” he rushed while waiting for the click of her phone to signal that he was free. It was a strange feeling, on one hand he felt the guilt from being so distant but on the other he really wanted to get back to work.

”I can push back the Richardson deadline by a few weeks and go out there as a surprise,” he mused to himself before setting his phone down in the little work desk off to the side of the room. And mutants, ma? Really? Elijah merely shook his head in disbelieve. How could a woman that smart be so easily mislead? He didn’t know, and hoped that when he reached her age he would still hold onto his strong sense of common sense.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by PinkOwl
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Amelia Scott
Boston, Massachusetts


If there was a hell on Earth for Amelia, it would be having her blood drawn. As the twenty-seven year old with her head buried in a book groaned, a few people glanced over. She ignored their stares and politely coughed to cover it up. The book was not enough to alleviate her woes; the impending doom awaiting her in the next room was enough to have her trembling and occasionally biting her fingernails. Since she was young, having shots or her blood drawn had been horrific. The screams and cries of other children had always upset her. It was as if there had been some medieval torture device being used. Whenever she was in contact with a needle, she had felt sick and nauseous. Amelia took deep breaths and clutched her book.

The print in front of her swam before her eyes. Her mind was racing as if she had witnessed a traumatic accident. She had been used to seeing parents comforting their children, but that had not been the case with her. Her father provided little comfort to her so she had been forced to suck it up throughout her childhood. Now, as an independent adult, she still could not fathom doing it alone. When the mandatory blood draw had been delivered to her home, Amelia had inquired if it had been sent to the wrong house. "No, ma'am, it was sent to you," The postal worker had told her. She had groaned and even delayed doing it. She had called off from work for the day so she could recover from it. She could just sense the anxiety and fear around her, but she figured it was just her nerves. She took several deep breathes slowly, trying not to show her own dismay. There were kids here and she wanted to provide a positive example.

"Amelia Scott," The nurse's voice rang out through the waiting room. Amelia jumped, nearly knocking over her book in her haste to respond. Her cheeks flushed as she knocked over her ignored and now cold coffee mug on the ground. The cinnamon latte spilled out over the carpet and dampened the area.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry," she spluttered, eyes wide. A few parents chuckled, but she ignored them. She grabbed a wade of tissues from her purse (she had made sure to stock up) and dabbed it up rapidly. Amelia stuffed the tissues in her pockets to avoid going near the trashcan where a woman had been snickering like a hyena. It took every ounce of willpower not to smack her.

"Okay, I'm coming," She would not look at anyone as she hastened to the lab area, mug in hand and tissues spilling out of her pockets. She sat down in the chair and looked away as the nurse began to prep her. It was as if there was a bomb inside of her ticking down; the aroma of alcohol and lab equipment was making her sick. Her hands were clammy and she was not certain if the air conditioner was relaxing her taut muscles. She could just picture every infant and child coming in here and losing their grip as they were injected. She shut her eyes and began breathing deeply.

In her mind's eye, she was picturing herself at the beach with a book in her hand. The crashing waves were nothing more than white noise to her; the soft sand crunching beneath her feet, the warmth of the sun beating down on her skin and the shrill cries of the seagulls flying overhead...

"Not a fan?" The nurse's voice interrupted her reverie. Amelia opened an eye to glance at her. The scenic reverie in her mind began to drift away. She tried to read her lanyard to see her name to distract herself, but the nurse's lanyard kept swaying as she moved so she gave up. Her heart rate was jumping so fast, she wondered if she might have an anxiety attack. Her jaw was beginning to ache from her clenching it.

"No," Amelia replied shortly and gritted her teeth. She tried to focus on her meditation again.

"Most people are not." The nurse agreed, unknowingly interrupting her, "With this mandatory testing going on, there have been a lot of people unable to deal with the blood draw. You're not alone."

"Thank you," Amelia softly replied and took another deep breathe. She gave up on the lovely distraction in her mind. The rumor of superhuman going around had been piqued her interest, though she dismissed the idea of it. "The idea is silly that they exist, though it would be highly fascinating if they did."

The nurse laughed in agreement and pulled the needle out from her arm. "You're all done, Ms. Scott. Great job."

Amelia inhaled and looked down with surprise. "What, you're done?"

The nurse grinned at her. "I made sure to distract you well, didn't I?" Amelia nodded and quickly stood up after the nurse cleaned and bandaged the area. She hastily gathered her purse and coffee mug, then zipped out of the doctor's office and to her car. Once inside, Amelia rested her head against the steering wheel and sighed in relief.

Thank God, she thought with a deep sigh. Doctor's offices and hospitals always were daunting for her. She had once thought about becoming a nurse, but had pushed it away. She would rather handle the mental aspects of a person than their physical woes. Injuries and lab testing made her queasy, so becoming a psychologist had been her number one choice. The guilt of taking today off was gnawing at her. She truly enjoyed her job, though today would not have been a good day for her. She put her keys into the ignition and started her car after picking her head up. The tension lingered, so she decided to force herself to exercise to help relieve it. Amelia had made sure to pack her bag up before leaving this morning so she would not go home and sit there all day alone. She knew she had to go out more to exercise or socialize. The idea made her sigh once more she began driving to the gym.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Lord Orgasmo
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Kale Kahananui - The Beach




Kale's few days off were over, and it was time he returned to work. Kale worked as a Lifeguard at the beach, and loved every moment of it. The warm Sun, the people laughing and playing, the salty tang in the air, and the Ocean stretching as far as the eye can see.

Kale's main concerns were the children, and the surfers. Children usually came equipped with inner tubes or water wings, but a powerful wave could knock them off easily. It would be his job to swim out there and rescue them should the need arise. Whether they would need CPR or just brought back to shore, Kale would be there.

As far as Surfers go, Kale hadn't met one who couldn't swim, but that doesn't mean they were completely safe. When that wave gets to be to much, and you're shoved 15 feet under the water, you panic. You can't see anything, you can't breathe, you don't know which way is up, and your head fills with images of sharks and other deadly sea creatures. You open your mouth to scream, only for water to fill your lungs and your limp body floats to the surface. It was up to Kale to find these Surfers, and bring them back.

Fortunately, Kale was not alone. There were two other Lifeguards on duty at a time. Kale only knew of one other Lifeguard, but he wasn't on duty right now. He was a fellow Hawaiian, named Hilo. Kale didn't know the other two Lifeguards on duty very well, but he knew he could rely on them.

Kale's eyes scanned the horizon, looking for anything out of the ordinary. A few surfers went under from some big waves, but the would rise up only a couple of seconds later. The children stayed close to the shore, and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

"C...h...w...l..."

"Hm?"

Kale looked around. Nobody was close to him in his lifeguard tower, obviously. Maybe a seagull flew by?

"Hello? Someone there?" No answer. "Maybe Doc was right. All this might be getting to me. Although..."

Kale thought to himself. This had happened before,but only here. During his time off, he didn't have this problem. He'd heard from various conversations that the reason behind the whole "Genome Project" was to look for people who had weird mutations or something. Perhaps these strange noises were a part of that. Hopefully there'd be a cure or treatment of some sort. Maybe he had some sort of reaction to the salt in the air that was messing with his head. Kale felt...unsettled by the thought. He continued the rest of his shift in silence, and quickly returned home as soon as it was over.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by wolverbells
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5 Days Later
Natalie Willow - Austin, Tx




The cold kept bearing down on central Texas, leaving Natalie to fend for herself every morning as she made her way to work. After the blood drawing, her days had continued as normal; wake up at 4 am, get ready and make coffee and Penelope's meals, wake up Penelope, get her ready, take her to daycare, go to work. By the time it was 7 am, Natalie would find herself walking up to her office as she began taking off her many layers of clothes. Being someone that was quick to forget, the blood drawing soon became something that practically never happened.

"Morning Miss Willow!" A cheerful yet deep voice greeted her as she had began to put stuff away to set herself up for her work day. "Oh, good morning Jackson! It's been a while since I saw you on this side of the building. What can I do for you today?" Natalie smiled at the young man, albeit he was a bit older than her, while setting up her laptop. A nervous smile formed on Jackson's face as he looked at Natalie before speaking, "I actually came by to speak to a couple of y'all about the laptops. Some weird virus came through and attacked certain systems so the IT department is warning y'all. Keep your laptop off until we come back around giving y'all the all clear." "Oh, okay yeah no problem. I guess that gives me time to go down to get coffee from across the street. You want anything?" Jackson politely declined the offer as she smiled once more at Natalie before leaving in a hurry. Natalie had guessed that the virus was pretty serious in order for the company to basically shut down to fix the issue.

Seeing as how she was going to have some time before the computer was up and running again, she threw her burgundy coat on once more as well as her scarf. Her heels clicked with every step she took, which drew eyes to her as she made her way to the elevator. It was a strange feeling; not because people were staring, but because she seemed to be the only one without a working computer. A feeling of being watched set in which made the petite woman move faster until she reached the elevators and went into the only open one.

A quiet ding brought Natalie out of her reverie, making her realize that she had reached the lobby. Nat gently placed her AirPods in her ears and pressed play on her music before walking out of the elevator. If she was going to be looked at, she didn't want to seem like she cared. Luckily it was a quick walk out of the building, and even though Natalie typically hid from the cold, she welcomed the freezing air as it hit her. She took her time making her way down to the street to get to the crosswalk, humming along to her music and letting her mind clear from the anxiety. It was at the stoplight while waiting for the clear to walk across when she felt her pocket start buzzing, or more like the phone she had in her pocket. It was her work phone, which made her think that her laptop was up and running so she could get back to work. "Natalie speaking.."

"Nat, it's Liam. Do you have a minute?"

Her heart stopped as she heard the familiar voice that she had left behind two and a half years ago. She had made sure that she had no contact with her ex-husband after he had refused to be there for her when she went into labor. They were technically still married when Penelope came into the world but he had refused, and left her to be scared which only ended up in having complications during giving birth. "Liam, you know you're not supposed to contact me without contacting my lawyer first. Talk to him first then I'll think about giving you a minute." "Nat, wait, I have to warn you they're com.." Without thinking twice, Natalie hung up on her ex husband and carried on.

~~~


It had been a strange day for sure. From her weird work experience to Liam giving her a call. She could not shake off the strange feeling of something being wrong. Once four o'clock hit, Natalie was more than glad to grab her stuff and get out of the building. She was on the fourth floor of the parking garage when she had realized that out of all of the vehicles trying to leave the garage, one black SUV had remained parked with it's lights on. Natalie usually took naps in her truck at work so she thought that might be the case, but at the same time she thought about how late it was for someone to be taking any sort of break. As if on cue, the doors swung open and a group of people came out, all dressed in business professional clothing. Natalie began to feel a bit better when she saw that they all looked like others that she worked with. The brunette walked past them and offered them a small smile which faded almost as soon as it formed when they circled her.

"Natalie Willow, your detainment has been requested and we have been ordered to fulfill that request."

"My detainment?" The woman almost laughed as she looked at the group emotionless men in black. Unless you have a warrant and due cause, then I'm not going anywhere. I suggest you take ten steps back and leave me alone."

From the moment that she had left the building, Natalie had already taken out a small taser for close range combat, and in the other hand held her pepper spray that looked like a lipstick that was attached to her keychain.

"Unfortunately we were instructed to take you in, the rules were for you to be alive only.""I have a daughter! She needs me to pick her up from day care. Back the fuck away from me!"

Nat's voice had become more frantic as she began to back away, but every step she drew back, the men came closer. She watched as the closest to her brought out a pair of handcuffs and the other a black blindfold. She began to move faster backwards, watching as the man with the handcuffs came towards her and reached out to force her to cooperate. "Don't touch me!" Her scream filled the empty garage floor and sent her into a panic, making her reflexes kick in and bring up the hand with the pepper spray. It all happened quickly, one moment the man had his hand around her arm, the next he was writhing in pain clutching his face. The other men sprung into action, the one with the blindfold getting to her next. With a quick flick of her wrist and click of her thumb, the taser was brought to life before being stabbed into the second man's arm. He fell quickly as he spasmed in pain which gave Natalie a few seconds to get a head start. While screaming, she sprinted as fast as her heeled boots could allow so she could get to her car. It seemed as if her tactic had worked as she got only ten feet from her vehicle before feeling something hit the back of her head before everything went black.

Unknown Location




The brightness of blinding lights mixed with the pounding of her head was what woke Natalie up. She winced as she turned to her side, her hand instinctively reaching up to touch the spot that hurt. It had been bandaged up pretty good, but the pain still remained. As she blinked through the grogginess, she managed to sit up and take in the room she was in. A million questions filled her head but there was one pressing matter which quickly had her on her feet and banging on the locked door of the room. "Let me out!! Penelope!! Where's my daughter?! What did you do with my daughter!?"
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Jinxer
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Jinxer The British One

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About a week later...
Matthias Llywelyn - New Haven, Connecticut




"...This new theory seems to be dwarfing all those other conspiracies before it. Crop circles, alien landings in the Nevada desert, 9/11 not being a terrorist attack. Unusually this new theory seems to be gaining traction from different groups and not just the usual hardcore fanatics and some are claiming they know people who were 'Gifted' and disappeared..."

It was one of Matthias' habits to lie in bed and listen to the morning news for a while before getting out, the alarm always timed for a good twenty minutes before he needed to truly think about starting the day. Of course he was used to the British Broadcasting Corporation's Radio 2 Breakfast Show with Chris Evans but ever since he had moved to the states the timing had been wrong. Someone had once set up his laptop so that it would play the catch-up version via a VPN so he could still keep that routine but then daylight saving had kicked in and thrown everything out the window. Now he ended up getting one of the really early morning shows which was usually pre-recorded or hosted by a DJ who had never quite made it. The news was still the same, though, although the reader always sounded a little dejected at doing the early shift.

"...police say that the 'sources' often cited are merely missing persons reports and that the theorists are taking advantage of unhappy events to spread wild speculation unhelpful to peacekeeping activities. They urge the public to ignore the 'wild' stories circling online and only call the emergency line in extreme circumstances. And now the weather..."

His second alarm, an incessant beeping from his phone on the other side of his small bedroom and seconded moments later by the FitBit vibrating aggressively on his wrist, called an end to this particular news cycle and Matthias pulled himself up and out of bed. After showering he sat down to a cup of tea and a bowl of cereal while cycling through news sites on tablet propped up against the fruit bowl in the middle of his small table. It was a bad habit for him, Matthias knew, to be so plugged into current affairs all the time as it often made him feel stressed and anxious, what with every story on the front page shades away from being apocalyptic, but he told himself it was important to know what was going on in the world, especially as a historian who was experiencing contemporary events.

A message from Rhian popped up on his phone, delayed so that it would not send in the middle of his night, drawing his attention away from the depressing reel of tragedies journalists were compelled to report on. It was just a short, standard 'good morning', the type she would send without fail every day to him along with a corresponding one just before he went to sleep. The woman never missed anything and once she had a habit she would stick it to like no one else could.

He smiled gratefully, sending a reply back which would not disturb her sleep despite the early hour back in the UK for she also had her phone switched off at night so as not to disturb her REM cycles, at least according to she had told him. Those small communications, along with their regular catch-ups via video chat, were key to calming those voices in the back of his head screaming that a long distance relationship was impossible. Had those of his friends not all failed, even if with varying timescales involved? Sure, one or two had been down to his friends' own discretions and he had promptly severed ties with such foolish people but such reasoning was useless in the face of paranoia.

The morning rolled on in usual fashion and he left his small apartment, heading to his usual morning haunt for another cup of tea with a fresh book in his coat pocket.


~~~~~~


"Morning Matt."

"Good morning, Brian. Just my usual please." Brian nodded and set about brewing Matthias' tea, humming something to himself. The cafe was empty except for the two of them, the tables freshly cleaned and there was no sign of the usual morning crowd who found their way to the venue in the early hours. Matthias enquired about the oddity but Brian merely shrugged and said he would bring the drink over when it was ready.

The news that morning began to run through Matthias' head and he had to shake himself mentally to be freed of the suspicions weighing down on him. What would Rhian say if he were to fall prey to this newest of conspiracy theories? Without proof she believed in nothing and would dismiss it all as qualitative nonsense.


"Eve's not here, didn't want none of it she said."

Matthias looked up, startled from his reverie as Brian placed the tray on the table and carefully moved the small teapot, jug with milk and teacup in turn onto the surface before tucking the tray under his arm and heading back to the counter.

"None of..." Matthias started but Brian was already back at the counter, putting the tray down, and then walked out through the staff door behind it leaving the research student alone in the cafe, steam rising steadily from the teapot in front of him. The paranoia was beginning to feel more justified by the second and flared rapidly as a small team of men in matching suits pushed their way into the tearoom, the final one turning the 'open' side round as the door shut.

"I... don't suppose I can have my tea first?"


An unknown location




The room came into focus slowly, his mind feeling slow and groggy similar to the most intense hangover he had ever felt the day after his Master's degree graduation ceremony. Except that he had had no alcohol this time and the feeling passed quickly, memories speeding back to him and bringing him back to alertness rapidly.

Sitting up he looked around the room. It was spartan to say the least, no apparent furniture beyond the semi-comfortable bed upon which he had been asleep and two doors leading out. He soon found out that one of them did not open while the other led into a small shower room, just big enough for him to stand in either at the basin or under shower head but with every wall in touching distance from the centre. Everything was a clinical white colour and looked plastic or metal, like the most extreme of hospitals but at least the lighting was dimmer than one might have expected; the stereotypical facility of this apparent type usually possessing unbearably bright overhead lights which only accentuated the whiteness of the surroundings.

He returned to the bed, sorting through his memories. Brian being a little distant, the empty cafe, the men crowding in and closing the shop. They had, indeed, allowed him to have his tea before commanding him to consume a small pill with the ultimatum that either he eat it and, in doing so, incapacitate himself or else the men would see to it that the same effect was reached far less comfortably. Matthias was hardly a fighter, he had barely been in a pub brawl, and so has consumed the pill without any other available way out apparent.

Did they know that he was British, he wondered? Should he mention it, demand to be taken to an embassy? Such a line was unlikely to change the actions of these people, he sensed, but perhaps it would be worth a go. Without any other plan of action coming to mind he strode across the room and tried to open the door but it was still locked. Somewhat dejected, with fear rising steadily at his incarceration without explanation, he retreated to the bed and lay down and lost himself in staring at the unbearably white ceiling for what else was there to do? The last thing he wanted to do was think about his family, friends, Rhiannon or his life; that way lay a spiral of true panic and so he proceeded to try and find intense interest in the most bland thing he had ever seen.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Lord Orgasmo
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Kale Kahananui - Honolulu, Hawaii - 6 days later




It's Kale's day off, and it had started off great. Waffles, bacon, and some Hawaii Five-O. It was the best.

But what was there to do today? He probably needed to buy groceries. Maybe he'd go surfing, if all else failed. Maybe he'd eat out for lunch. No, probably dinner instead. He could go to one of the local bars. MW sounded nice. Although it was usually pretty busy. Guess he'd make the decision when he got hungry later.

About three hours had passed, and there was nothing on tv, so Kale was getting bored. Perhaps he'd go for a walk around town. Check out some of the tourist attractions or something. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Who could that be? Hilo?

"Just a second!"

Kale hopped up from his chair, and opened the front door. Before him stood two men in black suits, and wearing sunglasses.

"Whoa. You guys the Men in Black? Am I secretly an alien or something?"

"Mr. Kahananui, we need you to come with us."

Uh... Sure. Do I need to grab any-" Kale turned to point into his home, when there was a sharp pain in his neck. Looking back to the two men, one was holding a small syringe in his hand, and it was empty.

"Really guys? I was going to come along quieeeetlyyy.. " Hot damn that kicked in fast. The last part of Kale's sentence seemed to go in slow motion, and he began to go numb, and his senses faded.

Somewhere in a box, under the rainbow




As Kale woke up he immediately looked down, and breathed a sigh of relief. He still had his clothes on. Looking around the room, it looked like an apartment room, but also kind of like a prison. There weren't any bars per se, but there was a locked door. There was a small bathroom behind another door, but that was about it. Bare walls, minimal furniture, and a tile floor. Laying back down on his bed, he looked at the barren white ceiling. What was going on? Was this some sort of secret government facility? Or something far worse? Guess the only way would just be to wait until someone told him. Maybe they had an intercom hidden in here somewhere?
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Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by RumikoOhara
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RumikoOhara Goddess & Benevolent Dictator

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Macy and Kyle head for their retreat with the girls
Day 3



Kyle and the kids had already loaded into the Earth Cruiser a monsterous All-Terrain RV that usually sat by the workshop under a metal awning and draped in a special cover that Kyle said could even mask its infrared signature if needed. Macy stood beside the open passenger side door as the powerful multi fuel diesel engine clattered quietly warming up looking into Wendy’s eyes.

”Wendy please come with us Kyle is almost always right and this time his friends are saying bugout there’s a plague or something big happening so we’re headed to the Appalachians. There’s plenty of room and we have stores abroad for 3 weeks and for a year at the site; you know we need you.” said Macy the fear in her eyes obvious.

”Macy I know you want me and yes Kyle’s connections are good but I can’t leave I’d lose my job” answered Wendy biting her lips

That was the last thing she’d said to her friend before Kyle called his wife aboard and wished her luck saying if she changed her mind he thought her machine could make it close to the bugout site and she could hike in the rest of the way.

So she was now alone as she watched the odd reports that came across her monitor when she checked her and Macy’s Streams.

Mass. Man bursts into flames and isn’t burned
Florida woman arrested after appearing nude in center of intersection in a column of smoke.
Flying child caught on video


Some of the articles were easy to dismiss even though they had video because they’d been seen before and debunked but the newer ones were of a better quality and made Wendy question if she’d done the right thing. She could have gone with Macy and the Girls but her responsible nature had made her stay. She was sure it was all a big scare and that any day now it would be exposed as some hoax; at least that was what she hoped.


Day 5



It was just turning daylight and Wendy was dressing when the houses alarm system notified her that there was movement on the property so she flicked her room monitor on and it split into 5 separate pictures and in each one was a man dressed in black, the gate showing 3 in black business suits doing something to the entry key that caused the secondary alarm to sound an alert that the gate was being opened without a code.

Doing what Macy had taught her Wendy grabbed her clothes, gym bag and pad then ran into the Panic Room entrance in the girl’s room across the hall from her own.

She felt silly running down the stairs hidden in the walls to the hidden space beneath the basement dressed in only her underwear he hair still wet but she did all the same and once inside she hit the big red button on the wall which sealed all the doors leading to the Airlock which she was cycling as the locks clicked down. Then she spun the wheel in the center of the armored door sending 8 heavy 10 inch bolts before retreating to the second door and doing the same.

As she dressed she checked the security cameras only to see that those Kyle and his brother had added secretly were operating all those installed by the alarm company not functioning. It was jarring to discover whoever these men were that they had known how to bypass every commercial alarm; Kyle’s words coming back to haunt her.

”Wendy I know it seems crazy to be so worried that someone might mean us harm but my firm pisses off a lot of people in big industries and they have their own personal armies; Black Water, Black Swan, and others. If you and the girls are in here and the alarms are down it will mean the mushy brown goo is in the fan and you have maybe 2 hours to gather a bugout kit and head out.

You can’t go to family or friends if it's that bad you can only run and don’t look back.”
he’d told her then showed her the bugout kits.

She was afraid but knew she had to keep her head as she dressed while watching the men forcing open doors made to withstand entry using what appeared to be those things called the jaws of life which firemen used to rescue trapped people. That alone sent her aderelin through the roof because it showed they knew more than they should and had connections that revealed the houses secrets.

She figured they would be coming into the panic room in less than an hour and her time limited before they had set up a perimeter. ”Dam why was Kyle right?” she growled as she flung open the Bugout storage slash escape hole

Soon she was walking quickly her head ducked in the corregated tunnel headed to the creek bed 200 meters away. When she reached the exit she pulled a cable gripping the handle that held it setting off small thermite charges to weld the escape door shut. Then she sat listening as she activated the pinhole cameras that showed her the woods outside of the escape door. Once she saw the coast was clear she opened the hatch and slowly moved out into the dry creek bed and followed it down to the Chattahoochee.

As she moved towards her first goal Wendy reached into the bugout bag and pulled out a dark brown page cut wig and put it on making sure to tuck her blonde hair under it before brushing it out smooth. Next came black contacts and false piercings and goth black lipstick and costume fingernails that were long and blood red; all these things picked by Macy. Her last bits of bugout gear was a day pack that had 10,000 hidden in its linings and a wallet that had fake ID naming her Mary Kline and old battered bills amounting to another 267 dollars.

She now felt silly for having ever questioning her friend’s husband and her paranoia as she made the river and found a bag into which she put a large rock to sink the bug out bag in the muddy waters.

She then climbed onto one of the Running trails that ran along the river hidden beneath the trees her next goal to find her way to a Public storage locker in which was hidden a multi terrain motorcycle near Six Flags.

How the hell did I get here and why me? was her thought as she ran perhaps a bit faster than she should along the trail passing several other early morning joggers.

She was a fugitive and she didn’t know why she only knew that she had to run to stay ahead of whoever the hell was after her.


Bug out Plus three hours



Wendy had finally arrived at the storage lockers after ducking several times from what seemed to be a lot of police activity and having to use a bit of her pocket money to grab something to eat at a Burger King. (She didn’t know her disguise had been penetrated by the stores cameras)

She punched in the gate key and then walked to locker a-247 and was just punching in the combination when a big black SUV turned down the drive between A and B lockers. She didn’t waste time and took off running. The SUV roared as its driver shoved the throttle to the floor chasing after her as the men inside cursed.

Where she was headed Wendy had no idea she only knew that after all the effort staying ahead of whoever these guys were she wasn’t going down easy. So when she came to a 10 foot retaining wall at the end and given the choice of left or right she chose instead to go up and was stunned when she made it in a leap that would have made her the first woman to slam the nets in the WNBA. But then it went to hell because she wasn’t prepared to jump so high and missed her grip falling but and slaming onto her rear just in front of the SUV as it slammed on its brakes and all its doors opened spilling out 5 angry men.

She was hit from two directions by tasers that though they hurt like hell didn’t stop her as they were intended only angering her so that she spun to a stand breaking the wires that were attached to the barbs. Next came a dart of some type and she only knew she’d been struck because it was lodged in her left breast. Another surge of Adrenalin hit her and she charged blindly to the side which had only two men ducking low so as to hit them in the mid sections and their centers of balance knocking them on their asses as she tried to make good her escape even as whatever was in the dart made her head swim. She might have made it but for the fact another SUV screeched to a halt blocking her path and the men on that side firing more darts into her.

The men gapped in surprise as Wendy swayed with three darts in her but then those behind her hit her again with their tasers that finished the job.


Where the hell am I?



When she woke Wendy was aware that she was in a strange bed clad in one of those hated hospital gowns and strapped by leather restraints to her bed.

Angry in mere seconds Wendy jerked on the straps causing the bed to shake and move a little. She kept up her efforts for what to her seemed like a few seconds then settled down as horrible cramps hit her telling her she’d been a sleep long enough to get really hungry.
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5 DAYS LATER
Mercer Blaine - Nashville, Tennessee




It was nearly midnight as Mercer found himself walking into his kitchen. He dragged his feet forward into the kitchen as he pulled open the refrigerator, groaning as the interior light blasted his eyeballs. He squinted, reaching in to grab a gatorade from the back of the fridge. He cracked the cap of and chugged half of it in one pull, accidentally dripping some on his bare chest. He capped the bottle and set it down, leaning back against the kitchen sink. He pulled his phone from the pocket of his sweatpants, opening it with his thumbprint and scrolling through twitter.

Mercer sighed to himself as he read all of the featured tweets of people who had supposedly seen super-powered individuals. It was bullshit, the lot of it. People saw that the government was cracking down on certain policies and suddenly the conspiracy theorists were having a damn field day. He shook his head and slid his phone back into his pocket, grabbing his gatorade and walking back towards his bedroom

As Mercer entered his rooms, he walked as carefully and quietly as possible, so as not to disturb the sleeping girl in his bed. He smiled to himself as he stood over the bed, then crawled back in beside her. He and Lexi had a good night, and it was a good relief. He'd needed a good night like this. Stress as of late had been threatening to make him burst. He felt both physically and emotionally comfortable as he wrapped his arm around her stomach. He felt her shift and lay back against him as he rested his head against the pillow beside her. As he nestled in, he felt the warm skin of her back against his chest, just as he began to return to his deep slumber.

Almost as if he hadn't fallen asleep, he was shaken awake by a hand on his shoulder, followed by the sound of harsh knocking form what sounded like his front door. He opened his eyes to see Lexi, a deep frown on her face, shaking him awake. "Babe, someone's at the door..." She said, sitting up and using the sheet to cover herself. He nodded and sat up, swinging his legs off of the bed.

"I don't know who the hell is here past midnight..." He groaned as he stood his full height, trudging towards the front door as the knocking persisted. "Holy shit, I'm coming!" He yelled as he crossed the living room. He reached the door as a fourth round of knocking began, yanking the door open to interrupt the banging. "Who the-" He stopped mid-sentence as he saw the men that stood outside of his apartment.

Five men, one in front and four behind him, stood with black, fitting suits. The first one stepped a foot closer, looking up at the slightly taller Mercer. "Mercer Blaine, we have orders for your detainment and would appreciate your cooperation.""

Mercer frowned, deep lines crossing his forehead. "Detainment? What the hell- who are you people and why are you at my home at one in the morning?" Mercer said, pointing a strong finger towards the front man.

"Sir, we have orders. Your compliance will be rewarded." He stated, much more sternly this time than the last.

Mercer released a slight laugh as he shook his head. "Okay, James Bond, you and the MI6 can come back when you have a warrant, but until then, get the hell out." He said and slammed the door in the man's face.

"Sir, we won't ask again!""

"Go to hell!" He shook his head as he turned around. He saw Lexi walk out of his bedroom, having slid into underwear and one of his shirts that sagged heavily on her much smaller frame. He smiled as he walked over to her, putting his hands around her waist, and leaning down to kiss her. She kissed him, then pulled back with a curious, half-smile on her face.

"What was that about?" She asked, as they stepped towards the bedroom.

"I have no idea, but uh..." He nodded his head towards the bed. "...Since we're awake, why don't we go for round two?" He laughed quietly as he picked up her up. He walked forward as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"No, babe, we both have work in the morning. Sleep is important t-" She was cut off as the doorknob turned and the door swung open.

"Hey, what the hell?!" Mercer shouted as the men stepped into his apartment. He put a shrieking Lexi down on the couch and reached down to grab the baseball bat that was hidden beside coffee table. He gripped the bat with two hands and prepared as one of the men in black pushed forward. He swung hard, but the man stepped back. The other three big men blocked his path to Lexi, who released startled cry as one of the men clamped a hand down over her mouth, silencing her as his right hand jabbed a needle and syringe into her thigh. Mercer cried out as Lexi's body went limp. He rushed forward swinging again at the bat towards the group of men as hard as he possibly could. The largest of all three took the hit on the shoulder, but reached forward, grabbing the end of the bat. He ripped the weapon from Mercer's, hands, turned it around a swung it faster than he could react.

The bat connected with Mercer's ribs, causing him to wrench forward in pain. He stumbled to the ground, his hand on his side. He saw the man that head attacked Lexi cuff her hands and feet behind her back. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER!" He roared as he tried to stand back up, but a new attacker, this one being just as tall as Mercer, stepped forward, and with one swing of his fist, knocked mercer back to the ground. He looked over just in time to see one of the men tie a blindfold over Lexi's eyes and pick her up, carrying her limp body over his shoulder.

Mercer made one last attempt to move, but the man in front of him drew a gun from his belt, pointing it at him and pulling the trigger faster than Mercer could realize. Mercer winced as he waited for the bullet to fly and put him down forever, but all he felt was a sharp pain in his right pectoral muscle. He looked down to see a single dart sticking out of his chest. All of a sudden, his muscles gave in and he fell on his back. He saw the man that he spoken to him step forward, crouching down and staring at him. "Like, I said... your compliance would have been rewarded." He stood and walked away as Mercer's vision began to fade in and out, and then his world fell black.
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Elijah Edwards


He moved to grab the little dark hued bottle that sat perched at the edge of his sink counter. Just a little . . . he thought with a small shake. A dab behind each ear and then he smudged some on each wrist. The scent was rich, a mixture between something earthy and some sort of spice. It was a gift—last Christmas’ present from his mother. One that he conveniently left back at her house before he headed back home. Elijah had no use for cologne cologne most days, drenched in sweat from his work. And on his off days he would just stuck to woodland scented deodorant.

But he had come home to surprise his mother and step father. With the intention to make up for his absence as well as distract his mom from her paranoia. Social media was rift with it now—people being detained, or gone missing. She was worried, resorting to calling and texting him an ungodly amount. But surely it didn’t have anything to do with the recent blood draws. Did it?

He ran a comb through his hair, giving himself one last look over. What he didn’t expect was to run into Katlyn while here. His old high school flame looked better than he remembered. With dark brown hair that fell just a little past her shoulders, and the same honey-brown eyes that once ensnared his entire soul. She was the reason he almost flunked history—so rapt was his attention to every move she made. Their relationship was short, well short according to adults, but back then it felt like a lifetime.

Now she was fully grown, two kids of her own and an accountant. Or so she said when they bumped into one another at the local marketplace. Elijah's mouth moved faster than his brain when he had asked her out for dinner. Only letting out a pensive breath when she agreed before exchanging numbers. Of course his mother was ecstatic when came home with the world's smugest look plastered across his face. She was always fond of Katlyn and he always secretly thought she had been more upset than he was when it all came crashing down. But tonight was a new start between the two and Elijah was ready to rekindle the flame that was once between the two of them.

”There’s my handsome boy,” his mother’s voice broke the silence behind him. Elijah startled where he stood before quickly recovering, feeling a blush creep up the sides of his neck and towards his ears.

”Ma, no. Don’t make this a big deal—its just dinner with an old friend,” he said while looking anywhere but at the clearly excited face in front of him.

”Oh you’re not fooling me,” she said with a finger wag. His mom moved forward and helped straighten his tie before reaching up to cup his face with her cool hand. ”How’d you get so handsome?”

Elijah looked down at her, a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. He took in her features, the fine lines that creases around her eyes and the thin grey hairs peppered throughout her copper hair. She was getting old—a sad thought that dampened his mood a little. ”No idea, ma. A total mystery. I guess I was adopted,” he said with a wry laugh.

She moved her hand from his face and swatted him playfully on the shoulder. ”Handsome but mean!” Their laughs echoed off the bathroom tile before she backed back outside the room. ”Come on then, best not keep her waiting.”

They moved into the living room where Harold was sitting, sunk into the pleather couch while some sport buzzed on the t.v in front of him. ”Look honey, look at out handsome boy,” she cooed, still fussing about Elijah. He watched his step fathers eyes drift from the television set to him and back. With a grunt he tipped his head in Elijah's direction. ”Better if he took out those earrings. Makes him look like one of those, uh, metrosexuals.”

Yes, caption fashion. Elijah kept his tongue still as he rolled his eyes towards his mother. Her face was a clash of annoyance and exasperation while she regarded her husband. She looked over at him and with a wink stuck her tongue out at the distracted old man. Elijah laughed softly. Even with age, she was still just as feisty as he remembered from his youth. The two of then were like water and oil, yet somehow they brought a balance to one another. It didn’t make sense to him, but it didn’t need too. As long as his mother was safe and happy she could marry the local bum for all he cared.

”Alright, I’m off. I’ll be home late, so don’t wait up!” He moved towards the front door, only pausing to grab his jacket off the hook.

”Have fun sweetie, and remember to be a gentleman.”

”And don’t forget to use protection,” Harold yelled from the living room.

"Harold! They’re adults, I’m sure they know better,” an admonished with a hand pressed to her chest.

”She’s got two kids Eileen, clearly someone wasn’t being responsible.”

Elijah could feel his mouth open and shut while he looked for the words, but instead his brain flat-lined while he wirelessly groped for the door. He rushed out the front door and welcomed the rush of ice cold air while he escaped the muffled bickering of his parents.

”Good ol' Harold.” Elijah shook his head before getting into his car and starting the engine.

---------------------


The restaurant was warm, fall colors decorating the interior while people milled about in cozy little booths. Elijah exchanged idle chitchat with the maitre d while the man looked up his reservation. Much to his relief he had told him that she hadn’t gotten there before him. But there was something odd about the man. His whole body had stiffened up at the mention of his name. But Elijah quickly brushed it off—attributing his paranoia to the nerves that buzzed beneath his skin.

A cute little red-headed waitress beckoned for him to follow her, that they had a special booth in the back set aside. That was the second thing that struck Elijah as weird. He had made reservations but nothing that special. He bit back his better sense and followed quietly behind as they made their way towards the back of the restaurant. This doesn’t seem right, he thought as she led him to a little white door.

”I’m afraid our chef would like to have a word with you before you can be seated,” she said while pushing open the door a little with her right hand.

”I don’t understand. I just made plans for dinner for two. Nothing extra. Are you sure you didn’t get me mixed up with someone else?” Elijah took a step back, feeling all sorts of bad vibes from the situation.

The young woman leaned in, her brows furrowing together with what looked like worry. ”Please, sir, I need you to step inside.” Elijah looked back, a few curious bystanders had looked away from their meals and dates to watch what seemed to be happening before them. He glanced back at the entrance doors and noted two rather burly looking men dressed in black before the doors.

He didn’t feel like he had much of a choice. His feet moving with more confidence than he felt. Behind the little white door was the main kitchen. Steam rolled off the chrome colored surfaces but the staff was no where to be found. Instead he was greeted with more burly looking men in all blacked. Elijah backed up, feeling the hard door against his back.


”Someone want to explain to me what is going on?”

”Elijah Edwards, your detainment has been issued and we’re here to take you in,” one of the men said with an even and calm tone.

”My detainment? I’m afraid you have the wrong guy,” he said with palms raised in the air. This wasn’t real right? His heart quickened beneath his ribs. This was just things that happened in the movies—it had to be. But his mind filled with flashes of memories. His mother had said her neighbor's wife had gone missing. Reports of people being detained in public with no explanation. But that couldn’t be happening now. It couldn’t be happening to him.


“Lets make this nice and easy, okay? Just come with us and no one has to get hurt.”

Elijah's veins flooded with adrenaline as he made a break for the little door he has spied when he first walked in. He wasn’t sure if had thought he would catch them off guard or that he honestly thought he could get away, all he knew was he needed to go—and go quickly. He made it halfway through the kitchen before strong arms wrapped around him from behind. They wrenched upwards and pulled him back, and onto the tips of his toes. But Elijah wasn’t some scrawny little pink kid. He was strong from years of moving and bending metal. Strong from more years of vigorous training and easily wrenched out of his would-be kidnappers grasp.

But he wasn’t fast enough, as the rest of the men quickly cut off his escape. Their bodies hunched and ready to take on any attack he threw at them. Elijah's mind had frayed and thoughts of his mother frenzied—he needed to get home to her. Let her know that she was right all along.


“That is enough Mister Edwards!” a voice bellowed from behind him. ”We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either way there is no escaping. This is an order from your government. Any action you take here can be used to press charges against you and your family for treason.”

Treason? It didn’t make sense. None of it made sense. And Elijah whipped his head around, looking for some path to take to get out of here. He whipped his body to the right, making a desperate attempt to crawl between what looked to be a little counter. Still hot plates sat on top of the little silver surface, and Elijah quickly flung them to the floor with a fluid swoop of his arm. But more hands pulled at him from behind, dragging him back while something sharp bit into the side of his neck. He could feel something cold flush into his body. It burned, whatever the liquid was, as it spread through his veins. Elijah could feel his limbs begin to loosen, his grip lessen. Every part of him was going limp as the liquid sapped away his strength. The men pulled him back and lifted him up into the air while his vision grew hazy.

I’m so sorry ma.


“What a waste of good fettuccini.”He heard someone joke before slipping into unconsciousness.

---------Somewhere in an undisclosed location---------


He winced, as the light stabbed at his eyes. His head felt like it had been thrown inside a blender and set on high. Every part of his body burned and ached while his thoughts slowly bubbled from the thick darkness that seemed to cloud them. ”Wh—what happened.”

He strained to sit himself up. Had he drank too much? No, no that didn’t seem right. He didn’t remember drinking—though right now he didn’t remember much of anything. He sat, slumped forward with his palms pressing into his closed lids while trying to recall what had happened the night before.

I was going to meet someone. . . I was going to meet. I was going to meet Katlyn. Yeah, I had a date with Katlyn. But she wasn’t there? No. The memories came back in hazy clips. The off feeling he had from the waitress. The men in black. Hands, hands that grabbed at him. Realization hit him harder than the night after a bar crawl. He had been taken, something injected into him while he had desperately tried to get away. A cold, sinking feeling washed over him as he craned his neck up—blinking into the bright light. ”Where am I?”


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Upon Arrival
Natalie Willow - Unknown Loaction | The Facility




"Miss Willow, you need to calm down. Nothing is going to happen with you yelling and beating your fist on the door."

Fumes could practically be seen shooting out of Natalie's ears, the heat on her face giving away that she was beyond the point of rationality. "Where the hell is my daughter?! I will not stop until I get answers. I have lawyers!" 'As if those will help right now...' Her subconscious had tried to be the voice of reason from the moment Natalie had woken up but the worry for her daughter well overpowered all emotions. The intercom voice had stopped speaking and the room went silent for a few minutes which worried Natalie. From the moment she had began to bang on the wall the intercom in her room had come to life, trying to calm the young mother down. The voice had warned her and explained that if she were to have calmed down from the beginning, that she wouldn't be stuck in a locked room while being spoken to as a toddler.

"Miss Willow, I have received an update on your daughter." Natalie became all ears as she held her arms and hands close to her chest, practically clutching her heart. That was before the fell limply to her sides when she heard the news. "Your daughter was picked up from her Day Care at normal time by our operatives and sent to her biological father, Liam Carver. She was sent with all of her belongings, and your sister was alerted once Penelope was in custody of her father."

Natalie's heart sank into her stomach as she heard the voice mention Liam's name. "Bi-Biological? He's not even on her birth certificate?" Confusion clouded her thoughts as she tried to make sense of it all. As she stood in silence, she could feel the heat rising once more from her feet towards her head, filling every inch of her as she realized the treason that they had committed. "She doesn't even know him! How could you!? I never gave consent, she's never met that god damned man a day in her life! I demand to speak to my lawyers!" Once again she was back at banging the locked door with her fists, wanting nothing more than to get her small hands around the necks of those who were in charge. "Natalie Willow, your daughter is safe and she will remain safe as long as you remain compliant." She had been in such anger that she hadn't realized that as hard as she banged and punched the door, nothing hurt. She felt nothing but the rush of adrenaline and anger within her. It wasn't until she heard the underlying threat in what the intercom voice had said that she had stepped back, her face fixed on a look of disgust towards the speaker in the ceiling. "You guys are some sick fucks to use the threat of violence towards a toddler."

"It's not a threat, Miss Willow, it is a promise. Now, if you have finally let your anger out then you can listen to the set of directions that I will give you. The list is short because you are expected to attend a full briefing in less than a week, when more arrive."

both physically and mentally drained, Natalie made her way back to the bed she once slept on and sat down, her mind blank except for the image of her daughter. She listened closely to the voice, acknowledging the they were to dress a certain way and act a certain way. There was a file sat on one of the counter tops that she had not noticed, but it contained a small map and set of more rules as well as some weird coding that she could not understand. According to the voice that was for official use only. Rolling her eyes, Natalie stood up and massaged her hands as she started feeling the strain of the banging, although there was no redness or torn skin.

"Very well, the doors will now be open for you to go and start familiarizing yourself with what you'll need for your stay here. Be mindful of whom you speak to, but before you go out you must dress in the clothing we have provided."

"What?" Natalie looked up, once again confused, at the intercom but it had shut off as soon as it had finished speaking. The entire time there was not one ounce of compassion in the voice. The man had been emotionless and uncaring, as if he were talking to a prisoner more like a civilian with rights. "What about my job!? I worked hard to get to my position... I didn't even give them a notice... My clients are going freak!" Panic began to set in as she ran circles in her own head bout her job. Even on her days off and vacations she never truly left work. She would go everywhere with her work laptop and phone. Her hands felt empty along with in pain. In order to make herself busy, Nat turned to see where the clothes could be, opening up the door which only led to a bathroom, but under the sink were a pair of brilliant white scrubs. 'What kind of sick fucks....' She had wrinkled her nose as if she had been disgusted by the scrubs, but really there was nothing wrong with them, just the reason for them. Regardless, she needed to put them on in order to remain compliant, therefore she did. The pants had fit her a little snug around the hips but the shirt seemed to fit perfectly, giving her plenty of room but not too baggy to where it seemed like she was wearing the wrong size. It felt a bit more like being a patient in a hospital as opposed to being held captive, but nothing about the facility screamed hospital just yet, just the clothing. Next to where the folded scrubs were, a pair of white shoes that resembled Vans sat, also white. By that point, Natalie had become beyond creeped out at the fact that everything she had put on; from the shoes to the sports bra, had fit her. It gave the woman chills, but she pushed past them in order to not linger in those thoughts.

After folding her personal clothes and setting them where she had the scrubs, Natalie had quietly made her way towards her once locked door and pushed it open ever so gently. The soft hallway breeze rushed in, causing her hair to fall in her face. 'Are the rooms, air locked?' She peeked her head out first, taking her time to look both ways and understand what was going on, as well as her surroundings. White. Everything was white to the point that it was almost blinding. She could hear movement from another room, just next door to hers which caused her body to freeze. Her eyes stayed locked onto the door until it opened and two men in dark grey scrubs walked out, holding nothing but a bunch of linen in their arms. They were cleaning rooms, which seemed strange. If they were in some kind of prison, surely they would have to clean their own rooms, right?

"Wrong. Not really cleaning it for us, but cleaning it out for the newcomers."

Natalie nearly shrieked as she heard a voice to the other side of her. She felt that she had jumped so high up that she had nearly touched the ceiling, which caused the young man to laugh a bit. "Wow, you actually made me laugh. That's a first in, well, I really don't know how long it's been."

"Um, s-sorry. Wait, no, I'm not sorry. You scared the hell out of me!" She had noticed that the young man was wearing the same color scrubs as she was, which made her jump to the conclusion that he was the same as her. "How- I never said anything out loud. How did you know how to answer me?" the young man smirked a bit as he leaned on the wall, crossing his arms over his chest, but leaving one hand out to tap on his head. 'I read minds, unfortunately.' The same voice filled not only her ears, but her head, causing Natalie to go even more pale than she already seemed. Not once had the young man's mouth moved when she heard the voice inside of her head, which caused her to convulse and slightly gag. "Oh my god... Do not ever do that again." "No worries, Nat. Anyways, I'm going to get food, do you want to me to show you around? I think you're the first of the new batches they bring in." Natalie took a step back into her room as the young man propped himself off of the wall, she was unsure if she could truly trust him, much less after the stunt that he pulled. He could see that she was clearly in shock, trying to digest every bit of information that she was given but clearly it was at her own pace. "Come on. If you feel uncomfortable at any moment, you can run back to your room and I'll leave you alone. I just, I feel good hearing what you've got to say in your mind. It reminds me that we're still human and alive."

Natalie had taken her few seconds, but she reluctantly accepted the offer to be shown around. For every step they took, Natalie had a question to ask. Fortunately, Mark had an answer for her. Once they had arrived at what seemed like a cafeteria, of a smaller proportion, Natalie stood by the doorway and looked at Mark. "So where's everyone else? You can't tell me that you're the only one around with, mmmm, abilities. You told me that they arrive in batches." A look on Mark's face told Natalie more than she needed to know. He looked as if he was in pain, grieving, and tired all together. She wanted to interject and tell him that he didn't have to answer if he didn't want to, but he put his hand up to stop her. "the majority of people that were here are gone. I don't know where to though. Rumor had it if you did what they said, they'd place you in this sort of Witness Protection-like set up where you could go on and live your life but it would have to be under another alias. Some though, didn't make it to that. Some didn't make it at all. Last night several were taken, including myself. Only two returned including myself, and she's in her room right now in more pain than I can handle. That's kind of why I wanted to you to come along, so I could hear what you thought rather than what she thought."

Natalie's face paled once more, hearing about what was happening to those that came here. A million more questions formed, but the look on Mark's face made her hold her tongue. "I'm sorry Mark. Come on, I'm pretty hungry too. If you want, I can catch you up with current times?" Mark's face had brightened up a bit after hearing Natalie's offer. They both made their way inside and sat down to eat a pre prepped meal that was saran-wrapped on a plate.





With a gasp, Natalie had snapped back into present day. She was sitting in the exact same spot in the cafeteria, only this time it was without Mark. The girl he had briefly mentioned when she arrived had passed away in her room. Natalie could still hear the ever so soft echoes of her cries. She had seen the room only once, when the grey scrub men had opened the door at the same time Natalie was leaving her own room. Her eyes had instantly locked on what she could see, a blue nearly purple bruised arm bent in the most unnatural way. She had quickly closed her own door in hopes that the men hadn't seen her, a soon after ran to find Mark. He had already known though, saying that he couldn't hear her thoughts anymore. He said that the rooms were airtight and sound proof, for the ears only though. He remained for one more day after that, then the next day didn't show up to their spot in the cafeteria. A couple more days passed without Mark, although Nat followed the tradition that they had so quickly created. That was until that same morning. It was then that she felt there was something different in the air, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. Still as she sat, she simply stared at her chicken noodle soup but only poked at it as she played with her hair with her other hand, trying to figure out why the facility felt so different.
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Matthias Llywelyn - Unknown

@wolverbells




"Thank you for co-operating Mr Luwellin, it has been noted. You will find clothes in the bathroom under the sink and a set of rules to follow inside the envelope on the counter."

Whatever intercom had been used to send the brief message shut off, or they stopped listening, for no one answered Matthias' questions about where, why and what. Somewhat dejected by what his 'cooperation' had rewarded him with, he trudged to the bathroom and found the plain white scrubs under the basin and changed into them with reluctance. "It's Llywelyn, by the way. Bloody Yanks." He muttered to himself as he changed. Something told him that in this clinical, monochrome room of his that the old clothing he had been wearing would soon disappear leaving him with the characterless clothing he had been assigned. Anything of value or use had been removed from his pockets as it was, even the book that had been in his coat, leaving him with nothing of worth.

Tossing the old clothes on the bed he flicked the envelope open, removing the rules and scanned down them. They were fairly authoritarian and boiled down to 'behave and you will be rewarded' and 'more rules to follow'. A click announced that, now that he had followed the instruction given to him, he had been 'rewarded' with the freedom to leave his boxlike room. Before he did so, though, he could not help but fold the clothes he had discarded on the bed carelessly. A rebellious part of him wanted to just leave them strewn everywhere, seeing as whoever had incarcerated him would be taking them away anyway, but the heavily ingrained neat freak trait overrode this quickly and left the room more or less as he had woken to.

The facility corridors had about as much character as his room, gleaming white everywhere in an unholy state of cleanliness. Silence ruled besides the very low hum of an air conditioning unit somewhere, life apparently absent from the facility besides his own presence. For some reason he felt the need to move slowly, carefully, as if expecting traps to be sprung on him at any point although all logic told him that was foolish to expect.

Without anything to distract him, his mind inevitably turned to the thoughts he had been aggressively trying to ignore; Rhiannon and his parents. Surely there would be some message sent to them, about this whole affair? What even was all this, in the first place, he wondered. While a potentially more dangerous subject it seemed less painful to think about than the effect his disappearance might have on his close ones so he applied his mind to it fervently.

He had no real wealth, no useful or dangerous information and he was a history student so anything regarding his academic or wealth status was out. A brief memory of that morning, the one he had been abducted on, if it were even a different day for who could tell time in such a place, sprung forward and he recalled the newsreader waking him up with stories about the latest conspiracy theory. People disappearing, supposed hoax videos about empowered individuals, links to the gene testing. Pieces began to fit into place, one strange and disturbing jigsaw manifesting itself albeit with glaring holes in its composition and of a heavily blurred image to boot.

So successfully had he distracted himself that Matthias had not even noticed his surroundings changing as he entered a wider, open area filled with tables that looked like they would belong in a school. Or a prison. Strange, his wandering mind thought, how there were so many similarities between institutions for education and for the imprisonment of criminals, albeit to varying degrees of extremity. Of greater interest to him, though, was the presence of the first person he had seen in the facility beside his own image in the small mirror of his shower room.

"So I'm not alone here. Are you... staff?" He asked, approaching somewhat hesitantly. The woman looked too... imprisoned to be a worker. Her scrubs were like his and she had an air of defeat hanging over her; presumably at her confinement here. Matthias supposed he had the same aura around himself. "I guess not, sorry. I'm Matthias. Do you, per chance, happen to know what on earth is going on here?"
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