ZAUD ANNOUNCEMENT
Friendships were being formed, animosities were already budding and the inevitable birth of a very diverse community would come to be right before the omnipresent surveillance of the ZAUD research team. The first test was complete, one serving to test their basic human functions as well as their ability to fully integrate the personalities they had been assigned. So far, even the most unstable candidate had proven to be successful.
But unfortunately, it had to come to an end, for now.
A particular jingle would echo through the entire Lockdown, a loud one too, and lasted for a good ten seconds before a brief silence would occur. The attention of the test subjects was to be captured here, as a voice would start to roar through the entire area. A deep, male's voice, completely monotone, would eerily transmit the message they would eventually grow used to considering its contents.
"
Attention Test Subjects. Attentions Test Subjects. Your curfew has been activated. Please proceed to your chosen dormitories and commence resting. In five minutes, all subjects caught outside their dorms will be subdued."
The voice would then repeat itself as if it were just a recording. But the message was clear, they were to leave at once and take shelter in their respective dorms before the timer went out. If one were to feel a little bit rebellious, the collar's use would come in handy. While not exactly the lethal shock they advertised, it'd be enough to not only leave a nice burn mark but also completely knock them out cold. They'd have to grow used to this curfew, for they would abide to it every evening from this moment on.
As they would all inevitably sleep since their bodies were still somewhat worn from just being released from a stasis tube, the ZAUD initiative would find it adequate to douse them with a certain gas-like drug. The effects would be akin to sleeping gas, pushing them all to a deep sleep even if they were already sleeping. The reason behind it would only be for security, nothing more. Perhaps the first test to assert their exact personalities wouldn't have been trustworthy enough for them to rely on the obedience of the subjects on the first day of training, as such they proceeded to drug them to afterward dump them into their respective training grounds.
As such, they would all wake up, though some in different places than others. Actually, only three distinct areas would be considered in this scenario, in which randomly selected groups were placed in. They had formed 'teams' of three, with Hercules included in the mix, for this exercise.
Randomly selected? Not quite. The combinations were, but the speicic terrains weren't. Here, this first combat zone, was specifically selected for one of the three subjects. Namely, Boomi. The plethora of fauna found in this simulated jungle could only serve as the perfect playground to test the trans' abilities.
Along with her would be the other two females, Reina and Parkinson, all of which would be lying on the only metallic surface of the training grounds, the small island of real that had not been morphed into the illusion of a jungle. Everything was tangible, of course, and the climate was there too. The animals were real, as well, and behaved as if they were in a real forest.
A more urban battleground, but just as lethal nonetheless. While the wrath of nature plagued the first, the fragile and uncertain remains of a dead city built thanks to humanity's endeavors would prove to be a lot more unpredictable. Fauna and flora were scarce, the occasional stray creature and the rodent pests littering the crevices of the area give a semblance of livelihood.
It was quite dark, with only a few fires here and there on destroyed cars or barrels. No one would emerge however, and screams would only echo for kilometers only to end up to deaf's ears. The air was somewhat cold, with a slight breeze that only reeked of emptiness and death blew through the crowd. Ghost, Phi and Hal would be set in what seemed to be a plaza, or what was left of it. Multiple destroyed buildings would surround the lads, and vestiges of whats seemed to be a food market would be scattered all around them. Like the others, they would be laying on an island of metal, completely distinct from the rest of the world.
The final area, an open desert with a few hills and ruins of particularly ancient monuments. Unlike the other two zones, they were practically surrounded by open grounds, exposed to the possible threats that could emerge. But they also had easy access to a nearby tall hill in which one's specific talents could come to use.
It would be particularly hot and dry, in a time of the day where the siesta would be more than just warranted. The sun would be merciless, and the heated sand would burn even through their footwear. Yes, it was that hot. One had to fight with tropical hazards and humidity, another had to deal with darkness and an uncertain terrain. This one would simply be a completely draining open space. Frei, Nexus and Hercules would be given this field.
No instructions were given as of yet, and they would all seem to wake up at around the same time, left to figure out what was going on. Of course, none of these 'worlds' were connected, indicating they were in different training simulations. They would also feel something different in them. Their collars remain, but their powers are, as of now, completely accessible. All they could do now is wait, wait and pull their shit together for what's about to come.
"Parkinson" - Subject 332
Finally, rested on a bed, all alone without all these head on the wall externalities plaguing her very existence. While she'd surely exaggerated her pessimism, she did suffer from the endless amount of information she'd receive all at once, especially coming from tones that would naturally irritate the average individual. How Peaceful Parkinson was once her head collided with the cushion while she instinctively reached out for the light switch. She had no idea what it was she was doing, but the effect it yielded made her feel like she had intended for it to happen from the start. Simple common sense.
Though even with her door sealed, she could still hear their voices echoing through Lockdown. They ... Weren't as irritating when from afar. They were actually quite delightful to hear, to understand certain portions of what they were saying without having every thought add an extra load to her boiling skull. She was relaxed, and her being was comfortable to the point where the pain mostly subsided. A small smile would form upon her lips. She took so much joy from simply laying down and attempting to sleep. To savor such a mundane thing would be something she would one day crave. It was clear the pain wasn't truly gone, what changed was simply her senses being calmed and her mindset completely changing.
When the announcer would talk, she'd simply grab her cushion and sandwich it on her head. He was loud, and prevented her from falling into the sleep she now coveted. At this point her long, blonde locks would would end up veiling her entire face and end up in her mouth, causing a few spits and pouts before she would return to her normal resting position. As much as she wanted to avoid it, though, she had heard the announcer's message and understood that they had curfew to follow.
Rules, those were interesting now. Ideas of taboos already popped in her mind. Murder, rape, torture, theft. The extremes. These concepts were there, and made her feel particularly uncomfortable. Rules made her think of that, laws that prevented people from doing such things. But staying awake outside of their dorm would be against a rule? How bad could that really be? Such an idea would just scare her more, as she seemed only able to compare the need for such arbitrary rules to the most obvious and shocking, even if she had never seen any of them. The fear of consequences would be a virtue quickly imposed upon her being.
Though despite the anxiety, the effects of the chronic pain and her overall exhausted being allowed her to slumber. Her dreams were empty of worry, though they were also empty of much content. She could only remember abstract fragments when she'd wake up on the cold, steel floor she'd be set upon. Something about walking on the back of that weird looking boy while trying to hop on one of the upper floors of Lockdown - that was the logic she remembered from her previous dream. Nonsensical, but quite thought provoking.
Nonetheless, the dream would have little relevance compared to what she was seeing now. Her golden eyes glittered in awe as she discovered the jungle for the first time in her life. A sight bloated with colors, with odors, with sensations just oozing from the air itself. Both good and bad. Many normal people would never even get the chance to experience this, so one could only imagine who amazed someone who was born only yesterday would feel about it all.
"
T-this is ... A jungle?"
She didn't even acknowledge her two compatriots in the same predicament as her, her surroundings has simply mesmerized her to the point of hypnosis. Fireflies, little critters roaming the area while avoiding the metal spot. They were all new to Parkinson. The foreign feelings, they were so strong that they would make her forget the sudden absence of head pain.
Something else did catch her attention, however, something much stronger than the show she was presented. Sliding her left hand on her collar, she felt as though it had lost a large amount of relevance, as if it was just there for decoration purposes. But the stranger feeling would actually not come from there, but rather the medium she employed to acknowledge the tool. Her eyes widened as she noticed the anomaly on her member.
An oozing, black smoke would seem to envelop her whole hand, much like an aura. She felt afraid of it, not just because it was completely abnormal, but because she could envision such awful extremes as she did before he sleep the previous day. Parkinson could clearly see the monstrous effects of her 'power' without even knowing what it truly was.
"
Ah ... No, No! This is weird ... Get it off!"
The blonde would seem to have trouble keeping her balance at this point. Right hand clamping her left wrist out of irrational fear for her left hand. She was clearly distressed, though not because of annoying migraines, but because of the foulness exerted by her currently uncontrolled power. Parkinson needed to calm down, her heart rate was going through the roof, and her power would never be held at bay with such so much stress consuming her.
