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Inferi

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"Move, dammit! Get out before the door closes! They'll be up here any second!"

The panicked shouts of the commanding officer rang through the metal hallway as the last of the five-man squad sprinted through the already-closing blast doors. Several feet thick and designed to be impenetrable by anything, the closing procedure for the doors was slow as a result. They had never been designed to be used in haste, a design oversight that the officer planned to bring up when this mess was resolved.

The soldiers took position on their side, aiming their weaponry through the receding gap and waiting. For several agonizing moments, nothing happened. The corridor on the far side remained empty, and although none of the men lowered their weapons it was clear they were starting to hope it would close without incident.

The closing of the door had reached nearly seventy percent when they arrived. One individual came into view, skidding across the floor as they came around the corner. She was fairly young, around seventeen years old, with short black hair and a face that might be pretty if it had not been marred by several scars. She wore a black jumpsuit with the number 12 stitched onto the back, like one would see on any athlete during the course of a game.

Her gold eyes blazed with anger, and as she came around the corner several arcs of electricity burst off her body and shot down the corridor, winding their way across the walls and through the gap in the door. Only one soldier managed to open fire before the electricity caught the majority of the squad, sending them recoiling as it tried to wind its way up their legs and onto their bodies. Even though every one had insulation in their armor to prepare for something like this, the magnitude of the electricity still managed to get partially through it. Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

25-Aug-2015 07:05:17 - Last edited on 27-Aug-2015 18:22:29 by Inferi

Inferi

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The initial burst of bullets missed, slamming into the wall behind the young woman as three of the soldiers lost their aim, momentarily disabled by the electric shock. The other two immediately opened fire, but missed, the shock throwing them off enough to prevent her from being injured.

Cursing, the remaining two realigned their shots as the young woman began running towards the door. As she ran, her body began crackling with electricity, and it was clear that another discharge was imminent. The door was almost closed now, but it wasn't enough to prevent her from making another attack if nobody could stop it.

The initial shock wearing off, the two soldiers focused in on the target, her direct path towards the door making her an easy target to hit. Both of their fingers tightened on the triggers as the deadly burst left the muzzles of the firearms, speeding through the gap in the door and directly for her. There was no way she could dodge it, and it didn't look as though she intended to. Once again, the electricity left her body, arcing towards the floor and walls even as the bullets tore through the air towards her chest.

It was then that someone else came around the corner, however, and changed the outcome of the encounter from one of certain death for all involved. A semi-transparent barrier came up between the young woman and the door, stopping the bullets but not the electricity. The bullets made small ripples as they impacted the barrier, as did the young woman's hand when she was forced to come to a halt in front of it.

The electricity, on the other hand, snaked its way though the door and once again caught the soldiers, sending all but the officer into convulsions as it overcame the little resistance that was still remaining. The officer dropped to a knee, and, through eyes that could barely see straight, watched the barrier disappear and the young woman begin to run again. Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

25-Aug-2015 07:06:21

Inferi

Posts: 35,939 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

There was nothing more she could do, though, for the door was now finally closing. The last thing that could be heard through it was a primal scream of fury as the blast doors shut, locking everyone on the far side in.

-----

The fists banging on the door could not be heard, and Julia didn't expect them to be. All that she cared about was that she was here and there were still captors alive on the other side. Her rage could be seen in the form of the electrical arcs that were shooting off her and circulating around the hallway by the door, and the furious scream that had echoed from her lips moments before could still be heard echoing through the hallway.

"

Why the hell did you stop me?!

" she growled, turning from the door to face the man who had put up the barrier. He was now standing halfway down the hallway, looking at her with worry in his dark blue eyes. As she spoke, he took a step back, hands going out in a defensive position.

He was older than her, but only by about three years. A shaved head illustrated the darkness of his skin, not quite brown but not far from it. He was well-built but not tall, and wore a similar jumpsuit to her. The only difference, besides the fact that it was made for a man rather than a woman, was the number. His had a 56, and looked quite a bit newer and in better shape than hers did.

"

You wouldn't have made it, and I'm not letting you get shot because you can't control your anger. We all need to be alive.

" he told her, taking another step back as she started advancing towards him. Julia was one of the strongest subjects, and one of the earliest ones that was still alive or active, but her anger was what made her so dangerous. It had been incredibly difficult for her to control even before the mutations, and it seemed that they had just enhanced it. Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

25-Aug-2015 07:06:25

Inferi

Posts: 35,939 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

She got most of the way to him before she spoke again. "

I don't care! We couldn't get out, so what difference does it make anyways?!

"

The man looked like he was about to answer when another voice came down the corridor. In stark contrast to Julia's, it held very little emotion and spoke quietly, yet something about it made it impossible to ignore or turn out. Even Julia stopped, although the electrical arcs continued to appear on her body.

"

It makes quite a large difference, Julia. We were never going to get out, and we all knew it. That wasn't the objective.

"

The man that came down the hallway was somewhat different than the two already there. Unlike them, he did not wear a black jumpsuit, at least not visibly. Instead, he wore a lab coat without a badge and a pair of immaculate khaki pants. Instead of the almost nonexistent black shoes they wore, he had on a pair of brown dress shoes. His skin was quite pale, and his brown hair looked as though it was taken care of professionally. He was much older than the other two, somewhere in his thirties, but was built incredibly fragile. Against these two, it looked as though one move from either would be enough to cause him serious injury.

The only thing that marked him as strange were his eyes, which were entirely white. If one looked close, they could see the slight markings that indicated he still had pupils, but from a distance his eyes looked solid white.

"

Maybe that's what you think, but some of us wanted to leave, Thirty-Seven!

" Julia shouted, the electricity intensifying for a moment. However, Thirty-Seven took that moment to stare directly at her, and suddenly every spark that had been crackling on her body vanished. It was clear she was not expecting it, either, as the look of shock on her face was as though she had just been punched in the gut. Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

25-Aug-2015 07:07:05

Inferi

Posts: 35,939 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"

What the...?

" she gasped as the man said sharply, "

Control yourself. You were there when we all agreed, and you know this isn't a failure.

"

Although she gave him an incredibly angry look, Julia said nothing further, and he looked away just slightly. The electricity returned for a moment, but then died down as she stormed past Thirty-Seven without saying anything else and disappeared down the hallway. He sighed and shook his head, walking past the other man and examining the blast doors for a moment before turning back around and saying, "

You didn't have to defend her, you know. She is a valuable ally, but she poses a great deal of danger as well.

"

"

She's a friend. Of course I'm going to protect her.

" the man replied, sounding somewhat shocked that the suggestion was even made. "

This wouldn't even be possible without her help, and she is one of us.

"

Thirty-Seven shook his head. "

You misunderstand. She is too impulsive, too prone to give into her anger. Injury may have helped her in keeping control, as knowing there is a consequence can be a very effective deterrent.

"

Raising a hand to stop the man from speaking, he continued, "

I know you think that would have been fatal if you hadn't intervened, Nathaniel, and if you did then it was the correct decision to make. We are going to need all of us when it is time to leave.

"

Pausing for a moment, Thirty-Seven put a hand to his ear, nodding as though he was listening to something. After a moment, he put the hand back down and said, "

All levels are secure, and every failsafe has triggered properly. As far as they know, we are trapped down here and are going to die in short order.

" Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

25-Aug-2015 07:07:53

Inferi

Posts: 35,939 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Almost abruptly, he turned and started to walk away, back down the corridor that he had come up from. Nathaniel paused, unsure of whether he should ask, before finally doing so just before Thirty-Seven rounded the corner.

"

What do we do now?

"

Thirty-Seven's response was only one word.

"

Wait.

"

-----

"This is unacceptable! You assured us that there was no danger and that the project was proceeding with great success!"

The man speaking was one of seven on the video call displayed on screens arrayed across the walls of a bare room. The only thing in it was a table with four chairs, three of which were occupied. Two of the seated individuals, both men, wore laboratory coats, while the last, a woman, wore an immaculate tailored suit. Of those in the room, the woman seemed extremely calm and composed, the man on the right of the table looked extremely nervous, and the man on the other side was lounging back as though he didn't care what was going on.

Agreement with the first speaker's words seemed to spread through the others on the call, and one by one they started demanding to know what was going on, why they should be supporting this, and what was going to become of the project. The man on the right looked back at the woman, but she simply smiled at him and made a gesture that indicated they were to wait. With an uneasy look, he looked away, returning to staring at the table as the demanding voices grew more louder and more insistent.

Finally, the woman stood up and cleared her throat. The effect was instantaneous; everyone in the call stopped talking immediately, leaving the room silent when she spoke. Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

25-Aug-2015 07:07:59

Inferi

Posts: 35,939 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"

Your concerns are groundless. The small rebellion has already been taken care of, and their actions will have little effect on the continuation of the project. The setback caused by this unfortunate turn of events will be negligible.

" she said, her tone cutting through the air in a way that said she was not going to be listening to any argument of this point.

"

As for the danger that you seem afraid this might cause,

" she continued, her voice stopping the beginning of an argument the first speaker was about to form, "

You can rest assured that none of you need to worry. The project will continue, and all funds that you have been invested shall be reimbursed tenfold. As always, you are free to withdraw your support, but we cannot return anything that you have currently invested should you do.

"

The grumbling caused by this statement was about as much as had been expected, as they all knew what was going to be said. The policy was very clear, and everyone in the call had known about it when they had put up money to fund the project. None of them particularly liked it, but they had trusted those in charge of the project enough to expect that they would find results, and despite the negative turn of events none of them offered to pull their support.

"

Excellent. Now, if you gentlemen have nothing further to say, I must ask you to hang up.

" she said, sitting back down and leaning back in her chair, arms crossed across her chest. The look on her face dared them to say something more, but none of them seemed willing to take the bait. One by one, they hung up, screens going dark, until it was only the first speaker left. He looked directly at the woman, told her, "I am rapidly losing faith in your ability to produce results, Director Neussen." and hung up as well before there was time to respond. Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

25-Aug-2015 07:08:23 - Last edited on 25-Aug-2015 22:16:37 by Inferi

Inferi

Posts: 35,939 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"

Idiots.

" she muttered, but had little time to say more because a single screen came unbidden to life. It showed little but static, although the voice that came from it was crystal clear.

"

Aniet.

" was all it said, but the tone indicated that the speaker was, without question, the one in charge.

"

Sir. Our staff was insufficient to eliminate them, losing fifteen of their own and only killing a single one. They were forced to fall back, but we have trapped the remaining subjects in the lower levels and activated the emergency protocols. All systems down below have registered as shut down, and it is confirmed that none were able to escape.

"

Unlike before, there was now clearly worry in the woman's voice. The investors didn't possess the ability to make her nervous, but the President did. She was in control of the project, but he was in control of her, and finding a replacement for such a failure was a possibility she was completely aware of.

However, there was nothing in the President's voice that indicated he wished to do such a thing. Instead, he asked, "

Which subjects?

"

The Director looked over to one of the men in lab coats, and he spoke up. His voice was quite a bit more nervous than hers, and he had every right to be. His name was Alexei Juradis, and he was the one in charge of keeping track of all the tracking and monitoring devices in the facility. Somehow, the rebellious subjects had managed to subvert his monitoring devices and stop their handlers from realizing what they were doing until it was far too late to stop it. They had come back online in time to alert the remaining soldiers to their presence, but like everything else in the lower levels they had gone offline when the emergency protocols were activated. Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

25-Aug-2015 07:08:49 - Last edited on 28-Aug-2015 20:22:07 by Inferi

Inferi

Posts: 35,939 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"

Subject Twenty-Six is confirmed dead. Subjects Twelve, Twenty, Thirty-Seven, Fifty-Four, and Fifty-Six are trapped down below.

" he said, which drew a sharp breath from the Director and a chuckle from the other man.

"

And what about this is funny, Talbot?

" the Director demanded, her previous calm entirely lost now, replaced by worry and irritation. The situation was, as far as they were aware, under control, but multiple of the subjects that had taken part had been “uniques”, subjects that had possessed and ability that had not shown up in anyone else. Their rebellion was both a loss to the project and a greater source of danger should they somehow manage to remain alive, as the unique abilities were almost always stronger as well.

It was Thirty-Seven in particular that was the cause of her reaction. A man that nobody would ever take as a threat, his calm and extremely rational - almost overly so - demeanor belied the extremely powerful psionic abilities that he possessed. It had been enough that they had been forced to outfit him with a special device to prevent him from worming his way into everyone else’s minds, and many of the doctors had been convinced that his abilities hadn’t even fully manifested.

Michael Talbot chuckled again before responding.

"

This isn't anything we shouldn't have seen. Twelve has always been unpredictable, and Fifty-Four and Fifty-Six have been following her around since they got here.

" he said, his tone making it sound as though he was talking about something lesser, something that wasn't human. Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

25-Aug-2015 07:09:02 - Last edited on 28-Aug-2015 20:21:22 by Inferi

Inferi

Posts: 35,939 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"

Twenty and Twenty-Six never really accepted that this was something they had to do, and as for Thirty-Seven...well, he is simply something that shouldn't have been created. I have to admit, though, I didn't expect him to be among the first attempted escape. He always struck me as smarter than that. Still, at least this takes care of him. I wouldn't relish the thought of him getting out.

"

Alexei drew in breath for a retort, a shocked expression on his face, and the Director did the same, but both were stopped by the President's voice.

"

Enough. Such discussion is pointless. Talbot, how much will this loss affect us?

"

"

Not at all. Any relevant data was already taken, and there are plenty of subjects to gather more from. You'll have to convince your new recruit to work with me, though. She refuses to push the limits of what the subjects can do, and I can't gather effective data without that.

"

"

Understood. Aniet, tell Doctor Vellian that she is to give Talbot full cooperation. Order her if you have to. Juradis, I want a monitoring device that cannot be fooled like the previous ones as soon as possible. This cannot happen again. The project will continue as planned, and I expect an update within a week.

"

The screen went dark, leaving the three project officials alone in the room. Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

25-Aug-2015 07:09:49 - Last edited on 28-Aug-2015 20:20:50 by Inferi

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