GROTESQUE
A Conspiracy of Identity
Two strangers have a thing in common... a similarity that will spell out their fates.

Various scientific centers around Russia have worked on confidential experiments for the last century and a half. In the late 1800s, there came a breakthrough in their studies. They found a substance that was able to manipulate the animal mind out of order, erasing all intelligence or self-control. After nearly a decade of further testing on multiple subjects, they were able to discover the formula potent enough to manipulate the human mind as well. Not only did this happen, but the chemicals were able to stimulate the senses and the natural cell growth. These test subjects turned out to be super beings, immune to any illness and fast healers. These scientists turned their studies over to local terrorists for a great deal of money. The terrorists then released the legion upon their enemies, such as parts of Europe and the United States.
The scientists did not realize that the virus that was given to the test subjects was communicable.
The only ways to pass on the infection was to have an organism's bloodstream exposed to the internal fluids of the virus, such as through getting the infectious blood into a wound or through sexual contact. Upon the attack of the assailants, the outbreak spread wasn't too dramatic, but the casualties were enough to be worrisome. To prevent a full fledged pandemic from occurring, the governments of the assaulted countries agreed to silence the existence of the outbreak.
For years, this virus has been kept secret, although it has been running in the bloodstreams of many. A good fraction of the world's population have the virus inside of them. If there are to be descendants of infected ones, they will have abnormal skills but will be able to maintain human thinking. The ones who do have the infection in them intend to keep it a secret as well, for fear of being annihilated by the government.

Natasha Blake and Tony Evans are one of the millions with this terrorist plague in them. The one thing that differs them from the others is that they have no skills or abilities above a normal, healthy teenager. Having no way of defending themselves and having the disease in their veins makes them wanted. Cults and clans around the world have wanted something like that. Their hopes are for the infected to contain sense in them, so they could be even more deadly with control over themselves. The offspring of these two will be the start of a whole new plague, even stronger and faster than the ones that already are diseased... and even more intelligent. The offspring of those two will be even more skilled, and so on.
Once these two are known for their abnormalities, they have been tracked down by a powerful and prolific cult, disguising themselves as protectors that have the will to defend them of their own devious plans.

Rules
1. No godmodding at all. In battles, if I say that I hit you, I hit you and vice versa.
2. Multiple characters are allowed and encouraged to keep the story going. If you have a character that is important enough that he/she will affect the storyline, then you'll have to post the profile. Side characters need no profile.
3. Don't do one-liners. Have at least a small paragraph. If you have nothing to write, describe the surroundings. That's my technique.
4. I would like this roleplay to be literate, or at least semi-literate. Chat-speak is not allowed in the roleplay, meaning "if u talk lyk ths u r not alowd!"
5. I encourage gore, but make it realistic. Blood doesn't spurt out of the neck twenty feet away.
6. Ask my permission if you wish to engage in sexual acts. Otherwise, not allowed.

Profiles

Name: Tony Evans

Age: 17

Personality: Tony is a regular teenage boy, out for himself and lazy. He doesn't care much about other people or things as long as they can be a beneficiary to himself. Rules are meant to be broken in his rebellious mind, as he does often as the troublemaker he is. He hates to be looked down upon, although he is quite frequently since he is an underachiever, constantly slacking on any projects or schoolwork. To anyone who happens to aggravate him will suffer from his dirty mouth and lust for violence. Tony may act as if he is a VIP, but only makes friends with people who are to make it seem that way. He is actually quite envious toward other people for being so much better than him, but holds grudges against them instead of raising himself up to their standards.

History/Bio: Tony's grandparents were the ones who had the infection, and it was passed down to his parents and then to him. He never knew anything about the plague that runs through his veins, as he doesn't know much about anything. He is part of the school's football team, but no star player. He only joined it to make something for himself and his parents to brag about (since there was little). He is constantly harassed by his parents to live up to their expectations of an obedient and intelligent young man, though he has failed to live up to any of them.

He has many popular friends, but only to increase the status of his reputation that exempted his grades and participation in any groups. He's dated several popular girls, but any relationships soon ended because of the lack of affection and interest in them that Tony had. To make himself seem 'cool', he took in smoking and drinking, and occasionally drugs to impress his friends. Although he has the ability to make himself known, he never has the will to do anything with his life. He's never wowed anyone with talent or skill, but just goes with the flow of life, without any passion or ambition whatsoever. His only skills are playing video games and being glued to the computer or television.

Appearance: Tony has a height of just below six feet with a roguish handsomeness, along with his tannish skin. His hair resembles a shaggy and unkempt burnt auburn that nearly covers his eyes. His eyes are a dark brown, almost black, with thick eyebrows hanging above them. He is quite lean, but nothing really masculine. His handsomeness is diminished by frequent outbreaks of acne and pimples. His clothes are the usual punk style, and he often puts on drug/alcohol references on his shirts to piss off authority, like his parents and the school.

Other: As a person who takes life for granted, Tony always carries around a pack of cigarettes. He also acts charming in ridiculous ways to attract girls, who are usually only attracted by his rebellion and appearance.


Name: Susan Heineman

Age: 37

Personality: Susan is quite stern with order and compromise to her associates, but puts on a convincing act of kindliness toward people who do not know her or to whom she wishes to persuade. She often snaps at people who won't follow her demands, as she is short tempered. She is a very focused person and doesn't get distracted easily when in a project. When she starts a project or study, she intends on finishing it no matter how long it takes, which makes her a great addition to the scientists of the group that's after Natasha and Tony. Although she is well organized, Susan gets uneasy and very stressed if things go a tinge out of plans. Stress stimulates her temper, and she often takes it out on other scientists or terrorists, but manages to stay calm when it is needed.

History/Bio: This woman has been dedicated to science from her birth to her present life She is the daughter of two virologists, as their talent was passed onto her. She had lower grades in any other class, but exceeded dramatically in the class of chemistry, physical science, biology, etc. This gave her honors and scholarships that attracted a college that contains of intense studies on virology and microbiology. Following in her parents' footsteps, she attended the college for seven years and walked away with a doctorate degree.

While in her school years, Susan developed a strong judgment of right and wrong. Although she was a brilliant woman, she despised the world and what is has become. Every day, she was exposed to incessant crimes inspired by greed, hate, and envy by wicked people. She wished to rid the world of its corruption. This ambition drove her to be part of the clans that have the virus's power in their hands. Susan's dream is to unleash these super beings to prey against rapists, murderers, thieves, and terrorists. While chasing this dream, she became the very thing she sought to destroy.

Appearance: Susan isn't very attractive, being thin and gangly as she is. She has perpetual stains under her pale green eyes that are covered with thick-rimmed glasses. Her shoulder-length hair is a sandy brown that's always pulled back in a pony-tail. She is always modest, never exposing any irrelevant skin. She seems to always have her lab coat on, with the clothing under it being covering as the coat.

Other: Susan has never had any serious relationships with anyone, in romantic or friendship way. Her love is for her work and only her work. Any relationships would always get in the way of her studies, so she no longer pursues them and declines any that pursue her.

Name: Natasha Blake

Age: 19

Personality: Shy and reserved until angered or spooked, Natasha is every inch the 'dutiful daughter' of the nuclear family stereotype. Underlying her placid exterior, however, is a very sturdy foundation. A big believer in the principle of hard work, Natasha can knuckle down and get things done simply by fortitude and perseverance. She is not perfectly patient, and tends to get caustically short and sarcastic when frustrated--she was one of the 'popular' girls, after all. But she has learned how to rely on herself, and how to appreciate others for their abilities regardless of their exterior.

History/Bio: Natasha was taken in by a foster family when she was found in the woods near the Blake family's suburban home. She had a normal childhood apart from the occasional visit by social services to check up on her. Neither she nor at first her family realised that these visits were actually orchestrated by the government to keep an eye on her development. It had been an accident that she was even born, but now that she had been inadvertently placed in a family environment, it would be an interesting way to study her.

It was when Natasha was sixteen that things started to get strange. Her foster father was laid off from his job, and in his new-found spare time he began to investigate the teachings of a local cult. Believing it would be the salvation of his family, he brought his wife and daughter along to meetings. It wasn't long before Natasha was recognised for what she was, and soon she was caught up in the coven's plans for using her. Saying goodbye to her family and the only life she had ever known, she decided to try her luck striking out on her own, away from the coven's oppressive presence and the government's meddlesome spying.

Appearance: Standing at five foot four, Natasha is not particularly impressive in any sense. Her hair is ashen blonde, and her eyes are a muddy hazel. If nothing else, it means she can fade seamlessly into a crowd without standing out, but nor is she marked out as particularly attractive or memorable. She is slender and toned, built for speed and fluidity rather than strength or power, though appearances are deceiving given her basic nature.

Other: Natasha was on the cross country team and occasionally the swim team while she was in school, and also took karate for a few years. While she is by no means the best at any of these skills, she at least has a foundation in them.

((I declare the opening of this roleplay))

Time: Late evening
Day: Friday
Month: Early spring
Location: International Facility of Virology (IFV)

Heaving in a breath, Tony set his head upon the cool stone of the table his wrists were shackled to. He exhaled as his cheek pressed up against the surface of the table, a streak of condensation spreading out around his mouth. He wasn't sure how long he had been in there, but he knew that more than ten minutes had passed; his agitation was on the edge at that point. As his fingers fiddled across the stone surface of the table, his mind rummaged through the possible causatives that could've put him into this situation. Perhaps the police had discovered the illegal drugs hidden in his locker door... or he was being sued for the vandalization of an enemy's residence. Maybe somehow a glance of his face had been displayed on the record of security camera tapes at the convenience store he and his friends had looted. There were endless amounts of possibilities for the endless amounts of wrongdoing he had committed. But one thing he refused to believe was the motive that his captors had given him. Tony reminisced everything that those people claimed was their reason for keeping him in that cubicle... and how goddamn crazy it sounded.

A pandemonium of shouts beneath his room had broken him away from slumber that morning. It was not unusual awaking alarm; his parents quarreled incessantly about anything they could fathom in the day's hours. A good fraction of the heated debates were focused their rebellious son. Tony had sighed, which had slowly turned into a groan of irritation as he rose himself out of his untidy mattress. After preparing for the day (which was only putting on his lip rings and nose stud), he had stumbled downstairs and sauntered into the kitchen. Ignoring the fierce argument that was erupting in the living room, he had opened the refrigerator and scanned through his scarce options for a breakfast. He had only taken a swig from the milk carton, seeing as nothing appetized him.
"Tony!" his mother had shrilled. He had slammed the carton down on the counter and stormed into the living room.
"What?" he had moaned, his eyes glowering up at the ceiling as he prepared himself for the daily session of reprimands. Shifting his eyes to glare at his mother, he saw, out of the corner of his eye, a few strangers who were seated on the couch. They had risen to their feet in unison at his appearance. He had frowned at the two rather burly men who stared at him, their faces vacant of any emotion. Tony's eyes had trailed over to the woman who was beside them. He had almost grimaced at the sight of her. She was tall and an anorexic thin, with dark bags under her light eyes that were obscured by glasses much too large for her face. Her hair looked like it had been deprived of shampoo for a month. Tony imagined himself brushing his hand over her hair and finding it stuck in a tangle of oily frizz. Her gaunt face had been lightened up by a small smile on her lips.
"Greetings, Mr. Tony Evans," she had said pleasantly, indicating her hand toward Tony. He had ignored her handshake gesture and muttered, "Who the hell are you people?" Her thin lips had widen even more as she had replied, "I am Susan Heineman, Mr. Evans. Would you mind sitting down? I have a few things to discuss with you."

Tony broke away from the memory and recalled the crazy lady going on about disease shit and bloodlines. He had concluded that it was just a tactic to get him in cuffs, nevertheless it had convinced his parents. They were glad to be rid of him, he found in their eagerness to hand their son over. He was just a burden to their pleasant and perfect lives. Tony didn't care. He never received compassion from them nor did he express care for them. All he wanted right now was to get out of this godforsaken hell hole and go smoke a joint.

Natasha was waiting patiently in a room with a cold metal table and a blazingly bright light glaring down at her. They'd brought her a cup of coffee, but she wasn't particularly enthusiastic about drinking it. She'd been on the run from home for a few weeks now, and technically she was an adult and could do that. But she -had- just picked up and left with no information left. She could imagine that her parents would get the police involved, and they'd nabbed her as she'd stood in the train station. She'd been tired and hungry, and the promise of a hot meal had done a lot to sway her opinion. But...she'd done nothing wrong, so she figured after a short interview she'd be released.

She sighed softly, hoping they would hurry up and arrive. Thankfully they'd gotten her before she'd bought her tickets, or else she would have been very upset at having wasted the money on a train that had already left. But what exactly could they want to talk to her about? Surely she wasn't all that interesting. A young lady on her way to bigger and better things than staying at home with her brainwashed father no doubt. The question was whether or not the cult was big enough to get their fingers into the police. If it was...

It didn't really occur to her that it might have been something -other- than the police that had picked her up, though. For as harsh as she could be at times, Natasha did still believe in the goodness of the world, didn't think there were secret organisations out there based on harming people or manipulating things for the government. No, she hadn't gone very far down the rabbit hole yet, and figured that after a cup of coffee and a bit of pizza she'd be along on her merry way.

While leaving the girl in the cubicle for the half-hour of examination, Susan Heineman scrutinized her from a hidden monitoring camera. It had been placed on the very bottom of the coffee cup, to ensure a close up on the girl. There were two variants of the typical monitoring camera in the little black bead: a revolutionary heat scanner and an ultraviolet scanner. The heat scanner could make out the girl's body temperature by various colors. On the surface of the skin was a light grey that altered to blue, next a lime green, then a deep vermilion with smudges of orange placed in haphazard settings. It was the usual human heating. What sealed away any doubts was the view of the ultraviolet scanner. It was the usual dark navy in most of the body, but with numerous spots of neon green. That was the sign of the virus.
In a normal infected body, the neon green was seeping throughout the veins of the organism. Having it in her body proved that she had the disease in her, but the fact that she hadn’t struggled with abnormal human strength proved their suspicions correct.
It was just what they were looking for.
“It is inevitable, Heineman,” stated a fellow scientist also examining the shots of Natasha Blake. “She’s just like the other one.” The edges of Susan’s thin lips rose a bit.
“We have a pair,” she cooed, her eyes shifting from Natasha to Tony back and forth.

“Greetings, Ms. Blake,” said Susan, stepping into the girl’s cubicle. She had just gotten done debriefing with the boy, who had completely blew off any attempt at even considering the idea of having something like that in his body. Even from the evidence in the records of her laptop, the only thing that he was convinced is that he was in some sort of trouble. To her chagrin, he was nothing but an oblivious adolescent. He had acted like he was a criminal being interviewed by a detective, always scoffing and saying in a sardonic tone, “I’m not speaking to anyone until I get a lawyer.” Convincing him was an unavoidable failure. She hoped that she would have more luck with this girl.
Susan seated herself in the chair across from her and, with a sigh, placed the computer atop the table and folding her hands on it. “As stated by your parents,” she said, staring at the girl in the eye, “you have been away from home for quite a while now. I heard you were upset with a local coven that your family got involved in. After debriefing with them, they seem to be convinced that there is a… distinction that separates you from other people. Would you like to elaborate on that, if you know anything?”

She looked up when someone stepped in, frowning quietly as she took stock of the woman. She wasn't quite sure what she was expecting, but this wasn't quite it. She nodded politely, though, not up for a confrontation with the woman if she didn't need one. She smiled for her, but it was a tight lipped smile of politeness rather than genuine good will. "Good afternoon, ma'am. Or is it evening? I can't tell how long I've been here."

She kept her voice tightly controlled, feeling a bit like she was back in high school to be playing the game of double-speaking and double meanings. She was being polite, or at least her word choices were. But she was also highly annoyed at having to sit by herself with nothing to do, and she wouldn't mind a chance to hammer that point home.

"A distinction? You mean aside from being the chosen child, lion amongst lambs and wolf in the flock of sheep, she who is born with the Spark of Atom's Glow given in the wake of Chernobyl? No, no distinction at all. Unless you count not getting brainwashed by their bullshit." She shrugged idly, mocking the coven rather than the woman that had come to speak with her. She did -not- like what her family had gotten involved with, and she'd taken off when she'd had a chance. She'd put up with it for three years, and taken off about three weeks before Susan had caught up with her. She had no idea what was actually going on with her being interviewed.

Susan listened well to what the young woman spoke of. She was quite perplexed at her unusual politeness, as if she were oblivious to the fact that she had been apprehended on accounts of the virus inside of her. Apparently, the sacrilegious clan that her family had been initiated into were not aware of her actual distinctions, or shifting it into another focus. The girl was polite, just like her parents. The couple seemed courteous in a similar way, but with a stiffness of a strict, orderly mind. Their behavior was a lot like Susan's, but her reason was set on logic and science. The parents spoke of their religion very profoundly, even though all of it was complete nonsense. She recognized the supposed uniqueness that the girl's parents had spoken of, and how cynical she was toward it. Susan was actually quite glad that she had not fallen into the absurd content of the coven her parents were so dependent on.
Susan gave the girl another Mona Lisa smile and said, "I see that you aren't quite happy with the choices that your parents have made with their affiliation with this coven." She took her hands from atop the laptop and opened it. After opening the top, Susan displayed the footage from the monitoring camera that revealed the neon green in the girl's bloodstream. She turned the laptop around to face Natasha. With a tight smile plastered on her face, Susan said, "I would like for you to know that this is an ultraviolet image of yourself that's being viewed right now from that cup of coffee." Susan held her hands up in defense. "Don't worry, it doesn't contaminate the beverage. We just needed a close view of your body. This the ultraviolet view of a normal human being." She switched the view to another program that revealed a shadow in the shape of a human, which had no green in it. Susan switched the view back to Natasha, the shadow on the screen moved as she did. "Do you know what those green spots on you are?" Without waiting for Natasha to reply, she went on into the whole story about the virus.
"This is actually not as strange as you think. These colors in your bloodstream are actually quite common, although many people without it are oblivious to that fact. I would like you to know that this is not based on the coven's ideas of your specialty. This is actual black and white science. This thing you have inside of you is actually a human-created virus. Now this disease is not fatal, nor will it become harmful in anyway, unless made by someone who is after you." Susan exhaled once and went on, "This disease has been around for over a century now, but has been kept secret by the government. It was actually created by scientists who gave the formula to terrorists. They set the infected ones upon the world, who created chaos over the world. This plague doesn't impair an organism's physical state, but it actually stimulates the power and dexterity it already has. On the loose end, the virus tapers the intelligence of the subject.
"It has been around long enough for it to be passed around in numerous generations, but the offspring have acquired the abilities of the infected, yet have maintained human contemplation. There are many of these people in the world, and you happen to be one of them, Ms. Blake. But do not be alarmed, I think you've already realized that you have no abilities above a normal human. This is what differs you from the other people. I know that you've been told this before, but this can actually be proven by the footage of your infected bloodstream to your lack of abnormalities. In the other room is another one of your rare kind, a young man. He also has enhabited the infection from his ancestors, and has no powers whatsoever. I wanted to confide in you with this because the two of you have something that other people want.
"There are many groups around the world who have access to the diseased and use them for their own personal goals. The only thing that keeps the groups from apprehending all of the diseased is their power to defend themselves. The fact that both you and the young man have the virus and have no power or defense makes you vulnerable against those people. With the two of you in their hands, they have the power to produce offspring with significantly more power than usual and containing intelligence. That is why we are here. That is why you are here." Susan's lids covered her pale green eyes for a moment, then revealed them once again. "This organization is against the manufacture of this disease and we are very lucky to have found you before anyone else has. We intend to protect you from those other organizations that plan to use your ability in vain." Susan made a silent exhale and waited for the response from Natasha. She prayed that at least she would consider this to be true, although it did sound quite far out.

Natasha rolled her eyes at Susan's observation of her opinions on her parents. It was a vast and deep understatement of her opinions. That cult had broken her family, as far as she was concerned. Whether it was based in science, astrology, or the falling feathers of agitated chickens, Natasha didn't -care-. She just wanted it out of her life.

She frowned when the coffee cup was mentioned, and picked it up to set closer to Susan instead of near herself. She didn't want it scanning her. But the images were clear enough for her to see even before she moved the cup. She tried to process it all, but there wasn't much she could come up with. It was all too sciency for her, and science hadn't been her strong subject.

"So...in 'I -don't- work in a top secret government lab' terms...all of this means..?" She was being a bit harsh. She could follow most of it at least. She was different, and they had sciency proof of it. That was nice, but she didn't really care about any of that. If they wanted to study her, they were going to have another thing coming.

How she -got- to be different went mostly over her head. She tried to summarise it in her mind and get her thoughts around how it worked. So...once upon a time more than a hundred years ago, somebody bioengineered a virus thing. It sounded like it came out of a zombie movie. It leaked, people got infected. And....from what it -sounded- like?

It sounded like the people who were half zombie and half human came out with super powers. And she was 'different' because she =didn't= have any. So that made her special -how-? It sounded more like she was a recessive gene carrier for it...but that was giving away that she actually -had- been paying attention in science class.

"If you've gotta scan me with all the fancy stuff to find out that I've even got it, then what are the odds they're gonna find me, huh? Thanks but no thanks, I don't need your help. I'll be going now." She stood, intending to walk straight out the door.

Susan frowned at the doubt that was in the girl's voice, questioning their sense. Her frown deepened when she headed for the door. The young woman wouldn't get away, she knew. There were quite a few men outside the door with their own monitors. But Susan's uneasiness wasn't unarmed; she didn't want the girl to feel like she was entrapped. She raised herself from her seat and said in a firmer voice, "The odds of someone discovering you are quite high, for your information. We found you didn't we?" A barely noticeable smile appeared on her face as she said, "The fact is that you can no longer trust this world you are in, Ms. Blake. The people you engage with, the people you trust, the random people you see day by day, they could all be part of something you do not know of. You'd be surprised at how many other places are like this... but we differ from those because we are ones who are trying to prevent the prevalence of the virus. There are many public places where this technology is available... and used for this purpose.
"When you are walking through a scanner," continued Susan, "whether its a scan for any sort of metal, weapons, or drugs, how do you know whether or not they are actually checking for the virus inside of you? They are... at universities, police stations, airports, and many more places. We have people who search through the thousands of people's ultraviolet scans to find any that are unique in any way. We are not the only ones who have access to this, though. That's how we discovered you. Not only do you have different bloodlines of normal human beings, but they also differentiate from the normal offspring of the infected. There is a much less dose of the virus. You have spots of it in your nerves, while the usual have it crawling throughout its system." Susan took off her glasses for a moment to rub off the blurs, while saying, "It's a good chance that people are already looking for you. It's a blessing that you had run away before anyone could discover your residence. It's a possibility that they would've already caught up with you if you hadn't fled from your parents." She placed the glasses back on and stared at Natasha with a stone face, but with a tinge of anxiety lingering behind her eyes. "The problem is, Ms. Blake," she murmured, placing her fingers on top of the surface of the table, "we can't afford to let you leave for fear of someone discovering you. Your safety requires more protection that you are able to provide for yourself. Wherever you go, you will be exposed to danger. The safest place you could ever be in is with us in this building."

Natasha frowned deeply when Susan spoke, the woman's first few words already enough to make her blood run cold. They...had. And from the sounds of it, it seemed they had found her in -spite- of her having run away, rather than =because= of it. She turned to face her again, folding her arms over her chest.

"So what exactly -are- you saying, then? That I'm a prisoner here? That you're going to look out for my safety by putting me in a ball of bubble wrap so thick that I might as well up and die of suffocation now?" She narrowed her eyes, not liking this one bit.

"I'll take my chances with freedom if it's all the same to you. Except...it's -not- all the same to you, now is it?" Her eyes went cold as she regarded the woman, but she wasn't moving towards the door any more. No, it was clear that she wouldn't get that far. She didn't need 'super powers' to know that. The whole situation was off, the woman's bearing was off, and now...this explanation felt 'off', too.

"I hear you loud and clear. Trust no one. Not even you. Now let me go."

Susan's smile widened after hearing out Natasha's response, even though it was a bad one. Against her hopes, she wasn't going to be easier than the male. She was actually harder, since she was demanding her freedom while the other didn't give a damn about whatever. Although she was getting more and more anxious, she was determined to appear calm and understanding. Susan made a slow shake of her head and retorted in a matter-of-fact tone, "Now, Ms. Blake, your safety is not the only one that is considered here. We're trying to prevent a global pandemic from occurring, here. It won't only affect you but the whole planet. You may be willing to risk your safety, but I doubt that the entire human population will want their fate in the hands of a vulnerable, young woman.
"You can't even begin to imagine what power lies in your veins," she continued, now slowly approaching the door. "Since you cannot control this power, you must now think of the outcome you could have on the world. I think it would be more wise to think about the risk of a pandemic than your own personal comfort."Susan faced Natasha, directly in the way of the exit. "Now, I know you presume that we'll be treating you like lab rats," she chuckled sheepishly. "But we already know what is in you, and that it cannot be helped. All that we are concerned is with protecting you, and we wish for you to accept our protection willingly. Your comfort and trust are our highest priorities, I assure you." The woman turned around and opened the door, then took a step out of it. The two men warding the door whirled around in alertness but the sight of Susan disarmed it.
"Yes, Ms. Heineman," said one of them.
"Take Mr. Evans out of his room, please," she replied. The one to the left obliged as the other stood by Susan and Natasha. The punk boy came stumbling out of the cubicle with the man. After cussing at him, Tony jerked his head to the side to move his dark bangs out of the way to glare at Susan and the other girl. He raised his eyebrow at Natasha before being toward the woman. She raised her eyes to the man that escorted him and gave him a stiff-lipped smile, silently warning him to not touch the boy or she'll kill him. Susan shifted her eyes to both Natasha and Tony and said, "I'll be escorting you to gymnasium so you two can see what we are dealing with, eye-to-eye." She gave a brief smile before turning around and briskly walking down the hall. The two wards followed up behind Natasha and Tony, making sure that they don't saunter away.
After turning into various corridors that resembled ones of a hospital's, Susan approached a door and lead the group into it. When she stated that their destination was a gymnasium, it should've been called a football field. It was as large as one with bleachers surrounding the whole arena, exempting the entrance.
"Damn," drawled Tony, gawking at its size. "This is one hell of a gymnasium."
"You may sit wherever you like," said Susan as she turned to exit the gym. "I'll be returning in a minute.
"Agh, hells yeah!" jeered Tony, leaping onto the stands and running across them. "This place is the shit!" Tony seated himself on the top stand, admiring the surroundings.

"But you've already said...this 'power' is something I =don't= have. So why does it matter? Obviously my 'breeding' is -weakening-." She followed her as Susan led her out of the room, but she wasn't impressed in the slightest. She smelled a rat somewhere in all of this, and she had a feeling it was going to be the sort that was so glaringly obvious that it was hard to see.

She looked around the gym tiredly, wondering just what Susan was planning. "So you're going to show off to us these 'super powers' that we -don't- have in the hopes of impressing us somehow...but..." She sighed, shaking her head.

Tony's antics only further annoyed her, and she rolled her eyes frustratedly. "Forget this...this is bull."

Noticing that his companion didn't share in his awe, Tony smirked and said, "You must be that broad that's caught up in this cock-n-bull shit. Well, at least I'm not alone, that's a little comforting, I guess." He sighed and leaned against the wall. "Oh well, we get a free show in here." Tony scrutinized Natasha a little bit more and snickered eccentrically. "Those creepers are saying that people want me to 'mate' with you," he scoffed, shaking his head. "Like that would happen..."
Susan returned to the arena not long after beside a very tall, thin man with spiky, bleach blond hair. His head was downcast for some reason. She indicated him with her hands and said, "Ms. Blake and Mr. Evans, this is Mr. Nathaniel Silas." The man raised his head to glance at each one of the two. Tony grimaced at the sight of his ghastly pale and displeasing face. He had a high, sharp cheekbones with an almost grey complexion. A very peculiar addition to his appearance was his eyes, too far apart, with a pinkish tint to them. For some unknown reason, he had a perpetual curled lip, as if ready to bite someone. Nathaniel blinked once and murmured in a croaky voice, "Hello..." Susan smiled and said, "Mr. Silas will be the one to display the abilities of the enemies."
"Yeah," moaned Tony in a sarcastic cheering voice. "Go Mr. Albino..." Nathaniel raised his eyes to Tony and he recoiled his eyes from the man.
"Now," said Susan, displaying a steel I-beam on the ground next to the bleachers to Nathaniel, "Mr. Silas will give you proof of the existence of these beings by presenting his abnormal strength, speed, agility, an healing abilities. These powers are dormant in your system since the line of the virus inside of you has deteriorated. That doesn't mean that you do not possess them, but presently cannot obtain them inside of you." Nathaniel walked over to the I-beam and picked it up with one hand like a pencil. Tony 'ooed' and sniggered at the sight. Susan went on to say, "The reason you are wanted is because you don't have the defense to struggle against your captors. Another reason, as we discovered not so long ago..." The man lifted his knee and snapped the beam in two with one jerk of his hands. Tony applauded and laughed, as if it were some freak show at a carnival. "You are the only ones who can reproduce," continued Susan, "with the virus still inside you. If two regular descendants of plagued mate, the pregnancies always end up as a miscarriage because of the overactive metabolism of the offspring that leads to its death." Nathaniel took one half of the beam and crushed it in his hands, as if crushing a cardboard box. He showed no effort at all as pulverizing the metal. "However, one infected and one normal can mate to reproduce powerful offspring. It is discovered that you two would be able to reproduce a live baby, but much stronger than any other thing."
"Wait, wait," interrupted Tony, holding his hands up. "How do I know that those are actual metal... things." Nathaniel picked up the other and, without a hesitation, thrust it toward Tony. He let out a yelp and dodged out of the way, although it landed about a foot from where he was sitting. "What the f..." cussed Tony, but he squeezed his hands against I-beam to discover it was genuine metal. He shrugged and said, "So he's strong. You see that shit all the time on Ripley's Believe It or Not." Susan smiled, as if glad to see that Tony still displayed doubt.
"Do you see this on Ripley's Believe It or Not?" she asked, unsheathing a pistol from within her coat. She aimed it directly at Nathaniel, who didn't even look at it. The echo of a gunshot echoed throughout the arena along with a grunt from the man. He was thrown off his feet, but threw back his torso and his legs in an air backwards somersault. He landed on his feet and staggered back a few paces. A little blood had leaked onto his chest and he opened his shirt to reveal the hole in his upper torso. Sticking his finger into it, Nathaniel retrieved the bullet and the hole closed up almost instantly. Tony gawked at the man, unable to say a word.

So it seemed Tony needed convincing. This was all well and good, but Natasha was decidedly unimpressed. It was like Susan had pre-planned all of her reactions and responses to her long before they'd even begun speaking...anything Natasha said was ignored and smoothed over on the way to what Susan had planned next. The woman hadn't even -tried- to address her concerns or issues and while Natasha knew she'd been very quiet about what she was thinking and feeling...disbelief hadn't been any of her issues and had even been the one thing she =wasn't= showing.

She'd expressed her confusion over why -she- was wanted, but never once had she questioned that what Susan was telling her was true. She didn't -need- a demonstration, and the fact that Susan was so gung-ho about =giving= her one was only making her more and more wary, more and more disbelieving that Susan really had anyone's "best interests" in mind. She kept her arms folded and ignored Tony as best she could. He seemed to be just another stoner idiot that didn't know his head from his rear. Maybe the seriousness of the situation would dawn on him eventually, but...she thought he was beyond hope.

No, the person that had her attention was Nathaniel. His appearance was certainly a bit frightening, but it wasn't like he was a monster. She actually perked up a bit when she saw him, and smiled gently. "Hi, Nathaniel." Tony was already acting like an idiot and being cruel to the young man. She scowled darkly, and pondered reaching out to smack him. Nathaniel all but beat her to it, though, thrusting out the I beam at Tony, and she couldn't help but grin at his gruff manner of putting the other man in his place.

When Susan drew the gun, however, Natasha was on her feet immediately. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" She could well guess that Nathaniel would survive a gunshot, but the thought of Susan just shooting a young man, just to prove her point, just to prove a point that Natasha hadn't even contested. If she'd been fast enough, she might even have moved in front of him and thrown her arms out to protect him.

She cried out, ducking her head and crossing her arms in front of her face when the shot rang out, afraid of getting spattered, afraid of seeing something horrific. But when Nathaniel didn't go down, and flicked the bullet aside, she -did- get up. She hopped down from the bleachers and walked inbetween Nathaniel and Susan, putting her arms out protectively and glowering at the woman.

"What is WRONG with you? You're sick!" She managed to get her outrage showing, but truth be told, even if Nathaniel -wasn't- very badly hurt, it still made her feel ill to think that he'd just been shot, just to prove a point to her and to Tony. To Tony. She'd give him a -good- thrashing once she was done with Susan.

((I like how Natasha thinks of Tony so far. "He seemed to be just another stoner idiot that didn't know his head from his rear." *laughs*))
After recovering from his shock, Tony stood to his feet and cried out,"Shit!" He beamed at the unscathed Nathaniel with zealous eyes. "That was fucking awesome!" His laughter was cut short when he saw Natasha scuttling from the bleachers and stepping between Susan and the albino freak. He scoffed and said, "Chill out, girl. Stop ruining the fun. He doesn't have a damn scratch on him!" Susan, however, was not pleased by this. The glower she gave Natasha was actually one of utter fear. "Natasha!" she cried, running over to the girl. "Wait!" Apparently, what she was trying to prevent was Nathaniel acting up. He looked down at the girl with furious eyes and grasped her arm, then threw her to the ground with amazing strength. "No!" shrieked Susan, attempting to restrain Nathaniel by wrapping her arms around him. They only seemed to wrap around half his large body. "It's okay, Nathy... I'm okay." She released the clutch of her arms and stepped in front of him. She was smiling a comforting smile, with twinkles in her eyes as she said, "I'm completely fine, Nathy. There's no need to worry..." Nathaniel's furious eyes softened into sad one and tears welled up in his eyes as he fell to his knees, crying.
"She hurted you!" he wept, rubbing his big hands to his eyes. Susan caressed her hands over his back as she held him.
"No, no," she coaxed, lovingly, as if to a young boy. "She didn't hurt me... I'm completely fine. You're so protective, you are..." Susan raised herself to her feet and then went over to Natasha. "I'm very sorry, Ms. Blake," she murmured remorsefully. "I put you in those stands for a reason. Nathaniel is mentally unstable and is very overprotective of me... I apologize for startling you, but the whole process was to convince the two of you that what you are dealing with is real. It was actually Tony I was heading for, since you didn't seem so much doubtful as he."
Although he looked shocked when Natasha was thrown, Tony didn't show so much concern for her as he watched the situation unfold. "Last I checked," he scoffed, "'hurted' isn't a word, douchebag." By the way Susan glared at him, he was convinced she was about to shoot him with that pistol. And she knew he wouldn't regenerate...

Natasha cried out in pain as she was thrown to the ground, but she wasn't ready to give up just yet. She continued to glower at Susan even as the woman fussed over Nathaniel. What did she think he was, a pet? "Gee, and I wonder why he's imbalanced...maybe getting SHOT to prove somebody's sick idea of a POINT has something to do with it?"

She got up slowly, rubbing her back as she did. She looked up into the stands and sneered at Tony, now more than ever determined that if he came near her, she was going to punch him. She pondered saying something snarky, definitely convinced that he -deserved- to bear the full brunt of a very =bitchy= reply, but there was nothing really worth saying. That was the crux of it--Tony had established himself firmly in her mind as not =worth= it.

Instead, she turned her attention back to Susan, still glowering angrily. "Well if -Tony- is your problem and =Tony= would like to act like this, why don't you use that gun on =Tony= instead of someone who hasn't done anything wrong?"

The fact that Nathaniel didn't seem to be very intelligent only made Natasha -more- concerned about him, and determined to stand up for him. Maybe, if she was patient, she could convince him that she was nicer than Susan, and protect him from the deranged government lady, too.

At Natasha's words, Nathaniel's breaths became trembled hisses as his weeping soon subsided. Stroking the deranged man's back, Susan gave Natasha a stricken look and murmured, "Ms. Blake, please lower your voice... You know full well why I would refuse to do that." Tony scoffed at Natasha, shaking his head. "Trust me, Ms. Blake," he said coolly, "you are the only one who wants me dead." Susan straightened herself and looked at Natasha, no longer showing hostility in her eyes. "I apologize if I upset you in any way, Ms. Blake," she said, "but what I just did was far from sadistic in any way. Mr. Nathaniel Silas is a very useful warrior who can withstand bullets or any sort of attack. He happens to be one who cannot even feel pain, but his mental instability he has had since birth. Another part of his birth defect is the lack of the sense of touch. Anything more than a brush of skin contact is intangible to him; that is why I have chosen him to display his abilities for you two." The woman sighed, rubbing her forehead. "No matter, since I doubt I would have to display the great dexterity to convince any of you, are there any questions?" Tony raised his hand and said, "Yeah, how can I become that strong and... like... healing fast and shit?"
"Unfortunately," replied Susan, "there is no known way to awaken your dormant abilities." Tony crossed his arms and muttered, "Damn... well, don't you have that one virus thing at hand?" Susan shook her head and said, "No, the original virus has been lost ever since the outbreak, to my knowledge. Not to mention if I gave it to you, you would have the abilities but would lose your mind."
"Right," said Tony, rolling his eyes.

"You mean he's got C.I.P.? That's not a mental instability. That's -just- a birth defect. Any mental problems would arise from not being raised like a normal human being. Like, oh, say, being raised to be a 'warrior' for some government organisation that's no better than a cult! You say you care for him, but you've just moulded him into doing your bidding by exploiting a weakness! And you're going to do the same to me and Tony once you've gotten our trust, huh? Such a shame we didn't get born into your bullshit, huh? No deal. Save the world your damn self." She all but snarled at the woman, still wishing that she could somehow get Nathaniel away from her. But she also could guess that trying to get him away from Susan would only be a bad idea, possibly bordering on suicidal.

Instead, she turned and stalked away. "If you're worried about me and Tony 'mating', don't bother. I don't want him near me. I'll take my chances with the rest of the world." She didn't think she'd get very far, it would be naive to think she wouldn't be stopped, but she tried.

((I completely understand why Natasha would not trust Susan, but I don't want her to suspect the society of being on the opposite side only from what just happened. I would like to keep the corruption behind the society a surprise to the both of them. A plot cannot be developed if characters know what is going to happen.))

Susan glowered at the recurring sight of Natasha's back walking out on her. Trying to taper down her anger, she just sighed, "Well, if that is what you think, then I suppose I cannot change that. I might as well save my breath since you refuse to listen." After pausing for a bit, she hardened her voice as she stated, "No matter, whatever you believe does not change the fact that you are prohibited to leave the premises." She stepped in front of the entrance and said, "Mr. Evans, would you please come down from the bleachers?" Tony frowned at Susan and stared at Nathaniel, who had recomposed himself as if nothing had happened. Muttering to himself, he stepped down from the stands and approached them.

"Please, help me escort Ms. Blake and Mr. Evans to their room, Mr. Silas." Nathaniel obliged, placing a hand on both backs of Natasha and Tony and lead them out of the room. Tony quickly recoiled from the man's touch and stood beside Susan.

After wandering through a few more corridors, Susan came upon a door and turned to the two, saying, "Unfortunately, all other suites are either occupied or in bad condition. The presidential suite is for only the significant subjects. There is only one suite, but two beds. I hope you will find it to your liking." She pulled open the door and entered into the room. The exquisiteness of whole suite resembled one of a high-rated hotel in some foreign mansion instead of a scientific research center. The size of it was the equivalent of all the rooms in a large apartment combined together. The walls were a smooth, beige color and the carpet a lighter cream. The light of the room was emitted from a metal chandelier with curved bars holding the lights.

There were two large beds with mahogany pillars rising from the four sides of the head and foot board all the way to the ceiling. The spreads on them were a tea green with several scarlet pillows scattered against the headboard. One bed was on the left side and nearer to the door while the other was across the room, nearer to the tall window on the right that expanded nearly throughout the whole wall. The edges of the window were beveled with bronze tapestries above it and cascading sienna curtains. Both beds had a lavender carpet at the end of it with golden embroidery. At the side of the each bed was a short drawer with an elegant lamp set on it along with an exotic plant. Across both beds was a tall and wide, redwood wardrobe. Right next to the window was a dining table with a telephone on it and two navy lounging chairs on either side. The one thing that differed the suite from a Colombian bedroom were the plasma-screen TVs on both between the bed and the wardrobe. Both TVs had a VCR and DVD player below it.
Tony's eyes could've turned to hearts as he gazed upon the room in complete awe and greed.

Susan stepped into the room, not bothering to glance at the surroundings as if she'd seen them every day. She walked right up to the dining table and indicated the telephone, which had only five dials on it.
"These five buttons are speed dials to which they are labeled," she said. She pointed to the top left button, labeled 'Food Service' above it. "There is the food station to which you can call and order off their menu and the meal will come directly to you, no charge." Her finger moved over to the button with the words 'Emergency' next to it. "This button is the emergency dial. If there is an accident, injury, fire, flood, illness, and so forth, you press this button." She indicated the middle button with the label 'Housekeeping' above. "If there is a mess or you wish for someone to tidy the room, you press this."

The label 'Entertainment' was the button she pointed to next. "There is a video store here and if you wish to contact if for a movie, you dial this." And the last button, labeled 'Office', was the bottom right. "If you wish to contact me or any of my associates, you press this button." Susan let out a sigh and approached the window, sliding it open and walking out onto a large balcony. Sounds of the rushing wind and twittering birds seeped into the room once the window was opened. The railings of the balcony had leafy vines intertwined with the bars. The appearance of the room was not the only beautiful sight. The balcony had a magnificent view of the vast woods that surrounded the domain. Beyond the forest were the summits of snow-capped mountains. A mortared border, nearly twenty feet tall, was enclosed around the buildings with possibly electrical wires above it.

Susan took in a fresh breath of air and turned to the two, a hint of a smile on her lips. "Your room is not the only thing that is luxurious in these premises," she said. "There is also an arcade with a great amount of games. There are various types of courts: basketball, tennis, volleyball. A football field and bowling alley. A weight room with all the latest exercise technology and equipment. A swimming pool, equipped with a hot tub and a sauna. And, my favorite, a library... with innumerous amounts of books on science, history, nonfiction, fiction, and several computers. We also have teachers and coaches if you wish to continue schooling and fitness skills." After stepping back into the room, she shut the sliding window and approached the Natasha and Tony. "We have all the necessary living conditions and desirable equipment one could ask for. You are allowed outside of the building but cannot go past the borderline set by the wall. It leaves plenty of space to run around and breathe. However, this center does allow the subjects to leave with guides once a month. You could call these field trips to get away to any resort, park, or rendezvous for a few days within a four hundred mile radius. Any questions?" Tony walked up to the closest bed and collapsed on top of it, moaning with pleasure.

Natasha tried hard to not flinch at Nathaniel's touch. But he'd already hurt her once, and she couldn't help the involuntary reaction of self-protection. But she didn't draw away past that, stubbornly insisting to herself that there wasn't going to be a problem. She could imagine that he'd only attached to Susan so firmly because she was the only one that treated him somewhat like a human being. She might have been wrong, of course, Natasha wasn't psychic, after all, but that was her guess. She'd make it a point to treat him well also.

"For someone who really doesn't want us to wind up 'mating', you sure are keen to keep us around each other, huh?" Natasha -really- didn't like Susan, and she wasn't missing an opportunity to poke at her now. Anything and everything was fair game, and this was just another thing to fling back in the woman's face. Not to mention...she -really- hoped this would get her away from Tony. She didn't like him at all, and figured the faster she got away from him the better.

All this talk of the things that were available to them....it all just sounded like sweetening up a prison deal. Something was fishy here, and she was going to keep tossing ideas at Susan until the woman reacted to something, and then she was going to push until it broke. Or at least, so she planned until Tony flopped onto a bed and started making what she considered lewd noises. She headed for the door, fully intending to walk straight past Susan and out.

"I'll sleep in the library till you have accommodation that doesn't include -him- available. Doing my part to save the world and all, y'know?" She smiled icily at Susan. "Or better yet, keep -him- locked up, and I'll be fine on my own."

Susan shook her head and said to Natasha, "As I repeat, only one presidential suite. However, I do hope I can trust you two to keep your hands off of each other." Tony turned over on the bed, with a revolted look on his face. "You're a freak," he retorted to Susan. And you are a disgrace to human kind, Susan thought, but quickly restrained the words from leaving her lips. She turned her attention to Natasha, and smiled.

"Well, I see nothing wrong with that," she said, as if pleased to know that Natasha was one who liked books. "But I can offer you a vacant room. It isn't as extravagant as this one, but it's away from Mr. Evans." Tony raised his hands up in the air and cried, "Dudes, sorry but I'm kinda confuzzled, what the hell is wrong with me again?" Dismissing Tony's badgering, Susan took out two folded pieces of paper from one of her pockets on her lab coat. "Here's a map guide to the building," she said, handing one to the both of them. "It displays where everything is in accurate detail, including where others' dorms are located. Be sure to keep it at hand so you avoid getting lost." She approached Natasha and asked, "Would you like me to take you to your dormitory?"

Tony scoffed and settled back on the mattress, muttering, "Whateva', I don't give a shit. You're a freaky bitch, and I get this room all to myself." Susan sighed, but didn't bother chastising him. Not that he would actually make any attempt to listen to any word she'd speak.

Natasha looked down at the map, wondering where Nathaniel and the people like him lived. There...were others, surely. She figured she'd get a more accurate picture of what it was like at this odd government facility by speaking with the other people who had been forced into living here. "I'll wander around till I find something interesting. I'll be fine. Or Nathaniel can show me around." She smiled at Susan again, treating her no differently than she had treated the head cheerleader at her school. She could play the mean girls game. "I wouldn't want to infringe on your -precious- time."

She looked over at Tony when he piped up, but only for an instant. Like any class clown, he would be best suited to being ignored. Maybe if she ignored him long enough, he would get the hint that his antics were what was prompting her to be so icy to him. But that was being altogether too hopeful for the usage of his brain. She looked away quickly, deciding to once again stare at Susan, daring the woman to challenge her. She wasn't some mindless teenage primadonna, she wouldn't knuckle under to pressure. Susan had presented herself as an enemy, and Natasha would easily react to the challenge, even if she was the only one that had imagined it.

Tony glowered at Natasha's apathistical demeanor towards him. He hated being ignored. Any disregard toward his words or attitude set him off; he even would've liked negative acknowledgment. Dismissing him was like looking down upon him, which was Tony's biggest pet peeve (although he is all the time, but when the contempt toward him is taken into effect is when he is ticked). Although he was angry at Natasha, Tony didn't act on it. He just took ahold of one of the universal remotes and switched the television on. Why should he waste his time on stuck-up bitches like her?

It was obvious, by her attitude, that Natasha was trying to intimidate Susan. However, the behavior of people toward her never fazed her. As long as they did what needed to be done, she didn't care which way they did it. She returned the icy smile and said, "Quite alright. You may search for Nathaniel, but I don't have knowledge of his current whereabouts. He usually saunters around outside."

A speedy tatter of footsteps rang down the corridor and a young woman appeared right outside the doorway. Susan's eyes lightened up at the sight of the girl and she said, "Well, Ms. Fortner, you've managed to find us." The girl smiled and nodded.

"I knew that you would keep them in the presidential suite, Ms. Heineman," she said, eying both Natasha and Tony. She had shoulder-length black hair that was tied in a high ponytail. Her doe eyes were a chocolate brown and she looked about the same age as Tony. Unusually, she was dressed in a school uniform. She smiled at Natasha and said, "Hello, my name is Kate Fortner. You two must be Natasha Blake and Tony Evans." Tony ignored the girl and continued to watch TV.