It all started with Ahmet Benici. The World's lead scientist published his findings that the laws that govern our world would change so drastically human life would not be possible. It was his findings that urged the U.S government to begin a secret project, Project New World. The purpose of this project was to save humanity from its impending doom. So I invite you visitor, whoever you are it doesn't really matter. Come, sit down at your keyboard and tell me, what role are you going to play in this story?
Setting
There are many rumors and stories to be told about the city of Chase. Stories and tales rise from the mysterious forest that borders its northern side. There's big talk of some government project happening on the other side, but no one can know for sure. The small town has a rather sparse population of 20,000 people and is kept isolated from its neighboring town by Wyers lake.
In terms of time, this site will follow real time to accommodate for the short life expectancies of compound patients. The current month is December, the year 2062.
Note: Please note this site is rated PG-13.
Disclaimer: All pictures and images on this site belong to their rightful owners. We do not and will not claim to own them. However the site plot and idea belongs to Time Lapse, please do not steal!
Of course he'd say something stupid. Of fucking course! Why was she helping him again? Oh yes for information. But at this rate, befriending the jackass was going to leave fatal damage to her pride. Michelle returned his smirk with a glare, crossing her arms at his comment. If he thought he was so tough, why didn't he just go out on his own then? Clearly he had a reason other than the nurses must have warned him not to. "Whatever, you need me," she growled though it was for her own self-reassurance more than anything.
Watching Feral struggle with the wheelchair, she rolled her eyes. Stalking towards him she chuckled at his words. "Not if my life depended on it." Steering him away from an inevitable snowdrift, Michelle continued their tedious walk. There was no need for her to worry about getting cold, the physical exertion was enough to send an uncomfortable warmth throughout her body. Pushing him along in the snow, she allowed him a few moments silence.
The other patient's didn't appear to be playing around this side of the compound. It was quiet, perhaps that's why he'd been watching out the window in the first place. Suddenly abandoning the chair, Michelle shot him a smirk. She'd get him back for all his callous remarks alright. In a quick sweeping motion, she gathered a small pile of snow. The cold bit her fingers as she compressed it into a tiny snowball. Feral would never suspect a thing!
"I don't need shit." he insisted. If nothing else, he was convinced he needed her to leave him alone. But not even seconds after stating he didn't need anything, he'd end up getting himself stuck. And she was chuckling of all things, recovering from his jab rather quick. Can't even enjoy pissing her off long enough. He groaned at the thought, feeling as she adjusted him and started off again, leading them on that slow pace once more. Of course this time he decided to help out some. So long as she steered, he could do the actual pushing. He wasn't going to cut her a whole lot of slack though. She signed up for this, he was going to make her suffer just a little. But he also didn't want to still be at the entrance an hour after this snail pace.
They went forward for a while and Feral relaxed a bit as things got relatively quiet, actually taking a chance to enjoy the snow. While it was a bit chilly, it was a nice feeling for him and he could honestly stay out here for hours if he could get away with it. He took in a deep breath of the fresh air, letting it fill his lungs. It'd be better if he could be moving on his own, but he'd take what he could get, he supposed. But as he was enjoying himself, even forgetting to help out with the moving, she eventually stopped, snapping him out of his stupor. "Did you fall down again?" he sighs. Of course he didn't hear anything similar to her face planting. In fact, what he did hear was her moving about.
Grabbing a hold of the wheels again, he made an attempt to turn just enough so he could see what the hell she was up to, tired of all the stops. He'd probably regret looking though, catching her in the act of grabbing some snow.
Fall down? Please, she was as agile as a cat. When had she ever fallen down? Besides that one time... Michelle's response to Feral would be to lob a snowball in his direction. She wouldn't turn to see if it'd hit, already skidding across the snow to gather another pile. This was a declaration of war, but of course, he was at a disadvantage in his wheelchair. And she, with frozen fingers wouldn't last long, but why not make their walk more enjoyable? Surely he wasn't such a scrooge that a snowball fight wouldn't appeal to him?
This time, Michelle waited as she gathered up the snow, tossing it from one hand to the next to keep her fingers from freezing. "You just gonna take that old man?" She teased with a wicked grin, almost daring him to get off his ass and do something about it. The nurses probably wouldn't thank her for dragging him outside to play, but he on the other hand could. Maybe he had no interest in playing, but he could at least be grateful for the fresh air.
It hit alright. Barely, of course, grazing the back of his head, but it was enough to get the beast's attention, Feral shooting her a harsh glare as he reached back to wipe off the snow. Did she really just throw a snowball? How childish could you get? He growled at the thought, watching as she went for another. Well she wouldn't be getting him again, not with that shoddy aim! Of course he was practically a sitting duck, the wheelchair making it almost impossible to actually move. But if he needed any sort of push, her taunting would do the trick.
He didn't answer with a verbal response, instead hoisting himself up to fetch a snowball of his own. He ignored how dizzy he felt, hopping up so fast, but he managed to join the war, grabbing himself a pile of snow and speedily forming it just enough so that it'd stick before he'd chuck it at her, aiming right at her face to knock off that stupid grin.
Was he really playing? Well at first it had started as simply a retaliation, but the familiarity of it compelled him to throw another, and another after that. He used to do this when he was younger, before he'd hardened into the beast he was today. So a tiny part of him might have had some fun, especially after being stuck in bed rest for an entire week. Unfortunately all the fun would tire him out rather quick, though aside from the huffing and puffing, it wasn't too obvious, especially since he was still packing another snowball, determined to get the last hit in.
Michelle squeaked at the incoming snowball, covering her face and tucking her head. It was all she had for self defense as the snowball exploded into powder over her head. "You jerk!" She snapped, though she didn't sound upset at all. Rather Michelle caught herself laughing. Of course the next snowball caught her dead-center in the face and she spent the next few moments choking on snow.
But Feral would throw another one and another! Was he actually trying to kill her? Michelle shot him a quick look, lobbing a snowball in his direction. She could bending over to grab another and she groaned. She didn't exactly want to turn into a snowman today. Her fingers were numb and red, so she tucked them into her armpits, sinking to her knees in the snow. "Okay, okay we're done. I surrender you oaf!" Evidence of his success was slowly melting in her hair and along the collar of her shirt making the cold weather less and less welcoming.
Getting to her feet she approached, eying his new snowball wearily. "For someone who just died, you're quite lovely." She chirped, raising her hands in case he decided to throw the snowball anyway. "Come on old man, sit down before you have another heart attack." Come to think of it, if something did go wrong Feral would be the one to suffer. She's had difficulty enough wheeling his chair, if he suddenly collapsed or started dying again, help would be slow coming.
She was laughing, not seeming to take his retaliation too seriously as he might have liked but he wasn't too bothered by it. In fact he even smirked mischievously when he got her right in the face. But no sooner did he start feeling on top did she hit him with another, knocking him down a few pegs. This could have gone on forever (or probably another ten minutes) but she ended up surrendering, Feral holding the snowball ready as he eyed her. Victory? Not exactly the most exciting one, but he'd take it.
Was she attempting to sweet talk him? Calling him 'quite lovely', a comment that earned a skeptical look. He said nothing of it though, not seeming to care to humor that conversation. He even looked ready to stop his onslaught. And she'd nearly gotten away without suffering another snowball when she spoke again, warning him to sit down before he had a heart attack.
His eyes narrowed and Feral decided to toss the snowball at her anyway, aiming for her chest. The throw was a bit weaker though and ultimately the beast resigned to a little less gracious victory. Though not before chuckling her gloves towards her afterwards. "Fingers are gonna fall off and then you'll be even more useless." he excused before taking a seat in his wheelchair with a groan. His chest hurt a bit but he'd be fine if he rested for a second, he decided as he rubbed the area beneath his heart for a second. "I'd say you were a good shot but then I'd be lying." he commented, his panting slowly calming down to normal breathing, his eyes off exploring the rest of the snow they'd yet to reach. He could probably have better luck trekking through the snow on foot, but now that he was seated again, he didn't want to admit that he wasn't eager to get up. That, of course, annoyed him.
The snowball smote her in the chest and Michelle grimaced brushing away the snow before it melted. "Wow, way to kick me when I'm down," she grumbled. As Feral tossed the gloves, she fumbled to catch them, one of which landed in the snow. Just great. Stooping to pick it up, Michelle brushed it clean of its white powder, shooting him a look. "Can't you say anything positive?" Synching the strap on the gloves, she pulled the fabric nice and tight to her wrists. The gloves were warm from his use and she could feel the steady ache as her fingers slowly warmed up.
Scowling at his words, Michelle continued to steer his chair through the snow. "People like it when you say nice things about them you know. Who knows, maybe one day someone will actually compliment you in return." He probably didn't care what people thought, so she gave up making small talk. "Are you okay to keep going? If you're cold or tired we can go back." She cast a worried glance at his bare fingers feeling a little guilty for wearing the gloves. It was cold and he was still in recovery, maybe they should go back.
"We can come out another time," she added. Was she actually offering to do this again? Although next time he would be properly dressed. She'd also be sure to kick his butt in the next snowball fight, even if it meant standing less than a foot away before she could hit him.
She asked him a rather stupid question in his opinion, the beast simply shrugging in response. He didn't have much nice things to say. Sure, maybe he was being a tiny bit rude, but he figured he was simply being honest. Not his fault people couldn't handle the harsh truth, right? Not that he cared either way. So that's why when she suggested he say nice things about people, offering the prospect that such treatment would be returned, he chose to ignore her. He could care less about people's opinion of him. In fact, as long as they stayed out of his way, he practically ignored other's existence, not finding it worth his time to acknowledge people or make friends.
With the gloves off, he had indeed gotten better traction, risking the cold the snow brought but it didn't affect him too badly. Though considerably weaker than normal, he could still handle this weather a bit more than most. Course that could change if they were out long. Speaking of, the girl actually suggested going back which caused the beast to pause. He'd noticed the worried look, not really liking it to be honest, or the fact she seemed to think he couldn't handle this. "I'm fine." he insisted grumpily, willing to prove just that and possibly risk fucking himself over. He was rather hardheaded in that sense. Besides, when would he get the chance to go outside again?
Well, apparently 'another time', the girl's offer catching him off guard. He had to look back at her then, curious if this were the same girl or not. Perhaps he might have hit her in the head too hard. Skeptical, Feral of course couldn't help but speak his mind. "What's your deal anyway?" he asks, words probably a bit more hostile than intended. "For someone who seems to hate me, you're being awfully... nice." he excuses. Unable to believe anyone would be nice without expecting something, he naturally assumed she had some ulterior motive. Of course he didn't call her out on that just yet, perhaps wise enough to not try and make a full enemy out of her when he could very well end up trapped out here and turn into a popsicle like she warned.
After a second or so though, he sighed, grunting a bit as he tried to turn his wheelchair around. "You know what? Never mind. Let's get in before I end up having to wheel you inside." With her graceful slips, he wouldn't be surprised if she broke something before the day was through. He wasn't too eager to get inside, and it was probably obvious, but he decided it may be best to go in. Last thing he wanted was to actually faint in front of this girl. He was sure he'd never hear the end of it.
Of course Feral would insist he was 'fine', but he was vulnerable whether he liked it or not. Casting a glance around their snowy surroundings, Michelle gave a resigned sigh, continuing to steer the wheelchair. "Fine, maybe a bit longer." She murmured to herself. But if Feral did get sick, the faculty would have no one to blame but her. And then, when Feral was banned from the outdoors, he might use that fancy new scarf of his to strangle the life out of her. It wasn't a pleasant thought and Michelle shrugged the image away as Feral began to speak.
Would he always be so rude? Probably, it could take years to break through his tough exterior and even then Michelle wasn't sure she was interested. But she wasn't phased by his question, taking everything in stride. "I would tell you I have a crush on you, but you probably wouldn't believe me." She dismissed her words with a shrug despite the sudden warmth in her cheeks. It was a decent excuse and the sheer incredulity of the lie made it easy to remember. Whether it was true or not, Feral wouldn't believe her either so it hardly mattered.
The sudden turning of the wheel caught Michelle off guard and she quickly steered him around. His words caused a small frown to cross her features, but when wasn't she frowning at what she said? If she stuck around him long enough she might start looking like him too; what a nightmare! "Oh, okay. If you want." Taken off guard by his change of mind, Michelle steered him back the way they'd come. Accepting the fact that he couldn't say anything remotely nice without adding in a jab or two, Michelle obediantly struggled back through the snow.
A crush? Yeah, he certainly wouldn't believe her. Besides that, "I really don't need anymore crushes." he mumbled beneath his breath. One was too many. He could barely stand having Ephraim be nice to him, he really didn't need anyone else doing the same. Honestly? With all the stress he'd been through, he could really do without all this confusion and it was for that reason as well that he decided he really didn't want to know the real answer, dropping any speculation for now in favor of simply trying to take it easy. Whether he'd openly admit it or not, he could use the rest. Especially since he had no doubt things would only get worse from here on out.
She seemed surprisingly upset by his decision to turn back. Had she hoped to stay out longer? Well that idea would merely convince the rebellious teen to follow through with his plans, but he did take a bit slower, wanting to enjoy the outside for as long as he could. "Can't imagine it'd be anytime soon we go out." he mentioned absentmindedly. "Don't think they are done with me. Pretty elaborate planning if they simply wanted to kill me." he snorted. He knew something bigger was up, but they kept things so vague and he only knew so much, so he wasn't able to understand their mad reasoning. But he saw all that new equipment when he was inside that room. He knew there was more in store for him when he healed up. And he was not looking forward to it.
"Soon as I'm not half-dead anymore, I'll be right back on the table." Though his luck, they might even take advantage of him being a bit weak still to get the 'fun' started again so he was less likely to cause trouble.
Wouldn't be anytime soon but he hadn't said it'd never happen. Michelle accepted his words in silence, only snorting at his comment about crushes. "Oh yes, because I'm sure you girls just lining up. Maybe you look better in a wheelchair then you thought." Cutting the cripple a break, she fell silent after that as if she too were wondering what the scientists had in store for him. What made Feral so special? She was by no means jealous that he'd caught their attention but she did want to know why? What part did they intend for him to play in this project she'd been told so little about?
When they reached the door, Michelle pulled it open, grateful they were almost inside. She had plans to curl up in bed with a book and a warm cup of tea if she was allowed to boil water. "Just don't die again," she grumbled, casting Feral a serious look. 'When this was all over' they would be free to go, all of them. If Feral wanted to make any of his time spent here worth it he'd have to adopt the same 'hold on, hang in there' mentality she had. And while she couldn't tell him why living would be worth it, she would offer him the advice all the same.
"Yeah well I don't plan on sticking in this thing long." he mutters, only mildly embarrassed she'd actually heard him. Still, it was the truth. The fact he was using it as it was was a miracle enough, and he only did so because he didn't want to fall on his face and deal with the ridicule that came with it. Soon as he was stable again though, he'd probably tear the damned thing to shreds out of sheer frustration. "So maybe then I'll get some fucking peace." he growls. Unlikely, but a guy could dream!
The rest of the trip back was silent after that, thankfully, Feral approaching the door and reluctantly wheeling himself in while she held it open for him. It was far more warmer inside and the beast was struggling to be relieved or annoyed. On one hand, his hands had gotten a bit chilly after he'd rid himself of the gloves, the tips of his fingers practically frozen, but the fact he was actually cold both annoyed and worried him. What if that serum they injected him with actually fucked him up? Surely it was just his body still recovering, but it did worry him. What if he didn't get better and it completely ruined his chances of ever escaping? He brushed those thoughts aside almost as soon as they came, not wanting to be worried. Feral was never afraid of anything, right?
He quirked a brow as she spoke again, advising him to not die. The serious look just made him want to ask again, but he refrained. "Can't make any promises." he began with a shrug. "But I don't plan on it." He might have hit an even shittier part of his life at the moment, but he was still a fighter at least. If nothing else, the fact he came back should have encouraged him. If he could come back from dying, what couldn't he do? Well maybe that was a bit reckless, but the meaning was still the same. He was going to fight to survive and get himself out of this hellhole.
As soon as they were inside, away from the cold, Feral began to strip off the clothes she'd given him, already feeling a bit stuffy and uncomfortable now. That and he didn't want to be seen wearing her stuff anymore than he had to.
With hawk-like scrutiny, Michelle watched Feral wheel his way inside, shifting to the side so she'd give him a comfortable amount of space. She cut her side of the conversation there, aware of his growing suspicion. It was only natural after she'd shown such animosity towards him. But for the record, Michelle was hardly any nicer to we friends, not like he'd know . She'd play it safe for now.
Removing her gloves, Michelle used the straps to synch them around her wrists, leaving them to hang there. As Feral removed her gear she gathered it up, removing her snow pants and draping them over her arm. "You're keeping the scarf, right?" A small smirk crossed her face as she regarded it. Removing her own scarf, Michelle added it to the articles along her arm.
"I don't suppose you need me to take you anywhere do you?" She added, shooting a wary glance down the hallway. Her free time would be over soon and she hasn't even gotten to that tea and book yet. Oh well, her report came first right?
[OOC: Sorry for the wait! I haven't been feeling too great lately orz ]
Relieved to no longer be wearing her heavy snow gear, Feral had started to remove the scarf as well, only for her to bring it up and causing the beast to scowl at that smirk she bore. "Might as well... Might be able to strangle someone with it." he 'joked'. It was certainly an option, but both of the people he'd want to murder were kind of unapproachable at the moment. He barely got through Flint's shield at full strength and Benici was always just out of his reach. But it was still a nice thought! Regardless, he still took it off and let it fold loosely in his lap, freeing his neck of one irritant, the other not so easily removed.
He scratched around the free spaces of his neck from the itchiness the fabric had given him before eyeing Michelle curiously at her next question. It was probably a nice offer, meant to be anyway, but he kind of took it as her patronizing him. "I think I can handle moving around on my own." he mutters. At least here where the surface was a bit more even and easier traversed compared to the snow and ice. Besides, he didn't want to get chummy with this girl, especially when he was already quite suspicious of her. He didn't know what she was planning, but he decided it couldn't be anything good.
"..." he seemed to be thinking about something then, biting the corner of his now healed lip. "...Thanks. I guess." he offers, a rather pitiful thanks, but better than anything he'd ever offered before. "I don't know what the fuck you are up to but... It was nice to go outside." he admitted, reaching up to scratch the back of his head before growling in mild frustration. He'd said far too much and decided that was his cue to go, starting to wheel himself further down the hall, away from her before she got any funny ideas.
[OOC: Hey it's not worries, that doesn't sound like fun. I hope you start feeling better soon <3]
Slowly her smirk faded at his ominous words. Strangle someone? Before she had toyed with the idea as a joke, but now that he said it it sounded a lot more sinister. Did she dare remind him killing another patient made him no better than the scientists? No Michelle would keep quiet on this one, nibbling her lip in thought. Besides, he'd never said it was a patient he wanted to kill. Her offer to bring him somewhere rejected, Michelle couldn't help but feel the faintest bit relieved. "Well, okay then. I'll see you later,"
With a shrug, Michelle turned to go, or would've if she hadn't noticed his brief struggle. Was he having a stroke? Cat got his tongue? Her gaze traveled his features slowly, watching him quietly until he spoke. Thanks? Oh man, the scientists really must have killed him if he was thanking her. Near death experiences change people, but this just felt weird. Before she could offer some snide comment he continued to speak. Words bringing a Cheshire grin to her face, Michelle watched him squirm before turning away. "My pleasure," was all she offered before taking her leave
