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!
For far too long Flint had been confined to his room. One would think he belonged in the infirmary but apparently not. He suspected quite bitterly that they had no room for him there with all the patients they were hauling out of treatment. Flint didn't mind entirely. He got to miss his classes and any checkups or meals were brought directly to him. He missed his downtime as well, but the past two days it'd hardly mattered.
Already he'd recovered from Feral's assault though his body was still tender from the treatment. The bandages and wraps made him itchy and uncomfortable, but whenever he tried to readjust them, the abused flesh sent flashes of pain to shoo his hands away.
The nurses and faculty came and went, checking to make sure he was still breathing, and that his collar was functioning. Unfortunately, his old collar had been replaced. Flint wished desperately to have been conscious when the scientists took it off. What sort of damage had been done? Had it just been a wiring issue? Or had he been every bit responsible as he feared?
It wasn't only the collar that had been on his mind, it was Feral to. Flint was still trying to work around the other freak's personality and more importantly his motives. Feral had nothing to gain by helping him unless he suspected Flint had destroyed his own collar. And the boy claimed he owed him. The Shield could only guess what that meant, but he had a very bad gut feeling he already knew where this would all head.
A loud mew dragged the boy from a sea of thoughts and he hissed as the cat shifted on his chest. His brother had left him company, one of the menagerie cats. At first, the stupid animal had done nothing but yowl and sink its claws into him, but after a few hours they'd grown used to each other. The cat lay at his side and had only left once or twice. So far they'd gotten along but if it kept kneading his chest he was going to tweak its whiskers. But it was company enough for Flint to ask questions to and its loud purr often lulled him into sleep. Scratching the animal behind its ears the boy sighed glancing at the clock. How long did they plan on keeping him in here?
After some well-deserved justice (apparently), Feral was sent off to his room, grounded for the rest of the day. It could have been far worse, to be honest, and though his side hurt like hell (he suspected they might have bruised up his ribs with all those kicks), he knew he could manage. He always did. At the very least, he might have a tool that might help him escape, then he wouldn't have to worry about this bullshit anymore. At least that had been the plan.
They'd kept a close eye on him after that, but Feral feigned disinterest and adjusted to his confinement well enough, using the time to himself to plan. Really, he shouldn't be getting too far ahead of himself. There was no guarantee Flint could break his collar like he had his own. Hell, it could have even been a fluke! But that didn't stop Feral from hoping, planning around the possibility and hopefully managing to get out of this hellhole. Flint would simply have to hold up his end of the bargain. If he was unwilling to cooperate.. Well.. Feral wasn't opposed to using force if necessary. He might have thought the beast had hurt him then, he didn't know pain yet. But he was going to save that thought for later, as he might not even have to worry about it.
The heat had somewhat died down by then and Feral was free to leave his room. He still kept his distance for the most part, watching, waiting for the opportunity. And once he felt like it was safe, he'd make his move. It was about time he paid the Shield a visit, no? He wouldn't be too difficult to track down, seeing as Feral had gotten quite a good whiff of his scent when he was roughing him up. That and if his sense of smell had been correct (which it usually was), he hadn't gone too far. In fact he appeared to be in the ward as well.
Sure enough, he'd come to find his room, following his nose. The door had been unlocked, surprisingly enough, and Feral would invite himself in once he was certain no one nearby was watching. Once inside, he shut the door behind him and looked to where Flint lied... And saw he already had company. Animals weren't exactly fond of him these days, almost if they sensed he was a threat too. Already he could sense the feline glaring at him, saw how tense it became. He'd safely keep his distance, not eager to get in range of those sharp claws.
"Long time, no see." he states as he looked Flint over. He didn't seem to be in too bad of a condition, or at the least seemed to be recovering from his assault just fine.
His first indication of the other male was the cat decided to jump on him. Flint hissed in pain as the furred animal leaped onto his chest, fur fluffing out until it was near twice its size. The animal had no consideration for the boy as it turned to face Feral, lashing its tail angrily.
See this is why Flint hated cats. They were so inconsiderate. The animal practically had its butt in his face and its tail had already hit him several times. The white hairs tickled the patient's nose and the sneeze caused another explosion of pain in his chest. The cat crouched even lower, digging its claws into him like he was a personal pin cushion.
The cat growled at Feral, it's voice raising until it became a yowl. Before it could reach the peak of it's alarm, its cry stuttered and broke as Flint shamelessly smacked the cat off of him. At first the animal clung tighter before it staggered to the floor and disappeared beneath the bed.
"Fucking cats!" Flint hissed, using his sleeve to wipe the cat hair from his face. There was a nice bed of black cat hairs where the animal had been sleeping for the past few days, but hopefully the cleaning faculty would take care of that when he was released from the ward.
Raising his gaze to see Feral, the Shield didn't look all that pleased. "What do you want?" He crossed his arms after forcing himself to sit up. "Am I supposed to thank you for that stunt you pulled back there? Well thanks, you're a real sweetheart." He sounded anything but sincere, but given the fact Feral had roughed him up a little -a lot-, it was safe to assume he was bitter.
The cat would growl at him and Feral would of course return the favor as he crossed his arms over his chest, glaring daggers at the little beast. If it left him alone, he'd show it the same courtesy. Fortunately Flint would unintentionally come to the rescue by swatting at the cat, the feline fleeing to the safety beneath his bed, though Feral made no attempts to get closer still. It could just be down there, waiting to strike, after all. He wasn't going to play into it's trap.
Flint didn't appear to be much of a fan of them either, which would raise the question of why he had a cat in the first place but he didn't care enough to actually ask. Especially since the Shield hadn't really given him much time to respond to anything, not looking any more pleased to see Feral either. He simply quirked a brow at this, watching curiously as he went off, questioning why he was there.
Thank him? No. Not necessarily anyway. But give a favor, get a favor. That was the way he saw it. He got shocked and beat up for attempting to cover for the younger patient, so he wanted some form of gratitude. Course a simple thanks was not exactly what he had in mind. "I warned you ahead of time." he shrugs, not seeming to care that the boy was bitter. Had he though? Well he had requested Flint trust him so apparently that had been the warning. "Believe me, I could have done far worse." he assures, as if that's supposed to make him feel any better. It should, considering his opponents had ended up worse off. One of them even lost a finger, and even more had chunks of their flesh torn by those fangs of his. Really, what he'd treated Flint to was rather tame compared to his usual fights. But still, was that supposed to make him feel better?
"Get caught?" he asks, seeing no point in beating around the bush. He could understand the boy throwing a fit if the plan hadn't worked, as he would have been a bit disappointed himself, but if they hadn't found out he'd broken the collar, then what was the big deal?
Flint glowered at Feral as he spoke. He could've done much worse? If he hadn't been so injured perhaps his shield could've actually taken 'much worse', but Flint wasn't going to challenge his elder. The boy only shifted grumpily, his gaze straying to the barred window nearby instead. He had hoped Feral was only here out of a genuine desire to see if he was physically okay. But of course not. At the boy's question, the Shield shot him a look. His gaze darted around the room nervously. He lived under the constant fear that they were always watched. The faculty already experimented on them, abused them, even assaulted some of the unlucky ones. What was to prevent them from keeping hidden cameras? What was to prevent them from watching them at all times? It would surely be boring. But it would be effective. "No." The boy scowled. "I'm a good patient okay? I don't break the rules, I do what I'm asked when I'm asked. The facult and I get along just fine, there's no way I'd get caught." He may or may not have exaggerated himself a little. Flint definitely wasn't one to cause trouble and he did comply to the faculty's demands. Unlike Feral he didn't possess a fiery spirit, or a desire to rebel. The boy was a prime candidate to become one of the Xa as his compliance had earned a better reputation amongst the faculty then most patients. But now Feral had come to screw things up, hadn't he?
Feral quirked a brow, looking rather skeptical as Flint went off on a little spiel, insisting he was an obedient little lab rat. Honestly, that part he wasn't too skeptical about. Of all the patients, of all the freaks even, Flint was probably the least the faculty had to worry about since he didn't want to cause any trouble. But the idea of him not getting caught? Unlikely. After all, he might have had a panic attack and screamed it to the rooftops that he broke his collar. Wouldn't be much of a perfect little lab rat then, now would he?
"Sure you are." he replies sarcastically, not even putting an effort to attempt to be genuine. "They don't give a shit. You're a freak." he insists, surely the other male knew this. "The moment they even begin to think you are up to no good, you can kiss your perfect little reputation goodbye." he continues as he leans back against the door, still wisely keeping his distance as he could hear the soft growls of the cat below.
He should know these things, at least to an extent. Feral hadn't always been the rebellious teen he is today. In fact for a while they were starting to think he could become a decent guard overtime for them. But unfortunately they just had to accidentally kill a friend of his and he's had it out for them since.
"Either they must have bought it, or they are just waiting to fuck you up with the reveal." he chuckles. Both options are likely, but given how cruel the guards were capable of being, he doubted they'd have waited this long if they knew. Then again, they were always full of surprises. "I already did my part so it's no skin off my nose." he shrugs. Well... Kind of. If Flint could actually free him from his collar, it'd be a shame to lose that potential. But if he really was a goody two-shoes, he might rat him out before he even began to work with him. Maybe he overestimated this kid. Well, he hadn't quite given up on it yet, obviously, still being there. He was going to get something out of this, one way or another.
The Shield exhaled sharply at Feral's words. It was clear the boy wasn't happy with what was being said. It hurt a little actually. The boy rubbed his arms gently, averting his gaze from the other freak and instead staring into his lap. "What do you really want? You didn't just come here to see if I was in trouble or not," well he might've but that wasn't his objective. "Just tell me what you really want, get to the point so I can shoot you down already." For one who didn't like conflict, the Shield was being rather bold. But perhaps that was due to the fact that Feral was on the other side of the room and the other freak hadn't threatened him yet. It was just like him to have to be coerced into some conspiracy. But in the end, was escaping worth it? What sort of life lay on the other side of the compound? Was there even life at all?
Still not satisfied, Flint wanted to know what Feral was really there for. Once again proving to not be the type of guy to beat around the bush, he answered simply, "I want out." It wasn't like it was any secret and he was sure four-eyes could have come to that conclusion on his own if he thought hard enough about it.
He takes a step forward then, still mindful of the cat beneath the bed but feeling a bit bolder now as he made his way closer. "Do you know how long I've been trying to figure out how to get rid of this thing?" he asks, gesturing to the collar which could show enough evidence. His neck was bruised and scarred, with even some fresh scratch marks by the beast himself. "And you just go playing around and break yours like it was nothing." he explains, seeming to be just a tad envious about that.
"What I want is for you to get rid of mine. That way I can get out of this shit hole." he elaborates. "And considering I took the fall for your collar, I think you owe me that much." he insists. Did he really? Well he did attempt to take the blame for the damaged device, but whether they actually fell for it was one thing. One could also insist that the amount of damage he actually dealt the poor Shield was enough to cover the damage he received for attacking him anyway. But obviously he wasn't satisfied with that.
What if Flint didn't cooperate? Would Feral rat him out? Hardly. Feral wasn't a snitch and didn't really want to appeal to the faculty. No, if he didn't cooperate he'd just finish what he started, at least get some satisfaction out of this deal, even if it was by beating up Flint till he was black and blue.
He wanted him to break his collar. Flint could have figured that much. He had figured that much, but he had desperately hoped to be wrong. Did Feral even know what he was asking for? Had the boy even stopped to ponder the outside world? He didn't even know what was out there. It could be nothing but more labs, more people trapped like them, or it could be worse. There could be 'normal' people, people who weren't freaks that is. Had Feral even stopped to consider what anyone might do if they came across him, growling and acting like an animal? If he didn't get killed, the boy was sure to win himself a free pass into an insane asylum. Of course Flint knew little of asylums, only what he had so cryptically acquired from playing video games. At times he wondered if that's what this place is. Maybe the compound didn't exist, they were all trapped in some delusion and there were people waiting for them somewhere, holding their hands and wishing them to wake up. Unlikely, it was a nice thought but he wasn't crazy. Feral was maybe...But until, now the other freak hadn't been a concern of his.
The Shield lowered his head. His hair, slightly unkept for once obscure the edges of his vision. It appeared the boy was going to reject Feral a second time, why wouldn't he? But the laugh that slipped was unexpected. It tumbled out like an accidental purr, dying off into a pained wheeze as he tried to sit a straighter. "You've got to be shitting me." Thankfully though, it was enough to silence the cat. The animal poked its head from beneath the bed before retreating as it saw Feral only closer then he had been before.
Reaching for his nightstand, the boy found his spectacles slipping them onto his face before calmly readjusting them. He pushed his hair back, running his finger through it in an attempt to establish some order. And when he deemed himself 'presentable', hair decent, glasses in check, it was clear he intended to take Feral seriously.
"Let me point out your three mistakes." He said calmly. "Well, there's insurmountably more," a smirk flashed across his face, "but I won't addle your brain with nugatory bits of information."
"Now, you expect me to believe that what you did for me is of equal value to what you ask of me now?" He chuckled again only to wince. "A beating in exchange for escape? Uh-uh, not even close." But he hadn't expected anything less from Feral, nothing less.
"Secondly, assuming you have a plan of escape -and I'm assuming you don't-" he added callously, "you're going about everything the wrong way. First figure out how you're going to get past their cameras, their guard dogs, their weapons - don't think they'll think twice to kill you if you try to escape. And then if you manage to make it out of the building, then what? Where will you go? Surely the compound property has to end somewhere, but do you even know what you're walking into? Or do you just intend to fuck around and hope you get lucky?" The boy really wasn't giving Feral a chance to speak as he continued his rant.
"Third, you assume that what I did I can do again." The Shield actually closed his eyes, probably not the best decision. "But like you said, I was just playing around. I'd likely get you fried if I tried to break your collar and I can't create shields outside of myself." He added. "You don't even know why the collar broke. I could've broken it yes, but considering this has never happened before I would assume it wasn't all me." It could've been from tolerating his shields for so long, but he wasn't too keen to try anything on his new collar.
"Fourth," he continued. "You can't get out without me- or so you think. You need me to break your collar but you have no leverage no way of-" he broke off cracking his gaze open. "My bad, I said I'd only point out three of your mistakes." He gazed at Feral with contempt, arms crossed unhappily. "So tell me, what will you do now? Have I addled your brain yet?"
Feral hadn't expected a laugh. Though confused at first, he actually grew a bit annoyed, scowling at the other male. What the fuck was he laughing about? Apparently he thought he was joking. Hardly! Sure, he didn't know that much of what went on in the outside world, but he was certain it had to be better than this. Anywhere but here would do! But maybe he was crazy for thinking that way. He'd accept it, as long as he could get out and at least experience true freedom for just a little while, rather than rot away while these scientists use him up until he was nothing but a corpse.
But Flint felt the need to point out his mistakes, apparently, and though not pleased he said nothing, crossing his arms and growling lowly out of mild irritation. Unfortunately as the guy went off on his rant, he really didn't give Feral much time to defend himself or even simply respond, so he was forced to listen to the entire thing, growing more tired of it the longer he went on.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Most of it all went in one ear and out the other. He'd heard it all before, been lectured by other naysayers. Pathetic. Everyone else was sick of this place, there was no denying it, yet not a one was even willing to stand up and do anything about it. It just pissed him off. So when Flint finally stopped, giving him a chance to respond, almost taunting him even, Feral looked back to him before making his approach, disregarding the cat entirely.
"For a kid that doesn't want to fight, you sure know how to run your fucking mouth..." he snarled, green eyes narrowed as he glared down at the Shield. "I don't fucking care how I've got to do it, I'm getting out of here. I'd much rather die outside these damn walls than to rot away in here." he went on, being entirely genuine about that. He was sick of this place, sick of the people in it. "And if you want to try and get in my way, I'll tear you down, 'friend'." he warns in a friendly manner.
So it seemed like Flint wasn't the ideal plan. He did make some valid points, from what he did actually pay attention to, but it didn't seem like the stubborn Feral would hear it. He didn't want to give up.
The Shield held his gaze as the other boy approached. His gaze latched attentively to Feral's before flickering away with a hint of dismissiveness. "Sorry, sorry," he murmured waving his hands before he settled down into his bed. "Didn't mean to offend you," he muttered with a roll of his eyes. "My point is this, you're stupid," He said flatly. "You haven't thought anything through. I'm not helping you if it's not worth my while."Flint didn't consider himself a terribly selfish person, but this was some high-risk Feral wanted him to take. If Flint was going to break his collar - if that was even possible -, he wanted in. If Flint could learn to shield himself effectively, he wanted to learn to shield others. Then, he would be invincible would he not? He'd have overcome the shock collar, he'd be impenetrable to their attacks, he could even protect the dufus who'd now decided they were 'friends'. But at Feral's lack of a proper plan, Flint's answer was still no. Though his eyes glowed with thought, a hidden excitement that was kindled by the thought of a puzzle. The scientists were no doubt brilliant, could he outsmart them? Could they find all the loopholes and faults where they had gone over so smoothly and thoroughly to assure there were none? Could they figure out how the compound worked and work backwards to shut it down? If Feral had come to torment the Shield, he'd certainly succeeded. The other boy sighed heavily, his gaze caught by the cat as it sprang from under the bed. The dumb animal raced to the door of his room where it began to yowl to be let out. Flint shot Feral a sideways glance as if to blame him for the sudden commotion before he spoke. "Fine. I'll help you, but I want in."
Sorry? Feral didn't seem to believe him, though his aggression did die down, if only a small amount. Unfortunately it didn't matter if it wasn't his intent, he had indeed offended him and that was quite a dangerous thing to do, especially with his notoriously short temper. It of course didn't help that Flint would go on, insisting he was stupid. Feral of course huffed at this. Did he forget how to talk again? "Fuck you..." Nope. Again, it was something he was used to hearing. After all, since he behaved like an animal, people came to the conclusion he must be as dumb as one as well. He wasn't necessarily book smart by any means, but he knew how to survive at least, barely perhaps, but he was still alive so...
Flint was right though. Feral really didn't have much of a plan. The closest thing to one would be his plan to get rid of the collar. Once that could no longer hinder him, he was certain he could escape no trouble! But it was reckless and one mistake could fuck him over. Still, that didn't seem to deter him. A chance was still a chance. Clearly Flint thought differently.
Though not happy, Feral was beginning to think this might be a lost cause. He'd unfortunately just have to figure out something else. He could beat the kid up, sure, but that wasn't guaranteed to get him to cooperate, especially since it didn't seem to have worked at all last time. Fortunately before he could even begin to think of turning away and leaving this useless freak alone, the cat had sprung out, nearly causing Feral to jump back as he began to growl, completely ignoring that look Flint had given. What he didn't ignore were the words he'd spoken, words that had effectively surprised the beast.
"What?" he asks, not sure if he heard him right. He wanted in? Well who wouldn't?! Well he was having his doubts, seeing as the Shield seemed to be committed to being an obedient little slave to the white coats for the rest of his days. "What happened to you being a 'good patient'?" he snorted. He wasn't averse to the idea, really. Having someone to help him would probably increase the chance of escape, but he didn't understand the change of heart.
The Shield gave him a long and thoughtful look. "Nothing," he said simply. There was no guarantee Feral could trust him, no guarantee the other boy wouldn't double cross him. "I don't like conflict. If you go out and do something stupid you'll probably get yourself killed, and everyone else is going to have to suffer from your actions." He could only imagine security would be tighter, there would be no loopholes the second time. Heck, the freaks just lose what little freedom they had now. And Flint wasn't going to spend his life chained to a wall for something Feral did. And while being a good patient was very important to him, Feral had unintentionally lured him with the prospect of needing a plan. But Flint's ambitions didn't stop at escape. If they escaped, they were taking as many people with them as they could. He refused to obtain freedom while others were left behind. "I'll help you for my own selfish reasons," he said, evading a proper answer. "But don't think you can just boss me around. There are greater things at stake here," he said firmly. He almost demanded they do things his way. Though if they did things Flint's way, it would take years of planning, years of observation, years of practice. Perhaps that wasn't a bad thing, but the Shield doubted Feral would tolerate his plan of action for long.
That was comforting. If Flint really did want to stay on the faculty's good side, he could easily betray him and fuck up any of his chances of ever escaping again, all to make himself look obedient in their eyes. The thought disgusted him. Flint went on though and while not a hundred percent willing to trust him just yet, the boy did at least recognize the danger of fucking around, though he seemed to be directing it more towards the possibility of Feral screwing everything up, rather than himself.
He frowned at the thought, not really enjoying how bold Flint was being with the insults. He didn't seem to get the concern that his failing could hurt anyone, but then again it was safe to say he didn't actually care. They weren't doing anything to get out of this mess, weren't helping him any. So why should he give a shit? But that was obviously where the two differed and had he been aware of Flint's plans to get everyone out, he might have thought the guy was insane.
Flint at least agreed to help him, claiming he had his own reasons which Feral could accept. As long as it didn't fuck with him or the plan, he could do whatever the fuck he wanted. But his second condition caused Feral to huff again, though rather than look annoyed, he actually looked amused. "Really now?" he begins. "What are you gonna do about it?" he asks, almost daring him to show some balls. After all, Flint had given up quite easily the other day. Sure, he was already pretty injured when he went after him, but he didn't even attempt to put up a fight! As far as he was concerned, the Shield was just a huge pushover. But then again it might have been strange to say since the guy kind of towered over the older male, but that hadn't stopped him from asserting his dominance before. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
This was perhaps the first time in history where Flint was willing to stand his ground. Situated comfortably amongst his pillows and blankets, he eyed Feral carefully. "Whatever I have to," He said flatly. "Failure is not an option." Not for their sake of course, but for everyone else's sake. If Feral couldn't give him even a little leeway, they would have problems. Flint was willing to help only if they were both given the chance to work their hardest and to the best of their abilities. After all if they did all they possibly could and they still failed, perhaps it would be easier to swallow whatever fate awaited them. Unsure of what else to say to the other male, the Shield returned his gaze to his hands. "But first things first, could you let the cat out please?" The vocal animal was going to drive him crazy and he wished it had a shock collar. The Shield would probably get in trouble for letting the animal loose and not returning it to the menagerie like Ephraim had asked him to, but he could simply dismiss it as a mistake.
