Escaping Big Brother

LadyHarpy

LadyHarpy

Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per day
  2. One post per day
  3. 1-3 posts per week
  4. One post per week
Writing Levels
  1. Intermediate
  2. Adept
  3. Advanced
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
  3. Primarily Prefer Female
Genres
I enjoy Fantasy, Scifi, Romance, Magical, Modern and much more. I probably can't list them all! If there is something you want to try and it isn't listed here, just ask. I rarely say no!
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It was a quiet night in the Rockies, nature at rest as the nocturnal animals wandered through the think forests that covered the mountainsides. The only sound in the air was the chirping of crickets and the hooting of owls, the other creatures of the forest having curled up in there little homes for the evening to rest for the next day. However, somewhere deep in the mountains, it wasn't so quiet.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP

The alarm rang throughout the facility, alerting all to what had happened. Deep within the facility a room as been burst open, as if the force of a bomb had exploded through the wall. Bodies were scattered, some still breathing as others were torn in half from the mere power alone. It was not a very pretty sight. Then again, it didn't have to be when one was trying to escape. All that mattered was getting out of there as quickly as possible, leave those who found the mess to clean it up. That was all that was going to Bailey's mind at the moment; escape. It had been so long since she had been taken there, so long in her mind anyway. She was never allowed to be given a time, a date, or anything that could allow her to date herself to anything. But that was how they kept her under control.

As long as she knew nothing of the outside then there was nothing to motivate her escape. However, they had not thought things through very well. Her powers had been her motivation all along, the very thing they gave to her in the first place was also the very down fall of their plan for keeping her locked away. She learned the sounds of the world around her, listening in on conversations that they thought were mute. How foolish they were, to think that they could give such powers away and then think that they were safe to talk so openly. But that was not important at the moment, gloating could be saved for later once she was safe

She could hear the shuffling of boots and the call of commands, the had sent out the strongest force possible it seemed. Then again, she wasn't just anything anymore. She was their prized experiment, their ticket to the top as many have said to one another in the lounges where they thought she could not hear. They were running as fast they could behind her, trying to catch up to her. She had gotten to much of a head start though, she was easily miles away from them not, having been running not stop through the mess of trees that stood in her path. It had been so easy, just blasting through the walls and running, they had never expected it out of her. The explosion had stunned them long enough for her to slip out with a freshly dead persons access key, nothing blocking her path as her powers messed with the facilities communications.

They had gotten her though, right in the shoulder. It was a bullet wound and terribly painful, her running allowing her to feel the bullet digging deeper into her flesh. She had not known about the turrets near the entrance, it was of piece of information that she had been unable to collect. She did not let that stop her though and she kept running, down the mountain side and slowly into the valley below. The sounds of the armed men chasing her softened slowly, her success becoming obvious as the calling silenced along with the foot steps. She had evaded them, escaping into the night and out of sight. They would look for her in the morning though, without a doubt they would try to pursue her then. Or they might have turned back to get something faster than their own feet.

Either way, she did not pause and continued to stumble down the rock slope and in between the trees. She's keep running till morning, running until she couldn't run anymore. That wouldn't be far from now though, her wound making it difficult to keep her pace going for much longer. Her vision was starting to blur as her mortality finally started to reveal itself, putting a dent into her pace as her arm starting to hang limply at her side. She forgot how hard it was to keep up such running, even with her powers, then again she was never allowed to run for very long in captivity, they claimed it made her too wild in her actions. She finally stumbled officially tripping over a rock and falling over a steep edge.

She grunted as her body smacked into the ground again and again on her decent, her body landing in a ditch of sorts as her mind shut down into sleep. Has she had the energy to crawl a few more feet, she might have discovered the road she was laying near, her body slightly hidden by a over grown bush...
 
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At the moment, he's wearing BDU pants that have seen better days and motorcycle boots.

It was a sad testimony to Tucker's work life that when the Company finally got around to forcing him to take his accumulated vacation time, he'd had to ask what his address was. The look on the dispatcher's face when he'd asked had made him chuckle, though, so he supposed it was worth it. Not like he needed much, after all.

He was about halfway home and had stopped to take a piss - considering he was on a backwoods highway, he didn't figure anybody would care, and there was no point in being uncomfortable if he didn't have to - when he noticed something off. If he hadn't been on his way back to his motorcycle, he'd have never noticed her, hidden in the underbrush as she was. She was pale, and it looked like she'd taken a header down the side of the ravine and her lights had gone out either on the way down or shortly afterward. He picked his way to her, and when he got close he could smell the tang of blood. Looked like it was all down her back and side, mostly dry, and wetting the brush under her. She'd been in that bush a hot minute. She was still breathing, that much was clear, but if he someone didn't help her - someone being him, because sure as shit nobody else was going to find her before it was too late - she would be in trouble.

"Shit, girl," he muttered to himself, crunching closer so he could inspect her. She was barefoot and damn near naked - the light shirt and pants she was wearing had definitely seen better days, and were charred in places. He felt around her shoulder, mentally placing the source of all that blood as a bullet wound, and then her arms, legs, and ribcage. He found the odd cut that looked like it'd come from a rock or tree branch, plus a couple places where thorns'd ripped out chunks of flesh, all starting to scab over. "Who the hell'd you piss off? Hunting accident, my ass." Satisfied that - miraculously - nothing was broken and therefore in danger of doing more damage if he moved her, he lifted her into a fireman's carry. It was a miracle he made it back to the bike without smacking her into anything, but he managed, propping her in front of him and tying her legs to his with some parachute cord he had in his saddlebags to keep her from getting burned by the engine.

After somehow riding home without her dead weight making him crash, he got her inside and laid her out on his bed. She looked even worse-off in the light. He swore under his breath and got to work, stripping her out of her blood-caked and now useless clothes and cleaning her up, disinfecting her various cuts with Vodka after running out of peroxide. The shoulder was trickier - he managed to dig the bullet out using tweezers he sterilized with a lighter, then doused the wound with alcohol again for good measure, sewed it up - Boy Scouts was good for something after all - and covered the whole damn thing with a couple gauze pads and some Ace bandage for pressure.

Then, tired as he was, he tucked her in and passed out on his couch after chucking his bloodstained shirt in his trashcan.
 
Hours passed before Bailey started to wake, a weak grunt slipping past her lips as her body protested any movement by sending waves of pain through her body. Her shoulder protested the most as her arm was still useless, though thankfully useable as she was able to wiggle her fingers a bit. Thank goodness as well, she didn't think she'd be able to survive for very long with a dead arm. She settled back down into the sheets though, there was no point moving when her body didn't want her too. As she laid back, she realized she was somewhere different. It wasn't that lab, that was for certain as the decor wash messy and lived in, some cans of some kind laying around and other crumpled up items that she had never seen before.

This would be another problem to keep in mind...She had no idea what was on the outside. Though from a first glance to could see that there was a civilization of some type and that they were helpful as they seemed to have patched her all up. She'd make note to thank them...hopefully they spoke English. She looked back to the ceiling and smiled a little to herself. So this was it, her life on the outside was going to begin! A bubble of excitement filled her chest and she was quick to push it back down. Getting excited was not something she could afford to do right now, it was still to risking at this time to think she was safe. No, she'd have to keep moving, or get moving once she could.

She tried to move again, this time much more gentle and slow as she used what strength she had to sit up. Her head ached slightly, though that pain was minor compared to everything else. She could feel her powers kicking in once more, though on a much weaker level. She did not have the energy to allow them to be used completely yet. Though, with what energy she did have she listened, hearing the breathing of another as she sat there. That must have been the person who helped her. She also stretched out her powers a little further and tried to figure out where she was exactly...
 
For anyone not used to sleeping on a couch, a word of warning - rolling over is a bad idea. Tucker woke from a sound sleep as he hit the ground with a meaty THUD. Muttering to himself and cursing cinderblock floors everywhere (the carpet didn't help much), he pushed himself upright. Judging by the light coming in the windows, it was just after dawn, which meant he'd gotten...he checked his watch. Two and a half hours of sleep. Lovely. Well, hell. He was awake now.

Clambering to his feet, he stumbled into the kitchen made a beeline for the freezer. Coffee. Coffee was a must. Gods above and devils below, but he hated mornings. Started the coffeepot. Checked the fridge...creamer and three cases of beer. He briefly wondered what the hell he'd been thinking when he stocked it, then shrugged and grabbed the creamer. Set it next to the coffeepot.

He didn't figure the girl'd be awake for awhile yet, all things considered, but he figured his best chance to grab a shirt for himself and find some clothes that'd fit her would be if he did it now. Be kind of awkward if she woke up while he was pawing through his dresser, after all. He left the coffeepot to do its thing and made a beeline for the bedroom. He certainly didn't expect to find her sitting up and looking around when he got there, but he did his best to not show his surprise.

"Well, ain't you a trooper, already up.," he drawled, smiling, as he crossed the room to the cluttered dresser and pulled open the drawers. "Sorry about your clothes, but they were pretty much write-offs anyhow, between the blood and the tears. I'll see if I can't find...a-hah!" Out of the dresser came a Grateful Dead T-shirt that looked like it'd only be a little big on her. Out of another drawer came a pair of BDU pants that were definitely too small for him, but probably too big for her. "Knew I kept 'em for a reason. These'll have to do until we c'n pick you up something that fits better. 'fraid you're outta luck far as undies go, but considering you weren't wearing any when I hauled you in, I'm guessing that won't be a problem. So." He turned to face her, laying the clothes on the foot of the bed so she could get them whenever she was ready. "How you feelin'? I've got Asprin if you need it. Doubt it'll do much good, but it might take the edge off."
 
A very loud thud broke Bailey out of her concentration and made her look around. What was that? Certainly wasn't something light with the sound it made. Was it the one who brought her there? Maybe they were working on something...She continued to listen intently, focusing on a wall with a door as her hearing reached out. There was the sound of something opening and closing, things being set down on surfaces before a strange trickling was heard. Before she could try to figure out its source though she heard footsteps towards her location.

Her eyes darted to the door as it opened suddenly, revealing a man...A very very large man. He was huge! Well, compared to the men she had seen before he was. His muscles where large and developed, similar to that of the men that usually carried the guns. He still seemed bigger somehow, possibly because she had never seen a muscled man so close before. Her eyes scanned him quickly as he spoke to her, his accent throwing her off only slightly. Her eyes were stuck on the strange designs on his arm, not knowing what they were at all. She didn't look at them long though as he made a sound of discovery and pulled out some clothing.

So this was the person who helped her? not exactly what she expected to find on the outside. However, appearances were not important at the moment, she must have looked strange to him with her have head and lanky features. She looked at the clothing as he placed them on the bed, they were for her it seemed, a replacement for her old uniform from the facility. With a quick glanced to him again, Bailey's expression became slightly confused...

"...Aspirin?" She questioned lightly, having never heard the word before. What it a food? maybe a drink? She had no clue in all honesty.
 
"Aspirin," the girl asked him gingerly, almost like she was trying not to make a headache worse.

Tucker chuckled as he backed out of the room. "Aspirin, it is. Thank god for painkillers, hey?" He went back to the kitchen, found a clean glass and poured some water into it. Poured himself a cup of coffee while he was at it, too. He had to chuckle at the mug he grabbed - 'Emergency Caffeine Supplement.' Checking the cabinets quickly, he called back, "Options for brekkers are kinda limited, I'm afraid. It's cup-of-soup and instant oatmeal unless y' want to head into town."

Grabbing both drinks with one hand - barely - he headed back to the bedroom, stopping to snag the bottle of Aspirin with his free hand. Once he made it back to the bedroom, he set the mug and the glass on the nightstand and popped out four aspirin for the girl. It was twice the recommended dose, but he figured she needed it. Closing the bottle one-handed, he held out the pills for her and swapped the pill bottle for the glass of water and offered her that, too. Once she took them, he retrieved his morning wake-up and leaned against the doorway.

"So, you wanna tell me what happened to you? Anybody I need to be avoidin'?"
 
It seemed that the man had misunderstood her question and assumed that she was requesting the item he had offered. However, it also lead to the answer of her intended question as he called them pain killers. That was a term she was familiar with. The doctors at the facility had given her pain killers in many man forms, usually meant to dull the pain from the tests and such. She watched the door quietly as he stepped out of the room and shuffled around out there, the sound of water running and glass clinking together drifting to her ears.

She heard the mention of 'brekkers' another term she was unfamiliar with, but assumed that it was the name of a meal time as he mentioned soup and oatmeal as the only options. The mention of a town peaked her interest though, She had heard the word before in lessons and light conversations between workers. A town was a place where people lived and such. Another feeling of excitement bubbled in her chest but she forced it down once again. The first thing she needed to go was get rid of the pain that kept her in bed. She watched him return with two glasses and a bottle of some kind, her eyes observing as he poured out four pills. She accepted them as he held them out to her, instinctively popping them into her mouth before taking the glass and downing it.

It wouldn't be long now until she was all numbed up and ready to go. His next question caught her attention though and she looked at him. She wasn't sure how to answer it as the facility had done everything to keep her inside. Was it possible that no one knew about it? That they were as blind to the facility as she had been to the outside?

"I was running away...Some people wanted to capture me." She said simply, taking a safe road in case this man might have incentive to send her back to the doctors. "I lost them...but got hurt along the way...Thank you for helping me."
 
Tucker snorted. "'Got hurt along the way.' That's one way to put it. That was a five-five-six round I pulled out of your shoulder. Musta hit you through a tree - those things usually go straight on through a human. Ya don't need to thank me for helpin' you. Wouldn't be worth much as a human being if I'd'a left you back in that bush, now would I? These folks chasin' you, though...anybody I need to be on the lookout for? I'm gonna have to go to town for supplies soon, at the very least. Even I can't live on beer alone, and I somehow don't think it'd do you any good to try."
 
Alright, so her bluff did not exactly work like she had planned. She had hoped he would not have thought about the bullet. Though, it seemed that he didn't have any intention to send her back anywhere, especially with the way he kept asking about those who attacked her. Maybe this town really didn't know about the facility. All the better then, those who didn't not know about it would be easier to trust.

"Well, they are armored, they carry guns...I'm not sure what kind though, I'm not familiar with the types...I can't say much more...I was more focused on running." She said simply as she tried to describe the men that had shot her.
 
"Can't say I blame you. Body armor, huh? Well, they're not likely to be wearin' it in town unless it's Uncle Sam you managed to hack off, so that's not much help." Tucker rolled his eyes, dismissing the possibility. "Ah, well. Don't need to worry about it just yet." He shoved off the door frame and started back to the front of the house. "Any rate, I'm'a head outside, get a burn pit going, mebbe clean the place up a bit. You feel up to it, feel free to come keep me company, but otherwise just holler if you need anything, hey?"
 
"Alright..." Bailey said simply as she watched him leave the room to get to his own work.

The painkillers had kicked in almost instantly, her powers increasing the medicines power just slightly. It would still be quite awhile before she was back to her full power and strength. Once she was alone though she reached over to the clothing laying near her feet. Her muscles still ached a bit, even with the help of the asprin he had given her, but she wanted to get out and see what she had not been able to the night before. She groaned as she turned and made a move to stand, her legs shaky and making her have to grab onto the bed for support.

It took a bit of effort and some maneuvering but she was able to slip into the clothing and hobble out towards the front of the house slowly. The clothing was baggy on her as she held the arm of her injured shoulder close to her side, looking to be even more lanky that she already was. It wasn't hard to find him, she just followed the noise and shuffled to the nearest door. When she stepped out into the light she winced and closed her eyes, not used to such brightness. Her good hand darted up to her eyes as she stood in the door way, still a little stunned.
 
By the time Bailey made it outside, Tucker had dumped his trash into the pit next to the house - apparently quite a bit had piled up between his infrequent visits and his on-again-off-again buddies using his place for the odd bash - and was in the process of that time-honored process of dousing it with Boy Scout Water. Also known as 'gasoline.'

When he felt it was sufficiently doused, he reached into his pocket and produced a matchbox, from which he produced a single match that he proceeded to 'firefly' into the pile. Said pile caught fire with a satisfying 'whump!' and a thermal bloom that probably would have lit Tucker's eyebrows on fire if he'd been standing any closer. That reminded him that he'd forgotten to grab himself a shirt. Ah, well. Between the fire and the summer sun, it wasn't like it was going to be cold today.

And the girl had already seen him shirtless, anyways. Which brought up something else. He still hadn't gotten her name, or given her his. He turned to head inside and, lo and behold, there she was in the doorway, blinking spots out of her eyes.

"Sorry," he chuckled. "If i'd'a known you were there I would'a warned you." Shaking his head, he crossed over to her and, wrapping his arm around her waist to help her stay upright, led her down the stairs and into a somewhat weathered wood deck chair.

"Never did get your name," he said as she settled herself. "I'm Tucker."
 
It took quite a bit of blinking and some head shaking to get the spots out of her eyes. She was not used to such an intense brightness. The lights in the facility had been dull and dim compared to this brightness. She leaded against the door frame for a moment as her eyes finally adjusted, looking over a rather large and impressive fire. She had only flames in explanation movies, films that told her how to stay safe in the labs. She had never actually been near one.

"It's fine...I'm not blind...yet." She said simply before she felt him grab onto her waist.

She did not say much as he helped her down some steps and moved her over to a chair, her foot steps stumbling a bit as he moved a lost faster than she was able to at the moment. Once she was sitting though she looked up at him when me asked for her name.

"Bailey..." She replied before she looked over to the fire. "What are you doing?"
 
"Burning trash. No dumpsters out here." Tucker paused and looked at Bailey. "This is usually the part where I plunk myself down in the chair and get rip-roaring drunk."

He looked at her shoulder and grimaced. "We're gonna have to get that looked at by someone who actually knows what the hell he's doing. And we need food. Especially you, since I don't see the Beer Diet ending well for you..." he trailed off, then grunted after a moment of silence. "Bike's the only transport I have up here right now. If you think you can hold on tight enough, I think I have a jacket my last girlfriend left that'll fit you."
 
"Oh..." Came her simply reply.

She couldn't really think of anything else to say anyway, it was a burning pile of garbage after all. Well, at least it wasn't something bad like burning a body or some other horrific crimes the informational videos had spoken about. She needed to trust him after all, he saved her life. Her hand drifted up to her wounded shoulder for a moment, the area now numb thanks to the pills. Hopefully it would stay that way long enough for her to think of how to heal herself properly. He had done a good job as far as she could tell...But she had a feeling that the people outside of the facility did not have access to surgical equipment or high end numbing drugs.

When he mentioned going into the town, she could not help but have her eyes light up. She'd love to go see it! But once again she held in her excitement, she was still wanted and in the area after all. It was too risky to draw attention to herself and her actions. She nodded her head a bit at the mention of getting her properly checked and getting food. She wasn't sure what beer was but something told her that she would not like it.

"Sure...I'll do my best to not cause trouble. And I'll take your word on this...'beer' diet."
 
Bailey's eyes lit up. Whether it was the mention of food or the thought of going into town, Tucker wasn't sure, but he just chuckled and went to retrieve two jackets and a motorcycle helmet from his closet. And, as an afterthought, a shirt for himself.

After shrugging into his own T-shirt (Peace through superior firepower!) and jacket, he brought her jacket and the helmet outside. He had to help her up and help her put it on - she obviously hadn't worn a heavy jacket before, and the injured shoulder just made it worse - but it fit. And she looked damn good in it, to boot. He grinned, and led her over to the bike, handing her the only helmet he owned.

Hopping on, he kickstarted the engine and turned the bike around, so that it was facing toward the road. That done, he looked back at Bailey.

"All right, now put on the helmet and buckle it good and tight, then climb on just like I did. You'll want to put your feet on the back pegs, grab me around the waist, and lean in to me."
 
Bailey sat quietly as she waited for him to return with the jacket. He also seemed to bring something else. For a moment she wasn't exactly sure what it was but upon a closer look it appeared to be a helmet, though it was certainly no helmet that she was familiar with. With some help she was able to get in the jacket, only having a small twinge of pain from the weight of it. For a small jacket it was heavy! Still, it was nice and warm though and she found herself smiling because of it.

Taking the offered helmet, she watched him start up the strange machine and watched as it growled to life, looking up at him as he turned to look at her. Glancing down at the helmet for the amount of two seconds she put it on as told and moved over to the bike. At first she was hesitant, if only because the jacket made her feel strangely top heavy and she did not want to fall over. Though with the idea of town just waiting a short ride away, she gathered her courage and hopped on as he had, shuffling a bit as she put her legs on the back pegs and wrapped her arms around him.

"Like this?" She questioned him, making sure to be loud enough to hear over the noise from the bike.
 
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