The Avian Experiment

A

Adira

Guest
Original poster
"How are the tests going?"

"Fine Sir. We are pushing them as hard as we can, all seem to be responding well, they are invincible."

"Good.. Good.. We will need that. After the last failure in testing the Angels.. You manned to revive this experiment successfully. But this war is getting out of hand, People are raging mad that we haven't won it yet. We need to send them in."

"Of course Sir but they aren't stable enough."

"God damn it! I NEED THEM NOW"

"Yes Si---"

"Do whatever you must, blow them up, shoot them up, drug them up. Whatever it takes."

"...Yes Sir"

"And Don't let them escape again.."
____
Thump.. Thump.. Thump..

The footsteps paced back and forth outside. Ringing in your overly sensitive ears.

Tick.. Tock.. Tick.. Tock..

The steady ticking of the digital clock provide you with a steady reading of your time.

The bumping of your overly large wings curled heavily on your back are awkward. The cold shiny metal that hung all around you. You sit in a large cage, no room to move around, only enough to adjust. They are meant to keep you in, not to make you comfortable.

This was your life here, this was all you could expect, well.. until the war.

You're training for the war over seas was harsh, radioactivity, harsh warfare, and nuclear exposure was a part of everyday training here now. You could sense that it was night time, though you couldn't be sure. In a windowless metal room all you felt were the glowing eyes of your fellow flock members. That was all you had in the world.
____


When Scarlett awoke, her bright blue eyes survey the surrounding area. The shiny silver metal room has not changed. The cameras that watch them still blink with the same green light. Her eyes seem to fly around the room, noticing every little detail. Her cage was still as small as ever, barley giving her to much room to move. But comfort was something that seemed to precious for ever to ever even imagine. Still she shifts her weight forward to lean on her knees. She glances to the right to see the others, all in small cages as well. The little ones seemed to be sleeping soundly against the bars of the silver cages. She hated the color silver.. all that surrounded her was the color silver.. cold hard shiny silver metal. That was her life.. in silver...

She couldn't except that her life was to be a test subject in this hell hole.. She wondered about the other kids, the ones being turned into half dogs, half cats, half.. well anything these scumbag scientists could fuse their DNA with. S.T.A.R.R would try anything, anything at all no matter how un-ethical it seemed to be, just to keep their funding. So far the experiment that Scarlet was currently being subjected to was the only successful one. She was what the scientists called "The Avian Experiment". This was a branch off of their mother project, The Angel Experiment. The two experiments varied in their results though, These test subjects show'd very little side effects and most of them increased in strength, brains, or some other aspect. Some, however, weren't so lucky, growing sickly and to much like a bird in physical and mental status. They were of course, put out of there misery as they were useless to S.T.A.R.R. But that was more than Scarlet could say for herself and the others. Proving to Scarlet that DNA was not meant to be fused.

She was one of the lucky ones, her hawk like wings grew to suit her body quite well, they could carry her for, what the scientist guessed, many miles at a time. Her bones felt paper thin and stuck out of her at awkward angles, not really helping her teenage self esteem problems, but what had she to worry about teenager problems or her self esteem in a place like this? Her mind seemed at ease, there wasn't much to think about now, unless you wanted to think about what the next day had in store. Which Scarlet preferred not to think about. In an effort to sleep she leaned forward more placing her hands on the door, and pushing. The motion made a large noise and she sighed, hoping she would be so lucky to get out. Her hands still pushed against the small cage door as she prayed to a god she didn't believe in for help.. but.. to her surprise.. It opened.
 
Mia woke up.
It wasn't because it was daytime, or the morning, Mia had lost track of these things. Instead she woke up because she was not tired anymore, she moved from her sleeping position to a sitting one. Her cage was the largest in the room, however that wasn't a luxury, she looked back to confirm her massive wings were still there, and naturally they were. She never used these wings, there was simply no room large enough in the institute for them, and she was not really valuable enough to construct one.
When speaking of it, she was considered a failure, while she did sprout functional wings it would seem that the physical strength and reflexes that usually came with it didn't occur. Still, she was kept around for future experiments, how her wings sprouted on her lower back rather then behind her shoulder blades also interested the scientists.
She was kept around for almost ten years now, ten years in that cage.
Numerous children exchanged places in these cages, only a few returned. The current batch... Didn't quite differ from the last, they might seem different, but they were all broken deep down, Mia knew the feeling, she had gotten used to it.
While the facility had the air of an impenetrable fortress, S.T.A.R.R. security was... flaky at best, Mia knew this because she experiences several escapes, a guard would be careless when delivering food, or leave one of the cages unlocked. However while the escapees would usually make it out of the cage room, guards were never far. Mia, not really being a feisty person always walked calmly behind the crowd of escapees, simply surrendering when caught. This is why she was still alive today.
That was also when she noticed that one of the smaller cages opened, she merely sighed, muttering to herself.
"... Again."
 
Seraphina lay back in her cell, her large wings curled up and over her torso like a cocoon. It was the most comfortable position she could manage in the cramped space. Her eyes were closed, although she wasn't asleep. Sleep was difficult for her nowadays, even though she was always tired. Her thoughts were idle, simply reliving memories. There was nothing else to think about, unless she wanted to dwell on the pain. She had shown one of the greatest physical strength increases among the test subjects, but it didn't come without a cost. Her body constantly ached, particularly her limbs. Occasionally they would flare up in searing pain that usually left Seraphina unconscious, but that didn't happen often. She suspected that the constant pain was more a mental side effect than a physical one; the human brain set limitations on the capability of the body to prevent one from hurting oneself. The experiments had ripped those walls down, and while it had given her extraordinary frame, it also strained her. She had gotten used to the pain, but the wings were something she'd never get used to.

Having an appendage beyond the norm was a bizarre experience. At first, the wings had felt heavy and awkward, and Seraphina could barely move them. Eventually her brain had adapted and she could now use them with as much fine control as her fingers. That combined with her thinner, lighter, bones and incredible strength let her excel at flight, although the only times she was able to practice it was under controlled conditions under the watch of a dozen scientists. Other people might have found the feeling of flying amazing, but Seraphina took no enjoyment in it. It wasn't something her body was meant to be able to do, and it was very physically tiring. She was always tired.

Seraphina always attempted to block out sensory input, in her cell. The final difference that kept her from being normal was her thoughts: Her brain proccessed information much faster than others. The benefit of this was that she saw the world in slow motion--she could reäct to things at incredible speeds other people would think impossible, because she could see it coming. The drawback was that she always saw the world in slow motion. Time passed slower for her, and every moment took a little bit longer than it used to, from her perception. Every feeling lasted longer, including pain. Boredom was agonizing. Her condition had instilled in her a deep-rooted desire to stay in motion, but that was impossible in her cage. Even beyond her wish for revenge and to go back out into the normal world, her biggest reason to escape was her instinctual drive to keep moving. To never stay in one place. A desire for change.

Seraphina was broken out of her reverie by the telltale sound of creaking metal. She instantly sat up as much as she could, looking out from the bars to see a door glide open. Her heart caught in her throat, and she jumped at her own door, her perpetual feeling of rage spilling over. She leaned back, taking a breath, and set her feet against the back of the door. She could garner more leverage with her legs. Straining her back, she pushed, and felt the steel groan in protest. After a moment for her that was only a few seconds to everyone else, she stopped, dropping her legs. She was strong, but she couldn't break steel.
 
Zen did not wake up. He was never asleep to begin with. Perhaps it would have been more fitting to say that he arose from more of a meditative state. He once again became fully aware of the glaring green cameras he was so accustomed to seeing. He held his eyes open wide so that he could scan the maximum amount of area before he quickly darting them all around. Everything was still as it had been before he'd gone into meditation. The other subjects, all as quiet as ever, either slept or idled away in their cages much as he did. Nothing was different.

Zen shifted into the position which saved him the most space in his cage; he brought his knees up to his chest and held them, putting himself into a sort of fetal position. This gave his large, white wings more space, decreasing the feeling of discomfort that tended to come with life in a cage. Not that he was sure what comfort was supposed to feel like in the first place, but he imagined this was likely the opposite. Soon after, he began to hear footsteps pacing outside the cold, lifeless room. No doubt scientists preparing to cart off the first batch of subjects for today's experiments. Zen would most likely not be one of those; he had noticed a steady decline in the amount of experiments that were being performed upon him these past few - presumably - weeks. He suspected that soon they would no longer have a use for him at all.

While in the middle of inspecting the room and its details, Zen laid eyes upon the lock of his cage. It appeared off, somehow. Normally it was fastened shut, but this time it seemed that it was rather loose. Was it perhaps... unlocked?

That was when he heard a faint creaking. Instantly turning to look at where the noise had come from, he saw the cage door of one of his fellow subjects swing open casually, as if it were just an everyday occurrence. The resident of said cage seemed astonished.

Zen's mind instantly sprung into action. This was his chance. He would not let such an opportunity go. But of course, he needed a plan.

Think.

"The cage door is open, but the cameras clearly saw that happen. Chances are they will alert the entire facility very soon. Our time is limited. Scientists are outside, but they couldn't have been alerted yet. We must take them by surprise and break out of the room. However, what about after that? The scientists no doubt have tranquilizers and other such long-range weapons. We will be shot down as soon as all scientists are notified. Escaping the facility will take a good amount of time, and guards will no doubt have blocked off the corridors with defense blockades to shoot us down. Solution: play on the defensive as well."

"All of you, listen to me," Zen declared loudly. "Now is the time and you all know it. Everyone whose cages are open, quickly proceed to open those whose cages are not, using whatever means may be necessary. We will take the scientists outside by surprise and kill them. All those with exceptional strength, take the lead. Use the scientists as human shields to protect yourselves from tranquilizers and guns that they may have. We will take each hallway at a time. Defense blockades will be set up; our main attackers will break through them and dispose of the guards so that the weaker ones among us may also use them as shields. We must be fast. All who cannot keep up will be left behind," he went on to explain as quickly as he could. He didn't at all care that his words were so sudden and out of left field. But if the other subjects were even somewhat dedicated to escaping this place, he was sure they wouldn't care either.

Opening his cage door, Zen proceeded to step out, his eyes fixated on the door leading out of that torturous room.

"We have no time to lose. Quickly."
 
Ryder awoke from a deep sleep. His mind was always tired especially since he was usually asked to memorize things like maps and recreate them in an instance. Despite the torture and pain, Ryder could sleep peacefully for the most part. It wasn't that he was peaceful...no that was impossible, but sleeping was his coping mechanism. When Ryder slept he allowed his mind to travel to places far away without any testing, scientists, or war; only a large expanse of sky for him to fly. This was the only way he could cope. The latest experiment was 'let's see how long he can last on limited calories a day'.

Ryder's cage was one of the smallest. Not only was he smaller, but his wings were short compared to most. His crow DNA was meant to give him an edge in surveillance. His wings pressed lightly against the cage has he curled into a ball. When he slept his used his wings to block out everything...as best they could. Now awake, his wings moved away and tucked awkwardly on his back. Moving to a kneeling position, Ryder leaned his head against the cold bars.

Still a little dazed from the sleep, Ryder looked around and noticed that other experiments were moving, free of their cages. This immediately woke Ryder up making him vigilant. He grabbed a bar of his cage to get a better view. With eyes wide, Ryder noticed that the locks on their cages had been removed. Eagerly, Ryder look at his own lock. To his surprise it was half opened. This made him smile desperately.

Ryder tried to undo the lock completely, but his hands were shaking so much and he couldn't calm down enough to undo it. He bit his lip as he struggled and decided to try just pushing the cage. Maybe if he was lucky, the lock would give way. Sadly, Ryder's lock did not and he was still stuck in his cage. His black wings began pushing against the cage. "Please," Ryder cracked. His voice was shaky as his body trembled watching the other experiments walk free.

Unsure what to do next, Ryder looked to the others. "Help anyone? Zeke?" Ryder's voice was hushed, but desperate. He tried his best to make eye contact with anyone. It didn't matter who, just someone who could help him. To be honest, he didn't really know any of them. The only reason he knew Zeke was because they were the only two of their 'batch' to survive. At this point, Ryder just wanted someone to let him out.
 
Sang-Ook had never really gone to sleep. Because he was always alone, he kept himself moderately happy by flicking through his happiest memories. His father, the siblings of his foster families, his seventh birthday with the rocket ship cake, Sister Evelyn...Unfortunately the number of his bad memories outweighed his good ones, so he was forced to repeatedly look through a limited seventeen flashbacks. Sang-Ook rested his head against his cage, and restarted what he called his 'Happy Memory Box'. He started with his father and ended with the day he had found a whole pizza left in a box in the park. He wished he could have some pizza now...

His hungry and nostalgic thoughts were interrupted by the sudden call to action and the opening of cages. His head jerked up when he saw the other kids moving, and his heart surged with a sense of panic. He could see quite a few other kids left in their cages, their eyes filled with longing. Sang-Ook didn't want to be one of them, he didn't want to be left behind! He scrambled backwards as much as he could and braced his legs against the doors of his cage. He pushed with all of his might and slowly the door inched its way open. Finally he was free and it seemed like...By the way that falcon boy was speaking--Maybe he would stay free.

The falcon boy's words of command, flung Sang-Ook into action. He surveyed the room and saw a frantic dark haired boy, glancing around wildly. Sang-Ook saw that his cage wasn't opening, and he ran over to help him. He stared at the cage lock, cocking his head to the side and finally yanking on it hard. Of course one tug wasn't going to do it, but he knew that enough force over a period of time would do the trick. But since they didn't have that long, Sang-Ook used his enhanced speed to yank and tug at the lock at all sides and with enough force, until finally the lock broke off into his hand and the hummingbird boy set it down gently next to the cage. He grasped the bars of the cage and tugged, his feet skidding forward, as he wasn't that strong.

He wasn't much of a talker ever since being taken, but occasionally he did say something when the time deemed it necessary. "Push on your side, while I pull." He said quietly, gesturing to the boys feet. "Leg muscles."
 
Zen wasn't just about to sit still either. Scanning the room, he remarked a rather thin, black-winged girl pushing desperately against the steel of her cage, and achieving no result. He rushed over to her cage and began to inspect the lock. It seemed as if the guards had done their job with this one; it was locked tight. Zen suspected that the experiment in the cage must have been quite strong, which meant if she couldn't break it, he most certainly wouldn't either. This required a more delicate procedure.

Zen reached back and bent one of his wings down so that he could reach it. From it he plucked two feathers and began to work at picking the lock, though it proved to be quite difficult. The feathers weren't very strong, so once one bent out of shape he had to pluck another from his wing and try again. Despite all the commotion, Zen could clearly hear the clock at the back of the room ticking as if it were right next to his ears, as if tormenting him. Tick, tick, tick... click.

Finally, the lock clicked and fell away. He might have been relieved if that was actually possible for him, but alas, it was not. He cast the nervous-looking girl in the cage one last glance, before turning around to search for another experiment in need. He didn't particularly care about the well-being of these people, but he knew that the more of them there were the higher his own survival rate was. If worse came to worse, he could even use one of the other experiments as a shield against the guards.
 
Ryder watched as the another experiment broke the lock free on his side, but the bars were bent out of shape. Realizing that they weren't budging, Ryder did as he was told and began to push with his feet. Even with their combined strength the bars were barely moving. Ryder began to think of something else as he took in every inch of the cage. The clock was ticking away and Ryder bit his lip. "Watch out," Ryder warned the other as he grabbed the back of the cage with his hands, bracing himself, as he curled into a tight ball. Then he used his enhanced strength to kick the cage. The force of the kick managed to open the door, but also tipped the cage over. Ryder felt the cage tumble and he was thrown heavily against the opposing bars. A little discombobulated, Ryder managed to get out of the cage and stand up.

Looking at the experiment who helped him, Ryder glanced at the camera. His foot was throbbing from the kick, but he didn't care. "Let's go," Ryder stated softly to the other. He had the entire facility memorized. There was a room not too far from this one where the garbage disposal was. To get out, Ryder planned to use the chaos to get to the nearest electrical box and disable the disposal blades for a few seconds. As he began to move with the crowd Ryder turned back and saying softly, "Zeke." Again, he didn't know the kid, but he felt an obligation to the guy since they were from the same experiment batch.
 
Mia however, didn't do much. She watched those few people with unlocked doors get out and help those with locked doors, but didn't quite bother checking if her door was unlocked.
Then again... She could take a walk around the facility. She knew from previous experiences that the guards are allowed to shoot them only if their own lives are at risk, so there was no harm in taking a walk. Besides if this escape succeeds she might actually fly a bit. Not that it would happen.
She sighed again and looked at the others frantically working to get everyone out of the cages.
 
Zeke slowly looked around at the rest that were out of theit cages. Zeke was scared. He knew that the guards could kill them at any moment, but now was not the time for fear. He was fused with the DNA of a falcon. The mighty predator. He pushed against his door. He slammed his body into it until he broke free. He saw Ryder and followed up behind him. "Right here man. You have any idea what's happining."
 
Ryder found Zeke and smiled. "Hey, well it seems that some cages have been left open and well this," Ryder explained as he motioned to the rest of the chaos. "I have a plan," Ryder stated as he waved Zeke away from the cage. Glancing up at the cameras, Ryder said, "We have one chance. I know how to get out of here. Do you trust me?" Already, Ryder's muscles were ready for action. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins as the idea of escape seemed a reality. Ryder watched as some of the younger experiments began bursting through the doors of the room. "Let's go," Ryder followed the crowd leading Zeke and San-Ook.
 
Scarlett watched the others, She had been part of the first bath so she already knew how this would play out. They'd all boss each other around endlessly fighting and squawking until the guards showed up and pushed them all back into the cages. Still, her hands shook as she pushed open the door and crawled out. Her gaze dropped to Mia, one of the few originals that remained. She had once escaped, once had the taste of pure sweet freedom. But, the girl wore a rather bored expression, like she'd seen this all before. Which reminded Scarlett, her gaze turned to Kay, who had also been an original. She'd been friends with the older girl and the little boy who were both killed after their escape plan had backfired. Scar couldn't imagine going though that pain, escpially loosing the only people she'd ever known and trusted.

So she turned her attention to Noah, or as most people seemed to refer to him as, Zen. "You need to calm down. You're not going to get anywhere bossing people around." She said with her hand on her hip. The camera had been kicked out and now clattered on the ground noisily. She winced at the metal crashing noise "If we're going to escape we're going to have to find a window, or something easy to make a break with. I say we just make a break for it now." She said as she glanced around the room, obviously those who weren't going to take the risk watched the others with wild and fearful eyes. Maybe it was the fear for those who dared the escape, or maybe it was the fear of being left behind. Scarlett couldn't tell but she knew, she wasn't going to miss out on her chance for freedom.

As she went to open the door she knew all hell would break loose. If the scientists din't know already, they would at any second. Scarlett turned her eyes to look at the others. She saw that most everyone's cages were unlocked now, it seemed that her's wasn't the only one left unlocked this time. 'Stupid Scientists' She thought as she slowly opened the door and took a peak out. It seemed the guards were stationed outside the heavy metal door. "Well Fuck." Scarlett whispered. The footsteps heard outside seemed to be more of a pacing of the guards. They seemed rather tired. As she shut the door again she figured her escape chicness were slim to none. "Seems like were never going to get out that door without setting off some more alarms." She said as she sat on top of her cage.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Zeke looked around at the chaos and began to follow Ryder. He was looking around in. "OK I trust you man. So what's the plan ryder." He was following him franticly. Zeke didn't feel exactly one hundred percent about putt8jg his life in someone else's hands, but for freedom he would try anything.
 
Last edited:
Ryder didn't reply as he moved quickly. The main exit was being blocked, so they had to find another way out. Or better yet, use the other experiments. Ryder smiled to the others saying, "we're getting out of here." Ryder saw the one experiment take charge. In the chaos, Ryder began to push other experiments to the exit.

The others began to flood the hallway making it a bit crazy as the guards opened the doors to engage. "We're almost there," Ryder said more to himself than to the others. His own lack of presence allowed him to slide through the door to the other side as experiments scattered. He would wait for the others, but only for a limited amount of time.
 
Kalia looked around at the chaos that was coming from the others. So it was happening again. She sighed and looked at her lock. Unlocked. She folded open a wing and brushed it against the door, hearing the quiet moan of the rarely opened hinges protesting. She had barely been let out since the last escape. She closed her eyes tight to block out the memories of it. She couldn't let it hurt her chances of getting out this time. This time, she would do it for Ariel. Ariel.. her best friend in all of this had helped her lead the group to what they all thought was safety. Until it wasn't anymore.

Kay shook her head and stepped out of her cage. Of course there was Zen trying to make a plan. It wasn't going to work and she knew it. Should she tell them? No. Kay walked towards the side of the room to watch the chaos unfold. If they kept going like this, there was no way that they would even make it to the door. There was too much noise and the guards weren't that daft. She stretched out her wings to their full enormous span and then folded them onto her back as she leaned up against the wall with her arms folded.

But as Kay watched the others scramble about, she couldn't help but feel bad. She knew how this felt for them and if she didn't help, they would probably all be killed. Like Ariel. And Liam. And Nicky. And all the others who the scientists used to punish for the escape last time. She sighed and picked her head up, looking at them all. Fuck. "Everyone listen up." Kay's voice wasn't loud but it carried weight and it swept across the room with it's power. She was the oldest out of them all and most of the others held high respect for her. "You're not getting past the guards so unless you have a death wish I suggest you stay in here and think of a plan real quick. Find another way out. There's a vent in the back corner but I doubt all of us can fit. Only the smaller ones will. Plus we don't know where it leads. Also, the guards will eventually get through those who tried to get out through the hallway and then they'll be in here and you can kiss your dreams for fresh air goodbye. We might be able to overtake them if we get our shit together really quick and find some sort of weapon but let's be honest. It's not happening. So once again, find another exit and do it fast."