The Experimental Nation

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She could feel the cringes that echoed in the wake of her screams. Dread and fear intertwined in the air for a moment before she felt The Nameless King approach. Alta still hadn't bothered to move from her spot on the earth floor. Looking up at the mask with a hazy vision. She could feel his concern and even his slight fear was; tangible.

He wasn't afraid of her but of losing another member. They were so few already. She hadn't meant to cause worry. Harper's passing weighed heavily on her. Whether she wanted too or not Alta had already formed intimate bonds with everyone. It couldn't be helped. Her subconscious had leap and played with each of theirs. She shared memories with them and was privy to things best kept in shadow. She tried to cut a small smile up at him; tears stinging her eyes. She could still feel Harper in the back of her mind. "Don't worry about me. I'll go mad before I die," She had meant for the words to sound comforting but instead they came out with a slight morbidity to them, "She didn't suffer from this- I mean she did but, not like when she was alive." Harper's power offered her some protection from the electricity that could course through her body. Her mind had suffered from a fever before the full effects had settled in. By the time her body had started to shut down she felt nothing more than severe flu like symptoms. Though Alta's body didn't offer her the same protection. She felt her body fry as every neuron fired back in protest to the phantom pains. It had felt like she was being burnt from the inside out.

Suddenly feeling shy from her early outburst she pushed herself up off the floor. Muscles ached in protest but she couldn't just lay there forever. Harper needed to be buried and shockingly Alta knew of a good place. Harper wasn't a soft person on the outside. Often crass and with a fiery temper but she still held a certain softhearted tendencies inside. "I think Harper should be buried facing the sea." She muttered to the The Nameless King. Harper loved the water. It helped cool her burns and generally she liked the feeling of being weightless. Not that she would of told any of them that. Alta was going to miss her presence. Her power and her strength. She tugged at a knotted strand of pale rust colored hair; an old habit she did every time she felt unsure or awkward. "Let's go."She looked back towards him as she headed towards the outside of the cave. No amount of distance was going to separate herself from them. Alta could only lessen the effects of her power but death was something that echoed far and wide. Now there was only one thing left to do and that was honor her.
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"No more Harper," Alice murmured after Julia had confirmed his conclusion. He stared blankly straight back at Julia, a swirl of emotions mixing inside of him. He was sad that he wouldn't be able to talk to or see Harper anymore. He would never be able to know more about her. However, he did not feel unbearably sad. To the young boy, who had not enough experience to truly grasp the concepts of "never" and "always," the permanency of death was also another idea he couldn't fully understand. All he felt about Harper's death was an inexplicable feeling of sorrow deep within him. Even that sorrow, though, wasn't so overwhelming that it masked other, more trivial emotions.

Like, for instance, even as he missed Harper, Alice was happy that Julia had given him such an easy to understand answer.

Likewise, the instinctive sense of grief Alice felt towards Harper's death made no mar in Alice's response to Julia. Having been raised in an environment where the business of being asked many questions and being expected to answer all of them was a daily routine, Alice wasted no time in answering Julia's questions. It was a task that was nearly second nature to the artificially born child, one that Alice did without any question of why the questions were asked. In a soft, steady voice, Alice replied truthfully, "I'm okay. A little sad. I'll miss Harper. No questions."
 
Eliade's sleep had been plagued by terrors of her time in the labs, of the thousands of needles that had pricked her skin countless times. Of the scientists, their faces covered by masks, dressed in their white biohazard suits to protect their precious skin from contamination. What was in those vials that they were so afraid of having touch their skin? How could they still inject her with the substances they feared? Sweat broke on her skin, beading on her forehead as her body twitched in response to the memories, her face contorting in pain at various intervals.

It had been hell in that place. And then he had liberated her and many others. The Nameless King. They knew nothing about him, yet had followed him blindly. Eliade had frequently thought about her decision to do so, and there were times when she had thought about breaking away. But where would she go? She was an orphan now. Her family thought she was dead. She had thought she'd died quite a few times. There was no way she'd go back to the labs. So she'd followed this nameless man, awestruck by his obvious authority. He calmed her nerves without even trying to, which was not an easy feat where she was concerned. Eliade was simply too freaked out by everything around her to be calm most days. She was always suspicious of everyone, frightened of what lurked behind every tree or stone.

The nerves returned almost the instant she was awake, the scream of another not far from her disturbing her nightmares. Alert, her gaze flicked around the dimly lit cavern, startled by the speedy reaction of their leader as he rushed to Alta's side. The hard stones beneath her body suddenly made their presence known as she shifted into a sitting position, rubbing her eyes and then brushing tiny stones, and whatever else had clung to her aching skin, away. 'Is she alright?' She asked quietly, sidling over to the girl and their leader. But even her voice's presence went unnoticed, just like it usually did. It was something Eliade couldn't help. She was designed to blend in with her surroundings. And as such, she often became invisible to those around her.

She sighed, standing properly and dusting the rest of her clothes, the painfully familiar sting of the rash that often plagued her skin causing a soft hiss to escape her lips. She would need a salve or something to soothe the rash before it got worse. She had only a little of the moisturizer that she had taken from the labs. Perhaps someone could help her make something to assist in her recovery. She ran through the list of people left in their group, counting off everyone and their abilities one by one, crossing off those that hadn't made it through everything. She hadn't been close to Harper, nor was she close to anyone in particular, but she still felt a pang of sorrow as her gaze fell upon Harper's body. She sighed, scraping her nails over the dry, reddening skin on her left wrist. 'It's sad... none of us really knew her properly... except maybe Alta... But we don't know each other at all... not really. We're here because of the Nameless King. But how long do we really have? How much will we get to share? I don't want to die knowing that I'm invisible as much in death as I have been through my life... I don't want to be the chameleon project any more.' She still didn't know if anyone had heard her. It was more an external monologue than the beginning of conversation. Slight tears pricked her eyes, and she wiped them away with her good hand, knowing the salt would only sting the rash that was slowly spreading.
 
Tenna accepted the pills and swallowed two, not needing to wash them down with water as she had had so much experience with pills back at the facility. After a minute, Tenna stood up to join Julia. Tenna's friend was comforting a child, something that still felt foreign to Tenna. Whether it was the child or the comforting that felt foreign she was unsure of. Tenna herself had not acquainted herself well with Harper, and the death barely had an effect on her. She had never had a close friend die, but had heard of death often and was not uncomfortable with it. Tenna did not offer to help bury the body. Others had offered, and she did not think it would be good for her body to be so active after the long trip. Besides, why were bodies buried? She had always heard they were "disposed of," the same way broken glass was. Maybe disposing of something meant burying it. Why didn't people say what they meant?

Tenna heard the quiet girl nearby whisper something about the Chameleon Project. Tenna knew that's where Eliade was from, just as Tenna was from the Health and Wellness Program. (Not that Tenna had known her facility's name while inside; that was what she had seen on the outside of the building.) Tenna looked at Eliande questioningly, wondering whether the quiet girl had been talking to her.
 
Julia wasn't sure what she had expected - or what she had expected at all, really - but Alice's response left her with questions of her own. Now that I think of it, I've got no idea what this kid's seen before... Not for the first time, she remembered how much different backgrounds could shape a person's view of the world. 'Normal' was completely different to someone whose first experience with life in the outside world was coming to a deserted island. Maybe that's not a bad thing...this is probably less weird for them than it is for me... she thought idly, most of her focus on her answer.

"It's okay to feel sad. Harper's someone we knew, that can change things." A swallow made her wish for some water, and she recalled that they still had to find supplies in this place once the task at hand was over. "And y'know, it's normal to miss people who've gone. That means you liked 'em a little." There was just a hint of of a smile as she said that. Then she glanced toward the group gathered around the rock. "Do y'wanna go with them, or stay here? You can pick, nobody'll mind."

As she turned her head back towards Alice, she noticed that Tenna was nearby, looking at...something Julia didn't actually see on first glance. The earthy mutterings at the back of her hearing hinted that something was there, but her eyes insisted they hadn't seen anything. Okay, that's weird... Curiosity made her want to check again, but to do that in the middle of another conversation would look kinda odd at best.
 
Vex sighed as he looked down at Harper. He hadn't known her well. Not as well as he knew some of the others, anyway. To him she had always seemed more secluded. Closed off. Then again, he rarely spoke to anyone other than the king and Alice unless it was absolutely necessary. His previous words, while chosen to seem heartfelt, no doubt sounded cold and callous to some of the others that had bothered to listen. Regardless, he spoke again. "I recommend burying Harper in front of a tree. An oak, if we can find one on this island, for her fiery spirit. And, if Hal," he said as he gestured to the light-forger, "can make a chisel without killing himself right now, I will engrave a headstone for her. Or I can carve a script into the tree otherwise." He picked up a small, flat, sharp-edged stone off the ground, as though he'd already known its location, upon saying the last part.
 
The screams had quieted and everything was calm-ish again. Lilith was wide awake now and started to assess the situation. Everyone is more or less ok. Vex wanted to help with the burial... Alice is being taken care of by Julia... Alta is recovering... Hal made shovels, hopefully he's ok... Tenna is doing better now that she had a few pills... Eliade had a skin problem? She didn't know much about Eliade or her ability. Lilith spent her time either hallucinating or keeping her mind stimulated, if she wasn't asleep. With a few hops and a skip Lilith approached the young girl. She tried not to startle her in any way especially since Eliade was doing a small monologue. "I can't say I knew Harper well, but her strong spirit is something to be missed as well as desired. I wouldn't worry about how long we have to live. Keep thinking about it and you'll miss out on the small feeling of being free. I'd rather die here than in a battlefield somewhere, if I ever survived the labs. We'll be fine out here... As for getting to know others... that will be difficult. Some of us aren't use to having friendly people around. It'll take some time to get past that barrier." Lilith smiled a little hoping to reassure the girl. Though it was the truth about the others around her, she didn't want things to stay like this forever. She was so use to a family, before the whole kidnapping and experimenting thing, but she may have her hopes up too high. The others weren't use to having company that wasn't in a lab coat and one child who never experienced the outside world. This may prove harder than she thought.

Coming out of her thought bubble Lilith looked at Eliade's wrist. "Red, highly irritable, dry skin... Maybe some Aloe can help you. If I find any I'll be sure to bring some back for you. I'll look for other roots and plants that can soothe your skin. The last thing you'll need is for it to spread." Lilith had something to keep her eye out for. Maybe they'll be roots or other plants that may help repel bugs or things that were eatable. Seeing Alta able to stand was quite reassuring. Now all they had to do was bury Harper in a peaceful place, somewhere she would love to be. Even though Lilith had no idea where that would be.
 
So she was all right. Relief flooded through the Nameless King as his shoulders sagged in relief and he wobbled for a second before he steeled his soul against the oncoming wave, because he knew that if he gave in, what he worked for would likely collapse. He could not let other people know, so he nodded to her to acknowledge her assistance. The more hands he had in burial, the faster it would be over with, and the faster they could get back to rebuilding their lives in this place. As much as Harper's death would cause grief for the others, the Nameless King could not let the others dwell on it too much lest they be buried under the crushing weights of the sacrifices they would have to make.

"Thank you for the idea," said the Nameless King with a touch of gratitude in his voice, even though for him, the burial place did not matter, only that they would do it as fast as possible, so he just escored Alta out to stand together with the others, though he had a feeling that he was forgetting about something. He looked around in the cave, but he could not see anything. He could not even feel the presence of something in there, save for Tenna and the girl did not seem to be interested in helping them, so he just joined the group of people gathered outside. Some of their faces were concerned, but the Nameless King made sure that he stood tall and confident so they too, would gain confidence from him along with reassurance.

"Everything is all right," he said as he grabbed one of the light shovels and gave it to Alta. "We will bury Harper by the sea, so we will have to make our way back from where we came. For the rest of you, you can rest until we come back," he ordered, dismissing Vexor's suggestion, then he picked up Harper's body, after which he turned towards the chore and started marching. He did not even check if the others were following him. He only lead them, but they would be the ones who chose to follow him. He would not blame them if they did not follow him back through the trails, however, he made sure to keep his pace relatively slow and steady.

The journey was much shorter this time, as no one had the burden of carry their luggage anymore, except form him, who was carrying Harper through the entire journey, yet for the machines under his flesh, that was nothing. This came as a welcome surprise for him, because he was used to the machines working against him, and not with him, so he intended to make the most of it. Perhaps with their help, he could even dig a grave for Harper with only a little exhaustion, which meant that he would not have to tire other people. As it turned out, he would not need their help, but not exactly in the way that he thought, because as they approached the shore, his left arm started to make strange, involuntary clicks that resounded within him.

The Nameless King knew that was the sign of his body rebelling against his rule, however, there was nothing to be done. Already, the machines in his legs circumvented his own nerves and his mouth was sewed tight even if his consciousness remained. Suddenly, fear and anger welled up in him as his mind went to all the horrible things the machines could do to the people who followed him, or Harper's body. Especially the latter, since the constructs inside him always seemed to target the person who was the most helpless, the one who could do the least to oppose their movements besides himself, the one who tried to keep it all caged. At least the machines were not laughing at him this time, instead, they were just working, which was worse as far as the Nameless King was concerned. They had been far too calm on the way here.

And just as he expected, as soon as the small group arrived at the beach, the world warped just a little as machine, flesh, soul and something entirely else united to rewrite the laws of physics for a brief second to gather a massive amount of energy in one small distortion at the Nameless King's palm. Or at least it seemed so. Whether or not that was actually happening, not even he knew, but he had to watch as his body abandoned Harper's corpse in favour of striking at the ground with such power, such precision that it distorted into a shape of a shallow ditch. The next thing his body did was to put the corpse into it, marking it as a grave, then with the same power as before, call the ground back into its rightful place, and thus, snapping reality back to what it was.

To the Nameless King, this took a painful eternity as he fought for even the tiniest bit of control over his own body, but to no avail. Not for the first time in his life, futility clawed away at his soul, which reminded him that he did not have much left. He was only a prisoner, kept alive by things that not even the brightest minds on the planet could understand, let alone him. He was but a mere pawn in the hands of something greater, a malice that occasionally possessed his limbs to act as it pleased, destroying, creating, or acting without his consent. And he could only watch as he was dressed up in a straitjacket, bound up with chains, then shut into an iron maiden with not an inch of breathing room to spare.

Then, as always, he regained himself, and gone were the strange feelings that always beset him when he lost control, as was his moment of weakness. Though those with good eyes may have noticed the Nameless King shudder for a brief moment, that illusion soon shattered as he stood up with more confidence than ever, then simply nodded to his companions to wave them back towards the camp. He would tell everyone to do their jobs as he tried to figure out if they could fell the trees without tools... But then again, Hal might prove useful with that. He had reservations about letting him do the hunting alone anyway, something which he would think through once they arrived back at camp.
 
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Tenna watched the Nameless King go, then glanced toward those remaining. "We wait." she asked. It didn't sound like a question, but it was. Back at the facility, even things that should have been questions were directed at Tenna like commands. It was no wonder she got the inflection wrong. Perhaps when the Nameless King returned, Tenna and Lilith would be sent into the jungle. That would mean more walking. Perhaps a short nap would be good.

Tenna curled into the fetal position on her rock and supported her head with her arm. Unfortunately for her, the burial was done and the Nameless King was back after only a few minutes.
 
Vexor, sighing at his suggestion being didmissed, though he had quite expected it given that, judging by the temperature and humidity of the area, that chances of finding any plant life other than those associated with tropical climes would be rather close to zero. Regardless, he followed the king, though he chose to keep to the trees and shadows as best he could, noticing an alteration in the man's physical behavior, though he couldn't quite place what it was when he started.

He continued to follow, agile and silent as a puma, ready to strike like a cobra should the need arise. The king may have saved him from those arduous lab tests, but he still didn't trust the man. He was too good, too kind, and too decisive to not be hiding something. Some inner turmoil or other such dark secret.

He wasn't absolutely sure he was right, of course. No, he'd learned a while back that such tunnel vision as he was so dangerously close to developing led to needless suffering and death, as such, even when he saw his leader start to struggle, saw the massive display of power he used to bury Harper's corpse in little more than a giant sinkhole, he didn't dare reveal himself, having no way of knowing if the king actually ever saw him or not. Gods know he never reacted as such, but he was so superb at hiding any form of reaction that he could have noticed the stoic, small-framed teen when they first set out.

Then he saw it. A shudder, a moment of weakness shrugged off as the leaves on a tree do to the rain, and he knew for sure that there was something going on underneath. Something the king didn't want anyone else to witness or likely even know about, and he was determined to find out what. Quickly he dropped down, taking a couple somewhat large branches with him, and pulled up some grass, hastily tying it around the tree limbs to form a crude cross as he walked out in view of wveryone and calmly dug it into the ground just above the small mound of soil in sharp contrast to the violent way their leader had dug Harper's grave and buried her in it. He didn't say anything. Not yet, anyway. He was too deep in thought, wondering just what could cause such an unwavering man to shudder like that.
 
"The ocean, huh..." Julia muttered those words under her breath - even more so than her standard, that is - and forced down the urge to shudder. Her memories of sea travel were too recent for her to associate being near the ocean with anything pleasant. Such constant and confusing noise was hard to forget. C'mon, it's not that bad. Can't dig a grave in the sand, so worst case, I hear it a little bit. I dealt with it before, right? But in the time it took for common sense to kick in and present that argument, the group that had chosen to assist with the burial had already walked off at high speed. For several moments, she stared at the area where the others had gone; then she gave a shrug, sat down, and looked to see who else had stayed put.

Twice, her gaze returned to an apparently empty spot of ground while a puzzled look appeared on her face. It was as if something was supposed to be present yet wasn't. But before she could make any sense of whatever she was experiencing, footsteps announced the return of those who had left. Looks like it's done. That was fast...wonder why? She climbed to her feet and kept an eye out for anything else that seemed out of place, as well as any changes in jobs that might take place. It was simple curiosity that stopped her from going immediately to her own assigned task. After all, that cave certainly wasn't going anywhere.
 
The Nameless King walked ahead to pick up the body and shovels. It was time to bury Harper by the shore and allow her to rest in peace. Azelia followed silently back through the thick woods. Allowing the sounds of the forest take hold of her thoughts. Thankfully it was the same path so they shouldn't get lost. Yet the path felt a little different, it seemed quicker and easier without luggage to carry.

Their journey ended as they came to the shore but instead of burying Harper peacefully. The Nameless king created enough power and force to smash a crater into the sand. As soon as Azelia saw the immense power and strength she ducked into the brush. She stayed low, allowing her body to store tension in case she needed to get out of this situation. Their leader placed the body into the ditch and snapped the sand back into place. It was as if he could distort things around him for a period of time. Once everything was marked as a grave a shudder fell down his back. What was their leader hiding? It wasn't something small or else he would have told them. This was something he didn't want anyone to know about.
 
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