Into the Black

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #640 on:** December 24, 2013, 11:18:10 PM

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bushwacked · **Reply #641 on:** December 25, 2013, 03:53:20 AM

Axel grinned. "Well, hello Tarzan..." Jumping up, he took her hand with one arm and grabbed the branch with the other, heaving himself up into the tree. He then rose to an unsteady standing position on the tree limb they'd climbed onto, holding a branch just overhead for support as he reached down to help her to her feet.

"You had to run through these woods by yourself?" He looked around and swallowed. "I can't imagine how scared you were."

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #642 on:** December 25, 2013, 07:07:07 AM

Lily smiled and helped him onto a nearby branch, so they were overlooking the nearby city. She then continued her story.

"While I was up in this tree, the police came the closest they ever got to catching me. I could see them; they had flashlights, and were checking the trees. I knew I was pinned, and that my dress would give me away in the light, so I hid it in this hollow..."

To demonstrate, she slid her dress off over her head and pushed into a deep knot that had formed in the tree trunk.

"At least three beams passed right through me as they walked through, but I guess my dark skin blended in with the bark," Lily retold. "Still, I was cramped, exposed, and cold, after that long night. I was about ready to turn myself in or just die right there. When I noticed that, even though they'd left, the area was still lit up..."

Suddenly, before Lily and Axel, the sun peeked its first rays over the horizon of the city. The skyscrapers became silhouetted in a brilliant bloodred wash, highlighting the forest canopy and Lily's red eyes. Her skin glimmered a light gray, oddly reflective and petrous. She definitely looked far different from when they'd first met, though she hadn't yet seemed to notice.

"The morning always comes," Lily whispered softly, stroking Axel's cheek. "That's what I realized then, and what kept me going. The night is long and the darkness everywhere, but you've got to press on until things get better..."

bushwacked · **Reply #643 on:** December 25, 2013, 12:08:54 PM

Axel held his breath as Lily slipped her dress off, his eyes roaming over her body. As the light of the new day spilled through the trees, washing them in it's glow, he could make out the odd discolouration to her skin - but right now he didn't care. She was beautiful, she was perfect... and she was here.

Moving forwards, he pushed her gently back against the thick trunk and pressed himself against her, kissing the side of her neck. "Are things better now?" he murmured.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #644 on:** December 26, 2013, 04:55:15 AM

Lily kissed him back. "Yes..." she smiled, wrapping her arms around him. "Everything's fine."

She ran her hand through his hair and relaxed her body under Axel, surrendering herself to his wishes, whatever they be. She had nothing else to say, just an aching to know that somebody wanted her, when even her own body seemed to want to reject her.

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Loud thuds echoed in her mind. There were flashes of light in her eyes, but she suspected those were just concussive phosphenes. Her body felt like it was floating.

Emilena kept her eyes closed and breathed through a tube in her mouth that her unconscious mind had already learned was an air supply. Not interested in anything other than getting her bearings, Emilena chose to give no outward signs she was awake.

She could tell she was naked, floating in some sort of gel. She could see only the blood within her eyelids; there was a light source in her face. She was held in place by loose straps around her waist and the air tube, both of which she was capable of removing if she wanted. Her wounds were completely healed.

She knew where she was; she'd been in one before. This was a growth acceleration pod. As it rapidly ages the subject, it also speeds up the body's natural healing process to the same rate. She had probably aged a few months in a nighttime...or however long she had been unconscious. Well, no point in losing any more of my glory years...

Slowly Emilena removed the straps and felt around the pod for the latch; there was always one. When she found it and flicked it, there was a click and the gel drained from the pod before the door opened. Blinking, Emilena stepped out of the pod and into a laboratory.

Immediately the lights shut off, discombobulating her and preventing her from seeing the facility. "Don't move!" a voice shouted. Strong hands from several directions grabbed her and she didn't have the reflexes to resist.

She was carried down several dark hallways, making only token attempts at resisting. She knew she was at the Purifier's mercy by now. No escape will be possible.

She was thrown into an empty padded shower, just big enough to stand in, and drenched in antibacterial suds to remove the gel in her fur. As she spluttered from the jet of water hitting her in the face, she had just enough time to gasp to her captors, "What do you want?"

She didn't receive an answer.

bushwacked · **Reply #645 on:** December 26, 2013, 06:55:17 AM

Balancing precariously, Axel reached down and unzipped the front of his jeans urgently. Pressing forwards again, he moaned softly as he entered her, holding onto the sides of the tree trunk to keep them balanced. After several minutes of thrusting, his breaths got quicker, deeper. Finally, he shuddered as he climaxed, groaning, his hands digging into the wood.

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Marcus sat on the bed and stared down at the creased, heavily worn photo in his hands, his expression hardened. The room he'd been designated was small, cold and sparse - just four stone walls and a bed that felt as hard as concrete. A bare bulb hanging from the ceiling cast a white, sterile glare to the room.

There was a knock on the heavy metal door, and a heavily muscled guard opened it. Marcus quickly slipped the photo into his jacket pocket, but not before the guard caught a glimpse of a smiling woman and child. "Echo's awake."

Marcus nodded and stood up, his back cracking as he straightened. "Good. I'll be there soon." He followed the guard out and made his way down the long corridor outside, footsteps echoing against the thick walls. There were several doors on either side of him as he walked along. He stopped at one and rapped his fist against it. Aaron's quarters.

"She's up," he called through.

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #646 on:** December 26, 2013, 02:01:46 PM

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aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #647 on:** December 26, 2013, 04:12:10 PM

Lily panted heavily as Axel penetrated her, squinting her eyes shut. She kept her arms tightly pressed around him, fingers dug into his back.

And then suddenly, she was Axel.

She could feel herself, her own flesh, the sensations of sex. More frightneingly, she got a glimpse of her own body; the red eyes, the stone grey skin, the unnatural thinness. The creature in front of her horrified her and she wanted only to get away, but she couldn't.

Go back into my body, she pleaded with herself, Please! I don't want to have to see this! But it felt like having sleep paralysis; no matter how hard she tried she couldn't wake up nd she couldn't look away... Finally Axel groaned and closed his eyes during climax, gratefully letting Lily stop seeing what she had become.

And then she felt herself back on the branch, the roughness of the bark on her backside as Axel lay on top of her. Her breath slowly returned to normal but she continued digging her fingers into Axel's sides.

"Promise you won't leave me," she said desperately, looking straight into his eyes. "Even if I keep changing? I can feel it; something's happening to me. Every time my mind leaves my body, it takes a little longer to come back..."

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Abruptly Emilena was torn gasping from the shower and dragged down another hallway. She was carried into a room with an empty desk and a number of closed cupboards and file cabinets; what was inside them she could only guess.

Her holders ran a rope over a pulley in the ceiling, tied her hands over her heads (skillfully enough, she noted with distaste, that she could not use any of her learned methods for escaping bondage), and pulled the rope until she could barely stand on her feet. Without another glance at her, they left and shut the door behind them, leaving her shivering in the inky blackness.

"The prisoner is ready for you," one of the holders radioed Marcus.

Nick22 · **Reply #648 on:** December 26, 2013, 04:29:55 PM

marie pulled up to the group and marita got out, followed by rose who had a first aid kit in her hands. ' where is he?' Marita asked.

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #649 on:** December 26, 2013, 06:26:24 PM

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Nick22 · **Reply #650 on:** December 26, 2013, 06:40:19 PM

well we're not going to give up without a fight ' marita replied as she and rose headed into the factory. adrian lay there dried blood on his face.. and marota grew somber as she saw him...

bushwacked · **Reply #651 on:** December 26, 2013, 07:34:36 PM

Axel met Lily's gaze, panting as he recovered his breath. "I won't. You know that I won't. Ever." He leaned over, brushed some hair out of her face and kissed her forehead, feeling his breath reflect off her skin. "I promise." He bowed his head slightly and pulled her into a hug, his breath gradually returning to normal.

After a while, Axel gently released her and raised himself up, zipping his jeans closed. "We should probably get back before the others think something's happened to us," he said, giving her a small, hopeful smile.

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #652 on:** December 26, 2013, 08:29:36 PM

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aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #653 on:** December 26, 2013, 11:12:04 PM

Lily nodded, smiling, then yelped when an unknown voice shouted up to them. Sitting up abruptly, she slid and accidentally fell out of the tree. Luckily the unknown figure had good reflexes and caught her.

"I don't--I--" Lily blushed and scrambled to her feet, trying to cover herself. "Axel! Grab my dress! Quickly, please!"

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Emilena had barely been there five minutes and her arms were growing tired. She tried to stand on her tiptoes to put some of her weight off of her wrists and succeeded only in slipping in the puddle she'd formed from the shower.

This is a discouragement tactic, she recognized grimly, Sensory deprivation, loneliness, chronic fatigue to the extremities, and an inability to lay down persuades captives to cooperate when the chance at comfort is offered...at a price. Well, they aren't getting me that easily!

Fifteen minutes later, she found her silent rebellious attitude had weakened somewhat.

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #654 on:** December 26, 2013, 11:19:14 PM

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Serris · **Reply #655 on:** December 26, 2013, 11:44:20 PM

(Purifier complex)

Aaron bolted out of bed and quickly tossed on his Purifier issued black jumpsuit.

"I'm coming!" he yelled through the door.

With a heavy thunk, he unlocked the door and found Marcus standing there.

He cracked his knuckles. "So what's on the agenda now?"

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(Abandoned Robotics Factory)

Soren noticed his exoskeleton was running low on power. "I have a bit of a problem, my suit's running low on power and I'd like some help locating a power plug."

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #656 on:** December 27, 2013, 12:59:08 AM

Lily was hiding behind the tree trunk and did not find the Doctor's assurance to be adequate reason to stop doing so. "Um, hello Doctor..." she replied, still blushing with embarrassment. "I, er...guess we can help you. What do you need? And sorry about that...people aren't normally walking through these woods at night."

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #657 on:** December 27, 2013, 01:10:11 AM

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aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #658 on:** December 27, 2013, 01:15:54 AM

Lily immediately stopped talking. The last time people came looking for Adrian, Lily had been thrown into an electric wall and the rest of her allies had fared little better. She decided to defer to Axel in regards to trusting this newcomer, when he came down from the tree.

bushwacked · **Reply #659 on:** December 27, 2013, 08:12:05 AM

Axel jerked in shock when he heard the mechanical voice and he wheeled his arms, feeling his balance slip. He managed to correct himself, but looked up and saw Lily fall from the branch. "Lily!" he cried out, peering down to see if she was okay... and breathing a sigh of relief when he saw her land in the robot's arms. She looked unharmed.

"Hang on, I'm coming down!" Snatching Lily's dress, he quickly clambered down the tree and jumped the last branch, landing with a crackle amongst the dead leaves. Axel handed the dress to Lily and stepped between them so she could dress in modesty, looking up at the robot that loomed above them. "Uh... thanks for catching her," he said cautiously. He frowned, sharing Lily's distrust in what this thing wanted with Adrian. "Who are you?" If this thing wanted to harm us, it could have snapped us like twigs by now. "Why are you looking for Adrian?"

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Marcus stepped aside so Aaron could leave his room. "Now we get her to talk. Find out what she knows."

A voice crackled in the radio strapped to Marcus' belt. "The prisoner is ready for you."

"On our way." He motioned to Aaron to follow and lead the way down to the end of the corridor, making his way through another series of doors. The place was like a maze. Soon, they came to another hallway with a single door at the end. As they made their way towards it, Marcus looked sideways at Aaron. "We want her to talk, but we can't do lasting damage. Well, not long-lasting damage. Our orders are to keep her functional by the time we're finished with our questions."

They arrived at the door. "She's in here. Are you ready?" After a short pause Marcus opened it, the hinges creaking in protest.