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Post by Mara Ackart on Sept 4, 2009 15:00:03 GMT -5
"Well Mara this is a fine kettle of fish. Got yourself thrown in here because you couldn't handle some drunk schlub who got too friendly." the brunette snorted, "At least there is room to run in this place."
Mara hadn't had a good run in years. The last time had probably been the regionals in her second season on the track team. Even then she hadn't even gotten to do much but it seemed good back then. After that Blackwell got sacked and her excuse for doing so well disappeared.
With a short sigh she began to stretch. The last thing she needed was to cramp up at two hundred miles an hour. She'd seen enough high speed car wrecks to know the consequences of crashing at those speeds. It wouldn't be pretty to say the least.
"Right, now to see if you've still got it." she muttered.
"3...2...1!"she counted off in her head.
Mara kept her initial pace down to a jog. No point in going full out just yet. Of course a jog for her was probably around sixty or seventy miles an hour. She wasn't quite sure on that mark. Mara had never learned to tell her speeds when she got past human capabilities.
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Post by taboo on Sept 7, 2009 15:21:01 GMT -5
[Taboo]
No matter where you went in Freakopolis, it smelled weird. Others might pretend that they were safe, patients instead of prisoners, but Taboo wasn't going to fall for that one. The sky was a tinged fake color because of barriers, the grass lacked the smell of grazing animals like deer and other predators. It was so obviously prison.
Taboo hissed, surprising herself, and shifted her position on the limb of one of the only scraggly trees in Freakopolis. She loved trees. Even trees here smelled of prey like squirrels and birds, which was great everything considered. Taboo popped her legs back into their feline position in order to lie down on the branch. She flicked at a leaf with her tail.
There was never anything to do here! The prey was scarce and when she found it, it was weak and tasted stringy. She had barely interacted with any of the other freaks since she'd come here, spent most of her time with pathetic escape attempts.
Suddenly the wind shifted and Taboo heard the sound of something moving fast through tall grass. Her claws automatically sunk in, flexing in preparation, as she looked out over the field. There! Just there, another mutant running. At least, as close to running as you could call it. Her power must have been quick feet or something.
Taboo popped her legs to human and stood up on the branch, her tail out for balance. "Alright," she muttered, "Time to make a friend." When she had the mutant's position locked, she assumed her feline legs and scrambled down the tree.
A grin broke across her face and whispered, "Wonder if she'd like a race." Without hesitation she unsheathed her front and back claws, sunk down onto four legs, whipped her tail out, and ran.
Taboo was faster than your average human, but the fastest she'd ever run was around fifty or sixty. Naw, the way it's running, by the time you get there she'll be gone. Best not use energy if you can't catch a meal-
"Wait," Taboo said to herself, grinning sheepishly, "She's not prey. I've been too wild for too long." Laughing, Taboo made a mental note to tell the freak about that later if they became friends. Good thing she'd caught herself before she attacked the girl.
As soon as she'd caught up to the speed demon, Taboo lengthened her stride and called out, "Wanna race?"
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Post by Mara Ackart on Sept 7, 2009 15:39:27 GMT -5
Mara had just been getting into her stride when she heard someone call out to her. She looked around and found the source in a woman who seemed somewhat...well feral was the word that came to mind. Mara slowed down a bit so she could converse comfortably. Normally Mara would have ignored her or even sped up. The situation demanded different though.
She was in a concentration camp for mutants and their gaolers were resistant to their powers. Friends would be a good thing. They could keep each other alive. Mara had a hard time believing that they'd been thrown in here just to seperate them from the rest of the world. In the short amount of time she'd been here she'd come to believe that they meant to use them for something or kill them outright. It would be easier to survive with friends to look out for her and vice versa.
"Name's Mara." she grinned at the other woman, "And if you think you can keep up then by all means I'd love a chance to stretch my legs!"
At that Mara took off. The thrill of speed combined with some competition had Mara grinning like an idiot. She pushed herself towards the top end of her speed range. At these speeds she had to react nearly instaneously to avoid obstacles. She'd never really tested out the high end much before so this was exhilarating new turf. She let out a whoop of joy.
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Post by taboo on Sept 7, 2009 19:38:26 GMT -5
[Taboo]
With a small growl of satisfaction, Taboo flexed her shoulder muscles and began to sprint hard. Her spine rippled with the impact, settling into a reckless bounding motion. She smiled as the wind began to make her eyes tear up, and tried to ignore the rather sharp stick she'd just jammed into her hand.
At first, she kept up fine with Mara. In fact, she began to feel pretty smug. Of course, when you're racing against someone on two legs, it's hard to look impressive from way down on the ground with four, but Taboo did her best. Soon enough, though, it became apparent that while Taboo was sprinting, Mara was sort of jogging.
The acceleration was amazing. Taboo got a bit dizzy watching her legs pumping at the velocity they were. And though Taboo increased her stride, altered her direction, and lowered her head, she couldn't catch her.
Taboo knew when she was beat and, like any cat would, recognized defeat enough to stop and conserve energy. Some call it laziness, but Taboo claimed it was just a wilderness survival skill. Plus, you know, sprinting all out is tiring. That too.
So she dropped off, lay down on all fours, and watched. She didn't really want to call the race off, because Mara looked like she could have skipped around in a bunch of flowers singing Kumbaya when Taboo'd asked her to race. The girl liked to run.
Her form was very good, professional, and extremely fluid. Out of habit, Taboo was looking for a limp, perhaps a slight falter or hesitation that would spell weakness- she couldn't find anything.
"Hmph," Taboo snorted, falling to examining her claws. Her hands always killed when she ran- after all, she didn't have pads on them like an animal. Although the oddly placed calluses she'd developed worked well.
Settling into the grass, habitually hiding herself, Taboo decided to wait for Mara to get her fill of freedom. After all, it was hard to get around here.
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Post by Mara Ackart on Sept 7, 2009 19:50:45 GMT -5
It took Mara several minutes to realize she'd outstriped the other woman. She was too thrilled by the chance to totally cut loose. Once she'd come to that realization though she slowed down a bit and looked around for her. She pursed her lips in an effort to keep from frowning. This woman was good at hiding. She was just begining to think that she might have been a camoflague type when she spotted her and walked over.
"Phew, sorry for leaving you in the dust out there. Never had anyone that could even keep up with me when I just barely jogged."
Mara dropped to the ground amongst the grass to relax and catch her breath.
"Proper introductions I suppose. My name is Mara Ackart. I make stuff move faster or slower. The fancy name is kinetic energy manipulation but that's a mouthful. You can call me Slipstream if you like."
Mara spotted a dragonfly flying nearby and began to play with it. She'd slow it down to a crawl and then speed it up again. If the poor insect could make a face it probably would have been scared and confused. Mara let it go on its way after a few minutes.
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Post by taboo on Sept 7, 2009 20:23:04 GMT -5
[Taboo]
After following the dragonfly with intent eyes for a few moments, Taboo spoke, "I'm Taboo. At least, you know, that's what I'm called. I haven't gone by my birthname in a long time." She looked up, trying to think of when the last time was, and then looked back at Mara. She had very focused eyes- like she was taking everything you said and storing it.
She laughed to cut the silence, it was strange to have to keep up a conversation. Remembering all the rules of etiquette wasn't easy anymore. Taboo scrambled for an intelligent thought, then continued, "I guess you can kind of see my mutation. Claws, tail, and legs."
To demonstrate, Taboo popped her legs back to human position and stood, "Fairly easy to hide though. Retractable claws, my legs pop back to human, and I can cover up my tail," she shrugged, "One learns to love it."
She sat cross-legged in the grass, hoping that Slipstream would make conversation so she didn't have to. It'd been a while, and reading humans' reactions was more complex than animals. Taboo curled her tail up around legs like a housecat and tried a smile.
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Post by Mara Ackart on Sept 7, 2009 20:39:39 GMT -5
It was easy enough for Mara to tell that Taboo was uncomfortably with trying to keep up a conversation. She'd watched Taboo closely as she demonstrated the various parts of her mutation. Perhaps some people would be repelled by it. For her part Mara found it pretty interesting.
"That is actually pretty cool." she remarked. Mara stretched out. It was nice to be out here with some one. Even if the conversation was somewhat lacking between them.
"At least it has advantages that just making stuff go fast doesn't. Best I can do is make someone trip over their own feet or run into a wall really fast."
Mara chuckled, "I actually did that once. Made someone run into a wall that is. He was a really annoying intern at my job. Couldn't keep his mouth shut so I...boosted...him right into a wall. The whole office got a good laugh out of that."
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Post by taboo on Sept 7, 2009 21:29:10 GMT -5
[Taboo]
The mental image made Taboo laugh, and she felt herself relax. Time passed much more swiftly with someone to talk to, someone who seemed to want to talk as well. But maybe that wasn't a good thing- every minute spent here was a minute imprisoned.
For a moment, Taboo allowed herself to wonder what her mother would do if she knew her baby was here. Was she even still alive? Would she fight to get her out? But only a moment. She let herself for the space of five seconds and then cut it off. No sense dwelling in the past.
Besides, her mother might have been the one to take her to that- place. The one she only barely remembered, the one that was a nightmare too real to be dreamt. The white walls, needles, the smell of antiseptics. She held back a shudder, trying to come back to the present, and stared at Slipstream for a moment.
I need allies, Taboo realized, To get out of here, I need the power of numbers and different types of powers. I need to find others like me who want to get the heck out of here. Best start now.
Knowing that some freaks could be a little unstable on the subject of their entrapment here, she proceeded with caution, "Sounds like you established yourself before coming here. How long have you been here?"
Her tail twitched with excitement, thinking of freedom. She needed out of here. And if this mutant, or any others, could help her get there- she'd endure all the conversations in the world.
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Post by Mara Ackart on Sept 7, 2009 21:40:38 GMT -5
Mara watched Taboo closely. Perhaps it was a side effect of her ability but she seemed like a caged animal. With her mutation it wouldn't surprise Mara if Taboo had been horribly treated. Maybe that was why but Taboo seemed out of sorts around her as though the company of another person was foreign. Mara imagined she could almost see Taboo's limbs quiver with pent up energy, the need for freedom.
That was something Mara could easily relate to. She hated this place. She'd had a life, a good life, and it was all ripped away from her because of who she was. Hate boiled in her veins directed at those armored men. Her face twisted into a visage of pure unadulterated loathing. She quickly stowed those feelings away as Taboo asked her question.
"Only a couple of days. I'm brand new here." she replied.
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Post by taboo on Sept 12, 2009 17:12:19 GMT -5
[Taboo]
Taboo nodded, processing this. It was a good sign, it meant that Slipstream probably still burned with the desire to leave. A lot of freaks lost that desire after a year or so without direction.
Best not try anything now. Let her know you want out, and then leave. Her tail twitched again, and Taboo felt herself starting to get distracted. Humans, or human-like freaks, seemed to have a longer attention span. Sure, Taboo had no problem stalking towards a thomson's gazelle for hours- one foot at a time, but conversations were a lot different.
"I've been in since 18. Still trying to get out. Good to meet you. Got to go," she told her, standing up as she did. After popping her legs into their secondary joints, she ran. An idea had just seized her. If there were freaks like her here, freaks who made sense- there had to be more. And she needed to find them.
Slipstream would help her if need be, but Taboo saw no point in staying longer for idle chatter. It was time, after all these years, to go to where most of the freaks were. And it was time to align herself with some of the more powerful ones. She flexed her claws in satisfaction. The hunt was on.
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