Genetics Lab Rp.

[Nereid]

Dallas poured his coffee and did his morningly round of the lab. He wandered aimlessly, gawping at subjects in cages and tanks.
"Good morning, freakshow, nice day isn't it?"
He grinned slyly to himself
"that's right, you guys woudn't know, would you. my bad!" He chucked to himself, glad he wasn't on the receiving end. He shifted a stack of papers, looking at his watch. The new scientist was bound to be here soon.
"ahh, right on time"
he said, as Security let in a young man. Dean was only recently graduated, and this was his first lab job. He had no idea what he was getting himself into. Dean took his sunglasses off, placing them on top of his head. Dallas wandered over, extending his right hand.
"Dallas Bretts. Nice to have you on board" he smiled, shaking Dean's hand.
"Dean Foster, it's good to be here". He grimaced, taking in a noseful of Dallas' halitosis.
"as you may see, we're not your average research lab" Dallas said, scratching at his ginger beard, which matched the ginger on top of his head.
"this means, as opposed to research on humans, we don't need to take the same precautions. If you don't think anyone needs a sedative, don't bother. It's not like they can sue". Dallas chuckled.
"err...right.." Dean replied, not sure whether he should take this man seriously.
"the newbies start at the bottom and work their way up, under my supervision until I think they're proficient enough to tackle things on their own" Dallas said, motioning to some cages.
"they could probably do with a bit ot a clean". Dallas said, walking away, his beer belly leading the way.
"sure thing, boss". Dean said, walking over to the cleaning cupboard and grabbing a brush and shovel. He got to work, pulling the soiled newspaper out of the cage, and sweeping. Wondering what happened to the previous occupant, he finished up, shutting the cage. Dallas came downstairs to see his progress.
"not too bad, newbie" He said, finishing his coffee, and tossing the used plastic cup into the tank holding Mia.
"you'll be onto more challenging tasks in no time". Dallas turned and walked away. As soon as Dallas had left, Dean walked over to the tank, fishing out the plastic cup. "idiot..." he muttered under his breath, and tossed the cup in a nearby bin.
Mia didn't even look up. She was so used to Dallas littering her tank, she didn't bother anymore. In the past, she'd retrieved the cups herself, usually aiming them at his head. She soon learnt though, this behaviour usually resulted in some sort of punishment. She sat at the bottom of the tank. She lifted her head to look at Dean. She brushed a lock of her long, wavy black hair out of her eyes and just stared at him. Whether she could trust this one or not, she didn't know. She didn't want to test her luck.

[Nereid]

(ooc) Aww man, I posted this in the wrong thread. :-(. If any of the moderstors see this, can you please move it to the mature Roleplay in character thread. Thanks a bunch!

Edit by Anne: Done! Don't forget to rate your mature rp! (http://role-player.net/forum/showthread.php?t=11)

Happy writing!

[bluemoon]

Dak paced the small space of her enclosure, staring out at the strange facility just beyond her reach. Her bare feet made no sound on the concrete floor. Wearing only leather pants to her knees and a short black-fabric top, she was cold and angry. She had awoken here only two days before, and despite her frustrated cries, no one had come to answer her calls. The cell provided her with a small bowl of water and little else. The floor was lined with paper which she had bunched together to make a bed. It was a crude bed, but better than the hard floor. What little lighting there was allowed her to see the dirt and excrement that lined the cell.

Pushing back the mixed smells of fear and adrenaline that bombarded her senses in this dreaded place, Dak closed her eyes and fell to her knees. She longed for the comfort of her pride...her mate. She looked up at the elongated device that seemed to follow her movements and hissed. She was hungry and scared.

"Why?" She screamed at the device, as its blinking light continued to taunt her.

[Nereid]

Mia could see the new addition, and swum to the surface of her tank. She brushed a lock of black hair across the side of her face, covering a scar across her right eyebrow and cheek. Noticing Dak's leopard print skin, she tilted her head.
"whoa....your skin is pretty! I've not seen anything like that before. The name's Mia. and you are?"
Mia looked at the device following Dak's movements.
"and what on earth is that for? the blinking's getting irritating already."

[bluemoon]

Dak looked to the enclosure near hers when she heard the woman inside introduce herself. She had noticed the strange fish woman in it earlier but had been too preoccupied with finding a way to escape her cell to acknowledge her. She rose to her feet and moved to the far wall, pressing herself against it. She had never seen anything like her, but the smell of fish was overpowering to her sensitive sense of smell. She was so hungry...

Pushing aside the thought, she tried to smile to appear friendly, exposing her elongated canine teeth. "I'm Dakota, but everyone calls me Dak. Please, can you tell me where I am? The last thing I remember was being out hunting...and then I woke up here." She shook her head, trying to piece together the events of the last forty-eight hours.

Unable to stop herself, she began pacing the cell again. The device followed her movements, it's light blinkly rapidly. Dak jumped at it, trying to rip it from the wall. Her hand missed it by only a few inches. Snarling, she leaped again, her claws barely raking the surface.

"Let me out!" She screamed.

[Nereid]

Mia shook her head.
"If I knew where we were, i'd tell you, but I don't know. I've been here for almost 8 years and still haven't come any closer to figuring it out. I'm surprised i'm still alive, many of the others haven't been so lucky"

She ran her hands over the glass edge of the tank.
"out hunting, you say?. I take it you haven't been genetically messed with yet. They get all sorts in here. Some of us were just born the way we were, others are human beings who have been injected with animal DNA. To see what happens, I suppose. Still, they call it research when we spend most of the day locked up. I know how the whales feel, in a way. hunted down for "research" and anything but research happens. At least they get put out of their misery sometimes"
Mia turned her head, to see Dallas coming back down the stairs. He'd heard the noise coming from Dak's cell, and wasn't in a mood for a racket

"watch out for him, he's a nasty piece of work" Mia said, ducking back down underwater.

Dallas stomped over to the cell. He opened a trapdoor and pushed in a small plate of cat jellymeat.

"hopefully this will shut you up for a while. You don't want me to put a noise collar on you, do you?"

He wandered back to his office, throwing a small, dead fish into Mia's tank on the way past.

Mia picked up the fish, and surfaced.
"want it? raw fish isn't really my thing..."

[bluemoon]

Dak listened to Mia's words. She was more confused than ever...genetic testing...research...DNA? It all sounded horribly complicated. Her life was a simple one, filled with long naps, grooming, eating and hunting. She and her mate had been planning on having a large family, now that was all lost. Mia had said she was here for 8 years. Did that mean escape was impossible? She didn't want to die here.

Upon hearing Mia's warning, Dak moved to the back of her cell. The human approaching smelled of sweat and coffee. He put something into her cell before backing away. Moving forward slowly, Dak put her face down to the food on the floor and sniffed. She wasn't sure she was that hungry.

She watched the man walk away. He was an alpha, she could tell by the way he walked. A man of power. He had threatened her with a noise collar before leaving. She didn't know what that was, but she was sure she didn't want one.

She pushed the plate of food into a corner and turned her attention back to Mia. At the mention of fish, she perked up.

"Fish? Please..yes please."

[Nereid]

Mia tossed the fish as close as she could to Dak's cage.
" for someone who is used to hunting for their food, I don't imagine cat food would be too appealing. You're more than welcome to the fish, I only really eat it when I absolutely have too. I've been here a long time, but I grew up on homecooked food."

Mia looked around the room.
"He stinks, doesn't he? and I'm not meaning the fish..."

Dallas yelled out from his office

"Oi Deano! I smelled shit in the cat cage, you should probably clean it"

Dean rolled his eyes
"sure thing.."
he grabbed the cleaning equipment out of the cu[board once again, muttering to himself
"i'm not your frickin' cleaning bitch"
He walked over to Dak's cage and started pulling out the newspaper and hosing down the concrete floor, the water sweeping away the dirt and excrement, while being careful not to spray water in Dak's direction, knowing how much cats dislike water.

"that's a bit better, you reckon?" he said, smiling.
"i'll bring some more newspaper just as soon as the floor dries a bit. I don't think saturated paper would be comfortable. It's starting to get a bit cold at nights, so I'll try my best to get some blankets over here as well."
he looked towards Mia's tank, and saw the fish lying in the middle of the floor, just out of Dak's reach. He picked it up, and placed it in Dak's cage.
"note to self, no more cat food, then".
He looked up at Mia, who was still leaning on the tank's edge.
"you've given your dinner away, can I get you something else instead?"

In a mixture or shyness and distrust, Mia, quickly shied back to the far end of the tank.
"No thank you". She spoke very quietly, almost a whisper. Dean could see the fear in her eyes.
"Look, I'm not sure what's happened to you, but I'm not here to hurt you. You have my word. "he looked over towards Dak
"anyway girls, my name's Dean"

[bluemoon]

Before Dak had a chance to reply, she heard the alpha male call out. She cringed, moving to the back of her cage again. She stared longingly at the fish just out of her reach.

Another human male came to her cage with a hose in hand. As he hosed down her enclosure, she stayed perfectly still, watching his every movement. The odors of the facility were not as strong on his skin. 'He must be new here.' She thought. She listened as he spoke to her, refusing to answer. Despite his calm tone, he was still one of her captors, a bad man. She hissed as he threw in the fish, showing her displeasure at his presence. Creeping slowly to the morsel, she quickly grabbed it and scampered back to a corner to eat.

Her teeth quickly rendered the fish to shreds and she greedily ate it in a few bites, bones and all. Never taking her eyes off the man, she licked her lips to remove the few remaining pieces of scales and flesh.

"Go away." She demanded of the man that called himself Dean, a low growl vibrating in her throat. She moved towards him slowly on all fours. Stalking him.

[Nereid]

Upon hearing Dak's demand for him to leave, he turned to face her, while backing out of the cage.
"I can take a hint when I get one, but are you still hungry?" he asked, remembering how fast the fish had disappeared. While he didn't know full details of every captives past, he guessed that they probably have their reasons for disliking him. In a way, Dean was becoming quite the outcast. The captives hated him, and Dallas soon would, too, whe he realises he won't be doing things Dallas' way. Once he was out of the cage, he walked over to Mia's tank, where she was still over at the far wall.

"I heard you mention something before that you were used to homecooked food. I'm going to go and get some more fish, and I won't have you going hungry. I'll go and see what I can find in the fridge, if you like." he said, quietly, while trying to pick the air of familiarity he was getting from Mia.
He turned and walked out the back, taking out 4 more fish for Dak. He rummaged through the cupboard, taking out and adding water to a cup of pot noodles. "this will have to do, until I know what she really eats" He thought to himself. On the way back into the lab, he stopped off at the cleaning cupboard for more newspaper and a blanket. He walked through the lab, first balancing the pot noodles on the corner of the tank, being carefull not to get too close and scare Mia. He then entered Dak's cage and lay down the blanket, the newspaper, and the fish. He turned and left the cage.
"Just let me know if I can get anything else, right girls?"

[bluemoon]

Dak moved forward and snatched up the fish after Dean had left her cage. She quickly ate two of them and placed the others on the floor by the blanket. Moving to her water bowl, she picked it up and took a long drink, staring over the lip at Dean.

She began pacing her cage again. She was a creature of the wild, and the confinement made her anxious. She began counting her paces, back and forth, faster each time. Rushing to the front of the cage, she threw her water bowl at the man.

"I want out." She demanded. "You have no right to keep me here." She grabbed at the door and began pounding at it. "Tell your alpha to let me out!" She screamed. Throwing herself at the door, she began to work herself into a frenzy, screaming and pounding until she was exhausted. Sliding down the side of the wall, she sat on the floor, her breath coming in gasps. Angry and frustrated, she began pounding her head against the wall.

'I will not give up.' She thought. 'I will not let them break me. I will not...'

[Nereid]

Dean stepped back, attempting to brush the water from Dak's bowl off his shirt. After Dak had sat back on the floor, he crouched down by her cage.
"believe it or not, you're safer in there than loose. You can't see them from here, but the lab has armed security guards in place. I know what those guys are like, they'll shoot first and ask questions later. If it was safe, I'd try and find a way, but I don't want you to come into any more harm"
He fetched the mop and begun mopping up spilt water
"though it would be bloody funny if that twit upstairs slipped on it".
Mia has finished the noodles by that stage.As processed as pot noodles are, it had been her first proper meal in years. She placed the cup back on the edge of the tank. Dean put the mop back, and grabbed the empty cup, tossing it in the bin

"that was fast!" He said "at least now I know what to feed you".
Mia nodded her head.
"thank you" she said, smiling and twisting he hair, putting it behind her. Dean noticed the scar on her eyebrow.

"what happened there, if you don't mind me asking"
"it's ok" she said. "I wasn't exactly being co-operative, and Dallas cracked it with me." she said, touching the scar.
"he grabbed my head, and slammed it into the edge of the tank."
The colour drained from Dean's face.
"you serious? that's...whoa....harsh..."
Mia nodded.
"that's just the way he is, i'm afraid. I suggest you don't let him catch you feeding us the "wrong" things, he'll probably have a go at you".
He laughed.
"I can imagine he would. So how'd you end up here, anyway?"
She leant on the glass edge.
"I was dumb enough to sneak out for a swim one night. Some idiot had laid a net, which I became trapped in. The man who pulled the net up sold me here. I didn't get to say goodbye to my parents, they must be worried sick."
He nodded
"wow... so your tail's natural? they didn't create one or anything? how did you get by without seeing. I can't imagine hiding a mermaid would be easy"
"Easy. When dry, I get legs. I just have to make sure they stay dry, otherwise things could be embarrassing in public. I just pretended to have a water phobia. Easy, but it got hard when the kids at school used to taunt me. If only they knew. "
Dean laughed.
"yes, I did watch a movie called Splash a long time ago, it happened on there."
She laughed
"I saw that too. Dallas has me on medication which stops me getting legs. He doesn't want me to be able to get out of the tank. Just in case harm came to him, I suppose"
Dean chuckled.
"and we wouldn't want that now, would we? no siree!" The smile from his face disappeared
"you say people harassed you because of the water thing?"
she nodded.
"I don't really think it was so much the water thing, but I was always kind of studious, always reading, that sort of thing. the jocks used to pick on me a fair bit, and I think the water just added fuel to the fire. The day I got stuck in the net, someone had left the gate of the school pool open, and a bunch of these guys thought it hilarious to grab me, and throw me in."
Dean looked shocked
"and what happened?"
tears had begun to well up in her eyes.
"Luckily for me, they didn't throw me in. I was a right mess, crying and shaking. and they just left me there, walked off laughing."
Dean shook his head.
"I'm so sorry....."
Mia laughed
"Don't be, it's not like you could have prevented it, though, I could have used a knight in shining armour"
Once again, Dean shook his head
"that's the thing, Mia. I could have prevented it. I was one of those asshole guys, and I shouldn't have treated you the way I did back then. Of course it's no excuse for the way I behaved, but if only I'd known why you hated water. After you disappeared that night, everyone was convinced you'd run off and killed yourself. It's eaten at me for years. I'm so sorry for all the pain I caused."
Faced with her schoolyard bully, Mia was speechless.
"D-dean? it's....wow....ummm...I didn't kill myself. as much as I hated being picked on, I didn't run away because of it. I just don't know what to say....well, I guess you know now why I avoided water"
He wiped a tear away from her eye.
"I'm sorry"

[bluemoon]

Dak sat quietly against the wall, too angry to fuss anymore. She pulled her knees up against her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She listened to the exchange between Dean and Mia. She was surprised how easily Mia found it to communicate with him. She seemed friendly and open. Given the chance, Dak would rip her captors to shreds, not chat with them. She could only assume that all the years spent here had broken the fish girls spirit.

Tuning out the last part of their conversation, Dak began to make plans for her escape. It all hinged on getting the one called Dallas to open her cage door. If she could get past him, she might have a chance to find an exit. Dean had spoken of guards, and she would have to be careful and try to avoid them. It might mean taking a few lives, but she was willing to do that to get her freedom back.

Looking back over at Mia, she wondered if the girl had ever tried to escape. Once the man left, she would talk to her and see if she knew the layout of the facility. Together they might be able to come up with an escape plan. Mia had said something about medicine that stopped her legs from developing when she was out of water. The first step was to change that if it was possible. It was the only way the two of them could escape together.

Watching impatiently, Dak waited for them to stop talking. She stared at the blinking red light on the device that followed her movements. Somehow, she would have to destroy the device. She wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed to be watching her and that could ruin her plans.

[Nereid]

After the conversation he'd had with Mia, Dean went up to the staff living quarters to think things through, to reflect. He'd always been sorry for bullying her in the past, but never, not in his wildest dreams did he ever expect to ever see her again. They used to say that boys and girls were horrible to each other because they secretly liked them. It did, most certainly, used to be true, but what did he feel now? years later and out of school. He logged onto his computer, mindlessly browsing, trying to take his mind off the confusion.Meanwhile, back in the lab, Dallas had come down to give Mia her medicine. She had spent the last short while engaging in conversation confidently, but quietened up again when she saw Dallas. Not in the mood to put up a fight, she let him administer the needle. She held her breath, to avoid taking in his smell. It never got easier to get used to.
Dallas turned and walked away from the tank, on the way past, going past Dak's cage.

"don't think you'll be getting off ignored".

[bluemoon]

Dak watched as Dallas gave Mia her injection. She was surprised to see the girl offer herself so easily to his needle. She wondered what would happen if the girl swam to the bottom of her tank where he could not reach her. Then she remembered the scar on the pretty girl's face and how she got it. Thinking of his treatment to Mia, Dak began to growl even before the man walked to her cage.

The smell of his body was strong, and Dak found herself breathing through her mouth. When he spoke to her, she responded by hissing..the animal side of her taking over. She retreated to the back of her cage, squatting low to make herself as small as possible. Watching him intently, she couldn't help but wonder what he has in store for her. 'I would prefer to be ignored.' She thought.

[Nereid]

Mia rubbed her arm where the needle had entered. It never seemed to get any less painful. Still, the pain of the needle was worth it, in comparison to getting punished for being disobedient. What had happened to her? She used to be so strong and resistant to everything. Nowadays, it seemed, all hope had been lost.

[bluemoon]

Shivering, Dak grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She moved to the side of her cage to get closer to where Mia's tank was positioned. Talking in a quiet voice so the keepers would not hear her, she called out Mia's name. Not getting a response, she raised her voice a little.

"Mia? Can you hear me? Are you all right?" She asked.

[Nereid]

Upon hearing her name, Mia lifted her head
"ohh. hey. Yeah, I'm all right, just hurts a bit, that's all. It always does." Mia looked around to see if any of the keepers had been roused, and leaned on the tank wall.
"what's up?"

[bluemoon]

Hearing Mia answer her, Dak pressed herself against the cage to look over at her new friend.

"I wish I could help you. We need to help each other. What would happen if you didn't get a shot? How long before you get your legs back?"

If the process took too long to reverse itself, Dak wasn't sure if her plan would work. She needed Mia mobile for them to escape. She could probably carry her for a short while, but she needed her arms free to fight..and she was sure there would be a lot of fighting.

"I have a plan to get us out of here. Are you interested?" She asked.

[Nereid]

Mia smiled, nodding.
"I have no idea how long it takes to reverse, I've never had a chance to try it. I don't imagine it would take too long, seeing as I get booster shots every day".

Mia often dreamt about what life would be if she was free. She wondered how her family was doing, and how the world had changed in 8 years. In the past, she had tried to escape a few times, but this was stopped short by the scientists taking away her ability to lose her tail.

"there is nothing I want more than to get out of here. I imagine you do, too. However, if we're going to do this, we need to plan it. what's your idea?"

[bluemoon]

Dak shook her head sadly. "It's not much of a plan really, just an idea. It rests on your knowledge of the layout of this place. If you can lead us out, I may be able to get us free of our cages."

She paced her enclosure, her restlessness getting the better of her. She looked up once again at the blinking red light within the oblong object. Always watching her. She wondered if it could hear her too. Leaning up close to her bars, she pressed her face hard against them.

"This is my plan." She began. "I will pretend to be sick and when Dallas comes to give you your shot, you need to redirect him to my cage. Get him to come inside to check on me. I will overtake him--kill him if needed--and get his keys. If he still lives, I will lock him up in my cage and help you from yours. We may need to hide out until you get your legs back. Then we can sneak out. The guards will have to be disposed of too."

Hearing her plan spoken aloud, Dak was not sure it would be as easy as it seemed in her head. She had no qualms about killing humans, but getting through the facility and out alive was unlikely. Pausing, she waited to hear Mia's ideas.

[Nereid]

Mia nodded.
"I don't know the layout of this place like the back of my hand, but I know a little. Even if it gets us part of the way, it will help."
She looked down at her tail
"I just need to wait until I know for sure I can get rid of this, without legs, i'm pretty much immobile, and more of a burden than anything. I could always play up so I avoid my medicine. I'll probably bear the brunt of his anger, but if it means getting out, I'm in."

[Nereid]

"the best I can do is to avoid it, and just keep testing it. I've never come off the medication before, so I don't know what it's like"
Seeing Dean coming back down into the lab, Mia stopped.
"I'll talk to you about it later" She smiled.
Dean walked over to Mia's tank
"what do you mean, come off the medication?"
Mia looked alarmed.
"err....nothing...just a um, figure of speech" she giggled, nervously
"If I'm correct, you're planning on avoiding your medicine, aren't you?", He asked, smiling
"and how do you plan on doing this? you know all too well what happens when Dallas doesn't get his way. Do you really want to get hurt again? what if he does worse this time?" He brushed her hair away from her scar.
"I'm sure there's another way. Just work with me, allright? It's not like you really need that medicine anyway, it's not life saving, like insulin, right?"
Mia nodded
"you'll just have to trust me, ok?" he said

[bluemoon]

Dak felt reassured listening to Mia. Escape would be easier if there were two of them, and Mia knew the layout of the complex, at least to a degree. Now, she would just have to wait to find out how long the effects of Mia's shots would last.

The arrival of Dean brought a growl from Dak's throat, even though Mia seemed glad to see him. 'Silly girl.' She thought. They could not trust any of the scientists. The way he touched her made Dak cringe. She growled louder and moved to the front of her cage. Staring at the man, she hissed.

"Get away from her. You have no right to touch her." She stated.

[Nereid]

Dean backed away from the tank, and faced Dak, raising his hands in surrender
"whoa...easy there"
he crouched down near the cage
"I'm not about to hurt her, I promise."
Dean looked towards the kitchen.
"are you girls hungry? or thirsty? can I get you anything at all?"

[bluemoon]

Dak moved away as Dean moved closer. At the back of her cage she stared at him, crouching low to the ground.

"I want nothing from you. You play at being nice, but I can see through your lies. What game are you playing at?"

She turned to Mia. "Don't trust him Mia. He's a part of this place too. He will only cause you pain."

Knowing that she can not harm him from inside her age, she laid down, wrapping her blanket about her. She closed her eyes, not wanting to look at him any longer. She pulled from her memory the image of her mate... his deep brown eyes and strong shoulders. A small smile came to her lips. She promised herself she will see him again or die trying.

[Nereid]

Dean stood up and walked over to the office.
"all right, I'll go. I'll see you girls later"
After he left, Mia nodded.
"yeah, you're probably right. He's probably just being nice because he feels guilty."
Mia noticed Dak smiling, and smiled herself.
"what are you smiling about? must be something nice"

[bluemoon]

"It is..." Dak said with a sad smile. "I was just thinking about my mate, Shaddin. We have been together for several years--all of them happy. He must be going crazy with me gone." She pulled the edges of the blanket tighter, feeling cold.

"I won't be able to survive in here for long Mia. I need to be wild and free. I feel these walls closing in on me. How can you stand it?" Shivering, she curled up into a tight ball, wrapping her arms around her legs. Her eyes squeezed tightly shut, she resisted the urge to pace. She felt a restlessness building up in her. She imagined the Black Hills of Dakota stretched out before her--an open expanse to run and hunt--Shaddin by her side. A sharp pain of loss struck her heart.

"I need to get out." She said to herself.

[Nereid]

A sad look came onto Mia's face

"ohh...that's horrible, I imagine he must be going crazy without you. I expect you didn't even get to say goodbye.
Mia closed her eyes, thinking about her own family without her
"I was too young to have a boyfriend and family of my own, but I miss my parents like crazy. Not a day goes by where I don't wonder about what they're doing, coping with my disappearance. Hell, I don't even know if they're still alive"
Tears began to well up in her eyes
"I just want to go home..."

[FlamingDestiny]

((Sorry, i havent got time to read all previous posts, so I will just sorta jump into the role-play *cheshire* ))

Kaytlin opened her eyes groggily. She was in a dark room, she looked at her fingers, they were pale, and lacking their natural slight green tinge. She felt drained, she looked around, she saw two men in the room. One of them was tall, and had dark, spiked hair. she tried to attack, she stretched her hand at the man, nothing happened. she was exhausted. her hearing was not too good, and she could hear faint words.
"I think she's ready to be placed in a tank now, don't you Blayne?" The man asked, and Kaytlin saw another man with similar hair, but blonde next to him. he had a kinder face, but she didnt register it. The man nodded. "Yes" he said, and both the men approached Kaytlin, she tried to fight, but she was too weak.

The men carried her to a small glass room, she saw many others like it, divided only by a sheet of glass. She looked around at the inhabitants, some had cuts or bandages, others bruised, and had a sad look on their face which almost bought Kaytlin to tears. A light flickered on overhead, a welcome, warm light, Kaytlin saw her skin perk up within seconds, she smiled, and was about to give her thanks as the dark haired man flicked a switch, turning off the light. he smiled. "Incredible" he said, and proceded with flicking the switch off and on, off and on, Before the blonde man interupted "Stop it" he said, and peered into the glass. "Poor thing" he said, and poked a finger into one of the air holes on the side of the tank. "Poor thing" he repeated, then they both left kaytlin with the light off.

[Nereid]

Mia watched as two scientists she hadn't seen before moved Kaytlin from one room to another. Not knowing these strange men, but knowing Kaytlin was an experiment, she quickly dived down and swum to the bottom of the tank.
Dallas called out from his office
"hey Dean, you there?"
Dean looked up from his computer
"yeah what's up?"
Dallas sipped at his coffee.
"The new guys are here, we'd better introduce"
dean got up from his computer and walked out, meeting Dallas. The two of them walked to the room where the two new scientists had just left, and approached the two new guys. He extended his hand
"Glad you arrived safe and well. I'm Dallas, the facility manager, and this is Dean, my trainee"
"nice to meet you" Dean said.