Post by Tobey on Oct 16, 2006 20:51:45 GMT -5
(This is sort of an offshoot of 'Julian's Return!', just to give everyone some more information on what's going on.)
Tyler stared at what had once been his hands, which were now more wing than hand. Whatever they were, they were shaking hard, and he couldn't get them to stop. It had only been a week, no, less than that, only six days, since Tyler had been captured and brought to Camp Sunshine. But of course, it felt like so much longer.
Tyler had just been playing basketball when the scientists came for him. They had cornered him against the fence of the basketball court, and shot him with a tranquilizer gun. Tyler felt the prick of the needle, and almost immediately, his mind began to cloud over. It was like being drunk, multiplied by a hundred. As he fell unconscious, he had the final, happy thought that Julian had managed to escape. Maybe he'd be able to get help.
Tyler had awakened in darkness. It took him a minute for his still-groggy mind to realize he was in a vehicle; the shaking floor and sharp turns would have been dead giveaways, if not for his drugged state. After a few more minutes, he was able to hear kids talking over the sound of the tires on the road.
"Where are we?"
"How many of us did they get?"
"Where are they taking us?"
Tyler couldn't help but notice that there were a lot more questions than answers. However, he was able to learn that they were being taken to a place called Camp Sunshine, although nobody seemed to know where, or what, Camp Sunshine was.
Finally, the truck they were in slowed to a halt. There was a hiss, as of gas seeping into the vehicle, and Tyler thought he smelled something funny. But no sooner did that thought enter his head than he was unconscious again.
Tyler woke up in a cage with four other people, all of whom were still unconscious. There were a couple other cages, with more people. Probably about ten or fifteen people in all. Some were still unconscious, but others were awake. The ones that were awake had looks of fear and confusion on their faces, and Tyler realized that he probably wore a similar expression.
Men in white coats, possibly the same people who had kidnapped all of them, began to come into the room. They pulled people out of their cages (always making sure there were enough scientists on hand to overpower the person, so they wouldn't have to waste tranquilizer), and, ignoring their protests, pulled out syringes and jabbed the contents into their victims' arms. Then the victims were thrown back into their cages. For a while, nothing happened. As the injections took effect, they began to change. They grew claws, fangs, wings, fur, scales. Some didn't appear to change at all. For some, the process was painful; they screamed, or convulsed, or just shook from the pain. For others, it was nauseating.
For the second time that day, the scientists came for Tyler. Three of them pinned him to the ground as he struggled against them, yelling profanities, and he felt the sharp sting of the syringe in his arm. They forced him back into the cage, and he braced himself for what was going to happen. But what happened was something totally unexpected. Rushing up his arm was a delicious warmth that made his skin prickle in a most satisfying way; so good was the feeling that Tyler didn't even notice that with it came changes. His arm was becoming an orange-brown membranous wing, like a bat's; his fingers were nothing but support struts for the wings, save for a clawed thumb. The warm feeling spread through the rest of Tyler's body, and he laughed with joy as it reached his brain. It was beautiful! Why had he been worried? The scientists were only trying to make life better, for him and for everyone else. Tyler closed his eyes and smiled, taking in the wonderful feeling, the pure, distilled joy. He knew what this was, what had happened. This was a drug high. But, even though he knew he was under the influence of some mind-altering drug, Tyler couldn't help but give in to it. Why should he resist? Those other people had nothing to scream about, they didn't know that this was really a happy place. Camp Sunshine. Tyler giggled at the thought. Camp Sunshine, with its friendly counselors in the white lab coats. They just wanted to help.
The scientists gathered around Tyler's cage as the changes took place. Yes, his arms were becoming wings; that had been what the injection of Mexican free-tailed bat DNA had been intended to do. But something else was going on, something that the scientists hadn't expected any more than Tyler had. He was laughing? The scientists looked at each other, confused. They'd seen many different reactions to DNA injections, but never happiness. Was it some sort of trick? Was he expecting them to let their guard down, so he could make his escape? The scientists weren't going to take chances. They opened his cage door, and several of them grabbed Tyler and picked him up off the ground, so he couldn't get away. They took him through a door that led to a smaller room, locking the door to make sure he wouldn't escape.
They needn't have worried. Tyler was still grinning and giggling, and probably would've followed them into the room of his own free will. Still, he was perfectly happy being carried.
The room they were in was much like one you might find in a hospital. There was a single operating table in the middle of the room, and various sorts of medical equipment all around. This room was for the experiments that were a bit more complicated than simple injections; Echo had been in this room many times during her stay at Camp Sunshine.
Tyler was strapped to the table, seemingly oblivious to what was going on. The scientists took blood samples, X-rays, CAT scans, and even a spinal tap, among other things. They didn't give him any tranquilizers or anesthetics, lest the added chemicals in his system might skew the results of the tests. But Tyler didn't even seem to mind. When the needle was inserted into his spine for the spinal tap, he only let out a tiny whimper, and even then, it was hard to tell if it wasn't just him giggling again. It seemed that whatever was affecting his system was an anesthetic in its own right.
After all the tests were over and the results were being analyzed, Tyler was carried back to his cage. By this time, the high was wearing off, and Tyler was coming back to his senses. Starting to realize that the scientists /weren't/ his friends. He struggled against their grasp, and shouted profanities with even more vehemence than before. But of course, the scientists didn't care. They threw him back into his cage and locked the door.
The next few days were similar. The scientists continued to give Tyler injections of bat DNA; to hollow his bones, to fine-tune his wings. Each time, his reaction to the DNA was the same; he acted as though he was high on something. They tried giving him a small dose of pangolin DNA, to see if he reacted the same way to it, as well. He didn't; this time, he winced in pain like most of the experiments did when the changes came. Pangolin scales emerged from his back, but since the DNA dosage had been small, they only covered a small area between his shoulder blades. Still, they hurt while they were forming.
Then, after a few more days, the spinal tap results showed something interesting. It seemed as though, due to the specific genetic pattern of the bat DNA, as well as Tyler's, the bat DNA could trigger the nerve endings in Tyler's nervous system. Specifically, the nerve endings that were related to feelings like happiness, contentment, and trust. The scientists were amazed. Who knew that DNA could act like a drug?
Now, only six days after his capture, Tyler was paying dearly for his earlier happiness. The DNA injections had felt so wonderful that he had become addicted to it after only a couple injections; just like one might become addicted to any mind-altering drug. And now he hadn't gotten an injection for two whole days. The scientists hadn't known that anything out of the ordinary would happen, and so they had only prepared five injections; the pangolin injection was something they had just happened to have on hand. It would take some time before they could prepare more injections to give Tyler.
Tyler looked down at his shaking wings, willing the shaking to stop. He had been through this before, he knew what was happening. Withdrawal. His drugs had been taken away, and he was in withdrawal. He wanted that feeling again, wanted it so much, and the scientists wouldn't give it to him. They had been taunting him with it, just giving him a taste of it, before jerking it away. But he wasn't going to waste energy being mad at them; instead, he pleaded with them.
"Please, I need another injection. Just one more. Then I'll be good, I swear. Please! I'll do anything."
A scientist who heard him just laughed. "What can you do? What can you possibly have in the way of a bargaining chip?"
"I . .- wait! I know something! You know about the House, right? You know, the place that's supposedly a safe haven for escapees? I've heard people here talking about it. But it's real. I've been there. I can show you where it is!" He was talking fast, excited now, now that he had something to exchange with the scientist to get his injections again.
The scientist stopped in the middle of taking notes on his clipboard. It was entirely possible that Tyler was just babbling, but what if he wasn't? If he wasn't, then this was too good an opportunity to pass up. The scientist went over to Tyler's cage and said, "Talk to me."
Tyler stared at what had once been his hands, which were now more wing than hand. Whatever they were, they were shaking hard, and he couldn't get them to stop. It had only been a week, no, less than that, only six days, since Tyler had been captured and brought to Camp Sunshine. But of course, it felt like so much longer.
Tyler had just been playing basketball when the scientists came for him. They had cornered him against the fence of the basketball court, and shot him with a tranquilizer gun. Tyler felt the prick of the needle, and almost immediately, his mind began to cloud over. It was like being drunk, multiplied by a hundred. As he fell unconscious, he had the final, happy thought that Julian had managed to escape. Maybe he'd be able to get help.
Tyler had awakened in darkness. It took him a minute for his still-groggy mind to realize he was in a vehicle; the shaking floor and sharp turns would have been dead giveaways, if not for his drugged state. After a few more minutes, he was able to hear kids talking over the sound of the tires on the road.
"Where are we?"
"How many of us did they get?"
"Where are they taking us?"
Tyler couldn't help but notice that there were a lot more questions than answers. However, he was able to learn that they were being taken to a place called Camp Sunshine, although nobody seemed to know where, or what, Camp Sunshine was.
Finally, the truck they were in slowed to a halt. There was a hiss, as of gas seeping into the vehicle, and Tyler thought he smelled something funny. But no sooner did that thought enter his head than he was unconscious again.
Tyler woke up in a cage with four other people, all of whom were still unconscious. There were a couple other cages, with more people. Probably about ten or fifteen people in all. Some were still unconscious, but others were awake. The ones that were awake had looks of fear and confusion on their faces, and Tyler realized that he probably wore a similar expression.
Men in white coats, possibly the same people who had kidnapped all of them, began to come into the room. They pulled people out of their cages (always making sure there were enough scientists on hand to overpower the person, so they wouldn't have to waste tranquilizer), and, ignoring their protests, pulled out syringes and jabbed the contents into their victims' arms. Then the victims were thrown back into their cages. For a while, nothing happened. As the injections took effect, they began to change. They grew claws, fangs, wings, fur, scales. Some didn't appear to change at all. For some, the process was painful; they screamed, or convulsed, or just shook from the pain. For others, it was nauseating.
For the second time that day, the scientists came for Tyler. Three of them pinned him to the ground as he struggled against them, yelling profanities, and he felt the sharp sting of the syringe in his arm. They forced him back into the cage, and he braced himself for what was going to happen. But what happened was something totally unexpected. Rushing up his arm was a delicious warmth that made his skin prickle in a most satisfying way; so good was the feeling that Tyler didn't even notice that with it came changes. His arm was becoming an orange-brown membranous wing, like a bat's; his fingers were nothing but support struts for the wings, save for a clawed thumb. The warm feeling spread through the rest of Tyler's body, and he laughed with joy as it reached his brain. It was beautiful! Why had he been worried? The scientists were only trying to make life better, for him and for everyone else. Tyler closed his eyes and smiled, taking in the wonderful feeling, the pure, distilled joy. He knew what this was, what had happened. This was a drug high. But, even though he knew he was under the influence of some mind-altering drug, Tyler couldn't help but give in to it. Why should he resist? Those other people had nothing to scream about, they didn't know that this was really a happy place. Camp Sunshine. Tyler giggled at the thought. Camp Sunshine, with its friendly counselors in the white lab coats. They just wanted to help.
The scientists gathered around Tyler's cage as the changes took place. Yes, his arms were becoming wings; that had been what the injection of Mexican free-tailed bat DNA had been intended to do. But something else was going on, something that the scientists hadn't expected any more than Tyler had. He was laughing? The scientists looked at each other, confused. They'd seen many different reactions to DNA injections, but never happiness. Was it some sort of trick? Was he expecting them to let their guard down, so he could make his escape? The scientists weren't going to take chances. They opened his cage door, and several of them grabbed Tyler and picked him up off the ground, so he couldn't get away. They took him through a door that led to a smaller room, locking the door to make sure he wouldn't escape.
They needn't have worried. Tyler was still grinning and giggling, and probably would've followed them into the room of his own free will. Still, he was perfectly happy being carried.
The room they were in was much like one you might find in a hospital. There was a single operating table in the middle of the room, and various sorts of medical equipment all around. This room was for the experiments that were a bit more complicated than simple injections; Echo had been in this room many times during her stay at Camp Sunshine.
Tyler was strapped to the table, seemingly oblivious to what was going on. The scientists took blood samples, X-rays, CAT scans, and even a spinal tap, among other things. They didn't give him any tranquilizers or anesthetics, lest the added chemicals in his system might skew the results of the tests. But Tyler didn't even seem to mind. When the needle was inserted into his spine for the spinal tap, he only let out a tiny whimper, and even then, it was hard to tell if it wasn't just him giggling again. It seemed that whatever was affecting his system was an anesthetic in its own right.
After all the tests were over and the results were being analyzed, Tyler was carried back to his cage. By this time, the high was wearing off, and Tyler was coming back to his senses. Starting to realize that the scientists /weren't/ his friends. He struggled against their grasp, and shouted profanities with even more vehemence than before. But of course, the scientists didn't care. They threw him back into his cage and locked the door.
The next few days were similar. The scientists continued to give Tyler injections of bat DNA; to hollow his bones, to fine-tune his wings. Each time, his reaction to the DNA was the same; he acted as though he was high on something. They tried giving him a small dose of pangolin DNA, to see if he reacted the same way to it, as well. He didn't; this time, he winced in pain like most of the experiments did when the changes came. Pangolin scales emerged from his back, but since the DNA dosage had been small, they only covered a small area between his shoulder blades. Still, they hurt while they were forming.
Then, after a few more days, the spinal tap results showed something interesting. It seemed as though, due to the specific genetic pattern of the bat DNA, as well as Tyler's, the bat DNA could trigger the nerve endings in Tyler's nervous system. Specifically, the nerve endings that were related to feelings like happiness, contentment, and trust. The scientists were amazed. Who knew that DNA could act like a drug?
Now, only six days after his capture, Tyler was paying dearly for his earlier happiness. The DNA injections had felt so wonderful that he had become addicted to it after only a couple injections; just like one might become addicted to any mind-altering drug. And now he hadn't gotten an injection for two whole days. The scientists hadn't known that anything out of the ordinary would happen, and so they had only prepared five injections; the pangolin injection was something they had just happened to have on hand. It would take some time before they could prepare more injections to give Tyler.
Tyler looked down at his shaking wings, willing the shaking to stop. He had been through this before, he knew what was happening. Withdrawal. His drugs had been taken away, and he was in withdrawal. He wanted that feeling again, wanted it so much, and the scientists wouldn't give it to him. They had been taunting him with it, just giving him a taste of it, before jerking it away. But he wasn't going to waste energy being mad at them; instead, he pleaded with them.
"Please, I need another injection. Just one more. Then I'll be good, I swear. Please! I'll do anything."
A scientist who heard him just laughed. "What can you do? What can you possibly have in the way of a bargaining chip?"
"I . .- wait! I know something! You know about the House, right? You know, the place that's supposedly a safe haven for escapees? I've heard people here talking about it. But it's real. I've been there. I can show you where it is!" He was talking fast, excited now, now that he had something to exchange with the scientist to get his injections again.
The scientist stopped in the middle of taking notes on his clipboard. It was entirely possible that Tyler was just babbling, but what if he wasn't? If he wasn't, then this was too good an opportunity to pass up. The scientist went over to Tyler's cage and said, "Talk to me."