~Lover in arms ~ with hal7283

[hal7283]

The being who used to be Lander roared as he attacked Tomoe, trying his best to catch the man. But even with his abnormal speed and four arms he barely scratched Tomoe at all, which made him more wild and finally laid a punch at the purple haired man, sending him flying and into the wall. But soon he realized that his attacks did nothing to Tomoe. Enraged he began to run towards the young man, at first with his legs then soon began to run on all fours like an ape, gaining speed quickly. After some hide and seek he leaped towards Tomoe and eventually managed to grab him by the arm, then he smashed Tomoe to the ground repeatedly, creating a small crater from the impact. With a bestial roar he held Tomoe's neck with his four hands and tightened his grip.

 

Lander looked down at Tomoe and it was clear that he wanted to kill him. But suddenly one of the extra arms began to rot rapidly, a foul stench came from the exposed flesh and bones as it began to spread all over him. Yet despite the horrific state he was in his grip around Tomoe's neck was as tight as ever. His mouth opened and closed, as if trying to say something, but no sound came out as his throat was falling apart as well.

[mik3la]

It was in vain to try to make Lander come to his senses. He was long gone in that monstrous thing that was in front of him. As he wasn't paying attention the other was quick and grabbed him by the arm starting to punching on the ground. Tomoe could feel his bones crack with each hit but at the same time he could feel how they were trying to heal.

 

Once he was on the ground he felt the others hands around his neck not able to breath again. Panic was born in his system and was struggling to get out of the grip but it was too hard. He didn't find out yet the way to use his power.He just couldn't. He grabbed the arms of the other trying to lose the grip, feeling his entire body hurt from previous attacks. As the other had a moment of hesitation, he could see that he tried to say something, he closed his eyes for a second trying to focus. I'm sorry Lander .... i have to free you from this ... he thought and as he opened his eyes, they turned from ice blue to red color and his metal claws were out. He punch the other in the stomach and then again with the other hand. Once the grip was loosen, he cut two arms with his sharp claws, jumping a few meters away from the mutant.

 

"I set you free Lander" he whispered for himself and pushed his feet in the ground gaining excellent speed and with one cross from his hands the others head was chopped off spreading blood all over the place including on his clothes as he landed on the ground keeping his back to the dead body.

[hal7283]

Slowly the headless body fell to the ground, and the pieces of the being that was once Lander quickly decomposed, melted, until it was nothing but a pool of bloody goo. A voice came out of the speaker but it was different from the previous announcer. This person had a more informal, almost joyful tone to him:

 

"Congratulations subject X-947! You've made your first kill for the country. How do you feel? No, wait, you don't have to answer that. It must be exhilarating to have such power isn't it? But you've just tapped the surface of your capabilities! Oh yes! In time, you'll become the perfect soldier!"

[mik3la]

"Congratulations subject X-947! You've made your first kill for the country. How do you feel? No, wait, you don't have to answer that. It must be exhilarating to have such power isn't it? But you've just tapped the surface of your capabilities! Oh yes! In time, you'll become the perfect soldier!"

 

Tomoe looked up at the ceiling in disgust knowing that he just betrayed his friend and the others from the Rebellion. But he had no choice. It was a struggle between life and death, kill or be kill, and Lander wasn't the guy he used to know. Turning his gaze down he calmed himself, feeling the blades get back in his hands, letting the wounds heal. It was amazing how much power he had but at what cost? He was never going to be a soldier for them. If that would happened, he would try with his own will to kill himself.

 

"I don't care what you think about me ... But i will never be like one of you rats.... I'm no subject X-947. My name is Tomoe" he growled breathing in and out letting the wave of power fade away from his body. His eyes changed back to their ice blue color and his body relaxed. Turning around he moved around the arena trying to find the door from where he came in. "Get me out of here" he said looking back to the speakers knowing that the others could hear him.

[hal7283]

"Hmm, so Tomoe is it? That's a good name." The voice chuckled slightly and said: "Having a name is a good thing. For instance, my name is Claus Sturm. I'm the Chief researcher for this facility. Or you may call me Doctor if you prefer. But enough about me, let's talk about you!"

 

The voice paused for a moment and continued: "It's quite fascinating that you seemed to be so....sane, after all what you've experienced so far. Being raped, tortured, experimented on and cut opened. Any other man would have lost it by now, like the friend of yours who you just killed. To be honest most of the subjects ended up like him, not physically of course, I mean mentally: broken, fractured, insane. But you don't see our Enhanced soldiers running around shouting and screaming randomly like a crazy person do you? Ever wonder how do we keep them loyal? Simply put, we brainwash them, quite literally wipe their minds clean of all the pain and madness, then input things that suits us. But the problem is, you also wipe out whatever they used to be, used to know. My colleagues suggests that we should brainwash you too, but.... But I wish to give you a chance to join us willingly, to become a loyal soldier for our country. With you knowledge of the rebels and your new abilities you could be invaluable to the us, and bring an end to all these unnecessary bloodshed!"

 

After the long speech the doctor paused for breath. Then he said: "No need to reply right now, think it over carefully." As he spoke the door appeared on the wall and several Enhanced soldiers walked in. "They'll escort you back to your cell."

[mik3la]

Tomoe listen carefully asking himself the same questions. How was that he remain this sane after all he's been through. Well, he wasn't that much sane, he just wanted revenge now more than ever, and he had his parents memory that kept him going on. He had to remain himself and not losing it as he had before the surgeries. Even after he wanted to kill himself because of the pain and everything, feeling broken inside and outside literally. But he had a goal. A goal that he needed to fulfill and now learning that the others didn't want him brainwashed that was a good think. He could act like he want's to fight along with them and gain their trust, and on the slighted space he would kill them all. Even if that meant he would die.

 

Seeing the soldiers that got him in the arena in the first place, he walked back, noticing that this time they weren't holding him by force, only carefully walking along side him with cautious. He smirked for himself looking and trying to capture the halls in which he walked, starting to calculate the distance between the cells and arena and the rest of the rooms that he saw they were closed, having only numbers on.

 

Once in his cell, he undressed himself, wiping the blood of his old comrade off of him, dressing the ones he had before, ripping the experiment number and throw it away, sitting on the edge of the bed with his head on his hands, feeling like his head will explode.

[hal7283]

As Tomoe walked out of the arena the scientists were monitoring the situation from another room through all the cameras and sensors. They quickly began to analyze the results they gathered and started working. In the midst of all the busy working people there were two man standing there still looking at the footage from the fight. They were none other than Claus and Lloyd.

 

"So, what do you think?" Claus asked the test subject standing beside him.

 

"He's stronger and faster than anything you've thrown at me so far." Lloyd remarked: "And those metal claws.....How hard are they?"

 

"Hard enough to cut through a ten inch steel door like hot knife through butter....It may even penetrate your armor." Claus said.

 

"Impressive, so you've finally done it Doctor." Lloyd replied. "You've finally created something that can surpass me."

 

"That's the plan. Though I still have my doubts." Claus said. "In any case further tests will show if this model has potential or not. It could become the next standard for the Enhanced Soldier program." He then turned to Lloyd: "You may go now."

 

"Yes Doctor. See you tomorrow." Lloyd said as he walked out of the lab and back towards his cell, but before he entered he stopped and turned around and head for Tomoe's room. He asked the soldier guarding the door to open the door for him and he got in, seeing Tomoe ripping the number on his clothes away.

 

"I see you don't like numbers either." Lloyd said plainly.

[mik3la]

"I see you don't like numbers either."

 

Hearing the voice Tomoe look up just to see the white haired man from before standing in his cell. is this kind of joke?he thought narrowing his eyes at the other. "I'm not a number. I'm a human " he said quickly than realizing that maybe he wasn't human anymore. With all that he become after the experiments he wasn't even sure what he was.

"What do you want? Did they send you to check on me, fight me or make fun of me?" he said lifting his hands up in bed, close to his chest keeping his eyes away from the other, playing with his hands, in the area where the claws were. Even if he was acting all tough and all, he was still afraid of what he could do. Afraid of not losing himself in all that madness that was sorrowing him. "Just go away" he added not moving from his place.

[hal7283]

Lloyd stood there listening to the man spilling out his thoughts, and he wasn't sure how to respond at first. He scratched his head slightly thinking what to say and looked helplessly at the ceiling. Lloyd looked at the cloth with numbers on the floor, and he said: "In that case may I know your name? I don't want to call you by the number." Then he looked back at Tomoe and said: "They didn't send me here, I just....wanted to drop by.... I just wanted to say that you were pretty good in the arena today. Hope you can survive tomorrow's test. That's all."

[mik3la]

"In that case may I know your name? I don't want to call you by the number."

 

Tomoe was a little surprised that the other wanted to know his name. He was acting so normal that it made him thought that they where not in an institute but outside and just get to know each other. It was strange how the other was acting so normal when he, not long ago captured him and killed that guard with just a flinch of a blade that came out off his back.

 

Before he could answer an tell the other his name, the boy continued talking revealing that he saw the battle he just had which made him narrowed his eyes and turned his ice-blue eyes to the boy. "You watched that? wait ..what?... Another test?" he asked in surprised sitting up in his feet not believing that he would have to fight again. Wasn't it enough? Without even realizing his eyes were flickering in red and back to his blue color. "Argh!" his head was hurting again, so he had to keep his hands on it make a preasure. "I hate this ... I hate all of this ... I don't want this!"

[hal7283]

"Yes, there will be more tests. Since you're a new model they want to gather as much data as possible." Lloyd responded. He then said: "Hating the situation wouldn't help. I mean on the bright side at least you get the chance to get used to your powers before they throw you at me." He quickly noticed that Tomoe was in pain, and quickly got close to the man, putting his palm on the man's forehead which was strangely cold, almost like an ice bag. He said calmly: "You're in a lot of stress, plus your body are still adjusting to the enhancements. Try to relax."

[mik3la]

Tomoe opened his eyes they were bloody red now, not understanding what the other just said to him. Feeling his hand on him, it didn't matter where it was, he jumped one step back in instinct, remembering the horror he went through when someone touched him. "Throw me to you? T-they want me to fight with you? And you want me to relax? Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked starting to laugh nervously, realizing what that meant.

 

"Fighting with you will mean instant death. I saw what you did to that guard and I'm pretty sure that't not even close to you full capacity" he said gesticulating with his hands so that he could keep the other away from him.

[hal7283]

Lloyd was a bit surprised when Tomoe suddenly jumped away from him, though with the cell being so small there isn't really much room to move around so Tomoe was still pretty much in arm's reach. But the purple haired man had made the message very clear, that he wasn't welcomed. Lloyd raised up his arms showing that he meant Tomoe no harm and said apologetically: "Sorry, I'm not really good with all this...talking stuff. If I upset you I apologize.... But you may have more chance of killing me than you think, after all that was the whole point: to make an Enhanced Solider who was strong enough to kill me, and stable enough to be mass produced. With any luck they might have finally done it this time."

 

Lloyd turned around and walked towards the cell door. He said: "Sorry that I've disturbed your rest, I'll be gone now....."

[mik3la]

Having the other apologizing made him realize that maybe he was too much with the whole gesture thing.

"It's not that you upset me but ... I've been through a lot of stuff since i got here" he breath slowly calming himself returning to his real self. "I just don't want to be toughed anymore" he said grabbing himself in a hug, feeling a chill shiver running down his spine.

 

"Hei .... " he shout as the other was preparing himself to leave his cell. "It's Tomoe .... and thanks for a little normality" he said showing a small smile in the corner of his mouth. Maybe the other one wasn't a bad guy, only another lost soul like he was. Maybe this guy was an ancker to keep him sane for his staying here and trying to survive.

[hal7283]

"Tomoe....that's a nice name. I'm Lloyd by the way, in case you've forgot... See you around, Tomoe." Lloyd said before he left the room. The solider nearby closed and locked the door behind him. He returned to his room and lied down on the bed. He raised his hand in front of him and looked at it for a long time, remembering the warmth and the touch he felt when he touched the man's forehead. Without noticing it himself a slight smile came to his face. He held the hand to his chest and closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep.

 

 

 

(If you like you can skip through a few days of tests in your post and jump right to the day Tomoe and Lloyd must face each other? Or do you have other idea for their lab life?)

[mik3la]

"Tomoe....that's a nice name. I'm Lloyd by the way, in case you've forgot... See you around, Tomoe."

 

"I know" he mumbled fallowing with his eyes the other boy, heading to his cell which was a few meters away. Lloyd was making him curious on how could a person be a killer but be also so gentle. He touched his forehead where the other's cold hand stood and blushed for a little. Even if he jumped back it was because of instinct but the touch wasn't as bad as the others. What the hell am I thinking!he shacked his head trying to get over those thoughts and turned to bed trying to get some sleep. He would have need some painkillers aswell but apparently they loved it when the lab-rats where in pain. So biting his lip he manage to fell asleep ignoring the pain.

 

The next weeks were all the same. Early morning, eating, fighting ans back in his cell all alone. His powers improved since last time, having now the understanding on how to control then and not let them control him. In all his fights that he had he was victorious which made the Doctor and the rest of his minions happy about his evolution. He wasn't concerned about that but about the fact that with each test he had to fight Lloyd and he didn't want it. He kind of liked the guy. He was the only one that was speaking normally to him. Even though for the past days he didn't saw Lloyd around anymore.

[hal7283]

"Doctor, are we done yet?" Lloyd said as he threw away the remains of his last opponent. He looked around and saw a literal mountain of corpses lying beneath his feet.

 

"Yes, we're done. Thank you." The voice of the Doctor came from the speaker: "So, what do you think of the Legion?"

 

"Interesting concept I must say, pretty hard to kill too. But it I'd say they lack a punch. Maybe give them heavy weapons next time?" Lloyd replied.

 

"Good. You're free to go now." The doctor said.

 

With the permission Lloyd left the test arena. For the past few days he'd been in that arena fighting waves after waves of Enhanced soldiers, all connected to a central hive mind which made them more operate more closely and able to pass down their experience to the next wave. It wasn't too hard of a fight, but was a timely one. On his way back Lloyd was thinking about the only person here he knew by name: Tomoe. He must have gone through many tests during these couple of days, and he wondered did he survive. Quickly he got back to Tomoe's room and was relieved to see his purple hair through the window on the wall.

 

Lloyd asked the guard nearby to opened the door for him, and he entered the room. "Hello Tomoe." He said as he awkwardly raised his hand in an attempt to greet the man. He took a step forward and heard a watery sound, and noticed that he was dripping in blood at the moment. "Oh...sorry....I made a mess in your room....I should've took a shower before coming here."

[mik3la]

Tomoe was caught in his thoughts when he heard a familiar voice coming from the other end of the room. Turning his eyes and showing a wild smile on his face he ran to the other stopping a little when he saw the blood on Lloyd's clothes and on the floor.

"Are you alright?" he asked narrowing his eyes. Even though he saw the other fights and knew that it was a small chance of him getting hurt, he was still worried. After all it was his only friend.

 

"As long it is not yours is fine" he said swallowing the knod that he had in his neck, looking at the other, inspecting every inch of his body making himself sure that he was fine.

[hal7283]

“Yes I'm fine. These blood are not mine." Lloyd said as he approached Tomoe, and found him to be in much better shape than the last time they met. However the same can't be said for his looks, as the daily routine of going to the arena and returning all bloody had certainly taken it's toll, his face was all dirty and those beautiful purple hair were sticking against each other by the dried up chunks of blood.

 

"Looks like you're in a mess as well. Maybe we should go take a shower together?"

[mik3la]

"T-together?" He asked tilting his head up instantly blushing. Until now he only showered alone . He never had company and he was still afraid being alone with another guy.

 

"S-sure" he said turning his face to the side walking pass the boy. He didnt want to admit but he kind of liked lloyd. He was different than the other and than he expected a mutant would be. Actually they were kind the only one this much human.

 

"Let's go before they call it lights out" he said having his face all red.

[hal7283]

Lloyd nodded and lead Tomoe out of his cell. Seeing this the guard tried to stop him but after a menacing stare from Lloyd he backed off. They walked down the hall and away from the holding area, slowly moving towards the outer rings of the facility. Soon they arrived at a shower room. From the lockers in the ready room it was clear that this place was usually reserved for the soldiers.

 

Without hesitation Lloyd took of the blood stained clothes and revealing his slim and reasonably toned body. If simply from an appearance stand point Tomoe was actually more buffed than Lloyd, proving that you can never trust the looks of a enhanced soldier.

 

There were dozens of shower stalls in the room, and Lloyd entered one of them. He turned the hot water in and closed his eyes, let the water wash away all the blood on his body.

[mik3la]

Tomoe fallowed the other outside the cell and down the hall. Apparently he had a lot of privileges here or the others were to scared to comment. He tried to remember the way to the showers. Once in he looked at lloyd how he undressed himself wandering with his eyes on the pale skin of his and some bruises that remained just like he had. Even if he healed, the scars would remain. Doing the same as the other he undressed himself getting under the hot water feeling his muscles relax. Without noticing he escape soft moan.

[hal7283]

Lloyd liked to shower. The life in the lab can be so cold, not just in terms of temperature but also the whole atmosphere too, and the sensation of hot water flowing down his body made him feel at ease. He heard the moan from the stall beside him and was glad that Tomoe was enjoying the shower as well. He got out the shower first and grabbed a towel to dry himself a bit, then wrapped it around his waist. He waited for the other to get out and handed him a towel.

[mik3la]

Tomoe finished the shower quickly shaking his head just like a dog to dry his purple hair. Than he lookes for a shower and saw Lloyd hanging one to him. Blushing, again, he took the towel quickly wrapping it around his waist while staying with the back at the other.

 

Ever since Lloyd got un his life he made him feel normal and not a freak that he was. But thinking that one of this days he will have to fight against him made him shiver.

 

"Lloyd ... what do you remember about the outside world?" He askes keeping his back at the other. At least he could win him on his side and try to escape. It was a try. Like hell he would still stay here for more time.

[hal7283]

Lloyd thought about Tomoe's questions as he stared at the ceiling with confusion. Even though he understood what it meant the concept of "outside" was rather alien to him. After a short silence he turned back to Tomoe and answered: "I don't remember anything about the outside, other than what they've put into my brain. I know that the government is trying to build a perfect society where everyone would live in order and peace, but that order was threatened by other countries as well as the rebels who'd want to destroy it. I know that my purpose was to be the first of a new line of Enhanced soldiers, but the Doctor wasn't able to recreate the result he got from me so my purpose changed to become the test opponent for future models."

 

Lloyd paused for a second and said: "Maybe I had a life outside before, or maybe I was born here and never left the lab in my lab. Who knows? In any case it doesn't matter cause everything that I am was created, made, manufactured, to serve the Doctor's experiments and in terms serve the country." As he went on his eyes became murky and unfocused, as if going into a trance like state: "The only thing that's mine, is my name, Lloyd. I don't remember why I knew it was my name, did the Doctor gave that name to me? Or is it the evidence of a previous life? I don't know, and frankly I don't care. It's my name, I'm Lloyd...that's my name....my name....mine....mine......"

 

But after a moment he seemed to have snapped out of it. Looking at the purple haired man standing half naked in front of him, still pretty much wet and dripping with water. He shook his head slightly and said: "Sorry about that. Maybe it's time we go back to our room. They should've left our new clothes there."