Post by Stardrifter on Dec 20, 2014 23:21:09 GMT -5
by
Stardrifter
#1 - Through the Dark
Darkness is all around him. So thick not even a speck of light exists. So long he remains in darkness that he begins to wonder if he ever truly saw the light. No matter how fast or far he runs, the darkness is always there.
The sound of splashing echoes all around. The ankle deep water reeks and turns his stomach. He has no way of knowing what dangers might lie before him in that fetid water, yet he runs without so much as a care.
Why is he running? He can't remember. Is he running from or to something? There's only an image long since faded from the back of his mind and the irresistable urge to run.
Suddenly his ears ring with a sensation he's never felt before. His body tenses just before his leg smacks into something in front of him. He trips and falls face first into the water. His one article of clothing, a pair of briefs, are now soaked through.
After he sits up he begins to retch, fighting the urge to vomit. It's a battle he barely wins. Spitting the filth from his mouth, he stumbles back to his feet.
Just as he's about to continue his flight the sound of splashing echoes around him once again. He crouches down low, straining in the dark to see any sign of movement. The echoing makes it impossible to tell if the splashing is in front of or behind him. Fear grips him, his chest tightening and his breath ceasing.
As suddenly as it started the splashing stops. He continues to wait, holding his breath, for what seems like an eternity. Then the strange ringing in his ears returns, just before splashing returns fast and loud. Instinct takes over and he reaches out, for what he doesn't know, and shortly after he feels something come into his hands. It's warm, soft, and reacts violently to his touch. The ringing comes again and he moves to the left, the slight movement of air telling him something passed where he was just standing.
"Raaargh!" The growl is primal and close. He can feel hot breath on his face.
There's a brief ringing again but he is unable to act in time. A hand wraps around his throat, it's claws digging into his flesh, and pushes him back into what feels like cold stone.
"Enough!"
The creature growls in protest but stays it's hand. Taking the opportunity, he grabs the arm at his throat and kicks up with both feet, sending him sliding down the wall and his opponent flying. Its claws slash his neck as they let go. A loud thud leads him to believe the creature hit another wall.
"I said enough!"
Light bursts forth like an explosion, blinding him. He covers his eyes with his arm to try and stop the pain.
"You'll...die...for that!" the creature spits, it's voice both feminine and in pain.
"Stand down!" another feminine voice says, this one cold and confident. "Now!"
"Wh...what?" he says in a weak voice. His mouth fumbles the word like it's not sure how to move. "W-who?"
"Who are you?" the confident one asks.
The light dims and he lowers his arm. As his eyes adjust a woman comes into view standing before him, a flashlight pointed at her chest. Her short hair is black and greasy. An eyepatch covers her right eye. She wears black leather pants and boots. A torn black tank top is covered with an equally damaged denim vest. Her exposed arms are thin and pale, yet muscular.
"I...I am..." He tries to answer but the thoughts won't come. He stares off as he asks himself all the things he should know about himself. In his mind there is only a blank space where no answers exist.
"He's fucking crazy!" the other woman shouts. He looks up at her and sees the woman he fought is covered in dark brown and orange fur. Wearing only a one piece leotard, he can see dark stripes up and down her legs. "Lost his marbles. Just end him."
"He may be crazy but he threw you clear across the tunnel," the other woman smirks. "My name is Callisto. What's your name?"
*Coarse sand paper digs into his skin as he rubs it across the wooden car. His hands are small and covered in sawdust. He looks over the work bench and sees the little plastic wheels they'll attach after he's finished sanding.
Adjusting his glasses, he looks up at a man standing next to him with a large smile on his face. He's a gentle looking older man, with a weathered face.
"Ben? Ben where are you?"*
"Ben!" the name escapes his mouth as soon as the memory fades. "My name is Ben...I think." He runs his filthy hand through his short brown hair, confused.
"For fuck's sake!" the furred one growls, throwing her hands up and stomping off down the tunnel.
"Don't worry about Thornn," Callisto whispers, her eye narrowing. "She's a bitch on the best of days."
"Where am I?" he asks, not really following the conversation.
"You're in the sewers under New York City. You understand? New York City?"
"Yeah. New York. Big Apple. Yankees. Broadway. I know."
"Well at least you're egg isn't completely scrambled," Callisto smirks, slapping him on the shoulder. "C'mon kid."
"Where?" He's too confused to put up a fight.
"Where people like us can be safe."
"People like us?"
"Y'know. Mutants," Callisto calls back as she trudges through water. "But we call ourselves the Morlocks."
****
"Alistair!!" Spencer Smythe shouts down the hallway of the Scarab Corporation headquarters. His employees give him a wide berth as he makes his way toward the main lab. "Alistair!"
"I hear you Father," Alistair sighs as the old man bursts through the door. Without looking up from his microscope, he motions for his father to sit. "I'll be right with you."
"Out!" Spencer shouts. Despite his advanced age and frail form, his voice carries authority and strength. "Everyone out!" The old man's leathery skin turns bright red, making his thinning white hair stand out even more.
Alistair sighs again and leans back in his chair. He rolls up the sleeves of his wrinkled button up shirt as he waits for the other researchersto scurry out. Despite his father's rage, he's more annoyed at the interruption of his work than anything else.
"Penny tells me that we had another failure last night," Spencer fumes, visibly holding himself back.
"Relax, Father. It's been dealt with." Alistair doesn't even look up at his father. Instead he takes his glasses off and wipes the thick lenses with a dirty handkerchief. "And this one got so much farther than the others. I think one or two more tests and..."
"One or two more tests!" Finally unable to hold his anger in check, Spencer reaches out and backhands Alistair in the jaw. "You killed a man!"
Alistair turns back, barely faised by the strike. He had to learn a long time ago how to take a hit. He takes his time as he finishes cleaning his glasses before he responds. "We killed a mutant. Homeless genetic garbage that no one will miss any more than the others."
"This ends now! We weren't cleared for human trials, let alone this...this..." Spencer turns away from his son and runs his gnarled hands through his hair. "If this gets back to Xanatos..."
"It won't." Alistair stands up and places a hand on his father's shoulder. Standing side by side, Alistair looks almost as frail and small as his father, depsite his youth. One might have confused them for brothers if not for Alistair's disheveled auburn hair and wispy beard. "The body is gone, like all the others. No one will be looking for the mutant. And I only need another one or two test subjects and I'll be able to finally perfect the procedure. We'll have results! Real results! That's all Xanatos will care about. You'll be a hero. Trust me."
Spencer leans onto the lab table, his fingernails scratching the metal, as he tries to calm down. His son's argument finally puts him at ease.
"Just one or two more?"
"Absolutely," Alistair assures him. "It's almost over. There's nothing to worry about."
Straightening his tie, Spencer takes a deep breath and turns for the door. "No slip ups. No one can know what we're doing."
"I promise, Father. No one will care enough to miss these freaks. Just leave it all to me."
****
After about a half hour of walking, in which they discover through idle conversation that Ben's memories of the world seems intact, they reach they're destination. They pass two defended checkpoints through the tunnel. Two other mutants stand guard and each one. Once they're through, they reach a large open area lit by small fires and battery opperated lanterns.
Over two dozen people are crammed in and scattered about in small groups. It's a wide assortment of people of all genders and skin colors. The only constants amongst the group are their tattered clothes and the fact that they're all mutants. Almost everyone has an obvious physical mutation.
"You all live down here?" Ben asks, surprised at the idea.
"Where else would we go?" Callisto quickly throws back, resentment in her voice. "Everyone here has found nothing but hate and fear from the flatscans."
He starts to ask what she means by "flatscans" but quickly realizes for himself. Humans. "But the sewers? There has to be somewhere better you can go?"
"Not all of us can be a Pretty!" Thornn growls as she walks up, flanked on both sides by two other mutants. One is a large, bald man with gigantic muscles and a vacant look in his eyes. He towers over the others at almost eight feet tall. The other is a squat older man, his face hidden under a hooded robe.
"Thornn, what's going on?" Callisto asks. Ben can see her body tense up. From behind her he sees her hand slowly move toward a knife in the back of her belt.
"This one has no place here!" the hooded one shouts. "He's not one of us!"
"He's a mutant, Masque," Callisto barks. "That makes him one of us."
"He Pretty," the big man says, his voice so deep it's like the rumble of thunder. "He an upworlder. Not Morlock."
"Does that mean I'm not welcome either Sunder?" Callisto asks. For the first time Ben realizes that Callisto does stick out amongst the Morlocks. Despite her eyepatch, there's nothing really unusual about her appearance.
"Callisto is Morlock!" Sunder shouts. "Callisto is leader!"
"There's some debate if that should be the case," Thornn smirks.
Callisto smiles back. There's a dangerous, almost crazed look in her eye. "If you want to challenge me, grow a pair and do it. Otherwise stop wasting my time."
The ringing returns to Ben's ears just before Thornn attacks. She pounces toward Callisto, claws extended, with death in her eyes. Callisto rolls backward, kicking her legs up and sending Thornn flying behind her.
"FIGHT!" some of the Morlocks shout. A crowd begins to gather around to watch the women throw down. Unsure what to do, Ben joins the crowd and watches.
"I'm surprised it's taken you this long to challenge me!" Callisto shouts, slicing into Thornn's arm with her knife. "Though I figured you'd try to open my throat in my sleep. Never thought you had the guts."
Thornn roars at the insult, slashing wildly with her claws. Callisto deftly ducks under but is caught by a knee to her face.
As Ben watches the fight he feels the strange sensation in his ears again. This time it's just a minor buzz, a nuisance more than anything . He tries to ignore it but it starts to get stronger and stronger.
Finally unable to take it anymore, Ben looks around. He sees Masque reaching up for him in the knick of time.
"Let's see that pretty face!"
Just as Masque's hand is about to touch him, Ben bends backward and ducks under. Masque turns to reach for him again and Ben jumps back, slamming into Sunder.
"Pretty doesn't belong here!"
Ben ducks and dodges as Sunder swings his large fists. His swings are powerful but slow. They don't even come close to connecting. Sunder, letting his anger get the best of him, swings both his arms down, smashing them into the concrete floor. Ben flips backward to avoid the attack and lands on the wall. To both Sunder and Ben's surprise, he sticks to it.
"Get down here! Fight like men!" Sunder rears back to punch Ben. Moving in the blink of an eye, Ben curls his body up and pushes off the wall with his hands, slamming feet first into Sunder's chest. The two tumble over and when Sunder's back hits the floor, Ben leaps off and lands gracefully on all fours.
When Ben looks around he sees everyone staring at him. Even Thornn, stuck in a headlock with Callisto's knife to her throat, seems to be in shock.
"He took down Sunder," a voice in the crowd whispers. Ben looks over and see's Sunder lying in a heap, his large chest rising and falling but otherwise unmoving.
"He may be a 'Pretty,'" Callisto shouts, slamming Thornn down to the floor before walking towards Ben. "But he is a mutant, like us! He needs our help. Do we turn him away like the humans have done to us?"
The crowd mutters their agreement, any misgivings chased away by Callisto's confidence and leadership. Ben sees Masque spit on the floor and rush off.
Callisto puts a hand on Ben's shoulder. "Welcome to the Morlocks."
****
The sound of scraping metal echoes through the sewer tunnel. The manhole cover pulls back, shining sunlight down into the young mutant's eyes. He holds a a scaily, three fingered hand up to cover his eyes.
A man in a finely tailored black suit begins descending down the metal ladder. He coughs almost the entire way, the stench and stale air almost causing him to vomit. When he touches the bottom he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a silk hankerchief, covering his mouth and nose.
"Is it just you?" the man asks, his voice muffled.
"Jussst me," the mutant says, his forked tongue flicking behind sharp teeth. "The othersss wanted to talk it over firssst. But I couldn't wait."
The man nods solemnly, offering an uncertain pat on the mutant's shoulder in an insinscere attempt to comfort him. "Well it's their loss for now. I'm sure they'll come around when you return to tell them of your miracle."
The man holds his breath as he begins climbing up the ladder. The mutant grabs the ladder, but hesitates. "It'sss true, right? A cure. A mutant cure?"
The man finishes climbing before turning back to look down the manhole. "I promise. By this time tomorrow you'll be normal. You'll be able to live up here in the light. That's what you always wanted, right?"
The mutant takes a deep breath before resolving himself. "Yesss! What I alwaysss wanted." He quickly climbs up the ladder and into the light.
****
"Here, have a seat," Callisto says, sitting Ben next to a burning barrell and a crude tent.
Clothed in a pair of torn khakis, a red long sleeved shirt, and a blue hoodie with the arms cut off, Ben feels a bit more comfortable. He can still feel everyone's eyes on him. Whether they stare because he's new, because he is "pretty," or because he easily defeated Sunder he can't say.
That's the one thing that is starting to feel right to him. His powers. He keeps mulling it over in his mind. When Masque and Sunder attacked him, he didn't hesitate. He didn't feel fear or uncertainty. He could sense the danger and his body almost knew what to do on it's own. Was it instinct or someting more? One thing is certain, whoever he really is, he's a fighter.
Callisto shortly returns with two bowls of steaming...something. Ben takes the bowl she offers and thanks her, not realizing until now that his stomach is rumbling. He inspects the soup with a bent spoon and finds some stringy meat in it.
"Don't ask," Callisto smirks before placing a spoonful in her mouth. "Just eat."
"Is it rat?" Ben raises an eyebrow at her.
"Rat?" Callisto places a hand on her chest, acting overly offended. "We may live in the sewers but we aren't animals. Most of the Morlocks have powers that are useful in...procuring what we need from the surface."
"Then why did you tell me not to ask?" Ben lifts a spoonful up and peers at it.
"Because we got this meat from a shitty Chinese restaurant. I wouldn't be surprised if it's cat."
Ben starts to chuckle despite himself, overcome by the absurdity of it all. When Callisto joins in it quickly turns into full blown laughter. Once he's able to breath again, Ben shrugs and shoves a spoonful of mystery meat into his mouth.
"Nht bd," he mumbles. He's so overcome by hunger he starts shoveling the soup in.
"Yeah, Caliban isn't a bad cook," Callisto mutters, looking down at her bowl. "Though I'm starting to think it might be dog." When Ben looks up at her, she winks. "The aftertaste."
"Aren't we all having a good time."
Ben looks up to see a young woman come out of the nearby tent. Dressed in only a sports bra and yoga shorts, her pale pink skin is marred with random bits of bone protruding from her body. As if in response to Ben's staring, she reaches up to a small bone protruding from her rib and yanks it out, casting it aside. The skin where it came out turns red but doesn't bleed.
"Ah. Marrow this is Ben," Callisto gestures. "Ben, this is Marrow."
"Um...hi..." Ben mutters, trying not to stare.
"Hi," Marrow shouts, venom in her voice. She slumps down across from Ben and scratches at her skin. "Well aren't you a pretty one. What's he doing here?"
"Thornn and I found him running through the sewers. He doesn't remember who he is."
"If only we could all be so fortunate," Marrow spits.
"He's a mutant," Callisto says in a firm, authorative tone. "He's one of us and he needs help."
Marrow bristles at the rebuke but doesn't respond. She idly runs a hand through her short, dark pink hair and pulls out some bone shards, shaking them off her hand like dandruff. The entire time she locks eyes with Ben, staring like a predator sizing up her prey.
"So has anything else come back to you, Ben?" Callisto asks.
The question shakes him out of his thoughts and he looks away from Marrow. "No. No nothing. Just..."
"Just what?"
"Well when I fought Sunder I felt...like I'd done it before."
"You fought Sunder?" Marrow balks. "This little shrimp?"
"Fought and won," Callisto raises an eyebrow at her.
"So what can you do, Benji?"
Ben's eye twitches at the name but lets it slide. "Well I have super strength." Ben starts to think about it more. What exactly can he do? "Um, agility I guess."
"Speed," Callisto offers. "You're faster than most."
"And I can stick to walls."
"Stick to walls?" Marrow snorts. She pulls another small bone out of her arm and picks her teeth with it. "What are you, the Human Gecko?" Callisto rolls her eye.
"I also get this...feeling. I don't know, like a sixth sense," Ben tries to explain.
"A sixth sense of what?" Callisto asks.
"Danger. I can sense when there's danger an instant before it happens."
"Now that's not a bad thing to have," Callisto says.
Suddenly leaping to her feet, Marrow says, "And you'll need it down here, Benji. The sewers are a dangerous place. Sounds like you've already made some enemies." Ben watches as she storms past him.
"Don't worry about her," Callisto says, standing up as well. "She won't do anything if I'm watching over you."
"Comforting. But if she's right then she's not the only one I have to worry about. Maybe I should just leave."
"I'm not gonna blow smoke up your ass, kid." Callisto kneels down in front of Ben and looks him in the eye. "We Morlocks are together for mutual protection, but we're not the nicest people. Most of us have spent our lives hounded by upworlders. Hunted, beaten, or worse. There are two kinds of people that kinda treatment creates. Victims...or killers."
Ben nods in understanding. He can see in her eye just how serious she is.
"Now I won't pretend you're safe here. I've given you my protection, but like you saw tonight, my position ain't exactly rock solid. But I know what I saw when I found you. You were practically naked, running for your life from who knows what. So as dangerous as it is here, until you remember what you were running from, this might be the safest place in the world for you. Think about it. Get some rest."
As Callisto walks off, Ben looks around at the faces of the Morlocks. He can see in the eyes of those who look at him that Callisto's words are true. He's in a pit of vipers, and even if his instincts tell him to flee, it might just be a lion waiting for him outside that pit.
"What the Hell have you gotten yourself into, Ben?"
-To Be Continued-