From Tadpole to Toad
By Todd Fan
Disclaimer: "What's a rerun?" "You'll find out..."
**
Chapter 4 - Escape from the womb
**
My time in the womb carried on, days turning into months at what seemed like a plodding pace. Everyday was filled with lab tests or training exercises. Our food was posted through slits in our doors...that was if we were allowed to eat, and even then, it was only once a day. I remember a time they wanted to test our my amphibian tendancies by starving me for a week, then running me though a big training exercise. Needless to say, I didn't last very long and ended up unconcious for two days. I remember another time, when they put me in this big tank of water, making me swim around for hours on end. Anytime I tried to get over the side, they would push me back in with sticks. This carried on until I half-drowned from exhaustion, then they would fish me out and test me again. [1]
I have been told this lasted for a year, but to me, it could have been an eternity. Nigel was right, all of this was breaking me. My once strong will to survive had been broken down to a point where I didn't care...I just wanted it all over. I bearly batted an eyelid as I heard the locks of my cell unlock one day. Nigel stepped in, his usual cocky grin on his face.
"Gonna make another run fer it, Toad?".
I didn't raise my head, I didn't even utter a single word.
"I'll take that as a no", he said, pulling me to my feet and marching me off down the hallway.
It all happened so quickly. All of a sudden, alarms went off all over the place. I dully blinked around, not really registering it. Nigel obviously thought that I was no threat, and took off running. I stayed in my spot, unmoving...that was until I saw one of the doors open to let more staff bustle in. I blinked for a second, trying to swim through the dull thoughts my captors had reduced me to. The door...was...open. Something in my mind clicked, I almost mechanically crouched down, before making a huge leap over the final member of staff and through the open door.
"Another one's escaping!", shouted the final staff member, running around to take chase.
But I was too fast, I carried on leaping, escaping with the inhanced muscles they'd forced me to manifest early. Ironic, all that training had paid off, the very things they had used to test my abilities were helping me to escape. I only stopped jumping when I came to a window. I hopped onto the wall, braced my legs on it, and kicked. The glass shattered easily and I stopped dead for a moment, feeling the cool rush of a breeze on my face. I hadn't felt fresh air for so very, very long.
"THERE!".
I span my head, noticing a few of the staff running towardsme, stun guns at the ready. I growled, running my tounge along the gland at the top of my mouth. Before the staff knew what had hit them, I had sent a good pile of slime their way. I smirked, watching them struggle with it, before sliding out of the broken window. I winced, feeling shards of glass dig into my back and sides. But they couldn't be tended to now. I carried on leaping through the grounds of the womb, taking in all the delicious smells and sounds of the outside world. It was nigthtime...wow, I had forgotten the difference between the two. I was free!! And that's when they took out their special weapon. A huge bright beam of light shone into the grounds from a spotlight on the roof.
My eyes have never been good in bright light. They are better equiped to see in the dark, bright light is almost....painfull. Especially to newly tuned nocturnal eyes. I gave a squeal of pain, rolling over and falling into a ditch. The beam was turned off, I sighed as I heard footsteps coming my way. I dropped myself in as low a crouch as I could, well aware I was surrounded. If I was going down, I was going down fighting. I strained my ears, listening to the voices of my would-be captors.
"Well, this was bound to happen sooner or later"
"Don't worry about it, I was going to sign it up for the observation progame anyhow, it can just go early".
I closed my eyes, bearly breathing as I heard the footsteps dissapate. I waited until I was sure, poking my head out of the ditch to check around. That was my biggest mistake. I squeaked as a huge weight dropped on me.
"GOT 'IM!"
I couldn't mistake Nigels voice.
"Good", said the Doctor, walking over, "don't worry, Mr Tolensky, this will all be over soon enough"
"I'm not going back, you can't make me!!!", I shouted, trying to struggle out from under Nigel.
"Of course not", said the Doc, then frowned, "Wyngarde, come and do your job".
"I hardly call the forced use of ones powers a 'job'", came a new voice as a man stepped out of the shadows...Mastermind.
"Let me put it this way, If you want your daughter to stay nice and safe, I suggest you keep doing as we ask you" [2]
Mastermind frowned before sighing, putting a hand on my head, his eyes begining to glow. I whimpered in pain and confusion as my memories of the Black Womb were shifted around....I must have blacked out...I hardly remember anything afterwards.
I can't really blame Mastermind for what he did, there was a time I dispised him for it. But he had been foced into his work, just as he had with Wanda. When we were all living in the mansion, you remember, when that nullifier got into Vivian's hands? Well, I went to talk to him about it, after all, who'd know my memories better than the one who changed them? After a little...persuasion, he finally told me that he didn't actually have contact with the daughter they were using as blackmail for him. Her mother had lived in Scotland, without his knowledge of her being pegnant. He'd only hear of her existance after the Black Womb had found out about her, using her as leverage, which pained the guy alot more than he'd openly admit. Despite the fact he hardly knew his daughter, he was still willing to protect her, he didn't want her to end up in the Black Womb.
When I woke up, I was in an Orphange, my memories telling me I had been there for a year, after my father abandoned me there. The staff carried on as normal, as if it were all true. I soon learnt thsi was a half-way house for those of the Black Womb. Before they were sent out to the world, to be studied there, watched, to see how they could live in the real world. But I didn't know all that, to me, it was another day in an orphanage in a little town called Bayville.
**
{1] - This is based on the opening of the Richard Admas book 'The Plauge Dogs'. A very powerfull book, and despite it's talking animals, not one for the kids.
[2] - Incidentally, Mastermind's daughter in this is neither of his cannon ones, rather an OC of one of my friend's in an RPG I'm in, you'll hear of her in a few Chronicles time ;)
And there is another chapter done. Everyone's favorite cat girl enters next! Do review. Until next time...
By Todd Fan
Disclaimer: "What's a rerun?" "You'll find out..."
**
Chapter 4 - Escape from the womb
**
My time in the womb carried on, days turning into months at what seemed like a plodding pace. Everyday was filled with lab tests or training exercises. Our food was posted through slits in our doors...that was if we were allowed to eat, and even then, it was only once a day. I remember a time they wanted to test our my amphibian tendancies by starving me for a week, then running me though a big training exercise. Needless to say, I didn't last very long and ended up unconcious for two days. I remember another time, when they put me in this big tank of water, making me swim around for hours on end. Anytime I tried to get over the side, they would push me back in with sticks. This carried on until I half-drowned from exhaustion, then they would fish me out and test me again. [1]
I have been told this lasted for a year, but to me, it could have been an eternity. Nigel was right, all of this was breaking me. My once strong will to survive had been broken down to a point where I didn't care...I just wanted it all over. I bearly batted an eyelid as I heard the locks of my cell unlock one day. Nigel stepped in, his usual cocky grin on his face.
"Gonna make another run fer it, Toad?".
I didn't raise my head, I didn't even utter a single word.
"I'll take that as a no", he said, pulling me to my feet and marching me off down the hallway.
It all happened so quickly. All of a sudden, alarms went off all over the place. I dully blinked around, not really registering it. Nigel obviously thought that I was no threat, and took off running. I stayed in my spot, unmoving...that was until I saw one of the doors open to let more staff bustle in. I blinked for a second, trying to swim through the dull thoughts my captors had reduced me to. The door...was...open. Something in my mind clicked, I almost mechanically crouched down, before making a huge leap over the final member of staff and through the open door.
"Another one's escaping!", shouted the final staff member, running around to take chase.
But I was too fast, I carried on leaping, escaping with the inhanced muscles they'd forced me to manifest early. Ironic, all that training had paid off, the very things they had used to test my abilities were helping me to escape. I only stopped jumping when I came to a window. I hopped onto the wall, braced my legs on it, and kicked. The glass shattered easily and I stopped dead for a moment, feeling the cool rush of a breeze on my face. I hadn't felt fresh air for so very, very long.
"THERE!".
I span my head, noticing a few of the staff running towardsme, stun guns at the ready. I growled, running my tounge along the gland at the top of my mouth. Before the staff knew what had hit them, I had sent a good pile of slime their way. I smirked, watching them struggle with it, before sliding out of the broken window. I winced, feeling shards of glass dig into my back and sides. But they couldn't be tended to now. I carried on leaping through the grounds of the womb, taking in all the delicious smells and sounds of the outside world. It was nigthtime...wow, I had forgotten the difference between the two. I was free!! And that's when they took out their special weapon. A huge bright beam of light shone into the grounds from a spotlight on the roof.
My eyes have never been good in bright light. They are better equiped to see in the dark, bright light is almost....painfull. Especially to newly tuned nocturnal eyes. I gave a squeal of pain, rolling over and falling into a ditch. The beam was turned off, I sighed as I heard footsteps coming my way. I dropped myself in as low a crouch as I could, well aware I was surrounded. If I was going down, I was going down fighting. I strained my ears, listening to the voices of my would-be captors.
"Well, this was bound to happen sooner or later"
"Don't worry about it, I was going to sign it up for the observation progame anyhow, it can just go early".
I closed my eyes, bearly breathing as I heard the footsteps dissapate. I waited until I was sure, poking my head out of the ditch to check around. That was my biggest mistake. I squeaked as a huge weight dropped on me.
"GOT 'IM!"
I couldn't mistake Nigels voice.
"Good", said the Doctor, walking over, "don't worry, Mr Tolensky, this will all be over soon enough"
"I'm not going back, you can't make me!!!", I shouted, trying to struggle out from under Nigel.
"Of course not", said the Doc, then frowned, "Wyngarde, come and do your job".
"I hardly call the forced use of ones powers a 'job'", came a new voice as a man stepped out of the shadows...Mastermind.
"Let me put it this way, If you want your daughter to stay nice and safe, I suggest you keep doing as we ask you" [2]
Mastermind frowned before sighing, putting a hand on my head, his eyes begining to glow. I whimpered in pain and confusion as my memories of the Black Womb were shifted around....I must have blacked out...I hardly remember anything afterwards.
I can't really blame Mastermind for what he did, there was a time I dispised him for it. But he had been foced into his work, just as he had with Wanda. When we were all living in the mansion, you remember, when that nullifier got into Vivian's hands? Well, I went to talk to him about it, after all, who'd know my memories better than the one who changed them? After a little...persuasion, he finally told me that he didn't actually have contact with the daughter they were using as blackmail for him. Her mother had lived in Scotland, without his knowledge of her being pegnant. He'd only hear of her existance after the Black Womb had found out about her, using her as leverage, which pained the guy alot more than he'd openly admit. Despite the fact he hardly knew his daughter, he was still willing to protect her, he didn't want her to end up in the Black Womb.
When I woke up, I was in an Orphange, my memories telling me I had been there for a year, after my father abandoned me there. The staff carried on as normal, as if it were all true. I soon learnt thsi was a half-way house for those of the Black Womb. Before they were sent out to the world, to be studied there, watched, to see how they could live in the real world. But I didn't know all that, to me, it was another day in an orphanage in a little town called Bayville.
**
{1] - This is based on the opening of the Richard Admas book 'The Plauge Dogs'. A very powerfull book, and despite it's talking animals, not one for the kids.
[2] - Incidentally, Mastermind's daughter in this is neither of his cannon ones, rather an OC of one of my friend's in an RPG I'm in, you'll hear of her in a few Chronicles time ;)
And there is another chapter done. Everyone's favorite cat girl enters next! Do review. Until next time...