forum the forums are ded

Started August 20, 2019 by @amber_is_in_a_loop

tune

"Alexis," she mused aloud. "W-why are you here?" she asked. She'd lost track of the days, months, years perhaps she'd been in here.

Alexis frowned, walking down yet another steel lined corridor, leaving a thin trail of ice along his way so they could get out. "You're stuck underground. Not only is it right to help, but it's also a hell of an exciting day." Her voice was only three walls away now, three turns more…

She made a face. "Underground? I… I thought… I heard…" Stella trailed off, her thoughts spiraling around a central idea - confusion. The voice was getting closer now, she could hear the footsteps echoing around.

"I had to climb in through a hole in the wall and jump down into the hall. That qualifies as underground to me."
A few meters away he could now make out the glint of steel bars. "What's your name?" he asked her, running up to her cell. It was dark for him to see anything about her, but he could make out her silhouette.

Stella heard his footsteps rushing up to her cell. Glancing suspiciously at him, she asked, without answering his question, "You're not one of them, are you?"

"Them?" he asked, stepping closer. "No, I don't think so. I'm a loner." She was still hidden in shadows, and her voice sounded hoarse and unused. He walked up to the lock, trying to put the pieces together.

"Good," she replied wearily. "They haven't been here in ages, and I hope they're rotting in hell right now," she spat the word 'hell' bitterly.

(I am so sorry! School has started up again so my timing might get weird)
Theo frowned. That's a lot of anger. "I'm going to try and get you out. Can you come closer, guide me through what you know about this cell?"

(That's fine! I can relate!)
"I've tried, and failed so many more times than you can think of. They've gotten smart now, and won't come here anymore. They're reliant on robots to 'assist' me," she replied solemnly, but came closer into the light, letting it illuminate her face.

Alexis froze. She was gaunt, thin and pale, and Alexis's heart twisted at the sight of such a miserable looking girl. But that wasn't what scared him. "Your…" He stared, mind going a mile a minute. "Your hair…"

Stella stepped back, taking several steps at a time, tripping over her feet even, until she felt the comforting feel of the concrete wall. Her eyes were wild with fear, he was a newbie, one of them, wasn't he? He had lied to her. "Nevermind, I never should've…" she spat bitterly, unable to finish her sentence and turned around to face the wall. To her astonishment, tears started falling down her cheeks. The first time in forever someone came to visit her, and they lied to her, pretended they were just an ordinary person. No, of course they had come from the company, probably on their own accord, else they wouldn't've had to break in.

"Wait!" Alexis shouted, caught in the frenzy of the moment. "Come back, please. I've just never seen anyone like you," he attempted to tell her calmly, but his voice shook.

"No," she shot back fiercely. "They're always one of them. Always. I can't trust anyone anymore."

He sighed in frustration. "Look, miss, seems to me I'm your only hope. So how do I prove to you that I don't mean you harm?" he asked bluntly, threads of ice criss-crossing his hands before disappearing into his skin.

Stella shakily slid to the ground and clutched her legs together. "You don't know what they've done," she whispered, her voice quavering.

He wanted to leave. This place, and this white-haired girl, seemed like the worst possible thing he could get involved in.
But her voice, weak and trembling, stopped his feet from taking that fateful step backwards. Instead he kneeled down by her cell, leaning into the bars. “I want to help you,” he told her clearly. “Tell me how to help you.”

"Y-you can't, you need the keys…" she stammered. The keys. Many a time she'd convinced them to let her out, but the doors were always locked on the outside. Trapped.

"Well then I'll get them. Where are they?" he asked decisively but not unkindly.

"T-they have it, though it's probably hidden around here somewhere… they never have 'em when they come in," Stella explained, a little bit calmer now.

(Heads up, I'm going to be gone up until Sunday!! I have to go on a school trip, but I'll see you in a week <3)
"Okay. I'll go find them, don't go anywhere."
Alexis started backing away into the corridor he'd arrived in, stopping at every door he found in hopes there'd be some sort of control room. He finally found a room whose back wall was line with screens corresponding to cameras. Shit. Did they know he was here? Were they just around the corner?
He grabbed the door handle.

(oh yeah, oki)
Felling much better now, Stella looked around for that salad. Oh phew it's still here she thought when she found it. Finding she was actually hungry for the first time today, she gobbled it up hungrily.

(Hey!)
He held out his hand, the air chilling around him. The door swung open easily and he instinctively shot a blast of ice into the room ahead. It hit something with a satisfying crunch, and he peeked inside.
He'd frozen over a terrifying, powerful, looming desk chair. With a frustrated sigh he walked in– it felt too easy, what with the unlocked door, but he looked around. The cameras showed every inch of the building, and it seemed deserted save for the girl- another strange thing. The keys were hung up on the far wall. He carefully padded over, lifting them off the hook with a gentle clinking sound.
A gun clicked from the darkness.

(welcome back! and oooh plot twist)
Stella had gotten used to the empty silence but she jumped to her feet at the sudden noise. A gun. She inched slowly towards the shadows of her cell, ready to jump and dodge if necessary.

Alexis stopped moving, staring straight ahead.
“Hold still,” said a calm voice from the shadows. “Move and I shoot you.”
A hooded figure walked out of the dark towards the boy, his gun aimed perfectly at Alexis’s head.
“What are you doing in here?” the figure asked. It was impossible to tell their gender with their words muffled by the hood, but the natural strength that emanated from them was enough to scare him into silence.
“I got lost.”
“Don’t lie.”
Alexis turned his head towards the shooter. Their eyes shone through, glittering with hatred. “Who do you work for?”
“No one,” the boy cried. “It’s just me.”
“Don’t. Lie.” they repeated.
“I’m not!” He wanted to fall to his knees and beg, but doubted it’d do anything but humiliate him.
“Let’s say you aren’t. Why the keys? What do you want with her?”
Alexis’s eyes widened. “I don’t know anything about her. I just want to help her?”
“By letting her out? Have you even seen her? She wouldn’t last a day out there?”
The stranger didn’t sound so aggressive now, simply logical and ready to protect the girl.

Stella listened to the conversation, her thoughts consumed with hatred. All she wanted at this point was to be free, they didn't understand. She couldn't control her powers! "Don't listen to him! He's one of them!" she cried out. She recognized the voice. Arius. To him, she said in a low, but threatening voice. "Arius. What are you doing here?"

He ignored her. "She's too young. She won't know how to handle the freedom or her powers for that matter…"
But Alexis had heard her warning. As continued talking him into leaving alone, Alexis's scared gaze drifted sidelong to the chair he'd iced upon coming in. If he could send a blast just strong enough to send the man off balance, and grab the gun… He could lock Arius in the room and him and the girl could make a run for it.

Stella growled. Of course, he never listened to her. All they wanted to do was experiment on her. But now that she was older, and could actually fight back, they couldn't risk her getting loose into society.