The Forgotten Zodiac

Rynyn put his head back down and nodded slightly. "Okay." Laurie bit her lip, wanting to ask about the "Preliminary testing," but since Lady Red still hadn't asked her own question, she sighed, hoping she'd ask something soon.

"Oh, is it my turn so soon?" Lady Red smiled and thought for a moment, then asked quietly, "What do you regret the most? Now that you're here...was there some unfinished business you had with the outside world?" Subject opened his mouth to speak, and Lady Red snapped her fingers at him. "Yes, I know that your rabbit is out there. We're past that."

Rynyn shook his head. "I don't really care about anything out there anymore. If Myst is here, then this is where I should be too." He said darkly and very softly. Laurie watched him as he spoke, then took a breath before giving her own answer. "Well, I guess I should have tried harder to help my husband get off the drug..." She sighed, a hint of wistfulness in her tone.

"My dear, once you've been afflicted with the Uphoria, getting off of it would...well...you'd be much like this Subject. In most cases, at any rate. You suffer a withdrawl so mind-numbing that you see things, hear things, and think things that don't exist." Lady Red tutted, smiling. "It's quite interesting to fiddle with their broken minds..." She patted Subject on the head. He didn't look up at her. Nor did he move.

Rynyn was watching Subject as Lady Red spoke, still feeling sorry for his friend.
"Right..." Laurie said quietly, drooping her head down the rest of the way. Hesitantly, she sighed and nodded slightly. "Well, what are these preliminary tests?" She finally asked. 

"Hm...I won't answer that question directly," Lady Red smiled, standing up. Subject immediately did the same. "Let's just get to them, shall we?"

"Miss, do I have to take them...again?" Subject shuffled his foot.

"Hm...yes, I think so. The test is very difficult these days. You might as well help your friends."

"Will I have to kill them?"

"Not today, I know that for certain." Lady Rin moved towards the door. "Come along, we'll have to take the elevator to the last floor."

Rynyn stood up, following the example set for him by Lady Red and Subject while Laurie hesitated momentarily. Laurie frowned at Subject's questions, while Rynyn didn't seem to take notice of what was being said though he did and was thinking about it. Nervously they followed Subject and Lady Red towards the door. 

Subject looked upset, but he followed anyways. Lady Red led the way down a long hallway, pushing a button on a set of doors that looked just the same as all the others; red wood, with a long gold-colored handle. The doors didn't swing open, though; after reading a fingerprint from Lady Red, they slid to the sides just like any regular elevator. She stepped on lightly, dusting off her dress a bit and motioning for the others to follow. Subject shuffled onto the elevator obediently, sitting on the floor rather than standing. This was mainly because as soon as everyone was on the elevator, the doors closed and the entire elevator (which was the size of a small bedroom) seemed to rocket downward, screeching to a halt very suddenly.

Laurie sat immidiately, a little confused as to why he sat down, but she didn't question it. Rynyn didn't get to the point where he was sitting, so he was knocked off his feet and sorta jerked around as the elevator moved. Laurie had her eyes shut as the elevator moved, startled by how fast it moved.

Lady Red was still standing as the elevator doors opened again. "Here we are. Floor zero. It is here that you will take your preliminary tests, and we shall determine where to place you from there. The higher levels are the better ones, I'll tell you that now. For example, the floor we just left was floor 99. The top floor is my personal areas."

The elevator doors slid open to reveal cold metal hallways. There was dim lighting and very few doors along the single, straight hallway. There was a staircase off to the side (though the door to it was secured with a keypad), and a second elevator next to the regal, out-of-place looking one that Subject was getting off of now. The second elevator was for scientists and escorts; it too was finger-print enabled, meaning no subject could get into it on their own.

Rynyn frowned and got to his feet, following Subject out of the elevator. It was Laurie's turn to hesitate, but she did quickly step out of the elevator. "...Thank you for lunch." She said quietly, turning to look back into the elevator, though not at Lady Red of course. Rynyn looked down the hallway, frowing slightly.
((What about the stairs? Is there something that keeps the stairs from being used?))

((Edit made. Thanks for pointing that out. xD))

"Of course," Lady Red smiled as a few older people in lab coats hurried out of one door. "We have three today, gentlemen. One a...returning customer. Kindly introduce them to your best, if you will." She didn't get off the elevator. "Oh, and Rynyn, Laurie...don't look forward to the next time we see each other. Usually, the only time I deal with prisoners is when they've attempted to make an escape. But Subject returning like this, especially with two new prisoners, well...that was something interesting, indeed. Tah-tah, then," She waved as the doors slid close and there was a whir as the elevator was whisked upwards.

"Arms," The scientist in charge snapped at them, holding two empty syringes. "I need blood samples and fingerprints. You'll be given your numbers after the preliminary tests."

"Oi, doctor evil-pants, am I allowed to help them?" Subject growled.

"Did Lady Red not tell you? The tests have changed. They're done in groups now. You're being paired with subjects 233, 124 and 874."

((Dratish.))

Rynyn didn't move. He just listened to what was happening around him, while Laurie looked around, showing her attentiveness to everything going on in the surrounding area. Once Lady Red was gone Rynyn looked around, deciding to be a little more observant. As the head scientist in front of them barked out an order, he growled angrily and glared hostilely at the man as he did as he was told. Laurie, on the other hand, now took a step back, cowering behind Rynyn.

The scientist took blood from Rynyn's arm, then turned to Laurie. "Come here, woman, what are you? Two? 436 did better than you, and the boy is barely fifteen!" He snapped at her.

"Laurie, just do what he says..." Subject frowned, tugging on her sleeve. He looked up at her pleadingly. "Don't get us in trouble. Not this soon."

Rynyn sighed and looked back at Laurie over his shoulder, as the scientist took blood. Actually, he almost enjoyed that. His eyes widened and he shuddered, growling quietly. Laurie put her head down and did as she was told, her arm quivering badly as she held it up.

The scientist drew blood quickly, holding her arm with a grip like iron. Of course, he was used to prisoners struggling. He never messed up, not after his first year in this job. "Escort them to the waiting room," He snapped at the other two scientists, one of whom turned and swiped a key card into a waiting slot next to a door. The door swung open immediately, and the scientist stepped aside, motioning for the three to head in.

Laurie wasn't struggling, she was just nervous and scared. Particularly of needles, the main reason she'd hesitated to let the man take blood. ONce he let go she pulled her arm back to her side with a nearly silent whimper. Rynyn glanced down at Subject as they were ordered into the room, then went inside, followed by Laurie.

Subject walked into the room with his head down. The door was closed and sealed shut after a long moment, and a speakerbox mounted on a wall started talking. "Welcome to the preliminary tests. As you can see on the wall behind you, we have an assortment of tools that you may choose from. I'm assuming you three want to form a team, and since you came here together, we can skip the introductions. Select your weapons, and choose carefully. Should you pass preliminaries, the weapon you choose shall be yours for use in future tests, but no others. The test will begin in exactly five minutes."

"Teams..." Subject pouted. "Things have definitely changed. Lady Red..." He scratched the back of his neck, turning around. His face lit up immediately. As the voice had said, there were all sorts of weapons; no guns, sure, but there were different style swords and brass knuckles, knives and throwing stars, and even a long metal bat. Subject immediately went for a pole, flipping it about in his hand before putting it back. He scanned the other weapons and picked up an odd, crescent-shaped knife.

Subject grabbed the pole again and a different knife, cutting the decorative orb off the top. He reached under the couch and found a roll of duct tape, and quickly attached the crescent shaped weapon to the staff. "Okay, I'm ready. Get something good. This is going to get very, very rough..." He looked doubtful of himself, checking the sharpness of his makeshift weapon. "They like improvisation here..."

((The whole set up is making me think of portal. This is baaaaaaad.))

Rynyn glared at the box as it spoke, then sighed loudly, turning to look around at the weapons. Laurie instantly went for the bat. She didn't know how to use any of the other stuff on the table except for the knives, and she didn't really care to use anything like that.
Rynyn glared ar Laurie's back for a moment, as he seemed to have had his eye on the bat. He seemed to get over it quickly, as he grabbed a knife and took the roll of duct tape from Subject. He tugged off a loooooong strip of tape, then messily folded it over itself and the handle of the knife, then rolled the tape so that he had a long, strong chord with a knife attatched to one end. Once he had  something he was a little more familiar with, he turned back to Subject. "What kind of test is this?" He asked.

"It's a different test, that's what it is." Subject pouted. "We're going to be pitted against other subjects. The only way to end it is to either do something the scientists dislike enough to stop the fight, or...or we kill them. Before, it wasn't like this...they would put you in pairs, make you work as a team on a few things, then split you up and this would happen...but teams, now?"

((A little bit. Only there's other people involved. :T

You can play a couple of the other guys, for the sake of me not roleplaying on my own.))