Forums » Sci-Fi Roleplay » On the Run (1x1)

Eric looked over at 64 from his spot by a lab table where he found a syringe and vial of stuff that would counteract the sedative. Assuming 64 would let him administer it of course.

"Why am I helping you?" He shrugged. "Because, while I'm all for experimenting, I don't think it should be done on anything remotely human.You're close enough to human that honestly, it makes me queasy thinking about what they're doing to you down there. Or what they're going to do to you."

He drew half the serum from the vial into the syringe. "I've got stuff to counter the sedative--unless you like feeling woozy. But I can't promise how long it'll take before that experimenter discovers that I, ah, kidnapped you. For lack of a better word."

Tungsten chattered contentedly into 64's ear and settled down on his shoulder, wrapping his tail around his arm for stability.

64 stared at him drowsily.
It took a moment for him to take it in.

"...A scientist that actually believes I'm part human...? This sedative must be amazing." He leaned back, holding the side of his head with his tattooed hand which had a barcode on it.

At the mention of something to counter the sedative he nodded a bit and held out his arm.
"I definitely don't like feeling like this..." He muttered in reply. "And I trust you more than... than that other guy."

He glanced to Tungsten and smiled a little. "I like your friend though. He's cute."

Eric grinned and fetched a swab and disinfectant for the needle. "Um, yeah. His name's Tungsten. He's a friendly little guy when he doesn't try to bite your ear off." He winced, the earlobe still throbbing.

"Actually," he said, trying to distract 64 from the needle, though he doubted he'd actually feel anything from the sedative, "he's kind of a...pet project of mine, I suppose you could say. I've always liked having pets, and Tungsten, well, after the accident--wasn't quite normal and the original owners no longer wanted him." He eased the needle into 64's arm and depressed the contents into a vein. He pulled it out swiftly enough and kept a cottonball pressed to the injection site. "Can't say I blame them. He does glow and it's a bit unnerving when one isn't used to it. But it comes in handy when entering a dark lab. I'm surprised more people don't have glowing pets."

He stepped back and looked at 64. "It might take a minute or two for the counter to take affect, and you may or may not have a dry mouth--I'd offer water but everything's been turned off to prevent further mayhem."

While Eric spoke, Tungsten happily ground his teeth together.

64 smiled a bit in a goofy manor thanks to the sedative.
"Heh... well I hope he doesn't bite my ear. They're sensitive."

He didn't really feel much, listening as Eric spoke.
"Pet project huh?... Well I think he's kinda cool... glowing and everything is neat too."
He relaxed, "It's sad his owners didn't want him anymore... but he seems to be happy with you."

64 glanced up to Eric as he stepped back, "Thank you..."
He felt the counter running through his veins, waking him slowly back up.
He slowly stood up.

He looked over. "Luckily I don't think I'm getting a dry mouth."
He smiled, but then frowned. "...But what now? You're gunna get in big trouble.'

Eric was pleased to note that the counter seemed to be effective even in an animal-human hybrid. He couldn't help it, it was his natural scientist coming out.

"They seemed convinced that he was emitting radiation. He does, but not enough to harm anything important." He shrugged and dropped the needle into the sink.

"As for the trouble part..." An alarm suddenly sounded and Eric flinched. Tungsten flinched as well, gripping 64's shoulder tightly. "I like to think that I keep things exciting. But I'm afraid I may have overstepped my bounds this time, and if I'm not fired, it'll be a miracle. Hell, if I'm not tossed into prison for kidnapping an experiment--no offense--then it'll make me look special."

As he spoke, he went to a cupboard and opened it. He produced an emergency rope ladder. "I'm also fairly well prepared in case of emergencies." He made quick work of setting it up, throwing the end over the side of the building where there was no wall. "After you," he said.

64 grinned a bit. A radioactive rat. Pretty awesome in his opinion.
I mean in his opinion it was awesome anyways. I mean, it fricken glowed!

He watched as Eric dropped the needle into the sink.
As the alarm went off, he jumped a bit, "Aww crap."
He glanced to Tungsten and then to Eric.

"No offense taken." He replied, watching as Eric set up the ladder.
He grinned, a rather brave person, sliding down the ladder with no issue, using only his glove hand, and leaning his foot against the side as he slid down to the ground.

"Easy~! Come on!"

Tungsten chattered excitedly at 64 when he felt the wind in his fur, but he flattened his ears and clung tightly to the kid's shirt so he wouldn't fall.

Eric followed at a slightly more sedate pace--only because he used the footholds like a normal person. When he finally reached the ground, he looked up.

"They'll find this easily enough," he said. "So we should probably run and find a taxi. At the very least, we can head to my place and grab some supplies. Food, for one. And cash for another. And then form a plan." After a pause he added, "I don't suppose you have anywhere in particular to head?"

64 smiled a bit, "Yeah, they're stubborn."
He then nodded at the next words, "Supplies are a good idea." He gently pet Tungsten's head with his finger. "Sorry if I scared you bud."

He then shook his head at Eric, "I don't have a home." He held up his left-hand with the bar-code, "I'm branded as a slave, which is how I was sold to this facility. I didn't have to be obedient for testing."
He sighed.

64 then crossed his arms, "As for a plan, right now, it's get moving unless we wanna get our butts hauled back in there."

"Right; my home is this way." He gestured wildly for a cab to stop and when one did, he opened the door and ushered 64 in before climbing in himself.

"Can you take us to 3201 Maple Avenue?" he asked of the taxi driver who was staring, jaw slightly agape, at the not-quite human in his car. Or maybe it was the glowing rat. It was hard to tell.

"I-uh-" began the driver.

"I'll pay double if you keep it secret. And no, the rat isn't going to make you sterile." The driver shut up and drove quickly. They made it to Eric's house in record time and he paid the driver as he said he would.

To 64, he said: "Alright; food's in the kitchen, first floor, room in the back, and...you don't have spare clothes do you." It was less a question and more of a realization. "Well, we can pick stuff up as we go. Your, ah mouthtail won't eat through the fabric of pants, will it?" he asked as he led 64 into the house.

64 listened and got in the cab quickly.
He gave a half-friendly smile at the driver, and looked to Eric.
He still couldn't quite believe this guy was risking his career, and his life, for him.
He must have reeeallyyy been against testing on anything remotely human.

He felt relief when the driver finally agreed and drove, and he hopped out quickly when they arrived.
He followed Eric inside with no arguements.

"Alright, so you want me to pack some food?" He then paused, "Uh, it won't eat through clothes unless you spill food on them."

"Ah, that's good to know. Try not to spill food on it then." He paused and then--as much as he tried not to--had to ask. "So if your digestive systems are linked, how do you keep from overeating or oversaturating your body with nutrients? If you share a stomach, then does it ever get overly full?"

Eric led 64 to the kitchen and began to rummage through cupboards producing bread, peanut butter, and jelly, cheese and ham. "I don't know what you like, but I figure sandwiches will work best for traveling. And do you have a name other than 64? I feel awkward calling you by a number...Even Tungsten has a name; as do all my lab mice."

64 nodded, "I'll try not to." He replied, then laughed a bit at the question. They guy was a scientist to heart, that's for sure. "Well, it has it's own stomach. And it's intestines attach to mine at the large intestine." It was so common knowledge to him it felt odd to explain. "Most of the time I eat, as what it eats upsets me both physically and mentally. It has very different tastes than I do."

He followed Eric as he got the sandwich materials. "Sandwiches are fine to me. Better than being fed through an IV or something." He replied. At the next question he frowned, "...I used to... I think... but I forget my birth name.. it's just been so long..." He tried to change the subject, "You still haven't introduced yourself to me anyways!"

Eric could have spawned questions for the next twenty minutes regarding the digestive process of the mouthtail alone, but was distracted by 64's apparent memory loss of his name. And then of course his own introduction.

"Ah, right, I'm Dr., er, Eric Lansing. You can call me Eric. And the rat on your shoulder is Tungsten. He's been with me since my, ah, second internship. Or was it my third...they kind of run together after a while."

A pause then, "Does what you eat have any effect on the mouthtail? I noticed the sedative seemed to work pretty well." Seeing the food on the table, Tungsten began to climb down 64's shoulder. "You may as well pick a name; wherever we go, someone's bound to ask. And you'll be a lot more memorable with a number than with a name."

Eric swept the food off the table and into a large cooler. He worked his way to the fridge where bottled water could be found, among other things like frozen mice and a small container of mercury.

64 smiled a bit. Definitely Eric was a kooky guy. But it made him interesting at least.

Tungsten was the name of the rat... kinda catchy. 64 pet Tungsten's head with his finger once more during the introduction. He then looked up at the next question.

"Yeah, since we share a digestive system, I can get nutrition and chemicals from it, and it can get the same from me. So... technically yeah. If I get sedated..." He looked to the tail that seemed to be interested in the food and smacked it away, "Stop that... dumb thing..." He looked back to Eric, "Then it would run through my body to it as well."

At the next comment, picking a name, he paused.
He had no idea. "...Uh, well... some of the people I've met have nicknamed me Cheshire... apparently because I'm playful and my ears look like cat-ears..." He explained.
"I can't think of anything else I'd be used to responding to other than that and sixty-four."

"Cheshire is a good name. Very fitting, too, it seems." Eric picked up Tungsten before he could fall into the cooler. "And you best behave yourself, Tung. I've been spoiling you lately because I couldn't help myself." He hesitated. "Maybe I should leave him behind. We're bound to draw even more attention with him around...then again he might provide a useful sort of distraction."

A glowing rat always provided a distraction; not least because it was a rat. "Help yourself to some food; maybe your mouthtail will fill up." Eric said after a moment. "I need to leave a note in case someone decides to check on my home address, so I'll be just a minute."

He ran into the next room in search of a notepad and pen. The pen however was in his pocket. And Tungsten went over to investigate the cooler again, standing up on his hindlegs in an attempt to crawl up and over the tall sides.

64 chuckled, "Yeah, it works." He replied, then looked to Tungsten, looking in the cooler and taking out a piece of cheese and splitting it between Tungsten and his tail, which gobbled it down.
"There. Now both of you calm down."

He nodded about the note, and focused on letting his mouthtail calm itself and Tungsten to stop climbing over the edges of the cooler now. He rubbing Tungsten's head with his finger again, "Such a troublemaker aren't you?" He grinned, "But you're cute so it's okay. Don't tell Eric I said that though."

He sat down on one of the nearby chairs and relaxed, his tail seeming to be content now.

Chomping into the cheese, Tungsten rubbed his head against 64's thumb, and then clambered up 64's clothing again to rest on his shoulder. If a rat could purr, Tungsten would be doing just that. Instead he ground his teeth together contentedly, occasionally shoving his whiskery face into 64's ear to chatter his thanks.

Eric returned a few moments later, his note written cryptically in his handwriting. "There, that should throw 'em off enough to buy us some time." He frowned looking at the rat and cat. "And here I thought you two would be sworn enemies--but I guess Tungsten likes cats. Anyway, shall we be going? We can take either public transportation or my car. Your choice."

64 chuckled at Tungsten's antics, the little guy tickled his ear, but he didn't really mind that much.

He glanced over as Eric returned and smiled, "Well, the ears may look cat-like, and I may have a cat-like nickname, but I'm not a cat. But to him I probably just seem human or something. I dunno how I smell and look to a rat." He grinned. At the next question however he paused.

"Your car might be best. Public transportation leaves room for questions, and uses up our funds that would be better used on other things later, and your own car provides shelter if we need to pull over and rest."

"Good point," Eric commented. "It would also leave a trail and make it easier to track out location and movement based on the routes we take. Car it is."

He dumped a pitcher of ice into the cooler for good measure and then threw in some water bottles. "Alright, I guess we're as ready as we'll ever be." He grinned at 64, his eyes bright with enthusiasm.. "Ya know, if someone had told me I'd be on the run with someone else's experiment--I'd have laughed them to their grave."

His phone rang then, making him jump. He turned to look at the ringing device before the answering machine kicked in. "You've reached the phone of Dr. Eric Lansing. I am probably in the middle of an experiment so if you leave your name, number and message, I will get back to you. Beep."

The following message could be heard recording. "Dr. Lansing? I know you're there. You have to come back to the lab asap. I don't know where you've run off to but if you don't return in fifteen minutes--I will call the police."

Eric rubbed his hands anxiously together, realized he was still wearing gloves, and pulled them off to toss in the trashcan. "Ah, we should probably go," he said, swiping the keys from their nail next to the phone.

64 smiled a bit, feeling kinda smart due to being right for once. It was rarely he was praised on his ideas and he relished it.

He jumped a bit hearing the ice going into the pitcher, his ears flattening against his head from the sudden undesired noise. He wasn't great with loud unexpected noises. He then laughed at Eric's comment. "Yeah, does seem a bit weird huh? I keep thinking it's kinda weird myself. A scientist saving me from other scientists... yep. Sounds legit."

He paused at the phone call and frowned, looking to Eric, "But I'm getting you in big trouble. You don't have to do this you know..."