"No I haven't faded away. I don't think I could ever do that. I'll try to do what I can to make sure others hopes are up. I haven't really been working in any one specific location. Ever since they released me from the infirmary I've been doing a lot of light work. Most of that consisting of doing jobs in the guards barracks."

Neena glanced at the catgirl, her expression bordering on motherly/big sister-like.

" 'Light work'?" she repeated in question form. She didn't add, 'What kind of light work', but the protective intent still came through.

“Guess your bed’s the party place tonight," Sara remarked.

Nika added, "Yeah, speaking of parties I still want a slumber party."

And Neena's grin widened a bit. "Glad I took a shower then, for your noses' sakes. That powder was a bit stronger than I thought." Her fingers were actually burning a bit, though nowhere near as bad as some would be. She sat up in the bed, since it appeared that the Sandman would yet again miss his scheduled appearance. Meh, she didn't much like beaches anyway....

“Neena being a teacher kind of explains a few things."

"Well, the students need someone to be a moving target, and no one else volunteered. Can't imagine why?" Neena attempted to look serious, a rather difficult feat since she felt nowhere near it.

"So, Michigan and Boston, eh? Don't you gals get cold up there? All that ice and snow.... brrr!" She shivered. She did not like cold. She'd gotten used to it, but she did not like it at all.... She'd also never been to either state, and didn't actually know what the weather was like.

After mentioning the party thing, there was something about Nika’s expression that made Sara pause. She kept her composure but she was smart enough and had enough experience in the camps, among other places, to know when something wasn’t being said.

"Glad I took a shower then, for your noses' sakes. That powder was a bit stronger than I thought."

“Makes me wonder how well our g-string wearing friend, James, is doing.” Sara replied getting a very sly sudden grin. She nodded when Nima admitted to not being positive she was born in Boston. “Could say I’ve got a similar story.” So to speak.

"So, Michigan and Boston, eh? Don't you gals get cold up there? All that ice and snow.... brrr!"

She shrugged again. “Well the cold’s not so bad with fur. It’s the heat that makes this stuff bunch in all the wrong places.” Sara pulled a section of her fur coat away from her arm letting it snap back into place.

In the midst of her disjointed, distracted mind, something tugged at a part of Isabel's awareness, pulling her out of the thoughts she's been so submerged in. She was partially aware of a shallow dip growing in the poor excuse for a mattress she sat on, making her lean to the side ever so slightly before she corrected her posture, slowly regaining her awareness of her surroundings. Really the only thing it could be was another one of the women in the barracks, none of which really worried nor threatened her. The guards tended to stay on the outside of the barracks as far as she could tell, as that's the only place they ever bothered to harass her. She hardly ever put up with their behavior outside, she'd certainly have no tolerance for it in here. The barracks were almost like a safe haven to the once-ribboned mutant, she wouldn't stand for any guard coming in here and trying to push her around. Isabel may have grown a bit withdrawn at times, but she was still the stubborn little fireball that she'd always been, and being stuck in these camps wasn't helping to change her view on humans at all. Too many mutants out there were looking for equality or at least cooperation. This hell on earth was only proving to the young mutant that it would not and could not be possible. If she had ever had any doubts about joining the mutant supremacy fueled Order, they had all evaporated the minute she's been made to set foot in this place.

Turning her brown eyes over in the direction she's dipped into slightly, she let her attention focus fully on the young woman that had perched herself on the bed alongside her. It was that wolf girl, Emerald, the one she'd fought against at King Pharmaceuticals. That had been one hell of a fight. Isabel couldn't remember the last time she'd fought against such a determined individual. It certainly had been much more challenging than toying around with New York's Oh-So-Breakables. Really, there was just no real difficulty in fighting them anymore. Upon seeing the wolfish little grin that decorated the lupine's features, Isabel couldn't help the small upward curve that her own lips took. Smiles were contagious, even in a place like this. Besides, it aggravated the staff to no end when a mutant walked around all bright and cheery. For that sole purpose, Isabel was able to keep smiling as best she could. "Well, well, well. Look who it is," she replied, uncrossing her legs and draping them over the side of her bed, her hands stretching out on the mattress behind her as she leaned her wight back on them. "Long time no speak, Rover. Good to hear you're giving the guards a lot of hassle. Me? Oh, you should know me by now. I'm too stubborn and hard-headed to let those monkeys on steroids push me around. I don't think I've ever had more bumps and bruises before in my life, but I make sure that I repay the favor." Her grin grew a little at the thought. Perhaps she'd return to her ways of terror and stop taking a back seat in events, as she'd done recently. But then again, maybe not. It could be advantageous to make it seem like she was gradually crumbling. Either way, she would get to the humans that worked in this place. Once the damn bracelet was off, they had one seriously pissed off mutant to deal with.

That bracelet, just the thought of it made her grin lessen and nearly disappear. She kind of felt a pang of sympathy toward the wolf girl at the mention of her collar's shock and the prevention of a nice mutilation that it had caused. Though perhaps it was best that a shock was all the lupine had received. There were so many horror stories floating around the camps. It was nearly unbearable to think about. "You're lucky all you got was a zap, " she said, speaking her thoughts to the young lupine. "You haven't heard the stories being spoken about or seen the treatment around here? Really, you could have gotten worse. Though by the looks of you, you haven't missed out on a beating in a while. Almost as bad as the number I did on you." And the grin was back with that last comment, the young mutant being a smartass, as she had a habit of doing. "Well, here's an idea for you: Once we get these little electric bastards off, we'll play a little game. The minute our mutations are back in our control, we see which one of us can kill more guards than the other. I'm just itching to preform a little reconstructive surgery on those humans. So, what do you say? Sound like a plan?"

The Lupine's grin stayed firmly in place when Isabel looked up to aknoweladge her. She was glad that the camps hadn't tottaly stolen her sarcasm or her attitude for that matter. It was something the wolf girl looked foward to outside of the camps. Her blue eyes met brown ones when Isabel started to smile.

Upon the mention of them doing something worst, Emerald tensned slightly, her encounter with Bloodfang flashing in her head. She still hadn't quite gotten over that and it was really effecting her pyche. From what she observed from the other women, the treatment they had been getting from the guards has shaken them as well. The Camp's enviorment did not help much and the rations they had been given didn't exactly improve morale much.

But this disscusion with Isabel was cheering the wolf girl up some. At least it was showing her that she wasn't the only one who was fighting tooth and nail all while still retaining her sanity. Emerald wondered if Isabel noticed her sudden tenseness at the mentioning of harsher treatment. However despite how tense she was Emerald still perked up slightly at the mention of a competition.

"Thats a good Idea, but YOU can only count the kills you make on your left side with your left arm and leg. I will only count only the kills I make with my right arm and my mouth filled with fangs," Emerald grinned, showing off her wolven canines. "Whoever wins has to buy the other a tub of Ice cream."

As random as the steaks were, Emerald liked Ice cream and that would be the first thing she ate when she got out of here so if she beat Isabel it would be a win win situation.

"So How many guards have tried to hit on you?" The Canine asked casually, "These guys here apparently are desperate for any mutant, even if we are bloody, cold and hungry."

The wolf girl stretched her tail out a bit, just before scratching her ear with her foot, but showing slight pain as she did so, for she was excersising her brusied body.

Well, Isabel can't be right all the time, now can she? Despite the fact that she might argue otherwise. Judging by the slight tensing of muscles, she's been off the mark by saying just a shock was all the lupine had received. It really wasn't all that surprising. Isabel had heard of and seen far worse. Besides, it's not like the young mutant had been safe from the beatings and advances from the guards, either. Disgusting apes. Just because she did her best not to allow anyone to touch her, didn't mean they wouldn't still try, some even stooping to make comments about how they liked the challenge. Just the thoughts of it made her want to vomit. Humans truly were revolting creatures. Now, that's not to say that all mutants were better, but in Isabel's point of view, even some of the worse mutants were better than nearly all of the people here. If only she could get one blade of bone out of her body without a nasty shock and a Stalker being alerted, there would be countless numbers of guards walking around without any fingers, maybe even without hands if they were bad enough. But, knowing Isabel, that would be the kindest thing she'd do to them. Just one bone, and she's be satisfied for a while. Perhaps she'd try it one night. It shouldn't be too awfully hard to get one. Maybe try and slide the bone out of her pinky finger. But more often than not, things are easier said than done. Especially with the Stalkers around, and with electricity coursing through her body. But would that stop Isabel from trying at some point? No way.

She listened to Emerald's terms for the contest, mulling it over briefly, or at least pretending to, sticking her left leg out and wiggling her foot, acting as if she had to think it over for a moment. In truth, she'd silently agreed the moment the lupine had ended her proposal. As long as she got to kill these people, she didn't care how the score was tallied. At this point, she probably would have agreed to any terms at all. The guidelines set by the wolf girl were perfectly alright by her. "Left arm and left leg, huh? Sound perfectly reasonable to me. You've got yourself a deal," she replied, sticking out a hand for Emerald to shake, that devilish little grin returning to her features. She hadn't had anything like this to look forward to in ages. If nothing else, the aspect of this little contest would keep her going a little while longer. This may also be just the spur she needed to crawl back out of her shell. Who knows, maybe showing a bit of spirit and energy would be good for all the inmates in this camp. Give them a little boost, and show that even these conditions can't break them down entirely. Besides, those that look like they're in a good mood tended to attract attention from guards as well, and Isabel was working her way back into a mindset for causing trouble. She had needed this little conversation. It was turning her mood in the right direction.

At the young lupine's next question, Isabel paused in her silent thoughts of what was to come, her grin fading once again as she looked back to Emerald, thinking on the inquiry. "By now, I've lost count of how many guards have taken grabs at me, or worse. If I can help it, I break a few fingers or wrists if they try to lay a hand on me. It doesn't really help me any, but it makes me feel better." She raised an eyebrow lightly at Emerald's distinctly canine way of scratching an itch, as well as the pained expression that flitted across the wolf girl's face. "Take it easy, Fido. You stretch and move too much, you'll just slow down the time it takes for your bruises to heal and you could reopen your wounds. It's better to heal as quickly as possible around this place." Isabel took a brief moment's pause, rolling her shoulders to rid herself of a little stiffness, a satisfying pop sounding in each joint before she settled back down again. "How'd you get so roughed up anyways? I know those aren't work related injuries, nor could you get anything so severe from just the collar. Have you become on of the guards' favorite targets for the time being or something?"

Emerald grinned up noticing Isabel had agreed to her terms. She took the other girls hand and shook it eagerilly. Emerald had been hoping to be able to look forward to something in this god forsaken place and that just made her day. The Fact that she had discovered the ability to not only manage to smile in this place but to joke around with a girl who would most likely try to kill her when they got out of here. It was a strange and yet all around satisfying feeling

Her smile all but vanished when Isabel asked her what she did, she let out a deep sigh, rubbbing her temples lightly. What didn't she do to get beaten? Hell, she was the guards favorite punching bag besides Amp because of the fact she never gave up. Though, she was glad that Amp was doing some damage to the guards as well, it made her gain a little bit of hope in thier fate.

"Yea I'm thier favorite punching bag." Emerald responded with a sigh, "This time one of them tried grabbing at Ruby, my Little sister, when she was leaving for her work duty. Later on at the Dig site I used the pick axe and bashed his head with the wooden side. They beat me up and took me back here when they were done."

Isabel gave a slight nod and a sigh, settling back into her more relaxed position once the two girls' hands had parted and their arrangement agreed upon. At least she'd been right in her assumptions this time. She's expected to hear as much from the girl. It really wasn't all that hard to imagine where the inmates' injuries came from. Most of the time it wasn't the hard work that wore them out, but the guards that watched over the inmates instead. Isabel herself was no stranger to such treatment. She'd been bouncing around from chore to chore for a while, and each time the overseers just seemed to get worse. It wasn't any help that Isabel still tended to give them attitude every now and again, but she wasn't about to change the way she was for a bunch of scumbags trying to create a kind of Mutant Holocaust. If these people were going to lock her away and manage to temporarily strip her of her mutation, she was going to do what she could to fight back and make their lives difficult in any way she could. The way she looked at it, they were lucky. Giving them attitude, or attempting to break a finger here and there were the mildest of things she could do to any of them. Especially with the way she saw them treat everyone else. Really, Isabel cared very little for others, save for those in the Order that she had befriended. But some of the things going on in the camps was just wrong, especially when they had thrown children into such an awful place. It was bad enough the kids just had to be here, but to treat them so badly on top of it was just awful. And they say Isabel is cruel. Her past deeds seem like child's play in comparison.

At the mention of the wolf girl's little sister Ruby, Isabel quirked an eyebrow, letting her gaze wander around the room to try an locate the little fox girl. Briefly she wondered how old the young girl was. She definitely wasn't one of the youngest mutants running around the camps, but she was still young. It seemed as if the women with the more obvious mutations were targeted a lot more than those with hidden abilities, and those with animalistic features seemed to be the biggest targets, such as the pair of cat girls and the two canines. The mutants that looked human appeared to get slightly less attention, unless they were loud enough, like Amp. Isabel seemed to be able to slide by with very little attention on some days, just so long as she behaved herself more than she usually did. Of course that didn't happen too often. Starting a screaming match with an overly pompous guard was just too tempting for the young mutant. But, everyone needs a break every once in a while. Isabel made sure that she acted like a good girl every now and again to give her injuries a little time to rest and heal themselves until the next time she got handled a little too roughly.

"Well, I can't exactly say I blame you for trying to bash the guy's head in if he was messing with your sister. Ruby's her name, isn't it? The one with the fox ears and the tail? I can see the family relation," she commented, the slightest ghost of a smirk appearing as she teased very lightly. "She follows you around like a little duckling, doesn't she? I hardly every see just one of you. The other one's never too far behind. She's been looking a little worse for wear recently. Might want to keep her a bit closer unless you plan to see her furless. I wouldn't put it past the people in this place to do such a thing." She gave another small sigh, curling her legs up in front of her and crossing her arms over them, resting her cheek on one of her forearms and looking over at the lupine. "Kudos for using the wooden side of the pick axe. That's some serious self control right there. Then again, it may just be me. If I were in your shoes, that guy would have had a nice gaping hole in his head. You know I wouldn't have used the blunt end." There Isabel paused a moment, mulling something over in her mind. "A pick axe. That's over in the grave site, isn't it? Maybe I'll try to work my way over there sometime soon. Have to have shovels and such for digging those holes. It's just an accident waiting to happen. The people watching over the mutants there are practically asking to get their brains splattered all over the ground. And on the plus side, you're already digging a grave. Why not put a body in it? A body that belongs to a person who's just begging to be put in the ground."

The reply Neena gave Sara about being a teacher as well as a target brought back memories of when the woman was testing Nika's limits.

"Yeah but it's cheating when you use a stand-in Neena."

The girl winked playfully at Neena to let her know there was no hard feelings about their training session.

"I was going to say something similar to that Sara. Having fur really does help in cold climates."

Nika giggled softly.

Emerald, noted the fact that the injuries from her beating seemed a bit better than the were before, the blood slightly crusting over them in a scab. She knew she would have to be careful for a little while in order for them to close up fully. Emerald glanced around the room, almost as if she was looking for something or someone. She was now worried about Ruby, knowing that she had not come back from cleaning the guards barracks. The Deepest amount of dread That Emerald could ever think of now filled her entire being. She knew what the Guards could do to her little sister when she wasn’t watch and she especially knew what they wanted to do Ruby.

The Wolf girl listened to Isabel speaks about how Ruby followed her around like a little duckling which was totally true. Emerald always made sure that Ruby followed her around diligently, so she wouldn’t get hurt. It was something that older sisters would do in a situation as grave as this. Emerald was always worried that Ruby wasn’t eating enough or sleeping enough so she would allow the girl to do what she pleased and she would keep the guards occupied, ubernost to the younger girl. However, Ruby took care of Emerald as much as Emerald took care of Ruby.

“I always try to protect Ruby whenever I can….I owe her that much.” Emerald paused for a moment, looking down at her feet and then back up at Isabel. “When we were separated in the labs I blamed and still blame myself for not being there to take care of her. Both my older sister Sapphire and I made a pact that we would always try our best to take care of Ruby and shield her from harm even if it cost us our own happiness. I always kept the pact.” Emerald sounded very strong in the last sentence, it was true when she was in the abs she had always managed to find some way, shape or form, to take care of Ruby whether it was sending her food rations or reluctantly obeying Fusionist she always made sure Ruby was okay.

But right at that moment, she didn’t know were Ruby was. She had to go find her, before something bad happened to her. “The ones that belong in the ground are probably the ones who attempted to attack my sister. And if anyone did hurt her, I will make sure I will put them in the ground” Emerald growled.

Emerald got down from the top bunk, wincing when she landed on her bruised leg, but soon forgot about her own pain when she saw who limped in the doorway.

Ruby.

The fox girl looked worst for wear, her clothes torn, various cuts on her fox ears, her tail was sloppily bandaged up as if someone had attempted to take a whack at it again but this time caused more blood spillage and finally her small delicate left foot was covered in purple bruises.

“Emmy…It hurts.” Ruby told her older sister, trying to walk towards her but as soon as she put her left foot down she cried out in pain.

Before anyone else in the room could react Emerald bolted towards her little sister, adrenaline running through her previously exhausted veins. She scooped up the small fox girl in her arms, having slight difficulty due to her weakened state but she didn’t care because she carried Ruby over to their bunk, laying her down gently. She took one of the pillows and lifted up Ruby’s leg gently, her eyes widened at what she saw, the Fox girls bottom of her foot was covered in bruises, dark, blue, bruises.

“Ruby…what happened to you?” Emerald asked, taking some of the sheet Ruby had brought in from the other day and tore it, making the pieces makeshift bandages for the wounds on her ears.

“No!” Ruby growled, grabbing her sister’s hand, mid tear.

Emerald was surprised by this and she let go of the piece of fabric.

“You will be cold if you tear up the blanket,” Ruby responded, ears flat. “The cuts are already healing if you just clean them with the handkerchief and hydrogen peroxide I took from customs the other day it should help.””

“But Ruby...”

“Emmy if you get to cold you will get weak and you may die, I won’t let you get hurt because of me. You have already done so much already.” Ruby told her sister who smiled back at her.

Ruby looked up at her sister as she applied the proper techniques to clean her wounds, occasionally wincing at the sudden sting of the peroxide. She allowed Emerald rebinding her tail which had been cut up again by her attacker. This time they looked like they tried to cut more fur off but Ruby got away before they could. The only thing about that there was a lot of blood matting up her silky fur.

Ruby watched as Emerald tried her best to clean up the matted mess, smiling lightly at her. She really believed her sister was the nicest person she knew, because no matter what she was always thinking of other people before herself.

When Ruby was relatively bandaged she looked at her sister sheepishly, her ears bandaged with some of the ripped sheets that Emerald had ripped. She attempted to twitch them but found it was painful causing her to let out a small whimper.

“Owwie…that James guy is so mean.” She stated, rubbing at her tail slightly.

Emerald let out a low growl at the mention of James. “He was the one that did this to you?”

“Yes, he said he wanted coffee and I got it for him but then I spilt it all over him and he got mad so he played the purple game.” Ruby’s tail drooped between her legs.

“The what?” Emerald asked, brow arched.

“The purple game is what James calls a sick game of cat and mouse. He chassed me around his room until he caught me and then he said game over and he took my foot and made individual bruises with his big ugly hands. He got mad because I cried out so he cut at my ears and then…*whimpers* my tail.” Ruby seemed more distraught about her tail than anything else.

Emerald let out a low growl, attempting to keep her calm but failing miserably. “Did he do anything else?” She asked, taking deep cleansing breaths.

“Well right before he banged his head on his desk he grabbed at my butt.” Ruby responded, looking up at Emerald horror struck. She saw that look in Emeralds eyes and the fox girl didn’t like it. “Emerald please don’t do anything stupid! Please I will be okay but if you get hurt while hurting James it will be horrible! Please Emmy think before you do anything.”

Emerald let out a soft sigh, rubbing her temples gently. She really did want to beat the hell out of James, whether it be with a pick axe or a rock she would find a way to get revenge. However, right now she needed to treat Ruby. She climbed up on their bunk and began to stroke Ruby’s short brown hair.

“I won’t do anything, besides I am too worried about you to even think about that right now.” Emerald responded

Ruby was realived her older sister wasn’t planning anything drastic in order ot get revenge. All the young fox girl wanted to do right now was forget the whole incident ever happened. However, the though of James coming to get her still lay beneath he surface of her mind

“Emerald, promise you will watch over me tonight?” Ruby asked in a small voice.

Emerald nodded, kissing Ruby on the forehead. “Paw print Promise, now go to sleep” Emerald told the little fox teen.

Ruby nodded and she started to fall asleep, not before she managed to lay her small body close to Emerald, holding onto her as if it were a life or death matter. Emerald wrapped one arm around Ruby, glancing occasionally at the door, making sure she would be able to keep that promise to her little sister.

Isabel listened quietly to Emerald as the lupine spoke again about her sister and of her protective habits over the young fox girl. The mention of labs slightly confused her, but she decided not to pursue the subject. Apparently these kind of conditions were old news to the two canine mutants. There was also mention of another lupine sibling. Silently she wondered what kind of canine the third girl took the features of, since this particular family seemed to share those traits. This little chat was also dredging up old memories of Isabel's own family. She'd been very young when her parents sent her away. What if she had her own sibling out there somewhere? It was quite possible. Her parents had also been fairly young, from what she could remember, and it was quite common to have two or three children these days. And what if those possible siblings had turned out to be mutants as well? Would they have been sent away, or would her parents have decided to try and live with a newer 'strange child'. Briefly Isabel dwelled on the thought of Emerald's protectiveness and wondered what it was like. Even if she had a sibling, she honestly didn't know if she'd care that much about him or her. She never really had been one to care much about others, since in her experiences the ties of friendship and family had been all too frail and easily severed. Especially with the humans. And so Isabel cared mainly for herself. It had worked out well enough so far, save for befriending those in the Order. She hoped those would be friends she could keep. They were mutants, they belonged to the same organization, and except for Kaz, who had decided to work under another employer, they seemed like they might stick around for a while.

The sudden blur of movement from the lupine dragged Isabel back out of her thoughts and back to the world of the living. Her gaze followed the wolf girl as she leaped from the bed and rushed over to meet someone at the door. It was Ruby, the fox girl they'd been speaking of, and she was looking worse for wear, just as bad as, if not worse than, her sister. Quietly Isabel slid off the top bunk and onto the floor, curious of the exchange that was taking place between the two siblings. Silently she made her way toward the front of the barracks, toward Emerald and Ruby. The poor little fox girl looked even worse from the closer vantage point. Isabel only bothered listening long enough to catch the name of the guard who'd hurt the young girl. Without really understanding why, that name mentally slid its way into one of the top slots of her most hated list. James. She would remember that name, and she was sure Emerald would be looking for revenge against the man, as well. However, the lupine was in no condition to be confronting anyone. Both of the sisters needed to rest a while before going after even one of the guards. The way Isabel saw it, this guy could be her first casualty. Left arm and left leg. It would be a challenge without her mutation to use, but it could be done. Leaning against the frame of a vacant bunk, she silently contemplated her options. Really, since the victim had been Emerald's little sister, it gave the older sibling the right to go after James. But then again, when had Isabel ever been one to play by the rules?

"You take it easy for now, Emerald. Some sleep would do you a world of good," Isabel said, stepping away from the bunk she'd leaned against and stepping farther into sight. "Your sister's had a serious scare from the look of her, worry more about that than about the guards for now. The both of you need to heal, and you won't get that done if you stay up at all hours worrying. Besides, with all these women in here, it wouldn't be too smart for anyone to try and come in causing a scene." She gave a quick glance over her shoulder at the door, as if anticipating that she'd be proven wrong just be speaking those words out loud. Some of the guards here had some serious brass, though not many brains to back it up. One or two might just be dumb enough to try wandering into the barracks. Some of the girls here might just be timid or broken enough to back down if a guard told them to, but there was still a decent number of others who would jump at the opportunity to get one of the apes alone and vulnerable. "Tell you what, Wolfy. You take it easy tonight, and I'll do my best to keep any guy from waltzing through this door. If I don't manage to stop the guy that did this to your little sister, I'll at least have broken his nose or something. Enough to cause a lot of noise and give you the heads up," she offered, giving a mischievous little grin as she leaned against the door frame. Honestly, she was hoping this James guy was one of the guards that had very little brains to brag about. This had potential to be a lot of fun. She was just hoping the idiot would try to walk through the door. Isabel had been acting like a good little girl the past day or two, and in her books it was time to start causing some trouble again.

(Nice James addition with the purple game, and here is James since Emerald complimented, and asked me so nicely about him in the c-box. Please don’t kill him.)

Sara had fallen quiet for the moment while she listened to Emerald’s story about her sisters. There was a mix of feelings running through her thoughts as Sara thought about how she might of come to be. Her earlier memories weren’t all that pleasant as she remembered going through things that tested her ability to heal. She even looked like everyone else, way back then, and yet, someone was still cruel enough to put her abilities to the limits to decide exactly just how hard of a lab rat, she had become, to kill. Through that time no one had ever told her about family. She’d learned about such a thing instead through literature, and second hand, watching people on the street. How they reacted, if they had similar scents, and how they acted if they were completely different.

Sara found herself a little jealous of such a chance. She actually craved it, but feared it at the same time. Her reasoning limped through the door just as she forced the thought from her mind.

Sara felt her stomach muscled tighten as she watched Ruby come in. felt sick knowing who it was, that had done such a thing. Sara knew James was capable from experience, especially lately when he had been taking baby sitting her. Making comments how the feline was such a great stress reliever since she never showed a mark when he was finished. So long as a stalker didn’t show up do to her power kicking in too much.

Sara had accepted the punishments with the idea of returning the favor when the time actually counted. Hoping that by bowing her head, less eyes would be on her. So far it had worked, allowing her to play the thief card even more. Only the band of missing fur, and a baked raised scar, around where the cuff touched her arm, hinted at her treatment and resistance. To see what had happened to someone else, someone so young who didn’t bounce back like animals in the cartoons did. Even someone Sara hardly knew, Right now, it hurt her more.

Emerald had laid down on the bed with Ruby before Sara had made a move. Letting herself come out of that protective shell, for once, in the barracks. Sara remembered Ruby taking a blanket from customs, then seeing the same thing over her sisters bed. It didn’t take a genius to put things together when Ruby protested about such a thing being used as a bandage for herself.

Sara scooped her own sheet off her part of the bunk and threw it over the sisters while Isabel began her encouragement. “Here. I hardly use my blanket anyways. I’ll get more from the laundry in the morning.” Wasn’t like Sara had never been cold before, and cold was better then the heat.

Sara sighed. James really was an idiot. He should know Karma was going to come back on him sooner or later.

Speak of the idiotic devil. Some people would be smart enough to know when it is important to stay away. When they’ve done something and it’s time to stay away while things cool down so that they can do something again.

James would not be one of these people. Definitely not one of the individuals graced with such intelligence or patience. If there was ever a book written for guard work, ‘Guard work for complete idiots’ the thing would be dedicated to him.

He just couldn’t leave well enough alone, and thanks to his game with Ruby, a game that really should be sold by Hasbro or something like that, his confidence level was unhealthily high.

The far door to the ladies barracks cracked open as he stuck his greasy smile creased face inside. Accompanied by one hand. “Now where’d that little foxy go?” He cooed, just before he entered the room the rest of the way. “why,…” He held up a thick tuft of reddish orangeish(?) fur, stick with red, and tied up inside a big purple bow. “,…. She left my company so fast, she forgot her door prize from our little game.” With a chuckle he gave the clump of fur a wiggle and two googlie eyes he's glued to the ribbon bobbed back and forth.

In his other hand, he held onto a remote that controlled the collar and cuffs on the mutants. If someone so much as blinked the wrong way, he intended on testing their resistance to full electric shock.

"Yeah but it's cheating when you use a stand-in Neena."

Neena grinned at Nika, and teased back. "Perhaps. But I'm kind of attached to my limbs and skin. A bit inconvenient, I suppose, but you know how it is."

“Well the cold’s not so bad with fur. It’s the heat that makes this stuff bunch in all the wrong places.”

"I was going to say something similar to that Sara. Having fur really does help in cold climates."

Neena sighed. "Guess I was born with the wrong mutation. Or in the wrong part of the world." She smiled again to show she was teasing.

Her attention was distracted by Ruby's entrance. She watched and listened, without saying a word. A blank expression capped the volcano inside. Barely.

“Here. I hardly use my blanket anyways. I’ll get more from the laundry in the morning.” Sara gave the sister her sheet. Neena turned to Nika.

"Is that what's been happening to you?" Her low voice came out as a growl, a tone fairly out of character for the passive woman. She roll off of her bunk, and pulled out the plug of fabric from her mattress, and began pulling out various items. Toward the back was a little square device. She pulled it out, and slipped the mini-warmer into the covers between the two Lupine sisters. Warmth of body always good with warmth of heart.

"From Michael," she told them. "He sends 'warm fuzzy thoughts'." She was capping her emotions fairly decently.

Until Mr. Personality Defunct himself walked in.

In the growing darkness, even with one black eye, Neena's almost-white eyes pulsed with fire. A vein twitched on the side of her temple, as she clenched her teeth. And for a woman who wasn't exactly muscular before coming into the Camps, the muscle in her arms stood out in relief as she clenched her fists.

Then, all at once, it faded away. Her easy smile returned, and she relaxed her body. She scooted around the back side of the bunks, and ambled easily down the way, until she reached the front of the Barracks. She slipped out, putting herself between James and the door. She shut it quietly, turned, and leaned against it, arms crossed, and gaze leveled lazily at him.

"James, you have got to be the sharpest hammer I've ever laid eyes on."

Let him make sense of that one. That is, if he had any left....

Come to think of it, did he have any to begin with?

Isabel stood quietly, arms crossed as she rested her back against the wall beside the door. She watched with mild curiosity as the feline woman, Sara offered her own comforts to the lupine sisters. A small smile curved her lips upward as she observed the interaction. Despite her personal views on the ties of friendships and families, it was still encouraging to see that these women could still hold the capacity for compassion and the urge to protect their own, even in a place like this. It was better to stick together than to separate and to try and care for one's self under these conditions. Isabel knew this somewhere in that thick skull of hers, even though the rest of her tried to rebel against such a thing most of the time. To her, looking out for someone else wasn't so bad, but when the tables were turned and she was the one who needed help, she was much more reluctant to ask for it. She'd been looking after herself since she was a kid, why stop now? She wasn't going to let this place get the better of her any time soon. Isabel was determined to survive these conditions and to come out on top. When all of this was over and done with, she was going to go out with a real bang. She was reckless enough before, and that was just the occasional thievery and a handful of murders. It's not like she was killing random civilians that passed by her. It was cops she'd stabbed, and they had pulled weapons on her. Figures. A mutant gets into one little brawl, and people freak out. Guns had been pulled, so she retaliated in an effort to protect herself. That was her story, and she stuck to it. But, after putting he through all of this, her plans just might change. Isabel was good at holding grudges.

The low creak of the door's hinges quickly caught the young mutant's attention, immediately putting her on high alert. She nearly tried forming a weapon until a low warning beep from her bracelet sparked her memory, making her recall that mutations were no longer at anyone's disposal. Mentally she cursed that accessory from hell as she stepped a few paces away from the door. A hand, a face. She didn't recognize the guy, couldn't pin a name on him. As quietly as she could she shrank back into a more shadowed area close by, deciding to watch first, rather than straight out striking at him. Whoever it was, she didn't like the look of him. But at least he seemed to be one of the people that had no common sense, if he was skulking around the barracks. But, was it that James character, or was just some guard making rounds and checking in on things? It wasn't anything new to have a small group stop in every now and again to make sure the ladies were all where they were supposed to be and that everything was still under control. However, this guy seemed to be on his own. So just what was he up to?

Isabel had to squint here eyes slightly against the contrast of light from inside and outside the door in order to see what it was the guy held in his hands. The remote was easy enough to recognize. It wasn't the first time Isabel had seen such a thing, nor had she gone without getting a nasty shock with just the press of a button on it. The object in his other had, though, was a bit harder to make out at first. She cast a glance toward Ruby as the man spoke, waking the little fox girl who immediately curled up and shakily clung tightly to her big sister when she saw who it was that had spoken. This guy must have been that James they had spoken about. And the moment Isabel realized what it was that hung in the man's hand something inside the young mutant panged, her jaw set and her fists tightened. Now that was just sick. This guy was lucky he'd never run into Isabel before now. Coming in here looking for trouble, but carrying a shock remote at the same time. What a coward. She cast another brief glance over toward Ruby and Emerald, trying to gage the elder sister's reaction and guess what it was she'd do next. It would probably be best if she stayed with the young fox girl, but it was doubtful that she'd do so. Looking back over to James and seeing Neena take up position by the door, blocking his exit, she made up her mind in a second, and charged out of where she'd tucked herself away. If nothing else, it would make for a good distraction. But so long as there was a chance, she'd do her best to put the guy in the infirmary. Hadn't she said to Emerald that she'd break the guy's nose? Well then, that's exactly what she'd try to do.

Emerald took the sheet from Sara and thanked her as well as Neena for the heater, sending a small mental thank to Michael, as if he would here it. SHe knew from experience how cold, cold could be for her and she knew if she wasn't in a non freezing temperature in a few hours she could die. But this was only if she wasn't in her wolf form and bundled up. If she was prepared she could make it through the winter but if not being overly exposed to cold tempatures could be fatal for her. This was why she was very touched by the gestures of her fellow inmates. The fact that they could be cold occured to her but they seemed to be concerned about her as well, it was almost a family relationship the people of the camps had developed. Where everyone took care of everyone.

Suddenly, Emerald heard the door open and she listened carefully to who it was. When she realized it was James, she was about to leap up when she felt something cling onto her body. Ruby was wide awake, small body shaking and she clung to her sister, as if trying to make James dissapear but just thinking really hard.

Emerald held Ruby close to her anger pulsing through her viens when she saw that he had some of Ruby's red fur strapped to a stick. She was about to lunge when Ruby clung onto Emerald tighter. The fox girl looked terrified as she looked up at Emerald, the same frightened eyes that had looked up at her over ten years ago.

"Please don't leave me alone again." Ruby begged her older sister. "I dont want you to get hurt, he will hurt you but if you stay here and protect me they can't seperate us. We will be nice and safe." R


Ruby wholeheartedly believed her statement and she saw the apprehension in her older sisters eyes. She knew that Emerald didn't like to take thing lying down and the fact that she liked to get even with those who have wronged her or the people she cared about. Ruby knew her sister very well, but she also knew that her sister couldn't resit a heartfelt plea. It was a heartfelt plea though, Ruby put all of her heart into the words that had left her mouth because they were all true.

Green eyes watched Emerald taking the blanket and tucking it firmly around her. Ruby was about to let out a cry of protest just before she saw Emerald take her hand into hers.

"I wont leave you Ruby...If necessary I will fight but I dont want you to be without an older sister. Besides what fun would that be?" Emerald smirked

Ruby smiled happily and hugged her sister, tail weakily swishing back and forth.

Emerald was on the side of the bed that was closet to the door that James had come out of so he would see her before he saw Ruby, hopefully he would back off considering what happened to him last time.

Sara’s face stayed neutral. Even when Neena had taken a position to block the door, witch gave Sara a mental laugh. James didn’t know what he just stepped in and he had managed to dig himself into a growing hole.

It seemed Isabel had herself in a darker corner, Emerald looked to be staying with her little sister, and Sara, ever so slowly, stalked to the front of James, so that she stood to the right of the path that led between the bunks. If he chose to try and escape that way there was enough of an opening to tempt him, but a speedy feline to toss him. Not that he really looked that afraid right now. That oily grin that creased the skin on his cheek bones was still very apparent.

After a few days ago, Sara really didn’t concern him. Instead his attention drifted to Neena and Isabel with his head turning to look over his should at both.

"James, you have got to be the sharpest hammer I've ever laid eyes on."

“Oh, Why thank you my Sweaty, Sweat Heart.” He said bringing his right hand up and intending to let his finger tips, accompanied by the tuft of fur from Ruby’s tail stroke Neena on the cheek.

Yeah… He was definitely the sharpest tool in the shed… some where…

The younger of the more aggressive females was the first to make a move at him. Distracting him from the lovely Neena, who looked like she’d been knocked out by someone. Wonder Who that lucky man was?

Isabel came at him, something caught his nose by surprise and his head was snapped to the side. Defensively, he brought his right arm up and across his front trying to deflect her shot. Then he tried a left hook around the back of her head, stepping sideways as he did so, in hopes of throwing the young mutant to the ground and pressing that delightful button on his remote.