Isolation is basically solitary confinement. The cells are 6 x 6 x 4 feet boxes, with a skinny bench across the back wall. The walls are partially soundproofed, enough to make idle conversation between inmates impossible. However, if anyone else wants to make their own solo posts, and maybe do some mental/emotional character building, go for it.

Amp was unconscious when she was dropped into the Isolation cell that had been her 'home away from home' so often over the last two months. She remained that way for several hours. When she woke, slowly and in stages, her body at first refused to move. Once the stiffness wore off, and the soreness began pulsing, she wished she was unconscious again.

Bruises decorated her body, to the point that the great majority of her pale skin was black, blue and yellow. Her dress was torn from the latest battle that had placed her in Isolation, revealing more bruises. One eye was purpling, as was a line around her neck, where someone had attempted to choke her. Also one of her shoes was missing. And, on top of everything else, she was still sore from being sexually assaulted.

A soft moan left her throat, as she pulled herself off of the filthy ground, and onto the bench that served as a bed. It was too short to be such, but then again, Isolation was a punishment, not intended to be comfortable by any means. She leaned against the wall, pulling her legs painfully up to her chin. In the dark, she could allow her tears to flow freely.

For a girl that had never been alone for a prolonged period of time, and always in control, the Camps were worse than anything she could have dreamed up in her nightmares. Silence locked her within it's world, and taunted her with momentary buzzes of life through short-lived chaos. One of the guards had managed to break through her defenses, and strip her of her dignity. She could still feel him, inside of her; the pain and repulsion refused to leave her be. Any hint of normalcy was accompanied by hurt and heartache. And all of it she had to bear alone. She was slowly, painfully, losing her sanity.

The only thing keeping her going was the thought of revenge. It burned inside like a white-hot poker, providing a small glow of light in her dark world. She was going to level this place and everything in it, Stalkers and people alike. And Him.... she was going to make Him suffer slowly and painfully, like He had done her, and repeatedly if she could. She didn't concern herself with the details; the thought alone was enough to sustain her, no matter how unreal, and she clung to it with the ferocity of an animal hanging onto its prey.

She glanced down at her wrist. Even in the shadows she could see the silver glint of the bracelet latched to her wrist. Whoever had come up with those contraptions was also included in her plans for revenge.

She hissed at the thought. She couldn't hear it, but the sound imitated the Stalkers exactly. For that reason, she felt it.

Her bracelet sent a shock up her arm, enough to nearly startle her off of the bench. After the pain faded, a thoughtful look passed over her face. For two months the bracelet had not activated on its own. Why was it doing so now? She went over in her mind the yard fight near the Guard barracks. The first shock had come after she'd mocked the guard, Grunt. The second, when she hissed and attacked him. She remembered the somewhat startled look on his face.

That hiss felt the same as this one. Come to think of it, they felt exactly the same, something she hadn't planned, really. She considered the thought for a moment longer, frowning. She braced herself, and tried to recreate the hiss.

As expected, electricity surged up her arm, again forcing her to stop.

She didn't understand. The bracelets were intended to keep the mutants from using their genetic abilities, basically forcibly turning them human. How could a hiss be construed as a mutant ability? There had to be more to it.

The soreness of her body surged forward, and a sob caught in her throat. Figuring out the tech glitch would have to wait for now. Her body had other concerns to deal with.

(Just adding Sara’s experiences in Isolation. I will probably rewrite this when I have more time.)

Isolation just might have been one of the worst thing a guard could do to Sara. She was claustrophobic and dealing with the confined area was a learning experience that she hadn’t managed to master. The cells were only 6 feet tall and 6 feet long. This meant she could never stretch out on the bench nor could ever stand straight while inside but rather with either her knees bent, or her head turned to the side.

Her first night in isolation was the hardest. It was right after a guard by the name of Quinn had tried to gain information, from Neena, by force. Force meaning shoot at Sara till Neena talked. You can see why this didn’t go well.

As a result Sara and Neena ended up in Isolation. Neena seemed to look more rested by the time Sara saw her next but Isolation had the opposite effect on the feline. Instead she spent the next hours ramming her shoulder against the door. Claws running along the edge where it met the wall looking for a locking mechanism and snagging her fingers on the metal burs. Refusing to lay down, or even rest. Stopping was torture, it gave the walls a chance to look closer. Like faces glaring at her in the imperfections, then threatening to swallow her up from all sides at once. Stopping gave her the breathing time to remember shadows that use to occupy the area just past the bars. One shoulder would become to swollen and slick with rust tinted moisture and she would turn to use the other. Healing and getting shocked reminded her that there was still oxygen in the minuet, shrinking room. It reminded her she was still awake, nothing had knocked her out, and that she was still able to do something. Even if her actions were counter productive.

Finally she’d fallen to the cement, having exhausted herself in her attempts to force her way out. Breathing hard she could hear the echoes from the guard outside, pacing back and forth. In her mind she could see the grin spread across his face.

They hadn’t won.

From her positioning on the floor her paw like hands hand formed tight fists again. A punched the wall making a solid bang as one guard passed her cell. She heard his steps falter just on the other side of her door. How satisfying. Even worth the soreness in her knuckles and the new set of shocks she’d received.

From here Sara had gone to the next best thing compared to ramming herself senseless. It was amazing how much bigger a room could get when you made yourself smaller. She’d shoved herself against a corner, sinking into the walls. Her arms hugged her knees close to her chin and her tail tucked close around her feet. Wide amber eyes kept darting back and forth, visually measuring the walls.

Breath girl breath.

They hadn’t won.

Breath.

The thoughts echoed through her mind. She had to tell herself to breath. Forgetting made her dizzy. Made her forget her mental measurements and mental images. Had those marks near the door been there a minute ago?

Through her days of punishment, she slowly learned to cope with her fear of the place. The panic lasted shorter periods of time and she even managed to show this to the guards, who were positioned just out side her door. Choosing random moments to sing at the top of her voice, witch sounded more like a growling shout with a melody. Songs like the one from Lamb chops, “This is the song that never ends”, “100 bottles of bear on the wall”, then turned it to “1,000 bottles of bear on the wall.”, and who could forget that infamous song from the movie Ghost, “I’m Hennery the either I am.”

She’d sing till her voice went hoarse. Singing reminded her to breath. She could breath.

Sleeping would come after she’d completely worn herself out. Slowly she became accustomed to listening to her heart beat, Calming her fears more with each visit. Then learning to slow her heart beat and deepen her breaths. Eventually, minimulizing her panic too only a few minutes. She wasn’t the only one here, she’d remind herself each time. She could do this. They hadn’t won

Rest slowly came easier, but it was restless.

Heh, this seems to be the guards favorite place to put me when they are done. Emerald thought , leaning up against the wall of cell.

She observed that from her time in Isolation that she was always put back in the same cell, every single time, it was beginning to get old. Not that the beaten wolf girl could do anything about that.

Emerald had been rebelling against the guards rule over her once again. But it wasn't little things that set her off, well perhaps they were little to some people but for someone who has been in this situation before these things were a good reason to slam a pick Axe in the guards foot.

Well they were to Emerald anyway.

The wolf girl glanced over her wounds, of dark black and blue bruises covering her legs, primarily her thighs had taken the most hits since that was were the damn taser was hitting. She vaguely recalled a baseball bat being used on her stomach which would explain why she spurted up a bit of blood after the second hit.

Dear lord James can really beat a girl when she is down can't he? She thought dryly as she started to slump against the wall.

The guard that had felt her wrath was named Victor from what she gathered and had been making lewd remarks about her constantly, which was dumb considering the fact that she was in ear range most of the time.

He had also had the habit of going after the younger girls on her working squad and was constantly trying to get at them when they were not under her watchful eye. The Lupine female had tried her best to make sure he only harassed her and not the younger ones.

The wolf girl recalled very clearly his screams of agony after he had grouped her chest it was almost a fluid motion for the Lupine, she had already been using the pick Axe so it was only natural for her to keep swinging even when a guard was in front of her.

The rest of the attack had been a blurr to her but she clearly remembered attacking more guards, shedding more blood and feeling more pain than she had ever experienced in a brief moment.

But nothing was worst than Fusionist so the Lupine felt she had nothing to be scared of.

Emerald glanced down at her arms, noticing the long red marks that covered them, they were belt marks from one of the mens belts. Dried blood caked the back of her head on the spot were she had been thrown repeatedly against the wall in an attempt to knock her out.

Now, Emerald was stuck in this place for who knows how long and the wolf girl was...extremely irritated. She shifted positions rather quickly causing a cry of pain to escape her lips, blood was running down her legs from newly opened scrapes and she figured out that one of her ribs were cracked. However she did not let this stop her from getting into Push up position.

The Lupine girl knew how easily she could let herself go in this place but if she wasn't training herself every chance she got, she would not be able to defend others or herself for that matter. She had to keep ready for anything that could happen to her in this hell and though she was getting weaker because of the treatment she was getting she knew she would not let herself got out without a fight.

Slowly Emerald began her push ups and despite the aches and pain she was feeling she continued doing them. A song began to play in her head, one that she had heard not to long before this and she began to speak the words aloud, softly at first but then slowly got louder as she continued to push herself.

"'I'm diggin' with my fingertips
I'm gripping at the ground I stand upon
I'm searching for fragile bones
Evolution

At the next part of the song the wolf girl seemed to be digging her nails into the ground, biting her lip from the pain that was streaming through her. Her words began to sound more an more like growls by the second. It was almost like she was attempting to make the guards feel her pain through her torn voice and spat out words.

I'm never gonna be refined
Keep trying but I won't assimilate
Sure we have come far in time
Watch the bow break"


"And I'm sorry I don't believe
by the evidence that I see
That there's any hope left for me
It's evolution
Just evolution"

Emerald kept count in her head of how many push ups she was doing, she had been slowly declining the number that she was doing due to her physical state but she attempted to push herself to the limit. The Lupine was up to fourty when she collapsed on the ground, from the pure pain her wounds were causing her. She kept attempting to get up, attempting to cling at her humanity that was slowly slipping away but was unable to. Her wolf side was clawing it's way out of her body and filling her with that raw animailistic fury.

The song still played in her head but she did not sing it for her voice had faded into nothing but animalistic rage.
And I, I do not dare deny
the basic beast inside
It's right here
It's controlling my mind
And why do I deserve to die
I'm dominated by
This animal thats locked up inside

Emerald began to snarl and growl as she got up, ignoring the blood that now flowed from her reopened wounds. She looked almost...like a feral beast that was about to unleash it's hunger upon unsuspecting prey.

This wasn't the Emerald that most people knew, Emerald was never this angry never filled with such pure unbridled fury. This was how Emerald was i the labs, this was why she was always so scared of this side of her because once her inner beast was out, it took her a long time to draw it back in.

Though she was not in her wolf form the wolf girl stalked around the room lunging at the walls clawing at the furiously. She snarled at them furiously ramming herself against them continuously.

She then started to howl not her normal wolf howl but one that was mixed with her anger, pain and Anguish of being locked in a place that seemed to be so close to Hell.

***
The wolf girl now lay in the middle of the room, feeling the coolness of the floor numb her senses. Dried blood and yellowish blue bruises covered her body and her hair laid in her face.

She looked at the walls, remembering vague bits of when she had ran her nails down the walls that it left long marks on them. Emerald noticed various spatters of blood on the wall in front of her from were the guards had come in to keep her quite and were successful at knocking her out. The wolf girl never remembered anything after the feral side took over.

The only thing she did know is that she would not be able to have another outburst like this one. Normally, she just did her push ups and continued on with her usual 'isolation workout.'. However, this time she was so infuriated about getting weaker by the day that part of her must have snapped and allowed the wolf inside of her to attack the walls. If she kept doing that she knew she wouldn't be able to fight back against anything.

The Lupine girl also took this chance to think about home, nice warm beds, laughing with her friends, motocross racing, running through the park, sleeping in her secret spot or swimming in the underwater cave she had discovered. She missed being in her wolf form and wagging her tail when she got the younger kids to give her peanut butter.

In conclusion the seventeen year old missed everything.

"They are trying to make us into savages." Emerald murmured quietly, "They are trying to rob us of our humanity, our souls and our dignity. Sapphire was right... all the humans that hurt us need to pay. "

The wolf girl forced herself up wards, practically dragging her feet along as she walked to the wall.

"Every tear, every drop of blood our loved ones have shed should be repayed! I don't care what it takes but If anyone hurts Ruby or any of my friends ever again I...."

Emerald felt herself at the brink of unconsciousness due to her sudden movement and the overwhelming pain. She gritted her teeth together in order to get her next words out.

"Will-"

More pain filled her as she leaned up against the wall

"Make-"

She started to slide down the wall attempting to get into sitting position.

"Them-"

Emerald's vision got spotty.

"Pay."

Just like that in a pure blissful feeling Emerald floated away into the wonderful world of her unconscious mind, biding her time until she could be released and be able to continue her job as the protector of those who needed in most.

Neena opened one eye as a bit of commotion from next door woke her. The walls were nearly sound proof, which contested to the noise level in the next cell. She couldn't make out who it was, but there was a short list of those who could, and did, make that much racket during their stay.

She yawned, and tried to shift to a different position. 'Comfortable' didn't apply at all, especially today. With a sigh, she went back over the previous day's events. Nothing truly unusual had happened, per se.

The morning had started before dawn, with her waking from yet another dream about her long-dead brother and mother. The frequency had increased recently, leaving Neena tired yet again. Upon waking, severe cramps had taken over her midsection, keeping her from standing for several minutes. She counted back in her mind, and realized she must be near her period again. Her monthly cycles had never been easy, and were often accompanied by, not only severe pain and weariness, but nausea and dizzy spells as well.

Needless to say, her temper also suffered. Or rather, anyone running afoul of her during that time suffered from her temper. This would be the second while imprisoned. The first had been an absolute nightmare to deal with. She'd butted heads with a number of guards over the course of two days, until she'd had enough. The enthusiasm and ferocity with which she had lunged at the throat of one particular woman had surprised more than a few, guards and inmates alike. Naturally she'd ended up in Isolation, though not before sending several others to the Infirmary, and spent her first two days of her cycle in the cell. The resulting mess and smell had been atrocious....

And it was shaping up to be a repeat performance, if the heaving feeling in her stomach currently was any judge. Mentally she steeled herself to be on her best behavior, if at all possible.

She glanced down at her arm, where a neat set of teeth marks blackened her already-dark skin. Apparently some of the guards objected to being choked to death. On the flip side, she objected, rather violently, to being used as a punching bag. She sniffed; the bloody nose had stopped long ago, but her nose still hurt, as did her wrist, though those were phantom pains from the numerous electrical shocks sent through her nerves.

She sighed, and settled back against the wall again, closing her eyes.

<"No use remembering it,"> she thought to herself. <"It'll probably happen again anyway."> She reached up to scratch her head furiously; somewhere along the line she'd managed to pick up a case of lice. She'd had that twice before, but not since she was a preteen. The constant itching in her scalp threatened to drive her crazy.

<"Next it'll be flees.... Note to self: Get Doug to smuggle in lice and flea treatments. And possibly a few razors."> She was seriously considering shaving her head right now....

Usually Neena viewed the Solitary confinement as an excuse to catch up on missed sleep. She went about her business in the Camp like everyone else, with a permanent grin on her face. She put Pollyana to shame. But today, and a few others scattered along the seven weeks, she felt far from positive.

A huge image of her mother's pearl-white smile filled the darkness behind her eyelids, and Neena could almost feel her soft, gentle touch on her cheek. Kwasi, her youngest brother, also grinned at her. The laughter of small children echoed in her ears.

"What's the matter Neena? Are ya scared? Scardy-Neena! Scardy-Neena!"

"Am not! I'm not 'fraid of anything! Not even lions!"

On cue, a low growl echoed around her, then doubled, and tripled, becoming a rumble below her seat. There were numerous other calls; screaming baboons, a vultures cry, the thump-beat-thump of a zebra stampede, countless others. The walls of the cell faded away into the soft gold, grey and blue of her homeland in Africa, and stretched beyond the horizon.

"To fear is normal." A man appeared beside her as she watched the sunset, craggy and wrinkled in the face with age, greying hair, brown eyes filled with kindness and gentle strength. Soft, rhythmic chanting seemed to resonate around them both. "To fear is normal," he repeated softly.

"I know it is Babu, and I am not normal. But.... I am only human."

"You are strong, Little One."

"I'm.... beginning to doubt that.... I don't know how much longer I can last Babu. I'm wearing down, reaching my limit."

"Which limits? The ones you are placing on yourself? Or on others?"

"Both."

"Perhaps then you are concentrating too hard on finding them. Perhaps it is time to let them find you instead."

Neena glanced curiously at her grandfather, only to find that he had disappeared into the wind, like a scene out of Lion King. A smile cracked her face, and she chuckled.

"I guess there's a reason dreams never make sense," she said aloud to no one in particular. "They're too melodramatic even for the movies."

With a grunt she plopped down beneath a tree, leaned against the trunk, and allowed the dreamscape to give much needed peace and rest to her sleeping body.

Another day, another night in Isolation. But unlike previous visits, catching up on her rest was far from Neena's mind. Whatever Colyn had done when he healed her arm, it had given her body a major energy boost. She felt refreshed, and revived.

And that that included her mind. She sat on the floor, in the center, cross-legged, straight-backed. Her glasses lay neatly folded on the bench. Her near-white eyes stared unflinchingly ahead, piercing the darkness effortlessly. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically, and silently.

"It's only been three months." So she had told Rupert. Only three months. Three months of torture. Three months of getting used to the torture. Three months of enduring hatred and pain. Three months of pretending, fooling, fighting. And three long months of seeing friend after friend lose the battle.

Three months too long. It was time for a change.

Neena went through her mind of all the items she'd 'acquired' over that time. Nearly everything from collapsable scissors and thread, to medical supplies and syringes. Sara had scored a collar remote, and one of the other had slipped her a canister of the sedative being administered through the food and water. All of those were wonderful and great for surviving in the camps.

She personally was ready to leave the camps. She needed to talk to Doug, see if he could give her any info from the outside, anything about possible breakout attempts from the outside. As Rupert had so aptly stated, they would be expected. No doubt they also would expect trouble within the walls. But what about a co-ordinated double attack? Would that even be possible?

Slowly she blinked several times, to hydrate her eyes.

It would do no good to plan if the idea wasn't feasible to begin with. There were many mutants still in the camps, despite many deaths. They all wanted out, and they all would be willing to fight to get out. But would they all be willing to work together long enough to accomplish it? She wasn't sure. And unless the mutants worked together, even an outside attack would likely fail. Even outnumbered, the human guards had the advantage, even without the Stalkers.

Now there was a rather large problem, right there, one with no clear fix and the potential to become rather..... messy....

Neena uncurled herself, getting to her feet. She walked to one wall, and leaned forward, pushing herself into a handstand. She blinked again, this time holding her eyes closed a little longer between blinks. Her head pulsed as blood rushed to her head. She remained that way for several minutes, before opening her eyes one more time. The corner of her lips twitched in an upside-down smile.

Yes, there were many problems, and the very likely possibility of enlarging the Camp graveyard along the way. But three months was long enough. Time to start looking at things in a different way.