[OFFICIAL] The Fourth Wave, Annie, Emily, Sven, Kazza

((Day Eight, Early Afternoon))

Another day.

A week of rest after the first of three straight shipments had the small woman in much better spirits... until three days ago.

The transfusions had started, and Ice was beginning to see the little changes in the subjects. Just when she was about to write them off as monsters... one of them passed. A young girl, barely a teen, didn't make it through the night after the operation. And the bonfire... Ice shivered.

The plane touched down, its rubber wheels grinding against the ground. This Wave marked the halfway point in the transportation part of the experiment. After that, there would be no more new arrivals, no more speeches... what would she do then?

No more of this. Please, no more.

At last!

While Annie had gotten a brief look at her fellow researchers on the plane, she was eager to get to the island where the games could really begin. She saw the island growing on the horizon, and finally saw as it grew beneath them as the plane landed. She grinned as the plane landed, and as soon as the announcement was made saying it was safe to unbuckle, she stood up and grabbed her bag from the overhead compartment. She had packed fairly lightly- she brought with her only her clothing, hygiene necessities, and a few notebooks. It was light enough not to slow her down. Feigning the act of a typical young girl, she clutched her bag and practically skipped towards the exit of the plane, excitement gleaming in her eyes. Her expression turned to one of wonder as she took in the scenery- the beach, the woods, the resort-style buildings, and the mountains looking on the horizon. It was beautiful. It was paradise.

But closer, more importantly for the time being, there stood the small woman on the beach, in what appeared to be a pirate's attire. Annie knew better- what with all her readings and the stories she had heard from her brother, she knew about Team Aqua.

Well now. This was interesting.

A scientist, she assumed, certainly from Aqua. "Aqua?" Annie said, smiling slightly, intrigued and perhaps a tad mischievous, "Here? What are you planning?" Quite frankly, it didn't worry her much; her intrigue showed, and she looked amused and interested at the prospect, like a child presented with a new game. What fun!

Erica had packed everything she thought she would need. Clothes, some sheets, hygienic supplies, things of that sort. She'd also packed some of her other items, namely a couple of game systems, her laptop, and a drawing pad. Though. . . Erica only did it in case she, for some reason, had free time and she got bored. But, she thought that she would be spending much of her time studying, collecting, and analyzing data.

More importantly, why were there people so young on board? This was supposed to be research. And she thought this was supposed to be a fairly limited sort of thing with. . . adults. And actual scientists. Erica was getting suspicious of this, really. She glanced around, hands clenched together.

She had looked out the small window to see just ocean, blue sky, and clouds. That vast expanse of ocean, created by one Pokemon. Truly, a remarkable feat. And then she felt the plane touch down. Erica got bolted up, finally able to stretch her limbs. She took her belongings in her hands, then strode down the aisle and out the airplane.

The island was pristine, with nature seemingly untouched. And. . . well, that girl had spoken her thoughts before she could. Erica opened her mouth to say something, then shut it as Annie had spoken out. She stared.

Team Aqua? What the hell was Team Aqua even doing here? Her eyes started to narrow and she became tense. Of course, Team Aqua had to be running amok and causing trouble! Probably on some new insane mission.

((Kazza's internet is failing and she has asked me to copy this post for her.))

KAZZA


Slow at getting up, Kazza was third off the plane, dragging her feet all the way off the heavy metal contraption, her head buzzing as though it had a swarm of Beedrill zooming around inside it. She arrived down at the clearing just in time to hear one of her fellow researcher's apology to a woman who seemed to be a big fan of cosplay, or otherwise a member of Team Aqua. At the moment, the thirteen year old couldn't care less; all she wanted to do was lay down on a bed and sleep off not only her jet-lag, but also her flu. But no, of course someone had to come and greet them, show them the ropes, all those sort of things. Well, screw them all. It wasn't as though they couldn't find their own ways to their rooms. Grumbling to herself too quietly to be audible, Kazza stopped at the edge of the group, rather grudgingly waiting to be told that she could go and pass out somewhere.

With the group more or less assembled, Ice couldn't wait any longer. The last boy could either hurry up and catch her speech mid-way or catch the briefing from his peers; the longer she stood on the beach, the more nervous she got.


"Welcome to our island, everyone." She apparently ignored Annie's comment, though she did occasionally glance in her direction, when Emily's hard gaze made her uneasy.

"You're all probably ready to get to your rooms, so I'll make this quick. You're... not here to do research. You're here to be researched."

She stole a look at the girl on the edge. Apparently she wasn't in a good mood either. Great.

"Each of you chose a pokemon to research. You aren't here because of your interest... you're here because you're compatible with their DNA. What we have here is an experiment; how will you fare when your blood is mixed with that of a legendary pokemon?" She offered an unfriendly smile, but her voice wavered during the last part of her reveal. She tried to shake it off.

"So dearies, go on to your rooms now. And if you see anyone there who is... different, well. Don't be so quick to judge, because soon enough, you're going to be just like them."

The words sunk in. Erica felt some sort of numbness, a cold and eerie feeling that she couldn't shake. An. . . experiment. She repeated the word in her head. This freak experiment, turning people into hybrids between legendary Pokemon and humans! Suddenly, that cold numbness was starting to melt. Instead, there was white-hot rage. Erica was shaking where she was standing, unmoving from her spot. She. . . . this was the end, wasn't it? Experiments, and she was going to become part Kyogre, the Pokemon she admired. It wasn't a dream come true. It wasn't what she wanted! This was a nightmare.

She pursed her lips and then suddenly dropped the luggage in one hand before storming toward Ice.

"How dare you!" she screamed. Erica had already lost much of her control of herself. She pointed a shaking finger at Ice, and she was livid with rage.

"You, bringing people here to do these sick experiments! You little bitch! You -- you -- standing there, acting so casual about it like it's a funny fucking joke!"

At this point, Erica didn't particularly care what she was saying. She was just angry. Angry as hell, and she was going to vent it on whoever got in her way.

Shifting boredly from foot to foot, the teen barely heard what the Team Aqua member was saying. That is, until the part about them being researched upon finally registered in her brain. Gritting her teeth to keep from either sneezing or screaming, Kazza waited until the scientist had finished speaking before opening her mouth to speak- but someone beat her to it. A girl, probably not too much older than herself, started on a full-fledged rant, voice growing more and more shrill with each passing word. Taking the opportunity to adjust her bag over her shoulder, the orphan gathered her thoughts together, but all she could hear in her head was a faint buzzing noise, growing louder and louder. Once the other 'experiment' quietened down a bit, the brunette spoke up, sounding more like she was growling than actually speaking.
"Well, that's just fucking great, now, isn't it! In case you haven't noticed, humans and DNA fusions generally don't work well together! Hell, DNA fucking fusions in general don't work well! And don't think you can just tell us to relax, because that doesn't quite cut it, seeing as if we even manage to survive what you've just suggested we'll be spending the rest of our days in freaking cages like lab rats!"

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, the teenager calmed a bit and started walking, not really caring where she went. Anywhere was better than near Ice, because if she stuck around much longer she'd probably end up starting a fight. And, while that might be rather satisfying, she'd be giving away just how much she knew about brawling before she should. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find some hole to curl up in and die. See ya." Kazza muttered as she trudged off in the general direction of the dorms.

"You're... not here to do research. You're here to be researched... when your blood is mixed with that of a legendary pokemon."

Annie listened respectfully to Ice's spiel, calmly taking in the information with interest. At first, she didn't react; she merely observed as the two girls from the plane had their fits. She supposed it was natural, that they respond with rage. Annie, however, didn't seem to be so concerned- her facial expression remained simply one of intrigue as she watched and pondered their reactions. After a moment, Annie smirked and let out a high-pitched laugh, coming to a realization. "But Manaphy's so pointless! I mean, this is a cute project and all, but Arceus! What do you need a Manaphy morph for? Silly creature doesn't even do anything, that I've heard of."

As expected.

Ice stood strong as Erica marched up, inches from her face, screaming at her. At first she had some look of feigned patience on her face, but as the girl went on, annoyance took over.

"What, you think this is all my doing? Save your belligerence for the people in the operating room! It's not my fault you signed up for a sketchy program. You live and you learn, dear."

Of course, as soon as the finished talking, the girl on the outside of the group spoke up. Great. Ice turned to respond to her, but she was already storming off. She shrugged.

"Have fun with that."

When Annie finally let out her own little reaction, a sharp laugh, Ice was poised and ready for more comebacks. However, this girl didn't appear quite so... worried as the others. Amused, even. Well, good for her.

"I don't know, dear. If you'd care to notice, as apparently no one else has, I'm not the only person here, and I'm not the one in charge of this. That would be a question for Gale, whenever he's got you strapped up in the surgery chair."

Where was that last guy?

That last guy was currently venting at his suitcase, again. Sven had thought the suitcase was rather well made, but it seemed determined to show him that he had bought what amounted to the worst suitcase ever devised by man for holding things. Twice, twice, thats two times, in about 4 minutes, it had sprung open, and spilled his good suits out onto the ground. That was just inexcusable. So, of course, he was busy insulting his suitcase in as creative of terms as he could think of. He was using words that most people didn't even know existed at this point, and he still felt that it was trying to mock him.

Still, he was only doing this because no one was around. If anyone had attempted to talk to him, he probably would have shut up, and said nothing. He was not feeling talkative right now. In fact, there was a black attitude hanging over him right now, due to the whole suitcase thing. He would be working sand out of his good clothing for weeks due to this! The shoddy manufacturers of this company would be hearing it from him when he got back from this trip. He was so late. They were probably ticked off, or already started without him, he hoped he had not missed anything. Of course he had though.

This ill humor was not a good mood for him though, so he concentrated on getting to them quickly. They were close by, which was nice, and so when he reached them, he took off his hat, and waved it in his face idly, mainly due to having to run in his suit. It was warm in this thing. "Sorry about that. My suitcase seems to have been made by people who failed to grasp the simple concept that a suitcase shouldn't fly ope-" He was cut off by the shifting feeling of the lock popping once more, and he grabbed it reflexively, managing to avoid it spilling out all over the place this time. "Yeah. Like that."

Looking at the faces of everyone around, he then added "Though I guess we've already been briefed, and its not good news." They seemed angry. That wasn't a good sign.

"I'm not the only person here, and I'm not the one in charge of this. That would be a question for Gale, whenever he's got you strapped up in the surgery chair."

Annie listened patiently to Ice's retort, intrigued, a mischievous smile creeping onto her face. "Ah! Other scientists, of course! Thank you for that tip; perhaps I'll go search for them later."

Her expression turned to a more neutral one as she spun around to face the clearly unhappy man who had just stepped off the plane with his troublesome suitcase.

"Though I guess we've already been briefed, and its not good news."

Annie shrugged in response. "I think that depends on your point of view, really. I personally found it intriguing." Her mischievous smile was beginning to show at the last word. "Have you heard of those experiments where scientists fuse pokemon DNA with a human? Results in the subject gaining traits and powers of the pokemon, if all goes well." A pause, then Annie resumed, wonder seeping into her voice. "They're doing that with legends here!" She paused, cocked her head sideways, and added, "Only, there's a catch, if you want to see it that way. The subjects that are going to be fused with the pokemon? That's us."

"So you'll become better acquainted with your legend than you might have expected." Annie grinned, amused. "Heh. If that isn't an effective form of research, I don't know what is."

Erica's face paled. The young woman pursed her lips, eyes narrowing. She was so angry. Too angry to get her thoughts together coherently. All she felt was murderous fury. She sighed, but she still had the same angered look on her face. Erica brushed some hair back behind her ear. Scientists may have been the one who would be causing whatever horrific change would happen, but that didn't mean this Aqua wasn't a culprit. She was participating in the project.

"And yet," she hissed, "you still participate in this project knowing what's going to happen to people."

She leered, but then went to pick up her dropped luggage out of the sand, brushing the grains off and then turning around to go to the facility. There was no place else to go. Even if she did get back on the plane, it would likely be kept from leaving with her on it. Erica growled, eyes flicking to everyone present, while she hauled everything she had off.

This was a nightmare. A nightmare she wouldn't wake up from. Erica turned her head around to look back at the plane longingly. It was no use. There wasn't even a damn point in trying, because she knew it would just result in failure.

Sven was tempted to do one of two things. Either laugh, or just sigh. He actually had been prepared for such an eventuality for a while. Kidnapping was a concern that his parents had been very concerned about, considering with as much money as they had they knew someone would have to be tempted to try something. It seemed it had just finally caught up with him when he had left their protection instead. And not for his money, which seemed odd. He figured it would be best not to mention his parents wealth.

He listened to the two talk, the only sign of emotion a slight frown on his face until both the girl who seemed far too laid back about this whole thing for her own good, and the one who seemed to be about to transform into the hulk and rip the lady in twain, stopped. She left, of course, leaving only three of them there. That was when he started to speak. "So, illegal scientific research. That's a new one." Yes, he seemed oddly calm about this whole thing.

"Realistically its not a good idea. Your giving, theoretically, god like powers to people, and then expecting them, after having kidnapped them and used them, to agree with you and not say, decide to just kill you? Not a good idea." He shrugged and shook his head. "This really is kind of ridiculous. Still, no point in bemoaning about it. Just have to exact our revenge slowly and painfully!" A little smile and a grin crossed his face at that, and the cheerful tone of his voice contrasted sharply with the words.

This might seem an odd reaction to have to all of this. But it was in perfect keeping with his personality. They had dared to abduct him. Dared to try and prevent him, Sven Rielly, from keeping a promise to Jasmine, one of his closest friends. Someone he would do anything for. They were less than human to him, they were mere objects, obstacles, and if they should hurt, bleed, die, well, then he got a nice little bonus out of the whole thing.

Sven was not a good man to piss off. "Just remember, I never leave my debts unpaid!" Again the words seemed off, compared to the tone, a light cheery tone. "Anything more to say, or should I just find my room? I need to clean off my poor suits." He brushed a bit of sand off his cuff at that, and seemed forlorn. "I hope you have a dry cleaners here."

Ice seemed more troubled by Erica's parting words than anything, and her face carried a deep frown as she watched the girl stalk off to the complex. Her eyes followed her throughout Annie's explanation to the late Sven, until his first comment brought her back to the current situation.

Her eyes narrowed as he spoke so nonchalantly. She could feel the coldness in his calm voice, and it immediately put her on guard. She scoffed at his "revenge" comment.

"Don't think we haven't thought of all that already."

His final ominous words hit her sharp, sending a chill up her spine. Another enemy, lovely. She hid her discomfort though, sending him off with an unfriendly smile.

"Laundry room is on the ground floor. Have fun doing it yourself."

In all likelihood, some staff member would be there to help. But any stab she could get in at this guy was a point for her.

Sven could only smirk slightly at her comment. Of course they had thought of that already. If a newbie arriving within 5 minutes could think of it, it had to have crossed their minds. Yet, the problem was, they were embarking into new frontiers. Into science that no one had ever experienced. Which meant, they were flying blind. You can't predict thigns you don't know. And so, they would reveal a weakness. And they would mess up. And Sven would capitalize. "Well, if you were any sort of competent, lets hope you would have."

She then said that he would have to do his own laundry, and made it sound as if that was supposed to make him mad. "Oh good. Means I won't have to teach someone else how to clean my suits. Wouldn't want them to ruin them." Truth be told, he didn't think he would wash them at all, considering that washing them was not the way to keep them in best quality, they needed dry cleaning, but he figured that if worst came to worst, he could wash them on delicate personally. Not a task he relished.

"Well, I guess I'm going to check out my room! Might as well see where I'm going to be staying for a while." holding onto his suitcase completely, no longer trusting that treacherous handle, he walked into the place, shrugging and wondering exactly who his roommates were. It seemed that they both were girls. That would be interesting.