The best of the worst (closed)

Justin took a deep breath and made himself comfortable on a log he'd moved here a while ago. He cleared his throat and closed his eyes, as though remembering the pain. He didn't need to be afraid. He had no reason to fear. So he cleared his throat and began, the story playing before his eyes as he told it. "I was ten when I was taken away from my family. Still just a child but within my mother's tribe, I had just become a man."

Story time...

"From this moment forward, this boy is no longer a child but a Man. He has proven his worth to this tribe and I give him my blessing. May the gods smile upon you, Jace. And may they give you favor." I smiled at the man, my chief. My eyes sought out my mother and once I found her, I threw myself into her arms. Finally! no longer a child. I could hunt with the others and explore beyond our borders without fear of being scolded. Everything was perfect until the day I grew curious and left the reserve.

It was stupid of me to have left the borders, but I was curious. I wanted to know what those forests held beyond the safety of our home. Deeper in I went, exploring every nook and cranny. It was dark, so naturally I hadn't the faintest idea of where I was going. My foot touched down on the soft earth of a cliff and I was sent tumbling down into a group of men bearing a Red Cross. "Hey, he's cute."
"Might fetch a pretty price, too."They looked at me with a hunger, like a wolf would gaze at an elk.

I was their prey. I tried to run, but it was no use. They caught me, bound me and threw me into the back of their truck. I was scared. I didn't know where I was being taken, nor could I call out for my tribe. They were all asleep and safe back at the reserve. All I remember from that ride was driving for a long time, then nothing.

Days later, I remember waking to white walls and voices outside my room. I can't remember all of what they said, but I do remember them saying something along the lines of Experiment and make certain it goes right this time. Don't need another one running off.

Justin gripped his head, shivering as though it was painful and terrifying for him to remember. But he forced himself to continue.

Story time..

"Make certain those straps are good and tight. Don't need anyone else getting an eye gorged out." The men tightened the straps around Justin's wrists, making him cry.
"Oh, shut up you brat!" A hand struck him across the face hard, leaving a mark. Then a sharp pain entered his ear as it was pulled, making his head jerk around to face the men in white. "You'd best get used to this place, kid. It's all you're ever going to know."

For years, they tortured him. Serums of all kinds got injected into his body. Then, upon his sixteenth birthday...

"One more serum to test. If this doesn't work, then the boss wants us to exterminate him." The men approached him again, needle prepared and ready. Justin struggled, shouting at them to get away from him. His arms trembled, forced down by the straps around his wrists.
"Hold still, damn it!" The man grabbed his bicep and forced the needle into his skin. Justin cried out in pain. The needle was much bigger than the last one they'd used. He could feel the serum being injected into his skin.

"You sure using Shadonium was such a good idea? What if he turns out worse than the last one?"
"He won't. I've seen his mental scans. They're off the charts. If this works, then we'll have a weapon to use against the Assassins. We'll be able to destroy them and win this God forsaken war." They carried on rambling, not bothering to notice as the young man began to change. He fell still and his head drooped.

He himself could feel a change and soon, a creature was whispering to him. "Let's get out of here. We can be free."
"Free us.." He stated, his voice deathly quiet. The men turned around to look at him before they began to laugh.
"Give him the sedative, Jack. Then take him back to his room." Jack crossed the floor with another needle ready, but it never touched his skin.

Something had stopped it. Justin didn't realize it, but he was controlling a demon of Native origins. By nightfall, everyone in the facility was dead. Cut in half, drained of life and other ways of death. He walked out in time to see an Assassin standing there. He calmed him and explained everything on the way out of the lab.

Justin looked up at Kitty after finishing his story. "Needless to say they trained me, though they could never truly train my power. After that, my mind got stronger and so did Zalin."

"Wow, and I thought I had it rough." Katherine stood up, and made her way over to Justin, and gave him a big warm hug. She hated knowing what the Templars had done to him, how they had turned him into what most people would call a monster. She also liked giving people huge hugs.
"I used to work at Abstergo as a junior animator, modelling and texturing environments and stuff. Had a side job a waitress at a strip club, that's how I met Jack Napier. Anyway, he followed me home, saved me from this rapist, and slept on my couch. He'd tend to my wounds after a good beating from the guys at Abstergo, or give me hot coco after they forced me in the Animus for a day or two. The Animus was the worst since they forced me to relive the moment of my ancestor's death. We ended up getting involved with the Assassins and Templars by accident..." Katherine went quiet, as if reliving some horrible memory. "So, I was rescued from Abstergo by them, and the Assassin, Calum Butcher, took me in for training. His brother, Michael Butcher, a former Templar shows up. We do some sparring, he hits me real hard, so I'm basically dead. Jack, my boyfriend at that point, panics and injected me with Mirakuru. So, I went insane for a bit, ran off and killed a few people, including my own mother. Jack got shot by my brother, then kidnapped by his sister Ember Shay, the Templar Grand Master. So me and the Butchers headed over to Ember's, I killed her, rescued him. He found out about everything I did, dumped me faster than a dead body. I ended up with Calum, he went insane, so I killed him. Ran away, and now I'm here." Katherine took a long, deep, shakey breath, and hung her head for a moment before looking back up at Justin. "So yeah, I'm basically Deadpool with Deathstroke's aggression" Katherine said with a sad sigh.

Justin couldn't help but chuckle at her last statement. "You know, I was always wondering what their love child would look like." He said in a teasing manner, trying to get her to smile.

"Ha, never thought of it that way. Suppose so" Katherine said with a chuckle. She looked at the creature, thinking for a moment before turning back to Justin. "I'm assuming you're Choctaw? I mean, he's a Choctaw spirit, so I'm just taking a guess here." Katherine was, much like a cat, quite curious. She just liked knowing things, or learning things. "Sorry if that seems a bit rude, just asking."

"It's fine, Kitty." Justin said with a small smile, his eyes going to Zalin. "And yes. Among my mother's people, he's called a Nalusa Chito, or a shadow soul eater."

"That's actually really cool. Never met a spirit before, but I was taught about them by this really nice old guy back at standing rock. So yeah, I got to learn while fighting for the environment." Katherine chuckled a bit, remembering the friends she had made and the stories they told her. "Before the Mirakuru, naturally. Now I just care for animals."

Justin gave a small nod before he turned back to Zalin. "I'm still trying to find my place in all this." He admitted. "Don't get me wrong. I know where I stand in terms of the war. I just...don't know my place in society anymore. Not after what they did to me."

"Join the club" Katherine said with a sigh. "It's difficult to try get involved with normal people again, that's why I left. To be honest, you're the only person I've spoken to in a while, everyone else is just a target." Katherine lay on the dirt, and looked up at the sky with a small smile on her face. She liked being in nature, it was where she felt at home, where she felt safest. "So, you live around here, or in the city?"

Justin shook his head at her question. "Ever since I left the Assassin's hideout, I've been trying to find a place to call home. So far, that home is just here in the forest. I always feel safer within the trees. Perhaps that's just my native blood boiling, though. I've always been fond of nature."

"Yeah, nature is amazing like that. I mean, I grew up in Africa, in the bush, so this is like home for me, nicer actually, no screaming, shouting, or drinking." Katherine looked at the sky for a bit longer, a small smile on her face. She thought deeply for a moment, looking over to Justin. "Ok, you'll like this. I mean, you clearly like nature, so you'll love this place. It's an old warehouse further in, but it's had some major modifications."

Justin tilted his head to the side, curious. She'd captured his attention. "Show me." He said, rising to his feet.

Katherine headed to a rather dodgy looking building in the middle of the forest that looked like it hadn't been used in years. There were a few solar panels on the roof, and some water tanks in the area as well as some edible plants. The doors were unlocked as she never locked them, so she likely had nothing of value. As soon as Katherine opened the door, a fox raced out and started darting around her legs. Katherine knelt down, and gently ruffled the fox's fur.
"Yes, I'm home. I'll feed everyone now" Katherine said with a chuckle before heading inside, followed very closely by the fox. One of the doors was wide open, leading to an enclosed garden with beautiful plants. Various animals wandered around the building, most of them in various stages of recovery. There was even a bear missing a leg, and a wolf covered in bandages on a drip. "I brought them here after I found them in need of help. They've all suffered at the hands of man, but here, they are safe. They can leave whenever they want, but most of them have decided to stay because they know it's safe." Katherine started preparing food for some of the animals, mostly just the predators. "The bear was someone's pet, found him on one of my missions. The wolf was caught in a wildfire, he was the only one of his pack to survive."

Justin carefully approached the wolf and knelt down slowly, offering the creature a hand to sniff. "I don't understand why humans are so cruel." He said softly.

"I really don't know. I hate that humans just think that they can do whatever they want, that they are the only creatures that matter. Trust me, this isn't as bad as what the animals went through back home" Katherine said with a sad sigh. Animals were the only things she really trusted, the only thing she cared about. Katherine began setting out bowls of pellets, and some bowls of chopped meat. The bear hobbled over to the table, and bumped it's head against Katherine, earning a small chuckle from her. "Here you go, Pooh" Katherine said with a laugh before setting down a mixture of honey, berries, and minced salmon which the bear devoured immediately. A small white ferret emerged from Katherine's pocket, and ate whatever scraps he found appealing. "Oh, and this is Draco."

Justin smiled at the small white ferret. [color:ef2a=993399]"He's so cute."

"He's a little shit. Trust me, he'll steal your food, and try to fight you" Katherine said with a laugh. She grabbed some frozen burritos, and set them in the microwave to cook. "I'm assuming you're an Assassin? I mean, the whole hood thing..." Katherine checked on the wolf's drip, and replaced it as she gently ran a hand along the wolf's spine.

Justin gave a small nod. "Trained as one. After what the Templars did to me...I have absolutely no intentions on joining them." He sounded disgusted to say the least.

"Same here. When I saw how being an Assassin destroyed Calum, I left in the middle of the night. I decided that life wasn't for me" Katherine said with a sigh. She grabbed the burritos out the microwave, and handed one to Justin before eating her own. "You're welcome to stay here if you want. Abstergo doesn't come round here anymore, so it's safe."

"Thank you." Justin took the burrito and munched down on it before he looked around the place. It was definitely a walk to the glade in which he trained but it was better than sleeping in the elements.

"You're welcome, Justin. There's a spare spare room with fresh towels and stuff over there" Katherine said as she pointed to a door. "The bathroom is at the end of the hall on the right. There's also hammocks up there, but I wouldn't reccomend them, they're not exactly comfortable or warm."

Justin gave a small chuckle and offered her a genuine smile. He hadn't smiled in a long time. "Thank you, Kitty." He said, making towards the area she had pointed out. He was going to take a shower.

Katherine watched Justin walk off, and smiled. She made her way to a set of aerial silks, and climbed up the silks as some music started playing. She twirled about in sync to the song, twisting her body into impossible yet elegant poses before shifting into a new position effortlessly. In a way, she looked like some kind of spirit floating through the air. Katherine didn't know or care if anyone was watching her, she was enjoying herself.

(sorry i didn't know what to write)

The second his head hit the pillow, Jace had a nightmare that enveloped his entire mind and would not let him go so easily. He tossed and turned in his bed as the nightmare played out. He was back in the Templar's lab, strapped to a chair. He was fighting and something was being plunged into his arm, causing him great pain. The needle wasn't the ordinary needle of a vaccination. It was bigger, much bigger. Longer, too. And there was something inside the base of the syringe that was being injected into his body. Jace shivered violently. What were they doing to him!? Not far away, he could hear the cries of Kitty..They had her!? Jace had to fight. He had to! To save her! He cried out in the waking world.

Katherine had been fast asleep in her room, passed out in front of her computer with the ferret sleeping on her lap.
She leapt up rather quickly when she heard Justin's cries. The quick motion of her bolting up sent Draco flying.
"What the..." Katherine stood up, and quietly headed over to Justin's room. She knocked on the door, not going in out of respect. "Hey, Justin... Are you alright?" Katherine was prepared to bust down the door if she had to, if he was in actual danger.

Justin cried out again, sounding like he was in pain and fear. He was still asleep, so he hadn't heard Kitty's question. She could hear his sheets rustling violently as he twisted and turned in his sleep. Sweat plastered his hair to his face now, the nightmare's claws still deep within his mind. It was almost as bad as being thrust back into the Animus, only it was his own mind that was causing this.