ANCIENT SINS, ANCIENT SINS, ANCIENT SI-

Some OLD old writing from 2005 featuring Jawz, my shapeshifter character, and Julian and Matt! Putting this here for posterity, though there's a lot that's inaccurate now and makes me wince a tiny bit (I've always been way more shy about my writing than my art), and I understand the dynamic of these characters and of Spectrum labs better. But still, this is basically like baby photos of my characters but in writing. I didn't even know the labs were called Spectrum back then!

(A lot of this is from Jawz's POV too, which explains a lot- the labs weren't so much bullying her for no reason. Shifters aren't uncommon, she was just being a little hellion and running around completely unsupervised. Julian is a stabby bastard and a bully and was admittedly worse when he was younger, but he doesn't work at a different facility, and doesn't outrank Matt That much- he just likes to act like it. You can see where I had an idea of the interactions between all these characters, even if I could pull it off better now! But I had a lot of fun writing this, and think I'd have gone longer if not for a page limit for the assignment that fueled me into writing it in the first place.)

--

The small silver biohazard charm of her necklace almost seemed to be dancing, the way it kept bouncing off her shirt as she ran. Each pounding step of her sneakers across the gritty pavement would send it twirling and twisting anew.

"She's getting away! Grab her!"

Crap! She'd turned, running half-backwards for a moment to try and judge the distance between them and herself. Too close for comfort, as it turned out; one of the men lunged at her, and she found herself nearly freefalling backwards in an awkward attempt to evade the grabbing hands of her would-be captors.

Her uncoordinated dodge left her backed up against one of the rough brick walls of the twisting back alleys, and she scrambled to try and regain her lost balance. In between frantic thoughts and instincts shouting for her to run, she was quietly ruing the time of day... had it been dark, or even twilight, this would have been so much easier. She could just shift forms, slip into the shadows, and her paws would already be pounding against the asphalt well on her way to safety. But no, the sun was still relatively high in the sky, beating down on her and the assorted figures like an all-seeing spotlight.

It wasn't as if there was anything physically stopping her from doing so, not in the slightest. She was a shapeshifter, not some ridiculous B movie werewolf or creature likewise being controlled by the moon's phases. It was more an unspoken rule of thumb for her, keep your activities to the dark, where people are less likely to notice. Shifting in the daytime was what had, so many months ago, brought about this mess in the first place; and she'd learned something from all of that, at least. Not to mention, on the off-chance she could make a break for a more populated area, people were a lot more likely to come to the defense of a young girl as opposed to some strange animal being chased down.

The uncoordinated string of evasive maneuvers she was now pulling off was almost like some kind of fanciful dance; well, had the choreographer been drunk and his dancers the same. Being caught off guard did not do wonders for one's grace, and though she could think fairly quickly on her feet, she was still trying to recover from nearly tripping over herself when she'd darted into the alley. Add to that a group of pursuing guards and techniciany science-types, and it was just the tiniest bit distracting.

Her little jig had brought her to the edge of the wall, and she dodged deftly around the corner. She made it about ten steps into the next alleyway before a hand reached out, grabbing her effortlessly by the wrist. The sudden halt of momentum nearly brought her down hard on the pavement, but as it was she managed a surprised half-skid and about-face to see who this was that had so easily gotten in the way of her escape.

Oh.... oh hell.

The group of people that had been pursuing her rounded the corner, halting suddenly when they saw who was there. This was when they knew very well to stand back, and let things be handled from here- he could take care of things himself, and there was some unspoken agreement stating they weren't allowed to interfere. And if nothing else, it would be interesting to watch...

"Hello, Jawz. Going somewhere?"

The girl stared quietly for a moment, eyebrows raised in an expression of silent shock. Not anymore, apparently. After a dazed second or two of silence, she seemed to find her voice again, though it seemed like someone had turned the volume down to just above mute.

"...hi, Julian."

Oh, she was so dead. This was a very unexpected and QUITE unwelcome surprise. What was he doing here? She continued staring, not taking her eyes off of the tall, blond-haired man in white. He smiled at her, but it certainly wasn't one of friendliness. No, this was more the kind of smile one might expect a viper to give a mouse, right before it struck.

"It's been... oh, how long since I last saw you? I see you're still up to your same tricks." He spoke smoothly, the faintest edge of taunting in his voice. How the hell did he get here? Did he know she was going to be running through this particular alley, had there been coordinated effort to lead her here? Regardless of how it had come about, the end result of all this wasn't looking good.

"...yeah, you could say that." Jawz was responding on a sort of auto-pilot at this point; far more intent on watching his hand warily than listening, as he reached to get something out of his pocket.

"I think it's about time you return to the labs with us, don't you think?" Though phrased like a question, there wasn't really a choice being offered to her in the matter. She was still fixated on that hand, distracted to the point of silence. She should be trying to break free of his grasp, really, every instinct was screaming at her in unison about it... but what good would it do? She knew what was going to happen next. She knew, she knew, she knew-

Knowing didn't make it easier. Her eyes widened in fearful recognition, trying to step backwards at the sight of the capped syringe now in his hand. It wasn't anything truly harmful, really; just some sedative or other they'd used countless times before to subdue her, making things much easier for them than trying to drag her kicking and screaming back to the facility. But to her, it was an end of freedom, something that made her powerless; and not to mention the tiny, inconsequential fact that she was scared of needles!

"L-lemme go, Julian, please..."

His smile grew into something of a sadistic grin. "What's the matter, Jawz? Don't tell me someone as bold as you is afraid of a little shot."

Don't patronize me, bastard, don't you dare patronize me. And don't come near me with that!

He calmly uncapped it one-handedly, keeping firm grasp of the girl's wrist. Despite her attempts otherwise, she wasn't getting anywhere by trying to back away, no matter how frantically she tried. She watched in silent panic as he leaned forward, feeling the needle just barely brush against her arm...

Her frantic flailing and attempt to shove the man away resulted in more than she'd expected; a randomly aimed low kick had actually connected hard with his shin and, suddenly free from his grasp, she stumbled back a few feet in shock.

The maneuver had been pure luck on her part, the instinctual kind of panic reaction that just so amazingly happened to work. It was probably not, however, the best thing she could have done for herself. And it certainly wasn't something she'd have ever done on purpose, not if she'd been thinking clearly. She was very soon to be reminded why.

A brief expression of surprise had flickered across Julian's face, for just a moment. But it was quickly replaced with an expression of coldness, even the taunting and sadistically playful smirk gone from it. From the few times she'd encountered him before, the girl knew this man wasn't the kind to yell or scream when he was angry. No, he was more the type to go completely and dangerously quiet; and she had the very bad feeling that was what had just happened now. He stood completely still, silent for one drawn-out moment. And then...

The next few seconds were a confusing blur as Jawz scrambled backwards, trying to get out of the way as he lunged at her in a flurry of white labcoat and extended hands. Though the previous few seconds had seemed to span minutes, time was now no longer in slow motion, and everything was a chaotic jumble that she could barely make out half of. Amidst scuffling and fluttering fabric, she heard her own voice cry out in a sort of feral-sounding yelp as she tried to wrench herself backwards from the sudden and very sharp pain that had jabbed itself in above her collarbone. She froze in shock as a pair of strong hands shoved her roughly down, pinning her against the dirty pavement until her vision blurred, black edges of unconsciousness quickly taking over.

--

Knocking lightly on the open doorframe of the small office, Matthew adjusted his glasses and peered inside. Hopefully this wasn't a bad time...

"What do you want?"

"Ah, Julian, I was wondering if I could discuss something with you...?" Alright, Matthew thought to himself. He sounded less than pleased. But when didn't he?

"If you make it quick. As you can see, I'm busy." Julian was sitting at the desk, going through various small stacks of paperwork strewn atop it. He didn't look up, even when the younger scientist spoke.

Ah... what's the best way to tell a higher-up that you don't appreciate them butting in on your research? "Some of the others and I were wondering... how necessary it was, that you came down here from the main compound? I mean, surely you've been very busy, and..."

Julian remained quiet for a moment, then looked up flatly from his papers. "Do you know why I'm here, Matthew?"

"Er..."

"I'm here because you are apparently incapable of completing the simple task assigned to you. How long has it been? And you've not once been able to keep a sixteen year old in check long enough for research. Not once."

"..in our defense, Julian, she does have a few slight advantages over your average teenager."

"I've never had a problem with her."

Matthew had to strongly resist the urge to respond with because you're a bastard, and she's terrified of you. A while back, when Julian had visited just to 'see how things were going', Matt had seen the way the man treated her. Of course she didn't fight back with him; even his own coworkers wouldn't question the man for fear of retribution, let alone some test subject. It was just his luck that Julian had gotten enough free time to come down and meddle in their research; and the younger scientist strongly hoped he'd go back to the main facility from whence he came. Leave them to their work, and let him boss around someone else.

Taking the prolonged silence as acknowledgement of this fact, Julian further added. "As such, I'll be here until something more important comes up to require my attention. You're dismissed."
The young man took a moment before nodding quietly, not trusting himself enough to keep the irritation out of his voice. Once he'd stepped down the hallway and out of audible range, however, he had no qualms about growling loudly in frustration.

--

Through drugged dreams of white-cloaked wraiths and grasping shadows, Jawz finally fought her way back to consciousness. It was a slow process, and when she awoke she spent a few minutes simply lying there, feeling the slightly uneven springs of the mattress through the thin sheets, and staring at the dull blank walls of the room.

...Urrggh. Sitting up and leaning her head against one palm, she muttered a few choice words in regards to her current situation; it was oh so wonderful to be back here, her favorite place in the world. Stupid labs. She certainly didn't plan on staying long; but finding a way to work that was another matter. She could only hope her luck would be more favorable now than it was back in the alleyway, wincing as she gently rubbed the sore spot near her shoulder.

She heard the click of the door's lock and glanced up, watching intently. She'd been here enough times previously to know that it would either be guards or scientists; and the girl still wasn't quite sure which she disliked more. One group seemed to exist to make her life miserable, while the other seemed to exist to help the first; either way it was annoying as hell. She didn't recognize the two men who'd just walked into the room, but the distinct lack of white coats made it easy enough for her to tell which category they belonged in. Guards usually meant she was to be escorted somewhere in the facility, but where? She glared derisively up at the two as they stood in front of the cot.

"Julian wants a word with you. Come along."

Paling slightly, she remained quiet. Did they really think she was going to just go along with them, especially if they were taking her near that jerkface? No way in hell! He was one of the few people here she was actually scared of. But... if they were taking her to him, that meant he wasn't nearby. And if he wasn't nearby...

"...yessirs." She made a show of getting up somewhat timidly, playing the part of 'oh, you've got me scared now, I think I'll cooperate' that the statement had most likely been meant to inspire. Act like a little kid, they'll underestimate you for one... As the second guard took firm grip on her arm to escort her, she couldn't help but observe him with a feral grin.

--

A startled scream echoed down the hallway as Jawz burst free of the room, dashing madly down the corridor to the right. Jeez! She hadn't bitten him that hard, had she? ...Unless, maybe, it was the predatory fangs that had done it. Or the fact that her eyes had suddenly changed from blue to golden, with catlike slits. Or maybe it was the claws... Either way, you'd think they'd have been warned on what to expect from her, and she wondered with a brief grin just what had been on the job description.

Of course, the biting had only been a momentary distraction, and catching someone off guard was not the same as an easy getaway. Which was why she was bolting as quickly as she could, mind racing to try and determine how exactly she was planning on getting out of here. This facility was a veritable maze in places, winding halls and small rooms that all looked alike. She could hear frantic skidding and the heavy thud of boots behind her as the guards pursued, and anyone who had been in the hallway tried to get out of their way. If she could only get a little bit further ahead, lose them a bit and give herself a moment to think...

They'd raced through several winding hallways before opportunity came up, in form of a rolling tray cart parked against the side of one wall. It was most likely something the janitor had been using to help clean things, judging by the various rags and spraybottles nestled against eachother across its top. All the loose items made it a perfect candidate to assist her, and she grabbed it by the edge as she ran past, the cart tipping onto two wheels as it was dragged sideways. The move slowed her down, but hopefully it would slow those in pursuit down even more; and as the contraption of steel and wheels and loose bottles toppled over, spilling its contents right into the path of the guards, she couldn't have been more pleased.

--

Jawz was pressed as tightly as she could be against the wall, praying that the odd way the edge twisted would work to her advantage and keep them from seeing her. Hey, it worked in the movies... She held her breath as the (by now, somewhat large) group of guards and curious technicians ran past, and wondered why she was having better luck here than she had earlier. Most likely, she mused, because Julian wasn't around. By now the warning alert had been set off, though, and if he was anywhere in the building, she knew he'd join in this mess. That was not something she looked forward to.

Listening cautiously as they raced down the next corridor, she turned, quietly and quickly sneaking alongside the wall. There was an open doorway right in her path, and she'd have to walk past it. Hopefully no one was in there... peeking quickly inside, she was relieved to find it empty. Hmmm.... Ducking inside, she shut and latched the door behind her. She couldn't afford to stay in here long, but she figured a few minutes wait would give her even better distance from the guards. They were still on a wild goose-chase through the facility, thinking her just around the next corner or something silly like that. Hah! She paced over to a desk on the far side, glancing curiously down at the scattered paperwork and half-filled coffee mug atop it. Pausing a moment, she caught sight of a red permanent marker laying innocently across the side closest to her, and she couldn't help the mischievous grin that spread across her face.

Immature? Yes. Vindictive? Perhaps. But there was something immensely satisfying about marking off on so many papers, scribbling faces and small caricatures all across the mountain of boring scientific data. She wrote "D-" on one and circled the letter boldly, remarking underneath "this paper fails to present the topic clearly, minus points for being boring" and other such things. She must have spent a good ten minutes in the room, exalting in her childish bit of revenge and slightly disappointed that she wouldn't be able to see the face of whoever these notes belonged to.

--

By now, it had been a good half hour since her initial escape into the depths of the facility. It felt longer, though; she'd lost count of the number of close calls and mistakes she'd almost made, alternating between quiet sneaking and full out dashing through various floors of the place. She'd even had a near run-in with Julian, and if that hadn't been enough to get her adrenaline pumping, nothing would. Thankfully she'd looked before she'd gone in that direction, and he hadn't seen her... at any rate. At the moment she was back in quiet sneaking mode, rather amazed at how empty certain parts of the building were when everyone was out trying to track someone down. It almost seemed like they lumped themselves together in little groups that stalked about, and it reminded her just a bit of Pacman and the ghosts that would chase him through row after row of pixelated playing field.

She stopped for a moment, leaning sideways against the closest wall to rest for a short bit. There was no sense in tiring herself out, if she could help it; and the chance to just catch her breath and calm down was greatly appreciated. It also gave her some more time to think about how she was going to get out of here...

A soft, questioning voice from behind her made her jump in surprise.

"...Jawz?"

She whirled about, staring incredulously at the brown-haired scientist who somehow (heaven only knew how) had managed to sneak up behind her.

"Ah, hi Matt." Crud. After all this effort in sneaking around, too! "..aheh, what brings you down to the labs on this fine day?"

He raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a bemused sort of half-smile. "I'd ask the same of you, but we know the answers to both questions. I don't suppose you've run into Julian yet?"

She looked at him curiously. What was with all the small talk? Was he just going to wait for the guards to show up, or something...? "If by run into, you mean seen and then ran like hell in the other direction, then yes. Yes I did. ...he's... not mad about me getting out, is he?"

Matthew scowled briefly, thinking about the few words he and the other scientist had exchanged upon Julian hearing the news. "You could say that. I think he's furious, actually; seems to be ready to blame anything that moves."

"...yaaaay, go me. Uh... I'll bake you cookies if you forget you saw me, how's that sound?" Jawz grinned nervously. 'Ready to blame anything', to her, roughly translated to 'I am so screwed'; she didn't seem to catch the undertones of irritation the man in front of her had expressed when he mentioned it.

Voices could be heard from farther down, a few hallways over perhaps, and the two turned simultaneously to glance in that direction. She looked back at him, but Matthew seemed to be thinking, turning something over in his head. After a moment's pause, he spoke up again.

"If you head down that hallway and make a right through a black door, you'll find the stairwell. Straight shot right up to the roof. Think you can manage that?"

She blinked dumbly for a few seconds, not quite sure she heard him correctly. He had to be kidding, right? It made no sense for him to be telling her this.

"I... what?"

"You heard me. But you should hurry, I get the feeling Julian might be in that little group..."

Jawz still wasn't sure what to make of this. But hey, who was she to turn down a bit of assistance?

"I... thank you, Matt."

He regarded her thoughtfully for a second, before smirking. "Don't thank me. As soon as he leaves, things will go right back to how they were before. Don't expect anything otherwise."
"..Does this mean I don't owe you cookies?" She grinned, not waiting for an answer, and took off down the hallway. The wonderful thing about being a shapeshifter, she thought to herself, was the possibility of wings- the rooftop was perfect. The exchange between herself and Matt certainly confused her, but mulling it over could wait until another time; right now she had a roof to rendezvous with. Though she did hope those weren't his notes she'd marked all over, now...

Matthew watched her race down the hallway, looking smug. He'd need to make sure to avoid Julian for the next few days, as the man would no doubtedly be in an absolutely horrid mood, but it would be worth it... and serve that arrogant bastard right. See how he felt once he realized that a mere sixteen year old had still managed to escape, even under his superior watch. He hoped Jawz had enough sense to lay low for a while, at least until Julian's 'more important things' came along, but for the moment, things were good enough.