The Beginning of Life (Zaila & Dark Clown)

[Mr Self Destruct]

Deucalion: The rain beat down heavily outside the old, abandoned plantation. The house was nearly as ancient as the figure moving about within. It seemed at any moment like it would crumble around him, it's pleasant facade ready to give way to the rage of the elements. But this place had been chosen by its creator for a purpose, and that purpose was too important for the location to be anything but precise. Within stood all manner of strange machines, diodes and tesla coils that sparked with the building electricity from the storm. Primitive by modern standards, the machinery nonetheless worked, the readout dials giving accurate readings even through the cracked glass that covered them. In the center, in a large vat of odd smelling fluid, a body rested, naked and as horrid as any human mind could conjure. She was female, this woman that had yet to live again, but with the skill of Deucalion's guiding hand, she would live yet again. Her body was peiced together, patch work, from many young and beautiful women.

But her purpose was not to be beautiful as she was. The true beauty would come when her eyes opened, when that spark of magical fire lit within her and she drew breath yet again. Looking down at her, Deucalion closed the lid of the vat she lay within, and turned the large hatch seal atop it, sealing her mute form within. He circled the vat, attaching thick cables to either end, and inserting long, thin needles into her body through access points on either side. As he worked, lightning flashed overhead, and thunder seemed to shake the very ground beneath his feet. The time was coming, and soon. He hurried about finishing his work, making certain that everything was perfect, and then moved behind a large instrument panel. He slid a switch on the machine, and a moment later, a long metallic antenna began to extend, rising into the air. The skylight above opened, allowing the antenna to exit the roof of the plantation, until finally, it reached the open air. Deucalion watched as lightning flared around it, his eyes wide, until finally, a thick bolt struck the metal. The electricity coursed faster than his eyes could see, and the form within the vat shook violently, the power of the skies coursing through her body. Now would come the true test for his creation....if she wanted to live, she would need to break free of her steel prison and join him as his child.

Sabine: Blackness. It was all she saw in the void where she was. Fleeting, blurry images sped past her vision, impossible to read or decipher to even a broad detail. Lips parted to speak but no sound emitted from her lips, or...maybe it did and the void simply swallowed it, she couldn't be sure. Her heart pounded... Did it? Was she alive? It certainly didn't feel like living. It was more like floating through a vast, desolate, barren, and pitch black sea that twisted and contorted her without touching her. Suddenly, the blackness erupted, little crackles of energy shooting out and piercing her arms, legs, chest, head, anywhere they had access. It was agonizing and excruciating. A scream ripped from her lips and this time she heard it. The sound was soft since it had nothing to bounce off of, bouncing back to her from several different directions. The torment continued until she felt something hard beneath her body. Her eyes, still tightly closed shut, pressed into the floor of the object, the sides, the top... Her eyes shot open when realization sunk in. She was trapped somewhere! The stinging of the electricity was dampened by the surge of adrenaline racing through her veins. Her arms pushed against the sides of the vat with all the strength she could muster, surprised to feel it give way to her arms. That strength was then applied to the sealed lid, punching and kicking the thing until it bursted off the hinges keeping it closed. She didn't even care that she was enveloped in strange liquid or that she was in some weird container. She was just happy to be out. Scrambling to get free she climbed out of the vat and fell onto the floor, kicking her way away from the man standing there. "Wh---" she paused, the words hard to form. "Who....you,,," she demanded, her eyes illuminated with the fire that he'd been waiting to see, a fire that matched the crimson hue of her tresses and the pinkish hue of her skin.

Deucalion:  Deucalion smiled as he heard the muted scream from within the holding vat. She was alive! Her scream was followed quickly by the stinted sounds of her hands and feet pushing against the steel sides of what must have seemed like her coffin. Then, heavy thumping echoed throughout the room as she punched and kicked against her prison. Deucalion moved from behind the machine he'd started, and stepped forward, watching her fight for life. The lid to the vat burst open in a spray of torn metal and umbilical fluid, and the sides collapsed, spilling it's contents onto the floor. He watched as his creation struggled to make sense of her surroundings, of him, of herself...how new it all was to her! He recalled how confused he'd been when he had first awakened, and how cruel his creator had been. He moved over to her, his booted feet moving surely through the slick fluid coating the floor. "You live..." he said, his voice steady and sure. "My child...my love. You are alive! Stand, young one. Rise, and come to me."


Sabine: Sabine managed to get herself into a stand, but the victory was shortlived since her muscles couldn't yet support her. Knees shook before causing her to collapse back to the ground reducing her to a backwards crawl to distance herself from the advancing man. She lived... What did he mean she lived? Hadn't she been alive? This felt both like a birth and a different life experience even though she couldn't recollect any actual memories. The images started again, this time of him and her together. They were still blurry and unable to identify, but she recognized faces. Even though she didn't have any reflective surfaces nearby she knew what she looked like. "Me....no love... " she said shaking her head, tightening her jaw at the choppy speech. It was like being reduced to a child again unable to form sentences. She could think clearly in her head, but the words just wouldn't match her thoughts. "No...can rise... Legs...no work... " She had a million questions as to who he was, why she was here, what he was going to do, why she'd been brought here, but she just couldn't articulate them. "You tell... who you are!" she commanded, scooting back until she banged into a chair. Her memory flashed telling her what to do with it. Fingers grasped the legs and pulled, using it to lift herself until she could settle into the chair in an awkward sitting position.

Deucalion: Deucalion watched as she moved away from him, her newly living legs as of yet unable to support her. She was obviously frightened, terrified of him and of what had been done to her, though she knew not yet what that was. He almost felt pity for her, remembering his own first few moments in this mockery of life, and how very hard it had been to cope. "I am Deucalion..." he said. "Your Maker. I brought you to this life. You need not fear me." He continued moving toward her, his strong legs carrying him surely through the slick floor toward her. He wore no shirt, his chest bare and well-formed. A loose, hooded robe was wrapped around him, hanging off his arms and shoulders, and his eyes seemed alive with an almost preternatural power. "Come to me, Sabine. Come to your Master...."

Sabine: Sabine didn't know anything about anything. The more she tried to remember things the more she met blank, blurry walls. One thing she -did- know, however, was that this man was in every single image that flashed through her mind. In some of them she was smiling... There was a time she was happy with this man. Now... Now she just felt frightened and uncertain about everything. Despite knowing he had something to do with her memories she still didn't want anything to do with the man. Again her head shook, legs kicking out as she scrambled back into a wall. "No! I....not know you. Why in my head? Why you in my head?!" The words were coming more naturally now. They were still broken, but they were legible, able to convey the messages she wanted to convey. "Get away from me!" she warned, falling from the chair and then grasping it, throwing it towards him with the speed and force of a rushing car. "Stay away!"


Deucalion: Deucalion easily side stepped the thrown chair, the furniture crashing into peices as it collided with a peice of machinery behind him. His eyes narrowed, and his smile faded as he continued to advance on her. She was terrified, her lack of memories making it hard for her to understand what was happening. But she was beginning to panic, and she would flee if he didn't stop her. His pace quickened, and he hurried toward her as she struggled to get away. His strong hand grasped her wrist with the force of a vise, and he pulled her to him, wrapping his strong arms around him. His embrace was as strong as iron bars, holding her firmly no matter how she tried to struggle. "Calm yourself..." he said, his lips moving next to her ear. "I am your Maker, your Master...that is why you remember me. Why I'm 'in your head'. Be not afraid, Sabine...you will learn all soon enough." He simply held her there in his firm grasp, preventing her escape. He didn't want to bother with chasing her across half of New Orleans.

Sabine: Sabine felt anger, confusion, and terror all strike her as soon as he side stepped the chair. How had he side stepped it so easily?! She knew she'd thrown it fast... Faster than someone could have reacted, yet he simply stepped to the side as if she'd tossed a feather. Her muscles tensed as soon as his steps quickened, eying him warily as he came closer and closer. Finally, he was within the distance to reach out to her, something she shrank away from, but his hand easily sought out her wrist and grasped it with impossible strength. The grip was unbreakable and had no give no matter how much she wriggled against it, unable to stop the yank applied that brought her crashing into his chest. His arms wrapped around her, gently but strong enough to keep her from pushing away. Her shoulders, arms, legs, and entire body shook in an attempt to break free, but it was futile. The whispered words caused a whimper of defeat to leave her lips before the floodgates opened, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her body went slack against him as she wept, giving in. How could she fight him? How could she defend herself against him if he was her creator? Could he read her mind? No... He would have commented on her thoughts. He could definitely read what she was going to do. "Sabine....that is...my name? I always have it or....you give?" she asked softly, pressing into his chest.

Deucalion: Deucalion sighed as she began to weep. His hand rose, wrapping around the back of her neck, and he roughly turned her, pointing her towards the window pane behind her. It was reflective enough for her eyes to see herself and him behind her, his eyes almost glowing in the gloom. "I gave you your name..." he said. "As mine was given to me. You weren't always like this...you died. Your body is not your own, but it is, in a way that will not make sense to you until you've had time to waken to your true nature." He released her and turned, moving for the wide, double doors that led outside. He flung them open wide, the power and fury of the storm blowing rain into the room. His muscled form seemed to grow with every flash of lightning behind him. "Come, Sabine...come into the night. Feel the power of the storm and clear your mind of doubt. Come to me, my love...and you will know how you came to be!" With that, he turned and moved boldly out into the night, the rain pounding hard against his body.


Sabine: Sabine sharply inhaled when he suddenly turned her, pointing her towards the window that was across from them that revealed a reflective enough surface to reveal her image to her. The woman she expected was staring back at her yet....there was something different. Her hair wasn't the same color and her skin held a soft, pinkish hue that she'd never had before. It gave her... an ethereal appearance in a way, something that made her feel inhumanly beautiful. Tentative fingers rose to touch the peach-hued cheeks on her face when he released her, moving to the to wide, double doors at the side of the room. The powerful rains and winds from the storm rushed in as if they'd been barricaded by those doors the entire time. The feeling of the electricity infused in the air stung her skin, but it wasn't agonizing; it was....invigorating. It made her feel alive, alert, and like she was capable of climbing Mount Everest with no hinderance to her climb at all. As he moved out into the storm and beckoned her forth she moved, shakily at first, but then gaining more sure footing which allowed her to easily walk through the doors, joining him at his side. "It's...wonderful," she whispered, laughing and jumping away from his side. The storm was akin to a bright, sunny day for a human. It made her feel playful and soon she was spinning in circles with her arms held wide, grinning.

Deucalion: Deucalion watched her as she spun gleefully in the rain, her eyes wide and her smile plain for all to see. He stood there quietly for a long moment, letting Sabine revel in the power of the storm. "We are not normal, living beings..." he said, speaking loudly so as to be heard over the sound of the storm. "Our bodies are made of dead things, of people that passed from their lives to allow us our own. I made you from these people, a peice at a time, until you were whole. The storm invigorates your body because the lightning brought you to life. You are tied to it as you are tied to me. It will heal you if you are hurt and enliven your body when you are weak."

Sabine: Sabine stopped spinning so she could listen to what he was saying. No longer did she feel frightened or unsure... No, she felt wonderful, magnificent even. "Dead things? I was...dead?" she asked, canting her head to the side inquisitively before giggling and pulling at his hand, urging him into the rain with her. "I am happy dead things making me living. I like living." She stopped pulling at him and started swaying back and forth, moving her arms in a fluid motion as she hummed softly. "Why you create me? Why bring me to life? I....know nothing. You say you are Master, yet... something else in my head. You look....different yet same. Why?"


Deucalion: Deucalion moved further into the rain with her, watching as she moved, examining her body almost clinically. "I created you because I needed...a companion. Someone to walk this long and lonely path with me." he replied, stopping to turn to face her. Out here in the storm, his eyes were glowing with an inner fire, an eerie white reminiscent of the power building within him. "The thoughts in your mind are not your own...they are memories, residual memories of the body you now inhabit. You are not mortal, Sabine...you can die, but if you are careful, you will live forever, as I have." He stopped then, turning away from her and walking up a small hill that looked over the swamp. The cypress trees blew hard in the wind, their sinewy branches snapping back and forth. The moon above was barely visible, but what light it cast seemed to illuminate the depths of the murky water, making the marshland seem alive.