There Are More Curious Things (Dream/Danny)

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You're a government worker who has been working on new ways to develop faster healing for people. The current experiment? Supernatural genetics. You whole heartily believe in this project until you come down to the labs to see the progress and see how these supernatural creatures are being treated. This is where you meet me, one of the creatures in the labs who's supplying his DNA and his body for this project. But I've had enough, and I need to escape. Do you help me? Or am I going to force my way through?

Danny took a moment after I finished telling my story to look me over just the way I looked him over whenever he told me something about himself. Being watched and observed was a very..strange feeling yet at the same time it felt nice being listened to so closely. His voice drew me out of my thoughts as he proposed a hypothetical situation to me.
I listened closely until he turned the question to me. Everything he had said was obscure yet there was clearly some kind of hidden meaning behind it all.
"I suppose I would do everything within my ability to escape that kind of situation, yes. All humans have the right to fight for what they believe in and if that is freedom..then freedom is what they should fight for. And that second question..if you mean me personally, yes, I would help that person as best I could." There was a pause after I finished speaking in which Danny explained the philosophy of water bending to me.

I glanced left and right cautiously, as if I were expecting to find a camera in the corner of the room or something like that. It was a needless movement however. Months ago I had gone out of my way to make sure that none of my meetings with the subjects were filmed by the government. My excuse was that my work was very meticulous and I did not want it being copied by other scientists however that was just the official excuse, my real reason was that I did not want anything said to be held against anyone who said it.
I took a slow breath before glancing up at Danny.
"What is it you're really asking about? I know there's something going on in your mind.. At least let me hear you out, please?" I furrowed my brow a little bit. I didn't know how much he trusted me, although there was no reason for him not to, but I hoped he trusted me enough to know I wasn't going to tell anyone a word of his reply.

Danny chuckled a bit as Vio spoke. "Clever, as always, though I never expected to fool you. If you deal with genetics, I was sure you'd be able to understand me." Danny sat and leaned against the desk. "I trust you Vio. I know we all have secrets, but I'm trusting you now. I..." Danny hesitated for a second, unsure of how to really handle the subject. "I'm breaking out. Tonight." He added quickly. "I can't stand how they handle me any more. Seven years... seven years of this HELL! I want out! I'm tired to suffering for nothing. You said it yourself. All humans have the right to fight for what they believe in, and I believe in freedom. I cannot sit by any more!" He paused, panting a bit. Danny's eyes turned a yellow-ish colour, something they often did when get got angry or passionate (they would become a bright, piercing yellow when he couldn't control his anger).

"I'm not sure if I'll even make it out, but I'd rather they shoot be and put me out of my misery than have to suffer the whips, and the beatings. The malnourishment and the abuse!" His voice echoed through the wall. "And sometimes in water bending, you have to take the offence, attack your enemy and fight when you have to, and that's what I'll do. I refuse to sit back idle any longer, it's not fair." He sat back down, blinking a couple of times, his quick breath slowly returning back to normal. "Sorry," he said almost quietly. "But I've had it. Please help me. I know you've already done so much, but this is something I need."

What Danny said next not only shocked me to the very core but it also touched me more than anything I had ever seen before. The amount of passion, emotion, and utter devotion I could see in his eyes as he told me he wanted to escape..it made something deep inside me click. Although I wasn't sure exactly what the feeling was, I knew that there was no way that I could let him go through with his plan as it stood. It was simply too reckless. That's not to say that I was going to try and stop him from escaping, no, but rather that I was going to help him plan it out better so that he might actually succeed.
"Danny this is suicide! You can't just break out.. Not without thinking through every step of the way. Did you know that this facility is at least half a mile below the ground? What were you going to do when you reached the elevator without a pass card?" I took a moment to breathe before I shook my head.

"If you want to escape from this place...everything has to go perfectly. One little slip up and they'll shoot you to shreds without so much as a second thought. Unless your water can deflect bullets, I don't think it'd be a good idea.." I took another moment to pause and think over the hundreds of different ideas that were passing through my mind. There had to be a way to get out without anyone getting hurt or at least without Danny getting hurt.
I closed my eyes to focus on my thoughts before letting out a quiet sigh.
"Alright.. I'll help you but I'll need a few hours. Can you give me that?" I asked him with a bit of a hopeful expression. If I was going to help him there were a couple things I was going to need to find out with my clearance levels.

Ooc - Sorry Dream, I feel bad or being gone for so long, but I've got one exam left (yay!!) and it's a cake walk, you these random abandonments won't happen anymore. I also wish the best of luck for your exams (if you have any).

Bic - Danny stood there for a second, his expression solem and almost emotionless. His eyes told everything he was feeling, as they always did, but his face as serious as it had even been. Vio had asked questions that he had never thought off, what would be do when-if he got to the elevators. He also wasn't aware of the fact this facility was underground, but his determination didn't faulter, and his plan was still going ahead. He would understand Vio's decision if ultimately he decided not to help, but the feeling in the room and the connection the two shared told Danny that he would help, even if it was in the slightest bit.
Vio had asked if Danny could spare a couple of hours and he nodded slowly. "Thank you Vio," he smile slightly, his face still serious. "You're a life saver, literally. Thank you," he said, slowly walking away. His voice slowed more emotion than his face, which he forced himself to keep neutral. Inside Danny was scared shitless, unsure how his life would change, how he'll escape, or what the world was like outside. He'd been away from society for seven years and technology changes quickly, faster than he'd understand.

As Danny reach the door he raised his hand to knocked, but stopped momentarily. He turned back to Vio and spoke quietly. "You might want to hurry though. The closer it gets, the less control I have." He smiled quickly before it disappeared. He knocked the the door, turned around and place his hands behind his back (as was his usually routine whenever sessions with Vio finished). The door quickly opened and guards had cuffed his hands, preventing his from moving. His Vio had spoke, asked Danny a question, or responded to something he had said, he couldn't really hear it. As quickly as they had come the guards pulled Danny back and then pushed him forward towards his room.

Once they arrived, the guards opened Danny's room, released him of his bonds, and pushed him in as they slammed the door shut behind him. The force of the push caused Danny to stumble a bit, but he was able to regain his composure. "Thanks boys!" He called out, chuckling to himself. "That'll be the last time I ever see you bastards again," he whispered to himself as he fell on his bed a large grin on his face as he starred at the ceiling. "Today was a good day. I had my fears calmed and my hopes inspired!" He spoke as if writing in a journal or diary. It was only a matter of time now.

Although I could see nothing but determination in his eyes it was also nice to see a moment of realization when I told him that the facility was underground as well as the fact that there was an elevator he was going to need to get into if he wanted to escape. Both were things that he could not have known without having the freedom to walk around the entire facility. Both were also things that would have stopped his escape cold and probably resulted in him being killed by the guards.
Danny took a few moments to think over what I had said and my request for a few hours before he nodded his head and agreed. I felt relief wash over me despite the fact that I was just about to make myself an outlaw with my actions. It didn't matter. Over the last few months he had become more than just a person I sat down with every day. He was a friend..perhaps more than that. He was the closest person I had in my life.
"I'll do what I can to help you, my friend" I replied to his words with a warm smile as he approached the door leading out of the room. He hesitated before turning to speak to me again. However before I could reply he was led out of the door back to his cell where he would stay until further notice.

I parted my lips to say something but it was too late. A small sigh filled the now silent room as I stood up from my seat, collecting together my things. I knew exactly what I was going to need to do in order to make this escape work. Without giving myself so much as a second to rethink the actions that were to come next, I moved off to do them. My first stop was going to be the science lab, then the guard post, then my room. On my way to each of these places my mind was busy formulating some kind of plan I could propose to Danny that might work. The whole escape seemed doomed to failure but a part of me felt like it could be done. If anyone could do it, he could.

----

There was a knock at Danny's cell door before the lock clicked and the door opened slightly. Without a word I slipped into his room and closed it again behind me, making sure that no-one had noticed me. I knew he was going to be surprised to see me in his cell, something that had only happened a handful of times throughout my time working at the facility, but there was no time for formalities.
"Come on, we have to go now." I spoke in a rushed voice while glancing around his room for some kind of camera. When I didn't see one I almost sighed in relief.
"I have a plan but you're probably not going to like it... regardless of how you feel though, it's the only way you'll be getting out of this facility in one piece. " I added the last part of my sentence on with a firm nod.
My hand reached into my coat and I drew out the service pistol I had been issued by the military and I had brought with me to this facility. Up until now it had remained in my room untouched but now that I needed it, I was glad I had brought it. I held the weapon out towards him.
"You're going to take me hostage. I'll be your ticket to the elevators up to the surface. The guards won't fire at you so long as you have me."


ooc: Hey man, I understand fully! Don't worry about it. I've got most of my exams next week with the exception of one this Friday that shouldn't be too bad.
Welcome back though!

ooc - Thank you and good luck on your exams!

bic - Danny sat in his room, the minutes that seemed to take forever past by even slower. This was a moment his life would change forever. No more abuse or deprivation of freedom. Tonight was the night Danny would fight back! Occasionally he would freeze with fear at the thoughts of tonight, but his will proved to be stronger as he got past those feelings. Of course, the worse strike of fear is when Danny's door opened and Vio walked him. In that split second Danny had thought the scientist might have somehow discovered his plan and came to put a stop to it. It went away quickly when he realized it was Vio, but still. "Ha, Vio. I didn't expect you to-" he was cut off by Vio's request, or rather demand to leave now.
Danny was surprised by the nature Vio had taken, but he remained silent as he spoke, aware of the fact that Danny needed Vio to make it out alive. What he was asking though disturbed Danny. "No! Vio, what if I harm you? What if-" again, Vio spoke as to why Danny needed to, and Danny couldn't argue with him. He sighed and grabbed the gun (the first time he had ever held one). "Fine," he said quietly, starring at the thing in front of him. "But," he added quickly. "Only when I need to." His voice was serious. The thought of accidentally hurting Vio frightened him, but Vio had trust in Danny, so Danny tried to as well.

Danny walked up to Vio and gently pushed him in front of himself. One hand rested on Vio's shoulder, while the other held the gun. Opening the door, Danny looked out to see the corridor empty. "Okay," he whispered quietly. "Lead the way." Slowly, the two of them walked through corridors, one after the other. Danny was surprised how quiet the placed seemed. He never realized how different it felt know that he had power however fake it make be. A few corridors in, however, the pair turned to see not one or two guards, but what looked to be like a little army in the small passage. They raised their gun. "STOP!" Danny's voice rang out as his hand quickly raised to Vio's forehead. "Move and I kill him. I'll be able to pull the trigger faster than any of you will and you bastards all know that, so put the guns down and no one gets hurt." There was a hesitation in the movements. "NOW!"

Danny may have been hesitant at first, uneasy with the thought of having to hold me hostage with a weapon that could potentially end my life with a squeeze of the trigger, but he realized that I was right. There was no way that he was going to be able to get out of the facility without some kind of an advantage and I was the perfect thing. A high-ranking scientist who was critical to whatever mission it was they were trying to achieve at this facility. No-one would dare risk my life just to stop one crazy patient so long as I was released.
"I trust you Danny, I know you'd never hurt me on purpose." I said with a smile as he took the weapon from me and then moved with me towards the door. Not for a moment did I feel uneasy giving him a gun. Unlike the rest of the staff I knew who this man was and I knew that he had a heart of shining gold.
We slipped out into the empty hallway before beginning on our journey towards the elevators which were a few corridors away. Not very far but far enough for a lot to happen. Which unfortunately it did after a few minutes of absolute silence. For a second I had actually thought we were going to get out without a hitch.

The group of guards immediately drew their weapons but the moment they saw that Danny had me at gunpoint, they hesitated. Escape attempts was something they had trained for however a hostage situation was not on their list of specialties. Especially not when the person being held hostage was their superior thrice over. To add to the image I looked at them pleadingly as if I truly was a victim in all of this mess.
"He jumped me..I'm not sure where he got the gun from. Don't shoot!" I cried and very quickly the guards lowered their weapons if only to waist-level. It was more than enough of a sign that they weren't going to do anything stupid.
"Take a left at the corner..it'll lead us right to the elevators. Now that our covers blown, we're going to need to hurry" I murmured to Danny while keeping the frightened expression on my face. Everything was happening quickly but at the same time the plan was working out perfectly. Our fail-safe had kept the both of us from being blown to pieces.

ooc: Haha thanks man, I'm really going to need it.

"Shut up!" Danny yelled at Vio as he pleaded to the guards, this time pushing the gun against Vio's head. Like they were hoping, the guards slowly lowered their weapons (not completely, but enough). Danny smiled. "Not so tough when the shoe is on the other foot, are we?" Danny chuckled as they slowly moved forward. "I'm getting out of this hellhole and I'm taking this man with me." Their pace remained the same as they walked towards the guards. "Attempt to attack us, and I will make sure his life ends. I've got nothing to loss, you all made sure of that, so unless someone want to be cleaning up brains, drop you weapons." Danny stop as the intersection of corridors. Danny cocked the gun. "I said! Drop. Your. Weapons!" The guards let go of the guns, looking at each other unsure of what to do.
Danny quickly looked to his left, seeing the elevator doors, smiling in his head, and looked back to the guards. "If I never see one of you again, it'll be too soon."

Danny turned his back to the elevator and started walking back slowly, his would occasionally squeeze Vio's shoulder to make him wince, but otherwise Danny didn't even dare to hurt Vio. The walk to the elevator was nerve racking. If their plan didn't work here, this was the end of the story. After a while some guards moved from their original position to see Danny again, make sure Vio was alright, but otherwise they didn't really move. "Open the elevator!" Danny demanded of Vio. Vio stumbled a bit. "Hurry up!" his voice echoed throughout the corridor.

When the guards followed Danny's ever order I knew I had made the right decision in letting him take me hostage. Not only was it going to get us to the surface but once we got there, it was hopefully going to get us through the front gates. But those were worries for once we actually made it to the elevators which were at the end of the hallway.
The gun was firmly pressed against my head as he continued to shout orders at the guards all while backing towards our escape with every passing second. The guards didn't seem to want to run the risk of testing to see whether Danny was bluffing so they remained where they were with their guns down.
That gave us enough time to get to the elevators where Danny ordered me to open them.
I moved quickly to slide my ID card through the slot and the door opened in front of us into the futuristic looking box.
I let him guide me inside before typing in a code that would send us up to the surface without stopping at any other floor on the way. There was a soft hissing sound as the doors came to hide the view of the guards.

As soon as the elevator doors closed I let out a deep sigh and I closed my eyes for a moment. My heart was racing in my chest as I tried to get over the fact that we had actually made it this far. We were more than halfway to our destination which was the forest surrounding the facility. Although they had numbers on their side, we had speed as well as the will to get away. Not only that but I knew exactly where we were going after we got past the gates.
"You're scary Danny.." I said playfully with a bit of a smile as I looked up at my partner in crime. There was no going back now.
The elevator began to climb up on its way towards the surface and in that time I tried to figure out what route we were going to take once we got up there. There was another guard post that separated us from freedom but so long as they were as cooperative as the guards we had just met, we were going to be fine.
"Once the door opens, go straight through the lobby. There will be guards but do what you just did..we should be fine."

Danny's world went silent as he walked into the elevator and watched as the doors closed. He couldn't believe what he was doing and how close they were. Now that freedom was so close, nerves really got to Danny. As the doors closed Danny dropped his arms, the only thing he heard was the beating of his heart in his ears. The silver box rose and Danny blinked a couple of times to focus. He turned his head to Vio who had just spoke, though he wasn't quite sure what was just said, Danny simply nodded his head quickly, gulped, and turned back to face the elevator doors. "Straight through the lobby," he repeated to himself. "I can do that," he chuckled a bit due to the nerves. The elevator slowed to a stop, and in the brieft second before the doors opened, Danny's world stopped. Here we go, he thought to himself.

The doors opened and Danny was shocked to see so many guards standing about ten feet away, guns at the ready. The delayed reaction had left a window of opprrtunity for the guards, for when he went to hold the gun up to Vio's head, he realized that Vio had already been taken away from Danny. He stood there, blinked, then pointed his gun at guards. "Lower your weapon son," a voice called out as Danny glanced around for the source. "You've done enough damage as it is, just come quietly and we'll sort everything else, yeah?" A man walked out of the crowd. It was no one he recognized, but he obviously seemed important. "No," Danny responded, looking around. "I'm leaving this place and I'm taking Vio with me." The man chuckled at Danny's defiance. "Look son, we don't want any trouble. Drop your weapon, and we'll return you to your room."
"NO!" Danny screamed, his hands shaking slightly. "I'm leaving!"
"I don't think you understand. No one leaves this place."

Before the man could continue, the sound of gunfire ensure. The first bullet came from Danny, which missed everyone and hit the ceiling close to a vent, then next couple where from the guards. Only a couple fired and only once hit Danny. It hit his left arm and left a cut from where the bullet made contact before ending at the elevator wall. This man Damny wince by the man made the guards stop, his voice clearly more irritated now. "Daniel stop this! Quit this foolish act and your punishment will be minimal."
"I'm not going back!" Danny repeated, this time, placing his back against a elevator wall which provided some protecting. "I'm giving you one last chance Daniel," he spoke as Danny looked around the corner. "One." He noticed the piping running along the ceiling. "Two." Danny held his gun in a firm grip, sweating a bit. "... Three." Danny turned the corner and fired three shots on the vents which sent steam into the room. The facilty pumped in dry air where the tedt subjects rested and the moisture from the air which they took out had to go somewhere, Danny was just lucky it ran through this room.

The moment the door opened a thousand things happened at once. The doors revealed what was a small squadron of guards all lined up ready to stop us from getting through the lobby. Although I had known they were going to be ready the moment we were discovered in the lower level, they had gotten ready much faster than I could have anticipated. So ready in fact that before Danny could have reacted to their appearance, I was roughly grabbed by someone who had hidden themselves just around the corner from the entrance of the elevator. As much as I wanted to cry out to warn him I knew that it would give me away as having helped him escape in the first place. So I merely kept my mouth shut and watched the confrontation between the man and the escaped subject.

At one moment the guards opened fire and the room was filled with the deafening sound of gunfire. Although many of the rounds missed one did strike him in the arm. I almost gasped out but I knew better than to react. How was I supposed to just stand by and do nothing while he was being shot at? Somehow I managed to though by closing my eyes. Soon they stopped firing and ordered Danny to drop his weapon before things got even worse.
With determination that only he could have had, he defied them yet again. Just as they began to open fire for a second time he made a mad dash for the nearest corridor. Hitting a pipe with the last of his rounds as he disappeared. The pipes filled the room with cold steam that stung against the skin.

In the split second of confusion I crept away from where the guard had taken me to 'safety' and grabbed a bottle of water from one of the tables. After slipping it into the pocket of my coat I tried to slip into one of the other corridors but I was caught by the man who had spoken to Danny first. I had not spoken to the man in a very long time but he did not look very happy to see me.
"Doctor..I've been given reason to believe that you've been helping Daniel " The man spoke as he looked down at me with a stern gaze.
"Well you're wrong!" I replied to which he narrowed his gaze before he turned to speak to the guards.
"Go after him" He ordered simply before walking away from me.

Without saying anything else I slipped into the corridor and raced to find a way to meet up with Danny. Having been through this building quite a few times I knew exactly where he was going to end up with the route he had taken and I moved to intercept him. It took me a moment to remember but once I had taken another turn I reached the intersection that he was going to reach.
The moment I saw him I waved for him to follow me before quickly taking off back down the hallway. The guards would have been directly behind him so I didn't want them to spot me helping him.
"We're going to have to improvise!" I called over my shoulder before ducking into one of the offices. The moment he followed me inside I closed the door and leaned against it, my heart racing in my chest, listening closely to the sound of the guards passing.
Once they had I let out a slow breath.

The sound of footsteps chasing after Danny made him quicken is pace. Occasionally he stumbled a few times and occasionally there would be gun fire, but Danny never felt anything nor did he ever get caught by them. Danny had no idea where he was headed, or why he had run. The steam that was filling the lobby could have been used to bend, but the risk of injuring Vio had made him doubt himself. Maybe that is why he ran. He wasn't quite sure, his body was running on autopilot and his brain had one thing on his mind currently: run. It wasn't until he almost ran into Vio that he stopped to think about what had just happened. Of course, there wasn't any time too and Danny just ended up following Vio (though staying behind to be out of view from him). In actuality, Danny didn't even see Vio after that, but rather followed his scent before being pulled into a room with him. Danny leaned against the wall and wiped his forehead as he panted.

"What just happened Vio? One second you where there, then you were... and, and, and the guns, I don't..." words fell out of his mouth in no real order, just this thoughts trying to have a voice. Danny ran a hand through his hair. "I shouldn't have even ran because there was water in the lobby! The steam, I could have bended, but now I don't have a gun or water. How are we getting out of here Vio? I don't want you getting hurt because of me." He paused and stood up, his breath regained (having not really been lost) and walked around the room. "If we can get back to the lobby, we can leave." He paused quickly. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Danny walked closer to him, the leaned against the door, listening to both Vio and the commotion outside the room.

It seemed like the guards had passed without so much as thinking to look in the different rooms. There was now an alarm going off that filled the air, making it impossible for them to hear our voices even if they did happen to pass the door. In a way the alarm saved us. But at the same time it meant that everyone in the base was going to be on the lookout for Danny. I took a few slow breaths before closing my eyes to think.
He spoke to me but his sentences were broken with the adrenaline that was most definitely rushing through his body. I waited for him to calm down just a little bit before I explained what our next step was going to be.

"I know a faster way to get out of here.. " I murmured with a small smile as I made my way to the other side of the office, placing my hand against the wall. There were no windows but I knew more or less exactly where we were in relation to the outside. The reason I had ducked into this room was because it was a room I was familiar with, having met with a number of the scientists on more than one occasion. I blinked before turning my head towards Danny, drawing the bottle of water out of my pocket.
"You're going to need to bend this water and break through this wall..I don't know if you can, but if you did, we'd be able to make a break for the nearest wall. If you could make it quiet then we'd have an even better chance of slipping away unnoticed" I handed him the bottle before reaching into my jacket to where I was still wearing the shoulder holster.
"Could I have my gun back? Unlike you, I can't defend myself with water." I smiled as I said this even though I knew the chances of us escaping had just fallen drastically. I knew that Danny was going to be able to get through the wall but after that everything was up in the air.

The sound of the alarm had made Danny move from the door and turn to Vio. He blinked a couple of times before nodding. "Yeah... I can try," he said and walked over to the wall Vio was talking about. "I don't know how quiet it can be," he said, placing his ear and taping the wall. "This is concrete, so it's fairly strong, but the alarms should cover a lot of the sounds, especially since we'll be outside." He turned back around to see Vio put a litre of water on the desk. It wasn't the most water, but it was better than a small bottle. Pushed the desk that was in his way to block the door, then unscrewed the lid. "Stand back. I don't want you getting hurt," he smiled quickly to her as he took a couple steps towards the wall again. "Oh," he added, handing Vio back his gun. "Almost forget."

He raised his hand, allowing some water to raise from the bottle. He twisted his wrist a couple of times before the water floated over to the wall. Then Danny quickly brought his arm down, his shoulder joining the motion before he spun back into a standing position. The water had made a large gash on the wall. Danny had done this a couple of times more before placing the water back into the bottle. The concrete wall was left with a number of intersecting gashes, large enough to fairly weaken the brick. "Here goes nothing," he said, taking a few steps back. "Grab the water on the way out, and don't worry about screwing the lib back." Before Vio could respond, Danny ran towards the wall, moving quickly and powerfully he charged the wall, tackling it with his shoulder. With the gashes having weakened the wall, the brick torn open, Danny strong enough to charge through it but sending him tumbling to the ground outside.

Danny seemed a little bit hesitant at first but after a moment his confidence returned and once again I found myself looking into the eyes of a man who was determined to get his freedom no matter what. The look in his eye sent a little flutter through me. I wasn't sure what the sensation was but I knew that this wasn't the time to think about how attractive his determination was. So I quickly shook the thought out of my head while taking my weapon from him, reloading it quickly as he readied himself to break through the wall with the water I had provided him. My eyes followed his every movement as his body twisted and his hands smoothly guided the water.
It crashed into the wall leaving huge cracks behind. I almost jumped. For a moment, with how uncertain he had been at first, I didn't think anything was going to happen! After the cracks appeared though I knew we were going to be getting out.
Nodding my head in response to his words I grabbed the now full bottle from the desk and readied myself for the dash we were going to make over open ground. He charged the weakened wall and crashed right through it with me on his heels.

As Danny hit the ground I moved to pick him up as best I could with one arm while pointing towards the wall nearest to us, about 30 yards away from the hole we had just made. It was a plain concrete wall that, thankfully, did not have barbed wire or spikes on the top of it. Probably because the top part of the facility was not meant to look like anything special for the outside viewer.
"Run for it!" I shouted while making for it as well. "Just jump it!" I added as we closed the distance. For the first few yards we were unseen but suddenly someone spotted us and they called for help. That gave us about a minute to get over the wall and into the safety of the tree line beyond.
Unfortunately I had not even noticed the guard tower further down the wall. It was little more than a raised platform but there was someone posted there with an automatic weapon who's attention had been drawn by the shouting.

I made it to the wall and using the training I had received in the military I jumped up and grabbed the top, pulling myself over it quickly. I knew Danny was going to be right behind me so I continued towards the trees. It was at that moment the guard opened fire.
The ground around me started to fly up in plumes of dust where the stray rounds hit but I did not feel any of them strike me so I just kept running.
As soon as I reached the safety of the trees I turned to look for Danny, hoping he would be right there with me so we could keep running.

Danny felt Vio's arm try to pull him up, so he scrambled to his feet to run after him. It was night outside, and there wasn't a lot of movement, not considering what was happening. It didn't last long however as the shouts from guards behind the two voiced their whereabouts and charged after them, bullets hitting the ground as they ran. Danny threw his hands up to "protect" himself from the bullets, thought naturally it didn't do anything. As they approached the wall, Danny slowed, looking up to see how tall it actually was. It didn't last long however as dust and dirt exploded around Danny from the bullets from the guard tower. Danny screamed as he felt a bullet from the guards land in his right torso. "Quick! He's over here!" Someone shouted. He turned to bend some water to give him some protection, but had realised that Vio had taken the bottle with him. He shouted at his disadvantage, though his shout almost turned into a howl.

From the adreniline to his life on the line, Danny had slightly begin to shift into a wolf. He grew a bit taller and wider, fur over his arms and legs, and claws where his nails where. "Someone stop him, quick!" Another voice. A bullet lodged itself in Danny's right shoulder, then his left calf. Another yell (though it sounded rough with the partial change to his vocal chords). Instead of charging the people, Danny used to the dust coverage to charge the wall, jumping partially on it, using his claws to dig in the wall, then throwing himself over falling to a hump on the ground on the other side of the wall. Danny couldn't see where Vio was, but could smell and him and ran towards that direction. Despite the wounds he took from the guns, his adrenaline and will forced him to continue, and he ran, ran faster than he had at any point in the facility. He soon caught up with Vio who he had roughly picked up and threw over his shoulder. The two ran in the forest away from the gunshots, yelling, and alarms.

I could hardly hear anything over the gunfire and when I did hear something, I was much too afraid to look over my shoulder. Yes I was a trained soldier who had seen a very small amount of combat but this was nothing like the battle torn streets of Iraq. This was close and personal with only yards separating those shooting and me, who was being shot at. The adrenaline rushing through my veins was enough to make my mind focus solely on getting away from the potential danger. When I finally did reach what I knew was safety to look for Danny, I was immediately swept up in his arms and thrown onto his shoulder in one motion. I could do little more than hang on for dear life as he crashed through the underbrush at a speed that was inhuman. At first I was much too surprised to react but after about three minutes of him running at blinding speeds I noticed that the..fur..beneath my fingers was wet with blood. I blinked and then tried to look to see where it was coming from.
He had been hit not just once but a few times over. Immediately I turned my head so he would hear me.
"Slow down! Slow down! You're bleeding! " I cried as the sounds of the alarm, the shooting, and the guards shouted faded into a silence with the distance between us and the facility. The speed at which Danny had been running meant there was a good mile separating any kind of search party and the area we had gotten to.

When he finally did slow down I hopped off his shoulder and quickly moved to check out the different parts of his body where he had been shot. Nothing looked too life-threatening but the fact that he had been shot at all scared me. I didn't like the idea of him having gotten hurt during an escape that was mainly formed around my ideas.. I felt as though I had failed him.
"We need to stop the bleeding.." I muttered as I took my jacket off so I could tear some make-shift bandaging off the bottom half of it.
"Will your healing kick in?" I asked as I wrapped his calf, arm, and did my best to cover up the wound in his shoulder.

The sounds of gunfire and alarms was soon tuned out by tree branches breaking and the wind rushing past at speeds no human could match. Danny wasn't sure for how long he was running for, but it was eventually Vio who made him come to a stop. When he did, he almost fell over from exhaustion. Using his knees as support, Danny rested to catch his breath and regain some strength. He coughed a couple of times, and winced at the sensitivity of his wounds as Vio went over them. "It's okay Vio," Danny mutter as he slowly stood tall again. By the time Vio had ripped his jacket, Danny reverted back to a "normal" looking human, though his clothes were ripped a bit from the sudden growth. Danny could feel Vio covering his wounds, but stopped him. "Wait a second," he said as he rested against the tree. "I just need a second." None of the bullets remained in his body, save for the one in his shoulder which he tried to dig out.
Since it was the top of his shoulder, he could reach it, the pain however, caused him to wince and even cry out as he tried to pull it back out. After a couple of minutes, Danny was able to pull the bullet free and drop it on the ground. With the adrenaline in his system gone, he used the tree for support. He wasn't able to walk without limping, never mind run, but he still wished to press on. "Where do we move from here?" Danny asked, taking the water from the floor and drank the remaining water down. "And are you okay?"

Though he wasn't running on adrenaline any more, his mind was still racing, and he wasn't quite sure what to think or to plan ahead. He relied mostly on Vio for the "thinking" part. It was at this moment also what Vio had just done for Danny. He throw away his career and possibly his life as a military man for Danny, which was something no one had ever done for him before. The thought made him want to smile, but his was just too physically worn at the moment and he couldn't do much but lean against the tree and wait.

Danny watched me as I hurriedly tried to wrap up his wounds before he stopped me abruptly just as I was about to attempt the wound in his shoulder. He started to dig into the hole and I winced a little bit, lowering my gaze away from the sight. I was a scientist not a doctor.
When the bullet dropped to the ground in front of me I looked up at him and gave him a brief smile. It was amazing how brave he was being.. Of course, we had managed to get away after all..
The thought gave me a sense of joy as well as a jolt of fear. I was a fugitive now. I was going to be wanted for as long as I remained within the country. The thought scared me but I knew I had done the right thing. I was brought out of my thoughts by his voice asking whether I was okay.

"I'm...Fine." There was a short pause between the beginning and end of my sentence that ended with a lie. I quickly pulled my jacket back on and buttoned up the front, taking a moment to breathe deeply before I stood up to look around. I didn't really know where we were or how we were supposed to get out of the forest but I did know that if we kept going north, we were going to hit the nearest city which was exactly where I was intending for us to hide out.
"If we keep going this way.." I pointed with my arm in the direction I thought was North "We should get to a town more or less without any kind of trouble. Especially with the distance you put between us and them." I glanced over my shoulder the way we had come almost as if I expected to see a guard. There was no-one though. Nor were there any sounds other than the two of us breathing in the silence of the forest.
"Let's start moving" I whispered while offering Danny my arm in case he needed support. No matter how quick his healing was, there was no way he was going to be able to walk normally for at least a little while.
I was determined to help him as much as he would let me until we made a good amount of headway.

"Once we get to the town we're going to stay at the house I was assigned by the military.. The government wouldn't know where it is nor would they be able to track it down if they tried. It'd be like trying to track down someone in the witness protection program.." I explained as we made our way through the forest at a quick but careful pace. Every step brought us closer to safety and further away from those looking for us.
"It should only take us..till night fall..to get there." I explained while drawing deep breaths between my words. My step faltered a little bit but I managed to keep myself going without making it too obvious that I was struggling.
We needed to keep moving. With this thought in mind I kept my hand tightly held against my side and pushed on.
The last thing we needed was to stop.

Danny leaned against a tree, his breathing was heavy. Danny registered what Vio was saying, but he didn't look like he was really paying attention. His focus, or lack there of, was on everything around him. It wasn't until this moment that Danny had really stopped to feel his surroundings. He took a deep breath and looked around, and large grin on his face. The air seemed so much fresher, the colours that surrounded him were more vibrant than he remembered, and the feeling he had was different than anything he remembered or experienced in the prison That Danny understood as a tortue chamber. He head leaned against a tree and he closed his eyes, as to experience the outside world.
The expression on his face was one of a man ready to die happy. His focus returned to Vio, though his eyes remained closed. Before the two started moving, Danny noticed Vio's offer to help. "I'm okay," he smiled gratefully, but as he started to walk, his injured leg gave out and he partially fell. He rested on a knee for a second, before laughing and returning to his upright position using Vio for help. "I changed my mind." The two started walking.

Using Vio as support, it appeared as though the two, though injured, seemed to be making good time. Vio had promised Danny's freedom and now he had it! In a couple of hours they would reach a city or town and lay low for a bit. A few minutes in and Danny glanced at Vio, noticing the strain on his face. Normally he would have stopped and asked Vio was alright, but Danny simply understood it as him putting a bit too much weight on Vio, so he tried to take some off.
With Danny's mind racing about the future, he didn't seem to notice the present much, and more importantly the only human he had met in all the years in the facility. Obviously Danny didn't completely forget Vio's sacrifice. "We did it," he chuckled. "I mean, we actually forced our way through that hellhole and made it out alive. I thought we were going to die for sure. Thanks Vio," he turned to smile. "And once we make it to safety, we can start living our lives. You've done something amazing Vio, I don't know how I'll ever be able to pay you back. I literally owe my life to you." At this point, Danny had healed enough to walk on his own, though an obvious limp was still present.

As we began on what was probably going to be an hour or two of constant walking I couldn't help but notice the look on Danny's face once we got going. It was a strange look of..bliss was probably the best word to describe the emotion. A look that displayed just how happy he was to be outside of the facility he had been trapped in for so many years. Despite the injuries he had obtained while escaping, it was all made worth it by the fact that we had gotten away. The fact that we had gotten away alone was a feat itself. No-one had ever escaped from there up until now. The whole time I had worked there I had noted how tight security was on the entire place and had even caught myself wondering how difficult an escape would be for any of the subjects. My previous thought almost made me laugh now but I found that I needed to focus on moving forward while supporting the injured figure of Danny.
I was so focused on this, in fact, that I found myself snapping out of my thoughts by the sound of his voice and even then I only tuned in after he had been speaking for at least half a minute. I turned my head to listen to him with a smile.

He thanked me for everything that I had done and he expressed how excited he was to begin his life on the outside. There was little more I could do than smile quite happily while taking long and steady breaths between every other step. It seemed as though my body was becoming heavier with every passing yard.
"Pay me back? Heh.. Well you could hurry up in healing yourself because you're probably going to end up carrying me before we get to the nearest town." I replied to his statement with a small somewhat pained smile. I wished I was joking but I knew that I wasn't. I just hoped that my body would be able to hold out until we got close enough to where all we needed to do was find the way to our destination. At least then it wouldn't be too much of a chore for Danny.
"But don't worry about that just yet.. We should be more worried about them catching up at this point." I said though I knew there was only a small chance of that. With the head start we had, they would have to send people out on motorcycles to even come close to where we were.

Danny stopped for a second, an eyebrow raised as Vio. He looked over to see Vio holding his side and he was obviously trying to hide the pain he was having. "Vio! If you need I can carry you now. I'll be fine and I've already started to heal. I can help you if you want. I don't want us to get so close only to find out you could be in serious danger," he smiled wholeheartedly before offering out a hand and becoming support for Vio. It was, after all, the least he could do. After a while, the sun started to set a little and the walk got more interesting for Danny every minute. Even the sound of other creatures had excited Danny, but he true to focus on Vio, because he generally was interested in the man who had saved his life on more than one occasion.

"Vio...?" He started, looking at him, though continuing to walk. "What's going to happen to you now? You can't go back, right? So what going to happen? Did you trade your life for mine?" There was genuine concern in Danny's voice. The more he thought about how selfless Vio had been, the more he realized how negative Danny had just impacted his life. Walking with barely a limp now, Danny had grabbed Vio and picked him up, walking him Vio now in his arms. It was time Danny helped Vio, and even if it was something as small as this, Danny would be glad to help. A cool breeze made the hair on the back of Danny's head stand up, but his body warmth was more than enough to keep both him and Vio warm. Though unsure of how far the two actually were from the town, Danny continued to walk, excited to see what awaits him after this forest.

The very last thing I wanted to do was place a burden on Danny especially now that he was able to enjoy nature in a way he had long forgotten in his captivity. But when he noticed that I was holding my side, he offered me support I could not completely refuse. However instead of taking his hand I took his arm and walked close to him so that we could lean against each other, although his limping was getting better with every passing minute while mine was getting worse. Unfortunately I didn't have the same genetically mutation that allowed him to regenerate damaged tissue. Instead the patch of red on my white coat that had been easily hidden by my hand up until now, grew larger as more blood soaked into the cloth. This was bad. If we didn't get to the city soon I was going to collapse from exhaustion.
It seemed as though just at the moment this thought crossed my mind, he turned to pick me up.
It was sudden but welcome at the same time.

I parted my lips to protest but nothing came out as I was lifted up into the air as if I didn't weigh a thing. At first I wanted to ask him to put me down but after a second or two passed of not having to deal with the strain the walking had put on my injury, I found my resolve had faded completely. So instead of protesting I kept one hand firmly holding my side while the other reached across his chest to hold into his shoulder for support. Not so much because I was afraid he was going to drop me, no not at all, but rather because it helped me psychologically to know that he was in fact just fine. That despite the fact that my escape plan had gotten us both hurt, his powers had allowed him to heal.
"It shouldn't be too much farther now...Although I'm not sure where we're approaching the town from, I'll know exactly where to go once we get there." I said in a quiet voice while resting my head on his other shoulder. Danny was a free man now and that thought made me smile.
In the distance I noticed something I had been looking for as an indicator of where we were headed.
"Look there, through the trees, do you see that tower? That's where we're going.." As I spoke I pointed towards what looked to be a radio tower a good half a mile or so away. Just the top peeked through the leaves.

The gesture Vio taking Danny's offer made him smile. The two were equals and they would also share a give and take relationship. Danny was locked up so Vio would free him. Vio was unable to walk so Danny would carry him until he physically couldn't anymore (which could be for days). Vio started speaking about the last parts of his plan. The town, where it was about, and what they'd do once they got there. It was good to have so plan of action once they reached their destination. Vio also pointed out where it was that Danny had to travel. He nodded. Reaching the rail tower seemed easy enough. "Radio tower. Got it," he said, looking down to check Vio. "If you get cold, let me know," he said with a grin. The wall was then a little quiet for a bit as Danny could focus on his surroundings a lot. The trees all bunched together along with the orange and purple in the sky from the sunset. It was breath taking.

The red on Vio's jacket was hard to miss though, and it bothered Danny quiet a bit. "Vio? Are you, you know, okay? Is there something I can do? I know I'm not exactly Mr. Healing Hands, but maybe I can bandage it up to help stop the bleeding?" His concern of Vio was great and he was not going to drop the topic so easily. "I don't want you to hurt yourself for me. I'm not kidding." They walked for a bit, and Danny waited for an answered. They were rather close to the radio tower at this point, which meant they couldn't be too far from the town. The reoccurring thought of freedom that now rapidly popped into his mind made him smile. They did it.

The concern I could hear in Danny's voice was quite endearing. He was genuinely concerned for my wellbeing despite the fact that he was the one who had been injured most out of the two of us. The feeling of being worried over was..interesting to say the very least. It had been years since the last time I felt like someone cared about my wellbeing over the status of my work or where I was with one of my experiments.
A real personal kind of care. The thought was enough to make a secret kind of smile play on the corners of my lips while I focused on staying conscious. Not that it was much of a struggle at this point but I knew that if I wasn't careful, the combination of the warmth and the light-headedness would drift me off to sleep quite easily.

When he spoke I turned my head to look at him for a moment before turning my gaze down to my side, where I moved my hand away from the red patch, feeling the blood that was now smeared on my fingers.
"I should be fine until we get to the town. Once there I should be able to patch myself up..or you might have to, depending on how bad it is. If it were really bad though I wouldn't be speaking to you right now though." I added the last comment with a bit of a smile as I closed my eyes for a moment or two. It was surprising how warm he was now that I was held in his arms. Or maybe not..seeing as he had the genetics of a werewolf embedded into his DNA. Just like a wolf or other member of the canine family, their bodies could emanate incredible amounts of warmth to survive extreme conditions.
"Look! There are some of the houses!" I said with a hint of excitement in my voice as I pointed towards what looked to be the end of the tree line and a line of houses just beyond it. By the looks of things we were entering the city on the residential side which was an area easy to get through unnoticed.