Chapter 1: Similarity
Cyrus sighed, looking around the bleak living quarters he'd been dragged to. There was a bed, a set of fluorescent lights, and a TV. Nothing else to keep him occupied. He walked into the bathroom and jumped when he looked in the mirror. He pulled his hands into fists. He suddenly wanted to punch the glass, make the image of the new him go away. He hated the new him with every fiber in his body. Suppressing his sudden flash of hatred, he walked back and flopped on the bed, then immediately regretted it. There was something made of metal hidden under the covers, and as Cyrus pulled them away, he saw what it was.
A computer.
"Maybe this will be easier than I'd hoped." He muttered. Wondering who'd left it there and why, he turned it on. Distantly, he hoped Nick was okay.
~~
Nick was, in fact, not okay. He was being held by the scruff of his neck as a man ran a scanner over his body as he'd seen before in the dilapidated building.
"Is he green?" A man asked. He wore military uniform and looked about twenty years old, with jet-black hair and a nasty looking scar over his left eye.
"He checks out." The man with the scanner said, handing Nick over to the uniformed man.
"Well well." The uniformed man said. A Colonel from what Nick could see on his ID. "Guess we've got two supers on our hands now."
"Only if it deems him acceptable." The first man warned.
"Then let's find out if it does." The Colonel said. "C'mon, kid."
"Eighteen doesn't qualify as a kid..." Nick muttered bitterly.
"I don't much care." the Colonel countered, his voice icy.
Nick was led down a short series of corridors to a nearly empty room. In the middle of the room was an orb. Not the brilliant orb Cyrus had described, though. Instead, this one seemed segmented and glowed a faint, sickly gray. In the middle of it was a crack, as if it'd fallen from some height.
A gun barrel pressed against Nick's back, prodding him forward. "Go ahead." The Colonel said from behind Nick. "It won't bite."
Nick swallowed and, against his better judgment, touched the rough-looking orb.
Immediately the sensation of being burned alive shot through Nick, only to be replaced by the feeling of freezing, and then extreme heat again. His skin began to flake off like a bad sunburn, revealing dark orange scales underneath with dark tan scales on his face. His hair turned from it's normal brown to pure black, and grew much longer. his eyes turned from nearly black to aqua blue, in contrast to Cyrus' aqua green. His eyes were also now slitted, although it took close inspection to reveal such. In addition, a pair of short, white horns grew at the peak of his skull. His face elongated into a snout, his nose seeming to meld into his snout and leaving only the nostrils behind, which had become slitted and faced away from each other. His eyes also moved a short distance apart to accommodate his warped skull. His knees buckled from the pain and he fell to a kneeling position as he grew a long, spiked tail and sharp claws on each digit of his hands and feet. His toes seemed to melt away, then grow back, three in front and one in back. As suddenly as it'd begun, it was then over.
Nick didn't dare move, for the fear that he'd fall over if he did. Every bone ached, every muscle screamed at him, demanding to know why they've been so mistreated. He sat there, panting, sweating, and shivering, until the Colonel picked him up by the hair. The Colonel certainly seemed stronger than his lithe frame suggested.
"Let my hair go..." Nick muttered, his face contorted in pain. "It hurts enough already..."
Surprisingly, the Colonel complied. He shifted his grip and grabbed the back of Nick's shirt instead. "Sorry." He said, and he sounded sincere for once. "I'm gonna take you to Cyrus' quarters now." He said, all business and snark again. "You'll be sharing a room."
Nick breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I thought I was gonna have to fight through some goons to get to him, or you'd put me in iso or something." He said, the pain finally starting to subside.
"You aren't that big of a threat, scaly." The Colonel said darkly. "I could take you one on one. Two on one, even, if your furry friend decides to play any cute tricks. Remember that."
Nick gulped. "Yes, sir." He croaked.
"Not sir." The Colonel corrected. "Raven. Colonel Raven."
Nick nodded. "Yes, Colonel Raven."
"That's better." Raven said approvingly. "Now, let's go find your roommate."
~~
At the sound of footsteps, Cyrus panicked and quickly hid the computer, making it look like he'd just gotten out of bed instead. A man with a scar on his face and black hair opened the door and shoved in an orange, scaly looking guy, then shut the door without a word.
"What are you supposed to be?" Cyrus asked scornfully. "Random roommate?" He scoffed, then noticed the lizard's clothes, and his breath caught. "No way." He said, anger creeping into his voice.
"Nick slowly got up, not bothering to move his long hair out of his eyes. "Unfortunately, yes way." He muttered.
"Dammit!" Cyrus yelled, smashing his hand on the wall and putting a small crack in it.
"What do we do now?" Nick said in a defeated tone.
"We wait, I guess..." Cyrus said, trying to bury his rage.
"Wait for WHAT?!" Nick shouted, his eyes seething beneath their hairy veil. "We're stuck and you know it! We're probably going to die in here!"
"Shut up!" Cyrus yelled back. "We'll find a way."
"How?" Nick said, back to that defeated tone.
"I don't know." Cyrus admitted. "But we have this." He moved the covers of the bed, showing the computer to Nick. "I say we play along until we know enough to get word out. Barring that, we can always run, being superhuman and all."
"You make it sound so easy..." Nick murmured.
"You wish." Cyrus said with a smirk. "Anyway, we should sleep. The bed folds out so it's big enough for two." He demonstrated that, setting up the barrier between the double beds as well. "Pleasant dreams." He said, curling up under the covers after shoving the computer aside.
Nick sighed and took off his clothes down to his boxers, then climbed in the other side of the bed. Cyrus clapped his hands twice, and the lights went out.
A computer.
"Maybe this will be easier than I'd hoped." He muttered. Wondering who'd left it there and why, he turned it on. Distantly, he hoped Nick was okay.
~~
Nick was, in fact, not okay. He was being held by the scruff of his neck as a man ran a scanner over his body as he'd seen before in the dilapidated building.
"Is he green?" A man asked. He wore military uniform and looked about twenty years old, with jet-black hair and a nasty looking scar over his left eye.
"He checks out." The man with the scanner said, handing Nick over to the uniformed man.
"Well well." The uniformed man said. A Colonel from what Nick could see on his ID. "Guess we've got two supers on our hands now."
"Only if it deems him acceptable." The first man warned.
"Then let's find out if it does." The Colonel said. "C'mon, kid."
"Eighteen doesn't qualify as a kid..." Nick muttered bitterly.
"I don't much care." the Colonel countered, his voice icy.
Nick was led down a short series of corridors to a nearly empty room. In the middle of the room was an orb. Not the brilliant orb Cyrus had described, though. Instead, this one seemed segmented and glowed a faint, sickly gray. In the middle of it was a crack, as if it'd fallen from some height.
A gun barrel pressed against Nick's back, prodding him forward. "Go ahead." The Colonel said from behind Nick. "It won't bite."
Nick swallowed and, against his better judgment, touched the rough-looking orb.
Immediately the sensation of being burned alive shot through Nick, only to be replaced by the feeling of freezing, and then extreme heat again. His skin began to flake off like a bad sunburn, revealing dark orange scales underneath with dark tan scales on his face. His hair turned from it's normal brown to pure black, and grew much longer. his eyes turned from nearly black to aqua blue, in contrast to Cyrus' aqua green. His eyes were also now slitted, although it took close inspection to reveal such. In addition, a pair of short, white horns grew at the peak of his skull. His face elongated into a snout, his nose seeming to meld into his snout and leaving only the nostrils behind, which had become slitted and faced away from each other. His eyes also moved a short distance apart to accommodate his warped skull. His knees buckled from the pain and he fell to a kneeling position as he grew a long, spiked tail and sharp claws on each digit of his hands and feet. His toes seemed to melt away, then grow back, three in front and one in back. As suddenly as it'd begun, it was then over.
Nick didn't dare move, for the fear that he'd fall over if he did. Every bone ached, every muscle screamed at him, demanding to know why they've been so mistreated. He sat there, panting, sweating, and shivering, until the Colonel picked him up by the hair. The Colonel certainly seemed stronger than his lithe frame suggested.
"Let my hair go..." Nick muttered, his face contorted in pain. "It hurts enough already..."
Surprisingly, the Colonel complied. He shifted his grip and grabbed the back of Nick's shirt instead. "Sorry." He said, and he sounded sincere for once. "I'm gonna take you to Cyrus' quarters now." He said, all business and snark again. "You'll be sharing a room."
Nick breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I thought I was gonna have to fight through some goons to get to him, or you'd put me in iso or something." He said, the pain finally starting to subside.
"You aren't that big of a threat, scaly." The Colonel said darkly. "I could take you one on one. Two on one, even, if your furry friend decides to play any cute tricks. Remember that."
Nick gulped. "Yes, sir." He croaked.
"Not sir." The Colonel corrected. "Raven. Colonel Raven."
Nick nodded. "Yes, Colonel Raven."
"That's better." Raven said approvingly. "Now, let's go find your roommate."
~~
At the sound of footsteps, Cyrus panicked and quickly hid the computer, making it look like he'd just gotten out of bed instead. A man with a scar on his face and black hair opened the door and shoved in an orange, scaly looking guy, then shut the door without a word.
"What are you supposed to be?" Cyrus asked scornfully. "Random roommate?" He scoffed, then noticed the lizard's clothes, and his breath caught. "No way." He said, anger creeping into his voice.
"Nick slowly got up, not bothering to move his long hair out of his eyes. "Unfortunately, yes way." He muttered.
"Dammit!" Cyrus yelled, smashing his hand on the wall and putting a small crack in it.
"What do we do now?" Nick said in a defeated tone.
"We wait, I guess..." Cyrus said, trying to bury his rage.
"Wait for WHAT?!" Nick shouted, his eyes seething beneath their hairy veil. "We're stuck and you know it! We're probably going to die in here!"
"Shut up!" Cyrus yelled back. "We'll find a way."
"How?" Nick said, back to that defeated tone.
"I don't know." Cyrus admitted. "But we have this." He moved the covers of the bed, showing the computer to Nick. "I say we play along until we know enough to get word out. Barring that, we can always run, being superhuman and all."
"You make it sound so easy..." Nick murmured.
"You wish." Cyrus said with a smirk. "Anyway, we should sleep. The bed folds out so it's big enough for two." He demonstrated that, setting up the barrier between the double beds as well. "Pleasant dreams." He said, curling up under the covers after shoving the computer aside.
Nick sighed and took off his clothes down to his boxers, then climbed in the other side of the bed. Cyrus clapped his hands twice, and the lights went out.
