Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
The soft hum of cooling fans and the clacking of keys were the only sound in the small and dimly lit room. A CCTV feed trained on a small kennel displayed on a screen in the far corner. The villain glanced over at the first sign of movement.
Their patient was waking up, but they would have to wait. The villain was on the verge of a discovery.
Their patient's blood had been genetically modified. Expertly, gorgeously. Though the effects seemed to be leveling out over time, their muscular growth was abnormally rapid. Any small injuries showed accelerated healing.
The growth affected their larynx, unfortunately. Given the patient was able to preserve a certain level of cognition, other organs adjusted appropriately...
Loss of speech was a... Strange side effect.
The bones and muscles were proportionately mutated, practically symmetrical. Organs matched the rapid growth of the body. Their patient grew into a theoretically sustainable form. The fact that they survived at all was a miracle.
Their patient might not be so lucky if they attempt to revert back.
Whoever was responsible did not stop at one. The mutation was much too precise and refined. This was a team and decades of research. Money.
So, who had the resources for this kind of human experimentation?
The MRI offered something of a clue. A small device, implanted at the base of the patient's skull. Whoever set this transformation into motion expected the patient to roam free. The villain extracted the device too late, well over 24 hours. It was active.
Someone would come to collect their experiment soon.
The villain best prepare for their guest.
-
The hero paced the kennel with growing panic. They had misjudged the villain's capacity for harm, clearly. They kept running their hands along the stitches on the back of their head.
Breath in. Breath out.
They needed a plan of escape.
The floor and walls were solid concrete. Thick iron bars reenforced the door. There was a small gap between the door and floor. A much larger gap between the iron bars and the ceiling. Not large enough to squeeze through.
The first rule of imprisonment, find your captor's motive. Their eyes flicked to the CCTV trained on their kennel. There wasn't enough room to escape, but their inhumanly long claws could reach the camera.
They smiled devilishly. If their captor wanted to spy, they'd have to work for it. They climbed up the iron bars and reached for the small camera. Their claws clamped around the device, and they yanked.
Wiring crackled as the connections snapped.
They threw the camera on the concrete as hard as they could. Surprisingly sturdy.
Good.
They grabbed the camera and beat it against the ground, over and over, until it cracked into was a mess of circuitry and plastic. They imagined the villain's skull.
Shouting down the hall, followed by a loud THUD.
Silence.
The hero readied themselves to lunge, but they stopped short.
Their breath caught at the unexpected figure before them.
"Hero, it's me. I've come to save you."
The hero sobbed in relief.
Superhero.
AN// Thank you so much for reading and asking to be tagged @sausages-things @whump-till-ya-jump @jumpywhumpywriter @galaxysmask !!!
Part 1 Part 2
The henchmen dragged the hero out to the hall by their collar, snarling and snapping. They tried unsuccessfully to wrestle them onto a gurney, the hero's panic only matched by their raw fury. The villain watched on with a reverent fascination.
The hero glared with wild eyes as the villain calmly approached.
"Darling, you'd best behave." The villain reached to brush the hero's face. "I'd hate to muzzle such a gorgeous creature."
The hero growled in challenge.
"You want to be human again, don't you?"
An uncertain whine.
"Yes, that's right. I can help you if you stop fighting me."
This was a mistake. This was a huge mistake, the hero thought frantically. If the villain made them human, they would not let them go free.
Who else would help them, though? The Agency? Their understaffed, in-network hospital? They could be stuck like this the rest of their life. They had to trust that they would have a shot at escaping later.
The hero swallowed hard and laid back on the gurney.
"I thought so."
The henchmen exchanged glances and clamored to affix the straps. They pushed the gurney into a cold and sterile room. An exhaust fan whined in the corner. Surgical equipment laid out on a small table.
"Don't worry, darling, we're just running some tests today," the villain said, pulling out a small razor. They trimmed small patches of fur and grabbed a syringe.
The hero tried to pull away, but the straps were firm. They felt the telltale prick, and squeezed their eyes shut.
"Blood sample," the villain explained. They filled several vials.
The henchmen pulled up some kind of machine and stuck little wires all over the hero's arms and legs. The villain typed something into a laptop and the hero felt another prick.
"You'll tell me if you feel something, won't you, darling?"
A jolt shot through their arm. The hero yelped.
"Good. Very good."
Another prick. Jolt. The hero's eyes watered. This went on for a while.
"No discernible nerve damage," the villain said, very pleased. "Excellent response time."
They continued to poke and prod them for a while, looking at their teeth, shining a light in their eyes, feeling the pads of their palms.
"You're not claustrophobic, are you?"
The villain began wheeling them towards a narrow tube-shaped device. The hero began to struggle again.
The hero had been in vents and crawl spaces and tight corridors before. They'd encountered walls that closed in on them, been trapped in a sinking car, and once had to be cut out of a drainage pipe by a rescue team.
All these experiences did not do favors to their anxiety response. They began struggling despite themselves, the straps digging into their flesh.
There was a high beeping noise beside them. Their heartbeat was being monitored. When did that happen.
The villain stopped the gurney. "Sh, shhh-sh, hush now, you're safe."
The hero struggled, because no they certainly were not, half the times they were trapped in dangerous situations was thanks to the villain--
Another prick.
"Rest now," The villain said, petting them gently.
The hero awoke back in their kennel. They had no idea how much time had passed. They felt a pain in the back of their head.
Stitches.
What had villain done while they were out?
Part 4
AN// Thank you for reading and asking to be tagged @sausages-things and I hope you enjoyed! If anyone else would like to be added to the tag list, please let me know! (or if you want to be removed, please also don't hesitate to let me know!) I'm hoping to finish part 4 in the next couple of weeks!
Part 1
The hero awoke. Still disoriented, they stared at their hands.
Claws.
Last they knew... They had transformed into some kind of beast and taken refuge in the villain's warehouse. The villain then tranquilized them.
The room appeared to be some kind of kennel. Concrete floor and walls, and sturdy iron bars with a locked door. Something soft beneath them-- a bed and blanket. They rolled to stand. Something clinked, and they felt a pull on their neck. A collar chained to the concrete wall.
A beast chained to a wall.
Ironically, they were in the one place where being a beast was safer than their real form. If they managed to escape, they weren't safe outside--
Deep breaths.
They just needed to call--... Well, text someone the situation. Surely someone would come save them.
They reached down and felt only fur.
Only fur.
They couldn't focus. They couldn't breathe.
Even their breathing sounded monstrous--
Their thoughts were interrupted by the creak and scrape of the kennel door opening and closing. They scurried under a blanket.
Villain.
"Good morning, darling," the villain cooed. They were dressed head to toe in protective clothing. "How did you sleep?"
The hero grit their teeth. They wanted to demand to be let out, to scream for help. They wanted to proclaim they were a human, not some beast--
All that came out was a horrible yowl.
"Shh sh-shhh... Don't worry, I'm here now." They brushed the hero's face with their fingertips. "Are you hungry?"
The beast snapped.
"I'll take that as a yes," the villain chuckled. They pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Bring him in."
A horrible scream echoed through the corridor.
"What's going on? Where are you taking me? I'll make you regret this!!"
Two henchmen stopped at the door holding a writhing prisoner. They wrenched a bag off his head. His indignant cries became a small whimper.
"Meet my beloved new pet." The villain threw a hand around the prisoner's shoulder. "They haven't been fed recently. Do you know how hard it is to find good, fresh meat? Do you have any pets?"
"W-what is that thing," the man stammered.
I'm human, the hero wanted to scream. I'm human, and I can help you. They pulled hard against their chains, even as the man trembled in fright.
"Gorgeous," the villain said proudly. "And very hungry."
"Fine! I'll give you the codes! Anything! J-just get me away from that thing!"
That thing.
The hero shrank back.
That thing.
They retreated to the back of the cage.
That thing.
Tears sprang from their eyes. They tried to wipe them away with furry hands.
The villain seemed to notice their struggle, and that made it all the worse.
"Take the prisoner to the drawing room," the villain said. "I'll follow in a moment."
Both the prisoner and henchmen, eager to leave, clamored out of the room.
The villain turned to the beast before them.
The hero curled into a ball, hiding their tear-streaked face.
"What's wrong, darling?"
A small, plaintive whine. The hero shook in a futile effort to contain their sorrow. They hated themselves for crying in front of the villain.
The villain laid a gentle hand on their back.
"Look at me," the villain said.
The hero turned to them with haunted eyes.
"I'm sorry, darling. I can tell that upset you deeply." The villain softly stroked their fur. "The way he yelled at you. I'll make him regret those words. I promise."
The hero shook their head vigorously.
"No?"
The villain pet them absentmindedly, deep in thought.
"Wait... You can understand me, can't you?"
The beast hesitated. Nodded.
The villain looked a bit taken aback. "Oh. I see. Oh my. I thought-- well, can you speak?"
A yowl. The hero shook their head. They pulled at the fur on their arm.
"This form is... New?"
Nod.
"You're trapped in this form." The villain gave them a look of intrigue. "Oh. Oh my. What caused this? Do you know?"
The hero shook their head.
The villain clapped their hands. "Oh, oh, very exciting, very exciting." They patted the hero's back, who snarled indignantly. "We'll get to the bottom of this, you and I. This is fascinating."
The hero had a very, very bad feeling about this.
Part 3
The crowd screamed and ran at the sight of Hero's monstrous transformation. Hero roared, a pained and animalistic sound. Their shaking hands grew to long and sharp claws. Their teeth, jagged and pointed.
Hero cautiously approached a mirror mounted on the wall, terrified by what they might find. They recoiled at the beast that stared back.
They fled, out the doors and into the crowded streets. More people screamed. Someone threw a can, and they yelped. Shots rang out.
"The beast is getting away!" Someone cried.
They darted down an alleyway, and they kept running until they felt well and truly alone.
Or, so they thought.
"Ah, so you're the one they're after," said a voice in the shadows.
Hero bristled. They knew that voice.
"Oh. Oh my," Villain whispered reverently, stepping into the light. "You're marvelous."
"It went this way!" A voice cried.
"You're not safe here," Villain said. They threw open the doors to an abandoned warehouse. "Quick, inside."
Hero scrambled into the warehouse doors, up the wall and into the ceiling rafters.
The Villain shouted, "It went the other way!"
The angry voices receded, and Hero momentarily relaxed.
Villain closed the doors and all looked around. "Well, that's not ideal."
Hero shrank back into the shadows. Villain couldn't see them.
Villain ran to an intercom mounted near the doors.
"Listen up," Villain called over the intercom. "My pet is loose somewhere in this warehouse. Whoever brings them to me unharmed receives a little bonus."
Their lackeys sprung into action, running back and forth along rows of shelving and in and out of the various shipping containers littering the warehouse. A few ran into each other in their haste.
"Where did you go?" Villain muttered, scanning the ceiling.
They locked eyes with Hero, who bristled.
"They're on the ceiling nearest the compactor," Villain announced over the intercom.
Hero jumped down and scampered across the concrete flooring. Two lackeys tried to head them off, and they ran towards a set of stairs. Two more lackeys blocked their path, and they jumped off the stairs and darted over the shelving, toppling boxes in their wake.
"Boss, they're too fast!" One of the lackeys complained.
"Get the tranqs," Villain said.
Darts whizzed by as Hero tried to shake their pursuers. They cursed themselves for seeking asylum from a villain of all people.
They dove down to a set of doors and launched at them, but they wouldn't budge. They looked for some kind of lock or obstruction, but too late.
Something hit their shoulder. They tried to wrench it out, much too late.
They snarled as Villain approached them.
"Sorry, darling, but I can't have you tearing apart my warehouse," Villain said.
Hero realized they were laying down. They tried to get up, but they suddenly felt so, so weak. Villain knelt down and pet them gently, peering into their terrified eyes. They tried to nip at the Villain's hand, but that didn't seem to deter them.
"Rest now," Villain said.
Hero whined and went limp.
Part 2