“It’s the least I can do.” Alex mumbled right back, shoulders rising and falling in a stiff shrug. It really was the least he could do, in a literal sense; as much as he tended to share his own secrets, he wouldn’t even consider sharing someone else’s secret, especially when they were in a boat so similar to his own. The humor spurred a slight smile from him, even if it was brief. Of course he’d take gunfire for her, that was what friends did (and at this point, he had firmly decided they were friends, and that he’d die for her). Even without superhuman regeneration, he still would.
As she started to go over her tale, he fell silent, narrowing his eyes in a display of interest. He sense of age was somewhat skewed, but he knew 10 was a child, a fact furthered the angry ripple down his back as she explained. Soldiers–it was always damn soldiers. By soldiers or to make soldiers, if the Outbreaks had taught him anything. The ones he’d met hadn’t been emotionless, however; they were sadistic, they enjoyed the hunt and the kill, they didn’t care about innocent people. If he hadn’t been glad she was away from where she came from before (for whatever reason), he certainly was now.
He made a mental note to track down the people responsible for her. To make them pay, as he had made Gentek and Blackwatch pay.
He looked to her when she mentioned showing what she could do. Alex wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it wasn’t that, not even remotely. He watched the sparrow intensely, occasionally glancing back to her hand to watch her control it. And then it was gone, a puff of feathers at her command. And when she suggested she was continuing, the fraction of disappointment he felt at the sparrow’s vanishing was gone. He nudged closer, biting back a rumble of excitement when a tendril similar to his own formed. Words and pictures, and she could make things from them.
“…Woah.” It was all he could manage, at first; how did he verbalize his fe? “That’s…” Incredible? So similar but so different from what he could do? “…really cool.” He shifted tensely, averting his eyes–it was his turn.
Most of what he did was stolen faces and weapons. Maybe, if he pondered long enough, he could do something… tamer. Alex outstretched an arm, digging through the thousands of memories in his mind to pick out the one nonhuman he had ever consumed. Tendrils rippled across his body, working immediately; the leather sleeve became sleek black feathers in a moment’s notice, extending until an oversized bird wing was in the place of his arm. It was less a copy, more a modification, compared to his usual decision. After a moment, another ripple followed, and the feathers became blades, silver glinting in the light.
“I shapeshift. Weapons, people, clothes.” He explained it calmly and casually, as though he wasn’t talking about the thing that made his entire being–literally. “That’s the most of it. There’s also the strength and speed, and stuff that’s normal to me.”
she was glad he didn’t focus on her..... emotional issues. it was hard enough simply exposing them to others, to explain the depths of the horrors she underwent at the institution. most people were distracted by her... abilities, mesmerized even, but she could tell that wasn’t the reason he’d dropped the subject. there was something so ... recognizable in their situations, so unique. it was like an instinct, knowing which subjects would provoke more harm at the sake of simple curiosity
of course he was curious, they all were, but he also seemed .... angry ? was she reading that right ? that was a reaction found only in familiarity , she reckoned.
she smiles softly at the compliment, a wash of pride puffing her chest. it was so different, the way people outside of the lab complimented her. no numbers, no progression charts, no hidden meanings behind the words of praise. it was just ... pure excitement at something so unknown to them. it always reminded her of the first time dr. nyberg had seen her. & that brought a warmth to her like little else did.
she watches him in turn, the same awe he showed her echoing in her eyes. skin turned to feathers & to cold steel in turn. it was so fluid, the way he moved, she couldn’t help but watch with rapt attention. ‘ thats... wow. ‘ there was a hint of familiarity in his abilities, but this was real. not a tangible illusion like she created, this was purely HIM. ‘ can you ... do that with anything you can think of ? does it have to be real ? do you have to see it first ? ‘ there were so many ways this thing could work. there was a boy she remembered, from fairfly, who could shapeshift into anything he touched. of course, the day they realized he could shift into other test subjects & mimic their abilities.... well...
she hadn’t known him that well, but now she regretted not taking the time. not that it would have changed the outcome, but at least he’d be properly remembered.
fast & strong, was he ? something that could take the full blast of a bomb, & was more agile than the average person ? the image of something like that barreling down a dark alley towards her --- she was only just starting to get the picture of how dangerous he was. & yet, it wasn’t her lack of fear that kept her comfortable with him --- he may be dangerous , but he wasn’t evil. & there was a part of her that couldn’t help but instinctively trust him. ‘ you’re not human, i guess.... your definition of normal is different to theirs ? ‘ she didn’t often refer to the human race as ‘others’, but in this case.... even she didn’t truly understand what was normal.
‘ do you need to eat ? sleep ? .... breathe ? what’s... your normal ? ‘
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