The Asylum

[Chad32]

Zoshonell left the attic, and started going down. He tuned in his senses as he went in order to avoid notice of the guards. At times he tried just strolling down a hallway as if he belonged there, to throw off any suspicion. Eventually he made it to the basement with the generator, and began looking for an entrance.

[DinosaurNothlit]

((It's alright, Nohensen.  Happens to everyone once in a while.))

Tora listened carefully to Taxi's plan.  It was a good plan.  Those tunnels had always been a weak point.  They never put very many guards in there.

<Six o' clock is the best time to do anything,> Tora pointed out.  <That's when they change the guard, and usually the day shift leaves early or the evening shift is late, so we often get a few minutes with fewer guards.  Plus, that's also when supper is served, so whatever guards are actually on time are occupied guarding the other patients.>  It wasn't until she was done speaking that she noticed that Zoshonell was gone.  <Or . . . you know, noon is a good time, too,> she said hesitantly.  She sighed.  She wanted to make absolutely sure this was done right.  A good escape plan needed not to be rushed.  But maybe Zoshonell was right.  Maybe it was better to just get going with this.

Tora headed towards the basement.  She tried to act disoriented, like she didn't know where she was, so that any guards that saw her wouldn't question why she was going to the basement.  Her tactic seemed to work.  None of the guards gave her so much as a second glance.  She descended the stairs, and then headed to the northwest side of the dark, concrete basement.  She opened an inconspicuous-looking trapdoor in the floor, in which there was a ladder leading down to one of the smaller side tunnels.  Awkwardly, she descended.  Andalites absolutely were not made for climbing ladders, but she'd done this before, and somehow managed not to fall.  Reaching the bottom, she realized she wasn't sure what she was looking for, besides just 'a good spot to start digging'.

Tora walked down the dimly lit tunnel, stalk eyes scanning for any gap in the concrete casing of the tunnel.  There!  She spotted a block of concrete that looked like it could be pried loose.  She turned around, and wedged the blade of her tail into the crack, and slowly, slowly worked the block away from the wall.  The hole left behind was filled with soft dirt, and looked to be just the right size for a Taxxon.  Tora gave the hole a satisfied eye-smile, and headed back to the attic.

[Galladerotom]

Taxi
He smiled that andalite was a very thoughtful person. though she had probably slipped up when she said there were already tunnels. Then he climed out of the attic negotiation was not always his strongest attribute although a fellow taxxon would be much easier to coax.

[DinosaurNothlit]

((Wait, so there aren't any tunnels already there?  . . . I think I must have misunderstood your previous posts, then.  My mistake.  We'll say that the tunnel that Tora was just in was simply a passage to get to the boiler room, protected by a trap-door so as to keep the crazies out.))

[Chad32]

(I must have misunderstood too, because I thought he meant there were already unfinished tunnels.)

[DinosaurNothlit]

((Is anyone else going to post?  I would, except that I can't, really, as nothing has happened since my last post for my character to respond to.  And I really don't want to see this roleplay die before we've even made our grand escape!

EDIT: Actually, I think I've got an idea to get the roleplay rolling again.  What say we each roleplay a Taxxon, and then Taxi can try and convince us to join the escape attempt?  How do you guys like that idea?))

[Chad32]

(I'll have Zoshonel return to the attic after finding a suitable spot. I like the idea of us roleplaying as the Taxxons that Taxi talks to.)

Zoshonel found a spot in the farthest, darkest corner of the basement. Water was leaking through the wall, which would make it easier to dig. He went back to the attic with few troubles and told Taxi what he found. "So I have one more question. How to get Tora into the hole. aren't they all generally claustrophobic? Or was that a rumor?"

[Galladerotom]

Taxi
"SCCCCCHEHRLERRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRR!"
"<So I suppose that having two taxxons per tunnel at one time is out of the question>" "Scrrrrrrrreeeeeeeee . askkkkkkkkkkkkkerer eesks aterrrrrrrrraaaaaaa aaaacccccccckkkkkkk kkk." "<Yes I understand that you don't want them to eat each other but we will have some back up appamene.>" "ssssscceretttttt reeekscks scaaaatttsaascr. scccretrecckkkk scrrrrrreeeet  cccccccccrrrrrrrrrr retsccccccccsreeeee eeettttttt aappppppa tarackkkkkkk." "<What you can't just find appamene pumps lying around I don't have the reasources to...>" "Ssssssssssssccccccc cccccccccreet sctttttteeeeeeeeeer reck." "<What do you mean 'thats your problem'>" "SSSSSSSCCCCCCCreet SCttttttteeeeeeeerr eck." "<Alright but I want five on the main tunnel>" "aaaaaaapppppppppppa aaaaaa tarackkkkk scretscertscertscer t. "<You want them for all twenty of you guys.>" "Sccreeeeeetetettete tet tttrrrrrraaaacccccc kkk strrrrrrreeeeekkkkk ." "<I'll see what I can do.>"

[DinosaurNothlit]

((I already came up with a Taxxon character, so I’ll just go ahead and play him, shall I?  Even though Galladerotom seems to have already taken the initiative to get the roleplay rolling again.))

A Taxxon gnawed hungrily on the bones left behind from his meal, not even really listening to the conversation that was taking place nearby between Taxi and another Taxxon.  Until, that is, he heard a mention of appamene.  His head suddenly whipped around, and he was sure he drooled a little.  Good god above, he loved that stuff.  A drug that could subdue his raging hunger, without even needing to eat?  Of course he was interested.

And it seemed that, at least from what the Taxxon heard from the present conversation, appamene would be provided to any Taxxon who helped out with . . . something.  Snake couldn’t quite make out what that something was.

Snake’s real name was unpronounceable, of course.  But most people called him Snake, due to the scaly diamond patterns etched into his slimy Taxxon skin.  And that was why he was here in the first place.  After the war, he had only ever managed to morph part-way into an anaconda before suddenly being distracted by a wounded animal that had happened to stagger by.  He didn’t even remember what sort of animal it had been.  Being a Taxxon, he immediately lost his focus on the morph in the frenzy that overcame him at the sight of the creature’s blood.  By the time he finally came back to his senses, the two-hour time limit had long-since passed, and he was trapped in a form just barely even a mid-morph, yet still unable to regain the morphing power.

He had eventually been found roaming in a forest, deemed dangerous to society, and brought to the Asylum.  He didn’t even care.  Life was good here.  They gave him food, and even better yet, that wonderful substance called appamene.

Snake listened carefully to Taxi’s conversation.  If there was a way to get extra appamene, he would find out how.

He shimmied over to the conversation, and screeched, “Shyyyyyyrrrraaaaaaaaashhh kliiiiiiiiiiichhhhh hhhaaaaaaaaaaarrrrr rrrr,” which could be roughly translated as “What is it you need help with?”

[Galladerotom]

(They already give them appamene doses but it is not entirley permanent therefore the taxxons have to stay at the asylum)
Taxi
"<Finally someone cooperative. Basically I need to find the components for a pump that will allow the realease of appamene throughout the taxxon body so we are going to need some computer and mechanical components. So we need a mechanic and someone who can really program. Like an andalite.>"

[DinosaurNothlit]

((Yeah, I realized that the Taxxons already got appamene.  Snake is just greedy.  He figures that if a thing is good, more of it must be better.))

"Shrreeeehhhhhhhhh sneeeeewwwwwwiiiiii ii ssssaaaaaaaaaaaahhh hhhhrrrrraaaaaaaaii iiiiiii aaaschhhhhiiiiiii," Snake replied, which meant "I've done some work on bug fighter flight systems before.  Is that the kind of experience you need?"

Meanwhile, Tora had returned to the attic only to find that the others were no longer there.  A little confused, she headed back out to the courtyard.  The lunch hour wasn’t over, and Tora was still hungry.  Despite her intense dislike of the lunchtime crowds, she had to eat, after all.

As she ran across the grass, she spotted Taxi talking to two Taxxons.  She overheard Taxi mention something about needing an Andalite with programming experience, but Tora knew she would be no help there.  She had never even so much as touched a computer in her life.

<I found a good spot for them to start digging,> she noted in a carefully guarded, private aside to Taxi.  <It's in the passageway that leads to the boiler room.>

[Chad32]

A Taxxon awoke from sleep to hear people talking. What were they talking about? He sleepily scrapped along the floor to see what was happening. Maybe one of them would come close enough for him to grab a leg. The Andalite nearest him had four. He watched them quietly, while imagining chewing on the andalite female. If he could bite her tail off, and drag her into the room with him, then he'd have a nice meal. Too bad the gate was in the way.

His given name was Teeth. His employer always called him that, not that he had significantly more teeth than an average Taxxon. After the Yeerks left, he found himself out of a constant supply of food. He didn't feel like becoming an Anaconda, and didn't trust the Animorphs. He searched around for food until he found some crazy gang leader. The Human thought he was an animal, and being a glutton himself, thought it amusing that Teeth ate so much of so many things. At one point the police came, and took the Human to the Asylum. They took Teeth too, which is why he was here. He was fed meat and given apamene, but he missed the outside world. He missed the hunt. He missed rooting around in the dirt after a good feed.

[Galladerotom]

Taxi
"<Alright but we are going to have to find a few things first. Also wait another taxxon is listening in isn't he teeth>"
"Sccrreet." confermed the leader taxxon
"<I don't trust him he is too savage they say he refeused the morphing technology.>"
"Sccrreet." confermed the leader.

[Chad32]

Teeth noticed the large cat had Taxxon eyes. He must have been one of them. A Taxxon that accepted morphing powers. "Aren't you going to come ask me for help too, cousin?" He asked in Taxxon speech. "You're up to something, aren't you? You little escape artist. I've heard about you."

[Galladerotom]

Taxi
He looked at teeth carefully. "<I don't trust you I want you to know that. So I want you to prove yourself to me.>"