Caden just sat and listened as Caleb, frowning a bit, responded to Heather “We are - underground, I mean. And in the middle of nowhere.”
That's interesting.... How does he know? the younger man thought. Was he conscious as they took him to.... whatever this building is?
Or is he a plant?? The accusatory thought was discarded quickly, though not completely. Caden thought he was pretty good at reading people, and combined with some of the things the older man had said earlier, Caden was fairly sure Caleb wasn't on the inside of whatever this operation was. He would have to be an incredibly good actor to fool Caden, and the organization running this would have to be quite heartless to put one of its own into a situation like the cage room. Of course, this group already had shown itself to not be the most considerate....
Heather whispered something Caden didn't quite make out, but it was obvious something had flipped a switch for her as her breathing increased in depth and frequency.
She's going to hyperventilate.... he thought, sitting up, with arms hovering awkwardly in midair as he was unsure what to do. The area around her appeared to darken as her attack intensified, then all of a sudden her chair flipped, revealing an absolutely gigantic feline where Heather had been.
No, not a wild big cat, Caden thought, recovering quickly from the shock of the sudden transformation - heck, it shouldn't be so shocking by now, right? - a scared little teenage girl. He got up and reached out to her with the intent of rubbing her neck, or behind her ears - it always seemed to make his cat back home feel better, at least.

Heather whispered under her breath, and Caleb saw something edging on panic cross her features.

No, not edging… he corrected himself as she began to hyperventilate, his eyes widening slightly at her reaction to his words. The room grew darker, the shadows deeper and fuller, and all Caleb could think about was what had happened yesterday with the cloud of strange liquid darkness that had filled the cell room.

“Hea…” Barely had he begun to speak when she fell over in her chair, and he trailed off into silence as he watched her change. It was still shocking to see… but at the same time, strangely fascinating. But whether she was a human or an animal, he could still almost feel her fear bubbling beneath the surface.

Good job, Caleb, he thought accusingly at himself, getting to his feet but not knowing how to react to this turn of events. From the corner of his eye he could see that the other man had stood up as well, looking just as uncertain as he.

Caleb felt a new rush of remorse. He hadn’t meant to frighten her more than she had already been…

“Hey,” he said softly to the large cat that should have been a teenage girl, trying to sound reassuring. He saw Caden reaching toward her in what seemed to be a soothing gesture, the way a parent might stroke a child’s hair. “Calm down, Heather. It’ll be ok. We’ll find a way to figure this out.”

As Caden's fingertips brushed against the nape of her neck, Heather reached over with one paw and pulled him into an awkward hug. As embarrassing as it was to need to be comforted like a little kid, having physical contact with someone helped calm her nerves a bit. Dammit, I'm turning into one of those useless damsels in distress.

And the worst thing was, as awkward as it was, she couldn't change back into herself. Not because she was incapable, but because if she did, she didn't think she'd ever stop crying. This isn't fair. I spent my whole life working to be stronger, and here I am falling apart at the seams.

Heather hugged Caden, and had the situation not been so emotionally high strung, Caleb might have laughed at the sheer incongruity of a liger hugging anyone.

“Just breathe,” Caden said to the girl once his own moment of fear passed, and Caleb smiled faintly. Maybe this guy wasn’t so bad after all.

Of course, Caleb also had no clue how to respond to all of this. He stood uncertainly for a moment as a few different courses of action flashed through his mind… using humor didn’t feel right. There were times to make jokes and smart-ass remarks, and in past years he might have done just that in this situation. Despite it being a handy defense mechanism and useful in diffusing tense moments, it just didn’t seem like the right thing to do. Of course, it also helped that the more rational part of him also did not want to risk alienating both of these people.

So he went to the table, picked up her cup, and filled it with water from the pitcher. If Rachel had been freaking out he would have given her a hug and offered her a drink once she was able to breathe properly again. The hug part was already taken care of, and Caleb stepped closer to the pair.

“When you want it,” he said softly, holding out the cup… and then realizing that it would be pretty hard for a cat to take it from him. He frowned slightly, not sure if he should put it on the ground or not, and the split the difference by righting the girl’s fallen chair and putting it next to her. He set the cup on it’s seat, using it as a low table; if she turned back into a human, she could pick it up, but if she stayed a cat it was probably low enough for her to drink from it while standing. Caleb stepped back a foot or two to lean against the wall, giving them more space.

Just breathe Caden said, and it was all too easy for her mind to superimpose Kevin's voice over his own. She took his advice and took several deep breathes. She could feel her rapid beating heart starting to slow.

When you want it She head Caleb say, drawing her attention to the other man. He was holding out a cup of water to her. She watched the confusion dawn on his face as he realized the dilemma of her current form. She snickered softly into Caden's shoulder, at least as much as a liger could, as Caleb tried to find a place to put the cup finally settling on the formerly upturned chair.

She wanted to stay a cat for a little while longer; it helped her deal with her fear and embarrassment a bit better; but that wasn't fair to the two men who were trying to help her. Besides, Caden's breathing was starting to sound a little strained.

Changing back (ye gods, if they wanted her to do this on cue they'd better supply some damn good painkillers) Heather stayed in the hug a moment longer before reaching for the water with hands that weren't quite steady yet.

"Thank you" she said in a voice that was much too small for her liking as she took a sip. She supposed if there was one thing she could be grateful for out of this mess, It was that Jacinta had skipped the evening meal to go to bed early. The less people who saw this embarrassing state of affairs the better.

Caden heard Caleb say "When you want it," but couldn't really turn his head to see what "it" was - and where he could, he was still met with a wall of fur. Heather made a funny huffing noise that Caden couldn't decipher, but he could feel her relaxing.
She changed back into her human form - man, it feels weird to have someone transform in your arms - and Caden felt his social awkwardness kick in. Though it was nice to have all the weight off, he thought he felt much more comfortable hugging an animal than hugging a troubled teenage girl he hardly knew. He still made sure he wasn't the one to break the hug, though, only letting go when Heather reached for her cup of water, which was apparently what "it" was from earlier.
"Thank you," she said very quietly as she took a sip of water. Caden noticed her hands were still shaking.
"...Might be a good idea to hit the sack early tonight?" he proposed.

Heather broke the hug, saying thank you as she took a sip of the water. She still seemed scared, but she was holding it together much better. Caden also noticed her continued distress, suggesting gently that perhaps it would be good to make an early night of it.

Caleb nodded. “Probably a good idea.”

Tomorrow was most likely going to be a big day, whether they wanted it to be or not. And at least they had beds instead of having to sleep on the floor.

He had no idea how to tell time in this place, but judging from the schedule and the amount of time they had been talking, it wasn’t even nine. And yet the thought of being able to get some sleep still made him feel exhausted--the last couple of nights hadn’t exactly been restful. Add that to a week in the woods and even the beds in this place sounded like heaven.

Early to bed, early to rise… Caleb was pretty good about getting out of bed bright and early, as he usually went running in the morning, but somehow he doubted that these people would be willing to feed his caffeine habit. Coffee… sounded good.

“Any preference on rooms?” He gestured towards the doors. Every room was essentially the same, but there were five more to choose from after Jacinta had taken hers, and three of them standing there.

"Ones the same as the others" Heather said quietly, shrugging. "I'm no good without an alarm clock. Can someone wake me up if it looks like I'd going to miss breakfast?"

"Ones the same as the others" Heather said quietly, shrugging. She sounded subdued still, a bit uncomfortable. "I'm no good without an alarm clock. Can someone wake me up if it looks like I'd going to miss breakfast?"

Caleb wanted her to feel better, to cheer up. Part of him wanted to tell her that everyone freaked out sometime, and there was no shame in it. That being in a strange place and unbelievable situation made such things inevitable. That emotions did not work through logic, and that sometimes things were bad and a hug made it a little bit better.

Hell, he was barely holding it together, but he wasn’t quite willing to admit that to himself just yet either.

But she seemed embarrassed, and that probably meant she didn’t want to dwell on it. And if he had broken down like that in front of two complete strangers, had what had seemed like a panic attack--and then became the biggest cat he’d ever seen--he wouldn’t want to be forced to talk about it. So he wouldn’t. He’d pretend it never happened, at least until she wanted to broach the topic herself. Or… something.

“Yeah,” he responded with a faint smile, hoping he was making the right decision. “We’ll make sure you’re awake.”

((Sorry, I got reeeeally bored tonight and just kept writing… x.x ))

Caden went into a room, and Caleb picked one of the remaining as his own. He was mentally, and emotionally, exhausted. He hoped the girl would be okay on her own, because he wasn’t sure what he would do if that were not the case. Bidding Heather goodnight with a grin and good humor, he half-waved, and then shut the door.

Caleb paused after shutting it, still facing the door and rubbing at his face with hands that shook. His hands dropped to his sides, and he leaned his forehead against the door, feeling the cool metal warming from his skin. There was no more cell, but he was still a prisoner. And now he was alone. Abel was back in the room with the rest of the prisoners; Sabriyya was with him, and so was everyone else. Even the three others who had been pulled aside with him had their own rooms. There was no one left for him to impress, to remain calm and collected for. It was a relief. It was also terrifying.

Being alone was something he hadn’t really counted on. And without having any distractions in the form of other people, there was nothing to keep his thoughts at bay.

He sighed. Abel may have blamed himself, but Caleb knew the real score. When Rachel had canceled, Caleb knew he should have just skipped the trip this year. He knew it. If he hadn’t gotten it into his head to ask Abel about a survivalist expedition in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened.

My fault. My fault. In some corner of his mind he found humor in the fact that he was sounding like his friend. The rest of him was just frightened. I’m the oldest, he told himself, a mantra left over from growing up with his sister, I’m responsible.

Fear turned to anger, and he drove his fist as hard as he could into the wall next to the door. It hurt. He knew in the back of his mind that he was lucky nothing had popped, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to care. The anger melted as quickly as it had arrived, and Caleb turned and sagged against the wall. This was all just… too much. He had no idea how to deal with all of this. No one should know how to deal with all of this. He was a 34-year-old man, and this place had him reduced to a frightened child.

It made him sick to realize just how unhinged he really felt. How detached from reality. This whole place was so detached from reality that it was difficult to wrap his mind around. His life was over, and he was supposed to just accept it like it was no big deal. It was easy enough to pretend back in the cage; it was easy when there was an audience. But as appealing as the thought might be, he couldn’t keep lying to himself here.

He was scared shitless.

As far as he knew, he would die in this place. His friend would die in this place (I’m the oldest, I’m responsible). All these people… most of them little more than children. At least one of them was a child. They’d all be killed, disappear, covered up in the pursuit of… what, exactly? Some sort of military test? Government experiments? What was the point of all this?

My god…

What had they done to him? Was he even human anymore? He was a freak. Something that looked human but wasn’t. Even if he made it out of this place, he’d never be able to go home. If the government really had something to do with this whole thing, Caleb had no doubt that they knew who he was. The fact that the doctor and guards called him by name made that abundantly clear. And if they knew him, they’d know his family. Would they be safe if he went home? What about Abel’s family? Ruth and Jerry?

I’m the oldest, I’m responsible.

Caleb would never see his family again. No more Mom, Dad, Rachel. No more Lisa. No Jackson. They’d all wonder, sure, but it wasn’t terribly uncommon for hikers to go missing, especially in a place like the Bridger. An accident. A tragedy. And that would be it, they’d move on. Suddenly, the goodbyes he’d given on his way out on this trip seemed completely and utterly inadequate.

My god. My god. But he didn’t believe in God, he reminded himself with a mental giggle that edged on hysteria. Not really.

He was hyperventilating. His eyes hurt. He squeezed them shut, trying to catch his breath. His hand hurt. He couldn’t concentrate. He couldn’t stop shaking. He knew there was something he was forgetting, something he should be doing, but he couldn’t quite bring it to the front of his mind.

Leaning there against the wall, Caleb prayed for the first time in years. And when he opened his eyes and looked at the sparsely-furnished bedroom in front of him, a wave of embarrassment mixed with anger flowed over him. The mirror. He’d forgotten the goddamn mirror. And, of course, the camera up in the corner. How the heck had he managed that?

They’re still watching me. While that thought made him sick to his stomach with equal parts chagrin and trepidation, it was also calming, something to latch on to. If he couldn’t keep calm for himself, if he needed an audience--and how healthy was that?--…well, now he had one. A moment of weakness, that was all; they wouldn’t see it again. He couldn’t let them see just how freaked out he really was. It was survival in this context, not just concern for the feelings of his cellmates.

Out of habit, as when he would get upset back home, Caleb began his normal stretching routine in preparation of a workout. He wanted to go for a run. Running always helped, the exertion and ache of tired muscles helped him focus, ignore whatever was bothering him, or at least let him work through his aggressions. But there was no place to run, here. Just a small room with a tiny bed.

Next best thing, he thought as he dropped to his knees and got into a plank position. Pushups. One... Two… Three… When his shoulders ached and his arms were ready to give out, he switched to sit-ups. Maybe if he did enough, he would be as physically exhausted as he was mentally and emotionally. Maybe then he’d be certain he could sleep.

((Bah. Freakin’ angst. Hopefully now it’s out of his system.

As far as day four… Caleb’s done for the day. He’ll probably end up falling asleep on the floor. And for PCs, I’m pretty much up for whatever. I rather like having a tiny group, so I’d say maybe one or two at most, but that’s up to you guys.))