Turning the table to sawdust didn't work, but where her hand had been, there was a thin layer of the stuff. Trying to turn the knife into a piece of wood she could use to keep Tasers from penetrating a small area hadn't worked either. The resulting piece of wood looked like a really wide knife with funny curved pieces of wood sticking out from the hilt. When looked up, the bear had lowered his shoulders. There was nothing on the ground, and he didn't appear to be injured or exhausted. That left really only one option.

She got on. I am about to attempt to break out of a giant base underneath a lake riding a polar bear while wielding a wooden sword. I don't know whether that's scary or totally awesome. She thought for a moment. I'll go with totally awesome.

Fio shifted under the weight of his rider. He hoped that he wouldn’t trip over his own paws again. He looked around the room and he saw two exits on either side. On one end, a double set of doors, and on the other a single. He turned his head towards his rider, soliciting direction.

He mused to himself; in other situations something as silly as "bear cavalry" would be laughable. Here, he hoped it came off a little more awesome.

Any sort of deliberation was extinguished when a newcomer approached, wielding a mop. Fio looked her over; she seemed to be as disheveled as any one else in the room, probably another prisoner. He tilted his head like a dog would when confronted with a new sound, waiting to see what the newcomer would do.

Perhaps the bear was asking where to go. Perhaps not. "I think it might be better to travel as a group," she said. "However, I am personally in favor of going through the double doors."

Fio began walking in the direction of the double doors, still adjusting to being on all fours and now carrying a rider. He swore, he'd never make fun of polo again after this. ...Well, maybe a little.

The enhanced sense of smell was still disorienting him a little. He smelt bacon on the air from presumably several of the base's staffers or maybe some of the prisoners, as well as a pungent aftershave. Looking ahead, several other people were making their way towards the same set of doors.

He half-wondered what sort of facility had no guards in a prisoner room.

The lynx quietly walked to the side of the polar bear, who was being ridden on by the person who manipulated wood. He looked to the two of them to lead on, as if telling them he would follow. Wherever this way would lead, it may lead to something...whatever it may be.

The uncertainty killed him.

"Well," she said aloud, "probably best to get going now."

She prepared herself for acceleration and readied her sword. What would happen, she had no idea. Who would win and who would die couldn't be known. But to be honest with herself, better to die decently than to be vivisected later. And better to die making a difference than to die in vain.

But she had never fought for her life before. Chances were, these people had. Maybe she could beat them. Or maybe the first one would take her out.

Fio turned his head towards the lynx. He nodded once as if to acknowledge the other was going to follow him.

"Well, probably best to get going now."
Fio fought from cringing as his rider gripped the fur on his shoulders hard, no doubt to secure herself when he did start running.

Fio mused in his head, Okay, time to think this out. Most holding cells are usually positioned near the guard canteen, just in case things get out of control. That should probably be our first stop; even if we get topside, we'll no doubt need rations at some point. It also means that we may have one or two people to knock down on the way there. Fine by me. I dunno how I got here, but I'm ready for a good scrap.

Giving a short growl to signal a start, he bounded forward and pushed open the double doors with his a nudge of his head.

((OOC: And that'll do it for me until I get back from vacation. As I mentioned in the OOC thread, Acinonyx has permission to act for my character until I get back.))

[OOC: I am assuming there is at least one guard in the barracks at this time.]

The bear ran out of the big double doors, with Anmar having struggling to stay on. For about a second she entertained the brief thought that they might not encounter much resistance, and then had that notion shattered by a shout from the left.

"Stop!" Anmar turned her head in time to see a guard toss away a book and pull out a Taser.

Fio heard the guard shout and begin to pull out a taser.

Acting on instinct alone, Fio charged. Time seemed to slow down as he pushed off with his back legs, and slightly into the air. Barbs with wires attached flew in his direction. Fio could see them coming, knew exactly what they were, but didn’t have the time to twist out of the way. He had been hit by a taser enough times before, but he still roared externally and screamed internally as volts poured over his nervous system.

Unfortunately for the guard, he had enough forward momentum to continue carrying him forward and all 600 pounds of angry polar bear slammed into guard while the volts poured through him.

Both dropped to the ground, and Fio heard bones crack from the man under him. The voltage stopped, and Fio slowly pushed himself up. The guard beneath him groaned, probably suffering form some broken ribs. Fio turned towards his right shoulder, grabbing the taser barbs with his teeth and spat them to the ground.

He really wished he could figure out how to change back to human form. Fio turned and started to walk away, but he heard the guard stand up and say, “Oh. Hell. Naw, bear. You’re not going anywhere.”

Amnar struggled to hold on to the rapidly accelerating bear. She did fine, until the bear stopped, at which point she nearly fell off.

Fortunately, the Taser didn't seem to have much effect on the bear- for obvious reasons. And the guard was now groaning on the floor, and she did believe that she had heard the distinctive sound of bones cracking. That, she thought, has got to hurt. For a brief second, as the bear turned and started to walk away, she felt a tiny bit of pity.

"Oh. Hell. Naw, bear. You're not going anywhere." The guard stood up. The pity quickly evaporated.

She sent an abanico towards the guard's side, at the same time preparing for retaliation. While she had no particular desire to kill the guard, she would if necessary. And with a polar bear on her side and armed with a razor-edged blade, she probably could.

The strike hit the guard on the right arm, opening a fair-sized cut. It might not cause lasting damage, but that didn't mean the strike was wasted.

Caine held her breath and forgot to let it out for a few seconds. Right off the bat there was an obstacle, just one guard, although odds certainly were in the ragtag mutant army's favor. Especially since he hadn't even noticed the commotion in the cage room before. Ah- but he had a.. taser thingy.

Caine had just started to move when the polar bear thundered into the guard. Youch, there's no way he's gonna get up from-

“Oh. Hell. Naw, bear. You’re not going anywhere.”

Er... fooey.
Worst case, he'd seriously injure someone, or call for backup. Or both. They'd have to stop him before then. Caine brandished her mop-weapon and moved out from behind the polar bear & rider, circling around to the left.

Fio Enyer wished for the umpteenth time he knew how to change back. He could have disabled this stupid guard and snapped his neck by now; he’d have to be more inventive.

His rider tossed a weapon at the guard, opening up a shallow cut in his right arm. The person following behind him came around his large posterior on the left, brandishing a mop.

If this guard contacted the others, escaping was going to be harder. Fio issued a deep throat growl, and acting on instinct again, he swatted his right paw at the man’s leg.

They did not have the time. Ordinarily, she would have tried to disable the guard, and try not to do lasting harm. She wanted to on a certain base level, but she wouldn't let herself.

And now, she might have no other choice.

The guard went down, and she thought she heard a bone break, but if broken ribs hadn't stopped him, a broken leg wouldn't either- not when he could simply shoot them.

Killing- or nearly killing- him wouldn't be easy. His arms would get in the way of another abanico, and she didn't think she'd be able to simply stab him. Unless...

Could it really be that easy, she thought to herself. Well, only one way to find out.

She executed another abanico, but this time, she sent power racing down the blade, bending it even as it struck, so that it moved around his arm, and jabbed him in the rib cage.

It worked, but her head felt as if a small meteor had landed on it. Trying to clear it, she shook her head.

Fio’s paw smacked into the man’s left leg, breaking the femur, snapping it audibly. The man went down, a silent scream etched on his lips. Fio knew that he was done. A broken leg would take the fight out of most anyone, and Fio had every intent of swatting away the man’s radio before he could call for help.

But he didn’t have a chance, as his rider jumped down and stabbed the guard under his arm and through his rib cage, ending his life. Fio saw his rider shudder – first one was always the worst. For Fio, experienced mercenary that he was, death just happened and when he killed, it was quick, professional and detached – a job to do.

Fio waited, his shoulders lowered again for her to climb back on.

She climbed back onto the polar bear. "He would have contacted others," she said, more to herself in an attempt to justify what she had just did than to anyone else.

Revulsion swept through her. He might, might live, because she was pretty sure she hadn't stabbed him in the heart, and medical facilities were probably nearby. But she could hardly be sure of his survival, could she?

"Let's get out of here," she muttered.

Fio continued down the hall at a good clip. He knew that the longer they stayed, the more likely they'd run into another set of guards, and Fio didn't feel like he could fight more than one at a time, polar bear or not. Damn it, he needed a weapon, he needed to be human again.

His still held on his back fur rather tightly. Fio felt her shudder again - she wasn't handling having to fight so well. Fio hoped she wouldn't freeze up in battle. When he became human again, he'd talk to her about the problem.

Fio skidded to a T-junction, unsure of which way to go. The hallways split in either direction; and he wasn't sure which way to go just yet.

He didn't know where to go. She didn't know where to go. "Right?" she suggested faintly.