Night 73: Main Hallway, 1-West

[ninelivesonce]

[from here]

Now she was definitely worried, too. There was no one waiting at this end of the larger hall -- though she could hear voices from somewhere up ahead, talking too quietly for even her sensitive ears. Had something happened? There weren't many of them left, but surely there were more than that.

Worrying about it wouldn't accomplish anything, but she could worry and move at the same time, so she did.

[to here]

Comments

[no_dont_go]

[skipping from here]

And so now she had to wait. Two friends would meet them together. She idly wondered where Zero was, if he was still busy with his other companion. But she did not have long to contemplate on that. Soon they would arrive and she had the shield. Sechs would arrive with the sword, and then another, Soushi, according to Sechs' posting.

She wondered what lay behind the last door.

[sixth_attack]

[From here.]

Entering the main hall brought Sechs some comfort, seeing more fellow prisoners alive and busy eased away the solitude that had been gnawing away at his nerves earlier. What boosted his hope further was the sight of Aigis, cool and ready as before. Seeing Zero would have been a bonus as well, but he didn't get the chance to ask the grieved droid to join. Sechs made a mental note to recruit Zero for the next NS. All they had left now was to wait for Soushi to show up.

"Aigis," Sechs greeted the other droid with a nod and a smile so weak that it faded from the faintest breath. By then the seriousness of their mission and his previous thoughts were sitting heavily upon his shoulders. It was making every nerve in his body twinge with excitement and dread.

Shuffling on the spot, Sechs brought his axe back down to the ground to lean against his leg. He then reached down and checked to make sure that the doll was still snug and safe in his side pocket. Finding it secure, Sechs returned his gaze back to Aigis. "Sorry 'bout the short notice. I managed to get another person to join us. He's uh..." Sechs trailed off, realizing that he hadn't told her much about their new teammate. "He's the same guy we fought last night. His name's Soushi and he's not a bad guy. So uh, don't freak out or anything..."

[no_dont_go]

Aigis nodded in greeting, quiet as usual. But hearing that their third was the man they had fought the night before was a surprise. Aigis' browse rose.

"Soushi-san is the man from before...? I see." She nodded again then offered a small smile. "It is fine. I have experienced the same as he has, so I understand it is not something he could have fought off on his own."

[sixth_attack]

Sechs' shoulders slumped slightly, visibly displeased by what he had just heard. So Aigis had been used as a brainwashed guard too... No matter how many times he heard about fellow prisoners being victimized by the institute, Sechs' anger refused to be desensitized to such tyranny. It always felt worse when it happened to those he considered as friends. It made him want to punch something -- anything! But all he could do was angrily snort and shake his head. He could only hope that she didn't experience the role of guinea pig for one of the sick scientists who worked for Landel... His anger would be too much to handle then if that were the case!

"Damn... So all three of us went through the same thing," Sechs replied with a frustrated sigh. "Well, we're sure to get along just fine then." Hell, they might as well start their own little club: Special Counseling Victims Anonymous.

Having said that, Sechs turned to scan the area for their new team member. So far he hadn't spotted the white-haired man. As much as Sechs wanted him to arrive unscathed, all the excitement and dread in his system was rapidly draining his patience. Sechs began shifting on the spot, clearly uncomfortable and impatient. The sooner they got going on this, the better...

[ever_loyal_dog]

[from here]

Soushi was somewhat disappointed to find he was the last to arrive. Though he had many, tardiness was not typically one of his flaws. He lowered his head, part in apology, part to show deference to the two he had fought just the night before.

"Please forgive me for being late," he offered, rising again to glance from Sechs to the woman standing near him.

[no_dont_go]

Aigis saw the man through the dim light of flashlights but felt no need to berate him for his tardiness. She merely bowed in greeting, offering him a small smile. "It is fine, Soushi-san. In fact, I am almost glad we were here to catch Martin Landel's most recent message..."

Aigis would never consider herself a petty person. That was no an attitude impressed into her personality chip. However, she could certainly feel some smug satisfaction knowing that the rebels were doing their good work against the almighty Head Doctor. He was merely getting what he deserved if his equipment was being destroyed. Who knew how much power they would regain by having that taken from him...

But for now, they had work to do. Gripping the shield she had been entrusted to hold, Aigis reached for Sechs. "Let us go, then. We must make haste tonight."

[sixth_attack]

Hearing furious message brought a smile to Sechs' lips. The outside rebels were getting things done tonight! The arrival of Soushi boosted the Replica's mood as well. Knowing that other patients were attacking the third floor, along with help from outside, then surely their mission to the basement ought to support everyone's endeavor against Landel!

"Great! Long as you're in one piece then we're good to go!" Sechs replied, flashing a toothy grin at Soushi, his impatience clearly evaporated.

Shifting his flashlight under his armpit, Sechs began to dig into his pockets. First thing he pulled out was his copies of the third floor map he received from Taura earlier that day. "Here, these are some rough sketches of the third floor," Sechs said as he handed a piece to Aigis and Soushi. "Just learned today that you can get to the third floor through a secret stairway in the library. So if we decide to go for that floor tomorrow night, best we all have a copy just in case..."

With that out of the way, Sechs took out his teleportation ring and slipped it on his finger. Stowing away his flashlight, Sechs turned his attention to Soushi. "Ok, in case this is a first time for ya, this ring is gonna take us right to the basement," he explained as he held out his arm for Aigis and Soushi to hold onto. "It's gonna feel weird... So uh, just hold on. It doesn't last very long..."

Once his allies got a good grip on his outstretched arm, Sechs threw back his ring-bearing arm and smashed the bloody gem against the wall--

[Teleporting to here.]