damned_institute | Night 57: West Wing, South Hall 1-A

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1132031.html)]

Finally, out of the living blocks and into one of the main hallways. But where to, from here? The last time Vino had been free to prowl the Institute had been several nights ago, when he'd encountered that kid upstairs and had to have his expedition cut short. This time, it wouldn't happen. As far as he knew, he was still one of the earliest ones out, so unless someone managed to get ahead of him, Vino would avoid running into obstacles.

He'd gone upstairs to the second floor from here last time, he recalled. Should he attempt it again tonight?

Vino considered the stairs for a moment. There was also a door behind him on the other side of the hallway, as he recalled. He turned to look, where, past an open doorway, there was another long hallway that ended in a door that presumably led outside. Should he...?

No. His business was indoors. He had yet to finish exploring this section of the building, anyway. But perhaps not upstairs just yet. He could leave that for later.

Vino turned left as if he were heading for the Sun Room, sparing a glance into the hall on his right, but nothing else.

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1135139.html)]

Edited 2011-07-15 00:59 (UTC)

Gant slowed a bit as he ventured out into the bigger hallway, shining his flashlight around. There wasn't anyone really about yet, but soon it would be teeming with patients. One of them would need to join him, or he might not go through with his plans.

Hmm, having Meekins for a night like tonight would have been excellent. He knew that kid would do anything Gant told him, even take experimental drugs at the drop of the hat. Probably shouldn't have allowed the kid free reign tonight, but hindsight was never kind enough to let one jump back to change things. How irritating. If only he could have made plans with someone, anyone! He might have convinced them easily enough to come along with him at least, but he needed someone gullible.

He decided to wait around a bit against the wall. If he was lucky, someone he recognized would come along sooner rather than later. And if not, he'd wander a bit further into the next hallway and scout around there.

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1130939.html?thread=78905787#t78905787)]

ZEX found his thoughts wandering to Teisel again as he walked through the halls. Ah, he'd been such a wonderful bodyguard! Big, intimidating, and easily manipulated into doing whatever he pleased. Whatever had happened to him? He'd been quite fond of the large human... but it was so hard to rely on anyone in this place for long. They all seemed to vanish in time. Except him, for some reason.

What he really needed, unfortunately enough, was a new bodyguard, someone who could take Teisel's place at his side as a beautiful human shield. Finding one, however, was the tricky part. He'd really been lucky with Teisel. What a marvelous find! There weren't many humans here that fit his... proportions.

His vision was poor in the dark, and he still had his invisible assailants pestering him, so he was somewhat distracted when he nearly ran directly into a large figure in front of him.

"Ah, excuse me..." And ZEX blinked. He recognized that odd pattern of fur on the human's head... perhaps things had turned in his favor after all! He wasn't quite as big as Teisel, but he was certainly big enough. "Oh, we've met before, haven't we? Gant, wasn't it?" Close to a VUX name, but not close enough. Still, easier to recall than some of the other human names he'd heard.

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[From here]

Seishin continued to head down the hallway with his flashlight in hand. It provided only a small beam of light, but thankfully it was enough for the former priest to navigate these hallways.

As he moved closer to the main hallway, he noticed a man standing against the wall, wearing a bright orange suit. Not only was it the first person he had seen since leaving his room, the clothing was evidently different from the grays he himself was wearing. Seishin had to wonder why that was.

The man appeared to be waiting for someone, however, so it would be best not to disturb him. Instead, Seishin headed further down the hallway.

[To here]

Edited 2011-07-14 18:08 (UTC)

[From here.]

Unfortunately, the emptiness of the halls didn't last very long, as it was already starting to fill up here and he wasn't even at the meeting point yet. He watched a few patients disappear out of sight, although there was one who seemed to be standing his ground here and he happened to be very familiar.

Harvey hadn't spoken to Gant in a few days, and for good reason. The guy rubbed him the wrong way and while conversations with him were engaging, they were also unsettling. He knew he didn't do well around police officials who weren't what they seemed, even if the man made every attempt to come off as well-meaning. Harvey wasn't buying it.

But seeing how he was without his bandages and armed to the teeth at the moment, he wouldn't be surprised if Gant tried to stop him and chat. He didn't have the time for that, nor did he really want to tell the man anything useful. For that reason, Harvey bowed his head, knowing that it would be impossible to blend in and yet doing his best. Luckily, even as he quickly walked past the police chief didn't call out to him.

Maybe the man had his own plans that he was worrying about. Harvey didn't really care about the reason, and could only hope that Gant wouldn't track him down tomorrow to ask questions. Either way, he was just about at the main hall, so he definitely wasn't stopping now.

[To here.]

[From here]

No matter how many times Goku blinked or bugged his eyes, the path would not become any clearer. He still didn't understand what this place did to make his senses so fuzzy, but the monkey boy tried to think of it as another challenge. His sense of smell was as keen as ever and that was good enough for navigation.

People were easy enough to avoid since he could smell them so clearly they may as well have been beacons of light in the pitch black hallway. Well, and add to the fact that most of them had lights... But hey! At least he didn't run into any walls what with all the torches lit along the corridor. That was a nice change of pace.

At the large juncture ahead of him, the young boy took a hard let and kept on running.

[To here]

[From here.]

It felt weird for Sora to be carrying a pillowcase like a sack, but once he got rid of some of the items inside he could probably ditch it. Seeing how everything went back to its correct place once morning came, it wasn't like he would be losing anything. Not that a pillowcase was all that valuable in the first place, seeing how they didn't really sleep.

Either way, he was excited to give Kairi the things he'd bought her and also to see Kratos again. It had been a while since he'd spent any time with the older swordsman, and he was eager to make sure that he was as healed as he'd claimed on the bulletin board.

Before all that, though, he had to find Aigis. She had been a friend of Minato's and she deserved whatever was left of him here, even if it was a weapon. If she got some sentimental value from it, then that was all that mattered. Sora certainly didn't need to hold onto it, after all.

Either way, he and Aigis had agreed to meet at the main hall, so he only had a little further to go. Nodding to himself, the boy kept moving.

[To here.]

[from here]

It did occur to him that he did need to find a partner for the night. A baseball bat and a flashlight wouldn't cover him, and he could already hear the scolding words of Sora and Kairi—as well as the lingering taunts of the Shadow from the other night. (Or several nights ago. He still didn't know how long it was and it wasn't like this place had a habit of changing.) If anything, he wanted to deny that Shadow's words more than he wanted to be okay for Sora and Kairi. As much as he cared for his friends, there was a stubborn part of him a mile wide. But then again, they probably wouldn't mind him being contrary against the Shadow, as long as it benefited him in some way.

He took note of the people hanging out in this hall and decided against it. No old men. He didn't mind working with the one guy that night, but finding out he was an assassin didn't put him at ease. And they didn't even know the half of it. He didn't want to end up finding out some other guy's past, and he didn't want to risk working with someone who thought he was too young to do what he needed to do. No, he picked up his pace and kept moving. There was one place where he always met people, and though this time, it wouldn't be the same one, he knew he could observe and be a little choosy there.

[to here]

Edited 2011-07-14 22:11 (UTC)

[From here]

There were a few more people around the further Firo went, but the traffic was still light overall. He'd caught a glimpse of red hair from someone up ahead—maybe it was Claire, or Battler?—but when he tried to look again to try to make out who it was, he couldn't find that person with his flashlight. Whoever it had been was already gone.

As he continued walking, Firo turned his thoughts to the night at hand. He'd tried to make his way to the kitchen last time in hopes of finding a knife, but should he try the same thing again?

[To here]

Edited 2011-07-14 23:45 (UTC)

[From here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1130939.html?thread=78824635#t78824635).]

And here were a couple people. One rather old, the other very young, and yet Zack only spared each one a glance. Normally he would have been more friendly, but at the moment his face was set into a firm expression. He had somewhere he needed to be and nothing was going to stop him.

... Well, not exactly. If one of the other patients had been under attack he wouldn't have thought twice about jumping in, but they both looked safe to him and so he didn't have any obligations to fulfill.

Here was the main hall, the one he walked every day to get led to the Sun Room and the cafeteria and wherever else. Being able to move freely at night was definitely a relief, but only if he could make use of it. He already felt like he was getting somewhere quicker than if he'd had another person along, and he was going to keep up that pace.

He turned left and kept walking at a hurried pace.

[To here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1135139.html?thread=78825251#t78825251).]

Edited 2011-07-15 01:44 (UTC)

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1135361.html)]

There was a guy hanging around along the wall and a kid running up ahead, but no one else. Indy kept moving at a brisk pace. Almost there.

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1133540.html?thread=78825956#t78825956)]

Edited 2011-07-15 01:48 (UTC)

[from here]

His knee still didn't want to run if he didn't have to, so he didn't. He popped a few more aspirin and washed them down with a swig of booze.

Landel's pop-psych headgames had already blown his liver out once. If he did it to himself, would it grow back in the morning?

[to here]

[FLEEING CERTAIN PERIL FROM OVER HERE.]

Unbidden, a rocket of red, blue, and unclothed white boy flesh zoomed into the corridor, nearly ricocheting off the opposite wall. There was a literal screech from the rubber of the boots as they skidded the figure to a halt. Surely if one examined the floor closely enough, there would have been little red streaks left behind, as if this were a gymnasium and not a mental asylum.

Peter heaved to catch his breath, thanking god or whatever that he had made it out with all of his costume and the basement sword in tact. Sadly, his flashlight and radio were now the property of Robert J. Hugespider. Not that he couldn't take a six foot arachnid in a fight. It's just that he didn't want to. He had so much more important things to worry about tonight, like getting to the basement. He didn't have time for punching Acromantulas.

And...getting fully clothed. That was important too. Peter looked down forlornly at the spandex shirt dangling off his wrist, then at his wretchedly mangled chest. Hello, scar city. No one wants to see you right now, okay? No offense.

He grumbled to himself as he walked on, fiddling around with the shirt until he could locate the other sleeve and attempt common decency. Looked like he needed a new plan for costume swaps.

[To here.]

Edited 2011-07-20 08:07 (UTC)

[From here.]
The more he heard from the intercoms, the more he realized he couldn't care any less. Any potential experimentation the humans were planning on doing to each other a) didn't concern him, and b) well, the Apocalypse was kind of still on the horizon, which meant there were a few things more important happening. Go figure.

Not that he planned on doing anything about the latter. Not anymore.

Whatever. Once he got to the meeting spot, he'd have more distractions. Which, really, were the best things he had going for him.

[To here.]

[From here.]

For a split second, Castiel thought that he caught his brother moving down the hall ahead of him. He paused for a moment, wondering if he should call after him and yet deciding against it. If Gabriel was heading somewhere with that level of speed, it was likely he already had his own plans set out. Seeing how Castiel was not likely to get far with his brother at his side, it was best to keep to himself for now.

Seeing how many times he had gone to that front door, Castiel was accustomed to heading down the main hall that went past the Sun Room. He hadn't had much need to go through that room itself, and it didn't seem like that would be changing tonight.

From the sounds of it, the medical wing would be brand new to all patients. That meant that everyone would be on equal footing there. Castiel needed to make sure that he was one of the first to arrive. While he doubted that there wouldn't be enough of those drugs for everyone, it was always a possibility.

He made a sharp left at the end of the hall and kept moving.

[To here.]

Edited 2011-07-15 17:42 (UTC)

((From here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1130939.html?thread=78842555#t78842555).))

As they continued walking down the hallway, Claude kept an eye out for any potential danger. Thankfully, everything looked clear, which meant they could keep going without getting sidetracked. While it was normally quiet out here, Claude realized that wasn't something he could always count on.

Of course, he hadn't gotten distracted from their conversation. Claude hated to be a downer, but since Guy knew Leon, he thought he ought to learn about what happened. After all, he knew he'd be unhappy if one of Guy's friends disappeared and no one bothered to tell him about it. Maybe there was bliss in ignorance in some cases, but Claude didn't think now was the time to withhold that kind of information just because it was unpleasant to deal with.

"I got a letter from him today," he quietly added. "Looks like he sent it to me from outside the Institute. You can probably guess what that means..."

Heraldry notes? Guy had to wonder why it was that Claude needed them, particularly if it had to do with the experimentation he'd gone through. He'd said that it was related to that, hadn't he? Not that Guy knew much more than that, but he hoped that his friend wasn't entertaining any reckless ideas.

However, his concern quickly switched as they continued down the hall and Claude explained that he'd received a letter from Leon. One that had come from outside the institute, and while he'd never heard of such a thing happening before, he definitely understood what it meant. Guy had noticed Claude leaving notes on the bulletin for his friend for a while now, and it looked like he'd finally fallen prey to the same fate as Ashton, Dias, and Ronixis.

"...I'm sorry, Claude," Guy said with a sigh. "I didn't even realize they delivered letters here. Did he seem all right, at least?" He knew it wasn't much of a consolation, but when a friend had been brainwashed all you could really do was hope for their safety.

Despite his concern, he knew that they couldn't pause to talk about it, and so Guy led them around the corner toward the women's block.

[To here.]

[From here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1132031.html?thread=78859263#t78859263), and timeskipping to avoid Gant]

Really, really spooky! Not a single person was in this much bigger hallway. It almost reminded Meekins of last night, when he thought the same thing, and... who should suddenly appear but his own boss himself!

But lest he waste too much time and risk failing the mission he eagerly agreed to do, Meekins quickly checked his map to make sure he was going in the right direction to meet Neku, then headed to his right.

[To here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1133540.html?thread=78860260#t78860260)]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1130939.html?thread=78862779#t78862779)]

But knowing Peter, he'd probably say the Brainiac 5 shouldn't be involved. He'd claim something like it being dangerous, as though the Coluan wasn't a superhero and capable of defending himself in his own right. He felt certain that Peter's other friends didn't get such warning and attempt to protect them from everything.

...for some reason he wasn't entirely certain of, that thought was almost as appealing as it was infuriating. Brainiac 5 considered it in a little more detail, mentally running tests in the form of several hypothetical situations (entirely different from daydreams), each featuring a different level of protectiveness on Peter's part.

He was still thinking of them as he continued into the next hallway.

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1133540.html?thread=78863844#t78863844)]

[here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1131772.html?thread=78814460#t78814460)]

Neku ducked out into the hallway, shaking his head a few times. The static that always seemed present didn't help, and the weird announcement...

He frowned. At least these new guys weren't beating around the bush like the old doctor, but just because they were being upfront about it, that didn't make it any better. They were being used and now it was bribes, rewards and punishments to make them play nice and run around. While he'd done his share of that in Shibuya, it didn't mean he enjoyed it, even if it was tempting to try for one of the pins the institute was offering. Then again, who knew what kind of attributes it might have if he actually tried to use it as a Psych?

[here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1133540.html?thread=78860260#t78860260)]

[From here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1130939.html?view=78877883#t78877883)]

But on the other hand, ray gun! With a more effective weapon he could surely defy Aguilar's plans more effectively. And if there were only a few doseages, someone young and strong taking it now meant it wouldn't be forced on someone weaker later on, like poor Admiral ZEX.

That movie he'd seen earlier had probably demoralized everyone else, but it only invigorated Carter. He'd been in that horrible despairing place, oppressed and hungry and terrified, and he'd seen how a bunch of clever folks could band together and make a happy, defiant home out of the nastiest of situations.

If five little prisoners could turn a POW camp into a waystation for escapees and a headquarters for mass destruction, an entire institute of varied and knowledgeable characters could do something even greater. Someone just had to put himself out there and risk a little.

[To here. (http://damned.livejournal.com/1133540.html#comments)]

[From here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1132031.html?thread=78812927#t78812927).]

With his one hand having been freed of the burden of that shotgun, Peter fished into his duffel bag and pulled out the flashlight that he'd tucked in there. He flicked it on and nodded to himself. Much better.

A few other patients were disappearing around corners, but the backs of their heads didn't seem familiar to Peter, and so he didn't worry about it. He couldn't get distracted any further, after all.

He walked toward the stairs without hesitation, and yet part of him was worried. What if that thing that had made him and Claire hallucinate so vividly was there again? He wasn't going to let it stop him and at least he'd be prepared for it this time, but it wasn't going to be pleasant either way.

[To here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1133540.html?thread=78822372#t78822372).]

Edited 2011-07-17 18:01 (UTC)

[From here]

The sound of distant murmuring left the boxer on edge as he continued to hug the nearest wall for more than just physical support. Logic told him the voices were simply other patients meeting up with each other, but after his bizarre run in with Aidou, he could no longer shake the fear that crept in behind his eyes.

His flashlight darted all across the hallway like the frantic call of a firefly and Ippo's gait picked up. Slow was safe, but it would only prolong this nightmare. The boxer needed to move as efficiently as possible before his condition acted up again.

[To here]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1132334.html?thread=78904366#t78904366)]

The halls never changed, but it seemed like fewer people were in them. Was it his imagination or was he merely late? Maybe he was just late. He had woken up at the tail end of the announcement and had taken time to get changed and pack up his things after all. The backpack was running low on supplies, however, and last night he'd been unable to get to the supply closets in time.

With a sigh, he pulled the backpack around to his front as he walked. Best to take inventory before he headed into a new area. Flipping open the satchel's flap, he rooted about finding bandages and a baggie of butterfly clips, gauze and some mild oral pain killers, but not enough.

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1133540.html?thread=78910180#t78910180)]

Another hall full of wandering prisoners, their flashlights scattering unwanted light towards the Shadow Man. Facilier scowled, keeping his walk closely accompanied by the pitch black wall. It was still unnerving to Facilier over just how everyone could simply leave their cells and freely explore the prison they were encased within. Still, it wasn't as though there weren't any dangers or discouraging lapses in time to be concerned with, so the authorities running the place could not be considered inept in their job at keeping their captives trapped.

Reminded of the institute's puzzling manipulation of time, Facilier increased his pace. According to his maps, the first place he needed to visit for supplies was in the Sun Room, and the Bokor could not afford to waste any time.

As he approached the Main Hallway, Facilier caught a glimpse of that Sergeant Carter fellow. For a second, Facilier considered using the jumpy man again, but decided against it. He couldn't risk getting slowed down by the man's paranoia of shadows. Perhaps another time...

Edited 2011-07-18 19:17 (UTC)

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1130618.html?thread=78924666#t78924666)]

"Haa....." It was so boring to travel by himself. What he wouldn't give for a bit of excitement. Someone getting maimed, a monster to split in half, Kaworu or Dexter or Sylar or someone to see.... Aguilar to magically appear with his shirt off (so long as he was really as handsome as Grell was imagining). That last one would be most welcome. Grell smirked to himself as he moved through the last hallway before joining the main one, the image of their Spanish dictator still on his mind.

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1133540.html?thread=78927076#t78927076)]

Edited 2011-07-19 03:24 (UTC)

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1135361.html?thread=78935553#t78935553)]

Kratos walked briskly down the hall, making his way to the hall in question without really thinking about it: by now, he knew the route like the back of his hand. With his mind thus free to think about more pressing matters, his thoughts turned to the mission at hand.

He hadn't worked with Sora for several nights now, so the sudden team shuffling had actually been surprising- although, it wasn't his place to question their leader's decisions. As long as they were able to accomplish something tonight...

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1133540.html?thread=78937060#t78937060)]

Edited 2011-07-19 09:00 (UTC)