Night 57: Main Hallway, 1-East

[inherited]

[from here]

As far as Riku knew—which wasn't a reliable piece of information in the least—this was approaching new territory for him. It was the first time he tempted fate by going somewhere without one of his friends since he first woke up in this place. If it wasn't Sora or Kairi that was there with him, it was Naminé; to some degree, each one had been there for him on the various nights that passed. Before, it hadn't been a guarantee for success; maybe part of the concern was that there were too many feelings involved. When he worked before, cloaked with the blindfold that hid his worries and fears, he was weighed down by the need to do something for his friends, if not their actual presences.

It was a thought that he needed to stall immediately. That was agreeing with the Shadow, after all. Then again, that Shadow wouldn't have expected him to have gained one still unknown comrade for the night. His impression of this guy wasn't fully made up yet, but it was getting there fast. Even if he had a gun and he was young—which, for anyone else, might actually make them stall, but Riku had been promised heroic adventures at the age of five by a stranger with brown hair—he still had a head on his shoulder and an obviously distinct way of being.

Riku realized that as they grew closer to where this med wing was that if he was getting here with Sora or Kairi, he wouldn't be trying out the drugs for a change in his experience. Neither of them would let him, and his own guilt would be overridden by his sense to accomplish something. But they weren't here tonight. He had no way of knowing if they were even still in Landel's. Any plans he could make were based off maybes, so he had to focus on now.

He slowed considerably to glance down toward Albedo. The guy still had a question to answer, and it seemed wise to get that out of the way before they had these drugs in their systems.

Comments

[purgatio]

Ah, now, what was familiar about this interaction? Hm, let's see... Perhaps it reminded one of a little brother, and the inherent nature to ignore half of what Albedo said to pick and choose what to respond to. The boy rolled his eyes grandly, listening for the name instead. And place ironies where they lay, for he had spoke of colors, had he not? And what had he first thought, when that girl had appeared before him, all false charm and deadly cheer? What lovely violet eyes you have, and here was white touching silver, and here was a name mimicking another.

His humor dried as he stared at the teen's back, something of hatred leaking through his expression. Of course. Rika. And now Riku. And both had appeared in the same way before him, both entering his life in pressing ways. Would this be the same? Would he move his hand against this one before the night ended? Test Riku's tricks against Albedo's methodology? The teen looked back, and Albedo only looked annoyed in turn. He brushed by him, hand pressing at the door they needed. "Albedo."

He had an urge to reply 667, but he didn't have the energy suddenly, to pay that exact game.

[to here]

[tasteoftruth.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1135139.html?view=78874915#t78874915)]

No monsters yet, no point in killing off your research subjects before they even got there. Badd wondered how many people would take Aguilar up on his offer, out of greed for a reward or out of fear of punishment. He couldn't be the only one here with someone to watch out for, either, he might not be the only person being blackmailed.

As if he cared right now. Anyone stupid enough to get in his way, monster or human or god knows what else, was going to get a warning punch and after that the gloves were off. He was getting to that medical wing.

[tasteoftruth.livejournal.com]

[To here. (http://damned.livejournal.com/1138711.html?thread=78875671#t78875671)]

[zack-fair.livejournal.com]

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

This was a part of the institute Zack didn't know as well. He paused for a moment, casting his flashlight beam around as he tried to get his bearings. To the left was a hallway that seemed to go down pretty far and which contained a number of doors. That probably wasn't what they were looking for, and yet it was worth noting anyway.

There was a staircase to the right which was also good to know about, and yet Zack was guessing that they were going to have to press forward to find what they were looking for. He started to do so a bit more slowly, wanting to take everything in and put it to memory.

"So, are you planning to try those drugs?" he asked Rose. He didn't expect her to and it might be best if only one of them took that bullet, but he was curious to hear what she had to say either way. He wasn't going to stop her if she wanted to, seeing how that would be hypocritical, and yet he couldn't shake some of his nervousness about this. It was, no matter what way you looked at it, a bad idea.

[ex_rosebuds752]

Rose stayed close behind him, keeping an eye out the way they'd come in case something decided to be clever and try to sneak up on them. Everything looked different after dark, the dimensions, the feel of the building that had seemed so simple and stark a short while ago.

At his question, she glanced up at him and took a moment to think. "I don't know. I haven't decided yet. It would be handy to have a weapon in this place. The voice said we could choose either that or a pin. I'm not sure what good the pins are. Do you?"

The drugs themselves were another matter entirely. What would taking them even do to her? Medicine wasn't something Rose had ever really had to worry about and she doubted that whatever the masterminds here had laid out would have the same effect on her as it would on humans. Or any effect, for that matter. Of course, that could be her being optimistic. The drugs could also do much worse things to her than a normal human, she supposed.

Was it worth a weapon? There was no way to guess without trying, she supposed.

[freewill]

[From here.]

This area was quiet save for one other pair of patients, a man and a woman. Castiel didn't expect that this drug offer was some sort of competition between the patients, and so while he was in a hurry (he always was), he didn't believe that he needed to beat the others to the target.

More than that, he needed to determine where exactly this medical wing was. It had to be around this area somewhere, if the general's words were to be trusted. He'd had no reason to lie.

Castiel strode down the hallway, looking both left and right as he took in the branching corridors and doors and stairwells.

[mateswithnobody.livejournal.com]

"It's a figure of..." Donna made a face, amazed that she was having to explain, but let her return fall since he might (emphasis on the might) have been joking. Though if he really didn't understand it, that made him a bit more interesting. Or else dense, which he could very well be. Donna had only spoken to him for like a minute tops.

"Never mind. It should be around here right?" She kept up with him well enough and looked around just the same. "It'd be hard to hide a whole 'wing' after all,..." she stopped abruptly, realizing that she'd just wrangled herself a companion who's name she didn't know. And, she would bet, didn't know her name either.

Good going, Donna.

"Oh, and I'm Donna, by the way. Donna Noble."

[deadlyjuliet.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1135139.html?thread=78927139#t78927139)]

Finally! A hallway he had never been to before! It sometimes felt as if Grell had crawled over every interesting inch of this Institute only to be disappointed and yet here was somewhere he had never found the urge to visit. Someplace new! Someplace exciting! Someplace...

Exactly like all the other halls.

Grell sighed as he turned his head this way and that to inspect the area. One door to his left, a stairwell to his right, drab walls with strange rusted patches, and nothing else of note. How disappointing! Come now, Aguilar! Open some hidden secret passage and welcome your beloved into your arms! Grell went to the end of the hall and knocked on the plaster there, but it sounded as thick as anywhere else and the miraculous appearance of the Spanish hottie refused to happen. The death god let out another heavy sigh and turned around, tapping the chainsaw on his shoulder.

"And here I was hoping for something a bit more...dramatic." Or anything really. This hallway was as empty and boring as the others. The only thing that remained then was to go through that lone door and see what lay on the other side. It had to house the medical wing Aguilar had spoken of, which meant it was his destination for the evening. "Well, perhaps we are still at the precursor to our stage..."

Pushing away from the wall, Grell went back to the door and pulled it open, stepping inside.

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1138711.html?thread=78927639#t78927639)]

[deadlyjuliet.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1138711.html?thread=79000599#t79000599)]

Outside again. What a disappointment. Grell sighed and heaved the chainsaw up onto his shoulders, glancing about the hallway. Something should have happened it was going to happen at all. Instead, however, he was left with nothing but a vague sense of having wasted some time. Shaking his head, Grell glanced up at the ceiling and started down the hall back from whence he came when--

That thing would know all about wasting time.

The death god froze.

Going...finish...time...

No! It was fading! He was certain of it! That was the sound of Will's voice! There was no mistaking it! He and William had been working together for years! They'd been together in their training! There was no way Grell would mistake that man's cold, calculating, heartless voice for anyone else! Heart pounding in his ears, Grell knew this was his only chance at getting home. If Will was here, then the death gods must have noticed his absence! Screw the others here! He had to go home!

"William! Will! Where are you?!" Frantic to catch up, Grell dropped the chainsaw and ran forward, searching the hallway. Where was he?! He'd just heard him! "William?! WILL!"

[ippo]

[From here]

He continued down the corridor at break-neck speed, missing a hallway and giving off a yelp of surprise at his mistake. He ground to a halt, almost tripping like he had last night, and lifted his flashlight to the wall.

The young man was in unfamiliar territory now. The hallway he had passed he remembered going down with Rapunzel--or, well, dreamed he had? Was that-? Well, whether he actually had or just imagined it, Ippo didn't recall anything that resembled an infirmary of any kind down that way. It was a dead end to his right. He was the furthest "east" he could get, so it was either back down the way he came or it was part of these doors across from him.

Ippo took his chances and moved slowly across the hallway to the doors. One door, he noticed, was slightly ajar as if someone had already passed through. The boxer took that as a hopeful sign that he was heading in the right direction.

[ippo]

[To here]

[unit67.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1135139.html?thread=78961187#t78961187)]

There was a door at the end of this hallway, which may very well lead outside, but then again, other hallways branched off to present multiple possibilities. Lily didn't know how long their night time freedom lasted; it seemed to end so suddenly last night, and she didn't want to wake in her room without smelling crisp air (though, she thought, it would be nice to see that Rose was safe, if she was safe...please be safe).

She hesitated, taking in all of her surroundings. Sharpened senses picked up voices from nearby areas, but Lily couldn't make out the words. She was freshly homesick, feeling small in such a large space, and the dark voice murmured at the edge of her awareness. If Heine or Giovanni were here, she wouldn't feel so confused. She'd have someone to show her the way, or at least share her nervousness.

Lily bit her lip, lost in thought.

[propheteer]

[From here]

It wasn't until Izaya spotted someone hesitating in the middle of the hallway that he slowly his bouncy gait and stopped humming.

From what he could make out as he approached, the person was a young, blonde, and female—the question, though, was why had she stopped? Was she waiting on someone? Was she simply trying to decide where to go from here? This end of the hall didn't look like it had many options left: there was a door which Izaya guessed must have led to the medical wing, and stairs going to the second floor, but there were only a couple of hallways branching off from here (one of which, if he remembered correctly, had been the way to Venkman's office).

"It's best to keep moving," Izaya called out to her, "or some monster may come gobble you up since you're alone."

[revolutionise]

[From here]

"Let's see... He said it was down near the east end of this hall, right? Which door would that— Ah! Right there!" Utena's flashlight beam crossed a sign reading "Medical Wing" clearly above one of the doors on their left-hand side.

She shivered a little as they approached. It was possible they were about to walk into the very space she had been kept last week. It was the one place most patients didn't have access to yet, and if there was an Infirmary inside, there were going to be beds there. Where better to keep the comatose than in hospital beds?

Maybe someone will actually tell me tomorrow, when they're not pretending to be dumb nurses, Utena thought.

No one else seemed to be nearby the entrance at the moment. More likely that whoever was going would be inside by now. Here was hoping that whatever they found, it wouldn't be a pile of keeled-over bodies. And if there were, here was hoping they weren't anyone Utena or Soma knew.

[To here]

[mirthful]

> ==>

Gamzee was slowly coming to the realization that there were more patients headed in this direction tonight than there had been the past couple before. Did that mean he was headed the right way? That was quite the stroke of luck if he was. Now all he had to do was follow the others and hope for the best.

And that they really did all have the same goal in mind.

There wasn't some other mission he'd missed being announced, was there?

> ==>

[mirthful]

> ==>

Now back out in the open, Gamzee took the opportunity while the hallway wasn't too crowded to wheel his new vehicle over to the side and attempt some spins on it. He had very little success with that.

While his one-wheeled device had been too tall for him, not allowing him to properly balance, this four-wheeled device almost had too much balance. It was clunkier than he'd expected, and probably not even as good as Tavros's now that he had a better look at it. Maybe it wasn't as well crafted.

There had to be some kind of trick he could practice on it, though. He took his time messing around and trying to figure out the best way to make use of it. He did everything from turning it upside down to standing on it and trying to move the wheels with his feet. Every time he fell off while trying that he just laughed and got back on again.

Until at one point he tried to stick his foot back on the seat and it went right through.

He fell to the ground, which somehow didn't allow him to fall through as well, and stared at the device. He hadn't broken it. There was no hole left where he foot had gone. Had he not seen it directly, the troll would have assumed he'd simply slipped.

Gamzee glanced down at his hands, and suddenly he felt... not so solid. Ghostly.

...Had he really died?

[believein0.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1135139.html?thread=79007267#t79007267).]

And now the traffic began to die out into a hallway that looked similar to the one he passed through a minute ago. Strangely, there was a sudden drop in temperature in this area. Zero shivered. Right... Humans weren't well sheltered against temperature, from what he'd learned from Ciel. He was hating this human thing more and more. And...

Wait. Why was there a kid rolling around the hall in a wheelchair?

Zero stopped to watch him, confused (though stony-faced as usual). He...seemed to be enjoying himself, whatever he was doing. The kid's antics reminded him of a certain naughty Reploid boy from back home - now that was a horrifying thought. He was ready to shake his head and keep moving to another area; but suddenly the child stopped, stood still, and stared down at his hands for some reason. Was there something wrong?

Curiosity won over cautiousness in this situation. Zero walked up to the boy, slightly concerned (though it didn't show outwardly). "What are you doing?"

[threepwood]

[From here.]

Taking a few quick steps, Guybrush caught up with Javert once he resisted the temptation to take a peek into the Sun Room. They were nearing where Aguilar said the medical wing would be- he figured the inspector might know exactly which door to take.

"As for whether or not they were effective, that's a little easier. The guy I was talking to seemed pretty cheesed about it. Then again, he wasn't happy when he caught me snooping over his shoulder to read his letter, either. I guess they're about as effective as the visitors."

[unmocked-lawr.livejournal.com]

"Probably easier to fake as well," mused Javert, scanning the hallway. He'd never had much occasion to visit this particular part of the first floor; most of the supplies he'd needed were on the second, and the medical wing had been inaccessible for as long as he could remember.

"I suppose Aguilar would do the efficient thing and save himself some time. More letters, fewer visitors to actually brainwash." He knew perfectly well who would be doing the letter-writing should he ever receive any, and he couldn't help but feel slightly relieved that he had managed to avoid the man in question once again. There was a certain irony there, he supposed, but he had no particular desire to pursue that avenue of thought.

The infirmary door was open, and Javert walked in without preamble.

[stlg13bomber.livejournal.com]

[From here. (http://damned.livejournal.com/1135139.html?thread=79056931)]

"Boy, that is clever," Carter mused. He'd never have thought of that level of depravity. "The Nazis could take a few lessons from him. Or maybe he took lessons from them, since this is the future. It'd explain a lot about the guards."

Now there was an idea to give him the shudders. He'd hoped that with global peace and so on that nobody would ever try imitating the Nazis, and that the only monsters left would be the alien or animal type. The idea that Nazis could still exist in some subtle way was horrific. What were they fighting for, if Nazis stuck around under new names and insignias?

Carter flipped his crowbar around and clenched it in both hands as they kept walking, his enthusiasm for the drug trial started to collapse.

[hes-deadjim.livejournal.com]

[emotionl4arobot.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1135139.html?thread=78976547#t78976547)]

In the next hallway, the Coluan gestured to where he recalled the large, previously locked door of the medical wing being marked on his maps. "It should be through there, assuming we can actually get inside."

He'd never tried to open the door himself, having no reason to go into this part of the institute really, but at least if it was locked, he had something that would be more useful in getting it open. And perhaps proving to his current companion that he was more than he seemed.

[arakhnes.livejournal.com]

Jessica paused at the large doors, looking back at her partner in this adventure. "Okay." She said after a moment, pressing her hand against the surface. She got this far -- now what? She wasn't hesitating, but she paused, hand on the knob. Her spider sense wasn't going off, but here, that didn't mean much. After all, it went off in random bursts at nothing.

"They said that they would give access to it for us..." She murmured under her breath. "That means it must be --"

And sure enough, the door slid open slowly. Just as the intercom promised.

[ to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1138711.html?thread=79068951#t79068951) ]

[forgot-it-all.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1135139.html?thread=78910499#t78910499)]

The next hall seemed so empty, but there was a door open up ahead. That had to be the medical wing everyone was talking about. Ritsuka frowned, his tail twitching behind him as he walked ahead. Everyone was in such a rush to get here and for what? A piece of metal? A pin or a weapon...that's what the announcement had said, yes? Why would everyone run to take experimental drugs when it could very well be a poison the Institute was trying to feed them?

Ritsuka sighed slightly, clutching both hands to the strap of his backpack. "I'm looking for bandages and medicines to help people," he admitted finally. "I take them upstairs to help those who've been taken for experimentation."

He used to have more help. He had Soubi and Tamaki and Nataku and so many others... But now it was just him. A small kid, powerless fighting peacefully in the only way he knew how. "Are you sure you want to take those drugs? It could be a trap."

[sixth-attack.livejournal.com]

A satisfied snort was all Ritsuka got for his apology from the android. Without another word, Sechs moved along down the hall with the feline-like patient, his long legged pace keeping him further ahead as they approached the entrance to the Medical Wing.

Bent on finding the infirmary and not getting slowed down by his new tag-a-long, Sechs almost missed Ritsuka's remarks about the experiments done on the second floor. Reminded of his own experience with the torturous "Sleep Studies", gloom descended upon the Replica, and he could feel the drug tighten his back muscles with its cold presence. Sechs slowed his gait and gazed down at the other youth, a new found respect for the kid glowed faintly in his shadowed eyes.

"That's good of ya to do that," Sechs said, his voice lowered to a somber tone. Recalling how lucky he was to have ZEX and Donna help him after he was experimented on, Sechs couldn't imagine how hard it would be for other patients left completely to themselves after their torture. "Really, it is..."

They had reached the door to the Medical Wing, and with the door left ajar, it was obvious Sechs and Ritsuka would not be the only ones who had passed through here. A flash of adrenaline sparked up Sechs' anxiety, he wanted to get to the medicine before they all ran out! Yet at the same time, Sechs felt burdened by dread. After all Sechs had been through and witnessed so far, Ritsuka's warning was a completely legitimate concern.

Pausing before the door with his gloved hand gripping the handle, Sechs bowed his head in thought, his face darkened by the burden of his memories and the resulting poison that slithered inside his spine. He wasn't comfortable telling his new comrade his reasons for going after the military's drugs. It was tough enough talking about it with his own friends! He would just have to be vague about it, and he had to get to those tonics soon, he could feel the parasite inside him slowly regain its strength...

"I... I know the risks," he answered after a moment of heavy silence. "You can't trust anyone in authority here..." Heck, he couldn't even trust the people outside the institute who were supposed to help everyone! What else could he do?

Taking in a brave breath of air, Sechs opened the door, shifting his eyes away from Ritsuka. "I just wanna know what those drugs could do... See if they're a cure..." was all he said before stepping into the darkened Medical Wing.

[fourstonewalls]

[from here]

The hall outside the medical wing was quiet, after the noise around the sun room. There were a few lone patients, all uncharacteristically quiet and alone, and Lana shivered. Had no one come out of the medical wing? That didn't bode well.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" She wasn't completely set against any sort of cooperation, but she was, hmm, disinclined. It hadn't brought her anything but heartache in the past, even when she'd been the one extracting it.

[ultimagi]

Jane, or Felicity, or whatever else they might decide to call her, listened carefully to everything the two women said, though little of it resonated. The names meant nothing, and the other terms--prosecutors, cops, Los Angeles--were just as foreign as her surroundings. It would be a long fog.

The unexpected motion to Lana's shoulders caught her eye. Was she cold? It was the only thing she could think of, despite not feeling the chill herself. Nothing she could see seemed likely to trigger feelings of revulsion or fear. Lana's voice seemed to carry a different tone than before.

Without a word her gaze moved to Bella. She seemed the younger of the two women, but she was the one who suggested their destination. It was up to them to decide; how could the girl make any decisions, ignorant as she was?

Why yes, that's another TWEWY reference XD The only 2 Hip Snake pins I got much use out of XD

[dork-at-duty.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1135139.html?thread=79094819#t79094819)... aaaaaand, more time-skipping to avoid Lana Skye]

Before long, Meekins followed Neku to a part of the Institute that Meekins had never been in before. This new hallway wasn't... that exciting, but at least their destination would be. Like Neku had said, it wasn't far, and in fact, the doorway to there was just ahead.

Many people were either entering or exiting it, so Neku and Meekins were certainly not the first to arrive. But that was all right. It meant that whatever was in there wasn't too horrible, and most of the people emerging from there seemed to be fine.

...Except... uh oh, was that the lovely red-haired lady Meekins saw last night? She seemed to be rather dazed from Meekins' vantage point. "Er, Neku?" he asked his mission's leader as he pointed in the direction of the woman, "do you think maybe we should go try to help her? She doesn't look too good."

This could be my chance to finally realize one of my long-time dreams: to help a damsel in distress! he thought, his eyes full of light and hope. Of course, the answer would probably be no, but that would be okay. Orders were orders, and Meekins had learned long ago that straying from them, even with good intentions, could have nasty consequences.

ffft. and back at you.

[composers-proxy.livejournal.com]

[and much time skipping to avoid Sora and crew too, it's ok. ^^;]

Neku was glad to be getting somewhere tonight after the last few fruitless attempts. Despite Meekins inability to say his name without slurring the last bit into an s-sound, he seemed to be alright at following. He turned though, when the man pointed out one of the other patients. Her? Her who?

If he meant the redhead that'd gone running frantically down the hall after throwing down a chainsaw, Neku was just as happy not too get involved. A girl that could handle a chainsaw? And fling it around like that? Girls were scary enough sometimes with just stuffed piggies, he didn't want to know what that one could do with a live chainsaw. And then there was Meekins, looking at him with those pleading eyes. He countered it with a cold stare, for all the good it seemed to do. What would Shiki do in a situation like this? Probably yell at him for not helping the poor girl out. That or get into an argument with said girl over which one of them decided that long red hair and fake lashes was the new 'in' thing first.

"We can check on her in the morning," he decided, "that hall is pretty safe. I haven't seen anything down that way."

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1138711.html?view=79136535#t79136535) and please ignore my html failings in the next room...]

From just after most people find the medical wing and enter.

[train-tracer.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1140794.html?thread=79106618#t79106618)]

In the end, he'd come up with nothing of interest in that hallway. Disappointing, but not unexpected, Vino decided. There hadn't been a room that looked like any sort of recording room at all and besides, they had been deserted. Nope, nothing he was looking for there.

He turned back the way he came and continued on his original path to the where the medical wing should be. By now, the hallway was emptier. Vino guessed that during his short search through the rooms in that side hall, the people he'd seen had all found the medical wing.

There was yet another hallway off to the left, but a quick glance down it revealed that there was nothing at the end but a door, so Vino moved on to only door at the end of the long hallway. This had to be the door to the medical wing, right? He tried the door, feeling the handle twist without much resistance at all. It had to be, if he remembered correctly from the map diagram.

He pushed the door open and stepped in.

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1138711.html?thread=79111447#t79111447)]

[lighthearted]

[From here.]

This was probably the most crowded Sora had ever seen this hallway. It was interesting how everything seemed to change the moment that an announcement was made, though he was just part of the crowd like everyone else.

It was hardly surprising that so many people wanted to explore, especially if they were in the same situation as Kairi. Hopefully the medical wing wouldn't be so crowded that they couldn't find what they were looking for, though. But what was it that they were hoping to find, anyway? Answers of some sort, maybe -- Kairi knew better than he did.

"All right," he said as he approached the door. "You're ready for this, right?" It was directed almost entirely at Kairi, since Sora didn't know if Kratos had any personal stake in this exploration.

[kingdomless.livejournal.com]

As they drew closer to the once locked doors of the Medical Wing, Kairi could not only feel her heart pounding strongly in her chest, but also hear the sound of it ringing through her ears. She was nervous, excited, terrified and furious all at the same time. Sure, most of those were negative emotions, but it didn't really matter, because she was finally going to get the answers she had been looking for for those many, many days.

At Sora's question, Kairi couldn't even answer. Face set in a rather stoic expression, the princess reached forward and opened the doors. When they gave away without any resistance, she took in a shuddered breath, releasing it after a moment.

Seconds later, she walked inside.

[osoreirimasu.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1135139.html?thread=79140899#t79140899)]

Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get caught! Japan edged his way around the few crowds of people still in the area, deciding this had to be the right place. People were coming and going from the far doorway and some were standing around here, discussing this or that. People normally only hung about like this in the western hall where they gathered for their evening exploits. There had to be something here!

And-- Wow, it was cold. Weirdly cold. Japan crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head slightly. It must have just been a chill, he decided. Chills happened. He was old, it was snowing outside, his uniform was thin compared to the other clothes he'd had before he'd clumsily spilled everything in creation on himself. He sighed, wishing he hadn't remembered that.

Time to move on. He was almost there! Soon enough he would be able to find a way out of this Institute. He could get back to his country and then figure out some way to rescue the other countries. Even...Russia. Unless Russia was already gone (he could not depend on Russia to do anything for the others trapped here), which would be ideal. Then he wouldn't have to justify the incredibly long time he would take to pull the monster nation back home.

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1138711.html?thread=79141655#t79141655)]

[osoreirimasu.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1138711.html?thread=79205399#t79205399)]

Back to the main hallway, Japan felt his grip relax a bit. Here there were more people, more victims, more places to hide. It was easier to get about and he knew his way better. The urge to go after those still hanging around was quelled by the fact that there were so few left. Too few, too easy to pick out the culprit. If he was going to act on this desire of his, then he'd have to be smart about it.

Japan wasn't about to get caught committing a capital crime by anyone. He'd lived too long to just--

Wait! What was he thinking?! Japan stopped in the middle of the hallway, staring at the floor in horror. Had he just been thinking about how to kill people?! Reaching up, he slapped himself one across the face. "Get back to your room! What are you thinking?!" he said to himself in hushed tones. Time to move. He had to get back!

[skipping to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1133540.html?thread=79140580#t79140580)]

[gargantuanlaugh.livejournal.com]

The next hall was also quite busy. It seemed the new location was popular tonight. The door to their objective had already been busted wide open. Definitely had gotten plenty of use. But did that mean patients were just curious about what lay beyond, or were more willing to take the drug risk than he had anticipated?

"Oh, I'm a little more knowledgeable. Landel's been kicked out, and Aguilar is living it up as the man on top." Gant paused before the door, then delivered what might have been a more distressing piece of news. "Turns out our radio man is getting help from Landel now. Not sure how trustworthy that makes him now..." Not that Gant had ever really expected much from Marc to begin with.

[wantsyourzex.livejournal.com]

"Yes, that's what they call them..." So Gant hadn't heard of them yet, or at least, he was giving him that impression. "I was chosen for one a while back... it's had some side-effects." Like the irritating glimpses of motion he got from the corner of his one working eye. If he had his natural one, no doubt he would have caught sight of the thing, but as it was, it escaped him. "The spontaeneous injuries being one of them..." And he had no explanation for those that didn't sound insane, so he decided not to offer one.

"Given what they've done to me so far, I wouldn't put drugging me out of the question... although they do so so sporadically, I have no idea what it is they hope to achieve. Who knows what it is those in charge here want." ZEX frowned. After living most of his life under the arms of the military, this place seemed dreadfully unfocused. What purpose was there to all this? "At least awake I can put some work into escaping..." Not that that had gone that well so far.

The door to the medical wing was already open... if others had come before them, perhaps they would have taken care of any potential threats inside. Sometimes it did pay to take your time.

"Hmm." ZEX didn't sound very surprised by this news. He'd never trusted the man on the small 'Caster to begin with (a radio, Gant called it?), so his betrayal did not come as much of a surprise. As always, the only person he could truly rely on was himself. "That would explain the change in wardrobe."

Hopefully his guess would be right, and the wing would be clear when they entered.

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1138711.html?thread=79176215#t79176215)]

[scarefaux]

[From here.]

As they neared where the map said the Medical Wing would be, the Scarecrow couldn't help but notice the sharp change in the air: his skin tingled through the aches and the bandages, his body recalling the foot-on-floor feeling.

"Most unusual occurrences we're having this evening," he remarked, starting to cross his arms before pain struck him— the bandages restricted him from that sort of behavior, and it was just as well. He hissed from the pain, his teeth grinding together as he took a few deep breaths. He continued after a moment, eyeing some of the people further down the hallway. "First the Sun Room, and now the chill in here. Something very strange is goin' on tonight."

[stylebythemile]

According to Scarecrow's map, the entrance should be just up ahead, she thought. Not a moment had passed when Sonia was hit by a sudden chill. She rubbed her upper arms, keeping her eyes on the path in front of them.

She glanced up at Scarecrow, curious, then looked again with genuine concern when he hissed. "Are you alright?" The guard had obviously hurt him, that much she had seen, but she didn't know how bad.

Her eyes narrowed slightly at his next remark. That was what she was worried about. Coming from someone who'd probably been here longer than her, she was starting to doubt this was a good idea. Who knew what Aguilar was planning? What if getting them to enter the Medical Wing was all he wanted?

When they had got to the end of the hallway, Sonia stared at the entrance. "This must be it," she said softly, throwing her companion a serious look. She could tell him to wait here, but it'd be safer if they stuck together. The princess gave a firm nod before entering with caution.

[to here]

[ippo]

[From here]

He caught the door that Badd had swung open and took a second to catch his breath. Whatever his gut was doing was depleting him of his practically fathomless surplus of endurance. Even standing was becoming quite the chore all of a sudden as his skin tried to slough off his muscle and bones. The only thing that kept him from completely doubling over was three years of constant body blows. But as these strange symptoms worsened, the boxer wasn't sure he could keep his feet for very much longer.

"Did... Did... you take those pills? Are you in..." He had to stop and take another breath. ".... pain?"

[tasteoftruth.livejournal.com]

Badd paused in his aggressive march. He turned his flashlight beam on the kid, who seemed ready to pass out.

"Nothing, just a little tension," he said, with only a tiny bit of concern. They still needed to keep moving. "That doesn't mean it won't be killing me later, or hitting me somewhere different." And being this huge meant you needed more medication to get a noticeable affect. He remembered this peculiar fact from the rather amusing time that he'd gone to the hospital and the painkillers hadn't worked because the idiot on call had forgotten that he was almost twice the size of her usual patients.

[anemptydecapo]

[From here]

The sound of footsteps in this area was far more audible than in the last few halls. He had been correct about the traffic, then. It wasn't that much of a surprise. If he and Ms. Littleton were willing to examine the place despite their distrust, there wasn't any doubt anyone else would do the same.

Despite having started their walk with him following the blonde-haired woman, Venom had somehow managed to gain a slight lead and he stopped in his tracks, peering out of the shadows to ensure she was still following. He wasn't planning on letting anything happen to her, not when he'd already caused her trouble before.

"It should be in this area."

[savagesolitude.livejournal.com]

There was a moment of silence. Claire's features were drawn, locked in place as if they were a smooth, calculated stretch of marble. The words were carefully chosen when the statuesque impression fled, meant to both tell the truth and assuage Claire herself that it was the truth. "There's less to be afraid of at night. Right now we can choose to take the drugs. During the day, they don't give us a choice." She turned those cool eyes to his (wherever they might be under that sheet of hair), clear green turned watery grey in the shadows and all the more eerie for it. "You just said yourself. It's probably not a trap."

It was something she could control. This was her night. Her fantasy for now. If she wanted to make that true, then she had to practice taking control of it. Deconstruct the rules and cautions, reclaim her actions as her own and not the cowardly instincts of self-preservation. There was nothing to save herself from aside from the illusion itself.

Finish the puzzle. She'd finish it for Aaron. For Charlie. Regardless of how their names and history had changed.

She stopped when Venom did, frowning and swinging around the torch for likely looking entrances. The beam paused on one door before turning to the placard adjacent. Claire pursed her lips and adjusted the strap on her shoulder.

"Wasn't so hard."

[To here. (http://damned.livejournal.com/1138711.html?thread=79260951#t79260951)]

[notachick.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1135139.html?thread=79221539#t79221539)]

He almost whistled at the strength at which Hijikata shoved the fire-starter into his hand, trying yet again to hide the amusement on his face. Hijikata was so upset at not being able to get the thing to work. This was almost better than hiding it from him! 'Almost' because while Hijikata was annoyed and amusing, it wasn't a fun sort when he was actually upset. Taking the fire-starter, he turned it over in his hands. Apparently the button and the wheel were supposed to do something. He'd seen the wheel cast sparks before, but what was the button for? He pressed it and listened - nothing.

A shake or two and he tried again. Still nothing. "If they didn't know it was broken then I'll take it back and get you another one," he said, shaking the little bottle again. He'd never seen something like this before and he'd assumed that since the store was selling it, it would be easy to use. The store clerk had certainly been able to get it going easily enough...

"Mm... Let's see... How did he...?" Putting his thumb against the wheel, he pressed down. Sparks flew, but nothing more. He tried again with a bit more force and his thumb hit the button, for a split second a flame jumped to life and died. "Oh! Hijikata-san, did you see that?"

[terriblehaiku]

He'd settled for stalking irritatedly along the hallway, half hoping something would pop out at them so he could hit it. Which... wasn't usually something he'd wish for, but he was annoyed, and he couldn't very well take that out on Souji. It was pretty obvious that this little frustration hadn't been manufactured.

"Hm?" He looked over, arching an eyebrow, apparently having missed whatever it was that had excited Souji. "Did you get it to work?" He wouldn't even care about the minor embarrassment of having to have Souji work it out for him if he could just have his tobacco, finally.

[herr-inspektor.livejournal.com]

It wasn't often that Lunge found himself on this side of the Institute's ground floor; the doctor's offices were generally barren in terms of utility, and other than a few extra doors outside there was little else of interest here.

Not tonight.

The doors to the wing were already open, a clear indication that they'd already been pipped to the post. There were, however, still a few others nearby who'd made it late. When he peered a little more closely Lunge could just about make out Venom standing nearby with a blonde woman he'd never spoken to before. Of course he'd be here, to see things for himself; he had the feeling the man didn't trust anything he couldn't verify himself.

He glanced aside to L, raising his flashlight into the area ahead of them. "Shall we?"

[ryuuzaki]

Despite his comment, he felt a passing temptation to try to make it across the Sun Room, another change of plans that might bring them closer to their goal of unraveling the basement's secrets. On the other hand, there were a number of good arguments against the idea.

Whatever was happening in the Sun Room probably wasn't as harmless as it might appear to be (otherwise, why would it be going on there at all?). A team of two probably wasn't large enough to fight off any kind of formidable opponent, and although they would need to reach the kitchen at some point in the relatively near future, it might be possible to get there through the courtyard, bypassing the Sun Room entirely. Also, he wasn't sure that Lunge had brought the empty ring with him, or that using it would be safe.

If it was only a matter of curiosity about the lights and the music and apparent lack of audible combat (Is there some way that the fighting could be silent and hidden from sight?), it was like the other choices he'd had to make about what constituted a lead that was worth pursuing: there was no point in checking out the guardian of the room when doing so would almost certainly be dangerous and when that guardian was unlikely to be in the same place twice. His initial rationale, that there was no way to know whether or not they would ever have access to the Medical Wing again, was also a major factor.

He glanced into the room again, then moved alongside Lunge toward their destination.

The weathered, feral young woman with whom he'd eaten lunch on Wednesday was standing nearby; L had never met her companion. He recalled their conversation, her paranoia about the food that was served to them. Aguilar had justified her fears, although he had done so in the manner which L had predicted, by drugging their dinners rather than the buffet.

Did she come because of the testing? It wouldn't be surprising if she tried to hide the supplies, or if she tried to take some to threaten her escort with in the morning. He made a mental note to talk to her again, but it could wait.

He nodded in response to Lunge's question, then adjusted his grip on his blade as he peered into the newly-opened area. Given that Aguilar had been encouraging patients to kill anything unnatural that they might come across, or that might more accurately be said to ambush them, he doubted that the area had been cleared of any inhabitants in preparation for its debut. Is this the first time, or has it happened before? Not in our records... maybe at some prior point? So much information seemed to slip away.

[To here.]