damned_institute | Night 57: MRI Observational Room

[From here.]

This room was certainly smaller than the one he just came from. And fuller, somehow. The technological equipment in here, though grossly outdated by 22XX standards, gave Zero a little assurance. At least it wasn't prehistoric.

Other than the machines and a locked bookcase full of what appeared to be manuals, there were plenty of warning signs all over the walls with the same sort of message on them. Danger! Strong magnetic field! No pacemakers or loose metal objects in the MRI room.

Huh. If this was supposed to be a reason to be thankful for being in this weak, fleshy body, it wouldn't be enough to satisfy this one. What was the point of this machine that's apparently so dangerous they need all these warning signs around, anyway? It didn't look that threatening from here, if this magnetic machine was that giant cylindrical-shaped mass visible through the window. Then again, looks could be deceiving.

There was little else of interest in here, save yet another unlocked door which would obviously lead into the so-called MRI room. It might be worth it to see this room for himself. But first...it would be foolish to ignore the warning signs. He removed the metal dog tags from around his neck and set them on the table in plain sight. The flashlight, meanwhile, was kept on his person. Despite having metal parts, it was actually useful, unlike the dog tags, so he'd rather not lose it if he could help it. Better to take his chances bringing it with him than leaving it behind.

[To here.]

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[Jumping in from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1146557.html?thread=79121597#t79121597)!]

The moment he burst into the room, Zero slammed the door shut behind him and pressed his back against it, just in case that monster tried to follow him through. It had probably been too large to fit through the doorway, but oh well. Better safe than sorry.

For now, though, it seemed the danger was past and he was free to catch his breath. Damn. That had been a close call, but it also could've been worse. He was alive and uninjured, not counting the one hit that had merely knocked him over. Almost a miracle in such a weak form as this. True, he'd been forced to sacrifice his only tool, but he could always find something else to replace i...

...Oh. Uh. Hey there, people who weren't in this room earlier.

Somehow Zero had failed to notice the two humans nearby until some five or ten seconds after barging into the room like a madman. They were well armed humans, at that. The shorter one even had a gun, though the model looked rather old. He stared at them, his expression remaining neutral as it usually did - but that didn't mean he wasn't wary of them.

The boy gave another shrug, closing his eyes. Such an exciting night this was turning out to be. At least there could be something to gain attention--or even something that wasn't an altogether entire waste of time. Riku continued, and Albedo trotted forward. "Let's," he responded, though in reality, he expected little of the other rooms in this area.

A few feet from the door, and it banged open and was shut just as quick, with another now pressed against it. Instead of questioning circumstance, Albedo merely slid his lips into a line of distaste. And now their path was blocked. He stared for a moment, then added impatiently, "Move."

After that clever response to the newcomer, Riku was sure that he could say that he wasn't losing the socially unaware award for the night. The terse response actually made him snort with its lack of sensitivity. Riku was caught in his own thoughts when the guy burst in, but it didn't take a genius to see that this guy was ruffled. He tilted his head back and forward in a nod—simple recognition—and considered his presence. That meant that finally, they were about to run into something. How did he approach it? A simple "what was it" would put him on the same playing field as Albedo in terms of awkwardness. No, he could do better than that.

"Something bad, huh," he iterated, and he took a step toward the guy. "You all right?" Riku looked over the way he held himself. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but whatever was in there, this guy didn't want to encounter it alone. To Riku, that meant bad news. Was it Ansem? Had he just moved inside? He didn't want to ask too many probing questions, so he left it right where it was.

Zero's expression did not change when either of the two humans spoke, though it was slightly interesting to him how one was so focused on progress while the other was more compassionate. (Kind of reminded him of something, actually...but oh well.) The Reploid-now-human straightened himself, regaining his composure. Whoever they were, they were clearly not his enemies.

"...You should watch yourself if you're going in there," he said, voice calm, "There's a giant spider." Simple enough of an explanation. He didn't really care if they believed him of not. That was their choice and their fault if they didn't listen. But he wouldn't tell them not to go in that room, as they were obviously prepared for a fight with those weapons.

...Where did they get those weapons from, anyway?

No emotional reaction. Where in other areas, this would be his antithesis, here it was nearly respected. Albedo's eyebrows went up in light appreciation. Not even a warning to not go in. Oh, this one he could like possibly. But another time. He was currently bound to boredom until something shifted, and here was the outlet he had wished.

A spider, was it? How appropriate, for that had been the first thing Albedo had seen in this place when he arrived.

The dry tone vanished with the annoyed expression--instead, the boy smiled, spoke confidently. "How amusing. I've been looking for something to do." He batted his eyelashes, looking at the newcomer carefully. "Want us to dispatch it for you?"

"Either way, we should take care of it. Lots of people are headed down this way tonight. Who knows who might want to explore?" It was a noble way of putting it, but a part of Riku itched for the chance to fight. He glanced toward the door. "So even if you don't want us to, we have to do it anyway." He wondered how Albedo would take his approach to the situation. Then again, maybe it didn't matter. It was because of Albedo's gun that he brought him along. Maybe the guy needed the fight as bad as he did.

And maybe it was bad to see it as a "need," but Riku had come up against monsters here—first that night with the baseball bats, when they hadn't succeeded in getting very far, and then the night his hair went dark. Both times, Riku hadn't recalled much from the situation because he woke up so soon after. Though he knew they happened, the suddenness of their ending made it feel like a dream. He was sure that wouldn't happen this time.

Riku took a step toward the door regardless of the newcomer's response. They were going to do this.

Huh. The short one sure changed his tune quickly. He was starting to sound pretty arrogant, in fact. Perhaps the human's attitude and large weapon were compensating for something? Wouldn't be a surprise. Zero was too used to dealing with such people, after all.

Regardless, both humans seemed rather eager to take on the monster, albeit for their own reasons. The fact that they had believed him outright was something to keep note of. Zero stared at them for a moment, then shrugged and replied, "Do as you wish." Who was he to stop them? They were armed and they were willing. At least they weren't the type of humans that sat about uselessly and wallowed in self pity. That he could respect, no matter what their motives were for fighting. (If motives were included, however, it was the taller human's willingness to protect others that he could respect more than the other human's need to relieve boredom.)

The Reploid-now-human nodded, and then moved past them to leave the area. That was that. There was no need to continue speaking with them, nor was there any reason to stick around any longer.

[To here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1143306.html?thread=79111690#t79111690).]

Hm?~ No ferocious need to stop them from moving to a dangerous fate? Just nonchalance and a moving from their path? This was someone to play with later, perhaps--when there wasn't the promise of a more entertaining night, at least in some ways. Once the other was gone, Albedo glanced over at Riku as he moved to open the door. "Are you really the type to make things safe for others?"

How curious. Albedo would have thought differently.

[to here]

Night 57: MRI Observational Room

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