damned_institute | Night 63: Road to/from Doyleton

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Night 63: Road to/from Doyleton

[From here.]

But being outside was probably just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than it was being trapped inside the bus with that nurse.

Besides the many other deformed nurses that were roaming around here, Zero caught sight of numerous forms flying overhead, casting large shadows on the ground as they passed by. They looked like...eagles. But deformed and horrific-looking, just like the nurses. At first, they seemed content to simply circle overhead, screeching, like vultures swarming above a carcass. But then many of them suddenly swooped down and headed straight for some of the prisoners running in the street.

Kind of like the one flying at Zero right now.

"Kh--!" The once-Reploid barely managed to dodge the monster as it dived for him by falling to the ground and rolling back onto his feet. The bird flew upwards again, slowly flapping its wings, then circled around as if to try again, another eagle joining it. To avoid them, Zero quickly moved out of the open, where he was obviously a target, and circled around one of the buses, keeping his back to it for cover. But he knew he wasn't going to be safe here...not when there were nurses on the ground and so many eagles above.

Not since the night he had become temporarily stronger had there been so much visible chaos... And if that one prisoner hadn't started a riot, this wouldn't be happening right now...!

As he stood contemplating the best route for escape, Zero glanced around quickly, searching the fleeing prisoners for anyone familiar or anyone who might need help. He was defenseless, so protecting someone else would only get him so far (and he certainly didn't want a repeat of two nights ago), but they all might have a better chance of survival if they grouped up...

[Leanne, Lana, and Harvey, WHERE YOU AT.]

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Loki grabbed Soma's elbow until he felt like she was steady on her feet - he'd never seen her as anything but steady, and it disturbed him greatly but now was definitely not the time to ask about it.

He glanced up at the sky, keen eyes taking in large shapes cutting back and forth in the weak light. "What are those?" he asked quietly. At Castiel's question he shook his head. "Weapons do not seem to be in abundance unless we wish to go back and take them from the nurse."

Which was very obviously not an option.

Even as he spoke, he felt through his pockets, pulling out one of the pens he'd brought with him. It was pathetic, as weapons went, but it was better than bare hands. He yanked the cap off, then caught sight of the beast heading for Castiel.

He hadn't been in a combat situation since being imprisoned. He hadn't realized how powerful instinct was, after millenia of fighting in a group. There were simply ways that one behaved. And since magic wasn't an option, he lunged to the side, shoving Castiel out of the creature's trajectory and rolling in that direction as well. As he nimbly regained his feet, he flung the pen with unerring accuracy. He had to hope that better than human strength could compensate for the flimsiness of the weapon.

Soma stiffened slightly as Lingormr steadied her, but she nodded in thanks as she recovered. She wasn't sure whether this sudden illness was more worrying or embarrassing and finally settled on the latter. It wouldn't be worrying unless it actually started to slow her down.

Above them, creatures were circling--birds? It was difficult to tell. Judging by the way one was making for Castiel, though, it was obvious they meant business.

Lingormr beat her to the punch, pushing Castiel out of the way, and the creature tore past them with a gust of foul air and flapping wings. Some kind of raptor, she realized as it wheeled, shrieking in annoyance--Loki had thrown something at it, she couldn't tell what. It was too difficult to concentrate. Between the sounds the birds were making and the screams of the patients around them, she couldn't focus through the noise.

"Head for the trees!" she shouted. With any luck, the birds would find navigating in close quarters much more difficult.

Before Castiel could have formulated a plan beyond duck, a hard force hit him from the side, throwing him to the ground. He didn't break his fall very well, his vessel's body crashing to the dirt road with an impact that made it hard to breathe. He gasped around inadequate lungs and watched as Loki tossed something at their attacker.

Loki had shoved him out of the way before those talons found his flesh, and while it had been a painful alternative, it wasn't nearly as bad as what would have happened if the creature had drawn blood. Castiel got a better look at the thing for a moment, but it didn't make him any more certain of what it was.

Not that it mattered right now. The only thing he was concerned with at the moment was that it was trying to kill them.

The creature gave a powerful flap of its wings, dislodging whatever had gotten caught in one of them, which made it clear that Loki's attack method wasn't going to be good enough. Castiel forced air down into his lungs and then stood to his feet, placing a hand to his chest as he tried to spur his body to recover. He felt dizzy, his head pounding rapidly in tune with his heart, and realized that Soma was right. They could only run.

More than that, it didn't seem like the beast had given up yet. It circled around and looked like it was headed for them again, and Castiel wasn't about to be the victim once more, requiring the help of others. He took off toward the side of the road, hoping to reach the denser part of the forest before those talons found his back.

Loki let out an annoyed hiss. For the moment, the creature seemed very focused on taking a piece out of Castiel, who was thankfully was running with all haste toward the trees.

He took off as well, keeping an eye on Soma since he was more interested in her staying in one piece than Castiel.

He located a large rock, scooping it up as he ran past. It might have been a bit on the heavy side for one of the humans to simply throw, but the dark would hide that fact nicely. Loki whipped the rock around, right for the creature's head. It probably wouldn't kill the thing, but it would hopefully work as a distraction to give them a bit more time to reach the trees.

Because really, Castiel was at least interesting to talk to. He'd feel a bit sad if something ate the man's face.

If there was one thing Soma hated more than anything, it was feeling helpless. Even as she ran, she couldn't help but wish she had had the sense to buy something--anything--from the hardware store earlier that afternoon. It might have gotten confiscated, but it was still worth the risk. Better than having absolutely nothing to defend herself with.

Something large whipped past her and she ducked instinctively before she realized it was going the wrong way. It hit the creature with surprising force and it shrieked, tumbling backwards in midair as she reached the edge of the trees. She glanced around, but could see nobody else nearby except for Castiel and Lingormr. Had one of them...?

Well, it wasn't as if she was going to complain. She wrenched a large branch from the forest floor and swung around, ready to cover the other two if they needed assistance reaching the trees.

As Castiel reached the trees he heard the creature let out a scream of pain behind him. Either it had run into something or one of the others had managed to hurt it somehow, but he couldn't stop and work out which it was. It was only once he'd run a few feet into the forest that Castiel finally let himself stop.

He turned around and saw that Soma and Lingormr had both made it with him. Running like this felt wrong, especially when he would have normally been able to make that monster burst into flame with little more than a thought, but he had to keep this weak body alive. There was still too much he had to do. Sacrifice was not something he was against, but if he died here it wouldn't be that. A pointless death was not something he was interested in.

Castiel watched as Soma picked up a sizable branch and realized that he should be doing the same, but his head was in agony and despite all instinct to do otherwise, he found himself leaning against the closest tree and closing his eyes, as if he could block out the noise around him and the pain by doing so. "What's our plan?" he asked, and his tone came out as impatient and frustrated.

Loki ducked around Soma, carefully avoiding the tree branch. He cast a quick glance behind him, but the creatures didn't seem to be intruding on the trees yet.

He slowed, casting around to find another rock. Rolling it in his hand, he shook his head, dropped it, and began searching for another.

"I know not the terrain. Do the trees extend all the way to either the town or the prison? It seems best we seek shelter." He picked up another rock, nodding. "Soma? You know this area. And I only guess at what might be best."

And unspoken, he also trusted her to be reasonably intelligent about it.

Loki looked over at Castiel. "You look a bit... Rough. Will you be able to make it?" He began hunting for another rock.

Soma retreated further into the trees, dragging the branch behind her. It was reasonably large, and normally she would have been able to carry larger without difficulty, but as much as she hated to admit it, she wasn't really in fighting form tonight. It was probably a better idea to travel as unencumbered as possible for now.

"By my guess, we're too far away from Doyleton for it to be an option. The institute has to be close by now." There was something deeply annoying about treating Landel's as any kind of shelter, but she didn't comment on the matter. It wasn't worth the annoyance.

She paused for a moment, thinking about the last time she'd been out in the forest. That had been with LDGC, hadn't it? One of her first assignments with Arts and Crafts. It felt like years ago, even though she knew it had been a few weeks at most. "I know there are woods to the east of the institute; you can see them from the building itself. I don't know if they're connected to this stretch of forest, but it's possible. It's definitely better than being out in the open again."

Even as Castiel tried to block out some of the noise, he still heard Soma and Lingormr's voices floating around him, discussing what their next move should be. While he still had an interest in Doyleton, the idea of trying to fight their way back there right now, when he was in this state, seemed near impossible. And from what he understood about the town at night, it was also a death sentence.

Returning to the building was the best option they had, even if it bothered him that they were being herded back into their cage like animals. When there was a literal swarm of monsters out for their blood, what else could they do?

"I'll be fine," he said, responding to Lingormr's question before he addressed anything else. Castiel forced himself to push away from the tree, not wanting to look weak, and yet he knew it was far too late for that. He was supposed to worry about humans, not the other way around, and it grated that this place had taken even that from him.

"We should stay under the cover of the trees and try to follow the road back up," he suggested. "That will give us the smallest chance of getting turned around." The forest seemed to stretch out in all directions, after all -- and while normally he would have been interested to see just how far he could get, this wasn't the time for such an experiment. While the decision went against all of his instincts, Castiel knew he wasn't much of an angel right now. He had to look at things practically.

Loki was beginning to get the distinct impression he was the only healthy person in this group. Oh, but he liked that not at all.

"For the moment, it seems best to stick to the woods, then, and hope that they do connect with the ones by the prison." It felt strange, also, to be the one so baldly organizing things. He was far more used to pushing others to make the decisions he wanted. This, too, he liked not at all.

Out of habit, as Castiel stepped away from the tree, Loki caught his arm, making sure the man was steady before letting go. "Unfortunately I know not the stars, so the road may indeed provide the best means of navigation until we're closer."

He paused, staring straight ahead for a moment, turning the rock in his hand meditatively. "Hold this, if you please." He deposited the rock into the angel's hands.

Without further explanation, he went to the tree Castiel had just been leaning on - it was a fairly large one, it could support his weight to some height, he thought - and jumped to catch the lowest branch. After an undignified scramble thanks to the absolutely useless footwear he'd been provided, he pulled himself up onto that branch and began climbing in earnest.

Edited 2012-05-09 18:46 (UTC)

"The road should bring us to the institute, either way. As far as I know, it doesn't lead anywhere else--especially by this point."

She inclined her head at Lingormr's comment. She was a follower by nature, unaccustomed to leading troops of any kind. Her rank in the army had been nominal at best, something to indicate she'd been built to serve at some position above a mere grunt. Even if she did know the terrain better than he did, it was probable he had more experience with navigating through a forest.

It being nightfall, she wasn't sure how much visibility he'd have, even up there, but she stood at the base of the tree and watched him climb. That was when Lingormr's comment about Castiel's well-being finally sank in, and she turned to him, faint curiosity on her features. "How are you feeling?" she murmured. "Is it the illness everyone's been talking about?"

Not exactly subtle, but it was probably in everyone's best interest if they found out now. Landel's comment about monsters still lurked at the back of her mind, as much as she wanted to ignore it.

When Lingormr grabbed for his arm, Castiel had to stop himself from tensing. He didn't have a problem with physical contact, necessarily, but the fact that this was the second time the man had offered him support because he was perceived as too weak to handle himself was frustrating, to say the least.

Nonetheless, he was offered a weapon, even if it was crude one. He took the rock and turned it over in his hands. A branch would have been more suited to his fighting style, but he could make anything work. He was a soldier, after all, and one that had been in combat many times.

Castiel agreed that following the road should only take them to one destination, but Lingormr seemed set on scaling the tree and taking a look. It wasn't a bad idea; knowing what might lay ahead would only work in their benefit, after all.

When Soma asked her question, Castiel stiffened, though she had already caught him. There wouldn't be much point in lying, especially since Lingormr was aware of the situation. "It is," he admitted. "I've been suffering symptoms for about twenty-four hours now, although I haven't felt anything akin to... a change." Who knew how long that would last.

As Lingormr continued to climb, Castiel tilted his head up and called out to him. "If you could procure a branch for me while you're up there, it would be appreciated."

Loki was well-practiced at climbing. He'd spent a lot of his childhood up trees, since it was a way to escape people he didn't want to deal with. The extra height and strength he possessed as an adult just made the process much quicker. He climbed the tree quickly and nimbly, out of sight of those on the ground quickly.

At Castiel's request, he paused. "Yes, of course. Be a darling and find me a few more good rocks," he called down. He paused, considering the available branches, which ones he might need for getting up and down the tree. He found a suitable one, prodding at it with his foot. "'ware down below!" He hammered the branch with three well-placed kicks. On the third it broke away from the tree completely and plummeted to the ground.

Hopefully they'd listened and gotten out of the way. And he'd picked a large enough branch that they'd be able to break into two or three pieces, so he'd hope Castiel knew how to share.

He went back to climbing the tree, as far up as he could, then crawled out on a swaying branch so he could look out over the area. He didn't like what he saw, particularly. The road did go back to the prison, but there was a definite gap between the trees and the doors, one that would require a very quick run and offer no guarantees of safety. Even more, he saw dark shapes circling the roof, slipping off and on it - the bird creatures that had already attacked.

Frowning to himself, he clambered quickly down the tree, dropping off of the last branch to land lightly on his feet. "We can cut through the woods a bit and save ourselves time, but there's a distinct gap between the trees and the building that's far larger than I like. And the closer we get to it, the more of those birds it seems we will encounter. They're all coming off the roof." He looked at Soma. "Is there a particular reason the prison is safer? The canopy seems to be holding off the birds for now, so it may be just as wise to go deeper into the trees and hunker down for morning."

Soma's lips pressed together slightly at Castiel's response. Well, it wouldn't hurt to tell him, either. "I've got the same thing. You've probably figured that out by now. If anything happens--"

She was interrupted by a branch tumbling down from above. It landed nearby with a thud, and she cleared her throat, grateful for the chance to change subjects. Not that it wasn't awkward, but she had never cared much about awkward. "I've been meaning to ask you, by the way--do you still have Aguilar's medal? There has to be someone here who might be able to reverse engineer it, or at least figure out what it is."

Lingormr slid back down to earth shortly thereafter, and she paused for a moment, thinking back over what she remembered of the forest.
"It might not be safer to go deeper," she said. "I was out here on a mission once, and there are just as many creatures in the woods as there are in the institute. Larger, too, since they don't have to fit in the hallways. And at the very least, I'd have my gun if we go back."

Castiel did not enjoy being ordered around, especially in the way that Lingormr was going about it, but seeing how the man was going to get him some form of a weapon, it only made sense to return the favor. While the last thing he wanted to do at the moment was stumble around in the dark, this had nothing to do with what he wanted. He started to search, casting aside the smaller rocks in search of a few more sturdy ones that would actually do some damage if thrown.

He glanced up from his search when Soma spoke up. She was also ill? His jaw tightened at the realization. Not that he had ever imagined that he was alone in this, but it was another thing to see it, and on someone so young.

The branch clattering to the ground interrupted them, and Castiel set aside the rocks he'd picked up to grab for it. It was much too large for him to wield on his own, and so after a moment of contemplation he cracked it over his knee, breaking it in two.

When Soma asked him about the device, he paused, realizing that it had slipped his mind. There was a good reason for that, seeing how he'd been asleep for a whole day, but he'd at least remembered to check before that. "Yes, I have it. I'm not sure what good it can do, but I'd be willing to give it to you. My apologies for not mentioning it sooner." It was sloppy on his part, but he was hardly at his best right now. If anything, he was at his worst.

Lingormr reappeared then and gave his report. While Castiel could understand his hesitance to put themselves out in the open and closer to the birds' nest, in the end he had to side with Soma's opinion. "I'd also like to get a hold of my weapon," he said. The stick he had in hand was not going to cut it for long, to say the least.

Loki looked at Castiel. "I trust the branch was suitable? Green wood's not the best, but it is indeed better than nothing." He spotted the small collection of rocks not far from the angel and fetched them for himself, weighing them in his hands. Not ideal, but he'd be able to throw them with reasonable accuracy. "Thank you."

Because yes, he wasn't a prince, as far as these people knew. He had to do annoying things like remember to be polite.

He nodded, acknowledging what both Castiel and Soma said. "Then it seems best indeed. I admit I'd feel a bit safer with that spear in my hands, even if it might win me nothing but undue confidence." He glanced up into the canopy, moving until he could catch a bit of the sky. "If we wish to go faster, we can cut through the trees in this direction, and then we'll meet back up with the road." He pointed. "The canopy cover is a bit better besides, so we'll be less likely to be bothered by the birds. They'll start hunting the less available targets once everyone's finished scattering at any rate."

Rocks cradled in his left arm to leave his right hand free, he began to walk - though much slower than his normal pace, knowing that Soma and Castiel both seemed ill and were likely not accustomed to being in the woods - in the direction he'd indicated, silent and confident like someone accustomed to such a setting. Perhaps it would have done his act better to pretend to be bumbling, but he didn't particularly want to attract the attention of any creatures. That would ultimately be far more revealing of what he'd kept to himself.

"If you aren't doing anything else with it, I'll take it," she told Castiel. Not that she would be able to do much with the device either, but with this many worlds represented, there had to be someone who did.

Lingormr's plan made sense, and she inclined her head slightly as they began to walk, taking a deep breath. The last thing she wanted to happen was for all of them to get caught out in the open, unarmed. Lingormr seemed to know where he was going, but that was reasonable, considering he knew the general location of the institute. Besides, he'd probably had practice back in Sweden.

"It should serve me well enough for now," Castiel responded when Lingormr asked about the branch. It wouldn't be more than a battering instrument unless it was sharpened, but this only had to last him until they reached the institute and procured their proper weapons. It sounded like all three of them would be well-armed if they actually made it there, and so Castiel didn't hesitate to follow when Lingormr started to lead the way.

He had a decent idea of what the area around the institute looked like after that attempted bus trip with Dean, so he would be able to correct Lingormr if he started leading them off-track. Castiel would have preferred to be in the lead, even, but he knew his sickness didn't make him the best choice for that job.

As they walked, he saw some of the birds approaching the trees, flapping their wings and trying to find a way through to them. They seemed to be eyeing him particularly closely, and Castiel didn't understand why. It wouldn't make sense for the sickness to influence it -- if anything, that should have driven them away from him.

He kept a careful eye on the creatures as they hiked up the hill, glancing over at Soma to continue their earlier point of conversation. "If I held onto it, all I would be doing was asking the patient body if anyone would be able to glean information from it despite being broken," he explained with a slight shrug. Deciphering technology was not his strong point, so that job would have to be left to someone else.

Loki noted the approach of the birds, but since they couldn't seem to get through the trees, he didn't worry about it for now. They all seemed to be paying more attention to Castiel and Soma anyway, which was interesting. Perhaps they found the blood of a Jotnar unappetizing. He certainly couldn't blame them, were that the case.

He just had to hope that the other two wouldn't notice. Or would provide a more plausible explanation for themselves.

He continued to lead the way, keeping them unfailingly in the right direction but trying to at least pick an easier path for the other two since they were in a weakened state.

Of course, he also couldn't help but listen to what they were talking about. It wasn't even eavesdropping, really, since they were all in the same group. "Excuse me, but what is it you're talking about?" It seemed better to just ask directly, since listening in hadn't given him any answers yet.

Soma glanced uneasily at the birds, several of which were still lurking just beyond the edge of the trees. One of them was eyeing her with what might have been intelligence. Or interest. She wasn't sure which.

She was about to answer Castiel when Lingormr spoke up. That was right--he probably hadn't overheard her question when he'd been scouting the area. "I told you about the device that's been limiting our powers, right?" she said. "I might have mentioned it the first time we met. It was broken a few nights ago, and Castiel has it now. I'm hoping one of the patients will have the technological know-how to figure out how it works--or what it is."

She hefted her branch so it rested on her shoulder, a slightly more comfortable position. "I'm not saying we'll be able to replicate it, but any information we have gets us closer to escaping."

It was no surprise that Lingormr wanted to be clued into their conversation, and Castiel didn't mind him hearing about it. The more that were aware of the events of that night -- or at least certain details of it -- the better. Soma took the lead with explaining everything, and Castiel didn't have any protests with how she presented it.

"It would likely be in our best interest to advertise its existence on the board somehow," he said as he worked to keep pace with them, "but I'm willing to hand it over to anyone who's interested in examining it." If any sense could be made of how the device worked, then they could look into how to destroy or disable any others.

That, of course, required finding them first, but if there was some sort of radio wave that could be sent out that would jam it somehow...

Castiel thought that was how these things worked, anyway. The fact that he was questioning himself on it only made him more convinced that it would do better in someone else's hands. He was getting very used to admitting to his shortcomings by now.

Loki listened intently, nodding at the key points. He very much wanted to see this device. "I hope that will be the case. I did quite a bit of reading this afternoon so I'm now much more comfortable with the principles guiding electricity and... electromagnetic waves such as radio. I actually used my stipend to purchase an electronics tome so I can come to understand the construction of electronics circuits, since that seems very pertinent and useful." He sighed. "And they didn't have any useful books on chemistry or pharmacology, which was most disappointing. But while I am by no means an expert, I should like a look at this device at some point if I may."

He laughed softly. "Any data are always better than none at all."

Castiel's suggestion was much more difficult, since it involved having to inform others of the secret without risking that it be taken away. "Tell me, Castiel, is this broken device hidden in your room, or is it something that appears in the box of possessions?" He continued to walk even as he thought, working through the problem. "Since I assume this is something that should not be broadly advertised. I don't supposed you've done anything with the code figures I made for you, Soma?"

Soma smiled a little despite herself. It said a lot about Lingormr, she thought, when he used his money to buy textbooks in town. Still, given his intelligence, she supposed it wouldn't take him long to catch up. "I'll keep my eyes out for more books. I know there's a medical library on the second floor--that might have something useful."

Castiel seemed willing enough to give the device away; despite her curiosity, Soma had her reservations. "I don't want to hand it off to just anyone. This is the first sign we've had that there are tangible objects that are keeping our powers in check. It's better if we don't lose it."

She shook her head in response to Lingormr's question. "I haven't had anything of particular interest to report. I could make Castiel a copy of the runes, though, if you think it would help." She turned to the other man. "Lingormr's been working on a way to disguise our messages on the board. What we have to say about what happened with Aguilar is probably too long for one of these runes, but we could probably use it to pass notes to each other."

When Lingormr began to explain the efforts he had already gone to in order to understand technology and catch up with the modern way in which it worked, Castiel had to admit he felt somewhat humbled. He had only recently learned how to use a cell phone, for one thing, and yet Lingormr was speaking about things like electromagnetic waves and circuits like it was nothing. It was a shame to hear that the man hadn't been able to find anything having to do with the illness some of them were suffering from, but Soma seemed to have an idea of where else they could look.

Castiel couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't following all of this as well as he should have been able to, and his headache was to blame for that. Still, he forced himself to work through it all. He could understand why they had some hesitation with making everyone aware of the device, but at the same time he thought a code might be overly cumbersome.

It had been simple when he'd been able to communicate with Gabriel through Enochian, though he realized his brother had been as scarce as the Winchesters. He pushed that thought away and nodded. "I wouldn't mind learning of other methods to communicate subtly," he said before almost stumbling over an uneven path in their uphill climb. He made a noise of frustration before he continued walking.

"You're free to examine it when you wish," he told Lingormr. "I found it in the box they put all of our things in. It's surprising that they didn't confiscate it, but maybe they believe there isn't much we can glean from it." Their job was to prove that idea wrong.

Loki nodded. "There's one in the medical wing as well. I acquired a pharmacopoeia from there, as well as some books on anatomy and first aid. I've studied them a bit so I know how to use the supplies I took. And one might hope I won't be utterly useless if there's an injury."

He shrugged. "I think you understand the situation here better than I, but it seems to me that at least one of the sets of runes should be dispersed to those who are trustworthy and can be relied upon to keep them secret and disseminate any information."

The other set, he was just as happy keeping it private between Soma and himself.

"It's fairly simple," Loki told Castiel. "I can show you on the morrorw, if you like, or I'm sure Soma can as well. She's quite good at the method." He glanced back at the man as he made a sound, but decided to say nothing for now.

"I would appreciate that... perhaps we can prove them wrong." He laughed softly. "I'd certainly like to try. Life could get very interesting for them if we can even bend those devices a bit."

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