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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"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."

Soma inclined her head. "I'll bring a copy of one of the sets tomorrow. It's very simple to use."

Castiel almost stumbled, and she put a hand out instinctively. It looked like he'd managed to catch himself, though. Her lips thinned slightly, though not at him. If Lingormr was the only one in good health tonight, it was only that much more important that they get back to the institute as soon as possible.

Aloud, she said, "That's what I was thinking. The sooner we can use their own weapons against them, the better. And if they're hiding our weapons around here somewhere, too..."

They had to be, didn't they? There were plenty of Special Counseling patients who'd gotten swords and guns and whatever back, and there had been that incident with the old man and his mobile armor. If that wasn't proof they had room to store a mobile suit or two, she wasn't sure what was.

With both of them insisting that the code would be simple to use, Castiel felt that he wouldn't have any trouble with it. He was nothing if not a fast learner in most cases. Pop culture and other such things didn't count, but something like communicating -- that he should be good at. Angels were multilingual in the broadest sense of the term, after all.

While it seemed that Lingormr and Soma had hope that studying the device could lead to a proper breakthrough, Castiel wasn't willing to rely on it. He knew not to dismiss it, as it might be their only key out of this place, but assuming it would get them far would be naive.

"I'll meet with one of you tomorrow, then," he said. That was provided that they made it through the night in one piece, of course, and Castiel paused when he realized they were approaching a clearing. He tried to take another path around it, but there were two birds who were lingering overhead, clearly looking for an opening to get to them.

He avoided eye contact -- most creatures felt threatened by such a thing -- and took a sharp right into a denser set of trees. "We're not going to have this cover for much longer," he said grimly.

Loki nodded. "Whichever you like, then." He liked Castiel well enough, and wouldn't mind attempting to teach him the code. The man would likely figure it out without too much difficulty. He didn't seem stupid, just not exactly up on his social graces.

Not that Loki himself was an expert on modern human society. Oh, but they were daft and puzzling creatures, to go along with being short-lived and largely beneath notice. But it was what he had to work with.

He glanced at Soma, giving her a sly smile that indicated she was in on the joke. "Weapons seem unnecessary to me, at times."

Loki looked at the thinning of the trees, the way the creatures were circling, waiting. He frowned. "Hm... please, both of you wait here. I will go scout the last leg and find the closest approach to the prison. It would be best if you take a moment to gather your strength because it seems we will have to run all out."

Though really, if it came to that he could just pick Soma up and carry her. He'd rather not, though, because he had a feeling that would hurt her pride rather badly and leave him with some serious explaining to do. Still, better than allowing his only friend to get eaten by some kind of horribly mutated bird.

Loki set down all but one of his rocks and then disappeared silently into the trees.

Despite how out of breath she felt (and that was a new feeling in and of itself), she couldn't help a small, return smile. At least Lingormr felt confident enough to joke about his abilities with her. That, as far as she was concerned, was a step in the right direction.

The smile faded a little when he told them to stay back while he scouted ahead. She didn't want to admit she needed to gather her strength, but neither she nor Castiel had really been subtle about just how weak they felt. As much as she wanted to protest, she knew Lingormr was right. She'd only slow him down.

Still, it didn't mean she had to be happy about it. With a faint huff of annoyance, she rested her branch against a tree and settled in for the wait.

"What do you think this is?" she murmured to Castiel. "This sickness, I mean. Is it just another attempt to scare us, or does Landel really intend to turn us all into mindless creatures?"

When it came to who he would rather learn the code from, Castiel didn't have a particular preference. He owed more to Lingormr, so the idea of asking for more made Soma seemed like a slightly more appealing target, but that was the only criteria by which he was choosing.

The comment Lingormr made about not needing weapons stood out, especially with the pointed way he said it to Soma. Castiel could understand the sentiment, as he often didn't need his angel blade when he was at full power, but he didn't know what business a human from centuries ago had saying such a thing. On the other hand, Castiel had his doubts about Lingormr regarding his origins. He was about to ask about it, but then was when Lingormr remarked that he was going to scout ahead.

Normally, Castiel would have argued. In fact, he would have made the same offer about fifty feet back. But in this case, he couldn't fill that role, and so he forced himself to bite back and agree.

Soma spoke up soon after Lingormr took off, and Castiel glanced toward her with a slight frown on his features. "It's impossible to say for certain, but... in general, it's best to assume and prepare for the worst." Which meant that both of them might be turning into something else, might end up losing all sense of reason, and that was what unsettled him the most.

Loki moved quickly through the trees, breaking in to a near-silent run once he was out of sight. He looped through the thinner part of the trees, the birds still ignoring him in favor of circling nearer to where he'd left Soma and Castiel. He paused at the edge of the forest, catching sight of the Institute.

Carefully, he picked his way around the edge of the forest until he found the point that was closest to the front entrance. He'd be able to shatter the glass of the doors with a rock, so getting in would be simple. He surveyed the terrain, deciding how best to direct the others to run. It seemed as if he could safely bring up the rear, since the birds seemed so uninterested in him. So if he picked up a few rocks, he might be able to fend them off long enough.

It worked in theory. It depended upon how fast Soma and Castiel would be able to run, really.

He made note of the place and picked his way back to where he'd left his companions, mapping the easiest route there that still kept them as covered as possible.

Soma couldn't help the worried frown that spread across her features. The last time anything like this transformation had happened, it had taken place over the course of a few minutes, not a few days. Was there a particular reason they were spreading out the symptoms this time? Besides inciting paranoia in the general population, anyway, because that was definitely one. It wouldn't have been Landel otherwise.

Still, she couldn't help but think the symptoms were a little different. She didn't like the thought; itt just made things more difficult to adjust to. She shivered a little. And the colonel had thought the experiments the HEA had been running were inhumane.

"At least a slow-burning infection gives us time to try and figure out a cure," she said without much hope in her voice. As if the labs upstairs were well-stocked enough to provide comfort for anything more severe than a mild head cold.

Lingormr was doubling back. She noticed with a dull sort of fascination that the creatures were still focused on her and Castiel. They could probably sense which ones were sick, she thought. Of course Landel wouldn't have bred giant monster birds to be stupid.

"You think we can make it?" she murmured as he came within earshot.

While it was definitely for the best that they had some time to find a solution, Castiel didn't know if it would do much in the end. Landel could have designed this infection to be incurable, after all. If anything, it might just be dragging out something that was already inevitable, purely for the sport of it.

Soma herself didn't seem that convinced that they would be able to do much, and in the end Castiel didn't have the presence of mind to offer any reassuring words. He would be lying if he did such a thing, after all, and that sort of thing didn't come easily to him, if it occurred to him in the first place.

He was going to ask her what sort of symptoms she was suffering from, but by that point Lingormr had returned. So he had managed to strike out on his own without getting targeted in the slightest. Castiel didn't know if that meant there was something strange about Lingormr or something wrong with him and Soma. He didn't understand why the birds would want to eat something diseased, but they were rotting themselves; maybe they were attracted to the same thing.

For the moment Castiel remained silent, waiting for Lingormr to give his assessment.

Loki bent to pick his rocks back up. He stowed one in the pocket of his coat. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it would allow him to carry another. "I've faith in you," he finally said. "But the distance from the treeline to the doors is quite long. I like it not."

He glanced toward the birds. "I know not why they seem to find me so unappetizing, but it seems best in that case that I bring up the rear." He picked up another rock, small enough to fit in his pocket, and tucked it away. He could throw it hard and accurately enough that the small size wouldn't lessen its value as a weapon too much. "I shall try to cover you and shout warning if I am unable to deter them. But it is best that we run with all haste."

Loki turned over another rock with the toe of his shoe and picked it up, rolling it with his fingers. It would do. "If you have both recovered as much as you can, I shall lead you to the best vantage. Better that we move quickly while the birds are still so scattered in hunting for our fellows."

"They're predators," said Soma flatly. "They can probably tell we're off our game tonight. I'm not surprised they're more interested in us."

And didn't that sting her pride. Still, she wasn't going down without a fight, and she didn't doubt Castiel could hit hard, too. "You're right. Let's get moving."

It wasn't far to the spot where she'd seen Lingormr first move out into the open. She halted for a moment at the edge of the trees, fingers curling around the heavy branch. Then, taking a deep breath, she glanced at Castiel, nodded once, and ran.

Night 63: Road to/from Doyleton

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