NIGHT 64: M-A BLOCK HALLWAY

[envy_the_sinners]

_{[From here]}

Scar made his way through the halls, knowing for once exactly where he was going. He fiddled with the scalpel between his fingers as he walked at a brisk pace, knowing full well that the tiny knife would hardly do him any good. But it was better than nothing, should he come across anything along his way.


_{[To here]}

Comments

[maverickhunterx]

"...something that shouldn't be real." X said.

It all pointed to it, though X himself didn't want to consider it.

How was it possible? Why would someone do that? The ethical implications of someone taking a Reploid 'soul' and shoving it in a human body was beyond abhorrent; it was worse than murder. To destroy someone's own identity, just to replace it with someone else's. Whether it be done to a human or Reploid, such an act was...

But what else was there? His body reacted like a human's. He didn't have any systems or scanners, and his senses weren't at all what they were supposed to be.

What else could he be...?

X's mind whirled at the thought. His head grew hot, almost lightheaded at the idea, but he shook it off. Time for shock was later. Now was the time for answers. And how to find those answers...

He glanced around him, then to Harpuia.

"Do you have anything sharp that I can use? I want to test something before I make any real assumptions one way or the other."

[lovesthepain]

"I'd feel much more at ease with a weapon, but unfortunately, my Sonic Blades appear to have been taken with the rest of my armor." Not that he'd seen any pressing need for a weapon; this place was unsettling, yes, but nothing had presented an immediate threat so far. Even if the flashlight in his hand might be able to serve as a crude weapon in a pinch, it was hardly suited to the task, and Harpuia felt oddly off-balance and vulnerable with only one hand occupied. Nevertheless, purely as a precaution, at least one blade would have been a welcome item.

Just... maybe not for the reasons X was considering.

Again: not a particularly dense reploid. Fefnir or Leviathan might not have questioned it, and Phantom may have been too faithful to speak up... but this was Harpuia, and "Do you have anything sharp? I want to test if I'm human or not" was a plan that raised all sorts of red flags as far as he was concerned. His expression remained as rigid and unchanging as usual, but his stare was very firmly fixed on X.

...Better not to jump to conclusions. Master X, after all, was a wise leader. Surely he wouldn't do anything short-sighted or hasty. The very fact that he didn't want to make any assumptions, even in light of the changes to their bodies, was a testament to the patient and rational mind that had built Neo Arcadia up from nothing.

"If you want to look for something sharp, then I'll help you search."

[maverickhunterx]

Sonic blades? Then Harpuia, wherever he was from, must have fought similarly to Zero. But he looked so young...would X really have allowed such a young Reploid out on the field of battle? Perhaps it was merely his frame, but the thought of a child fighting for any reason made his stomach turn.

It was wrong.

Still...searching would take time. Though X supposed he could try...even if he didn't use it for what he was intending, a weapon would be handy, however small.

Just in case.

He glanced around him, scanning the floor for any cracks.

...Nothing.

X glanced to his side, noticing a single door. Hobbling towards it, X looked towards his companion.

"Let's look in here. Maybe we can find something."

[To here!]

After the bathroom fiasco...

[maverickhunterx]

From Here!

X's hand was smarting, but he still followed Harpuia back into the hallway. He could walk easier now, thankfully (perhaps he was getting used to his new movement?), though his eyes still rebelled against him; everything was just nondescript shapes.

Were human eyes really this weak?

He shook the thoughts out and touched his hands along the wall. Easy...easy does it...if he kept his hand on the wall, then surely he'd be in a safer position than if he just walked in the center of the hallway.

He squinted his eyes and stared forward.

...Was that...?

"Harpuia," X stopped to turn to his companion. "I think I see something like a door over there. Let's go through it and see where it goes."

It was better than sticking around here, that was for sure.

[lovesthepain]

Harpuia turned the flashlight in the direction that X had indicated. He'd decided it was better to keep the light on; though he still had his doubts that they really were human, it was difficult to deny that their optics alone were too weak to navigate this place quickly and efficiently. Important though energy conservation may have been, he was in no mood to waste time on stumbling his way through the dark, hoping his sensors would kick in.

Sure enough, X had guessed correctly. The light rested on a door, presumably leading deeper into this... whatever this place was. It wasn't like they had the luxury of selectiveness, anyway; as far as Harpuia could tell, the only other options were to head back to the washroom or continue to wander the dormitory hallways that they'd first emerged from. No other choice but onward, then.

Harpuia spared a look over at X, double-checking that the hand on the wall was merely due to the poor lighting conditions and not a sign that his injury was worse than it appeared. Deciding that X was still doing okay, Harpuia nodded silently, keeping the flashlight trained forward as they moved further into the Institute.

[To here]