damned_institute | End of Night 64: Head Doctor's Office

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End of Night 64: Head Doctor's Office - 3rd Floor

While it wasn't uncommon for patients to black out at the end of Nightshift, a select few would have a wrench thrown into their normal routine. Rather than waking up bright and early in their typical bed, they would find themselves propped up in a comfortable leather chair.

The room itself looked like an office straight from the 1950s – almost cozy, in fact. None of them would recognize the oak table in the middle of the room, or the two bookcases, which were neatly arranged with all kinds of texts and books. Between those bookcases, though, was a picture of the Institute, framed with wood that perfectly matched the rest of the room's décor.

The knickknacks scattered across the bookcases -- staff photographs, a golfing figure made of business cards, and some prestigious-looking awards – didn't seem out of place for a regular office, either. The desk itself was the centerpiece, and was obviously well-used. That wasn't to say it was messy, exactly, but the inbox and outbox resting on top of the glass-paned surface were stuffed with a variety of paperwork and envelopes. Though most of the room looked old-fashioned, the keyboard and two flat screen monitors contrasted with the rest of the office.

These things would probably escape the notice of most of the people visiting this evening, though. After all, anyone who woke up in this office would be treated to the sight of a man peering through his oval-rimmed glasses as he leafed through some folders. Although his face was distinct enough for anyone who'd had the opportunity to see the Head Doctor in person, the small microphone sitting just inches away from him said volumes about who he was.

As soon as the patient awoke, the man looked up, offering an unexpectedly amicable smile. After closing the folder, he set it down next to the outbox and leaned back in his seat.

“Ah, good evening,” he greeted as he pulled the glasses from his nose. “I've been expecting you. You've been brought here because I thought you might be interested in making a deal, so let's discuss things like gentlemen, shall we?” Nodding toward the newcomer, he chuckled. “Take a moment to regain your bearings if you need it. I realize this must be a bit disorienting.”

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There was no denying that this patient had stood out over his time here. Landel had always known that there was no point in underestimating children. He'd heard the scandalized whispers about how it was wrong to have young people brought here along with the adults, but there were some children who had the potential of ten full-grown subjects. He wasn't one to discriminate.

And Albedo, well... he had shown himself to be quite the interesting choice, between his performance while under Special Counseling and the skills he'd used in the coliseum fight. Yomi truly hadn't stood a chance, had she?

Of course, the truth of the matter was that this boy didn't need to have his mind altered to be capable of what Landel was asking, and that was one of the reasons why he'd been called here tonight. Yes, the Head Doctor had picked out his subjects carefully...

As usual, Albedo stood out with his response, causing Landel to laugh and shake his head. "You're quite the character, aren't you? Well, in that case, I'll cut to the chase." He set his glasses down and intertwined his fingers on the desk. "I can only imagine you've noticed the illness that's running through the institute like an epidemic. I want some of those patients targeted and eradicated. Do you think that's something you'd be capable of?"

[Court.]

Quite the compliment, those words, and Albedo only smiled further, something quiet and nearly pleased. In truth, it didn't matter what this man thought of him, or what things he asked-- Albedo's mind had only shifted to prioritize on his sibling, who he had sensed once more in the basement before coming here. And now. This. All too aligned really.

And the subject at hand. Straightforward as could be, something that could be appreciated, except for one certain little fact. Nothing else mattered really. He'd torment whoever if there was something amusing to be had. The boy's head tilted as if in humor--it was instead, a careful movement, a necessary act. It was too bad, really. He'd almost enjoy this, but for that one aspect. "Something I would be capable of? Why, I'm scandalized you would even think that--"

He shrugged loosely, amusement wiping from his expression as his bright eyes stared. "Think that it's beyond me, that is. For me personally, or elsewise? You said 'targeted'-- That usually denotes a group. I'm not one to play well with others." A magician of words, yes, but he'd grown past his weapon days of working with others. Still, there was--

The boy crossed an ankle over a knee, waving a hand as he continued his little monologue. "Regardless, you have to know that I don't care what happens to those people, but there's a little problem with this scenario you're presenting. My brother." Because Landel must know. Who exactly was affected. "If your little virus is actual, my brother is one of those you wish me to eradicate."

It went unsaid. There was an absolute denial of that aspect.

Oh, Landel knew all about Nigredo, as it was impossible to know a thing about Albedo without also being aware of his brother. There was supposed to be a third one, of course, and even a sister -- but Rubedo hadn't functioned well here. If the Head Doctor remembered correctly, "Junior" was living with a family who was taking very good care of him, not that he was interested in sharing that information with Albedo now.

No, it was better to focus on what was here in front of him, and that was that Albedo had a sick brother.

"Not all of them need to be taken down," he remarked as he stood from his chair and started to pace. "I suspect some of them will self-destruct due to their own hero complexes, and others will find a cure. There's five of you who I'm calling here tonight, but there's no need to work together either."

It would be pointless to try and get a group of sociopaths to work as a team. Not that all of them were as unfeeling as Albedo, but they all had something that could move them to turn on their own kind.

"If you succeed and five of the infected end up dead, then there will be a reward," he teased, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked Albedo up and down. He'd made sure to pick out things that would be hard for them to resist.

A cure. Cute. That had been hinted about previously, and here it was, from the mouth of the man himself. Still, it nearly meant nothing but a possibility-- Albedo knew well enough that the promise of treatment meant nothing in actuality. Hadn't that girl taught him that? A shudder fled through him at the thought, and he ignored it all the same.

There was much more and many to be discussed after all. No need to bring the dead into the talk of those still yet living. Even if not for much longer.

The boy leaned forward, bringing a hand up to frame his face, tapping fingertips on his cheekbone. "You're speaking of illness and cures. Isn't the reward obvious, then? You're asking me to bring about others' deaths for my brother's life. And why not just kill them with your own power? Isn't that within your means?" An obvious yes, but Albedo understood further in this at least. He giggled lightly. "Except if you killed them, you'd be setting yourself up as the villain. And since Doyle's been gone, you seem to have shirked that role; playing instead the part of the well-meaning jailer. If instead, other patients rose to strike down those who succumbed... Then you would have unrest and distrust within instead of without."

The hand on his face gestured to the man in question. "Am I wrong?"

It was true that the obvious choice would be to offer Nigredo a cure as Albedo's reward, but that was almost too easy. Landel liked to think he wasn't that predictable, though he'd been called plenty of things over the years and was more or less immune to badmouthing by now. The point was that he'd made it a little more complicated than that.

Albedo was asking some interesting questions, but he also managed to answer them for himself, and it was nothing that the Head Doctor could deny. He knew there was a reason that he'd picked Albedo, and it was because he had a strong idea of how these things worked.

"Exactly," he said after a pause, smiling at the boy almost as if he was proud. "There's no need to get my hands dirty at this point, and I need to figure out who I can rely on to get the harder jobs done." Not all of these patients were really cut out for this, after all, but anyone who could set aside feelings for a greater purpose was worth keeping an eye on.

"So, are you interested?" He tilted his head at Albedo, though he already had an idea of the response he'd get.

The boy waited until the man was done speaking, grin showing around the edges. "Au contraire; the question is not if I'm interested." He gave a shrug of allowance, before continuing. His nerves jangled against each other, in anxiety, in excitement. There was no question that this scenario claimed itself as fun, except-- Except the child hadn't forgotten that this man could bring back abilities at whim, sort life and death just as equally, and Albedo wasn't sure which he feared more at this point: Nigredo's life in this man's hands, or the possibility that this man would give back his regeneration in full, which would strike from from his brother's side all the same.

Playing to suit a role, therefore, came as something all too known. Far too necessary. "It's not a hard job at all, unless the time frame is further constrained than one would assume. But all of that is near meaningless-- I'm like to know your offer before sealing myself to the deal. Of course I'm interested, but what shiny things--" Nigredo's life, Nigredo's protection, his own dear soul. "--are you holding up as incentive?"

That was what it came down to, of course, but Landel had prepared carefully for this. He wouldn't have called these five patients up here if he hadn't known exactly what he was going to say. He wasn't fond of making a fool of himself, or of anyone who made him appear that way. It was why people like General Aguilar and his dear departed friend Doyle earned so much of his ire.

But this had nothing to do with them, and he calmed himself as he considered Albedo's question and laid it all out on the table. "What I'm offering is... protection for your brother, though maybe not in the way you considered." He knew that a cure was obvious, but that was so boring that he'd rather go with something else. And in the end, this reward would do them better in the long run.

"As I'm sure you know, there's a shield of sorts around me that prevents attacks of any kind." None of the patients he'd called here had tried to break through it so far, which spoke to how level-headed they were. He had no intention of dealing with hotheads. "There would be one instated for your brother at night, although a much more limited one. But he'd be shielded from at least one unexpected attack per night." If the boy was stupid enough to get himself in trouble more than once, then that was his problem.

To some, the offer given could be a weak one, and Albedo himself would have thought as much before. But the boy had been here for nearly a month now, and from the things encountered from both, the offer was actually more than what he would have thought. More and less both, but when it came down to it, it could be enough. These things shifted and settled into his mind, cemented with purpose.

The melodic speech and off-beat humor ceased without prelude, and the bioweapon stared, violet eyes bright. One did not merely say yes to devils or men--the night could vanish like the tales of mortals dancing beneath a faery hill. "So there are five people that are ill to be disposed of. Only five," he clarified, as if checking the facts. "Is there any bonus to going over the amount of five?" Any further guarantee of safety that could be managed.

"And it's factual that there is a cure to be found somewhere?" He had no expectation to be hold anything on the details--the fact of its existence would do enough. The boy mulled over the largest point. "And when would payment occur? On the first death, or the last?" It was Nigredo now, who was in danger, who was also a target to the other people in this little group. If it was possible to contact some, to trade information and weapons as a guarantee, that would be the best scenario, but all in all, the least likely one. If it was possible to have that protection sooner rather than later, Albedo would breathe easier. Slight, but easier.

Suddenly, Albedo dropped any theatrics and got straight to the point, which Landel certainly didn't mind. He had five people to talk to before morning came, after all, so he needed to make these conversations as brief as possible.

But he was glad to see that the boy had some ambition, seeing how he was asking what would be offered if more than five were killed. "I didn't have any bonus prizes in mind, so I wouldn't suggest you overextend yourself," he said after a pause, smirking slightly. "I admire your determination, though."

Asking about the cure was interesting. That cure was the biggest obstacle to these five patients, so it would make the most sense for them to avoid it at all costs. Still, things could be turned around in different ways, and Landel couldn't forget that Albedo's brother was sick. "There is a cure, yes. I'm not dangling that over people's heads for no reason," he said with a shrug. "And payment would occur once the fifth sick patient died."

Quite the doctor, trying to kill off his patients. Landel knew the irony in that, but it wasn't as if he cared.

Nothing Albedo didn't expect to begin with. But there were reasons to cover one's options, and at least with this, he had the word of this man to fall onto it. As much as it was worth. But there were similarities held in the transcripts of earlier nights that Albedo had read, and for that reason, he believed that the man had no reason to lie outright. There was further amusement in guile, in the setup of games, and there was no elegance in lying so haphazardly. The boy could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time, but it was no near something like a habit.

Albedo's head twitched slightly--the smallest of nods given, acknowledgement quiet and assumed. "I don't see why I can't play your game, then." He laughed once, then smirked up at the man. "You do interesting things that I can appreciate, even in the position given to me. So I'll play the role of mercenary and manipulator for you." He inclined his head in a mocking sort of bow. "Do let me know if there's any other games we can play, hmm?~"

So that was one more down. Landel's lips curled into a smile, but he'd known from the beginning that Albedo would probably agree. With everything settled between them and a confirmation given, there wasn't much else to be said.

"Time will tell on that point," he said. "For now, focus on this, and if you do well we'll see about the future." Landel was also shocked that Albedo seemed to have some amount of respect for him. It took quite the character to be able to acknowledge that even while a victim of it.

"Sweet dreams," he said as a closing statement, and the next thing Albedo would know was darkness, just like the end of any other night.

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End of Night 64: Head Doctor's Office - 3rd Floor

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