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damned_institute2012-07-23 08:48 am
- aidou,
- albedo,
- byrne,
- claude,
- doctor facilier,
- edgar,
- gabriel,
- guy,
- klavier,
- l,
- nina,
- rock lee,
- scar,
- scott pilgrim,
- seishin,
- skulduggery,
- the doctor,
- the once-ler,
- the scarecrow,
- tolten,
- tsurugi,
- two-face,
- zero
Day 65: Sun Room
His nurse had whisked him away from breakfast as soon as the intercom’s voice faded. Surprisingly, she didn’t take him to the shower rooms, instead bringing him to the Sun Room (as she called it), explaining that since this was his first day he would be allowed to skip the showers. Besides, it would be good to let his injuries heal a little more.
He’d passed through this room on the way to breakfast, but hadn’t really paid much attention to it the first time. Now that he was standing here, the Once-ler understood why it was called the Sun Room.
Despite the fact that it was cloudy outside, there was still far more natural light coming in through the ceiling windows than he had seen in a long time. The Once-ler stood still for a few moments, simply staring up. It seemed almost like a dream, really. The valley never got brighter than twilight, even at noon. There was too much smog in the air to let any more light through.
After a few minutes, he shook his head. Anybody who saw him just standing in the middle of the room would probably have questions about it, and he did not relish the thought of explaining himself to a stranger. He glanced around the room itself, spotting the bulletin board Soma had talked about during breakfast. The Once-ler decided that was a good place to start, and hobbled on over to get a closer look.
[For Nina, I believe?]
no subject
But there was still no sign of Badd anywhere. It was starting to become worrisome, going this long trying and failing to find someone who should be really noticeable. Perhaps he was still in the showers, or he and Byrne had somehow missed each other walking through the halls or something? If that was the case, though, why hadn't he been at breakfast?
Thankfully, there was one other means of trying to find him and it was right here in the Sun Room. Byrne promptly left a disguised note for Badd on the board and internally crossed his fingers. Hopefully he'd see that and answer back. Quickly.
In the meantime, the prosecutor checked the board for other notes to see what was going on with the rest of the patient body. Most of it was about the X-Ray room and some clue that had been left there. (Also chaos. Good thing Byrne hadn't been there, then.) The clue was some sort of drawing - an insect? Something in the body, the stomach specifically? And this was supposed to be related to the infection? Far from comforting.
To think the Institute-wide bug was really just that - a bug. Kind of gave Byrne the creeps thinking about it.
He finished checking the board, then wandered off and took a seat on an empty couch, thinking heavily as his eyes kept darting from patient to patient in the room. No Badd anywhere, of course. Not much else to do but think and watch. If only he had his notebook with him...
[Free!]
no subject
Lana approached the bulletin just as a familiar face was walking away, and she stared at the proliferation of notes for a few moments. Then she put her fingers to her eyes, and succeeded in merely looking disgusted, rather than swaying on her feet. Though the rash on her hand was rather a tell-tale, wasn't it?
She didn't need to fake it. She could just go ask an expert, at least as far as the current contents of the board went. So she turned around, tracked down Prosecutor Faraday, and made her way over. "Anything of use over there?" she asked, flicking a quick hand to the bulletin. "I'm afraid I wasn't able to go hunting down answers myself last night."
It might be safer if all of the affected patients stayed in; the threat of turning into a monster was too believable, and at least in her own room she had a chance of doing something about it herself before it was too late for anyone else. But she couldn't just leave it at that, either -- which Landel was surely counting on. Yet he didn't make entirely empty promises; just poisoned ones.
no subject
"Me neither," he admitted, "but it seems that the people who did go found an interesting clue." And also more than they bargained for, from the sound of things, but that outcome was beyond predictable (and precisely why Byrne hadn't wanted to go).
He was about to continue on from there, but then his eyes fell and noticed something unusual about Ms. Skye - her arm, specifically. That rash. His smile faded in an instant. She...? Oh, that's right. The last time he'd seen her, she hadn't been feeling well and they'd discussed their symptoms. That was before either of them knew. Damn, he'd forgotten.
Byrne glanced back up at her, obviously concerned, but said nothing.
no subject
"Oh?" She tilted her head, clearly asking him to continue. Talking about it wasn't the same as doing anything about it, but it felt better than pretending the problem didn't exist.
Besides, they were lawyers. If they didn't spend half their time arguing about something, no one would believe they'd earned their badges.
no subject
Just like most members of law enforcement, putting their duties before themselves. It was something Byrne occasionally struggled with when 'themselves' referred to the people he cared about, but then...he knew, especially in situations like this, it wasn't wise to sit around worrying.
"There was an image of a stomach with a butterfly inside of it," he explained, letting the concern briefly disappear from his face. "From what people were saying on the board, I would assume that's the cause of our illness."
Hopefully it didn't mean what Byrne was afraid it meant, but considering it was this place? And that it was Landel who was to blame for all of this? It wouldn't surprise him in the least.
no subject
She wasn't sure which to hope for. A concrete, physical cause would give them a place to start -- not Lana herself, but those who might know what to do with it. Ilia, maybe. She resolutely ignored the little voice pointing out another name that would be all to eager to help find a cure, especially if it involved experiments and machinery.
"And if the latter, were they able to do anything about it?"
no subject
But anyway. "From what I read, someone actually saw it for themselves." How it was seen wasn't exactly described, just that someone saw it 'intimately'. Byrne's guess... "They probably used the X-Ray machine." 'Probably' because that was more likely than the uh, well. Than the more stomach-upsetting alternative. Literally and figuratively.
"Haven't read about any actions taken beyond that, though. I'd assume it's because they didn't have enough time to do anything else then." The night only lasted so long, after all. But Byrne didn't doubt that people were thinking of solutions as they spoke.
no subject
It was reminding her of something, too -- a case? Not one of her own, but there'd been something with moths...oh, not a case. Silence of the Lambs.
"Do you think it would be worthwhile to confirm that?" She couldn't just sit around moping for another night, as appealing as a good night's sleep was sounding.
no subject
Ahh, but now Byrne was just going off on another internal worried ramble. The need to confirm it, right. "Many people saw the clue and at least one person claimed they saw it 'intimately'. I don't think there's any reason to doubt them." Yes, people could possibly lie, especially in this sort of situation where panic could break out at any moment, but Byrne was going to put trust in his fellow prisoners as far as this was concerned.
Still...
"But even so, I have to admit I'm curious to actually see it myself."
no subject
"Not, perhaps, too intimately," she added, as the possible implication of what she'd said finally sunk in. Slow, Skye, slow. "There's a limit to what I am willing to do for science."
no subject
Before Byrne could say anything about that, however, he became distracted by someone suddenly approaching him and touching his shoulder. Who was--the nurse? What did she want?
...Oh. It was lunch time, and she wanted him to get up and come with her for a moment. Already? Shoot. Time flew by so quickly around here.
He turned back to Lana and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, but it looks like we'll have to end this here," he said, rising from his seat. "I guess leave me a note on the board if you need me. Otherwise, take care. Oh, and don't act with haste on this."
There, concern shared. Wait--should he ask about Badd, too? ...Nah. Byrne could keep looking for him on his own. No need to trouble Ms. Skye with that. (Plus, the nurse was being a little pushy right now. Wanting him to hurry on up so he could get his meal. Alright, alright! Moving along now. Sheesh.) He waved at his fellow prosecutor before following the nurse to wherever she was taking him to. As if it were so drastically important to cut a serious conversation short... Oh well.