damned_institute | Night 65: Intercom, Beginning of Night, ???

But the silence didn't last long. The intercom turned back on after a few moments, and the Head Doctor let out a long, low breath.

"Five."

His voice had a considerably more twisted quality behind it. The odd static that seemed to swell every few seconds didn't help matters.

"At least that many of you will turn tonight." Some people may have interpreted it as a warning, but the Head Doctor delivered the piece of information with a detached, clinical tone. "What makes a human, exactly? The shape of his body? His so-called conscience? Or the baser instincts that make a human as much of an animal as the creatures prowling these hallways? I certainly look forward to the result of this little experiment."

The static grew louder until an automated female voice suddenly sounded over the intercom. "Key word: EXPERIMENT. Authorization Code: 1458 HARRINGTON Initiating message. Innnnitiatinngggg messaaaaaage......

Message: I WASN'T LYING WHEN I SAID THERE IS A WAY TO CURE YOU. WE HAVE AN IDEA OF SOMETHING THAT COULD HELP, SO WE LEFT ANOTHER CLUE IN THE X-RAY ROOM. THE SOONER WE PIECE THIS TOGETHER, THE SOONER WE CAN HELP EVERYONE TOGETHER. GOOD LUCK. GOOD LUCK. GOOOOODDDD LLLUCKKK--"

The automated voice died in a garbled mess, as though Landel had abruptly shut it off for the second night in a row.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Flora's heart lurched in her chest, and Nabu's prone form was there in her mind. It was hard to call something so fresh a memory, and maybe it was because she hadn't been able to move forward from the moment to leave it behind. Believing what had happened, that he was...that he was gone wasn't something that she didn't want, but just couldn't entirely do. He'd been alive and laughing, and then he wasn't, so that they all could be. It was such a hard thing, and if Flora hadn't been able to move, Layla had been trapped completely, by sadness and loneliness and anger, knowing nothing else.

It made Flora want to go to her, to tell her that she was there for her, that she wasn't alone, and above all hold her until she remembered it to be true. No, she hadn't left Nabu behind, she carried his memory and what he believed with her. They all did. Revenge brought nothing but more pain and anguish, and it kept going and going. She wouldn't let his sacrifice be in vain, and she wouldn't leave Layla to suffer such a vicious cycle on her own. She couldn't. She was her best friend.

It was scary to think about, but there was only one thing for it.

Flora had to hope that everything would be okay. She had to keep believing.

She took a deep breath, and then to the air, following her friends as they vanished, together.

Flora's eyes shot open to meet white, and she quickly sat up in a bed. A white ceiling? And what was this bed doing here? She flipped the sheets aside and climbed out of it, scanning the room. The Omega Dimension was a lot different from when she last remembered seeing it. The prison was where the universe's worst's criminals ended up, and their living arrangements were a lot more icy, and less, well, she wouldn't exactly call this cozy, but it was certainly a palace bedchamber compared to the mazes and caverns of ice, stone, and silence that she was familiar with. But, how had this happened? She knew exactly where she wanted to go, she couldn't have gotten lost! It was impossible.

Something was wrong, something was very wrong, here.

Her head craned to the side, eyes seeing what she already felt. Nothing. Her wings were gone, she knew it the moment she arrived. There had to be some kind of ward or suppression spell here, she could barely feel any of her magic, too. She looked down at the smiley face on the t-shirt, eyebrow raised. Far from her style, but she might have thought the print cute at another time. For the moment, it only further confused her, and worry nipped at her heart. Where were her friends? Were they here? If Stella was nearby, at least, Flora was certain to have heard her screaming at her new outfit.

Closing her eyes, Flora tried to concentrate and focus her senses. It was a long shot, especially if they were in the same state she was, but she had to try. She wasn't looking for strangers, she was looking for her best friends. She knew how their trails felt, if there was even the slightest glimmer--

Nothing.

She didn't have time to be disappointed. A voice wove through the silence, and then another. They were both completely unfamiliar to her, though the second reminded her of something off Tecna's computers. That didn't tell her much of anything and did nothing to to solve her confusion, but there was one horrible possibility pointed out. It sounded like there might have been other people here, people in danger.

Her lips pressed together in a frown. She wanted to leave now, but there might have been a clue in this room somewhere. Rifling through drawers, the closet, and even the bed. It might have been too much to expect, but any clue or hint that might have told her anything at all would have been a lot better than nothing. Underwear, pens, a (sadly blank) journal...and a flashlight? She quickly flicked it on, then off again to get a feel for the switch. There were sets of clothes in the closet, all the same, boots, and shoes. Hardly Spella McCartney's, but they'd do. She put the shoes on, grabbed the flashlight, and made for the door. It was unlocked.

Well, that settled it, at least for now. She had a lot of questions, and hopefully she might find some answers along the way as well as her friends, but if there were people that needed help, that came first.

Flora stepped out.

_{[To here]}

Edited 2012-08-14 10:21 (UTC)

Night 65: Intercom, Beginning of Night, ???

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