Night 66: M-A Block Hallway

[dividedby]

[From here, and for the robutt gang!]

The nearly empty block hallway did nothing to relieve Zero's growing suspicion that something wasn't right. Why weren't there more people around? Perhaps Landel was using some of them, as he'd been used. Or others were transforming, just like that prisoner from the night before - Sora - and the one mentioned on the board...the one who'd attacked two children before being taken down. Landel had said to 'watch your back'...

...well. Empty or not, at least Zero was in the right place to find his allies now. He slowed his brisk walking pace for a moment as he wondered if he should try to go to Harpuia's room directly or wait out here for him to show up. (Hopefully X would be with him.) If this were simply a matter of him getting here too quickly, then they should be coming out of their rooms soon...

Comments

[lovesthepain]

[from here]

Despite the brief delay, Harpuia was still naturally quick; it didn't take long to reach the end of the hall. He hadn't expected to run into Zero until he got a little farther down, admittedly. It was a bit of a surprise to lay eyes on that familiar head of blond hair, complete... with...

...Uh...

"What are you wearing?" Harpuia came to a complete halt, pointing his flashlight beam at Zero to better take a look at his new getup. A woman's coat, in vivid pink instead of the usual red Harpuia had come to associate with Zero. Had the Institute just decided to give outerwear away tonight for no discernable reason? If so, what sort of decision-making process had lead to Zero being handed that?

[envy_the_sinners]

[From here]

It was the same routine every night, and it was already growing tiresome. Scar crept into the eerie halls once again. He carried his flashlight and scalpel. The blade was tiny, but it was better than his bare hands. He kept the other in his pocket, should Frank need it.

Watch your back.

It was difficult to keep telling himself that the head doctor's words did not bother him. They did. So far, everything the madman had said had had some sort of correlation with the night's events.

[To here]

[toxicspiderman]

[from here]

Footsteps, but no people. Not any he could see without turning the flashlight on, and Landel had nothing on S.T. for paranoia. No one who didn't depend on a bike after dark (and didn't secretly pine for the days of disco) in Boston could. The monsters here had nothing on tractor-trailers barreling down streets sized for two horses. Same philosophy, though. Run silent, run dark.

[to here]

[unpriest]

[From here]

Seishin slipped into the wider corridor of the patient block, noting it to be dark and silent, but at the very least empty for the time being.

The Landel-san's ominous words did not sit well with him. How many were going to change tonight? How many would die because of the head doctor's disgusting games?

[To here]

[thisisyourgod]

> ==>

Of all the things Ishida had worried about when he was being taken away for who knows what, it just had to be for Karkat to watch his language. He hadn't realized anyone but Equius would have cared about that sort of thing, and even the blue blood probably wouldn't have included on the list of most important reminders.

He wanted to just ignore that command, but dammit if he wouldn't start to feel guilty if he did. How ridiculous.

There were already others pouring out into the hallways, but Karkat only spared each a long enough glance to be assured they weren't someone he knew.

> ==>

[sixth_attack]

[From here.]

Sechs entered the new patient block with great caution. The area was literally a copy of the same block he himself just came from earlier. He spotted a slow trickle of fellow prisoners leaving for the hallway outside and so far there was no sign of hostilities and panic. He walked further down the hall, his flashlight catching glimpses of numbers for the rooms facing him in the opposing aisles.

40... 30... 20... 10...

The Replica paused, turning to face this smaller hall with his flashlight held forward and his axe ready to swing down from his shoulder. He glowered at the darkness ahead of him. He keenly remembered Link's warning about his infected roommate. Sechs wanted to help, but not when there was the possibility of having to kill an infected prisoner who shared the same fate as he did...

Sechs hesitated. He could just leave that problem for Link to deal with and look for that clue by himself. But Sechs knew by now that such a trip outside would be almost suicidal if done alone.

No. He had to go help Link, despite what could be going on right now...

[To here.]

[longlivetheking]

[From here]

Even with the change in location, the route was hardly any different from what Scar had been forced to endure previously; the layout of these so-called 'patient blocks' was, after all, the same.

There was some activity in this block, however, but neither seemed to be an immediate threat. Only an idiot would lower his guard with the current circumstances, however.

[To here]

[maverickhunterx]

[From here!]

It hadn't taken long for X to leave his room, half-running as he made his way into the hallway.

Wait. There were two people standing there, one with a flashlight, the beam illuminating the other in the shadowy gloom.

They had to be...

"What are you wearing?"

That was a good question. Zero, long hair spilling down his shoulders with his body wrapped in...what looked like a female human's pink coat, and Harpuia, dressed in a long coat of green and gold.

Adjusting the journal under his arm, X approached.

"Hey, guys. You weren't waiting long, were you?"

[dividedby]

Thankfully, the emptiness of the hallway seemed to be a matter of Zero getting here too early after all. Within seconds, he could see other prisoners (who were very clearly not transformed) leaving their rooms and making their way out of the patient block, just like usual - and Harpuia was one of them.

Harpuia, who...was also a lucky recipient of new clothing this evening, apparently, though his coat was different from Zero's. From what he could see beyond the bright flashlight beam, it looked more like a longer, fancier version of the vest Harpuia normally wore as a Reploid, same colors and all. Odd...why would he receive something that was obviously made for him when Zero received something of Ciel's?

...Perhaps it was better to just stop trying to make sense of what Landel did around here...

Either way, Harpuia's reaction to Ciel's coat was unexpected enough to reward him with a frown. What are you wearing? What kind of question was that? What, was there a nightly dress code here? What was Harpuia expecting him to wear--

Any smartass retort Zero was about to say was wisely held back, however, as X suddenly approached the two former Reploids, having come from the same hallway as Harpuia. So that meant their rooms were close to each other...that was good to know. Looked like X missed out on Landel's generous coat-giving spree, but at least he and the group finding each other turned out to be a quick and painless procedure.

"No," Zero responded, turning to face him. "I just got here myself." Yes. Ignore Harpuia for now. Rude comments could wait a little longer.

[lovesthepain]

Wow, Zero, rude. Whatever, let's talk about the actually important party member here: X had shown up -- apparently he hadn't been all that far behind Harpuia. That must have meant their rooms were in the same hall. From the looks of it, he hadn't received any clothing from Landel. Given his lack of surprise at their new looks... maybe he'd been given something else? Or had he simply been left out for some reason? Trying to make sense of it seemed to be an excercise in frustration, so Harpuia simply left that thought where it was.

His attention drifted down to the journal X was carrying next. A strange choice; it was too impractical to serve as a weapon, and with patients-turned-monsters roaming around, Harpuia personally wouldn't have planned on staying in one place for long, let alone distracting himself with writing in a dark space. Maybe he had some other plan in mind for tonight -- Master X wouldn't burden himself for no reason. Something to ask about, but not before he got some basic organization out of the way:

"You're just in time, Master X," Harpuia agreed, inclining his head respectfully. "Before we set out... I would like for us to make meeting up as easy as possible. Zero and I have already exchanged room numbers; he's in M79, and I've been assigned to M3. I would appreciate it if you could let us know your room, Master X. For efficiency's sake, I'd like to propose that we make this location our usual rendezvous point, as well."

It was easy to treat this like a pre-mission briefing; having fallen into that familiar pattern, Harpuia moved on to the next step: establishing their objective. "As we all know, the Institute is exceptionally dangerous right now. I don't advise taking offensive action against the monsters -- not only do they not seem to be in control of themselves, but they're still human. Avoiding a confrontation is critical; tonight, we need to move quickly and quietly. I intend to reach the janitor closet on the second floor tonight, unless either of you had something else in mind?" He looked over to X as he finished up, waiting for his response. (Again: he's the actually important one here.)

[maverickhunterx]

"Oh, good. The last thing I wanted was to keep you guys waiting."

Quick, effortless, and methodical.

And without unnecessary argument between Harpuia and Zero; this night was already shaping up to be a good one. Well, good-ish...about as good as the nights here could get (or maybe 'productive' was a far better word?). It was as though X wasn't in a hallway in the middle of a farce of an insane asylum, but in a briefing room, detailing some mission or another.

Familiar.

With a nod to Harpuia, X opened the journal (ninth page, first line), pushed the glass shard slightly to the side, before grabbing the pencil also stored inside to jot down a quick note:

Z = M79. H = M3.

...before setting everything in place and shutting it again, tucking it under his arm.

"My room is M5. And..."

Harpuia was in the same hallway as him, while Zero was a further distance away. Though at least it made nighttime meetings quicker, and correspondence more convenient. At least, it did with Harpuia; with Zero it was less so, but...

What could he do?

"...I don't have anything else in mind," mentioning the information that Scar had given him could wait until they had reached the closet, or perhaps for the next night. Getting himself equipped was probably the safer bet. "Getting ourselves equipped should be the top priority right now, anyway. The last thing we need is to be unprepared in case something like last night happens again."

And if it did...well.

His leg was healed up, so his maneuverability was far improved from then. If something went wrong, he'd be ready.

"Are you all right with that, Zero?"

[awokentospring]

[from here]

Lee felt like he was traveling at millions of miles an hour, although it was probably only at a fraction of the speed he normally could travel with chakra aiding his every step. It was probably the darkness that added to the illusion. It made running all the more dangerous and upped the thrill level threefold.

He was like a shot in the dark; at any moment, he could hit anyone if he wasn't careful!

Actually, that had happened the night before with Lloyd. The meeting had been a fortunate one, but Lee had also caused the poor boy some trouble. Chastizing himself a little for his recklessness, Lee slowed down (just a teeny bit) as he wended around into the next hallway, intent on reaching Dr. Facilier's room in short order. And without injury to himself or others!

[to battle!]

[forsworn]

[from here]

Kratos had to force himself to stick to a brisk walk as he made his way down the hall. It would be better to run, but who knew what kind of situation he would stumble upon once he reached Sora's room, and as much as he didn't want to, he had to prepare for the worst. It was therefore necessary to conserve as much energy as possible, and that meant sticking to a pace that, while fast, wouldn't leave him out of breath.

Not that he had far to go, anyway; M7 was practically right around the corner. Kratos turned sharply on his heel once he was at the right hallway and continued on.

[to here]

[dividedby]

...Was it alright with him. Was it alright for Harpuia to suddenly take charge of everything ever, only looking at X for confirmation, completely ignoring the fact that Zero was standing right here and had quite a few words of his own to say. Yes, yes it was.

Not.

The frowning at Harpuia resumed while the former general finished his round of 'pre-mission briefing', or whatever declaring himself the unofficial leader of the group was supposed to be called. But once again, Zero was going to try to hold back the irritation that had been growing ever since he'd woken up this evening. It wasn't like Harpuia's concerns weren't right, and arguing admittedly wasn't going to get his allies armed any faster.

...But he was going to put emphasis on try. No guarantees on actually holding that irritation back.

"Sure," Zero responded after a pause, directing his attention at X again; he mentally noted down his friend's room number in the meantime (M5 - right next to Harpuia, practically). Yes, the journal in X's hands concerned him, too, but Zero wouldn't raise any vocal objections...as long as X didn't foolishly try to throw it at any potential threat, or let it become a distraction.

Anyhow. "If we're going, then let's go," the former Reploid said next, with added gruffness, "and quickly. Before we run out of time again..." Or before something unfriendly ran out of the patient rooms and attacked them again.

[his_legacy]

[From here]

Link rounded the curve into the main block hallway, casting a brief glance over his shoulder to make sure Sechs was following. He knew that his current partner was sick, but they also didn't have time to waste.

For all they knew, Sechs could be transforming tonight.

There was a certain thrill, though. This was, in a way, just another mission. Just another mystery to solve, a puzzle to crack. This was what Link was good at. Landel's was just another dungeon.

And no dungeon had yet to beat him.

[somesoulsearching]

[from here]

The hallway he'd entered was a different one than he was used to, yet looked the same, if more populated than he was accustomed to. He'd been moved to a more populated area after all, but he didn't know that. And he found he couldn't care for the cause really. Just as with dinner, he found his concern for the change or the amount of people simply gone. They were just there. Like him.

Sort of.

The feeling had gone from him a lot quicker than the night before, and he was doing all he could to keep from letting his eyes fall low enough to check his skin. Whether he could feel or not, he knew that if he saw the same, saw that he looked like one of Hogback's creations, he wouldn't be able to shake it as being a delusion.

Because that was all it was: the delusion of a sick person. He knew that. He hadn't been anywhere near Thriller Bark and as close as the Institute was to being that kind of place, he hadn't lost his shadow or been experimented on. To his knowledge.

He would have shivered if his body could have registered the chilled feeling the thoughts were giving him. As was he was struggling just to keep his pace steady and his lips pressed properly enough to hum. If he lost the comfort of music now...! But he was already at the door to the next hallway, and if he turned back to his room there was no chance of him finding a way to get better.

I'll be off then, he told himself as he went into the next hallway.

[somesoulsearching]

[falling to here]

[sixth_attack]

Grinning, Sechs took off after Link and managed to keep close behind despite his strained gait. Compared to the light tapping of Link's leather boots, the taller Replica's run was sounded off by his heftier gear. The sudden race down the hall came as a much-needed distraction from the pain and cold; it gave him a reason to push past his fatigue and uncertainty.

All he could think of was that they were finally off to find that cure, and it wasn't just for himself but Aigis and everyone else as well. It was a grand attack against Landel's tyranny and that was more than enough motivation to keep Sechs going.

[To here.]

[lovesthepain]

Rest assured, if Harpuia had been given a tiny violin instead of a coat, he would play a sad little tune for you, Zero. Well... no, okay, he wouldn't; he was far too busy being the same old bossy take-charge Harpuia to waste time on Zero's feelings. X's room number was likewise committed to memory: M5 was reassuringly close to Harpuia's own room, which was a small comfort. It would be hard to lose track of Master X as long as he was so near -- even in the event of a crisis, the odds were good that Harpuia would still be able to protect him.

And speaking of that... with their objective established, it was time to get going. "You lead the way, Zero," Harpuia commanded, albeit a little reluctantly. Zero was still the only one who knew exactly where the janitor closet was, so it made no sense for Harpuia to be out in front himself. "I'll guard our rear. Master X, stay between the two of us, please." It was the safest position to be in, after all. It was more than just simple duty; X had been the one targeted last night, after all, and he'd injured himself the night before that too. It would be far more beneficial for all of them as a whole if X was closely guarded.

With everything organized and planned for, then, nothing remained but to get moving.

[To here]

[ham_fisted]

[from here]

As wound up as Gumshoe was about everything else that was going on, he couldn't stop thinking about his badge! The last time he remembered seeing it, it had been sitting there on the kitchen counter next to his car keys! If these guys had thought to take it when they grabbed him, why hadn't they given it to him before? A-And why were they giving it to him now!? What were they trying to tell him!?

The detective's thoughts screeched to a halt as he got closer to the exit. Just like that, he was breaking into a cold sweat. What he wouldn't give for there to be another way out of this block...

[to here]

[rocksthecourt]

[from here]

The hall was empty, devoid of both people and any obvious signs of danger. Which was honestly worse than the alternative. He hated when the hallways were completely empty. It always made him wonder if there was maybe a very good reason no one was lingering here.

Thankfully, he could move out of this area very quickly. Not that it was much safer beyond this point...

[to here]

[awokentospring]

[from here]

Once they were out in the hallway, Lee made a token swipe to grab his flashlight off the ground but missed. Blinking, he tried again and this time managed to gain a grip on the metal cylinder. Clutching it tightly so he wouldn't drop it, Lee glanced over at Facilier then to his other side where the hidden supporter should have stood.

He looked back at the doctor and blinked. "Did we win?"

[redcladidealist]

[From here.]

The new hall was just as quiet as the last, with no one immediately in sight. That didn't stop Lloyd from scanning the area anyway. There was a door up ahead on the left, and more branching halls on the right with doors that looked a lot like the door to his room.

"So which room is yours and Ishida's?"

[faeth]

... So many rooms. Too many rooms. Orihime was starting to think the place as less of an asylum, and more of one of those themed hotels that Tatsuki-chan had told her about, once upon a time ago. It would've been fun then, perhaps, going on an adventure to save Ishida-kun -- then she'd come back to her room in the middle of the night, to find her bed made and a mint chocolate sitting dead-center on her pillow.

The sweet thought of it made her sick.

She was still swaying, but it was easy enough to hide with her small, careful steps. Easy enough not to think about it, too, considering the fact that her curiosity was piqued; seedflaps and fluid injectors and...

"Oh." A little bit like an afterthought. "We didn't catch your name."

[thisisyourgod]

Oh right, there was that whole sharing of names thing that he'd forgotten to do. He should probably just go ahead and tell them before he looked like even more of an asshole, if that was even possible.

"It's Karkat. Karkat Vantas." And it couldn't be any more weird than their names, so hopefully that was all he needed to say.

He didn't look back at Inoue much, but he knew she needed to rest much more than she was letting on. Without much further to go, he made a beeline for the room he thought he remembered leaving, checking the number on the door just to be sure.

> Karkat: Return to original location.

[doctor_voodoo]

[Sorry for my lateness! Internet conked out on me. xO]

Unbeknownst to the injured shinobi, his efforts to pick up his flashlight had actually been aided by Facilier's doppelganger, as it stretched a long arm out to pluck up the item by its shadow before resting it in Lee's hand. Facilier couldn't afford to waste anymore time dawdling here, knowing any second spent being close to the room they had just escaped from could be costly to their survival and his success. They had to keep moving.

"Yes we did win!" Facilier softly answered, giving the boy a proud smile akin to one eying their prized race horse. "You did amazing back there! Y'all sure lived up to your title of a powerful shinobi!"

The Bokor and his sapient Shadow increased their pace towards the exit. As much as Facilier wanted to explore the institute for chemicals now, he knew he had to make sure that his new toy could still work for him for the rest of the night. From his daily routine of being taken between his room and other parts of the building, he had observed a nurse's station near each patient block. He was sure he could find something for Lee and himself there.

Keeping his grip on Lee, Facilier waited for his Shadow to push open the door to the hallway outside. "Now let's get you fixed up, I know there's a nurse station 'round here," he said as he carried Lee through the door, "We can't leave you all torn up like that!"

[To here.]

[rocksthecourt]

[from here]

He quickly swept the flashlight around, but was slightly less thorough here. There were several areas of the institute that he knew were more dangerous than others. He had never had any kind of issues here, right outside the rooms (thank goodness). Then again, he usually rushed out of here quickly. It was possible if he lingered here, it might turn out to be just as dangerous as any other place.

The sooner he got back to his room and could barricade himself in, the better.

[to here]

[rocksthecourt]

[from here]

This had to be one of the worst nights ever. Oh they were all bad, make no mistake. He'd even been injured more severely than this before. But this was probably the first night he'd gotten hurt and he'd gotten absolutely nothing to show for it. No new information, no discoveries, nothing. Even the radio had been useless tonight. He really would have been better off just staying inside tonight.

...No, he'd rather not think that way. He'd gotten something. He knew where the medical library was and he knew exploring anything staff-related was probably going to be a monumental waste of time. That had to be worth something. ...Though whether it was worth this was heavily debatable.

Well, as fun as standing there and grumbling in annoyance to himself all night sounded, Klavier only really had two options here. He could either go back to his room and dress the wound dry, which held its own set of problems, and sit in his room for the remainder of the night in relative safety. Or he could go back out, try to find some medical supplies or at least some decent water if there was any to be found, and try to salvage what was left of this night by actually getting something worthwhile.

... Oh please. Who was he even kidding? That wasn't even a choice. Given the option of walking away with his tail between his legs or pushing forward like nothing had happened, what else would he possibly do?

[to here]