damned_institute

Entry tags:

M71-M80

[M73]

Dinner had been uneventful. L had kept to himself; he might test the migraine scenario another time, but for tonight, he couldn't risk it. He ate the soup, following it with two of the fruit cups that had survived the trip back from Doyleton and the cup of coffee that now appeared with every dinner. It was hard not to be wary of the coffee, however. The food itself was delivered in such a way that it probably wouldn't be complicated to dose a given patient's meal, but the coffee was even more targeted -- more specific to him.

He was usually passive when he listened to Landel's nightly round of bombast. It had been laden with clues to their situation long before his own abduction and arrival, but it also tended to be extremely annoying in tone and content. Tonight, though, the comments about a shortcut to the third floor caused a visible reaction. His head snapped towards the speaker and an expression of frustration and annoyance set in.

Afterward, he got ready to leave quickly. Most of his preparations were identical to the previous night's. There was some chance that they might go to the basement, and that being the case, he would need the backpack. That would make it easy to carry the radio, so he slipped it into the side pocket.

He hesitated over the flower he had picked for Lana, in its plastic sleeve, then added that to the small zippered pouch on the front of the bag. He didn't know whether she would still need it, or whether it would have any efficacy at this point, or whether she would venture out. But it was easy to bring it along.

[To here.]

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Loki, too, kept silent during dinner, picking through his food as he worked through what looked like a mathematical proof in his notebook. His preparations for the evening were quick but thorough. He layered on his clothing, prepared a medical kit, stowed his weapons, and was out the door almost the instant it opened, moving silently into the hall.

He didn't bother with the flashlight.

[To here]

Edited 2013-03-10 05:22 (UTC)

The third floor? Zero remembered hearing about the third floor several days ago, over the bulletin board...but as far as he knew, there was no map of it and it was completely inaccessible. So judging from Landel's complaints, that last part was wrong?

...Curious. This 'shortcut'...even if it was dangerous, Zero wanted to know where it was. Though that wouldn't exactly be safe in this condition, would it...

This condition...

Speaking of which. It was nighttime now, without a doubt. Yet there was no hunger, no sharp pains in his leg. Was it...was it over, then? Against his better judgment, he quickly glanced over at his roommate, only for a moment; then he allowed himself to stare for a few seconds longer. No murderous, bloodthirsty urges were overriding his senses. Nothing. He couldn't help but sigh with relief. It's over. The illness had passed, and he didn't have to worry about attacking anyone at night anymore. About time...

Oh, wasn't there...yes. He remembered being told over the board the other day that the end of the illness came with some kind of reward. Zero stood from his seat - which painfully reminded him of how ill fit he was going to be for traveling tonight, unfortunately - and glanced back at his closet, which he hadn't done yet since coming into the room (thanks to his being too focused on finishing his dinner). There wasn't anything new that he could see, though. Had that person lied to him? Or did Landel simply decide not to give him anything? Hm...

Even if he had been given something useful, though, Zero knew he wouldn't be able to use it tonight with these crutches. ...Nor would there be much he that could do in general, actually.

Should he stay in tonight, then? ...He frowned at the thought of a whole night wasted. Even if it were the wise choice to make, he hated missing opportunities. If you hadn't gotten yourself hurt, you wouldn't be in this position to begin with, his subconscious wanted to remind him. I know...yet he found himself reaching for his crutches anyway. Stupid idea? Probably.

His next thought then was what Gabe was going to do. During dinner, he'd noticed Zero's injury and had asked to help him out; now the former Reploid knew there was less of an excuse to tell him no when his main reason for rejecting him was no longer present. He looked over at Gabe again, contemplating what to tell him now. It might be good to inform him that he was no longer a threat, at least...

"Looks like the disease I had before is gone now, so I'm not going to hurt you like I'd thought." Zero paused for a moment, quietly staring at Gabe. "...What are you going to do?"

Zero's glances at Gabe didn't go unnoticed. The Archangel's room-mate had spent so long not looking at him that just the feel of his gaze was enough make Gabe's back prickle. He didn't look back immediately, though. He was sitting up on his bed, back against the wall. The rosary Skulduggery had made moved through his fingers as easily as water, but the Archangel didn't speak aloud and the motion had the mannerism of something idly comforting more than something reverent or desperate.

He was praying, though. Eyes closed, ever fibre of his being and his mind reached out for his Lord and Master, telling him everything that had happened. Everything of which he was afraid. He didn't like being afraid.

Even if Lucifer was able to catch those prayers now that Gabe was human, it didn't matter. Gabe needed it too much.

He finished his mental chat before opening his eyes to look at Zero. "I'm going to help you," he said simply. "Wherever you're headed. Although it would be nice if I could replace my torch."

[From here!]

Even if he'd never been here before, it was almost like deja vu. If not for the different numbers near the doors, it might as well have been the same hallway leading to his own room. The uniformity shouldn't have been unnerving, but it seemed like there wasn't anything in this place that couldn't get under his skin somehow.

No matter. He had more important things to think about, like checking the room numbers to see if this was the right hallway.

He checked the first door: M80.

...

Well, that answered that question, unless Landel decided to mess room numbers around to mess with the patients, which X honestly wouldn't have put past him. Why just settle for monsters, strange conditions, and experiments? Why not just get his patients systematically lost, too?

X moved on to the second door: M79.

Using the flashlight, he adjusted the beam to stare down the rest of the hallway, to see if there was anyone.

...

Nobody. The coast was clear--

--wait. Were those voices coming from the other side of the door?

"What are you going to do?"

Oh, that was Zero. Good, he was still there!

"I'm going to help you, wherever you're headed. Although it would be nice if I could replace my torch."

...wait, who was that person? He didn't recognize their voice before; Zero's roommate, maybe? Either way, he seemed to have the right idea. Good for him for keeping Zero from running off on his own.

I'm going to have to thank him later.

After a moment's hesitation, X knocked on the door.

"Zero?"

Edited 2013-03-30 18:39 (UTC)

Zero watched Gabe the few moments before he responded, part of him wondering idly what it was that the man was even doing (meditating?). Then he spoke, and the former Reploid couldn't help but frown a little more at his response. He still wants to help, huh... Zero remembered what he'd said earlier about not wanting to be alone, but he honestly couldn't understand why that was considered more unwanted than being stuck with someone who couldn't run well. (A liability, in other words.)

The 'torch' replacement was a different problem, though. Zero didn't understand right away what it was the other man was referring to, exactly - the first image that came to mind was a stick with a flame at the end, something he'd definitely never seen used here - but then he remembered that flashlights were sometimes called torches by some people, and that explanation made much more sense. "I don't have one anymore, either," Zero admitted, then frowned even more as he realized what this meant. So Gabe was planning to not only wander around with a liability, but a liability without a light source. Zero was just about to tell him how stupid that idea was--

--when suddenly there was a knock at the door, followed by a familiar voice, both of which immediately captured his full attention.

"X?" ...He really shouldn't be surprised that the man was here, honestly. Gabe wasn't the only one wanting to help others whether it was beneficial to them or not. At first, he thought about hobbling over to the door to let his friend in, but the thought of how much of a pain that would be made him hesitant. "...The door's unlocked," Zero called instead. There, that'll do.

The knock on the door made Gabe jump, his heart suddenly pounding, but when the quiet voice came through the Archangel exhaled slowly and a little shakily. Someone Zero knew. That was good. Three was better than two, especially if the third had a light-source. Provided it was someone he knew, and not a monster pretending.

Gabe slid off his bed, glancing toward Zero and the way the man shifted and then stopped, as if thinking better of trying to rise. The Archangel palmed his radio and went to the door himself, just in case it was a monster borrowing this X's voice, and opened it cautiously.

In spite of his caution, his smile, while tentative and small, was honest enough, and he opened the door further when he saw the man was dressed in the patient uniform. "Hello. Come in."

"X?...The door's unlocked."

Well, that invitation was as good as any. But first, X took a moment to adjust his flashlight to his waist-level, rather than keeping it eye-level like he had been. There was no point in blinding Zero or his roommate the moment he came in.

Though not soon after he'd made a move to do that, the door already opened, where an unfamiliar (but not unfriendly seeming, at least) man greeted him.

X found himself smiling back, though it was just as small, just as tentative, as he stepped into the room.

"Hello. Sorry for the intrusion."

Maybe a bit silly, in hindsight, but it didn't hurt to be polite. He did come unannounced (though for good reason; did Zero really think he was going to be able to sit by while he undoubtedly wandered around in his condition?).

Because Zero had been immediately distracted by X's knocking, he hadn't noticed Gabe's initial spooked reaction; since he was staring at the door, though, he did see the man walk over and open it in a cautious way. At first, the once Reploid thought there was no need for that, seeing how it must be X, a trusted friend, on the other side. But then he quickly reminded himself that this was the Institute, where Landel could make anything happen. It never hurt to be cautious about anything here.

Fortunately, it was really X who Gabe let into their room - and even more fortunately, X had a flashlight in his hands. Just what Zero was hoping. So they wouldn't be blind tonight...assuming they all went together, like Zero imagined Gabe and doubtlessly X were both hoping.

...He had a feeling that was going to happen despite whatever protests he made...

Sigh.

"Harpuia's not with you?" Zero asked X as he turned himself around (carefully) and started slowly picking up his gun and maps to put them in his pockets. They were the only things he could really use effectively in this state. As much as it would make him feel better to have a second weapon on hand, the metal pipe was completely out of the question when he was in crutches.

The courtesy did a lot to relax Gabe's stretched nerves, and the Archangel loosened his grip on his radio, his smile coming a little more broadly. "No trouble."

He glanced outside to make sure no one else was with X and then set the radio back down on his desk, glancing toward Zero and the preparations he'd painstakingly made. "Is there anything else you'd like to take with which you need me to carry?"

Gabe didn't really have any weapons of his own, save his shapechanging, and only one of those shapes was any good in a fight.

"Harpuia's not with you?"

X deflated instantly and slumped his shoulders as a wave of concern crashed over him.

"...No. Have you heard from him? I haven't seen him around for a while. I'm worried about him."

Maybe something happened to him. Maybe the doctors got to him, or even Landel...

...No, no. He had to think positively. He hadn't seen Harpuia, but maybe he got moved to another room. Maybe he was in another area that he hadn't seen. Maybe...

Maybe something else was wrong, or Harpuia was simply wandering on his own, and he was worried for nothing.

"No," Zero answered Gabe almost immediately, but then he paused and reconsidered. It didn't look like Gabe had any weapon of his own, did it...or at least, he wasn't rushing to grab anything that Zero could see. Maybe his question was a hint at his needing something...or maybe it wasn't. Either way, Zero had something to offer. "...But if you need a weapon, there's a metal pipe in my closet. It will work well enough." He nodded his head toward what he meant, and that was that. It was up to Gabe whether he'd take it or not.

But as for X...Zero turned his head to look at him again, and the frown on his face was all too noticeable. Understandable, considering what he was being told right now. "I haven't heard from him either," he admitted. "Not in two days." I'm surprised he hasn't been following your every move like usual, he almost said, but immediately held his tongue. X certainly wouldn't appreciate any negative comments about Harpuia's loyalty to him...even if they were true. Besides...either way, it was troubling that even X hadn't seen Harpuia in awhile. Zero couldn't think of any reason why the former general would avoid X of all people.

Did something happen to him? ...As much as they didn't get along, Zero was hoping not.

Gabe remembered Zero using that metal pipe. It was somewhere between sword-length and spear-length, and either way, it would do. Gabe wasn't much of a fighter, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to. It just wasn't his speciality.

"I'll try not to lose it," he promised as he went to the closet to get it, remaining quiet as the other two discussed their missing friend.

"Maybe we can find him on our way," he suggested, turning toward them and mustering a smile as he moved toward Zero. "Can I give you a hand in moving?"

"I haven't heard from him, either. Not in two days."

Two days...so X had heard from him in that long, either. He should have taken more time to search him out, maybe, called him out via writing instead of just searching for that familiar face in the hallways.

Maybe...

Maybe he left. Or he hasn't been feeling well. There had to be some kind of explanation. He couldn't have just vanished, either way.

But...

Worry was a cruel mistress, and it grabbed X by the throat with no intention of letting go. He should have paid more attention, maybe checked up on him more often, even--

"Maybe we can find him on our way,"

--those words were soothing, somehow. They eased his worry from a full boil to a low simmer, and X even found himself able to smile.

...Just a little.

Yeah. We might be able to; we shouldn't give up hope.

"If you're going to help him move, then I'll take point when we head out."

Though maybe it was safer if His roommate was behind Zero rather than next to, if that was the case...

Really, in his condition, it was probably better if he didn't go out at all, but even in the rooms, it wasn't safe. It was better to be out with people he could trust rather than alone and with only a crutch to beat a monster with.

Gabe did have a point; it was highly likely that Harpuia was simply in the hallways somewhere, looking for X and Zero right now. Maybe, in fact, Harpuia was asleep...or had spent some of the past two days sleeping, then simply missed X and Zero the times he was awake.

...Or maybe that was overly optimistic thinking, and Harpuia was either gone or dead.

Either way, standing around wondering wasn't going to get them any answers - or anywhere period, for that matter. The night was only going to last so long, and wasting what little time they had was unacceptable to Zero.

...What was also unacceptable was Gabe (with X's approval, even) offering to help him 'move'. As if he were completely incapable of taking care of himself and performing basic tasks, and he required babysitting like a helpless little child. Hmph. Their wanting to accompany him tonight, he was beginning to accept. But he was not about to allow them to treat him like he couldn't pull his own weight. Even with crutches, he refused to become completely helpless.

"I don't need help," Zero grunted, visibly annoyed; then he stubbornly started moving toward the door on his own, even though his crutches made the going a little slow. "Come on."

With a little chuckle Gabe raised one hand in surrender. The laugh felt like an incredible relief, far more than Gabe would have imagined given how minor the cause, how faint the mirth. That he could still be amused at all was a good sign that he was going to cling to.

"I'll be behind you if you need me, then," he said with a tiny smile, but a truer one than he'd worn all day. And so he was, as they moved out of the door. He kept the pipe at hand, but forced himself not to jump at every little shadow. Just the fact that he wasn't alone was something to be thankful for, and he was.

Even still, he kept an eye on their backs, and couldn't help but, several times, shuffle closer to get away from the shadows as they moved.

[to here.]

Edited 2013-04-17 11:06 (UTC)

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M71-M80

M73

M79

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Feel free to move them soon if you guys are ready for that now o/

Re: Feel free to move them soon if you guys are ready for that now o/