Night 71: West Wing, South Hall 1-A

[redcladidealist]

[From here.]

The first door he passed was one that led to another block of patient rooms. The knob turned easily, though, and looked far too new. He tested its strength, but it refused to give. It wouldn't be something he could break off without using his mana to enhance his strength, and he didn't want to drain himself on something like that. No, there had to be easier things he could get the metal he needed from. The second door he passed was locked, the metal shiny enough to glint back at him when he shined his flashlight at it. Another battle he didn't want to fight.

The next hall was just up ahead. Which way did he want to go? He remembered seeing at least four doors with rusty locks and handles when he'd searched with Tsurugi the night before. He might be able to break those off without too much effort, but that was a fair ways to go when there were people waiting for him. On the other hand, if he tried to search places he hadn't been before during the night, who knew if he'd find what he needed?

No, I better go with what I know I can find.

Decision made, he continued on into the main hall beyond.

[To here.]

Comments

[envy_the_sinners]

[From here]

"Edward?" Scar entered the larger hall with Alphonse by his side. Good. So the both of them were unharmed, and the older had been prompt in making it out of his own room.

[armoredsoul]

Al grinned widely, going over to his brother. "Brother! You have the--oh, you made the sword already!"

[redcladidealist]

[From here.]

Flashlights and voices in the hall here warned Lloyd that he wasn't alone, but he'd been intending to run right past their owners before he realized he knew who they were. Well, two of them, anyway. He had no idea who the tall man was. Lloyd's eyes widen with surprise and relief.

"Al! Ed!" He skidded to a stop, out of breath. "I was afraid I'd miss you guys!"

[fullmetalheart]

Ed's attempt to answer his brother got interrupted before it even started and he looked over at Lloyd. "Why? Something up?"

[envy_the_sinners]

And a third excitable boy... Not that Scar minded dealing with them overly much, but there were only so many people he could manage to keep an eye on at once. He seemed close to the Elrics, though.

The Ishbalan had nothing to say. He simply watched the three interact, mainly the newcomer.

[armoredsoul]

Al blinked at Lloyd, utterly confused. "Did you run here? What happened to radioing me when you were ready? I agreed to make him a sword tonight," Al added as an aside to his brother.

[redcladidealist]

Still trying to catch his breath, Lloyd nodded, unslinging the bag of knobs from his shoulder. "I tried to. My radio wouldn't work. Dunno... what's wrong..." He drew in another breath and forced himself to let it out slowly. His heart was still racing from the run. "Had to run so I wouldn't miss you. Glad... I made it." Then he held the crowbar out as well. "Can you still do it?"

[fullmetalheart]

"Did you forget to stick in the batteries?" That was the first thing he could think of that might have been wrong.

Then he held out the sword he'd made, pommel-first to Scar. "I took a few minutes to make this before leaving my room. I've also got one of the sets of lockpicks I was able to make with the leftover metal."

[envy_the_sinners]

Scar took the sword gingerly from Edward, almost as if it would explode if he handled it to harshly. It was an unnatural thing, crafted from an unnatural science. In any other situation, he would not have even considered using it. But given the circumstances...

"Thank you." He grasped its handle, letting the tip of the blade rest against the ground.

Apparently Alphonse was making something similar for the other boy... It would not take overly long, would it? He hated being stagnant in the hall like this.

[armoredsoul]

Al took the bag and crowbar, taking a look at the contents before nodding. "I can, yeah. Just a sec."

He knelt to the floor and dumped out the doorknobs onto the floor, setting the crowbar beside them. He clapped his hands together before touching them to the metal, a glow and sparks rising from the alchemical reaction. After a few seconds, they reshaped themselves into a simple blade, with a small chunk of metal still left over. "Here, will this do?"

[redcladidealist]

Despite the gravity of the situation they were in, Lloyd's eyes widened with awe as he watched the rusted metal literally melt and reform itself into a shiny new sword. He took the blade gingerly, hefting it, judging its balance. It felt like good work. It looked like good work. It wasn't exactly the type of sword he was used to, completely straight where Lloyd's had a slight curve. Even so, a grin spread across his face.

"Man, that was awesome! Now I really wish I could do something like that!" He almost forgot for a moment that Ed had even spoken, and it took him a moment to backtrack to what it was he'd just asked. "No, I put batteries in. See for yourself."

Juggling his new sword and his flashlight, he fished his radio out of its tool belt and handed it over to Ed. If Ed opened it, he'd find batteries in, just as Lloyd had claimed - installed entirely the wrong way.

[fullmetalheart]

Ed took it and checked inside. He looked at it quietly for a moment before swapping them around and then snapping it shut again. Then he handed it back to Lloyd. "Now it should work."

[envy_the_sinners]

Scar watched in silence as Alphonse transmuted the metal. He really was quite talented; they both were. Even he could recognize and admit to that. The Elrics were brilliant.

...This other kid, on the other hand...

Were they truly now standing around instructing on the use of the radio? It was painfully simple. Literally, a children's toy. Scar resisted making a comment, but could not hide his impatience.

"If we are through..."

[armoredsoul]

Al sighed at Lloyd, standing up again and handing the pillowcase and chunk of metal back to him. "At least we figured out that problem for you?"

He glanced back to Scar, nodding. "I think so, yeah."

[redcladidealist]

Lloyd blinked in surprise, but far from taking offense, he brightened when Ed handed his radio back. "Wow, I had no idea it would be that easy to fix. Thanks, Ed!" The radio went back in his belt.

He glanced briefly at the tall man, still not sure who he was, but the man didn't seem interested in talking to him, and Lloyd had somewhere else he needed to be anyway. Turning to Al, he took the pillow case and tied it to his belt. It was empty enough now that it shouldn't fall off. "Thanks, Al. I mean it." He smiled. "Maybe some other time I can get you to fix my lock picks, but I've gotta go meet someone. He's probably waiting for me already."

Rejuggling his sword and flashlight so that he had them each in one hand, he lifted the hand with the flashlight in a loose wave of farewell. "I owe you guys. Take care of yourselves!" He was already turning to head off.

[To here.]

[fullmetalheart]

"See you later!" Ed called to Lloyd before looking at the other two. "So, where are we going?"

[envy_the_sinners]

"We are trying for the third floor again." He held out a slip of paper to Edward. "This was in my possessions box this evening. It explicitly mentions the third floor, and when considering Landel's mention of a security breach on the intercom..." Edward was smart. He could put two and two together. It was very likely that this wasn't just some kind of decoy or trap. This place's defenses truly had been infiltrated, and they needed to find their way upstairs.

Now if the thing had only given them some damn directions...

[armoredsoul]

Al nodded, shifting his belt a little. "So back upstairs again, then? You didn't hear anything about where the passage might be, did you?" The second half was directed at both of them.

[fullmetalheart]

Ed blinked as he read the note by the light of his flashlight before he handed it back to Scar. "Well, that was usefully cryptic."

Then he looked at Al. "No, I haven't. But considering how that last try went, do we want to do that again?"

[envy_the_sinners]

"I have heard little, but considering the lack of others on the second floor with us last night, I would assume that our assumptions of checking there were false." Leave it to Landel, to do something as illogical as to put the entrance to the third floor somewhere other than the second floor.

"It would be smarter to watch what others are doing."

[armoredsoul]

Al nodded with a grimace. "I guess. The Sun Room is probably a good place to start." Al had his doubts that it would be somewhere 'patients' would pass by often, but then with the transformation the place underwent each night, maybe the passageway simply didn't work during the day, or even exist at all.

[fullmetalheart]

"And if that doesn't work, we can start trying the rooms leading off from it," Ed agreed.

He swung his flashlight to sweep the beam in the direction they needed to go. "We should get moving. We've wasted enough time."

[envy_the_sinners]

"Your guesses are as good as mine." Scar marched off down the hallway, glancing back to make sure that the brothers were following.

If there was a larger collection of people in that general area, then that was their best shot.

[To here]