Night 73: Main Hallway, 1-West

[ninelivesonce]

[from here]

Now she was definitely worried, too. There was no one waiting at this end of the larger hall -- though she could hear voices from somewhere up ahead, talking too quietly for even her sensitive ears. Had something happened? There weren't many of them left, but surely there were more than that.

Worrying about it wouldn't accomplish anything, but she could worry and move at the same time, so she did.

[to here]

Comments

[ryuuzaki]

[From here.]

L was confident that he'd gotten an early start, and there had been no indication via the toy radios that Lana had arrived even earlier and decided to move on without him. In any case, even if he understood the impulse, it wouldn't be safe; moving around alone might offer a scant advantage of stealth, but not enough to outweigh the risks.

As he waited, he rested his hand near the holster on his hip. Landel rarely seemed able to resist gloating, and he hadn't sounded like he had anything novel planned for his prisoners tonight. Even so, and even though L wasn't the kind to jump at shadows, he still didn't like waiting alone like this.

Not technically alone, however. There was one other person in the hallway--a very tall woman, someone he knew by sight as one of the other patients. He nodded in her direction, acknowledging her presence, then leaned back against the wall.

[Lana!]

[fourstonewalls]

[from here]

Instead, there was Ryuuzaki, leaning casually against the wall. His body language was remarkably difficult and easy to read in turns; right now, she wasn't quite sure if he was putting on a confident front or merely bored. She'd intended to meet him in the library, but she had to admit it would be safer to travel together. "I hope you haven't been waiting long,"

[ryuuzaki]

"No, not at all.

"But I have bad news: Edgar won't be coming tonight. They put me in a new room at dinner, and some of his belongings are mixed in with mine." His tone was sober--disappointed, but not nearly as frustrated as he felt--and his face was unreadable. Lana had been there long enough that she should understand his meaning.

"Without any word from Nina, there doesn't seem to be a reason to wait." Even so, he didn't yet push away from the wall. "Did you receive a note last night, or tonight?"

[fourstonewalls]

More departures, then. The mystery deepened. New patients were rare, but there didn't seem to be any more pattern to them than there had before, and the same was true of the departures. Was this the activities in Farwell having an effect? Was Landel concerned about his defenses being overwhelmed? It seemed unlikely; he hadn't had any trouble stopping them before. The rebels, on the other hand, were new.

She hadn't known Edgar well, but Ryuuzaki had seemed as fond of him as he seemed of anyone else; not much, but no man was an island, and he had to feel something. She said nothing, though; there was nothing she could say that wasn't an idle platitude.

There was no reason to wait whatsoever, with the radios, but she didn't need to point that out beyond a quick shake of her head. The second question had a better answer, and she tucked her radio under her arm as she rifled through her pocket. She handed over one of the mysterious notes, and then a page of more straightforward notes and a crude map and turned to walk away even as she began to speak.

"Last night. Nothing of the sort tonight, but this came from someone I knew." She wasn't entirely sure who it was; she had her suspicions, but this was one case she would prefer to be proved wrong. The handwriting looked too familiar, though, and she thought it unlikely.

[to here]

[envy_the_sinners]

[From here]

There weren't many others in this portion of the hall. Scar could tell that he wasn't the first out this evening. He turned right rather than left, stopping halfway between the two residence hallways to wait to see if Lust showed herself. If she took too long, he could simply use the radio.

[a_sin_for_him]

[from here]

She had been right. Good.

Scar was in the main corridor that ran along the dormitory block. She approached him quickly, her flashlight angled down so as not to blind him.

"Scar."

She didn't want to startle him.

[envy_the_sinners]

Lust's clacking footsteps were easy to pick out. He looked up as she rounded the corner into the hallway.

"Same objective as last night; the Elrics will meet us out here." Scar assumed Alphonse wouldn't take very long.

[armoredsoul]

[jumping from here]

True to his promise, Al soon showed up with his brother in tow, smiling when he saw Lust with him. "Hey, haven't seen you for a while. How've you been, Lust?" They might notice the slight wetness to his eyes if they were to look closely, but for the most part the partial breakdown with Ed didn't leave any signs.

[fullmetalheart]

Ed followed Al quietly, still subdued. At least since he's being quiet, he's not likely to set anyone off.

[a_sin_for_him]

Thankfully it didn't take long for the brothers to join them. Lust nodded in greeting, eager to be on their way. Between the four of them they should be able to make some manner of progress.

She wondered if she was expected to make some sort of apology to Edward for last night but decided that since she hadn't actually been involved, there was no need to. He obviously hadn't suffered any serious lasting damage.

"I'm fine. Are we all ready, then?"

[envy_the_sinners]

Scar, always tuned in more closely to the younger Elric, took note of the dampness around the boy's eyes but drew no attention to it. He also took note of Tsubaki and Korra taking off down the hall.

"Yes." They all knew what needed to be done, and there was no point in standing around. Scar began down the hall at a decent clip.

[To here]

[rebonding]

[From here]

There were more people out here. Ed and Al and their... weird friends and a few other people, plus the faint beams of flashlights farther down the hall. They were all headed to pretty much the same place, and Korra wanted to get ahead- not that it was a competition, just to avoid traffic jams. Things weren't exactly organized.

[thecamellia]

"It usually seems to be," Tsubaki replied. The Sun Room had been a difficult place to access at night even before the library had become so important, and she supposed she should've counted herself lucky that she hadn't had more reasons to pass through the area.

Special Counseling made everything twice as difficult when you had to keep yourself safe as well as keep your attacker safe, too.

"Yes. We should get ready to run as soon as we enter," she added as she took a survey of the corridor. After what had happened with the boy from before, a gentle reminder that they needed to be more defensive than offensive was in order. Getting caught up in Landel's pitfalls wouldn't get them where they needed to go.

Speaking of... Tsubaki's gaze lingered on Scar's group, composed of the young man Korra had fought, before she hurried to match Korra's pace. Were they headed the same way or were they just using the hallway as a rendezvous point?

[rebonding]

"You got it." Korra nodded, continuing down the hallway at a decent clip. She hoped there wouldn't be anyone waiting for them in the Sun Room, but it didn't seem likely at this point.

At least it wasn't her.

She scowled, shoulders tightening as he pace increased.

[To here]

[no_dont_go]

[skipping from here]

And so now she had to wait. Two friends would meet them together. She idly wondered where Zero was, if he was still busy with his other companion. But she did not have long to contemplate on that. Soon they would arrive and she had the shield. Sechs would arrive with the sword, and then another, Soushi, according to Sechs' posting.

She wondered what lay behind the last door.

[sixth_attack]

[From here.]

Entering the main hall brought Sechs some comfort, seeing more fellow prisoners alive and busy eased away the solitude that had been gnawing away at his nerves earlier. What boosted his hope further was the sight of Aigis, cool and ready as before. Seeing Zero would have been a bonus as well, but he didn't get the chance to ask the grieved droid to join. Sechs made a mental note to recruit Zero for the next NS. All they had left now was to wait for Soushi to show up.

"Aigis," Sechs greeted the other droid with a nod and a smile so weak that it faded from the faintest breath. By then the seriousness of their mission and his previous thoughts were sitting heavily upon his shoulders. It was making every nerve in his body twinge with excitement and dread.

Shuffling on the spot, Sechs brought his axe back down to the ground to lean against his leg. He then reached down and checked to make sure that the doll was still snug and safe in his side pocket. Finding it secure, Sechs returned his gaze back to Aigis. "Sorry 'bout the short notice. I managed to get another person to join us. He's uh..." Sechs trailed off, realizing that he hadn't told her much about their new teammate. "He's the same guy we fought last night. His name's Soushi and he's not a bad guy. So uh, don't freak out or anything..."

[no_dont_go]

Aigis nodded in greeting, quiet as usual. But hearing that their third was the man they had fought the night before was a surprise. Aigis' browse rose.

"Soushi-san is the man from before...? I see." She nodded again then offered a small smile. "It is fine. I have experienced the same as he has, so I understand it is not something he could have fought off on his own."

[sixth_attack]

Sechs' shoulders slumped slightly, visibly displeased by what he had just heard. So Aigis had been used as a brainwashed guard too... No matter how many times he heard about fellow prisoners being victimized by the institute, Sechs' anger refused to be desensitized to such tyranny. It always felt worse when it happened to those he considered as friends. It made him want to punch something -- anything! But all he could do was angrily snort and shake his head. He could only hope that she didn't experience the role of guinea pig for one of the sick scientists who worked for Landel... His anger would be too much to handle then if that were the case!

"Damn... So all three of us went through the same thing," Sechs replied with a frustrated sigh. "Well, we're sure to get along just fine then." Hell, they might as well start their own little club: Special Counseling Victims Anonymous.

Having said that, Sechs turned to scan the area for their new team member. So far he hadn't spotted the white-haired man. As much as Sechs wanted him to arrive unscathed, all the excitement and dread in his system was rapidly draining his patience. Sechs began shifting on the spot, clearly uncomfortable and impatient. The sooner they got going on this, the better...

[ever_loyal_dog]

[from here]

Soushi was somewhat disappointed to find he was the last to arrive. Though he had many, tardiness was not typically one of his flaws. He lowered his head, part in apology, part to show deference to the two he had fought just the night before.

"Please forgive me for being late," he offered, rising again to glance from Sechs to the woman standing near him.

[no_dont_go]

Aigis saw the man through the dim light of flashlights but felt no need to berate him for his tardiness. She merely bowed in greeting, offering him a small smile. "It is fine, Soushi-san. In fact, I am almost glad we were here to catch Martin Landel's most recent message..."

Aigis would never consider herself a petty person. That was no an attitude impressed into her personality chip. However, she could certainly feel some smug satisfaction knowing that the rebels were doing their good work against the almighty Head Doctor. He was merely getting what he deserved if his equipment was being destroyed. Who knew how much power they would regain by having that taken from him...

But for now, they had work to do. Gripping the shield she had been entrusted to hold, Aigis reached for Sechs. "Let us go, then. We must make haste tonight."

[sixth_attack]

Hearing furious message brought a smile to Sechs' lips. The outside rebels were getting things done tonight! The arrival of Soushi boosted the Replica's mood as well. Knowing that other patients were attacking the third floor, along with help from outside, then surely their mission to the basement ought to support everyone's endeavor against Landel!

"Great! Long as you're in one piece then we're good to go!" Sechs replied, flashing a toothy grin at Soushi, his impatience clearly evaporated.

Shifting his flashlight under his armpit, Sechs began to dig into his pockets. First thing he pulled out was his copies of the third floor map he received from Taura earlier that day. "Here, these are some rough sketches of the third floor," Sechs said as he handed a piece to Aigis and Soushi. "Just learned today that you can get to the third floor through a secret stairway in the library. So if we decide to go for that floor tomorrow night, best we all have a copy just in case..."

With that out of the way, Sechs took out his teleportation ring and slipped it on his finger. Stowing away his flashlight, Sechs turned his attention to Soushi. "Ok, in case this is a first time for ya, this ring is gonna take us right to the basement," he explained as he held out his arm for Aigis and Soushi to hold onto. "It's gonna feel weird... So uh, just hold on. It doesn't last very long..."

Once his allies got a good grip on his outstretched arm, Sechs threw back his ring-bearing arm and smashed the bloody gem against the wall--

[Teleporting to here.]