damned_institute | Night 25: Intercom, Late Night

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Night 25: Intercom, Late Night

The intercom came on with its usual nighttime crackling, though this time the Head Doctor seemed to be in a calmer mood than he had been in before. His tone was cool and his breaths were even as he spoke, even if his speech itself contained the same megalomaniacal ranting as usual.

"Hm. Perhaps I'm overestimating you, Radio Man. Perhaps I'm putting too much stock in how much sway you have over the patients, in how much you can truly help them. Why, yes, even I am capable of admitting my errors, as few and far between as they may be!"

He coughed, cleared his throat, and continued.

"But enough of that wretched man, dear patients. I believe it's time to announce something grand, something new about this Institute. Oh, yes, we're always coming up with new surprises for all of you, as undeserving and selfish as you all may be, but luckily for us, the new secrets of this building may only be opened by those of supreme wit and physical prowess. Allow me to give you a hint, in fact, much like the savior you all put so much stock in: Down is the way you want to go if you want to uncover the secrets of this place, ladies and gentlemen, though uncovering the keys to knowledge will be far more difficult than any of you can imagine."

A pause, and then he sighed and chuckled lightly.

"Not that I imagine many of you will succeed in the tasks ahead of you, though perhaps the newly-arrived members of Group 4 will be able to assist all of you in your future endeavors. Good luck to you all, though I doubt you'll make much use of it."

The intercom slowly died down into a small whine, then silence.

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Hijikata's eyebrows were pinched, only partially because of the constant glare from the man's lantern. Even as the spots began to disappear, he could no longer make out the shape across the room, only the steady beam of light, the likes of which he'd never seen before. He followed it, half-wearily tracking some of the shapes he'd made out in the dark.

He could guess at the functions of most objects, but it all seemed as alien to him as the light the man was holding. How was it so strong, when he couldn't even catch the faint scent of smoke? Hijikata stirred restlessly, and his fingers brushed the front of his strange uniform, finding no purchase. His frown deepened.

Then the man spoke again, and he listened. "Do as you wish, Hideki-san." He replied, supremely indifferent. Still, he inclined his head, never one to forget his manners. "It's nice to meet you as well.

I will be holding you under similar suspicion, so you will have to be content with the situation as it is. Be silent for a moment."

With that, Hijikata unfolded slowly and stood. As he suspected, the room was the same on both sides, and his bedding was elevated as well. He moved towards the other side of the room, settling lightly against the wall beside the door. He had an almost painful awareness of the uncomfortable clothing as he moved, but at least the light was more of a benefit now than a hindrance. If there was anyone in the hall, they would have seen the light already, so he didn't bother asking Hideki to lower it.

L noted Mr. Doe’s proper manners and the fact that he was expressing suspicion towards him. He honored his request for silence, although he had yet to determine if the reason would benefit him or not.

L was keenly aware of what tactics the man was using. He was behaving as if he would be attacked at any moment, which could explain his aggravation with the light. As Mr. Doe moved, L noticed that he was not allowing any openings, which indicated some training in self defense. If this was an American institute containing patients that were determined a danger to themselves or society, and if this man was one of those patients, his actions could be attributed to PTSD. There was the possibility the man was faking his symptoms or could have a valid reason for his actions; either way, L didn’t like taking a chance in ignoring it. He would have to keep his distance.

L knew it was in his best interest to not compromise his safety, so he decided to get off of the bed. He couldn’t move with as much practiced silence as Mr. Doe, but he could move without making too much noise. With the man positioned by the doorway, L carefully slid to the floor, keeping the man within his peripheral vision and the light from the flashlight off of himself.

Although L didn’t think that any bugs would have been placed on him, he checked anyway. When he found nothing, he decided to move to the next area of interest: the bed. Before he could begin inspecting it, however, the radios in the room turned on.

Hijikata kept a weary eye on the movement of the lantern, even as he strained to hear anything but silence beyond the doorway. Everything about this was careful, professional; if any guards posted could see the light beneath the door they knew better than to approach the room. There would not be many. The walls were thick and, if they were as careful as he expected, the prison was below or deep within their territory.

But who were 'they'? Westerners, perhaps. They seemed to make a habit of interfering in affairs that were not their own.

Another voice broke the silence, the fourth he'd heard tonight, and he was sure it didn't come from beyond the door. Hijikata crossed the room, mindful of the lamp's position so he could avoid colliding with Hideki or turning his back on him. When he reached the desk, he found only a small dark box. He didn't touch it.

When the speech ended, the lines between his eyebrows were more numerous than ever. "What is this?"

L listened to the words carefully. Could this be the ‘Mr. Radio’ mentioned on the intercom? The voice on the intercom and the one on the radio seemed to be in direct opposition. The man on the radio referred to the other man as a “boogey man” and was trying to heavily emphasize the fact that the people he was addressing needed him.

While Mr. Doe returned to his side of the room, L leapt back on his bed and grabbed his radio. He had seen it sitting on his desk, but didn’t expect it to turn on by its own accord. L carefully lifted the object in question up by its antenna and directed the light onto it, still keeping the other man within the light’s glow. It was a small, handheld transistor radio.

When his roommate spoke, L lowered the flashlight and radio. Was he asking about the broadcast? If that was the case, he didn’t want to provide him with any information that would give away his developing theories on the matter, especially if the man was there to watch him. “It appears to be a radio.” L said with indifference, turning the switch on and off “I seem to have one on my side of the room as well.” It was an obvious answer, but if this man was looking for more detail, he would have to be more specific with his questions.

“If I am correct in assuming that both sides of the room are identical, then there should have been a flashlight under your pillow as well.” Although L was reluctant in sharing this information, bringing it to the Mr. Doe’s attention before the fact would encourage trust. Besides, it was only a matter of time before the man located it.

Seeing his roommate examine his Radio with the lamp - flashlight? - Hijikata touched his own, overcome by curiosity bordering on suspicion. The object remained silent and innocuous, even as he moved to examine it more thoroughly. For now it was more important than the flashlight, if only because it maintained a link to the outside.

Hijikata carried the radio back to his bed, and sat with one leg folded beneath him. "How does this radio work?" He asked, and remembering Hideki's usual answers he added, "Can this man hear us the same way we hear him?"

He knew very well already that he would be forced to rely on his roomate's casual knowledge. Hideki kept him within the scope of the flashlight at all times, and it seemed to require little effort on his part. For now, it was in Hijikata's best interest to remain on speaking terms with him. If this place contained more of the same instruments, an escape would be daunting at best.

Was Mr. Doe trying to test him? The question was oddly worded. L shifted his position on his bed to face the man, “These don’t appear to be two-way radios; however there is the possibility that it is bugged.” L said calmly as turned on the radio again, listening to the soft sound of static emitting from its speaker. “Electronic listening and surveillance devices could have been placed in this room without our knowledge.”

The radio bothered him. Radio broadcasts were generally transmitted though amplitude or frequency modulation, often abbreviated as AM or FM. Much to L’s suspicion, these radios were not marked for such a thing. Did this mean that the broadcast was from an amateur or unlicensed radio service? It would appear that the man on the radio would be quite difficult to locate, as he was probably using an obscure type of encoding.

Then there was the fact that both of the radios had switch on simultaneously. Could this man be using some sort a remote? L wasn’t happy with the thought that he was being toyed with so easily. “If at all possible, I would like ask for you to assist me in conducting a thorough sweep of the room to assure that we are not being spied on.” With that said, L turned the radio off.

There were a few things he didn't understand, but Hijikata got the gist of what his roommate was trying to tell him. It didn't matter so much whether he trusted the man with information; someone else could be listening to them as he suspected all along.

He knew nothing more of the radio, so he set it face down on the bed and rummaged beneath his pillow for the flashlight. It was a small, black cylinder that remained cool and ailen in his hands. Bemused, Hijikata ran his fingers along the surface and found a switch similar to the radio's. He flicked it and narrowly avoided blinding himself again.

There may have been a grunt of displeasure. He trained the beam of light on the floor, and then raised it slightly higher to catch his roommate in the ambient light. It would have been a petty, pointless revenge to flash the light into his eyes.

"I will gladly assist you. However, I'll need you to tell me what we're looking for." His tone remained formal and polite. While Hijikata was not one to flaunt his ignorance, he believed very much in being practical about these matters. Even if Hidiki was only lying to gain his trust, he had no reason to offer information about himself, so there would be little harm in it.

When the flashlight was directed towards him, L couldn’t help but blink. It was not because of the light however, it was something personal. He was compromising his safety by being seen, but it was something that was bound to happen sooner or later with the two of them living in such close proximity. L was sure that this wasn’t going to be the last time this would be happening, but he still didn’t like the idea. The only thing that he had left to reassure him was the fact that he had provided the man an alias.

“They are electronic devices; very small in size and difficult to locate. It is important that we leave nothing unchecked no matter how common or harmless the item may appear to be. They can even be in the radios, flashlights, under furniture, or even on our clothing.” he explained, “Since you expressed distrust in me, as I did you, we must handle this in a manner that will satisfy us both--- Otherwise searching will be meaningless. Would you agree to conduct the search under my supervision?” It seemed like the fairest and most effective arrangement considering the circumstances.

L continued; “Even if we find nothing, I suggest that we conduct these searches regularly as it appears we will be leaving the room at one point. I am sure that there will be adequate time during these periods to set up bugs. Let’s not let down our guard.”

“Also,” L added, tilting his head slightly so that his expression enforced the seriousness of the matter, “due to fact you we share a living space with me, and have seen my face, I fear that your safety as well as mine could be compromised. I have a lot of enemies, and I fear that you may become a liability to me.” If this man was his enemy, he was already a liability. If he wasn’t, it was important to tell him what he might be getting into before mistakes were made.

It seemed like a fair proposition. "Provided that my search will not be restricted, I will."

He simply nodded his agreement when Hidiki suggested periodic searches. It would not do to become too comfortable in their surrounding, and make a potentially fatal mistake. Hijikata rolled his shoulders.

"I will look after myself." A faint, sardonic smirk flashed across his lips as he said this, only to be replaced by a serious expression. "As I've said before, who you are is of no concern to me and your face is something easily forgotten so long as you give me no reason to remember it."

From his voice alone this was not so much a threat as a promise. He would make no unnecessary mention of his roommate, especially at the risk of endangering himself. However, he was still mistrustful of the man and his motives. If he became an enemy, Hijikata would kill him before he risked anything further.

He stood again, directing the flashlight to his own bed and away from Hideki. He could still see where the other man was by tracking the second flashlight. "Shall we begin?"

“Restricting your search would, in no way, benefit me.” If L had been the one searching, he would have never brought up restrictions. It would mean that he could possibly catch Mr. Doe in a suspicious act. However, this man either hadn’t thought that far, or he had felt it was unnecessary.

L smiled slightly at the man’s response to his warning, “That is good to know.” He quickly dropped the expression and became serious once more. Confidence alone was not reassuring; However, Mr. Doe appeared to be an educated man of few words, who would listen to reason. This was ideal to him. “I hope then, my face is quickly forgotten.”

L returned to the floor, crouching in a way that he could quickly act if the man decided to try something. He offered the light of his flashlight to the area Mr. Doe was indicating. “Yes, let’s begin.”

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Night 25: Intercom, Late Night

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