damned_institute | 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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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.”

Night 25: Intercom, Late Night

Re: M77

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