damned_institute | Hallway Outside Sun Room

Peter had to admit that it looked like these two had things under control. It also seemed like they didn't enjoy being treated like they couldn't handle themselves, but what was he supposed to assume? Most kids their age totally wouldn't be ready for this sort of thing, but he was going to have to accept that things were different here. The patients weren't all normal civilians, or so he had to guess at this point.

Also, the one kid, who actually looked like the younger of the two - who talked like that? Maybe he had just been raised that way, but it was a little zany. He would have gotten the crap beaten out of him if he'd spoken that way at Peter's old high school.

What really caught his attention was the mention of brainwashing. "Brainwashed? What are you talking about?" Maybe it had been stupid of him to come over here and try to help these kids when they seemed to know more than he did. Oh well, the damage was done.

As for the question, it wasn't like he was anyone of importance, and he didn't know if that was what they were expecting. Maybe all they wanted was a name. "I'm Peter Parker," he said, and he figured he would leave Clark's introduction for him to take care of.

Brainwashed? What? Clark was two seconds away from asking before Peter beat him to it and asked for them.

"Clark," Clark said, when he sensed that it was his turn to introduce himself, and sheepishly gave a little grin. "Clark Kent."

What was with these kids? The youngest of the two acted like he belonged in college or something, what with how he kept calling his friend "Mr." ahd how...well, formal he was. Clark couldn't help feeling a bit taken aback as he sized up the two boys. Despite the fact that he was both bigger and maybe a bit older than them (with superpowers, no less), Clark couldn't help feeling like he was the kid here.

Artemis got a raised eyebrow from Omi, too. That little speech was certainly interesting. Not that Omi would have been underestimating the boy, since Hitsugaya obviously thought there was some good reason to bring him along, but it was still odd to hear him talking like that.

"I'm Omi, and that's Artemis." He pocketed the syringe to study later, and tucked the knife out of sight where he'd be unlikely to fall on it. "They can turn patients against each other. That's what the intercom was talking about."

"Artemis Fowl, the Second," the boy said, gently adding to Omi's introduction. He prided himself on the fact that both he and his father had earned the name Artemis. "Pleasure to meet you both."

And indeed it was. After all, Spiderman and Superman were standing before him. Though Clark looked a bit younger than Artemis was used to, and he'd only seen Peter Parker in comic books before.

"Yes, apparently every other night, patients are taken from their rooms, brainwashed, and ordered to attack fellow patients," Artemis frowned, "Can't say I know many of the particulars--I haven't seen a brainwashed patient myself. But I do know that the subject regains full use of his or her abilities, receives his or her familiar weapon and... their normal clothes."

For Artemis, this was a big plus. If he ever was brainwashed, he needed to instruct someone to liberate him of his suit. He missed his suits.

"In fact, I'm curious to see who the lucky patient is, and what they look like," Artemis said, craning his neck towards the door. "I wonder how the Captain is faring."

The Second. Right. That sort of pride in your bloodline sort of reminded him of Norman Osbourne, but he didn't really want to think about that right now. Harry's death was still fresh in his mind, and it wasn't something he had the time to deal with now. Then again, it had been a while since he'd had proper time to grieve for anyone.

Brainwashing, though... That was pretty frightening, mainly because he didn't want to consider what he would do if it ever happened to him. It would probably be similar to what had happened to him when he was the symbiote's host, but there wouldn't even be space to doubt himself about it.

So, whoever was in there was strong enough that they could all literally feel his (or her) power. Or at least that was what Peter had to assume.

While he had no idea who the "Captain" was, he didn't like the idea of someone being in there when it was so dangerous. He was going to ask the two boys details about that, but then he felt something.

He closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled. Someone had just sped past at a ridiculous speed, out into the hallway. Peter tensed and looked around, wishing his night vision was better as he tried to make out what looked like two shapes on the other side of the hallway. First he caught a shock of white hair, and then--

Eddie? What had happened? Peter quickly turned to the three he was with. "I need to go and see what's going on over there," he rushed to say, pointing. "Stay here, though. It might be dangerous." He had no idea what Eddie was up to, but there was no reason to lead anyone else into a potential trap. He didn't have time to wait for confirmation from anyone, so he could only hope they would listen as he moved away from them and toward Brock.

Clark was still struggling to deal with that fact that they actually brainwashed the people here and then sicced them on their friends when Peter suddenly announced he was leaving the group. Clark opened his mouth to protest, but shut it; Peter was right, it was probably best to stay back with the kids, even if he wasn't that much older. Sighing, the farmboy instead nodded, and watched Peter disappear down the dark hall.

He was pretty sure he'd have no problems protecting Omi and Artemis, but he also had to wonder if it was such a good idea for all of them to be so close to the Sun Room - it sounded like that place was ground zero for one of these brainwashed people. Clark was of half a mind to go snap him, or her, out of it before people got hurt, but he didn't want to run off playing hero until he was sure that these two were someplace safe.

"Why would they do that to people?" Clark asked, glancing from Omi to Artemis. "What do they think they'll get from it?"

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/189165.html?thread=13118701#t13126125)]

Hitsugaya stormed over to his two teammates and Clark, looking pissed off. His wounds stung, and what was worse, he lost to Ichimaru. Certainly it wasn't a fair fight, but it stung to know that Ichimaru had beaten him.

Not to mention the idiots who kept waltzing into the Sun Room like it was a sake bar. Morons.

Ignoring Clark for the time being, he glanced to Omi and Artemis. "You two look like you're ready to go. We're going to be investigating the doctor's offices tonight. Can either of you pick a lock?"

'Because they can' seemed almost as good an answer as any, and it would have been his answer to Clark had Hitsugaya not chosen that moment to show up. Which was probably great timing, since it stopped Omi from having to go to him.

Then again, once Omi got a look at him, it probably would have been better for him not to be moving around so much at all.

"I could, if I had the tools." He bit his lip, thinking. "The syringe needles might be strong enough. I could try, anyway. More important, though, what happened?"

Artemis stared at Hitsugaya, wondering to himself how the ~~shrimp~~ Captain managed to get himself injured... again.

But, a medic was a medic--and Artemis was the medic on duty in this situation. The bottles were heavy in his pocket, almost begging him not to take them out and waste them on Hitsugaya. He, Artemis, needed them to survive. And wasn't now as good a time as any to test out his healing potential?

"Here," Artemis said, pulling out one of the bottles, "My report. After you passed out, I treated your wounds using the monster's blood. It has healing properties. I then bottled what I could using pill bottles I stole from the Pharmacy." He extended the bottle to Hitsugaya. "It isn't necessary to drink the whole bottle. Abarai-san merely licked the blood off his fingers and was healed. A small sip should do."

After giving the bottle to Hitsugaya, Artemis looked up at Clark, "And I still don't know why people are brainwashed or experimented on, Mr. Kent. Once I do know, it will become public knowledge, believe me."

Mr. Kent? Clark didn't think he could get ever used to being called that, but he didn't bother correcting Artemis and telling him that the only man who was called that was his dad.

Most of the conversation was going over his head - monster blood? Reports? - but he had caught enough that he didn't like what he was seeing. A locked door wouldn't have been a problem, but he wasn't sure if he should just volunteer himself for it; they'd never been an issue for him in the past, but then again, he'd always just poked out the locks and broke the knobs, none the wiser. He wasn't sure he could get away with that here. Clark kept his mouth shut on that for now.

"Who's in charge? Does anyone know?" Clark asked, still trying to get some answers. Not the Luthors, he pleaded, not them this time, this's way too far for either of them.

Hitsugaya took the vial from Artemis. The idea of drinking a monster's blood didn't seem particularly appealing, but neither did wandering around with these burns. He took a slight sip and grimaced slightly at the unpleasant flavor. Still, he felt a slight effect as the worst of his burns began to lessen. The sip didn't entirely heal him--he still felt sore, and all of his burns remained--but there was a remarkable improvement.

"Eh, I'm not fully healed," Hitsu answered, handing the vial back. "But this should be good enough. We don't want to waste it if we can help it. How many vials did you get?"

Clark's question made Hitsugaya pause. Who's in charge? Did they manage to pick up someone on their first night? Great. He glanced at the man. "Let me guess. You're new here and have no idea what's going on?"

He glanced back at the door to the sun room nervously. Gin's presence there made him nervous. Still, he supposed there was enough time for a quick explanation while he waited for the blood to finish coursing through his body. "Hitsugaya Toshiro," he said in formal greetings. "In my world captain of what could be best compared to an elite police force, 10th Division Unit Leader. Here, leader of the Arts and Crafts division, one of two current organizations working together to bring this place down. We don't know exactly who's in charge. We know the face of the enemy is one Dr. Martin Landel, the voice you hear over the intercom. We have a source which indicates that he has superiors as well, but the credibility of that source is dubious at best."

He paused, waiting for questions.

He huffed softly as his question was ignored. Not that it was that important, but the team leader in him rebelled against doing anything without all the facts, even those that might affect his mission only peripherally. But if Hitsugaya was fine- and he seemed to be, thanks to that.. whatever it was- then he'd let it go. He would have to ask about whatever was in the vials. Did they say it was blood? That was even weirder than most things around here.

He pulled the syringe back out, turning it over in his hands, considering whether it would be long and sturdy enough to use as a lock pick. Probably not, but he could try. He also had darts from Kurama that might work better.

He listened to the conversation while allowing his attention to focus on the syringe.

Artemis paused, frowning. The blood should have worked better than that. Perhaps because the injuries sustained were from one of Hitsugaya's acquaintances? One never knew. For now, Artemis contented himself with the fact that Hitsugaya hadn't stepped on his foot at the suggestion of not wasting the blood. Maybe the two could get along after all.

The boy tucked the bottle back in his pocket, just as the radio sounded. Artemis frowned at the box around his waist, pulled out his journal and pen, and began scribbling frantically. He was, quite possibly, even more hellbent on keeping accurate records since meeting Light and Ryuga. He had to stay on top--and the slightest detail could win it for him.

"And who is this dubious source, Captain Hitsugaya?" Artemis asked, not afraid to enter the conversation uninvited. He snapped his journal shut and tucked the pen away.

(skipping with permission)

Hitsugaya glanced at Artemis as he jotted down the notes from the radio. If that wasn't a waste of time, he didn't know what was.

"That would be the moron whose words you just jotted down in your notebook, Fowl-san," Hitsugaya replied.

He looked to Clark. "We don't have a reliable communications network at night," he continued. "But if you're interested in helping, look for the announcement on the board. We're the largest and most organized of any prisoner group, and we could always use the help."

A pause. "Oh," he added as an afterthought, motioning to the sun room. "And don't go into that room if you want to live. You can't fight what's in there. No one can in our current condition."

'Moron'? That was harsh. He'd have to find out if there was a reason for the animosity, or if it was just a personal bias. What he said couldn't be that much worse than what came over the intercom. Not that he thought it should be completely trusted, but still.

And then Hitsugaya mentioned the sun room, and Omi perked up. That had been what he'd wanted to know in the first place. "What is in there? It's what's making things feel weird tonight, right?"

"Dubious yes, but any source of information is a source nonetheless," Artemis said tersely. "Both information and misinformation is key to the puzzle. There is always a reason why."

Maybe they wouldn't get along as famously as Artemis had hoped. Hitsugaya seemed as rigid in person as he was on the bulletin boards. He also didn't appreciate Hitsugaya's easy dismissal of Alec Doyle and consequently--his transcripts. Oh well. Perhaps when the Captain was in need of information, he would reconsider his position. And Artemis would be there--with a price in mind.

"A brainwashed acquaintance of yours?" Artemis ventured with a small smile. "You seem to be so sure of our imminent doom, after all."

Clark mostly just listened quietly, for now. He was still sure he should just bust into the Sun Room and subdue this "god" with his own hands on approach, but he couldn't just go in, guns blazing. He still didn't know exactly what they were dealing with and he counted it his duty to keep an eye on the others and protect them until they were safely off. It sounded like they had their own plans, and for a moment, Clark was torn between seeing them off or sticking around for Peter.

He was still a bit puzzled by the other patients. They looked his age - in Omi's case - or younger, but they acted like grown-ups, in charge despite the fact they didn't appear to have any powers at all. Not that Clark could tell by just looking at them, but they gave off a sense of knowing what they were doing.

"So wait, a person is making the air feel this way?" Clark chimed up. This wasn't normal for this place?

"That's why I brought it up," Hitsugaya pointed out. "Just because I don't trust the man doesn't mean we can't use him. But we can't trust anything he says. He claims to be on our side, but he treats the prisoners like children, tells us we're not ready, and throws trophies out that we have to pass some sort of trial in order to earn."

He shook his head, then moved to the topic that all three seemed so keen on. "That's Ichimaru Gin in there," he answered. "He was a former captain of the Gotei 13...my organization...before he betrayed us. The pressure you're feeling is just his spiritual pressure bleeding off. Fighting him is much, much worse. In our weakened state, it'd be a foolish plan to try and fight him. He could bind you in place with a flick of his wrist if he were so inclined.

"So yeah. Don't go through those doors. You're better off trying to stop other idiots from passing through than trying to fight him, but good luck getting them to listen."

"Either he's right, or he's underestimating us. Either way works to our advantage." Omi didn't see much reason to worry about it now. Better to pay attention than get caught unawares.

As for whoever was waiting for them in the sun room... well, Omi had absolutely no intention of going in there. Unlike most of the people he knew, he seemed to have picked up a sense of self-preservation somewhere along the line. "If they're going to wander unprepared into someplace that's obviously dangerous, that's their choice. It's definitely not our problem. You can't protect people who won't listen, anyway."

He shrugged a little. He wanted to keep people safe, sure, but there were more important things to do here that would let them help more people. "So we're going to check out the doctors' offices?"

Artemis smiled and nodded to Omi, "Exactly. But frankly, I'm not going to be the one to do the wandering. Who really knows if we're fully equipped to venture down there. I don't even have my blade yet," the boy said with a shrug.

"And I agree with Mr. Tsukiyono. The sooner we leave this place, the better. After all, we have no idea if there's anything keeping this... Ichimaru Gin in the Sun Room. If he decides to go on a rampage, I'm not going to wait to see it first-hand."

Artemis' eyes finally flicked to Clark. For a new person, the young man was certainly interested in what lay beyond the doors. And, of course, there was the fact that the kid was, you know, Superman. Overcoming obstacles to free the oppressed, and all that jazz.

"You may fancy yourself a hero in your own world, Mr. Kent, but here you are less than what you were--in case you haven't noticed already," Artemis said quietly. "I wouldn't be trying to leap any tall buildings in a single bound, if I were you."

Artemis was instantly all-smiles again. "Yes. Doctors' offices!"

Clark shot a startled look at Artemis. What was that all about it? He'd been quiet, and Clark was pretty sure he was the only one who heard him, but there was no mistaking what he said. Hero? Sure, his friends in Smallville knew that he had a tendency to play hero and conveniently be there when they needed it, but they didn't know anything more than that. Did Artemis know? How could he? Clark hadn't ever seen him before in Smallville or Metropolis.

I wouldn't be trying to leap any tall buildings in a single bound, if I were you.

That alone pointed that Artemis knew more than he was letting on. Clark had only just recently discovered he could jump and jump far (the night he busted into the Luthorcorp building from the Daily Planet one came to mind), and while he doubted he could actually jump over a building in one bound...it was still close enough to give him pause.

Frowning, Clark eyed Artemis. How could he know? He must've seen him jump then, but how'd he recognize him? He was at least thirty stories up at the time.

Hitsugaya glanced back at the sun room briefly. "No," he answered. "Ichimaru won't come out here." Even with the mind control, Hitsugaya had a pretty good idea of what to expect. Ichimaru tended to mislead by deception, not outright lies. He had made it very clear that he was there to keep people from passing the Sun Room. Why?

That was a question he'd have to deal with tomorrow night.

"But still, we have no idea how much time is left tonight. Let's move."

He looked to the other man, this Mr. Kent. "I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you, were these better circumstances. While you're waiting for your friend, could you do your best to keep any other dumbasses for needlessly throwing themselves on Ichimaru's blade? Thanks."

[ooc: my break just ended, so if one of you guys could move the group instead of myself, that'd be great. Thanks! XD]

'Let's move' was probably the best thing he'd heard all night. Finally, they were going to get something done.

"Alright. Come on." The nurse had told him in passing where the doctors met with patients when he'd puppy-dog-eyed her into giving him a tour of the public spaces, so he'd be able to find them again. He nodded for Artemis to follow, hoping Hitsugaya wouldn't have problems watching their backs while he was injured. Not like Omi could do much against most of the stuff in here, but still. It was the principle of the thing.

Artemis smirked softly to himself at Clark's startled expression. Clark knew that Artemis knew--or something along those lines, really. Now it all depended on how the young man took this knowledge. Hostile, or curious? Or frightened? The reaction would be interesting, to say the least.

Time to seal the deal, Artemis thought, then nodded to Hitsugaya and Omi, signaling that he would follow. He smiled up at Clark, "A pleasure to meet you, sir. I don't think the walls are laced with kryptonite, but I haven't ruled it out yet." He turned and waved slightly, still smiling, "Give my best to Mr. Parker!"

Tomorrow would be interesting...

(Following Omi!)

Clark froze, and for a moment his voice wouldn't come to him. By the time it did, Artemis was gone, leaving Clark to wonder just what had happened. He knows, Clark thought, feeling a chill running down his body. This stranger - someone he didn't know at all - knew, right down to the fact he got sick around the meteor rocks. To make it even worse, he even called it kryptonite - a word that only Pete and his parents knew. Clark was torn between following his impulse and tracking Artemis down, and doing the right thing, and remaining where he was.

So what did this mean? Clark tried to work this out as he imagined his dad would - his dad would come to a decision in a split second, but he wasn't as much of his father as he would've liked. What should I do? Clark worried back and forth. If only he could talk to someone, get another opinion. But no, Mr. Parker was out of the question, and so was Kasady and Mr. Barret. Even if someone knew about his secret, he still had to act normal.

What remained now was to see what Artemis would do with this information. Was he a friend or not? Clark didn't want to have to make more enemies, but the fact that Artemis knew about some of his abilities and the kryptonite was really serious...

Hallway Outside Sun Room

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