As fog continued to settle over the chilly and wet countryside, the intercom's happy jingle cut into the end of the patients' dinnertime.

"Hello again, everyone!" the Head Doctor greeted. "I hope you all enjoyed your meals after such a busy day. Yesterday's hiccup on the way back to the Institute made several of you understandably upset, and that became even more apparent after reading what some of you had to say on the bulletin board today. Rest assured that I'll be personally looking into the matter so it can be resolved in a way that's fair to everyone."

A rustling sound punctuated his promise, and anyone listening would soon realize he was shuffling some papers around.

"With that said, I know some of you are ready to hunker down for the night, so--"

Just as the sun dipped behind the horizon outside, the intercom began to spew a heavier amount of static, and the Head Doctor's voice grew more warped.

"Let's just cut to the chase, shall we?" It wasn't difficult for patients to hear the smile in his voice. "By the way, your movie selection for today was interesting -- quite interesting indeed! It made me wonder how many Judases you have among your own groups of acquaintances and friends. Of course, my schedule tells me that at least one of you will change into one of the beasts that haunt these hallways tonight. Once that happens, what will you need to do to save yoursel--"

The static suddenly grew louder, cutting the Head Doctor off mid-sentence. "What--? An error! But that can't--"

Soon, the noise drowned out the man's voice entirely.

A garbled automated female voice filtered though the noise.

"Initiating overrrrride. Initiaaaating o-overriiiiide. Authorization Code: 1458 HARRINGTON.

Messaaaaage: SOME OF YOU ARE A LITTLE UNDER THE WEATHER, AND SOME OF YOU ARE GOING TO CHANGE, BUT DON'T LET THEM PUSH YOU DOWN. THERE IS A WAY TO CURE YOU. WE'RE NOT SURE HOW YET, BUT THERE IS A WAY. THE X-RAY ROOM IN THE MED WING WILL SHOW YOU WHAT WE KNOW, AND MAYBE YOU CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY TO HELP YOURSELVES. GOOD LUCK."

The static swelled a moment before I.R.I.S. spoke again.

"Messaaaage ffffinished. We Alll Fffall Dddown--"

The intercom shut down so abruptly that it wasn't hard to imagine someone yanking the plug out in a fit of rage.

[Like last Nightshift's surprise with the Entry Room, be sure to message us before posting any of your characters to the X-Ray room, and we'll put up the top post for you! Let us know if you have any questions. Thanks!]

Tsubaki’s preparations for nightshift had entailed precise and deliberate concentration; without her noticing, a frown appeared on her brow as she changed clothes and gathered her supplies, growing deeper with the Head Doctor‘s announcement.

There were enough distractions jostling for position in her mind that any one of them could easily derail her focus, and if she was going to go out searching for answers with Lingormr, then she needed to be clear-headed. She couldn’t be thinking about her brother, or her friends, or the sick prisoners and the people she hadn’t heard from all day. And definitely not Landel’s threats, even though they were rather impossible to ignore. But she couldn’t--she couldn’t give in to her worry about the people Landel claimed were set to transform.

But when Landel’s voice was suddenly drowned out by another kind of message entirely, Tsubaki felt a flicker of hope. It burned brighter the longer I.R.I.S. went on.

They were meeting at the medical wing! Lingormr’s suggestion had been luckier than either of them had thought!

There’s a cure.

Those were the only words Tsubaki cared about. After bidding Rapunzel a quick goodbye, she made her last adjustments and slipped out of the room. A sense of urgency lent her speed to her feet. They could do this--assuming the message was true, there was a definite chance. She didn't want to leave Lingormr waiting even for a second.

_{[to here]}

The loss of Okita wasn't something that Guy was going to be able to get over in the space of only one dinner shift, but Locke had at least seemed to understand where he was coming from once he'd explained. Honestly, Locke didn't seem like a bad guy in any sense of the word. He just hadn't been with Guy from the start -- if he had, Guy would have been mourning him now. But Okita had been a friend, and they'd had the sort of friendship that wasn't easily formed. The idea that he might never see him again was borderline crippling.

But now was not the time to sit around and feel sorry for himself. Worrying about Okita and where he might be wasn't going to fix the problems he already had, such as the fact that he and his friends were still stuck here, not to mention Anise being sick.

He gathered his items as the intercom went off, but before Landel was able to say much, something strange happened. It was odd enough that Guy paused in the middle of changing into his normal outfit to listen for a moment. IRIS again? But it seemed like this time the intercom system had actually been intercepted in order to get the message out.

He was definitely paying attention now, and the message was clear and to the point. That was exactly what he needed right now, with Anise as one of those people who was in jeopardy. Guy just hoped that she wasn't one of the people who would supposedly be changing tonight. He didn't want to imagine that it might be too late for her.

Guy quickly gathered up his sword, radio, and flashlight once he'd finished changing and then headed out the door. If there was ever a time when he couldn't delay, it was tonight.

[To here.]

Murphy wasn't able to control his knee jerk reaction to the static, gripping his desk chair as the lights went out and bracing for an attack he quickly realized wasn't about to come. And the Big Doc's voice carried on, bringing back unpleasant memories for the ex-con. He frowned, uncomfortable, not sure what to think or how to take the message....

He knew all too well what it was to turn into a monster.

When the computer system fell to some sort of electronic epileptic fit, Murphy just shook his head. Flashlight in one hand and chair in the other, he headed out into the hallway. He'd trust Harvey's assertion that there were plenty of directions to go, and trust his own luck he'd find one. There wasn't much else that he could do.

And maybe he'd find someone who needed help. He'd managed to keep Nina safe last night. That was more than he'd ever managed in Silent Hill. That was a good sign, wasn't it? And against all odds he was alive, and as long as he was alive he had the power to change his own fate.

Or so he kept telling himself as he ventured out into the far-more-active darkness of the institute.

[From here.]

As the first one to make it out into this hall (which wasn't surprising these days), Guy found it hard not to just jet over to Claude's room. But in the end, he knew that there wouldn't be much to say until they met up with Anise and she explained herself, so for now he was going to have to try and be patient.

The medical wing wasn't an area he had explored very thoroughly, so he hoped that they would be able to find the room that Landel had named. He doubted that Anise and Claude had any better idea of how things were laid out there, either, seeing how they usually spent their nights with him.

Still, the three of them could do just about anything if they put their minds to it. That was one thing he believed with little to no doubt. It was how he was able to push himself to leave his room each night, and he wasn't going to stop working until they found a cure for Anise. This was no different from Tear or Luke falling sick. They would make it right somehow.

He was getting ahead of himself, though, and so he let out a breath and tried to calm down, keeping an eye on Claude's hallway. He was going to have to deliver the news about Okita before anything else, after all, and he couldn't say he was looking forward to that.

[From here.]

Along with his weapons and supplies, Harvey also had two other very important things with him, and he checked his pockets for them as he moved down the halls. First was his coin, which he wasn't surprised to find was there, as he couldn't think of a time when he'd let it be removed from his person. Second was the bracelet that the talking skeleton extraordinaire had given them. Forgetting the whole morbid quality of it, Harvey had to wonder if it could really be trusted.

On the other hand, Sangamon had made use of that ring and it had never come around to bite him, so maybe it was fine. Maybe every once in a while, this place actually made their lives easier rather than more difficult.

With the hall completely empty, Harvey didn't have to waste any time moving down it toward the meeting spot.

[To here.]

[From here.]

Still no one. Harvey imagined that before long these areas were going to be flooded with sick people who were going to follow that clue, so he was glad that he'd beaten them to the punch. It wasn't that he thought it was contagious anymore -- by this point, they would have known -- but he didn't need to be surrounded by a bunch of miserable, sniffling people, either.

Relieved that he'd dodged that bullet, at least so far, Harvey reached the end of the hall and took a right toward their regular meeting spot.

[To here.]

[From here.]

Well, that had been painless, but the good time he'd made also meant that he was the first to arrive. Harvey leaned himself up against the wall, swinging his metal pipe around in his hand as he kept an eye out for Scott or Sangamon.

He had to admit, it was strange that their group had been cut down so considerably. He didn't even know if Depth Charge was still around, but it didn't matter to him too much either way, so he hadn't put much thought into it. He figured that one of the others would mention it when they showed up, if they even knew themselves.

While he waited, Harvey grabbed the bone bracelet out of his pocket and started to spin it around in his hand. The skeleton hadn't been too clear about how this worked, but there was an obvious answer about what to do with it, not that he was going to attempt anything until the others had shown up.

Scar had intended on staying in for the night. He was tired and frustrated and needed a break. But the disturbing announcement chased away all of the Ishbalan's thoughts of waiting things out tonight. Something was happening with the man on the intercom. Something he didn't like. It was the first time Scar had heard Landel's facade break. Something wasn't going his way.

The threat of transformation remained just as real. But now, whatever this insurrection was, there was a way to stop it. Something swelled in Scar's chest. Something that he had lacked since he had woken up in this hell. Somebody was fighting, and succeeding, and he'd be damned before he would sit down and not take his chance while he had it. Scar actually knew where the X-Ray room was. He was bigger, faster, and stronger than many of the people here. He knew that there would be a crowd making its way to the Medical Wing. He would just have to get there first.

Opening his closet, Scar was relieved to find the scalpels he had collected two nights ago. For all he knew, this was just another trap; a setup to make the pawns let their guards down. But when faced with the prospect of transformation, he was willing to take the risk. He had nothing to lose, anyway.

Something made Scar feel like this was real, though. He had known bastards like Landel. And they weren't the type to make themselves appear to be in a state of weakness, even if only to draw their prey in.

The Ishbalan hesitated a moment before once again taking the photograph of his brother and putting it in his pocket. He wasn't letting go of that one scrap of something that he had to fight for.

Determined scowl set firmly in place, the scarred man marched from his room, ignoring his roommate.


_{[To here]}

_{[From here]}

Scar made his way through the halls, knowing for once exactly where he was going. He fiddled with the scalpel between his fingers as he walked at a brisk pace, knowing full well that the tiny knife would hardly do him any good. But it was better than nothing, should he come across anything along his way.


_{[To here]}

_{[from here]}

She paused again by the Sun Room, probing the darkness. There were no flashlights around to break up the shadows, and no natural light to guide her eyes. After all her many nights moving around the building without her own flashlight she’d become more than adept at navigating in total darkness, but caution still pricked at the fine hairs on the nape of her neck every time she reached an area that was not heavily populated with foot traffic.

If Landel had half a mind to prevent them from reaching the secret in the Medical Wing, now would be the time for him to act. Tsubaki couldn’t trust that he hadn’t heard I.R.I.S.’ relay, if the intercom’s abrupt cut-off had been any indication.

As she passed the doors leading to the entryway, she once again felt her eyes wandering toward them. Would what had happened there happen again? To someone she knew next time?

Would someone be injured because of the transformed prisoner?

Keep going, the assassin in her said. No time for doubts.

_{[to here]}

There were words for mercenaries who had a gun under not only their pillow, but a knife between every sock in their drawer. Taura's arsenal hadn't hit that stage, but it was getting a little embarrassing. Especially without anything more than a belt and a fraying, delicate purse. Well, not delicate by normal standards, but it was intended for shopping, not carrying what amounted to a bundle of blades. She put the stunner in it alongside the materia, and tucked the strap-on claws back in her box. The throwing star she could just carry -- it wasn't like she had far to go, and two weapons would be plenty while she was just waiting for Rita to get out of bed and stumble down to the hall.

Really, the only reason she even needed the throwing star was to have something to fidget with without looking like she was just waiting for an ambush. The radio could come along as well.

[to here]

[from here]

She wasn't planning to go looking for the cure. She wasn't ill, and she was no expert. All she'd do is get in the way -- if there was anything in the medical wing other than trouble, which she doubted.

But, for all that she'd been built to deal death, she could heal a few things. Or, at least, carry around a pocket-sized universal first-aid kit. It was better than synergine for propping someone up long enough to get them somewhere else, since it could actually slow blood loss, though it hadn't been able to stop Rita from dying in the first place. Still, she was curious to see how much it could do, in a less-urgent setting.

[Rita]