damned_institute | NIGHTSHIFT 27: Stairs by Nurse's Station

Soubi just smiled to himself at Ritsuka's reaction. "I think you are," he said, simply. Ritsuka was determined to make Soubi have an opinion, and there it was. He wasn't allowed to change his mind now. Actually, he was, he was a Sacrifice, but Soubi couldn't see him doing it.

Soubi followed Ritsuka's directions, but wouldn't let the boy step even the hairs breadth in front. If they were going to be attacked, Soubi would take the full blow. He wasn't paying any less attention about things that could attack from behind, either.

Sensing more tension in Ritsuka, Soubi squeezed his hand gently and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. "As you wish."

Of all the times Soubi decided to assert himself, he thought with a sigh. As the Fighter suspected, however, Ritsuka wasn't going to go back on his word and let Soubi keep his opinion. He grumbled a bit under his breath though, just to let him know he wasn't happy about it.

They climbed the stairs slowly. Ritsuka wasn't exactly eager to sprint up them as he had been in days past. Twice now a surprise had been waiting for him when he reached the top - once a spider and once... He was so focused on what lay ahead that he barely noticed the gentle squeeze. The kiss caught him by completely by surprise and he jumped to the side, his heart racing.

"Soubi! God, you almost gave me a heart attack!" He put a lot more force into those words than he meant and as soon as he was certain he wasn't going to upchuck an organ, he tried again. "Sorry, sorry-- just, nervous in the stairwell. Monsters show up here a lot."

Reaching the first landing, Ritsuka peered up to the top and was relieved to see nothing waiting for them. Maybe having Soubi nearby was going to keep the monsters at bay. The Zeros had said people could feel a Fighter's presence, but he hadn't understood their words at the time.

[ From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/219535.html), skipping one hall ]

Stairs. Kain sighed and stopped again, one foot on the first rung. Did he really want to go to the second floor, unarmed? Being alone wasn't too bad, but it was likely going to be more dangerous the further away he got from well traveled areas.

Still, turning back wouldn't do any good, either. He slowly climbed silently, alert to any abnormal sounds or sights. At least being surrounded in darkness was kind of soothing.

[ To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/229563.html) ]

[Coming from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/217967.html?thread=16435055#t16435055)]

Clark was pretty sure he remembered seeing stairs during the day, when he'd been led out of the room blocks to the cafeteria. They were right where he thought they were, leading up to whatever was on the second floor. It occurred to him that he might be the newest "patient" here, which might pose a problem - he didn't really know where he was supposed to be leading this group to, only that people needed help and they were supposed to head in that direction. Well, guessed that the plus side though was if something came at them, they'd have to get through him first.

The teenager paused at the stairs, glancing over his shoulder to make sure everyone was still with him.

It was hard to tell in the darkness, but the mood of the group - from what he could see - didn't seem very bright. Rinali and Allen seemed preocuppied with something, although he couldn't tell if it was because of the fact they were wandering around halls that were definitely this side of creepy or something else. He wasn't sure what to make of Robin, except that he was pretty upbeat from what he could tell so far.

[[And moving right along to Here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/237448.html)]]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/221358.html?thread=16594350)]

Wallace came to a stop just before the stairs, waiting for the rest of the team to catch up. With Rufus already gone, he wasn't looking forward to being separated from anyone, nor being attacked in the midst of the trek to the second floor. He wanted to save his energy for what may lay ahead.

[From Here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/221358.html?thread=16594350#t16632238)

Cloud paused behind Barret before peering up the staircase. He moved forward and up there silently, taking two at a time. This would be his first time visiting the second level of the Institute, and he was not certain what to expect.

He supposed it could have been much worse... at least he was with allies as he moved around.

[Moving Here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/237448.html)

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/221358.html?thread=16595118#t16595118).]

Stairs. Finally. Why did it see like this trek was taking much longer than it needed to? Oh, right. Because she was traveling with Turks. Yuffie was really starting to hate that way that time slowed down when you didn't want it to.

The other group seemed to have made it to the top of the stairs already. Yuffie paused at the door to listen, waiting reluctantly for her 'companions' to follow. No fighting up ahead yet, it seemed. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all? Ha. Wishful thinking.

"Target practice," Elena said. "Right." She had paled a bit when Reno confirmed what she was dreading, but gave no other indication that she was, in fact, as frightened as she really felt. The President would have been proud.

Or he would have been if he hadn't already been carted off to have horrible experiments done on him, of course.

The annoying Wutaiin girl (why was she here, again?) insulted them and went off, and Elena followed, rolling her eyes as she went.

They made good time to the stairs. That was heartening.

"I don't suppose we know just where they've taken him, do we?"

For his part, Reno was hoping for a fight. Yeah, okay, so it'd slow them down, but dammit, he didn't care anymore. But no such luck. Instead, he brushed past Yuffie with a snort.

"Not in the mood, Kisaragi," he stated flatly. "Y'know, in case that didn't get through your head the first time 'round." That he'd actually referred to her by her real name was a telling sign.

As for where they'd taken him...

"Not precisely," he admitted. "Have a rough idea, though."

Of course, there was still the little problem of their "rescue" mission being that he honestly doubted there would be any rescuing. Of all the people who'd been taken, he hadn't heard of a single one who'd escaped even relatively unscathed.

Shit.

[going here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/237448.html?thread=16747912#t16747912).]

[From here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/229563.html?thread=16790971#t16790971)]

"Do you remember any of the names of medicine you picked up?" Axel had asked once they finally reached the stairs. Since he had no flashlight he couldn’t exactly bound down the steps like some headless madman, but they were still forced to be cautious just in case anything was dwelling in the lower parts.

He wasn’t exactly sure if it was right for him to walk out of the group when he was one out of the two people that were capable of fighting, but he didn’t exactly want his blonde haired companion to be wandering about on her own either.

Of course Naminé remembered, but that didn't mean she really knew what any of it was. Thankfully, Axel seemed more knowledgeable about the sort of medicine here than she was. However, Naminé had read the labels and at least knew what medicines treated pain (those were the only ones she grabbed anyway; she doubted the other things would be useful).

"Um, I have Naproxen, Oxycodene, Morphine, Tylenol, and Ibuprofen," She rattled off the list, leaving out 'aspirin' since Axel mentioned that would only make Ashton's condition worse. "I also have Penicillin and Amoxicillin, but I don't think those treat pain."

She awaited Axel's commentary. Hopefully he would know which one to pick, because they all seemed to carry nasty side effects to Naminé.

For a girl who didn't know much about medicine she seemed to rattle them off without any difficulty. But of course, this was one of the many talents the blonde girl held, and it made it a lot easier for him to recognize which ones she was talking about.

"You're right about the last two. Penicillin and Amoxicillin are antibiotics. The funny thing about antibiotics though is that you need to keep taking it for a certain amount of time or the infection will come back even stronger. As for the rest..." Axel paused in his steps, tapping his chin while he mentally categorized the medicine in their proper places.

"Ibuprofen is used more as an anti-inflammatory than a painkiller. Tylenol probably wouldn't be strong enough and while Morphine would be the best at relieving pain, there's too much to risk." He explained to the girl, starting back up his descent down the stairs.

"So either Naproxen or Oxycodone will do. If I had to choose between the two I'd go for Oxycodone since Naproxen has more side-effects tacked onto it."

Antibiotics...? Sounded like something Vexen would know about. If he were here, than Naminé would have gone straight to him, but Axel seemed to know exactly what they needed.

She just nodded, making a note to ask Axel later more about what she had. The next time someone might need them, she might not be able to ask him what the most appropriate choice would be.

"Ok. Oh, and we must get some water for him, so can we stop at the bathroom quickly?" Naminé asked. At least, that's what the directions said... to take the pills with water.

Since there were other people now occupying the staircase with them, Axel made sure to press his body against the wall as to not cause any traffic, all the while grinning down at the girl as they continued their way down the steps. The blonde's suggestion made sense so the redhead saw no qualms with making a quick stop in one of the bathrooms.

"That'd be a smart thing to do. Okay sure, let's go get some water for him." Though he paused them to scratch his chin before glancing back over at Naminé with a slightly sheepish grin.

"Say Nam... do you have anything to hold that water with?"

That was a very good question.

Fortunately, Naminé remembered that she hadn't thrown away the styrofoam cup that she got with her dinner. It was used, yes, but she could just wash it when they were in the bathroom. So they could just take that with them along with the medication.

"It's alright, I didn't eat all of my dinner so the cup that we got with it is still there. I'll just clean it when we get to the bathroom," Naminé explained, as they exited the staircase.

Little did she know about the plague that had struck Landels...

[moved here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/217967.html)]

[ from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/235795.html?thread=16763411#t16908563) . ]

Riza had barely even considered where she was taking them, but she could think only of their rooms--any patient's room. She knew that couldn't guarantee safety, but at least she'd never encountered anything there.

This stairwell, thankfully, seemed more calm. But she still wasn't. Still pulling the two, she wanted only to get them to safety so she could return for the professor. She was perhaps foolish, but she couldn't stop, especially not while these two seemed ready to let themselves die by any means.

He was vaguely aware of being tugged at again, this time away from the black thing that left him feeling so numb inside. Why run? It was through no conscious effort that he moved his feet, clumsily, one in front of the other. It didn't matter where they were going or why or that they'd left one of their numbers behind.

Minutes passed as he was dragged along at her side and thankfully, he could feel the effect starting to fade. The thing hadn't touched him for very long before the professor had used his magic to ward it off. Yuuhi's footsteps were firmer, more... his own. It wasn't easy to smile though, not yet, but his eyes weren't as lifeless as they'd been. He turned his head to look behind them. He couldn't see the older man with his greasy black hair and beaky nose any longer.

"I... I'm fine," he said quietly as he tried to pull away from Riza. His bright blue eyes glanced behind them into the darkness and he shook his head slowly. "We can't leave him," Yuuhi insisted.

Harry let himself be dragged away. He was silent as Hawkeye moved them away from where Snape was. Any other mind set and he would had insisted on staying with the man, but after the attack he didn't care. He didn't care about anything.

He didn't care that so many had died. He didn't care that he was in this place. He barely moved his feet enough to walk as Hawkeye dragged them.

Slowly emotions returned to him. Fai's words were what really snapped him out of the monster created emotional stupor.

"Professor!" he called suddenly, and tried to pull away from the blond woman to get back to the man he wasn't prepared to lose for a second time in two nights.

As Harry pulled away, she let him, releasing Fai as well. "I was going to come back for him." She didn't expect that to appease Harry--who ever advocates saving themselves before others?--but she hadn't liked leaving him either. But at the time it was all she could do.

And it was all she could do because she didn't understand. These . . . things, she didn't know their limits, she didn't know their rules. How was she supposed to use strategy when the opposition was so unpredictable--and deadly?

"Are you sure you're all right?"

But she was already moving back towards the way they'd come, studying their faces as best she could without shining her flashlight directly. Thankfully, they did seem like themselves again.

She could only hope the light she'd left on the professor had kept him safe.

He knew Riza hadn't meant to do anything cold or mean, she was simply looking out for the group. But it couldn't be easy to make decisions like that. Besides, weren't they supposed to be getting these items back to someone who could put them to good use?

His smile was weak, but he kept it up as best he could. "Riza seems the least injured, so maybe we should split up and let her go find your professor. People need these supplies," he added. He knew the boy was worried and probably had every right to be, but if he was feeling anything like Yuuhi was, then a fight wasn't in either of their best interests. "Which room was it?"

Harry shook his head. He felt weak, but he wasn't going to run away from Snape. He wasn't going to turn his back on the man who cared about him. "You can contact me later if you want what I got from that room, but I'm not leaving him."

Quickly, he returned to the place they had left Snape.

[back to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/235795.html?thread=16763411#t16908563)]

Riza understood Harry's desire to get back to the man, even if it was reckless. But she had to get back, too. She'd left her medicine there.

But she also shouldn't leave Fai alone. After all, she had seen that monster in the hallway below, and she could only guess it was still there. She hated to let the group be separated, but taking Fai back to the pharmacy again seemed just as dangerous, knowing those things were there, and that they'd already got to him once.

Sighing, she answered him. "Colonel Mustang's room is M1. He may or may not be in the room, but leave with him what you can spare and take for yourself what you need. But I'm also headed there if I can get what I left with the professor. Remember that there is something in the hallway below. If you go alone, please run, and do not stop there. Hopefully whatever is there will be distracted by others."

Frowning, she furrowed her brow. She hated to think of the other patients like that, but they didn't have much choice when they couldn't fight any better than the others.

She nodded to him as she put her hand to the door at the top of the stairs. "Please be careful. Or wait for me here." But nowhere, of course, was safe.

[ following Harry to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/235795.html) . ]

M1. He made a mental note of the room number, not that it was terribly difficult to remember, and watched Riza leave for a moment. He'd probably been right from the start. It was better not to get involved. He'd only bring them poor luck, and in a place like this, that could be deadly.

He was still a little shaky on his feet, but he could be quick when he had to. It didn't take him long to steady himself and head down the stairs.

[[To Here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/217967.html?page=2#comments)]]

Bah, stairs. Having stepped ahead of Edward and Heiji, she slowly made her way up the stairs in silence.

As per normal Bella behavior, her foot caught slightly on the edge of the stair above her, and she tipped forward slightly. Catching herself quickly, the teenager could feel her face grow hot, and all at once she was quite glad for the darkness. Being clumsy sucked hardcore more of the time.

Trying to pass it off as nothing, Bella turned around to Heiji and Edward, frowning. "Should we just ... try to maybe run the rest of the way or something?"

Not that she was very good at running, but she was just putting the option out there.

"Woah there, careful!" Heiji laid his hand on Bella's back instinctively, frowning. "Watch your feet! Falling down stairs would be bad, yeah? You need that noggin' of yours!"

He looked around the stairs, "Yeah, once we get out of the stairwell, let's hotfoot it outta here and to the closet."

(Walking up the stairs to here! (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/237448.html?view=16949128#t16949128)

How did he always get hurt on the legs? He supposed it made sense from a strategic point of view, but monsters weren't exactly freaking Napoleon Bonaparte. At his height, you'd think they'd try for something other than his legs for once. Sighing, Ritsuka kept going down the stairs one at a time, hoping he wasn't going too slowly for Soubi and the still unconscious teen. It didn't take long and soon they reached the bottom. Shifting the backpack, Ritsuka looked up at Soubi to make sure things were alright, and kept going.

NIGHTSHIFT 27: Stairs by Nurse's Station

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