damned_institute | Day 28: Bus 2

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Day 28: Bus 2

Momo tugged on the collar of the light blue sweater she was wearing as she followed her nurse to wherever these buses were, winding her hair up into its customary bun as she went. It was an odd feeling, knowing she was about to go outside of the institute's borders. Maybe the Head Doctor was about to make an error and the shinigami, as well as everyone else, would no longer be limited and they could finish what they started several nights back.

That was probably too much to hope for. She was feeling better this morning, even with the blood moon, and was mildly looking forward to the bus ride. Captain Jack said he was going to be here this morning and even if it wasn't customary breakfast in the cafeteria, she's be satisfied with him sitting next to her on the bus.

The nurse handed her a muffin, some napkins, and a small box with a straw. She stared at this box for a moment before shaking it. From the sound it contained liquid. How odd... Momo wasn't sure why they would but liquid inside a small paper box - it didn't make any sense to her and she wasn't sure how one was supposed to get it out of the box.

Clambering onto an empty bus, Momo chose to sit in the very back near the emergency exit. Maybe she could force her way out of it as they were moving and escape the limiter enough to come back and level the institute, freeing everyone. Or maybe she just wanted to be able to see everyone that was on the same bus as her. Wishful thinking versus reality.

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"Taken?" Robin asked, eyebrows raised slightly. He'd heard of people going missing, others being taken to that place....that he was supposed to get to last night. Woops. He'd have to try and talk to Miss Rukia later. He was thrilled to find he still had his spade in the morning.

He scratched his stubbly chin. He could understand Big Bear's concern. He was still worried about the boy from last night. He got up and put his knees on the seat, staring around at the passengers. No sign of him here. But the Sephiroth guy was quite a.... um...well....

"Interesting looking guy," Robin said, sitting back down. "I hope you find your friends, though. Those rats can be horrible little critters."
He still felt a bit strange about the rat last night. It was if it knew something.

"Are you looking at all forward to today?" he asked cautiously. He knew the guy was up tight about this place, but it wouldn't hurt to relax just a little. "Might be a good time to escape, unless they have something new to keep us in check..."

Maybe he WOULD try a run today. It was alight to break your promise to the enemy. And, while his nurse was a charming young thing, she was being controlled by evil. Yeah, he was allowed to break it.

"Yeah, taken. Probably experimented on." Wallace shook his head at the thought. Part of him didn't want to know, wanted to avoid Rufus so he wouldn't know. But that was the cowards' way. There was no escape from these horrors.

He subconsciously glared at the silver haired man before settling his gaze away. One thing he didn't need was a confrontation with that man right now. His nerves were fried as it was. "My team...they a tough bunch. I'm sure they're fine, but still can't help but worry sometimes. Lost a few to disappearances already."

A curious look took hold of Barret's visage, and he couldn't help but be amused and a bit impressed by Robin's suggestion. "I wouldn't look forward to using this trip to get out of here, if I were you," he said uncharacteristically quiet, crumbling the box of juice in his grip into a ball, the straw continuing to stick out through the side, "I got a feeling this trip ain't gonna be what we're hopin' for. They ain't gonna be stupid enough to take us out of that hospital without having security extra tight. They given us a false sense of freedom."

He sighed, dropping the destroyed box from his hand onto the bus floor. He felt significantly better, finding that rare calm point in his mind and set up camp. It was sure to be a frustrating day. "Now bein' one to take a charge when faced with the opportunity, even I'm not sure it would be a good idea today. I'm thinkin' maybe it might be best to learn what we can from the townspeople, if there is anything to learn at all. They're probably bein' paid to keep their traps shut, but there are ways..."

Robin thought about that. Experiments. There's was a chance that death was actually a better option. "What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger," he said, with a nod. There. Positive.

"You'd be a terrible person if you didn't," he pointed out. "But faith is good." It wasn't always easy if you cared too much about people, but without faith, Robin would be dead already. Johnny was a godsend.

"What's the worst that could happen?" he said, with a wry smile. There was a LOT that could happen. But you had to try. "I'll take the day as it comes." He reached down and picked Barret's litter up, putting it in the strange netting on the seat in front.

"So. What is this room, anyway? What's with the wheels outside?"

Barret responded with little more than a grunt to his words of comfort as well as his decision on his course of action for the day. He couldn't fault the guy for wanting to make an attempt at escape. Hell, he wanted to do the same, but he remembered what Reno said to him in the past. What then? How do they get back to where they belonged? Was it a case of simply running far enough away to start over again in a world unfamiliar? He didn't know, and wanted to find out what he could before he made his battle plan too hastily.

Cutting a sharp look over at the ignorant man, he slowly quirked a grin and shook his head with a chuckle, "You a trip, man..." he said more to himself than to Robin, "You really don't know what this is?" He nearly burst out with laughter, but withheld it, not wanting to completely humiliate the kid, "It's a bus. It's gonna take us to town. That's what the wheels are for. Shit man, where you from, some prehistoric era?"

Robin continued to smile. Big Bear was still a doubter. He probably thought Robin expected something more, but mostly he just wanted to test the waters, see what was out there. Long term plans never worked because you could only plan your own actions. You had to be willing to change and adapt. To a certain extent. He wasn't going to adapt to a Phony King.

"I really don't know," he shrugged, unashamed. "A bus? How will it take us?" He stood up and looked t the front. Nothing pulling. To the back? Nothing pushing. No holes to the side for rowing or turning or any such thing. "I'm from... King Richard's England...? There's a book about me, you know? Not entirely accurate, but there's a 'movie' too, that sounds better."

This time Barret did laugh. At everything. At Robin's ignorance to modern day technology (at least to him), claiming he was in a book and in a movie. For all he knew, it could have been true, but it didn't keep him from finding the situation completely hilarious.

When he settled down, he ran his non-metal hand over his cornrows as he thought of the best way to describe a vehicles' mechanics, "It's a complex process. Has to do with gears, motors, wheels, fuel, and a bunch of other shit used to put it in motion. You best just enjoy the ride, and hope it's a smooth one." He chuckled, "What kind of book you in, Robin? I ain't never heard of no England before."

Robin shook his head, laughing along. It wasn't good for your pride to be so uneducated, but pride wasn't good for your general being. Well, not to some extents. All in all, it was fun learning new things and being around this magic that was modern technology.

"So it moves through a series of chain events located inside the structure itself? Impressive." Definitely something to look up and tell home about. "I think I shall enjoy it very much," he grinned, "bumpy or not."

Robin remembered the man talking about his planet, Gayer or something. Of course he wouldn't know England.
"Well...not a whole lot of people believe in me, I'm more folklore than fact according to them. But I brought justice to my people and it seems that was never forgotten! As for England...it's a marvelous country, a prime section of Europe and rather powerful too. Our King is a... fellow named Richard."

Barret bear already thought he was nuts, the animal talk could be saved for later.

Barret eased his laughter, listening to the explanation. Really thinking on it, he figured it wasn't so farfetched as what his own life probably sounded to someone who didn't live in his world. The fact that he was believing they were all from different worlds' and not just crazy was saying a lot in itself. He'd be willing to give Robin the benefit of the doubt.

"So you're kind of a story book celeb, eh? Not too badm impressive really. I ain't apart of no folklore or anything like that that I know of, but me and my team tried to bring justice to our people also. Helped save our Planet from him..." again, he indicated toward Sephiroth. He could have said Shin-Ra, but things would have been complicated enough with simply mentioning the former.

"I was more of a general nuisance and local hero back my time, but my story seems to have made it through the ages," he said proudly. "A fellow in the fight for justice, eh? I knew there was a reason I liked you. Besides the similarity to Johnny, of course."
Robin looked back at the frightfully pale man with the strange hair. "And did he get his comeuppance?"

Barret could see how he could be a nuisance, though strangely he wasn't quite bothersome to him. Not yet, anyway. This Johnny though...he'd have to ask about him later.

"He got somethin' all right. Technically, in my world...he's been killed at least twice." He sighed just thinking about it, how evil could cheat death so many times. The Devil, if there was one, must have been laughing his balls off. "He's like a God Damn cat with nine lives or somethin' crazy like that. I jus' don't get it.."

He attempted to change the subject, "Who is Johnny, this guy I keep remindin' you of? A friend of yours I'm guessin'?"

"Damn guy won't stay down, huh?" It was strange to think the dead were once again walking, but Robin supposed that was his bonus for having his world changed so dramatically - it made these other things easier to believe.

Robin grinned and was settling down to talk about Johnny... when the bus gasped into life. In an instant, Robin's legs were pulled up onto the seat and he was clutching the sides. There were a few moments of wide eyes fear and then he let out a breath, slowly. He didn't ease into his seat, however. He was wondering how silly it'd be to ask if it was too late to get off.

It moved. The thing moved. Not pushed or pulled, just moving of it's own accord. And it wasn't bumpy. Not like a wooden cart, not even the finest carriage. It was vibrating, breathing, lurching, occasionally hopping.

"Well, now," Robin said quietly, "Johnny." Yes. He'd talk about Johnny. That'd calm him. "He's a big guy, much like yourself. Less muscle...more food. Same colouring... Wonderful bear. Couldn't ask for a better friend. Even tries to act like my conscience, bless him...."
Robin hadn't looked at Barret once. his eyes were darting towards the front of the bus and occasionally the sides, still crouched on his seat.

Sure, he was amused, but he willed himself to hold it in, knowing Robin had never experienced anything like this. He wondered how many other people were in that same predicament. Maybe there were those that were further advanced, and this was nothing compared to what they had experienced. For the time being, he kept his amusement to himself.

He did stiffen and straighten when the pale man acted as if he were going to bolt out of the window, ready to grab him if he made the attempt.

"Hey now, it's all right, the bus is jus' takin' us to town now," he tried to soothe as Robin's eyes bobbled in his head like a frightened doe.

"Bear?" There was a sliver of suspicion in his tone. "You mean a 'bear of a man', don't ya?"

"Yeah, yeah...I know," he said, still distracted. He managed to park him bum on the seat, but his knuckles were white as he gripped the seat in front and his body seemed to elongate as he kept trying to watch the front.

He glances at Barret and smiled a little. "You could say that, sure. And my wife's definitely a bit of a fox."

There was another metal thing coming towards them. Smaller. But faster.
"WHAT IS THAT?" he shouted, grabbing Barret's collar and ducking down, trying to pull his friend with him.

Barret barely budged as Robin attempted to pull him down behind the seat. He was becoming a little ticked off, as his face contorted into a glare. The fear he understood, but it was becoming irritating very quickly.

"Get a fuckin' hold of yourself Robin, God damn!" he nearly bellowed, grabbing the younger man by the arm with firm authority, "It ain't nothin' but a car. Jus' like this one but smaller, and moves the same god damn way. Now if we gonna die, it sure ain't gonna be by no crash. We too valuable as specimens to go down like that." He wasn't entirely sure if he believed that, considering how many people disappeared every night, but he was willing to believe anything to keep this kid from cracking up next to him. "Now settle down and tell me about somethin'. Anything. What's you're wife like? You got any kids?"

Robin stopped and looked at Barret. Being shouted at really helped. Especially by Barret, what with his resemblance to Johnny. Brought back some early memories...

He looked out the window and sat down.
"Sorry," he laughed, nervously, scratching his head. He still looked nervous, but had gone back to his deep breathing and staring at the seat in front, legs pulled up onto his own.

There was just something sinister about this thing... the speed, the form, the science...

"My wife? Beautiful. Big brown eyes, red fur, sweetest smile. No kids yet. Was working on it before I got here though, believe me..." He really wanted to go back to it too.... "What about you?" He looked towards Barret, but it was very quick, as though he was afraid something would happen if he didn't keep his eyes on the bus.

Wallace was extremely relieved when Robin finally took a chill pill and settled in the seat. It was easy to take for granted the modern conveniences one had without seeing someone who had lived an entire life without the knowledge of such things existence. That put a small grin of amusement to his lips.

However, that look faded a little when he heard 'red fur'. Instantly, an image of Nanaki popped into his head. Fox, bear, red fur....what the hell was he tryin' to tell him? "Fur, eh? Is there some kind of secret you're tryin' to tiptoe around, Robin?"

When Robin glanced at Barret and caught the smile, he gave his own, though it was somewhat embarrassed. "It just doesn't feel so natural, you know?"

He'd been caught out on the fur thing. Ok, no problem.
"Ah, that. Well. Not so much a secret... but people don't seem to like hearing it when I tell them I'm a fox... Johnny's a bear. But before you go thinking you're having trouble getting your head around that, take a minute and think how it'd feel to wake up looking like one of you hoomans after a lifetime of tails and fur and claws... I'm only telling you because you asked. And...I can't think up a good ex-" there was a bump and Robins word was lost to a small high pitched sound, "-excuse..."

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Day 28: Bus 2

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