Nightshift 29: Basement, East Hall

[wiz-kid-redfive.livejournal.com]

[From here.]

It took a moment for Dairine to take in the hallway in its entirety. The basement seemed to be a completely different animal from the rest of the Institute. The style down here reminded her of pictures she'd seen of Versailles, as opposed to the clinical conditions upstairs. The rift in interior design was strange, but she'd seen weirder things, and this would no doubt be topped by something even stranger by the end of the night.

The tapestries on the walls caught her eye, and she moved closer to one, waiting for her companions to follow her through. She looked, but didn't touch; she knew enough to at least take proper precautions before dealing with something that was potentially deadly.

Comments

[bloodysurgeon.livejournal.com]

"Interesting choice of decor," Akabane commented as he took in the tapestries draped on the walls. At another time, he might have given the gruesome scenes more attention, but Dr. Jackal was in no mood for art appreciation. The long hallway appeared to be deserted, something that did not appeal to him. He was becoming rather bored of this exploration of the subterranean levels of the institute. But the hallway was long, and there was a possibility that he was missing something hidden farther down.

Casting one last indifferent glance at the battles frozen on the walls, Akabane headed down the hall. If there was anything of interest, or hostile intentions, he wanted to be the first to meet it.

[k4t4str0ph4l.livejournal.com]

Schuldig, never one to be left holding the bag, squeezed through after Akabane, letting Kimbley bear the full weight of holding the door open for himself. (He figured it could be managed; the other group had done it, after all. Mostly the door simply couldn't be moved by less than three grown men; it could probably simply be held in place by only one.) Thanks to Dairine and Akabane preceding him, he again knew what he'd be seeing before he actually laid eyes on it, but he nevertheless scrutinized the decor. Dairine's thoughts mirrored his own; this place wasn't decorated anything like an insane asylum, nor was it built like one. But, if - as all the evidence seemed to indicate - it wasn't a mental institute and had nothing to do with one, why was it connected to one...?

It was one of a list of questions he intended to put to Martin Landel, once he had his foot on the man's throat. "We should keep moving," he said, eyeing the tapestries. "Nightshift tends to end quickly once actual progress starts being made, and I want to see more than just a hallway."

[crimson-handed.livejournal.com]

The last in, Kimbley slipped away from the doors and glanced back as they slowly shut, eventually sealing behind them. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he noted there were no handles, and therefore no way back. Not that he intended to go back, anyway. Provided no monsters jumped out of nowhere.

They made their way down the hallway, and Kimbley glanced at the various tapestries and candleholders. Very old-fashioned, very intricate, and very useless. Was this supposed to set atmosphere? Put them on edge? Turn their curiosity about the place into a worried sort of nervousness about whether or not they really wanted answers? He frowned and followed the rest of the group, catching sight of doors as they neared the end of the hallway.

One on either side.

"Left or right?" he asked, idly running his fingers down one of the tapestries. It'd go up in a matter of minutes if it caught fire, he thought ...

[wiz-kid-redfive.livejournal.com]

Dairine considered their options carefully. They didn't know what was behind either of those doors, which made both of them equally dangerous. Then again, what in this place wasn't dangerous? That was really the question to ask.

The right seemed to be a good choice, for whatever reason. She had a hunch that it led to something big and important, and a good wizard never ignored her hunches. Even if her power was almost dried up, that was still something left to her.

"I think we should go through the right door," she said, turning off her flashlight.

[bloodysurgeon.livejournal.com]

Akabane smiled. "Well, then. If there is no other opinions, I believe we shall take the right door, as Dairine-chan has suggested." He was somewhat bothered by Schuldig's statement about Nightshift ending quickly. He wasn't quite sure what that meant, but the telepath seemed to be implying that they get a move on.

The Transporter didn't give any of his companions a chance to protest, walking straight to the right door and pushing it open. He didn't care what was behind the door, so long as it was interesting.


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