damned_institute | Day 31: Intercom, Evening

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Day 31: Intercom, Evening

The intercom's jingle came on with its usual overly-cheery quality, echoing through the halls and doctors' offices.

"I trust, as always, that you all enjoyed the last shift and that all the staff-patient interaction went smoothly. Of course, we're nearing the end of another day and so we must begin to bring things to a close. Nurses and orderlies, please escort all the patients to their respective rooms and make sure everyone gets their dinner--which is, by the way, chicken teriyaki and assorted tempura, along with rice and miso soup--before they retire for the night. A vegetarian substitute is of course available, and we have our usual assortment of drinks; we also have a special of hot green tea to go along with the meal.

"Thank you, everyone, for an exceedingly pleasant day, and our therapy sessions will continue tomorrow as scheduled. Enjoy your dinner, and I will be on again before bedtime to say goodnight."

The announcement ended.

[ As always, individual dinner threads go in response to this post, and it helps to put your character's room number in the subject line. Thanks! ]

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Haku smiled. "Thanks, that means by that logic, he might suspect me."

He pointed. "Take the simpilest method. Cut along the seams."

"Unfortunately, yes," Artemis said with an apologetic smile. "But he must have other patients, so you're safe. No psychologist would accuse his patient of stealing his things without proper proof."

Carefully, he cut the thread holding a seam together, taking extra precaution not to cut into the fabric. It was almost like dissecting something.

"True, and I've been playing my part as a normal boy well." He laughed softly. "Well, as normal as a boy that looks like I do can be."

Haku leaned closer, wondering if there was anything interesting, or if it would be filled with normal doll stuffing.

Artemis laughed, "I've done the same. Played the part of a young boy--with a split personality, of cour--"

He pulled back the fabric as he spoke and stopped mid-sentence. A small, green light on some sort of mechanical device was slowly blinking. The last time Artemis had seen something like that, it was handcuffed to his friend's wrist.

"Haku," Artemis said, his voice cracking slightly. He managed to recover and convey the severity of the situation in his tone. "Whatever you do, don't bump me. I need you to go to my desk at get the pens out of the top drawer. Quickly."

Haku frowned, but did as he was asked, getting of the bed slowly and without jarring the other boy, going to Artemis' desk and taking out the pens there.

He stood by the bed and frowned down. This was something he didn't understand, but he would learn. He held out the pens. "What do you need me to do?"

"Break them," Artemis instructed. "I need something that's sharp, but won't carry a current like a scalpel will."

Carefully he removed some stuffing with his fingers, trying to get at the device. "I'm hoping I'm wrong about this... I really am."

Without much effort, Haku broke two pens, making sure to slide the thin ink tubes into one hand and the now sharp larger plastic tubes were held in his other hand.

"What is it?" He had never come across anything like this before.

"If we're lucky, it's not a bomb. If we're unlucky... well, we'll be leaving tonight," Artemis said with a shaky laugh. He took the sharp tubes from Haku and gently laid the doll down in his lap.

"I would tell you to get behind something but... I'm afraid if this detonates, even if you were across the room you wouldn't survive." He lightly pulled more of the stuffing away, trying to get at the source of the light. Eventually he came upon the device. It was square and black and had a light on it. No timer that he could see yet.

Gently, he used both pen shards to lift the object out of the doll. It wasn't very big, and there weren't any cords or anything. He yanked his pillow over to his side and laid the object down.

"Well... it's not a bomb," Artemis bit his lip. "It's worse."

Haku frowned and glanced from the object to Artemis' face. "Worse than a bomb?"

Artemis couldn't find his voice for a moment. He had to clear his throat before he could speak again. "It's a tracking chip. It relays information to another unit concerning the chip's whereabouts.

"I-In other words... he knows someone in this room has it."

Haku blinked. "Alright then. That's easy enough to deal with." He sighed and shook his head. "It's been in here for a while, but he hasn't said or done anything to either of us yet.

"Don't worry about it."

Artemis stared at the little chip, blinking away on his pillow. As much as he wanted to agree with Haku, he couldn't.

"Haku, he's going to think you stole it. Muraki, the murderer and rapist, remember? He's going to think you stole it!" Artemis scooped up the chip and began examining it.

"Have you seen him this week yet?"

Haku shook his head. "I asked my nurse and I won't be seeing him for another day yet." He frowned. "I would rather have him think I have it than you do. It's nothing new to be around someone like him. I can handle myself."

He offered a slight smile. "It's going to be okay."

Artemis looked uneasy, as though he was on the verge of arguing the point. But part of him knew that it wouldn't do any good to insist that he take the fall for this. Haku would simply tell him to sit down and shut up. Which, of course, he would do.

He put the chip back down, "Promise me you won't let him hurt you. Please. It's the only way I'll stay sane."

Haku nodded. "I promise. I will not allow him to hurt me, ever." He reached out and lightly touched his friend's shoulder with his fingertips, smiling warmly at him.

"Don't worry. If it comes up, I have no problem taking the blame for this. If it doesn't come up, then there's no problem." No matter what, Haku would make certain that Artemis remained innocent in this.

Artemis laid his hand on top of Haku's, still looking slightly pained. "I feel as though I'm sending you into a den of lions with naught but a toothpick. If he punishes you or does something to you, I'll never be able to forgive myself."

Two years ago, Artemis would have been ecstatic at his good fortune. But letting Haku take the fall... he didn't want it to happen. He hoped that Muraki wouldn't say anything. He desperately hoped.

Haku's hand tightened slightly on Artemis' shoulder, still keeping his grip gentle, but firm. "I swear I will not allow him to touch me, okay? This is my choice, and I will not change my mind." He bent slightly, so that he could look at his friend's eyes.

"As intelligent and skilled as you are, and I mean that, Muraki isn't the type of person you are capable of handling. I've dealt with people like him before. This is the best choice here."

Artemis searched Haku's eyes and found his expression to be unyielding and honest. He appreciated it, the look. It made him feel slightly better about leaving the situation to Haku.

"I understand," He said with a small nod. "You're probably right, Haku. If I went in there, I'd be walking in blindly--probably like a lamb to the slaughter."

He tightened his grip on Haku's hand and steeled his expression. "I'll leave it to you then. I'm counting on you."

Haku smiled and then sat back down beside Artemis. "We should probably put all of these things on my side of the room then, just in case. And wipe your fingerprints from them too."

He tilted his head. "I need to make sure you won't tell Zabuza-san about this," he added. "He would not take it well and just make things worse."

Of course.

Because the first thing on his to-do list was tell Haku's master, 'By the way, I asked Haku to lie to a murder and rapist so that I could get off scot-free. I hope you don't mind'.

"I won't say anything," Artemis promised, wiping the chip clean with the hem of his shirt. "I don't see a reason to tell him, and there's no scenario where he would ask me something like that explicitly."

He hoped...

After Artemis wiped the chip clean, Haku held his own hand out for it. "Thank you. I'm sorry to ask you to lie for me yet again. Is there anything I can do to repay you for your kindness?"

Artemis shifted the item onto the back of his hand, then dropped the chip in Haku's palm.

"Don't tease me, Haku. This is the least I can do, all things considered," He closed Haku's hand gently, then stopped with his hands still around Haku's fist. He didn't want to let go and leave his friend with the responsibility. Maybe he could still pull the chip away from Haku. His gaze rested on the hand in front of him and he stared, not really seeing anything.

Haku frowned slightly and then closed his eyes. It was strange to have to concentrate to do this when it came easily to him before. He dropped his body temperature in an attempt to both convince Artemis that the chip was now his (as was the doll), and to shock him out of the zone he'd gone into.

"I want to make sure we're on equal footing. I'm not teasing you, you're being very kind to me and I want to repay you."

"Ah!" Artemis let go in surprise when he felt the sudden change. He looked a little like a puppy that had been smacked with a rolled up newspaper.

"I can't think of anything that I want. At least, not right now... Maybe something will come to me." The fact that Artemis wasn't sure what he wanted in return for lying was proof that he had clearly been at the institution for far too long. Normally, he thought, he would know in an instant what he wanted in return. Not so, apparently. At least, not right now.

Haku smiled and then reached out with a now slightly warmer hand (thought it was still cooler than a normal person's) and lightly touched his friend's cheek with his fingers. "Sorry," he offered.

"Let me know if you can think of anything that you want in return though, if anything." He tilted his head. "I read about people being kind just because. Is that what you're doing?"

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