It only took Mello a few seconds to pry the back from his stolen radio using one blade of the scissors he'd taken from the clinic, but at least half a minute was spent poking through the device's innards before he found the wires he needed to cut. A couple were tougher than he expected (the radios seemed old, and things were just more sturdy back them) but eventually, he rewired it to his satisfaction and screwed the cover back into place to keep nurses from being suspicious.

Mello set the radio to the frequency L had assigned him, grumbling a low profanity as he did so. He positioned it beside him and leaned back on his thin mattress, pushing his feet against the wall behind the headboard and folding his arms behind his head. He'd never modified a radio like this before, but he refused to consider the possibility that he might have made a mistake. After taking a few seconds to clear his thoughts, he moved one arm from beneath his head and jammed his thumb onto the power switch.

"Anyone there?" he asked the black speaker.