damned_institute | Nightshift 35: M71-80 Hallway

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Nightshift 35: M71-80 Hallway

Wally frowned in confusion at the intercom announcements. CM-US Experimental Trials? Special Counselling? He wasn't sure what either of those things were, but considering this place, they could hardly be good. And the following announcement didn't do much to reassure him. "You know, that's what I like about this place," he commented dryly to Tony. "You can always rely on the crazy to show up right on schedule." He stood up as the doors clicked open and stretched, paying particular attention to the muscles in his legs before rummaging around behind his pillow for his flashlight. "So, you wanna go and see about that maintenance room?" His lips quirked into a familiar smile. "I figure with two of us, at least someone will be able to get something useful while the other plays monster bait."

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Crane glanced back when he heard someone speak up from the door, and shook his head to Kristoph. "Of course not, please come in." Then he turned his attention back to Mikami for the entirety of the man's explanation.

It certainly was a nice one, at that, and Crane was at least grateful that the man had examples of his own to back up the brief explanation. It would also explain the woman he'd met with on his first day, and the differences in their versions of Gotham. Harley, wasn't it? He would need to speak with her again.

"I have not heard much of Kira in my time, but it's earlier in the millennium in my time. I don't know when your Kira showed up, but I could be before his time." Crane shrugged, then moved on. "I also can't speak much on the legal system, as trials can still take up to several weeks, so perhaps over time it has just gotten more refined?

"However," he went on, focusing on the things that applied more to him, "there is only one other person so far who has apparently come from my city. I am a psychiatrist back home, and she was apparently incarcerated in the institution where I worked. The simple fact that I did not recognize her, and she did not at least recognize my face, is rather odd. She also seemed to mistake me for a professor who apparently goes by the same name."

Crane paused for a moment, then amended his last statement. "Although, to be fair, she did not seem to be the smartest girl. Rather forgetful and dim-witted. If you'll pardon the generalization, Mr. Gavin, rather blonde. However, she also knew about a certain vigilante that's been plaguing our city of late. Multiple worlds or versions of Earth would allow this to make more sense."

Kristoph adverted his eyes from the beam of Mikami's flashlight, wincing slightly at the brightness. The reaction could not be helped, he supposed; vigilance was a virtue in this place.

Thankfully, the light fell aside, allowing the former attorney a little reprieve. He stepped further into the room, acknowledging both men with a silent nod, before settling against the wall by the door. Mikami was about to relate just the subject he wanted so it was best to toss aside the formalities for now.

He listened to the information with a bland expression playing on his face, an eyebrow occasionally poised skyward as discussions of alternate realities continued. There were tiny discrepancies scattered throughout the account, mostly on whether or not these factors of language and varying life situations indeed existed among the patients. Granted, at least Mikami provided details of his "world" that Kristoph could not recognize, but that was, what, one in perhaps two hundred? Possibility for an outlier was high; the man needed to probe more people before he could pay anything more than a curious glance at different worlds.

Different times, however, was an another story altogether. The two--no, three men he'd spoken with beyond regular greetings all mentioned varying years: Crane at 2000, Mikami at 2010, Wright at 2019. Kristoph himself hailed from 2025, placing each man at least six years apart. Though four out of hundreds could still make for statistical exceptions, happening in succession was statically impossible, unless a pattern did exist. Of course, the chance that Mikami and Crane may have collaborated on their dates was high, but as far as he knew, neither came in contact with Wright.

That is, until Mikami mentioned the trial system.

Strange. Kristoph pushed the glasses closer to the bridge of his nose. If indeed realities and dimensions were in place, the only one who could have given that fact was a certain spiky-hair gentleman. Goodness, was Mikami attempting to bait him, then?

The man couldn't be sure, but he'd be damned to provide a specific answer. Vague ones for the purposes of discussion, maybe, but if those two had spoken, it would be best to keep them guessing.

Kristoph nodded in time to Crane's words before adding in, "I'm afraid Kira is unknown to me as well." He glanced pointedly at Mikami. "As opposed to Mr. Crane, however, I have lived past 2010. Any news regarding the reign of gods have remained in the tabloids."

He smiled wanly. "Three-day trials, on the other hand, do not surprise me. The United State's 6th Amendment requires rights to a fair and speedy trial; they must have improved upon that." There. Nothing concrete or harmful. Hopefully, they could leave it at that.

Now, to see if he could make sense of this multiple worlds theory. "No offense taken. I am well aware labels are not without some truths," Kristoph replied, chuckling, as he turned to Crane. "But would it not make more sense that she may have been a mere denizen of your city? What is it about the vigilante that leads you to this conclusion?"

...odd.

"I'm not particularly familiar with the American court systems beyond what's currently in place," Mikami said slowly to Kristoph, "Perhaps you are right." Except now he was fairly certain the man was hiding something. From what Edgeworth had told him, he and his unnamed friend were from the same "world," and Kristoph had apparently claimed to know the "friend" from before they got there. If it were true... it was a strange move not to acknowledge the deliberately recognizable mention, which meant Kristoph had likely seen Mikami's casual mention for what it really was. It meant that, taken into context with his earlier behavior, the man probably couldn't be trusted.

But he remained obligingly silent afterward, listening to Crane's statements that definitely supported his explanation. And like Kristoph, he listened eagerly for Crane's explanation of the "vigilante," once again leaning forward on the bed. After all, there were all sorts of that kind of character, and it would be interesting to hear what the psychiatrist considered qualities that justified describing someone as "plaguing" a city.

Crane, however, was unfamiliar with whoever Mikami might have been talking about, and remained unaware of whatever realizations the other men might have made about each other. He simply listened to what each had to say, making a note of the times.

2010 and beyond, for the both of them. He was from earlier, and what of Ms. Quinn? He would need to ask her, to discover if it was a simple time difference or a different version of Gotham entirely.

Crane paused for a moment before responding to the question Kristoph had directed at him. He hadn't been planning on letting it drop just how much he knew about the Batman, as that would reveal his own criminal activity. He rather liked the idea of having lawyers as allies, and until he knew if they were corrupt ones, he would refrain from mentioning his experiments.

"She very well could have been," he began after a moment, "but she admitted to having been there several times. It was part of my duty to be aware of all who entered or left Arkham, and the way she spoke made it seem as though she was familiar with all the doctors. While she may be just a denizen, it's also a rather unlikely coincidence."

He paused, trying to figure out exactly how to word the next part. "As for the vigilante himself, he dresses up like a bat and attacks from the shadows. Very memorable, apparently, and he had the city up in arms for taking matters into his own hands. The city certainly needed something to get its attention, but past that...I believe he's foolish, with some very deep-seated issues."

Had the strategy worked? Beautifully, in Kristoph's humblest opinion.

Rather than continue the hidden tit-for-tat, however, the man turned his full attention to Crane. He mentally ran across the counterpoint regarding this woman, finally deciding the doctor had a valid point. She could not have been a simple resident if she knew specific details of Arkham.

The vigilante, on the other hand, struck Kristoph as significantly more puzzling. "Dresses up like a bat?" he repeated, eyebrow once again poised up. "For anonymity reasons, or do these 'deep-seated issues' come into play?" That last part was more of a jest, but some part of him couldn't help but believe the matter was serious.

Also, he had a feeling he'd heard of this "bat man" before. Perhaps on television?

He was sure that this sounded quite strange, and possibly stupid, to the both of them. He understood how it would, even, but this was the simple truth of things. "Both, I'm sure," Crane replied simply. "However, if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it's likely more out of anonymity and a desire to seem more intimidating. An anonymous thrill-seeker, if you will.

"Additionally, he likely thinks that a mask alone will help to protect his identity. But in order to get the sort of suit and weaponry that he has, you would need a large amount of money. There's only a few people who could do that, and most of them were being targeted."

Wait a second.

Crane paused as he realized what he was saying. He had never given the Batman's identity much thought, but really...it was rather obvious if he thought about it. Regardless of the playboy that he appeared to be, Batman had appeared soon after Bruce Wayne had come back to Gotham. It would explain why Batman had arrived at Arkham on Ms. Dawes' heels, and it would explain how he would have been able to attain the equipment necessary to dress up that way.

Well, then...he'd have to think that through later, when he wasn't busy exchanging information on this place. "What questions do either of you have that I could try to answer?"

Edited 2008-10-10 20:46 (UTC)

Mikami thought that this man who dressed as a bat was rather... inefficient. Exactly how did he dispatch of his enemies? Fly up and punch them to death with his wings?

Never mind that, there was something that Mikami had been wondering- plaguing him, really, ever since his bubble-headed nurse had first stepped into his room two days ago and led him off to a lunch he hadn't had the chance to eat. It had remained unmentioned until now, absent from the journal filled with notes about what he had learned from the other patients.

But... exposing his sudden weakness, the loss of his Shinigami Eyes and Death Note, in this place was the last thing he wanted... particularly around these sorts of people. And so, once again he would have to be careful in skirting around the issue. Since he did have something as strange as the alternate worlds theory jotted down, how would he bring up the subject of people who had lost powers... without giving away that he was one of them?

"Something has bothering me recently, but I didn't know if I should put it into my notes since it was only mentioned to me by someone shortly after I arrived here," he said, putting on a show of looking like the thought subtly confused or pained him. "I might be mistaken then, but he seemed to imply that there are people here that have lost... more than their material possessions. What do you know about this?"

Oh, those reckless rich and their antics.

"Interesting," was all Kristoph could say to that. He noted the pause at the end, of course, but ultimately decided it likely had little to do with his own affairs.

His ears perked, however, at Mikami's question. More than their material possessions? He looked down at his hands, a flood of questions running through the man's head. What else did they stand to lose aside from tangible items? Freedom? Sense of security? Those were obvious, but that could not have been what the prosecutor meant.

Kristoph pulled his face forward, mentally running through every valuable, every treasure a patient could stand (or not) to lose, while waiting patiently for the answer. It seemed like such a waste, focusing on this particular question, but something about it promised clarification at a later point.

"Other than the obvious attempts at dehumanization?" Crane asked wryly, quirking an eyebrow. He nodded before continuing on. "I've heard of situations like that. If you look around the bulletin board, people claim to be many things, and several claim to have lost powers of some sort. I have none myself, and don't know much past that. Normally, I'd even be skeptical about it being possible, had it not been for the man with claws from the night before.

"However, this place is apparently able to alter a person's memories," he said quietly, "similar to the brainwashing. It's different than their ability to supposedly draw people from alternate Earths or different times. Several people have claimed that I've been here before. One girl claimed that I was here twice, once even in in the capacity of a doctor, but I don't remember anything of the sort past waking up here four days ago."

Crane paused for a brief moment, thinking over if there was any other information that they might find useful. When nothing he came to mind, he moved on to theories, curious if they had any of their own. "Of course, that begs the question of why they might do this, to begin with. I'm under the belief that it's some sort of social experiment. Of what sort, I'm unsure."

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Nightshift 35: M71-80 Hallway

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