damned_institute | Nightshift 35: Main Hall, 2-East

Entry tags:

Nightshift 35: Main Hall, 2-East

[from here]

The top of the stairwell led to... another hallway. It looked a lot like the one they'd just left, complete with looming shadows and a sense of impending doom. Wally was starting to get really sick of it. If he was going to have to walk everywhere at this insanely slow speed, he could at least have gotten something slightly more interesting to look at. Or course, 'interesting' in this place seemed to mean 'monsters about to kill you', so maybe he shouldn't complain that much. Besides, at least he could keep talking at Tony while walking. "So, I don't suppose you've got a weapon on you at all? In case we do get attacked?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Maybe they grind up everyone who's not in peak physical health for dinner," Tony replied. "Saves on meal and renovation costs. And we've gone at least twice as far as I got last night." He paused in thought, then added, "I might just be going crazy with boredom, but time seems to work a little strangely here." Or perhaps it was simply that he was taking notice of the progression of hours, rather than ignoring them entirely in favor of things far more interesting than counting the ticks of a clock.

"No weapons," he admitted. "Didn't have a chance to find or rig anything. Guess we should keep an eye out for those, too." In that vein, he looked along the hall, noting the closed door to the left, and what he thought might be an open hall branching off further to the east. "Tomorrow night, we need a damn map," he muttered.

"Well I guess I'll be fine then," Wally joked. "Not so sure about you though, wanna race and see who's more likely to get eaten for lunch tomorrow?" He shook his head in disbelief as he listened to Tony. "If this is twice as far as you got last night, then you must be even more frustrated by this place than I am." At least he'd gotten a little first hand experience with the famed monsters. "I, uh, hadn't noticed time working weird at all really. I don't tend to have that great a sense of time." Time always seemed to drag by as far as he was concerned. It was great when he could distract himself and slow down just enough to make it barely noticable, but other times it was just pure torture. Watchtower monitor duty being one of the later.

"Yeah, a weapon would be great. I did okay unarmed last night, but I'm not sure I wanna try the same against something bigger." He followed Tony's gaze, taking in the door and what looked like a branch in the hall. "I hear you. A map would be handy, but I don't think they hand them out over breakfast somehow." He swung his flashlight from the door to along the hall and back again. "So, door or hallway?"

"Me, either," Tony admitted. His own poor time sense worked in the opposite direction much of the time; he'd look up from something he'd been fiddling with to find half the day gone and be willing to swear it was still time for breakfast. But there was a difference between losing track of time by being engrossed in his work and simply losing time altogether. "It doesn't usually take all night to get down a hall, though. Or all day to get down a street."

He frowned down the hall, considering their choices. "And a coin," he muttered. "Guy I was with last night had a partial map. Someone probably has a more complete one somewhere, it's just a matter of finding them." And convincing them to let him make a copy, which was probably the greater trick. It would help to have something to exchange.

"My vote's for putting off having to bother with locked doors as long as possible," he decided, heading down toward the open junction.

[from over here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/466300.html)]

Staying close to Siegfried's back still, Xelloss followed the man further along the hallway. It was an unusually quiet night so far, although that was helpful since Xelloss had important work to get done. Better, his new companion wasn't the talkative or friendly sort, also focused on their goals.

He did hope the man's quiet statement of direction meant he knew exactly where they were going, as Xelloss wasn't entirely positive, though he did have a map. He wasn't sure which of the many storage rooms would be their goal.

Siegfried stopped nearby the entrance to another hallway and motioned for Xelloss to do the same. He took the second floor map from the waistband of his pants and studied it for a moment, checking exactly which of the doors in the following hallway led to storage rooms. There appeared to be two: one on the left, three doors down, and the second directly across the hall from the first.

Siegfried replaced the map and proceeded into the hallway.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/463620.html)]

[From here! (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/466300.html?thread=37639292#t37639292)]

Sousuke continued to run down the hall with Miku in tow, making a break for the next hallway. According to his map, at least, that was where the possessions room was.

"Keep moving, we're almost there," Sousuke whispered, clutching the sword even tighter.

Miku wished her legs were longer, compensating by running two steps for his every one. Not far ahead now, and with the goal on her mind, the photographer felt better. Her stomach's queasiness gone with the goal in sight.

Mind over matter.

[Running to here! (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/463620.html?thread=37927428#t37927428)]

Brooklyn kept a close watch. There were a lot more people out here tonight than there were the last time he'd come through. (And thankfully, less brainwashed patients, it seemed.)

For now, at least, the hall was clear. The gargoyle watched Near to see what he planned, even though the boy had already told him which direction they needed to go.

There had only been a brief window that would have let them pass through the center hall without Brooklyn likely stopping to help in whatever way he wished. Fortunately for Near's goals, they managed to make it through that time frame, and now they were safely in the next hall. There was little to see, including people, and this was fortunate. Again, the likelihood of finding what he wished would be greatly reduced if they weren't the first to arrive at the chosen destination.

Still, Near walked no faster than he had before, deciding his pace was the best mix of caution and advancement.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/463620.html?thread=37962756#t37962756)]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/463620.html?thread=38111236#t38111236)]

The hall was empty, and that was fortuitous. But the sounds of activity from up ahead were clear enough, and Near had to wonder just how far the fights had gotten. The area was open, and it wasn't entirely impossible for something with power enough in the Sun Room to make it's way upward. Near had little doubt Brooklyn would hear it as well, which was rather perfect. He wouldn't miss the movement of the flashlight, even if he couldn't see the man himself clearly in the darkness.

"Do you plan on waiting for someone every night?" The question wasn't as random as one outside of Near's head might think, but there was only so much vocalizing he ever did. Random encounters usually only got a person so far, and while Brooklyn's need to protect those around him might prove troublesome, Near also had his own needs that Brooklyn was perfect for. Throughout their conversation, the questions had almost entirely come from Near. Brooklyn hadn't asked the teen's purpose for any of the items he gotten, or even protested the orders--if only because Near didn't count unspoken annoyance as protest. And though the man had expressed little desire to become a pawn, he took those orders rather well. A bit like Commander Rester, in fact. A similarity which had played a part in Near's decision.

Brooklyn frowned, more in thought than anything. "Yeah, I guess I do." He supposed there were better connections he could be making, but he didn't like the idea of anyone walking through these hallways by themselves. He knew he couldn't help anyone, but catching the odd straggler was still something, wasn't it?

Having successfully gotten away, Roy found that he was gasping from the strain of using his alchemy so suddenly, and he took a moment to lean against the wall and close his eyes as he caught his breath.

This hall was comparatively completely silent, even though there was another pair of patients nearby. Roy brushed his hair out of his eyes and glanced at Hughes, trying not to feel guilty about the fact that all this trip had gotten them so far was a close shave.

"Well," he started, "that was interesting." He had no idea what that creature back there was, but he wasn't sure that puzzling over it would do him much good at this point.

"Interesting. Yeah." Hughes ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the wall himself. "One thing about this place, always keeps you on your toes." He sighed and shook his head, catching his breath.

"We ought to start some kind of...I dunno, Institute Drinking Game. Run for your life at least once? One shot. Nearly get eaten by some horrible monster from hellish dimensions? One shot. Find a locked door...." He chuckled. Honestly, he was just glad they'd made it alright.

Hughes' statement was completely true. Here Roy had thought that the second floor might be a bit safer, if only because most of the patients had to be concentrating in the more "popular" areas, and yet they had still run across some inconceivable creature that should by no means actually exist.

At the mention of a drinking game, Roy tried to hold back a smile as he nodded his agreement. "Finding a locked door should merit downing at least half the bottle," he said in the tone of someone who knew a thing or two about getting drunk.

"But seeing how we have no access to alcohol..." He trailed off as he pushed off of the wall, seeming somewhat pained by that admission. Even though he knew drinking himself into a stupor wouldn't help anything, it might have made him feel better for at least a short while. "We should keep moving."

"Or there's always Strip...um...Institute," Hughes joked, because if he didn't joke, he'd start worrying again. "Lose a piece of clothing instead of taking a drink." But he nodded for Roy to keep leading them on, just as eager as his friend to find at least something tonight.

Make that brush with death worthwhile.

"I say we play that one of these nights."

"Wouldn't that just result in us running around the institute half-naked?" Roy teased back as he started toward the door across the hall, which seemed to be the next logical path for them to take.

After all, if the criteria were things like "running for your life" and "nearly getting eaten," then it sounded like it was a game that had to be played on the run. But he was probably putting far too much thought into it, considering it was only a joke.

He felt slightly winded as he reached the door due to his alchemy use earlier, and he could only hope that it had done some good. Finding that the door opened without a problem and led into another hallway entirely, Roy shrugged to himself and moved inside.

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/466300.html?thread=38127228#t38127228)]

He was glad to have moved away from that creature and Allelujah relaxed a bare fraction when they reached the further corridor. There were other people around, he could hear them, so he didn't bother switching on his flashlight, just kept one hand against the wall. "Did you have anywhere specific in mind to go?"

Now that was an interesting question. Why would this man not care if a girl died? Or to put it another way, why didn't he feel the slightest bit of remorse about saying such things? Most people would have at least offered some kind of moral equivocation, or perhaps an explanation of some sort as to why there wasn't a reason, at this time, to go to her aid. But no, nothing like that; just a rhetorical question that was relatively easily-answered. Some kind of animosity, enough to turn a blind eye and watch a woman die.

In a way, Joshua had to admire that kind of hard-heartedness.

The boy kept his own flashlight on as he trotted behind Allelujah, and at the question, hummed and put his hand to his chin. "Hm... well, I would like to at least know where they put my things. Alternatively, something that suits me better than a shovel for a weapon would be nice." He shouldered the bulky thing with a grimace. His room mate had his heart in the right place, but it was killing Joshua's shoulder!

Hmm, now that was an idea. "There's a patient possession room up a turning near the end of this corridor," he said after a moment's thought. He'd memorised the maps that he'd been given and knew that it was the second turn off on this side of the Institute. It might be worth a look at least, although there was nothing of his that they could possibly keep in here. He didn't own anything, not really.

He paused, turning to look at the boy and giving the shovel a considering look. "You could use these if you wanted?" he offered, holding out the broken pipettes into the light so Joshua could see the sharp edges. "They're lighter at least, they might be good for a couple of fights."

"Hm, now that sounds promising. I somehow doubt that they'll have what I really hope for, but at they might have something of mine." They'd better have things of his, anyway; if not he'd be terribly upset at the person responsible for taking his threads.

The offer of a pipette made him raise his eyebrow, looking at the gleaming edges rather quizzically. "They might suit me a bit better, but I'm not fond of glass shards in my hands. Besides, I prefer not having to get bloodstains out of my clothes."

"They might," Allelujah agreed, although he wasn't particularly hopeful. The idea of a Gundam in a possessions box was kind of amusing though, he had to admit. Although he wouldn't mind it if they had his boots.

He blinked at Joshua's comment about glass shards and bloostains. "That's why you hold the other end, so the glass shards break off in the monster's body and cause internal damage," he pointed out. Although there was the risk of glass shards he had to admit. "And blood stains are probably inevitable, as are injuries."

Unfortunately the hallway they'd entered had other patients in it as well, and Wally knew that while he wasn't moving nearly fast enough to be unrecognisable, he was still moving too fast to be normal. Well if it came down to choosing between secret identities and saving someone's life, he couldn't think of a single person who'd choose to keep their identity. He'd just have to deal with the consequences later.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nightshift 35: Main Hall, 2-East

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject