damned_institute | Day 37: Sun Room

Joe had read some of the larger notes stuck up on the bulletin board when the announcement came on the intercom. All things considered, this Landel guy didn't even seem so bad. Even if these people were held here against their will, he was certainly nice about it.

Apparently, the new patients - including Joe - were to hang around in the Sun Room or go to Arts and Crafts with the kids. Well, there was plenty of information on the board, including maps and descriptions of monsters, for Joe to prepare for the nighttime, when he could seriously get going on fighting his way out. He could look for where the boss would probably be waiting, or where his V-watch might be, and figure out how to fight the monsters. In fact, he had plenty of time to work all that out... but this the first time he'd had to really relax since he got his powers. So it couldn't possibly hurt to enjoy the calm period, could it?

The red-head stepped back from the board, and hopped back onto a comfy-looking couch to digest in the sunlight. He reached up to pull his cap down, and sighed when he realized it wasn't there. "Oh well, nothing's perfect. I still wouldn't call this hell."

[free!]

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A random attack certainly sounded like special counseling. On the other hand, there were some people around who were just psycho. Sylar, for one; that guy who had taken a bite of a girl when he wasn't brainwashed, for another.

"Could be," he responded, leaning himself against the wall as he thought it over. "Did he say anything about you getting back to your room?" Peter remembered how that had been his largest concern at the time, how getting everyone back inside had been of utmost importance.

He was still debating whether or not he should spill the beans. He could give enough information without actually seeming suspicious, but he didn't have much to hide either. "I've been through it, actually," he said, trying not to think about how the words were coming out awkwardly.

Thinking back to it, Dean was pretty sure he didn't say anything like that. "Nah, just said we shouldn't be up there and then started swingin'."

He looked up from the bulletin board sharply as Peter admitted he'd been through the same thing. Nothing better than a first-hand account. Dean tried to look worried and concerned for Peter, reaching out and steering him with a hand on his shoulder to one of the couches so they could sit down and talk. The hunter plopped down on the cushions.

"What was it like?" Dean asked. "That must've been horrible," he added, almost as an afterthought.

If he really had been possessed at one point, like he suspected, than there would have to be some signs like blank spots in Peter's memories, a feeling like someone else was driving his body, among other things. Was he still possessed? Dean didn't think so, but he wasn't as sure as he had been with Tokito, after testing him.

"Shouldn't be up there"? That did sound similar to the sorts of things that had gone through Peter's head during his brainwashing. "Maybe it was, then," he replied, glancing over to the notes and then gesturing toward the board. "If you post about it, he might--"

Before he could get much further than that, Brian had decided that they should go and take a seat. He didn't have much choice but to go along with the older man's leading hand. Though it wasn't like Peter was struggling with what had happened to him. It had been disconcerting to be out of control like that, but it could have been a lot worse. Other than that girl who he'd man-handled, the only person he'd hurt had been someone who totally deserved it.

"It was... weird," he started as he sat down, once again struggling with the fact that he wasn't nearly as good with words as his brother. "It was like there was this order imprinted in my head. I had to guard this one area and keep all the other patients from getting by. I had to get them to go back inside, where it was safe, and... I was willing to do pretty much whatever it took to make sure that happened." Well, except for kill them, and that was something he was grateful for. If he'd done something like that...

Huh. Really.

Dean leaned forward, started to instinctively rest his hands on his knees and remembered he still had that bum arm stuck in the sling; the hunter instead settled for adjusting his weight on the couch.

"Were there any moments you blacked out? Couldn't account for time?" Dean went over what Peter told him, thinking it over. It was almost distracting enough to make him forget about Sam - but his kid brother was always there in the back of his mind, this sick, worried feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him swallow and the curious expression he had on his face falter a little before he could catch himself. "You were in control of yourself but you were just following orders?"

That sounded more like that time with Andy and his whacked out twin brother than a demon...

"Yeah, actually," Peter responded, glancing away and up toward the ceiling as he did his best to relive the experience. It all still felt like more of a dream than anything (and Peter had dealt with his fair share of beyond-vivid dreams), but the people he had come across who had seen him that night made it certain that it was real.

"I remember nurses and orderlies coming to get me from my room that night. I'm pretty sure they sedated me, and then the next clear thing I remember is being out on the field." There were vague feelings and images that he could bring up in regards to the lost time in between, but none of it could really be quantified. "And yeah, I guess I was in control... I mean, I kind of felt like I was being pushed to do those things, but something else ended up distracting me."

Apparently that was rare, or at least Roland had never heard of it happening before. Peter figured Sylar just had that effect on people. His duty to stop his rival trumped any imposed orders, and part of him was proud to know that.

Sounded like a bunch of humans to him, but he couldn't be sure. "So aside from that, you didn't see anything weird? Just blacked out, woke up, felt like you had to follow orders but you could be distracted?"

See, that was the part that didn't add up. If Peter got probed up with some nasty black smoke, he didn't seem to find it special enough to mention it or just plain didn't remember anything out of the ordinary. Dean could safely say he hadn't ever been possessed before (and he intended to keep it that way), but judging from Sam's experience, the poor bastard on the receiving end usually had a little more to go on then Peter's description of the experience. He sounded more like he got zapped with something like that guy Andy's psychic thing; at least that he knew what it felt like. Hadn't been fun. Dean hadn't blacked out there though. Why would they need to sedate Peter if they could just mind-trick him out to play guard?

As he said, it didn't really add up all the way. Maybe it was neither possession or getting mind-rubbed. Could just be what it looked like: humans dragging off other humans for some Operation without anything supernatural going on.

Didn't explain away all this talk about monsters. Or the whole kidnapped thing either. Didn't matter how good you were - nothing human could do that, not with his circumstances. Dean found himself wishing, not for the first time, that Sam was here with him; he'd gotten used to being able to interrogate people with him backing him up and felt his absence even now, like maybe he was laying on the questions a bit too thick and he didn't have his geek brother to just shoot him that seriously-cut-it-out look. He just hoped wherever Sammy was, he was taking care of himself and the car, and maybe heading over to Bobby's: Dean didn't know what was going on with this place, but he already knew this was probably bigger than a one-man job.

They'd need all the help they could get.

See anything? Peter didn't quite know what Brian was getting at, but the guy had been nice enough so far, and so he did the best to answer the question. He strained himself trying to remember even the slightest thing between getting picked up from his room and then "coming to" on the field, but it just wasn't happening.

"That was it," he eventually agreed, letting out a sigh. He realized that it probably wasn't all that helpful, but he was doing his best. Hopefully he had given the other man some food for thought.

Before either of them could say anything further, the intercom sounded and the nurses started wandering around to round up patients for lunch. Peter sent Brian a quick smile. "Well, I hope that I was some help. I'll see you around, and good luck tonight." The man was already somewhat aware of the dangers that nightshift presented, so hopefully he would be okay.

With that, Peter stood up and went to meet one of the nurses.

Day 37: Sun Room

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