damned_institute | Nightshift 37: Main Hallway, 1-West

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Nightshift 37: Main Hallway, 1-West

[From here]

As she entered the hallway, Ophelia stopped for a moment to quickly fold up Kio's maps and stuff them into one of her pockets. She had been hoping to take a peek at them at various intervals during the night, but in this dim light, there was no chance of being able to see them. For now, she would have to travel by memory of where she had been taken during the day.

At least this time the choice of where to go was easy. On one side she could just barely see the hallway ending, and on the other it continued for a ways. The path that continued would surely lead to the Sun Room and the areas around it. She started running again with a grin spreading on her face, emboldened by the long, seemingly unobstructed length of the hall. Perhaps she would find her first challenge of the night soon.

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[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/519676.html?thread=42422780#t42422780)]

Javert flexed his bandaged hand experimentally as he rounded the corner; it wasn't nearly as stiff as it had been this morning. That, at least, was one good thing about the place.

He noticed someone waiting against the wall here, but took little notice of him, choosing to assume, as was logical, that the other man was simply waiting for someone else.

At the sound of footsteps the beam from Depth Charge's torch jerked upright, towards the source of the sound. Sure enough, it fell on the face of a man heading out of the same hallway he had just left- older than most of the people he'd seen already but not some kind of monster. And that was the important part.

"Hey!" He pushed back off the wall and made for the newcomer. "How well do you know this place?"

Javert grimaced and turned his head slightly as the beam caught his face. He almost said something about it, but caught himself - he hadn't exactly known how to use his own flashlight when he'd first received it. Perhaps it was the same for this patient.

"Well enough," he said shortly. "Lower the flashlight and I might even elaborate."

Depth Charge obliged, swivelling the head of the flashlight into the hallway behind him instead- it hadn't even occured to him that a human's optics might not be able to handle the full glare. "I'm all aurals. Name's Depth Charge."

Aurals? The word was unfamiliar to Javert, but the meaning carried clearly enough, and in any case, the other man appeared straightforward enough. Certainly less belligerent than Javert had first assumed.

"Javert," he said. "I take it you're new here?"

"Woke up here this morning. This place really knows how to make you feel at home." The bitterness laced through his tone seemed almost as if it had never been any other way. "I'm looking for weapons- and this guy." The picture (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/Electric-Phantom/Rampage.gif) was out again, as creased and crude as ever. "He'd look pretty different now, but you get the idea. Seen him?"

Javert snorted slightly at that. "They certainly do."

At least Depth Charge (which had to be one of the odder names he'd heard here) seemed fairly on top of things. He'd obviously been filled in during the day. Javert took the picture, raising an eyebrow at the drawing.

"Weapons can be found a multitude of ways here - if you want something more refined, like a sword or spear, there are several patients here who are willing to make them, provided you give them materials. The waiting list for those is generally fairly long; if you can content yourself with something simpler, crude bats and clubs can be found in the Activities Shed here." He produced his own piece of paper (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v512/bubonicwoodchuck/landels1-javert.jpg), pointing at the location in question.

"As for this fellow - " he indicated Depth Charge's drawing - "I've seen no-one of the sort. A friend of yours?"

Depth Charge had been nodding and carefully taking in Javert's words- until his last remark. Friend? The effect was instantaneous; he squared his shoulders and visibly tensed, jaw tightening and eyes narrowing to scarlet slits. He only just managed to contain the hot, achingly familiar sensation of anger welling up within him.

"He's a slagging murderer." Despite his efforts, his voice had deepened to an aggressive growl. "I gave up everything to see justice done. Everything. And when I find him here, he'll wish he'd stayed in the Pit."

Javert stepped back slightly, but it was out of caution and not fear. You never knew with the patients here. In any case, the other man's anger was clearly not directed at him, and that anger seemed to stem from a feeling Javert himself knew all too well. He wouldn't interfere here.

"I understand," he said, and meant it. "If I see anyone resembling him, I'll let you know."

A few nanokliks later and the wave anger had subsided a little- leaving, however, just enough behind to pump through his body and keep him enthused for the rest of the night. So this is what they call an 'adrenaline rush'.

It didn't take him long to note the human's reaction, though. Taking a deep breath he nodded at Javert, more firmly this time, as if trying to prove that he wasn't as unhinged as he was probably coming across. "Thanks. I'm in room M42- see anything at all and you know where to find me."

He began to leave, heading towards the 'activities shed', before stopping suddenly as a thought struck him. "You know if they keep a list of patients anywhere?" he asked over his shoulder, "and none of that fake name slag either."

Javert nodded back, making a mental note of the other man's room. He certainly would, although there was certainly no guarantee that he wouldn't do a little of his own investigating first. "I'll do that. Best of luck."

He shook his head at Depth Charge's question. "Not that I know of, I'm afraid. Is there a name I should keep an ear out for?"

"X. Last time we met he was using Rampage, but I know him as Protoform X." He rolled the names around his mouth dryly. They felt oddly insignificant to him- whatever name he was using, Depth Charge would find him.

The news that there didn't seem to be some kind of record of patient names irritated him, but he'd live. He'd just have to do things the old fashioned way. "He's one dangerous spawn-of-Unicron. If you find him... well. Don't try anything you might regret. Catch you later."

With that, he was off. Javert. Huh. Maybe it was something in the way he hadn't questioned his motives, but he seemed a little more... understanding (?) that the usual type he ran into. Whatever the reason, he'd make a note of that name. His thoughts sooned turned to more pressing matters, however, and soon he was charging down the hallway like there was no tomorrow- a possibility that he was all too ready for. He just hoped that X was equally well prepared.

There certainly was no dearth of strange names in this place. Javert filed the names away in his mind as he always did and went on his own way, watching over his shoulder as the other man left. He was certainly in a rush, wasn't he?

No matter. He turned right at the next hallway, toward Mlle. Skuld's room. He only hoped nothing had happened to her tonight.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/517218.html?thread=42533986#t42533986)]

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Nightshift 37: Main Hallway, 1-West

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