damned_institute | Day 38: Patients' Library

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Day 38: Patients' Library

The intercom rang out, disrupting what had turned out to be a rather pointless breakfast conversation, at least in Brainiac 5's eyes. He couldn't wait to put more distance between himself and Scar's blather of how logic, of all things, might not work the same way in this dimension. It was almost enough to make him believe that the man may very well have been a lion originally after all, as he'd never heard anything so very... ignorant and uneducated.

He quickly finished up the fruit he'd been nibbling on - he was no longer as hungry as he had been - and looked around automatically to see where Clark was. Unfortunately with the press of people around, some being led off to the library and others to the mentioned 'therapy sessions' - if that was what they really were - he had lost sight of the Kryptonian. Still there wasn't many places he could go, so Brainiac 5 would be able to catch up with him eventually to check on his condition and try and learn more about what had happened last night. That the Chapel had healed him - admittedly by passing his injuries to another - was interesting, but far more important in his eyes was what had happened to Clark and his powers. They hadn't been working correctly and that worried the Coluan boy more than he would normally have admitted. Without Clark's abilities... he wasn't sure what they would have to rely on in order to escape.

Another problem he would have to deal with was Grell... or, if he was to believe the notes on the bulletin board, the person pretending to be Grell. But that was going to require more careful planning before he made a move. Come to think of it, he had agreed to meet another in the library today on that same post that had sparked this whole mess. At least then he would have something of interest to look forward to, as he doubted any of the 21st century books were likely to be worthwhile to someone of his advanced intellect.

Following the nurses led him to what must have been the library; a reasonably large room filled with a range of archaic books on tall shelves, a few tables and chairs interspersed around the room. The Coluan boy couldn't refrain from wrinkling his nose in distaste as he entered the room, not liking the cumbersome books and the dust that he knew would have gathered on them; he much preferred the clean arrangement of his C.O.M.P.U.T.O. systems back in the Legion headquarters. It was much more practical then shelves and shelves of books on fictional worlds and dated information.

Trying to avoid as much of the room as possible, Brainiac 5 settled himself down on a chair to wait, keeping an eye out for a tall, dark-haired man with a red... something on his forehead.

[for Homura]

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"Wouldn't you like to know," Sync commented, finally turning to look up at Guy and gave him an innocent smile. Either the latter was lying to him or he was telling the truth, but for now he might as well play along for the time being until he figured out himself.

"It's not like it doesn't benefit you. Now you don't have to keep track of so many people." Plus he wouldn't have to work so hard bringing the rest of them down.

"Which means I'm doing you a favor."

She seemed too stubborn. Soubi needed a new tactic. It was called Honesty.

"The pain is emotional, it can't be healed this way. Though I fully intend to rest tomorrow and allow myself time to fully recover. Does that satisfy you?" he asked, smiling softly. He really was sincere, though he had to hide it behind a smile in front of others.

"An alien?" Kenren asked, a little incredulously. "I'm not human, if that's what you're asking," he replied, smiling in amusement. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "No, I think I'm pretty out of my time, even compared to some of the other people from my own world. About five hundred years too early for most of them." Or all of them. Even Goku hadn't remembered him.

"Charmed, Donna," he replied whe she introduced herself.

"Well, we are now, but we won't be forever. You can travel once you're been returned home," the Doctor said matter-of-factly. He'd intended to do some investigating last night to further that end, but running into the child had shifted his priorities… He frowned, wondering where they boy was now.

The frown disappeared quickly, replaced by a grin. He tended to think of things in terms of planets rather than countries, but he had visited his share of countries on Earth. "Oh, well... I've lost count somewhere along the way, but I've visited a lot of them... most of them, probably, but not all of them, not yet. They keep changing their names and borders."

For recommendations, he could have had something more specific to recommend if he knew when Grell was from (some places were lovely except for during certain years, after all), but there were general recommendations he could offer. He was willing to bet that Grell was from a time well before humans developed space travel, so recommending other planets was right out. "Well, it all depends on how far you are willing and able to go. I'm rather fond of the whole of Great Britain myself. America's not bad, either, but it depends on when you go. If you enjoy parties, they throw excellent ones in France. Or you could go to Norway, see the fjords... Egypt and Greece are very nice if you want somewhere with a bit of history."

He paused, thinking, and then looked incredibly pleased with himself. "I know! Barcelona! The city, I mean, not the— not the planet. The city."

Edgeworth settled into the seat and let out a bit of a sigh. "I suppose I'm as well as can be expected. It's been a rough few days, to be honest, but I suppose it could be worse than what it's been like," he replied, finally, after a moment's thought. "Though I shouldn't jinx it by saying that."

He let out a short, sarcastic laugh, tilting his head a bit to glance at the book cover. "I think, in all its oddness, I'd rather have Wonderland than this place," he added.

"I, uh, well." Akihiko took a deep breath, trying to psych himself up. It didn't really work.

Okay, self. This is just a conversation. You can handle those, right? The subject matter does not change that. Argh.

"Well, there was some concern about whether you'd actually gotten, er, accurate information," he finally managed. "And, the question of why you were asking about that stuff in the first place. Why was that, anyway?"

It was funny that the topic of what had happened last night - even though it wasn't the most fun subject - was the easier one.

"I guess I should state first that Takeba got taken, but it was for what they call Special Counseling, and not what happened to you," he began. "We didn't get there soon enough to stop someone from trying to kill her, unfortunately, but we at least kept the damage to a minimum otherwise." That much was true - at least no one else had been hurt, and they'd worked things out with Renamon.

Allelujah closed the book, sticking his finger in between the pages that he was reading to save his place. "I'm sorry to hear that," Allelujah replied a little sadly. "Although it seems things have been worse than people expected recently," he added, remembering talk over the bulletin of people dying and numerous people disappearing.

He glanced down at the book and smiled slightly, nodding. "It's very strange, but doesn't seem horrible," he agreed. "I've not read most of the books here so I thought I'd try."

Accurate information? No one in that thread of notes, particularly the extra helpful individuals, had any reason to lead him and Ururu astray. That made the child wonder: did Akihiko hold greater knowledge on sexual activity than the informants? Only one way to find out...

"Then could you clarify the matter for me, Sanada-san?" he piped up in genuine curiosity. "Someone told me that people were more susceptible to certain, uh, supernatural causes if they were virgins." Of course, Alita had implied that front had been taken care of later that night, but the boy figured providing a general explanation wouldn't harm their investigation or give himself away. "I was confused, and that's when Ururu-san wanted to help. That's why she asked around and left a note for me on the bulletin."

It was a very simplistic explanation, but Ken supposed that was better than keeping quiet.

Unlike Mitsuru, Akihiko was far more detailed when it came to what occurred the night before. Additionally, the words confirmed certain suspicions he'd held since the bounty hunter's account. He needed to probe further, however; he did not have everything. "Someone was trying to kill her?" Ken repeated.

Edited 2009-01-14 23:31 (UTC)

"It's all right," Edgeworth said. "I do think things have been worse than people have expected lately, though, you're right. Two deaths in two days, and the disappearances... it's a disturbing pattern, and I hope it doesn't continue. I'm beginning to suspect that the powers that be thought we were getting complacent, and decided to shake things up as a result, but it's no less disturbing."

He smiled at the book. "Carroll was one of my adopted sister's favorite authors when she was very young. I can't tell you the number of times she threw tea parties..."

Ah... that. That made Adelheid's expression darken, and he turned away from Ed, unconsciously resting one hand on where the tattoo would mark his face, come nightshift. He didn't want to think about it, didn't want to admit that he was so weak with something like that. "No one needed to check up on me. This isn't the first curse I've endured, it likely won't be the last."

"Seemed to be important people too," Allelujah said, frowning slightly at the thought. "I haven't had dealings with the Arts and Crafts people, but the people who died were their leaders, weren't they?" That suggested that maybe they'd got too close to something, although he had to wonder if it was really that, or perhaps just to make them think they were on the right track. "That sounds worryingly plausible," Allelujah agreed with a grimace.

He smiled slightly when Edgeworth mentioned a sister. "That sounds like it must have been nice." Having a family and all. She'd never been able to do anything like that, no matter how much Allelujah had wished otherwise.

Perhaps Kio's eyes had been wondering, but he'd failed to notice the bandages and the creepy eye. He felt slightly put out when the boy handed him the book back, mostly because Kio was not used to having others do things for him. And the boy's apparent honesty just made him more uncomfortable. He felt slightly guilty for being so stand offish to being with. Perhaps he would understand.

"Thank you for retrieving the book, Allen-kun. I did not notice your injuries. Please forgive my rudeness." Jamie, huh? So like he was Akatsuki, this boy was Jamie. He wondered what they called Ritsuka. Or Sou-chan. Or even Red. He would have to ask them. "No, no, Kio will do." His smile seemed slightly embarrassed. Well, if nothing else the boy had manners.

And very helpful. Although right now, Kio couldn't think of anything to ask the boy. So instead, he decided to try and befriend him "I've been here since yesterday night. So... really... Sunday night, I think? I woke up in an empty room and walked around for a bit. How about you? And don't call me sir, you make me feel old." Kio winked at the boy, trying to make him less... controlled.

"Sweetie, that's the worst come back I've ever heard in my life. 'specially since you really aren't that good of a liar." Yukari was a teenage girl, and more to the point, her frown wasn't going away even when she was trying to convince herself that Xigbar's opinion didn't matter. Really, that was something that Xigbar couldn't understand... the only time he cared what someone thought of him was when they thought he couldn't do something. Otherwise, most insults and stuff just went right past him like water around a rock.

Still, he gave one sidelong glance at the girl, that infuriating grin still plastered on his face as he added, "But what'll you have me know, again?"

"Supernatural conditions?" He had to question what kind of supernatural conditions one might be prey to in that state. "Did they mean there's a monster that preys on them, or something else?"

That at least explained why he'd been asking that stuff. "And, well, uh, I suppose I should start by saying that you and your friend shouldn't really ask stuff like that on the bulletin. I know you guys were asking an honest question, but some folks wouldn't be honest about answering it. They'd use it as a chance to play a prank on someone." Like the guy had who'd posted the diagram.

"But, uh...yeah. Well, I guess I should ask what needs clarified?" Akihiko shifted in his chair. For all the trying not to appear awkward, it was definitely the kind of conversation someone else should handle, in his opinion.

"If she wasn't, she was doing a da--I mean, a really good job of acting like she was trying to strangle her," he began, in response to that last question. "I hated to have to hit her, but, well, you do what you have to in a situation like that. Including summoning yourself, if you have to. Mitsuru had to last night, and I stand by her call on that."

Not least because he'd had to do the same later that night.

"In terms of your world, that is possibly true." Homura noticed the smugness for what it was, and while in terms of science he certainly did lack, there were some things that the man could understand easily enough. "But consider what this Institute is attempting to do to you. You said you were a robot, if I remember correctly, yet they're trying to convince you you're human. That everything in your life relating to being a robot is nothing more than fabrication--that ultimately, it's a meaningless lie. That anything you might have suffered because you are a robot, or anything you might have achieved, is little more than falsehoods. And now there is a patient claiming the same thing, and all but calling us foolish for it. It's certainly insulting, to say the least."

Whether or not Brainiac accepted that, Homura was being honest in terms of his own feelings. The insistence that he was simply wrong about his existence as a heretical being, that he wasn't actually a half-god by this child was hardly something he appreciated. He simply had the patience to keep his temper in check about it.

"I have seen cars before. Many are like the buses the Institute uses to transport us to town, though one was actually a dragon who could transform into the vehicle." Something that had been quite convenient for Sanzo and his group. "As to this 'transdimensional theory,' I've never heard of it. I could tell you a bit about creating a universe, however, though that was done by the power of holy magic, contained in sutras." Now it was Homura's turn to give the boy a arrogant grin. "But that might not interest you."

"I suppose what I'd like to hear about most is what you think the technology behind this place is." Homura motioned in the air. "How they draw us here, how they keep us here, and how they restrain our powers. Again, there is a method in my world, but it uses holy magic, or the power of the gods. That isn't the case here."

Wait, so he was...? And to both? Well then, she hadn't sounded as stupid as she'd first thought by asking! "Likewise," she returned the greeting also, relief showing, "And who's 'them', if you don't mind my asking? The people working here?" If he was willing to talk a bit, then maybe she'd be able to get some information about this place to throw at the Doctor tonight.

Edgeworth frowned. "Two of their leaders, yes," he said, humming a bit. "It does seem plausible. I have to wonder if they had found something. I noticed that they had been sending teams downstairs fairly often...there was that bulletin post a few days ago warning about that. I wonder if it's connected, though I don't know the others involved well enough to ask, and they - wisely, in my opinion - elected not to share the details. It's still eerie, though."

It was funny, how things worked out, Edgeworth said, something between a smile and a frown coming over his face. One day, you're being dragged down the hall - because jump ropes hurt when they hit you - to have a tea party. Several years later, the family patriarch is trying to kill you. "In those days, it was," he nodded.

"There's no need to apologize." Near certainly was used to dealing with anger, after all. And for his part, the boy's expression had remained virtually unchanged; he still hadn't looked directly at the man, nor broken his monotone when he spoke. "Your points are valid, and speak well of your reasoning. I'm actually rather pleased to have spoken to you."

"There is evidence to back-up my claims, but nothing I can discuss here. We are being listened to, just as I'm listening to others." Facts that were hardly unknown to Mello or Near, though it wasn't Mello that Near had concerns about. Mikami Teru was present, and Near had no intention of revealing his connections to Mello and L simply to prove his point. At least not where they would be overheard. "But unfortunately, anything I might present to you could be dismissed as the delusional ramblings of a mentally ill teenager. Much of what I could tell you would be based on my own experiences in my world, and conclusions based on what has occurred both there and here. For example, I know of several people who are dead in my world, yet are alive here. Something that, logically speaking, should be impossible."

Near stopped the small car suddenly, an imaginary driver slamming on imaginary breaks. "Yet it has happened. And even if I want to not believe it's possible, I must accept what is before my eyes as the truth. But I have others here from my world, and that allows me to more easily accept this. You, on the other hand, have yet to encounter anyone you know, be they patient or visitor. Thus you haven't crashed into that wall just yet. And it's natural to avoid collisions when we can, isn't it?"

"A monster, yeah." In his mind, vampires counted in that category. "Or monsters. There seems to be more than one kind." Ken frowned thoughtfully, remember the comment regarding the birds.

The downcast look shifted to confusion, and the child peered straight into his senpai's eyes. "I gathered as much from the responses," he said in a matter of fact tone, "but...why?" Someone had said they were likely too young for the subject itself, but why couldn't they at least discuss it when the talk was beneficial to everyone? Also, why would anyone want to twist the discussion? Surely, Akihiko could shed some light on this matter. He seemed to know something about everything.

"Hm, well." Ken trailed off as he mulled over his list of unanswered questions. "How do you have or give sex?" he finally asked. "And is it anything like that picture?" The senior should know which one he was referring to.

On the last part, the boy simply nodded and left it be. He had the information he sought; it would require some time alone on his part to sift through.

Downstairs huh? They'd been heading that way yesterday, but nothing had come of it. "Sounds like it might be worth investigating. I haven't seen anyone on the bulletin willing to talk about what's down there. Not in any detail anyway." That suggested that it might be worth investigating, if people were keeping information so close to their chests. He wondered if Homura knew anything about it. Not that he intended to question the god, but it might be helpful to pass on any information if he did head down there. "I might have to take a look," he added absently.

Allelujah noticed the expression on Edgeworth's face and flushed a little. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"Actually, believing my people are completely robotic is a common misconception, it's far more complicated than that," Brainiac 5 said, though it was an automatic reaction more than anything else. Truthfully he wasn't sure what to say to Homura other than the obvious and pointless insistence that it just wasn't possible that his memories were false, that he wouldn't have deluded himself into believing that he had delet- killed friends and allies. So instead he said defensively, "I'm not saying what you experienced or are capable of is false, only that such terms like 'magic' merely obscure the true cause behind things. Everything can be explained with science and reason."

Brainiac 5 simply could not, would not, accept that something as nebulous and ill-defined as magic existed. His whole world was based in science and logic, he used what he knew daily to help his teammates, to invent and improve technology, and to save others. That there could be something out there like magic, real magic, with no rules or reason, only needing the flick of a wand or what-have-you... No. He couldn't accept that. The universe didn't work that way.

"Dragons that turn into cars?" he said skeptically. "That makes no logical sense. How can an animal turn into an inanimate object? Unless it happens to be a shapeshifter with a particularly odd sense of humour, but in that case it would simply look like a car, not actually be a car." And as for the remark about creating a universe... Brainiac 5's eyes narrowed, but he didn't rise to what was obviously an attempt to bait him. No one had the power or ability to create a universe, of that he was certain. Otherwise he was sure that his people would have learned of it centuries ago.

"Fine," he answered perhaps a little more sharply than he'd intended. "I've already dedicated some thought to the matter after all. It's obvious that whoever has abducted us has access to both time and transdimensional travel, however I'm no longer certain if our actual bodies are what was brought here or if they merely created a copy of our consciousness instead. The first would explain those who have experienced no change from their normal appearance I suppose, but the second is both more efficient and explains those who have found themselves in entirely different forms."

He paused, recalling that some on the information board had found his theories on copying consciousness distressing, but Homura had asked after all. "As for how they keep us here, I imagine simply removing any technology and abilities we may have had has been the most effective method. Earth of the 21st century is hardly advanced in means of space flight or timetravel after all. And considering how advanced their technology would have to be simply to get us all here in the first place, they could be utilising any number of means to restrict powers."

"It would have to be something specific to each individual however, so that helps restrict it further. Not to mention it would also have to be small and either capable of covering a vast area or, more likely, hidden on or in each patient..." Clark would be his best opportunity in that particular area then, as Brainiac 5 was already familiar with the Kryptonian's specific weaknesses and abilities.

He shot a particularly amused and superior look at Homura as he finished speaking. "Does that help you at all?"

"Ninja? Don't see many of those around anymore. What, did your clan raise you to be an emotionless killer or something?" Evangeline asked like that it was the most natural idea in the world. Her voice had softened slightly- not out of pity at the history she'd concocted for him, but simply because he'd given her something to talk about.

Ninja were... kind of quaint, in her view. Effective, to be sure, but the inner arts just weren't as useful as magic. They did less, and individuals capable of achieving meaningful levels of power were rarer.

Hearing it described in calm percents helped to soften the actual impact of the words, but it still left Matsuda's brain screeching to a halt. "W-wait a second!" No, no, no. "You're wrong! You've--" That wasn't...that couldn't...

But it could. Mello was right, and Matsuda knew he was right. But especially in a case like this, he didn't want to take the bastard's word for it, no matter how likely it was. He had to be wrong, and Matsuda was going to prove it. He didn't want to just call a nurse over and ask, because if it was true, then what?

Matsuda's shoulders drooped as the argument was taken out of him, probably to the nurses' great relief. It might be true, it might not. Matsuda was severely hoping that it wasn't, but he'd rather actually find out for himself. Maybe it was just training kicking in, but he wasn't going to just take everything Mello said at face value.

Of course, he still didn't know what to do about Mikami, but he definitely wasn't going to try confronting him just yet, if he was dangerous. In regards to L...if he was gone, if he was dead. There were too many ifs, but the word managed to get Matsuda's attention back on track.

"You...said if," he finally finished. "If he'd been in danger." Meaning he might be okay, and it could be worth a look tonight. Besides, if he was okay, and Mikami was going to do anything, it'd be at night, wouldn't it? It was a long shot and he was relying on Mello being wrong with a single, tiny word. Aizawa probably would have called him stupid for it and told him to think about it more, but it got Matsuda's spirits back up slightly. He might be able to do this on his own, after all.

"I'll go check on him tonight."

Mitsuru glanced up from her book in time to find a young man who had been heading towards her suddenly turn.

While it wasn't really that unusual an occurrence, that was back home in a setting far more relaxed than this. As near as she'd been able to tell so far, while many people didn't seem to want to discuss the situation, that was what ended up happening quite a bit of the time. For someone to change their mind about wanting to talk to another person might lead to complications for them in the future.

Perhaps she'd be able to prevent that, though.

"May I help you?" she asked, hoping that he'd stay for conversation. The more she learned about the Institute, the better, and it would be easier to distract her mind from the previous night's mistake when talking to people as opposed to reading.

Peter's expression immediately turned from a quietly determined look to a frown when Roland revealed that he had also been visited. He knew it must not have been easy for the man, especially since it sounded like whoever had come to see him was as good as a brother. Peter didn't see the irony in it, and he would have asked about it if Roland hadn't followed the comment up with another question.

It was strange, and seemingly out of nowhere, but Peter had to assume that Roland was going somewhere with it. "Well, yeah," he affirmed, and he could have left it at that, but he might as well give Roland the whole picture. "Not until I get my brother back, though.

"I guess some people don't think the visitors are really their friends or family, but I'm almost sure that -- that the man who came to see me was Nathan." He realized that some people hadn't had their visitors in the institute with them beforehand, which was where the confusion came from, but he wasn't going to stop believing in it unless he was proved wrong.

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Day 38: Patients' Library

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