Nightshift 39: M31-40 Hallway

[haplesstracker.livejournal.com]

Along with giving him an idea for a good cover story, Scourge's conversation with the soldier-human on the bulletin board had made the tracker stop and think about his place in the Decepticon hierarchy. More specifically, the fact that he didn't have one. Galvatron wasn't here anymore, there was no one who he was obligated to by virtue of creation. He was a free agent for the first time in his life, and it wasn't as scary as he thought it'd be.

Lugnut and Blitzwing probably wouldn't be too happy with him thinking like this, but who cared? They were both crazy, Blitzwing random and Lugnut stubborn, and without a stabilizing Cyclonus-like influence Scourge suspected they wouldn't get very far. Better to get himself a better footing with someone saner and just give lip service to "mighty Megatron" when it was convenient.

In the meantime, Scourge had to see a Superboy about a virginity. What exactly that would entail he wasn't really sure, but it sounded a lot more fun than raiding the kitchen with pointless idiots who seemed to be liking him less and less as things went on.

The tracker took out the wooden cooking spoon he'd found last night, set it on the floor with his foot on the scoop end, and yanked upwards. The spoon cracked and left him with a long rod with a dangerously pointy and splintered end that would probably at least distract anything with a squishy place to stick it in. Better than nothing. The makeshift wooden shiv went in one pocket, the flashlight in the other--with his eyes he wouldn't need it for anything but small details and it would be easier to hide in the dark. The handle of the pan went in his hand and the tracker cautiously went out into the hallway. Let him be a force to be reckoned with.

Or at least one that made the other guy look like a tastier option.

[To here.]

Comments

[guardiancomplex.livejournal.com]

[Currently in M36]

Touya had fallen asleep before the announcement, just after telling Jaime who to expect at their door. He hoped he wouldn't be awakened by the sounds of fighting. Just briefly, though, because the next second he was out and breathing steadily into his pillow.

[winged_moon]

[from here]

The two rooms weren't very far apart at all, so it was only a matter of moments before Yue arrived at the door to M36. It hadn't been nearly enough time to consider his dilemma from earlier: what exactly was he going to say to Touya? If anything?

A continued refusal to speak of what was on his mind was looking rather appealing at the moment, but he realized Touya wouldn't be satisfied with that for long. To be honest, he hadn't been satisfied with it from the beginning, but still.

The realization that tonight was also an experimentation night, that there were others probably upstairs right now being treated much as how he had been only put the guardian further on edge, and would have left his feathers ruffled if he still had them. As it was, his expression looked only more forbidding and posture more stiff as he rapped on the door.

[opposingheaven.livejournal.com]

Well, Zenick still hadn't woken up. Kenren was a little bit worried at that, especially after talking to ZEX earlier. He was a decent guy, Kenren would hate to see something happen to him. At least the room should be safe enough during the night. Kenren had yet to hear about a monster getting inside a patient's room. He hoped that it stayed that way.

The announcement came too soon, and Kenren couldn't help but stare at the intercom in surprise at the unmistakable sound of snoring. Well, that was new. Shame they couldn't find him while he slept and incapacitate him and then start things properly when he woke up.

"Lazy bastard," he muttered underneath his breath as he changed quickly into his uniform, slipping the gun and a few bullets into the holsters. It was good to have a gun again. Swords were fine, but a pistol was just more him. Once he was changed, he slipped out into the corridor, mildly curious about what Homura had in mind.

[opposingheaven.livejournal.com]

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/578106.html?thread=47947578#t47947578)]

outside M33

[tsunagari.livejournal.com]

As Sai took a glance around the hall, he noted that there didn't seem to be many others out yet. This was good. That meant there was less chance that Usopp had already left his room.

It was as he was raising his hand to knock on the pirate's door that he finally realized he wasn't wearing his gloves, and from this that he wasn't wearing the rest of his black outfit. Except for the shoes. When had he put those on? It wouldn't matter in the long run, but it was disconcerting to realize he was that out of it.

"Usopp," he said, knocking, "it's Sai."

M33

[usoppsenchou.livejournal.com]

Usopp had been in the middle of changing, but it didn't take long to finish buckling up his coveralls. "C'mon in! I'm just getting ready to head out. Were you going to come with us, or have you got more ninja business?"

It'd be nice to have more people along to protect him but Usopp had noticed Sai seemed to be spending more time around people from his world. It was a little lonely, but Sai had been pretty desperate to come into a pile of leeches in the first place to just make friends, so being upset that Sai's friends from home were starting to remember him or come back to him was petty. Besides, Sai was still willing to come out and help him sometimes, so they were still friends too, definitely.

[Waiting for the Clinic Post to go Up]

[mind-the-sukima.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/577685.html)]

Yukari yawned in time with her steps as she counted the doors. M40, M39, M38, M37, M36, M35, M34... why did they go backwards order? Shouldn't they start with the lower numbers then progress upwards? This seemed less like clever anti-conformity and more like a stupid error on the architect's part.

Then Yukari hit the end of the hallway and found herself wondering why she was staring at a dead end.

"...M35, right," she muttered, turning a quick about face and heading back for the door. Maybe she should just take the night off.

[YAY, CLINIC]

[mind-the-sukima.livejournal.com]

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/582753.html)]

M31

[kingside]

Entertaining as the Head Doctor's snores were, they weren't very informative. Lelouch had been hoping for a hint with the beginning of nightshift, however obscure, but apparently things were doomed on that front. How utterly delightful.

The loss of light in the room was more important as far as Lelouch's immediate plans were concerned, though, and abandoning his desk, he painstakingly made his way over to his bed and fished his out flashlight from underneath the pillow. He'd noticed the hard shape under his head earlier that morning, and although he hadn't thought too much of it at the time, the knowledge that they were given flashlights and its absence at his desk had made it a simple matter to determine its location.

Flicking it on now, he went back to the desk, set down the flashlight, and returned to his seat, angling his chair so that it faced the door. With any luck, Suzaku would be there soon; this was a meeting Lelouch wanted underway as quickly as possible. He had to know what had happened to make the two of them put aside their differences and work together, even if it was as unpleasant as finding out what had happened to Nunnally. As far as he knew, learning the rest of it could help him find a way to save her, and as that was his highest priority next to escaping from this place in order to do it, it was with more than a little impatience that he stared at the door and silently willed Suzaku to knock.

Re: M31

[superdynamic.livejournal.com]

M31 was indeed at the end of this hall. That was easy. Suzaku stopped short outside the door, swallowing down an inexplicable wave of trepidation. What was his problem? He could deal with this, this was Lelouch, he could understand how to deal with Lelouch sooner than anything. Except not really, because as well as he knew the other boy, he didn't understand quite how to relate to him now. Lelouch was a walking reminder of Suzaku's own failures -- not just his failure at keeping an ally from getting injured, but all the mistakes he had made in the past were mirrored in Lelouch. Besides that, they had hurt each other one too many times and while he had come to terms with it, it must still be raw for Lelouch. He was lucky enough Lelouch had agreed to work with him, but the trust between them could only be tenuous at best.

Nevertheless, this was his only (and best) option. Suzaku knocked, suddenly wondering if Lelouch also had a roommate. He didn't want to force someone to go outside where it was potentially dangerous, but this conversation had to remain absolutely secret.

[toobothersome.livejournal.com]

Shikamaru's roommate had been pleasant enough company. Enthusiasm was effort, sure, but it wasn't like he'd had to exert any of it. As much as he enjoyed silence and solitude, being around cheerful people brought with it its own kind of satisfaction. Aside from casual banter, Luffy hadn't wanted anything from the conversation, and his tendency to talk and talk and grin and talk had a pleasant familiarity. If they were stuck with the same people every night, he'd probably gotten pretty lucky.

Before heading out, Shikamaru grabbed the notebook he'd found in his dressed and shoved the separate set of batteries into his small pocket. When he concentrated he could feel a small reserve of chakra, meaning he was better off than some of the others, but he didn't want to test his ability until he was with someone who knew what to expect. Most people didn't take kindly to being frozen in place, and there was a chance that chakra use could have an adverse effect, either for him or the person he used it on. It wasn't something he'd want to discover in combat.

He opened the journal and scrawled a page of notes, making no effort to improve his nearly-illegible handwriting. If he was right about this, he'd be the only one to read it anyway. Tomorrow, he'd give the pages to Sakura or Naruto or Kakashi with instructions to return them if he ever disappeared and showed up again with no memory. This place was bothersome enough as it was...like hell he was going to do all of this work twice.

The map and list of monsters had been memorized hours ago, and his memory was usually flawless. Still, Shikamaru sat on the edge of his bed to carefully review each detail, cross-referencing the creatures with the best methods of defeating them and taking special note of any magical abilities. He had complete faith in Naruto and Sakura's skill, so the degree of preparation wasn't to compensate for any shortcomings on their parts. However, as fellow Leaf-nin, they placed similar trust in him, and at this point he was the one who ran the greatest risk of making dangerous or even deadly errors in judgment. Even if it meant he'd be a little late, he had to do everything in his power to be sure he was ready for whatever they might face.

Several silent minutes passed before stood up, tucked away the notebook, switched on his flashlight, and closed the door behind him as he headed to the next hallway.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/577685.html?thread=48032661#t48032661)]

[maskedsunflower.livejournal.com]

Leaving the room quickly, there was only one possible direction to head for now. He realized he didn't know where the King's room was, and hadn't said where his own room was located, but that wasn't important for now. The important thing was to reach their meeting spot, where there might be people other than himself and his master waiting.

The fact that he still lacked a weapon better than the flashlight was no longer a worry. King Porky would decide what should be done about that; it was much easier than depending on the whims of some unknown Club and the Commander's own judgment, which thus far had resulted in two wasted nights.

[maskedsunflower.livejournal.com]

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/577685.html?thread=48084117#t48084117)]

[no-side-effects.livejournal.com]

While Wesker sincerely doubted that he would have to face another patient turned plagas host, Wesker carefully checked his knives and other equipment before setting out. He carried one test tube of the unrefined alcohol and one of the unrefined hydrogen peroxide. It wouldn't offer as much of a flame as it would when he finished refining the chemicals, but it would still cause some.

So he very carefully packed the test tubes on in opposite pockets. Wesker didn't want them to get broken and set him on fire. He had enough of the chemicals to make a fair amount of incendiary explosives.

[no-side-effects.livejournal.com]

[Going here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/577452.html?thread=48165292#t48165292)]

[strange-unlife.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/578106.html?view=48160058#t48160058)]

There were people around, but Shito ignored them unless for some insane reason they decided to try talking to the angry-looking young man with his arm in a cast. They better be able to do something about the arm at the clinic--that no one there could heal him because he was dead was an unpleasant but very real possibility. Hopefully they'd at least have some milder painkillers than the heavy narcotics the nurses kept shoving at him.

[thecamellia.livejournal.com]

_{[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/577685.html?thread=48234133#t48234133)]}

For a moment, a faint disturbance nearby gave her pause, but by the time she focused her senses to try and figure out what it was, Tsubaki had to wonder if she’d only imagined it. She didn’t think she had, but… When she looked, there was nothing out of the ordinary behind her.

She resumed counting rooms.

As she came up to what had to be M35, though, there was a familiar someone standing outside near a blonde woman who was already knocking on the door. That was Shito, wasn’t it? He looked even worse than before! Before, when she’d seen him the day after he’d been taken upstairs… “Tachibana-san, what are doing here?” Tsubaki asked in concern. Though she had yet to replace her flashlight, her night vision was good enough that she could see the way he held himself, the upset expression.

M31

[justanimpulse.livejournal.com]

With a quick grin at his roommate, Bart was out the door and gone as soon as he heard the door unlock. So Brendan had been acting like a jerk for most of dinner; he'd seemed to lighten up a little just before the guy over the intercom started snoring, so Bart was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and he'd assume he'd just had a bad day or something. He didn't have time to stick around and find out, though; it was time to track down Wally's room and finish that conversation they'd started. Bart was eager to hear more about the alternate dimension's Flash's experiences with the Speed Force: so much so that he almost missed the people milling around the hallway.

Bart scowled for a moment, then shrugged. It was dark, wasn't it? Probably no one would even notice his blurr, much less connect it with the room he'd just come out of.

[justanimpulse.livejournal.com]

[intoindra.livejournal.com]

In a way, Roland was not looking forward to this excursion. He and Argilla needed to eat, of course, and they needed to find better ways of doing it, but... he'd also promised to take her to the medical library and try to find ways of explaining human anatomy and sexuality to her. Damn that Junpei... this wasn't exactly how Roland would have liked to spend a date with Argilla, even if they were 'together' in that sense.

Ah well, there was nothing for it. He put on his outfit, glad to be wearing his sturdy boots and his nice warm coat, before shouldering his pickax and lantern and heading out. Now, the only question was whether Heat was going to be involved in this or not. Hopefully not.

[intoindra.livejournal.com]

((To here.)) (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/576729.html?view=48297177#t48297177)

from M40

[jei.livejournal.com]

As requested, Farfarello took his time getting ready. Crawford's room was only one hallway over--a fact Farfarello wasn't thrilled about--and Schuldig's was farther away so Farfarello needed to factor in travel time as well. But arming himself properly for the night did take a little time anyway, and Farfarello just took it a little more slow and meticulous than usual. He could have done it in his sleep, of course, but there was no harm in being a little more careful than usual. Crawford was a newbie, now, and Schuldig would throw a fit if some flaw in Farfarello's weapons caused him to let the Oracle die on his very first night.

Eventually, though, all scalpels, knives and other assorted blades were tucked away in their proper places, a firebomb had been carefully settled into a pillowcase for transport, and there wasn't much of anything left for Farfarello to do. He got in a few easy stretches, limbering up for what would hopefully be a violent night--he was starting to get antsy--and then set out for room M27.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/581725.html?thread=48224605#t48224605)]

[beloved-less.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/577452.html?thread=48316844#t48316844).]

Soubi pulled the bag half off his shoulder so he could find the presents for Ritsuka. He was...a little excited. There was a good chance Ritsuka would smile the sweetest of smiles. Maybe he'd hug Soubi. And Soubi would get the courage to face the hall without even a flinch!

Of course, when they reached the hall... Ritsuka wasn't there.

Soubi's heart did a dive into his gut and he rushed for the door of the clinic (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/582753.html?thread=48317793#t48317793).

[sitard3d.livejournal.com]

Demyx blinked in surprise as Soubi suddenly broke pace and lunged into Ritsuka's room. Had he really missed the kid that much...? Well, granted, Soubi was kind of obsessed with Ritsuka in a not-exactly-healthy way, but that still had been more than Demyx had expected. Although he couldn't really imagine what it was like to care about someone like his roommate cared about Ritsuka. It went even beyond how much Axel had liked Roxas, and Axel had ditched the entire Organization for him.

He still couldn't help feeling a little bit bitter about that - or, at least, he suspected he should feel bitter about it. After all, he'd been Axel's friend too, right? What had been so great about Roxas that Axel would just ditch him, though? Demyx had liked the kid, too, but still...

But still, Demyx took the opportunity to remind himself, they had stuff to do and he was getting distracted. He took a step towards the door to Ritsuka's room...then hesitated. Uh, actually...do I want to go in there right now?

He was pretty sure Soubi's and Ritsuka's relationship was platonic, but...well, Soubi was a pretty weird guy.

[mizuhomaiden.livejournal.com]

[from here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/582753.html?thread=48474465#t48474465)

As soon as Sheena left M35, she started running down the hall. She was not going to be subjected to whatever scheme Yukari was up to this night. Sure, her sudden withdraw from the room might bring up various questions that the damn youkai might use to her advantage to paint a warped picture of the ninja, but at least Sheena would be spared the humiliation of having everyone else see with their own eyes the evilness of that irritating woman. Besides, she'd told Soubi most of what happened and she trusted him to defend her if it was needed.

No, this was better. Maybe she'd even find a spider in the experimentation hallway like there was last time. She could really use something to hit that she wouldn't feel bad about hitting at a later date.

Obi ribbons fluttering behind her, making it oddly easy to track her at the moment since she wasn't using any stealth, the ninja made it to the end of the hall and continued on. She just wanted to put as much distance between herself and that damn youkai as she could for the moment. Then... then maybe she could figure out how to handle her being around for the rescues.

[to here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/577685.html)

[mind-the-sukima.livejournal.com]

[Pursuing from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/582753.html?view=48498017#t48498017")]

Was the girl really so traumatized? Yukari might have been worried if the notion weren't so amusing. The girl's deadpan reaction before running off was hilarious and Yukari refrained from laughing, if only because she was only just outside the Clinic still. Now, where did she...

Not that there was more than one way out of the hallway; looking to it, Yukari caught sight of Sheena's ribbons trailing behind her.

Target acquired.

From M37

[rubbermancan.livejournal.com]

Well, dinner had been interesting. It was almost like the Cat Ladies wanted to give him someone new to talk to depending on the week. Weird.

But if there was one person he was used to having around Landel's, it was Usopp. He didn't even really remember when the sniper first showed up, but hopefully he wouldn't be going anywhere or forgetting that he'd been here in the first place.

There wasn't any point thinking about stuff like that, though. Tonight they were going on a real pirate adventure! It was gonna be awesome!

He wasn't real sure which room was Usopp's, though, and he didn't really feel like knocking on every single room. He was pretty sure they were supposed to meet somewhere out here, but maybe if Luffy wandered around enough he'd run into them.

Might as well try!

((To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/577685.html?thread=48372629#t48372629).))

M36

[guardiancomplex.livejournal.com]

(From here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/582753.html?thread=48479585#t48700001))

Touya moved back towards his room, opening the door for Yukito to enter.

"Good thing they were close by. I feel a little woozy from the blood loss," he said, shutting the door behind him. Of course, the wooziness could just have been his serial tired-ness kicking in again. But nothing would stop him from getting answers from Yukito.

Re: M36

[winged_moon]

"Woozy?" There was the concern again, and Yukito remained close, peering into Touya's face with a worried expression. As long as he didn't suddenly keel over they should be all right, at least - once morning came he'd be patched up nicely. But one never knew how much longer that would be.

Though he felt in no little way responsible for the injuries to begin with. He, and his other self: half-asleep though Yue was, it was enough that the guardian's feelings were bleeding over and reinforcing his own. "I'm sorry you got hurt, Touya..."

M32

[not-rly-fai.livejournal.com]

[[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/577685.html?thread=48951445#t48998805)]]

At least Kurogane had followed him in, rather than grumping outside in the hallways until he passed out. He wasn't sure who's room it was, but they just needed a bed for a little while, so it wasn't like they were hurting anything.

"Get some rest," he told Kuro once they were in the room. "I'll be back in a little bit." He didn't want to outright say where he was going or what for, but it would be kind of strange to just leave without saying anything.

Re: M32

[contentincloset.livejournal.com]

Kurogane went as immediately as he could for the bed, thankful that the trip was over, but he'd only just sat down on it when the magician announced that he would be leaving. Not that Kurogane wanted Fai to stay, but the man going off on his own alerted Kurogane to possible stupidity. He didn't lie down as intended, but looked up with the usual glare. "Where are you going?" he demanded coolly.

[thecamellia.livejournal.com]

_{[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/582753.html?thread=48377441#t48739681)]}

After slipping out of the clinic, Tsubaki stopped to take a look around. She couldn’t see anyone from the group she thought was supposed to be the rescue team. A wince crossed her face. Ahhh, oh no, it looked she’d fallen behind. At least no one had bothered to wait for her--that wouldn’t help the people upstairs.

Now she really had to catch up! Just how late had it gotten?

_{[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/583117.html?thread=48927949#t48927949)]}

[per-ardua.livejournal.com]

[[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/578425.html?thread=49012345#t49106809).]]

Once in the hallway, Raine got about halfway to M35 and just stopped for a minute, leaning against the wall and trying to breathe. She felt sick to her stomach; she'd seen wounds that were far worse than a stitched-up arm, but a stitched-on arm...

This was why she had hidden her race at first. Because that was exactly the kind of experiment she could see the Desians doing, and the last thing she wanted was to be associated with anything like that, ever.

[1imited-edition.livejournal.com]

"Are you alright?" Rein asked worriedly, coming up behind the elf... maybe a little too close. Personal space just wasn't something she 'got', no matter how many cultures and associated etiquettes she had knowledge of.

It wasn't so strange a thing to Rein, who had been created by a people that prized the strength created by technology, whose kings modified their bodies endlessly in search of power enough to rule the worlds of the Dimensional Sea.

But Raine's discomfort was easy enough to see, even if she didn't share it, and she couldn't just stand by.