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.]

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[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)]