damned_institute | Nightshift 39: M31-40 Hallway

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Of course there's a way. Every way in has a way out, after all." That was just plain logic. And it was also a way to dodge what Yukito had no doubt already noticed. This was seriously embarrassing. He had to drop this before he got carried away and said something he'd really regret.

"So I'm guessing you and Yue haven't found a way yet? Or found any clues as to where the way out would be?" He hadn't seen anything to that purpose on the bulletin, so perhaps Yuki knew something.

"No...nobody has, as far as I know. Unless some of the people who disappeared found it unexpectedly." It seemed like Touya was uncomfortable, so Yukito released his hand again, reaching up to adjust his glasses as though that was the only reason he'd let go. "I've heard about some kind of entrance to a basement, but whatever is down there is supposedly really dangerous, and I've never tried to see it."

He paused to consider, hands lowering again to rest in his lap. "The other night Yue-san found some kind of a hidden door in the library, but didn't have a chance to see where it led - and every time we've tried to go back something has happened to prevent it. It looked sort of like there were stairs behind it, though."

Touya was a little chagrined to lose Yukito's hand, but he let it pass and crossed his arms in thought. An entrance to a basement, and a door with stairs. Which one? Hell if he knew, but he couldn't just lead Yukito and Yue blindly into danger. He'd have to find out more about these supposed exits.

"Maybe we should take a look around the basement. Just a look," he said, frowning a little in thought. "Now that I'm armed, it shouldn't be as dangerous."

Yukito nodded slowly, but didn't seem very enthusiastic about the idea. The baseball bat might be good enough to help fend off attacks while they were moving through the hallways, but what he'd heard about the basement seemed to imply that would be like seeking out battles. Athlete though Touya might be, he wasn't exactly a trained fighter, and Yukito would rather not try to find danger when there was enough around them.

"I could ask around and see if anyone I know has been down there," he suggested, then brightened a little. "Maybe Fai-san knows something. He's been here longer than I have." Even if the magician hadn't visited the basement, he might know someone who had.

"There are people here who can make swords, but...I almost wish I could find a bow of some kind. That's at least something both Yue-san and I could use." Even if a bow would be less useful in the confines of a hallway, and even if Yukito had never fired at anything other than an ordinary non-living target, at least it would be something. He leaned forward, resting his elbow on his knee and chin in hand as he considered. "It's not exactly something just sitting around. And then there's the problem of arrows..."

Touya nodded, listening to and processing everything Yukito said. He didn't sound too gung-ho about going into the basement, at least right now. If they had more information, though, things might be different. Also, running around a monster-infested hospital with nothing to fight with probably put a damper on Yuki's desire to go out and explore.

"We need to get you a weapon. Maybe the sword-people can make you a bow, too," Touya said, eyebrows coming together. "Though you'd have to be pretty fast with it. And we could always retrieve the arrows once we'd defeated whatever we fought."

If people could make a sword out of metal they'd collected, then it seemed reasonable to assume that they could make a bow as well. Still, though, the more Yukito thought about it the more reluctant he started to feel. Yue might find it useful, considering that the arrows he could create were limited in number, but the idea of him fighting was...strange.

"I suppose so," he replied slowly, brow furrowing slightly as he considered. "It might be more trouble than it's worth." After a moment's pause he straightened again, smiling with just a slight shrug. "It just seems odd to think about weapons for me. Yue-san is the fighter, after all."

"Yeah, it's really strange to think that I have to fight to protect myself now... considering I was just a normal high school guy a few hours ago." Touya stretched and yawned. He was starting to feel tired again. "But we have to fight if we're going to survive--and I get the feeling that if I was the one protecting you two all the time, Yue'd get upset. He only has so much power available, after all. And as tired as I am, I can probably swing my bat at things all night."

Touya resettled himself on Yukito's shoulder, closing his eyes briefly. "I'd just feel better if you both had something to fight with."

So many things had to change for those who found themselves trapped in this place. Finding himself needing to fight was rather less than most of the adaptations he'd already had to deal with. Yukito gave a soft sigh and lifted a hand to brush Touya's hair gently, pushing his worries out of his mind for a moment; now wasn't the time to stress about that.

"We can talk about it later," he replied quietly. "I'm sure you're tired, and you're hurt - I think you need rest more than anything else right now."

Nightshift 39: M31-40 Hallway

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