damned_institute | Nightshift 39: F1-F10 Hallway

As soon as the doors were open, Sheena bolted out of them. The bastards! She knew there wasn't much hope for freeing Elena from the damn ~~Desians~~ doctors before they did whatever they wanted to do to her, but the ninja was damn well going to try.

She needed to get to Raine and fast.

[to here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/574090.html?thread=47953290#t47953290)

Sakura's roomie was kind of strange, but she seemed to think she could take care of herself and Sakura wasn't going to stand in her way. When the lights went out though, she was quick to gather her things and head out the door. Shikamaru probably wouldn't be that fast, but heaven forbid if she kept him waiting.

[[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/576846.html?thread=47971406#t47971406)]]

She didn't get to talk to Seiya long before the announcements came on and night fell. Kagura was somewhat apprehensive of going out again, but Bridget had promised he'd come. She gathered up her staff and flashlight and waited near the doorway for her friend.

(From here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/574534.html))

Bridget had only his notebook, two pens, and a flashlight, just in case, as he ran down the halls. Roger was safe in his room for now, hidden away so nobody would take him.

He came to a stop just outside of Kagura's room, abit out of breath from jogging most of the way and paused a moment to catch his breath before knocking on her door.

Kagura was beyond relieved when Bridget showed up only a few short minutes later. He was out of breath, but seemed otherwise alright and she gave him a soft smile when she opened the door.

"You made it," she said, stepping out into the hallway. "We're going to t-try the basement, right?"

Smiling, gladhe hadn't missed her, Bridget nodded. "If you think it's a good idea..." Well as good as any idea that involved this place.

"We can try something else if you think it's be better Miss Sohma."

"Ah- I'm sure it's fine. I don't... I don't have any other plans, so..." she trailed off, trying not to remember how terribly things had gone the last couple of nights. When they'd tried to help Leon, they'd run into what was left of Toushirou. And then last night, something had happened to Leon too. Her grip on the staff tightened, knuckles going white as she tried to suppress the overwhelming emotions that accompanied thoughts of those two.

"I don't have a preference," she said after a moment, "but you'll have to lead the way. I'm not sure how to get there."

Bridget nodded and took a deep breath to steel himself for the trip.

"Alright," he said with what he hoped was a confident smile. "If you're ready Miss Sohma? Let's go."

(to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/574534.html?view=48525894#t48525894).)

Miku had sat on her bed, waiting for Sousuke for exactly fifteen minutes before she realized he'd actually done as she'd asked and went to join a club. She shook her head and laughed at herself, before grabbing her pillow-case bag and heading into the hallway towards Subaru's room.

Sousuke was going to try hard tonight, so she would, too.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/574534.html)]

Well, tonight she actually had something to do. Lust slipped on her clawed knuckles, shook her flashlight to inspire the batteries to stop flickering, and slipped out into the hall. She wasn't sure who 'we' included besides Rude, but she supposed she'd find out.

It felt good to have some sort of goal after drifting for so long. And that little bastard from lunch's words were still bothering her. He had no right...what did he know of her?

Lips set in a firm scowl, Lust began the trip to meet with Rude.

[to here]

Kagura can sleep through anything, from World War II to the questionable sounds coming from Shinpachi's room, except for hunger. Chise gave her part of her dinner, but these hospital rations just won't do. A growing girl needs more food to develop a healthy (and possibly voluptuous) body!

She grabbed a flashlight from her table and sneaked out of her room. If what that weird writing on the wall said was true, then there was going to be some old women hiding in the kitchen and she needed something to conk them on the head.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/574534.html)]

[don't mind me, just updating my link (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/574534.html?thread=48120902#t48120902)]

"Taught. All of it is. It's just...kung fu." Mele hesitated. "Some are better than others, though." Like all skills, some had the talent for it, some didn't. In Rinju Den, the ones without talent died more quickly than most, but that was beside the point.

...And then there was that mysterious voice again. "What is that?" Mele shifted on the gaze to peer suspiciously into the corners of the ceiling. "This better not be a trick." Or maybe they were really being watched? By what, though? Mele abandoned the food to skulk around the corners. Being able to become invisible herself, Mele didn't quite trust what her eyes could see.

Now Soma was interested. If it could be taught, she wanted to learn it. Anything to help her make up for her slowed reflexes. "Could you teach me?"

Before she could expect a reply, though, the intercom switched on. It was the man who had identified himself as the Head Doctor this morning. A moment later, his announcements were followed by the sound of...snoring?

How unprofessional, thought Soma as the lock on their door clicked.

"It isn't a trick." Soma blinked; she'd asked where Mele had come from, but she'd forgotten to ask when. "It's called an intercom - it's technology that allows you to broadcast your voice over a large area." Did that make sense? She'd never met anyone who didn't know what an intercom was.

"No."

Mele had been about to cross into Soma's half of the room when the click of the door unlocking caught her attention and she turned back to investigate, losing the tail end of Soma's explanation.

"That makes sense," Mele's eyes flickered upwards, as if looking for the intercom. The idea that this was some sort of afterlife had so pervaded her mind, something as mundane as an intercom hadn't even occurred to her.

Having satisfied that question, she dismissed it easily and turned back to the door. It turned in her hand, which meant she must have heard the sound of the door unlocking, which meant the door must have locked behind Mele when she'd stepped in. And Mele had completely missed that.

Mele frowned at the doorknob in her hand; the amount of opportunities where she could have gotten killed were really starting to pile up. She peeked out into the hallway. "Does this happen often?" Does this happen every night was implied in the question.

"Why not?" Soma was stubborn if nothing else, and the other girl hardly seemed a superior officer to be obeyed unquestioningly. "Is it that difficult?"

She watched as Mele opened the door, frowning slightly. "I don't know, but I arrived in the middle of last night and my door was unlocked then. From what I've heard, it seems to occur on a nightly basis."

"Hmmm?" Mele pulled her head back in to look at Soma. Oh...maybe she'd responded too hastily. It'd been a knee-jerk answer. "Not...difficult, not really, I guess, just...I'm not a teacher type." After a moment of trying to fumble for more excuses (or at least one that didn't sound as lame, even though the statement was true).

"I can't teach you because I'm a practitioner of Rin Juken." To hell with excuses. Mele decided the truth would just be simpler, even if it was more...painful. Shutting the door, she moved over to the bed and sat down again. "Rin Juken is.... Our source of power are human screams and despair." Mele's eyes were on her fingers as she traced the Rin Juken symbol on the surface of the dresser; she wasn't afraid of what Soma would think, but if Mele was going to be here a while she hadn't wanted to have to watch her back here, too. Not in a vulnerable state like sleeping, which she, annoyingly, had to put up with now (although the unlocking doors and Soma's explanation made it seem like sleeping wasn't the only nightly pasttime). "We do it by attacking normal humans. So I can't teach it to you."

Especially not when it felt so much like a betrayal, when Rio-sama had given up so much to rid the world of it.

"Oh."

Soma wasn't entirely sure what to think about that. It certainly didn't sound like any school of kung fu she knew. Part of her doubted the other girl - it sounded like something out of a book, or like she was making it up - but she had heard so many fantastical things in the last twenty-four hours that she wasn't entirely sure what was real anymore.

Besides, she thought, neither she nor E-0057 could be correctly termed 'normal humans.'

"Why did you learn it, then?"

Good question. "...That doesn't matter." Not now, not...ever again.

Right now, Mele really, really wanted to go invisible and escape out into the hall. Without an anchor to ground her in the present (and what was important in the present), Mele was slipping into the deluge of unwelcome thoughts, feelings, and regret faster than she could've ever imagined.

But escaping would hardly be fair. Especially if she just had to come back and face Soma again. "It wasn't anything I thought about at the time."

Hoping to leave it at that, Mele strode over to the closet and, displeased to see only more grey, ruffled through it to see if she could improvise a weapon with anything in there. Earlier, Mr. Grumpy's talk of 'powers' hadn't really registered at the time, but if he spoke so casually of it, there were probably a bunch of people walking out of the unlocked doors who possessed 'powers' of some sort.

"I see," Soma said, unsure if she really did. It was at least clear to her that learning Rin Juken was something Mele appeared to regret, but regret was a concept Soma had never really grasped, nor did she see any pressing need to do so.

"Remembering wrongs done to you is one thing," she offered tentatively, watching Mele search through her closet. She had done the same last night; nothing had changed in her own closet, though she did exchange her indoor slippers for outdoor ones. "Focusing on your own mistakes is another entirely. Keep moving. It's what I always do."

She paused and looked for a clock, but there was none in sight. The Boxing Club meeting was probably going to start soon. Perhaps some training would cheer both of them up.

"Do you have plans for tonight, Mi - ah, Mele?"

Noting nothing of interest in the closet, Mele slunk over to the dresser.

She was unsure how to react to Soma's words. On one hand, it came dangerously close to pity, but on the other hand, Soma was so reserved (and Mele was not the greatest at reading people), it was hard to be sure. And she hadn't meant to imply that the decision to become of Rin Juken had been a mistake. "I just thought it'd ended, is all," she settled for saying, pulling out the third drawer and observing that it was exactly the same as the first. The fourth, when she pulled it out, proved to be the same as the second.

Mele leaned back on her heels, tapping her lips as she thought. "Bottom drawers are mine, all right?" she said, tapping the third drawer. If anyone broke into this room, the first drawer would probably be the first one ransacked, out of habit. The fit of the clothes wouldn't be an issue; she and Soma were more or less the same height and size, as near as she could approximate.

As for plans--"Nope."

"All right." Soma had no real objections to that; she doubted she would keep anything of value in the drawers anyway.

"Some of the patients here are meeting for what they call a 'Boxing Club.'" A sudden thought struck Soma; she opened her closet again and examined the rod from which her clothes were hanging. Without further ado, she removed the hangers and dropped them on her bed before attacking the rod with the butt of her flashlight.

"As far as I can tell," she continued over the noise, "they're going to practice sparring with one another. I'm going to test how much the staff has dulled my reflexes here. Would you like to come?"

Turning as Soma got up, Mele sat down with her back against the bed (wincing as the pants chafed against her legs), and considered. Amusement at the "club"'s name aside, it might be a good way to check her limits, like Soma suggested. Also a good way to pound out the flood of emotions she couldn't possible deal with all at once. And it might be a good way to get more information about this place, as a plus. But it might not be a good idea to test it on normal humans. Or even if they weren't 'normal'.

Despite her curiosity about the place and what it had done, Mele wasn't sure she should fight, even if she could.

The sound of Soma's strikes seemed to echo in Mele's beating heart, reminding her all the reasons she didn't have. Most of which started and ended with Rio-sama. He might be here. He might not be here. She had been severely distracted throughout the day today, but she needed to make sure.

She'd avoided thinking about her death--

~~...Crap.~~

Well, okay, that was that. Mele had been sure she'd died. She'd also been sure that, before she was gone for good, Rio-sama had drew her to him. But she'd only known that academically, because she hadn't been able to feel anything anymore. The sense of touch had been lost to her and it'd made her sad, because if there was one thing she had the right to ask for in her last moments, she'd wanted it to be the warmth of Rio-sama's embrace.

And then she'd ended up here. Mr. Grumpy hadn't been able (or willing) to answer her inquiry as to Rio-sama's presence. Brook hadn't seen anyone of his description, either. Soma, though from the future, didn't know of Juken and so could not tell her the outcome of that battle.

Rio-sama may or may not have come after her. She didn't know. She didn't know anything.

"I'll go my own way," she finally said. "There's something I need to see to." Even if it was only to wander around the place, hoping to pick up his presence. Let it never be said that hope was easy to bear.

One end of the rod came free with a crash; wrenching the other end out of its socket was a simple affair. Soma hefted it experimentally: not the best weapon in the world, but good enough to get her where she needed to go tonight.

"I'll go my own way. There's something I need to see to."

Soma nodded. "All right. We'll be meeting in the Music Room if you decide to join us later."

Shifting her flashlight to her right hand, she stepped to the door, then paused and turned. Dulled as her quantum brainwaves were, Mele's emotions were a good deal stronger now, and easier to read.

"You're looking for someone," she said as she opened the door. "I hope you find him."

And then she was out the door and down the hall, flashlight beam bobbing as she made her way through the dark.

[to here]

She only managed to catch a glimpse of white hair as Soma left. Mele realized she had gotten to her feet, fists clenched.

Slowly, she made herself release the tension, settling back onto the bed.

Mele hadn't mentioned Rio-sama. Not this time.

Soma had read her mind.

Crap. Crap crap crap it wasn't even a question, Mele needed to leave this room. Right now.

Reaching beneath her pillow in imitation of Soma reaching under her own, she found a flashlight and, checking to make sure it worked, flung the door open and stepped out.

Once out, Mele aimed the flashlight at both ends of the hallway, but there was no Soma in sight.

Biting her lip and wondering if she had really aimed to catch up to Soma, Mele spent another few seconds looking up and down the hall.

After a moment, on a whim, Mele shined the light backwards on the door she'd just exited. She noted the letter-number combination she saw as she closed the door--F9, probably the name of the room. She could always come back, then, (even though right now she couldn't imagine wanting to, not anytime in the near future), if something happened and she needed to. Or maybe she just needed the comfort of knowing something.

Mele picked a direction at random and headed into the gloom.

Once Kagura left the room, Chise figured it was safe enough to test her powers. She first tried to lock-on Shuji's heartbeat, but was met with silence. Then, she tried to pinpoint his position via the local network, and failed once again. She attempted to connect once more and concentrated using her body and mind. Come on, come on, come on! Chise desperately searched for Shuji's heartbeat. Her own heart ached in the midst of silence, tears began to slide down her cheeks.

"I-I can't hear it," she sobbed. "I can't hear your heartbeat S-Shuji. Where are you? You can't be dead, right? We both promised to be together forever!" she started pounding on the bed. "There's no way that you're dead, because...because..." I'm the one who has to die first.

Refusing to accept the possibility that her boyfriend was dead, Chise gathered all the fact she knew about this place. She still remembered someone mentioning that any powers or abilities were pretty much non-existent here. It could be the reason why she was unable to find Shuji's coordinates!

"Hahah, y-yeah, that could be it. Maybe my connection is block by the whole building." she heaved a sigh of relief and dried her eyes. "I-I guess I would have a higher chance of finding Shuji if I went outside."

She opened the door and took a peek outside. The hallway was completely black, and it seemed that her eyes were unable to switch into night-vision. She needed a portable source of lighting. Searching through the room she managed to find a flashlight underneath her pillow. Lucky! Determined to find her boyfriend Chise ventured into the dark unknown.

[To here]

Seiya's day had been busy, which was another reason her lack of plans for the night were a bit frustrating. She'd hoped meeting up with a 'group leader' would, well, lead to actual plans and working with a group, one which hadn't already been insulted or rejected by others she'd met during her stay. At least she was awake tonight, and while Kagura seemed to have a quiet meeting with a blond woman before heading out, Seiya had occupied herself with her closet.

The broken-off stick she was using as a spear and the box cutter were still there, thankfully, but that wasn't too much of a surprise. After all, the patients' gatherings all seemed to be kept in place for their convenience instead of being confiscated during the day the way an actual hospital might. The extra outfit, on the other hand, was not expected at all.

She'd kept her head down and waited for privacy before taking it out to look it over, as though it were the real thing. It couldn't be, that costume wasn't something that she just put on and took off like regular clothing, this was just a replica. And as a replica, wearing it was a terrible, terrible idea, because whatever benefits she got from the way transformation seemed to confuse others and prevent successful guesses at identity would go out the window. On the other hand, just being a female was already giving away more than Seiya would normally reveal on Earth, and the few people here who seemed to know anything about this kind of business also should know she had an alternate identity. For other people, would it matter? She'd even had a lunch meeting with someone else who enjoyed playing dress-up and coming to the rescue of others...

Putting it on without the transformation was harder than it looked. It wasn't really designed for comfort, after all. But wearing it still felt right, even as a replica. She might not have the extra-human strength and agility that went with the transformation, but some sense of extra confidence made up for it. There was also, of course, the fact that Yaten or Taiki would kill her for running around dressed like this without a good reason. Maybe if this place was so keen on sending people to and from her world without her notice, she could summon her teammates by really deserving a good talking to.

Out the door and down the hallway, then, box cutter tucked into the top of one boot's leg and each hand occupied with a flashlight and the spear. Not Sailor StarFighter, but still a fighter, out to conquer. Now if she just had a direction to conquer in...

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/574534.html?thread=48299334#t48299334)]

So, a sleeping roommate. Too much time to think during a silent dinner. Ugh, this was getting stupid. She went through roommates like no-one else she knew. Was she really such a terrible conversationalist that she drove them to give up rather than spend time with her? The thought made her smirk a little, amused and bitter. Still, it meant she didn't have to answer questions and that was a relief. She didn't feel much like discussing herself or her mood at the moment.

Once night fell, she grabbed the key and her katana and left without a backwards glance at the room.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/576846.html?thread=48386638#t48386638)]

Somewhat later than she'd expected thanks to her roommate's unusually sudden disappearance, GLaDOS picked up her flashlight and opened the door. Tonight she would find the kitchen, even if she didn't get the cake she was looking for. Tonight would at least affirm that she was going in the right direction. She didn't doubt her mental maps, not at all, but there was always the opportunity that she might have marked something wrong in her head.

Human brains guaranteed so much less accuracy than a proper computer, after all.

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/574374.html?thread=48502182#t48502182)]

Running had helped Ururu make good time, and she quickly crossed over the few hallways between her room and Orihime and Shiki's. The girl was breathing a little hard by the time she got there, but Ururu hadn't wanted to miss them. Still, even being in the hurry that she was, Ururu made sure to knock on the door first. "Orihime-san? Shiki-san? It's Ururu."

There wasn't a reply.

Ururu knew how hard it was to be patient, like when she wanted to open a present. This was kind of the same, except not in any way that was good. Ururu knocked several times, growing more and more worried as the silence stretched out. Finally, she decided to just open the door, in case something bad had happened and her friends needed her.

But when she looked, there was no one inside.

"Shiki-san? Orihime-san? A-are you here?" That dread that Ururu first felt during dinner was getting worse, and she looked around in the few places where the older girls could be hiding in the small room. She didn't think they both would have already left, and she hadn't seen any plans for them in Fai-san's note. So where could they be?

Fai-san would know. Except Ururu didn't know where he was. But if anyone would, it would be Kurogane-san, wouldn't it? And that's where she was supposed to be anyway, so maybe Fai-san would show up.

Or at least, that was what Ururu hoped as she ran back out of the room, faster this time.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/576178.html?thread=48505010#t48505010)]

Once her roommate had left, Ayumu waited a moment to make certain Yuffie wasn't going to return before she dropped the 'Sen' facade and went to retrieve the blades she'd hidden under her mattress. She took advantage of the rare opportunity for time alone to carefully work one of the blades into the hem of her oversized coat, then hid the other two underneath her clothing.

It wasn't exactly the kind of arrangement that she was used to, but it would have to be sufficient. Tonight she planned to travel the halls alone - or wherever Himura's errand too him, with his group - and she'd not want to be unprepared.

Once she had decided that she was ready, and that the sounds of movement had died down out in the hallway, she set out, moving quickly and quietly through the dark hallway toward her destination.

[going here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/577068.html?thread=48541484#t48541484)]

No one had come to the door in the time she‘d been awake, and Yomi had taken to counting the minutes in between trying to force it open herself. Each time she tried, she was met with unsuccess, to the point where she ended up stalking up and down the room, one eye on the lock, like a prowling animal.

And then an intercom had come on.

Yomi had stopped to listen, eyes fixed on the spot where the voice was issuing from. She didn’t move after it had clicked off, only lowered her gaze slowly. More minutes had ticked by. The lights went out, plunging the room into darkness, and still Yomi stood. Instinct told her she wouldn’t have long to wait before she’d get some answers. She’d cocked her head… Then came the sound of static building over the intercom, followed by someone’s snores.

She’d snorted softly herself, turning her attention back on the door when she heard the distinct sound the lock disengaging. Well, well.

Leaving the flashlight behind, Yomi pulled open the door, glancing at the number plate--F7?--and padded out into an empty hallway in what she‘d woken up in. The only outward show of her thoughts came in the form of her right hand curling into a fist and quickly unclenching, the hand that should’ve been holding Shishiou. Where was this? What had happened? She’d been so sure… Kagura’s sobs had been so clear… But Yomi wasn’t dead, and the sesshouseki hadn’t been overcome. The question was, why was she here, restrained in what passed as a hospital at first glance? It felt like a joke, but the joke wasn’t funny.

Yomi wasn’t laughing.

She searched the darkness in either direction, a part of her wondering why even the emergency lights had been tampered with. This was no normal building, however, that much had been clear long before her door had unlocked on its own. There was an aura that, at one time, would have unsettled her. Now, she ran a finger along the wall, considering the rust that flaked off on her skin before rubbing it off absently and turning to the left at random. More doors--cell doors--standing in a row, identical to hers. The one next to hers was F6.

The inside was also identical to F7’s: doubles of most of the furniture. The difference was that there were two trays of food, both touched. Yomi rifled the room, but beyond that, the seemingly random items were the same, too.

So someone wanted the flashlights to be used, hmm?

Picking one up from one of the beds, Yomi left the room, following the numbers up. F8, F9, F10...

_{[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/574534.html?thread=48906566#t48906566)]}

Nightshift 39: F1-F10 Hallway

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F10 (after Kagura and Bridget's exit, please ^^;)

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