damned_institute | Nightshift 40

[Geass is now under effect]

It wasn't the intercom that jolted Dean awake. Or, at least, he didn't think it was, 'cause it wasn't that same start you got when you were surprised by some egomaniac suddenly running his mouth off on the intercom who loved the sound of his voice and made sure you did too. Or, that was usually how it went, except Martin Landel - or whoever it was, the raspy croak made it hard to tell this time - for once kept it short. No, it was something else. Not just getting startled awake. Dean couldn't describe it, only that it was like a switch had flipped and suddenly...suddenly he just knew he had work to do. How else to explain it? It was like a hunch, but way, way stronger. Rolling out of bed, he found there was no room for any lingering memories of his nightmares or the constant cold sweats or waking up and just needing to know where Sammy was as he groped about like a blind man in those first few terrified seconds, as if he was a kid again. Not when everything was Okay with a capital O. There was a job to do and Dean Winchester knew he was the man to do it.

Hell, he was the best man, the most qualified. The only man.

Not that Dean could say where he got this sudden boost of confidence. Any other time, he would've thought it weird but now? The hunter instead just headed straight for the closet after turning on his flashlight so he could see, pulling on his clothes. M31. Had to report to M31. That thought kept circling in his head and though Dean dressed as fast as humanly possibly, practically throwing on his necklace and his favorite old leather jacket, it didn't seem fast enough. Dean had just enough time to snag his bowie knife before that compulsion to move and move faster kicked him in the ass and got him into gear. Dean didn't even spare Angel another look, didn't care he'd seen where he'd stashed his own weapon - sure it wasn't as big as Angel's ax, but still - and instead just left the room with a single-minded intent. A man on a mission.

Dean liked feeling like this. He liked it a lot.

Thinking about how he was going to get the M31 and do whatever he was supposed to do there made him feel good, like he had a purpose and it wasn't gonna blow up in his face like everything else did these days. Dean had a new spring in his step as he navigated the dark halls; spring or not, though, he also kept focused, listening for any signs of anything out to kill him in the darkness even as he moved quickly. Couldn't do his job if he got tagged, after all. Despite having this mission, it wasn't like he'd lost his sense of self-preservation - sure, that was kind of a moot point for him these days, but he didn't really want to die if he could help it. He'd make that year last, dammit. Get his money's (or soul's) worth.

As for Sammy...Dean just felt somehow he'd be okay. For all they knew, whatever he was gonna do at M31 would help his little brother with their ghost problem.

Even if it didn't, there was no changing the fact he absolutely had to get to M31, no questions asked.

[To here]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

< I'm good. > Which was actually pretty true; now that he knew what the deal was with the pain, it was... well, pretty bad, but he'd had worse. A lot worse. < You, on the other hand... > He hopped over to the edge of his bed, talons rending sheets and mattress alike, then fluttered awkwardly across in the dead inside air to the foot of Cross' bed. < Man. What tore you up, dude? >

Cross chuckled lightly, starting to sit up a bit before realizing he was at a terrible angle for that and falling back with a wince. "It's healing."

The question of the injuries' origin was a bit ironic coming from his roommate, and he smiled again. "There are other birds outside," he said. "Much, much larger than you, and much more willing to shred me apart. You should be careful if you go out there." Granted, with Tobias's size, he'd probably have an easier time avoiding them. He would have gotten away himself if he hadn't been so foolish.

"I'm just going to stay here... so I'll be fine."

Tobias tilted his head at Cross, and listened to his description of what had attacked him... and winced in a very human way, kind-of-muttering a curse that still probably made it to Cross. Tobias did not like birds bigger than him. They tended to try and eat him, unless they were Rachel in morph. (Well, he'd tried to eat sentient things a couple times, too, but that was because they did things like forget to tell them they'd morphed a squirrel until after he'd had a swoop at them.)

< I've heard about them. Apparently they go after virgins-- though I heard that from someone a little unreliable, so don't quote me on it. Still. > He'd raked out enough Hork-Bajir eyes with his talons, killed enough small fuzzy animals, and seen enough golden and bald eagles take out not-so-small fuzzy animals to know just how deadly birds could be. < You're probably lucky you're still breathing, if they're that big. > His tone was genuinely a little concerned; he and Cross hadn't talked too much, but the other kid seemed decent enough, and he was he only roommate Tobias had. and probably the only roommate he would likely ever get that didn't seem the least bit freaked out by the birdboy thing.

"You're right," he nodded. "I should have moved more quickly at the first sign of them." Cross wasn't going to argue about being fairly nimble, since the truth of the matter was that he was injured. The creatures here were dangerous and he shouldn't take them lightly.

Virgins, though. That would explain it, he supposed. There wasn't any real way to tell from that, as he'd been the only one on the field at the time, but they had seemed drawn to him. It was hard to say. He could have easily just been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"What are your plans?"

< Well, they definitely don't include going outside. > Tobias' tone was wry, and he absently bent his head to his wing, preening a few pinions as he continued. < I was thinking about going out, seeing about finding something weapon-like for when I'm human. > Maybe find someplace quiet, see if he could morph something bigger, more dangerous... Hork-bajir, maybe. Though he might get mistaken for one of this place's monsters if he was seven feet of razor-bladed snake-faced alien; maybe polar bear instead? No, that was too big. And anyway, he wasn't sure if this crazy place would let him be anything except human or hawk.

< Whatever I end up doing, though, the wings won't be much use inside, > he said regretfully, stretching them and fluttering down to the floor. < What I wouldn't give to fly... > he murmured, thought-speech managing to be low and longing and quiet; then he hunched his feathered shoulders and closed his golden hawk eyes and shivered in pain as he morphed back to human.

It was good that his roommate didn't plan on going outside. Cross just nodded as he explained what he did plan to do. A weapon might be a good idea, especially if he wasn't going to be able to use his O-parts. Then again, he'd never really used any other type of weapon. He supposed he could always swing a bat around?

The angel managed to roll over just enough to watch the bird change back into a boy. He wanted to make sure he was all right, and it seemed that he was, even if the process was obviously painful. Cross might have added that he felt the same way, except that he'd rarely flown just for the sake of flying. It had always been to get a job done.

"You take care."

Tobias straightened up, took a deep, wincing breath, and let it out slowly, the itching burning melting pain leaving his body. Oh, man. He needed to figure out a way to novocaine his whole body for just long enough to morph. Then he formed his best, most sincere human smile for Cross.

"Thanks. You too, man."

With that, he collected his flashlight and took off into the night, with an awkward little wave of farewell to his roomie.

[From here, not staying long]

With that, she turned right and went for the next room over, M5. The occupants had left already, thankfully, leaving her free to search it the same way they had the first room. Unfortunately, there was nothing around that matched Edward's description; all she was treated to was the faint smell of some sort of animal, whatever that meant.

Quickly determining that this wasn't the right room, Utena turned to leave for the next over.

[To here]

Nightshift 40 - M1-M10 Hallway

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