damned_institute | Night 40: M91-M100 Hallway

He was going to look over that file tonight, come hell or high water. Now, if only he could figure out a way to carry it...

Akihiko's advice had been good, and had perked Heiji up a little. He'd still have to have A Talk with Shinichi about Kaitou Kid and priorities and Let Out Your Restlessness Some Other Way, Damn You, but for now it was time to go running around with Okita and Kaito. He was looking forward to seeing Kaito again, and he was always happy to work with Okita--especially when Heiji was in a good mood. It made following orders easier.

Gathering up his gear, Heiji wished Akihiko good luck with a wink and a nod, and was off down the hallways.

(To here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/605196.html?thread=50560012#t50560012))

Akihiko nodded back to Heiji, wishing him good luck too, then paused just a minute, pondering that intercom message. 'What happens when you open the box'? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

On a whim, he checked the bottom drawer of his dresser, hoping there'd be -- ah, there we go. They weren't the kind of thing he'd pick out normally, but the sneakers would definitely be better than slippers for going outside. He laced them up and put them on, grabbed the radio and shoved it into his pocket, then headed out the door.

[out and to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/607396.html)]

Yuuhi wasn't too keen on sticking around, so he changed quickly into his Celes uniform, leaving the coat behind. To his credit, he remembered to bring a flashlight this time. He sent Allelujah a wave and a smile before he crept outside.

[[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/607396.html?thread=50566052#t50566052)]]

Tonight's dinner progressed without any conversation, which came as a relief to Nigredo. He hadn't wanted to talk, for one. For another, the decision to stay or to leave proved far easier with Sync asleep. It was always difficult for the boy to dawdle in the presence of another, as proved many times over in his daily life with 668 siblings. A walk--so long as he stayed out of the twins' way--was better than waiting for someone to leave.

Silently, he gathered up his flashlight and crept out into the hallway, taking care to shut the door without a sound. As soon as he was in the clear, the boy started his trek down the hall, pausing long enough at the beginning to turn on the device in his hands. Unnatural light, he decided, was better than nothing at all, even if he was technically supposed to keep a low profile.

[To here.]

Edited 2009-04-18 05:23 (UTC)

Hopefully the plans for tonight would go better than the night before. While it was true that he, Peter, and Nate had reached their destination without any trouble, they hadn't actually gotten to spend much time there. Peter would want to explore more.

Nate hadn't responded on the bulletin, though, which was worrisome. It wasn't so much that he really wanted the boy along, it was just that the lack of response was unusual for him. There was a chance he'd simply missed the post, but somehow Brooklyn doubted it.

Well, there was nothing to do but get to the appropriate meeting location.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/607396.html?thread=50671268#t50671268)]

When night finally fell and the doors opened again all Harry did was move over to the bed and collect his flashlight, though he wasn't sure he'd be able to carry it he wanted to have it available in case Peter hadn't brought his again. Returning to the chair he sat watching the door, waiting for Peter to arrive.

[Flailing in from here]

The third row of doors was the one he wanted. He stopped abruptly, panting, shining his flashlight down the seemingly deserted hall. On a second thought, he trailed it along the roof as well, and into all the corners. No one was here.

Stepping lightly, Peter approached M98, one ear cocked for any sign of a struggle inside. Unless Eddie's room was right next door, there was no way he would have had time to jump Harry and leave before Peter arrived. Right. Yeah. Everything was a-okay, because it was physically impossible to move that fast through all the hallways (unless your name was Quicksilver), and the door wasn't even broken down or scratched or anything.

That didn't stop him from imagining it. And alone, in the dark, with the memories of this morning still fresh in his mind, that was more than enough to scare the crap out of him.

He knocked on the door. "Harry? Are you in there?"

Harry jumped at the knock on the door, cursing as he knocked his crutch to the floor with what seemed to be an impossibly loud clatter. Peter had gotten here faster than he'd expected, not that he was about to complain. Sitting around waiting for him would've gotten old fast.

Reaching down he dragged his crutch back to him, trying awkwardly to ease himself upright as he called out, "Yeah, come on in Pete!"

Peter started at the sudden racket. In a panic he yanked the door open, and was impossibly relieved when he saw that it was only Harry, scrambling to get his crutch under him.

"Oh thank god," he breathed. He quickly tossed his belongings on the opposite bed and helped Harry steady himself. "So you're okay? No one else came here?"

Peter burst into the room before Harry could collect himself, acting like he expected to find him dead on the floor or something. That was the only thing that stopped him from slapping his hands away as Peter helped steady him on his feet, the embarrassment of actually needing that kind of help mostly forgotten in the face of his concern.

"Geez Peter! What's wrong?" he asked, tone somewhere between amused and worried. "Why would anyone else come by here?" It wasn't like he had any other friends here really. Harry hadn't spoken to his roommate for several nights now and hadn't formed any connections with anyone else really. Logan might be almost a friend but he had barely spoken to the man since that night with Brock and he didn't think anyone else had seen much of him either.

"What did you think had happened to me?"

Okay - okay. Nothing happened. He actually looked a little tickled at the attention, so Peter reluctantly took a step back and forced himself to calm down. Harry was on his feet now anyway, probably didn't need his help to begin with...

"Sorry." He licked his lips and glanced at the open door, then quickly stretched out an arm to pat it shut. "I thought Eddie might have...Okay, um, we can't put our room numbers on the board anymore. Or our last names, either." He cast his eyes to the floor, bashfully scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry for making you do it yesterday. It was a stupid move."

"What?" Harry wasn't entirely sure what Peter was going on about now. They couldn't put their names on the bulletin board? He thought Eddie might have-

Oh. Harry hadn't even thought of that possibility. Brock could track Peter or him to their rooms and who knew what would happen then? He had to be incredibly lucky that it hadn't happened before now. "Right. Damn. I didn't even think-"

Of course he hadn't thought, he never did! But now he was thinking about it so the least he could do was make sure he could check on Peter if ever needed to. "I should've thought of it too. I have been here longer. Let me write down your room number now, just in case." His Peter hadn't seemed so worried about Brock, even though he thought he had murdered Harry. It was reassuring the hear Peter finally taking the bastard seriously.

[Ack! Sorry for the double post. Needs moar icon emo...]

"I didn't either until tonight," Peter admitted. Too jittery to sit down, he took a place by Harry's desk and waited until the other man had fetched his journal. "I'm in M71. Uh - my roommate is Brainiac 5, in case you can't find me..."

Oh man, he really, really hoped that Clark had shown up by now. He didn't want to think of what might happen if Grell and Luxord did show up again, and Brainy had no means of defending himself. Maybe once they were done at the clinic, they should stop by and check to see if everything was okay.

With a sudden jolt he realized that he was drifting off again. He buried his face in his hands, his voice muffled beneath his palms. "I'm sorry, I'm just really freaked right now."

[Always needs moar Spider-emo!]

Writing down Peter's room number so that he could actually read it later took far too long for Harry's liking but he was grateful that Peter had known better than to offer to do it for him. He paused at the name of Peter's roommate, giving him an incredulous look, though he wrote it down all the same. Who would honestly name them self something like 'Brainiac 5'? And he'd thought Spider-Man was bad.

Putting the journal away, Harry turned back to his friend, frowning in concern at the way he stood, face buried in his hands like that. Limping closer he squeezed his shoulder in an attempt to reassure him and get his attention.

"Peter, what happened? You're freaking me out here." Harry paused, remembering what Peter had said just a moment ago. "Did you run into Brock? Are you OK?" Peter was so worked up, something bad had to have happened. It didn't make sense for him to be this upset just from realising Brock might try and track them down.

[And sexy, unscarred Harry... *licks ur icons*]

Perhaps another time he would have tried to justify his roommate's strange moniker, but he was too wound up to bother.

The sudden weight on his shoulder made him lower his hands, but he kept his eyes on the floor. "No, I'm fine. I haven't seen Eddie at all." It struck him a little odd that Harry would call him by his last name, but he supposed that was because he didn't know Eddie. For Peter, it was still hard to stop thinking of him as the big kid who used to play tag with him in the park.

He sighed before moving on. "But Brainy...he got into an argument or something with these two guys. And after I left last night, they broke into our room and..." he shook his head incredulously, "...I thought he was dead this morning. He was bleeding everywhere, even with the bandages. He was in a wheelchair all day. And then I talked to a guy at breakfast who'd gotten stabbed last night, and a woman who got mauled by a monster, and that's not even counting what Eddie did to you and Logan.

"I just - we have to stop it. You'd think people would stick together and try to escape, but everyone keeps fighting each other. People keep getting hurt..."

The first thing that went through Harry's mind when he heard what had happened to Peter's roommate was 'Thank god Peter wasn't there too'. Peter might have abilities beyond a normal human's but even he needed help sometimes. Like that night with Brock in the construction site. If he lost Peter again...

He hadn't though. Peter was here and he was fine, just upset because people he barely knew kept getting hurt. Typical Peter. Always worrying about everyone he met even when he should be thinking about himself.

"What do you expect, with guys like your pal 'Eddie' around?" Harry replied, more bitterly than he'd intended. Hopefully Peter would assume that his grudge against the man was solely due to what had happened here. Not that Harry really wanted to keep secrets from his friend - that was Peter's area after all - but there were some things it was just too difficult to talk about. "I don't think he cares about anything but getting his sick kicks."

Sighing, Harry squeezed Peter shoulder before giving him an affectionate shove. "You can't protect everyone Pete. And you'll kill yourself if you try." Like always, he was the one who had to keep Peter's feet on the ground. It seemed even more important with this younger Peter, considering how worked up he'd gotten over this. It was strangely reassuring to know he was still needed, no matter what else changed.

The bite in Harry's words was a shock. Peter found himself blinking up at him, dumbfounded. "He's not my 'pal'," he insisted, "not anymore..." And he wouldn't be. Not until he got rid of that suit and snapped out of whatever craze had taken over him.

But Harry meant well, if the shoulder squeeze was anything to go by. His mouth twitched, almost forming a smile. For a brief moment, he was reminded of exactly how grateful he was to have Harry back. He missed this. Even if the other boy was older - a lot older, and taller to boot - he was still the same guy, always ready to get him back on his feet no matter how many times he got knocked down. He thought of his own Harry, a monster cowering in the middle of a ruined street, begging to be killed, and desperately wished that he could have returned the favour.

"I know that. But I can't just pass people by and pretend they don't matter," he said quietly. "There was that guy on the board today, talking about patrolling the hallways. I think it's a good idea. It's a start at least. It'd be like home, just helping out whenever you find someone in trouble."

His eyes wandered over to the crutch again, and he was abruptly reminded of why he was here in the first place. He winced, slapping a hand to his forehead. "Oh, geez! Sorry. We should get going, shouldn't we?" They had to get a move on before the night ended, and who knew when that would be?

[Sorry for being slow! Waking up at 5 am = very dead!]

Harry really didn't think a hallway patrol would achieve anything. The building was just too large to cover all of it and even if you were just sticking to certain areas, how did they expect to help anyone when they were just as impaired by being stuck here as everyone else? Never mind that the whole thing just seemed a waste of time. The rooms were safe so if anyone felt they couldn't take care of themselves they should just stay there. If they didn't then they should be ready to deal with whatever might happen. Not that Peter ever saw things that way.

Before he could say anything, Peter reminded him why he'd come here in the first place. Harry could hardly believe he'd managed to forget in the first place, but Peter had been pretty worked up when he arrived. He had a feeling that might become normal though.

Chuckling he replied, "Yeah, we should. If we get caught right outside again I don't know what I'll do." Wrestling with the crutch to at least try and get it sitting more comfortably, Harry headed over to the door, nudging it open and moving slowly out and along the hall.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/607052.html?thread=50938956#t50938956)]

Forte had eaten silently, trying to calm down from his conversation with Sheena. Well, that wasn't quite right, he was strangely calm, unlike his usual self. But he was trying to compose himself before he went to meet Depth Charge, and didn't want to... to break out into tears or something completely embarrassing. He wasn't even sure what had just happened.

Either way, he pretty much ignored Harry (again), and as soon as his door unlocked, he grabbed his flashlight and slipped out into the dark hall. He took another few moments, and deep breaths. Not wanting to keep Depth Charge waiting too long, though, he finally started down the hall, hoping he was presentable enough.

When night came, Steve's room mate left in a hurry. He took his time getting ready though, taking his radio, flash light, and maps. He knew where he was going to go. Steve was going in without any backup or support, something he had advised everyone he knew not to do what he was doing right now.

He felt like a hypocrite, but everyone else had their own plans. Steve set out to make his way to the entry room, he wasn't going to abandon his plans.

[Going here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/605600.html?thread=50825888#t50825888)]

Though the offer had been there, Subaru hadn't quite been able to make himself respond to the Lost and Found message board post. So he was without a partner to accompany him tonight, and therefore probably should just stay in his room again. It was frustrating, but there was a limit even to his lack of common sense--going out alone, this badly injured, was just asking for some monster to finish the job that patient had started.

Subaru didn't have to like the idea, though.

[from here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/605600.html?thread=50966176)

When Hokuto stopped by a door, Falis assumed it was Subaru's and noted the room number. She had been content with her girlfriend holding her hand as she escorted Hokuto to meet her brother as the princess was still being far more tactile than normal. Not that she noticed she was doing it or not.

With an internal lamenting sigh, Falis pulled Hokuto to her, leaning back against the door and forgetting that she had the spears across her back which would make it sound like someone could have been knocking. Looking her girl deep in the eyes, she said, in a low voice, "You better be fucking careful tonight. You're mine and no one's taking you from me - no nasty beastie, no other person, no vulture. You're mine, got it?"

She didn't wait for an answer. She just kissed Hokuto.

Hokuto kissed back, with a lot less restraint than she should have showed in public. Hey, this wasn't Japan anyway.

"Good hunting. But you take care of yourself, too."

Mmmm... Falis certainly did enjoy Hokuto's enthusiasm.

"Aa. No promises, pretty girl, but I'll see what I can do," the princess replied, running her fingers through Hokuto's hair again. She then gave the other girl a soft, sweet, gentle kiss before slipping out from her spot against the door.

"Don't keep your brother waiting," she said before winking and heading off the Ami's room, her limp only a little noticeable.

[to here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/604243.html?thread=50716755#t50716755)

Hokuto smiled and waved, watching at least until Falis was out of sight. She could still feel the sensation of their kiss; she touched a hand to her lips for a moment, and then turned to Subaru's door.

She could have knocked first, but she'd always let herself right into Subaru's room before, and she was still a creature of habit in some ways. So, she simply opened his door and walked in. "Good evening."

Subaru had started to doze off, then the strange rattling against his door woke him. He lay in bed, tense and wondering if whatever was outside was going to try to come in, but nothing happened and he slowly started to relax. He'd almost fallen asleep again when the door opened after all, and he was half-sitting with an ofuda in his hand before he recognised his sister. "... Hokuto-chan."

"How are you?" Hokuto came over and sat next to him, inspecting his injuries. He really didn't look good... if he'd gone out alone like this she would've never let him hear the end of it.

Taking care of Subaru had priority; if he was too badly hurt to go anywhere, they would just hang out tonight.

Subaru didn't fuss about Hokuto examining his face and eye, because at least that way he could keep the worse injuries to his back somewhat to himself. Yes, Hokuto knew that there were bandages around his torso, but the extent of the wounds there remained Subaru's secret thus far. ... No one would ever let him out of his room again if they found out the truth.

Hokuto was not happy with what she saw, and fortunately for Subaru she didn't do anything like take off his shirt to check the damage there. Unhappy, she just shook her head and looked at him. "Be honest--are you in any shape to go out? I still want to go to Patient Possessions, but we're staying right here if you're not up for it. It's not urgent."

Well... he needed mirrors, but there wasn't much point in getting them if he couldn't go out and use them yet anyway. ~~And as much as she wanted to have a wardrobe again, that could wait.~~

Subaru wanted to ask why Hokuto wasn't with her club tonight, but somehow he got the feeling that it might be a bad idea. Instead, he gave Hokuto a slight smile and told her the honest truth about how he was feeling--or at least the optimistic version of the honest truth. "I'm feeling well enough, I think. I'd rather retreat from any fights if we run into trouble, though."

Of course, with Hokuto present he would have wanted to do that in any case. Subaru wasn't confident of his ability to protect anyone, in this place--his failures were piling up rather more rapidly than his few successes--and losing Hokuto again was simply not an option.

"Okay." Hokuto didn't like fighting for real, and she wanted to keep Subaru out of harm's way regardless. And of course he's thinking the same thing...

She didn't have the Institute's layout anywhere near memorized, but she still knew exactly where their goal was! Taking out her map, she studied it thoughtfully. "We should stay on the first floor as long as possible, I think--I know the Sun Room isn't safe, but so many people go in anyway that we shouldn't have to worry about running into much in that hallway. So, it looks like we should go past the doctors' offices to the stairs there."

Subaru was very glad he wouldn't need to argue with Hokuto about retreating from battle. Of course, that left the matter of what they would do if they happened on someone clearly needing help--would either of them be able to turn away, even for their own safety? Only time would tell, but it made Subaru nervous to know that Hokuto's safety was on his thin shoulders tonight.

The plan Hokuto explained sounded as good as any, to Subaru--he suspected most areas were as "safe" (or rather, not) as any other, with the obvious exceptions of the Sun Room and kitchen. "That sounds good."

Hokuto folded her map, slipped it into her pocket, and stood up. "I'm ready to go if you are."

[[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/605600.html?thread=51284384#t51284384).]]

[from here]

Badou remembered to knock before he let himself into Alle's room. He didn't expect anyone to be there by now anyway, but he didn't exactly have many friends who weren't at least twice as dangerous as himself... And, well, this was a favour to him so he tried to be remotely polite about it.

He was sort of surprised they were there, honestly. Even though Alle had offered them - more than once? - with no strings attached, he expected them to be empty or made of chocolate or full of some insidious substance. But they were cigarettes. There weren't any insidious substances left to add. Badou pocketed the pack and, after a moment's thought, fished out his paper and one of the pens.

Dearest Alle,

My love for you is as bounteous as the sea. Except, you know, more epically fucking awesome. Also not gay.

Thanks for the smokes.

P.S. Don't be an emofag.

He wasted less than a minute sketching a giant robot with Alle's hair stomping on the (flaming) institute before heading back out. He really had to consider a career in art if he got out of here. Alle and Okita could be the first fans of his therapeutic drawing skills.

[back here]

Edited 2009-04-25 01:57 (UTC)

Surprisingly, the last few nights seemed to have caught up to him, and by the end of the 2nd shift he decided to let a nurse escort him back to his room so he could get some rest. Yet it was even more surprising when he awoke to find the room to be pitch black, blinking tiredly into the darkness.

Of course, the obvious answer was that he slept into the night, but when realization finally struck him the God General cursed loudly.

In an instant he ripped the covers off him before digging under his bed to grab his notebook. He didn't bother to bring his flashlight, knowing he'd have no use for it tonight, and in seconds flat he was out the door and running down the hallway.

[To here.]

As soon as he woke, Phoenix couldn’t remember what he had been dreaming about. That didn’t stop him from starting up with his heart in his throat, hairs prickling along the back of his neck, pulse pounding deafeningly in the echoing silence of the room. He released a slow, shivering breath, then grumbled something inarticulate and irritated, rubbing a hand over his face. He couldn’t even pull a specific image or narrative from his mind, just the certainty of threat and the fear of something coming at him slowly, inexorably-

Get a hold of yourself, Phoenix. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, standing slowly before going to the closet to get dressed. He’d meant to just take a short nap once he finished dinner, certain that the lights-out announcement would wake him, but obviously it hadn’t. On the up side, at least, his head was feeling much better. He hoped that meant his reflexes were better, too – especially with plans as they stood now.

Making sure that Godot’s flashlight still worked, he packed the rest of his pillowcase silently and left the room without a glance back. He had an appointment he couldn’t afford to be late to.

Edited 2009-04-25 05:27 (UTC)

Allelujah made sure that the cigarettes were safely secreted in the desk drawer before he left the room. He wasn't certain when or if Badou would be turning up, but he didn't want to leave them in plain view if he could help it. That was just asking for trouble. After that, he gathered his things up and slipped out into the darkness of the corridor, no real plans in mind, but he could think of something as he walked, right?

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/608974.html?view=51098574#t51098574)]

Night 40: M91-M100 Hallway

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