damned_institute | Dayshift 42: Bus 2

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Dayshift 42: Bus 2

Before anyone could come to any decisions for their next move, the room suddenly filled with a thick fog. Faster than he could realize what was happening, it had filled up the entire room and swallowed every single one of his friends. Then there was that undeniable stench of iron, blood and... he last remembered taking a step back and feeling that slippery skid and the realization of what that was. By the time he yelled, he was sitting straight up in his bed like he'd bolted awake. Like it'd been nothing more than a bad dream. ...What the hell just happened?!

"Oh! Good morning!" The nearby voice made him yelp with a half squeak-like noise. Oh, for hell's sake. It was one of those freaking nurses again. She was beaming at him like nothing had happened at all. Before he could so much as ask one question, the hag started blathering real fast about some field trip and buses and getting changed and hurrying up before everyone left without him and... OH MY GOD, WHAT WAS SHE DOING?! She was grabbing at his shirt like she was about to start helping him get dressed (or undressed in this case).

He flailed in a desperate attempt to get away from her and yelled his consent to go along if she would get out and let him change HIMSELF. What was the matter with her?! Thankfully, she left but told him to hurry. Hell if he knew what she'd do if he took too long. So for the sake of not getting freaking stripped, he quickly changed into the clothes she'd left on the bed. Clothes being the ugliest looking white-and-black track pants he'd ever seen and a bright blue sweatshirt with a cute little penguin design on the front. This was some kind of joke, right? ...Not to say the penguin wasn't cute or anything but there was no way, no way, he was wearing something like this in public.

But the nurse had burst right in again, and before Kanji could offer much protest, he was being pulled down the hallways and through the doors of the bus. He'd yelled some things her way, but she totally wasn't listening at all. By the time they stopped, he was standing at the front of the bus with a paper bag and the nurse had run off to cart another poor sap along. Frickin' PERFECT. For the sake of not standing up there like some kind of zoo animal for everyone to stare at, he plopped himself into one of the seats by the front and sighed in complete exasperation.

[Free. No limit.]

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Utterly disgruntled, Sechs grumbled out a string of profanities under his breath. The Replica looked down at his lunch bag with a somewhat comical pout. "But..." he protested, dropping the pills back into the sack, "this food is for babies, not me!"

Yet despite his complaints, Sechs sighed and reluctantly took out an orange slice. Once he popped the piece of fruit into his mouth, the Replica made a sour face but continued to bitterly chew the food. When he managed to force the orange down his throat it was at that moment that Sechs realized just how hungry he was. His stomach literally wrenched with emptiness. He had been so busy with the pain in his arm and his constant state of confusion and anger that he hadn't noticed his hunger. Quickly, he took out more slices and ate them with gusto. The oranges tasted like crap but at least they would get his stomach to shut up...

Armand's answer set off a spark of aggravation in Sechs' mind. He shot a scowl at his seatmate but said nothing. "The guy certainly has a point..." Sechs grudgingly thought to himself as he chewed on another orange slice. The Replica straightened out from his slouch to get a better look at his fellow passengers. Most of them gave off no sign of wanting to be there. And what about Will? Or Fai and Subaru? Surely they must have been more than capable of escaping this place?

A taint of worry came over the Replica's eyes. He looked away from Armand and stared through the window, his posture reverted back to its usual slouch. Nothing outside resembled the lands or cities he came from. Where were they?!

Keeping his gaze away from the inside of the bus and his seatmate, Sechs quietly asked, "you're not saying everyone is... trapped here, are you..?"

"I am saying that. That exactly," Armand replied sadly. This was a question he didn't mind answering in the least. "We would all dearly prefer to be somewhere else, but many have decided that we should destroy Dr. Landel and his work first. I think that is a wonderful idea. I don't know if I'll ever recover from what the man's staff did to me." Or even the man himself for all that Armand knew. He vaguely recalled that the doctor who had tampered with him was male, but he never could see a face or even focus on the voice well enough to tell if it was one he recognized.

He finished his muffin almost delicately. Armand didn't like making anything messy, even in this outrageous excuse for clothing. "You seem smart enough to realize that even baby food is better than no food. If it helps you feel any better, we usually get the means to buy much better food in town."

"Good!" Sechs barked after shoving down his last orange slice. "A warrior like me can't eat just fruit and yogurt! I need meat and stuff!" Maybe this town has a hot dog stand or something...

Sechs shifted a bit in his seat to relieve the cramp in his legs, yet his efforts only gained him an inch of room. Either the bus was made purely for very short people or Sechs was just too tall. The Replica grumbled to himself as he crossed his arms, careful not to agitate his braced wrist. "I'd be no more than happy to help in the cause!" he growled. Anyone who got in the way of Sechs' goals deserved no less than total annihilation. No thanks to Landel, he was probably missing the tournament right now! No way in hell could he expect Elf and Zwölf to fight the next match for him. He had no doubt that those two cowards would run for it as soon as they didn't have him or Alita to do most of the fighting.

Sechs paused. He turned away from the window to look at his seatmate, a concerned expression replaced his sulking frown. "Wait a sec... They did something to you...?"

"Thank you. You should--" Armand winced. Another question. Well, Sechs seemed uncouth and ignorant of their situation, but Armand would guess he wasn't a bad person. Alec was a much worse person, but seemed to make an effort to be better around his friends. So there likely wasn't harm in telling him.

Thinking about how much to answer before actually answering brought a sweat to Armand's face. He fumbled for a napkin to wipe his brow while he answered. "Yes, they did. I was injected with something that has made me unable to lie. And--please don't tell anyone this--I am forced to answer all direct questions. Honestly, if that wasn't obvious."

Still revealing that much made him feel vulnerable, and since these modern clothes didn't offer much protection or modesty, Armand would dearly love to curl up into a huddle until he felt better. He kept his eyes averted from Sechs now, afraid that they would betray much more than his mouth had been forced to say. "As I was saying earlier," he said, "if you're interested in fighting, you should check out one of the clubs."

Sechs was always a seeker of truth, mainly through his efforts in combat. Whatever outcome the battle ended with would grant the answers he needed in his quest to understand the world.

Yet the way Armand explained his predicament troubled Sechs. It was now apparent to the Replica that Armand's stress was due to what happened to him. The guy was practically sweating bullets! To be forced into telling the truth because of some injection... It left Sechs feeling rather sick to his stomach. That just wasn't right. No one should be forced into such things or be controlled by others. That sort of tyranny always got Sechs' anger boiling. He recalled how Will mentioned that the institute was used for experiments... What other kinds of sick things had been done on everyone here so far?

"Uhh...Um..." Sechs scratched the back of his head; he wasn't sure what to say. "Don't worry... I won't." Man this was awkward. Alita would have handled the situation way better than him. Unlike Sechs, she had way more experience with helping people. Sechs barely knew the guy, but so far he found no reason to dislike him. Hopefully his reassurance would help him calm down somewhat.

Sechs nodded, a hint of determination flickered in his yellow eyes. "Clubs, huh? I'll be sure to look into that."

The Replica figured he better give his seatmate a break, but he couldn't resist just one more question. He kept his eyes set on his seatmate. Lowering his voice, Sechs asked, "were you able to defend yourself at least? When they did...y'know..."

That strange new sort of outrage that Sechs had only started to experience lately was beginning to rise up within him again. Dr. Landel and anyone else involved in this institute had better not be taking advantage of those unable to fight back, because if they were...

Sechs' agreement not to tell people relieved Armand immensely. He sagged back against the seat, though he now nervously started shredding the damp bits of his napkin. He kept his eyes on that as though it was a most important task. "Thank you," he murmured.

When Sechs asked his question, Armand was almost ready for it. Well, ready for a question, not that particular question. He stiffened, as if afraid or affronted, then his shoulders slumped. His chin dipped lower against his chest. The required answer was more than quiet, it was nearly inaudible, though his shame. "No. I was rendered unconscious and awakened strapped to a table. There was nothing I could do except helplessly protest."

Since he was giving the story, he thought explaining one of the reasons he was uncomfortable with questions, except the sense of compulsion itself, would be a good idea. "When it was over, one of my rescuers indulged in asking salacious questions about my personal life. It was most humiliating. And don't you dare ask me what it was!" He did look up then, with his teeth gritted and an almost fierce expression in his usually mild eyes. "I do have friends, and some of them are very protective of me."

As Sechs listened to Armand, his expression shifted into a mixture of disgust and outrage. "What? No way... That's just complete, total...cowardly...bullshit!" He snarled through gritted teeth.

Sechs turned away from his seatmate as he angrily brooded to himself. Was that how they got him? Abduct him during his tune-up when he wasn't conscious?! Were those damn chicken shits too afraid to take on Sechs while he was still awake and in his prime?! No! They took him when he couldn't fight back and then stuffed him into a nearly powerless body! COWARDS!! They were just as bad as one of his past opponents, Whophon! That crazy bastard went out on his own way to hypnotize dozens of women to join his cult and then had them commit suicide right in the middle of the Z.O.T Tournament. Amongst the massive bloodshed, Sechs had only been able to save Misha... In a lot of ways what this Dr. Landel was doing was similar to Whophon, take people against their wills and force them through terrible things... It absolutely disgusted Sechs.

The Replica's aggravation completely bubbled over, killing off his appetite in the process. His clutched his lunch bag so tightly that his grip threatened to disembowel the sack of its contents. His right hand reflexively tightened into a fist, but the combination of the immobilizing wrist brace and the pain that shortly followed made Sechs visibly wince. He hunched over and glared at the seat in front of him with such intensity that he could have burnt holes right through it.

This completely pissed Sechs off. The fact that he had been abducted by some cowardly doctor offended him to no end. Yet he also felt angry about what happened to everyone else. Such a feeling perplexed the Replica. Why should he care about Armand and all the other strangers in the bus? Sechs was too busy with the Z.O.T.T and his quest for what qualified a true warrior! He had no time for this! These people didn't mean anything to him! Why should he care?! Yet... something inside him felt differently on the matter... What the hell was going on with him?!

Sechs returned Armand's gaze with a single yellow eye. "Now don't you put me on the same level as those stupid tyrants behind all this!" Sechs snapped. "You're not the one who should be afraid of me," he growled. "It's Landel who should fear me and everyone else he's screwed with!"

Armand was secretly quite grateful that the "What?" hadn't registered with his psyche as a real question, though many rhetorical ones did. It meant that he was more or less in control of how he responded to Sechs. Simply telling the truth wasn't that difficult for him, so long as whomever he conversed with was reasonably polite. He'd tried to tell the truth most of the time anyway. However, every man had some things he wished to keep private. Questions left Armand vulnerable to those secrets being dragged from him.

He waved a hand reassuringly as Sechs declared that he shouldn't be afraid. He sat back again, letting the shreds of paper napkin drop from his fingers. The relief on his face was so profound it might be comical. "Thank you. I hope that Dr. Landel faces his well-deserved comeuppance from us all."

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Dayshift 42: Bus 2

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