damned_institute | Nightshift 43: M11-20 Hallway

Where the hell was Pierson?

Yet another thing that Indy didn't like. The nurse had reassured him that Dad had gone home--although he trusted her about as far as he could throw her--but she hadn't said a word about his roommate. Had Pierson's number come up for the experiments tonight, or had he had a run-in with a Zombi last night that'd left him incapacitated--or worse? Indy needed to find out.

Right now, though, he had a full dance card. He changed quickly into his adventuring gear and coiled the whip in his right hand, hoping that shoulder wasn't going to be a problem in swinging. The map got tucked into his jacket pocket, but the flashlight stayed where it was. He'd need a free hand if he was going to carry a lit torch around. Besides, Indy was confident he could make it as far as the next hall in the dark.

He stopped at the door to look back--force of habit--but then opened it and set off, alone.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/702746.html?view=57816090#t57816090)]

Iris' strange announcement roused Hitsugaya from his sleep. The first thought that crossed his mind was that he had a mission, something to give his mournful body a purpose tonight, something he desperately needed.

As his padded feet touched the cool floor, his eyes were drawn to the new items in his room, splayed out on his desk. This is... His fingers reached for the hauntingly familiar blade, which he recognized as Haineko...

"That's impossible..." he whispered. This was Matsumoto's blade, with her... gone... Haineko shouldn't even be here, yet it was staring at him in the face.

Wrapping his fingers around the handle, he felt for Matsumoto's partner. It might not have been his zanpakuto, but he should've at least been able to feel a spiritual presence. He felt nothing. What that meant or how he should feel about that he wasn't sure. Should he be happy that Matsumoto's partner passed on with her; should he be saddened by the reminder of his fallen comrade, no, his friend?

He didn't even know how the katana came to be there. Was Landel or Iris trying to mock him with a fragment of his former Vice Captain? He wouldn't let it get to him. It was better to think that this was somehow a parting gift from Matsumoto. An unlikely, near impossible thought, but it was better than the alternative.

There were some other items, including what looked like a weapon of sorts. Perhaps a flamethrower? Hitsugaya saw similarities between the device before him and the one in the zombie movie Matsumoto made him watch.

Emptying his pillow case, he used it as a bag, pouring all the items in, save for the katana. Making a hole in the pillow case with his katana, he hefted his makeshift backpack over his shoulder. He'd think about this later. Right now, he needed to meet up with his team.

Time had passed between Kakashi's visit from Gary and the beginning of night. Kakashi knew this because he'd been moved, fed, and made it through to page 47 of his book. He might have read more in that time, but the jounin was nothing if not thorough, and he refused to deny any word the devotion and wonder that it was due.

Of course, as absorbed as he was in his newly-gotten novel, Kakashi hadn't missed the announcements. He had an important announcement to keep this night shit, and while IRIS 'spoke' nonsensically, he quickly changed into his night clothes. The few remaining scalpels Kakashi had were tucked away, along with the knife he'd found last night. And his book, of course. There was no forgetting the book.

Bidding Dias a good night--or at leas as good of one as any of them were likely to get--Kakashi took his flashlight and headed into the hall. It was still early, but for once, the jounin wasn't going to be late. He didn't know why Sasuke wanted to talk to him, but Kakashi didn't want to leave his team down a man for too long. It was possible that he could still catch up with them later on.

Then, he'd just need an excuse.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/705712.html?thread=57883056#t57883056)]

Night fell and brought with it more bizarre intercom announcements, but Yue barely noticed in the face of yet another reminder of how powerless the Institute had rendered him. The transformation from one form to another came without warning or will, stirring him all unwelcome from his half-doze. It was rather jarring in and of itself, akin to having one's bed abruptly tipped over during a peaceful nap, and the fact that it did surprise him rather than being triggered by him as it should have been only irritated him further.

He only vaguely acknowledged Ken's departure, then turned his focus inward once more. If they'd made any specific plans for the evening he didn't recall them, and Yukito only confirmed that there wasn't anything he'd forgotten. It was certain that he and Touya would go to collect Sakura at her room, but otherwise nothing had been decided.

Well, he didn't intend another trip to the basement tonight, not after the night they'd had. But the issue for the moment was whether he should go get Touya, or wait for the other to arrive here. The former made more sense, honestly, since Touya's room was on the way out of the block, but if they both left it was entirely possible that they'd miss each other in the hallway, given the vagaries of space and time in this place.

And so the guardian yielded control to his other form once more, though this time he remained alert and aware. Yukito promptly moved to the closet and fetched an unopened package of cookies from his stash, then carefully settled down onto the bed to eat while he waited. Touya probably wouldn't be too long, knowing him.

(From here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/702746.html?thread=57928730#t57928730))

True to form, he didn't take long. In fact, if possible, he took even less time to get to Yue and Yukito's room, even if it was only a few hallways down. Once he arrived at the familiar door, and checked the number on it, he knocked--perhaps a little more urgently than was necessary.

"Yue?" he called, clearing his throat to try and dispel the panicked note in it. "Yuki? I need to talk to you--it's important."

The overabundance of hair it is not "overabundant" that came with being in Yue's form was something Yukito was still getting used to, and he was almost finished braiding it when the rather loud knock broke the quiet in the room. He pushed to his feet again, frowning slightly at how worried Touya sounded, and went to open the door.

"Touya?" he asked, tying off the end of the braid and pushing it behind his back again. "What's wrong?"

Touya's eyes flicked between the braid and the expression on Yue's face. Alright, that was Yuki--he thought. Though it could switch at any moment. It wasn't something he'd want to talk about with another person in the room, but it was a little inevitable right now. But what if Yue thought he was a stalker too...?

"Can... can I come in? For a moment? Before we get Sakura?" He really hoped Yukito wasn't getting the wrong idea. Like the 'Now That We're Officially Together, I'm Going to Jump You In Your Room' wrong idea. "I need to talk to you." Talk. Just talk. Not take more creepy pictures of you.

"Of course." Yukito stepped back again, pulling the door wider with a look of clear concern. What could possibly have happened to -- oh.

He'd been fortunate enough to not get a visitor this week, but maybe Touya hadn't been quite so lucky. There hadn't been much else going on today that could've upset him, not that Yukito could think of, so that seemed most likely.

"Did...someone visit you today?" Hopefully not his father. And had someone come to see Sakura, too? Was she also going to be upset?

"Uh, yeah," Touya replied, entering the room. He was halfway to sitting on the bed, when he straightened up suddenly. No, he couldn't give Yukito the wrong idea, especially not with the subject he was about to breach.

"Nakuru came to visit me today," Touya said, crossing his arms and looking off at the wall. "She said I was her boyfriend. I tried, I really tried to let her down gently, but then she started saying all this stuff... and..."

He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair agitatedly. "And she brought up those pictures I found in the box. My box. The ones that looked like they'd been taken when you weren't looking. She told me that I have a... 'weird' relationship to you."

At this point, all Touya wanted to do was hold Yukito and reaffirm that he'd never do anything like that, and that his affection was not obsession and never would be. But he restrained himself--he didn't want to scare him.

"Yuki... I care about you more than anything else--you have to tell me if I actually took those photos. If you think I would do something like... stalk you."

It was clear that Touya was upset by the visitor, and the little frown Yukito wore only grew deeper with worry. At the name of the visitor, though, he stiffened, eyes narrowing into an expression more befitting his other half. Indeed, it sounded much more like Yue as he spoke, as well.

"Nakuru?" he echoed, folding his arms across his chest. He had seen the photos of her and Touya, but had subsequently dismissed her from his thoughts as unimportant. Of course she had to return in person. "Of course she would -- but, ah, you'd never met her other form, had you."

He glanced away, frowning slightly as he considered, then finally shook his head. "I'd not trust a word she said in reality, much less any semblance of her that this place could conjure up. Akizuki Nakuru - or rather, her true self, Ruby Moon, was quite upset when you chose to give to Yukito what she wanted instead."

'True self'? 'Other form'? Crap, he didn't mean that...

"So she's like you," Touya said, sounding even more miserable. "She's a guardian. And obviously a guardian for one of Sakura's enemies--she was gushing all over the place about how well she and Sakura got along, and how terrible you were to her. I didn't believe it. I couldn't believe that Yuki had done something like try to hit her."

He thought back over the conversation briefly. "She also said that you accused her of not wanting Yukito to get better. So, this thing that I gave Yukito instead of her... it was my power?"

God he hoped it was. Because the only other thing he could think of was his affection and attentions, and he didn't even want to think about the catfight that might have ensued should it get out in Tomoeda that Yukito and Touya were going out.

One of Sakura's enemies? At the time Touya was from, certainly Eriol was acting the antagonist, though not from any malicious intent. Yue didn't entirely believe the same of Ruby Moon, of course, given her own temperament, but still - the answer was far more complicated than Yue wanted to give details on.

He remained silent for a moment, then sighed faintly and agreed, "Something like that. Yukito never did a thing to her. She and I, however...have had an encounter." And the less detail in that, the better. Even speaking of the guardian who'd replaced him was profoundly discomfiting.

"And yes. It was." His gaze flicked back to Touya again. "Presumably because we share the same aspect, even if her master was able to maintain her. She did become somewhat less, ah, clingy after you'd gifted it to us."

"Well she's still clingy," Touya said, sighing. "And she thinks I'm stalking Yukito. Those pictures are proof. And when I told her that... I cared about Yukito she became upset."

He'd really been a jerk, now that he thought about it. Brainwashed or no, she still had feelings. If he had come to Yukito, so full of emotion and affection, and Yuki had said those types of hurtful things, Touya wouldn't have been able to stand it. And she was no doubt hurt very much...

"And, no offense, but whatever she is... was... the problem is that she's turned my head inside out. I know I can't trust what she says, but..."

He backed up and sat down on the dresser, contemplating something. The next moment, he was standing. "Nevermind, let's just get Sakura." He couldn't talk about this in front of Yue, and he couldn't demand to talk to Yuki. He was stuck for now.

Perhaps another time Yukito would have simply allowed them to move on without comment, accepting that it truly was nothing. But Touya had sounded so distressed earlier, and the sentence that he'd let trail off into nothing was clearly leading into something - and he well remembered his own reaction to the visitors he'd received the week before.

Yukito stepped forward, feeling Yue settle into an icy knot of tension in the back of his mind, and reached out to rest a hand lightly on Touya's arm. "But what, Touya?" he asked, gently. "Something is still wrong. What is it?"

Touya looked down at the hand on his arm. God this switching thing was going to take some getting used to. First Yue was going on about Nakuru being a guardian as well and the problems this posed, and now Yuki was back and concerned for the point Touya had actually wanted to talk about.

"...those pictures. In the box. She said my relationship with you was... weird. Obsessive." Touya sat back down, leaving enough room for Yuki if he wanted to sit too. Was that too weird?

"I mean, what if I did take those? In the future? When I wasn't confident enough to... tell you what I felt. And I have like... stalker-tendencies buried in me. What if I'm already obsessed?"

There, it was out. That was all he could do was let it out there.

"Touya..." Yukito lowered himself to sit beside Touya with a faint wince (that bite on his leg really did hurt far more than it should) and shook his head a little. "That's what the visitors do, they tell you lies with just a hint of truth, just enough to make you doubt yourself."

He certainly knew about that, after last week. It was almost fortunate that Touya and Sakura had appeared here for real after their "visit," else he might still be harboring those doubts.

"I don't believe that about you," he continued, reaching over to rest his hand on Touya's. "I don't care what she said, I don't think it's possible."

Touya gave a short laugh, looking down at his and Yuki's hands. "It's not possible for me to care too much? I don't know about that, I... already feel like I'm standing too close. Like I'm going to scare you if I approach too quickly."

He put his hand over Yuki's and looked over at his friend. "You know how everyone at school is with me. They're either weirded out by me, or they think I'm the greatest thing since instant curry--but they don't know anything about me. You do. You're... you're my only friend, and I don't want to lose you from pushing too hard."

Now that was a little startling to hear - Touya was afraid of scaring him away? Yukito blinked once, then smiled gently and shook his head. "And you know everything about me, too," he replied, leaning in a little closer as though proximity would emphasize the sincerity of his words. "Both of me."

He paused, then lowered his eyes almost shyly. "After I found out the truth, about...about myself, and Yue-san, you told me not to worry about the false memories, because all the ones since I'd met you were real." His hand tightened slightly on Touya's for a moment before he continued, "In a way, Touya, you're the most real thing there is in this world, to me. And I'd never want to change that. Ever."

Even if he looked like Yue right now, Touya could keenly feel how close Yuki was to him. Part of him cautioned the other part to be slow and that showing the slightest sign of obsession would frighten Yukito away. And the part that wouldn't heed the warning told Touya that he was just as much the center of Yukito's universe as Yukito was his. They were both wound together in their own world.

"Sounds like something I'd say--especially if you were doubting yourself," Touya said, gently brushing a finger under Yukito's chin to encourage him to look up again. "But reality can be a dark, terrifying thing, and I don't want to scare you. I just want what you want, Yuki--I don't want to become something you're afraid of, and afraid to get rid of.

"So if I ever seem that way, you have to tell me. Okay?"

"I promise." It was an easy enough promise to give, when Yukito was quite certain he never would have to say anything of the sort, no matter what. He knew Touya likely better than anyone else, and simply couldn't imagine him ever giving a reason to be scared.

At the gentle prompt he lifted his eyes to Touya's again, as fond amusement quirked the corners of his mouth upwards. "All I want is for you to be happy, Touya. For both of us to be happy. Together."

Touya nodded, feeling as though a weight had been partially lifted off of him. He wasn't completely reassured (mostly because Yuki could be so accommodating sometimes, and polite to a fault), but it was good enough for now. The idea that he wasn't stalking Yuki for pictures was comforting.

At the same time, though, he realized that Yukito was very close to him. At least, their faces were close. It wasn't as though he'd never kissed anyone before and didn't know when the right moment was--this was probably classified as one--but they weren't exactly... alone. Yue was still listening, no doubt. On top of that, he'd never really kissed Yuki before. He didn't know when it wasn't appropriate, or if he liked that sort of thing.

So he went for the sort of middle-school type approach, to test the waters. "We're in that one together, then," he said. He leaned down to kiss Yuki's cheek softly.

Yukito had realized only a moment after Touya just how close they were sitting, and for an instant it seemed that his heart skipped a beat before pounding faster. It would be so easy to...and after their conversation the day before...but there was one small catch - and that would be the one whose body he was currently inhabiting.

Over the last week Yukito had become accustomed to being in Yue's form, but had still always remained acutely aware of the fact. It was rather difficult to forget, after all, when the guardian was permanently there with him, even if he wasn't paying complete attention all the time. But the fact remained that, no matter what he did, he'd have an audience...and felt somewhat awkward about doing anything without Yue's consent.

It wasn't difficult for Yue to notice Yukito's train of thought, though, especially considering the circumstances. The guardian gave a mental sigh and, with an inaudible rustle of feathers, drew back as far as he was able, as though he'd pulled his wings about himself to hide. Do whatever you want, he said silently, sounding only a little irritated. It's not my business.

Though he didn't entirely believe the second part of that statement, Yukito accepted the permission with a flash of gratitude in return (which Yue apparently ignored completely) and just smiled at Touya. The faint quirk of mischief in his eye was all the warning he gave, and at the last second he turned slightly, just enough for the kiss to meet his lips instead of his cheek.

Wait what.

Touya was certain his mind had started playing tricks on him, or it had imploded or something. Since when did Yuki do anything tricky like this? Aside from stealing food off Touya's plate and making it impossible for Touya to be grumpy by flashing that sweet, innocent smile. God damn he was cute.

Even if Touya hadn't been expecting it, though, the fact was that he was currently kissing Yuki--he'd given Touya the okay, it wasn't him being overly obsessive. They just... fit together this easily. He didn't back off, though he paused briefly before leaning in to the kiss and putting a hand on Yukito's shoulder. Oh he could get very carried away if this kept up.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the intercom began another announcement, and Touya's mood was gone in an instant. He instinctively drew Yukito closer, his complexion paling a little as the announcement went on... and didn't stop.

"...we should get Sakura," he said.

Yukito had realized that, especially with the worries he'd already mentioned, Touya wasn't going to actually do something unless he made a move first. And somehow it had been so easy, it hadn't taken much to be brave enough to shift just that little bit and show that he really did mean what he'd said.

Although Touya had been surprised, he hadn't objected at all, quite the contrary, in fact. And that was when the realization hit: he was kissing Touya. It was something he'd never dared dream of until now, when it was happening, and he didn't want it to stop.

That was the point when the almost-inevitable interruption occurred, of course. There always had to be something, didn't there? It could have been worse, Yukito supposed; at least this time it wasn't zombies.

He blinked up at the intercom in alarm, trying in vain to hide the slight blush that touched his cheeks when Touya pulled him protectively closer, and just nodded. They needed to find her anyway for a number of reasons, but that announcement was disturbing enough to them, so she would have to be scared. Hopefully she'd stayed in her room and hadn't come looking for them...

"We should," he agreed, both worried for Sakura and unwilling to leave. But the former was winning out, especially since Yue was concerned as well (I thought you weren't paying attention? he asked, and of course got no response) and wanted to find her. "She'll be worried. Do you know if someone visited her today, too?"

"I don't know," Touya said, getting off of the dresser and gathering his flashlight. "I didn't see her after Nakuru let go of me. They took me back to my room right after that."

If she had, they both needed to be there for her sooner rather than later. Touya didn't like leaving her by herself anyway, so the sooner they arrived at her room, the better for everyone involved. No doubt Yue was worried as well, considering screaming voices were echoing down the hallways and in the rooms.

"Come on," he said, taking Yuki's hand. "She needs us, yeah?" He smiled at Yuki, wishing they had more time to themselves. Unfortunately, that never seemed to be the case here.

(And off to here! (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/698750.html?thread=58204798#t58436478))

Now alone in the room (well, aside from the kitten), Edgar sat quietly, still taking in his surroundings. The device in the wall had suddenly come to life, only to crackle and die a moment later. He assumed it must be a normal occurrence, as his roommate had been so nonchalant about the whole event. Maybe he'd just been here a long time, and was weary of the situation. Being imprisoned could surely do that to a once-interesting fellow.

He eyed the audio device in the wall, deciding not to dismantle it at the moment. The doors were open- now would be a good chance to take a look at what was outside the room. On the other hand, with his roommate gone, now would be a prime time to see if he actually did have one of these small audio amplifiers. He was already forming ideas of what he could piece together from two of these devices.

The kitten looked at him disapprovingly. "I wasn't actually going to do it," Edgar said as he placed the various remains of his own device on the desk. "It was just a thought. I've got no business knowingly searching through another man's possessions. I'll leave that for the 'treasure hunters,' thank you."

A few more minutes to fiddle with his mechanical torch, and he was ready to go exploring.

[To here.]

He managed to pull his stare away from the intercom so he could focus on getting ready for the night. 'Virtual intruder detected'? The first thing he thought of was the LSA, but it didn't take long to push that aside; if they were in Limbo, there was no way the LSA could know about their situation. He had helped them get into the DOD's system that time, anyway, though why Sal had continued to make a big deal out of it even after he'd skipped town, he didn't know; it would only have been a matter of time before the next grade-A chump had been hung out to dry.

Maybe he had been the only one.

[to here]

Ah, traversing through the halls once again. While Luxord had the notion that he should perhaps find Grell and assist in... whatever the God had in mind, he wasn't particularly feeling any excitement as he wandered down the dark, empty halls. It was all old hat, by now. How long had it been? At least a month, if not more, of this same thing.

If Martin Landel truly wished to keep them on their toes, he would have more of those surprises as he had the night before. One needed to shake things up to keep things entertaining! As it was, Luxord could preform a one-man musical as he paraded down the corridors and it would be far more interesting than anything Landel had accomplished thus far.

...Oh. That was intriguing.

It was only for a brief moment, but the Gambler could have sworn he saw... Hm.

Any sane man would have shrugged it off as paranoia or stress, but X stopped and examined the area he could have sworn an extra door had been just a moment ago with contemplation and deep-thought. How... curious.

He walked on, paying attention to his surroundings for the first time in weeks in hopes that it would happen once again.

[This way~ (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/703215.html?thread=58048239#t58048239)]

Edited 2009-09-01 00:09 (UTC)

Kratos was caught off guard by the strange intercom message but quickly dismissed it as he strapped on his boots and grabbed his sword from its spot in the closet. That the nurses had never discovered the full-length longsword was just another mystery in the mass that made up the Institute.

He left the room and began walking briskly down the hallway.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/702746.html?thread=57980186#t57980186)]

Javert couldn't deny the fact that he was intrigued. It was entirely possible--likely, even--that all of this was merely a ploy on Landel's part, an attempt to make the patients believe that they were winning, but that didn't mean he couldn't wonder about all of it.

He pondered the newest message as he dressed and belted his sword to his side with a loop of bedsheet. Why had the password been incorrect, for one? He had a feeling those meant the same thing as they had in his time; ostensibly someone was attempting to gain entry to information of some sort. Presumably someone other than Landel, or the password wouldn't have been incorrect.

Curious.

Tying off his makeshift belt with one last knot and tucking the folded, empty pillowcase into a pocket, he straightened and headed out the door. He'd have time enough to ponder the mysteries of the intercom come morning.

There was something slightly amusing about listening to that idiotic "IRIS" thing go through a system crash, but Tanaka didn't let himself gloat. He packed up his usual supplies - forks in his pocket, umbrella strapped to his back - and, after a moment to double-check ZEX's location, followed his roommate out the door.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/702705.html?thread=58419953#t58419953)]

Kenshin's preparations for Nightshift had become so much a part of his day in his weeks at Landel's that it was almost ritualistic. He gathered his things, tied his sheathed sword to his hip, prepared mentally. He hoped that tonight, at least, they'd get something of a respite after the panic and general chaos of the night before. It would have been the polite thing to do. It wasn't like there was anything even remotely resembling human decency in this place, but that was why hope constantly sprang eternal, right?

At any rate, tonight was going to be...interesting. The group that Homura had assigned him was large, larger than normal at any rate, and he wasn't sure how he would be able to manage so many people. Groups that big tended to be a handicap during the nights, not an advantage. They were louder, moved more slowly, and he had no idea if every member could fight well enough that he wouldn't have to constantly worry about protecting them. Kaoru he knew he could count on, and Hattori Heiji, but the others?

Almost as an afterthought, the rurouni grabbed the kitchen knife he'd acquired the night before and wrapped it in a spare bit of cloth. He had a feeling someone might be needing it tonight.

[going here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/702746.html?thread=58091546#t58091546).]

Edited 2009-09-01 05:48 (UTC)

Despite his lingering concern for Claude and Guy, Dias was actually in a fairly good mood by the time the doors unlocked. He'd had some decent meals, the undead monstrosities of the night before were an increasingly distant memory, and he'd had rather pleasant interludes with Celes and Nataku. All in all, it had been a good day.

However, there was one snag; with Claude and Guy indisposed, the group he'd been working with currently consisted of him and him alone. (He could have asked Celes to join him, but it had sounded as though she would be supervising Claude and Guy, so he'd opted against it.) It was said that progress couldn't even be made in the basement without a decent-sized group, which meant that either he needed to find one, or he needed to accept that he wouldn't be able to accomplish anything there tonight and opt to do something else. But really...aside from trying to leave the grounds of the institute, as some had been doing, which seemed like another journey best made with companions, he wasn't sure what sort of progress he could hope to make.

After some long thought, he'd finally decided to make for the basement anyway. There was a chance he might meet up with others on their way there and could pair up with them for the night, and if not...well, he might be able to at least do some reconnaissance on his own, even if he couldn't go very far in.

Stepping out of his room, he started moving with purpose, for once not having to check his strides for shorter legs. He had to admit, regardless of how much he'd come to value the companionship of Guy and Claude, being able to move at his own pace again felt good.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/703215.html?thread=58443247#t58443247).]

Klavier couldn't remember being ushered back to his room. His focus was fading in and out, like someone verging between wake and sleep. He couldn't focus on anything around him, let alone think. When he grasped awareness long enough, he tried as best he could to keep hold of it, but that led to a throbbing headache. Even then, all he could feel when 'awake' was despair and rage, his mind replaying that visit with Daryan in bits and pieces. Then he yearned to just blank out again so he didn't have to think about it anymore.

Forget the death penalty. Sedation had to be the single worse punishment in the history of mankind.

Suddenly, Klavier thought he could hear something. It was faint and distant, but the more he tried to focus on the sound, the louder it became. What was that? It was... familiar. A song? That was... Iris. Immediately, he snapped to focus (or the closest he's snapped to focus since getting drugged). He must have been hallucinating or something, because there was no way the institute was playing Goo Goo Dolls over the intercom. That didn't matter. All he did was focus on the song, even after it had long faded away, going over the melody in his head, the lyrics the only crisp complete thing in his head.

Woken by a song. Poetic, but true. Focusing on that song helped him regain himself, and he continued cycle through that old melody as he blinked and groggily sat himself up from where the nurse must have left him. The room was empty and dark. It was night already. He must have spent the entirety of dinner and the beginning of the night blanked out in a daze. How shameful.

He started to stand, but immediately brought himself back down again when a dizzy spell washed over him. Too much too quickly. He was still drugged. Dammit. How could he have let this happen? He was so thankful he'd had the immediate foresight to advise Kristoph against coming here tonight before completely succumbing to the drug (or was the thought of keeping Kristoph away the only thing that had kept him from succumbing immediately?). The last thing he wanted was to have his brother see him in this kind of pitiful--

He raised a hand to his mouth suddenly. A wave of nausea and anxiety had hit him so hard, he thought for a moment he might throw up. He was shaking. What was... going on? He felt sick. No, that wasn't it. It was an overwhelming distress, a cold pit of terror welling up in his stomach and going over him without restraint. Even without sedation, he likely wouldn't have moved. But he couldn't pinpoint why. An instinct? Was everything that had happened during the day finally catching up to him? ...Was it thinking about Kristoph?

Then he froze. All thoughts and melodies fleeing completely. Because he suddenly became aware of a horrible background noise that had been present since the moment he'd woken up. He'd heard it. But in favor of maintaining his sanity, he'd pushed it aside. But now that he was up he realized what the sound was... The distant sounds of people... screaming!

There was no doubt. They were people moaning in pain and yelling in terror. It was a collective, unidentifiable background roar. It might have been relatively faint, but to Klavier, it might as well have been blaring. What was happening?! What was that?! What were they doing now?! He tried to stand again, only to become dizzy again and plop back down into his seat.

Damn! He was helpless. He was useless! There were people getting hurt and he was stuck in his room unable to do anything! What was going on outside of that room? If people were being killed or tortured why would they actually go through the trouble of broadcasting it?

Where was everyone? Why was he alone? Where was Kristoph? Was he okay? Was anyone okay?! God, stop it. Please. Just stop it! STOP IT!! MAKE IT STOP ALREADY!! WHY WAS IT STILL GOING?! AARRGHHH!!

He grabbed his head, firmly covering both ears with his hands and shook his head back and forth. But it was no good. Through a garbled, broken announcement, the screaming was even louder. He could still hear it!! He squeezed his eyes shut. STOP IT! STOP IT!! STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!

But it wasn't stopping. It was swelling, either in volume or in the amount of voices being added to it. After several minutes, it had grown unbearable. Still grabbing his head, Klavier screamed at the top of his lungs, adding himself to that horrible chorus.

Edited 2009-09-17 18:15 (UTC)

Nightshift 43: M11-20 Hallway

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