damned_institute | Nightshift 45: Doctor's Office 1 (Daedalus)

Entry tags:

Nightshift 45: Doctor's Office 1 (Daedalus)

[From here]

The room inside was far more stark than the one she had visited last night; there were no bookshelves and even the desk seemed to lack the drawers and cabinets. Well, on the bright side, that meant less places to conceal traps.

Still, she was cautious as she entered the area, enclosed as it was. While the small size meant less places to hide, it also meant less places to run. If something did spring out at them, they'd be all the more pressed for space to fight it.

Besides the furniture, the only items of interest were a trio of pictures and a computer. Though no expert in the matter of electronics, Hime's interest gravitated towards the latter and she strode towards it purposefully.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

With a bit of a chuckle, Teresa put a hand on Allen's shoulder and ushered him into the room before her. Once inside, the warrior was not surprised by what she saw. The room was quite utilitarian for an office, but she was used to seeing such back at the Organization. She still wasn't sure if the handlers realized how many times she had sneaked into them when she was still a whelp. Of course, Orsay knew, but he'd caught her coming out of his once. That had resulted in a punishment she'd rather have not had happen. Public displays were rather tasteless, but the expression on Irene's face had been worth it.

Besides, as if the Organization had been capable of breaking the former Number One's spirit. Once a problem child, always a problem child.

While Hime went for the metal box Teresa had no clue what it did, Teresa picked up one of the pictures on the table by the desk. A young dark-haired girl. She looked like she was close to Clare's age in that particular one.

"What is that?" she asked the younger blonde without looking up.

Allen was surprised by Teresa's forwardness, but he let her usher him into the room anyway. It wasn't like he was planning on standing in the hallway, after all.

The room looked kind of like an office. It didn't look like Komui's, of course, since there was a distinct lack of the mountains of paperwork. Actually, there was hardly anything here at all. Whoever was in this office during the day was apparently really organized!

He wasn't sure what that box was, either. "I've never seen something like that, either," he said. Not that he could remember, anyway.

Sitting down the in the rather impressive chair - bare though the room might be, this doctor seemed to have no trouble with furniture - Hime took a moment to find the power switch and flick the computer on. To her mild surprise and satisfaction, the machine booted up with an electric hum. Considering how all the lights went out, she wasn't sure if it would even turn on. Granted, the glow the computer screen cast a lighting on the room that was eerie in its own way, so she supposed it didn't contradict the setting too much.

Of greater interest to her was the reactions of the other two. While she wasn't surprised by Teresa's ignorance, considering her background and the state of her world, it was interesting that Allen had never seen a computer. Did this mean that, while he came from Earth, he came from some version of the past? In the context of how much he referenced religious mythology and demons, it made sense considering the modern world's general skepticism of such supernatural phenomenon, but Hime had simply assumed it was because, like Hiro, he was someone who just happened to be deep within the more mysterious side of the world, regardless of science.

"This," she said grandly, leaning back in her chair and watching the machine boot up with a smile, "is a computer. It's a machine that stores and processes data, be it written text, images or things far more complex than that." She was not about to try explaining the internet to these two. Besides, it wasn't really her thing. Hiro was the only one who used a computer at home anyway. "A hundred books, a thousand paintings, all of that can be hidden in this little box," she expanded, patting the computer tower.

A familiar (to anyone other than the three present in the room, anyway) jingle filled the office as the OS finished loading. Hime leaned forwards a little, hand going to the mouse in anticipation of the electronic exploration to come. Instead she was met with a rather obtrusive login screen.

"...it appears this little box of wonders is locked, however," she stated flatly, her gaze equally flat as she stared at the screen. Username? Password? And what were all these other boxes? Hime had a hard enough time navigating these infernal machines when she knew the answers.

She began typing random guesses in for the sake of at least trying and was predictably met with a red message of denial when she hit enter.

Whereas the metal box - computer - was certainly interesting and a wonder in itself, Teresa did not find Hime's manner of explanation worthy of the tone she'd used. As it stood, the warrior didn't know what a 'machine' was and didn't feel like asking. At least, not Hime. Perhaps she'd ask another. Or Allen will save her the effort and ask the girl himself.

Setting the picture down, Teresa turned to look at the computer. An entire library... in that? She didn't care for the humming noise it gave off.

When Hime stated it was locked, Teresa picked up the humming box in her hands, cords dangling from it, and looked the thing over. "Locked, you say?" Whether she was looking for a key hole or contemplating ripping the box open to get to the contents inside was anyone's guess.

Allen knew plenty well what a machine was, even if he didn't know what this computer thing was. It wasn't doing them any good if it was locked, though. He decided not to say that, since it would be pretty rude, but did she have to be a know-it-all about it? Not everyone knew everything!

He wondered how a whole library was in that box, Allen wasn't quite sure. That seemed somehow incorrect. But then, he'd seen plenty of things that weren't easily explained, so he decided to give it the benefit of the doubt.

"How do you unlock it, then?" he asked. He didn't see a keyhole or anything, so there was probably a trick to it. Whatever that trick was, though, he couldn't guess.

"Not physically locked," Hime explained in an unconcerned tone, a glance up as Teresa picked the computer tower up the only indication that she might prefer if the warrior didn't. After all, it would not be any great loss if she did rip it from the cords and tear its top off, which is why the Royal didn't bother with actually asking her to put it down. It didn't seem they'd be getting much out of it anyway.

"This one seems to need several passwords," she said, returning her attention to the screen and pointing at the blank boxes. "You type them using the keyboard and they appear on the screen." Which she demonstrated by quickly filling in the boxes with random guesses; she wondered if Allen knew what a typewriter was. She hit enter and was met with another error message.

"Unfortunately, I don't even know who the owner of it is," she admitted with a sigh, sitting back in her chair as she gave up on the machine. "So your guess as to what these passwords might be are as good as mine."

And by the look of things, there was truly nothing else of interest in this office. This device held it all inside of it and wasn't about to give up its secrets.

Teresa set the metal box back down none-to-gently and then glanced at the screen as Hime demonstrated what she meant. Ah. So it was that kind of lock. She supposed if a person could put a whole library into a mental box like that, they could stick a lock inside it too.

Grabbing one of the pictures, Teresa set it down before the girl. "A loved one," she stated. "Most likely one of the keys needed."

She then turned to look at the other two pictures. "What were you expecting to find in there - a journal?" Orsay always hid his journal against the underside of his desk. Perhaps this room's owner did too. But then, what was the point of the computer? Still, she fixed her gaze on the desk itself.

Allen felt like he knew something about this kind of password, but, that was impossible. He thought on it for a minute, but nothing actually came to mind.

Teresa probably had the right idea. After all, if Komui had some kind of password, it would probably have something to do with Lenalee. So why wouldn't someone else feel the same way?

"Maybe there's a clue somewhere?" The room was barren, but there had to be some sort of records kept in the place, didn't there? Even if they weren't in this exact room.

Hime glanced down at the picture, then over at the other two. They did seem to all portray the same girl, so it was obviously someone important to the doctor. Unless it was the doctor herself, in which case it was probably still important.

"Seems likely," agreed the princess. "But without a name, it's a moot point." A name, a name... if only they could access the doctor's journal, but as Teresa suggested, that was probably inside the computer itself. "That, or information on this facility. Perhaps some insight into what the people who run this place are thinking. Anything, really, that might tell us more about our situation."

She tapped her foot irritably on the floor, considering the situation.

"If there is, it's not in this room," she observed, giving the area another look-over. Other than the pictures and computer, there wasn't much to see. She stood up, deciding she'd had enough of the machine. There was no guarantee it held anything useful anyway. "Do we care to search the place more thoroughly, or shall we continue the expedition?"

Hime would normally have just announced the latter, but given Teresa's presence decided she might as well give the option of a group decision. She didn't believe Allen would have put up much protest either way.

When Hime moved, Teresa ran her hand along the underside of the desk. She encountered nothing to indicate there had ever been anything secured to it. If there was a journal, it seemed it would have been in the computer's library.

As the girl looked the room over again, Teresa walked back to the door, opened it, and leaned against the frame. She crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow and waited for the other two to make their way out. There was no point in vocally agreeing with something that was obvious.

"Do either of you know if there's any kind of records room? That might not have passwords, but it might have information on the people that work here. If it does, we could make a better guess at the, um, computer."

He had an all right sense of direction, but not really any idea where something like that would be. He really needed to get that map from somewhere! But for now, that was all he could offer.

Allen turned and followed Teresa over to the door. Staying here was a waste of time, since there wasn't anything else to look at.

After a brief check of the desk, it seemed Teresa agreed with Hime's sentiments, as did Allen. The boy even had a decent idea; Hime would have been intent with continued checking the other doctor's offices, but if they were all so useless, either booby trapped or password-protected, then there was little reason to check them again unless they were interested in stealing what items of small consequence might be about. Considering how last night ended, she wasn't sure it was worth it.

"If we're agreed, then let's be off," she said with a nod, exiting the room and once more taking the lead.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/760758.html?thread=62504374#t62582966)]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nightshift 45: Doctor's Office 1 (Daedalus)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject