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damned_institute2010-09-22 02:40 pm
nobleobliged.livejournal.com) wrote in damned_institute2010-09-22 02:40 pm
Entry tags:
- amaterasu,
- amelia,
- anise,
- asch,
- asuka,
- battler,
- bella,
- bridget,
- buzz,
- canada,
- carter,
- castiel,
- chise,
- claire bennet,
- claire littleton,
- claude,
- cloud,
- damon,
- edward cullen,
- endrance,
- erika,
- fai,
- franziska,
- gambit,
- germany,
- goku (dragonball),
- gren,
- guy,
- hanekoma,
- haseo,
- howl,
- indiana jones,
- isaac,
- ishida,
- izaya,
- javert,
- kairi,
- kanda,
- kaworu,
- kenshin,
- kibitoshin,
- kirk,
- klavier,
- kratos,
- l,
- leela,
- leon (so2),
- lightning,
- luke fon fabre,
- matt,
- maya,
- mccoy,
- mele,
- mello,
- mina,
- mitsuru,
- naruto,
- natalia,
- niikura,
- norman osborn,
- okita,
- peter parker,
- peter petrelli,
- prussia,
- ranulf,
- renamon,
- riddler,
- rika,
- rita,
- ritsuka,
- rolo,
- roxas,
- s.t.,
- sai,
- sakura,
- sam winchester,
- sasuke,
- scar (tlk),
- scott pilgrim,
- sechs,
- senna,
- shizuo,
- snow,
- soma,
- sora,
- spock,
- stefan,
- taura,
- tear,
- the flash,
- the scarecrow,
- tim drake,
- tomoe,
- trickster,
- two-face,
- von karma,
- woody,
- xemnas,
- yomi,
- yuffie,
- zack,
- zevran,
- zex
DAY 52: BREAKFAST
How one's body could maintain a waking schedule when sleep came unnaturally and in a room without windows, must surely be a mystery. Yet, as if working on cue, Natalia stirred well before her nurse arrived. That was normal. Less so, the weight that sought to press her eyelids closed again, the heaviness of her limbs that made lifting her hands to her face an effort. She put her wrist to her forehead with a frown, then attempted a jolt of energy – to swiftly dig her hands into the mattress and shove herself into a seated position, and from there, to her feet.
Not to overexert herself once again, but to refuse that it could be possible after sleeping. Happily, though all still felt leaden, her head did not swim. Encouraged, Natalia put on her slippers, rearranged the bedding, and waited. There came the announcement (reminding her, suddenly, of what she had last heard, and the guilt that had twisted in her gut, Jill--), and her face wrinkled with disgust at the hacking sound. Therapy and breakfast. Food would surely help.
Natalia did not wait long before her nurse opened the door, and after exchanging cursory “Good Morning”s (with rather more enthusiasm on the other woman's part), they began the walk to the Cafeteria. With, of course, the essential rest room stop, where water was splashed and scrubbed over her face, and her hair toyed with to no great satisfaction. At least the shower had renewed its body.
Separating in the Cafeteria, Natalia took her place in line and loaded her plate: eggs, fruit salad, fried “tater tots” (potatoes?), and curious meat wrapped in cooked dough. Some of everything, with juice and water. She thanked her servers, collected utensils and napkins, and found a seat at an empty table. It was early yet.
Sparing a brief look around to be sure no one she recognized had arrived – though she remained eager to greet every patient, at the moment she chose to focus on the possible strength gained from the meal – Natalia began to cut up the items and eat with a refined gusto. Entirely possible!
[Claude!]
Not to overexert herself once again, but to refuse that it could be possible after sleeping. Happily, though all still felt leaden, her head did not swim. Encouraged, Natalia put on her slippers, rearranged the bedding, and waited. There came the announcement (reminding her, suddenly, of what she had last heard, and the guilt that had twisted in her gut, Jill--), and her face wrinkled with disgust at the hacking sound. Therapy and breakfast. Food would surely help.
Natalia did not wait long before her nurse opened the door, and after exchanging cursory “Good Morning”s (with rather more enthusiasm on the other woman's part), they began the walk to the Cafeteria. With, of course, the essential rest room stop, where water was splashed and scrubbed over her face, and her hair toyed with to no great satisfaction. At least the shower had renewed its body.
Separating in the Cafeteria, Natalia took her place in line and loaded her plate: eggs, fruit salad, fried “tater tots” (potatoes?), and curious meat wrapped in cooked dough. Some of everything, with juice and water. She thanked her servers, collected utensils and napkins, and found a seat at an empty table. It was early yet.
Sparing a brief look around to be sure no one she recognized had arrived – though she remained eager to greet every patient, at the moment she chose to focus on the possible strength gained from the meal – Natalia began to cut up the items and eat with a refined gusto. Entirely possible!
[Claude!]
no subject
Lana was ready to go -- the sooner she could get to breakfast, the sooner she could see how Ema was doing. She could ask the nurse; translating their euphemisms was trivial, but she didn't intend to give them any more leverage. If everyone thought the sisters estranged, all the better. Including Ema, if it came to that. Their fragile peace was less important than her safety. Enough. "Do you need any help?
no subject
"I'd rather just skip to the part where we get out of here," Ilia replied, a wry smile ghosting across her lips but broadened it into a bright grin as soon as the nurse looked their way. She spoke a bit louder, but kept her voice at a volume that was convincing. "I've actually heard some people say they've been here for over three weeks. Hopefully it won't take us quite so long to 'recover' and find ourselves back home."
Lana was grateful for Lana's offer of assistance, but waved it off as unnecessary. "Nah, I'll be fine. I've been injured worse than this before. Comes with being in the military." The nurse shot her a disapproving look for that remark, but Ilia just kept smiling. "I'm ready when you are."
no subject
"It's odd how many of us are government employees." Now it was the other nurses turn for a cautioning glance. Lana obliged her. "I'm in law enforcement, myself. Though not in the sort of position where injury is common."
She stepped out of the door and into the hallway, matching her pace to what Ilia could comfortably manage. "Aside from a deliberate jab at the relevant authorities, I don't see what Dr. Landel sees in all of us." Blackmail was out of the question in her case; similarly unlikely was a bid for influence, though the Chief Detective's arrival made it a remote possibility.
no subject
And as far as Lana also being a government employee went, Ilia was actually kind of surprised. But she didn't quite know what to think of the 'law enforcement' comment. That little detail was enough to tell the scientist she wasn't of the same era, if not the same world. Military types didn't keep the law so much in her time, mostly waged war when needed and scouted out new galaxies and planets. "Do you work in an office, then? For what country, or planet even?"
Ilia kept up well enough, though the throbbing heat in her leg was enough to tell her she would need to take it easy today, and maybe the next day too. "I'm also at a loss. Yesterday, I met a ship's captain, some kind of security guard and..." Actually, Kratos hadn't mentioned his own occupation, had he? Ilia shook her head, shrugging. "But I guess what really bugs me about it all is age doesn't seem to hold much sway over their choice of patients. I met a man probably in his forties, and a young girl of fourteen! And both had been here for nearly a month."
What did it all correlate to? There didn't seem to be any logical reasoning behind it. And maybe that was all the reason why. But Ilia really didn't like the idea of it all being the work of a madman. Crazy or not, she wanted answers. Real answers.
no subject
Even as she said it, the ways in which they could started springing to mind; there was always someone who could be bribed. But hiding bodies and bribes was one thing; hiding an entire town full of zombies and blotting out any sign of life beyond that single town went beyond being persuasive.
"I don't see what's so surprising about a range of ages, though normally minors would be more segregated." The age of majority did seem to be 18 here, which would match the US location; but only the showers and the occasional recreation shift were split. "Age has very little to do with competency." She tried, and failed, to suppress the mental image of Prosecutor Payne storming into her office after his most recent salary review. Seniority was no substitute for ability, and education could only address so many deficiencies.
"I do wish they'd keep whatever quarrel they have with us to the adults, however." They had reached the Sun Room; Lana excused herself for a moment to check the board. Nothing from Ema, but apparently she wasn't the only one pondering the patient demographics. Interesting; she'd have to check back later.
no subject
She shrugged. "I'd agree with you on how it might seem impossible, but it all depends on the time, really. And possibly on whomever is backing this Landel guy in the first place." She doubted if they were really on Earth, but it was still a possibility. If only she knew what era this truly was, maybe then she'd have a real understanding of what this place was all about.
Ilia chuckled a little at that assertion. "True enough. Age has very little to do with real ability or power, especially here." Anise had proved herself more than capable, and hey! Couldn't Ilia say that she was part of that group herself? Hadn't she surpassed more hurdles in her youth than most others her age in the academy and at university?
"Agreed. Putting kids through these kinds of situations, even if they're used to this kind of treatment, it just doesn't sit well with me." Ilia waited patiently for Lana to finish her business at the bulletin. She didn't see anything addressed directly to her or held much interest towards her, though the analogies on some of the notes were rather charming. Mental Quest caught her attention. She wasn't quite sure what to make of all of it, really.
no subject
As for the time, she and Harvey had found little evidence in the bookstore beyond the dates matching the technology of within ten years or so of her own time; perhaps a little earlier, or perhaps the books had been chosen for minimal confusion on the average patient. It was impossible to say. Teleportation and time travel played merry havoc with her trained sense of what did and not did hold significance.
"That is the most ill-disguised attempt at code I've seen yet. Well, at least it seems to have worked." It had been up for a while; there was at least one emendation for language, but the rest had been allowed.
no subject
Ilia expecting Lana was finished, nodded towards the cafeteria and started on the way. She kept her voice low, hoping to keep it from reaching her nurse's ears. "It's too bad there isn't a private way patients could communicate, like some sort of underground mail service or something. I'm sure some people have figured out their own systems of communication beyond the board."
Now that she thought about it, that radio she'd seen in her desk... "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know if those radios could be modified into a two-way communicator, do you?" Of course, she'd have to wire in a microphone to all the radios involved in the system. Might be more trouble than it was worth.
no subject
"She's the scientist of the two of us." That, at least, was entirely true. A very good idea, indeed.
Except for the minor point that the last time Lana could remember hearing anything from her radio was a faint but unmistakable crunch when she'd dropped it in the hall. Well, that wasn't terribly useful, was it? She'd have to see if the staff would be willing to provide a replacement, which -- hmmm. It might not be unlikely at all, given Mr. Landel's apparent fondness for his own voice. What could be keeping him from his job this morning?
"In most cases, however, waiting until nightfall is presumably sufficient." Later, later, later. It was a wonder anyone woke before noon around here.
no subject
"I'm actually a scientist myself. I work for the military, but I gained my Ph.D at the academy." Not that she was trying to brag. But creating a network of scientific minds would probably be to the advantage of the patient body as a whole.
If they could somehow build a circuit of great minds and plan out a strategy, they could probably overthrow the institute in a matter of... what, days? Weeks? With people disappearing suddenly, the constant threat of torture, and the mistrust between much of the patient body, it might even take months for a full scale attack to be fully realized and implemented. Ilia gritted her teeth, but otherwise showed no sign of her frustrated thoughts. If that's what it took, then that's what it took.
"Night does seem like the time for personal projects," Ilia mused as they entered the cafeteria at last, just in time to see another patient attack another (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/981674.html?thread=72998058#t72998058) across the room. A nurse moved in with some orderlies to take care of the situation, but Ilia found herself shaking her head. "Now if only that kind of aggression could be channeled to a more productive means."
no subject
Something was chasing itself around in circles behind Ilia's eyes; what, Lana couldn't begin to guess, but whatever it was, it came to an abrupt halt, and the conversation jerked in another direction, before being further derailed by the commotion. Someone hadn't learned when to give up, it seemed.
"If you're inclined to use your other training towards more direct action, there are groups for that, as well. I can't say I know much about them; I haven't met any of the people involved." One zombie, and all the scant self-defense knowledge had flown out the window; she'd been relatively uninjured, but that had been blind luck, not skill. "Given that one of the few things we do know is that Landel carries some kind of invisible shield, I'd suggest the scientific approach."
no subject
"Ah, the clubs, yes?" Ilia had heard mention of them from someone yesterday. Was it Anise, or Kratos? She didn't quite remember who, but she'd heard a least a little, and the bulletin posts certainly did well in covering their true purposes. Ilia considered checking into them... but maybe she'd think more on it after she healed from the cut and became less of a burden.
What Lana remarked on about the Head Doctor sent Ilia for a loop. An invisible shield, was it? "Sounds like some sort of magic." Ilia made a face, displeased. Of all the things she was pitted against, a magician of some world's magical arts was not her favorite opponent. She liked things with a scientific meaning, not just almighty power of the unknown. "Yeah, I'll need to get behind what makes that shield tick, but I'm sure we'll be able to handle it." She smiled over towards Lana, starting to fill herself a plate of food. "Everything has a logical explanation, even a world's magic. Landel can't be the only one familiar with whatever skill he uses to block physical attacks."