damned_institute | Night 52: M71-M80 Hallway

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Night 52: M71-M80 Hallway

((Continuing from here in room M79.))

"Woah, woah, woah," Woody cut in the moment that brief, yet very, very disconcerting message was finished. What did they have in store for everyone? Why couldn't they just go to sleep like people in a normal hospital did? The staff tried to act like everything was peachy during the day! Would it have been so hard to actually keep that up at night, too?

"What was that about just now?" He turned to Wally, wanting answers that actually made sense and didn't include anything about monsters. "Does he seriously say things like that every night?" By now the food sat practically forgotten on his plate, but Woody wasn't sure how someone could think of food at a time like this.

Some part of him hoped that maybe this was some twisted prank played on some of the more...imaginative patients in order to get them worked up over things that weren't there. If that was the case, then maybe he could still take it easy and not let himself worry so much over things that didn't have anything to do with his getting back home. But the longer he stayed here, the more he was starting to realize that thoughts like that were the result of wishful thinking.

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"My thoughts exact--" Brainiac 5 began, but the soft crunching of glass underfoot caught his attention and he turned towards the sound. Possible negative effects of the lights being active or not, it did make it easier to see Muraki's pale form headed their way, and the Coluan relaxed a little. Though he had to resist sighing in exasperation at Peter's reaction.

He told himself that his roommate was simply on edge and instead directed a faint smile to the doctor before shooting a sidelong look at the other boy.

"Peter, this is doctor Muraki. As I was saying, we met at lunch. Doctor, this is my friend, Peter. We were wondering about the unusual announcements when you arrived."

Their reactions were almost comically opposite. Brainiac 5 seemed to relax at the sight of him while the brunette tensed up, immediately defencive. Muraki couldn't blame him, really. It must be hard to be protective when he was in such a state. (Maybe he would be more appealing when those angry scratches on his face healed up.)

"I am. It's good to meet you, Peter." Muraki offered his left hand in difference to the boy's injury, apparently nonplussed by his attitude. Brainiac's scolding spoke of some clear familiarity. They were friends, at least, and friends were the best weapons when used against eachother.

"As for the announcements, your guess is as good as mine." He replied. "I haven't noticed any changes except for the lights, but it may be wise to take the discussion inside."

Edited 2010-10-31 15:05 (UTC)

Wow, Brainy. You do an awful good impression of Aunt May for someone who has never met her.

Nonetheless, Peter reeled in his first reaction to the tone (rolling his eyes would make a spectacularly bad first impression) and instead took the hint, sharing a properly shamed looked with his friend. Brainy wanted polite. He could handle polite.

Peter didn't shy away from eye contact, and though his voice was far from chipper he at least managed to match the man's cool indifference. "Likewise." He took the offered hand and gave it a brief shake. "Yeah, we were just thinking that. The hall should be pretty empty by now."

He cast a look around and picked a likely looking door. M78. He'd never seen anyone come out of it in the mornings, and it looked untouched now. A few doors were still open by a crack in the patient's haste to leave, but this one was always closed shut. He strode forward and knocked.

No answer. As good of a green light as he was going to get. He turned the knob and pushed the door in, and surprise surprise: the room was perfectly empty. The desks were devoid of dinner trays and there wasn't so much as a wrinkle in the bedding. Nothing but the dust bunnies living here.

He gave the other two a hesitant smile and waved them in, standing off to the side of the frame. "After you."

Edited 2010-10-31 17:53 (UTC)

Brainiac 5 relaxed a little more as Peter reined in his obvious distrust enough to be reasonably polite. The Coluan could understand the need for caution - in fact he frequently was the one insisting the rest of the Legion practice it - but Muraki had offered to take a look at his injuries out of a gesture of friendship and trust, not to mention he could hardly examine them himself and while the Doctor was called, well, the Doctor, he didn't get the feeling it was much more than a title.

Besides, he had to wonder how much of Peter's reluctance came from wanting to ignore what the upgrades might be and what they might offer them. Whereas Brainiac 5 was a scientist and the curiosity, the desire to know and understand what he'd been given (willingly or otherwise), was pretty powerful.

But he'd have to keep that to himself, at least for tonight. Once he'd been checked over, he could start work on looking into what the exact effects were, and how useful they might be. A small part of him was faintly concerned about the one 'price' that he knew had been paid for it all, but so far he hadn't noticed any effects of his ancestor, so he was hopeful that it wasn't anything more than a bluff.

Brainiac 5 nodded as Peter located an empty room and followed him over to glance inside. Everything untouched, so there wasn't any chance of upsetting someone else instead. Not to mention Peter couldn't complain about him giving their room number to other people.

"At least the lights being on means that we'll be able to see better," he commented, slipping past Peter into the room. "I can't imagine medical exams by flashlight would be very effective."

Muraki somehow doubted the boy's sincerity, but the ones who took a while to trust would live a little longer in this place, and it wasn't as if his own sincerity was overwhelming. Brainiac 5 had at least civilized the boy a little. This was acceptable.

He wasn't surprised when they picked an empty room for the examination. At a glance, it was untouched and lit well enough that he wouldn't be needing his flashlight immediately. He flicked it off as he entered, dismissing the movement of shadows.

"It's not something I've been eager to try." Muraki replied, a touch of dry humour in his voice. "But I'm sure Peter would have been willing to assist." He let the implication sit for just a moment before adding, with a smile, "You seem like good friends."

He paused to set his flashlight down on the desk and began rolling his sleeves up with easy efficiency. "I suppose I'll be examining you first, Brainiac 5?"

Edited 2010-11-04 15:49 (UTC)

Peter watched the two stroll in, eyes thinning at the back of Muraki's head when he mentioned 'assisting' and how good of friends they must be. He didn't answer, silent as stone. Was it just him, or was there some kind of weird undertone in there?

Maybe it was just the wording. Or perhaps it was the airs of grace and dignity that were throwing him off. Either way, he was just getting all the wrong vibes from this guy. Called him biased, but he'd had plenty of experience with suave, well to do, dapper gentleman. They were all careful with their phrasing like this guy, polite but distant, well meaning - and behind closed doors, they was something else entirely. Norman Osborn came to mind. If that wasn't enough cause for caution he didn't know what was. That Justin Hammer guy too, who had actually offered him money to take out Otto for good (slimy slimy slimeball). Luxord. Heck, even Butler Bad Vibes counted from sheer creepy alone.

About the only thing Muraki had going for him at this point was that Peter's spider sense had yet to blare off, and they all knew how reliable that was. Aside from that time with Grell in the library, it never seemed to go off now unless he was an inch away from a stab in the face. Maybe if the institute's restrictions weren't holding him down he'd have an answer already, but for now he'd just have to roll with what his gut told him.

And make sure Brainy didn't go wandering off with him in the meantime.

He slipped in after them and shut the door, settling onto the bed behind Muraki with his legs folded. The suggestion of examinations - as in plural - threw him off, and he took the chance to silently mouth the word 'first?' at Brainy while Muraki's attention was elsewhere.

Yeah, that wasn't happening. Better set the record straight. "I don't really need anything, so you can just check out Brainy. I'm already bandaged where there needs to be band-aids. Just gotta wait for it all to heal."

"Yes," Brainiac 5 began, but Peter cut him off and he winced internally. He deliberately hadn't mentioned suggesting that Muraki look at Peter as well, since he'd been hoping that Peter would go along with it once he'd met the doctor and seen how professional he was, but apparently that wasn't working out.

"Technically I'm already bandaged as well, Peter," he pointed out, glancing over at his friend again. It didn't seem to have much of an effect, at least, none that involved Peter giving in and at least letting Muraki take a quick look at him (which didn't much help with Brainiac 5's suspicions that his friend was more injured than he'd let on this morning), so he moved away from the doctor and cautiously approached Peter.

"I'm not going to force you into anything," he said, carefully placing his hand on the other boy's arm while maintaining a reasonable amount of distance. "But I'd... appreciate it if you at least had someone check you weren't badly hurt after whatever it was that attacked you last night."

Emotion had never been widely accepted on Colu, but when Brainiac 5 had first joined the Legion as it's youngest member, he'd quickly picked up that letting on when something was upsetting him and tilting his face just a little seemed to be surprisingly effective in convincing people to do things like read 432 page reports or clean up the mess they'd made in his lab. And if it meant making absolutely sure that Peter wasn't injured badly, then he wasn't above using it against the other boy.

Muraki didn't much care for Peter's habit of standing behind him. It was as if he assumed he could take the doctor by surprise should the sudden need arise, as if Muraki wouldn't simply turn and stab him in the throat with a pen then continue with his work while the boy choked to death on his own blood. He was just a boy, after all. An arrogant little brat who needed very badly to be put in his place.

At least he managed to stay out of the way for the moment. More interestingly, Brainiac 5 had neglected to mention the examination he'd so kindly volunteered Peter for. It wasn't an easy thing to simply forget, even in light of the announcements. And now...

Muraki turned as Brainiac 5 walked over to his roommate, watching with polite indifference as he begged Peter to reconsider. The manipulation was subtle and well-intended. The boy himself might hardly be aware of it. But Muraki had to admit, he had talent.

He would have liked to examine Peter more closely for his own reasons, even more so because of his resistance. Was he hiding something as well? Or simply mistrustful for a reason? He'd been met with hostility, but not recognition, of that he was almost certain. These two were hiding something and he would be all too pleased to wring it out of them.

"If you have any concerns, Peter, I would be happy to address them," He added reasonably. "Whatever they might be."

Edited 2010-11-08 01:12 (UTC)

Peter was aware of the use of the boo-boo-kitty face. It was a technique he often used himself. On MJ, on Harry, Aunt May and Uncle Ben, Mr. Jameson (with mixed success), and Nick Fury too (even more mixed success). But in all fifteen years of his short life, he had never had this treacherous weapon turned against him.

Peter's mouth twitched.

"...I'm not badly hurt." He turned his gaze to the side, finding it suddenly hard to look his roommate in the eye. Most likely because he was still floundering in his search for a solid excuse to avoid a check-up from Secret Sociopath, M.D. "I just got jumped by the random monster of the week. It's a pretty standard beat down, okay? You're the one who got dragged upstairs and injected with freaky liquid technology things."

Peter had to stifle a wordless noise of frustration when Muraki chimed in, ever the helpful one. Safer to just shake his head and add, "I'm not concerned about anything. There's just nothing else to be done. Seriously."

In all honesty, he was just about as comfortable with Brainy getting looked over by this guy as he was at the prospect of his own examination. Which was not at all. But he couldn't call the whole thing off just because he thought Muraki 'talked funny'. This was Brainy's idea, and he was clearly confident enough in his buddy's capabilities here to go through with it. No amount of insisting that he had a hunch (regardless of how trustworthy his hunches had proved in the past) was going to sway his roommate on the matter.

As for himself? He knew that taking a closer look meant getting at his shoulder. Any sort of medical consultation would require him to take off his shirt - which would inadvertently reveal the full-torso bruise Grell had given him last night. That might set off a few warning bells. If not for Muraki, then definitely for Brainy. Or there were the oodles of mystery scars. Slashes and bullets and burns, oh my. Not exactly the sort of thing you'd expect to see on your average teenage boy.

Like he'd said a million times before: he'd really like it if his secret identity stayed secret. Was that really too much to ask for?

He dared a glance up at his roommate's face again. Please understand, Brainy. Even if he wasn't weirding me out I would not take my shirt off for him. "Let's just do your thing and see how it goes. You need this more than I do." He pointed upwards at the sputtering lights. They were half efficiency and all creepy by now. "Besides, we should finish up here before whatever Landel needs the lights for gets started."

It was a valid point. Yet he doubted either of them would see it as anything other than an excuse to get out of this pickle.

Should he be expecting a chewing out later, or advanced guilt tripping?

Edited 2010-11-08 08:54 (UTC)

Brainiac 5 sighed. He didn't want to give on this matter with Peter, especially considering how unfairly worried about him the other boy was when he wouldn't allow the Coluan to return the concern, but he calculated a high chance that pushing the matter wouldn't make Peter any more likely to go along with the idea.

So he stepped back, allowing himself to look put out but not saying anything on the matter beyond a simple; "Alright, Peter. If that's what you want."

He felt a little bad about the attempt to manipulate his friend's emotional state, but it was with the best of intentions. He was simply concerned and wanted to make sure that his friend wasn't too badly hurt, and that he'd been treated correctly for whatever injuries he did have. Both were understandable concerns, he felt. Ones that if their situation were reversed, Peter would no doubt be equally worried about.

After a moment, he turned back towards Doctor Muraki. "I suppose it's just me then," he said. "I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with twenty-first century medical examinations, so you'll have to instruct me what to do."

Edited 2010-11-09 04:59 (UTC)

So he had been taken up for an experiment after all. Muraki had only had his suspicions before, but Peter had confirmed them neatly for him. Even if he wasn't going to let Muraki take a look at him, he'd proved himself a little bit useful at least. And here the doctor thought he might not even be a decent light-stand.

As touching as their little romantic drama had become, he would be more than happy to get the examination under way. He'd befitted from all of Landel's games so far, but there was no guarantee that he would continue to do so and there would always be time for Peter later. It wasn't as if they all had somewhere pressing to be.

Muraki nodded once. "Peter is right." About who needed to be looked at more, and also about the lights. He was willing to throw the boy a bone. His smile belayed some understanding, directed at Brainiac 5. "You should trust that he'll look after himself, for your sake as well as his own."

He indicated the bed with a casual sweeping gesture. "For now, just try to sit comfortably." He was from the 20th century, not the 21st, but that was an interesting assumption. Perhaps most of the patients he'd spoken to had come from that time, or thought they had. Strange, to consider that his present might be twenty or a hundred years in the past. A single lifetime away from the familiar.

Things hadn't changed much.

Back to business. "Peter, I need to ask you a favor." He turned and held his flashlight out to the boy. "Can you hold this and shine it where I tell you?" And not vomit everywhere at the sight of your boyfriend's blood. The squeamish ones were the worst by far. Blood was blood, it stained at worst. Bile, on the other hand, had no redeeming qualities.

As predicted, Brainy was less than thrilled with his continued refusal of a check up. Guilt washed over him as the other boy gave him a look that more resembled Bambi finding out his mom died than a put out human boy. Yeesh. Brainy might not have yet caught onto the basics of socialization, but he had the makings of a master puppy-facer already. A part of him wanted to come out and apologize, but Peter's caution was not a force to be underestimated. Turning down the offer was the smartest move right now, both for the sake of keeping his identity a secret and avoiding any further explanation about what really happened last night. He'd tell Brainy eventually. Just not with Muraki there.

And okay, speaking of the man, he'd have to cut him at least a little slack. He wasn't pushing him to take the check up. Plus he was agreeing to both of Peter's points about Brainy's condition and Landel's uber suspicious plots. Congrats, Muraki. You've moved up approximately a quarter of a notch on Peter's Respect-o-Meter.

He nodded in acquiescence and leaned back. Peter fully expected to spend the next ten or twenty minutes lazing around and trying to avoid lookin at Brainy while his shirt was off, but then he was being called over to play the Igor to Muraki's Frankenstein. (A brief thought was spared for his therapist - now there had been a certified creep.) Peter blinked at the request. "Okay."

Light holding. He could handle that. He wasn't sure what Muraki's angle was, or if there was an angle at all. Maybe he really did just need an extra light. That didn't stop Peter from noticing that now he was a) within plain sight and arm's reach of the man when before he was safe and sound behind him, and b) holding the flashlight would occupy his only working hand for the duration of the exam. Rather limited his chance of defense, didn't it? He could always hit him with the flashlight should something go awry, but still. He didn't have much room for swinging at this range, and focusing on following the doctor's orders might make him slower to react.

Sneaky, or just a happy coincidence?

Peter took the offered light, flipping it in his grip and pointing it at Brainy's chest. He was careful to make sure the beam didn't hit the other boy's eyes.

He frowned momentarily. "Uh - I can look away if you want? If that'll be more comfortable for you."

Frankly, he had no issue with shirtless guys when it didn't involve communal showers. He'd had to deal with a half-naked Wolverine for three days before. Not to mention the guy's skin had looked like the window of a butcher shop at the time. There really was no topping that. On the other hand, Brainy was kind of shy to begin with and he was just as reclusive when injured as Peter was. He might feel a tad more at ease if he didn't feel like he was on display.

Brainiac 5 frowned, but didn't argue any further. But all the same, he couldn't help but feel a little put out that the doctor so easily sided with his roommate. It would have been nice not to be the only one showing concern.

Not to mention not being the only one getting examined for medical purposes. He missed the automated systems in the Legion headquarters, not to mention his own built in sensors of his Coluan body. Of course, if he were back to his original body, he wouldn't have had any problems with this in the first place.

Nodding absently to Muraki's suggestion, Brainiac 5 sat down on the bed, his thoughts turning back yet again to what the doctor from the night before might have meant with this being an upgrade. Once he'd been checked to ensure he would heal well, he could start on puzzling out what it might be. Ideally he should also heal completely before he tried testing, but... Well, he'd see how long that was expected to take.

He blinked, his plans interrupted as Peter flicked the light on and directed it at his chest of all places. "Look away? What do you mean?"

"Thank you." It looked like it wouldn't be too difficult at all to keep Peter in line. Even in his current state Muraki was fully capable of subduing a couple of injured 14-year-old boys, but keeping them both within sight and arms' reach was admittedly something of a temptation. He sincerely hoped neither of them were thick or naive enough to overlook the act of good faith.

He raised an eyebrow at Peter's offer. There was no real reason for shyness, as far as he was concerned, unless of course... Oh, wasn't this cute.

"Usually examinations like this would be private." Muraki offered offhand. "I've put him in a difficult position, and Peter is trying to be polite."

Considering the culture clash he himself had experienced more than once, the excuse should at least prevent any immediate awkwardness. Peter owed him. It would have been much more fun to let him squirm.

He pushed his glasses up with the heel of his palm and caught Brainiac's eye, continuing brusquely. "Now, I'm going to unwrap the bandages around your head and take a look at the damage. If you become dizzy or uncomfortable at an time, don't hesitate to inform me. It's important that you don't push yourself too hard, physically or emotionally, so soon after... a procedure. All right?" He touched the edge of the bandage lightly, allowing Brainiac to absorb the information and adjust before he began to unwrap.

"...Yeah, that," Peter mumbled, eyes on the floor. Thank god, he was spared what would have no doubt been a most uncomfortable lecture on human modesty and medical etiquette. He wasn't ready for another disaster of the 'fap' variety.

Aaaand that sounded totally wrong and out of context here. When I was explaining the meaning of fap, the meaning of fap! Not even the fierce inner retraction could stop Peter from going fidgety at the implication.

Though the verdict was out on whether Muraki swooping in to his rescue there was more patronizing or sympathetic, Peter would just roll with it for now. He cleared his throat and averted his eyes anyway, knowing what the likely answer would be. He did not envy Brainy his spotlight one bit.

Not to mention they were going straight in for unwrapping the band-aids. He was concerned about Brainy, definitely, but Peter had never been a fan of staring at wounds. Wounds that, for all intents and purposes, should be kept covered for the time being. He supposed an examination meant getting a good look at the injuries, but wasn't this a little too soon to be peeling things away? What if Brainy got infected?

He frowned, hesitantly chiming in, "Should we have brought a first aid kit, or something? I mean if we're going to be unwrapping things we should have something to help clean up before we put the bandages back on."

This was going to be a long night, wasn't it?

"Oh." So that was what bothered Peter about all of this? It might also explain why he was so on edge as well, beyond how the institute itself was... behaving. The thought that there might be a cultural issue here hadn't really occurred to him, particularly since Brainiac 5 was used to handling a lot of the Legion's field medical requirements, where privacy was generally not a priority.

Still, even with that experience in mind, it was difficult not to tense up as the doctor touched his head.

"Alright," he agreed after a moment, reminding himself to keep still and quiet as Muraki worked. The implants in his forehead hadn't been as bad as other locations, so theoretically this would be the easier of the--

He jumped again as Peter raised what was a very valid point, one that he should have thought of before now.

"Peter's right; we'll need further supplies." His eyes flicked over to his roommate's. "There's a rudimentary first aid kit in my room."

The boy was awfully tense. Muraki felt a brief flutter of excitement as he jumped at the touch, and again at Peter's voice. The boy just became more and more useful. He would have liked to speak to Brainiac 5 without his lover hovering over them, and this provided the most perfect opportunity. Better yet, Peter had suggested it himself.

He withdrew his hands for the moment.

"My apologies. I didn't know you had anything like that or I would have suggested it earlier." Muraki's gaze shifted to Peter. "You can take the flashlight if you like."

If you were a real doctor, you would have suggested it yourself and not risked infecting him in the first place.

Oh the things Peter would say aloud if there were no such things as manners.

Instead Peter only shook his head, pressing the flashlight back into the doctor's hands. "Nah, I'll be fine. Most of the lights are on now. It'll take me two seconds."

And he hoped it would. He didn't like the idea of leaving Brainy alone with the man for any amount of time, but he also didn't like the idea of him getting sick. And if he was coming back soon, chances were Muraki wouldn't risk doing anything unseemly when he would definitely be getting caught.

Yes, he was already thinking of him as a full blown villain based on evidence of absolutely nothing. But you know what? He did not care. Peter had learned a long time ago to trust his instincts, which weren't usually too shabby in the creep-detecting department. He had had a few misses before (Eddie Brock for example), but rarely did he ever smell a stinker where there wasn't one. Muraki was oozing skeeve vibes, and no amount of flawless etiquette was going to cover that.

"Be back in a bit," he said, directing a brief smile to Brainy. All Muraki got in parting was half a nod.

The door swung open, and Peter disappeared into the hall. Searching their room wouldn't be too hard. There were only so many places you could hide stuff in there.

[FEEL FREE TO CONVERSE WITHOUT HIM FOR A ROUND OR TWO, GUYS? Let me know when it's okay for him to jump back in.]

"All right," Brainiac 5 agreed, watching Peter go before turning back to the doctor. It wouldn't take the other boy long before he found the little kit, theoretically. There were only a limited number of hiding places in their room and Peter was intelligent enough that it shouldn't present too much of a problem for him. Instead he focused on the doctor and their current task.

"Should we continue or wait for him to return?" he asked curiously. His forehead shouldn't be too much of a problem if they did continue on, but they might need the kit afterwards.

This was why medical technology in his own time was that much more useful; he would have had everything on hand and this would have been over in a few seconds.

Muraki took the flashlight with a short nod, his gaze shifting back to Brainiac 5 once Peter had left the room. It was tempting to continue without his scrutiny, indulge his curiosity and then some, but he had more than one goal in mind tonight. No one could accuse him of lacking self-control. Unless it came to a certain violet-eyed shinigami, he made certain not to bare his fangs until he was ready to kill.

"I don't want to risk infection if it can be helped, and it seems like you... need a little time." That was the most delicate way to put it, he supposed. He put on a sympathetic expression. "Did they put you under at all?"

An easy conclusion to make, from the boy's reaction and Ritsuka's description of the place as a 'torture room'. At the least, the patients must be conscious when the doors opened for them. Unnecessarily risky, Muraki thought. At least in some cases it would simply compromise the experiment, and if it didn't, letting them out so soon after surgery would. Unless the emotional and physical trauma was a part of the desired outcome. The institute itself was run with enough fine control that he had to wonder about it.

He thought he caught another flicker of shadow out the corner of his eye, but when he glanced in that direction nothing seemed amiss. He frowned, shifting his attention back to the boy. The rooms were relatively safe, weren't they?

Edited 2010-12-14 15:50 (UTC)

Brainiac 5's eyes slipped away from the doctor's face as he answered, concentrating instead on a blank wall in the room. It likely wouldn't have mattered exactly what he was looking at, however; his mind's eye conjuring up images of what had taken place that night.

"No," he said quietly. "They didn't. I was given something minor for the pain during some of the more... extreme moments, but much of it was without anything to dull the sensations."

He absently rubbed his wrist as he spoke, recalling the way the doctor had cut into him, slid the implants into his flesh so deeply that it felt like it surely must have been nestled on the very bone itself.

"Peter wants to find a way to reverse it," he continued carefully. "But I don't think it's really possible. There were implants, which could theoretically be removed, but the main component was a form of liquid technology that's no doubt penetrated most of my system by now."

Well, that certainly lent his trauma theory some credibility. That or Brainiac 5 had simply fallen into the hands of another particularly sadistic doctor. He would find out soon enough if this was an anomaly or an intended effect.

He made a mental note to check the wrist as well. "In that case, it would be too dangerous to remove even the implants. We don't know how they're meant to interact with the technology, and there's no guarantee that they wouldn't be replaced regardless. It may be wise to check them regularly. Do you know what they're meant to accomplish? Did the doctor mention anything at all?"

After a moment he added, "I'm sorry, for what it's worth. Something like this should never have happened."

"It's fine," Brainiac 5 answered automatically. "I'd rather have practicality, to be honest. Saying it shouldn't have happened won't change the fact that it did and there's little you or anyone else could have done regardless."

The silence that threatened to press in when they weren't speaking was a little unsettling, though the Coluan dismissed the concerns as paranoia about the institute of a night in general. All because it was night time didn't mean that they were in immediate danger, and the rooms were supposed to be safer.

Unless the nurses themselves removed you from them, that was.

His hand clenched a little and Brainiac 5 pushed the thought away. There was little point thinking about that now.

"No," he said, looking back up at the tall, pale doctor. "He only said they were an upgrade that would assist me, but nothing beyond that. I..." He hesitated. "Is there anything you can do until Peter returns? I don't like simply sitting here waiting."

"I suppose you're right." He replied. He could appreciate practicality more than most. Scientific minds were useful without being to caught up in frivolous emotions, and the only appeal they required was logic.

Still, it wasn't hard to see that the boy was still nervous and obviously upset. He had reason to be. Muraki was intimately familiar with some of the 'upgrades' that could be made to the human body, and few of them could be appreciated by the test subjects. Furthermore, the ones he had preformed himself weren't quite this technical in nature. He couldn't predict what this might accomplish.

"I understand," He thought for a moment. "Do you need help getting your shirt off? Once we start, it would be best to look after things as efficiently as possible."

"I can handle it," Brainiac 5 answered swiftly, both because it was true - he was a little slower than normal but it wasn't entirely beyond his capacity at the moment - and because he wasn't comfortable with the idea of Muraki helping him, doctor or no.

"My torso wasn't a major site of tampering," he began as he slowly tugged the shirt up and over his head. "But with the use of liquid technology, I can't be sure where it all ended up, assuming it has stopped moving, or what effects it might have."

With the shirt finally clear of his head, he folded it to the best of his ability right now and set it on the bed next to him. Presumably Muraki would want to inspect the points the doctor had used for injections, as well as his general physical condition, but the exact methods he'd use for such things he wasn't entirely certain of. Physical exams without highly advanced computers had died out centuries ago from his perspective.

Muraki didn't care much either way. A measure of caution was useful, and the point of the question was to check on the boy's mobility, which he had improved since lunch, when he could barely manage to eat on his own. He'd experienced a similar effect when it came to his own wounds. The cut from the other night had healed rapidly and left only a faint scar.

Muraki nodded once, his gaze thoughtful but distant. "My sentiments exactly. There doesn't seem to be any obvious external damage, but..." He pushed his glasses up with the heel of his palm and crouched in front of Brainiac 5. "Let me know if you feel anything unusual."

Though this wasn't a normal physical, he supposed it would be typical to start it off that way. He pressed two fingers against the boy's neck, checking his pulse and moving on to other points with clinical efficiency.

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Night 52: M71-M80 Hallway

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SCREAM I THOUGHT I HAD POSTED TO THIS AGES AGO. /)___(\ Sorry gaiz.

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ONLY A BILLION DAYS LATE, SOB

HOLIDAYS DON'T COUNT. Also I think Peter can come back now?