Ignoring the pain in his broken arm, Snake crept along the hallway. He had brought only the matches and hairspray with him, hooked into the band of his pants, needing no light. His feet made no sound. Even that vision of the corridor earlier hadn't phased him like his much-loved old Outer Heaven flashbacks usually did, as he was far too focused on his mission.

He had been checking the men's block rooms, one at a time. Most of them were vacated; some were not, and even the sounds of movement inside those ones were enough to reassure him that they were not the rooms that belonged to Big Boss.

Systematically, he started down the furthest corridor in the block to the south of his own, starting with room M10. The door was, of course, unlocked, and he cautiously pushed it open. Like many of the others, it seemed empty, but for less than a second he caught a trace of Big Boss's smell. It was enough to lure him into the room, even though no-one was visible. Had he imagined it?

[M10]

[from here]

The halls were empty so far, which was probably a good sign. Suzaku was hoping to get a move-on quickly, so they could hurry up and get Yuffie's sword made. The first night he'd been here, he'd been pulled back to his bed the instant he made it outside, so they'd have to move fast if they wanted to make any decent progress. And right now he couldn't afford to focus on anything but just that, making progress.

[to here]

[from here]

Suzaku made his way out of his own cell block at a brisk pace, even though he wasn't quite sure he could take Yuffie's presence right now. He didn't want to talk to anyone, least of all have to pretend everything was fine again -- because he didn't want to bother her with the details of his life, and even if he did there was only a limited amount he could tell her. He was sick of pretending.

On the other hand, talking to her reminded him a bit of being with the Student Council. No matter how miserable he felt, he couldn't help relaxing a little around such cheerful people. Even if he hadn't spoken to Yuffie in person, maybe it would help to be with someone so. . . perky. And it would definitely help to beat the shit out of any monsters they ran into outside. He needed to feel like he was doing something proactive, actually accomplishing something useful, and since fighting was the only thing he was good for, he was looking forward to it for once.

[to here]

[from here]

Raz trudged on forward over to the Sun Room. Still no monsters...

[to here]

Hello! I.R.I.S. here once more to announce to you, our honored guests, that you have officially made it through a day of our typical Landel's treatment. Of course, it isn't quite over: we will now have you retire to our designated patient quarters with one of your agency partners to inspect their sleeping area and the tools that we provide them with for the true bulk of our behavioral testing. On an added note, we would like you to notice once again that the meals we provide to our subjects are of the highest quality.

For those of you feeling apprehensive about taking part in our more intensive methods, please be aware that we would never imagine putting all of you in any danger whatsoever. This last shift will be your last at our Institute; afterward, we will escort you to our Head Doctor's personal observation station to survey some of our test Next-Wave participants in the rigorous trials we put them through – all for their betterment, of course.

Once again, we hope that you are satisfied with what you find, and as always, direct any questions you may have to your console.

The nurses began to escort the patients to their rooms. They didn't even seem to be brought to awareness by words such as "testing" and "subjects."

[ All room threads go in response to this post; please post your character's room number as the subject line of the initial post. (Find all of the newly changed room assignments and shift introductions here.) If you are introducing your character during this shift, you may either choose for them character to wake up before their roommate gets back, or after. ]

Good morning, and welcome to your personalized tour of Landel's Institute! My name is I.R.I.S. and I will be your automated guide during your stay here. If you have any specific questions during our tour, please direct them to the personal console in your welcome bag. We will do our very best to address any concerns you may have.

Today, we will be showing you what a normal schedule for one of our patients will be like by putting you in their shoes. Please go wait for the nurse who will greet you in your room and take you to the cafeteria to have breakfast. On the menu today is: FREE CHOICE. BRUNCH. Since today is Sunday, for this shift, you may GO TO CHAPEL. GO TO SUN ROOM. EAT BRUNCH IN CAFETERIA.

Thank you for considering Landel's Institute as a candidate for your federal training sponsorship. We are glad for the opportunity to serve you and our country!

Goodbye!

The nurses went about their daily duties as if the Head Doctor had made one of his usual announcements.