[from here]

Knives went into the room, shining his flashlight around for a moment to orient himself. He didn't say anything as he walked to the counters to look for a knife, a slight limp to his step from the strain of kicking down the door.

He gathered up any metal he could fit into his pockets, thinking it might be smart to bring it to his roommate eventually, considering Roy's talent with things like that. When he found a long kitchen knife in the drawers he couldn't help but grin.

It wasn't his Angel Arm, but it would do.

He ignored Subaru for now, letting the boy do whatever he wished.

[from here]

From this point on it was new territory for Subaru, though he remembered the map well enough that he felt confident he wouldn't get lost. Still, it was nervewracking to be heading into the unknown, in the dark, with a companion he didn't exactly trust. Would the staff kitchen be guarded as heavily as the one on the first floor? He could only hope not, because Knives was unarmed and his own magic was, of course, sorely limited.

Great help he was being, as usual. "The door at the very end of the hall is the one we want."

[from here]

Knives went into this smaller room and went directly to the door to the kitchen. Subaru had said it would need to be broken down. He examined the door with his flashlight and then glanced at the human to make sure that the boy wasn't standing right behind him and in the way.

He stepped back and kicked hard against the door. It didn't move, but he wasn't about to give up. He gave it another kick, and another. His leg started to protest from the strain, but he ignored it. Finally the door budged very slightly.

Knives paused and sighed.

This was going to take a while.

[from here]

There were outside. Knives took a moment to look upwards at the sky to see the stars. It wasn't the sky that belonged to Gunsmoke and despite how long Knives had lived on that planet (over a century) he felt no nagging sense of homesickness. What had take place been but a barren promise of a wasted paradise?

This place was clearly an eating area, so he moved to find the kitchen that had to be attached with it, for now he was still silent even as Subaru was still traveling with him. He wasn't sure if they were safe out there.

[From here]

Miku pushed open the door to get away from the smell wafting down the main corridor. She swallowed some of the bile down that threatened to surge up into her throat and sighed. Her face felt hot, and her hands seemed clammy. Miku worried if there was something she would see tomorrow night, and hoped she didn't know the victim.

Her thoughts turned to Ritsuka, and her stomach dropped into her knees. "Sousuke," she squeezed her new boyfriend's (again, that was such a weird... word to use) hand and shined her light up the stairwell. "You don't see anything, do you?"

[from here]

There was no one in the hallway at all when the two reached the second floor. No sign at all of anyone, which struck him as strange since usually there were at least voices or light from other patients’ torches.

Siegfried did not want to linger in the hallway, not when it would put he and Xelloss at risk of being attacked.

“Stay close by,” he said, looking back over his shoulder at the dark-haired man.

Mello did not have high expectations for the evening.

If the previous night had been any indication, they'd get about thirty feet before Near's obsessive observation habits ruined any hope of beating the time curve, but without the bulletin to find a new group he had no choice to repeat the effort.

Normally, he waited several minutes to set out into the hallway, but this evening he had no time to spare.  He closed the door behind him and stepped quietly down the corridor, flashlight focused a few feet before his slippers and ears focused on the silence that surrounded him.  His other hand clenched his knife, which he'd modified by wrapping the metal grip in surgical tape.  In the unlikely situation that his hand was slick with blood, he couldn't afford to have it slip from his grasp.

He reached the end of the hallway and turned, glad that Omi's room was nearby.

[to here]

[from here]

The patient corridor widened out as it hit the Main Hall. Patients were already moving about, his senses told him, but he was unable to identify who they were. Qui-Gon moved on in the darkness.

[to here]

[From here]

He moved as quickly as his leg would allow him to, taking the pain for what it was and letting it flow through him and out of him. Qui-Gon knew how to get to the Main Hall from here and didn't anticipate any trouble.

[to here]

Unlike the week before, the buses pulled in to the front of the Institute before the sky became dark, and so the departure was a very organized situation rather than a chaotic one. Nurses and orderlies escorted patients off the buses, and just as the front doors to the Institute opened and the patients were taken back to their rooms, the intercom clicked on with its usual jingle to the sound of the Head Doctor's cheery voice.

"Hello, patients, and I hope you all enjoyed a delightful day at our neighboring town! I regret that last-minute duties prevented me from joining all of you on your trip, but I'm glad I can talk to you a bit now before you retire for the night!

"As far as dinner tonight, we have a wonderfully exotic meal of tasty, spicy lamb curry for you, served on a bed of steamed rice and with a side of seasoned vegetables and plain Indian flatbread. For desert, we'll be having sweet rice pudding, and we'll be offering our normal assortment of juices, milk, and water as drinks. As always, for vegetarians and for those of you with mild tastebuds, a large, fresh garden salad is always an option.

"And... I believe that's all! I hope you all enjoy dinner and that you're able to wind down from the excitement of today's excursion."

The intercom clicked off.

[ All room threads go in response to this post; please post your character's room number as the subject line of the initial post. Thank you! ]

[Waiting for Daemon and Renji.]

After spending the last shift in discussion in the library, Rukia had a lot on her mind. Speaking with Captain Harkness had been somewhat informative, but only increased her worry. How easily were they all being controlled by Landel? And by what means? Too many questions.

Since she was still confined to a wheelchair, Rukia asked a nurse to get her some fruit, salad, and a big bowl of rice. She could have easily done it herself, but wanted to find a spot in one of the corners near the door to wait for Renji. She hadn't spoken to him for long the previous day, and had been very upset at the time. Maybe they could just have a nice lunch together.

Rukia thanked the nurse who brought her food and began to eat, looking up at the door every so often.

[from here]

Renji slammed into the kitchen door full force, though not with the side he had Artemis on. The rusted out lock gave with a metallic shriek, the door springing wide open, and he fell through to the other side of the doorway, hitting the floor gracelessly. He shoved Artemis away and lunged to his feet, slamming the door shut behind Hitsugaya as soon as the captain had come through.

They just had to hope that there wasn't yet another opponent like that waiting in this room.

[[from here]]

He wasn't sure just what awaited him as the boy with pale hair and glowing eyes dragged him across the tiled floor, but he was so bruised and beaten after their one-sided fight that he couldn't do much to stop it.  After hearing the rumors about what happened to patients here, he didn't have high hopes.  The world stopped spinning for a moment when they reached the railing.  Was he just going to be left on the floor here?

It didn't look like he'd be quite that lucky.  The boy floated into the air, carrying him along like a sack of potatoes before tossing him unceremoniously into the Sun Room below.  He fell like a rag doll and hit one of the tables on the way down.  He heard as much as felt the cracking of bones as he landed in a heap on the floor.  His upper arm felt strangely warm on the left side, only to realize it was because the bone had broken through the skin.  Yuuhi bit back a cry of pain, wishing the fall had knocked him unconscious too, then at least he wouldn't have to feel the pain for a while. 

His flashlight was gone, lost in the scuffle, and he looked nervously into the darkness, well aware of what easy prey he would be.  He had to move, before someone or something caught the scent of his blood.

[Coming from here.]

Luckily, they were at the far end of the hall and could back away from the fight now taking place in the hallway outside the patient blocks. Tyler kept casting backwards glances over his shoulder as he and Reid fled. As they dashed to a safe distance down into the main stretch of hall, he finally had to slow and stop, feeling winded and out of breath. Odd. He'd thought he was in better shape than that...

"We shouldn't stay in one place," he spoke, bending over and propping his hands on his knees. He felt dizzy and weak. Was there something wrong with him? He tried to ignore it; they had more important things to worry about it. he could be sick once they got out of this damn place.

"Which way should we go? Up, down, or try to get out?"

[from here]
Renji slowed a little as he headed up the hallway, sweeping the ceiling with his flashlight. So far, no giant spiders. He liked that. It wasn't that he had anything against spiders; he wasn't some pansy that was afraid of a little bug. Or a big one. He just hadn't liked the feeling of getting bitten and poisoned.

He went to the room almost at the end of the hallway - M2.

[from here]
Renji paused just long enough to open the door into the first M-block, then ran in, leaving it open behind him. He headed toward the last hallway.

He did switch his flashlight on now, though.

...just in case there was another spider. And no Daemon. In which case he would do more than punch the shit out of the man when he got to him.

[to here]

The cafeteria was all but empty when Zelnick got there. He was a little disappointed; he had gotten the impression that patients usually ate dinner in their rooms, so he hadn't arranged to meet anyone, and there really wasn't anyone to sit by and engage in conversation yet.

Quietly, he collected dinner and a big glass of orange juice, and chose a seat near the food-serving counters. Talking for so long had made him thirsty... and, well, fruit juice was a luxury he had missed.

[Stalk away, my dearest Admiral. <3 ]

((Reserved for Dias.))

The shower shift had been a bit brief for Claude's liking, though he figured it had more to do with the fact they didn't get to bathe very often, and less to do with finding the shower rooms enjoyable. Then again, did anyone really enjoy communal showers?

...Wait. Maybe it was better not to think on that too hard. Yeah, he'd just leave that train of thought behind at the door, for his own sanity's sake.

Claude hadn't been here as long as some of the other captives, but even he thought the Head Doctor's absence was pretty jarring. He knew it was likely related to the stuff involving "Mr. Radio" from the other night, although whether it was a good or bad thing had yet to be seen. Who knew? Maybe it wouldn't really change much of anything in the end, but he'd try saving any hasty conclusions for when Martin Landel decided to come out of the woodwork again, whenever that was.

In the meantime, he was still keeping his eyes peeled for his friends. Well, mostly friend, by this point. It'd make sense he wouldn't run into Leon just yet, seeing they were divided up by age, and he'd seen Ashton and Luke for himself during the last shift, which was always a relief. Asch and Guy were, of course, accounted for, so he didn't have to worry about them.

So that just left Dias.

In truth, Claude intended to at least have a look around the music room while he was in the area, seeing that it was one of the places he planned to explore during a nightshift, preferably the upcoming one. But he knew if he slipped into one of the side rooms, it'd be a little more difficult for anyone to spot him. So, for now, he lingered beside the music room's entrance, his gaze moving towards the sun room's doors. He'd wait for a little while, just in case.

It was then that the crazy events from the night before and today began to truly catch up to him, and after giving a heavy sigh, he leaned against the wall. "Oh boy..."

The lockdown had been interesting. The fact that the staff had enough power to put down a rebellion that quickly and then lock people into their rooms just as fast was something of a feat to be admired. Their efficiency would have been much more impressive if Okita had been on the other side of it, however. As it stood, he had to keep his assessment to himself and when the nurses came and escorted the men out to the showers, he was ready to play the role of model prisoner for a little while.

The last thing he needed was another needle in the neck, after all.

He followed his nurse, smiling pleasantly at her as she led him through the Sun Room and toward the men's showers. Despite arriving almost a week ago, this was his first time experiencing these strange Western bathrooms. He'd explored them at night, but the smell had kept him far from the spigets and fixtures except when absolutely necessary. His nurse pointed out the changing room and politely turned around, trusting that he'd be good for now.

It was fortunate that she did or she might have seen the extra five pens he'd stuck in his waistband to be used later if he needed a weapon. He undressed, hiding the pens away along with his journal and allowed his nurse to remove the bandages around his chest. The scratches had scabbed over and were mostly healed by now. He took the towel she offered him and went into the showers, glad to see he was the first one. It would make finding him easier if anyone needed to speak with him.

Stepping over to the shower furthest away from the door, he fiddled with the knobs and nearly screamed when cold water hit him full on. Stupid Western plumbing! He hadn't been expecting that from what everyone had told him about showering. It took a few minutes, but the hot water began to run and he calmed down, peering at the showerhead and marveling at how water came from the wall directly. Such innovation. With little else to do but enjoy a nice warm bath, Okita began to wash, feeling the stress slip off him along with the week's accumulated sweat and grime.

[open for anyone]

Burly orderlies and agile Calm Effect nurses flooded the cafeteria from the Courtyard while regular hall nurses filed in from the Sun Room and ushered out those not involved in the rebellion. It indeed seemed as if Landel was sending out all the cavalry, and an effective cavalry they were: The riot didn't continue for much longer after the alarm sounded, though it seemed strange just how quickly all of the mutinous patients fell, even the ones who hadn't been injected with anything.

The hall nurses were quick to escort their well-behaved charges back to their rooms, praising those who hadn't joined in and chiding those who muttered under their breath in response. There were some exceptions, of course: One nice young man had even defended one of the nurses from the violent patients! Now, wasn't that exemplary behavior? Dr. Landel would be so proud to hear about it...

Within half an hour, all of the so-called "loyal" patients had been safely deposited in their rooms, and it was then that the alarm finally stopped and the true difficulty of the situation was tackled. There certainly weren't enough rooms in solitary to accommodate such rampant disobedience, and yet measures would have to be taken to ensure proper consequences for each and every patient involved. After all, something like this couldn't be allowed to happen again!

Different options were considered. Perhaps they should make an example out of the girl who had sparked the riot, but then again, perhaps not. This certainly wasn't the first case of patients attacking nurses or their peers in a crowded area, but what had been different this time was the sheer support that the other patients had shown for her. Should the staff then make examples of all those who had tried to "protect" her from the well-meaning nurses? No, there were too many for that...

In the end, it was decided that the best immediate solution would be to treat the rebellious patients in the Medical Wing while they were unconscious and then move them back to their rooms to await punishment. To ensure the safety of both their roommates and the patients themselves, however, the staff decided to securely fasten their limbs to their beds and keep them heavily drugged. Such a sad sight they were to see, but... it was necessary.

Finally, when each and every patient had been escorted back to their respective rooms, the staff hurried off to an emergency meeting upstairs. Strangely, Head Nurse Lydia was the one taking care of the proceedings in the Head Doctor's stead. She calmly told them that he was preoccupied with more urgent matters, and as she began to speak to the crowd, the staff could only wonder what could possibly be more important than an unprecedented patient riot...

[ Comment to this post with separate threads for each patient room, and please put your character's room number in the subject line. Thank you! ]