If he didn't know better, he'd say that the intercom announcements were playing mind games tonight, more than usual.

Clark left his room apprehensive. Last night hadn't gone well; he'd probably nearly died from wounds that shouldn't have even been possible and, to make it worse, Alkaid and Badou and Claire had gotten hurt trying to help him. And what was with the intercom announcement? It sounded like Landels had gotten hacked and then there was something about the security system. Was it possible to leave? Or was it a glitch, something that could make the security system even more deadly? Clark didn't know, but he planned to find out.

Gripping his flashlight in one hand, he stepped outside.

here]

[from here]

The cool night breeze greeted Archer as he stepped outside. Breathing in the fresh air, Archer felt thankful that he remembered to wear his sweater; it was chilly tonight. He swept his flashlight across the open field, searching for enemies and the activities shed.

"Bingo," Archer said softly, spotting his goal in the distance. "Come on, let's go pick up some supplies."

He began slowly moving towards the shed, making sure his partner kept up with him. Well, that and to make sure Brook didn't run.

Clark got up as soon as he heard the click of the locks being released. Hiding his patient file under his pillow, he knew he'd have to open it up again another time and probably find out more stuff he wouldn't like. He was about to rush out when he suddenly remembered to grab an extra pair of batteries, palming them before he left the safety of the room. He might have a lot of different ways of seeing tacked on him, but night vision apparently wasn't one of them; he didn't want to be in the dark in a place like this if his flashlight went out.

Stepping outside, he could already hear the sounds of other patients doing the same and leaving their rooms, no doubt to try to find ways to escape or meet up with people.

Swallowing, Clark set out. There had to be a way to find out about the experiments here, some kind of paper trail. If he could find something about the Haitian, Claire's disappearance and (or) Kyon's condition, he figured he could call it a night well spent.

[Heading off to here]

[From here.]

Meandering about like this was really just a waste of his time, but Sync strove forward anyway with that same bored expression as he made his way into the next area.

It was true that he wanted to explore outside and examine any weak spots for escape, yet it wasn’t on the top of his list of things to do. No, instead he was more curious about what ludicrous lives the staff plastered on top of them. The God-General was used to shadowing his own identity, so it was interesting from his point to see what they’ve managed to conjure up in their spare time.

Call it an acquired taste.

He followed the wall from the time he entered the room, allowing the tips of his fingers to run along the surface before he exited into another hallway.

[To here.]

[[From here]]
It didn't take long for Yuuhi to hobble through the darkened hallway toward the main hall.  He'd left as soon as he'd heard the door unlock and just kept going, quickly as he could, fear and anxiety driving him on.  Much as he was afraid of what Sakura might know, it was even worse not knowing at all.

His flashlight bounced shakily in his free hand as he walked, scanning the hallway.  There usually weren't any beasties out this early in the night, but he wasn't about to take any chances.  In his current state, he was probably easy prey for whatever might be lurking, which wasn't exactly a comforting thought.  He put it aside, instead concentrating on getting down the hall and to where the princess was waiting.

[Coming from here.]

Tyler slipped out into the adjoining hallway and glanced around, shining his flashlight about to make sure there was nothing going to pop out at him. After last night, he didn't want to be too cautious.

At least nothing was giggling.

Deeming it safe enough, he turned to his left and continued onwards. He wished he'd been able to find out which was Reid's room. That would make his life so much simpler right now...

[Going here.]

Clark woke up feeling drained.

And once again, he was on the floor - only this time he'd fallen out without jolting himself awake and apparently slept sprawled like that for who knew how long. Pushing himself up, the farmboy winced. Ow. His neck was sore from lying like that. Rubbing at it, grimacing, he sat up and leaned back against his bed, trying to get used to actually feeling sore. What with his powers going on and off like this, one minute he could chug burning coffee without feeling a thing and the next, he couldn't even sleep on the floor without getting cramps. Cramps!

He still got surprised over stuff like that. Sure, it was little and every day to most people, but he'd spent most of his life not able to feel uncomfortable like most people. He'd probably even enjoy it if his bouts of normalcy were consistent.

But they weren't, so instead of feeling relieved, Clark just felt sharply out of place. It was like he was stuck between being human-normal and...and, alien-normal, whatever that meant.

Sighing and getting to his feet, Clark automatically looked over at Leon's end of the room. It was too dark to see if his roommate was still here or gone. Moving quietly, Clark felt his way about the room, his hands briefly brushing on the flashlight he'd left on the desk. Picking it up, he then felt his way to the door, running along the wall and not wanting to turn on the light and wake up his roomie. Sleep was hard to come by in Landels, nightmares or not. He'd let Leon get some sleep.

Clark closed the door behind him, flicking the flashlight on. The light seemed even weaker than normal - probably had to do with the batteries - and he hoped it'd last through the night, if not long enough to get to Dr. Burrough's office. He'd had to break and enter more times than any teen should back in Smallville, but he'd told himself that it'd been for the right reasons; to get to the bottom of things, to learn the truth and protect people. Chloe did it herself from what he knew and if she knew what he did, she'd probably even approve. But this somehow felt different. He didn't think that his doctor was a criminal. If anyone was doing anything criminal, it'd probably be him.

Assuming he even could trace his way back to her office.

Keeping the flashlight angled toward the floor, Clark set off.

[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 ]

[Waiting for Kaito... I think...]

Well, meeting his new roommate had been an interesting experience. Especially since the guy had been strapped to his bed and barely able to form coherent sentences. Heiji had to give him some credit, though, there weren't many people who would have tried to rescue a girl from the riot. Too bad he got caught.

He wanted to relax--away from all the orderlies and such, so he opted for the Game Room (even though he was, after eating pretty much nothing at all, starving). His nurse, at his request, handed him one of the old Gameboys out of a box along with a game. The detective flopped down on a chair, popped the cartridge in and began playing.

Heiji frowned. Just what the hell was this? He'd never even heard of this game. It looked like he was playing some kid who had these cards, that transformed into a ball, and then into a monster. What was the point of that?

...wait, was that monster named Whiplash?

Hitsugaya woke with a start.

His entire body ached, but the pain was nowhere near as bad as it had been the night before. His injuries had been tended two with clean gauze and bandages, and he found every movement wasn't agony. He wasn't in the best of shape, but thanks to the miracle of landel's strange time distortion, he had mostly recovered from the vile poison without having to waste anyone else's talents.

And in his hand, still...there was the key.

He dressed quickly, sliding the key onto the key ring from his desk drawer and stuck it into his pocket. Whether the key stood to gain them anything or not, it stood as a vital reminder that they could succeed in this place. There was hope, as insignificant as it often seemed. They could beat this place.

That small shred of hope made getting up worth it.

The nurse who escorted him to breakfast was cheerful, and commented idly about how wonderful it was to see young Tommy Winters up and about again after his unfortunate run-in with a bad case of food poisoning. He smirked slightly, knowing that any lies the institute forced into their heads were only that: lies. He wouldn't buy it for a second. And on top of that, the concept of muffins sounded almost appetizing. While he still preferred his authentic Japanese cuisine, the food here was slowly becoming more and more bearable. He would have preferred a warm bowl of sweet nattou over rice over the mufffins, but they would do. The plain yogurt and fruit, on the other hand, was excellent. He piled his plate high with fruit as usual, and got several small bowls of yogurt as well.

Finding the most convenient table to the end of the food line, he took a seat and scanned for the new arrivals. New arrivals meant people who would be lost and confused. Renji did a good job of making a bulliten post last time...he should recommend abarai-fukutaicho do the same again this time.

[Waiting for Angel]

[From here.]

"O-oi!" Sousuke hissed, following Miku into the darkness. He looked over his shoulder and gesturing to Mousse to follow. Walking blindly into an unlit room when there was 'something' there that Miku was trying to follow was right up there with leaving his apartment without his Glock in his jacket--it just didn't feel right.

"Hinasaki-san," The sergeant caught up to the girl and put a protective hand on the center of her back. "I respect your desire to follow your instincts, but entering a dark room unarmed is reckless! We should leave immediately."

His senses were open all the way, trying to sense anything that would be a threat. Something didn't feel right... his skin was prickling and his throat was suddenly blocked. Something was in here...

"We need to leave. Now."

[[From here]]
Miku kept her footsteps hushed as she followed the growing buzz in the back of her head. Here it was, just behind this door with it's rusted lock. Miku tried it, hoping that maybe her meager strength would help her, but to no avail. She kept one eye over her shoulder, her ears opened for the click of claws or worse.

Nothing, just the stupid sound of the lock not moving.

"Come on, come on, please...!" she whispered fiercely at it. "Please let me in..!"

And thus the intercom jingle sounded once again, marking an end to the easy socializing for the day.

"Sorry to break into your leisurely activities, patients, but it's time for you to all be escorted back to your rooms. We do, however, have a scrumptious meal planned for all of you: Salmon fillets stuffed with garlic, chives, and other spices, along with sides of mashed potatoes, green beans, and carrots. Feel free to liberally apply butter, ha ha... ha. You of course may ask your nurse for whatever drink you choose from our stock.

"I do hope that our new patients had a good time meeting new faces and exploring the Landel's environment today! Unfortunately, the rest of you won't be meeting the new members of our population that we'll be bringing in tonight, but... ah, well, you'll see them in the morning, right?

"But it isn't lights out quite yet, is it? Oh, no... In any case, nurses, please escort our patients back to their rooms, and escort those who don't yet have assigned rooms to the empty rooms marked on the lists that were given to you this shift.

"Also, I'd like to say that I look forward to reading all of the notes that I have heard were put in the Suggestion Box! In any case, ta-ta for now and have a wonderful dinner."

The intercom clicked off.

[ As per usual, all dinner shift posts should be in response to this post. Please put your character's room number in your subject line unless you don't know it yet. Thanks! ]

Having nothing else to do during the daytime, Recluse opted for the library. Upon arrival, he remembered how pathetic the selection here was. Would it really be so difficult for them to at least get a decent science fiction section? All but one of the books available in that genre were ones he’d already read before he'd joined the army to fight in the Great War, now more commonly known as World War I. Recluse made an irritated hiss. Whoever put this library together seems to think science fiction became a lost art after Edgar Rice Burroghs died.

Recluse sighed, picking up the most recent science fiction book he could find--Brave New World, published in 1932--and started reading.

Hitsugaya left the chapel no less frustrated than before. The head doctor once again had chosen not to hide his face, yet promised he would be making an appearance at some time in the near future. He didn't like being patient, but there wasn't much choice. Either the head doctor would show his face, or he wouldn't. Renji had already seen him, and knew how to find him. That was enough.

The thought of eating made him slightly nauseous as usual, but he knew he needed to get his strength up. He could either be weak and try to force his way through brunch without eating anything, or he could be smart and actually give himself something to eat. And there was rice. Rice and fruit. He took a heaping pile of rice, and grabbed as much watermelon as he could fit on his plate, then proceeded to an empty table. He scanned the room, watching for Momo. He wasn't exactly looking forward to their conversation, knowing how she'd acted yesterday; however, he knew he had to speak to her, and there was a good chance that she would show more restraint now that the drugs were out of her system.

Thoughtfully he consumed his rice and waited.

[free at the moment, pester if you wish]

Hiei didn't give a damn about religious services, meditation, or pretending to be social. The always sudden waking after night put him in a bad mood, this one particularly so. Even with Kurikara licking him like some perverted moron, the warmth the dragon provided was welcome in Hiei's bed, and missing when he woke, giving the surrounding air a greater sense of chill.

But the perfect thing to relieve his anger might just be making an appearance that morning, and that at least gave Hiei hope for a decent day.

Hopefully Kurikara and Kurama both would be clever enough to figure it out for themselves. Without hesitation, Hiei demanded to be led to the temple, taking a seat in one of the rear pews. Humans had a way of overdoing things, and this place wasn't really much exception to that. Granted Hiei's limited knowledge prevented him from realizing there were much more outrageous churches, but to the demon, the colored pieces of glass and polished wood seemed to be much.

It didn't matter, however. Either could be turned into weapons, perfect objects to slice into that damned head doctor's throat or bash in his skull. That was a thought worth grinning about.



[Feel free to pester. Just, uh, be aware that he's not exactly nice.]

[[From here]]

Allen struggled to keep Sanji from falling over as they walked further into the institute. The halls were so dark without the portable lanterns, it was difficult to see much going on in front of them. He didn't like it, but there wasn't much he could do about it for the time being.

"Whatever is close I guess," Allen replied to Sanji's question. He hadn't thought much further than that. As long as there was a place where the other could rest until the effect of the drugs was gone, it didn't really matter where, did it?  "Unless you want to go to yours?  Mine is much further up the hall."

[Dropping down from Bus 3.]

Shana dropped into the darkness from the open window above, keeping her back to the carraige as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the pitch blackness surrounding her. It must have been a cloudy night, for she could make out no stars or moon above. Eerie sounds filled the night and she shivered, not liking the sound of it, nor the fact that she was out here alone with no idea of what could be lurking in the shadows.

Shadow was still trapped in the bus somewhere above and behind her, and she had no idea where Valyn and Keman were. Focusing her magic, she tried to reach out and feel for them, wondering if they'd felt her cast her magelight spell, wondering if they'd cast anything in return for her to find them. She had no desire to spend the night separated from them, especially since she hadn't been here long enough to know her way about the place, let alone the extent of dangers it could hold