[from here]

Taura followed the swinging door into the room, stopping just inside the door. Not the quietest entrance she'd ever managed to make, but the rows of chairs and tables didn't seem to notice. There were screens on them -- and keyboards, which didn't look like the ones she was used to, but were close enough to identify. Aside from direct neural interfaces, no one had managed to beat technology designed for, if Miles hadn't been pulling her leg, striking little hammers onto paper.

What there wasn't, in between any of the rows, was anything else. She slid her hands along one of the screens -- a button turned it on, but it stayed dark. Just a screen, then -- but the keyboards had cables on them, and so did the screens, which led down to a box bolted to the underside of the table. Now we're talking, she thought, as she pointed the flashlight at it. There was a big friendly button, so she pressed it. The box grunted and whirred.

"Hey, look," she called out to Rita. "They haven't turned off all the power up here." She hooked a leg around one of the chairs and folded herself into it -- her knees banged the desk, but she didn't bother trying to figure out if it adjusted; she was used to it. As the screen flickered to life and the system booted itself up, she looked down at the keyboard, squinting at the letter arrangement. It made absolutely no sense, but the letters were all familiar, and this looked like a teaching lab; the system couldn't be that complicated, could it?

[from here]

The layout of the third floor matched the others, from all Taura could see. And she knew exactly where she was headed -- the doors directly above the one Homura's key had opened. Where, rumor had had it, they might have the brainwashing equipment. Which also meant where they might have their real bodies. Wherever it was, it was in use tonight -- the floor of the sun room had become a battleground, again, and Taura didn't have time to watch people learn not to underestimate someone based on their height. As amusing as it generally was, they had a job to do.

The first door was locked, with the heavy stillness that said heavy artillery wasn't getting through it, let alone human strength. So was the second, and the third, which brought her back towards Rita. She shook her head. "Well, that didn't work. You pick a door, next?"

[from here]

As she stepped off of the device, Rita glanced down again. They were indeed the same. And if what IRIS and the mysterious note-sender told her were true, there were more devices to be found around the third floor. That was probably going to be their key to finding anything useful.

The room they were in looked just as it did last night. It was full of unfamiliar machines that didn't look particularly useful for their purposes. "Let's not waste any time here," she said, though it probably wasn't necessary. She and Taura both knew what they needed to do.

[from here]

The door rumbled open, and Taura hurried in, her stunner and flashlight aimed side-by-side up the moving staircase. The light in here flickered; it did bad things to her night vision, and it wasn't like they could hide on the way up.

"When we get up there, we move, yeah? We need to put together the layout." Searching each room would be nice, but they were strong, armed, and could handle an ambush. Finding a lot of dust and some hallways wouldn't cut it.

[from here]

Rita stumbled as she threw herself into the room, rolling forward and quickly hopping back to her feet. Once she confirmed she was past the threshold, she gave a heavy sigh, followed by several more deep breaths. She turned to see that Taura had made it too.

"He better not come in after us..." she muttered. Generally, monsters and brainwashed patients didn't chase people from room to room, so unless this was an unusual situation, they were probably safe. Still, it was hard to feel all that safe knowing that an enemy was so close by. Best to get this over with quickly.

[from here]

Rita's luck had seen some improvement over the past few nights. After a long string of obstructions and disasters, she'd had some smooth progress. She just hoped that lucky streak was going to hold, and that nothing was going to interrupt her this time, either.

Not wanting to push her luck, she broke into a run soon after entering the room, making a beeline for the Library doors. She could trust that Taura wouldn't be far behind.

[from here]

The stairs looked the same as they had before -- the light flickered as Taura peered up them, searing her sensitive eyes and then leaving them light-blinded in turns. "Let's hope they're right about what's up here."

It would be the perfect place for an ambush, after all -- a single chokepoint, and them rushing towards it like fools, but she did it anyways, beginning the climb up the stairs.

Landel was dealing with security breaches? Well, that was just too bad for him, because Rita was planning on making another one tonight. Maybe she'd get lucky, and he'd be too distracted with someone else to bother obstructing her this time.

She could only suspect that 'someone else' was the person who delivered that strange note to her. Maybe it was an ally, or maybe it was a trick... but either way, it seemed to be advising her to do just what she was planning to do anyway. If she happened upon that 'records archive room' along the way, then that would just be perfect.

Rita gathered up her equipment, making extra sure to bring the crystal she'd received from IRIS, and made her way out of her room and down the hallways.

[to here]

For today's field trip, Rita’s nurse had decided to bring her a button-up dress that looked like it was made of the same material dishcloths were. The bluish plaid pattern was an eyesore. What was worse, it only came down to just around the knees, leaving the burns on the outer side of her left leg clearly visible. At least she could walk much better than yesterday, but the large blotch of discolored skin and scabbing was unsightly, and it made her feel more vulnerable than she liked.

At least some of the other patients had worse outfits picked for them. She'd just have to deal with it and get on with her day.

There was still so much Rita wanted to learn last night, about IRIS, about the third floor, and about the institute itself, but it looked like their time had been cut short. Still, interacting with IRIS had made Rita even more curious about this world's technology than before. Maybe she could kill time by familiarizing herself with some common devices.

And so, Rita decided to visit the electronics store. She entered and started looking around, picking up a few products, reading their descriptions, and putting them back.

Her eyes were soon drawn to some devices with large screens... 'televisions,' the label said. There were a couple displaying footage, presumably to show the display's quality to customers. Rita had seen something similar in the institute before, but now that she could examine it up close... it really was stunning, how clear the images were. How were they produced? The mage drew closer and closer, then reached out her fingers to touch.

[free!]

[from here]

The stairs, unlike the ones in the rest of the building, were metal, narrow, and stretched straight up. Taura pointed her flashlight up them, but there wasn't anything on them. Yet. That they could see. Taura took them two at a time. Which was slow by her standards.

Or at least she took the first two of them that way; as soon as her foot hit the treads on the second step, the ground shuddered into motion. "It's automatic," she hissed, as if Rita couldn't see that for herself. It wasn't moving that fast; she could run down it if she'd wanted to, but it made her feel like the walls were closing in. The flickering lights didn't help; they certainly didn't make her feel more confident that anything mechanical here was working properly, and even if it was, it wasn't likely going to be for her benefit.

[from here]

The library smelled more strongly of dust, old leather, and dry rot when it was pitch-dark. Or maybe that was just Taura's imagination kicking into overdrive. Katherine would be at home here; Taura found it quaint, and confining. She juggled the star into her clawed hand without a sound, and pulled out her flashlight, pressing the little button to turn it on.

She could see enough for most things, but a secret passage generally meant a hidden trick, and unless Rita asked her not to look, she wanted to know how it worked.

This was possibly their last safe ground, too. "The healing stone's in my bag, along with the stunner. You just point it and push the trigger. Just in case, you know?"

[from here]

The Sun Room was still and quiet as they entered. Rita knew better than to take that for granted, though. She’d been caught off guard before. With her flashlight, she gave the area a quick scan before starting to make her way to the Library. She considered telling Taura to stay on guard, but that was probably unnecessary. Taura seemed to have a good idea of the risks they were facing.

[from here]

The central hallway. This seemed like a good place to meet with Taura. Rita hoped her companion was making haste. This opportunity was too good to let slide. She positioned herself by the Sun Room doors, but it was only a matter of seconds before she was fidgeting impatiently, arms crossed and foot tapping.

Against her better judgment, Rita felt… hopeful. Hopeful that this could be her ticket back to Terca Lumireis. Hopeful that she could see Estelle again. If this was the way… then it didn’t matter if there were traps, monsters, or even an army in her way – Rita would overcome it. She had to. There was no other option.

[Taura]

Rita spent most of the dinner shift preparing herself for the night. Taura had advised her to be ready for a fight, and she couldn't disagree with that. She’d had danger obstructing her at every turn for the past several nights. If she really was on to something, then it was only going to get more dangerous.

That evening’s message from the Head Doctor was one that certainly got her attention. Was he addressing Rita directly? The timing seemed to line up. If it was true, then all those obstacles really weren’t a coincidence, as Skulduggery said before. Landel was watching, and he knew what she was up to. He even went out of his way to tell her what awaited beyond the passage – the coveted third floor.

There was little doubt now that he’d prepared another trap for her, but that wasn’t going to stop Rita. Not while she knew she was close. Weapon in hand, she left her room without a word.

[to here]

[From here]

Just as last night, Link stood and waited along the wall of the main hallway. Nobody else was out, yet. Good. He had made good time. One never truly knew, here.

He didn't expect to wait long. They all seemed to be very competent people, perhaps with the slight exception of the Once-ler. Though Link could not complain. He had been a bumbling fool the first time he had faced a true monster.

[The Green Team!]

Tomatoes in both choices. Lloyd's face fell the moment he heard the announcement, and with a groan he let his forehead thunk against the table in the Sun Room. He couldn't even ask if he could have a sandwich made without tomatoes in it. The lunches were already made, his nurse holding one of each in her hands. Unhappily, he accepted the one that had meat. Maybe something could be salvaged from it.

Ignoring his nurse's cheerful parting words to enjoy his meal, the teen waited until she'd stepped away before he took his lunch out of the bag and started picking it apart - only to freeze, heart pounding unevenly. A deep, rattling breath had just- Lloyd didn't even finish the thought. Something was here! He whipped around, not even sure how he was going to defend himself. The only thing he had was one of those plastic spoon-forks, and if he was up against that same thing they'd run from last night-

There was nothing. Nothing but nurses and patients passing by. Not even any cats. No one else looked like they'd even heard anything. Lloyd's eyes darted around, but still nothing showed up.

Come on, I know I heard it...

[For Ed and Al!]

[from here]

"They'll still be listening," Taura said, tilting her head at the medtech and orderly that had followed them in. "But they either know everything or think we're crazy." Her expression said exactly how little she cared about either. It was other patients that might matter, if Rita had had to do something drastic.

She found a couple of chairs, and sat down in one -- Rita might stay standing if she did, but that would be silly. "What happened?"

[From here]

Korra wandered into the Sun Room while rubbing her hair dry with a small towel. The shower had been nice, at least. She had wanted her nurse to take her outside, but apparently there would be none of that for the moment. The "adults" were out there. What were they doing that they couldn't let her go outside, too?? She wasn't used to this, being cooped up. It reminded her of her time in the sewers.

She flopped down onto one of the couches, keeping an eye out for someone to chat up. Sure, her social skills weren't exactly 'honed,' yet, but that didn't mean she didn't want to talk to people. There wasn't anything else to do here, anyway.

[Barnaby!]

Aigis sat on her bed, feeling exhausted despite her lack of activity during the day. Or maybe that was the problem. She was getting run down from lack of regular maintenance. But how could she revive her usual gusto that she used to take to the field? A long evening in Tartarus was nothing compared to a night in Landel's. Another curse of this frail, flawed, wonderfully human body.

Clutching her stuffed cat to her bosom, Aigis waited patiently for her companion for the night while contemplating Landel's words. Their friends missing, and his own friends to impede them. Yes, Aigis knew the loss of friend here, though she had not realized a greater number was dropping from their ranks. Perhaps it was the sickness that had caused her to miss so much. It was quite distracting, worrying constantly if you were one singled out to become a monster. Were those the "friends" Landel was bringing in tonight?

Aigis hoped Sechs would make it safely to her room. She hoped, really, really hoped, that he would not be drawn into danger because of her. She would not be able to bear that guilt.

[From here]

And there he was. Link stood near the wall, idly tapping the toe of his boot against the ground as he waited for Soma and the others she had recruited. He doubted they would take long. Soma seemed like a competent young woman. Hopefully that meant that she would have found strong allies to take with them.

He stood with his flashlight, along with the katana she had allowed him to borrow. Link was in his tunic from home, as he always was at night.

[For Soma and the Green Team!]