Night 56: Main Hallway, 1-West

[poorexample]

[From here.]He had reached the meeting point in less than a few minutes and there was still not another patient to be seen. Castiel paused, standing near the wall as he moved his flashlight up and down the corridor. There was nothing, not the sound of a shadow slipping through the dark; not the whisper of something less than human

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[scientist_skye]

Thanks to the earplugs, the squealing at the end of the broadcast only caused Ema to wince rather than double over in pain. Even if Lana's hold on her didn't make much difference scientifically speaking, it seemed to help guard against the pain of the feedback anyway.

Before either sister could react, someone approached the two of them and asked about the broadcast. So she had noticed someone down the hall before! Lana fielded the question, summarizing the major details of the broadcast and introducing herself. A few moments passed before Ema realized that her sister was looking down at her expectantly.

"I'm Ema Skye. We're sisters." Ema spared a brief glance up at her sister, smiling slightly. The earplugs had made a huge difference; later on, Ema owed Lana a very big 'thank you' for them. "It sounds like Dr. Landel and Marc are working together, but they're not getting along very well. I don't know if Marc really trusts him. And I don't know if I do, either." The idea that Dr. Landel's motives weren't as nefarious as they all believed--that he was compelled by a government they don't know, that he was actually protecting them in some way--was too uncomfortable to consider. Not after everything Ema had been put through.

[swornandbroken]

"Hmph." The noise Mello made meant it figures, because it did; he was more certain than ever that those two had been in it together from the start. If the alleged rebels were so easy to find that Landel could manage it, to all appearances, the moment the mood struck him, why had he let them continue, unless they served some sort of purpose in his mind? Mello had long been inclined to think the purpose was the same false hope represented by letting the prisoners have the illusion of progress against the torture sessions, of having made enough of a difference that measures to thwart them had been stepped up. Rats who'd refuse to run the maze at all were no fun, after all, he thought with an inward scowl. If the prisoners believed someone out there was on their side, the arsehole's experimental pool stayed active.

"Morgan," he said, giving Lana's hand a brief shake, and nodding towards her sister. "Which previous broadcaster are you referring to?" The first he'd heard here had been that woman and her bullshit clues. He made a grudging mental note to start carrying his radio in future, though he wasn't ever going to fall for those again. One injury on a pointless wild goose chase was enough. The older of the two women had given a rundown that even he admitted, silently, of course, was impressive in its detail, but he still would've liked to have heard it for himself. He also would've loved to know what government had supposedly sanctioned this, if only to satisfy his own curiosity, but fat chance of that, and it didn't really matter. They were legit enough in whatever reality this was to have muscle and funds to put behind this 'project.'

This was the second time today those damn doors downstairs had been brought to his mind. Mello still didn't believe the 'surprise' was anything a smart prisoner would want any part of. Another dubious accomplishment to distract the rats with, and he was beginning to think checking out might be a viable option, the only one that didn't play into anyone's plans, but no. It wasn't an acceptable option either. He thought of Matt, hiding in his room for the night, and wished like hell he had a better argument for him about why it was unacceptable than just stating that it was.

"And I don't trust any of them," he added, pushing those thoughts away, and glancing towards Ema again in acknowledgment of her similar skepticism. "Not even far enough to believe any of their motives are what they'd like us to think." And he certainly didn't believe they intended to help anyone get out.

"You heading upstairs too?" It couldn't hurt to have company, especially company that had a radio; and they were both sharp enough that Mello didn't mind that they were a package deal, which it was clear they were, given the older sister's protectiveness.

[fourstonewalls]

Lana gave a firm nod, with her eyes flicking over to Ema, at Mello's declaration of distrust. She didn't trust either of them herself, though she couldn't forget the naked pain in Landel's eyes when he'd been dragged from the Institute. She'd seen enough people dragged out of the courtroom screaming their innocence despite the conviction she'd won; rarely did they have that genuine spark in their eyes.

That didn't mean he was on their side, or that he cared for their well-being beyond how it fit into his own plans, but it meant she was at least curious. "That was the plan. We were going to take a look at the files. I don't suggest those stairs," she said. "We're better off avoiding both the Sun Room and the balconies." There could be just as many brainwashed patients over on the other halls, but at least they wouldn't be inviting trouble.

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