Night 56: West Wing, North Hall 1-A
[From here.]Right as he'd been leaving the block, Harvey had come across none other than Peter. Not that it could really be called that when they hadn't even talked to each other, but seeing the kid had answered a few questions. First of all, it seemed that Peter wasn't planning on going down to the basement, both because he hadn't approached him
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As it turned out, they ran into someone even sooner than expected. Guy was only somewhat surprised to see that Anise had been waiting for them. On one hand, she'd definitely made it over here in record time. On the other, this was all so routine at this point that it made sense in its own way.
"Hey," he called out, moving toward her and then stopping short, the normal allotted distance that he had to keep between himself and females. "Good to see you." He also hadn't met up with Anise during the day, so he was relieved that she seemed to be in good shape.
There was one thing that he needed to cover before he got into their plans for the night or the fact that Anise was holding a compact flashlight or anything else, though. "Did you hear? Natalia is back!" Come to think of it, he should have mentioned it to Claude too, but at least this way he was hitting two birds with one stone.
He hoped the princess was taking care of herself tonight. She hadn't been in this place as long, so she didn't know the patterns; unlike Anise, she would have no idea to come here, and Guy really should have arranged something with her. There wasn't much he could do about that now, though.
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When Guy mentioned Natalia, Claude's face lit up. "Oh, yeah, I saw her this morning!" he brightly said. "She was kind of confused about what had happened, but I told her everything I could. I was really glad to see her."
He almost wanted to finish with, See? I knew she was okay, but there wasn't any reason to rub it in. After everything that had happened, he could understand why it would be easy for Guy and Anise to assume a few days of silence meant she'd completely vanished. Thankfully, it had just been a false alarm.
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It was a little disappointing that they already knew, since Anise wanted to be the bearer of good news for once, but it was good that Natalia had gotten in contact with everyone anyway.
"So! Got any place in mind to visit tonight?" she asked, moving to the next topic quickly. They only had so much time to stand around and talk, after all. Anise was assuming that she'd be accompanying them, but they'd been traveling together enough lately that she figured no one would object. For the time being, she decided to offer her own suggestion for somewhere to go. They were just about done with the ruins, weren't they? "I know there's supposed to be a quarry or something north of here, but... maybe you guys heard some other rumors?"
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Either way, with no indication of where her room was now, it would be impossible for them to go find her. Guy was going to have to cross his fingers that the princess would take care of herself and make sure to find someone to partner up with. Anise had already moved on to the topic of what they should do with their night, though, and he was quick to catch up with her.
"A quarry, huh? I think you're the only one who's mentioned that to me so far." He remembered Anise telling him about it once, but with the way she was talking, she'd never been there herself. All the more reason for them to check it out, right? It meant going out into the snow again, but at least it looked like they were prepared this time around. "I'm fine with that." He sent a glance to Claude then, wanting to hear his opinion before taking off onto the field.
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When Guy asked for his opinion, Claude gave a grin. "Sure, I'm--"
It was at that moment the other blond's radio suddenly emitted static, drawing his attention to the small device. While radio messages weren't anything new, Marc sounded like he was in the middle of arguing with someone. Before Claude could comment, though, a sickeningly familiar voice filtered through the radio.
He couldn't mask the surprise on his face. Was that...Landel? So the military actually let him wander around on his own? Claude was amazed Marc had let him into his hideout, much less near his radio equipment. Had they formed some sort of tentative alliance? But Landel was the one who killed Mr. Radio in the first place!
As he listened to the exchange, Claude's grip subtly tightened on his sword. While he could admit that conditions had worsened for a lot of patients here, he wasn't sure whether he could say he missed Landel. That bastard had caused way too much pain for people he cared about. Still, as bothered as Claude felt, he knew he couldn't just ignore the message. Paying attention to every word, he waited for the former Head Doctor to get to the point.
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She remained in that position until she heard something like a fingersnap... followed by a horrible pain in her head.
"Aah!!" she cried out, wincing. The pain quickly passed, but it sure as hell didn't do anything to endear her to the former Head Doctor. What gift!? Wasn't he just screwing with them like he always was!?
"How stupid does he think we are!?" she snapped once the broadcast seemed to be finished. "There's no way he's really trying to help us!" It was way too late for him to start expecting people to trust him. As far as Anise was concerned, Landel might as well have killed Guy with his own two hands. She was never going to forgive him. Never!
Besides, Anise had always found the radio suspicious, and now the new guy actually let Landel join him? Like that was going to help anyone! This had to be a trick. Maybe even all of it - military included. All to make Landel feel important, and to try and convince some of the patients that they needed him. Anise wasn't buying it.
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Either way, the timing was pretty remarkable considering Guy had just been wondering earlier in the day about where the Head Doctor had gotten off to. It didn't sound like Marc was housing him willingly, but at least this answered the question of what the hell had happened to him.
It sounded like the man was just as egotistical as always, though, and Guy had to hold back a sigh as Landel started in on his explanation. He seemed to actually be affronted about what had happened, which was ridiculous considering the way he'd treated them. The fact that he was now trying to present himself as someone on the other side, the side trying to help them, was completely ludicrous.
Guy wasn't able to consider all the different aspects of what he was hearing for much longer than that, though, as he was assaulted by a sudden, piercing pain in his head. "Agh--!" He let the radio dangle from his wrist so that he could put both hands to his temples, hating the sensation; it was too close to how it had felt when the curse slot had taken over.
Luckily, it didn't last long, though that ringing in his ears persisted for longer than he was comfortable with. The broadcast ended soon after that, apparently due to the two men fighting over the equipment. Guy pushed away his curiosity about how it all worked, focusing instead on the matter at hand.
"Those doors... getting through them is our prize?" It was true that they had never actually gotten anything for participating in that coliseum fight, but Guy had to admit he was apprehensive to keep going down that path. At the same time, he didn't want his death to have been useless. If it turned out he'd gone through all that for a reason, maybe he could accept it better than he had so far. But he kept quiet on that for the moment, glancing at the other two to see what they thought.
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Thankfully, the pain passed quickly, but Claude still felt annoyed that it had happened in the first place. Did Landel expect everyone who'd been through the coliseum to go charging downstairs for more punishment? It was as though he forgot just how much grief he caused everyone in the first place.
When Guy spoke up, Claude glanced over at his two companions. "Sounds like it," he said. "But how much of a prize do you think it is? He sounded like he wanted to lead us out of the institute, but..." For all they knew, another death match was waiting for them.
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Once she calmed down after her angry outburst, Anise was able to think a little about what they just learned. So there really was something after the Coliseum... She'd always figured that what they went through was, well, it. There was a part of her that really wanted to believe that everything they went through hadn't been in vain, but...
"Yeah... it could be another trap," she added in agreement with Claude's concern.
What other leads did they have, though? There was the quarry, but there was no telling if that would lead to anything. The basement was far more dangerous, but whether it was a trap or a genuine reward, maybe they'd find something out if they went there... even though Anise didn't want to go back to that place.
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"Well, outside to the quarry or down into the basement, I'm willing to try either," he remarked, wanting to make it clear to the others that he wasn't going to let the last time stop him from looking into this if they decided that was what needed to happen.
On the other hand, they'd only just heard the news. Maybe they needed to take some time to really think on it, since Guy wasn't fond of rushing into things unprepared. But they were as armed as they could be and none of them were hurt, so...
In the end, it was too hard for him to decide, and so he watched Anise and Claude, hoping that someone could come to a decision.
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Frowning, he thought the radio message over for a moment. Why would Landel suddenly extend his help? Was he trying to undermine the military's authority? Or was he just trying to play another cruel joke on them?
To be honest, Claude didn't entirely trust his own instincts on the matter. He'd hung so much of his hope onto the basement, and had even been the one pressing Guy and Dias to charge after Sync on that awful night. Yet it was clear his current hesitance was linked to his reluctance to put Guy or Anise in harm's way again. Claude knew he lacked the confidence to protect the people who mattered most to him. Of course that would influence his choices, and not necessarily for the better.
"It's not a decision that should be made lightly," Claude pointed out. "All three of us will need to be in an agreement." Considering the disadvantage they were in, it made sense to share that sort of responsibility.
"All I know about the basement is that the radio man once said it was the key out of here," he quietly added. "For awhile I thought he was telling the truth, but..." Claude's gaze dropped to the floor. "After what we found, I'm not sure what to think. I don't want a repeat of what happened, but I haven't exactly found anymore clues about an escape since then, either."
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"I don't know what we should do..." she admitted, shaking her head. That bold defiance from moments ago was gone, replaced with fear and indecision. "It was my fault you two got caught in a trap last time. I... I never want that to happen again." It was rare for Anise to bare her feelings on such a painful experience, especially one that she had been so eager to put behind her, but in the face of an important decision like this, she felt it was necessary to get everything out in the open. Even though everyone said it wasn't her fault, it was at least partly her fault, and she'd never forgive herself if she caused something horrible like that to happen again.
"But... at the same time, I don't want to be left at the sidelines again while my friends are fighting. If we go, we go together, okay?"
In the end, Anise didn't feel like she had any right to choose. Guy, who had suffered more than any of them, was the one with the right to decide. The only thing she was willing to insist on was that, more than anything, she didn't want to be left behind. She had to make up for the mess she helped make.
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But Claude had just pointed it out himself: the basement was supposed to be the way out, and they clearly hadn't explored all of it yet. They were all scared, but that fear could keep them from finally making a real breakthrough.
When Anise spoke up, Guy glanced over to her and nodded seriously. "Agreed." He wished he could put his hand on her shoulder or something to that effect, but that obviously wasn't possible. Really, he should have just made a habit of shoving those kinds of thoughts away entirely, but it wasn't something he could help. "This is something we have to do as a team." And without Sync leading the whole damn thing.
Another bout of silence stretched out between them, and then Guy decided to finally speak up. "I think... we should at least check it out. We can always turn back if we don't feel comfortable with what we find, but I don't think I can handle not knowing." He needed to see what he died for.
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He placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry about that," Claude told her as he offered a confident smile. "We're all in this together, so no one's getting left on the sidelines."
Claude realized that meant he couldn't go running down to the basement on his own, even if it meant possibly keeping his friends out of danger. They needed to trust each other while doing their best to look out for one another. Guy was right, after all -- they were a team.
Still, this wasn't a decision that could be made lightly. When the other blond spoke, though, Claude turned his attention onto him and listened. It didn't surprise him that his friend at least wanted to see what was down there. They'd already invested so much in the basement. Ignoring it now just seemed like a waste, especially for someone like Guy, who sacrificed much more than either Anise or himself.
"I know what you mean," he quietly said after a moment. Then, with a nod, he added, "All right. Well, I'm in if you two are."
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When both Guy and Claude both agreed to that, Anise raised her head, having found the strength to do so in their words. She looked like she had been on the verge of tears moments ago, but now that struggle with herself seemed to have passed. She felt like a large burden had been lifted.
This wasn't going to be like last time. They all knew what they were getting into; that it could even be certain death. But because they talked it out and came to an agreement, they all shared equal responsibility for anything that happened. That meant that if something went wrong, there'd be no reason to blame each other or themselves. That fact made it easier for Anise to accept the risk they were taking.
"Then I'm in too," she finally decided, a hint of a smile returning to her face. "I don't trust a word that either of those guys said... but I want to get to the bottom of this." And besides, if Guy wanted to go, she wasn't going to deny him that. This was her chance to make up for her past mistakes. If she supported her friends - no, if they all supported each other, then maybe they could avoid another tragedy.
Even knowing how dangerous this decision could be, Anise was starting to feel optimistic. Like they could take on anything if they did it together.
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With their plans changed, however, they were going to have to figure out a route. It was a shame that none of them had one of those rings, but they had gotten down to the basement plenty of times before. They could do this.
"All right," he said with a confident grin, willing to face the place of his death despite those reservations. It wasn't like they'd have to go back into the coliseum itself, so he was pretty sure he could manage. Actually, Guy got the feeling he could do anything so long as he had these two at his side. It was just a shame that Tear and Natalia couldn't be included.
Though no, that wasn't true. If they'd been a part of it, they would have been dragged into that whole tragedy as well. One of them could have ended up dying. It was better that it just stayed amongst the three of them at this point, even though he felt bad for leaving the others out. It wasn't like he had a choice.
"In that case, we need to decide how we want to get there. Through the Sun Room or the Courtyard?" he asked. It was the eternal question, wasn't it?
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