Night 58: Meeting Room 2.
This was not how Bella had planned on spending the night. All she wanted to do was grieve and mope in solitude, and as she walked down the hallway led by an unidentified soldier (she had attempted to get away from them the moment they entered the room, but had been told that she had no choice in the matter. She could either come quietly with him,
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Venom didn't touch his food. He never spoke to Dean for the duration of their time together, opting to keep from even looking at him. His vision stayed permanently fixated onto the floor and not at the man whose friend he'd murdered. Did he even know she was gone? Did he really even know her at all? Did him knowing her even matter? Being away from something else to focus on left the guilt all too eager to siphon its way into his muscles, freezing him to his spot on the bed. He didn't look at Dean. He certainly did not look at the corpse that stayed standing in the center of his room, staring at him, regardless of her blood audibly hitting the floor again and again.
It was almost a relief when the soldiers rushed in to take him away, because, for once, Claire didn't follow.
It was halfway up the stairs that he'd realized he hadn't even questioned what they wanted him for. And when he finally vocalized a desire to understand their reasoning, it went unanswered. Tch. Left without a clue, his mind went to irony: of course they'd wait for the night he'd chastised someone else on worrying about their experiments before they picked him up for one. Or perhaps this was in regards to his discussion with the woman in the Sun Room. Perhaps they were finally tired of him never shutting his mouth. Regardless, there wasn't much room for objection against people with guns, leaving the assassin no choice but to go along. Damn it, he'd been so determined to get out of his cell that he hadn't even touched his cue. This was pathetic.
Once they reached their destination, Venom took in his particularly dark surroundings with a wary expression. Meeting Room 2. A meeting? ...Was this something to do with that woman? What was it that they wanted with him? Why would they be dragging him upstairs into an empty room with--
...With Bella.
When he caught sight of her, his eyes again went to the floor and he moved himself further into the room and away from her, some silly way of avoiding her reaction. He had planned to visit her this night, to apologize for the death on his hands, but this wasn't what he expected. He didn't want to speak with her in a place like this and, somehow, he knew she didn't want to hear him right now either. If it would keep the peace, he would keep quiet.
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He needed to stop thinking about blood right now. The soldier beside him was definitely no-nonsense, and attempting to tear open any part of his body was likely to get him shot. Even still, he could hear the man's heart beat steadily...
Edward wondered what he was being dragged to. Brainwashing? Experimentation? Was it worth it to fight back? He wasn't sure it really could be either of those, because from what he had learned on both accounts, patients could not remember how it had happened. All they remembered was being approached in their rooms, not where they were taken or what had been done to them.
The words "meeting room 2" rose to greet him soon after they had climbed their way upstairs. Inside were the two last people he had honestly expected to see, if he had expected to see anyone else.
And immediately he turned on his heel, watching the door shut in his face.
Edward slowly swung back to face the room, looking between his fiancée and the man hiding in the corner, across the entire distance of the small area. Despite his better judgement he asked, "Are you both all right?"
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Moments later, in strode the other person she was feeling peeved at. Of course, at the sight of Edward, Bella couldn't help but allow herself to feel comforted and happy by the fact that he was there -
However, she soon remembered that she was annoyed with him as well, and wrapped her arms tightly around herself, moving to ... another corner of the room.
This was turning out to be an awesome night.
"I'm fine," she said with a sigh, looking to the floor. No point in mentioning being manhandled by the soldier. It would only infuriate the vampire, after all, and that was the last thing she wanted. "So, anyone have any idea what the hell is going on?"
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When the vampire asked his question, Venom's hands fell back to his sides and his mouth stayed shut--he didn't need to answer that.
What on earth was the meaning of this? It was a little late for group therapy, wasn't it? Or did they want to see the three of them tear each other apart? What the hell did they want with them? No answer came, sadly, at least not from their newest member and certainly not with an explanatory message from the men over the speakers. Still, regardless of his own reluctance, his eyes took to examining the room more closely. Aside from their being dragged here, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. It was just a dark meeting room--
"There's something on the table," he said at last. What was...? Cautiously, the assassin returned from his corner and slowly made his way to the center table, ignoring the bursts of pain reappearing in his stomach with every movement. A folder...?
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It maybe have been the first time she was truly furious with him. Edward couldn't say he was undeserving of it; he was, after all, apathetic to the death of a human. That was monstrous enough as it was. He could only care insofar as Bella cared. Beyond that, it was just another body among hundreds he had seen in his life, and probably more the institute had created itself. There was truth in what he had once told his fiancée. Once everyone you know has died, life becomes much easier to bear.
He was thankful to have the subject abruptly changed. He was very close to begging Bella to forgive him as it was, and he did not deserve that chance, either.
The vampire did his best to ignore any sense of trepidation he had, moving besides Venom and flipping the folder open on the table. He hadn't expected to see anything in particular; this set up did not seem conducive to experimentation, and he hardly suspected the institute's military would set up a similar game to Landel in information gathering. No, this was something entire other. Something that he recognized had been discussed on the bulletin board.
Forcing work from the patients... A test of some kind?
"Someone mentioned this about last night. A task that the military gave to groups of patients." Immediately he turned from the table, standing by Bella and putting a gentle hand on her arm. "You can turn it down, I think. They can't force us to do anything. I won't let them, Bella."
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A task from the military. Hearing feet across the floor, she spun around in time to see Edward moving towards her, soon after feeling his hand press against her arm. It was comforting, as it always was, but she could feel the hidden fear behind it. His words only solidified the fear. You can turn it down. They can't force us to do anything. More like they can't force you to do anything. If she hadn't been plucked from her room, Bella was quite sure that Edward would not hesitate to accept whatever mission lie in that folder. Venom as well (but then again, she doubted he cared much for her, at the moment, considering she was mad at him.).
Still, here Edward was, his hand on her arm, the truth to his words leaking through to her, and she shook her head, reaching a hand up to dance her fingertips over his knuckles.
She refused to turn back.
"I accept," Bella said loud enough for both of them to hear, not knowing how the vampire would react. Anger? Fear? Begging? That was the last thing she wanted, but still. "I'm not going to run away from this," she said simply, "I promised myself I wasn't going to run away anymore. So, I accept whatever ridiculous task they've given us."
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The details were scant, but the objective was clear: they were to be deployed in a city (the location of which was withheld), and venture to three spots within it and collect air samples (...suggesting what, exactly? A past disaster?). They were advised to avoid contact with whatever people could be found there, something about "hostile rebels," and especially to avoid breathing the air for themselves. Hmm... The Guild Head flipped the paper between his fingers, searching for more information and finding only what was written there. They really didn't want them getting ahead of themselves, did they?
It wasn't an assassination, that was for sure. And he wasn't being paid for it, either. All in all, it was something he should have declined immediately, even when overhearing Bella's (admittedly respectable) determination to go. He wasn't their pawn and he wasn't a soldier. If they wanted his help, they could have gone through the system in place like everyone else who wanted his services.
"I'm in."
It meant accepting work from these megalomaniac bastards, but it also meant being out of here. If there was something in the city they could use to identify where they were--or when they were--or some sort of clue to just what they were expected to eventually fight against... He turned his attention to Bella, finally making some (albeit hidden) attempt at eye-contact before placing the file back down. "I'll go with you."
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But he was finally beginning to accept his losses. His hands dropped from their hold on Bella. The vampire walked back to the door he had entered through, staring at the knob. Hostile rebels. What would happen if he said no? Would it matter? Was it a majority vote? Was there any voting system at all? They could simply be stuck in this room until they accepted. Maybe it didn't matter.
Dammit.
He could not allow them to go without him. Not that he still did not trust Venom, because he did. He just - he could not be left here alone.
"Very well." He sighed, running a nervous hand through his hair. He already began going through the map one look had allowed him to memorize. They needed to get this done, quickly and efficiently. Something that might prioritize them among such a large body of patients. "I accept."
There was no fanfare to his words, though he was not sure if he had expected anything at all. Venom could bring the papers with him. They might as well start now. Dropping his hand from his hair, Edward tried the knob. It wasn't locked.
[To here.]
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