Night 58: Front Desk (Medical Wing)

[spandexorgtfo]

[from here]Following Soma into the medical wing, Kratos closed the door quietly behind them. The lobby area looked as much as it had the previous night, although he did not stop again to draw comparisons between it and the Elemental Research Academy. His awe and curiosity had both been satisfied, so now it was simply business as usual. This part of

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[fourstonewalls]

Relief over having her assumption validated meant that Lana didn't question his statement, nor pry into what those effects might have been.

"I see." More relief; Damon Gant with a gun was a normal sight. He didn't win fights with force, he won them with intelligence, and that he'd had with him since he arrived. She attempted to look duly impressed. "It seems a rather significant reward for such a paltry service." Ilia had murdered a man and gotten a bottle of aspirin; had Damon done more than he was letting on? That wouldn't be a surprise.

She didn't think now was quite the time to press the issue, though, and she looked around at the room. Nothing had changed, except that tonight they seemed to be the only ones poking around the area, and thus she could look around. She stepped behind the desk, and pulled on one of her gloves. Just one. Leather gloves indoors wasn't her idiosyncratic fashion choice, no matter how cold her hands got every time a heat wave inspired someone to turn up the AC until everyone was eyeing von Karma's wool-and-silk with less derision and more envy.

The drawers were filled with exactly what one might expect. Too perfect by half. The computer presented her with a login prompt, and she was no hacker. The only thing worth taking were the lollipops, and not even for herself. She tucked a few in her pocket and stood up. "I'm not telling you anything you don't know, but there's no such thing as a perfect alibi. This place is spotless." Not literally; she could hold up a pen and, if she hit it just right with a flashlight, see the smudge that meant a possibly-legible fingerprint, and there were more on the office supplies. The names of the staff, however, weren't at issue, though their motivations for working here might be.

The door behind the desk was unlocked, and the handle undamaged. She felt the first flicker of interest; by comparison with other areas, this handle should have been locked. The door was directly behind the desk, and thus under daytime guard; yet at night they didn't even switch the lock? The odds that it was a trap were high; the odds that springing it would at least tell her something higher.

[to here, back in a moment]

[damned_monsters]

Luck (if one wanted to call it that) was on Lana's side tonight. What could be more distracting than a rattling sigh from the shadows? Every deep breath was an arduous labor, and when the owner began to crawl away from its corner, the two patients could see why. The dragging leftover was supporting a lot of dead weight.

One strong arm, furry and much too big for its body, pulled it across the tile as it gurgled and gasped for air. It had two heads, but only one seemed to have any life at all. The other lulled against its left shoulder, bobbing with every grasping motion its thin, feminine arm made toward Gant and Lana. The razor sharp scalpels the leftover called nails scraped a horrible noise across the ground as it began to stand on twisted animal legs.

It wasn't quick, but its jerky twitching made it seem very unpredictable. An arm stitched to its back would spasm and fall back against the hulk body. Its black, animal eyes darted from patient to wall, trying in vain to keep its focus where it needed to be.

[Claire]

[gargantuanlaugh]

Gant had to admit that Lana had a point. This place was kept pretty much ship-shape, or so it would seem to an unknowing eye during the day. And at night, it was almost just as inscrutable if one was looking for real evidence that would hold up in court. Unless a judge actually visited this place to see the horrors, nothing would ever be proved against Landel or Aguilar or whoever was running this loony bin.

The chief was tempted to follow after Lana, but he wanted to give her the free reign to snoop around as she wished. Sometimes she could spot things his old eyes would miss, and he wanted to give her a chance again. He wanted to trust her and allowing her some space might just help him with that. At least keeping away from her would relieve a bit of the drug's spell from last night. If she wasn't around to talk with him, he wasn't going to hear her threats. Didn't keep him from wanting to know what she was doing in the next room over, however.

The sigh and then the scrapping sound were definitely a perfect distraction. Gant tensed where he stood at the front desk, his breath rate accelerating. He strained his ears to hear just what direction those sounds could be coming from, then swung his flashlight in the perceived direction. He almost wished he hadn't. "What the devil!"

He pulled the gun out. He was shaking. Damn, why did he have to shake so much? It was just... a thing! But it couldn't be helped. He had been lucky before. He had escaped the monsters before, but he hadn't gotten a really good glimpse at one that was aiming for himself yet either. Gant shot, probably without the best of aim that could be hoped for. It had been a long, long time since he had last held a gun when he actually needed to use it. For once, he cursed his hobby of swimming. What he wouldn't give to trade a few of those visits to the pool for a visit to the shooting range right about now.

[fourstonewalls]

[from here]

Lana strolled back out of the file room, her bootheels clicking softly. Gant had been trying to get her attention -- had he been this transparent in his ploys all along? Whatever it was, it could wait. He'd played this game too many times. She closed the door behind her, and swung the flashlight up. "Something the -- what the hell is that?"

She could admit when she'd been wrong. It was a skill too few people possessed, especially in her line of work.

Oh, god, what was that? It wasn't a zombie -- it was just pieces. Animals and humans -- she'd seen worse than that on crime scenes, but they hadn't still been moving. This was, and while it was lumbering awkwardly, it showed no signs of slowing down.

Think fast, Skye. "Ahem. Listen to me when I'm talking to you." That was directed at the thing, which she didn't expect could understand English, but tone was always important. She rapped the candlestick on the door behind her, just in case.

She was further from it, and sheltered behind the desk; if she could draw its attention, Gant would have more time to get a good shot off. Possibly several, if he had enough ammunition. She spared a glance; light flickered off the barrel. His hands were shaking.

Had they shaken that night, too?

They'd been still and calm as they'd moved Neil's body across the room, unlike her own. They'd held still long enough to snap a clear photo, but then she'd had to keep them pressed against something to keep them steady.

No. This wasn't the time to think of that. "I'd say aim for the head, but I'm not sure it has one."

[damned_monsters]

Gant had hit the target, but nowhere vital. The bullet had pierced the creature's left shoulder and, whether the nerves were dead or the thing was too used to pain to start flinching now, it continued to advance. A trickle of blood, most of it already coagulating, eventually began to pump slowly from the bullet wound like molasses as it dragged one misshapen in front of the other with new intent.

Another patient had walked in on the nightmare already in progress. She was smaller, and while louder as she banged and carried on, that didn't always mean stronger. It would focus its attention on her; it was as good a plan as any, especially with as little brain activity as it could muster.

With a wheezing exhale of breath (a pitiful war cry from a monster so savage), it charged forward with swollen, red eyes intent on spearing Lana from in front of the desk. It stumbled once, but regained its momentum quickly.

[gargantuanlaugh]

Was Lana really trying to reason with the thing? It was a misshapen lump of a monster! How could she even-- but he didn't have time to think about that.

His shot had made it, but the thing was still moving their way. Almost as if the bullet hadn't done any damage at all. There was barely any visible reaction, save for the trickle of blood. One whole bullet, wasted. Gant felt frustration welling up within him, making his movements even more erratic as he took aim again.

He was going to make a remark that he thought maybe it had two heads, but it suddenly changed directions and charged towards the desk. Towards Lana.

For a brief moment, Gant realized this was the moment to escape. It was fully distracted from him. He could just as easily slip away now. He could run fast, so surely he would get out the door without too much worry. He should turn now. Run, leave this place and put the incident behind him.

But it was going after Lana. She was his old partner, and the one person he respected above all others. This was not just some random stranger, a teenager proclaiming himself vigilante or some strange, overly-touchy alien. Could Gant really throw Lana under the bus without a care, just let her take the fall and perhaps die in this place while he got off scot-free? He'd put her in danger before, nearly gotten her accused of murder, used her younger sister for blackmail. He should be able to just leave without even sparing her a 'good night.'

But she had sort of forgiven him for all that. And sort of tried to put faith in him again. And sort of tried to console him this afternoon. And sort of just now tried to help him out by distracting the thing and...

Dammit...

"Lana! Get down!" Gant rushed forward, lifting his gun and taking another shot at the beast, hoping to take it out before it reached the desk. He had wasted precious seconds contemplating turning tail and running, but he could probably manage to shoot it in some vital area before it reached them. Hopefully.

[fourstonewalls]

Distracting it had worked. Distracting it had worked way too well. It was headed for her more quickly than she'd thought it could possibly move.

She ducked down, and scrambled towards the thickest part of the desk, where the drawers had been filled with paper and several layers of metal and plywood. It brought her further from the door, but a little file room was a recipe for a bloodbath.

Besides, that would be leaving Gant with that thing, and she couldn't do that to anyone. If she could get out from behind the desk they could run for it, back into the main halls.

[damned_monsters]

The mistake had been the leftover's. It had brushed off Gant's numb assault as useless while it headed for the smaller patient. Now it was in a vulnerable position that the man had inevitably taken advantage of. The bullet hit the dead weight of the second head that hung listlessly on the left and suddenly it was lifeless no longer. A blood-curdling scream came out of its pale lips as it thrashed back and forth. It may not have held the better mental facility, but it felt pain where the right head could not.

Something it did share, however, was anger. Crying like a wounded siren, Lana had been forgotten in its throes of pain. It wanted the man. it needed to stop him before any further damage could be made. Whatever had wounded was in the his hands. That needed to go immediately. The large, bear-like arm reached for Gant's hands in order to crush them. The rest of the monstrosity began to crowd him into the corner so there would be no hope of escape.

[gargantuanlaugh]

The scream sent cold, tingling bumps breaking out all over the chief's arms. He had just about had it, feeling this kind of fear. He was the ex-Chief of Police of the L.A. precinct. He'd faced down countless thugs and criminals for over 40 years. He had already made this thing scream. That meant he could kill it and there was no need for cowering.

The monster was coming after him now, but Gant was confident he could take it down if only he could get around the thing. He made a break for the desk, trying to rush away from its flailing arm and keeping his hands up as he attempted to side-step the leftovers. "Lana, I think I have an idea!"

Maybe if he could get back there, he and Lana could keep desk as a the barrier between them and the monster. He had greater a range with his gun than that beast had with just the one long paw. They just needed to be faster. If he could just get a little further...

[fourstonewalls]

Lana had been about to run for it, towards both Gant and the doors, but Gant wasn't having any of it. He was moving towards her, not away, diving for the desk. It was the best cover they had, but she would have preferred to run. The die was cast: it was time for a fight.

She rose up from behind the desk, slamming one hand on it and raising the other. Instead of a file, something glinted in her hand. She held one of the scalpels, small but wickedly sharp. A flick of the wrist and it went sailing through the air, end over end, flying towards the center of the creature. She'd aimed low; it was between her and Gant now, and if it missed, the worst it could hit was his calf leg. The creature, on the other hand, had most of what she hoped were vital organs down that low.

"What is it?" He'd rejected hers, even if she'd only betrayed it by the finest of body language. It wasn't like he couldn't read her better than she could him, after all, and if she couldn't do anything about that, she could at least use it to their advantage. Running wasn't an option. So what was he thinking?

[damned_monsters]

The sharp scalpel hooked into its pelvis. The keen slice wasn't felt until moments later when another geyser began to drool down its abdomen. Its legs began to buckle until it could do little more than squat. Well, if these patients were hell bent on killing it, the leftover was determined to bring one of them down with him. It wasn't without bite just yet.

Gant had had a good idea, but it took time and attention away from the monster to perform it. As the patient moved, the leftover screamed in frustration and pain and swung out its big furry hand like a clothes line to stop the man from gaining ground. The other, much smaller but much quicker, shot toward the man's stomach, intent to skewer him through. While Lana may have gotten lucky with one scalpel, the leftover had five to do with as it pleased.

[gargantuanlaugh]

He thought he was fast enough. Smart enough. But overconfidence was a mistake Gant had made a lot in the recent past. Tonight was no different.

The chief tried to pull back, away from the creature's thrusting scalpels, but the smaller limb struck with a pinpointed concentration and with a force that was completely unexpected. The barbs managed to break deeply through the skin, and the chief gasped in shock grabbing at the small arm with his free hand; a hand that found itself free when it dropped the flashlight in surprise.

Adrenaline spiked in Gant's blood, giving him a surprising spurt of strength as only adrenaline can. He angrily crushed his fist around the small arm, yanking it out of his chest with a shout of rage. He lowered the gun in his other hand, shooting at the thing at short range in one final attempt to take it down. Better safe than sorry.

As Gant stumbled back, he knocked into Lana and seized the moment to strike his fist against the wall, shattering the stone in the ring. The monster could have been dying for all he cared, but he wasn't waiting around another moment to find out. It was a long shot of a gamble, but it was one he felt just crazy enough to take in this madness. And by God, it actually worked.

[teleporting to here]