Nightshift 24: M1-M10 Hallway

[tartaros_avatar]

Recluse was glad that the Head Doctor didn't waste his time tonight. He held the pepper spray he had acquired last night in his left hand, sharpening steel in his right. He moved purposefully down the dark corridor, keeping silent

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[blacksustenance]

[Coming from here]

Okay, so maybe his sense of direction wasn't as good as he thought. In his defense, though, it was dark and dammit, all these halls looked the same if you got turned around. Eddie Brock was pretty sure he hadn't been near this section of the male patient cells before, but one door looked like another and the only thing he had to go by was the fact that the faces he could make out didn't really look like anyone he knew.

Anyway, it'd probably be best to ask for directions. Brock didn't really care to hang around with a group, but it did occur to him now that it'd be nice to have some meat shields around him instead of him being said meat shield. It'd be nice not to be mauled by cats, little girls on fire, or some kind of gorilla frog monster...thing. He still wasn't sure what that thing had been...

Brock put on a friendly smile as he approached, making sure he didn't surprise anyone - no point scaring jumpy, nervous people by sneaking up on them.

"Hey," he said, keeping his voice low. Broadcasting his presence to the local wildlife didn't really cut it for him. "This is still M block, right?"

[janus_006]

"His name's Javert," Alec said. He was glad that Ren hadn't turned on his flashlight. It was always better to develop night-sight than rely on lights. One could see with light, but also be seen by that same light. And given the rumors of monsters around...he'd rather not be seen, thank you very much. "He's...he was, rather, a French Inspector of Police. A good man to have as an ally, wouldn't you think?"

Of course, Javert would probably wonder why he'd brought his roommate. Well, fine. Let him wonder.

A man was approaching them, one Alec hadn't seen before. He was smiling, trying to look friendly. A monster? Probably not...anyway, monsters probably weren't supposed to talk (and he figured that they'd be more intimidating at any rate). He noticed that the newcomer kept his voice low, and decided to do the same. "Yes, it's still M block. This is the M10 end."

[littlestrawdoll]

Javert, a French Inspector. Was a French Inspector. Ren couldn't say he was either pleased or displeased that the man had worked for the police; if he wasn't on an information gathering assignment, and he wasn't actively in a contract, then his main priority was more or less to discover just how to get out of here. Or more importantly, how he'd gotten here in the first place, and what had happened to keep him restrained in human form.

"I think just about any ally would be a good thing in this situation," Ren said, smiling. Alec moved very cautiously, not at all like someone who would find themselves unprepared in an darkened, unmapped building. Following in line, footfalls fair silent, Ren kept to the rear with his flashlight lowered; he didn't think Alec Trevelyan would appreciate him being in the way.

Despite not being privy to his... unusual disposition, Ren could still keep an eye on Alec's back. The rules didn't change no matter the circumstances, but Ren was less inclined to keep to his objectivity. Especially if something were to happen. Ren was still about to inquire on Alec's use of the past tense, when a person approached from the mouth of another hall.

Naturally, Ren also pitched his voice low. Just in case. He didn't immediately sense anything off by the stranger, but it wasn't his place to assume lightly. "Is this facility really so big you can get turned around in it?"

As someone that appeared as twenty-something young man, Ren thought his question wasn't too strange. Although, in truth, he suspected he already knew the answer.

[blacksustenance]

Brock raised an eyebrow. Judging from the bits and pieces of the conversation he'd apparently walked into, he was starting realize that all these people were probably new. In fact, he was starting to wonder if they'd even had a night shift under their belt yet. Great, Brock sighed. I'm saddled up with a bunch of newbies.

"It's pretty big," Brock replied. "I don't think there's anyone here who's seen the whole place."

Okay, so he didn't have proof exactly, but he was pretty sure that no one had explored every inch of Landels. It was pretty hard to map the place out when you were trying not to get your head snapped off, he supposed, and there were all kinds of distractions to get you turned in the wrong direction.

[janus_006]

Sometimes Alec missed being a field agent. Oh, sure, he'd kept his training up - he'd have been a fool not to - but there was nothing like the thrill of sneaking around a guarded building at night. It was fun alone, dangerous fun, but with another it was so much more perilous and, ultimately, more satisfying.

That was how Arkhangelsk was supposed to go, a rebellious part of his brain muttered, but he took that thought out back and killed it with a rusty ax. That part of his life was over, finished, done with a long time ago. Had it really been nine years?

"From what I saw before, it certainly wasn't small," he said to Ren. Trevelyan turned his attention to this other man who'd come up on them. "I take it you've been here longer than we have, then? I only woke up in time for lunch, and my friend here arrived during dinner." He wasn't going to reveal Ren's name - that was his prerogative. Besides, it'd be rude.

Perhaps it was paranoia, but Alec was suspicious of everyone and everything. Dying tended to do that to you, he supposed, never mind that he'd never been particularly trusting before. Trevelyan had to trust nobody except for himself.

Just like the old days, almost.

[littlestrawdoll]

A facility that could hold a large amount of captives would be like a variable labyrinth at night, if one didn't know where they were going. And if there was some kind of danger like Alec had mentioned, then... Add the inevitable suspicion and fear of the unknown, it was akin to dropping a match on a pool of oil.

What distrust and ill-intent were produced should be aimed at the people behind this, not at one another. But grudges were as fickle as their masters. Ren wasn't at all pleased with what he was learning.

"It seems like we're having a crash course in whatever this night time prowling has to offer." Ren wasn't always a fan of humanity, but this was too cruel for the humans on the receiving end of this... whatever this was. He had no idea what any other prisoners were doing, but if they were affected in any ways as he was, then being alone and unprepared was not a good idea. "We're meeting someone in this area. If you're travelling alone, then maybe you'd like to come with us?" He looked to Alec. "Would that be a problem?"

He looked back to Eddie, more willing - it seemed - to be friendly over Alec. "Ichimoto Ren, but Ren is just fine. Who are you?"

[blacksustenance]

"Eddie Brock," Brock said with a shrug. "And I've been here only week, so it's not that long."

All you really needed was a night or two to figure out that you could easily get fucked up if you weren't careful or could take care of yourself. And even that was no guarantee. Brock sized up Ren and his friend. The scarred guy looked like he could probably give as good as he got, but you could never tell with these people. For all Brock knew, the two of them were probably mutants like half the people here, so size and looks weren't the best indicator of abilities these days.

Brock crossed his arms over his chest. "I was going solo, but I could use the company if you guys don't mind."

[janus_006]

Okay, now it would just be rude to withhold his name. "Alec Trevelyan," he said, watching Brock. "A week's still longer than a few hours."

Should they go with him, or let him go with them? Well, why not. Strength in numbers. It would be harder to sneak around, but safer. And tonight, Alec was going to go for safety rather than stealth.

"Sure. We were just going to go pick someone else up, too."

At this rate, he'd have half of Landel's with him.

[littlestrawdoll]

A week? That could only mean Ren and his "roommate" were only the newest additions, perchance.

He cast a surreptitious glance at Alec. That the man seemed cautious to trust - in the face of meeting a person who'd been there quite a while longer - said much. Eddie Brock himself made an odd choice in seeking out companions in his manner, although if one's aim was to find a group, then circling the cell area would be the way to go. Both he and Alec appeared to be stragglers of a sort.

Ren smiled at Eddie a little. He used to conversing with people of Japanese ethnicity; foreigners had always been a small minority in his... line of work. "Alec was just telling me a bit about this Landel's place. Could you tell us any more about these rumours of monsters?"

'Monsters' was not a term he was unfamiliar with. But the possibility, however small, that these people were experiencing something that made them talk so was not a good thought.

Finally, Ren said to Alec, "Shall we keep going, then?"

[blacksustenance]

"They're no rumors," Brock said, scowling. He had a few choice encounters he wouldn't mind putting behind him. "I don't know exactly what they are; freaks, experiments, I've no clue. But all I know is that the wildlife here is pretty dangerous."

And they could appear human; like a child for example, a little girl tailored to tug at your damn heartstrings up to the point where she suddenly spontaneously combusted with you in reach of her. Brock shuddered a little just thinking about it again. Fire really, really wasn't their thing and while it wasn't exactly hardwired into him as a human to care for it, his bond with his symbiote saw to it that it was even more of a hatred than anything else. Brock tried to put on a game face, shrugging again.

"Anyway, so long as we're on our guard, we should be okay," he added.

[janus_006]

"Lovely," Alec muttered sarcastically, casting a dark look at the floor. Monsters. So Javert had been telling the truth. Wondrous. Absolutely wondrous. He wished that he had something other than a flashlight and a battery-powered radio to beat the buggers back with.

Ren's question reminded him that Javert was probably waiting. Alec hoped he'd had a book to read. "Yeah, come on, then. He's just down here, in M14."

He was going to say something like 'With any luck, we won't run into one of the damn monsters,' but that'd just be tempting fate, and, while he'd never been a really superstitious man, he had a feeling that doing anything like that would just be dumb. After all, this place had monsters and the doors unlocked at night - the rest of it might as well be like a bad B movie.

And if anyone said that they had a bad feeling about this, Alec was likely to turn around and punch them right in the face.

[to here.]