Day 59: Library
Anise couldn't get out of the Cafeteria fast enough. The stench of rotted food was overwhelming, and she was starting to feel sick. Most of her nausea came from seeing the people around her eating it, though. Even her friends! Anise didn't know what to do... What if lunch ended up being the same
( Read more... )
"The Sun Room is often perilous at night," Edgar said, returning his attention to Locke. "The last time-" he paused, stopping himself from saying we, as this wasn't the same Locke- "... I passed through there at night, I managed to make it through once without hassle. By the time I returned, there was the corpse of a monster lying in the center of the room- luck had been on my side, apparently. Another night, I believe I saw an Esper floating above the room. It's a hotspot for danger, if nothing else. I suppose it could have always been worse than just gas, at least." Not that the thought brought him any comfort.
Reply
He turned a slightly teasing grin onto Edgar. "And you better watch out for yourself again. Try to have more uneventful nights, alright?" Although, he was intentionally not keeping an eye on his friend tonight, he knew he'd still be worried for the king the whole time. He hated not being able to watch out for him, but he also knew he couldn't be in two places at once. Besides, at this point, that whole liability thing still came into play and he didn't want to be a danger to his friend.
Reply
On the other hand, Locke was the one who had disappeared once before; the institute had an unfortunate record of breaking even the strongest wills. That gave the king reason enough for concern.
"It's Terra I'm trying to keep an eye on," he continued after a brief pause.
Reply
"So you saw met her, then. You see what I mean about not herself, then...I still can't tell if she's just lost her memories or if she hasn't even met us yet." It was possible, Edgar hadn't experienced what Locke had, not yet, that meant anyone could come from different times. He really hoped it was the institute to blame, if she hadn't even met them yet then there was no real reason for her to trust them, was there?
She'd only be meeting them for the first time; like everything they'd been through had never happened.
"Was she alright when you saw her?"
Reply
He crossed his arms stiffly, brow furrowing. "I'd be willing to bet she's never met us," Edgar answered. "There's not even the faintest recognition in her eyes when I speak to her, and I like to think I'm pretty hard to forget." It also made the most sense, from the military's standpoint: take her from a time before she learned to stand on her own, before she had true allies, when she was most easily controlled. If they were looking to use patients as weapons for their own ends, they had found one. That was the part that raised Edgar's hackles.
Reply
"Well, whether she knows us or not, we'll just have to keep an eye on her." She was still Terra and that meant she was still their friend and he was about to leave her on her own in this place. Admittedly, it was a little hard to try and watch over someone who might not trust you completely. "We can't lose hope after all." Like what Al had talked about yesterday, no matter what happened, they had to hold onto hope, for each other if not themselves. Locke was willing to keep up the optimism if it meant it helped his friends with their own.
Reply
However, it really was his nature to be a hair controlling, to want to know where his friends were and what they were doing at any given time. A lost ally would only serve to hinder him further: no one could benefit from the skills of someone who wasn't there, and the disappearance of one of his comrades weighed heavily on him. He'd learned that much already.
"Especially given the announcements last night," he continued. "I suppose you heard that they're now using patients to do their dirty work. Sounds a bit too familiar, if you ask me."
Reply
Speaking of experiments, the thought of the food issues he was currently having resurfaced in his mind. Part of him didn't want to tell Edgar, figuring it was nothing his friend had to be concerned over, but he also knew he'd feel a bit better if he heard Edgar say there was nothing wrong with the food. It wasn't likely he'd been lied to, but there was something to say for double-checking in a place like this.
"It might seem strange, but did the food look or taste different to you this morning?"
Reply
Either that, or there was something else afoot. He halfway expected another tainting- it wouldn't be the first time they'd poisoned the food, though doing it at the start of the day was unsettling.
Even more unsettling was if Locke felt he'd been subject to said poison. He gave his friend a cautious look, trying to judge on appearance alone.
Reply
It was really pretty gross, he only hoped it wouldn't last long. Locke noticed the look and raised an eyebrow at his friend. "M'fine, Edgar. As far as I can tell, whatever it is is just messing with my head...like an illusion or something."
Reply
He breathed a sigh through his nose. Being able to justify the military's actions was probably a sign he'd been there too long. While there were a few times after his sleep study he'd struggled to hold his grip on reality, he considered himself one of the patients better suited for anything their captor, Aguilar or otherwise, could throw at them. Even he had to admit he had moments of doubt.
"As long as you aren't feeling any other effects," Edgar said finally. "This wouldn't be the first time they've poisoned the patients with hallucinations. Not the first time tainting the food, either, though that happened at night."
Reply
Leave a comment