Day 32: Cafeteria, Breakfast

[7_to_midnight]

Sylar's gears were still turning as the nurse and a burly orderly escorted him down long halls and through a strange, sunlit room. He'd been forced to drop his pen when the orderly had seen it, and since then, he'd realized that this place had better security than he'd originally anticipated, as well as a large population of patients. It looked

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[haiiro_no_chou]

[ I can has pester creepy Caterpillar Eyebrow Man? ]When Rukia blinked, and was in her room again, she wondered if the nights were getting shorter. The last two, in particular, seemed to have gone by in less than an hour. It was definitely something she'd have to think about. And she would ask Renji about it whenever she saw him today

[7_to_midnight]

[ In Soviet Landel's, creepy Caterpillar Eyebrow Man has YOU. >D ]

Sylar watched as a girl with crutches was escorted to his table by another nurse. In fact, it seemed as if many patients in this cafeteria were injured, another mystery to add to the already frustrating dilemma. He noted what she was doing as he ate his food; it looked like a series of maps.

He was pleased when the girl started a conversation for him. It was always better to let someone think they'd made the first move.

"Yes, I am," he said with a smile, looking at her, observing her. Her demeanor was reserved, though not cold. She was nicer than she wanted to appear.

"I'm a little confused, though." He furrowed his brow in a show of concern. "I don't seem to remember how I got here."

[haiiro_no_chou]

[ Renji won't like that. XD ]

The man had a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, but Rukia couldn't fault him on that; she remembered how frightening it had been waking up in the Institute, and imagined he was only putting on a show of being cheerful for her sake.

When he asked her a question in the form of a statement, Rukia stopped writing and set her pen down. "None of us do," she said calmly. "I'm very sorry for you that you've come here, but I'm happy to provide what information I can. It's not always... easy to believe, though."

Rukia looked down, pursing her lips in thought. It was awkward, telling new patients what they didn't want to hear. So far, Rukia had been lucky in that no one had gotten angry with her, but she had always met with some degree of disbelief when explaining the bizarre circumstances they now found themselves in. Best to start with something simple, then.

"But first, my name's Rukia. What's yours?"

[7_to_midnight]

"Zachary," Sylar immediately replied. He wasn't about to introduce himself by either of his other names given the fact that there was an article out on Gabriel Gray and the Company was looking for Sylar.

Still, what this 'Rukia' girl had said sounded interestingly cryptic. It seemed like she had some answers about what was going on, and her claim about the facts being unbelievable made Sylar wonder if evolved humans weren't involved after all. He frowned in half-feigned confusion, leaning forward on one elbow.

"And what do you mean by that?" he asked, searching her face. "What's going on here?"

[haiiro_no_chou]

"Zachary," she said, nodding her head in a small bow. "It's nice to meet you." And it was, even though the way he was looking at Rukia made her feel a little strange.

Shifting in her seat so that she was facing Zachary. "To put it simply," she said, gesturing to the rest of the cafeteria as she continued, "all of the patients here have been taken from one place or another and brought here. Not just different parts of the world, though. Many different worlds, even different times." She chuckled humorlessly. "Like I said, it sounds crazy."

"And night-time," she cautioned, "is completely different from what you see now. The whole place... changes. And horrible creatures roam the halls, so you have to be careful/"

[7_to_midnight]

"You too, Rukia." He smiled warmly just before she launched into her explanation.

And what an explanation it was. Sylar watched her intently as she talked about a conspiracy, about people being brought from other worlds and times to this place with the horrific night. Sylar did think it sounded far-fetched, especially from someone in a supposed mental institution, but... the level way in which she spoke and the way she met his eyes was a testament to her sincerity and her sanity.

He couldn't dismiss it, and even if he did, he wouldn't do it to her face.

"That's horrible." He frowned, shaking his head at the described depravity. "Why would someone do such a thing?"

Sylar could think of a few reasons, but he wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth.

[haiiro_no_chou]

Well, at least he seemed to believe her! That likely said something for what kind of world he was from; perhaps he was more used to the unbelievable than some. Rukia was tempted to ask him about his own world, but answering his questions was more important now

[7_to_midnight]

Sylar listened carefully to what Rukia had to say. So, this "Head Doctor" was the one in charge of the place? Sylar wondered if he had something to do with the Company, as well as the possibility that Rukia's perception of the circumstances were only true in a metaphorical sense. Still, her main goal seemed to be escape and she and her friends seemed to have already put together some useful tools by which to achieve it. He'd certainly made one hell of a find if what she said was true, and really, he couldn't find any indication that she was lying, though she did act unusually mature and self-assured for her age.

"Really, I am?" Sylar's face brightened at Rukia's offer, this time not out of show. "That's very kind of you."

After all, he knew firsthand that "monsters" could be very real things, and what was the harm in some extra protection? When he regained his powers, he'd shed whatever dead weight he'd accumulated, but for now, he'd be realistic. Again, he considered how Rukia seemed unusually confident in the face of all these

[haiiro_no_chou]

"Of course!: she assured him with a smile. Despite the weird way he had looked at her before, Zachary seemed like a really nice guy. A little odd, perhaps, but Rukia was glad she'd met him. She shook her head at the compliment, though. "I just make it my business to let the newer patients know what they're up against. We're all stuck here together, so there's no sense in not working together

[7_to_midnight]

Sylar gave what looked to be a sheepish smile at Rukia's explanation for her generosity; inwardly, he ridiculed her. Sure, allies were useful as tools and toys, but survival was about being the best and destroying the competition. It was a brutal world, and protecting the weak from extinction only dragged the species down into the depths of degeneration.

Of course, he was the weak link now, he who had earned his place, who'd had his birthright stripped away by lesser beings who couldn't possibly understand the importance of his mission. The importance of his existenceRegardless of his turbulent thoughts, Sylar listened to the rest of what Rukia had to say with an expression of mild curiosity, interjecting a "hmm" or an "oh, I see" every now and then. It sounded as if the patients here had already built a useful infrastructure, one that Sylar could infiltrate and exploit. He needed that cure and he needed it soon

[haiiro_no_chou]

Rukia smiled awkwardly. "Ah, well, it's sort of complicated," she said, chuckling quietly. "I'm a lot older than I look, and not technically... alive." Zachary had taken all the new information very well so far, but finding out that your conversation partner had died long ago was probably a shocking revelation.

"I mean," she added quickly, "this body is, I suppose. But I died a long time ago. I guess about a hundred years?" She studied his face, waiting to see how he would react.

[7_to_midnight]

Sylar took in the information as best he could, gears turning in regards to both how he should respond and what he should actually think. Like everything else in this conversation, he couldn't find a trace of a lie on her face, nor did she seem erratic in the way she articulated her words. She wasn't crazy and she wasn't dishonest, which meant that she was beginning to open up to him, as far-fetched as that openness might sound. This was where he could begin to plant seeds, begin to grow a bond that would tie a valuable tool to him until he could use it.

A wide smile spread across Sylar's features. He sighed.

"You know..." He started, glancing away as if trying to form his words before he looked back to her. "You probably think I'm going to tell you you're crazy...? But I'm not. I'm not normal either, Rukia, not by a long shot. Where I come from, people have abilities--amazing abilities--why," he continued, leaning forward in his enthusiasm, "this one man I came across, and this one girl... they both died right in front of my eyes

[haiiro_no_chou]

Rukia blinked in surprise at Zachary's smile, listening to his words with increasing interest. From what he said, coming back from the dead wasn't normal in his world, but was somehow possible. Rukia was reminded of the post on the bulletin board the previous day, about bringing people back to life, and the costs of doing so.

"How... How did they die?" she asked, leaning forward as well. "And did their wounds just heal up?" There were some Hollows that could regenerate, but Rukia had never met a person who could do that. At least, not that she knew of.

Her expression changed to one of concern, though, a crease forming between her eyebrows as she looked up at Zachary. "I'm sorry," she said. "Do you mean to say that they took your powers before you came here? Or just that you don't have them now? Because all of us seem to have been weakened here."

[7_to_midnight]

"Well," Sylar began, taking a bite of his waffles before he continued, "they both took injuries and healed, yes. As far as me..."

He trailed off, looking nostalgic as he thought about the people he'd murdered, the brains he'd studied, and the wonderful powers he'd taken as his own. He looked to Rukia, eyes narrowed in thought. He tried not to stare at her forehead.

"My powers were taken away from me before I got here. In fact, I'd just gotten my hands on the cure for my... condition when I woke up."

He shook his head ruefully.

"All just because I was trying to help humanity..."

[haiiro_no_chou]

"That's remarkable," she commented, for a moment wishing that the shinigami were capable of regeneration. Then she considered Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tousen, and thought better of it

[7_to_midnight]

"Why, yes, I woke up after being knocked out," Sylar replied, guessing from Rukia's words that it was the norm around here. However, what Rukia had to say next was far more useful and far more intriguing. So, she did have abilities, and many of them. She was becoming more and more worthy of his time; he could already see it on her face, a glimpse of what he'd soon have. The fact that she could relate to him about what he'd lost only made it so much easier.

Tick, tick, tick...At her question, he smiled like a man thinking back on his life's work, and what a body of work it was! What accomplishment, what significance. What loss