Day 34: Intercom, Evening

[damned_intercom]

The intercom came on, and as it did, it seemed to carry a little more interference than usual for a daytime announcement, a little more static. While the patients might have thought for a moment that once again the elusive woman on the radio had hacked into the Head Doctor's system, the man himself soon proved that theory faulty as he laughed over

Comments

Re: M84

[ol_canucklehead]

Logan had seemingly wasted more time than he'd thought, and hadn't even had time for a response from the guy in the Sun Room before he was already whisked away again, this time to his room. The evening fare sounded quite palatable, and brought back memories of fishing for salmon in the icy Alberta streams. He only hoped it would be as fresh, but he doubted it.

His nurse unceremoniously thrust a tray in his direction, already assuming he'd want water again. He did, and took it without a word as she closed and locked the door behind him. As was his custom, Logan wasted no time in transporting it over to his bed, where he immediately sat and began to eat. He'd wasted half his lunch, after all.

After several mouthfuls, he looked up and smiled at his young roommate in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "Evenin', Pete." Logan's military and subsequent training made him more inclined to use either surnames or codenames when addressing others, but he thought the younger man might appreciate being addressed on a first name basis. Or, he might get defensive, feeling like the mutant hadn't earned enough of his respect to do so. He hoped the latter was not the case.

"Soooo..." he said lightly, his tone upbeat. "Ya wanna tell me 'bout yer day, or shou' I star' wit' mine?" Still smiling around another bite of food, Logan remembered that he wanted to get the lowdown on the girl Parker had met at lunch, and he just knew the younger man would be interested in hearing about Stark.

[a_spider_can]

It was too bad he didn't eat faster. Peter was only about a quarter of the way done with his meal when Logan showed up, and he knew that their conversation would distract him from eating. As the other man moved to the bed and started on his own meal, Peter got a few more bites in.

Being called by his first name (and a nickname, at that) was surprising, especially since only a few people generally called him that. Still, it wasn't like the name was off limits, and he knew Logan was only trying to be friendly. There didn't seem to be any maliciousness to his tone, at least, and that wouldn't make sense anyway.

They always ended up recounting their days to each other, didn't they? Peter liked it, though. It was good to always be on the same page, and he could only hope they wouldn't be so rushed tonight. "Well, nothing too exciting happened to me. I met up with this nice kid named Clark at breakfast, talked to a guy who I think might be in the CIA in the courtyard, fielded some questions about Eddie at lunch, and spent last shift talking to Harry." In the showers, but he didn't need to add that part, and he was sure Logan could figure it out himself if he wanted to.

[ol_canucklehead]

It didn't take long for Logan to plough through the main portion of his meal, and he looked at the dessert with a raised eyebrow. He wasn't big on sweets, but energy was energy, so he picked up the spoon. He listened, impressed, as Parker succintly summed up his day, noting with some interest a couple of the key phrases.

"CIA, huh? Yeah, I talked ta someone on tha boar' who said he'd had a run in wit' 'em. Landel mus' have some serious pullin' power if'n he's got them on tha patien' roster," he paused, adding as if to himself, "maybe he got himself a burn notice." Logan realised he'd been eating the icecream as fast as he had the salmon, and slowed down a little. Even with a healing factor, you could still get brainfreeze.

His focus shifted to Parker's lunchtime rendezvous. "So, tha' was wha' tha fuss on tha boar' was abou'? Figured anyone lookin' fer you or me'd only be doin' so on accoun' o' three people. An' two o' them're pretty much ruled ou', since I doub' either Cole nor yer frien' Harry'd exactly goin' aroun' braggin' tha' they knew us, n' Marcus's already tried another recruitin' drive ta'day." He didn't feel he needed to mention who that left, although his demenaour had sullied a little.

[a_spider_can]

So there were two people who were tangled up in that sort of thing here? Then again, it could have been the same person both times, but Peter wasn't about to start naming names when it was obvious that identity was a big deal for people like Alex. He wasn't even sure it was the CIA he was in, but he didn't know what else it could be. He knew Logan wasn't the sort to go spreading the word or poking his nose where it didn't belong, so being frank about it wasn't a problem.

Instead, he focused on the other topic at hand, doing his best to work in bites of food in between. "Yeah, she was basically asking about his powers. She said she was just curious, but I don't really know. I didn't want her to get hurt, so I warned her that she shouldn't get involved with him... Who knows if she'll listen, though."

That wasn't really what he wanted to talk about, though, seeing how Eddie Brock was a touchy subject among him and his friends. "Anyway, how about this friend of yours? You've got me interested now," he said with a small smile as he finished off the salmon and continued on the mashed potatoes.

[ol_canucklehead]

Setting aside the bare remnants of his meal, Logan quaffed deeply from his glass of water, mind turning over the information Parker had just given him. He didn't like it. But then again, he was naturally paranoid.

"Askin' 'bout his powers? Seems suspicious ta me. She obviously spoke ta him firs', how else woul' she've gotten our names? Ya gotta be careful, kid. She migh' be in cahoots wit' him." He knew the young man was smart, but, in his experience at least, the boy was still pretty inexperienced. Book-smarts and street-smarts were very different things. The main difference being that people didn't often get killed through a lack of the former.

Sensing that Parker was keen to leave that particular topic alone for now, Logan smiled at his roommate as he announced his interest in the man he'd met at lunch. "Name's Tony Stark. Where I'm from, he's a billionaire industrialis', an' a brillian' engineer n' scientis'. Go' a head on him tha'd even put yer's ta shame." A less-than subtle veiled compliment. "He buil' himself a suit o' armour more advanced'n anythin' anythin' even NASA coul' cook up, an' uses it ta figh' crime, much like we do. In my worl', he an' another pal o' mine, formed a team called tha Avengers, an' 'my' version o' you is a senior member. I even ran wit' 'em fer a while m'self. Tha buncha ya're a governmen' sanctioned superhero team, runnin' 'roun' New York n' tha res' o' tha worl', doin' good fer tha sake o' those who can' stan' up fer 'emselves." The mutant chuckled slightly, knowing that what he just said would bring up more questions than answers in Peter's mind.

[a_spider_can]

"Well, she said that she found out our names because you had mentioned us on the bulletin as knowing Eddie," Peter provided with a small shrug before he kept eating. It wasn't like he hadn't been suspicious about her, after all, but it wasn't a stretch to think that she had gotten their names that way, especially since she had known him as "Parker."

"She apparently ran into him when he had the symbiote out, so she wanted to know what it was. I tried to be vague," he explained. Not that he knew why he was covering on Eddie's behalf in the first place, but he wasn't sure that letting the word spread about the alien sharing Eddie's body would be good for anyone.

As for Logan's friend, Peter had been expecting some name he wasn't familiar with, especially considering their separate dimensions and so on. What he got instead caused him to stop midway in moving his fork of potatoes to his mouth. Tony Stark? While the details about him being a billionaire and an acclaimed engineer fit in with what he knew about the man, all of that stuff about Stark fighting crime and being a superhero just didn't make sense.

Then again, that was the whole point of a secret identity, but from what Peter had seen on the news about Stark, he found it hard to swallow. "I know who Tony Stark is," he said once he had let it all sink in. "But he's known for being a total playboy and manufacturing weapons for the military where I come from." There was always the chance that the Tony from his dimension was just a normal guy, while the one from Logan's fought crime on the side -- for the moment, Peter was going to assume that was the case, since it was easier on his mind.

[ol_canucklehead]

The girl's explanation made some sort of sense, but also set off all kinds of alarm bells in Logan's head. A little too convenient, in his mind, but it could be true. "Yeah, well, le's jus' assume 's'safe ta say tha' anyone who knows both us n' Brock prob'ly can' be trusted, even if only ta be on tha safe side. Steer clear o' her, fer now, ok? I got a few ways o' figurin' ou' if someone's tellin' that truth, maybe I'll look her up n' we'll know more."

If Logan wasn't so world-weary, his own mouth might have dropped open at Parker's next line, however. "Ya know Stark?!? But ya don' know me?" He rubbed the forefinger and thumb against the bridge of his nose. This was getting more and more confusing. Then again, considering the similarities between the man in front of him and the Parker he knew, it was entirely possible that there was a version of the guy in his roommate's dimension, too.

"Yeah, he's all tha', bu' a hero, too. Mebbe in yer worl' he's jus' some bigshot money-makin' gov'men' shill, or mebbe his identity as a crime-figh'er jus' ain' common knowledge back there. I know a lo' o' people who don' wan' their 'alter-egos' known, after all." He smiled pointedly at Peter. "Either way, he's a good man, an' woul' be damn useful ta have on our side."

[a_spider_can]

It wasn't like Peter had plans to get buddy-buddy with the girl, and he was hoping that her questions had ended with that conversation. Still, he could understand why Logan might be wary, especially since he was indirectly involved. "Yeah, I'll stay away. Though I'm thinking we should just leave it alone at this point." He didn't want Logan making something out of nothing, and the girl might just forget about it if they refrained from speaking to her from here on out. He just hoped she took his advice.

"Well, I don't know him," Peter said in regards to Stark. "I just hear about him on the news from time to time. He lives in LA, so stories about him don't reach us over on the East Coast unless it's a big deal." Or unless he was getting coverage in the tabloids, but it wasn't like Peter wanted to say anything bad about someone who was Logan's friend, at least in one particular dimension.

"It would make sense that he'd want to keep something like that secret, I just... don't get why someone like him would care enough to fight crime." Stark was the guy who was basically dealing death, after all, and Peter couldn't say he supported what the man was responsible for. Still, it wasn't like he could be stopped, and that was one of those things that most people learned to accept. Logan seemed to feel differently about the man, though, and Peter wondered if there was more to Tony Stark than what the media showed him.

"I guess I'll have to talk to him and find out for myself," he finished, finally setting his plate of food aside and grabbing for the dessert. He was allowed to indulge once in a while, wasn't he?

[ol_canucklehead]

At Parker's reply, Logan decided that the kid probably had a point. After all, with his own intentions to try and look out for as many patients as he could, the Canadian would look like a hypocrite if he went around stirring up unnecessary trouble. Of course, this ongoing business with Brock himself, he did consider necessary. It was only a matter of time before they came to blows. But this girl...probably wasn't worth it.

"Yer righ', kid. I'll jus' keep an eye on tha boar' n' see wha' happens." There was no way he'd let on to Peter that he wouldn't hesitate to rip the smarmy blonde to shreds given half a chance.

Logan rubbed his chin thoughtfully as Parker told him what he knew about Stark. LA? A different world, indeed, it seemed. And the part about Tony not caring enough...obviously Parker's 'version' of the engineer-scientist hadn't had the same rude awakening as he had in Logan's world. "Yeah, ya migh' think tha', but the guy I know had...somethin' happen ta him, which gave him a...change o' hear', so ta speak." He managed to suppress a chuckle at the additional knowledge that came with such a statement.

"Yeah, I recommen' ya look him up'f ya ge' tha chance. Don' think yer gonna regret it. Two o' you go' a lo' in common, I reckon."

Logan stepped up off the bed, eager to stretch his limbs in anticipation of the night ahead. Clasping one hand in the other, he brought both arms up over his head, pulling the muscles as tight as they could go. After several seconds, he let them relax. "Anyways, down ta business. Ya reckon 's'worth makin' another run fer tha border again ta'nigh'?" He'd just managed to catch Harry's post on the board before being dragged back to his room. "Noticed yer frien' Harry's keen ta join tha party. Since Cole's in our hall, we shoul' wait fer him ta join us, then mebbe think 'bout splittin' up as ya suggested. Two teams'll cover more groun' n' jus' one." A few more stretches, and then the mutant reached under his mattress to retrieve the weapon hidden there. He eyed it gleefully. "'Long as we don' run inta any more bears tho', righ'?" The look in his eyes suggested that it would be quite fine with him if they did, however.

[a_spider_can]

Glad to hear that Logan was willing to let it lie for now, Peter continued working on his ice cream, knowing better than to go too fast with it. Brain freezes were never fun, though this stuff was really good, as expected.

What had Logan's version of Tony Stark gone through, he wondered? It could be anything, really, and there was even a chance that the Tony from his world had been through something similar. There were some things that the news missed, after all, if it was important enough. They really only got the superficial details about people like that, he figured. Which probably meant he was prejudging the man, but it was hard for him to think he would get along with someone who was facilitating war and destruction.

Still, he would hold back on assuming too much just yet. Logan seemed confident that they would hit it off, so he would have to wait and see. If the Stark here was the one from his dimension, then it would be easy enough to pick him out of a crowd. "I'll try to find him tomorrow, I guess. Though I'm not sure how much luck I'll have, since we'll be on that field trip." And hopefully he wouldn't be forced to spend it with Eddie again.

As Logan started getting into their plans for tonight, Peter listened carefully, trying to figure out what the best course of action would be. "Well, if we do split up, do we both want to aim for the same place?" It seemed kind of silly for them to split up if all four would be heading over the wall anyway, though they could always plan out which directions they were going to search in once they made it across. "I've got to check with Harry and see what he wants to do, but yeah, I could definitely go without seeing another bear." Luckily, Peter was still busy with his ice cream and didn't catch the look on the other man's face.

[I don't know if you've checked your mail yet or if you plan to go through with it or not, but if so, did you want to RP the nurses/orderlies coming for Logan?]

[damned_nurses]

Before anything more could be said, a firm knock came in the door. In walked two orderlies, who were tailed by a nurse. The two men moved to the sides of the room, behind the desks, while the nurse stood in front of the door.

"Well, Mr. Howlett, today's your lucky day!" she said. "You'll be taken for special counseling, and we'd appreciate your cooperation in this instance."

They always put up a fight, as if extra counseling was a bad thing. There was nothing to be scared of, really! Well, at least both of them had eaten their food. The nurse did hate it when the patients refrained from eating, as if the cooks here didn't put all of their heart and soul into preparing the meals for them.

[ol_canucklehead]

Wha' tha..? Logan had sensed the footsteps just moments before the knock came, and with lightning reflexes, swiftly shoved the blade back undere his mattress, shredding the underside in the process. He turned to look at Parker with wild eyes as the door opened.

Without saying a word, he watched as the staff hustled into the room, his lips drawn back, teeth clenched in a ferocious snarl. The nurse's cheery tone made him sick to his stomach. Special Counsellin'? Is tha' wha' they call it?

There was no warning when he moved. Within less than a second, he had leapt onto the desk at the end of his bed, wrapping a meaty hand around the throat of the orderly standing there. "No dice." He growled, voice sounding like iced gravel scraped from the devil's own driveway. "One more move'n I snap this guy's neck like a dry twig." If he'd had a modicum of sense, he'd realise how empty that threat was, but the animal had control now. And it was angry.

[a_spider_can]

More bothersome than the fact that they had just gotten an unexpected visit was the look Logan had given him. They both knew what this meant. Peter quickly got up from his seat as the three entered the room, wondering for a split second which of them was going to be taken. He didn't have to wait long before the answer was given, though, and he quickly looked back to Logan.

Dammit, he already knew there was no way he could stop them from taking his roommate, and yet he wasn't about to stand idly by, either.

But he had to be smart about this. If he started attacking them mindlessly, all he was going to get for it was an injection, and he wasn't going to be much help to anyone sedated.

Still, he couldn't blame Logan for reacting the way he did, and Peter had to fight not to rush to his friend's aid. Unfortunately, even when he did jerk forward a little, he felt a strong grip on his shoulder from the orderly who had come to his side of the room. He got a look from the man that plainly said "no funny business." Peter tried to make eye contact with Logan to get some idea of what he should do in this case.

[damned_nurses]

The orderly who was suddenly grabbed didn't give as much of a reaction as might be expected. With how thick his neck was, the patient's grip didn't affect him very much.

Still, the nurse let out a gasp. She should have been used to this violent behavior by now, but she always held out some hope that the patients would learn to be better behaved. It seemed that she couldn't waste any time with this, so dipped her hand into a pocket and pulled out a syringe.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Howlett, but this is a necessary part of your healing process," she said as she started toward the man. She gave the other patient a quick look. "And Mr. Parker, if you care about your roommate, then you should realize that this is something he has to do."

The orderly "James" was holding on to jerked his body back suddenly, in hopes of physically dragging the patient off of the desk and onto the ground, if only to make the nurse's job a bit easier.

[ol_canucklehead]

The rage was swiftly building inside Logan. Goddammi', not again. Not AGAIN! He had only just finally become free of the machinations of evil men who sought to use him as a weapon, and yet it seemed it still wouldn't end. A small voice in the back of his mind told him that it would never end, as long as he was alive. That was the worst part. Immortality always came with a price, it seemed.

"Don' need no healin', he growled at the woman, grip tightening. "Nature already took care o' tha'."

Logan shot another wordless glance at Parker, scowling harder as he saw the other orderly grab the kid's arm. He felt bad for the boy, worse even than for himself, and couldn't begin to fathom what he'd do if they forced him to hurt his roommate. Calming himself slightly, he met Parker's gaze. There might be a way out of this, but he got the feeling they were taking him one way or the other, and the last thing he wanted was to drag his young friend down with him.

"'S'alrigh', kid. They can' do nothin' tha' I can' handle. I'll be along in a little while ta help ya ou'. Don' worry." His tone was that of a father trying to reassure his son that everything would be okay, even as he knew he was dying.

Logan jerked forward as the orderly moved back sharply, and let go of the man's neck suddenly, turning to face the nurse. "Fine." His tone returned to it's previous frozen-steel tone. "Go ahead. Stick me. Joke's on you tho, darlin'. Wha'ever ya go' in there'll wear off 'fore I'm halfway down tha hall." An exaggeration, one they probably knew as such, but saying it felt good all the same.

[a_spider_can]

Why was Logan trying to reassure him? Shouldn't it have been the other way around? Peter balled his fists, and even though Logan's tone did seem somewhat paternal, he wasn't as bothered about it as he might have been a few years ago. He knew that the other man was just trying to help, but they both knew how badly this might end.

Still, what could either of them do? Logan seemed to have realized that there was no point in fighting back, and Peter felt a bit of guilt at the thought that his roommate might have decided to back down for his sake.

He wasn't sure where his friend would even be taken, or what part of the institute he would be placed in -- either way, he didn't know if it would be better or worse if he ran into the man later on, when he wasn't himself. It would probably be easier on them both if he didn't, though, and Peter didn't know if he would actually be able to snap the other man out of it if he ended up running into him, either.

Peter remained where he was, knowing better than to fly off the handle and make things any worse. It didn't make it any easier to watch, though. He nodded to Logan, even though he was going to worry no matter what happened.