Night 50: Intercom, End of Night
There was nothing abnormal about the whine and scratch of the intercom as it came to life, nor about the Head Doctor's smug, muted laugh. However, what was unusual, as with most of the night, was the strange foreignness in the Head Doctor's words to those who weren't familiar with the language of English.
"Hello, everybody... or should I say some of you, because that's exactly who can understand what I'm saying at the moment. Hm. Funny thing, this... translation business, isn't it? It seems that your little friend has realized just how much of a damper it would put on his operation for the night, hence his silence. Easy quitter, it seems. Hardly a fitting replacement for those who came before him, don't you think?"
He paused, then sighed into the microphone.
"Not that they put up much of a fight. And besides, they've never helped you quite as much as I've helped you tonight, hmm? With all of this... ring business. And, to further prove my goodwill..."
A mechanical shriek similar to the one from earlier rang out across the Institute, then stopped. When the Head Doctor began speaking again, it was once again understandable to everyone.
"...I will now give you a little nugget of information that may be of use to everyone. If you have a ring whose stone you have broken, you may lay a drop of blood on it, which will solidify into its new stone - but beware of whose blood it is, since that will be the ring's owner when the morning comes. Tomorrow night, if you break your ring's newly formed stone, you will find yourself in the same area in which you laid down the blood.
"There are, of course... certain restrictions, but I believe we're due for daylight... aren't we?"
The intercom faded and so did the night.
"Hello, everybody... or should I say some of you, because that's exactly who can understand what I'm saying at the moment. Hm. Funny thing, this... translation business, isn't it? It seems that your little friend has realized just how much of a damper it would put on his operation for the night, hence his silence. Easy quitter, it seems. Hardly a fitting replacement for those who came before him, don't you think?"
He paused, then sighed into the microphone.
"Not that they put up much of a fight. And besides, they've never helped you quite as much as I've helped you tonight, hmm? With all of this... ring business. And, to further prove my goodwill..."
A mechanical shriek similar to the one from earlier rang out across the Institute, then stopped. When the Head Doctor began speaking again, it was once again understandable to everyone.
"...I will now give you a little nugget of information that may be of use to everyone. If you have a ring whose stone you have broken, you may lay a drop of blood on it, which will solidify into its new stone - but beware of whose blood it is, since that will be the ring's owner when the morning comes. Tomorrow night, if you break your ring's newly formed stone, you will find yourself in the same area in which you laid down the blood.
"There are, of course... certain restrictions, but I believe we're due for daylight... aren't we?"
The intercom faded and so did the night.