Along came a Spider...

[hedbonesoftruth]

The truly terrifying thing is that, when he truly wants to --has to-- Spider cleans up rather nicely. In the suit that was purchased for him to wear to award ceremonies and horn rimmed glasses over his blood shot eyes, he seems almost like a normal human being. Kelly is a very believable college grad student, carrying her digital camera and his

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[edsidlemirth]

Eddie is not in the isolation ward, in fact, but rather next to the patient Eric Dowd, who has the distinction of being his soul source human interaction for the good part of the day, every day. Today, Eddie is chatty, and, if given the opportunity, has been babbling at Harvey. Either that, or babbling at the curtain, and writing lots of notes.

[myownluck]

As luck would have it (of course), Harvey is, in fact, awake enough to chat, leaning up against the wall near their shared window and tearing long strips of paper out of the Gotham Times sports section, as they natter on. He's sporting a rather kicky newspaper hat, today, too, with a newspaper brim-ribbon, and a little newspaper feather tucked in, tilted over his face.

"So, explain this to me again. I get the idea of a 'random walk.'" And it, predictably, rather appeals to him. "But what does that have to do with physics?"

[hedbonesoftruth]

Coherent conversation? That's an excellent sign. Spider grabs the strap of Kelly's ginormous purse and hauls her around the corner towards the sound. It seems to be boring conversation, but the only other kind in Arkham is incoherent babbling about the terrible monkey king and his prophesied reign over the lizard people.

One of the voices is familiar. Real familiar. That's...odd. Time to peek in windows.
When Spider looks in on Eddie, he almost giggles. Then he looks to see who Eddie is talking to...

"..."
Spider just stares, all the joy draining from his face.
"...I have a need to do an interview... Give me my recorder. Pictures... Now."

[toaskorinquire]

"Yeeee," Kelly says very quietly as she is hauled, shoes squeaking on the floor. Oh look, Eddie! Hi, boss! Because she's not a brainless bimbo, she communicates none of this with her face or body, but this is fine because Spider isn't looking. She gets Spider the recorder and glances curiously in the window to see what she should be taking pictures ofHOLY MOTHER OF PEARL WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS FACE AGH JUST TAKE PICTURE—

... damn. She does always forget to turn off the flash.

[edsidlemirth]

As Spider and Query head down the hall, Eddie turns back to his cell. He gives off a long sigh, and leans back against the door, pinching the bridge of his nose.

There is a way out. There is a plan. She is NOT GOING TO RUIN THE PLAN. She knows what she's doing. There is a way out. Wait. Need out. Wait. There is a plan.

[myownluck]

One, two long minutes pass, with silence from Harvey's side of the wall. Well, mostly silence -- if Eddie listens hard, he can hear muffled, hitched breathing.

After a good two minutes, enough time to guarantee that Spider's out of earshot? That explodes into sharp, whooping laughter. Yes! Yes! Oh, oh God, yes.

[edsidlemirth]

Yeah, Harvey, laugh, why don't you? Eddie's whole plan now hinges not on Query's competence, which he does not doubt, but on whether Spider Jerusalem goes and makes her recognizable or not. The plan! Oh, god, he needs to get out of here now.

He tries to pace the cell. There really isn't enough room. He taps on the window and tries to pace and there is no way out, if that idiot ruins it. That idiot that Query apparently thinks is fun. Why is Spider Jerusalem an acceptable replacement?!

"What, Harvey? I thought you -wanted- your prosecutions to go through."

[myownluck]

Oh, give him another second or so to giggle a bit more, and get it out of his system? Then he'll practically bounce over to the window. "That was the agreement. They locked Judah up, there's no guarantee they'll stick to it. They could just bury us both, and never say another word. Now they'll have to try me. No more hiding."

[hedbonesoftruth]

Following Harvey's rough directions, Spider drags Kelly after him towards the isolation ward. He wants to dissect this place with a rusty butter knife and expose all of its ugly secrets. He wants to lay it out, bloodied and disemboweled, for all the world to see its disease. They'll catch him soon. He heard word go out over a distant walkie talkie, but he needs more. He can't just stop now.

When he gets to the right hallway, there's no time to be wasted.
"Attention! I'm a journalist on a fucking mission and I don't have much time! Which of you lunatics is Victor Angerona?"

[colder_comfort]

His room would be the one with a red light outside the door. If Spider paid attention in school, he might be reminded of the precautions for a photography darkroom.

"Who's there? Give me a moment to get my glasses on and you can come in?" Or slide open the little look-see window, if you'd rather.

[hedbonesoftruth]

He narrows his eyes at the red light. That's odd. Spider does, indeed, think of a dark room or a recording studio. What kind of special nut is this guy? He gives a moment for...glasses, apparently. He'll stick to opening the little window for now.

What a pale bastard... Spider feels downright tan now.
"Spider Jerusalem, journalist and seeker of truth. I don't have a lot of time before security drags me out. If you want anything getting to the outside world, I suggest you make with the short version."

[colder_comfort]

Glasses in place, he comes up to the doorway and does his best to look out and look Spider in the eye, "My name is Victor Angerona and I've been here almost twenty years. I know that I'm not supposed to say this, that I'm supposed to repent and feel bad, but I didn't do whatever they said I did. I'm in here by mistake. I didn't have a blackout and hurt people."

"When Crane let loose the gas in here, I didn't leave, I didn't go out and harm anyone. I wanted to run away, but even then I couldn't. My old room was in the basement and my door was locked, the whole time that everything was filled with gas, I was locked in the basement." He's going to pause and take a breath, not that he's rehearsed this or anything. No. "Dr Huang is a good man, and a fair administrator, but I want to be free."