Spirits of the Earth

OOC Note: This thread contains mature and potentially-disturbing themes.

Mai lifted her arms high above her bed, sighing in pleasure as each joint along her spine crackled.  It had been a good workout -- long and challenging, but she could ask for no better.  Her sparring partner watched her, his gaze appreciative as she regarded her figure and the way her body moved as she completed her post-match stretches.

Mai pretended not to notice.  She had been training with CCLXX for years, and the pair had developed an easy banter between them.  Unlike many put on security detail, he was a good man who respected boundaries -- hers and the establishment's.  Frankly, she knew a number of girls who had allowed -- or been forced to allow -- a man to have his way, and it rarely ended happily.  What kind of sick woman would choose to deliver her child to a place like this?

"I'll see you in two days," the girl said, cutting her partner off before he could ask her to join him in the cafeteria.  She always declined; he always asked again.  Some would have jumped at the chance, but Mai was not interested in romance or friendship -- especially not with a True Believer, someone who believed the lies and followed orders because he believed it was for the best.

But such thoughts were kept to herself.

Pushing out of the training room, she smiled grimly as she caught sight of the greatest (and blindest) True Believer of them all: Runako.

Runako wasn't alone either. He was flanked by two other members of the "Security Team" as the Doctor liked to call them because it made them sound less threatening , but in truth the security team, often dubbed as "The Seraph" , were soldiers more than a simple security force.  The two that followed him were LXXXVI and XCII.

Though Runako wore no uniform, the other two wore customized plate armor that was predominantly silver with the symbol of the phoenix emblazoned on their breastplates.  The armor looked bulky with preposterously over-sized pauldrons (ooc: lol MS Word doesn't even recognize this as a word) and heavy , but its appearance was deceptive. The armor itself had been crafted from mithril , a lightweight metal that shone like fine silver and was nearly light as a feather when being compared to other variations of plate armor. To add further protection, the armor had been enchanted by powerful magic that guarded its wearers from arcane damage.

LXXXVI, Astrid,  was a tall human female in her late thirties, early forties with steely blue eyes and long red hair that fell down in a single braid to her waist . Compared to her present company, there was hardly anything remarkable about her in appearance. She, however, had the ability to form fields of energy around herself and others which were highly effective against most forms of attack. Psychic, physical, and even magic.  The downside to having such an ability was that whenever she used such a technique, she could do nothing else. It took every ounce of her concentration to keep her shielding up.  Such power came with a heavy price for her , however , and she was plagued by perpetual headaches and an irritable mood which she took out on her fellow Seraph.

XCII, or Eckhart, appeared to look like quite normal as well. A handsome man, tall and slender with long blond hair and bright blue eyes. Fair and delicate, one might have expected this man to have a kind and delicate personality to him, but Eck was a mage who, like his fellows, followed the Doctor's orders , but unlike Runako, seemed to relish the power he had over other patients. He always thrilled at the chance to kill a wayward patient. A rare occurrence, but it had happened and any time it did, it was usually Eckhart whom eagerly the death sentence. And every time it happened, he and Runako argued. Astrid would break them up.

Today was not so different. Eckhart and Runako were fighting again. The two men stood in the hall facing one another, dangerously close as though they might have been ready to tear one another's throats out. With Astrid nearby, however, it wasn't likely to happen,  " I told you to stand down," Runako growled in his usual soft, deep voice. Despite its lack of hostility, most that didn't know the creature might have felt threatened by the sound.
"She was going to kill you, fool. I did what was necessary ," Eckhart sneered, " And if you weren't so far up the Doctor's ass, I wouldn't have bothered to save your sorry tail either." 
"Knock it off, you two." Astrid snapped, her migraines amplifying how annoyed she was with their usual bickering.

" With the three of us there, such a possibility is highly improbable. She was just confused. Nothing that proper treatment couldn't have-" Runako began.

Eckhart raised a hand and made blabbing gestures with it, "Yeah, blah blah, blah... it was her or us and , personally, I'd say the ungrateful little slut got what was com-"

Runako surged forward, his enormous furry hand grabbing hold of the human's throat. He pinned him to the wall of the corridor. Violet eyes narrowed, he watched Eckhart struggle under his crushing grasp. There was no look of cruel satisfaction on the creature's daunting visage, only a solemn anger. The Doctor had taught him well. How to fight the impulses of his beastly nature. Years ago, he would have succumbed to his rage and crushed Eckhart's windpipe but now he released him at Astrid's insistence, " I'm the chief of security here, Eckhart, not you.  Disregard my orders again and there will be consequences. We're protectors, not executioners. "

Eckhart gave the chief a dirty glare before he picked himself up and walked off, "Keep telling yourself that, fool."

Astrid noticed Mai now , but merely nodded to acknowledge the other woman before turning to Runako, " Are you going to write the report for the Doctor or am I?"

Ruanko shook his head, " Take the rest of the day off. You've earned it. I'll handle the rest."
Nodding , Astrid moved to leave. Runako watched her go and then turned to the left to pass the training center and nearly bumped into a small human female- "Mai," he knew the names of every single patient, "excuse me." He sidestepped to pass her.

Ooc: I'm assuming that Mai walked in at the end of their argument , but I'm cool with her having been witness to the entire thing or missing it entirely. Doesn't matter!

Mai had heard enough of the argument to understand that another prisoner had been killed.  Whether it was at Runako's hands or not made little difference to her; although sometimes a regrettable outcome to an escapee's attempt to flee, it was something Mai didn't care for.

Besides, the Doctor didn't like to lose his toys to the carelessness of the guards.

"Another death?" she asked, her tone a bit saucy.  "That makes two this year already."  As if Runako weren't well aware...  She glanced after the mage, eyes dark.  "You should reign him in before he turns against us."  She meant the security team as a whole, of course -- and especially her.  "Who did he kill this time?"

And, more importantly, she wondered, what had been her crime?

Wincing at the reminder, Runako's expression tightened for a moment. His inhuman features sometimes made him difficult to read if one didn't know how to study felinoid body language. His ears drew back , flattening against his skull for a moment and his black lips curled slightly. He shook his head, " It's regrettable, but we were...left with no other alternative, " she may or may not have caught the hint of doubt in his tone that hadn't always been present before but was gradually exposing itself in his later years. Times were changing and even creatures as stubborn and blind as Runako was - he was changing too.

His ears perked up at her opinion and he hesitated to reply, frowning. "That won't become an issue and I've already considered disciplinary measures as protocol dictates," he assured. Nothing he did to reprimand the unruly mage seemed to deter him from senseless violence though. Runako visibly stiffened at the thought of reporting the news to the Doctor. He wouldn't be pleased to hear that another patient was dead and Runako had , again, failed to prevent this. The guilt at such failure tore away at him and nearly disturbed him as much as the woman's death had.

"Hana, " he said softly, "it was Hana. " He shook his head as though he found it hard to believe. Hana had been a young girl , hardly past her fifteenth year. A frail and quiet thing, she had been a loner who lost herself in puzzles and reading. "She was acting strangely a week before now. The other patients claimed that she would have nightmares that she would wake from , screaming. Reports from other security personnel indicated that before this, she was refusing to take her usual medication. The medical staff believes this might have been what triggered the nightmares but I digress. The reports also indicate that in the waking hours, her mood shifted from her usual quit, gentle self to a more paranoid and aggressive personality. She wouldn't eat or drink, claiming that she wouldn't consume the blood of ... children, "Runako paused and shook his head. It was an unsettling thing when a patient went insane, " She started becoming more vocal and aggressive. I hear that a few nights before , she caused a disturbance in the cafeteria. She accused a female patient of being a rapist and a murder and attacked her. Choked a girl nearly to death with her psychic ability. The security team managed to subdue her and she was supposed to have been medicated..."

Again, he frowned. The Doctor had assured him that the problem had been resolved, but why then had the girl become even MORE unstable if she had been medicated properly? Something was wrong, but the Doctor wouldn't lie. Perhaps one of the staff had neglected to give the child the proper dosage or ...

Maybe the medication wasn't working? But shouldn't they have been aware of this? Those who monitored this child closely all the time?

No, no. It had to be an honest mistake. It had to be .But there was something in the back of his mind that kept telling him that he was being stupid. He pushed that little voice of doubt in his mind out and sighed, "  Perhaps there was a mistake. Whatever the case, it ended poorly. Hana's condition worsened. She tried to go after the same girl again and we had little choice but to engage her with force. I tried talking her down. I thought I had her. She seemed to back down , but Eckhart opened his mouth and put her on edge . She tried to choke me..." But would she have killed him ? There had been tears in her eyes and a desperation in them that he felt for , but didn't quite understand.

"I know he was protecting me, but I wonder...what went through her mind when she was doing these things? Was she crazy like the others suggest or was there something more to it? It seems like a case of insanity , but I haven't seen anything like it in years. And from Hana too. It's ..."  He shook his head, " Nevermind. " Dare he voice any doubt so others might use it against him. He didn't wish for the Doctor to get the wrong idea about him! He respected the man greatly but sometimes he wondered...if the Doctor might sometimes be wrong.

"Hana?"  These days, Mai was not easily shaken -- but the news of Hana's death produced a visible reaction.  She looked shocked, her expression only darkening as Runako went on with his explanation.

Hana.  Hana had been a sweet girl -- hardly a danger to anyone!  Given her nature, others sometimes tried to take advantage of her -- particularly when she had first arrived.  Mai had interceded a few times on her behalf, but, more recently, she had hardly remembered the girl existed...  A snarl of guilt crept into her mind at the thought -- if she had been more observant, had been there for her...

Although it didn't leave entirely, the guilt faded beneath the sudden wave of anger.  If she had had more interest in Hana, it wouldn't have mattered.  It still would have ended this way...  Hana wasn't the first to suffer from a mysterious mental illness, and she wouldn't be the last, because that was what this place did to people...  It was what the Doctor did to people.  And it was the reason Mai never allowed herself to grow close to anyone, because it hurt too much to watch.

But Mai had had a soft spot for gentle Hana, and, in spite of her efforts to remain unattached, she found herself suddenly struggling not to lash out to avenge her.  What good would vengeance do, anyway, except to serve to endanger those still alive?

Even so, she could not still her tongue entirely.  A curse rolled off before she could stop it.  "A mistake," she echoed with a soft, skeptical snort.  She rather doubted it...but, then, she tended to believe the worst.  Poor Hana...  "What kind of a mistake turns someone like Hana into...that?"

He studied Mai with a critical eye. She had the gall to speak what he would not, for once. She wasn't an easy woman to read,masking emotions behind a wall of ice and apathy. Her words were typically scathing. He knew she didn't like him, didn't really like the majority of the security force and sometimes he got the feeling that she wished that she didn't want to be here,didn't appreciate the opportunities that had been given to her by the generous doctor. He used to get angry, but more and more patients were displaying odd behaviors. Violent and insane behavior that suggested there was something about this place that wasn't right. And this unsettled Runako, whom was used to things always being a certain way.

"I don't know," Runako admitted, "no one seems to know either,or if they do they're not coming forward."He frowned,not liking to think that there was any foul play involved, but within the last decade or so ...things had become so apparently questionable now that even HE couldn't ignore or rule certain unpleasant possibilities out. But whatever he suspected was so far from the truth than he could imagine,but he at least was questioning it. Many in his position didn't care enough to, "I wanted to investigate the matter though so far I haven't been able to turn much up. Some of the patients are not...comfortable around me. " He scratched his chin and appearing puzzled. "I spoke with those closet to her and I couldn't gain much insight, but the girl –Tia- she seemed to look as though she had more to say ,but I don't think she trusts me." He moved over to his desk and retrieved a manila folder stuffed with papers and held it up in offer to her, " Maybe she'd trust you with that information."

Ooc: Feel free to turn him down lulz.

Mai eyed first the folder, then Runako like he was handing her a poisonous snake.  "I know Tia," she allowed at last, her fingers closing around the proffered item.  Her head cocked slightly, a somewhat animalistic gesture she had picked up over the years.  "Although, I cannot say if she will trust me anymore than she did you."

She wasn't sure why she was agreeing to this, either...  What good would her involvement do?  It would probably only piss her off even more...  You couldn't pretend these things weren't happening if they stood right before you, could you?  Even so, Hana deserved some justice...even if that justice would be ignored.

Lifting her eyes back to the chief of security, she added, returning to their previous topic briskly, "You really should rein him in."

"Maybe you're right, " Runako's expression appeared almost human for a moment, his eyes larger than usual as if to indicate surprise. In truth, he had anticipated for her to turn him down, tell him that he was foolish and this was a waste of time. Everyone else had and he and Mai-well, they generally did not agree on a whole lot of things. "You may learn nothing. She'll assume I put you up to this and think that you can't be trusted. But, there's a small chance that she might. It wouldn't hurt to try. If Tia wants to get to the bottom of this, we're the only ones who could help."

He really was naïve and yet...

"Be discreet. If Tia doesn't wish to speak, don't press the matter if you sense it'll cause any unnecessary attentions. If someone takes an issue with your investigation, refer them to me. I'll handle them. You don't need to explain yourself to anyone. "

He shook his head at her comment about Eckhart. It wasn't as easy as that, but now was not the time to talk about that. Eckhart had more favor among the security team and might have held more favor with the Doctor now. He was , afterall, considered to be a success story. The Doctor praised him, often forgetting that one of his first patients even existed...

Jealousy seeped into Runako's heart. Oh how he wished he COULD do something about Eckhart. Because Eckhart wasn't worthy.

He shook his head, " I'll have a talk with him. You're dismissed."

Mai sniffed softly and offered him her usual lax salute, a sure sign of Mai's displeasure and usual sarcastic nature.  "Aye aye," she answered as she did so.  The folder was tucked neatly in the crook of her arm, almost with a military precision, as she turned away from him.

"By the way," she called over her shoulder, not even bothering to stop walking as she made her way towards the showers to wash away the training session.  "There's rumor of another escape attempt from the third floor."  She gave an indignant snort that slipped into a laugh.  Floor three's attempts were usually somewhat laughable on good days -- and pitiable on their worst.  There was little real threat from the attempts, if only due to their over-thought, yet somehow utterly disorganized nature.

Turning around fully, suddenly, so that she was walking backwards, she added cheerfully, "Keep a spot open for me!"

Runako sighed , "The third floor again?" He shook his massive head. He wasn't surprised. The little ringleader of that silly operation was crazy and determined to 'be free' as he called it. One time he'd managed to actually dig a tunnel far under the building. Unfortunately, the end of that tunnel had come up right into Runako's office and the security chief had to wonder if that had been a mere oversight or comically deliberate. Though by the look on the poor bastard's face, Runako knew it had not been intentional.
Fortunately for the patients, Runako had a wealth of patience with people and he'd simply grabbed the silly runaway and dragged him back to his room. The entire scenario had most people laughing or shaking their heads. It really was ridiculous. When would the third floor give up? Maybe they just did this because they were bored? Who knew!?

He nodded at Mai, " Will do." He didn't really need any help dealing with the third floor ,but he knew that for some of his officers looked forward to it. It was something of a game to them. To him, it was something of a source of annoyance and bewilderment.

Once Mai had left, Runako gathered his report and left his office to visit the Doctor.

The Doctor 's office was on the uppermost floor of the building. Runako was one of the few who didn't need to knock before entering. The door's magical lock had been designed in a way to recognize him when he pressed an open palm against the door. He did so now and the door slid open. "Doctor?" He called out before steppin inside. The room was dimly lit . No answer. The office was empty as usual. Shrugging, Runako walked over to the man's desk and set his report down on the desk. As he turned away, however, his tail knocked something off and it fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Runako turned around see what it was and saw a familiar leather-bound book that served as the Doctor's notebook on the floor.

He picked it up and set it back down on the man's desk. In all his years, Runako had always been curious to know what his adoptive father wrote down in the thing. He'd tried to read it once when he had been very young, but the Doctor had become very upset with him and had made him feel so terribly guilty...
Never had he dared to even think of trying to read its contents again, but the curiosity was still there.

He'd heard things whispered before. Dark rumors about the Doctor and about himself. They filled Runako with so much doubt of late and he felt himself once more being tempted to read the Doctor's notebook. Maybe it had answers to his fear and doubts? But he found himself feeling too afraid to look.

He left the room .

ooc: A shitty post, but at least the thread is moving again. xD

It had taken Mai some time, but she had patiently waited for her opportunity to speak to Tia alone.  She knew it would do no good to pry her away from her small circle of friends -- the girl was, by nature, shy and submissive.  Badgering her -- especially in public -- would do no good.

In the end, it took her more than a week to return the report to the Chief of Security.  A few words here, an offer of an ice cream cone, and a shoulder to cry upon, and young Tia had a few, halting words to say about her friend's demise.

She wasn't surprised to find Runako away from his office -- and she was a bit grateful for that.  Her notes were in the folder, but she had a feeling he wouldn't want to hear what she had to say, not really.  He was likely to consider the poor girl mad...which the girl, of course, was not.  The girl knew what she had seen, and she had some definite opinions on that.  Mai happened to agree -- but Runako was blind to the faults of his mentor.

The idiot.

She put her file down on the Chief's desk, content enough to leave it there without another word, if possible.  She had done her job -- and that was all he could ask of her.

Weeks passed and everything was relatively normal. A handful of pathetic escape attempts occurred , but he had not been personally present for them .In fact, few had seen the Chief as often since Hana's death. However, Eckhart wasn't strutting about quite as much as usual and his mood had soured. Perhaps someone HAD had a talk with him.

Runako had felt there was something wrong inside him for some time now. It felt like an illness that came and went, causing him brief flashes of agony. He had told the Doctor what it was, but the man had examined him and told him simply that it was old age and what he felt was natural.

Of course he believed that, but that did nothing to ease the pain. Unfortunately, there was nothing the Doctor could do for him.

During such times, he would "take leave" . Everyone thought it was a "vacation" . No one knew where he'd go and anyone who asked was promptly warned to stop asking questions unless they desired broken bones. Runako would vanish for a week or two and that was that.

He actually never went far at all. His room was next to his office and so as Mai was leaving, he was coming out looking...disheveled and more tired than usual. "Good day,Hazuko," he nodded as he passed her on his way to his office.

He entered and moved to his desk and grabbed the folder she'd left on his desk. He shuffled through the paperwork and picked out the paper with Mai's notes. The words written there of Tia's account were not easy for him to digest. He sat down as if the words weighed on him so heavily.

"Slander!" he growled and threw the folder across the room with a snarl. "Ungrateful..."

He didn't have outbursts often. He sighed and leaned forward in his chair, resting his chin in his hands and turning his mind over all of the facts gathered. For him, everything pointed to crazy. He'd been hoping Tia would have known what had triggered the madness but Tia  , of course, didn't know so she just blamed the Doctor. And she wasn't the first. Runako shook his head, not understanding that mentality. 

There was a knock at the door. Four solid, quick knocks.

"Come in, Astrid."

The door opened and closed promptly.

Astrid looked around and spied the discarded papers on the ground. "Don't like Hauko's report, I take it?" She smirked.

Runako shook his head, " She followed her orders. Unfortunately, Tia had nothing useful to say."

"And you're surprised? "

Runako looked at her, " I was hoping for..."

"That she wasn't crazy?" Astrid frowned and crossed her arms. "You think all of that nonsense she said about consuming the blood of children is true?  She was insinuating that the medical staff is feeding people the dead."

"No, of course not! All I'm saying is that none of this makes sense! "

Astrid sighed irritably, "Why do you suddenly care? It's not like this hasn't happened before."

Runako stared at her, looking as though he'd been slapped. He said nothing in his defense because she was right.

Sighing, Astrid picked up the folder . "I'll do a little digging around in the med labs and see what I can find. Just don't expect anything. " She left.

Runako waited a few moments then lowered his head in shame.

Astrid was scarcely gone five minutes before the door to Runako's door opened.  Mai stood in the doorway, her cheeks flushed and her weapons at her side.  She didn't want to have to report this to Runako, because she assumed she knew what was going to happen next.  She would probably be blamed somehow (not her fault!) and then she would have to accompany Runako on a wild goose chase looking for a very scared girl.

A very scared girl who had somehow managed to overcome three guards in her escape attempt...  And someone Mai felt particularly emotional about as well.  Of course, it would have to be her!

"Tia's escaped."  Noting Runako's aggravated state, quite suddenly, she chose to hover in the doorway rather than step more fully into the room; the doorframe could provide her with a little cover, at least!  "It looks like she lured Ilys into her room and killed him for his keys.  Gil and Lilith tried to intercept her on her way out, and..."  She had liked none of three, and she had particularly hated Ilys; she had had enough encounters with the man that she could easily imagine just how he had come to be in Tia's room.  That being said, their deaths were bizarre...particularly at the hands of someone like Tia.

Just when she thought this place could no longer surprise her...

The chief of security looked up. Expressions on a feline visage weren't always easy to read, but his ear flattened back a bit, "Escaped? How?" Runako's voice sounded more sharply than he intended, but the news was something that did not sit well with him.  He waited for Mai to deliberate and then growled and pushed his chair away from his desk.

"Tia? Tia escaped? The girl I had you interview?" He rose from his seat and stalked across the room ,stopping only a couple paces from her. He looked down at her, his inhuman expression difficult to read but his eyes expressing his doubt, "She killed three trained guards? " He couldn't believe what he was hearing and yet Hazuko had absolutely no reason to lie to him. He would know the truth sooner or later and most wouldn't gamble away their security job without good reason.

He sighed,"Dammit, Hazuko! I told you not to press her too hard! "

Yep! He was totally blaming her, alright!

ooc: Ultimately, I have decided there should be a teeny weeny bit of drama. (although that's really up to you, I guess!)

The tiny woman stayed beside the doorframe -- but, other than taking a slightly more defensive posture, she held her ground.  There was nothing Runako could do to her that hadn't already been done to her once...and she had survived it all.

"I bought her an ice cream," Mai answered testily, although she watched the Chief's movements warily.  "I hardly consider that pressing."  And the girl had cried on her shoulder...  She had tried to be a friend!  Maybe she was out of practice...

"Perhaps it was Ilys who did the pressing, and she only reacted.  But I suppose you know nothing about that either."  She couldn't seem to stop her tongue, the damned thing!  "Tia wouldn't be the first girl he tried to take advantage of."  Too few of the guards cared about such things to put a stop to it, sadly...

"What do you mean?" Runako really was clueless, but then again there was a lot that went on behind his back! "Take advantage? " He wasn't that naive. He knew what that meant at least. He'd encountered it only a few times in the beginning when there had been a number of males who thought their newfound privileges as guards gave them the right to do things that made him ill thinking about.

"No one told me about this. I have never received a single filed complaint against Ilys," But no one told him anything anymore because they feared his connection with the Doctor. "If you knew this, then why didn't you say anything to me ?"

ooc: Tea party!

Mai's eyes were hard as she regarded him, her face difficult to read.  He was an idealistic idiot -- pretty much everyone knew that.  What was it that made him so willingly blind to things happening under his nose?

"There's a certain way things are done around here.  And there's a lot you don't know about, Runako."  It was the truth, so help them both.

Disdainfully, she said, "Ilys has friends.  Some join him.  Some look the other way.  It ends badly for people who try to stop them."  Her jaw set stubbornly; what was there to be ashamed of?  She had never been ashamed of doing what had to be done.  Even that.  "Unless you give him another option."

Still, she couldn't be there every time...

"I put a stop to that kind of thing years ago. I have a team that I trust now. Are you telling me that my trust is misplaced?" Eckhart and Astrid? Did they know about these kinds of things? Did they turn their backs on it? They had been his eyes and ears for years. Handpicked by the Doctor himself.

Or was Hazuko simply trying to stir up trouble?

" I still have questions for you, but they will have to wait for now because we've wasted enough time already. We need to find Tia and stop her. If what you say is true , then she could be in trouble or someone else might be.  "

He gestured to the door, "After you."

~

It came as quite a surprise to Astrid when Runako and Mai showed up at the med labs. Astrid was rummaging though some files and being harassed by the medical staff who weren't too thrilled about the woman being there on unscheduled time. Sensing something was wrong , she crossed the room quickly to meet with the pair, "What's the matter?"

"Tia's escaped. She killed three guards and I want the three of us on this one. No Eckhart."

Astrid eyed Mai suspiciously, "Tia? I find this hard to believe and why Hazuko? She's not a Seraph."

"Don't question my orders. She's coming with us," Runako snapped.

Astrid opened her mouth to say something and then shut it immediately and nodded. 

Yes, Runako was an idiot.   And a nosy idiot at that.  It put a scowl on her face, but there was little she could do.

~

Mai was still scowling when they reached the med labs.  She very clearly didn't want to be here either, but, as Runako said...  It was an order.

"Ilys's body was in her room.  Gil and Lilith at the exit," Mai put in quietly, summarizing the situation as neatly as she could.  Besides, any woman, guard or no, should know what that meant -- or so she thought.  Ilys and his goons weren't exactly subtle about it...at least, not around the lesser guards.  "When I left to make my report, the rest of the prisoners had been accounted for."

ooc: Mature for language and theme. I should have probably tagged an M to this thread's subject. S:

ic :

"Ilys?" Astrid raised an eyebrow, "I've heard something about that before. Whispers mostly that he was quite a troublemaker. I've had talks with him previously about lurking around the women's living quarters and verbally harassing a couple female patients. He was on his last warning with me."

Runako looked at the woman ,his eyes questioning her.

"As far as I know, it hadn't gone further than verbal harassment. Security cameras have never shown anything , but that doesn't mean..." Astrid looked at Runako and frowned, "That couldn't have been wiped."

"No one would do that." Runako growled.

Astrid shrugged, " I could not say, but Ilys was a pig and it doesn't surprise me that someone would snap and kill him. It just surprises me that Tia was the one who did it. Her snapping isn't entirely unbelievable, but she's not- well, wasn't strong enough . She must have caught him off-guard somehow . Perhaps she...seduced him and killed him? Or he tried to seduce her and he wasn't expecting her to resist. Or...she may also have a power that we don't know about."

"Her file doesn't indicate anything beyond level 1 telekinesis." Runako replied, frowning as the trio left the med lab.

Astrid shook her head, "Maybe someone is trying to hide something."

Runako glared at Astrid but the woman ignored him.

"Astrid, I need you to alert the perimeter guard. Hazuko and I will examine Tia's room and see if we can find any clues. Assemble a team and sweep the the building. Start with the floor below this one and work your way down to the base. I ...don't think she'll go up , but if she does she won't have many places to go except...." he'd seen people jump off the roof before.

"Affirmative." She left the pair, moving swiftly.

Runako and Mai made their way to the section of the floor where the rooms belonging to the female patients were. Seeing Runako, many of the women made themselves scarce and shut their doors.  Tia's room was at the far end of the hall. Runako pushed through the door which hung slightly ajar. Much to his surprise, there were already members of the guard there, standing around Ilys's corpse.

"Fucking slut! When I find her, I'm going to make her..."

"You're not going to do anything, Carver, if you know what's good for you. " Runako replied, his tone one of icy command. Like an enormous predatory cat, he stalked into the middle of the room and approached Ilys's corpse. The four men standing nearby scattered hastily. "This isn't your post. Get out. Now. " The one called Carver glared nastily at the Chief , but said nothing in retort and took his leave shortly after the others.

Runako knelt down by Ilys's body and noted how the belt had been undone and fly was open. Perhaps it was as Hazuko insinuated. "Lacerations to the throat and his face." He frowned and traced his claw along the deep cuts on the man's throat. "They don't look to be made from any weapon I'm familiar with. They almost look like claw marks,  " He searched the body but found nothing of any significance. " Did the others sustain similar injuries?" He looked over his shoulder at Hazuko. 

Ah, great.  That was fantastic.  She was probably going to get the blame for tattling -- which, technically, she supposed she had.  This was a different situation, though...  If it had just been what it usually was, she would have remained mum on the topic...  But the death of a guard, well, that was something else.

Still, she stood apart from Runako, hoping to make it clear to Carver and his gang that she was not involved in this...

"I didn't look very close," Mai answered reluctantly and carefully.  "Beyond there was a lot of blood.  Gil, I think, was killed from behind.  The wounds could have been similar."  She paused as she thought it over.  "Yes, I think they were the same.  I came to find you right away."

She hadn't even kicked Ilya or spit on him, as she would have liked to do!

"There's a trail of blood," she added, indicating the drops she had followed to the other two corpses.  "And foot prints at the other site."

(OOC: Now with an M!)

"They look natural. Could blunt human nails do this? I don't recall Tia having particularly sharp nails. No, these cuts are too deep and almost clean as if they sliced through like a knife through warm butter. Ilys was dead before he even knew it . " His eyes followed the crimson trail that spotted across the stone floor. He stood up and followed it , moving slowly across the room and out and down the hall just a ways to the left where he found the bodies of Gil and Lilith.

Runako knelt down beside the bodies to examine them as well. Gil had lacerations on the throat much like Ilys. He frowned, "Lilith's injuries aren't consistent with the other two. " He felt the woman's abdomen, feeling the blood soak through her lower shirt. "It feels like a stab wound." He sniffed, "Mmm...she's been dead longer than the other two. "

ooc: I'm going to assume the cameras are magical devices. Not quite the same thing as modern tech, but of a similar nature. Totally forgot this was meant to be

"So somebody helped her?"  That was what she took away from the whole speech.  She wasn't used to having to deal with this end of things; she was much more accustomed to just Guarding -- and, occasionally, stopping an escape attempt.

"Somebody...broke in and took Tia?"  That was closer!  If Lilith had died first...

She looked back in the direction they had come, then frowned at Runako.  "I don't understand."  Wanting to get out, yes, she understood.  But wanting to steal someone?  She didn't understand that at all...  Most of the patients were friends only with the others on their floor; most didn't even know other patients on higher floors...

Runako looked up, "An accomplice? " He tapped a claw against his chin in an almost thoughtful gesture, "That's possible, but –well, maybe that would explain the lacerations. Maybe Tia wasn't in her room when Ilys came to visit her. Perhaps it was someone else. Someone with claws and someone who didn't take kindly to him. But who killed Lilith? The same person who killed Gil and Ilys  ?  But why the inconsistency? Why not just tear her throat like the others? Hmm. " He studied the bloody footprints, "These look a little bit large to be Tia's. And they're not human prints either. "

He stood up and turned to her, " I wonder if they are working together or if the killer thought Tia should go along with their plan. Perhaps it is a friend of Tia's which was why they chose her. Otherwise , I don't understand anymore than you do.  We're not likely to know the truth until we find Tia.    "

Poor Tia!

In some ways, being abducted like this would be worse than finally snapping and going on a rampage...which Mai had sometimes fantasized about herself.

"Where do we go, then?" she asked, her usual distance presently gone in the wake of what may have happened to the poor, innocent girl...or what could be happening as they spoke.

For once, by the Gods, she even seemed eager to follow orders!

Runako lowered himself down onto all fours and touched his nose to the floor , "We follow the scent. In other words, follow me." He pushed his nose along the ground, seeming not to be bothered by the blood. Runako had not known these people as well as others, that much was apparent, but his mind was on the mission wholly. He was created for this. "The Doctor's person bloodhound" as some liked to call him.

He moved down the hall,letting his nose lead him to a stairwell that led to the upper floor. "Carver knew Ilys, did he not? It may not have been a coincidence that he was on the scene before we were. I probably shouldn't have let him go so easily, but if he's somehow part of this mess then we'll catch up to him."He bounded up the stairs, clearing them with ease that might have been impressive for such a large creature.

The uppermost floor of the building was where most of the security guards resided. Unlike the other floors, it actually looked like a pleasant enough place to live in which was what lured so many patients into the program. It really wasn't as nice as it initially seemed for most. The guards lounging about all looked up curiously when they saw the Chief come bounding into the room with his nose lowered to the ground. They knew by his posture that he was on the hunt, but it was curious. No alarm had been raised and why had the Chief come here? Most escaped patients knew not to come up here. A couple had but only with the intent of suicide and possibly killing a couple guards before they were taken down.

"Chief ? What are you...?"

"Quiet," Runako growled and kept moving , "They came up here." He said to Mai.

Being such a petite girl, Mai was a few steps behind Runako the entire way up the stairs!  She looked (for some reason) somewhat surprised to find the usual suspects hanging out in their usual places; it was strange to think that the rest of the building was functioning as usual while this great mystery was set forth.

And it was probably equally strange for them to see first Runako, then one of the most anti-social members of their number come strolling in like this...

"Do you recognize the scene of the other person?" she wondered softly, her voice and expression troubled.  Perhaps it was a guard who snapped...

"And it didn't sound like Carver knew what happened either.  They didn't even know we were there until you spoke up." Unless Carver were secretly a genius, as well as a phenomenal actor.  That seemed too good to be true, though, especially knowing the brute as she did.

Her eye caught something, then, and she strode past Runako to retrieve it.  She turned the item over in her palm, studying it a moment before holding it up for Runako to see.  "If I remember correctly, this belonged to Hana.  Tia must have taken it after Hana died."  It was a single hair barrette, molded in the form of a series of pink flowers.

Runako paused for a moment and appeared to be contemplating her question. He shook his head, " It is familiar to me, but it's an old familiarity. It's like a vague memory that has been buried with time. I know this smell and yet I do not.  It's pungent, inhuman. Not a pleasant smell and not human. I wish I could remember."

He nodded to here observations of Carver. Yes, he had thought as much though lately things weren't making a whole lot of sense. The case of Hana and Tia made this abundantly clear. Carver may not have been very bright or resourceful (which was why he used to follow that Ilys around like a lot pup) , but there were others that followed him that were. Any one of his lackeys could have planted ideas into his thick skull and let him do the dirty work. "I didn't find the murder weapon on the bodies. I guess it could be disposed of anywhere , but if I could find it ..."

Mai brought his attention to the barrette. He stared at it for a moment, feeling a flicker of cold dread rush through him, "Patients aren't allowed up here . To find this here..." There were guards here all the time! "Someone must have seen them. Why wasn't I informed?" That was a question he'd have to ask later.

"There are too many smells in this room. It's confusing me. We need to clear it of people or find someone who might have seen something. If you'll ask around, I'll check the rooftop real quick and then come back and start asking some questions of my own. Astrid should have the perimeter security tightened by now so whoever took Tia, if someone did, they're not leaving."

Mai nodded slightly.  It seemed they had found a common cause after all these years...  She wasn't following his orders out of fear of what would happen if she didn't; she was obeying, simply, because she, too, wanted to find out what had happened to Tia...and Runako was the best person to find her and to figure out what happened.

"I'll move the lot of them back into the dining hall."  The employees had their own, naturally!  "And start asking questions.  See you there."  Unless Runako found her first...  God, she hoped he found her first -- alive!

~

It didn't take long for the petite girl to round up the group of lounging guards and to drive them into the lunchroom.  Having Runako at her back, clearly not in a good mood, did help, however; the moment there was a set of doors between them and the Chief, the complaints started.

"What's going on?"

"What's he looking for out there?"

"I'm supposed to be on duty soon!"

And so on.  Mai lifted her arms, trying to calm down the unruly group.  It would have been easier, she reflected, if she had ever made an effort to actually get along with any of them...  "Quiet down, everyone."

"Why isn't the Chief in here asking these questions?"

"BE QUIET, I SAID!" Mai snapped, voice rising to an impressive level, in spite of her tiny stature.  A hush fell over the room, unwilling though it was.  "Now, this is an official inquiry, so you'll all answer my questions, or you'll answer to the Chief later."

Just as he suspected, there was no one on the rooftop. He made a quick sweep twice, searching for any clues but there was nothing to be found there but ice and silence.  Few ventured outside this time of year and only creatures like Runako with a thick, warm fur coat could withstand the chilly extremes.  Satisfied with his search, he went back indoors. By then , Mai had cleared the room. With the guards gone, their scents weakened and made things a bit less confusing. He nosed around until he came to one of the doors which belonged to a guard simply called Peter.

Runako tried the door. Much to his surprise, the door opened and the man stood there wild-eyed, hair and clothing disheveld and there was blood staining his uniform. Runako couldn't see it so well as he could smell it. "Hello ,Peter. "

"C-chief..." Peter had always been a little neurotic to begin with. He was a quiet man who mostly kept his head low and did his job. He was also a werewolf.

"Might I have a word with you?"

Peter looked around, noticing that the pair of them were alone. He looked uncertain, but he nodded and started to step out of the room while hastily pulling his door closed behind him. Runako's big hand shot out and forced the door aside.

"Are you hiding something, Peter? "

Peter's eyes widened and his shook his head, "N-no sir! I-I would never!"

"Step aside then."

The other nodded and moved so the Chief could enter.

Runako searched the room and it didn't take him long enough to find what he was looking for. He opened a dresser drawer and held up a bloody knife. "Care to explain this to me?"

"I- "

"Think very carefully about what you say to me. "

The man shut his mouth for a moment and looked around nervously.

"Did you stab Lilith?"

"WHAT?! NO!"

"Then what is the crime weapon doing in YOUR room?"

Peter whined like a frightened pup, "He told me they were going to hurt Tia. So I- I ...went to see her to check on her, you know? Because- I - she's my sister and I read in a book once that's what brothers are supposed to do. "

"You mean Ilys and his friends?"

Peter nodded.

"That still doesn't explain to me what this knife-"

"Well, Tia said they were harassing her. Saying awful things about...about Hana and why she...died. She said Ilys and his boys were trying to mate with her. They said it would 'heal' her suffering, " he started to shake and growl inhumanly. "They wouldn't take no for an answer and threatened to do even worse things to her if she didn't cooperate. So , she played along. What else could she do?"

"...and where did you come in?"

"I stopped by as they were finishing their cruel acts. They had hurt so badly..."
Peter smiled sorrowfully and held out his hands. They were covered in blood, "I think you knew my part in this all along, Chief."

He didn't wait for Runako to say anything , " I've never killed anyone before, Chief , but I enjoyed killing Ilys and his friends. It's hardly what they deserve, but at least they'll never hurt another girl again. I'm sorry Chief. I did it for Tia and Hana because nobody else would."

"Is...Tia still alive?"

"She's dead." Peter answered without hesitation.

"Then where is the body?"

"I buried it in the tundra . You know, in an unmarked grave sort of like how people are supposed to die. I'd rather burn in hell than let the Doctor use her for one of his fucking experiments."

Runako looked as though he'd just been slapped, " Those experiments are for-"

"Just admit he's a sick, fucking bastard! If I could, I'd do that deranged fucker in myself. Nobody would shed a fucking tear," Peter snarled. "Wake up, Runako ! You've been here longer than most of us! How can be so fucking blind!?"

Runako shook his head, " Peter ,you're letting your emotions get the better of you. You need to calm down and tell me where Tia is so I can confirm your story,"

"Grragh! You sound like HIM, you fucking sycophant! I'm not telling you a damned thing!" Already, the man was starting to shift. His nails were growing and hair was rapidly growing on his skin, his muscles rippled and bulged, his face and ears proceeded to elongate .

"Please don't be difficult, Peter, or I'm going to have to have you detained. " Runako said this even though he knew that there was about to be a confrontation.

"You'll never find her! I'll take that knowledge to the gave and I'll take you with me!"

Still in mid-shift, Peter launched himself at the scrutiny Chief with a howl. 

ooc: Okay! It's ready to be replied to! Not quite where I was intending to go with this , but hey! It's going somewhere! And there can always be additional developments to this! I really don't mind if you'd add twists of your own!

The howl traveled through the staff floor, reaching the dining area as clear as day.  Mai stopped mid-sentence, eyes searching for the source in the empty room behind her.  There, of course, was nothing there; yet that howl filled her with an instinctive sort of dread.

"Was that Peter?"

"Are we under attack?"

"What's going on?"

Mai ignored the questions; in part, because she didn't know the answer and, in part, because it was none of their damned business right now.  The staff floor was usually comfortable and quiet; if Peter were making such a fuss, Runako's investigation probably had something to do with it.

"Stay here," Mai commanded sharply, hoping that Runako's authority would be enough to make them obey.  They remained in the cafeteria when she left, but she had no way of knowing how long that would last.

Like the rest of the building, the staff floor could be a bit like a maze if you didn't know exactly where you wanted to go.  Mai retraced her steps and hesitated in the sitting room, unsure; fortunately a loud crash acted as a beacon, and Mai took off towards it at run...only to stop dead when two figures stepped into her path.

The now deceased Ilys aside, these were two of her least favorite people: Eckhart and one of his lackeys, Terric.  The sounds of combat were close -- perhaps just in the next hallway over -- so there was no way either man could miss hearing it.  Yet, neither made a move in that direction!  She had a bad feeling about their appearance here...

Caution won out over her desire to find Runako, and she regarded the pair in front of her carefully.  Finally, she asked, "Is Peter attacking someone in there?"

Eckhart's mouth stretched into a nasty grin.  "Yes."

Now, she liked what was happening even less.  "Is he attacking Runako?"

"Yes."  His grin stretched a little wider.

"Did you tell him to?" she asked, having taken a deep breath to steady her nerves.  This was bad.  So very, very bad.

"Well, well, well.  You aren't as dumb as you look, Hazuko."  Eck gave a nasty chuckle, and his friend joined him.  "It's time for a new Chief of Security.  If Chief can't handle one little werewolf driven mad by an addiction to combat drugs, don't you think it's time he be replaced?"

Mai recognized the other man now.  She tried to keep her nose clean, but sometimes she couldn't help but overhear things -- things like this other man, Terric, introducing a new line of combat drugs...highly addictive, highly effective, and completely toxic to the brain.  Peter probably had no real idea of what he was doing anymore...and if he were hyped up on combat drugs, did Runako even stand a chance?

Tentatively, Mai nodded slightly in agreement.  Survival.  Survival always came first, and if Eckhart were determined to kill Runako, she wouldn't stand between them and attack Eckhart head-on.

"I only care about finding the girl.  Tia."

"Dead," Eckhart replied dismissively.  His long legs carried him forward until he loomed over Mai's much shorter form.  When she dropped her gaze submissively and looked away, he caught her chin in his hand.  She could feel an unnatural heat in that hand, radiating outwards and making her want to squirm.  "I know you and Ilys shared a...special...relationship, Hazuko.  I'll see that he's avenged."  His finger caressed her cheek lightly; Mai felt like a pet being stroked by her master, and it made her feel sick to her stomach -- or, perhaps that was Eckhart's opinion of her relationship with Ilys making her feel ill.

Something seemed to be expected from her, and so, swallowing the bile rising in her throat, she murmured, "Thank you."

"Now go back to your post and wait.  This will all be over soon."  The mage released her smugly, charmed by his ability to intimidate the younger woman into submission.  He had turned away already when Mai struck.

No, she didn't like Runako, and she wouldn't take on a soldier like Eckhart head-on to rescue him; that being said, she would rather suffer under Runako than scum like Eckhart -- and she possessed not a whit of honor.

Her weapons were in her hands in an instant.  Whether Eckhart heard her draw them or simply caught the motion from the corner of her eye, she couldn't say; flames were already licking up his arms as he turned to confront her.  The blow meant for the side of his throat landed against his shoulder with a resounding crack as bones broke beneath the blow.

Eckhart's howl of pain joined Peter's wolfish howls down the hall.

Mai ducked beneath his wild swing (not hard, given her height) and swung her right tessen in a broad arc that caught Terric in the mid-section.  The force of the blow crushed his ribcage like it was made of paper.  She didn't pause to watch him crumple to the floor -- Eckhart was the more dangerous of the two opponents, and he was still alive.  She spread her tessen out in front of her in time to absorb the fiery attack Eckhart threw in her direction, though she could still feel the heat even through her weapon.  The magic helped to rekindle her own magical power, a tremendous amount of which that had been lost in her initial attack on the men.

She had to take him down quick...or not at all.

The moment the flames hit, she sprung into the air, her weapons aimed at the mage's head.

It was Runako that stuck the first blow before Peter's transformation from man to werewolf was complete. The Chief's strong arms shot forward and caught the wolfman's head in his hands and pulled him towards him, smashing his skull against the other's. The impact caused the wolfman to stagger, delaying his shift for but a few precious seconds which Runako wasted no time taking advantage of. He brought his knee up , slamming it into the wolfman's gut.

Though the combat enhancements heightened his pain tolerance, the blow Runako had delivered still caused the the wolfman to flinch, providing the Chief with a precious few moments to strike swiftly with a hard right hook to the jaw. Peter went down, stumbling back a several paces and crashing into the small desk that served as his personal work space. The poor desk splintered and broke under his weight.

"This is my final warning. Stand down. I don't want to fight you, " Runako growled and took a step forward to loom over his prone foe. For little less than half of a minute, Peter lie there on the floor with his lanky arms and legs sprawled out over his crushed furniture and a dazed look on his canine mug.

The wolfman lifted his head and met the Chief's eyes for a fraction of second , but it was enough. The expression in those eyes told Runako everything. There was pain, sorrow, anger, confusion, a madness. He'd seen that look in Hanna's eyes too. "Ch-chief, I can't...s-stop. It...burns-" Peter snarled, his voice substantially gruffer, but still his voice.

Runako took another step forward though a little more cautiously this time. He knew something was wrong, something that was driving the werewolf's killer instincts. A beast himself, he understood how easy it was to fall prey to one's killer instincts, how easily it was to leave one's 'humanity'behind. It was something no human would ever truly understand. Poor Peter. He was beast and man. It must have been even more difficult to control himself, "Tell me what's wrong.I can help you."

The werewolf shook his head back and forth violently. He couldn't be saved and he didn't want to be. Tia and Hanna were gone. His only friends in this nightmare were dead...all because of Runako and his incompetence or so the voices told him. It began with Eckhart meeting him for lunch to console him over his losses. Eckhart and Terric. They'd smiled sympathetically and listened to his grief. They seemed to care , they wanted to help. They agreed that Runako was to blame. Runako was incompetent and only cared about the Doctor's orders. He didn't care that Tia and  Hana were dead at all. They all agreed that Runako was not worthy of being the Chief and he deserved to die for his incompetence.  But Peter had been hoping that Eckhart and Terric would take care of him. Eck claimed he wasn't strong enough and Terric suggested that Peter be the one to confront the Chief.

It only now dawned on Peter ,in what was likely to be the very final moments of his fractured sanity and perhaps his life, that he had been deceived. The drugs hadn't made him a hero. They'd turned him into a monster. It was poison in his blood and in his mind and he couldn't fight it anymore. He surrendered and let it consume him entirely now.

Peter rose from the floor and turned to face Runako. Gone were all traces of humanity , replaced by the wild and snarling visage of a bloodthirsty creature which charged at  him. 

Runako had sparred with Peter before and knew the other was much lighter and not anywhere near as strong. Confident that he could stop the charge, Runako stood his ground and waited. This, he was about to find out,  was a mistake.

Peter tackled him, hitting him with the force of a speeding locomotive. Runako was dumbfounded as he went flying backwards, his enormous bulk crashing into the wall and blasting a Runako-sized hole through it. In a cloud of wall debris, the security Chief hit the floor rolling and was up on his feet just moments after touching the ground. Leave it to a cat to land on his feet...sort of!

"He's stronger than I remember, " Runako murmured, " Astrid's right. I'm getting softer in my old age." He shook the dust and debris free from his grizzled fur with a couple good bodily shakes.

Predictably, Peter came charging through the wall after him at full speed, arms out and claws slashing forth. It was a bold, reckless attack but the speed was what caught the old man off guard. "Not good!"

He barely raised his arms in time to shield his throat as Peter rammed into him, knocking him to the floor and leaping on top of him. Runako kicked both legs up and out, his large clawed feet catching the werewolf in the gut and sending him flying back across the room and falling short of creating yet another hole in the wall. 

Runako gathered himself up and sprang forward, running on all fours at top speed. His opponent was up quickly and seemed to have the same idea in mind . It was only a matter of seconds before the pair of them clashed, in a fury of shredding claws and biting fangs. Most of the fur and and blood belonged to Runako and it seemed that Eckhart may have got his wish then as Peter broke through his defenses and his closed down on his throat.

The instincts of the beast took over the chief's senses then and he released an ear-shattering roar that made most of the people in the dining area stop and hastily cover their ears to shield themselves from the enraged sound.   

Runako's stuck quickly with a single yet brutal swipe of his wicked claws. The savage blow sliced across his opponent's throat, reducing the jugular to mess of torn flesh and blood.

Peter was dead before he hit the ground and Runako lowered himself down, gripping the corpse's throat in his maw and shaking wildly, snapping the bones.

Ooc: I had to rewrite quite a bit of  this so it's a little shorter than it was meant to be. I had a bit with Astrid which I guess I can just insert in my next post since it doesn't immediately affect what's happening right now. I'm sorry for the delay. My computer must have messed up last night when I fell asleep because it crashed and it seems and I had no recovery option available.

OOC: Mature for creepy torture and creepy themes and creepy creeps!

Time seemed to slow as Mai's body traveled through the air, a folded tessen extended defensively as she swung the second in a downward arc towards her enemy's head.

But Eck had earned his Seraph title, and he had taken to the position like a spider emerging to slay the latest victim of its web.  He was a warrior, backed by training, by experience, and by a willingness to kill any who stood in his way.  He had mastered both martial arts and magic, and he knew how to combine the two to create his own unique style.  Perhaps the most dangerous thing about Eck, however, was that he was a smart man who had studied those around him...

And he put that knowledge to the test now.  Knowing that he would die if Mai's tessen were to hit him -- and also knowing that she could absorb any magical attack he could fling from a distance -- it left him in a very precarious, but manageable, situation.

To Mai, it seemed that, as she was beginning to grow accustomed to the slow progress of the world around her as she moved towards him, time resumed its normal pace...and that, suddenly, was much, much too fast.  The mage caught her arm in his and shifted, using her own momentum to bring her midsection down into his knee.

Mai struggled to breathe as the air left her lungs, not even entirely sure where her attack had gone wrong.  The magical power she had channeled into her attack vanished too, scattering into the air around them and dissipating.  It left her even weaker than before as the world swam in front of her.  For a moment, she had no senses at all.

Slowly, then, they returned.  Touch came first: a burning, vice-like sensation on her wrist from Eck's hand, followed by an explosion of excruciating pain and numbness as he drove her hand into the wall.  Her cry of pain reached her own ears, as if from another, followed by Eck's sneering voice.  "Pathetic."

She felt the floor at her back, then, as he lowered her, somehow gently to the floor.  His boot came down on Mai's other wrist, and he ground into her tender flesh until she was forced to release her only other weapon. 

"You should have listened!" he sing-songed as he drew back his foot and kicked her, hard, in the side.  She cried out, miserable, and it was music to his ears.  "But no one is going to miss you!"  He punctuated the "you" with another kick.  This time, from somewhere, there was a crack of breaking bone from the force.  "So I guess it doesn't matter!"  This time, she only whimpered from the pain the two subsequent, rapid-fire kicks caused at the end of his statement.

"No, no, don't fall asleep," he encouraged in a coo as he leaned over her.  "What else can we do to keep you awake?"  His fingers slid with a seductive skill beneath her top, tracing a meandering pattern onto her flesh.  Some distant part of her felt it, but the sounds of alarm were so heavily sedated by the pain he had drilled into her that she could not identify it until a new pain shot through her.  Beneath him, Mai twitched and twisted, sending new flashes of pain through her mind from her side.  The fire from Eck's hand had burned away her shirt, and he leered at the hand-shaped burn he flames had left on her breast.  It was still smoldering, and he inhaled deeply to better enjoy the scent of her ruined flesh.

Mai stared up at him in wordless horror, and he, in turn, smiled down at her serenely, rambling on to his captive with a glint of madness in his eye.  "With a bit of re-education, I always thought I could grow to like you.  You're a little old for my usual preferences, but we can just burn away your wrinkles.  One by one."  He caressed her face with his fingertip, making her whimper softly in fear that he might decide to show her what, exactly, he meant then and there.  That seemed to be the reaction he wanted, however, because his smile grew.  "Do you want me to let you live, Mai?"

Mai found herself nodding.  Survival.  That was the only important thing.  Always, survival.

Flame curled up from Eck's palm.  He showed it to her, watching the fire dance in her terror-filled eyes, then slowly moved down the length of her body.  "Spread your legs."

It hurt to breathe, but Mai found herself panting in fear.  Gods.  Oh, Gods, no.  His eyes narrowed slightly.  "Don't make me repeat myself."  Slowly, trembling from head to toe, she obeyed.

"Now, tell me you want to be burned.  Beg for it."

Tears rolled slowly out of Mai's eyes.  Survive.  All she had to do was survive.  Her lips moved, but no sound came out.

"Louder."

Mai's tongue felt swollen and thick, and there was blood in her mouth from biting down on it too hard.  With concentration, she managed to get it to obey.  "Please."

"Tell me what you want me to do."

"Burn me.  Please, burn me."

Whether Eck truly intended to, or whether he just wanted to get off would remain a mystery as a roar, loud enough to be ear-splitting, seemed to rock the entire hallway.  Even Eck flinched.  The fire in his palm vanished, and he rose to peer in the direction from which it had come.

"It seems Peter has failed."

This thread is rated MATURE for viewers of age 18 and up . It contains violence, torture  and rape.  I, Ivory nor the SotE staff take responsibility for any minors who choose to disregard this warning. Thanks. 



"Perimeter's secure, ma'am, "Niall reported, throwing a hasty salute as he crested the stairs of the northern watch tower where Astrid stood alone, going over some paperwork in her hands which she had "borrowed" from the med labs.

Astrid nodded slowly, not bothering to look up from what she was studying. She had suspected that things on the outside would have been quiet. It wasn't that she doubted Runako. Of course not. The Chief had a talent for sniffing out trouble whenever he caught wind of it.

The concern she felt must have been plain on her face because Niall inquired about her well-being. The Seraph, considered to be Runako's second , snapped the folder closed and looked up at the man. She shook her head. Niall seemed like a good, honest kid but once upon a time, so had scumbags like Ilys. "Remain vigilant, Niall. Everyone here is under suspicion. Guards, medical staff, patients. Everyone. If you find anything out of the ordinary or someone acting strangely, don't hesitate to report it. "
Niall looked suddenly uncertain and Astrid didn't miss the look. "What?"

"I ...thought I might have seen something."

"Tell me." 

~
Bloodlust subsiding, Runako's jaws released their hold of Peter's bloody throat and watched the corpse crumple beneath him lifelessly. He's dead. Stop. Runako forced his feral instincts down a notch and let his usual rational mindset settle back in. He shook himself and moved to leave the room, readying to cross into the rec room but that path was blocked. He released an intimidating snarl at a pair of guards whom had snuck back to the common room in spite of Hazuko's orders.

Runako recognized the three clowns.They had been put forth for Seraph training before by Eckhart, but ultimately rejected because they had no respect for the position, no discipline. Eckhart had not been too pleased that his buddies had been denied , but Runako had made it clear that there were only three Seraph for a reason. Few people had the passion to push themselves to their physical and mental limits to excel as a warrior, and even fewer were willing to shoulder responsibility and make sacrifices for others. They wanted to reap the rewards without shouldering the responsibilities that came with the position.

"  Didn't Hazuko order you to stay put? Get out. "  Runako was in no mood for insubordination.

Uncharacteristically, Eck's lackeys stood their ground and the looks on their faces told him their intentions long before their words did.
"Sorry , Chief, but we can't let you pass."

Runako growled menacingly and struck out with his claws. The trio broke their blockade and let him pass. They may have been Eckhart's 'friends' but they had no death wish and weren't about to die for his ambitions.

The Security Chief crossed into the next room and encountered a scene that made his fur stand on end. He dropped down instinctively on all fours and approached with the caution of a big cat stalking prey. Hazuko was lying prone on the floor. Something was wrong. Someone had attacked her. Who had done this? The stench of the perpetrator was everywhere. Runako narrowed his eyes and released a soft growl.

~
"Floor three is trying to escape NOW?" Astrid asked Niall incredulously as they hurried down the stairs to the third floor. The timing of it all seemed rather bothersome though she wasn't as surprised as she was exasperated.
"With Runako busy it's a good time as any to try."

"Yes, but how would they know that? "

Niall shrugged, "This is the usual time he'd make his rounds. They probably think he's busy. Maybe we should call for backup."

Astrid rolled her eyes, " It's the third floor, Niall. You don't even need a Seraph to handle these fools." She opened the door at the end of the stairwell and peered inside , "It's dark in there. Be careful. They're pretty harmless, but Runako did receive some pretty nasty lumps on the back of his head once. "She chuckled at the memory. 

The pair of them entered the dark room together with Astrid taking point. Slowly, she moved, "Too quiet. Could be a trap."

Behind her, Niall raised his spiked mace high and then brought it down on her head.

~

He continued to approach Mai and as soon as he reached her, he gasped. He could now see what had been done to her more clearly, " Hang on! I'll get a medic-"

He felt heat behind him, flames licking his back and scorching fur and flesh and sending a searing agony spreading through his senses. He whirled around to face the direction in which the flames had come and bellowed, "Eckhart! Come out, you rat! I can smell your cowardly musk all over this room!"

What could only be described as deranged laughter sounded from his left, " Chief, it's so good to see you alive and in such good physical condition. I heard the sounds of a confrontation but Hazuko was rather insistent about me staying here and keeping her company. " Eckhart stepped out of his hiding place and into plain sight where Runako could see him. He licked his lips lewdly. "You know how women can't resist me. They're like moths drawn to a flame." At those words , fire flared from his fingertips. 

Runako eyed his foe critically, observing his every movement. He wasn't wearing his protective armor. This wouldn't be an easy or painless fight. " You killed Hana on purpose. " It all sunk in now.

Eckhart grinned like a madman and replied cheerfully, " Well deduced, inspector moron. I'll bet you only just figured this out now. Tell me more. Tell me how I set this all up just to kill you."

"Why?"

"Why?" Eckhart mocked and then laughed as if he found the question to be the most hilarious thing in the world. He stopped suddenly and thrust his arm forward, a wave of flame spraying forth from his palms which Runako curled up in a defensive ball over Mai, shielding her from the fire. He wasn't immune, but he imagined himself more resistant to magics than she was.
"Aw. Isn't that sweet of you to protect her?  " He  cackled, "Keep standing there while I roast you alive!"

~
Astrid felt something move behind her and instinctively she dodged aside, just in time to avoid Niall's swinging mace. Was this idiot for real? Attacking a Seraph? He was either crazy or...

"Think you can get the jump on me , asshole?" Astrid spun around and kicked high, her boot slamming into her opponent's chest and blasting the air from his lungs and cracking ribs. Niall collapsed to his knees, wheezing and sobbing.

"Get 'er!" Niall cried and then she realized where floor three had been skulking. At his cry, she was rushed by three men. A normal human woman wouldn't have stood a chance, but the Seraph were not exactly human and her opponents were about to learn why. She made quick work of them all because none of them had training . They were just patients and only a small part of her felt sorry for them while she kicked their asses so badly that she knew they'd think twice before messing with her again.

The mob dealt with ,she walked over to Niall and seized him by the shirt collar.

"What are you playing at , Niall? Start talking or I'll kill you. "

Niall shook his head, "H-he...said to distract you..."

"Who?"

"Eck..."

"Shit!" She kicked the traitor in the face and then ran.

~

Runako remained where he was, crouched defensively over Hazuko while the fire burned him. Damn me! I should wear my armor more often. Eckhart wasn't letting up with his magic and soon enough Runako would be faced with the decision of abandoning Hazuko to save himself from being burnt to a crisp or dying in some vain attempt to keep her from harm. If he died, so would Hazuko. Eckhart wouldn't risk leaving witnesses alive.

He wasn't any more fond of the woman than she was of him, but he WAS her commanding officer and he felt a responsibility to look out for one of his own. Then again...he could not allow Eck to get away with this. He'd sacrifice Hazuko if that's what it came to. Many more lives were at stake otherwise.
"How boring. Aren't you going to fight back? Maybe I should turn up the heat?"

Eckhart's amusement was interrupted , however, when something blocked the flow of his magic from reaching his victims. There was only one person capable of doing that. "Astrid, sweetheart... so good of you to show up."
"You sick and traitorous fuck. Go to hell!"

Eckhart turned his attentions away from the other two and focused on the psychic. Her special abilities cancelled his out. He smirked, confident that he could beat the bitch the old-fashioned way. They exchanged several blows, both of them evenly matched in martial arts. Eck was stronger, but Astrid was lighter, faster. Both were clever and both were determined to win. The fight lasted a good three or four minutes with neither opponent giving ground until Astrid managed to slip past Eck's defenses and score a powerful kick to his midrift.  Eckhart stumbled back, getting a little to close to where Runako was.

Runako wasn't known to be a dirty fighter but the moment Eckhart was in range and had his back to him, he uncurled himself and with a roar he brought his claws raking down into the man's back, tearing him apart as if he were little more than scrap paper.  Eckhart's screams died as quickly as they began and when Runako was done with him, his corpse was hardly recognizable.

Ooc: Take that, creeper!   Sorry this took me so long. :/ You know...just wasn't feeling well.
 

OOC: Your warning is better than mine.  *warning envy!*

Mai was expecting the worst...and, so, when Runako appeared, she simply expected he leave her to die.  It's what she would have done -- should have done -- rather than trying to rescue him.  What the hell had she been thinking, attacking a Seraph?  Well, hindsight...  It was always 20/20, wasn't it?

But Runako didn't run.  In fact, he actually stayed to protect her.  She stared up at him in mute confusion, the pain (and his much bigger, heavier body) preventing her from moving.  Her words, too, seemed caught in her throat.

That was okay.  She certainly wasn't going to volunteer to let Runako use her as a shield.

Combat erupted then, with Astrid's timely interference.  Mai let her head fall to the side, her dark eyes watching...and often losing track...of the pair of combatants.  She couldn't tell if they were just that fast, or if she kept losing consciousness, and part of her wasn't sure why she was even fighting that darkness...except that she had always been stubborn.

The battle ended, then, and Mai found herself staring at the victors...and the bloody lump that had been her attacker.  She didn't try to sit up; she didn't dare.  She did, however, manage to chuckle softly.  "Well.  That wasn't so bad."

It took a few moments for the blood lust to leave him, but when it did, he felt...guilt and fear seeping in. Eckhart's betrayal only solidified what certain individuals had been warning him about all along which he refused to listen to all because the Doctor had made these choices and the Doctor was always right.

Eckhart could be disciplined, the Doctor said, could be made to behave better. It was Runako's job to see that it happened. He swallowed. It was his fault, he knew. He'd failed somehow to make Eckhart better and now he was dead , damage had been done and the Doctor was going to be very disappointed.

"Runako," Astrid's voice brought him out of his little moment of self-pity, " why don't you and Hazuko check into the infirmary. I'll clean things up."

"Are you sure?" Not that he doubted the woman. Eckhart was good, but he honestly wouldn't have lasted long against her.

"Yeah. I'm good."

Runako frowned but nodded and glanced down at Mai who was still sort of just lying there, "Can you move on your own, Hazuko? Or do you need assistance?"

ooc: Short post! Sometimes it happens though!

OOC: I am terribly upset that this post is not 1000+ words long!  Harrumph!

Mai turned her attention up to the Chief with a slight frown, looking as though he had just asked her to mentally solve a long division problem rather than simply stand.

Truthfully, she was going over the bumps and bruises she had accumulated.  Some weren't simply bumps and bruises, she knew.  The now-dead (and good riddance!) Seraph had hurt her badly...and would have kept doing so were it not for Runako's interference.

The burn on her chest seemed to ache a bit, but the initial pain had faded.  That, probably, was not a good sign.

Tentatively, she rotated her hands without moving her arms.  Both wrists throbbed, but it wasn't until she made a fist with her left hand that she felt any pain in her hand.  There was probably a broken bone there somewhere, but her right hand was fine.

That left just the pain in her side.  That still pretty consistently hurt and was the real reason she hadn't moved yet.  There was a pinch, there, and she knew something was definitely broken.  Even thinking about sitting up shot a bolt of pain through her body  She just hoped she wasn't damaged too badly otherwise...

"Well," she said at last, "I think he broke something here."  Carefully, she maneuvered her hand to touch her side with a feather light touch.  She was proud as hell, and she didn't want to have to ask for help, but...  She knew she was not in good shape.  "I don't think I can sit up.  But if you get me on my feet, I think I can walk."

Probably.

Runako frowned , but nodded. It was probably better to carry her , but he'd let her try to save whatever little dignity she could.She might appreciate it from him. Might.

"Very well," he moved in front of her and held out a hand. One of his hands alone was large enough to engulf both of hers. The palm was furry and had soft, pink kitty-like pads on it,"Take my hand. Brace your feet against mine and try to pull yourself up. Slowly. Don't push yourself too hard."

Knowing her pride just well enough, he thought that she would be foolish and not listen to him.

ooc: Word count rps would love me!

Mai nodded ever-so-slightly and obeyed, reaching out to clasp his hand with the healthier of the two.  She was athletic and, against anyone but a Seraph, usually a decent enough fighter.  It was just a matter, in her mind, of putting mind over matter to gain her feet.

And so it was.  But it still hurt like a bitch.

Mai landed on her feet with a grimace and a pained groan that sounded, distinctly, unpleasant.  She was also clasping Runako's hand as tightly as she could, considering it was so much larger than hers.  She would have been breathing more deeply if not for the amount of pain even that caused.

Eventually, though, she managed to straighten into something that only partially resembled a hunch.  "Alright.  Ready to go."

It was hard to move, but it wasn't impossible.  In fact, once Mai found a posture and step that worked well for her, she could have nearly surpassed a speeding turtle!

As they moved towards the infirmary, well out of Astrid's hearing and eye sight, Mai offered a quiet, "Thank you, Chief."

"Don't. It is not deserved." Runako replied quietly as he helped her along, " I was soft on him. I thought I could change him. I thought I could change a lot of people..." He shook his head, "He is gone, but the damage has been done. I will have to spend the next few months re-evaluating everything and every member of Security. The Doctor will not like this, but I feel that it's necessary. Eckhart had conspirators. We'll need to sniff them out and deal with them before someone else gets it in their head to finish whatever Eckhart was trying to start. I don't want any more people to die for this."

This wasn't a report that he looked forward to giving the man because it made Runako look incompetent and part of him feared that there may have been truth in those rumors that claimed he'd be replaced.Surely, the Doctor had not thought about replacing him with an arrogant pup like Eckhart? Astrid was a much more suitable choice if anything.

They were nearing the infirmary now, " I know it's too late to apologize, but I am sorry. You and Astrid were right about him. " And possibly a whole lot more. He had a lot to consider over this re-evaluation period . "Anyway, here we are. "

ooc: Shitty posts happen sometimes! I'm sorry. ;-;

Well, it was nice to know the Chief could own up to his own faults.  It was a shame he couldn't see the fault in a certain Other Person -- but that was a path Mai was not in the mood to go down right now...

So, instead, she gave an indignant sniff, as though offended.  Their little moment was over, and Mai was more than ready to return to her usual prickly self.

In her usual, barely respectful tone, she answered, "Go ahead.  Feel bad and blame yourself.  You'll believe whatever you want to anyway."  With her head down, she pushed open the door of the infirmary and paused.  No, she didn't like the Chief, and she didn't like the Doctor.  She didn't seem to like much of anything or anybody, really.  But he had tried to protect her from Eck -- and she couldn't even blame him for getting her into that mess -- so she owed him one.  The least she could do, she felt, was give him a little advice...even if it wasn't delivered in the friendliest way.  "But the way I see it, if you try to save the whole world, you'll fail every time.  But if you can save just one person, then you haven't failed completely."  She shrugged slightly.  She knew from experience that, sometimes, the only person you could save was yourself...and that was okay too.

"I'll have my report on your desk soon."

She didn't bother to hold the door for him; it swung shut behind her, and she made her way over to admit herself for treatment.

What the hell had she been thinking, anyway?

Growling softly at her snarky words, Runako started to open his mouth to say something. However, he clamped his mouth shut tightly and let her finish. That last bit surprised him a little. Normally, the woman was full on cynical or aloof- actually, she was usually a mixture of both.  Mai giving advice to him though? Well, that was certainly new. He imagined that she thought he was too stupid or narrow to heed anything she said. A week ago, she would have been right.

"Take it easy for a few days, Hazuko. I mean it!" He called after her just as she vanished through the door. Shaking his head, he doubted that she'd heed his words. She never listened to him anyway. Not unless she had to.

He thought to follow inside for a checkup , but that could wait. He needed to inform the Doctor about what had just happened.

~

The Doctor's office was on the floor level above the staff. Yes, he had a whole entire floor to himself which served as a personal living quarters and study. Few people had access to this floor. In fact , Runako and a handful of the medical staff were the only souls permitted on this floor without making an appointment first. The Doctor was a busy man, after all and his work was far too important to be disturbed.

It was late evening when the chief of security approached the man's desk. "Father, I'm sorry to disturb you but I bring ill tidings."

"I've heard that there was a commotion on the third floor," The Doctor replied, not looking up from writing in his book, "Did you kill someone?"

Runako nodded and lowered his head, "Eckhart. I had no choice. He murdered Peter, Tia and would have killed Astrid, Hazuko and myself if we hadn't stopped him.  "

The Doctor's thin lips pulled into a frown, "How disappointing. Such a waste of my resources and time, he was. I suppose we'll have to find another suitable candidate for the Seraph program then. Perhaps you have some recommendations to submit? "

Runako hadn't considered this, "I don't know. Right now Astrid is conducting a thorough investigation of the staff. The only person I would trust-" He stopped himself and chuckled softly. "Hates my guts."  And hates yours even more.  He thought with a shake of his head. "I doubt she'd agree to enlist in the program anyway. "

"Her loss then. Well , I will leave it to you to find a new-" He noted the peculiar look on his adoptive 'son's' face  , "What's on your mind?"

Runako looked uncertain at first, " Do you think I'm a failure?"

The Doctor stared at him, "What?"

"Do you think someone else could do my job better?"

"If I did, then you would have been replaced years ago. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. I just needed to hear you say that."

"Are you alright, Runako? Perhaps you should visit the infirmary. You seem...unlike yourself. Anyway, if you have nothing more to report do see yourself out. I've got work to do. "

Runako nodded and replied half-heartedly and turned away, "Sorry. I won't disturb any further. Good evening, father, " and without another word, he left.

~

Three days preceding (ooc: lol oops. He's Dr. Who!) following Eckhart's death, Runako was free from the infirmary's clutches and back in his office, looking through paperwork from Mai, Astrid and other eyewitnesses involved in Eckhart's failed little uprising.

"How do I tell who is lying and who isn't? "

Astrid leaned against the wall ," I could help you with that. Discredit about 90% of male accounts. There you go. "

"Astrid..."

"What? I'm being honest. Most of the men here really are pigs."

"Sometimes I wonder why you volunteered to be Seraph."

"I was younger then and stupid, remember?" She smirked. 

"I do. I don't recall you ever being stupid though. "

" What can I say? You're an old man. Your memory is on its way out. "

Runako sighed, " Alright, so we have Peter who tried to kill me because he thought I was a threat to his friends, Hanna and Tia. Hanna supposedly went insane and tried to kill me but Eck killed her. Part of me wonders if -"

"I know what you're going to say and the answer is, yes, she still would have tried to kill you. What happened to Hanna... I don't think that's related to Eckhart. Remember , you sent me to the med labs to retrieve her file. Well, you might find this interesting." She dropped the folder down on his desk.

Runako opened it and flipped through the pages. He looked up at Astrid, confused, "It's clean. Where's my report!?"
 

Mai chose that particular moment to grace the Security Office with her presence.  She was doing much better now - even if she was still not back up to full health.  The experience had done little to improve her attitude or relationship with her fellow security officers; she was just as determined to be disdainful and unfriendly.  For all that, she did as she was told, as she always had - with a lax salute and snarky "Aye aye, Chief" that bordered on insubordination.

Her entrance now was nothing short of common for her.  She knocked, briefly, then stepped inside without waiting for Runako's permission.  She looked well enough outwardly.  Beneath her clothes, however, the entire torso, it seemed, was wrapped in bandages.  She felt like a roll of gauze!  Still, whatever they had done to her had helped with the pain, and she was walking normally, if gingerly.

"Bad time?"  She asked, not caring whether it was or not, really.  "Here's what you asked for, but I don't know what good it's going to do you."  She set the single sheet of paper down on Runako's desk carelessly, not caring which stack of paperwork it landed in.  It was a short list of names written neatly in Mai's hand.  "Hanna and Tia were part of the same Rotation. along with everyone else on this list.  Notice something else they have in common?"

It wasn't even a trick question this time; all eight patients were dead.

"You don't want to know what I had to go through to get that," she added with a slight frown and a curious glance towards Astrid.

Runako's desk had been nice and tidy until Mai decided to dump her paperwork on top of his so carelessly. It caused a stack of neatly organized papers to fall over and spill out onto the floor. How she managed to do that with a single sheet of paper...he had no idea but he was sure she'd done it on purpose. Because she was always testing the waters. "Hazuko," Runako began with a soft growl rumbling in the deepest depths of his belly. Feline body language was not difficult to read. Ears back, grey fur standing on end.

"Aside from the obvious, all of these patients were under Doctor Wilkin's care. All of them suffered from social anxiety from a fairly early age." Astrid interrupted, perhaps sensing the chief's agitation and wishing to extinguish that before the pair of them were bickering.

"And Doctor Wilkins is the same person who refused to even let us see his medical records." Runako added.

"Right until you went above his head and asked the highest authority." Astrid said with a nod. "And isn't interesting that your report file is blank?"

Runako leaned back in his chair and scratched his chin, a frown on his beastly visage.

ooc: A short post. I feel so dirty.

Mai watched the collapsing tower of paperwork with a seeming dispassionate interest, as though intrigued where she had learned such skill to cause such a mess with a single piece of paper!

Once the papers had settled -- many at her feet, which she ignored -- she lifted her eyes back to the pair in the room.

Well, of course they were blank.  She gave aforementioned eyes a bit of a roll skyward.  The idiots.   "You aren't going to get any answers asking nicely.  Unless you ask the right people, anyway."  No, Mai didn't have any friends, among the staff or the patients.  What she did have, however, was, apparently, a better knowledge of the social structure and ranks among the patients...and she knew how to turn that into an asset.

"And, you're wrong about the group."  She jabbed a finger at the piece of paper, looking momentarily and honestly surprised when the remaining stack of paper caved forward onto Runako's lap.  "Ah, well," she amended, taking a careful step away from the desk with a new expression of distrust and caution on her face.  She was pretty sure the Chief was going to throw the whole desk at her now...  "That is, you're right.  But that wasn't the Rotation I meant."

Instead of being helpful, she put a few more feet between herself and the Chief.  She could practically see the steam rolling out of his ears...

"I'm sure Wilkins has other patients, too, but this was Sigma Blue.  And that means they received the same treatments, took the same drugs, followed the same schedule..."  It wasn't unusual, really; it was more effective to treat people with similar problems in a group rather than individually.  "Ask the medical staff.  Sigma Blue is defunct.  Because they --  all of them -- are dead."

She glanced down to the file folder that had just, barely, survived the paper avalanche.

"And that's probably why you're holding that."

Runako slammed his fists down so hard on his table that the wood cracked and splintered. It was a wonder that he hadn't smashed the thing into a pile of firewood. He stood up from his seat and papers went flying everywhere. For the moment, Runako couldn't have cared less. He towered above her, eight feet and well over four  ,perhaps five hundred pounds of muscle, fangs and fur.

"Indeed, I was getting to that. Anyway, Wilkins has been under surveillance before for questionable practices, " Astrid produced a second folder, "This is my full report which I unintentionally forgot to file."

Runako snatched it and opened it up. He flipped through the pages while he listened to Mai go on. "We know they're dead, Hazuko. " He said flatly, " What we're looking for is..."

"Blue ...Sigma?" He dropped the folder, his expression unusual. He covered up that surprised look with a scowl.

"Familiar to you," Astrid didn't ask the question. She'd been working alongside the Chief long enough to know his mood.

"Perhaps. Have either of you ever heard of a drug called Venerandum ius?"Runako didn't wait for either of them to answer,"  it was the first biological enhancement I received during my Seraph training many years ago. Doctor Graves created the elixir himself to help calm my feral nature. It was a success. Later on, he tried to use it on some of the aggressive patients in hopes that it would have the same affect on them. The results, however, were nothing short of catastrophic. It made humans even more violent and prone to hallucinations. No one died, but that drug was banned from use. I'm the only one prescribed to it and Doctor Graves is the only on permitted to prescribe it. The Project I was part of was called Red Sigma the other...Blue. It's odd that a rotation would be named after a failed experiment unless they were stupid enough to use Venerandum ius, again." The thought of that was unsettling. Doctor Graves surely didn't know about this but how could he not? He ran this place so meticulously.

He looked at the two of them , his expression and tone quite somber, "This information is to remain between the three of us. It does not leave this room. Are we clear?" He shook his head, " I need to know the names of the drugs that were used on these patients. Every last one. And not just their current names. If the name was changed, I want to know what they were called before that. Do what you have to obtain this information, but try to be discreet. Any questions? "


ooc: If this doesn't make sense or I goofed up somewhere, lemme know in PM or something and I'll fix it!

Mai bristled herself, looking very much like she had slipped into a fight or flight response.  In spite of the tension of her body, her expression remained neutral.  She watched him darkly, unimpressed, it seemed, by the massive temper tantrum the much larger man was throwing.

Because that was all it was.  A temper tantrum.

She glanced sideways at Astrid, openly annoyed by the other woman's endless contributions to the discussion...and even more annoyed by Runako not beating up his desk when she brought bad news to light.

"I got it," Mai muttered under her breath in a tone that was barely audible.  "Who would I tell?"  There was a reason she was still alive...and assigned a security role at that.  That was because she kept her thoughts to herself.  Mostly.

Folding her arms beneath her breasts, she added, "And, yeah, I've got a question.  Why the hell am I sticking my neck out to get you information if she's already got it?"  She gestured to Astrid with a slight incline of her head.  "In spades, apparently.  I get caught, my head goes on the chopping block.  And so might a few others."  Because they would want to know where she got her information, after all!

Ooc:If dyslexia strikes again ,kill me. Please. Now.

Ic:

Runako's tail flicked behind him back and forth. He wasn't the only one here throwing a temper tantrum, apparently. He ignored the majority of her snark and got straight to the heart of the matter, " This is not for me, Hazuko. It's for Hanna , Tia, Peter, Cortes, Miranda, Nicolai, Jeremy and Sheena. You may not give a damn, but I do. If you don't like or agree with my orders, feel free to step down and off this security team. You're not here to question my authority. It was you , was it not , who told me to reign in one of mine and like it or not, your ass is mine so long as you wear that uniform. Clear? I'm reigning everyone in now. Including you. If you have an issue with this, give me your badge and your uniform and leave my office. Otherwise, shut your mouth and listen. "

Astrid looked surprised though inwardly , she was impressed. Runako was usually not this authoritative and he needed to be. It was long past overdue. Unfortunately, she lamented, he was taking some of his frustration out unfairly on Hazuko who, Astrid thought, couldn't help being a bitch. Most of the time. The Seraph folded her arms across her chest and wisely kept her mouth shut. She knew she was going to get some sort of lecture later for taking things that she didn't have- well, shouldn't have had access to.   

Runako continued, " Astrid is well-informed as she should be. She specializes in Seraph Intelligence , but there are limits to what she can gather. Her report did not include the rotation's name so , you are mistaken in thinking her knowledge is so expansive. Were that the case, Eckhart wouldn't have gotten as far as we did.  So, thank you for that bit of information, Hazuko. " He gave her a curt nod. His gratitude would have been more pleasant if she hadn't waltzed into his office with an attitude from the start! 

"And neither of you knows the significance of Project Sigma Red or else you would understand that Venerandum ius is a very serious matter. I need to know with the utmost certainty that it isn't being distributed to other patients if even at all before I confront Doctor Graves. I need incriminating evidence. Preferably the drug itself." He moved over to his desk and removed a key from his pocket, unlocked one of the drawers and opened it up. He removed a vial from it and held it out for them to see, "This is what you're looking for. You will not find anything else here like it." It was a pale blue liquid. Nothing special , but Runako blew out all but one candle that was illuminating the room and, in the dark, the liquid glowed a pulsating intense blue. "This is what you're after."
A single candle remained lit on his desk and he used that to relight the others.
He started to pace back and forth, " I don't- I would rather this information be obtained through proper channels. "He turned his head to look over his broad shoulder and glared at both women, " However, if such methods prove to be ineffective, then do as you will within reason. I'm not asking you to place your lives at risk here. If you suspect that your investigation could lead to an unpleasant or lethal course, then back out but I doubt that will happen unless this is somehow connected to Eckhart."

"If you think it helps, use my name and send inquiries to me. I will deal with the explanations.
It seemed like an awful coincidence...

Runako bent to collect the mess of papers that Mai had oh so graciously knocked over onto the floor. "Or would you prefer to assume my job and make the report to Graves yourself? " He paused and looked over at her. Because, really, confronting Graves about the matter was going to likely be the most unpleasant part of the whole ordeal. Assuming that the security chief's fears were accurate. "So, are you in or will you be turning in your badge and your weapons? "

A subtle expression of surprise flickered across Mai's face in response to Runako's tirade.  It quickly faded, to be replaced by a more natural expression of wariness.  Her body tensed, preparing for a fight -- or, perhaps, flight -- but Runako seemed only interested in proving his point with words, not action.

She folded her arms beneath her breasts once he had finished, eyes falling to the side.  "Well," she answered, unable to help herself, "As long as you know I'm not getting myself killed over this.  Any other orders, Sir?"

Sarcasm was, really, her last and only refuge on most days...

He considered telling her to clean up the mess she'd made, but decided to let it go even as she reverted back to her usual prickliness and had to get in that snide 'sir' . He'd feign indifference because he couldn't let himself get worked up openly over every little thing. Of course he was irritated and of course he had thoughts of lifting that desk over his head and crushing her with it. Just for a moment.

I might need to take my medication soon. 

Runako moved to sit back down in his seat, "That will be all for now. You are dismissed, " He replied coolly , but his eyes were focused on her and they dared her to even try to provoke him again.

((I'd make this post longer but I'll wait in case you wanted to add in something before MISS GRUMPY-GILLS leaves.  xD))

"Aye-aye," Mai answered with a half-assed salute.  It seemed more rote than actual challenge, however; he had his made his point, and, true to her personality, she had chosen to behave rather than perhaps provoke the chief into a fight she couldn't hope to win.  Snide she may be, but there was nothing of a challenge in her posture or expression.

As she left, she doubted she'd be able to come up with much more than she already had.  Besides, if he knew where she had come up with most of that information, he'd probably have discarded it immediately.  Who said Floor 3 was made up of crazies?

...Well, actually, most were quite insane, but they had their reasons and their uses both.

With all of the test subjects apparently quite dead, however, there wasn't much else she expected to turn up.  She'd put in a few inquiries...but she would let the Seraph do all the real work.  After all, Seraphs were allowed to go into a lot more restricted areas and ask a lot more restricted questions than a mere security officer like Mai...

((She totally won't do much of anything lol))

Runako waited until Hazuko had shut the door behind her departure before he slammed his fists on his desk and bellowed, "Astrid! What the HELL are you THINKING!? Are you out of your mind!? These documents are highly classified ! We don't have the clearance to be in possession of them!"

Astrid wasn't quite Runako's equal in terms of authority, but she wasn't afraid of him though perhaps she should have been. She stood her ground.
"Why are you keeping Hazuko busy with such a pointless mission? We don't need her help. "

Runako growled , "Don't change the subject! We are not talking about her. We're talking about your conduct!"

Astrid frowned and crossed her arms, "Why are you so angry with me?  Need I remind either of you how much I've risked my ass to save the pair of you? "

"That's not the point! " He lost his temper with her and knocked the papers from his desk again."

"What is? We're security we-"

"Exactly! We're guards, not detectives. This is none of our business. Therefore, this investigation is over. " He tore up Mai's report.

Astrid shook her head, " Are you fucking serious? Why did you even send Hazuko in the first place?  " And then it dawned on her, " You suspected something was wrong ,but you're afraid of being right. Something is really bothering you about this and you're conflicted. What do you know, Chief?"

"..."

"Fine. Don't answer that. Regardless, you know this incident makes Graves look bad and you can't keep defending him if Venerandum ius is found. You put Hazuko on this because you know she doesn't care. She won't risk a damned thing so she won't find anything. "

"Be quiet."

"Runako, Doctor Graves has eyes everywhere. You know him. He NEVER misses a detail. There's no way he couldn't have known about this. "

"I KNOW!" Ruanko picked up his chair and threw it.

Astrid sidestepped just in time and glanced over her shoulder with a frown as it burst into splinters upon hitting the door.

Runako covered his face with his hands. "I know..." He said more quietly.

"Runako , what about everything you said before? Think of the people that died..."

"Get out." Runako growled at her.

"Stop being such a stubborn fool. Graves is a grown man and he doesn't need your protection. The patients do. You owe it to them to investigate Graves-"

"Now!" Runako roared.

Astrid left quietly.

When she was gone, Runako flipped his desk over.

Time passed, as it always did.  Life had, by and large, returned to normal for most.  The patients were in their usual treatments and programs, and Floor 3 was up to its usual antics again.  The guards had returned to their usual rotations, and even the the rumors and speculation had begun to die.

And just as peace was returning to the facility, that, naturally, was when Mai struck.

It was hard to say who was escorting whom when the door to Runako's office flew open to reveal pure chaos.  Mai came in first, her hand wrapped tightly around the forearm of and all-but dragging a gangly, red-haired youth named Kypri in her wake.  Behind her came a scientist, his voice raised as he insisted the fourth member of their troupe, a new guard called Morley, to, alternately, either detain or stab Mai.  Morley did have his weapon in hand, but he looked more like a lost child about to cry than an official guard -- and it was little wonder.  No doubt, his training hadn't covered what to do in this situation.

Mai gave Kypri a shove towards Runako, her expression one of triumph and determination.  "Tell him what you told me."

"I insist--"

Mai glanced over her shoulder at the scientist, her expression all daggers.  "And, you shut up."

The scientist harrumphed self-importantly, turning his attention on Runako.  "She stole from my lab!  That formula--"

"I said shut up!" Mai snapped, somehow giving the impression of a crocodile closing its jaw around its prey.  To emphasize her point, she set down a vial, perhaps a bit heavily, on the desktop.  It clinked ominously against the wood, splashing the blue liquid inside dramatically.

Morley flinched and timidly raised his voice.  "Chief, I'm sorry, but..."

Mai flat-out ignored the poor man, whirling, instead, back towards Runako.  "It couldn't be helped."  Those were her only words of excuse, given, for once, quite seriously.  "My investigation was interrupted.  By those two."

"I don't know what the hell you think you're doing, but you had no right to be in the lab!" the scientist exploded at the accusation, this time including Runako in his sweeping glare.  "And--"

"What, afraid you'd be caught in the closet?  With your pants down?"  The petite woman fired back.  Kypri snickered, a bit too loudly, drawing scornful glares from both combatants, while Morley merely turned an alarming shade of red and attempted to stutter something.

The day had been quiet so Runako had opted to take a short ten minute break to read a book at his desk. The book itself was an old classic about a man whom had been changed into a monster by a mage he had mistreated. In order to become human again the monster had find true love or something ridiculous like that. The monster in the book did indeed find someone but the woman he fell for would not return his feelings because of how hideous he was and the book ended with the monster being consumed with loneliness , ending that agony with suicide. It was a really depressing book and he wasn't sure why he bothered reading it ,  but it was a gift that Doctor Graves had given to him many years ago. The only thing Graves had ever given him, really.

Runako was turning to the next page and about to read about the rejection of the monster's love when someone burst so suddenly into his office. Runako slammed his book closed and sat up in his seat as the door smashed open into the wall and a face he didn't expect to see greeted him. "Hazuko? What -? Stealing ? " He looked at Doctor Adams and then back to Hazuko. Hadn't she said that she wasn't going to stick her neck out for this investigation? Stealing from a lab without the consent of Graves was a pretty serious crime. Why had she changed her mind? She wasn't supposed to! That was why he'd specifically selected her!

But now that she'd done it, this put him on the spot because he HAD given her orders. He couldn't get angry with her because she'd ACTUALLY done what he'd told her to.  He had to assume responsibility for this because it was the right thing to do. He cleared his throat and kept a nonplussed composure in the face of Adams's accusatory glare.

As Mai set the vial down on his desk, the Chief leaned forward in his chair to pick it up. He held it up before his eye. No. It couldn't be.

He half-listened to the exchange between Mai, Adams and Morley and waited until it was finished before he spoke. "Actually, she was under my orders, Doctor Adams. I have authorization from Doctor Graves to use any means necessary to expose any security threats should I suspect them. You're not immune from my investigation Doctor, but what do you have to be concerned about if you've nothing to hide? "

That left Adams speechless for a few moments. " That's not the point! Runako, that bitch didn't follow protocol. She just waltzed in unannounced and took that very important formula. Do you have ANY idea what that is? That took years to perfect and it's worth more than you-"

Runako banged his fist on his desk and growled, " Quiet!"

Adams stared at Runako, looking and sounding as though the wind had just been robbed from his sails.  He shut his mouth.

Runako turned his gaze back to Krypi, "So," he held up the vial. "I take it that you know something about this? Explain."

Krypi licked his lips nervously and looked pleadingly at the Chief, " I don't know what she's talking about. She's a crazy bitch, okay?  "

Runako blew out candles and , much to his displeasure the vial was glowing brightly. He closed his eyes. "Morely," he sighed.

"S-sir?"

"Out."

"But sir.."

"I said leave!"

"Yes sir..." The rookie left hastily, quite relieved to be excused from this. Whatever it was.

"Start talking , Krypi. No bullshit. "Ruanko growled.

((This is building up to something. Promise. Feel free to make things up! I'm fairly confident that I can still mold it to what I have in mind! xD))   

Mai looked rather pleased when Runako sided with her -- pleased and, perhaps, a little bit surprised.  After all, she had expected the Chief to immediately side with the scientist, orders or no.  That was one constant you could rely on with him...

Kypri fidgeted a minute more, then nodded a little in resignation.  "Well, you see, I haven't really been taking my medicine."

Mai looked sideways at the young man, growling out his name.  "Kypri..."  The glow from the liquid made her expression look much more menacing.

"...For the last two years," he ground out with a cringe.  "So I can hear everything."

Kypri had a rare gift for reading minds.  When he had first developed it, the constant presence of so many others nearby had nearly driven him mad.  To protect him, a dose of suppressants had been recommended to halt his ability almost altogether.  Obviously, there had been other benefits as well...

"And it's not like I've been spying.   Not intentionally, anyway.  But, you know, sometimes I overhear things."  He gestured to the vial.  "Things like Sigma Blue.  And...some of the other things."

Adams was seething.  "That's it!  I'm going to the Doctor.  This is way above even your clearance!"

He knew he couldn't detain the Doctor without explicit permission from Graves. Unfortunately, this wasn't something he had so he nodded, "By all means, Adams, go have a chat with Graves. " Runako gestured to the door and didn't give the huffy scientist another glance.

"Believe me, Chief, I will!" Adams sneered at Runako , turned on his heel and stormed out , slamming the door behind him.

They heard Adams yelling at Morley, "Get away from me, you imbecile!" 

Moments later, Morely poked his head inside Runako's office timidly, "Sir, do you want me to stop him ?"

Runako shook his head, "No. Leave him, but make sure we aren't interrupted. Exceptions are to be made for Doctor Graves, of course."

"Understood, sir!" Morley vanished and the door closed again.

Runako turned his attention back to Morely now, looking slightly perturbed yet inquisitive,  "It's a form of unintentional eavesdropping, but no matter.  " He growled and narrowed his eyes, " What do you hear?"

"Sometimes after the lights go out at night, I hear the doctors talking about ..." He looked around nervously as though he expected someone or something to be coming to get him. " About you Chief."

Runako's expression darkened. That wasn't something he was expecting to hear.

"Yes. Um, but they refer to you by your number. Nine. Yes, I think that's it. "He licked his lips and shook his head, " You have been prescribed  Venerandum ius your whole life, correct?"

Runako scowled but nodded. He was still wondering where this would lead. It was a little too late to turn back.

"And it looks like that which you hold, yes?"

Again, Runako nodded.

"I hate to disappoint you , Chief but your fears and suspicions are very real.

"...explain."

Krypi shook his head, " It's better that you do a little hands-on-experiment and see for yourself. " Before Runako could inquire, Krypi added, "Stop taking it. "

"I can't..."

Krypi grinned and inclined his head,"Can't you? Have you ever tried?"

"I..."

"It's not what it seems, Chief. Trust me. Just give it a whirl. Go clean for one whole week and you'll see everything a lot more clearly .Just don't let on that you've quit or it will end badly." 
 

Mai glanced between the two, a look of unspoken curiosity on her face.  After all, Kypri could read minds...and she assumed that, rather than fill Runako in on the details, he was just agreeing with whatever Runako was thinking about...

...Although she couldn't say if that was true or not.

"Is that it?" she asked with a slight frown.  "Does he know everything?"

"Moreorless," the patient answered with a slight, careless shrug.  "Everything he needs to know."

Mai stared hard at him -- a practiced Stare of Death that she had perfected over the years.  He merely glanced at Runako, like he was hoping the Chief would save him from the crazy woman beside him.

"While we're chatting, is there anything else you'd like to get off your chest, Kypri?"  It was almost asked in a sweet tone...but the unspoken threat -- a thought directed right at the telepath -- made him cringe visibly.

"Look, I already know how much trouble I'm in, okay?  You don't need to remind me.  But I've been talking to Walt.  He kind of filled in the blanks for me."  He must have picked up their thoughts, because he nodded slightly.  "Yeah, that Walt.  He isn't all crazy, and he's been here longer than me.  That's why he's locked up on red.  Because of what he knows."  His eyes shone with an unsettling certainty that made even Mai think twice about pushing him around -- but only briefly.  "And he knows all about you, Runako."

Runako also stared,  not seeming to appear entirely convinced, " Don't withhold anything. I'm going to find out sooner or later and you'd rather that it be sooner than later." His tone was even and it was difficult to discern whether or not he was making a threat or not. Runako wasn't known for such things, but maybe Eckhart had changed him a bit.

His ears perked up at the mention of the Red Floor, the lowermost floor of the building. Access was restricted even to Runako there and he had only questioned what lie beyond those doors twice when he was probably a few years younger than Mai was now. Doctor Graves had assured him that it was just a place where the very sick patients went to be taken care of. "Intensive Care" the Doctor called it, but sometimes he had heard things that used to make him question that explanation. And Mai wasn't even supposed to know about the Red floor. Few people did. He sighed. Too late now. He had to keep pursuing this , wherever it was going.

But when the conversation turned to this Walt and 'knowing all about' him, Runako shook his head because he was sure that he knew everything there was to know about himself and he had no secrets. "Really? What does this Walt know about me that I don't? " 

Krypi shook his head and gave him a sly look, "Why don't you go to the Red Floor and ask him for yourself, Chief?"

Runako leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his massive chest, "That area is off-limits. You're baiting me and I'm not falling for it.  "

"To everyone but you. "

"No, you're mistaken . I'm not allowed in and I will not risk breaking Doctor Graves's confidence in me."

Kyrpi continued , "Do you wonder why you get tired and black out sometimes for days? Why you have nightmares that seem so real? Do you want to know why he pretends to care about you? Why he gave you special treatment? I'm not so sure that you do. The truth hurts. In your case, a hell of a lot. Frankly, I don't think you're strong enough. "

Runako tried not to appear phased , but inwardly, he was shaken that anyone who couldn't have known this, shouldn't have known this, knew.  Especially when he and Kypri had hardly met. He leaned forward and grabbed Kypri by his shirt collar and yanked him forward so that the man was eye level with the Chief's fangs, "You're lying!"

"I'm not!"

He shoved Kypri away, "Hazuko , escort him to his quarters. I've heard enough."

And then he remembered, "Morely!"

Before Hazuko left, he added, "Come back you're finished that task." He needed to speak to her.

The rookie opened the door and poked his nose timidly in the room, "S-sir?"
"Come in and take a seat. We're going to have a discussion about your er... relationship with Doctor Adams."

Morely's face paled and he looked about ready to wet himself. 

Minutes later, Morely left the Chief's office, looking as though his life was over.

Alone, Runako grabbed the vial and stared at it long and hard. He then opened the desk drawer and removed his own medication. He considered what he'd been told. Stop taking his medication? What a stupid suggestion! How would that lead him to the truth? The truth of himself? What did that mean? He knew everything about himself! But the black outs...

Sometimes it felt as though pieces of his life, his memories were missing. Sometimes it felt as though Graves really was hiding something, but he never wanted to believe it. Lately , the Doctor seemed to just stare right through him and more patients were dying than usual.

And now there was this...

Runako sat there for a good ten minutes , staring at the vials and contemplating. He thought of Astrid, the dead patients, of Hanna. And then, he turned around in his seat and threw the vials at the wall.

Yes, something in him had definitely changed.

((edit: shit. How many times am I going to misspell that damned name? lol. I keep it the way it is only for your amusement, Ivory. ))   

(OOC: Names are so hard!  <3 )

It didn't take Mai long to deposit the telepath where he belonged.  She did feel somewhat bad about it -- because of her, he was in a lot of trouble.  But, then again, if he had just cooperated rather than play games...

"Mai," the young man said, pausing in the doorway and turning to her with a serious look.  "He's going to get you killed, you know."

"I appreciate the warning, but--"

"No," he said firmly, cutting her off.  There was utter certainty in his expression and voice, as if he had peeked ahead in a storybook.  A shiver ran down her spine.  "He is going to get you killed."

Mai frowned at him, then slammed the door of his room in his face.  "Creep," she muttered under her breath and made her way back towards Runako's office...

...Arriving just in time to hear a crash.  Perhaps a little more hastily than she should have, she threw open the door, a tessen already held in her left hand...but there was no one there except Runako, although she could clearly see the liquid trickling down the wall.

Well, now she felt like a little bit of an idiot...but Kyrpi's warning had, apparently, left her a bit on edge, more than she'd like to admit.  "Sorry," she said sheepishly, perhaps the only apology Runako had ever heard from her.  "Heard the crash."

She indicated the remains on the wall with her free hand as she neatly tucked her weapon away again.

Mai's appearance at the end of his outburst startled him a bit. For a moment, he thought it might have been Doctor Adams returning with Doctor Graves. And if Graves saw him destroying something so valuable...Runako wasn't sure how the man would have responded, but the thought of making Graves made put the fear in him and made him immediately feel guilty for choosing to defy the natural order of things.

Runako gave her a peculiar look. Since when did Hazuko apologize for anything?Why now? He shook his head at her. What a strange woman! Though he wondered. Her tone was different than the usual which led him to think that , for once, she might have been genuine. Perhaps.

He relaxed and composed himself immediately, " Hazuko, that was ...fast. " She was never eager to rush off and carry out any orders that he gave her, but maybe she was walking on clouds because she'd exposed something that may have tarnished Graves's image?  It hardly mattered. Getting angry was not going to get anything accomplished. He'd taken a blind leap and now, like it or not, he was going to have to let himself fall and get hurt. 

He nodded at her and gestured to one of the two chairs positioned on front of his desk , "have a seat if you like. This will only take a moment of your time." He waited for her to get comfortable before he continued, " I'm going to try an experiment. Before you open your mouth,  let me finish. I have pulled you in far enough- sometimes against your will.  This time , unexpectedly, you've done a lot more than I thought that you would. " Hey, it was a compliment of sorts! He didn't want to pat her ego too much .He imagined that his words were mostly empty of meaning to her anyway.

He looked at her very seriously now, "Before I explain to you what I'm about to do, I need to know where you stand with the current information that you now possess. What do you think about Kypri and what he claimed?"

(OOC: I hate NaNoWriMo!  *grumbles selfishly about all the things!*)

Mai slid down into the chair he indicated, eyeing his desk like she was seriously considering propping her legs up on its surface.  Rather than do that, however, because that might be pushing Runako a little too far, she crossed one neatly over the other and slouched.

It's a good thing he stopped her preemptively from speaking; she had, indeed, opened her mouth to respond, but she closed it again as he kept talking.  Oddly, his question about what she thought drew a very serious frown from the young woman.

"Just because he's crazy doesn't mean he isn't right."  She ran a hand through her bangs, pulling them back from her face as she regarded Runako with a lopsided grin.  "He's got a knack for getting under your skin, doesn't he?"

(( I'll imagine that you're using reverse psychology to be supportive! Just think of how many names I'll misspell while I'm writing a story! It could be fairly magical!))

Runako shook his head and frowned slightly at her jab. She could tell that he was shaken? She must have been enjoying that, "No. I've never really met him before." It was true, he'd only seen Kypri in passing ,"And you're right. He does seem a bit unstable. His eyes reminded me of something. He could have been playing a mind game, reading parts of my mind and fabricating additional information to throw me off.  "

He scratched his chin," Adams was unreasonably defensive. Patients have done much worse to his lab before unless-, " he shook his head, "it couldn't have been the issue with Morley. Was it procuring Venerandum ius from his lab or procuring Venerandum ius and Kypri's apprehension that upset him, I wonder? " He looked at her, "Any insight on that? "

(OOC: And that's why you're going to write such a wonderful story -- great imagination!!  Also, I'm going to throw in some random terms here based on cockney slang.  You aren't supposed to understand them, I promise.)

"I doubt it.  You've lived in your ivory tower for so long that you don't really know how things work on the floor."  That had become blindingly apparent in their confrontation with Eckhart.  The man may have been disgusting and power-hungry, but at least he had understood the way things worked among the patients.  That was, no doubt, why so many had responded to him...

And for other reasons.

"Kypri is what they call a chain smoker.  Smokers find things for people.  And chain smokers, specifically, deal in information.  He's been reliable.  And helpful.  So we've never asked him where that information was coming from."  Guess they knew now, didn't they?  And they had probably ruined his life while they were at it...  Most of the guards, having been patients themselves, knew and accepted these things; Runako, however, along with the medical staff, were another matter entirely.  They weren't part of the community.  "But I doubt Adams knew about Kypri or his ability, so I don't think that was it."

Mai had been looking down at her nails, examining a chip that had happened some time during the events of the morning.  She looked up at him now, her expression dead serious.  "With all the excitement, it's hard to say, but...  Adams really seemed to get upset when I brought up your name.  As much as he didn't want that stuff to leave his lab, I think he would have let me take it anywhere else, if it meant I didn't bring it to you."  She sat up a little straighter to lean over the desk.  "Actually, the only reason I brought Kypri here at all was because he said he had something important to tell you.  About your dose."

The 'Ivory Tower' comment made the Chief bristle slightly , but he said nothing in reply and let her speak.

"Maybe because I'm the only patient who didn't become a casualty of the drug and Adams knew that I'd recognize it. I know what it is and I've seen what it does. Or do I? Or does Walt?" Runako looked disturbed, "You really think that guy exists? The Red Floor is real, but I've never been down there and I've never heard of this Walt. Well, I have but I've never passed the security doors. Supposedly, one needs a bio-suit in order to enter because the patients that reside within are infected with highly contagious viruses. I've only been permitted to guard  the door before I was made Security Chief. Only a select few from the medical team are permitted to enter as well. "

He considered asking Graves for permission to visit that floor, but he knew he'd already overstepped his bounds by quite a bit. Graves wouldn't be pleased but Runako was sure that the man would understand once he got to the bottom of this. Maybe.

"For nearly thirty years , I've been trusted with administering my own medication. I've always accepted it without questioning it, but in light of recent circumstances it would be irresponsible and foolish of me not to. That being said, I'm going clean starting now and that could be potentially dangerous assuming that the drug works as I was told that it was intended to." He frowned, hoping that it did but at the same time hoping not. Both outcomes wouldn't be good. He shook his head, " I don't know what he meant, but he was hinting that there's something about me and Venerandum ius that I clearly am unaware of. If I pursue this matter further, perhaps some of the missing pieces regarding Sigma Blue will fall into place."

He shook his head, "But that's enough about that. Let's get to why you're here. If I was anyone other than myself, I could just ask you to lock me up in one of the detainment cells, but that would look very suspicious and could hinder the investigation. So," he fished out a key and set it down on his desk, sliding it across and over to her, " I need you to lock me in here for forty-eight hours so that, in the event that I cannot control my feral instincts, I don't end up harming anyone. These walls are made of dwarven steel and they're reinforced by powerful enchantments. I won't be able to get out. "

"There are all sorts of rumors about the red floor.  Most of them aren't kind."  Mai herself suspected that whatever happened down there, it was probably bad.  She herself wasn't brave enough to investigate the rumors -- nor was she invested enough in anyone's well-being except her own.

Mai stared at the key like it was a snake prepared to strike.  She even leaned back a bit to put more distance between it and herself.

"You want me to lock you in?" she repeated slowly.  "In here?  And that won't look suspicious?"

Because the Security Chief being locked inside his office was entirely normal...

"What are you going to do if the Doctor shows up?  And what am I supposed to tell anyone who asks?  And what are you going to eat?"  Because that was going to be important too...

((Food is important! Runako ,how could you forget?))

Runako shrugged at her though at the mention of food he quirked a brow, "I guess you're not familiar with what a Seraph's training entails. I can definitely survive a couple days without eating or drinking." And then he shook his head. Food was really a trivial matter here but he was surprised that she hadn't noticed before what he was about to point out, "You know those rare occasions a couple times a month where I've had Astrid stand outside my door and handle matters for me because I'm too busy or not in the mood answer them?" He stared directly into her eyes," Kypri was telling the truth. I have moments of disorientation and I tend to pass out for hours. It's a side affect of Venerandum ius, so I'm told. Doctor Graves knows about this, but I intend to see him first before I have you lock me up."

He shook his head again, "All I'm asking for you to do is lock me in this evening , Hazuko. I'm not asking you to stick around and cover for me. "

((I don't expect her to agree, just so you know lol.  One way or the other, it will happen!))

Perhaps if Mai were a little bit better at reporting when ordered...or reporting at all...she might have noticed it happening with more frequency...or, you know, if she had cared.

That brought up an important point.  She cocked her head to the side slightly, regarding him with open curiosity.

"Are you going to tell Astrid?"  After all, if Astrid had guarded his door before, why entrust Mai with the key?

(OOC: Sooooo important!!  Also, of course Mai is willing to do it as long as she's not going to get in trouble for it!  How often is she going to get to lock him up???  <3 )

The Chief nodded, "Yeah. It's a bit of a change in routine and she'll be skeptical, but she won't challenge my orders and if I mention feeling light-headed, she'll understand what it means.  " Of course, he wasn't going to tell her that he wasn't taking his medication. Astrid would report that straight to Graves because that would be a legitimate security concern. Mai? Well, he supposed she might have done the same thing by reporting to Astrid whom would report to Graves. 

If taking the medication proved to be folly, then at least Astrid would be there to stop him from causing too much damage. Other than the most experienced members on the medical staff, Astrid was the only one who could subdue him. Hopefully it didn't come to that though because it would be one massive headache for her, literally.

"However, I'm not telling her everything yet. If she knew that if I planned skipping taking my medication, she would report that to Graves because it's her job to report potential security risks. Astrid follows things by the book, like I do, "he shook his head and corrected himself, "did. I'm not making a habit of this. I'm just curious. I can't be sure, but I think Kypri was trying to imply that the medication is makes me ill." 

And Graves wouldn't risk letting Runako off his medication because it was dangerous.


((I promise that this thread will start making sense one day!))

(OOC: Sounds legit to me!)

Mai had to smirk at that.  She rose to her feet and plucked the key off of the surface of the desk with new-found confidence.  Or sass.  With her, it was usually the same thing.

"Never thought I'd see you come down to my level, Chief."  To her recollection, anyway, he had never once wandered off the straight and narrow -- or come down from his lofty, self-assured heights.

She twirled the key around her finger, looking a little too bit like the cat that had gotten into the cream.

"What time do you want me here?"

Runako bristled at her comment, "I'm not," he growled. "I just - it's probably nothing. I just need to - I'm being cautious. Oh - just leave already." He snapped, feeling flustered because no argument he had could deny her claim. He was breaking the rules willingly and she , apparently, was enjoying it. She probably was hoping he'd go and get in trouble.

And to her question , he added, "Come back an hour before night shift."

~

An hour later Doctor Adams burst into Runako's office with a smug look on his face. Doctor Graves followed not far behind him, "Alright, where are they?"

Runako set down his quill and looked up from his paperwork, " If you mean Hazuko, she's at her usual post. If you're talking about Kypri, I've placed him under Astrid's supervision. "

"Call that bitch back here right-"

"I understand that Mai Hazuko stole something from Doctor Adam's lab? What it the meaning of this, Runako?"

"I sent her to monitor Guard Morley's activities," Runako lied.

"WHAT!? That's not what you said before you lying sack of-"

"Quiet, Adams." Graves warned his subordinate icily. Adams shut his mouth and cringed like an abused mutt.   Graves looked at Runako now," Morely was a newly appointed guard, yes?"

"Correct, sir. Fresh off the training program. He seemed to have a clean record , but a few days ago I'd received some reports that he'd been disappearing from his post late at night. Naturally, because this poses a potential security risk, I assigned Hazuko to observe him and find out where he was disappearing to. As it turns out, he's been sneaking into Adam's lab for a little midnight rendezvous. "

"Hazuko? Odd choice."

Runako shrugged, "She follows orders and she had nothing better to do."

Graves frowned disapprovingly and glared at Adams, "Adams, I don't care what you choose to do with your leisure time ,but a lab is no place to engage in coitus. It's highly unsanitary.Furthermore, distracting a guard from his duty is highly unacceptable. I didn't employ you to screw around."

Adam's face was positively red with rage, " Those are nothing but fabrications, Doctor Graves! He's just lying to you to cover his ass!"

" It's not a lie. Morely admitted to it."

Adam's expression faltered.

"If you don't believe me, then go speak with him yourself, sir."

Graves nodded, "I might. What about this supposed vial you claimed from Adams? "

"Ah that. It was my medication sir. I accidentally left it in the lab the other day and I asked Hazuko to pick it up for me. I apologize if Adams confused it for stealing.  "

"Right. Well then, I suppose I'll go have a chat with Morley. Come along, Adams."

"What!? You can't be serious!? You believe him over me!?"

"I said come along , Adams! " Graves snapped and Adams was quick to follow.

Of course Graves believed Runako. In all his years, Runako had never been able to lie to Doctor Graves...

Until now.


~
An hour later ...

Astrid gave him an incredulous look from where she stood in his office , "You told her about your condition and you gave her the key?" The psychic shook her head, "Why? " It made no sense to her at all. 

Runako lied and it made him feel horrible doing it to the only person in the world that genuinely considered him a friend, "Considering her contributions to the investigation , I think her talents are beyond her current rank. She's younger and has a uh...fresher view of things than you and I. 

Astrid shook her head, " Talent is irrelevant in the face of her ...attitude. It borders on insubordination. I don't suppose you're going to ask her to guard your door as well?"

" No. That's asking a little too much. She's still suffering from those injuries Eckhart gave her. I'd appreciate it if you came over after night shift." He shook his head, "Look, I know Hazuko is rough around the edges , but she's not completely unethical. She doesn't have to like us in order to do her job." 

"Whatever. What of your key?"

"Hazuko will return it to you in forty-eight hours."

Astrid did not look happy to hear this at all, "I must object-"

He met her gaze sternly and said, "Please, just trust me. "

"..." She shook her head and sighed, "Very well, but if she fails your trust, I'm giving her several reasons to regret it. "

"Don't worry. I think Hazuko was actually amused about locking me up." He leaned back in his chair, "Anyway ,I have a more important job for you. Earlier, I had Hazuko detain a patient named Kypri. I want you to place him under your watch until I've recovered. "

"You want me to babysit that creep? For two whole days?" Astrid scoffed. Kypri didn't really intimidate her in the sense of power. She knew that she could wipe the floor with him if she thought it, but his eyes always gave her the chills. There was something not all right with him upstairs. "I'd really rather not. "

"I need someone to get him to talk. He likes you so I figure maybe you spend some time with him and see if you might be able to learn something that I couldn't.  "

Astrid looked pissed, " He also knows that I'm Seraph and that I work for you. I don't think I'll get anything out of him , but if that bastard tries to grab my ass again, I'll fry his damned brains!"

The Chief blinked slowly, "I- uh...fine , that's fine but wait until I've had another chat with him , okay?"

"Yes , sir."

((I tried!))

Mai was, perhaps, far more delighted with her current assignment than anyone had any right to be.  It was probably a bad idea, because somehow, in some way, something would go wrong, and that something would, probably, be blamed on her, because that was just the way these things tended to go.

But there was something immeasurably satisfying in knowing that Mr. Perfect was doing something a bit naughty.  No, not just a bit naughty; he was breaking one of the sacred tenements of this place.  And it tickled her to no end that she had something to do with it.

Besides, how often was she going to be able to lock the Chief in his office?  It brought some ideas to mind...

Still, reaching his door, she took a deep breath and stilled her face, as much as she could, anyway, into an expression of neutrality.  She wouldn't put it past him to have changed his mind in her absence...or to have it changed on his behalf.

She knocked politely enough and stuck her head inside.  "Chief, are you--"  She blinked at Astrid then, and she frowned ever-so-slightly and stepped further inside.  "Just checking in."

"I'll take my leave,if that will be all?" Astrid replied , icily.

Runako nodded, "It is for now, thank you. You are dismissed. "

Astrid turned sharply on her heel and swiftly departed, not once looking in Hazuko's direction. The door slammed behind her.

Runako frowned and shook his head, "She took that a little better than I anticipated, " He looked over at Hazuko. It wasn't quite time yet, "You're fifteen minutes early. Is something wrong?" Or maybe she was enjoying this a little too much.

((Short post! If I needed to add more, lemme know!))

"I'm early?"  The woman looked a bit crushed!  How had that happened?  She had never been early for anything in her life!  "If I'd known that, I would have taken my time eating my pudding."

She risked a peek over her shoulder to see if Astrid were still there; as soon as the Seraph had vanished, she jerked a thumb over her shoulder.  "She's not going to kill me or something, right?" Mai asked, only half-joking.

Maybe only one-quarter joking.  After all, Astrid was one scary lady.

"Um, actually, since I'm here early, is there anything else I need to know?"

Sadly, the Chief did not have much of a sense of humor. He had been raised by Doctor Graves after all! Few people here did. He blinked with surprise. Astrid? Kill someone? That was rare. He'd killed more but Eckhart had done worse. "Er. No, " he shook his head, " not unless you give her a reason to. " And death was not the worst thing a powerful psychic like Astrid could do to people. Fortunately for everyone Astrid wasn't a crazy bitch.

He nodded at Mai's question , "She unhappy with her assigned task of keeping an eye on Kypri. They -she doesn't - she's not very fond of him. He tried to become too friendly with her once and she paralyzed him.  I think he knows better than to try anything with her again. However, I think she might be able to find something out because he likes her. I just hope she doesn't resort to violence. Again." Well, that shouldn't happen again, right? Surely, Kypri wasn't dumb enough to make the same mistake twice. "However, Astrid will follow my orders. Nothing to worry about."

"Good to know."  Of course the Chief had no sense of humor!  If he did, Mai wouldn't be able to get under his skin so easily!  "But she seems a little pissed off at me."  The petite woman sank down in a chair and eyed his desktop, as though she were seriously considering putting her feet up there.  She decided not to -- there was no reason to ruin this little moment -- and offered him a smirk.  "I just want to make sure I don't have a target painted on my back just because I agreed to help you."

"Since I have time to kill..."  Apparently, it had never crossed her mind to leave for 15 minutes and come back.  From her pocket, the woman produced a maroon-colored ribbon and the key.  She folded the ribbon in half, then wound the ribbon through the key.  "Might as well make myself at home."  As she worked, she occasionally cast glances up at Runako through her lashes.  "What do you think is going to happen, Chief?  And are you really ready to deal with it if something does happen?"

"She is mad at both of us," Runako replied with his usual frankness, "but she'll understand when it's over and done." Maybe. Who knew what this would lead to? He didn't know what else to say about that and went quiet, returning to his paperwork while Hazuko just sat there. He was surprised she hadn't just excused herself for fifteen minutes and then come back. That seemed like something she'd do rather than sit here in his office and wait, making him feel uncomfortable. Or maybe that's why she was here.

When she asked him about what he thought was going to happen, he ceased writing and looked across the desk at her. "I don't know, " He said honestly. "Something is already is happening whether I'm prepared or not. "  He looked directly at her, "What about you?"

"Honestly?  I have no idea."  The woman shrugged slightly as she regarded the Chief of Security.  "He obviously thinks he's going to get something out of this, which is why he pushed you to do it.  The Gods only know whether that's good or bad for you, but you can count on it being good for him."

But what was there for him to gain by Runako not taking his medicine?  That was the question.

Mai shrugged and grinned broadly as she turned her attention back to the ribbon and key.  She was knotting the end of the ribbon now.  "But, I think, if you're ever going to learn anything, you can't go on living inside a box without ever daring to look outside."

"I thought he was trying to stir up trouble. Fill my head with doubt, make me do something stupid and break Graves's trust in me." He watched her fool with the ribbon and frowned, "I don't live inside of a box." And then, because it was an incredibly relevant question, he asked, " You tied a ribbon to my key?"

"Does he have a particular reason to dislike you so much?" Mai asked dubiously.  Because such a plan sounded like vengeance...and, while she wasn't so foolish as to think she knew everything that happened in the facility, she couldn't recall any particular animosity between Runako and Kypri.

His statement about living inside a box drew a smug grin from her, although she let the comment go.

"Yes," she answered instead, replying to his inquiry about the key.  Holding it up between them, she let it dangle in long, hypnotic arcs between them for a moment.  "I tied a ribbon to your key."  With a smirk, she lowered it back into her lap to tie the ends of the ribbon together in a series of tight knots to prevent the knot from slipping entirely.  "Do you not like ribbons?" she asked as she worked, avoiding his real question, which was fairly obvious, entirely.  "I know I'm not very girly, usually, but there's something satisfying about tying a ribbon in your hair.  I think you'd look very good with a pair of blue ones about your ears."  Her concentration was on the ribbon as she spoke, and the line was delivered so matter-of-factly and without a touch of humor that it was difficult to tell if she was quite serious.

Runako narrowed his eyes at her, "You can't – " Well, actually he'd never specified what she could and couldn't do with his key, but it was HIS key, not hers. She was defiling his property with a girly little ribbon and he wasn't very happy! However, seeing as how his desk had taken enough abuse hours before, he wasn't about to flip it again.

The Chief of Security replied evenly,  "It's not a matter of whether I like them or not. That key is hospital property and ribbons are – " he fished for a word other than the first ones that came to mind which were along the lines of effeminate, girly, not manly which were all really trivial things to get hung up over. No, he needed a reason that didn't make him sound silly, "  not professional!"

Because that argument didn't sound silly at all! 

Runako shook his head, "I don't think Kypri has anything against me, but then again I didn't think Eckhart was going to try to murder me either. He does seem very interested in the results though I can't say whether it will be good or bad. I can't imagine what he stands to gain by making me look like a fool aside from personal amusement. Maybe it's a joke to him. "He shrugged. He really couldn't say.

Mai's grin grew as it became apparent just how little he liked the ribbon.  She thought it was an improvement!  "Oh, you mean this ribbon?"  She looped the ribbon over her hand to dangle between them again.  "I thought maroon was a very good choice.  Very conservative.  I almost went with bright pink.  Would you have liked that better?  Or maybe you just don't ike reds...  Lime green?"

Oh, but it was too easy to wind him up...

"Actually," she said, lifting the ribbon up over her head.  "I thought it would be safer around my neck than in my pocket.  I can keep it there if you want, but...  You know, the ribbon will come off.  I haven't glued it on."  She flashed him a grin.  "Yet."

((Your post really did make me lol.)) 

He stared at her as though she'd lost her mind. Well, what other ribbon did she think he was talking about? Ah. A little light bulb turned on in that dusty old attic of his. It now occurred to him that she was trying to be cute, but still. She DARED to put a ribbon on HIS key! But he also didn't like the idea that his indignation was serving as a source of his amusement for her so he sat back in his chair and snorted, crossing his massive arms over his chest and growling, "It's a just a key. Tie as many ribbons on it as you want. " He wasn't going to let her get to him anymore! So , there!

He glanced at the clock. Why was time going SO slowly? They still have five minutes left. "You are NOT gluing that thing to my key, just so we're clear on this. " He added hastily because that was important and he meant it! There would be consequences! Like cleaning floors or polishing armor with toothbrushes or something unpleasant like peeling onions! "and if anyone comes in here and eats my cookies in  Mister Boots while I'm passed out , "he indicated to the cat-shaped cookie jar at the end of his desk , "then there will be serious consequences. I mean it. " He liked his chocolate-chip cookies, damn it!

Now, it was her turn to stare at him!

Something like a giggle gurgled up from between her lips, and she had to press the heel of her hand against her mouth to stifle them.

"You.." she gasped out, truly having to struggle for air enough to speak.  "...You named your cookie jar Mr. Boots??"

It was so hard to breathe as the laughter kept coming!

"Mr...Boots...  That's just...so precious!"

Runako stood up suddenly from his chair, looming over her like a big , angry grey mass of fur and muscle. He pointed a claw at her and shook it as if he were scolding a disobedient child, "Do not make fun of Mister Boots!" He told her quite seriously.

He'd named the cookie jar after a pet he'd had once a long time ago. Doctor Graves had taken it away , claiming that the cat had been sick and needed to put down. Runako had been crushed. Mister Boots had been his first friend! The cookie jar looked a lot like him. A skinny tuxedo cat with large, round green eyes.  So it was only right that it carry on his old friend's name! 

He sat back down once he'd made his point clear and glanced at the clock again. Four minutes to go. What manner of torture was this. "Perhaps we should begin now. You have things to do , I'm sure." She'd better!

Perhaps if he would have explained his reason for naming a cookie jar, his warning might have been taken seriously.

Instead, she only tried to quell her giggles because he looked so upset -- and she was still rather attached to living.  But, inside, she was laughing all the harder...

"Alright, alright," she told him, snickering, though, at least, trying to make an effort to control herself.  "I just need a second..."

She took a deep breath, trying to think of something serious...only to glance at the cookie jar from the corner of her eye and nearly lose it again.  Big, fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she attempted to hold the laughter in.

It's likely no one had ever seen her laugh so much or so openly, much less Runako.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, turning her attention to the ceiling and taking a series of long, deep breaths.  "I just didn't think...someone like you...would name a cookie jar, no matter how adorable it is."

"You don't know me,  " Runako told her evenly, trying to to get too upset over her laughing at Mister Boots. He was very sensitive about that and he regretted telling her of all people. The only other person that knew other than Graves was Astrid who hadn't said a word but looked about ready to explode with laughter herself. Why was it so funny?

" Not that I make a habit of giving inanimate objects names. Mister Boots was a cat," He explained. It took him a moment to realize that might have sounded potentially crazy, " I had a cat named Mister Boots when I was...much younger. The cookie jar reminds me of him. That's why I named it. "Not that she'd care. He knew she'd still laugh. Everyone thought it was just hilarious that the big, tough Chief of Security would use such a cute little name.

He looked at the clock again. The time was not passing fast enough but it was almost time! Almost!

"Someone told me once that Doctor Graves killed him because he hates cats. I gave them a black eye. Although,  he did kick Mister Boots once and yelled at him...but it must have been an accident. Still, Mister Boots never meant to get in the way. He loved everyone.  " Great. Now he was depressed thinking about it.

He looked at the clock again. "Ah. It's time. Lock me in. "

That had been an interesting uh...conversation to say the least. 

The snickering remained...right up until he mentioned that Graves may have killed his beloved Mr. Boots.  The smile fell, then, because she didn't wholly doubt it...

The man didn't seem like a pet-lover, after all.

The amusement vanished off of her face altogether, then, and she actually had the decency to look a little guilty for laughing at what was, obviously, still a very sore subject.

She sat there a moment more, then announced, quite suddenly, "You know...  I've always wanted a pet.  Especially a cat.  They look the cutest in ribbons."

Winking at the poor Chief, she bounded to her feet and to the door.  Hovering there, she announced cheerfully, "Sleep well.  Or, you know, destroy your desk well, or whatever's about to happen!"

Runako scowled at her. How did she know about the desk thing? He glanced at it. Oh. Right. It did look a little beat up. Dented in places, clawed with holes in it. Actually, he probably could really use a new one but it worked and he dared not ask Graves for a new one. He always felt like he was wasting the man's time with such trivial requests. He could make do with what he had. Even if it was too short for him and cramped his legs so badly...

He nodded at her departing words, "Don't work too hard while I'm out." He said that so seriously that she probably wouldn't have realized that this was his own attempt at humor. Yeah. He should probably just not try that again. Ever.

"See you."

~

Later that evening Astrid came to guard Runako's door. She was in a very sour mood having spent the day with Kypri and having learned nothing other than the idiot still hadn't quite learned his lesson the first time! Well , she'd make sure he'd never forget it again!

As the dead hours of the morning came and she was contemplating turning in for a few hours of rest herself, she heard something unusual on the other side of the room that chilled her to the bone. She leaned against the door, pressing an ear to it and called out, "Sir? You alright in there?"

Runako usually was quiet when he had his episodes. He'd feel dizzy and pass out and sleep. But she distinctly heard him scream as though he were in unimaginable pain. She pounded on the door, "Sir?" She tried the door. Locked, of course. She searched her pockets for the key -

"Shit." Hazuko had it. "I'll be right back!" She promised as she ran off to find Hazuko. Hopefully, at this time of night the woman was in her sleeping quarters. She arrived and knocked on the door and then waited.

((Up to you whether Mai is there or not, let alone chooses to answer lololol))

Mai was fast asleep.  Curled into a tight little ball beneath her covers,  she was lost in a dream -- and her dreams were never good.

So when the knock came at her door, she half-sat up in surprise, eyes darting around to verify that the dream hadn't followed her out -- but, no, it was the door.  She knew that.

Who in the world was pounding on her door this time of night, anyway?

Mai answered it a moment later.  She was wrapped in a towel, and her hair, in spite of its braid, was all askance as though she had been tossing and turning.  She stared at Astrid blearily, then yawned.  "What?"

Astrid held out her hand expectantly, her expression and tone not just serious but also tired and  cranky! "Key, Hazuko." She replied coldly. "Now." There it was . No explanations. No apologies and no room in her tone for acceptance of being denied whatever she ordered.  Not usually her style unless something was seriously wrong. Whether Mai knew her well enough to know this wasn't her concern. She was Seraph and she expected to be obeyed.

It took Mai's fuzzy, sleepy brain a moment to register what the other woman said.  Key?

Oh.

"The Chief said I wasn't to give it to anyone under any circumstances for 48 hours.  And then I can give it to you."  She rubbed an eye with the heel of her hand and yawned.  "So unless I slept for two whole days..."

Well, she had orders!

That was clearly not what Astrid wanted to hear. If looks could kill, the the glare that Astrid gave Mai then was one that probably would have put her several Runako heights under the earth! And that was lots! Her face colored bright red and her face tightened, " The Chief is in trouble. Give me the damned, key. Don't make me say that again. " Her voice was about to break.

Yet when she saw the look in Hazuko's eyes she knew that there was nothing she could do short of killing the other woman to get her to comply and , well, then Hazuko wouldn't be complying at all because she'd be dead! But, hey, at least Astrid would have the key!

But Runako had indeed told her that he wasn't to be released under any circumstances. Hazuko was following orders , doing her job. Astrid had to respect that even if it pissed her off to no end. She backed down, "Fine. " She sighed, letting go some of her rage though not all of it. "If he ends up dead, that's on you." Well, that wasn't really a fair thing to say but Runako could be such and idiot. She and Mai both knew that. Too bad Astrid was the one one that cared!

"See you in thirty-six hours ,then. " She turned and left.

Mai's jaw set as she watched the other woman go.  Hey, she cared!  She didn't want to have to explain to the Doctor just what she had been doing with the key while the Chief lay in there dying!

It was almost enough to make her want to hand the damned thing over!

"I think you're being over-dramatic!" she called after the Seraph with a slight shake of her head.  The Chief was probably fine...  Probably just snoring away in there...  That, and the Seraph was on a power trip and didn't like being cut out of the middle of these dealings.  That was probably pretty likely, actually.

All she had to do was hold onto the key for 36 hours, come hell or high water.  It seemed an easy enough job.

Time couldn't pass quickly enough but ,eventually, the horrible noises coming from Runako's office stopped. There was dead silence and Astrid , rather than feeling relieved, only felt even more unsettled. So when Hazuko finally showed up with key in hand she claimed it and didn't waste a moment opening the door.

The sight that met her eyes was not what she had been expecting either. The office was in a complete state of disarray. The wallpaper had been torn from the walls , paintings fallen , potted plants knocked over, a desk flipped over (but Mister Boots was still perfectly safe and intact!) , the candles had been knocked over and blown out. "Sir?" Astrid called into the dark room, searching for signs of the Chief but not seeing anything. She walked inside , cautiously.

In the furthest-most corner of the office, she noticed a figure hunched down. It was too small to be Runako. As she approached it, the figure uncurled and revealed itself to be very human. Naked, tall, short brown hair and scars aplenty . A man with eyes that looked strangely familiar, "What the ....hell? Who are you?!" Astrid demanded; she was ready to kill him.

"I wish I knew." The man replied quietly. 

"Where's the Chief?"

The man blinked slowly and then shook his head and said after a long pause, "You're looking at him. "


((dun dun dun!))

Mai stared at the strange man, not comprehending...anything.  Instead, she decided to do what she had come here for: to simply deliver the key (still on its maroon ribbon!) to Astrid, to deliver her offering to Mr. Boots (a white ribbon fashioned to look almost like wings that settled on the cat's back), and to check for further orders.

Astrid had the key.

Mr. Boots had his angel wings.

And the Chief...was probably dead.

Mai cleared her throat softly.  "I feel like I shouldn't be held responsible for following orders.  Why don't I go and just leave you to violently interrogate...whoever this is...in peace, hm?"

"What- what is this?" The strange human that claimed to be the Chief pointed to the ribbon on Mister Boot's back, "A white ribbon? Mister Boots is a boy!" 

"..." Astrid's jaw dropped. She was speechless for a few moments , but she shook it off quickly. She'd seen stranger things before in her time here , but she just hadn't been expecting this. "What ...happened to you!?"

Runako fixed the ribbon to his satisfaction , positioning it so the cookie jar cat wore the white bow like it was a little bow tie. Now Mister Boots looked more stylish. Wings were girly!

When he was done fussing with the cookie jar, he picked it up and set it down on the table. "I told you, I don't know. I had bad dreams . So many bad dreams that felt real and then there was pain. I blacked out and when I woke up...here I am. I saw blood and bodies...and...oh...I don't feel dizzy - " He teetered back and forth on his feet. "I need to...sit." He sat in his chair.

"You've never ...looked like this. Are you sure you haven't done something different to...bring this change about?"

Now he'd tell her. "I uh...didn't take my medication."

"YOU WHAT!?" Now it was Astrid's turn to flip the desk. With her mind!

Runako saved Mister Boots just in the nick of time from an unfortunate meeting with the ground. He hugged the cookie jar possessively.

((I keep falling asleep while writing. Haha. Sleep, wake up,sleep, wake, and now I go back to sleep since this is finally done. ))

Mai was staring as well, looking flabbergasted.  She looked to be on the verge of speaking, but the desk suddenly lifting up and flipping over made her rethink that thought.  She winced and took a step backwards, closer to the door and to safety should Astrid decide to turn that power against her.

Even Mai wasn't sure how to process this fact...so, instead, she decided to focus on what she did know.

"Those were wings," she announced decidedly, folding her arms up beneath her breasts to frown at Runako...or whoever it was.  "Angel wings.  You can't have black angel wings, can you?  That just looks ridiculous, now."

"Wings?" Now it was Runako's turn to look flabbergasted , "No, this is a ribbon." Poor Runako didn't have a very good imagination either!

Astrid sighed irritably. How dare they change the subject! This was seriously confusing and she hated that! "Ribbon, wings. Whatever. That's really an irrelevant-"

Runako opened Mister Boots and started meticulously counting the cookies in the jar.

Astrid shook her head. Well, at least something about him was normal. He was very fond of his cookies. "Right then, can we please focus on the ...peculiar circumstances here. Runako turned into...that. Whatever it is. "

Runako's head suddenly snapped up and he protested, "Hey! There's only thirteen and a half cookies in here!"

"..." Astrid sighed again, "I had half of one."

"You can't have half!" Runako took the other half and tossed it at her. "I don't eat half cookies!"

"...Sir, please, focus. " Astrid caught the cookie with a hand and sighed again, trying not to lose her temper with him.

"I told you. I don't know what's going on," He  but tell me, have you found anything out from Kypri at all?"

"No, " Astrid replied flatly, "he said he'd wait to speak with you. "

"Can you bring him in then?"

"Um..."

"What?"

"You want to- " she stopped herself and shook her head. She didn't have the patience to explain herself. She'd hardly slept, "  I'll be right back, sir."

Astrid returned and threw a Seraph uniform at him. ((I'll get around to designing one here soon along with getting the maps posted)) "Put those on first." Not that Kypri would care but the uniform usually helped to intimidate.

"Oh. Right." He got dressed and nodded. "Okay, that's better?"

"Hm. I guess that will do for the time being. We'll need to find you a weapon if you don't go back to normal soon enough. Anyway, I'll go get Kyrpi."

"You want a cookie, Hazuko?" He shared sometimes but he hated eating when he had an odd number of cookies in the jar. He was weird like that!

((Decided that I'm not gonna get hung up over the end. xD ))

"I've never said no to a cookie," Mai answered with a slight shrug.

She was really only taking this so well, because she didn't know how else to take it.  Panicking would do no good, and she wasn't really that fond of the Runako that was.

"So, Chief," she started as she took a bite.  "Huh.  These aren't that bad, actually..."  In fact, they were quite good!  "What's it feel like to be human for a change?  Can you still smell as well?"

(OOC: Lame post is lame!)

"Thank you, " Runako replied, "I made them myself." Bet she didn't know that either! "Don't give me that look and eat your cookie. " He added in sourly. She always had a smart comment for everything, but he wasn't going to let her have it! So there!

At her question he shoved a cookie into his mouth and chewed on it for a few moments and then swallowed, "Human?" He blinked. "I am not human. I am Tau.  " But he considered that she meant what he looked like he was, " I feel...small and cold. I, " He sniffed, "None of my sense are working correctly, but there's something strange. My mind doesn't feel so...foggy." He selected another cookie and then tossed it at her because he wasn't going to eat when there was an odd number. He didn't care if she ate it or not. He just didn't want it there!

A smart comment had, indeed, been about to leave her lips!  She accepted the cookie, however, with a wide grin.  "You know...  You're going to make me fat.  And then you'll be out a security guard."

Well, she had to get it in somewhere.

The smile faded, and, with remarkable solemnity, and even sounding a touch concerned, she asked, "What do you think the Doctor will say?"  After all, it wasn't the same as it was with Kypri, where he could pretend...

"If two cookies make you overweight then I'm not sure how you manage, " Runako retorted.

He shook his head at her question about how Graves would respond to this, "I'll report the truth -sort of. I failed to take my medication." He shrugged. "I forgot. I must inquire if he knew that something like this would occur and why I wasn't told. I have a right to know, do I not? " The Doctor would be angry , but nothing bad would come from it he was sure.  Graves was stern , but he wasn't unreasonable.

((short posts this evening but I'm starting to get sleepy! I will add more tomorrow if you don't wanna reply to this. xD))

Mai nodded slightly, looking, for the first time, remarkably uncomfortable.

"Be careful."

Because she didn't trust Graves or anyone else who worked here.  She didn't trust anyone.  And if he wasn't told, the reason behind it probably wasn't good.

"What about the rest of us?"  Her, specifically?

Surprise registered so much more clearly on his human visage, " Don't talk like that, Hazuko. It's not like you," Though he supposed that she was thinking more about what would happen to her if the shit hit the fan. He didn't think she had anything to worry about. She'd done nothing wrong.

"Both of you were following my orders. That's your job so you've done nothing to warrant any disciplinary actions. " He shrugged, "But I'll keep my explanation minimal. As far as Graves knows, I sent you to keep an eye on Morley because of ...the inappropriate activities he and Doctor Adams had been engaging in on the clock. As for Kypri...that might be harder to explain why he's being detained. "

Mai smiled brightly at the news that she would not be held liable for anything that had happened.

"That's what I wanted to hear," she told him tartly, giving him an obvious once over.  He didn't look nearly so scary anymore!  Picking up a rubber band, she fiddled with it back and forth a moment, before suddenly shooting it at his head.

"Just curious to see if you have the same reflexes..." she announced quite innocently.

The rubber-band smacked him in the nose, "Hazuko!" He was about to give her a lecture about how his office supplies were not there for her to terrorize people for her amusement. As he opened his mouth to speak though, the door to his office opened and Astrid entered , shoving Kypri in front of her. He stumbled up to Runako's desk and grinned, " Where's the Chief? He dead? "

"Can it," Astrid smacked him upside the head and then addressed Runako, " well, do I need to leave so you can keep more secrets from me?"

Runako picked up the rubber-band and placed it safely in his drawer. "No." Then he turned to Kypri, " Kypri, I've tested your crytpic suggestion but I'm still not sure where you're going with this. You said my mind would be clear , but it's the exact opposite. "

"Chief? Is that really you?"

"Yes, of course. "

Kypri leaned forward, grinning like a madman, "Interesting. Very interesting."

Runako slammed his fist down on the desk but instead of denting it as he normally would , he bruised his hand. He winced. Wow. If this is what being human felt like , then it sure sucked! "Start making sense or I'll-"

What could he do? He felt so weak. He needed a weapon if he didn't change back soon. "Don't make Astrid hurt you."

Kypri recoiled and shot a nervous glance back over his shoulder at the psychic.

Astrid folded her arms over her chest and scowled, "Give me a reason to kill you, please." She really meant it!

Kypri laughed nervously, " Alright , alright. Look, I didn't know if it was true or not and I didn't want to say anything unless I knew you were truly interested in knowing what I had to say, okay? This was just a test. Anyway, Walt's brain is kind of ...fucked up . He's seen a lotta shit that made him go nuts so it's hard to tell what's real and what's not. I just heard that you're part of a pretty damn important project, Chief, and everything that you think you know about yourself is a lie. You're one of the first. Number nine, right? You've been here longer than anyone and yet you seem to be the most delusional.  It's because you're the only one that can handle the verandum ius or whatever the hell. "

"But what is it, really?" Runako pressed.

"Uh...well, I don't know for sure , but Walt seems to think it's got the essence of dead people or something in it. Their life energy. Yeah, Graves sucks them dry , makes an elixir out of it and then makes you needle it up. And every time you absorb a life, you absorb the memories that accompany it. The nightmares that you have aren't nightmares. They're real.  You're living on the blood of childeren, chief? How does that grab ya? " He grinned.

Runako suddenly shot forward in his seat and seized Kyrpi by the collar ,pulling him in close so that their noses nearly touched, "Say that again."

"I said that Graves sucks them dry-"

"No, the last part. "

"Oh, heh. You're livin' on the blood of children, chief."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Astrid scoffed, "you're high, Kypri . Chief, I'm sorry but you've wasted enough time on this nonsense . Say the word and I'll take him to- "

Runako cut her off, "Before Hana died, she said the same thing to me. "Runako let go of Kypri and sat back in his chair. "Maybe she wasn't crazy."

"You can't be serious."

"There's too many holes. I don't know anything about myself. " The Chief twirled around in his chair, something that was possible now that he wasn't a big fatty cat thing. " None of this makes sense. There's something missing- no , there's a lot missing and I don't like that. I want some answers and I'll get them ...somehow." He stopped spinning and faced everyone again, "  Kypri, do you know what Walt's patient number is ?"

((I realize that you have like...little to reply to here but uh...you can make things up! Sorry if there's mistakes! I'm sure you'll survive them somehow! )) 

Hazuko's cat-in-the-cream smile vanished upon seeing Kypri being marched into the office.  She actually stood up a little straighter and, casually, rested a hand on one of her tessen.  It was a casual-enough gesture...but after the stunt Kypri had pulled, she didn't trust him.

The part about nightmares did not go unheard.  Her own nightmares were terrible, truly something to make her fear closing her eyes at night after a particularly realistic one...

"Is it just the Chief?" she demanded, eyes boring holes into the snitch.  "Or do we all have surprises waiting for us?  I'm not going to turn into a big fatty cat thing, am I?"

(OOC: *steals the line!*)

"Aw. Isn't that cute? What's the matter, Hazuko? Are you scared?" Kypri snickered, " Well, you should be. Because the Chief is leading all of you straight to hell. Too late to turn and run off with your tail between your legs as you always do. "

((Clearly, he has a death wish!))

There was nothing friendly in Mai's expression...and Kypri either wanted to die, or he had missed the warning altogether.  Or he liked to wind Mai up for reasons none of them could ever understand.

At once, the petite woman shifted forward.  In Runako's small office, there wasn't a lot of space between any of them and the wall.  Even so, it was something to see to see Mai uncoil and unleash her wrath upon the man.  At one moment, she was simply standing there; at the next, she had pressed him up against the wall and was glaring into his face.  She was much shorter than he was, but that proved to be of little consequence as her hand closed around his throat and she pushed him against the wall, somehow managing to give the illusion of meeting or even exceeding his height using her body language alone.

"We've already had this conversation," she growled.  As much as she would have liked to squeeze the life out of the man, her hand only squeezed hard enough to be threatening.  "Last time, I made you a promise."  Her other hand moved the tip of her tessen slowly up the inside of his thigh.  "If you don't answer my questions truthfully..."  It lingered between his legs a moment, then up his midsection.  With a flick of her wrist, the weapon opened with an intimidating snap.

This was probably the reason Kypri's first words to the Chief had been to call her a crazy bitch...

"Chief! " Kypri gasped , "Get this bitch off me!"

Runako had considered it, but he shook his head, "You provoked her, so you better think carefully about what you say to her."

"Astrid? We're friends, right? Come on,"

The psychic pretended to look bored and oblivious to his existence though on the inside she hoped he'd suffer.

"Alright, alright!" He looked Mai in the eyes directly, " Everyone in this building will die if the Chief doesn't find out the truth, but in finding the truth a lot of people are still going to die including two people in this room. " He glanced at Astrid, appearing to look a bit remorseful and then shook his head. "And I can't tell you more than that. The rest is up to you to find out. If you want to kill me, Hazuko ,go ahead and do it because I'm one of the ones that's going to die anyway." He smirked at her.

"How do you know that?" Runako inquired, frowning.

"Just a feeling."

"Are your feelings usually so specific?" Mai asked, but she dropped him and stepped back.  Her weapon folded back in on itself, and she tucked it away neatly as she returned to her previous position across the room  There was no need to keep on pushing...and, besides, it might ruin her image if she couldn't kill him after all but promising to.

But she had to wonder if this had something to do with the elusive Walt...

"What now, Chief?"

She didn't like all of this talk of death and hell and...all that.  Surviving.  That was her thing.  But the way he spoke...  It made her want to beat the snot out of him, because he made it sound so...unavoidable.

"Usually, yeah." Kypri coughed and adjusted his shirt collar.

"Well, " Runako said slowly and  found himself messing with the white ribbon around Mr. Boot's neck because it was crooked, " the only thing left for me to do is see this Walt, if he exists. "

Astrid gasped, "You mean to go to the red floor? We're not allow-"

"You're not , but I have access or at least a way of gaining access. "

"You cannot be seriously considering breaking in or stealing a key..."

The Chief shook his head, "No, not steal. Borrow without permission. I'll return it when I'm done, " he promised. "I'll just pop in for a brief chat at night and then slip out. Not a big deal."

Astrid looked about ready to murder him,  but she sighed with exasperation ." I don't know you anymore. Fine. You go catch some disease on the red floor but don't come running to me when you do because I think this is a terrible idea that's going to lead you to nothing but trouble.  "

Mai laughed out loud.  It may not have been the most appropriate reaction, but Runako breaking the rules tickled her funny bone.

"I think I like this side of you, Chief."  Poor Astrid.  She still had that stick pushed so far up her rear side...  "Maybe you should stop taking your medication, Astrid...  Just to see what happens."

"Or maybe you should stop wagging your insolent tongue before I have a psychotic episode and kill you, The psychic spat. She'd really had enough of Mai, but she hadn't slept at all either so perhaps this was why her temper was snapping more easily than usual . That and...something Kypri had said had shaken her.

"Astrid, stand down." Runako ordered his fellow Seraph in a commanding tone that didn't have nearly as much weight as it had when he was larger. "Take Kypri out of here. To his room. "

Astrid backed off and grabbed Kyrpi by the arm and dragged him off.

Now Runako turned to Mai after hearing the door slam behind the angry Seraph, "Fatty cat thing?" He frowned at her with disapproval. He was not fat! Shaking his head, he moved on to a more important matter, "Well, it's a good thing you like me so much now because you're coming with me."

Mai's grin wavered at the threat -- Astrid was no one to well and truly piss off...but she had, apparently, started out this little quest that way, and pissed off was how she was going to stay!  She'd never admit it -- not a million years! -- but she was grateful for Runako's intervention...because if someone was going to snap, it would probably be Astrid.

Well, okay.  Maybe it could be Runako too, but he'd probably kill everyone with a smile on his face.  Somehow, that was less terrifying.

"Yeah, fatty cat thing." She shrugged slightly.  "I dunno.  The words just...jumped into my brain.  I have no idea where they came from."

After Astrid and Kypri left, Mai got the worst news of her life.  She stared at Runako, wide-eyed.  "You want me to what?  No, way.  I like that you're all stirred up, but I'm not going down there.  There are hundreds of rumors about what happens to people who go down there.  It doesn't matter if I'm murdered by the staff or die of disease.  I'm attached to being alive, Chief!"

"Relax. That was joke, Hazuko, "however this line was delivered with a poker-face and a flat tone that it probably didn't seem all that convincing. One had to take into account though that unlike Mai, Runako wasn't all that skilled with humor of any sort! "I'm going alone." The Chief nodded towards the door, "Thank you for your assistance in this investigation. You're free to go now." 

Mai looked so incredibly relieved.

So very, very relieved.

"Thank the Gods!" she exclaimed.  This was probably the happiest he had ever seen her -- no, make that definitely.

Twirling towards the door, she paused there.  "Um, good luck, I guess?"

Runako nodded slightly, his expression and inflection restored to its usual impassiveness, " Yeah. Goodbye, Hazuko."

He waited a few minutes after she had closed the door behind her before he got up from his desk and left his office.

Walking as a human without a tail felt awkward , but what truly felt stranger still for Runako was his size. His human height was quite average, actually, hardly breaking over six feet tall where before he'd towered over everyone when he was his normal self. And even more peculiar than this was the manner in which everyone reacted to him. Nobody recognized him and the Seraph uniform that he was wearing only made everyone stop and stare, looking utterly bewildered.

A few of the Phoenix Guard had stopped him and made inquiries and Runako was unsettled by how easily he could conjure a believable lie. "Sorry. I'm fresh to the Seraph training program. The Chief wants me to get a physical while he processes my paperwork." The looks they gave him were suspicious because they claimed to have never seen his face before. Well, it's a relief to know that they pay more attention than I thought they did.  Runako thought as they let him pass to the stairs and move down to what was commonly known as the Gray Floor where the medical and science staff conducted their research and care of the patients.

The medical staff seemed not to mind him, but the science officers gave him scrutinizing looks. Undoubtedly, most had committed the names and faces of most of the patients within the building and could not identify this nameless Seraph who now wandered the halls. But it was certainly his uniform that gave them pause.Still, he knew he had to be careful since the incident involving Eckhart. Everyone on the staff was a little more on edge than before.

He made his way to Doctor Adams's office and tried the door. As expected, it was locked. Fortunately for him, he had the key because Graves trusted him. If he finds out about this, he's going to be so mad. He unlocked the door and stepped inside. "How di you get in here!? I locked the door, " Adams stood up suddenly from his desk and stormed over to him. He eyed the uniform and frowned, "Seraph? I've never seen your face before."

Runako slugged him hard across the lower jaw and winced as the poor doctor hit the floor with a dull thud and lie still, "Sorry, " Runako apologized quietly and stripped the man of his uniform and dragged the unconscious doctor out of view from the door and behind his desk. Leaving the body there, he then went through the man's paperwork and took what he needed.

Moments later, he stepped out of the office and made his way to the stairs . careful not to go the same way he'd been before so he wouldn't end up passing the same set of Guards.

His travels took him to the lowermost floor of the building. The Red Floor. Secuirty was awfully tight but he was confident that he could pass through . He had the codes and the badge to show that he belonged here. And he knew enough to bullshit his way through. Unfortunately  , there was one small problem...

"I'm sorry, Doctor Adams but we can't let you through without your team. " The guard told him, with a shake of his head.

"Team?"

"Doctor Carrington, sir. You can't go in without her."

He was surprised that they didn't recognize he wasn't Adams but then again, these kids looked sort of new here. Must have been freshly recruited like poor Morley. "Oh. Yes, of course." Runako tried to remain calm, "Uh , she's on a bio break at the moment. I'll go...check on her. Be back shortly." He hurried back up the stairs.

Shit. There's no way I'm going to get Carrington to go along with this. 
Another trip to the Gray floor and then up another couple floors to the Blue Floor and...

He arrived at Mai's door and knocked on it. Poor Hazuko. It was the dead of night.  When she opened it he tossed a science team uniform at her , "Congratulations! You've been promoted to the science team! Welcome on board, Doctor Carrington!"

((I'm sorry but this amuses me. Totally different direction than I initially intended but I just couldn't resist.  ))

Things were changing at Heaven’s Grace, and Mai wasn’t at all sure it was for the better.  It was true that she loathed the status quo – but the status quo was comfortable, and she knew where she stood and what to expect from the Chief, from the Doctor, from the other patients and guards.  It wasn’t much of a life, true, but it was her life, and, at the very least, she knew she would wake up the next day and do it all over again.

But all of this was terribly unsettling.

Perhaps some would call her a conspiracy theorist, but she had always believed there was more going on here than what met the eye.  She certainly didn’t believe all of the stories – stuffing the souls of children into medication, really? – but she didn’t trust the Doctor and his staff in the least…  But, then, she really didn’t trust anybody, did she?

The revelation that the medicine had done something to Runako – whether good or bad, because she wasn’t entirely sure which becoming a giant, bi-pedal cat counted as – was really of little surprise to her.  Of course, the effect itself was quite shocking, but the idea that the Doctor was messing with them all seemed simply par for the course.  It was medicine, and medicine was designed to do something, wasn’t it?

Anyway, it didn’t really matter to Mai.  It wasn’t that she lacked the will to fight – it was simply that her will to live usually over-rode any foolish impulses to get herself killed “doing the right thing.”  Her fight with Eck had reminded her of that fact, and she wasn’t eager to relive that particular mistake again.  Sure, the Doctor might be doing terrible things, but it didn’t affect her; she was alive and well, and there was certainly no reason for her to jump into the middle of someone else’s problem!

However, with all that in mind, their discovery about Runako and the medication made her uneasy.  Maybe it had something to do with Krypi’s cryptic warning that her life was in danger, or maybe it had something to do with some of the nightmares that had always plagued her – hellish visions of labs and doctors doing terrible things that had, obviously, never taken place.  Something about Runako’s predicament just struck too close to home for her…

Sleep was more elusive than it normally was.  There would be no nightmares tonight – just tossing and turning as she tried to close her mind to the day’s events and the doubts and paranoia they had brought to the surface of her mind.  In an effort to find some sleep, Mai had just burrowed into her blankets when the knock on the door roused her.

Go away, she thought bitterly, as though the knock were responsible for the previous hour’s lack of sleep.  It wasn’t; but when she finally rose to see who stood on the other side of the door, she really should not have been surprised to see that the knocker was.

Damn Runako and his sudden curiosity!

Mai stared first at the man, whose face was still unfamiliar to her, and then she looked down to the clothes she held.  “What?”

"I forgot that you need a team to gain entrance to the Red Floor. At least one other person so I need you to be my Doctor Carringron, "He admitted sheepishly, " Look, just don't give me that look and get changed into that uniform." And then he added as if that was going to encourage her to go along with this, "please." 

((Short , but lol...)) 

Mai stared at him again, and then shook out the uniform to eye it critically.

"You do realize I'm going to look like a four-year-old dressing up in Mommy's work clothes, don't you?"  She knew just how short she was, although she liked to think her attitude more than made up for it.  However, a tall attitude wasn't going to help her fit into these clothes...  She tossed the outfit aside with a disgusted sound.  "Let me see what I can do."

Turning away from him, she began to dig into her closet.  She didn't actually have a social life, but she knew she had something tucked away somewhere...

"If I do this, you're going to owe me."  She dug through the outfits in her closet vigorously, taking her annoyance out on the poor hangers as she swept them aside.  "And if we get caught, I'm blaming you, Chief.  I didn't want any part of this to begin with."

Ah, there it was...  Her fingers deftly went to work on the bottoms of her top, half-turning to regard Runako with a scalding look before she had finished.  "Turn around!"  Once he had, she harrumphed and returned to the task of dressing.

And ranting.

"Just what the hell do you think we're going to find down there, anyway?  Except a crazy person and possibly some terrible flesh-eating disease.  What do you really think you're going to learn?"  There was the click of heels on the floor, and she added, "You can turn around."

She had wasted no time in changing into a black skirt and silken white blouse that looked almost professional.  Her hair had been twisted into a quick bun and secured with a red ribbon.  The entire ensemble was complemented with the white lab coat Runako had provided, which, she sighed, was still a little big but would have to do.

Runako looked down helplessly at the borrowed uniform and simply said, "Oh." He'd completely forgotten how small Mai was for a human because he'd shrunk and now she looked taller! "Well, I guess you could just roll up the sleeves and- " ,he started to suggest lamely before she cut him off. He frowned when she tossed the outfit aside and turned her back on him.

Though her words confused him. So, she was going to help?

He nodded, "Yes, understood." Owe her? He couldn't imagine what she'd need from him, but they'd get to that bridge when they crossed it. When she snapped at him, ordering him to turn away, he put his back to her. Then she proceeded to rant at him. He shrugged his shoulders to all of her questions and simply said, "I don't know. Probably more questions than answers,"  What did she expect?"

Now that she had informed him that he could turn around, he did. He nodded his approval. She looked the part. This would work to get them past the rookies at the door anyway.

He shook his head, "But if you didn't want any part in this, then why did you go digging around Adams's lab to begin with ? You could have easily lied to me."


   

A look of vague amusement crossed Mai's features.  "Is that what you think I do?  Lie to you?"  She laughed wryly.  "And, yet, I'm still on your security team.  I think you may need to look into your hiring policies."

She adjusted the badge carefully on the lapel of her coat, hoping it didn't look as out of place as she felt it did.  At least the lab coat hid her tessen well enough...  Small blessings, she supposed.

"I went into Adams's lab, because that's where the evidence was.  I...also didn't realize it was occupied."  Well, that had worked out, hadn't it?  She looked up from her outfit to give Runako a critical once-over, as though sizing him up for a fight.  "I follow orders, Chief.  Sure, I stir up trouble sometimes, but have I ever failed to complete my mission?"  That trouble was sometimes on purpose and sometimes accidental...  She just couldn't help it!

"You think you're serving the greater good, and that's sweet."  And naive.  "I'm looking out for myself here, and I don't mind you knowing that.  Being useful to you keeps me alive, and that's all that matters to me."  She tucked the coat around her slim frame, then looked up at him.  "You ready?"

Runako chose to ignore most of her sass. If anything was to get done here before she changed her mind, it was better to just let her run her mouth. Sure, her words rubbed him the wrong way a bit, but her cruelty was straightforward. It wasn't served beneath a layer of convincing but feigned compassion. It didn't twist his heart and mind, confuse him and manipulate him, leave his heart aching with care and wanting for affection. It didn't remind him of how alone he really was or make him wish that her feelings were the opposite of what he knew them to truly be.

"I was waiting on you" He told her flatly, "Let's go."   They left together, moving towards the stairwell that led down to the main floor. As they descended , Runako handed her a clipboard. "You will need this. These papers contain all the information regarding Carrington's and Adams's current research project. The information that's immediately necessary is, "He pointed to a number scrawled in ink in the uppermost right hand corner of the page. "That's the security code for the second door once we've cleared the outer door and the guards. "

They reached the bottom of the stairs, "These guards were rookies . They're not familiar with the staff yet. Red Floor security is not my in my jurisdiction. I wonder why Graves didn't post any experienced members down there. They probably don't get much trouble down there is my guess. If you go in there without a bio-suit , it's hazardous. "

They went down another flight of stairs , moving to the gray floor. And down another flight to the red floor.

"Doctor Adams, Doctor Carrington. I was wondering when you'd be back!" The guard shift leader greeted the pair of them. He grinned and eyed Mai up as if he'd just seen something  good to eat.

"Team's here. Open the door."

The guard quirked a brow, " Code?"

Runako sighed , mimicking Adams's exasperation and spoke his code. The guard nodded and turned to Hazuko, " I'll let you pass for free." He winked at her .

"That's rather unprofessional , don't you think?" Runako snapped. It was difficult to say if he was acting in-character or if he was offended because protocol was being ignored.

The guard blinked and replied, "Er...sorry, sir. I was just- "

"Stop babbling, idiot, and open the damned door. I don't have all night and Doctor Graves doesn't either. He expects results within the hour. " He snorted and crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently. Yep, he was pretending to be Adams and he was doing a really good job of it. I have been here way too long for my own good.    

That got the guards to open the doors quickly.

"That's more like it. " Runako said as he passed through the doors that slid open before him, stepping into a small, enclosed room with lockers lining either side . The door quickly slid closed behind him and Runako fished two keys out of his coat pocket and handed one to Mai. "Works on all the locks. Doesn't matter which one you open. They all have bio-suits in them. Put one on. It'll protect you from catching any disease that's in the room beyond this one. "

He selected a locker near to him off on the right side of the room and opened it and proceeded to pull the suit on.

Mai wasn't overly familiar with Carrington and her mannerisms, but she knew enough of the woman to let "Adams" take command of the situation.  Her reaction to the guard was neither inviting nor discouraging; she seemed only to accept it coolly, and, indeed, almost expect his attention and his remarks.

Once the guard was dealt with and put back in his place, she followed Runako inside.  Before the door closed, she glanced over her shoulder, and her dark eyes met the guard's for just an instant.  It was a neutral look -- but men often took such things for encouragement, and there was some benefit to stoking the fires of hope...

Once the pair were alone in the room, her expression changed.  "Fantastic," she muttered.  Another guessing game.  Hopefully, she wouldn't choose a suit sized for Runako -- his usual self, anyway.

Brushing her back, she chose a locker at random and began to pull out the suit.  What seemed first too large, however, could be adjusted to her slight frame -- and, in fact, seemed somehow to adjust on all its own, for the most part.  She looked at it, impressed, then glanced to the Chief to see how he was faring.

"Do you come down here often, Chief, or are you just a lucky guesser?"

"Neither, " Runako replied as he watched the tiny bio-suit slowly stretch larger to accommodate his frame, " Doctor Graves is a mage. When I was young, he placed an enchantment on my clothing so he wouldn't have to keep making me a new outfit. He said I grew too fast. He leaves the outfitting of the Phoenix Guard and the Seraph to Melinda because she asked him to . She likes to make clothes. " Melinda was about as old as Runako was but had not aged a day. Elves.

He shook his head , "Doctor Graves made the bio suits himself. That was...a long time ago. " The memories were so foggy. He could hardly remember. He shook his head and secured the bowl-like helmet over his head. He looked ridiculous.

"Oh."  Mai blinked a few times, looking pensive.  Well, that certainly explained a few things, didn't it?  She supposed she had never given it much thought before -- she had never truly had a reason to.  It didn't really matter, though, in the end.  She watched Runako, then lifted her helmet over her head as well.

It slipped into place with a soft click, and it took a second for Mai to realize she had been holding her breath.  Slowly, experimentally, she exhaled softly and looked relieved when she could breathe.  Of course she could -- it was silly to expect anything else.  That didn't make it any less weird, however.

"So," she began, her own voice sounding a bit tinny in her ears.  "How bad is it in there?  Do they all look normal, or are there boils and pus and body fluids?  I guess what I'm asking is: should I take my helmet off and throw up my dinner now?  I'm not sure I'll met it to the end of the tour if I have to look at that in there."

He watched her put her helmet on and couldn't help but stare. Why was she...? He blinked several times and shook his head. So strange sometimes, Hazuko.

Runako shrugged, " Well, I don't know. I've never been in there and the paperwork doesn't go into detail. Adams's research hints that through his research, he was only involved with two subjects recently that are comatose but can project their thoughts to the nearest being subconsciously.  Their numbers are twelve and thirteen.  I've heard rumors from some of the Phoenix Guard about seeing people with more than one head or all of the things you've described but I honestly think they're just making things up to gross people out.  "

At least he hoped not!

"Was that a serious question?" He frowned at her.

Mai gave him a sideways look.  The helmet made it even more difficult than usual to read her facial expression.  "I have a nervous stomach."

With one last examination of the suit, she picked up her clipboard again and tucked it under her arm.  She felt she looked the part -- but having no idea what lay on the other side of the door made her feel uneasy...and she was not a difficult woman to ruffle.

"Chief, if all hell breaks loose in there, what do we do?"  Standing orders -- something, anything to direct her.  If she didn't receive any -- or, if they were not to her satisfaction, she'd probably wind up hitting something.  Really, was that so terrible?

"If all hell breaks loose? " Runako stared at her and then frowned, "I doubt anything like that will happen. Just follow whatever instructions that I give you and it should be fine. At the worst, someone will see through our little ruse and we'll probably be detained for questioning. If that happens , you do whatever you're told by the staff down here and the Phoenix Guard when they're called. Cooperation with them will keep you out of any real trouble. "
Unless something truly bad was down here that they weren't supposed to know about.

There were rumors and now there were Kypri's ominous words.
"We should keep our heads low as much as possible, find this Walt and see if we can get him to talk about whatever he knows and then get out." He finished making adjustments to his suit and then ,tucking the clipboard under his arm he strode towards the doors and pushed them open...

Nothing could have prepared him for what waited on the other side.

"What is...this?"

They entered a large , dark room dimly lit with rows upon rows of cylinder tanks. Runako approached one of the tanks and stared at the lifeless body inside of it. Even with his face pressed up against the glass, Runako couldn't tell if the being inside there was alive or not.  It was a human man , but there was something wrong with his face and his back. The spine had odd fan-like fins protruding from it and there were gaping holes in his checks and neck. His skin was yellowed and spotted green, his hands and feet webbed. It almost looked as though the flesh had been burned or eaten by something.
"There are...so many of them and they're just...there."

Mai shrugged lightly.  "You're the boss."  Besides, she wanted to stay out of trouble as much as possible, please and thank you!

Nothing, however, could have prepared her for the sight on the other side of the door.  She had expected a dormitory, or, perhaps, something similar to the floors with tougher security.  Instead, what they had stepped into was a lab containing...

"What is...this?"  Runako's voice made her glance in his direction.  He had taken the words right out of her mouth...

Suppressing a shudder, she muttered, "Let's just find what we're looking for and get out of here."  They weren't supposed to be down here.  And she was starting to see why...

"Are they...alive?" Runako moved closer to one of the tanks. He didn't press his face against the glass , but his nose was close enough that it just barely touched the cold surface. He thought about tapping the glass with a finger and then turned away at Mai's words, but it was difficult for him not to look because he'd never seen anything like this in all his years of being here.

He'd known there were things about this place that he didn't know , but this wasn't the unknown that he expected and it disturbed him . Nodding, he lifted the clipboard and looked at it as if he needed to retrieve the information from the paper. Really, he just looked to distract himself from the disturbing images.

"Right so, we're looking for ..." He turned right and moved on, passing by one tank after another and each occupant was even less human looking than the last. They finally reached the end of the row and exited the room, coming into a narrow hall with a closed door on either side , each labeled with a symbol and a number. Runako paused suddenly and brought out a key, fitting it into the lock. It gave a satisfying click and he pushed the door open.

The room before them was small, dark and dimly lit. They could make out a large , humanoid shape sitting on the floor across the room. "Walt? Is that you?"

The figure stirred slightly and they heard an inhuman growl, followed by the sound of heavy clinking chains, "Ah..." A deep, beast-like voice greeted them with a chuckle, "Nine, I haven't seen you in decades."

"My name is Runako. You are Walt, correct?"

Another chuckle, "So he's giving you all names now, is he? How cute. I have always been referred to as Experiment Number Three or Test Subject Number Three , but I do seem to recall a few of the so-called doctors calling me Walt."

Runako took a step closer, " I spoke with a psychic named Kypri. He said you something about me."

Walt stood up now , his stature looming well above Runako. He took three steps forward, coming to stand before his visitors. In the dim light of the candle , Runako almost thought he was looking in a mirror. Except the reflection was wrong because the creature he saw was nearly identical to what he used to look like. 

"You...are like me?"

"No, you are like me." Walt corrected him.

"We're the same species? But Doctor Graves said that I was the only one of -"

"He wasn't entirely lying." Walt replied, " But you're not the one he said that too either. "

"What?"

"Before we continue this conversation there are two things you need to do. First, I think you ought to take a tour of this place to understand what you've gotten yourself into. Secondly, I want you to do me a favor."

Runako frowned , "We don't really have ti-"

"Then get out."

(OOC: Language warnings!)

Mai had let Runako do all the talking up until now.  This was his errand, after all, and she was only here because he needed a second body to convince the guards outside...

This little hang-up, however, was pressing on Mai's last nerve.  Being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night on a fool's errand made her grouchy, and finding herself surrounded by unknown creatures in massive tubes made her angry...but it was this Walt's games that finally triggered the bitch switch.

"And just what the hell do you expect us to see that we haven't already?" she growled from the doorway as she stepped forward.  It was only two steps, but, somehow, the petite girl made the movement look threatening.  "We've seen the freak show out there.  Why don't you just sum it up for us?  And why don't you tell us whatever the hell else you want while you're at it?  I am sick and tired of all this cryptic fucking bullshit!"

(( Potty mouth, Mai! ))

Runako frowned at his companion's outburst, but he couldn't deny that deep down he would have liked to make some demands of his own. "I think she means to say that we've already seen enough, but you seem to know more about this place than we do. " He placed a restraining hand on Mai's shoulder, but whatever strength he'd had in his natural form was gone. "If there's a point to your request, it would be nice if you made it rather than dragging this out and wasting time."

Walt glanced at Mai and the look he gave her seemed to welcome death, " You think threatening me will change my mind?There's nothing either of you can do to me that he hasn't done to me already. If you want answers, you do things my way. Otherwise, get out.  "

((Sorry. Kind of a crappy post. Let me know in messenger or pm if you need me to write more. FYI, I am not against Mai using a little violent persuasion!))

Mai accepted the hand on her shoulder for what it was, even without the Chief's former strength backing it up.  She glared at Walt, however, in temporary silence, as if picturing the number of ways she might take him apart.

Instead, she turned her eyes towards the Chief.  "Well?" she demanded expectantly.  "I don't really care what the hell he has to say.  You want to crawl around the basement on your belly because he told you to, that's your business."  She crossed her arms and glared at Walt some more.  "No favor is worth humiliating myself."

Runako frowned at the pair of them, but he wasn't going to protest. Either way, he knew he wasn't on the winning side of the situation here. Only one of them could potentially help him understand what was going on here. He glanced at Walt and nodded, "What's this favor?"

"I'll tell you after your tour."

"Alright, but if you play me false..." he left the threat open ended but Runako was not the type to make threats carelessly. He then regarded Mai, " I don't need you any more so you can stay here , if you want. I'll be back." He moved out the door.

((Make a short post if she decides to stay behind and I'll try to make my next post a long one.))

The corners of Mai's lips twitched upwards in response to the threat, as though hoping he might try to screw Runako over...and enjoying the thought.

She nodded slightly in response to the Chief and leaned back against the wall with her arms folded and her eyes continuing to bore dark holes into Walt.

"Sure, Chief.  See you soon."

Mai didn't mind playing guard dog.  In fact, she preferred it to wandering around out there, trying to pretend the grotesque display didn't bother her...  This, though...  This was easier.  And right up her alley.

(( ugh...my last reply was devoured the day SotE went nutters. So, so depressed and I am so sorry that you must suffer the ultimate horrors of a baby-man post now. ;-; ))

"Most of the people down here are clones," Walt admitted as soon as Runako was gone. Do you know what a clone is?" He didn't wait for her to answer, "An identical biological copy of a living thing. Yes, the Doctor makes clones of other patients. Of you ,even. Or, are you a clone? It's difficult for me to tell these days because he's perfected his technique over the years and you're one of the younger additions, aren't you? What you saw out there were the failed cloning attempts. Beautiful, aren't they? They're still alive too. Some of them. They just sit in those tubes ...until he has need of them. I can hear them screaming sometimes in my mind. They have no voices, but you can hear their cries if you listen."

He dared to take a step closer to her, "I wanted him to get a good look because he's one of the most delusional among you. He needed to see in order to believe. I could have just told him, but it wouldn't mean anything. My word against the Doctor's lies. Who do you think he would believe? "

"Oh, I agree the Chief needs someone to dump a bucket of ice cold water over his head," she answered with a nasty grin at the thought.  Being what he was -- what he had been -- Mai assumed he would hate it more than most.  No one was quite as delusional as he was...  Plus, the grin helped her to hide the shudder that involuntarily went through her at Walt's description of the clones...

"You know," she added as she regarded the man.  If her tessen were accessible, she, no doubt, would have been flashing them at the man now to ensure he kept his distance.  Instead, she shifted her weight slightly; she had perfected an intimidating posture a long time ago, and she used it now to its fullest effect.  (Or tried to, anyway!)  "For a man used to having no company, you sure don't know how to shut up."

Because he was quite chatty!

"Let me explain this to you, so I don't have to listen to you talk yourself hoarse.  I'm here only because the Chief needed me to be.  I don't care about what you think the Doctor's doing or about those things out there.  You can't bring people to crazy-land who just don't care."

(OOC: I am so sorry!  D:  Mai is kind of mean!)

"He's not the only one," Walt smiled back at her, as though he were enjoying himself in that knowledge.

His grin widened to nearly take in his ears, " I'm not alone. I'm never alone. Can you not hear them? "

He burst out laughing in her face. "Too late, Hazuko. You've been riding on this train since you got here and you are just as clueless as he is as to where it's headed. The difference between the two of you is that where he trusted the driver, you never did but you accepted blindly that you couldn't stop where the train is going. Now that he's starting to have doubts...he'll try to stop the train and what will you do? "

((It's fine. Walt's too crazy to care. :) ))

(OOC: That is the bestest analogy!!)

Mai's eyes narrowed, slightly.  What an annoying creature...and clearly quite mad.  What the Chief hoped to gain from him was hard to say.

"The same thing I've always done: do whatever I have to do to stay alive."  Lowering her voice, as if imparting a secret, she added, "It's never been a difficult decision."