[log] Murder and Meet-ups at the Hospital- Day 165 [open]

[termineur]

Characters: Mohinder Suresh, Sylar, anyone arriving at the hospital
Location Building 131 (the Hospital)
Date: Day 164 to Day 166? Mostly focusing on Day 165.
Summary: Mohinder discovers Sylar's secret and it doesn't go well. Hopefully it'll go better with anyone Sylar meets afterwards.
Warnings: Violence and death.

131: The roof of a large, square hospital. At first, it seems like this is as far as you can go--but actually, there's a door on the rooftop. It's locked, but there's a card key reader attached. As for what spared it from having its parts stripped? It was frozen over with ice, though not any longer. The building can now be entered from the rooftop.

The hospital is eerie in its silence, and snow presses in against many of the windows, keeping much of it in sterile darkness. It still smells like a hospital; the antiseptic is fresh, and there isn't much dust. Someone must be cleaning it, and yet it's clear no one is here. The hospital is four stories high with one basement, all connected via the elevator lobby and staircase.

Comments

Morning of 165 - closed to Mohinder

[termineur]

Sylar had been in a terrible mood since they tested his blood. Actually, he'd been in a pretty bad mood since everything was covered in static. He'd been hoping to get here before he had an obvious 'spider injection', in hopes that it would show them something new. But no, everything was the same as what House had shown Mohinder. Even Mohinder's reassurance that this was a part of science didn't help much.

He had spent some time looking through the morgue until the air became oppressive and he decided to search the first floor instead. He found the hole that people had talked about Jia Xu being in. He frowned at it for a few minutes before leaving to check on Mohinder.

"How's the shoulder feeling?" he asked as he came upon the man, with a gentleness he didn't feel.

[seekevolution]

"Much better," Mohinder said, glancing up from what he was doing. Trying to cobble together a centrifuge was impossible. They had s lot of parts but neither of them were engineers or craftsmen. Or at least that was what Mohinder thought. He sighed as he put down bent wire and slid his arm back into his tshirt sling for protection.

It wasn't too terrible here. It was warmer thanks to how large and insulated the building was. He still had to keep on his coat but his fingers didn't feel about ready to fall off at least.

"Did you find anything useful?"

[termineur]

Sylar's ears were still a sickly-looking yellow color, but he was starting to get some feeling back in them. It was good to stop, even if they weren't getting any further on the mysteries of the town.

He knelt down in front of all the parts Mohinder was messing with and sighed. "Of course not. Everyone's been through here a dozen times, the only portable item I've found so far is a poster."

He gave up and sat stiffly down. "Trying to make a centrifuge? We don't have anything stable enough to spin. We find that, I can try to piece together a hand crank, but it's probably not going to be fast enough. We need a motor." And three guesses on how easy that would be to find.

[seekevolution]

"I don't know honestly," Mohinder said as the parts fell from his hands. "I feel like we're not going to be able to anything useful. If we suffer another attack or if the static starts up again..." Mohinder was trying to be strong for them both. Zane seemed to be growing more and more distant. He took longer walks. They didn't talk as much. Was it a protective mechanism or was he finally tired of him?

Mohinder didn't like to feel isolated. Each time he was forced to be alone, he grew uncomfortably nervous. Zane's return didn't really push the paranoia away though.

It was only a matter of time before he left again.

"Are you hungry?"

[termineur]

"Starving," he replied, with a bitter smirk. "But then, we all are, aren't we?" He'd been eating half portions of the rations he'd been receiving. He didn't do well without sugar. It only made him more annoyed with everything.

And Mohinder's mention that they wouldn't be able to do anything useful grated on him, too. "Who knows if our 'useful' help would even be, though? Apparently we can't trust our eyes." His mind went back to a conversation he had with House a few days ago. "A lot of people think it's supernatural. What chance do we have, in that case? Or if it really is some telepath setting up a torture session for one of us?" Oh, did he not mention that thought back during the static, Mohinder? Whoops.

[seekevolution]

It sounded like his theory that they weren't actually here. That he was in a coma or being tested and the rest was part of his imagination. The static had almost solidified that. And then... Well this. This news that Zane was thinking about the same thing he had been from the start. It made Mohinder soulful eyes like a basset hound, lips pressed together.

He stood to fetch their packs. They hadn't been eating well. Their rations were thinning out. That time spent without being able to move had caused them to eat into their supplies. And with nothing to be found here--

Mohinder was afraid.

He offered a brightly wrapped breakfast bar to his friend and drank some water himself. He wasn't feeling dizzy yet but he had been urinating less. "What do you want to do? You said you heard someone whispering to go East...?"

And they had gone south.

Mohinder sighed. "I never want to see snow again."

[termineur]

"I wouldn't mind seeing it from inside a car," Sylar mused. "It was almost pretty when we were headed down the highway, ready to find Dale and see whatever amazing ability he had." He bit into the breakfast bar with intensity, needing that anger to go somewhere. He was so hungry, and not just for food. They hadn't talked about abilities for days at this point, and it was driving him nuts. There just wasn't any to be found here, and it had been his entire life for the last half a year.

He finished off half of the bland bar, then passed it back to Mohinder. "You don't need to conserve water, Mohinder," he reminded him. "We just need to keep refilling the bottles." His head clunked against a wall he leaned back, and realized his mind had been distracted from special abilities again. They didn't matter here.

He arched his back, stretching out further and laying himself on the cold ground in a fit of dramatics. Nothing was comfortable, his squirming said. Nothing was warm. He didn't notice as something fell out of his coat pocket.

Day 164 - in the Ice Tunnels

[termineur]

They were so close to the hospital. The map said they were nearly on top of it. That's when Sylar started seeing some figures in the distance, hearing the sound of their footsteps echo in the caves. It could easily be another anomaly, but they'd come so far- he wasn't going to back down until he knew it was.

So he asked Mohinder to stop and get out a flashlight. He wanted to at least see who it is here. The shape was sort of odd...

bucky -> john -> quark -> mohinder -> sylar?

[advanced]

The people approaching were a strange sight, that's for sure. There's a one armed man literally carrying a slightly smaller man in a bridal hold, and a small boy walking along beside them. They're not moving very fast at all.

Bucky's feet grind to a halt the second he sees two people coming the other way, expression hardening in displeasure. He doesn't say anything, he'll let John or Quark handle that.

[jumpthegun]

People. Well, damnit, there are people. John resists the urge to swear under his breath. It's bad enough Quark is seeing him being carried like this. He'd prefer the minimum number of people possible. Forever. But here they are.

"I'm grabbing my torch," he tells Bucky quietly as he pulls out his pocket mini-torch and shines it in the direction of the approaching men.

"Hullo?" John's voice is a little hoarse as he calls out, but it's not as bad as it was several days ago. "Please identify yourselves. This is Dr. Watson, Quark, and Jay."

[averytinyparticle]

Quark stops a few feet after Bucky does--not quite too worried. It's just people, right? How bad can they be? He looks back behind him when John speaks, then turns forward again. He waves his arms over his head. "Hi! I'm Quark! We're friendly!"

Well, two of them are. Bucky's quiet and frowns a lot, but maybe he won't get spooked and everything will be fine. Cross their fingers and all that.

[seekevolution]

Though the last person he or Sylar had come across had tried to attack them, she hadn't spoken. Two of the three figures coming at them at least had voices...and one had a name he knew. Doctor Watson? "This is Zane Taylor and Mohinder Suresh," he called back. He didn't feel the need to give his title. Being a geneticist or a university professor had very little use here.

Handing their own torch to Zane as requested, the sluggish movement that cold and pain had set into his legs seemed to dissipate. He moved forward towards the small group, puffing out the air from his lungs in white bursts of breath.

"It's good to see--". Well, almost. "--friendly faces!" And hopefully they were truly friendly. It was hard to know these days but Mohinder was ever the optimist.

[termineur]

This was the first time they'd come upon any people at all. Sylar was a little suspicious of it, but- Doctor Watson. He'd talked to Watson before, and here he was, being carried by someone (apparently). He swung the flashlight forward to the three in front of them, and what had been a worrying blob had become clear.

Sylar's face broke into an expression of relief. "Definitely good. Are you all doing okay?" He turned the flashlight back towards the two of them, so these people could see what they looked like. Nothing to make someone jumpy like not seeing who was talking to you.

[advanced]

The names tickled at the back of his mind as ones he recognised from the network, maybe even people he's spoken to once, but the events of the past week or so have driven it out of his memory. He doesn't recall them being mentioned as a threat, at least, and they both look relieved so see other people.

Bucky is not.

He moves closer, though John would be able to feel just how tense he's gone, the arm holding him rigid and tight now. He will never understand the people that talk about the isolation of this place, he has such trouble ever finding a place to be alone.

"Move along," his voice is low and perhaps a little too brusque. "You're not far from shelter, you should keep moving as fast as possible."

Evening of 165

[termineur]

The body was disposed of well enough, Sylar thought, shoved into a stall in the third floor women's restroom. If what he'd heard was true, something would come and take it within a few hours anyway. He'd picked Mohinder's items off of him, reluctantly leaving the bag. The boots were a little tight, but definitely warmer than his sneakers. He fit the Converse onto Mohinder, along with the extra lining. If he revived later, he didn't want the scientist to be entirely without shoes.

He felt remarkably detached as he left the area, heading down to the second floor. He'd camp here for the night and start heading to the dig site after that. Nothing would change.

[devoutish]

Alfie really doesn't like the hospital, even less so than most of the rest of the town, but it's a necessary evil today. At least it's big enough to keep him busy until it's time for bed, even after lockdown restricts their movements. He hasn't had much luck in finding supplies so far, but he spends a lot of time poking around anyway, rifling through (mostly empty) empty cabinets and slitting holes into the mattresses on the beds.

He's pretty antisocial for most of the night, but at one point early on, he does approach Sylar.

"Where's your friend the doctor?"

[termineur]

Sylar sighs as soon as it's mentioned. "That's what I'd like to know. He was heading to the aquarium today, but he hasn't checked in with me yet. He should've been able to make it pretty easy, I think." He pulls up the map on his tablet and stares at it, as if looking for confirmation. "I shouldn't have let him go on his own," he added as a mutter.

It's a lie thought up quickly, and now he's probably going to have to head down there himself, to 'look' for him. Oh, well.

[devoutish]

"No contact means nothing good, here," Alfie says. He knows that from experience, with multiple people. "Everybody clings to their tablets. Checks them constantly."

[termineur]

"Yeah," Sylar says, frowning more deeply and poking at the tablet to bring up his contacts. "He hasn't answered when I tried calling him a few minutes ago, either."

He rubs at his face with one cold hand, rubbing his eyes. "Damn. Did you come from there? Know if there was anyone else there? Maybe he got busy talking to someone..."

[devoutish]

"There were six of us in the aquarium last night." More than Alfie normally likes, but luckily, it had all turned out okay. "We all left this morning."

[bywolves]

Royce, like Alfie, doesn't like the hospital, and he doesn't like people. He splits off from the gangster at some point, haunting the second floor and digging through things like always. When he sees Sylar coming down the hall, he pauses in the room he's in, watching Sylar from under his long, black cloak hood, expression obscured by the dark.

He's very clearly holding a weapon - a broomstick with metal shards jammed through the end - and while he's small, only about 5'3, he still manages to be somewhat intimidating. Royce doesn't move from the doorway, just watches Sylar walk, completely still like a statue.

[termineur]

Well, this is interesting. Sylar supposes he should've expected Alfie to show up with someone- the man seemed to get along with a large majority of the town (or at least the parts Sylar kept up with). And this man seems a little over-cautious. It makes Sylar feel rather on-edge, but he tries not to show it.

Taking a moment to decide how to approach this, he goes with friendly and smiles at Royce. "Uh, hi. I'm Zane. Mr. Solomons said you both could use some food? I've got some I can share."

[bywolves]

A little over-cautious is an understatement. Most people avoid Royce, but here, Royce has found it's incredibly different - people are much more likely to try and seek him out for conversation, which he finds odd. It doesn't bother him, he just doesn't know why people would want to. Royce is by no means a stunning conversationalist.

Which he proves: "And what do you want in exchange?"

[termineur]

Sylar's face freezes for a moment, then he laughs. "Sorry, forgot how things in this town worked for a minute. But no, don't worry about it. I'll give you both a day or two's worth, but I don't have anywhere I need to be. I'll probably be heading for food next. I want to help with the supply runs, might as well help you two while I can, right?"

He shrugs, the very picture of a good-natured man (or so he hopes, anyway). In truth, he doesn't know what Alfie wants to do with the Joker, but he wants to make sure he gets far enough to do it. Since he's got extra rations to spare now (thanks, Mohinder), he might as well.

[bywolves]

Royce has gotten mildly better about accepting freebies from people, but even still he doesn't trust it. Accept a gift from someone and later it'll turn out it wasn't a gift at all but a favor, an obligation, a remember the time I gave you food?

Sylar plays the part of a good-natured man, and Royce is suspicious - not because of anything reasonable, but because Royce doesn't trust people who are nice to him, to a fault. Sylar would have been less suspicious to Royce had he been rude - it's a screwed up worldview, but it's Royce's.

"I don't want your supplies," Royce says, voice low. "Give them to Solomons. He needs them far more than I do. If you're looking to help the supply runs, this is the wrong place to do it. Nothing for food in this area."