Event: Consolidation Theory, Part Six

[snowblindmods]

Characters: the marked, the unmarked, and their rescuers
Location: ???
Date: Morning 356
Summary: Time to get out of here.
Warnings: gore, psychological horror, warn for specifics in the subject lines

Part Six OOC Post

Comments

[ecks]

[Ecks came here to find Doctor House, but Doctor House is already on his feet again, understands again where he is and what must be done next. Others still are not, do not, friends or...almost-friends among them.]

Royce.

[She crouches at his side, gaze boring into him, not reaching out to touch. She knows that he is too like her; she thinks that he will strike her if she touches him while he is unaware of her.]

Royce Melborn. You are on the floor. You need to stand up and leave. This is a bad place.

[bywolves]

[ In all the time they spent together in that other timeline, Royce likely told her about Manzant - a salt mine prison that had similar conditions to Norfinbury, in a lot of ways. He isn't sure how much she remembers. He isn't sure how much he actually did tell her - or if she's even real. Maybe she's not real, so maybe none of that matters, he thinks absently. Royce stares up at her, dazed and distant. ]

... You're not here. [ He says finally, with a quiet sigh, sinking back down to the floor. ] Not sure why I - why I'm hallucinating you.

Or - maybe I am. I don't know. [ He closes his eyes again. ]

[ecks]

[She'll remember--she's good at remembering--but it may take her a while to understand how one thing connects to the other.]

Incorrect. I am here. You and the others with red lines have been missing for several days but the Admin found where you were and let us come here to find you.

[bywolves]

[ Royce doesn't answer for a moment. ]

That's not unreasonable. [ He murmurs finally, curling up more tightly. ] But why would you come to me?

[ecks]

Of my friends you are one who is still on the floor.

[It seems like a pretty straightforward question and answer to her.]

[bywolves]

[ Oh. Okay. Royce opens his eyes, looking up at her. ]

In a cage. [ He shudders. ] On the floor in a cage.

[ecks]

...No. No?

[Ecks looks around, seeming to gaze through walls as she looks back toward the door through which she entered.]

No, it is a room. It is a large, dirty room underground and you are on the floor and I want you to stop being on the floor now because I do not want you to remain here when the others leave.

[bywolves]

[ Royce's expression shifts. He's confused enough that he tries to sit up, wincing. She's looking through a wall, but - the wall shifts and shivers a bit. ]

That's not what it looks like to me. [ He says, slurry. ] You see something different? [ A beat. ] ... You want me to leave.

[ecks]

Yes. I see a large room. There are toilets and there are people on the floor.

I want you to leave it because there were bad things I had to hide from when I came here and I think the bad things will come for you.

[bywolves]

Already did. Come for me. [ Royce mutters, pressing his scarred hands into his stomach. ] They didn't hurt you? The - bad things.

[ It's a large room with people on the floor. Are they all hallucinating the walls? That has to be what it is, but - he needs to know if Ecks is okay first. ]

[ecks]

Oh.

[That...makes sense.]

They did not hurt me because they did not catch me. Are they what hurt you?

[bywolves]

I don't know. [ He shudders. ] I think we hurt each other. I can't remember at all. But they took us, and they injected us.

[ A pause. ] I'm glad you're okay.

[ecks]

They took my friends away. It was not okay.

[She's just...physically okay.]

[bywolves]

Yeah. You're not hurt, though.

[ He reaches, and very gently and slowly pats at whatever part of her he can reach. ] There really aren't any walls?

[ecks]

[She patiently lets him pat a moment before shifting to slowly, gently grasp his hand with hers.]

There is an outside wall around the large room.

[bywolves]

[ Oh. That's nice. Royce holds Ecks' hand, letting out a shivery sigh. ]

Okay. [ He swallows hard. ] Can you lead me out of my cell? Maybe that will help.

[ecks]

I can lead you out of the room. I do not know where the cell is because the cell is not real.

But I can lead you to the door. Come with me.

[She shifts to stand, still holding onto him.]

Please come with me.

[bywolves]

[ He stares up at her, but - when she starts moving him up, he goes along with it, not protesting. He drags himself to his feet and holds onto her, nodding. ]

... Okay. [ He says, shivery. ] Let's go.

[ecks]

[She keeps hold of him, not once letting go. It isn't in her nature to huddle close with others usually, but he has believed her more when they touch than when she used words alone.

Gently, she leads him in the direction of the real door, stepping through what must look like a wall to him.]