[Theodore is in the bathroom off the darkened hallway. Terry, Eui, and Miya are in the lounge.] [Theo had passed to Eui a pile of letters he found in the desk in office seven, and was bandaging himself.] [Terry was talking with Miya.] [Miya's vision is still just a big blur on account of Eui splashing chemicals in her eyes.] [Terry and Theo are pretty beaten up, thanks to some psycho chick.] [And from outside, through the shattered lounge window, comes the sound of sirens and flashing red lights.] [Resume.] * Theodore hangs out in the hallway, away from the others. He keeps bandaging. * Miya has no idea what's going on! But Eui just swore. * Eui-Tae DID just swear! In multiple languages at that, if it wasn't mentioned earlier. (It wasn't!) (English, Korean, Dutch, Albanian, Esperanto, and Klingon.) (Dude, Eui knows Klingon?) (Duh.) (In 2076, Klingon is the official language of the EU.) * Terry listened to Eui-Tae swearing, and understood at least one word of it. "So, that's a definite bad thing then, huh." Do you think the feds are a good thing when you're considered psycho? * Miya cringes away from Eui's statement. (And Eui, for that matter. But she can't see him.) * Theodore keeps at what he's doing. He doesn't react to whatever he hears from the lounge. [Theo's wounds are bandaged.] * Theodore puts his shirt back on if it's salvageable. He walks over to the end right room to grab the free jacket if it is still there. [The jacket is still there.] * Theodore puts on the jacket. Anyways, we gotta get the hell out of here. Uh, yeah, I guess so. I mean it's not like I've ever had to think 'bout it before, ya know? An'... do ya think we should warn that Derrick guy, an' like, the police about him? The more important question is would he listen? * Miya is confused. "What's going on?" We don't have any time, I think we should get out of here. * Terry blinks at Miya. "Like, can't you hear the sirens an' stuff?" ... No? * Miya tries to listen for them. [Miya hears Terry. Barely.] * Theodore goes back to the bathroom and adjusts himself in the mirror. If he's got running water, he tries to fix his hair for a bit. He seems more comfortable now that he's got a jacket. [Theo gets running water.] [Miya and Eui hear the sound of a gunshot ring out outside.] * Eui-Tae winces at the gunshot. "Okay, let's get going." He looks around for the rope that was constructed. * Miya yelps, jumping. She turns towards the sound, even though it's clear she can't see anything. * Terry blinks. "Wha'? It's not like they're gonna get here, like right now, ya know?" Yeah, but the longer we wait, the more likely they'll get here. * Theodore cleans himself up as best he can. Hair and moustache first, just out of habit, then anything else he notes. I'm assuming he can make out some details through a mirror darkly. [Theo looks ready for a job interview. A very weird job interview.] * Theodore seems satisfied. He goes back to the far right office, moves the chair close to the hall for the sake of hearing, and then sits down. He slumps a bit in the chair and closes his eyes for a moment while grimacing. He's still not doing that great on the pain front. * Terry rubs his head. "Yeah, I guess so. Jus' seems all weird... weirder, I mean." * Miya just chews on her lower lip, trying to listen for anything else. She rubs at her eyes. Still gotta get Miya's eyes washed out, right? We've gotta have time for that. (You may even have time to dawdle until she's ready to try kill you again. :P) (Dood! Then we won't have to worry about the cops!) * Eui-Tae nods. Let's take care of that. * Terry stands up. "Gonna walk ya to the eye-wash stand, 'kay?" O- okay. * Terry reaches for Miya's arm and tugs up gently. "S'this way." * Miya is tugged along. She walks carefully and without a fight. * Terry leads the way to the lab! * Eui-Tae walks along with them, looking for the eye wash station. [Theo notices a flashing red light through the window in the conference lounge.] * Theodore glances over to the window. He doesn't get the best view from where he's sitting so he slowly gets up and walks over to the window to look out. [Theo sees two separate vehicles, sort of oddly shaped horseless carriages with flashing red lights mounted on them. There appear to be gentlemen outside of these vehicles, in some sort of uniform, positioned behind them for cover, aiming pistols at the building.] (They look like Mark's truck, only with paint and far less wood. ;p) * Theodore looks closely. "Fitting with the technology. Perhaps some sort of constabulary force." [There is an eye wash station at the back of the lab.] [Just as a reminder, Eui-Tae had previously identified the necessary chemicals and equipment in this lab to synthesize either of the formulae he had found earlier.] * Terry goes to that and reads the directions to Miya, then he follows them to start the flow of solution. "An' you jus' lean forward an' stay there, 'kay?" Okay. * Miya does lean forward to get a blast of water in her face. [Miya gets her eyes washed.] [Theo notices that one of the red lights on one of the vehicles has been shot out.] * Theodore frowns. "It appears they've encountered Mr. Manchester." He watches. [The constables are surveying the building warily from cover. They aren't approaching the building.] * Theodore tries to work out whether the constables would have a clear view of the lounge window and potential escape. [Theodore realizes he's on the other side of the building from the lounge window.] * Miya sputters a little at getting water in her mouth, then pulls back and washes out her eyes. She lifts her face after a minute, water dripping off of the hair that got in the way and down her chin. Any better? [Miya can now make out individual coloured blurs, rather than one big blur. It's like being really nearsighted and not wearing glasses. The blurs appear to be resolving very slowly.] * Miya tries to blink water out of her eyes and looks around. She wobbles. * Terry puts a hand on Miya's shoulder to try and steady her, only he's not actually as steady as he thinks he is. * Miya is steadied. "Terry?" Yeah? (Don't answer! That's how she'll target you!) (Why do you assume I'm going to hurt you? Oh wait.) I can see better. Kind of? Then ya gotta wait longer. * Eui-Tae nods. "Yeah." * Theodore takes a step back from the window. He leans against the conference room table to keep an eye on the situation outside. He also tries to listen for activity from the kids. [Theo fails to hear the children.] * Theodore frowns. "Did they leave?" He keeps quiet and keeps listening. * Miya nods. "Are... are they still shooting?" * Terry blinks. "Whoa, maybe your ears are better than mine. I didn't hear them start or anything, but, like there's lots of walls an' stuff between us an' everybody so, like, we'll wait till ya can see an stuff." * Miya nods uncertainly. "Okay." So, like, back ya go. Where? * Terry makes blurred gesture towards the eye wash stand. * Miya ohs and leans over the stand again. [More eye washing action!] * Theodore waits another few minutes before he'll feel safe that the kids are gone. * Eui-Tae looks around skeptically, like there are still people after them every instant Miya's at the station. He looks like he's really anxious to get moving. [Miya's second eye wash has had no effect, so far as she can see.] [No pun intended.] * Miya pulls her face from the wash and wipes at her eyes. She shakes her head. [Terry and Eui both realize that clearing chemicals out of eyes isn't like taking off a blindfold. Miya's sight will take a bit of time to return.] Aww man, I guess that's all we're gonna get. Uh, we leave now, right? * Eui-Tae nods quickly. "Let's get going." So, like, can you see well 'nough to walk an' stuff? [Miya can walk, if she avoids walking into the coloured blobs.] Um... okay. * Terry believes her and starts walking back to the lounge. * Miya walks after Terry The Blob. "Sorry again," she says quietly. Like, jus don't do it 'gain, 'kay? Yeah... * Miya looks down. "I'll try not to." * Theodore waits and listens. He also occasionally glances out the window. [The constables continue to cover the building with their pistols.] (Hm. Theo's right by the window?) (No, he took a step back to lean against the conference room table.) [The window in the room Theo's in faces the moon. There's just enough light to read, if he positions things in the light.] (Does he have any unread materials at the moment?) (IIRC, no. Unless you count a few books in this room.) * Theodore tries to remember if there were any rooms that have now not been thoroughly searched. * Eui-Tae looks out the window, mentally preparing how he's going to go out. [Eui sees that this side of the building is mostly woods. However, on the end of the building where your cells were, there's a parking lot, with a path leading from it to the front.] [On this side of the building, at one end, is where the parking lot is.] (On RDM's map, where the cells with your names are? Directly "down" from that is the parking lot. Everything *else* on this side is woods.) [In this parking lot is a single cop car, parked haphazardly and not in a space. It was from there that you saw red light through the lounge window. And there are two cops ducking for cover behind it, guns drawn.] * Miya ends up on that side of the building with Eui and Terry. "Um. What are we doing?" [Theo can now hear the kids back in the lounge again.] * Theodore frowns. Kids are back. Uh... we don't want them ta find us, so, like, we should probably go out some other side of the building, ya know? * Eui-Tae nods. Finding us would be a bad thing. ... How? Uh... Door? Some other window? But... what if they want to help? * Miya honestly doesn't seem to get it. They're police, right? * Terry nods. "Yeah, but, like, Eui thinks it'd be a bad thing if they found us, an' like, he's better at that whole thinking thing than I am." Oh. That's... one way to put it. * Miya doesn't look like she's buying it, but she drops the thing and instead says, "So, um... how are we getting out?" Climb out the window with a rope? Okay. We have a rope? Yeah, Theo made one out of bedsheets. * Miya nods. "Okay. Where is it?" She hesitates for a moment, then says, "I'll go first." I hope he's, like, better at tying knots than I am. * Miya doesn't say anything to that. * Miya tries to find the rope. However that works. See it? Feel it? It's a BLOB. (No one's gone through the desk in office 3. I can't recall which offices have been thoroughly searched on the shelves and such.) * Theodore heads over to the office to check the desk. [Theodore finds a pen and a clipboard with pages on it. It looks like a medical chart.] * Theodore takes the chart back to the conference room to read it with the moonlight. * Terry tries to look out the broken window to see what's going on down there. [Terry is not shot as soon as he sticks his head out. Score one for Terry.] [Terry doesn't think the cops are looking right at him. They seem to still be surveying the building in general. They have a limited view, because of the trees, but do have a decent line of sight to the lounge window.] [The chart Theo is reading has Eui-Tae's name on it at the top. The top page appears to be a bunch of vital statistics, such as heart rate and blood pressure.] * Theodore glances for anything remarkable then flips to the next page. [Theo finds that the next page is a note scribbled in an almost illegible scrawl. It must have been written by a doctor!] * Theodore takes the time to try to read it carefully. He makes a corrective note or two beneath words when he has to guess what it means. [The scrawl that Theo reads is, "Eui-Tae appears physically fit. He's recovered totally from the cancer and therapy, and his vital signs are all good. From a general medical perspective, I believe there is no overall health risk to him receiving" and then Theo sees what he recognizes as the "inhibitor" formula.] * Terry turns around. "Like, going out this window'd probably be a bad thing, ya know?" * Miya keeps trying to find the rope. "Uh?" She stops. "Oh... kay?" 'Cause, like, they're right there. I mean like, if we wanted them to find us it'd, like, be perfect, but we don't so it's not, or something. * Miya nods thoughtfully. She goes back to trying to find the rope. * Terry tries to think if any of the other rooms had windows that were big enough to get out of. [Terry is sure there was a big window in the happy observation room.] [After several minutes of fumbling about, Miya finds the rope. Too bad no one handed it to her.] * Miya finds it and checks to see if it's already secure. * Terry nods to himself. "Yeah, we can, like get out on that side. They'd totally never see us." * Miya tugs it, as it is secure, and she uncoils the rope towards the window. "Where?" * Terry points to the door leading to the other block of cells. "There's a window over there an', like, it faces 'way from where the cops are." * Miya looks at Terry blankly. * Eui-Tae looks over at the door Terry's pointing out. * Terry walks over to it and opens it, then steps through. "C'mon." * Theodore checks if there's any more notes on the clipboard. [Theodore finds further medical charts for himself, Miya, Terry, and Derrick. It seems Theo's got slightly high blood pressure, whatever that is, but is also suitable for the inhibitor. Beneath all of these is a typed internal memo.] * Theodore reads the memo. [The note Theo is reading concludes, "We plan to proceed with the procedure this afternoon. Can you please give each of the subjects a final check-up, to ensure there will be no physical side-effects to the inhibitor."] [The note is signed with the same name as on the office with the financial records.] * Theodore checks the date on the memo. [The memo is dated yesterday, assuming the clock on the computer was correct. But it's after midnight, so yesterday was "earlier today".] * Theodore hmms. "Quick acting." * Miya looks sad for a moment, then shakes her head and tosses the makeshift rope out the broken window. She proceeds to climb up and out, grasping the rope and hopefully not killing herself. * Eui-Tae looks back and forth, then sighs. "Terry, let's just get out of here, okay?" [A gunshot rings out, but it's nowhere near Miya. It's followed by a scream, then a shout of, "Oh, JESUS, I shot my DAMN FOOOOOOOT!" coming from the cops.] * Miya winces. She keeps climbing down. * Terry comes back looking rather sheepish. "Man, I coulda sworn that went outside an' stuff. Hey, where'd Miya go?... An' I feel sorry for that guy." She went out the window. Like we should when she's down. [A second shot, almost simultaneous, comes a Hell of a lot closer, whizzing through the open window right next to Miya.] * Miya yelps! She stops climbing for a moment, clinging to the rope and swinging a bit, before steadying herself and continuing down. Just like gym class. It's okay. * Theodore frowns as he hears the shooting. He glances out the office window again to see if he can identify the source. [Theo's facing the wrong side of the building, so he sees nothing. He's also out of stuff to read.] Aww man, they aren't, like shooting at her, are they? I hope not. 'Cause, like, if they are, then like, aren't they gonna shoot at us when we go, an' like, be waiting at the bottom? I know you don' want us ta get caught an' stuff, but, like, I don' think this's gonna work. [Miya's arms feel weak and unsteady, between the shooting and the blindness and the earlier fight and the emotional situation and the whole situation. She almost slips, but at the last second tightens her grip fiercely. But she can't progress; if she loosens her grip, she'll fall.] (About what story am I at now?) [Miya is just outside the window, at third story level. She's still within arm's reach of someone leaning out.] [Terry and Eui can tell that Miya's just barely out of sight, within arm's reach, yes.] [More swearing is heard from below, from the wounded officer. Apparently, shooting your own foot hurts.] * Miya clings for dear life. "Don't shoot!" she yells towards where the gunfire was coming from. She sounds like she wants to cry, probably because she does. [There's no answer except more swearing, and another shouting voice- female- apparently talking to Mr. Lousy Aim, telling him to stay calm.] * Terry walks to the window then and shouts down. "Ya gotta stop shootin'!" And he's rather surprised when he sees how far Miya hasn't gotten. "Aw man, Eui! Ya gotta help me!" * Miya whimpers and clings. * Theodore heads over to the chalkboard room and looks for any books on mental health. The more experimental looking and bookmarked the better. (1 or 4, Theo? Both had chalkboards and books on mental health, of the biochemical sort rather than the psychological.) (4, It's closer.) [Theodore finds a very well-worn book called "Dualism Resolved: The Interface of Neurological Imbalances and Psychological Disorders".] * Theodore grabs the book and heads over to the moonlight to read it over. [No one shoots at Terry. Someone does yell, "I think I blew off my toe! Oh my god!"] * Eui-Tae looks over. "What do you expect me to do?" Help me pull! * Terry leans out the window. "Man, how do ya keep doin' these things? I mean, me an' Meri do crazy stuff, but like, we usually get back out too, ya know?" * Miya just cries and clings to the rope. (I forget, does the window go all the way down to the floor?) (No.) (To just below the waist.) * Eui-Tae leans out and tries to pull Miya up, although it's not a good idea too likely. "I'll try, but I doubt I can do much." * Terry braces with his feet against the wall and takes hold of the rope above Miya's hands. "S'better than just me." * Terry pulls on the rope. [Eui-Tae pulls somewhat ineffectually on the rope behind Terry, but it's the young Yu-Gi-Oh player who's bearing the entire weight as he slowly manages to pull the rope up until Miya is halfway over the windowsill. He's probably just saved the life of a girl who almost killed him less than an hour ago.] (I'm good like that.) * Miya gets pulled in, tumbles through the window, and crumples right there on the ground. She lets go of the rope and keeps sobbing. * Terry falls over backwards and stays there for a bit, still holding the rope in one of his hands. "Kay, that's on the things ta not do again list too." [Theo reads the book. The introductory section deals with how psychological factors such as trauma or stress could interact with pre-existing neuro-physiological conditions, creating a variety of problems.] * Theodore skims that for a bit then moves on. He's particularly interested in mental cases that might create alternate worlds for themselves. [Theo finds a variety of conditions like that, varying from people with slight delusions to ones who are completely detached from external stimuli. One in particular is interesting, as the neurological side resembles almost exactly the effect of the anti-inhibitor formula.] * Theodore hmmms and reads that case carefully. [From outside comes a faint scream of, "Oh god, there's blood just pouring out of my sock!"] * Eui-Tae shakes his head rapidly. "Okay, guys, how about we just go down the stairs and look for a back door?" * Miya just cries, curled in a ball on the floor. She mumbles something in Japanese. Like, I'd settle for the front door right now, ya know? 'Cause we aren't going out that window an' I think we broke Miya 'gain an' do ya know where that cup went? Shoot, I don't know, you had it last! * Terry nods. "Oh yeah." * Terry lets go of the rope and looks around for it. (Okay, arguing over the cup is oddly very funny.) [Theo reads that a pre-existing neuro-chemical imbalance causes the person to sometimes become, following a stress or trauma, increasingly vulnerable to suggestion as gradually increasing hallucinations and delusions become a full-blown retreat from reality, where stimuli is only passingly acknowledged.] [There is no known cure, according to this book.] * Theodore nods. "Perhaps the only way out is through." He checks the how old the book is. [The book is two years old.] * Theodore then starts looking through for any entrees on amnesia and lost memories. [Theo notes that the entry he read includes a note that victims in the early stages of the delusion sometimes experience false memories. There is no reliable way of determining what advanced cases might have.] [Theo finds a number of other entries on amnesia and lost memories. Apparently a toaster dropped on the head from the third story has, on one incident, been documented to cause amnesia. And so was a legend born.] * Theodore winces a bit at that. "I wonder if they still make them out of metal." He then goes back to the blackboard office to try to find any general materials. Encyclopedias or dictionaries I suppose." (Theo's looking for, what, a Britannica type thing?) (Yes. He's going to smack Eui with it and see if it gives him amnesia.) * Terry walks to the bathroom to see if there are any other cups in there. [Terry doesn't find a cup in there.] (There were Styrofoam cups referred to at various points.) (I totally forgot about them! Does the cupboard in here have them?) [Terry finds some at the back of the cupboard.] * Terry takes a stack of them to the bathroom and fills two up with water! Then he drinks hurriedly and winces slightly when some water spills and runs down that bruise on his chin. [Theo does not find a general encyclopedia in office four. He does find specialized encyclopedias that are probably not what he's looking for.] [Theo does find an abbreviated dictionary. No name brand!] * Theodore grabs the dictionary and the T volume of the encyclopedia. He also grabs A, B, and L. He could probably carry more, but he's still hurting. He then heads back to the moonlit room to find out what exactly a television is. [Theo is grabbing volumes of an encyclopedia specialized for chemistry.] * Theodore tries anyways. Who knows, might be covered. If Television and Laptop aren't in the chemical encyclopedias, he'll switch over to the dictionary. [The dictionary it is.] [Laptop apparently means either the area on top of the thighs while sitting or a portable computer.] * Theodore makes a note to check computer after checking television. [Television is a medium that transmits images and sounds.] * Theodore hmms. "My.." He then checks computer. [Computer means generally a person or thing that performs computations. That, or an advanced device relying on binary circuits to execute programs and store information.] * Terry doesn't wipe up the spilled water before walking back to the main room and to Miya. "Hey Miya?" * Miya keeps crying, though she makes a vague "uh huh" sound. * Terry kneels down. "I brought ya some more water. Think we're gonna go out the front door after ya drink an' stuff. 'Cause that whole going out the window thing totally didn't work." * Miya looks at Terry, blearily, and lets out a long, ugly sniffle. She reaches for the water. * Terry gifts Miya with water, and assuming she can hold and drink it without help, he goes back for the paper towels. * Miya does hold it! She stares for a moment, then has a drink. [Miya drinks water. It's refreshing.] * Miya is refreshed and depressed! * Terry gains paper! * Terry brings back the paper towels and hold one out to Miya. "Uh, here, ya can like blow your nose an' stuff." * Theodore sighs. "I have a lot of learning to do." He then glances out the window, sees that the police are presumably still there. He then puts the dictionary down and clipboard up and mutters to himself, "Heavens protect me from my own foolishness." He walks back down the hall towards the kids that are inexplicably still there. * Theodore re-emerges into the lounge cleaned up and wearing a jacket. He's got a clipboard in one hand. "Decided against escape?" * Theodore's tone is fairly resigned. * Theodore also makes a point of avoiding eye contact with Miya. He still keeps a careful eye on her anyways. * Terry looks up at Theo. "Like, they were shooting at us so... like the front door's looking really good right now, ya know?" * Miya can barely see anyway. She doesn't even notice as she half-blindly grasps the paper towel and mutters a thanks. * Miya blows her nose. The constables? They're likely antsy because of Mr. Manchester. I could probably explain our predicament to them. Although perhaps I should read those letters first. ::He glances at Eui.:: * Miya murmurs something in Japanese again. * Terry looks back at Miya and rubs the back of his head. "Ya can probably tell I'm not so good with this stuff, an I'm runnin' out of ideas so... I dunno." * Theodore nods and takes the letters from Eui assuming he doesn't resist. * Eui-Tae glances back, letting Theo take the letters. "I'm just tired of this. We just have to get out of here." * Terry nods after Eui speaks and turns his head towards him. "Kinda working on it, I think." * Theodore nods. "I'll check if these help explain our situation. If they don't, I'll just talk it out with what I've figured out." [Theodore notes that one of the letters is from M. Godspeed. The return address is in South America. Another is from Mr. and Mrs. Phelps.] * Theodore reads the letters. M. Godspeed first. [The letter from M. Godspeed reads, "Thank you again for recommending my brother for your program. I know that the recent discovery of my financial contributions by your colleagues put you and Fenton in an awkward position, and I appreciate that you assured your colleagues that everything was legitimate." It continues...] ["I hope to hear from you soon about Theo's condition."] ["I've always blamed myself for what happened to him, as you know. Yours, M. Godspeed."] * Theodore snorts but seems a bit touched. He then reads the letter addressed from Mr. and Mrs. Phelps. [There is a note saying, "Please read this to Terry." There is a letter saying, "Dear Terry, we miss you very much. Everyone here is doing well and we're all looking forward to seeing you again. Your friends Chad and Herbert miss you too. Get well soon. Love, mom and dad."] (OH MY GOD TERRY TURNED INTO A HOMOSOCIAL.) * Theodore smiles slightly and hands the note to Terry. * Terry takes the note and reads. "Huh, how come... oh yeah, she doesn't exist here. Guess my parents are still kinda cool an' don't know what's goin' on here, huh." * Miya seems to have calmed down. She's wiping at her eyes now and just sniffling a little. Guess so. * Miya says, in a small voice, "I'm gonna turn myself in." * Theodore nods. "Alright. I'll go talk to them from the conference room. I'll make arrangements for us all to leave without being fired on." He walks back down the hallway and goes to the conference room. O... * Eui-Tae gulps. "Okay." * Miya sort of trails off as Theo leaves. "'kay," she finishes lamely. But what if... oh. * Miya gazes at the floor. * Theodore checks to see if the window opens. He stands a bit to the side while he does it. No point getting shot after all this. [Theo's window doesn't open.] Uh... yeah. Uhm... * Theodore grumbles and walks back to the lounge window. He grabs a few sheets of white paper and waves them outside while calling out. "I'd like to speak to a constable, please!" (Easier than finding a white flag. :P) [The female constable looks up warily. The male one with the nine toes is not in view.] * Theodore puts away the papers and then sticks his empty hands out. "Agreed? I'm unarmed." ["No funny stuff!" calls the cop.] ["We got a call saying some nut was loose in the building with a gun, killing people. And we've already been fired upon. You try that, and I will shoot you."] * Theodore puts his hands on the sill and pokes his head out. "I wouldn't dream of it. There are four of us up here. We were all patients. Mr. Manchester, the fifth, is below us, with two pistols, and has killed at least two guards." ["What the Hell is going on in there?"] * Miya sits up and pokes her head above the sill so she can see out the window. It looks very blurry! * Terry stands near Miya, but, like, farther back an stuff. This is a mental hospital. We were all in here for hallucinations and memories corrupted by suggestibility. They found a treatment to make us lucid. It worked, but the alternate memories didn't go away. * Theodore glances down at Miya's head poking. He looks a bit cautious, but one problem at a time. ["What kind of crazy language is all that? What the Hell does that mean?"] * Theodore sighs but smiles. "Here's the simple version. We all remember living in a different year than the present one. I couldn't even remember what a television was. Unfortunately, Mr. Manchester thinks he's a military agent from the future being hunted by evil creatures from other planets." ["That's some crazy shit."] * Terry lets Theo do the talking. * Theodore doesn't wince at the language. Guards talk that way. "Yes. Quite so. Unfortunately Mr. Manchester has military experience from the 'Gulf War'" Theo says it oddly as it doesn't mean anything to him. "So his delusions are backed by dangerous skills." ["And you? What's your story?"] My name is Theodore Godspeed. My sister embezzled money from the family company, drove us into disgrace, and apparently pushed me over the edge. I can't recall anything invented after the railroad and primitive horseless carriages. Suffice to say I'll need to go back to school. * Theodore's tone is intentionally self-deprecating. Like he understands how silly that sounds. ["You don't sound crazy!" The cop's weapon, though still aimed at Theo, isn't as tightly aimed as before. She's clearly lowered her guard a bit.] ("No, trust me, we have some crazy people up here. Like this girl next to me...") * Theodore nods. "The treatment worked for most of us. We just had to get over our confused memories. We read some magazines and papers they left up here while Mr. Manchester was downstairs causing havoc." ["Who else is up there?" The tone gets a tiny bit more urgent at this question, bordering on threatening but without active hostility; the cop clearly wants that question answered.] Three others. All juveniles. They've had a hard time of this as you might guess. Want names? ["Keep 'em for now. So, you're all nice and sane now?" The cop sounds somewhat skeptical, but her gun is at this point only pointed in Theo's general direction.] * Theodore nods. "Yes. But we understand if you want to be cautious. We can come down slowly and you can take any precautions you like. We just don't want to be left up here while Mr. Manchester is loose. * Theodore looks over the others. "Right?" * Miya looks up at Theo. "They won't shoot at me?" * Miya stands and calls out the window, "You won't shoot at me, will you?" * Theodore looks to Miya. "Not if you do what they say. They're constables; they just want to keep the peace." I- I know, but they shot at me before... That's 'cause they didn't know who you were, an' stuff. Yeah, they were confused, like us. * Theodore nods. "They panicked. Mr. Manchester probably gave them quite a scare. It also sounds like that particular officer of the peace was an nitwit." [Everyone except Theo hears a series of gunshots coming from the other side of the building. The cop looks startled, but fortunately doesn't react by shooting Theo. "Stay up there!"] * Theodore nods. "I understand." * Miya chews on her lip. [The policewoman waits a moment while the shooting dies down. "Okay, listen. Are you safe from that Chesterfield guy up there now?"] We have the door barricaded. [The policewoman nods. "I saw that girl on the rope earlier. I was distracted by Officer Darsey... being injured in the line of duty," her voice is concerned, but there's a muffled laugh anyway, "But it looked like she almost fell."] * Miya starts when she hears that, and she calls, "That was me!" (... I love how Miya treats that as a shout-out.) (She's happy they actually care.) * Theodore nods. "I can carry her down. I have climbing experience." He looks down at Miya. "With your permission of course." Huh? But I- but- * Theodore doesn't feel the need to add on that if she backstabs him, they're both dead. * Miya looks worried. "You shouldn't." They should have ladders or... or something. * Terry stays quiet and lets the grown-ups sort this out. * Theodore nods. "Or we could wait for ladders. Assuming Mr. Manchester doesn't try to break through the barricade." * Miya winces a little and looks down. But I know how to climb... really... ["I can call to have a fire truck here within a few minutes."] Hey, that sounds kinda cool. * Theodore nods. "That will be fine. Thank you." [The policewoman reaches into her car and takes out one of those mike things and mutters into it.] ["It'll be here in five minutes. You just sit tight."] * Theodore calls out. "Alright." And he then turns to the others. "I think I was able to figure it out after reading through a good number of books. There's a form of insanity that makes you hallucinate and leaves you highly suggestible. There wasn't a known cure." He waits a second to see if everyone follows. So you're saying we were highly suggestible, they gave us suggestions, and since there wasn't a cure, they just kinda left us that way? That seems kinda stupid, ya know. Not necessarily. I think they made the chemical in an attempt to synthetically replicate the effects of the insanity. Once they did that, they could make another chemical to reverse it. (Terry and Eui stare blankly. Miya attacks something.) * Miya does not. She keeps staring blankly OUT THE WINDOW. Ha. That's uh... So... * Terry rubs the back of his head. So they tried the cure on us. And it sort of worked. We're lucid and not suggestible. We just have weird memories. Mr. Manchester's problem is that he reacted... badly... to those memories. Yeeeah. So... uhm... shouldn't we all have, like, another set of memories or something? * Theodore shakes his head. "They were corrupted into the memories we have now. With time they may come back. Or they may not. The cure only made us lucid; it didn't bring back what we lost. * Miya sniffs. She's crying again, but at least it's quiet this time. She keeps looking out the window. Oh. So, we can have a go at this world. Alright? They'll probably want to study us for a bit, but so long as we stay calm and learn about what we've forgotten, they should release us. I don't wanna be released. * Theodore nods. "Alright. Then tell them that. You can get the care and safe environment you need." * Miya hugs herself. "Yeah, I was gonna." She doesn't sound resentful. * Terry nods. "Like, maybe... Man, I dunno 'nough 'bout any of this stuff." Maybe they'll, like, find a way so ya can come out an' stuff. I mean, gettin' locked up sucks no matter what. Regardless, we can send Terry and Eui-Tae out first. They can explain the specifics. I'll head out last in case Mr. Manchester tries anything at the end. * Miya shrugs. * Eui-Tae fiddles with a pencil. "You know... If you want to return back to your delusional world, you can do that too." * Terry blinks at Eui-Tae. "Like, how's that work?" Two chemicals, one counter-acts the other. I mean, like, we're still gonna be here too right? Oh, of course. But, well, let me put it this way. Your mind would still be occupied with your memories, continuing what you thought was real in that world. I doubt that's what anyone in authority would like, though. But, like, it's not real. So, I mean like if I could go for a time like it was a game or something that'd be cool, but I mean, I'd be out here drooling or something an' that's not right. But the delusional world would not be real. It would also not be remotely as satisfying as the memories. It essentially means you'd be giving yourself over to insanity. * Theodore nods at Terry's comment. "Exactly." (Theo should be worried that he can understand what Terry is saying now.) * Miya keeps looking at the blurry world outside. Her tears make little trails down her cheeks. Precisely. And it couldn't be reversed. The chemicals weren't made to work that way. Once you're to the mostly drooling stage there's no way back. * Terry blinks. "But, we did, didn't we? Or are we all drooling here?" * Theodore shakes his head. "It's about repeated dosages." * Terry nods like that made sense. "'Kay." (Heh, Terry and Theo both smile and nod at each other.) (It's their bond.) (Team T!) So... like, are we gonna keep in touch after we get out or anything? I hope we can. You'll be seeing more of me, you can be pretty sure of it. * Miya swallows. "I dunno? I'm... you probably don't want to see me anymore." Yeah right. I need a Japanese contact. ~_^ But- um, I tried to hurt you. You tried to hurt them. And maybe me. * Miya turns and looks at the other blurs in the room. She's been crying, but they must know *that*. "And... I, um... no, I'm pretty sure I did." Nah, except for that you've been cool. 'Sides, it's not like I haven't hurt me either. Well, primarily I've got an industrial empire to rebuild. And a sister to scold. But I'm unlikely to forget the people I went through this with. * Theodore smiles as he said that last bit. ( By which I mean, if I see Miya within ten blocks of me, I'm unlikely to forget to run.) (Naw, he'll have a car by then. Zoom!) * Terry looks up. "Like, maybe I should, you know, write down that whole list." * Miya looks down. "I'm sorry I hurt you." Hey, as long as everyone's okay in the end. But they aren't. 'Salright, I'm sorry I lied. * Theodore looks to Miya. "I accept. You're taking responsibility for your own actions. I do respect that." * Miya nods. The blurry floor is interesting. * Theodore doesn't follow up. * Terry looks down and then pulls out his deck of cards. "Man, this's gonna be weird." Yeah, really weird. * Theodore nods at Terry's comment but doesn't add anything. * Theodore takes out the wallet and keys he got from the first guard and puts it on the table by the couch. He prefers not to steal from the dead. [Terry and Miya hear what sounds like gunfire again, from the other side of the building. Ah, that wacky Mr. Manchester keeps the cops on their toes.] * Terry shuffles through them and stops at a card that looks like a stopwatch with gloves and shoes when he hears the shot. After a moment, he talks. "I mean, Chad an' Herbert. I, like, hung out with them sometimes an stuff, but like they're kinda boring." Are they, um... nice? * Miya looks over at Terry's blob. * Theodore has no real advice to give on productively getting through childhood. (Well productively, yes. Making exciting friends, not so much.) Yeah? But, I mean, Meri used ta come up with all these crazy ideas an' stuff an' then I'd, like, come up with a way ta do some of them, an' then if they're fun then we'd show them. It's not like they're bad or anything, just, I dunno, they weren't as fun ta be 'round. 'Cept... like, I'm supposed to be with them or something. Well, you're allowed to make new friends. An', I'm still all scratched up an' stuff, so we musta been doing somethin'. I dunno. * Miya nods. Well, um... you don't need to forget her? Even if she isn't... real. I don't want to forget everyone I met. At the- at the mansion. And some of them are in comics and movies and... yeah. But they were nice to me. (Miya could write some mean X-Men fanfiction.) * Terry nods. "Well, yeah, I've known her since I moved, but, like I haven't. So I mean even if I remember what actually happened, she felt real too, ya know? Yeah, kinda the same. Yeah. * Theodore lets the kids talk. He glances out the window occasionally. [There is a knocking sound at the stairs. A voice- male, but not Manchester's- calls, "You in there? This is the police. We've taken the other guy into custody."] (Right as I'm about to offer to teach people how to play Yu-Gi-Oh while we wait.) * Miya turns to face the door. "Oh! Um..." She walks over to try to disassemble the barricade. * Eui-Tae breathes a sigh of relief. (Now I don't have to listen to Terry talk about how to play Yu-gi-Oh.) * Eui-Tae goes about helping the disassembly of the barricade! * Theodore walks over to the stairs and starts to help. "Yes. We're here. We're dismantling the barricade." * Terry puts his cards away. "Yeah, but like, there's a table an stuff 'cross the door." * Terry goes to help. Then move it! * Miya MOVES IT. You're so damn pushy. [The barricade is disassembled and three cops enter. One runs off to check the floor as the other two, both white males in their thirties, stare at you motley crew.] * Miya looks up at the blurry cops, then she give a nervous smile and bows. "Hi. My name is Miya Yoritomi. It is nice to meet you." [One of the cops, who has a mustache, just kind of blinks at Miya. The other looks at them and says, "You kids look like you're ready to go home."] [The mustachioed one is standing by Theo, as if preferring an adult to the kids. Kids are scary.] * Theodore seems to have similar preferences. (They'll beat you up.) Like, I'm Terry Phelps, an', uh, I'm really glad ta see ya. It's been ... different. Yeah. Eui-Tae Kim. Just, well... I just need to go home. (It's a TOXIC WASTE DUMP, EUI. AHAHAHA.) (SUCKS TO BE YOU!) Theodore Godspeed. Home would be nice, but first, a long bath and the financial section of the newspaper, if that could be arranged. [End!]