Fifth Floor, Administration Office

[TheKingInYellow]

Aidan slams the door shut, probably louder than would be wise.

"That bloody ash... Although, that axe might be handy..."

He goes back and forth in his mind, deciding whether or not to try and grab it, eventually deciding that he won't risk the ash unless he can find something to cover him. He can't help but feel a little cowardly.

He moves on to the Chief of Staff's Office and tries the door.

[Laraqua]

Locked. He can hear a voice murmuring behind it, though.

[TheKingInYellow]

Aidan ponders over what to make of that. Eventually, he knocks on the door and waits for response.

[Laraqua]

The door opens and sees a nurse peering out at him. Her eyes bleed, the blood running down her cheeks toward her chin. Ropy blood dangles from her nostrils. "It's ... yeah ... a down ... of course." She smiles, her smile faltering and returning. A hammer held in her right hand.

[TheKingInYellow]

Aidan backs away nervously. "Now, madam, no need to worry," he begins in a calm, non-confrontational voice. "I'm one of the survivors, too. You're injured. Please, put down the hammer and I can give you assistance."

He continues to back away, not really knowing if he has any chance to difuse the situation.

[Laraqua]

"They're coming from down... We must build a net. We must build a net t-t-to... They're coming." She turns and shuffles back inside the room, leaving the door partially opened.

[TheKingInYellow]

Aidan blinks a few times, not entirely sure what to make of that response, though supposing it's not so unexpected from a victim of such a traumatic event.

Curious, perhaps morbidly so, he looks into the office, though he wraps his hand firmly around the doorknob, ready to pull it shut in case the woman does pose a danger.

[Laraqua]

The entire room has, where possible, been dismantled. The book case is in pieces, the shelves removed, the desk as well as the cupboards have been chopped up roughly at the edges and piled to one side. To the other side are the objects, too metallic or thick to be dismembered. The nurse returns to her task.

[TheKingInYellow]

Confused, Aidan closes the door. The woman needs help, but not any he's able to provide. When help arrives, he'll make sure that someone gets her out of there.

Help?

He hadn't considered it, but would help come? The whole city could very well be in this state of emergency. What's more, people are probably expecting the hospital to be coming to help them and clearly that wouldn't be the case.

Feeling rather unsettled about the matter, he dials the authorities on his cellphone while trying the door to the Staff Office.

[Laraqua]

"This is ... station," says an oddly toneless voice, the words broken up by bursts of static. "Do you need assistance?"

[TheKingInYellow]

"Yes! This is Aidan O'Connell at [hospital's name]... I know that you must very busy, but is anyone coming here? We need help. As far as I know, the Children's Ward is unattended and ... The kids... They need help!"

[Laraqua]

"Are you That Which Breaks Forth?" asks the toneless voice. "We are seeking That Which Breaks Forth. Tell us where it is so that we might rest."

Another voice breaks through, weaker, and barely heard above the static. "Hello? Who ... in a shambles ... can't ... try to get here ... we could ... streets are ... hello?"

[TheKingInYellow]

"That which breaks forth?" Aidan asks back as the second voice comes in.

"Hello?" He practically yells it. "This is Aidan. On the fifth floor. Where are you?" He pauses, thinking about what he's doing. "Are you here, at the hospital?"

[Laraqua]

"The police ... where ... can't seem to ... radios seem to function better ... hospital?"

[TheKingInYellow]

"Yes! We're at xxx hospital. There are children here. They need help!"

[Laraqua]

"...to help but we need to stay here ... many refugees ... not enough ... need medical supplies, though..." The man chuckles. "...local police station ... three or four blocks from Mercy Cross ... come ... bring supplies ... the front end of the cloud ... dangerous ... not so bad now ... things out there ... gone fishing ... could try ... one police officer? How would you all ... here, though?"

[TheKingInYellow]

"Well, no... You can't put yourself in danger. But... Please, as soon as you can. We're in bad shape here. I'm going to try to find the children's ward, I'll try to keep them safe..."

Aidan sighs in defeat, though it's about what he expected.

[Laraqua]

"...phone number ... repeat several ... can make sure I hear ... please?"

[TheKingInYellow]

"Yes, of course!"

Aidan recites his phone number several times, slowly and carefully.

"Did you get that, sir?"

[Laraqua]

"Yes, we should be able to get to you..." He chuckles. "Looks like the connection cleared up. This is Sergeant Hawkins here. We've got about sixteen cops here. We broke open the gun's cabinet. The place is barricaded up pretty tightly. We got about sixty civilians in here but not enough food for any of them. You're probably in better shape than us. We got a ... well, this is gonna seem pretty weird. We got a man here who sealed this place up tight. We had renovations a few weeks ago and he did some funky stuff for the window and door frames. He can't quite remember why he did it, but."