Self-Medication [Miles/Teagan/Yuki/Open]

[Miles]

There was only so much for a youth to do on winter break in Keystone when it was snowing like it had been. Miles had played in the snow, won and lost numerous snow ball fights, played all the bored games in the Wesson, on top of running at the crack of oh-dark-thirty with Art and wearing himself out. They were running out of things to do, and pranking the residents of the Wesson was pretty much out of the question--between Yuki, Deacon, and Art, they were bound to be hurt or retaliated against.

So Miles did some poking around, surfing local news sites, scouring the newspapers, and eventually he found a lead. There were people disappearing from the hospital, and consequently there were people found dead in town drained of their blood, "in some cult ritual" the police were baffled by. Cults in Keystone? It was unheard of. Not since the whole westward-movement-gold-rush-cowboy-and-indian-times.

Obviously it was vampires, so Miles called the attention of Teagan, his obvious choice at the moment since the faction leaders were in some hush hush meeting currently, not to mention Teagan was probably the only person that would let him tag along. With an obvious interest, they loaded up, and got into the car with a few of the others that were hanging around.

Sitting outside the hospital, Miles pulled his laptop out from under the seat. He hit a few keys, and then the patient list of the hospital popped up on the screen. He ran through the list of names, and picked one of a female, in for some sort of surgery on her leg. "Alright, Teagan and I are getting in to see our step-mom--we're the only ones that can pass as siblings. Anyone else is family friends," Miles said, closing the laptop and stuffing it under the seat again. "Let's go."

[Teagan]

Teagan flipped through her notebook, casually reviewing the pages she had scribbled weeks worth of notes across. She sat curled up in a chair in the Wesson, attempting to kill time and, as Yuki and Aiden had lovingly put it. 'not make any unnecessary commotion'. Right. Like she purposely went around trying to be noisy or something.

Besides, how could she be noisy when everyone else was determined to be boring?

All of the others had drifted off into some corner of the world, minus Art, who sat immersed in his own book across the room. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment, wondering exactly how someone could voluntarily scan page after page and enjoy themselves. It might always be a mystery to her, but she found herself wishing she understood, if only to understand Art more. This quiet side confused her, even if Teagan did find relief in the fact that it was nothing like the Arthur.

Realizing she was staring, her gaze returned back to her notes. Some of her handwriting she classified as illegible, a terrible fortune. Often the girl considered just typing the notes on the computer to save her eyes from straining to read hastily written letters, but files and computers were easily hacked. A movement in the doorway caught her attention.

Miles stood quietly, beckoning her. With a questioning glance, she closed the journal and headed toward him. It didn't take long to catch on to what the younger boy had uncovered. Impressive, really, that he had figured out the plot by himself. Art and Deacon didn't give the kid enough credit. Would she help? Well, it was help or die in silence.

Teagan made her choice in record time, barely blinking before agreeing. Not long after, she found herself driving a group to the hospital. Aiden surely wouldn't mind if she borrowed his car for a few hours. Especially since it meant she wouldn't be causing trouble at the Wesson. He'd understand.

Or maybe he wouldn't. But it was insulting to be left out of a team meeting. All of the group risked their lives daily just to be kept out of the loop on the important information? Yeah, that didn't sit okay with her.

So Aiden would tough it out, Teagan decided as she listened to Mile's plan. "Let me do the talking, alright 'little brother'? Unless someone older thinks they could handle this better." Her voice trailed off, waiting for a reply.

[adrian]

"Nah, nurses and doctor's love little kids," Adrian said as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes and his lighter. "I'm just the free chauffeur since none of you can drive." He didn't know how old these kids actually were but they all looked like babies to him. "This is your take down little man," he said to Miles. "I'll be out here enjoying the little bit of freedom the United States Government has not taken away from me, 50 yards from the hospital or any window or door, and I'll be back up if you need it."

Adrian turned off the car and rolled down his window to let the smoke drift out before leaning back in his seat and seemingly going to sleep. He broke the illusion by sitting up and turning the radio a little higher. This time it was playing what sounded like Swahili chanting music accompanied by a xylophonist and some thumb pianos , ah the wonders of satellite radio. Then he relaxed again and waited for the kids to make the next move.

[Yuki]

Ever since arriving in Keystone and having to wait for every faction available to show up, Yuki had been itching to go on a mission. Things were too quiet around Keystone for her tastes, everyone was too lax. She needed to be doing something, studying or training, which she did occupy herself with, but there was only so much she could do before she got...well, bored. She needed fieldwork too, and with no available cases, she found herself following the routine of the same day-to-day training. Even when everyone was present and accounted for, the faction leaders had all gathered for a "private" meeting, in which faction members were not to be a part of. After much protest, yet eventual acceptance, Yuki found herself impatiently waiting for something to happen, for a chance to apply the knowledge she had of the world of the supernatural.

So when she overheard Miles and Teagan discussing a potential expedition outside of the Wesson, she jumped at the opportunity in a heartbeat. She joined the group in the car, and although she fought for the position of driver, she conceded after remembering what had happened the last time she drove. Shuddering, she recalled her and Teagan's experience with that blasted cursed hand and how the car had stopped working...and the seatbelts...and the snake...and bear...and skunk...

Shaking her horrid memories, she focused on the passing scenery outside as she sat in the car seat. At least she was doing something now. Besides, Teagan couldn't be left alone on a mission without some form of adult supervision. ...And Adrian didn't count. He may have been the oldest there, but...what was the American saying? She had deemed that he acted his shoe size, not his age.

She was about to open her mouth in protest to Miles' and Teagan's plan, but as she thought about it, it was actually a decent course of action, and she remained silent as the two children exited the car. She watched in disgust as Adrian blew out the smoke from the cigarette in his hand, wrinkling her nose from the foul smell. "You shouldn't smoke. You are aware that it will cause your lungs to deteriorate with the build-up of tar and nicotine. Such a filthy habit," she chided Adrian from her seat in the back.

[Teagan]

Having to turn the keys over to Adrian to let him drive was not a thrilling concept for Teagan. She was old enough to drive and probably the only person in the area with a legit license for the United States! ...then again, it was for the state of Washington, but it could apply in another state for a few days, at least. Regardless, Aiden and Yuki had instructed her not to make a scene, so she tossed the keys to the guy and grumbled as she entered the car.

The plan was decided quickly enough. Before following Miles through the hospital doors, Teagan strolled back to the car. She knocked on the passenger window then paused as Adrian reluctantly rolled it down.

"You should worry less about what smoking will do to you and concern yourself more with what Aiden will do to you when he finds out you smoked in his car. Friendly word of advice." She winked impishly before racing back to where Miles waited.

"Just to make sure that isn't something else Aiden can hold over my head," she shrugged, changing her focus to plaster a concerned and worried expression on her face. The nurses had to buy it, or they'd never get in the building. Shoulders dropped low, Miles and Teagan approached the desk.

A short, well-built man sat at the security desk, eying them carefully as they approached. The hospital didn't like children waltzing around freely and polluting the air with ungodly noises. "Hi, how can I help you today?"

Teagan took the initiative to speak. "We're here to visit our step-mom, Rachel Bloomington."

"Alright, one second," the guard pulled out a notebook from his desk and quickly flipped through the pages. "Room 482. Elevators are to the left and here are your wristbands. Wear them at all times, okay?"

"Thanks," Teagan nodded, allowing a slight bit of relief to relax her face. That had been way too easy. She turned to the elevators and gently pushed Miles in the right direction. "C'mon Max, let's go see Mom."

[Miles]

Miles glanced at the name on the screen once more just to be sure he had it right, and then closed his laptop; a number of security protocols were now in effect, so if Yuki or Adrian tried to access his system, they would have to input various passwords. He opened the car door and got out, looking at the hospital in the afternoon sun. Glares bounced off the many windows, and a line of ambulances sat off to the side, prepped and ready to speed off at the first sign of incident in the small town.

Teagan got out, said something to Adrian, and then joined him. Okay, so they get in to 'see their mom,' get passed the desk, and start looking around. If anyone asks any questions, they missed their floor in the elevator and got lost trying to find them again. Simple enough, right?

They approached the desk, and already the staff was casting suspicious looks at them. Really? They were teenagers in a hospital, if they weren't coming in themselves, how bad could they be? Teagan spoke before he did, and they were given the wristbands. Hook, line, and sinker. He slipped the band around his wrist, and followed Teagan in.

Once the elevator doors closed, he looked at his friend. "Max? Really? What a lame name," he sighed. "Whatever, what floor do you want to start on? Or should we split up?" His gaze glossed over the lines of buttons on the wall. Now that they were in...what exactly were they supposed to be looking for?

"Uh...how are we supposed to find it? All we know is that the bodies are here, from the attacks..." His gaze fell to the ground, and he frowned. "We can't really get anything from the bodies, can we?" The doors opened on the third floor, and Miles stepped out. He surveyed the room, a pediatrics ward. While his mind was mulling over the possibilities of what to do in the hospital, he caught a worried look on one of the nurses faces.

"You know that local cult? They said they just found a victim up on the fifth floor. They're locking down the building right now, and the cops are on the way. They don't want any of the kids leaving the floor, anyone that looks under sixteen."

Spinning on his heel, he shoved Teagan back into the elevator and pressed the close door button. "Did you hear that?! It's in the hospital. We can't go on that floor, or they'll hold us there. They're probably not trying to alarm anyone, so power and the elevators should still work..." he trailed off. "They can't interrupt surgeries for this, so they'll try and act natural. What should we do?" he asked.

Little did either of them know that Casey knew of this case as well, and knowing that there were two hunters that he was personally involved with on the case, he had prevented the call to the police from going through. No officers were coming, at least not now, providing them with a chance to find the vampire.

[Teagan]

"It's a name close enough to your real one that you won't have a delay when I protect your real identity," Teagan rolled her eyes. She'd have to keep in mind that Miles here hadn't completed many field missions. Looked like it was time for someone to get an education. She listened to his concerns, letting him vent out his nervousness.

There wasn't much to be nervous about; after all, she was Teagan Cassidy. Of course she already had a plan.

"We're not splitting up right now, Miles. Last thing I need are the Rook brothers decapitating my head for letting something happen to you. You're going to stay close. We've got to watch each other's backs until we identify the vamp." The hum of the moving elevator continued as they went higher up in the building. Theoretically, they should've figured out where everything was located before they walked in, but since the mission came up last minute, they didn't have a wide array of choices. "The bodies would be the best place to start, actually. Just to double-check that it is a vampire we're after. If we spend our whole time hunting for the wrong creature and don't have the right supplies to kill it, we're doomed."

With a soft jerk, the elevator came to a stop and Miles was out the door before they opened halfway. A small smile tugged at the corner of Teagan's lips. Instead of following, she raised her attention to the directory on the side of the elevator wall. It'd be good for future reference to know what floor each department could be located on. Her eyes scanned the sheet, memorizing all of the information in one glance (a skill Aiden had ingrained into both of the girls). Currently, they resided on pediatrics, but there was a slim to none chance of finding the vampire there. Too many people would have their eyes on the little ones. Protective parents and sympathetic nurses surely lined every wall, guarding over their precious angels through the long night.

Teagan started to follow Miles out of the elevator to tell him they had the wrong floor when he shoved her back in and quickly punched the 'close door' button on the panel. She raised an eyebrow, and the boy quickly retold the information he had overheard.

"On the bright side, the vamp isn't hungry at the moment," Teagan muttered. That meant it wouldn't randomly attack the Hunters until it knew their true identities and purpose behind their hospital visit. Good news, except for that small bit about calling the cops. As children visiting their 'sick step-mother', they'd probably be shooed away from any important crime scene. And if anyone looked into their claim to discover they weren't actually related to the lady, the two of them would automatically find a place on the 'suspects' list.

But they had to get a glimpse of the crime scene.

And the bodies.

Time to get some real-life application in on Miles' studies. "You make the call, newbie; dead bodies or CSI?"

[Miles]

"Fine, Cassie," Miles responded, leaning against the wall of the elevator. "Wow, apparently we're straight out of the nineties," he added, thinking about it. "Cassie and Max, can our names be any more plain and cliche?" Miles made a mental note to make a list of aliases that they could use in the future. It'd be a fun project--how many obscure video game references could he make and get away with it?

Would Deacon really kill Teagan if something happened to him? Art wouldn't, he was too anti-conflict pacifist. But what could happen to them in a hospital? Surely if they were injured, they could get the medical attention they needed and be on their way. Whatever, if Teagan wanted to check the bodies to make sure it was a vampire, then so be it.

It was right out, and right back in after overhearing the nurses. The hospital was going to be locked down, and the cops were on the way. How much time did they have? "Well most of the staff is probably going to be making sure that no one gets to that dead body in the crime scene, which means we should have time to get in and see the older bodies. And if we can hang out long enough, maybe the fresh one will come to us," Miles said, though that depended on how long the police took.

He pressed the down button for the sub-level, and felt the small jerk as the elevator started to descend. It opened on one floor for a doctor dressed in a white coat, and the lights inside flickered before going out momentarily. The power had been lost. Miles knew that hospitals had generators for this, but not everything was going to get that power, and on the not-list seemed to be the elevator. "Stairs it is," he said quietly to Teagan, stepping out and looking for the nearest staircase.

[Teagan]

"Good thinking," Teagan nodded, leaning back as Miles pushed the button for the lowest floor. "We'd have to find a way to be in there without attracting suspicion, which is nearly impossible. Unless I pretend to be an intern or something, but I don't have the fake ID for this specific hospital. Just the ones in Portland," she winked. Perhaps it would be time to branch out upon their return home.

After a moment, a soft ding announced their arrival. Teagan allowed the doors to slid open, casually glancing around to see if any medical personal were in the vicinity. "Clear," she motioned, stepping out into the hall way. Their footsteps echoed down the corridor and an eerie feeling settled in the pit of Teagan's stomach. Dead things still creeped her out, to a small degree. Sure, this wouldn't be her first trip into a morgue, but dead people were dead people.

And in the world of the supernatural? Dead people could be enemies.

Safe to say, she was cautious as they passed through the large, white door that bore the nameplate of a morgue. A quick scan of the room cleared any thoughts of security cameras, hidden or openly displayed.

"You search the body containment unit for the victims while I find the medical evaluation." Teagan pointed to a steel wall layered with what looked like cabinets to give Miles the right direction to head, while she busied herself flipping through the information on the clipboards in the local area.

[Miles]

Unfortunately for Miles, he was still too young to pass as an intern or federal agent, or anything else they could think up to help them on a hunt. He could only pass as a high school student, and while he could whip out some intense electronics talk, it might not be enough to fake being some kid genius. Teagan was sort of lucky in that regard, she was old enough to pull an intern or staff, or something like that. He was stuck on the bench.

They walked down the hallway, and he was already taking stock of the hallway before Teagan was checking the room for cameras. This hospital seemed to be under the impression that their dead patients wouldn't be walking away, so there was no need for a camera. Not that it'd be a problem if there was, a simple loop on the main screen would suffice and give them plenty of time down there.

He walked over to the wall, which he was well aware that it was filled with dead bodies. The room was cold, and flourescently lit, giving it a slight creepy vibe. Teagan wandered off, and Miles took a deep breath before opening the first door and sliding the metal table out. Instantly the scents of various chemicals filled his nose, and he tried his best to ignore it. The body, a woman, was literally pale white in the light, and a quick scan showed that there was no bite wound. He pulled the next out, a man, and still nothing.

The third body, one of a teenage boy, was their first ticket. "Teagan, right here. Look for the file for Ronald Jameson," he called, reading the name on the tag attached to the body. He leaned down and took a closer look at the bite, which was bruised and black, almost like rotting flesh. There were clear punctures, like a set of teeth, only too many to be human.

"Vampires all right," he muttered to himself, and then took a step back. "It doesn't look like he tried to fight them off. What do you think?" he asked Teagan, more of an open question about the whole thing than just the body.

[adrian]

Adrian ignored the woman in his car. He had a feeling everyone actually engaged with her and, by doing so, somehow enabled her ridiculous behavior. He had no intention of being her current object of derision just so she could validate and shore up her own personality as a spiteful, elitist loner. One day she'd grow up and learn how to interact with real people without pissing them off. Or not. He didn't really care either way, as long as she stayed out of his shit. Besides, he doubted he was going to die anytime soon.

He checked his cell. He was %95 certain the little kids had his cell number and would call if they got into too much trouble. Of course he also knew just how quickly a hunt could turn bad. They may not have a chance to call. He debated what to do about it. He honestly didn't think he'd have the easiest time getting into the hospital but it wouldn't be impossible. He sat back and tried to imagine what he'd tell the hunters back at the Wesson if the kids died.

"Yes I let children fight a vampire alone while I sat in the car. Why? Because it would have been a hassle to get into the hospital. That's why." Fuck. That was unacceptable. "Stay," he said over his shoulder as he got out of the car and headed towards the hospital.

[Yuki]

After accordingly condescending Adrian's disgusting action of smoking, all she got in response was silence. Perhaps her knowledge was sinking in his thick head and he was realizing she was right. Of course she was right--she was always right. And if he wanted to get anywhere in life, the only thing he'd accomplish by smoking was shortening it. She held her gaze at the back of his head as he continued to lift the cigarette to his mouth. What a fool, she thought to herself, averting her gaze to the window.

A light snowfall drifted across the glass and with the whiteness of the snow reflected in her eyes, she stared apathetically outside, glancing every now and then at her cell phone for a call or text from Teagan. Surely the child would alert her if she were in danger. Although, it was possible she would attain the "I-Can-Do-It-By-Myself" attitude, knowing her. Don't let this hunting trip go to your head, Yuki chided, as if mentally projecting the information to the girl.

A sharp, cold breeze wafting through the air caused her to turn around, revealing an open car door and Adrian exiting in its midst. ...Stay? Before she could say anything in protest, the car door slammed behind him, and she was left, offended and slightly perplexed.

....Stay?!

Oh, hell no. What was she, a dog?! That stupid idiot was going to get himself killed. Her hand gripped the handle of her door, but she hesitated to continue. ...What if the children came back to the car and they weren't there? They'd call, right? She took a moment to contemplate her actions. Chase after the fool, or stay put? She glanced at her cell phone, looking steadily at the seconds passing by on her digital clock. It had been a while since they had been in the hospital.

"What the hell," she muttered under her breath, bolting out of the car. Besides, she definitely wasn't going to let Adrian steal all the glory on this mission.

[Teagan]

Though she wasn't proud to admit this fact, Teagan recognized what most would dismiss as medical jargon with ridiculous ease. Flipping through page after page of medical histories for deceased patients, her eyes grew familiar with identifying the cause of death category at the middle right of the page. Suffocation, mental illness, motorcycle crash, helicobacter heilmannii and homogentisic acid oxidase deficiencies. Yeah. Not quite the vocabulary of the average teenager.

Proving themselves worthless and not of her interest, Teagan returned the files to the desk and picked up another set. Miles’ voice from behind gave her a tip in the right direction. “Got it.” She quickly scanned the remaining pages until she found the requested file. “Found passed out in an alleyway branching off of Main. Huh. We passed that on the way here, didn’t we? So that tells us the vampire is somewhere in the local vicinity…” Her voice trailed off, as she read and absorbed the rest of the information. “Written off as an animal attack after discovering bites and bruises.”

She closed the book and winked at the boy next to her. “Yup. Sounds like our guy.”

Confidence radiated through her voice, but in reality, doubts crawled along the edge of her thoughts. Did she really have enough experience to simply scan a medical document and declare it the work of a supernatural creature, completely dismissing a professional’s opinion? What was her experience anyway? In a typical morgue situation, Aiden looked over the body, Yuki took care of the charts, and Teagan?

Teagan stood near the doorway, ready to throw herself into the hallway and play the role of a very lost girl who couldn’t find her mom. That’s right. Lookout. Guard. If she could, she’d divide her attention and listen to what Aiden and Yuki were mulling over. So what on earth gave her the thought that she’d be able to pull anything off in the morgue?

“Here, time to get your feet wet in this hunting business,” Teagan picked up a pair of gloves and tossed them at Miles. “The wound should be around the neck, from the reports. Check and see how deep it goes.”

[Miles]

While Teagan looked for the file, Miles' eyes naturally fell to the body that was now laying next to him, suspended in the air by a metal gurney sticking out of the wall. A blast of cold air was rolling out of the cooler the body had been in, the body itself pale and drained of blood. The autopsy had already been conducted so there were various incisions and areas where the skin had been cut open and left unstitched. Miles felt his mind race at the sight, but he calmed himself; it was just a dead body, it wasn't going to jump up and kill him.

Teagan found the chart and read it aloud, with Miles looking at the body and finding the cuts, scrapes and bruises that were mentioned. An animal attack? Miles made a mental note not to be attacked by any animals because if this was an animal attack, it looked extremely painful. Odds were this guy tried to fight back but failed, and in the end was killed.

He barely caught the gloves as he registered Teagan's words.

"Y-you want me to do what?!" he hissed, the gloves crumbled up in his hands. "There is no way I'm touching that thing!" Suddenly that calm mindset was gone, the idea of sticking his fingers into someone's neck to see how deep the wound was, feeling the flesh, and the muscle, and the adipose tissue, and there should be blood and there wasn't and the body was cold and...

...his stomach began churning, and he had to turn his back to the body to steady his breath. "I don't think I can touch it, Teagan. I'm serious." The gloves were hidden within his fist, compressed so much that his nails were likely ripping holes in the latex. A cold sweat broke on him, and he steadied his breathing and turned around, trying to psych himself up to be brave enough...

..the wound was all purple and swollen.

"No, sorry."

[Teagan]

Miles' flat out refusal to check the wound surprised Teagan, and yet at the same time, didn't. No one in their right mind would find it okay to just touch a dead body on the spot. It took a specific mental state to even go near them. So she perfectly understood the hesitation Miles had. What she didn't anticipate was the ferociousness and fear in his voice.

She had really spooked him. Crap, this leading thing wasn't starting off on a good note. "You didn't think I meant to use your finger, did you?" From his ashen complexion, that was exactly what he though.

"No...no! That's not what I...I mean, that'd be unsanitary! And...well, here, let me show you how to do it." Teagan rushed to put on a pair of gloves and grabbed the medical tools set to the side. Quickly she used one of the devices to open the wound and the second to push through a small hole. If Teagan could finish this stupid thing fast, perhaps the awkward tension that flooded the room would disappear. "See? It's a little deeper than a normal animal bite and..." She put the tools back down, wiping them clean on a nearby towel. "Yeah. That's about it."

Teagan cast a concerned look toward the boy, half-wondering if she needed to grab the trash can in the corner. Perhaps it would be better to put the body away. Without another thought she re zipped the body bag and slid the corpse back into the quiet wall.

"Well...it's a vampire. We should probably find a weapon." Any excuse to get out of that room now.

"Or something."