Everyone who attended the 2003 Halloween Party had good time but my
perspective on it was rather limited so I'm not the best person to tell you
about it.
     Luckily I see someone who can.
     Harley, if you've got a few minutes to spare?
     Excellent.  Our guest would like to hear about the Halloween Party so
I'll just give her a little background then you can do all the talking.
     I'd like you to meet Dr. Harlene Quinzele.  She served as Mistress of
Ceremonies for the 2003 Halloween Party.  She was something as a last minute
replacement as Dr. Emma Frost had volunteered to organise the events and
entertainment for the party since she had Friday, October 31st off thanks to
using up accumulated overtime.  But after she finished her last shift on
thursday (Oct. 30 '03) she mysteriously disappeared from sight.  But all the
equipment and catering requisitions were being made for the party so it wasn't
like nobody was organising it.  So we all figured Dr. Frost was keeping a low
profile so she could concentrate on it without her interns and colleagues
distracting her by bugging her for help or information.
     Anyway posters went up all over the Institute saying that it would be a
Halloween Costume Party and staff could invite guests of their choice.  Long
as they weren't patients and didn't try to get contraband past security which
nobody did (it helps to have a reputation).  Also that since many staffers
would be getting to the party until just after finishing their monday to
friday shift and wouldn't have time to get a costume there would be a chance
to win a free costume and valuable prizes.
     Needless to say attendence was high.  I was thinking of skipping but
Tasha, I mean Ms. Polecat, dragged me down there and while I had some initial
misgivings I had a good time.  But Dr. Quinzele can give you a better account
than I.
Halloween Party 2003



     Thanks Pheobe.  I'll take it from here.
     Well the party got off to a slow start which was the way I wanted it.
Everyone milling around over in that corner by the buffet table wondering what
was behind the freshly walled off areas marked "A List Guests only".  Which
puzzled everyone since no one had heard of the A List so everyone was standing
around looking confused.
     A lot of the staff were still wearing their uniforms but the invited
guests and those with less structured working hours had time to change and
arrived in costumes.  It looked like a few more than usual of the agents from
the Justice and Police departments we've dealt with had accepted the annual
invitations Grimbor always sends their way.  Speaking of whom the big guy had
got into the spirit of things and showed up as M. Bison.
     Nope, I doubt dressing as the boss of Shadowlaw pissed off them off.
Matter of fact a number of his law and order guests arrived dressed as
criminals.  Like Mihoshi and Kiyone from Galaxy Police and Ivy from Acme (the
Detective Agency not the anvil & explosives manufacturer).  Which reminds me,
Leonard had shown up dressed as urban vigilante Casey Jones and was getting
sick of explaining to people that his equipment bag didn't have a machete
because he wasn't supposed to be Jason!
     Watching via the monitors I figured that the crowd's curiosity had about
peaked so it was time to move before people got bored.  So I killed the lights
and thanks to a few gizmos borrowed from Sebastian I appeared in the middle of
the crowd with my assistants just as the spotlight switched on.



     I always did like to make an entrance.  First time I'd worn the old duds
since my days with Mr. Jay.  I tried to get the twins to wear costumes since
they dress like that every day but like they said if I was going to dress like
I did in my bad old days so would they.
     Yep, we all used to be wanted in the worst way.  Must run in the family.
But that was then and we're talking about the party.  If you really want all
the sordid details check my bio.
     Yeah, the Dee Dees are related to me but it's a bit complicated to
explain and would kill the story.  All I'll say is that when they showed up
here they were about to graduate from being juvenile delinquents to hardened
criminals.  Not anymore, Doria whipped them into shape.
     Of course not literally!
     Doria's a bit more subtle than that.
     Anyway she's a buddy (showed up at the party wearing that fake super
villainess outfit she used to con those WOOHP agents) and loaned me both her
assistants to help out in organising the party.  Which was about to get going
for real!
     I signaled Delia and she retracted the nearest partition while Deidre
joined me.



     That answered the question of where Emma had got too.
     No, I don't think anyone was too shocked.  It's fairly common knowledge
we have this friendly feud on Halloween. I remember one year she wrapped me
up as a mummy then stuck me on display in a fake sacrophagus as a Halloween
decoration.  Didn't get me out until maintenance cleaned the party up next
morning.  Win some, lose some and this year I got her first.
     There were four chairs set up in front of the wheel and I explained this
was how the game worked.  Everyone with a costume was automatically on the
A-list and could enjoy the full party.  But if you didn't there was no need
to fret as everyone could win either access to the party, prizes and a brand
new Delta Latex costume.
     Any staff member without a costume could sit down and play the game which
was simplicity itself.  On the right armrest was a joystick surrounded by a
circle of numbers matching those on the wheel.  The player pushes the joystick
to the number of their choice to pick a number which will be displayed on the
double sided digital display above the chair.  Soon as all the players have
picked a number we'd spin the wheel.
     If your number came up on the first spin you'd not only win A-List status
but you'd get two extra weeks of paid vacation time.  Grimbor interrupted and
asked how I could promise that but Margrave (who was dressed as Sailor Mars,
said she had a whole closet full of senshi costumes left over from her
courtesan days!) told him he had approved it yesterday and handed him the
paperwork.  He read it and glared at her and she said that she hoped he'd
learned a valuable lesson about reading everything he signed.  He stared at
her a few moments longer then laughed and said he had indeed so I could
promise extra vacation time as prizes for my game.  Besides he suspected there
was a catch we hadn't heard about yet.
     I'd been about to get to that.  The catch was that once you started
playing you couldn't stop until you won or lost five times.  So if you won on
the first spin you'd get the two extra weeks and into the party's main area
without a costume.  If you lost you had to play again.  If you won on the
second spin you got a week's vacation and Delta Latex would flow from the
tanks behind the chairs to give you a pair of thigh high latex boots.  So
you'd have your costume and could attend the party.  Lose and you also got the
boots and had to play again.  Win on the third spin and you'd get 5 days
vacation and a latex bodysuit to go with the boots.  Again the losers got the
same and had to keep playing.  Win on the fourth spin and you'd be turned
loose to enjoy the party with 3 days vacation and a openfaced hood added to
the bodysuit.  The losers also got a hood and one more chance.  Win on the
fifth spin and you'd get turned loose to enjoy the party with an extra day
off to take sometime.  Lose five times and you were out of the game and into
the penalty phase.  You'd still get into the party but you'd be working during
it.
     This was the big catch.  On your fifth loss you'd get a Delta Molding
Sheet stuck over your face giving that distinctive smile.  Mr. Jay
would have loved that stuff ... not that I'm not over him!  Where was I?
     Oh yeah.  Once the Molding Sheet was applied my beautiful assistants or
our associates, the Merry Pranksters (Margrave, Melanie, Erica and Catty)
would take the unlucky contestant into the party where they'd be given a task
to perform for the evening.  If they did a good job we'd peel them out of the
suits once the party wrapped up but if they screwed up there'd be another
penalty.
     Before I could open the first round Grimbor announced that before we got
started he'd be checking the wheel wasn't rigged.  I was a bit peeved he
thought I'd run a dishonest game (but only a bit peeved, all things considered
it was a fair concern) but didn't protest.  A lot of people were eyeing the
chairs uneasily.  They liked the prizes but were afraid it was all a big con.
     While Grimbor checked the wheel Emma did her best to attract his
attention by wiggling for all she was worth.  If she still had her staff badge
and could use her powers I'll bet she'd have been telepathically yelling for
everyone to get her down.  But while she caught Grimbor's eye he just said,
"What goes around, comes around" and got back to checking the wheel.  I told
the crowd that Emma was free to come down any time she stopped enjoying
herself but they could see how happy she was and until I saw a hint of a frown
she'd be part of the game.  Margrave chimed it that anyone who lost all or
part of their uniform from participating would get a no questions asked fresh
outfit issued with none of the usual demerits for damaging your uniform during
recreational activity.  On the job wear and tear is okay, ripping it while
pulling a prank on someone is your fault and punished.  I was glad I'd
recruited the Merry Pranksters to help out.  Thanks to Margrave's position as
the big guy's exec assistant we'd covered the major objections staff would
have against playing the game.
     Grimbor announced the wheel wasn't rigged and the balancing gyros would
keep Emma's weight and wiggling from throwing it off so the game was fair. I
asked for our first contestants to step forward and there was a momentary
silence.
     The lull was broken by Tasha who stepped forward dragging your tour guide
Dr. Pheobe ARNie with her.  I have to say Pheobe that you looked less than
enthusiastic but Tasha said it would be fun, win or lose. Is there a story
there, Pheobe?  I heard you were keeping a journal these days.
     Okay, talk to the reporter, not you.
     Got it.
     Sorry about that.  So anyway Pheobe was nervous about the crowd watching
them but Tasha told her to ignore them and just focus on the game.  Tasha sat
down in the far left chair and its automatic manacles clamped shut.  She
didn't even blink.  On the other hand Pheobe jumped about three feet and looked
very uneasy but she sat down next to Tasha and was locked in place.
     Tasha picked 13, Pheobe picked 7.  I waited but no one else sat down
which was a disappointment but I grabbed the wheel and gave it a hearty spin.
It came up 2 and since it was the first round nothing happened.  Tasha stuck
with 13 while Pheobe picked 2.  This time it was 9.  Both lost so the Delta
Latex tanks gurgled and enough flowed out to eat their shoes and form thigh
boots.  Now Pheobe looked really edgy but Tasha just smiled and told the crowd
she was sticking with her lucky number.  There was scattered applause and a
few laughs when Pheobe switched to 21.  I had everyone's attention but what I
needed was contestants.
     This time it came up 14 and they both got the bodysuits.  Pheobe looked
extremely jumpy but Tasha told her she was doing fine and could be proud of
being one of the few people in the Institute who had the guts to participate.
Which was a surprise as she'd thought some of the folks in security and the
acquisitions team had spines.
     Bless her, it worked like a charm.
     Toniya stalked over and sat in the far right chair.  A Jenny darted into
the empty chair before two others could make up their minds and they picked
their numbers.  I spun the wheel and everyone lost.
     So now Tasha and Pheobe had hooded bodysuits while Jenny and Toniya were
untouched.  Everyone picked a number and one of them got a lucky break.  And
so did I.
     The Jenny had picked 42 and that's what came up.  Soon as the thigh boots
had formed her manacles unlocked and she stood up.  I shook her hand and told
her she was our first winner and had an extra week of vacation coming.  Then
Grimbor got into the spirit of things and told the Jenny that she could either
make her own plans for the week or have an all expenses paid week at the
Institute's south pacific island resort.
     It's a small place Grimbor owns that's quiet and isolated.  We control
the only means of access and it's got beautiful beaches with plenty of space,
surfing, scuba diving and all sorts of fun in the sun.  There's a well
equipped lodge staffed by a few lucky administrators while the heavy work is
done by mecha and personal service is provided by staffers working off
demerits and humanoid mechas with simple AIs when there's not enough erring
staffers.  It's a great place to unwind and I just got back from two weeks
there which I'll get to later.
     The point is that this was the boost the game needed.  Everyone could see
we had a winner.  A winner who'd just won a week on Institute Island.  Sure
both Tasha and Pheobe had just lost a fifth and final time but now it looked
worth the risk.  Ri Kohran slipped into the Jenny's empty chair and soon as
our two unlucky contestants had received molding sheets and been carried off
Jazz and one of the Blues took their chairs.
     Like the Jenny the Blue won on her second spin and was replaced by a
Joy.  The Joy guessed 9 and won on the first spin!  She was the first to get
two weeks and enter the party costumeless.  I think I have a picture of that
in here somewhere.
     Ah, here we go.



     Jazz's chair was a little slower in pumping the Delta Latex than Ri's so
it was still forming her suit when the picture was taken while Ri already had
hers.  Ri looks edgy doesn't she?
     That's because she figured I had fixed the game and Grimbor just hadn't
spotted how.  So since she still had her staff badge so her psi-powers worked
she could read my mind and pick the winning number.  Really rattled her cage
when she figured out that it really was random.  That round was also Toniya's
fifth loss which is why her display's showing 00.  But soon as she was taken
away Rie grabbed her seat and there were plenty in line behind her..
     The game was a smash hit.  Everyone who didn't have a costume played.
     Well, almost everyone.  Tea had invited her boyfriend Yugi and it turned
out he wasn't wearing a costume.  He always dresses like that.
     Go figure.  Come to think of it Chun-Li wasn't wearing a costume either.
Some people it's harder to tell than others.
     Well she was the only other guest wearing everyday clothes and the game
was intended for staff as we couldn't give vacation time to guests anyway.
     Things worked out better than I had hoped.  The game held everyone's
attention long enough to give us plenty of unlucky contestants to work the
party so when they were in place I announced that the A list Party Rooms were
opening for those who qualified but the night was young and we'd keep running
the games for those who wanted in.
     The costumed crowd drifted away as the doors open but there were still
plenty of players willing to take their chances.
      I've got some pictures from inside the party rooms if you're interested.
      If not then I'll hand things back over to Pheobe.




     Thanks Harley.  So now you understand why I couldn't give you an overview
of the party.  I was too busy working during it.
     We had a great time at the 2004 Halloween party too!
     Well If you don't want to hear anymore about our staff parties then
unless you want another look at the Staff Lounge let's move on to something
else.

Perhaps for human interest purposes you'd rather hear about
some of the other pranks our staff pull on each other

Would you like to meet the Support Staff workers who attended the party?

Or our doctors and nurses who were also there?

So were the members of our involuntary patient acquisition
team, many of whom participated in Harley's game

Of course our Physical Trainer's assistants helped out Harley.  Curious where
they usually work?

Or we could change the subject entirely and I could give you the scoop on
our advances in humane capture technology

Alternately some visitors have been fascinated by the specifics of our patient
restraint and control equipment

Others have wanted to hear all about our use of robotics

If you insist we could take a look at our underground high security storage facility

Of course you can always return to the Open Wards

Finally there's one more option.  The place most everyone wants to see.


Do you still want to see the Grimbor Ward? 

If you really want you can return to the Lobby 

Or we can end the tour