vivarium | CALHOUN HOUR

Early in the morning of Day 84, an announcement booms from the warehouse speakers:

"All test subjects report to the first floor lobby immediately for your next experiment."

Zero's unmistakable garbled voice goes silent afterwards. Once everyone gathers downstairs, they'll be treated to an unexpected sight: Zero standing in front of them in the flesh. Standing tall (at 5'4"...), they're donned in the same piece of clothing everyone remembers them in: a black raincoat (large and long enough that it covers their entire body, leaving no distinguishable features), a full facial gas mask, and matching black gloves. It seems as if Zero really dislikes showing skin...

"Today, you will be participating in a game of, what you may call, 'Bingo'. I believe most of you have participated in this before. The rules and explanations are on the back of the cards." An arm is raised to motion towards the paper cards scattered on the nearby table, then it falls again.

"Due to some... unfortunate events, I will monitor you in person. However, do not underestimate what will happen to you should you decide to cheat, escape, attack, or do anything that will break my rules. Your bracelets are still very functional and my cameras will continue to record every move you take, so I suggest that you refrain from doing anything foolish."

"Now begin."

BASIC INFO ✖ LET'S PLAY BINGO ✖ TURN-IN ✖ POST-EVENT

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

.........

"Is this... a prank?" Yes, he's asking the plant. Yes, he's standing there with no one around talking to plant Jake. There's only one person capable of this... "Heiji..."

It was totally Heiji, who was hiding behind a nearby tree like a giant nerd and trying not to laugh out loud and sort of failing at that.

"H-Hershel, what're you and Jake doin' out here?"

That actually startled him, though he quickly goes from surprised to begrudgingly amused. "It's really a startling similarity, isn't it? They could be twins." Dry, and he smiled as he walked over. "You're an odd duck."

Sometime after this thread Heiji might find little cut out of paper octopi all over his stuff, if that's okay. Enjoy.

Excellent, paper octopi.

"He really is lookin' more and more like a lumberjack these days. Or maybe a red bear." What a shitlord.

"How you doin' at bingo? Good enough to plant some flowers later?"

A devastating prank, truly.

"I swear, I wish he'd just buy a razor. He's so stingy." Sigh. Jake. At Heiji's question he pulled out his somewhat filled out board. "I don't think I'll be finishing it, the more violent ones aren't really to my taste. I probably would have enough for flowers though, but-" He shook his head. "I need to try to pay Jake back still, even if I don't think he'll accept it, stubborn bloke that he is."

"Yeah? He is pretty stubborn, I'll give ya that. He was complainin' about people helping him while he couldn't see."

He sighed. "I wanna know what brought Zero down here... only every time I've asked him somethin' before, he never answers. And it's not like we can do anything to him, so does that mean we just gotta stick around and do nothing?"

"Thank goodness his eyes are back to normal." Jake did not seem to be a fan of that help at all, the charming dude that he was. "Now if only he'd shave."

Hershel glanced over to Zero, brow furrowed. "It has to be a test or a trick of some sort. There's no way he'd just come down here for anything less. It makes me nervous. I think he wants to goad someone into trying to attack him."

"Yeah, or else he'll end up with gruel all in his beard." Eww, gruel-beard.

"That sounds like somethin' right out of Calhoun's book. I definitely don't think he'd come down here if he ain't have to. I wonder if it's part of his 'experiment', too."

"That's disgusting..." He never needed the thought of gruel beard in his life, Heiji. "I'm definitely buying him a razor."

"It must be, why take the risk otherwise? He can't be one hundred percent sure we won't find some way to overpower him, or worse, that someone might not believe giving their life to try and get his wouldn't happen." He crossed his arms, sighing. "It's very strange behavior, there must be something going on. Maybe we should try talking to him."

"Right?" Heiji seemed almost happy having grossed Hershel out. "That guy needs some hygiene in his life." Otherwise, he'd just bury his beard face into a bowl of gruel, Jake was an actual monster.

In any case, Heiji nodded. "Yeah, let's do it. He hasn't exactly been a fountain of information so far, but maybe he'll answer a question or two."

Thoughts of horrible gruel beards aside Hershel nodded, glancing to where Zero was. "Might as well, it's not like we'll have a lot of chances like this." Unless Zero wanted to party with them more.

He headed over almost reluctantly, keeping some distance because he really wasn't all that sure about being anywhere near Zero. He'll glance to Heiji before turning to their dear friend. "Hello, Zero." Smooth opening.

"Yeah, what's shakin'?" Heiji asked, just two test subjects and their captor here, nothing to see.

"So what's this about 'unfortunate events'? Musta been pretty unfortunate if you're out here."

CALHOUN HOUR - BINGO II

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