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

"I thought those were to help with the symptoms after we got each others' memories." Mainly because he also figures Zero didn't actually want them getting sick all over his shiny, shiny room.

"If that were the case, it'd be better to give us somethin' like crackers and flat soda, or peppermint tea," said Heiji, looking a bit skeptical that Zero would even care.

"Or some over the counter medicine for the headaches and so on. Or not subject us to his quack procedures in the first place."

"It's weird that he'd give us anything at all unless there was a reason for it, though..." This is Zero, after all. He didn't seem the type to do anything if there wasn't a logical explanation for it, even if they didn't know what that explanation was.

"Yeah, I'm just grousin'." GRANOLA BARS, UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!

"Hey, I got a question for ya. You think people change, or mostly stay the same?"

-? Where did this come from?

"It depends, but... everyone changes after a while, don't they?"

"Yeah," siad Heiji thoughtfully. "I'm thinkin' about what Hershel said, 'bout us maybe bein' different people after we get our memories back.

"If ya think about it, we're really not the exact same person day after day, it's just that we change so gradually no one notices. But I think some things stay the same."

"...Probably. Otherwise we would have all acted the same when we didn't have any memories at all." There was clearly some core personality that differentiated them from one another. "But... does it matter? Even if we had all of our memories, going through something like this would have changed us, too."

"I dunno, I think it matters. Not havin' the rest of your memories for context means you're examining the ones you do have with extra scrutiny. Tryin' to figure out who ya are. 'Fact, I think a couple of us might end up more ourselves than we were before."

He grinned broadly. "But me, I'm basically the same."

...

"So you think you're an exception?" He... sort of follows, but...

"To what? Trying to fish for clues? Nah, I been tryin' to figure myself out since day one. But I do think I ain't react the same way as everyone else to certain stuff."

What's that supposed to mean, Sasuke...

"...You don't think you'll change as much as the rest of us might once we get our memories back." Is generally what he was trying to say, but well.

"...Do you really think any of us will change a lot because of it?"

"Oh yeah. I don't think so, 'cause of all the stuff I remembered already. Plus I figure Zero wants to get us off balance. So I ain't gonna give him that satisfaction!" After all, if Heiji could deal with bodies falling from the sky and people trying to set themselves on fire, he was sure he could deal with most things.

"Well, I don't think it's possible to remember somethin' real traumatic and not change at all." For instance, memories of their abusive older brother...

Yeah, no, we're not going to talk about that guy. Let's keep talking about Heiji instead.

"But it sounds like you've already remembered some traumatic things..."

"Yeah, and I think it affected me some, but..." You know what, so much talking about Heiji, WHAT ABOUT TALKING ABOUT SASUKE.

"Well, what about you?"

This isn't nearly as fascinating of a topic, though.

"...What about me?"

"Well, I mean... what ya found out about your brother. Most people wouldn't just shake that off." Though even Heiji wasn't enough of a cad to outright say 'gee Sasuke aren't you super bummed that your brother choked you all the time??'

How gracious of you, Heiji.

"...It isn't like he's here. I don't even remember it myself, either." Meaning that yes, as usual, everything's alright. Totally.

"Yeah, but still! It ain't like bein' mugged or having some stranger take a potshot at you. Family members shouldn't act like that."

Although it was apparently okay for Heiji's dad to punch him in the face and use him as bait for crime gangs, that was fine...

"So what am I supposed to do about them?" Apparently he's too weak to try to fight back. And even trying to see the town nearby just got him locked in the storehouse instead...

"It doesn't matter anyway. As long as I focus on getting out of here, that should be fine, right?" Neither of them are here, so as long as he keeps his mind off of it...

"Why don't you come live at my house?" That seemed like a great idea; they both lived in Japan, after all. Close enough to be feasible, hopefully far enough to circumvent choking!

"I'm sure my folks'd be happy to have you around, and anyway it's gotta be better than what you were dealin' with."

...

Whatever reply he was expecting, that definitely wasn't it. Forgive him, it's going to take a bit to process.

"...They'd really take in some kid they don't even know?" Somehow he's... dubious.

"Why not? They put up with me, don't they?" Yes, that was certainly true... whoever his parents were, they apparently put up with a son that liked to run around poking his nose into crime scenes and almost falling off cliffs and god knows what else.

"Anyhow, you're not 'some kid'."

"I would be to them. Even if we got out..." and that's not even a guarantee, mind - "...Would they really want to deal with an extra mouth to feed? They don't even know me." It's a nice thought and all, but the chances of it actually being plausible...

CALHOUN HOUR - BINGO II

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