THE FINALE - 【 ZERO 】 ESCAPE

[vivariummods]

It's been ten days since the so-called "anniversary" on Day 90. Every single trace of a makeshift casino has been cleared out, leaving this suspiciously identical second warehouse empty (and the doors within that lobby locked), and Calhoun has mysteriously stopped dropping by as often as he should have. In the rare times he did drop by, he hemmed and hawed about what was happening and outright avoided answering any questions, shrieking that he's a busy mouse and he shouldn't be harassed by test subjects. Thus, for nine whole days, not a single particular event has occurred. No Calhoun Hours, Ambidex Games, or even a little announcement. It's not until the morning of the tenth day that something finally transpired. A loud siren goes off and the sound of a heavy door being slid open echoes from the second warehouse's lobby. Within seconds, however, both nuances cease and silence returns...

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BASIC INFO

[vivariummods]

✖ This will be the final event of the game. All threads of the event will take place in this post.

✖ There is not a set time, but the arc will last approximately 2 OOC weeks and 1 IC day.

✖ If you have any questions? Ask and we will try to get back to you asap.

✖ Have a final nice trick!

【 ONE 】

[vivariummods]

[ Upon investigating and returning to the second lobby, the door furthest away from connecting hallway between both warehouses has opened up. This entrance leads into a dark corridor, approximately two meters long, before a final open door. Inside is a vast greenhouse, built and maintained similarly to the Garden, but far larger. Between the supplies, animals, and what seemed to be once a little garden, it's seems like an abnormality compared to the cold and mechanical nature of any previous rooms. The most striking feature within this room, however, would not be the resources nor the sheer existence of this room, but rather for the number of bodies spread out on the grassy fields. ]

[ This second group, wearing identical but blank bracelets, is the very same group who have originally shut down the power to the warehouse and attempted to make an escape. This group, who has been unconscious since that day, will appear in a similar yet recovered state that they were before somehow being transported here. Those with broken fingers may find that it appears to be mostly healed yet still weak and in pain at any movement, and those who were blinded will discover that some sense of sight has returned to their eye, albeit blurry and slightly dark. They may become aware of these facts later down the line, but they will realize immediately upon waking up (either to the sound of the sirens or to the original group entering) will be the fact that they cannot recall as to how they managed to appear in the Greenhouse. ]

[ Their last memory may be of the rising water in that final room, of attempting to escape, or even of leaving through a locked door with a twist of betrayal. The end result will be the same, however, as no one can simply remember how they have fallen unconscious and for how long. One might conclude that it must have been some time, as the injuries from the 'Would You Rather' has healed up considerably, but without a calendar of some sorts, it's difficult to say. Regardless, it is clear that someone has moved them back into the Greenhouse and has now opened up the door to a new group. ]

[ All without any clues as to why... ]

[detectiveofthewest]

Heiji was curious about the greenhouse, of course, but the appearance of new test subjects (?) after so long was even more enticing a mystery. He'd approach the newcomers one by one, asking after them and trying to figure out who was injured. It did not escape him that their bracelets were blank.

"Hey, you all right?"

A bit after the greenhouse area opens
But sooner or later, he'd start poking around. Certainly someone had been looking after the animals (the robots again?), much like the fish in the maze. He reached over to pat the goat's side. "Hey there, fella. You been keepin' this field nice and cropped?"

[1st_response_is_anger]

Am I all...*Maria started at the newcomer, mouth gaping open.* Holy shit, where did you come from?

[1st_response_is_anger]

*Good God, what happened? The last thing Maria remembered was cold water threatening to drown them all. And the person who put them there... She sat up with a gasp. A pain shot up her hand. That's right, she had to break one of her fingers but for some reason, it had mostly healed. What. The. Hell?*

Guys? GUYS! Where are you!

[babel_hacker]

I'm over here!

[Atsuro's up on his feet and is walking over towards her.]

Are you okay?

[babel_hacker]

[The sound of the siren stirred Atsuro awake. He blinked groggily and his vision was briefly blurry. After he blinked a few times, they're mostly cleared up. After sitting up, Atsuro raise a hand to his head and looked around.

And then, the situation sink down in him again.]

W-What! The water--what happened? [He quickly looked around for the others.] Guys?

[detectiveofthewest]

"The water?" Heiji backed up a bit on the grass, peering at Atsuro from his new vantage point. Atsuro didn't look particularly wet.

"Your friends are in here, too. 'Least, I think they're your friends."

[blind_badass]

*He'd heard the sound of new voices, new people thrown together. What was going on?* Were you stuck in an elevator with water? *It usually happened that way, except that everyone was in a lobby and not in this completely new place. A wide open space, based on what he heard.*

[elliexir]

[ Ellie only awakes shortly after the second group and she awakens with a small groan. She coughs and looks upwards at the artificial sky. It takes her a second register what she's looking at (with both eyes, even) and when she does, panic and confusion quickly sets in. She bolts upright a tad too fast and a wave of dizziness overtakes her. She places a hand on her head. ]

Holy shit... [ She tries to look around, and then attempts to stand up, but when everything is spinning around you, it's surprisingly difficult to keep on your feet. She sways dangerously as she rushes to get up. ] What even happened?

[ What happened to the water? What are they doing here? Who are these new guys? Is Rio here? ]

[detectiveofthewest]

"You okay?" Heiji put out a hand in case Rio needed it to steady herself. "You're with the rest of these guys, right? They said you were in a room about to be drowned."

Maybe Zero had waited till they were unconscious and easier to deal with, then retrieved them. That seemed like a Zeroish thing to do.

[1st_response_is_anger]

Ellie! *Oh, is Maria so glad to see you and your bad joke making self!* You're okay! At least I think you are. *She holds up two fingers.* How many fingers am I holding up?

[toybombs]

[Group Two's most popular member wakes up with a start, her eyes immediately scanning her surroundings. This is...

No...

No, no, no, no.

She gets to her feet with about as much calm as she can muster, quickly and quietly moving away from the group. Her first stop is the tent, where she quickly finds and retrieves a knife. The next is one of the trees, which she quickly climbs up with a dexterity never before revealed to her fellow group mates. It's there she will remain, the knife tucked away in the pocket of her coat as she sits up on a branch that isn't likely to hold anyone who weighs much more than her.

She might not be able to stay here forever. But she can damn well try.]

[not_that_sasuke]

[A - Group 2]

[Well then. This explains what Zero had been going on about, regarding that other group. He'll go to anyone who isn't being helped at the moment, giving them a hand up if they need it, or even a support on their back if they're having trouble getting up.]

...Are you alright? Do you remember anything?

[That... seems like a good place to start, at least.]

[B - Anyone]

[Once he's checked in with most of the second group, he begins to properly explore the place. It definitely appears to be a greenhouse, although...

...Are those chickens?

...And why is one settling down on his shoes??]

【 TWO 】

[vivariummods]

[ Within 30 minutes of the meeting between the first and second group, the screen in the Greenhouse (up against the wall beside the entrance) flickers on. It gives off a bright green tint and remains on for a few minutes before the blinking cursor begins to move and type. ]

IF YOU WISH TO LEARN THE TRUTH OF THIS PLACE...

COME TO THE MAIN WAREHOUSE LOBBY AND TAKE THE HIDDEN ELEVATOR DOWN.

HOWEVER, IF YOU WISH TO STAY IN BLISSFUL IGNORANCE...

THEN STAY AND WAIT.

REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU MAY CHOOSE, THE NEXT STAGE WILL CONTINUE.

WITH OR WITHOUT YOU.

[ And with that, the screen turns itself off... ]

[detectiveofthewest]

(Heiji read off the message for Snake first, ever conscientious. )

"Well? What're we waitin' for, let's get a move on!"

【 THREE 】

[vivariummods]

[ True to the message, those who venture back into the original group's warehouse will find a new entrance: the hallway to Zero's elevator. One might remember this area opening up during the blackout, when Zero made a personal request to barricade it, but now, in plain sight and in broad day, the hallway and the elevator is shockingly open. This elevator is strangely large, easily fitting in the entire first and second group, if needed. Furthermore, there is not a single button on the panel. In fact, there's not even a panel at all, or even an indicator of what floor one might be on. Asides from the iconic metal doors, one could never assume this to be an elevator... Regardless, once everyone steps inside, the doors close and begins to take them to some unknown floor below... ]

[ The trip itself seems unbearable slow, especially without any way of seeing where one is heading, but after what seems to be only a minute or two, the elevator comes to a complete and sudden halt. It rattles back and forth, then stops and the doors suddenly open. As they do, thick smog rushes to fill in the elevator. While this air is surprisingly breathable, it's difficult to see through it and it smells of sulphuric acid. Furthermore, it's filled with dirt and dust, easily making one cough. ]

[ Should one look outside the elevator doors, they will see themselves in a large, yet strange, room. With the dim lights and the thickness of this air though, one might not be able to see very far, or even get very far, as if they were to look down, they will see a large pool of something... ]

[ The elevator doesn't seem to be moving anymore, however, and in fact, the lights within the elevator has turned off. It appears that it no longer has any intention of going anywhere, at least unless something happens... ]

[toybombs]

[...Great. More swimming in... something. Rio will stick near Heiji, hoping he'll be nice enough to at least intervene if someone decides to try to get... violent with her.]

Does he really expect us to swim through that?

[Ewwww...]

【 FOUR 】

[vivariummods]

[ Upon powering the elevator, it restarts its painfully slow descent once again. Without an accurate measure of time, it's impossible to say how long the ride down is, but one could estimate that it takes minutes before the elevator finally comes to a complete stop. ]

[ There is a long pause before the doors slowly creak open, making way to a small yet dark room. Only a few things illuminate this room, asides from the light coming from within the elevator. There are the usual red blinking lights from the security cameras lined up against the walls, those are simple enough to figure out, but the multiple faint blue glows circling the room are more difficult to differentiate. Upon closer inspection though, they seem to be the same sort of memory pods that most would be familiar with; the very same pods that allows one to receive one memory of their own or of another person's. A low hum emanates from the machines and asides from these pods and cameras, there doesn't appear to be anything else in this room. ]

[ On the furthest wall away from the elevator however is a long and thick window. This window doesn't appear to be made of typical fragile glass, but rather something much more durable and able to withstand a great deal of force. Should any character attempt to try anything, they will find that it'd be quite difficult to do any sort of damage to it, especially without any sort of tool or weapon... The most important detail to this window is not its strength, but rather what can be seen through it. ]

[ Rows of monitors cover the side walls of this unreachable space, showcasing every angle of the current room, the elevator, and the previous large and heavily polluted room. Asides from these monitors, there's nothing else within this area, only containing a door at the back. After a few minutes of the characters entering this floor, a loud beep sounds from this door. It slides open and a familiar figure walks through it. ]

[ Dressed in the very same clothes and gas mask that they always appear in, a black raincoat and gas mask, Zero walks up towards the window with their hands placed behind their back and stands in the centre. ]

[ Being here in person and not in a recording or through a very limited view of a camera, a lot could be seen through Zero's appearance. Standing at a height of 5'4", the raincoat actually is more than just a single coat. It's difficult to tell, in the darkness and with all the black clothing, but the outfit has at least two layers. There is the hood that is completely separate from the coat, coming down over the shoulders, and then the main cloak itself. Both articles of clothing do well in covering its wearer as not a single bit of skin or flesh could be seen, not when Zero is so well dressed. ]

[ Zero stands there for a few seconds, as if taking in the sight, then speaks in the unmistakable garbled voice. ]

Welcome, test subjects, to your final trial.

[detectiveofthewest]

"Oh? Plannin' on giving us back some memories?" Heiji was a little crabby about that last room, but heck. If they were going to have to get into the pods, he'd be happy to get gross trash water over one at least.

【 FIVE 】

[vivariummods]

[ There are three main endgame choices that characters may choose, with each of their own advantages and disadvantages: ]

[ 1) Characters may choose to leave through the Number 9 door, regardless of how much BP they have (or if they don’t have any at all). Zero has gathered a satisfying amount of data from everyone that losing anyone would not be such a devastating blow to the experiment; thus, granting them the opportunity to leave. However, Zero warns that the outside world is not what they will remember it to be. This "new" world will be difficult to survive in and for many reasons. The environment has been reduced down to a wasteland and even simple pleasures such as finding proper shelter would prove to be challenging. Furthermore, Zero’s test subjects are “different” from ones living outside. Some on the outside may not take too kindly to them, and characters will surely face great hardships upon leaving. However, if they do leave, they will leave with most of their memories (up until the point the “new” world came into being) and with whatever belongings they have on them. They will be given the pleasure of doing anything they wish, whether it is to attempt to rebuild the “new” world or to find their friends and family members (if they are still alive). Characters will be free to live their lives according to their own rules, and not Zero’s. ]

[ 2) Characters may choose to stay and continue to participate within the experiment. Zero will establish that this experiment is for the good of humanity and that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. These test subjects are “special” and “different” from the others, and by staying, they will surely be helping the less fortunate ones living outside the warehouse. Even if it was stated that there is a sufficient amount of data was gained from this batch, they could always gather more and Zero will provide them with shelter within the warehouse, free from the dangers of the “new” world. They will be granted the privilege of having the necessities they need to live, and without worry of the hardships outside. They will never have to constantly worry about being unable to find a roof over their heads, not having proper heating, or having to sleep with one eye open. They will continue their lives within the warehouse, but by agreeing to stay, they will not be free from the Ambidex Games, Calhoun Hours, and the rules of the Nonary Game. They will continue to live under Zero’s watch and are subjected to whatever that may happen during the duration of the experiment, but Zero will guarantee that each test subject will be given shelter unlike anywhere else and their efforts will not be in vain. ]

[ 3) Characters may choose to join Zero in "running the show". It is clear that there are not enough people to take care of everything within the warehouse, with Zero overseeing the entire experiment while Calhoun maintains it. Characters would be placed in a much stricter environment. While characters will not be forced to partake in the Nonary Game, they must assist Calhoun in running it and will be isolated from all others, from both the test subjects and fellow volunteers. Furthermore, they must continue to wear their bracelet, which would still contain Soporil β and Tubocurarine. These restrictions are placed to prevent any sort of disobedience, and characters will have to follow Zero and Calhoun’s every orders, but in exchange for the assistance, they will not have to worry about the concerns that come along with the Nonary Game, and will be able to still assist the experiment by allowing it to run smoothly, even if they are no longer the test subjects. They will also be rewarded with the same rewards in the second option, but to a higher degree of quality. As long as characters are willing to work underneath Zero and help create the very same puzzle rooms that they went through, they will be ensured a comfortable life. ]

[ These are the three options to the final decision characters will make within the game. Zero will cover both the advantages and disadvantages of each choice, but will not persuade and force anyone to take one decision or the other. They are simply here to inform test subjects of which path they may take, and will leave it at that. ]

[babel_hacker]

[Atsuro's quiet, really quiet as he think deeply about this. But he knows what he'll choose, after he heard what Zero explained about their options.

He looks up and ask the nearest person.]

... Which one are you going for? I'm... going to work for him.

[blind_badass]

*Snake couldn't stay in this place any longer. Surely his family still lived somewhere, wherever the hell they were, since Zero neglected that bit of information. However, venturing out alone into the wilderness sounded like a great way to get killed. Still, he couldn't stay here.*

I'm going to leave.

【 SIX 】

[vivariummods]

[ After enough time has been given for characters to decide, everyone will ushered out back to the main floor of the warehouse and be left to start whatever path they have chosen. For some, it may be goodbye, while for others, they are together for a little bit longer. ]

[ Regardless of how it may end, whether it is a happy one or more solemn one, the choice has been made. There is no going back on this decision, and the only thing left to do is to accept it and all of its consequences of it. ]

[detectiveofthewest]

"Alright, let's blow this popsicle stand!" What was existential angst. Heiji wanted the fuck out of this experiment, and no way was he ever going to help Zero run things. That was not even a question.

Infernal wasteland? Fine, bring it.