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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【 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.

[not_that_sasuke]

If he's surprised at Zero's appearance, his expression hardly betrays it. Perks of being generally stoic.

"What do you want from us now?" And is this really going to be the last hoop, finally?

[formicarium]

Do you truly think I would have brought you all down here, just for some memories, Subject 3?

[ Sarcasm or not, Zero doesn't seem to appreciate the foolishness of even asking that question, but then goes to address Sasuke. ]

But you should know precisely the reason as to why you are all down here. Must I repeat my message?

[not_that_sasuke]

Good to see he's as helpful as ever.

"You haven't told us a thing about the trial itself. How are we supposed to know anything when you keep hiding everything from us?"

[detectiveofthewest]

"Nah, I just figured the pods were part of the trial." You know, like they had been during one of the last rounds? Keep up, Zero.

"But since you're all about not wasting time, why don't you quit footdraggin' and tell us what you're planning this time."

[babel_hacker]

Atsuro stared at Zero, examining him. So this was Zero...

"Yeah, can you explain? Just for those who might've missed out on your message."

[formicarium]

[ Zero seems to be amused by their frustration, raising their head up slightly. ]

Very well, then let us proceed. [ And then the head comes back down to a normal level. ] Your final trial will be deciding whether you wish to leave this facility or to stay.

[not_that_sasuke]

Um.

"Is that even a question?"

And even more importantly-- was Zero seriously offering it?

[babel_hacker]

Atsuro stared at him. That's it? It's so simple, it's suspicious.

"... That's it? Nothing more to it? Anything that might influence our decisions, because the way it looks like to us... why would we stay?"

[blind_badass]

*Why would this be an option? All the strange storytelling and games and behavior seemed to be leading to a truth. An unsettling truth.*

What has happened that would make you think we would want to stay?