vivarium | THE HEART OF THE MATTER

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THE HEART OF THE MATTER

Sometime early in the morning (or at least what feels like it, considering that there aren’t any clocks around), Calhoun will scream into a megaphone to wake everyone up. He won’t explain what’s going on, but he will say that he has a surprise for everyone. What is it? Well, they won’t know until they get up! So, everyone line up by the hallway’s door!

He’ll be calling everyone into a “☆ SECRET ROOM ☆” one by one, and spending a few minutes with them. In this room, it’ll be nothing but a table, two chairs, a metal cabinet, and a lone lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. Anyone who’s seen enough cop shows will notice that this is an interrogation room. Granted, there’s a sleeping pod in the corner of the room (rather similar to the same device that returns memories) and this room is a pretty fictional interrogation room as the real things aren't so hardboiled, but Calhoun is a fan of cop dramas and he only has so much power, so this is what he went for.

Anyway, in here, Calhoun will do one of two things:

1) Reveal an unpleasant secret about them. Of course, it might sound fictional at first, but then he’ll go into his little cabinet and pull out a folder to back up his claims. These reports don’t look fake, and well, just think of what the others might think if they heard of this. Sure, you can deny it all you want, but what about your fellow test subjects? How can they ever see you in the same light again? Even if you attempt to convince them otherwise, this will forever linger in the back of their minds. They might even start turning against you, and while Calhoun’s a pretty nice mouse, he can’t do anything to stop you silly test subjects from doing something dramatic.

2) Grant them the fragment of a memory. What a kind mouse Calhoun is being, giving you a freebie! They’ll be placed in a pod, as per the usual, and given part of a memory. The problem is this freebie cuts off at the worst possible time, and any begging, threats or inquiries into the matter are only going to be met by Calhoun’s snickers. It would be awful if something happened and you could never find out if your dear friend Timmy ever got out of that well, right? A real tragedy. Oh well, too bad for you, buddy.

Once Calhoun has called everyone one by one into this “☆ SECRET ROOM ☆” of his, he will gather all the test subjects up, stand on counter of Calhoun’s Corner and make an announcement.

“Listen up, test subjects! While yesterday’s round of Bingo was all fun and games, it’s time to spice things up around here! This is starting to get really bland, like oatmeal bland, and my Master has given me the go ahead to shake things up.”

“Some of you, I've told you a dark, spooky secret, while for the rest, I've shown you a little memory! Who got what, though, no one knows! But you know who you are and you know what you have to lose.”

“So what was the point of all this? Welllllll, like I've said, it’s so boring here, that I’m giving you the chance to redeem yourselves of this sinful dullness. How, you wonder?”

“Give me a show.”

“I think you all know me well by now, what entertains me and what I like to see. So, give me the performance of a lifetime by the end of the next AB Voting round! Of course sooner is better, because you never know if I’m gonna like these plans of yours, but go ahead, take your time! I mean it’s not like there’s much I can do, excepppppt…”

“I can just reveal those little secrets of yours to everyone! Don’t think you can just shrug it off as something I've made up too. I’ll spread out those reports and all the evidence for everyone to see, and we’ll see how long it takes for them to turn on you.”

“And those with a memory, don’t sigh in relief, because you’re not safe either! I’ll ensure that you will never get the rest of that memory I showed you. You can wonder for the rest of your lives what really happened. If you think it’ll be as simple as just asking around when you get out, think again. You’ll never know the whole truth unless you remember it yourself, since this mouse can get his paws in the outside world’s evidence.”

“What if one of you manages to entertain me? Well, not only will you get your full memory back, but everyone’s memories and secrets will be safe! They won’t be getting anything back, but maybe one day, and you’re the one who did all the work, those ungrateful cads!”

“Well, I think that’s about it. Toodles! You know where to find me if you have any questions or love letters for me.”

He winks at the crowd (looking at you, Zelos), then hops off the counter, back into the safety of his shop.

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[Akiko is actually very quiet for once, moving away from the room at a brisk pace before finally coming to a halt near one of the walls, a bit like the proverbial marionette with its strings cut.

It’s not fair. This game is never, ever fair. Every time she thinks she’s having fun and enjoying her time with her newfound friends, something like this happens and sweeps the rug out from under all of them. And it’s awful.]

What should I do…?

[It’s a quiet, shaky whisper. She can’t just leave things like that, but given Calhoun’s interests… Was there really any chance she could possibly find a way to entertain him?]

[Hershel was really not dealing with this fun new stuff all that well, and it showed, but after he took a few minutes away and came back to see Akiko where she was and clearly miserable he couldn't help but walk up.]

Akiko, are you alright? [He asked softly, clearly prepared to leave if she wanted to be alone. It was hard to tell what was best sometimes.]

Maybe? I don't know...

[She looks up briefly, but can't quite manage to keep eye contact going. Actually, she looks more like she's about to cry.]

I finally get to remember something, and it's like this.

[Talk about a great reintroduction to your life.]

[Hershel frowns as he walks closer, pausing a moment before putting a hand on her shoulder and speaking softly.]

I'm sorry this was your first memory back, whatever it was. I um- I know there's nothing I can really say to help, but we'll all find a way to work this out somehow. [He tried to offer her a reassuring sort of smile but yeah, not all there.] It's not the first time he's thrown us for a loop like this, even if it's the biggest so far.

[She doesn't answer at first, choosing instead to draw her hands up to her mouth. Although the sound is muted, he should still be able to hear her:]

I finally remembered my friends.

[And it should have been a good thing. Not... this.]

[Hershel couldn't look more concerned right now because he could barely imagine what exactly she saw that made her react like this. His hand doesn't leave her shoulder and he answers quietly.]

I know... whatever it is must have looked awful, but it isn't the whole memory, Akiko. Hope isn't lost yet.

[Or so he hoped, he desperately hoped whatever she saw could have a happy ending.]

But what if--

[Her voice breaks off in her panic.]

What if I really don't get to see them again-? If we break out of here, and I go home, and I look and look and look and-

They're just gone?

[She can't even bring herself to give context with all of her anxiousness.]

[He couldn't blame her, Calhoun's threats were vague in some areas, it made him wonder how far he'd be willing to go to erase any chance of finding out the truth of the memories.

He takes a breath before speaking.] There's a lot of worst case scenarios, focusing on them won't help us. I know it's- I understand it's hard, Akiko, but we have time, we'll find some way to figure this all out. Even if we fail... the information has to be somewhere, even if it's only Calhoun's head. We'll find a way to learn the truth.

Until then just... [he breaks off, he was so bad at this... he tries to offer her a smile that's bullshit as fuck but he's trying ok a for effort] Let's all work together to try and figure something out.

[If anything, she just looks even more concerned.]

How are we supposed to work together like this? He probably just--

Just wants us to betray each other.

[her voice wavers as she says it. But that had to be what he meant, right? It was what he was aiming for all along. Trying to get them to betray, to hurt-- and they had done exactly that during Bingo. Was the rat just trying to take it to another level now-?

It occurs to her then that she's not just afraid of never remembering the rest of that memory. Just what will the others do when the stakes are so high...?]

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puzzlinglad - 2014-08-23 00:10 (UTC) - Expand

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friendofeve - 2014-08-26 04:07 (UTC) - Expand

That's the ultimate question, isn't it? What are we going to do?

[She just lets out a low sigh, as if trying to gather herself. And yet, she still can't quite bring herself to move.]

...I want to remember the rest of what happened. But the things Calhoun likes-- I don't know if I can do anything worth a memory.

[Particularly as the most blatant thing that comes to mind would involve physically harming another person here. There's no way she could stoop so low.]

But if he cuts it off in the middle, you'll never know the rest.

Also, if none of us come up with anything, it's going to get worse.

I know. But Calhoun likes to see people hurt each other.

I... I can't do that.

[No matter what, she's certain she just couldn't bring herself to do it.]

Then I think...I think it's going to have to depend on the people who are willing to go a little further.

[She just falls silent for a moment when she hears that. When she does reply, her voice is hushed.]

...But what will they do...?

[Just how far will people be willing to go...?]

I guess that's the ultimate question. How far can and should we go for a memory?

I don't want anyone to hurt someone else for it. But if Calhoun doesn't get what he wants, either...

[What was that saying? Stuck between a rock and a hard place?

She just gives a short sigh, her voice becoming low.]

I hate this. Why does he have to keep messing with us like this...?

"Definitely not anything that could get ya seriously hurt, or what's the point of doin' it in the first place." Heiji leaned against a wall and crossed his arms. For once, he looked pretty serious.

"You get a memory, or a threat?" He was guessing the former, considering that Akiko had been mildly horrified even by the idea of cutting someone.

Heiji's guess is right on the dot. "...I got a memory." A memory that included exactly what she wanted to know - and, with it, things she totally didn't. Especially not as her first, of all things. The thought just makes her curl up, hugging her knees as she sits on the cold, cold floor.

"But... what should we do? You know the kinds of things he likes-!" Her voice breaks off abruptly at the end. Calhoun enjoyed seeing them fight with each other; that much was exceedingly obvious. Even if they made fools of themselves in Bingo, the payoff was nothing near what someone could get for hurting another.

Heiji crouched down next to Akiko. "Hey, it's not that bad. You don't need to do anything. As long as someone entertains him, your memory's safe. Well, not so that you can recall it, but it ain't gone. Right? You can still get it back someday."

He was really hoping that Akiko wasn't desperate enough to get herself in trouble over this; Snake was more than enough to worry about.

She bites down on her lip, chewing a bit before finally giving a reluctant nod, not quite looking at him. "...I gotta know. But I can't--

I can't do anything that would entertain him. Even if I wanted to, I just couldn't." And there's an air of defeat to her voice as she speaks; even though she was staunch on her decision not to punch anyone for Bingo, in many ways she felt it couldn't be helped. Even just thinking about trying to hurt someone for her own gain makes her feel utterly awful.

Still, that didn't exactly leave her off the hook entirely. "...Do you think someone else will do something?" Her voice remains hushed, almost fearful. Just how far would people take things to ensure their memory or secret was safe...?

"Yeah, I gotcha. It'd be one thing if we just had to make fun of ourselves or something, but this is somethin' else." Heiji laughed a little, but not with much humor.

"You kidding? Pretty sure Jake is gonna try for this one. I bet a couple of other people are, too. Well, ya probably won't get that memory back right away, but I guess if they do, you ain't have to worry about losing it for good."

"...What do you think they'll do?" It's a scary thought, but unfortunately, it's something even she needs to acknowledge.

"It's... kinda hard to tell," said Heiji, not really sure how much he should really say because of course his mind immediately jumped to the most extreme of possibilities. "I figure if they got an ounce of sense, though, they'll know that they can't pull anything too big. No one would cooperate with 'em if they couldn't be trusted, see?"

Exceptions maybe going to Jake, who struck Heiji as sort of irrational and unpredictable, and Clive, who was still nursing that vendetta against Hershel.

"...But if they don't do anything big enough, Calhoun might not like it." She's... not really that naive. Hopeful, yes, but after being here for a while? She's starting to get it.

There might not be a way out of this unless someone gets seriously hurt...