Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Game Script

Version 0.81
Copyright 2011, NorseFTX
All rights reserved

Email: chong_klly@yahoo.com

All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
!!!
WARNING: SPOILERS
Please be aware that this guide, as it will contain the full game script, will
contain SPOILERS!  Proceed at your own discretion.
!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VERSION 0.81:
Note this is a work in progress.
Completed sections:
1) Path 4->7->6 (Knife Ending)
2) Path 5->3->2 (Submarine Ending)
3) Path 5->8->1 (Axe Ending)
4) Path 4->7->1 (Coffin Ending)
5) Path 5->8->6 (Safe Ending)
6) Path 4->7->1 (True Ending)

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How to use this guide:

Throughout this guide, you will find 'bookmarks' enclosed in braces {}, which
mark sections of the storyline that are meant to be accessible using the "Find"
(Ctrl+F) function. You may encounter text such as: (To "a01b", replacing
quotations with braces {}). To easily jump to the corresponding section in the
FAQ, Ctrl+F and enter the text enclosed with quotation marks, replacing the
quotation marks with braces (e.x. { a01b }, removing spaces).

LEGEND:

NAME: Spoken dialogue from person with NAME
Narrated text on bottom screen
* Narrated text on top screen

<<CHOICE MENU>>

<Choice 1> - {bookmark1}
<Choice 2> - {bookmark2}
<Choice 3> - {bookmark3}

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TEXT DUMP INFO:
(approx 2.30MB worth of text in 78 files, with about 21,610 strings)

Table of Contents:

I. INTRODUCTION {a01b}
 A. 3rd Class Cabin Escape {a01}
  i. Apartment Flashback {a01d}
 B. D Deck Hallway {a01e}
II. MEETING: CENTRAL STAIRCASE {m10a}
 A. Selecting Door [4] {a11b}
  i. 2nd Class Cabin Escape, [DOOR 4] {a11}
   a. Confronting a Childhood Friend {a11d.a}
   b. The Curse of the Egyptian Mummy {a11d.b}
   c. 4-Leaf Clover and Etymology of [Nonary] {a11d.c}
   d. Sheldrake on [Morphogenetic Fields] {a11d.d}
  ii. After Escaping the 2nd Class Cabin, Door [4] {a12b}
  iii. Kitchen Escape, [DOOR 4] {a12}
   a. Prediction of the Sinking Titanic {a12d.a}
   b. [Ice-9] and crystallization of glycerin {a12d.c}
  iv. After Escaping the Kitchen {a12e}
 B. Selecting Door [5] {b11b}
  i. 1st Class Cabin Escape, [DOOR 5] {b11}
   a. Seven's Amnesia {b11d.a}
   b. Snake's Blindness {b11d.b}
  ii. After 1st class cabin escape {b12b}
  iii. Casino Escape {b12}
   a. Baccarat {b12d.a}
  iv. After Escaping the Casino {b12e}
III. Meeting in the Hospital Room {m20a}
 A. Selecting Door [7] {a21b}
  i. Operating Room Escape, [DOOR 7] {a21}
   a. [All-Ice] {a21d.a}
   b. Locke's Socks and the Ship of Theseus {a21d.b}
  ii. After Escaping Operating Room {a21e}
 B. Selecting Door [3] {c21b}
  i. Shower Room Escape, [DOOR 3] {c21}
   a. Rabbit Hutches {c21d.a}
   b. 107 degrees Fahrenheit {c21d.b}
  ii. After Escaping Shower Room {c21e}
 C. Selecting Door [8] {b21b.a1}
  i. Laboratory Excape, [DOOR 8] {b21}
   a. The Wireless Monitor; Prosopagnosia {b21d.a}
   b. Snake's Accident {b21d.b}
  ii. After Escaping Laboratory {b21e}
IV. Reconvening in the Hospital Room {m30a}
 A. Choosing Door [6] {b31b}
  i. Steam Engine Room Escape, [DOOR 6] {b31}
   a. Part of an Experiment / The Rat Maze {b31d.a}
   c. Black and White Santa / Santa's Sister {b31d.c}
  ii. After Escaping the Engine Room {b32b}
  iii. Cargo Room Escape, [DOOR 6] {b32}
   a. Ace & Prosopagnosia {b32d.a}
  iv. After Escaping the Cargo Room {bed1}
 B. Choosing Door [2] {c31b}
  i. Confinement Room Escape, [DOOR 2] {c31}
   a. Kidnapping Case Investigation, 9 Years Prior {c31d.a}
  ii. After Escaping the Confinement Room {c32b}
  iii. Torture Room Escape, [DOOR 2] {c32}
   a. Lotus's Daughters and the Ganzfeld Experiment {c32d.a}
  iv. After Escaping the Torture Room {ced1}
 C. Choosing Door [1] {a31b}
  i. Chart Room Escape, [DOOR 1] {a31}
   a. Caught Red Handed {a31d.a}
  ii. After Escaping the Chart Room {a32b}
  iii. Captain's Quarters Escape, [DOOR 1] {a32}
   a. Zero and Snake's Fate {a32d.a}
   b. ALLICE, Book of Hieroglyphs {a32d.b}
 D. After Escaping the Captain's Quarters {m40a}
  i. Library Escape, [DOOR 9] {a41}
   a. The Truth Behind Snake, True Ending part 1 {a41d.a}
  ii. After Escaping the library {a42b}
  iii. Study Escape, [DOOR 9] {a42}
   a. Seven's Memories, True Ending part 2 {a42d.a}

V. ENDINGS
 a. Knife Ending - {bbad}
 b. Submarine Ending - {ced1}
 c. Axe Ending - {abad}
 d. Coffin Ending - {aed0}
 e. Safe Ending
  i. Part 1: The safe - {bed3}
  ii. Part 2: The suspect - {bed3.a}
  iii. Part 3: The coffin - {bed4}
 f. True Ending
  i. Part 1: The truth - {a41d.a}
  ii. Part 2: The tragedy - {a42d.a}
  iii. Part 3: The confession - {aed1}
  iv. Part 4: Morphogenetic Sorrow - {aed2}
  v. Part 5: A promise - {aed3}
VI. Appendix
 a. Version History {VIa}
 b. Disclaimer {VIb}
 c. Acknowledgments {VIc}

GAME SCRIPT:

===============
{a01b} File #02
INTRODUCTION
===============

This game is fiction.

All names, characters, and incidents 
portrayed in this production are fictitious.


[Movie Sequence: Bomb explodes on a ship]

A loud noise startled Junpei awake, and his eyes snapped open.
As they adjusted to the light, he realized that he didn't recognize his
surroundings.

Junpei: Ow!

With a "crack", Junpei's head connected with something metal.
He rolled over and threw out his hand to steady himself, but he found himself
groping at empty air.
His balance lost, and his still-fuzzy mind struggling to understand what was
going on, Junpei tumbled down to the cold, grey floor.

Junpei: OOOOOOWWWCHGODDAMNIT! Gah! What the hell!?

Junpei glared around the room, still trying to determine where he'd woken up.
The fall had shaken the last cobwebs of sleep from his mind, and finally he
understood where he'd fallen from.
It was a bed. A 3-level bunk bed, in fact. Junpei had fallen, apparently, from
the topmost bunk.
His shoulder hurt, his knee hurt, his hip hurt... His entire body hurt.
He could feel a bump forming on his forehead, where he'd slammed it against the
low ceiling.
He wondered if that bump was the reason he felt his vision wavering a bit, but
that seemed unlikely.
At first, he thought the tremor that ran through his legs was just another
effect of his rude awakening, but as he looked around, he realized it was
real... The whole room was shaking.
Was it an earthquake, he wondered. It didn't seem likely. It was shaking far
too quickly for an earthquake.
Then again, Junpei had no idea what it was, if not an earthquake.
He tried to tell himself it was important.
Junpei rubbed the growing bump on his head and gingerly climbed to his feet.
His balance regained, he finally took his first good look around the room...
...And muttered to himself.

Junpei: Where...
Junpei: ...Am I...?

His pain momentarily forgotten in the face of the confusion of his
circumstances, Junpei looked around the room once again.
Minutes passed while Junpei struggled to get his bearings.
Then, as suddenly as they had begun, the tremors ceased.
A cold silence fell over the room.
From somewhere far away, Junpei could hear the sound of metal squeaking.
He felt his stomach tighten. There were a thousand things the sound could have
been, but none of the things he could think of were good.
In an attempt to distract himself, Junpei looked around the room once more.
There was a stove that looked more antique than functional.
The 3-level bunk bed had mattresses that were so thin that they were little
more than blankets.
On the other side of the room was an identical bed, and set in the wall between
the beds was a slightly dirty iron door.
The first thing Junpei noticed about the door was the number roughly emblazoned
across it.
On the surface of the door, in red paint, someone had written...
---[5]---

Junpei: [5]...?
Junpei: What's this [5] mean...

Suspicious, and still utterly confused, Junpei approached the door, slowly.
Standing, at last, in front of the door, Junpei grabbed hold of the L-shaped
handle. A push yielded no movement, and a pull the same result.
A few more tries cemented the truth in Junpei's mind: it wouldn't open. It
didn't matter how much he pushed and shoved. The handle wouldn't budge.
Next to the door was an odd-looking device that reminded Junpei of a card
reader.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that the odd-looking device was keeping
the door shut.
Junpei knocked, hard, on the door.

Junpei: Hey! Hello? Is anyone there!?
Junpei: Open the door!

There was no response.
Junpei threw his left fist into the door--
--and stopped.

Junpei: What the hell is this...

He wasn't really sure what else to say.
On his left wrist was a bracelet of a sort he'd never seen before.
In the center was a large LCD display.
It looked like nothing else so much as a watch, but it clearly wasn't that.
After all, it showed only a single number.

Junpei: (5)...
Junpei: That's...that's the same as the door...

True, the numbers were the same, but he had no idea what that might mean.
All he knew was that it was strange, and new, and he wanted it off.
Junpei flipped his hand over, as if to remove a watch, but...
The other side of the bracelet was solid: no buckle, no clasp, nothing.
He sighed, and flipped the thing back over. There were a number of rivets
around the rim of the face. Perhaps...
He pushed them, but nothing happened.
On a watch, they might be dials for adjusting date or time, but on this
bracelet they did nothing.
Junpei was at a loss. What was he going to do?
Growing more desperate, he began to tug at it.
However...

Junpei: Urrrrng!
Junpei: Damn! Ugh! It's no good... Damn thing won't come off!

A steel ring ran from the face, around Junpei's wrist, and back in to the face.
He wouldn't be pulling the bracelet off any time in the near future.

Junpei: What the hell is the deal with this thing?!

Frustration and desperation were beginning to mix as the reality of the
situation began to dawn fully on Junpei.
So much was happening, and none of it made sense. Junpei felt as though he were
about to explode.

Junpei: Where am I!?
Junpei: And why the hell am I here!?
Junpei: Why! Why!?
Junpei: What the hell happened to me!?

It was at that moment that he noticed the window.
The window was round, rimmed in riveted brass, like a window from an early 20th
century ship.

Junpei: What...? Wait... Am I in a ship?

Junpei walked slowly toward the window.
He could see nothing beyond it but thick, impenetrable darkness.
Junpei squinted, trying to see something...anything...
It was at that moment--

Junpei: What the--!? ...You gotta be kidding me!
Junpei: Wh-What the hell is going on here?!

A crack split the glass of the window, and for a moment Junpei stared at it.
Then the window burst, and water began to pour into the room.

Junpei: WHAT THE HELL! GODDAMN IT!

Junpei yelled, and spun around.
His feet slipping on the water already coming through the window, he ran for
the door.

Junpei: Hey! Anyone! Is anyone there!?
Junpei: C'mon, if you're there, say something!

There was no reply.
As Junpei screamed, and pounded on the door, the water began to rise.
It was now ankle-deep on the floor, and rising quickly toward his knees.
Things were not looking good for Junpei. Not good at all.
He needed to find a way out--and quickly!
Junpei ran a hand across his forehead, brushing the sweat out of his eyes, and
looked around the room.

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::3rd class cabin::
=============================================
{a01} File #01
-Apartment Flashback - "a01d"
( To skip to next story segment, search for "a01e" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
=============================================

[Operations during an escape]
During an escape, you can move to different parts of the room by touching the
bottom screen.
Since many areas require very exact selection, we recommend you use the stylus.

[Searching during an escape]
During an escape, you can touch the background to search anywhere in the room.
Areas you can investigate will be highlighted yellow the moment you touch them.
Depending on the nature of the location you touch, you might find an item or a
hint.
Begin searching by touching places on the bottom screen.

[How to move]
Touch the [Triangle Icon] on the bottom screen.
Doing so will change the viewing angle of the room, and move you to different
locations.
You can do the same thing by pressing left, right, and down on the +Control
Pad.

[Bird's-eye view]
If you want to know where you are, touch X on the [Camera Icon] on the bottom
screen.
This will show you where you are, and what direction you're facing.

[Saving during an escape]
Pressing START will allow you to save.
If you want to quit, we recommend pressing START.

[Purpose of the escape]
The purpose of each escape is to get out of the room.
How you do that depends on the room.
You'll need to search all throughout the room to discover what you'll need to
do to get out.
Search for hints and items that may help you find a way out.

MAP:
[#] Screen #
<#> Screen # that you start on
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

<1>=[2]=[3]

{Screen 1, Flowing water}

<Examine Pipe, 1>
* It's a pipe.
Junpei: I know! I'll crawl into the pipe and find a way out!
* ...
* ...
* There's nobody here to make fun of my lame jokes... Man, this sucks.
<Examine Pipe, 2+>
* That pipe's not very big. There's no way I could fit into it, even if it does
lead out of here.

<Examine Water, 1>
* Water just keeps pouring through the window.
* It's like a waterfall.
* I don't think shoving something into the window is gonna stop the water.
In other words, if I don't wanna die, I need to find a way out of this room.
* I have to figure this out!
<Examine Water, 2+>
* Doesn't look like that water's going to stop any time soon. I have to find a
way out!
<Examine Water after unlocking door, 1+>
* Doesn't look like the water's going to stop any time soon.

<Examine Table, 1>
* That's a table. Water is pouring onto it, like a little waterfall.
* I don't see anything useful there.
<Examine Table, 2+>
* That's a table. Water is pouring onto it, like a little waterfall.

<Examine Chairs, 1>
* There's a pair of simple chairs next to the table.
* The water's already up to the chair!
<Examine Chairs, 2+>
* That's totally a chair. What am I thinking?! I don't have time to sit down
and relax!

{Zoom into Sink}

<Examine Bulletin Board, before taking note, 1+>
* A bulletin board.  Looks like someone put a note on it.
<Examine Bulletin Board, after taking note, 1+>
* A bulletin board. There's nothing on it.

<Examine Note on Bulletin Board>
[About items]
During an escape, investigating certain parts of the room will allow you to
obtain items.
Once you've obtained an item, you'll be able to go to the item screen.
Touching L[item] on the top left will take you to the item screen.
While on the item screen, you will be able to investigate, hold,
and combine items that you've found.
If you want to investigate an item you've found, touch the icon for that item
in the item screen
and then touch [Search]R in the top right corner of the bottom screen.

<Examine Sink, 1>
* Doesn't seem like there's anything hidden on the sink.
* This is the only drain in this room...
<Examine Sink, 2+>
* This sink is a piece of junk. Well, I won't be draining any water here, I
guess.

<Examine Shelf, before taking picture, 1+>
* There's a [picture frame] sitting on top of the shelf.

<Examine Shelf, after taking picture, 1+>
* There's nothing on top of the shelf.

<Examine Towel, 1+>
* There's a towel next to the sink.

<Examine Bed, 1>
* This is the middle bunk.
<Examine Bed, 2+>
* A middle bunk. Sweet.

<Examine Bed Pole, 1>
* This is, as far as I can tell, a pole that is attached to the bed.
<Examine Bed Pole, 2+>
* This pole is part of the bed.

{Screen 2, Kettle and Bunk Bed}

<Examine Top Bunk, 1>
* There's a pipe at the other end of the bed. There's nothing up top.
<Examine Top Bunk, 2+>
* There are some pipes down at the other end of the bed.

<Examine Middle Bunk, 1>
* I can keep looking ‘til the cows come home. All I'm gonna find up here is
that pillow.
Junpei: Damnit! Isn't there anything else I can use!?
<Examine Middle Bunk, 2+>
* Here we are at the middle bunk. There's nothing useful here.

<Examine Bottom Bunk, 1+>
* There's a [blue briefcase] on top of the bed.

<Examine Ladder, 1>
* I can't see the bottom of the ladder!
* Oh man, the water's already up to the bottom of the bed!
* I've gotta hurry this up!
<Examine Ladder, 2>
* This is the ladder that goes up to the top bunk.
<Examine Ladder, 3>
* So, ladder, we meet again.
<Examine Ladder, 4>
* Once again, I gaze upon this stately ladder.
Junpei: "Ladder? I don't even know her!"
* Most. Original. Joke. Ever.
<Examine Ladder, 5>
* As I gaze into the ladder, the ladder gazes into me.
Junpei: "Hey, so did you hear what that shopkeeper said after his ladder got
stolen?"
Junpei: "No, what'd he say?"
Junpei: "Further steps will be taken."
* ...And that's why I have no friends.
<Examine Ladder, 6>
* The ladder watches me. I sense that it finds me...wanting.
Junpei: "So this friend of mine fell all the way down a 15-foot ladder."
Junpei: "Wow, that's pretty bad. How's he doing?"
Junpei: "Oh, he's all right, but he's feeling pretty rung out by the whole
experience."
* I should be writing these down... They're comedy gold!
<Examine Ladder, 7>
* I think the ladder is following me.
Junpei: "Trying to keep up with all the latest stiles has me all rung out..."
Junpei: "Well, if it's a choice between being a step for someone else, and
being a real social climber, I'll take the ladder!"
Junpei: "What do you call a secondary ladder covered in people?"
Junpei: "A full B-ladder!"
* Okay, I need to stop doing these before I hurt myself...
* Beside, this is no time to be making jokes!
* I need to get out of here, now!
<Examine Ladder, 8+>
* A ladder. It appears to have something to do with the bed.

{Zoom into Closet}

<Examine Hangers, 1+>
* There are some hangers on the pole.

<Examine Closet, 1>
* It's a closet.
<Examine Closet, 2+>
* A closet. Nothing much here.

<Examine Closet Shelf, 1+>
*  There's a [red briefcase] on top of the shelf.

<Examine Curtains, 1+>
* The curtain is already open.

{Zoom into Red Briefcase}

<Examine Red Briefcase, 1>
* There's a lock on this briefcase. It won't budge.
* Let's see if there's anything in the keyhole...
<Examine Red Briefcase after examining blue, 1>
* This's just like the blue briefcase.
* Yup, there's a lock on this one too, and it's not opening.

<Examine Red Briefcase, front closeup without key, 1+>
* I don't think I'm gonna be able to open this thing. I need to find a key
first.
<Examine Red Briefcase, front closeup with blue key in inventory, 1+>
*  A red briefcase. ...Aaaand it's locked.
<Examine Red Briefcase, front closeup with red key in inventory, 1+>
* All right, key acquired. Sure hope I can open that thing now...
<Examine Red Briefcase, front closeup without red key after unlocking blue
briefcase, 1>
* Yup, this one's locked too, just like the blue briefcase.

<Examine Red Briefcase Keyhole without key, 1+>
* There's a small keyhole right next to the dial.
<Examine Red Briefcase Keyhole with blue key equipped, 1>
Junpei: Huh? Hm, I guess this is the wrong key.
* It looks like it's the right size, but I can't get it into the hole.
<Examine Red Briefcase Keyhole with blue key equipped, 2+>
* Well, if the blue key doesn't work...

<Examine Red Briefcase Keyhole with red key in inventory, not equipped, 1+>
* All right, this is the keyhole for the red briefcase. If I just stick the key
in here...
<Examine Red Briefcase Keyhole with red key equipped, 1>
* All right, let's stick that red key in there... It's not opening.
* In fact... It's not doing anything at all.
* ...Well, all right, I take that back. I guess I can move the dial now.
* So, it looks like I'm gonna have to put in the right numbers and then turn
the key. I do that, this thing should pop right open.
* Let's give it a shot.
Operation Instructions
Touching the dial will cause it to move to the next number.
Enter 4 numbers this way, and then touch the key.
If the numbers are correct, it will unlock.
<Examine Red Briefcase Keyhole with red key in, no clues found, 1>
* Well, it looks like random numbers won't open it. Surprise, surprise.
Operation Instructions
Touching the dial will cause it to move to the next number.
Enter 4 numbers this way, and then touch the key.
If the numbers are correct, it will unlock.
<Examine Red Briefcase Keyhole with red key in, no clues found, 2+>
* Once I've got the right number, all I've gotta do is turn the key and it'll
pop right open.
Operation Instructions
Touching the dial will cause it to move to the next number.
Enter 4 numbers this way, and then touch the key.
If the numbers are correct, it will unlock.

<Examine Red Briefcase Dial, 1>
* The number on the dial is [0101].
* I guess I'm going to need a key before I can put in any numbers.
<Examine Red Briefcase Dial, 2+>
* I guess I'm going to need a key before I can put in any numbers.
<Examine Red Briefcase Dial, after opening blue briefcase, 1>
* The number on the dial is [0101].
* Does this one use the same trick as the blue briefcase?
<Examine Red Briefcase Dial with red key equipped, 1>
* I guess I'm probably gonna need a key for this lock before I can put in any
numbers.
<Examine Red Briefcase Dial, after failing to open once, 1>
Junpei: All right, let's give this another shot!
Operation Instructions
Touching the dial will cause it to move to the next number.
Enter 4 numbers this way, and then touch the key.
If the numbers are correct, it will unlock.
<Examine Red Briefcase Dial, after failing to open twice, 1+>
Junpei: All right, one more time!
Operation Instructions
Touching the dial will cause it to move to the next number.
Enter 4 numbers this way, and then touch the key.
If the numbers are correct, it will unlock.

<Go "Back" from Red Briefcase without opening, no clues found, 1>
Junpei: ...It's not opening! What am I gonna do?!
* I'm just standing around, and the water's still rising.
* There's no point to just guessing randomly...
* I need to find some sort of hint!
<Go "Back" from Red Briefcase without opening, no clues found, 2>
* Just guessing isn't going to get me anywhere. I need to find a hint, a clue,
anything!
<Go "Back" from Red Briefcase without opening, no clues found, 3+>
* I need to look for hints. Just guessing is going to get me nowhere fast.
<Go "Back" from Red Briefcase without opening, 1>
Junpei: Damnit! It's not opening!
* I wonder if anything I've got might have a hint...
* I think it should open if I put in the right numbers and turn the key.
<Go "Back" from Red Briefcase without opening, 3rd time; nothing happens on
2nd>
* A red briefcase... Red...Maybe...
* Wait... What about that note on the bulletin board?
* There were a couple of symbols on it that were red...
* Someone drew those symbols on the back of the picture, along with some
numbers.
* Could those symbols have something to do with the code I need to get this
briefcase open?
<Go "Back" from Red Briefcase without opening, 4+>
* It's not opening. I got a feeling the numbers on the back of that picture are
the key to this, somehow...
* If I put in the right numbers and turn the key, then it should open.

<Unlock Red Briefcase>
Junpei: Yes! I unlocked it!

<Open Red Briefcase>
* It's opening...

<Examine Open Red Briefcase, before taking cards, 1+>
* There's a stack of [red key cards] in the briefcase.
<Examine Open Red Briefcase, after taking cards, 1+>
* There's nothing left in the briefcase.

{Zoom into Stove}

<Examine Stove, 1+>
* It's an old stove.

<Examine Stove Door, 1>
* This is the door to the stove.
* Well, it opens easily enough. Sure wish the door to get out of here was that
easy to open...

<Examine Inside of stove, 1>
* Well, that solves the mystery of whether or not this stove has been used
before...
* What's this... It looks red...
<Examine Inside of stove, after taking screwdriver, 1+>
* This is totally a stove. Nothing inside, though.

<Examine Kettle, 1>
* Well, let's see if there's anything in here...  Huh. Looks like there is...
<Examine Kettle after finding red key, 2>
* A...key?
* Yup, that's a key all right. A little blue one.
<Examine Kettle before finding red key, 1>
* A...key?
* Yeah, there's a little blue key in the bottom of this pot. Odd.
<Examine Kettle, after taking key, 1+>
* Nothing in here.

<Examine Pot lid after opening, 1+>
* I'm looking at a pot lid.

<Examine Stovetop, 1+>
* There's an old pot on top of the stove.

<Examine Middle bunk, 1>
* This is the middle bunk of the bunk bed.
<Examine Middle bunk, 2+>
* So, this is what a middle bunk looks like, huh...

{Zoom into Blue Briefcase}

<Examine Blue Briefcase, 1>
* Doesn't matter what I do, this thing won't budge. Guess it's locked.
<Examine Blue Briefcase, examined red first, 1>
* Doesn't matter what I do, this thing won't budge. Guess it's locked.
* Is this one just like the red briefcase?
<Examine Blue Briefcase, placed blue key in but not open, 1+>
* The briefcase won't open. I need to put in the right security code...
<Examine Blue Briefcase without blue key, 1>
Junpei: No dice... It's locked tight.
* Let's see if there's anything in the keyhole...

<Examine Blue Briefcase front closeup with blue key equipped, 1>
* I hope this blue key works...
<Examine Blue Briefcase front closeup with red key equipped, 1+>
* A blue briefcase. It's locked. I can't get it open.
<Examine Blue Briefcase front closeup without any keys, 1+>
* Doesn't look like I'm gonna be able to force it open. I should probably start
looking for a key.
<Examine Blue Briefcase front closeup after opening red briefcase, 1+>
* Well, it looks like it's the same as the red briefcase.

<Examine Blue Briefcase, key hole, 1+>
* There's a lock with a keyhole on the blue briefcase.
<Examine Blue Briefcase, key hole, with red key equipped, 1>
* It looks like the key is the right size, but I can't get it into the keyhole.
* Guess that means I need to find a different key, about this size...
<Examine Blue Briefcase, key hole, with red key equipped, 2+>
* If the red key doesn't work, then...
<Examine Blue Briefcase, key hole, after placing red key in red briefcase, 1>
* It's a small keyhole.
* If I want to open the briefcase, I need to fill it up with a key.
<Examine Blue Briefcase, key hole, after placing red key in red briefcase, 2+>
* It's a pretty small keyhole. I need to find the key that goes to it.

<Examine Blue Briefcase, key hole, have blue key but not equipped, 1+>
* There's a [keyhole] on the [blue] briefcase.
<Examine Blue Briefcase, key hole, with blue key, 1>
* All right, let's see what happens if I put this blue key in the keyhole...
* ...Aaaaand nothing.
* I guess I'm gonna need some sort of code for the dial.
[Minigames]
During an escape, your investigation may trigger one of several minigames.
All operations for the minigames are done by touching the bottom screen.
Some minigames will require you to manipulate something, while others will
only require you to apply the right object or touch the right thing.
Operation Instructions
Touching the dial will cause it to move to the next number.
Enter 4 numbers this way, and then touch the key.
If the numbers are correct, it will unlock.
<Examine Blue Briefcase, key hole, with blue key and no clues, 1>
* Okay, I've put the key in. Now I just need to enter the right numbers, and...
Operation Instructions
Touching the dial will cause it to move to the next number.
Enter 4 numbers this way, and then touch the key.
If the numbers are correct, it will unlock.

<Go "Back" from Blue Briefcase without opening without clues, 1>
Junpei: Damnit! Open, you stupid thing!
* I don't think it's gonna open if I whack it on the wall a couple times. Might
make me feel better...
* Not gonna help, though.
* All right Junpei, don't freak out. Keep it cool, and look around for some
more clues.
<Go "Back" from Blue Briefcase without opening without clues, 2>
* I could sit here putting in random numbers all day... I think it's going to
be faster to just look for clues.
* If I can just get the right numbers and turn this key... This thing should
pop open.
<Go "Back" from Blue Briefcase without opening without clues, 3+>
* It's gonna be faster for me to look for clues. Plugging in random numbers is
just gonna get me nowhere fast.
* I just have to find the right number and turn the key. Then that briefcase
should open.
<Go "Back" from Blue Briefcase without opening with at least one paper clue, 1>
* It's not opening...
* Do I have anything that might give me some kind of hint?
* If I put in the right numbers and turn the key, then it should open.
<Go "Back" from Blue Briefcase without opening with at least one paper clue,
3rd time; nothing on 2nd>
Junpei: Blue briefcase... Blue... Blue...
* Have I got anything blue...?
* Well, there was that note with the red and blue symbols...
* Maybe the blue symbols are some kind of hint?
* Oh yeah... There's something written on the back of the photo of that ship,
isn't there?
<Go "Back" from Blue Briefcase without opening with at least one paper clue,
4+>
* It's not opening... Maybe those numbers on the back of the picture have
something to do with this...
* If I put in the right numbers and turn the key, then it should open.

<Examine Blue Briefcase, Dial, 1+>
* Looks like I've gotta put the key into the keyhole in order to enter a
number.
<Examine Blue Briefcase, Dial, with red key equipped, 1+>
* The number on the dial is [0101]. I guess I need to put the key in the
keyhole before I can enter any numbers on the dial.
<Examine Blue Briefcase, Dial, after opening red briefcase, 1+>
* The number on the dial is [0101]. This one's probably just like the red
briefcase.

<Examine Blue Briefcase, Dial, after failed attempt, 1>
* I guess I'm going to have to find the right 4 numbers...
Junpei: All right, let's give this another try!
Operation Instructions
Touching the dial will cause it to move to the next number.
Enter 4 numbers this way, and then touch the key.
If the numbers are correct, it will unlock.
<Examine Blue Briefcase, Dial, after failed attempt, 2>
Junpei: Time to give this another shot!
Operation Instructions
Touching the dial will cause it to move to the next number.
Enter 4 numbers this way, and then touch the key.
If the numbers are correct, it will unlock.

<Unlock Blue Briefcase>
* All right, let's see if these numbers work... A turn of the key, and...hey,
looks like it's working!
Junpei: Yes! All right, let's open it up!

<Open Blue Briefcase>
Junpei: Yes! It opened!
* Looks like there's something in here...
* What is this...? A file...?

<Examine Open Blue Briefcase, before taking file, 1+>
* It looks like there's something in this briefcase... Is this some kind of
file?
<Examine Open Blue Briefcase, after taking file, 1+>
* Doesn't look like there's anything else in the briefcase.

<Examine File in Blue Briefcase>
[File screen]
If you find any documents or notes during an escape, the information on them
will be available from the file screen.
To open the file screen, touch [file]R in the top right of the bottom screen.
Once at the file screen, select files by touching them,
or by pressing up and down on the +Control Pad.
If you touch [Search]R, the contents of the file you selected will be displayed
on the upper screen.
* All right, let's see what's in this file...
* Hm... "[Digital root]"...
* Let's see here...
* Compute a [digital root] with the following steps:
* First, add all the numbers in question to one another.
* If you end up with something greater than a single-digit number, add the
digits to one another.
* (For instance, if you have a double-digit number, add the number in the [tens
place] to the number in the [ones place].)
* Keep adding digits in this manner until you have a single digit answer.
* That final single digit is your [digital root].
* EX: The [digital root] of (678) would be...
* 6 + 7 + 8 = 21 ? 2 + 1 = [3]
* Therefore, the [digital root] of (678) is [3].
* EX: The [digital root] of (1234) would be...
* 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10 ? 1 + 0 = [1]
* Therefore, the [digital root] of (1234) is [1].
Junpei: I see...
Junpei: So I just keep adding numbers until I get a single digit number.
* ...Oh. Looks like there's something on the back of this thing...
* A notebook, a pen, a calculator...
* ...And a stack of [key cards]. Huh.
New material has been added to the file screen.
[Calculator]
The calculator screen can be used during an escape, or during a novel sequence.
During an escape, you can access it by pressing the Y. This will open the
calculator screen.
To operate the calculator, touch the bottom screen.
When using the calculator, the numbers on top are your calculations, and the
numbers on the bottom are your answer.
The calculator can also calculate a [digital root], which will be important to
the progression of the story.

{Screen 3, View of [5] Door and both beds}

<Examine Left Top Bunk, 1>
* Man, this is a pretty poor excuse for a bed.
* There's barely any space between the bed and the ceiling. I don't think I'd
even have enough space to turn over.
* I'd bet money this was for poorer passengers, or maybe the ship's crew.
Junpei: I've gotta die someday, but I sure as hell don't want it to be here!
<Examine Left Top Bunk, 2+>
* The top bunk of the left bed, I see.

<Examine Left Middle Bunk, 1>
* I've got it! If I pull off these sheets and shove them into the window, maybe
that'll stop the water!
* All right window, let's see how you like this.
* Shoot... That's not gonna happen. There's way too much water coming through
there...
* No way these sheets are going to be enough to plug up that window.
* I guess there's only one way I'm going to live through this...
* ...And that's by getting the hell out of this room! After all, there's not
really anything else I can do.
<Examine Left Middle Bunk, 2+>
* Here's the middle bunk for the bed on the left.

<Examine Ladder, 1>
* There's a ladder that goes from the floor to the ceiling so that you can get
into all 3 bunks.
* Well, worst case scenario, I can just climb up there! ...Yeah right. Like
that's gonna work.
<Examine Ladder, 2+>
* This ladder goes up to the top bunk.

<Examine Right Top Bunk, 1>
* All I can see from down here is the underside of the top bunk.
* It's pretty high up there.
<Examine Right Top Bunk, 2+>
* So, this is the top bunk of the right bed.

<Examine Right Middle Bunk, 1>
* Hmm... Well, I can reach this bunk. Might as well look through it.
* Huh...
Junpei: Damn. Nothing here...
<Examine Right Middle Bunk, 2+>
* The middle bunk is within my reach. ...Nothing useful on it, though.

<Examine Light, 1>
* Well, looks like we've got a light here. ...And electricity.
<Examine Light, 2+>
* There's light filling the room. Guess the electricity is working.

{Zoom into Right Bottom Bunk}

<Examine Bed, 1>
* I can't bring myself to call this a bed. It feels like a board with a sheet
on it.
* It's pretty flat.
<Examine Bed, 2>
* That doesn't look very comfortable.
<Examine Bed, 3>
* It's got light blue and white stripes. Kinda reminds me of the Argentinian
soccer team.
<Examine Bed, 4+>
* This is a bed. No doubt about it.

<Examine Pillow, before taking memo, 1+>
* There's a piece of paper under the pillow...

<Examine Pillow, after taking memo, 1+>
* There's nothing else under the pillow.

{Zoom into Mirror}

<Examine Mirror before taking red key, 1>
(To "a01d", replacing quotations with braces {} )
<Examine Mirror after taking red key, 1+>
* There's nothing left on the mirror.

<Examine Bed, 1+>
* The middle bunk. There's a thin mattress on it.

<Examine Pipe, 1+>
* This pipe supports the bed.

{Zoom into [5] door}

<Examine [5] Door, 1>
Junpei: [5]... [5], huh...
* What does that mean?
<Examine [5] Door, 2+>
* Somebody's painted a big, red [5] on the door.

<Examine Card Reader after unlocking, 1>
* This lock is unlocked. Awesome.

{Zoom into Card Reader}

<Examine [5] Door, 1+>
* The only door in and out of this room is right next to the weird device.

<Examine Card Reader, without cards, 1>
* I guess that's a lever, huh.
* Maybe if I pull it...!
* ...Well, it looks like pulling on the lever just makes a weird noise. Great.
* The light's still red, and the display hasn't changed.
Junpei: Damnit! Why the hell isn't this thing opening?!
<Examine Card Reader, without cards, 2>
* The groove on the side of this thing looks like it's made to have a key card
swiped through it or something like that.
* Maybe if I can find a card, I can unlock this thing.
<Examine Card Reader, without cards, 3+>
* It's a mysterious device with a lever on it. It's got what looks like a card
reader on the side, but it's the weirdest card reader I've ever seen.
<Examine Card Reader, with cards in inventory, not equipped, 1>
* There's a sort of little slot on the side of this thing.
* Hmm... It looks like it's about the same width as those cards I found
earlier.
* Maybe I can slide them through here?
<Examine Card Reader, with cards in inventory, not equipped, 2+>
* Maybe I can use those cards I found earlier with this thing...
<Examine Card Reader, with any cards equipped, have not swiped any other cards,
no others in inventory, 1>
* These cards with numbers on them... I'm pretty sure this is where I'm
supposed to use them.
Junpei: All right, let's slide this card and see if it works.
* Aaaaaand...
Junpei: Huh...? It's not working? Why!? Damnit!
* Do I need some other cards to get this to work?!
* Shit, I need to find more cards, now!
<Examine Card Reader with one set of cards after attempting to swipe them,
cards are unequipped, 1>
* What am I doing wrong? Do I have the wrong cards?
<Examine Card Reader with one set of cards after attempting to swipe them,
cards are unequipped, 2+>
* Doesn't look like I've got enough cards to unlock the door.
<Examine Card Reader, with any cards equipped, have not swiped any other cards
but have others in inventory, 1>
* These cards with numbers on them... I'm pretty sure this is where I'm
supposed to use them.
Junpei: All right, let's slide this card and see if it works.
* Aaaaaand...
Junpei: Huh...? It's not working? Why!? Damnit!
* No...no, that's right! I still have cards I haven't used!
<Examine Card Reader, with blue cards equipped, have not swiped red cards, 2+>
* Damn. No matter how many times I try this, it won't do squat with just blue
cards.
* If I'm gonna make this work, I need some different cards.
<Examine Card Reader, with red cards equipped, have not swiped blue cards, 1+>
* Shoot. I can't get it to do anything with just these red cards.
* I think I'm gonna need some other colors if I'm gonna get anything out of
this thing.
<Examine Card Reader, without cards equipped, but have already swiped one set,
other set in inventory, 1+>
* It looks like just one color of card isn't going to do the trick.
* Maybe if I use some of the other cards...
<Examine Card Reader, with red cards equipped, have swiped blue cards, 1>
Junpei: Damnit! Not again!
* There aren't any more cards in here...
* I've only got one other hint...
Junpei: Of course! The files!
* That file said something about a "[digital root]"...
Junpei: A digital root... The digital root huh...
* What am I supposed to do with--
* There's a [5] on that door.
Junpei: Do I have to get a [digital root] of [5]?
* I'm not really sure about this...
* Ah, whatever. It's worth a shot.
Junpei: Let's see if this works...
Junpei: I'll just slide the cards that give me the [digital root] of [5]
through the reader.
Operating Instructions
Touch 3 cards to select them.
The digital root of the selected cards will be displayed on the top screen.
Touching "reset" will de-select all currently selected cards.
After you've selected 3 cards, touch the device.
<Examine Card Reader with cards equipped, having swiped both cards and failed
to open once, 1>
* If I can get the [digital root] of 3 of these cards to equal [5]...
Operating Instructions
Touch 3 cards to select them.
The digital root of the selected cards will be displayed on the top screen.
Touching "reset" will de-select all currently selected cards.
After you've selected 3 cards, touch the device.
<Examine Card Reader with cards equipped, having swiped both cards and failed
to open, 2+>
* I need to get a [digital root] of [5], then pull that lever.
* I do that, and it should unlock...
Operating Instructions
Touch 3 cards to select them.
The digital root of the selected cards will be displayed on the top screen.
Touching "reset" will de-select all currently selected cards.
After you've selected 3 cards, touch the device.
<Examine Card Reader after Solving Card Reader, 1+>
* I don't need to screw around with that thing anymore! I need to get out of
this room, fast!

<Go "Back" from Card Reader without unlocking, 1-2>
Junpei: Ugh...! It's not working...
* All right... I just need to pick the cards that have the [digital root] of
[5].
* Then I show them to this thing, and the lock should open...
* Now, to get a [digital root]...
* I have to keep adding the numbers together until I've got a single digit.
* So let's say I've got (678)...
* (6 + 7 + 8) = 21. Then add 2 and 1, and my [digital root] is [3].
* Or how about (823)...
* (8 + 2 + 3) = 13. I add 1 and 3, and my [digital root] is [4].
Junpei: So which numbers do I need to make a [digital root] of [5]...?
<Go "Back" from Card Reader without unlocking, 3>
Junpei: Damnit! It's still not working!
* Which 3 cards make the [digital root][5]!?
* The[digital root] for (763) is...
* 7 + 6 + 3 = 16 ? 1 + 6 = [7]
* The[digital root] for (762) is...
* 7 + 6 + 2 = 15 ? 1 + 5 = [6]
Junpei: So, if I want the [digital root]to be[5]...
<Go "Back" from Card Reader without unlocking, 4+>
* The[digital root] for (763) is...
* 7 + 6 + 3 = 16 ? 1 + 6 = [7]
* The[digital root] for (762) is...
* 7 + 6 + 2 = 15 ? 1 + 5 = [6]
Junpei: So, if I want the [digital root]to be[5]...
* Once I get the [digital root][5], all I've gotta do is pull that lever...

<Solve Card Reader>
* All right, I think this is gonna work... There we go! That's a new noise!
* Huh... Did it just unlock!?
* Well, that light was red, and now it's blue. No doubt about it...
* There's nothing keeping me in here now! Time to go!


{ITEMS}
???¦?
<Search note from bulletin board, 1+>
* The note's got ?? in red and ?? in blue.
<Search note from bulletin board, after failing to open Red Briefcase 3+ times,
1>
* This note says ?? in red and ?? in blue.
* Huh... Is there a reason it's folded like a mountain?
<Search note from bulletin board, after failing to open Red Briefcase 3+ times,
2>
* It's got ?? in red on the left side, and ?? in blue on the right side.
* The part of the arrow on left side of the fold is red, and the right half is
blue.
* The symbols and the arrow are only red on the left side. Why is that?
<Search note from bulletin board, after failing to open Red Briefcase 3+ times,
3>
* I need 4 numbers for the red briefcase's security code...
* But there are only 2 red numbers on that note...
* If I had something where the left side was red, then I would have 4 red
symbols... That might give me the answer. {Author's note: I think this is a
typo--it should be where the right side was red, since this note already has
red symbols on the left side.}
<Search note from bulletin board, after failing to open Red Briefcase 3+ times,
4+>
* The note's got ?? in red on the left side and ?? in blue on the right side.
<Search note from bulletin board, after opening Red Briefcase, 1>
* This note says ?? in red and ?? in blue.
* I don't think I'm gonna need this again.

<Search picture frame, 1>
* An old picture frame. There's a picture of a ship in it.
* There's [screws] keeping the back of the picture frame on.
<Search picture frame, with screwdriver in inventory, 1>
* An old picture frame. There's a picture of a ship in it.
* There's [screws] keeping the back on.
<Search picture frame, 2+>
* There's [screws] keeping the back of the picture frame on.

<Search screwdriver, 1>
* A normal [screwdriver].
* Doesn't seem to be anything special about it.
<Search screwdriver, with picture frame in inventory, 2+>
* Maybe I can use the [screwdriver] to get these [screws] off.

<Combine picture frame + screwdriver>
* Well, the screwdriver got those screws off easily enough... And here's the
picture.

<Search picture of an old cruise liner, 1>
* 1?, 2?, 3?, 4?, 5?
* 6?, 7?, 8?, 9?, 0¦
* So someone wrote a bunch of numbers and symbols on the back of the picture,
huh.
<Search picture of an old cruise liner, 2>
* There are a bunch of numbers and symbols written on the back of this photo...
* 1?, 2?, 3?, 4?, 5?
* 6?, 7?, 8?, 9?, 0¦
* 1 through 5 are empty, and 6 through 9, as well as 0, are colored in.
* Maybe this has something to do with the relationship between the symbols and
the numbers.
<Search picture of an old cruise liner, 3+>
* 1?, 2?, 3?, 4?, 5?
* 6?, 7?, 8?, 9?, 0¦
<Search picture of an old cruise liner after obtaining both red and blue key
cards, 1+>
* It's totally a picture of a ship. An old cruise liner, by the looks of it.

<Search small key (blue), 1>
* This key's pretty small... Definitely not for a door.
* What's it for, then?
* This key's blue... Is it supposed to open something else blue?
<Search small key (blue), 2+>
* A small [blue key]. Maybe it's supposed to open something blue?

<Search memo from bed, 1>
* The note's got ¦? in blue and ?? in red.
* There's an arrow that goes all the way across the paper. It's red under the
red symbols and blue under the blue ones.
<Search memo from bed, 2+>
* The note's got ¦? in blue and ?? in red.
<Search memo from bed, after failing to open red/blue briefcase 3+ times, 1>
* The note's got ¦? in blue and ?? in red.
* Why are there different colors?
* Why not just pick one color and use that?
<Search memo from bed, after failing to open red/blue briefcase 3+ times, 2>
* The left side has ¦? in blue, and ?? in red on the right side.
* Blue and red... Why did they use two different colors?
* Maybe the colors means this refers to two different things. Does that mean
these are two separate hints?
<Search memo from bed, after failing to open blue briefcase 3+ times, 3+>
* The note has ¦? on the left side in blue and ?? on the right side in red.
<Search memo from bed, after failing to open red briefcase 3+ times, 3+>
* The left side has ¦? in blue, and ?? in red on the right side.
<Search memo from bed, after opening blue briefcase, 1+>
* The note's got ¦? in blue and ?? in red.
* I don't think I'll need this any more.

<Search small key (red), 1>
* A small [red key].
<Search small key (red), 2+>
* A small [red key]... Maybe I'm supposed to use it to open something red?

<Search stack of blue key cards, 1>
* Looks like some [key cards].
* There's a number written on each card.
* (6) (7) (8)...
* Does that mean something...?
<Search stack of blue key cards, 2+>
* [Key cards] with the numbers 6 through 8 on them.

<Search stack of red key cards, 1>
* These look like [key cards].
* There's a number on each one...
* (1) (2) (3)...
<Search stack of red key cards, 2+>
* [Key cards] with the numbers 1 through 3 on them.

<After leaving Items screen, first time>
[Investigate with an item]
Touching an item while on the item screen will select that item.
While an item is selected, touching L[Back] will return you to the room
investigation screen.
If you look down at the bottom left corner of the bottom screen, you should see
the icon.
This shows that you are holding the item.
If you hold an item while investigating the room, you may trigger a reaction.
Investigate suspicious areas with different items to see if anything happens.
Pressing up on the +Control Pad will select another item for you to hold.

<After leaving Items screen with screwdriver before finding picture frame>
*  A screwdriver, huh... Wonder why that's here...


<After leaving Items screen, with screwdriver and picture frame>
[Combining items]
If you take 2 items you've found and combine them,
they may turn into something else.
To do this, select an item on the item screen and
touch X[Combine] on the top part of the bottom screen.
Then, select the second item and touch X[Combining].
If the 2 items can be combined, you will receive a new item.
If they cannot be combined, nothing will happen.

<After leaving Items screen upon picking up small key (red)>
(To "a01d", replacing quotations with braces {} )


====================
{a01d} File #03
::3rd class cabin::
-in front of mirror, after retrieving red key-

Junpei grabbed the key and shoved it into his pocket.
He intended to leave immediately, but... Something stopped him.
His reflection stared back at him from the mirror, but he had scarcely
recognized himself.

Junpei: What's up with my face...

His confusion was well-justified.
His face was drawn and pale, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look
as though he was nearly dead.

Junpei: Man... What the hell happened to me?
Junpei: How did I end up here...?

Even as he said it, something in his mind opened, and a memory bobbed to the
surface.
It was the last thing Junpei remembered before waking up in the strange room.
It was past midnight when he came home.
Junpei shuffled up the stairs, and opened the door to apartment 201.
Inside was his apartment. A small, one-bedroom affair, that ran him about $630
a month.
He moved into it when he entered college, and so far he'd been there for 3
years and 7 months.
He stepped inside and turned on the lights.
The fluorescent lights on the ceiling blinked and flickered slowly to life, as
if waking from a deep slumber.
Their cold light illuminated the landscape he'd come home to so many times
before... Everything was as he'd left it.
The magazines piled up in the corner. The text books collecting dust. The CD
cases covering the floor. The jeans and t-shirt he'd worn the day before, then
tossed onto the floor.
There was one thing that didn't belong, however.
There was a breeze. Breaths of cold night air wafted into his apartment,
carrying the smells of autumn with them.
The white curtain framing his window swayed gently in the wind.
Huh. That's weird... Did I leave that open...?
Junpei walked toward the window, trying to remember if he'd closed it or not
before he left.
One of the panes was hanging open. He stuck his head out, and looked around.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Junpei shrugged. He must have just left it open earlier.
He closed the window.
Then it happened.
Junpei turned, and found himself face to mask with a man dressed all in black.
The man wore a deep hood, and a bulky gas mask--his face was entirely hidden.
Junpei tried to scream, but all he could manage was a strangled croak.
He tried to step toward the man, but his legs could no longer support his
weight.
Junpei collapsed to the floor--a crumpled heap of limbs, like a discarded
puppet.
Too late, he noticed the white smoke that was quickly filling his apartment.
A small object, shaped distressingly like a grenade, sat on the floor in front
of his face, hissing. The white smoke poured out of it at an incredible rate.
The smoke had grown so thick that the details of Junpei's apartment began to
fade into the white haze.
He could feel his mind begin to fade as well, a white haze that was not the
smoke creeping into the edges of his vision.

???: Consider this a privilege. You have been chosen.

A rasping voice wormed its way out of the gas mask.
It was cold and harsh, and distorted in some way Junpei couldn't put his finger
on.

???: You are going to participate in a game.
???: The [Nonary Game].
???: It is a game...where you will put your life on the line.

That was the last thing Junpei remembered.
The white smoke overpowered him, the masked man faded from his vision, and he
felt his consciousness fall away into the white mist.

Junpei: That's right! That guy with the gas mask!
Junpei: That son of a bitch must have taken me here!

As to who the man was, or might have been, Junpei had no idea.
Indeed, he wasn't even sure that his assailant had been a man.
The voice had been cold and mechanical--likely passed through a
voice-changer--and the body had been covered in a thick cloak.
Who was the man in the mask?
"You have been chosen." Junpei remembered that much, but...
What it might mean... That was beyond him.
Junpei had no idea where he was, or why he was there.
There was only one thing from his memory that seemed important...

???: You are going to participate in a game.
???: The [Nonary Game].
???: It is a game...where you will put your life on the line.

Junpei: The Nonary Game, huh...
Junpei: What the hell is a Nonary Game!? Goddamnit!

With a yell, Junpei drove his fist into the mirror.

(Return to investigation)

===========================================
===========================================
{a01e} File #04
::D Deck Hallway::
-After escaping the first room-
===========================================

Accompanied by a wall of angry water, Junpei shot out of the room and into the
opposing wall.
Gasping to catch his breath, he looked around. He was in a narrow hallway.
The water that had followed him out of the room was rapidly pouring out of the
door. It flowed quickly down the hallway, and slammed into the foot of the
short flight of stairs.
Just 5 steps in fact.
And at the top of this short staircase...

Junpei: A door! Another door!

Junpei leapt up the stairs, straight for the door.
The door burst open, and Junpei exploded out of it, only to freeze in his
tracks.
What other possible response could there have been to what he saw?

Junpei: Wha...what the hell...?

His voice trailed off, and all he could do was stare.
A polished floor stretched out before him, ornate staircases rising up from the
edges, each one of them equidistant from the others.
The stairs and pillars were solid wood, and Art Nouveau embellishments and
decorations covered the walls and pillars.
It looked like nothing so much as the entrance to a luxurious mansion from the
early 1900s.
Junpei couldn't help but wonder...
Was he really in a ship?
The water quickly filling the hallway behind him suggested that yes, he was.
As he looked, a fresh wave rolled out of the room he'd been in, gathering speed
as it moved toward the stairs.

Junpei: Yeah, that's what I thought...
Junpei: This is totally a bo--
Junpei: Wait, what the hell?!
Junpei: A wave?!
Junpei: Sh-Shit! I gotta get outta here!

Junpei spun around, his wet shoes squeaking in protest on the polished floor,
and ran toward the tremendous staircase in front of him.
[C Deck]
[B Deck]
As he ran, he glanced quickly at the plates mounted on the wall, denoting the
decks of the ship.
He took the stairs 2 at a time, not entirely sure where he would find himself.
Just as he began to wonder where, in fact, the stairs did lead...
Junpei saw another person out of the corner of his eye.
He stopped short, nearly tripping over the next stair, and looked. It wasn't
just 1 person he'd seen...
On the landing to the left of the stairs, there were 4 people staring at him...
And on the right side, 3 more.
All told, there were 7 of them.
It looked as though they had been on their way down the stairs.
They'd stopped short when they saw Junpei, their eyes wide.
He'd done the same of course, and now they stood there staring at one another.
Junpei didn't move, one foot placed awkwardly on the next step, in the middle
of a stride.
Who were these people?
This entire interaction lasted only a matter of seconds.
The woman spoke to Junpei, and time began to move again.

???: I guess there's another one of us now.

The woman was dressed, Junpei thought, rather like a [dancer].
Her clothes covered very little, and her prodigious jewelry little more.

Dancer: Hey! You! Come on! Hurry!

With no further ceremony, she ran, straight past Junpei and toward the doors
behind him.
The sudden proximity of a woman with such striking assets left Junpei
momentarily stunned...
...But the others wasted no time, and quickly followed the strange woman.
The first to pass Junpei was a young man with [silver hair].
He threw a quick glance in Junpei's direction as he ran, muttering...

Silver: Hmph. One of us, huh...?

Following him was an older man, his face calm and without fear.
Soft wrinkles sprouted from his eyes, and he came close enough as he passed for
Junpei to see wisps of grey in his hair. His composure and shock of hair struck
Junpei as rather like that of an elderly [lion].

Lion: Going up won't do you any good! There are 2 doors, but neither of them
will open!

The next to speak was a girl with [pink hair] and a high voice.

Pink hair: Come on! Aren't you coming? You gotta hurry!

Her small hand was wrapped around the wrist of another man...
His eyes were closed, almost as though he were sleeping.
His features were graceful, almost serene... And he was dressed rather
elegantly for someone his age.
Something about his posture seemed very refined, and Junpei couldn't help
feeling he was noble and dignified, somehow.
He'd certainly never seen one, but this man seemed like what Junpei had always
imagined a [prince] would be like.

Prince: That's 9 of us, then.
Prince: All of the cards are in hand.

What does "All of the cards are in hand" mean, he wondered.
Junpei opened his mouth to ask what the other man had meant, but the girl with
pink hair rushed past him, and they were gone.
He turned just in time to see 2 more people running toward him.
One of them had hair like a [bird's nest], and looked as though a stiff breeze
might topple him...
...And the other was a veritable [mountain] of a man.
The scrawny one said nothing, and scuttled past Junpei as though he were
running from something...

Mountain: Hey! What the hell're you just standing there for!?
Mountain: Didn't you hear him?!
Junpei: ...
Mountain: The doors on A Deck are no good!
Mountain: We gotta check the doors on B Deck!
Mountain: Got it!? Now go!

Before he had a chance to respond, the man laid a massive hand on Junpei's
shoulder.
With no more effort than Junpei would have used to brush aside a fly, the man
shoved him out of the way.

Junpei: Whoa...!

Thrown off-balance by the man and recent events, it took Junpei a few steps to
get his bearings.
He finally regained his balance and looked up, at what the other 7 had been
running toward.
There were 2 pairs of large iron doors set into the wall in front of him.
They looked quite sturdy, and each had handles jutting from them.
Written across the surface of each door in red paint was a number.
The door on the right had a [4].
And the door on the left had a [5].

Silver: They're the same...

The guy Junpei had decided to call Silver was mumbling to himself.

Silver: The room I woke up in had a number on the door, just like that.
Lion: You too, eh.

With an arched eyebrow, the lion looked over at Silver.

Lion: My cell was the same. A number upon the door.
Lion: I opened it, ran down the hallway outside, and found myself in the rather
grand room full of stairs, as, I suspect, did the rest of you.

It was as though the floodgates had been opened--they all began to talk at
once.
"Me too." "I did too." "Yeah, a door with a number on it."
It soon became clear that each one of them had awoken in a room with a locked
door, and solved a puzzle to escape. They'd all ended up in the same room...
Almost as though they'd been guided there...

Dancer: Yes, we all saw the same thing! That's not important! We need to hurry!
Silver: Ya think I don't know that, lady!?

Before the dancer had time to finish--
Silver was already running.
He grabbed hold of the door labeled [5] and pulled.
However...

Silver: Fuck! It's not opening! This damn thing won't even budge!
Mountain: Move. You're in the way.

The mountain grabbed Silver's shoulder and tossed him aside.
His path cleared, he took a few steps back, then threw himself at the door.
Once...
Twice... 3 times... 4 times...
The door shook as his body slammed into it, but showed no signs of breaking or
opening.
The mountain threw himself at the door again.
Junpei turned toward door [4].
Next to the door, on the wall, was a small box.
It looked just like the one that he'd seen in his room, next to that door.
If it was the same, then...this door was likely locked as well...
Still, he had to check.
Junpei grabbed a handle and threw all of his weight onto it.

Junpei: RRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHH!
Junpei: Gah...!

It was locked as tight as the door next to it, as he'd suspected.

Junpei: Damnit!

Junpei punched the door. It did not respond.
Were these the only doors, he wondered.
He'd barely finished the thought when the C Deck plate he'd passed on his way
up sprang, unbidden, to his mind.
His body moved before he had time to think.
Junpei turned, and ran back toward the stairs.
He had scarcely taken a step, when--
At the top of the stairs, next to an ornate clock embedded in the wall, he saw
a person.
It was a girl. She looked to be the same age as Junpei.
He froze, unable to look away from her face.
He wasn't confounded by her beauty, or something equally silly...
No, there was another reason he couldn't take his eyes off the girl.
Junpei had seen her somewhere before.
He couldn't quite remember where, but he knew... He knew he'd met her before.
The girl, too, stared at Junpei, similarly stunned.
Her response suggested she'd seen him before as well.

???: ...
Junpei: ...

Without saying a word, Junpei walked slowly toward her.
She didn't move. It was almost as though she was held in place by some sort of
magic spell.
As Junpei stepped onto her landing, the spell broke.
No sooner had he set his foot down, than the whole ship shook a second time.

???: Aah!

The quake caught the girl unprepared, and she fell--
Moving on instinct, Junpei leapt to catch her...
Or so he thought.
Her face was far closer than it should have been; mere inches from his own.
He was flat on his back, and she had landed squarely on top of him. The girl
seemed as confused as he did, and her face suggested she still hadn't fully
recovered from seeing him.
For a moment that seemed to stretch for a very long time, they stared at one
another.
The ship stopped shaking. Everything was quiet.
Water could be heard from the bottom of the ship, lapping faintly at walls and
ceilings, but eventually that faded as well.
The silence was complete, a thick, muffling blanket...
At last, the girl opened her mouth.

???: Oh my gosh... Is that you, Jumpy!?

Jumpy... Jumpy...
Her words echoed through Junpei's head, and suddenly, his memory returned.

Junpei: A-Akane!?

Why hadn't he realized it before?!
The girl was [Akane Kurashiki].
She and Junpei had been friends in childhood--they'd gone to elementary school
together for 6 years.
But...what was she doing on the ship?!
Her soft eyes were only inches away from his own... He could feel the warmth of
her face...
Feelings he'd thought long-forgotten began to work their way to the surface...
He could feel his face heating up.
At that moment...
A speaker crackled to life, and a cold, eerie voice filled the room.

???: Welcome aboard.
???: I welcome you all, from the bottom of my heart, to this, my vessel.

With the voice's invasion, the spell between Junpei and Akane was broken, and
all hints of burgeoning romance instantly forgotten.
They hurriedly untangled themselves from one another, and struggled to their
feet.
Their 7 companions had heard the voice as well, and many of their faces had
gone pale.
They looked around frantically, desperate to locate the source of the voice.
At last they found it... A speaker set in the ceiling.

???: I am [Zero]... The captain of this ship.
Zero: I am also the person who invited you here.

The voice was harsh, obscured occasionally by the crackle of static...
...But Junpei recognized it. How could he have forgotten it?
It was the same voice he had heard from the man in the gas mask.

Silver: Hey! Asshole! What the hell is this?! C'mon out here! I wanna get a
look at you!
Lion: What do you mean to do to us?!
Zero: I mean to have you participate in a game.
Zero: Some of you, I know, are familiar with this game.
Zero: The [Nonary Game]. It is a game...where you will put your life on the
line.
Dancer: Nonary Game...?
Mountain: What the hell's that?!

The voice continued, implacable.

Zero: The rules of the [Nonary Game] can be found upon your persons.
Zero: They are simple rules. Read them.
Dancer: Nonary Game...?
Silver: Hey... There's something in my pocket... Check this out.

Silver reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small slip of paper.
The rest of them reached into their own pockets, and pulled out similar slips
of paper.
Junpei followed suit, and dug into the pocket of his pants.
He felt the tell-tale crumple of paper, slightly damp from his earlier ordeal.

Junpei: Hey, I got one too!
Lion: Then it would seem Zero has seen fit to grace us each with a letter.
Lion: Would you mind terribly reading it to us, young man?

His request had been delivered to Junpei who, after a short moment of surprise,
did as he'd been asked.

Junpei: On this ship, you will find a handful of doors emblazoned with numbers.
Junpei: We will call them the [numbered doors].
Junpei: The doors in front of you are a pair of the same.
Junpei: The key to opening these numbered doors are the [numbered bracelets]
that each of you possess.
Junpei: Should you total the numbers on your [numbered bracelets]...
Junpei: ...and find that the [digital root] of that number is equal to the
number of that door, the door will open.
Junpei: Only those who have opened the door may pass through.
Junpei: There are, however, limits.
Junpei: Only [3-5] people can pass through one numbered door.
Junpei: All those who enter must leave, and all who enter must contribute.

[Bracelet], Junpei figured, had to mean the bulky thing on his wrist.
He glanced around. It looked like everyone else had one as well, and had come
to much the same conclusion.

Junpei: The purpose of the game is simple.
Junpei: Leave this ship alive.
Junpei: It is hidden, but an exit can be found.
Junpei: Seek a way out... Seek a door that carries a [9].

Junpei had reached the end of the letter. There was a long moment of silence,
and then the speaker crackled to life once more.

Zero: There is one last thing I must tell you.
Zero: As you have no doubt surmised, this ship has begun to sink.
Zero: On April 14th, 1912...the famous ocean liner Titanic crashed into an
iceberg.
Zero: After remaining afloat for 2 hours and 40 minutes, it sank beneath the
waters of the North Atlantic.
Zero: I will give you more time.
Zero: [9 hours]. That is the time you will be given to make your escape.

The voice finished, and the speaker went silent.
The sound of a bell tolling echoed through the hall.
It came from the dance hall adjacent to the stairwell.
It took those assembled on the stairs mere moments to trace the sound to an
antique clock embedded in the wall.
7...8...9...
The sound of the 9th bell faded away. The 10th never came.
That meant the time was 9 o'clock. Most likely 9 o'clock in the evening.
When Junpei had peered out the window of his cell, he'd seen nothing but
blackness.
It had to be nighttime.
If that was the case, then they would need to escape by [6 AM] the following
day...

Zero: Now, it is time. Let our game begin.
Zero: I wish you all the best of luck.

The speaker went silent, and did not speak again.
Silver yelled at the speaker with language coarse enough to embarrass a sailor,
but the rest of Junpei's companions were silent, deep in thought.
Junpei, too, was consumed by his thoughts.
There was a great deal he didn't understand.
Who was Zero...?
What was the Nonary Game? Why had he chosen to make them part of it?
Was he a criminal who took delight in playing with his victims? Or did he have
some other purpose?
And why had Junpei been chosen as part of this insane game?
Why had any of them been chosen?
But one question was foremost on his mind...
Akane.
They hadn't seen one another since elementary school.
Why had she appeared now?
Coincidence...? No. That seemed impossible. There had to be a reason.
He didn't know what it might be, but... There had to be a reason.

Lion: Very well!

The lion's voice seemed oddly loud in the silence.

Lion: Standing around here won't do us any good. Best we get moving, don't you
think?
Junpei: ...Get moving?
Akane: Are you planning to open the numbered doors?
Dancer: H-Hey! Wait!
Dancer: Don't tell me you're actually going to do what this...this Zero says?!
Lion: No, no, that's not what I mean.

The lion shook his head, mildly annoyed.

Lion: I'm saying, let's find another way.
Lion: After all, we haven't really examined this place yet.
Dancer: We...what...?

...
...

==========================================
==========================================
{m10a} File #66
:In front of the 4 and 5 doors:
-After investigations-
==========================================

Their separate investigations finished, all 9 people returned to where they'd
left one another.
The result of all their work was...nothing.
They were completely sealed in.
Their hard work had not gone completely to waste, however.
They had learned a number of things as they'd scoured the parts of the ship
they could reach.
It seemed that they were confined to decks A through C.
C Deck was as far down as they would be able to go, however.
The reason being...
That D Deck was completely submerged.
Strangely, however, the water had risen no higher than D Deck.
The flow seemed to have been stopped somehow, as evidenced by the surface of
the water on D Deck, which was as smooth as glass.
The prince knelt down and gently drew his hand across it.

Prince: Perhaps this Zero fellow has used some sort of remote control to seal a
watertight door lower down...
Prince: He said that our time limit was 9 hours.
Prince: In other words, this water won't rise for 9 hours.
Mountain: Then you're sayin' we won't sink 'til then?
Prince: Well, that may be a little too optimistic. No point to wishful
thinking.

There were 3 metal doors on C Deck.
A single door stood off to the side, with 2 more on the wall facing the central
staircase.
None of them had numbers, or verification devices.
They were, however, locked like the other doors.
No matter how much they pushed and shoved, the doors refused to move. The
mountain and the lion threw themselves against them a few times, but to no
avail.
The door in the back had a keyhole.
Just above it was a strange mark in the shape of a circle surrounding a dot.
There were 2 other doors on C Deck as well, but it was clear they were
elevators, as each had a button next to it with an upside-down triangle.
They tried pushing the button.
No response. Apparently there was no power running to the elevators.
To the left of the elevator doors was a card reader.
The card reader also had a strange mark on it.
It looked like a lower-case "h" with a dash drawn across the upper stem of the
"h".
Junpei stared at it for a while.

Akane: This is the symbol of [Saturn].
Akane: It's an astrological symbol.
Junpei: Then...the mark on the other door...
Akane: I think that was the [Sun symbol].

They had seen the same symbols on A Deck.
There was a door on either side of the stairs.
The one on the left had a keyhole with a similar symbol engraved on it.

Akane: This is an [Earth symbol].
Akane: The horizontal line symbolizes the equator and the vertical one
represents the Prime Meridian.

Junpei looked up at the ceiling.
There was a great circle cut in it, perhaps for a skylight or a glass dome, but
it had been filled with a gargantuan metal plate.
The metal looked very solid. Anything short of an explosive charge was unlikely
to damage it.
There were several windows along both sides of the ship--or at least there had
been. They, too, were covered with metal plates.
In other words...

Junpei: We're trapped. All the exits go nowhere...

Junpei was not happy.
The girl with pink hair spoke up.

Pink hair: Well, I'm sure they go somewhere. We just can't open them.

Then the mountain spoke.

Mountain: You don't know that. For all we know, they just open into walls, or
take us in circles.

The prince did not agree.

Prince: No, I'm sure they go somewhere. Otherwise, what point would there be?
Prince: And we can open them. Well, 2 of them, at least.
Junpei: You mean the numbered doors...

All eyes turned toward the doors with numbers on them.
The atmosphere in the room grew tense.

Dancer: H-Hey... Wait a minute.
Dancer: I think I said this earlier, but I don't think we should do that.

The dancer moved in front of the doors, as if to block them.

Dancer: We'd have to be crazy to open these doors.
Dancer: If we do that, we're doing exactly what Zero wants us to do.

Suddenly, everyone began to speak at once.
"I agree!" "I don't! That's a terrible idea!" "We should keep going." "We
should stay here!" "We don't have any other way to open any of these doors."
"We should just wait. Someone's bound to come find us!" "We don't have time for
that!" "In 8 and a half hours, this ship is going to sink!"
The clamor of voices made it next to impossible to determine who was saying
what.
Their arguments grew more and more intense, until people were shouting and
screaming at one another.
Junpei had remained silent, but at last he could take no more.

Junpei: Hey! Shut up!

They fell silent, and all eyes turned to Junpei.
He felt each stare burning into him, but he refused to flinch.

Junpei: Before we try and decide where we're going to go, there's something
else we oughta do.
Pink hair: What's that?
Junpei: We need to exchange information.
Junpei: We don't know anything about each other.
Junpei: I want to know who you guys are...
Junpei: Who you are, where you came from, why you ended up here...
Junpei: Don't tell me you aren't curious too...?

They were silent.
Some of them looked the other way, or bit their lip, or crossed their arms and
stared at the ceiling.
But one of them spoke up. It was Akane.

Akane: I agree. I think Jumpy is right.
Mountain: Jumpy...?
Akane: Oh! I'm sorry. I'm talking about him... I just call him Jumpy. His name
is Junpei...

She pointed toward Junpei.

Akane: We're childhood friends. We went to the same elementary school...
Mountain: Wait! Stop!
Mountain: Don't tell us stuff we didn't ask you about!
Mountain: Zero's probably watchin' us right now.
Mountain: What're you gonna do if he's listenin' in?!
Akane: Would...that be bad...?
Mountain: Hell yeah it would!
Mountain: We don't know how much that bastard knows about us.
Mountain: Maybe he just picked a bunch'a random people to kidnap.
Mountain: If that is the case, then it'd be dangerous for us to let him know
too much.
Mountain: If Zero knows who we are, he could go after our families.
Mountain: Maybe he'd tell us he had 'em to get us to do stuff, you know?
Akane: But...we still need to know what our names are...
Akane: It's going to be hard to talk to each other if we don't have names.
Mountain: All right, then why don't we have code names?

To him, apparently, it seemed like the obvious solution.

Akane: Code names?
Mountain: Yeah, we'll each pick somethin'.
Mountain: Like... I'll be [Seven].
Junpei: Seven? Why are you Seven?

It seemed a fair question.
The mountain stuck out his left arm.

Mountain: 'Cause this bracelet number says (7).
Silver: Oh, I get it. Yeah, that's a good idea.

He smirked.

Silver: All right, I'm gonna be [Santa].
Silver: Any of you chumps know Japanese? No? Well, "san" means "3". So I'll be
Santa. You know like Santa Claus. Fits don'tcha think?
Lion: Then your bracelet number...
Silver: Yeah, it's got a (3) on it. Good job, grandpa.

Just like the mountain had done, Silver thrust out his left hand.
Sure enough, the face of his bracelet read (3).

Lion: Very well then. I'll go next, shall I?
Lion: My bracelet number is (1).
Lion: Given that, I think [Ace] seems appropriate.
Dancer: I'll be [Lotus], then. As I'm sure you all know, it has 8 petals.
Dancer: Which means, of course, that my bracelet number is...
Dancer: (8).
Prince: I would appreciate it if you would call me [Snake].
Prince: My bracelet number is (2).
Prince: Since Ace has chosen cards, then I choose dice--"snake-eyes", clearly.
Which is particularly relevant, given that I am blind.

Blind? Really?
He'd kept his eyes closed during their entire ordeal, which had suggested
something strange, but to hear it said so casually... It was something of a
surprise.
Everyone seemed a little nervous at the prince's proclamation, but no one
seemed to know how to react to it.
There was one person, however, who didn't seem to be surprised in the least.
The girl with pink hair.

Pink hair: I want to be [Clover].
Pink hair: You know, like a 4-leaf clover... Good luck, right?

Looking almost bored, she held out her left hand.
The face of her bracelet showed the number (4).
They'd come around to Junpei.
He held out his bracelet...

Junpei: All right, my number's (5), so my code name is gonna be--
Dancer: Why have one? It's not like there's any point to it now.

The dancer cut him off in mid-sentence.

Dancer: I mean... We all know your name already. You're Junpei.
Junpei: O-Oh...

They all nodded.
Akane stepped forward, nervously.

Akane: Then you should all call me by my name too.
Akane: Because...I mean... It doesn't seem...
Mountain: It doesn't seem fair to "Jumpy"?
Silver: You're thinking it's not cool for you to hide your name after you told
us his?
Akane: ...

Akane fidgeted awkwardly.
Junpei decided he had to do something.

Junpei: What's your bracelet number?
Akane: It's (6)...

She hesitated for a moment, then held out her left hand.
As she'd claimed, the bracelet's face showed a (6).
Junpei looked at it for a moment and thought.

Junpei: All right then... Why don't we call you [June]?
Lion: June?
Junpei: Yeah, you know... It's the 6th month of the year.
Junpei: So you're [June].
Akane: Jumpy...

Akane kneaded her hands and looked up at Junpei, uncertain.
He smiled back at her, reassuringly.

Junpei: Are you good with that?

She thought about it for a few more minutes, then seemed to come to a decision
and gave Junpei a small nod.
Their names decided, Junpei ran over them quickly in his head.
(1) was [Ace].
(2) was [Snake].
(3) was [Santa].
(4) was [Clover].
(5) was [Junpei's] number.
Akane was (6), and Junpei had given her the code name of [June].
(7) was [Seven].
And (8) was [Lotus].
That meant that 8 of them, including Junpei, had revealed their bracelet
numbers.
But there was still 1 person left...
He was the man with glasses and hair like a bird's nest.
He hadn't said anything since they'd met on the stairs, and he didn't look like
the sort of person who was inclined to conversation.
His skin was pale, his breathing was heavy, and he was soaked with nervous
sweat.
His behavior seemed very suspicious, or perhaps simply emotionally unstable. It
was difficult to tell.
Whatever the case, it seemed clear that he had only a fingertip's-worth of a
grip on his sanity.
The girl with pink hair, [Clover], walked up to him, slowly.
She put her hands on her hips and eyed him suspiciously.

Clover: What number are you?

He didn't answer.
His bloodshot eyes twitched from person to person, and his breath came in hot
pants.

Clover: Hey, I'm talking to you...

The man licked his dry lips with a shaking tongue and spoke with a voice like
old paper.

???: I-I-Isn't it o-obvious?
???: There are 9 people here.
???: A-A-A-And you know who numbers 1 through 8 are.
???: I'm th-the only one left.
Clover: So you're (9)?
???: Y-Y-Y-Yeah.

He extended a trembling arm.
The bracelet did indeed say (9).
Clover looked at it contemptuously.

Clover: What's your code name?
???: C-C-C-Code...n-name?
Clover: What do you want us to call you? We all made up names. You should too.
???: I-I-I-I-I d-don't need one.
Clover: Why not?
???: B-B-B-Because I'm n-n-not going to stay here. ...With y-you.

He took a shuddering breath and exhaled.
Clover looked at him with something very like disgust.

Clover: You've got some sorta plan?
???: I-I do.
Clover: Yeah? What's that?
???: Y-Y-Y-You sure you w-want to know?
Clover: Yeah...?
???: A-All right. Let me sh-show you.
???: I-I-I-I'm going to do this!
Clover: Aaaaiiiii!

By the time they realized what he was doing, it was too late to stop him.
The man's body moved like a snake's. In the blink of an eye, he had slid around
behind her, and wrapped his arm around her waist.

Santa: Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing!?

Silver--[Santa] leapt forward, toward Clover and the 9th Man.
He was halfway there, when--

???: S-Stay back!

Suddenly the man's hand dove into his pocket.
It came back out with a knife. A pocketknife.
He held it to Clover's pale, quivering neck.

???: I-I-If you g-get any closer--!
???: I-I'll cut her open!

Santa skidded to a halt. He snarled at the scrawny man with the knife and
gritted his teeth.

???: Y-Yes, that's right...

The man's smile was neither friendly nor reassuring. Sweat poured down his
neck, soaking the collar of his shirt.

Snake: Clover...are you all right?

The prince--[Snake's] voice sounded oddly concerned.

Clover: Y-Yeah... I'm fine...

Her voice shook, making her words even less convincing.

Junpei: What the hell are you trying to do?!
???: I-I told you...
???: This is my plan...
Seven: What're you gonna do to her, you sick son of a bitch?
???: D-Don't worry... I-I'm not going to d-do anything to her...
???: If she just does what I t-tell her to, I'll let her go.

He started to move backward, slowly, keeping his grip on Clover.
Keeping their distance, Junpei and the others followed.
Eventually, the man reached the wall.
He gave a start as his back touched it, then glanced around quickly and spoke.

???: V-V-Verify...
Clover: Huh?
???: The left. Look on your left. D-Do you see the device on the wall?
???: P-Place your hand on the scanner panel, the round part.
Clover: What if I don't?

The man's nostrils flared and he looked like he was about to choke.

???: A-A-A-Are you an idiot?! W-W-What do you think?!
???: I c-c-could slit your throat right now!
???: I'll kill you if I have to.
???: A-All I need is your bracelet.
Clover: ...
???: Just do it! D-Do it now!

He pressed the knife against Clover's neck, hard.
Slowly, she stretched her left hand out toward the device.
Her back was to it, and she had to feel around for a moment before she found
the circular panel.
It made a cold, electronic noise, and on the display above her hand, an
asterisk appeared.
So that's how it works, Junpei thought to himself.
By placing one's palm on what the 9th Man had called the "scanner panel", the
user's bracelet number would be entered into the device.

Zero: "Should you total the numbers on your [numbered bracelets]..."
Zero: "...and find that the [digital root] of that number is equal to the
number of that door, the door will open."

Junpei shifted his eyes to the door itself.
The number on it was [5].
The 9th Man seemed to know a little more about the device's operation than he
should.
How had he known exactly what to do?

???: Good... Good, you're done.
???: N-N-Next...

His blood-shot eyes crept from person to person until finally...
They stopped on the lion--[Ace].

???: You, right? You're the one with the number (1) bracelet, right?
Ace: Yes. I am. So?
???: Th-Then y-you're next...
???: Just verify your number like this little b-brat did.
Ace: ...
???: What are you doing?! D-Do it!
???: D-Don't you care what h-happens to her?!
Ace: O-Okay, okay. Just calm down...

Ace held up his hands, palms out.
The 9th Man jerked his chin toward the device.
Slowly, cautiously, Ace moved toward the device.
After what seemed like an agonizing eternity, he reached it.

???: Now... Verify.

Ace nodded and placed his hand on the scanner panel.
The device beeped again, and a 2nd asterisk appeared.
Now the device had Clover and Ace's numbers. (4) and (1).
4 + 1 = 5
The same as the number written on the door.
But it wouldn't open just yet...

Zero: "Only [3-5] people can pass through one numbered door."

The door needed at least 1 more person.
Who would that be?

???: G-G-G-Get back...

His voice shook, but the knife he held to Clover's throat made his words a
command.
Ace took 2, then 3, steps back.

???: No! Farther! More than that! Go all the way back!

Slowly, Ace did what he was told.
The 9th Man's lips curled into a cruel, twisted smile.
That was when Junpei understood his plan.
Clover's (4) and Ace's (1)... Added to the 9th Man's (9)...
4 + 1 + 9 = 14 ? 1 + 4 = [5]
In other words...

???: Hehe... Hehehe...
???: Ehehehehehehehehe!
???: Th-Th-Thank God you were all so c-cooperative!
???: Now I can get out of this n-nightmare!

He pressed his own hand against the scanner panel.
A 3rd asterisk appeared on the screen.
He dropped his hand to the lever on the side of the device and pulled.
The door opened with a heavy, metallic groan.
He let go of Clover.

Junpei: Wait!

Junpei leapt toward the 9th Man, but he wasn't fast enough.
The man shoved Clover...

Clover: Aaah!

...And hopped through the door.

???: O-O-Okay, have a good one, guys.
???: I'm going off ahead now. Well then...
???: Goodbye...

He raised his hand and waved, a twisted smirk on his face.
Then he was gone. The door ground shut with a dull clang of metal on metal.

Snake: Clover! Are you all right!?

Snake ran to Clover's side as she lay on the floor.

Clover: Y-Yeah, I'm fine.

She climbed unsteadily to her feet, and once there, leaned heavily on Snake's
shoulder for support.
Junpei ran to the door.
The others followed him.
Several pairs of hands grabbed hold of the handles and pulled.
They grunted and strained, but...

Junpei: Shit! It won't budge!

That was when [Lotus], the dancer, spoke. Her voice was quiet.

Lotus: Do you hear something...?
Junpei: Like...what?
Lotus: Like some sort of...beeping...

Junpei pressed his ear against the cold metal of the door.
The others did the same.

June: You're right... I can hear it too.
Santa: What is it?

Then they heard something else.
It was the 9th Man.

???: Shit! Why isn't it stopping?! Goddamnit!
???: Y-Y-You l-lied!

Lied...?

???: Th-Th-This wasn't supposed to happen!
???: This is wrong!
???: This is wrong!

His voice shook with fear.
Safe on the outside, they stepped back from the door and looked at one another.

Ace: What is happening in there...?
???: O-O-O-Open the door! Please! I'm begging you!
???: Help me! Please, get me out of here! Get me out of here!

Junpei grabbed hold of the device.
He slammed his hand on the scanner panel.
Nothing happened.
Why didn't it register him?! He looked at the display where the asterisks had
shown up. It said "ENGAGED".

???: A-Ah... Oh my God, oh my God, there's no time left...!
???: Listen! I was lied to! He lied to me! He put me in here!
???: It was him! He killed me! It was him!
???: A...Aahh... Aaahhhh...
???: Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaght--!

...
...
The explosion rocked the room.
Instinctively, they ducked, then stood up slowly when they realized there was
no danger.
No one spoke.
Silence filled the room.
In that silence, the electronic tone that echoed across the room sounded as
loud as a gunshot.
All eyes turned toward it.
It had come from the device mounted next to the door.
The display changed from [ENGAGED] to [VACANT].

Seven: Let's see if we can open it...

[Seven]--the mountain--swallowed hard.
Junpei nodded and placed his hand on the scanner panel.
A red asterisk appeared on the LCD panel.
The device had registered Junpei's bracelet number: (5).
His was not enough, however. At least 2 more people were needed.
Junpei asked...

* <<Which pair?>>

<Ace and Lotus (1 + 8)> - "m10a1a"
<Snake and Seven (2 + 7)> - "m10a1b"
<Santa and June (3 + 6)> - "m10a1c"

{m10a1a}
<Ace and Lotus (1 + 8)>

Junpei: Ace, Lotus... You think you could give me a hand here?

The pun was a little too on-the-nose, but the mood was still grim.
Both Ace and Lotus lifted their left hands silently.
He verified, and she followed suit.
5 + 1 + 8 = 14 ? 1 + 4 = [5]
They'd fulfilled the conditions.
If they were to pull the lever on the side...

(To "m10a1z", replace quotations with braces)

{m10a1b}
<Snake and Seven (2 + 7)>

Junpei: Snake, Seven... You think you could give me a hand here?

The pun was a little too on-the-nose, but the mood was still grim.
Both Snake and Seven lifted their left hands silently.
Slowly, each of them placed their hand on the scanner panel.
5 + 2 + 7 = 14 ? 1 + 4 = [5]
They'd fulfilled the conditions.
If they were to pull the lever on the side...

(To "m10a1z", replace quotations with braces)

{m10a1c}
<Santa and June (3 + 6)>

Junpei: Santa and...uh...June... You think you could give me a hand here?

The pun was a little too on-the-nose, but the mood was still grim.
Both Santa and June lifted their left hands silently.
He verified, and she followed suit.
5 + 3 + 6 = 14 ? 1 + 4 = [5]
They'd fulfilled the conditions.
If they were to pull the lever on the side...

(To "m10a1z", replace quotations with braces)

{m10a1z}

Junpei: Are you guys ready? I'm gonna open it.

Junpei grabbed the lever and looked back over his shoulder.
They stiffened and nodded.
Junpei nodded back, and set his mouth in a grim line.
Then he slowly...
lowered...
the lever...
There was a metallic groan, and the door slide open.
A breath of air drifted out of it, carrying a stench that nearly made them gag.
Junpei grimaced and put a hand over his mouth.

Lotus: Oh my God...
Ace: Good God...

Lotus and Ace shuddered.
Seven grunted.

Seven: Whoa... That's...pretty bad...

Even Santa's voice shook.

Santa: He...he blew up...

It appeared that Santa was right.
The hallway on the other side of the door was splattered with chunks of torn
flesh and dark, red blood.

June: Aaaaaiiiii!

The shriek echoed across the room.
It had come from June.
Then her strength left her and she dropped--
As Junpei turned to catch her, the door groaned shut.
She crumpled to the floor.

Junpei: June! You okay?!

Junpei dropped to his knees and put his arm around her shoulders.
That was when he noticed...
Her whole body was feverish. She was radiating intense heat...

Junpei: What the hell?! Where'd this fever come from?
June: ...

June didn't answer.
Her face looked like wax, and her whole body began to shake.
All right, let's just rest for a minute, okay? You think you can walk?
She nodded weakly.
Junpei lifted June to her feet, and guided her to a nearby chair.

Junpei: Here we go...

As gently as he could, he set her down in it.

Junpei: How are you feeling? Are you all right?

She nodded, and as she did, a single, huge tear rolled down the side of her
face.

June: Why... Why did this happen...

Her voice cracked, broken by misery and grief and choked by sobs.

June: Why did this happen...

Junpei spun around.

Junpei: Do any of you know what the fuck is going on here?!
Junpei: Who's Zero?! What's this "Nonary Game"!?  C'mon! Anybody? Anything?!
Junpei: What the hell is going on?! What are we doing here?!

No one spoke.
Ace, Snake, Santa, Clover, Seven, and Lotus...
They simply stood there, 7 pairs of downcast eyes and 7 grim lines for mouths.

June: ...

June's body shook with silent sobs.
They slowed, as the minutes ticked by, and eventually they stopped.
Then suddenly, in the cold, heavy silence that had enveloped them like a thick
fog, a bell began to ring. The clock in the central hall.
7...8...9...10 times...
And then, on the 10th ring, it stopped. The sound of the bell faded away into
silence.

Ace: It's 10 o'clock, then.

Ace said what each one of them had been thinking.

Seven: That means it's been an hour since Zero's little announcement.

Seven's deep voice echoed across the room.

Santa: Fuck! I've had enough of this crap!

Santa leapt to his feet, his fists clenched.

Santa: How long are we gonna pussyfoot around like this?!
Santa: We've only got 8 hours until this time limit Zero was going on about is
up!
Santa: Let's get goin' already! Go! Go!

Santa's outburst fell on deaf ears. No one seemed to agree with him.
They stared back at him, their eyes blank and their faces tired.
Finally, Lotus spoke.

Lotus: No. I refuse. I'm not going to end up like him.
Santa: ...Him? You mean the 9th Man?
Lotus: Of course. Who else?

In his mind's eye, Junpei saw the corpse again.
The dark, reddish-black pool of blood... The scattered pieces of flesh...
Organs strewn across the floor like the blossoming of a grotesque flower...
The explosion that had torn through his body had been powerful.
The 9th Man's neck had been twisted at an odd angle.
Junpei suspected the detonation had thrown him against the wall.
Half of his face was crushed, and the other half was covered in blood.
Most of his abdomen had been emptied, either by the explosion, or by gravity.
He had landed on his back, and stark white ribs jutted up out of his chest,
like the legs of some sort of macabre crab.
Junpei felt something flip in his stomach.

Santa: I think he just...screwed up.

Eyebrows went up, and Santa continued.

Santa: He probably set off some sorta trap, and that killed him.
Santa: I'm not gonna screw up like that! I'm gettin' outta here alive!
Snake: Hehe...hehe... Ahahahahahahaha!

Whatever Snake was laughing at, Santa did not find particularly humorous.

Santa: What's so goddamn funny!?
Snake: Oh, my apologies... You were just... So very confident! I couldn't help
myself.
Santa: What the fuck!?
Snake: I think you've mistaken the situation.
Santa: Huh?
Snake: The 9th Man's death. It had nothing to do with a trap. Or at least not
the sort of trap you imagine it did.
Santa: Then...?
Snake: He broke one of Zero's rules. That was why he died. Quite simple if you
think about it.
Santa: ...?
Snake: You still don't...? All right. How about you take a moment, and think
back to what Zero said.
Snake: Specifically, what did he say about the number of people?
Santa: He said "Only [3-5] people can pass through one numbered door."
...Right?
Snake: And after that...? You've forgotten the relevant part.
Snake: What did Zero say?
Santa: ...?

Santa furrowed his brow in thought.
Junpei thought back...

* <<Zero said...>>

<...that only 2 people could go through.> - "m10a2a"
<...that everyone who verified had to go.> - "m10a2b"
<...more than 6 people can go through.> - "m10a2c"

{m10a2a}
<...that only 2 people could go through.>

...That only 2 people could go through. Or something like that.
...
No... Wait, that was wrong.
It was on the tip of Junpei's tongue when Lotus beat him to the punch.

Lotus: "All those who enter must leave, and all who enter must contribute."
That's what the letter said.
Lotus: In other words, no less than 3, and no more than 5. 
Snake: Exactly.

Snake inclined his head toward Lotus.

(To "m10a2z", replace quotations with braces)

{m10a2b}
<...that everyone who verified had to go.>

Junpei: "All those who enter must leave, and all who enter must contribute."
...Right?
Junpei: I think it was something like that...
Junpei: Whatever it was, it means that groups of less than 3 or more than 5
can't go through.
Snake: That is correct. A gold star for you, Junpei.

Snake inclined his head toward Junpei.

(To "m10a2z", replace quotations with braces)

{m10a2c}
<...more than 6 people can go through.>

It was something about how more than 6 people could pass through...
...
No... Wait, that was wrong.
It was on the tip of Junpei's tongue when Lotus beat him to the punch.

Lotus: "All those who enter must leave, and all who enter must contribute."
That's what the letter said.
Lotus: In other words, no less than 3, and no more than 5. 
Snake: Exactly.

Snake inclined his head toward Lotus.

(To "m10a2z", replace quotations with braces)

{m10a2z}

Snake: The 9th Man, however, broke that rule.
Snake: He tried to pass through a numbered door by himself.
Snake: That was why he was executed.
Seven: Then Zero's watchin' us from somewhere...
Seven: Makin' sure we don't break any rules...
Snake: Oh, I'm not so sure of that.
Seven: Why not?
Snake: Because this execution system is entirely automatic. You didn't notice?
Snake: There's no need for him to monitor us.
Seven: Wadda you mean?

Snake looked at Seven with what could only be described as pity and sighed.

Snake: Very well. I see it must be me who tells you.
Snake: I've waited long enough, I suppose.
Snake: I had hoped Zero might spare me the trouble, but...
Snake: That seems increasingly unlikely.

He couldn't see them, of course, but perhaps Snake sensed the confused eyes
upon him.
When Ace spoke, he gave words to everyone else's thoughts.

Ace: Do you know something?!
Snake: Well, I know a great many things, but... Yes.
Ace: What is it you know?!
Snake: Here.

Snake removed a card from the pocket of his jacket.
With a flourish, he presented it to Ace, who took a close look at it and spoke.

Ace: Come on, now. What's the point of giving me this?
Santa: Gimme that.

Santa snatched the card from Ace, but his expression of disgust quickly turned
to one of confusion.

Santa: Huh? The hell is this...

Seven tugged it out of Santa's hands.

Seven: Heh. I see...

The card went from Seven to Lotus, from Lotus to June, and finally to Junpei.
He looked at it, and understood.

Junpei: This is braille.

Braille. The written language of the blind.
The card was covered with small, embossed bumps.
Junpei could recognize it, but he certainly couldn't read it.

Junpei: Sorry guys, I can't read this.

Junpei handed the card back to Snake, who nodded at him with a small smirk.

Lotus: Okay, that was fun. What's so important about that card?
Snake: I found it in my pocket.
Snake: I can only assume it is a message from Zero.
Ace: F-From Zero?
Santa: A message?!
June: W-What does it say?!

Suddenly, everyone was crowding around Snake, desperate to hear what the
message said.
Santa especially looked as if he were about to grab hold of Snake and shake the
answers from him.
Snake raised his hand.

Snake: Calm down now. No need to panic.
Snake: You don't need to force me, I'll read it.

Junpei swallowed hard and waited for him to start.
He was not the only one.
Presently, Snake began to read, his voice calm.
His fingers glided over the tiny bumps as he spoke.

Snake: "Bracelet number (2)..."
Snake: "Since you are not blessed with sight"
Snake: "I shall bless you--and only you--with information."
Snake: "I shall tell you of the function of the RED, of the DEAD, and of the
bracelet."

The [RED] is the Recognition Device.
It will verify your number.
Beside every numbered door, you will find a RED.
The [DEAD] is the Deactivation Device.
It does exactly what it says.
Once you have passed through the numbered door, you must use the DEAD to stop
the [detonator] in your bracelet.
But perhaps you are wondering... What does this detonator detonate? I am afraid
this may be something of a surprise.
I have placed a [small bomb] inside of you, and the people whom you are about
to meet.
You swallowed it while you were unconscious.
I have no doubt that by the time you read this note, the bomb will have passed
your stomach and found its way to your small intestine.
In other words, you will be unable to regurgitate it. I suggest you do not try.
As I mentioned before, the bracelet on your left hand contains a detonator.
Think of it as a remote fuse, or [timer], for the bomb in your body.
There is only 1 condition which will cause it to detonate.
That condition is that you enter a numbered door.
Once you have done so, the timer will activate, no matter who you may be.
You will have [81 seconds].
If, after that time, the detonator has not been deactivated, it will send a
signal to the bomb in your body, instructing it to explode.
In order to deactivate the detonator, [every person who verified their number
at the RED] must also verify their numbers at the DEAD.
Once all numbers have been verified by the DEAD, you need only pull the lever
at its side, and the countdown will cease.
Anyone who does not verify their number at the RED will find themselves unable
to verify their number at the DEAD.
That is to say, if you should pass through a numbered door without first
verifying your number at the RED, in 81 seconds you will be dead.
You must also keep in mind that the numbered doors will close automatically
after [9 seconds] have passed.
So long as the door is open, the DEAD will not function. You would do well to
remember this.
Lastly, let us discuss [how to remove the bracelets].
There are only 2 ways to do so.
One: You escape from this ship.
Two: Your heart rate reaches zero.
In other words, once the bracelet is taken outside the confines of the ship, or
detects that its wearer's heartbeat has fallen to zero, it will shut down
automatically.
There is no other way to remove your bracelet.
If you attempt to force it off, or disable the detonator, the bomb within you
will immediately explode.

Snake: "This is all the information which I can impart to you."
Snake: "How you choose to use it is for you to decide."
Snake: "If used wisely, you can eliminate those who might be a danger to you.
For a time, you would be able to control your fate."
Snake: "I wish you the best of luck."

Snake finished reading, and carefully returned the card to his pocket.
The message had been lengthy, but its meaning was clear.
[Only those who verified their numbers at the RED could pass through the
numbered doors].
Teams could not increase or decrease their numbers.
The [REDs], [DEADs], and [bracelets] enforced the rules. They were judge, jury,
and executioner.
In defiance of Zero's suggestions, both Santa and Seven put fingers down their
throats and began to gag.
The rest stiffened. Some touched their stomachs--some simply stared at their
bracelets.
Junpei gingerly touched his stomach.
There was a bomb inside his body. The thought of it made him queasy.
His stomach felt oddly hollow, and his legs were weak.
Why had Zero designed such a ludicrous game?
Junpei looked over at the others.

Junpei: All right, I'm gonna ask one more time.
Junpei: Do any of you know anything about Zero?

They were all silent, each person waiting to hear what the others would say.
Finally, Santa spoke.

Santa: Actually, I...I saw him. I saw Zero when I got grabbed.
Santa: I didn't see his face, though...
Santa: Son of a bitch was wearing some kinda gas mask.

...

Santa: ...What the hell? C'mon guys, gimme something...
Santa: You know, like...surprise or something.

Instead, it was Santa who looked surprised.
There was a moment of silence, and then everyone spoke at once.
"Yeah, I saw him too!" "Me too!" "He was wearing a gas mask..."
As stories were sorted out, the truth became clear:
All of their stories were the same.
They had been abducted at home, at midnight.
The person claiming to be Zero had worn a mask.
There had been white smoke, and then each person had passed out.
When they awoke, they had found themselves on D Deck, in a room with a 3-level
bunk bed.
Only Seven's story seemed to lack the detail of the others.

Seven: Oh... Me...?
Seven: Yeah, well, mine was just like the rest'a yours...

That was all he had said.
It had occurred to Junpei at the time that it sounded somewhat strange, but he
didn't press the issue.
He hadn't done so, because there was something that struck him as even
stranger.
That was the mystery of the relationship between Snake and Clover.
For some reason, they had been abducted from the same room, and woken up in the
same room.
Junpei looked at them, thoughtfully.

Junpei: So what's the deal with the 2 of you, anyway?

It was Clover that answered.
Clearly, she felt she had nothing to hide.

Clover: We're siblings.
Junpei: Siblings!?
Clover: Uh...yes?
Clover: Snake is my older brother, obviously. That means I'm his little sister.
Clover: That really so hard to understand?

Junpei was taken aback.
The others seemed just as surprised.

Snake: She is correct, of course.

He laid his hand on Clover's shoulder.

Snake: Are you...surprised?
Seven: Well, yeah, but...
Snake: Why? There are other people here with connections to one another.
Snake: Those 2, for instance...

Snake pointed at Junpei and June.

June: Oh, you mean between Jumpy and me...?
Ace: Ah, yes. You did say you were childhood friends, didn't you.
Lotus: You went to school together?
June: Y-Yeah...

June glanced at Junpei, uncomfortable with the sudden attention.
Junpei felt somewhat nervous as well, and tried to scratch his head as casually
as possible.

Santa: Hey... You think maybe we could figure out who Zero is this way?
Seven: Yeah, you're right.
Seven: You connect the dots between the victims, and that leads you to the
perp. Textbook stuff.
Lotus: Junpei, June, does any of this ring a bell?
Junpei: Ring a bell...
June: Ring a bell...?

They looked at one another.
And like it was staged, they both tilted their neck at the same time.

Lotus: Well, perhaps you went to school with the son of a multi-millionaire...
June: A millionaire...?
Junpei: Son...?
Lotus: Well, someone bought this boat, and set up all of...this.
Lotus: Whoever Zero is, they must be incredibly rich.
Ace: Well, we can't be sure of that.
Ace: To me, this seems as though it's the work of an organization, not an
individual.
Ace: Zero is most likely simply the representative of a larger group.
Seven: What sort of organization?
Ace: It could be a number of things. An army, perhaps, or a research group.
Ace: Perhaps this is all some sort of psychological experiment.
Santa: If it is, then it's a pretty fucked up experiment!
Santa: I mean, c'mon! A guy's dead!

The word "dead" hung in the air, heavy and ominous.
The room went quiet again.

Santa: I dunno who the hell this Zero asshole is, but I know for sure he's
gotta be pretty fucked up in the head to do all this.
Santa: If this was all 1 guy, then he's got some serious issues.

Even with the spectre of death hanging over them, their discussions continued
for some time.
In the end, however, they learned nothing.
By the time they finished, 1.5 of their 9 hours were gone.
All they had to show for it was impatience.

Santa: Man... Look we only got 7.5 hours left, okay?
Santa: You really sure you want to just sit around?

No one was willing to argue this time.

Ace: Very well then. There's only one way for us to proceed.
Seven: Sure not gonna be fun running around knowin' we gotta jump when Zero
says "Jump".
Clover: Well, it's stupid to just sit around here doing nothing.
Lotus: Thanks to Snake's card, at least we have some idea of how this all
works.
Snake: Correct. And so long as we follow the rules, we should...ah...we will
most likely be all right.
June: But...
Junpei: But...what?
June: Who's going to go in which door?

June looked toward the numbered doors.

Junpei: Oh yeah... That's right. We can't have any more than 5 people in one
door.
Junpei: All 8 of us can't go in the same door...
Ace: Then it would seem we will have to split up.
Lotus: W-Wait!

Lotus looked terrified.

Lotus: I'm telling you now, there is no way in hell that I'm going into door
[5]!
Ace: Come now, don't be selfish--
Lotus: Call me whatever the hell you want, I'm not going in there!
Lotus: If I'm going to have to walk through all that blood, then I'd rather
stay here!
Ace: *Sigh* And we were doing so well...

Ace shook his head sadly.

Santa: Sorry, but I ain't goin' in there either. Someone else can go into door
[5].
Ace: Oh, Santa not you too...
Santa: Hey man, I just bought these shoes.
Santa: If you think I'm getting some creepy dude's blood all over 'em, you got
another think comin'.

That was the last straw.

Junpei: What the hell, man?!
Junpei: Weren't you the one who kept saying we should get going!?
Santa: Yeah? So?
Santa: Doesn't mean I wanted to go into door [5].
Ace: Oh God...

There was an awkward silence.
Finally Seven spoke.

Seven: Fine. I'll go into door [5].
Seven: I can't go in there alone, though.
Seven: Anyone else willing to come with me?

There was another long silence.
This time Snake was the one to break it.

Snake: I'll go.
Clover: W-What?!
Snake: Don't worry. You'll be fine.
Snake: We may part now, but I'm certain we'll meet again later.
Clover: How do you know that?!
Snake: Because I do.
Clover: That's not an answer!
Clover: If you're going, I'm going too! I'm going into door [5]!
Snake: What am I going to do with you...
Ace: There's nothing you have to do.

Ace stepped forward.

Ace: If I join you, the problem is solved, correct?
Ace: Seven is (7) and Snake is (2).
Ace: And if you add Clover's (4) and my (1), the digital root will be [5].

7 + 2 + 4 + 1 = 14 ? 1 + 4 = [5]

Clover: Oh! It works perfectly!
Clover: The 4 of us can go into door [5]--
Seven: Wait.
Seven: What about the other 4? What's their digital root gonna be?

Junpei did a quick mental calculation.
Lotus, Santa, June, and Junpei remained.
Their bracelet numbers were (8), (3), (6), and (5).

* <<(8365) ...What would their digital root be?>>

<[2]> - "m10a3a"
<[3]> - "m10a3b"
<[4]> - "m10a3c"
<[5]> - "m10a3d"

{m10a3a}
<[2]>

[2]-- It would be 2.
That meant there was no way they could pass through door [4]...
...
Wait... No, that wasn't right...
No, something didn't seem right.
Junpei ran the numbers again.
8 + 3 + 6 + 5 = 22 ? 2 + 2 = [4]

(To "m10a3z", replace quotations with braces)

{m10a3b}
<[3]>

[3]-- It would be 3.
That meant there was no way they could pass through door [4]...
...
Wait... No, that wasn't right...
No, something didn't seem right.
Junpei ran the numbers again.
8 + 3 + 6 + 5 = 22 ? 2 + 2 = [4]

(To "m10a3z", replace quotations with braces)

{m10a3c}
<[4]>

8 + 3 + 6 + 5 = 22 ? 2 + 2 = [4]

(To "m10a3z", replace quotations with braces)

{m10a3d}
<[5]>

[5]-- It would be 5.
That meant there was no way they could pass through door [4]...
...
Wait... No, that wasn't right...
No, something didn't seem right.
Junpei ran the numbers again.
8 + 3 + 6 + 5 = 22 ? 2 + 2 = [4]

(To "m10a3z", replace quotations with braces)

{m10a3z}

He repeated what he'd determined.

Junpei: It's [4].
Junpei: Add up our 4 bracelet numbers, and the digital root is [4].
June: Then we can go into door [4].
Santa: Yeah. Huh, that worked out well.

Junpei ran over the team assignments in his head one more time.
4 people would go into door [5]:
Seven, Snake, Clover, and Ace.
4 people would go into door [4]:
Lotus, Santa, June, and Junpei.
Junpei had to ask himself if the teams were what he really wanted.
Beyond door [5] was what remained of the 9th Man.
He never wanted to see that...thing again, but... Something in him said it
would be unwise not to examine the corpse even a little closer.
Of course, if he went through door [5], he wouldn't be going with Lotus and
Santa.
True, it would be possible for him to bring June with him through door [5], but
that would mean she would have to see the horrific carnage that waited there.
Junpei didn't want that.
Junpei was torn.
Should he stay silent, and go through door [4]?
Or should he stop them all, and insist on door [5]?
As he turned his options over and over in his mind Ace spoke up.

Ace: All right then...
Ace: It seems we've reached a conclusion. Shall we go?

He began to walk toward door [5]...
Clover and Snake followed, with Seven a short distance behind.
Junpei...

* <<Which door do you want to go through?>>

<...decided that door [4] would be fine.> - "a11b"
<...decided that it had to be door [5].> - "b11b"

==========================================
==========================================
DOOR 4
{a11b} File #06
-Entering Door 4-
==========================================

...decided that door [4] would be fine.
He would go through door [4] with Lotus, Santa, and June.
Why had Junpei even considered doing otherwise?
He would be there for June... For Akane Kurashiki.
That seemed good. He felt it was the right choice to make.
He made no shows of affection, but Junpei saw her as something more than just a
friend from his childhood.
He watched the other 4 walk toward their door...
Ace, Snake, Clover, and Seven...
Junpei said nothing as they left.
Before long, they had reached door [5].
They talked to one another for a few seconds, saying things Junpei couldn't
hear, and then laid their hands, one by one, on the scanner panel of the RED.
Ace grabbed the lever.
His face tight with determination, he turned over his shoulder to look at
Junpei and his companions.

Ace: Goodbye.
Lotus: ...Be careful.

As Ace pulled the lever, the door swung open; the mouth of a great, hungry
beast.
Beyond the door, Junpei knew, lay the sad remains of the [9th Man]... It did
not surprise him that Ace, Clover, and Seven hesitated. The body was not a
pleasant thing.
Snake, had no such problems, as his blindness made him immune to the horror. He
stepped through the door, his feet making a wet "splack" in the pool of blood.

Snake: Do you intend to kill me?
Snake: I assume you haven't forgotten the door only remains open for 9 seconds,
have you?

Snake had not even bothered to turn around, but the other 3 steeled themselves,
and stepped through the door.
Door [5] swung shut, closing with the heavy finality of metal upon metal.
Junpei and his companions scrambled to the door.
They pressed their ears to it, in an attempt to hear what might be taking place
on the other side.

Junpei: It's beeping...
Lotus: It's just like before...
Santa: Probably the sound of the detonator on the bracelet...
June: Do you think they're...okay?

June's face showed her concern more plainly than her words ever could.
Almost as though in response to her question, a voice rang out from the other
side of the door.
It was Seven.

Seven: Hey! There it is!
Seven: That's gotta be that DEAD thing!
Seven: Come on! Get over here! We gotta authenticate!

The beeping stopped.
The sighs of relief were audible even through the heavy door.

Seven: Phew... Looks like it stopped.

Junpei and his companions leaned away from the door, and breathed a collective
sigh of relief of their own.

Junpei: Hey, guys! Are you doing all right over there?!

They'd heard Seven's voice, but it wouldn't hurt to be sure.

Clover: Yup! We're fine!

Despite the recent danger, Clover's voice was as bubbly as ever.

Clover: Oh, hey, I'm gonna tell you about this whole DEAD thing, okay?!
Clover: The DEAD is just like the RED, but the color's different.
Clover: You know how the RED was red? Well, the DEAD is blue!
Clover: Other than that, it's just like the RED. Authenticating is the same
too!
Junpei: Awesome! Thanks! That helps a lot.
Ace: Well, we should probably move on now.
Ace: You be careful out there.
Junpei: Roger that.

Junpei and the others left door [5] and headed toward door [4].
They stood in front of the RED and placed each of their hands upon it.
4 asterisks appeared on the screen.
Junpei grabbed the lever and turned around.

Junpei: You guys ready...?
Santa: Yeah...
Lotus: Sure...
June: Let's go...

None of them looked particularly optimistic, but their faces were set.
Junpei nodded to them, and turned back toward the RED.

Junpei: All right, let's go!

With strength and determination, he pulled the lever.

Santa: Run!

The 4 of them leapt through the door together.
The moment they had passed through it, each heard a cold, electronic sound
coming from their left wrist.
In the center of each bracelet, a red skull appeared, and began to flash.
The detonator's countdown had begun!
In the long moment that each of them spent staring at their wrists...
...The numbered door behind them closed, the sound of metal on metal
reverberating down the hallway.
There was no way back now.
They were committed. If they could not find the device to deactivate their
detonators...

Santa: Hey! Where the hell is the DEAD!?
Lotus: How would I know!?
Santa: Don't gimme that crap! Start looking!
Lotus: I already am!

They began to run, eyes looking frantically for the device that was the key to
their salvation.
The hallway they found themselves running down was a long one--easily 300 feet
in length.
On the right side of it stood a series of wooden doors, all nearly identical.
If they had taken time to think, they would likely have discerned that the
doors lead to cabins.

Junpei: Don't tell me the DEAD is in one of those rooms...
June: Oh no! How many rooms do you think there are?!

Junpei was too frightened to count properly, but at his best guess there were 7
or 8 of them.

Junpei: Ahhhh fuck!

There wasn't time to count them to be sure.
Junpei ran to the nearest door.
He grabbed the knob and shook it, hard.
It wouldn't open.
It didn't feel locked... More like someone had hammered an iron plate over the
other side of the door.
Junpei turned around to find another door, and saw that his companions had
already run to doors of their own. They did not seem to be having any more
success than he had.
Their own words confirmed his fears.

Santa: Shit! This one's no good.
Lotus: Same here!
June: It's not moving!

June was the last to speak up.
As Junpei looked in her direction, his eye caught something he hadn't noticed
before...
A small, red light.
It flashed at him, dimly, from the end of the hallway.

Junpei: That's it! Over there!

Even as he yelled, he ran.
He grabbed Santa, Lotus, and June, and pulled them toward the light.
Santa called out to them as he ran.

Santa: Hey! How many more seconds do we have!?
Lotus: How would I know!?
June: Our time limit is 81 seconds!
Santa: I know that, goddamnit!
Santa: I'm askin' you how many seconds we have left!

In all likelihood, Junpei figured, nearly a minute had already passed, since
the door had closed behind them.
If that was true...
Urgency foremost in all of their minds, they arrived at the end of the hallway.
The DEAD sat on the left wall, blinking almost tauntingly at them.

Junpei: Hurry!

Junpei grabbed hold of the machine, his hands slick with sweat, and shaking.
He slammed his hand against the scanner panel.
The other 3 quickly followed suit.
With a grunt, Santa yanked the lever downward.

Santa: *Pant* *Pant* *Pant*
Lotus: *Pant*... *Pant*... *Pant*...
June: *Pant*... *Pant*... *Pant*...
Junpei: Phew... Looks like it's stopped.

His hands beginning to steady, Junpei wiped away some of the sweat that had
beaded on his forehead.
As they caught their breath, the 4 companions began to look around.
At the end of the hallway lay a heavy-looking set of double doors.
Set into the walls of the hallway on either side of the larger door were 2
smaller ones.
They all needed inspecting, but Junpei began with the largest of the 3--the
double-doors.
How many times had he come across similar doors, with similar results, he
wondered.
Or perhaps, he corrected himself, more a lack of results...
Whatever the reason, the door remained firm and unyielding, and refused to
allow Junpei, or anyone else, passage.
Near the handle was a small keyhole.
Above the keyhole was a small symbol, engraved in the brass.

Junpei: Male...?

He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. And stared at it for a moment in
confusion.
It was June that corrected him.

June: No, that's not the symbol for "male". That's probably the symbol of
[Mars].
June: Well, technically, they are the same symbol...
June: But I saw a number of similar symbols near the main stairway.
June: The symbols of the solar system...

The Sun...
Saturn...
The Earth...

June: At least, that's what I'm assuming.
Junpei: So this isn't the man symbol, it's a symbol for [Mars]?
June: I think so, yes.

While Junpei and June talked, Santa had disappeared.
They turned to find him some distance down the hallway--he had gone to check
the other doors.
Eventually he reached the last of them and jogged back.
It took him only a moment to catch his breath again.

Santa: Here's the deal. None of the other doors open.
June: Then that must mean...
Lotus: We only have 2 more doors.

Lotus examined the doors on either side of the larger double-door.
Each one had a metal plate attached to it.
Junpei figured they were probably room numbers.
The door on the left read [B92].
And the door on the right proclaimed that it lead to [B93].

Junpei: All right. Let's open 'em.
Santa: Yeah.

Junpei put his hand on the door knob for the door that said [Room 92].
Santa moved to the door to [Room 93].
They'd made it through the numbered door alive.
There was nothing more to be afraid of.
Junpei and Santa looked at each other and nodded.

Junpei: 1...2...3!

In unison, they pushed against their respective doors.
...And promptly found themselves in a new room.
June followed Junpei as he threw open his door.
They turned around, and saw that the door on the other side was open as well.
Through the door was another person, his mouth agape.
It was Santa.

Santa: Hey...uh... It opened.
Junpei: Yeah... It did...

Junpei and Santa looked at each other.
They had not expected the doors to yield so easily.
Lotus's calm voice broke into their thoughts.

Lotus: Maybe this is all part of Zero's plan?
Lotus: I can't say I enjoy being treated like someone's puppet.

As she headed for Room 93, Lotus continued.

Lotus: Well, now we have these 2 rooms. I'm sure there's something in there
that will help us get out of here.
Lotus: Let's find it.
Lotus: Santa and I will search this room.
Lotus: Junpei and June, search the other one.
Junpei: All right.
June: Okay!

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::2nd class cabin::
=============================================
{a11} File #05
Plot points within this section:
-Confronting a Childhood Friend: "a11d.a"
-The Curse of the Egyptian Mummy: "a11d.b"
-4-Leaf Clover and Etymology of [Nonary]: "a11d.c"
-Sheldrake on [Morphogenetic Fields]: "a11d.d"
( To skip to a story segment, search for "a11d.#" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \ : Room Connections
v: Returns to the previous room
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

   Left Room       Right Room
[9]=[A] [C]=[B] [5]=[6] [4]=[3]
  \  v   v  /     \  v   v  / 
    [8]=[7]===[D]===<1>=[2]

{Screen 1, Right Room Entrance}

<Examine Door without finding map, 1>
June: Jumpy, where are you going?
Junpei: Um, I was thinking of going over to Lotus's room...
June: Do you think maybe you could look around here a little more before you
go?
June: There's a lot for me to do here all by myself...
<Examine Door without finding map, 2>
June: So you think you could help me look around a little more before you go?
<Examine Door without finding map, 3>
June: Could you help me look around a little more before you go?
<Examine Door without finding map + matches, 4+>
June: Jumpy, wait.
June: Did you look at the area around the bed?
<Examine Door, found map, 1>
June: Jumpy, where are you going?
Junpei: Um, I was thinking of going over to Lotus's room...
June: Why...?
Junpei: What do you mean "why"? I'm just gonna go check up on them.
Junpei: Is there something wrong with that?
June: Well, no...
June: Come back soon!
Junpei: Sure thing.
Junpei: I'll leave the rest to you.
June: Sure. Leave it to me.
* All right, off to the other room...
<Examine Door, found map, 2>
* The exit.
* Lotus and Santa are in the room on the other side.
Junpei: I'm gonna go check up on them...

<Examine Vase, 1>
June: That vase looks expensive!
June: I wonder how much we could get for it...
Junpei: Are you gonna steal it?!
June: Hehehe...
<Examine Vase, 2>
* Looks like a valuable vase. Empty though.
* It looks like there's a room to the [right of the vase]...
<Examine Vase, 3+>
* There's a room to the [right of the vase]...

<Examine Picture Closeup, 1>
June: This is kind of a weird-looking picture. Do you think it's an abstract
painting or something?
June: It looks kind of like...a demon...with an elephant-like nose...
June: ...Sucking on a human being's brain...
* Where the hell did that come from?
* What's her brain made of...
* Can't say I'd mind finding out a little more about what goes on in there...
<Examine Picture Closeup, 2>
* It's a kinda weird-looking picture. It's some sort of weird black and white
design.
* Looks like there's a room [on the right side of this picture].
<Examine Picture Closeup, 3+>
* An odd-looking picture with black and white pattern. Looks like there's a
room on [the right side of the picture]...
<Examine Picture Closeup after checking incomplete picture in left room, 1>
Junpei: I get it... Yes...yes...
June: What are you mumbling about? Did you figure something out?
Junpei: Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it.
<Examine Picture Closeup after failing picture puzzle in left room, 1>
* I get it...
* If I can make this one look like the one in the other room...
<Examine Picture Closeup after failing picture puzzle in left room, 2+>
* * If I can make this one look like the one in the other room...

{Screen 2, Right Room Lounge, 1}

<Examine Sofa, 1>
Junpei: Ahhh.
June: Jumpy, what are you doing?!
June: We don't have the time to be relaxing on a sofa!
<Examine Sofa, 2>
* It's a sofa.
* Maybe I shouldn't sit on it. June'll get mad again...
<Examine Sofa, 3>
* A sofa.
<Examine Sofa, 4>
* A mi-re-do.
* Oh no...my mistake. It's a so-fa.
<Examine Sofa, 5+>
* A sofa. The color is a soothing light blue.

<Examine Display Case, 1>
Junpei: It's a display case.
Junpei: But there's nothing being displayed. How sad...
June: Looks like the drawers are empty, too.
<Examine Display Case, 2+>
* There's nothing in the display case. The drawers are empty too.
<Examine Display Case, after examining left room display case, 1>
Junpei: This display case isn't like the one in the other room.
June: The other room? You mean the one where Santa is?
Junpei: Yeah. There are a whole bunch of plates and stuff in the display case
over there.
Junpei: But in this one...nothin'.
June: It doesn't look like there's anything hidden here.
June: I don't think we really need to worry about it.
<Examine Display Case, after examining left room display case, 2+>
* There's nothing in the display case. The drawers are empty too.

<Examine Table, matches are still on, 1>
Junpei: It's a table made of wood.
June: Hey... There's something here.
Junpei: Looks like a box of matches.
<Examine Table, matches are still on, 2+>
* A round wooden table. There are matches on it.

<Examine Matches, 1>
* Matches...

{Screen 3, Right Room Bedroom, Facing Bed}

<Examine Picture Frame, 1>
Junpei: This isn't a painting. Is it a...map?
June: It looks like a map of the ship's interior.
Junpei: Oh! This is a great find!
Junpei: I think it'll be really useful... Let's take it with us!
It is now possible to use the map screen.
[Map Screen]
The map screen can only be viewed during the story sections.
It is entirely different in function from the bird's-eye view mode.
While on the map screen, you can examine a map of the ship's floor plan, which
you will acquire over the course of the story.
Touch down[menu] to open the menu.
If you touch X[map] while in the [menu], you will be taken to the map screen.
While there, you can scroll around the floor plan with the +Control Pad or the
stylus.
Touching the green parts of the floor plan will allow you to see the bird's-eye
view for that room.
(To "a11d.b", replacing quotations with braces {} )
<Examine Picture Frame, 2+>
* There's nothing left in the frame.

<Examine Light, 1>
June: It's light.
Junpei: Even if it's heavy?
June: That's light!
<Examine Light, 2+>
* It's a light. Thanks to it, we can see.

<Examine Cupboard, 1>
June: A wooden cupboard. There are cups inside, surprising no one.
<Examine Cupboard, 2+>
* A wooden cupboard. There's nothing useful in there.

<Examine Water Bottle, 1>
June: It's a bottle with water in it.
June: This is a bedroom...
June: They probably have it here 'cause your throat always feels dry when you
wake up, you know?
Junpei: My throat's dry, but I think that's 'cause I'm a little nervous right
now.
June: Well, we did run a lot, so we're kinda sweaty.
June: Hey Jumpy, did you want to take a shower together?
Junpei: Whoa!
June: *Giggle* Just kidding.
* Too late to take it back... My brain's already working out the picture.
* My throat was dry already... This sure isn't helping.
<Examine Water Bottle, 2+>
* It's a bottle with some water in it. I doubt it'll be that useful.

<Examine Bed Blankets, 1>
* It's a light blue blanket with some designs on it.
* Someone's made the bed, or at least never un-made it.
* There's only bedsheets under the blanket. Nothing exciting.
<Examine Bed Blankets, 2>
* A blanket.
<Examine Bed Blankets, 3>
Junpei: Should we take another look at this blanket?
June: No, I think we've covered it pretty well.
* Looks like that one was lame enough to get her to blush a little.
<Examine Bed Blankets, 4+>
* A blanket.
* It's so well made that it for sure won't fly off.

<Examine Pillows, 1>
Junpei: Look, there's 2 pillows right next to each other.
Junpei: Guess it's a double...
Junpei: Huh? What's up? You're turning red...
* Oh man... Is her fever back?
Junpei: Hey, are you all right?
Junpei: Do you need to lay down for a minute?
June: I-I'm fine!
June: I think it's still a little early for that...
Junpei: Huh...?
Junpei: Hey, seriously...are you really okay?
<Examine Pillows, 2+>
* There are 2 pillows next to each other.

<Examine Bed Frame, 1>
June: A bed frame.
June: Now we don't have to worry about falling off.
June: I...toss and turn when I sleep...
* She's blushing again... What the hell is she thinking about?
<Examine Bed Frame, 2+>
* A bed frame.

{Screen 4, Right Room Bedroom, Facing Dresser}

<Examine Light, 1+>
* It's a light. Thanks to it, we can see.

<Examine Chair, 1+>
* The chair that goes with the dresser. There's nothing particularly
interesting about it.

<Examine Mirror, 1>
June: This is the mirror for the dresser.
* ...And now she's playing with her hair. Does she even realize she's doing
that?
Junpei: Hey. We don't have time for that.
Junpei: C'mon, it's not like there's anyone here you need to impress.
June: Yes there is.
Junpei: Who...?
June: ...
Junpei: What? Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?
June: Ugh! Forget it, Jumpy!
<Examine Mirror, 2+>
* A well-polished mirror.

<Examine Dresser, 1>
June: It's a dresser.
June: There's nothing on top...
<Examine Dresser, 2+>
* A dresser. There's nothing on top.
<Examine Drawer, after taking key 1>
* There's nothing inside.

{Screen 5, Right Room Bathroom, Facing Wall}

<Examine Back Wall, 1>
June: That's the bathroom wall.
June: There are square tiles all over it.
<Examine Back Wall, 2+>
* The wall's covered with square tiles. They've all got geometric shapes on
them.
<Examine Back Wall, after looking through curtain hole in left room bathroom,
1>
* In the bathroom in Lotus's room...
* I saw a particular tile when I looked through the hole in the shower curtain.
* Maybe if I look in the same place over here...
Junpei: All right...now where was it...
Junpei: [5th one from the top, 3rd one from the right]...
June: What are you mumbling about, Jumpy?
Junpei: Oh, sorry...
Junpei: Uh, could you be quiet for a minute? I don't wanna forget this...
June: ...?
<Examine Back Wall, after looking through curtain hole in left room bathroom,
2>
Junpei: Okay, so the tile [5th one from the top and 3rd one from the right]
is...
<Examine Back Wall, after taking 5,3 tile, 1>
* A wall, covered in tiles.
* The tile 5th down from the top and 3rd in from the right has been torn off.

<Examine 5,3 tile after curtain hole, 1>
Junpei: Here it is!
* ...Yes, this one's loose!
* I think I can get under this with my nails, and...yes!
<Examine 5,3 tile before curtain hole, 1>
* Let's see if there's anything--
* Huh? This one's a little loose...
Junpei: Hmmm...
* I think I can get under this with my nails, and...yes!

<Examine Shower head, 1+>
* It's just a shower head. There's nothing special about it.

<Examine Soap Holder, 1>
* There's a little blue platform protruding from the shower wall next to the
knobs. It's for putting soap on. I used a shower once, so I know.
<Examine Soap Holder, 2+>
* A soap holder.

<Examine Shower Knobs, 1>
June: That's the shower knob.
June: Let's see if anything happens when we turn it...
June: ...No water's coming out...
<Examine Shower Knobs, 2+>
* It's a shower knob. There's no water coming out of the shower.

<Examine Curtain, Open, 1>
June: Jumpy, do you think there might be something on the shower curtain?
Junpei: Hm? Uh...well...maybe...?
June: You wanna try closing it?
<Examine Curtain, Closed, 1>
June: There doesn't seem to be anything here...
Junpei: Yeah, you're right... Let's put it back.

{Screen 6, Right Room Bathroom, Facing Door}

<Examine Shower Head, 1>
June: It's a shower head.
June: It feels dry, too. That probably means no one has used it in a long time.
<Examine Shower Head, 2+>
* A dry shower head.

<Examine Toilet, 1>
Junpei: Now let's check the toilet...
June: There's nothing there. The tank's empty, too.
June: There isn't even any water in it.
<Examine Toilet, 2+>
* A toilet. It's completely dry.

<Examine Toilet Paper, 1>
June: A collection of full and partially-depleted rolls of toilet paper.
Someone was well-prepared...
June: There's nothing too suspicious about it.
<Examine Toilet Paper, 2+>
* A collection of full and partially-depleted rolls of toilet paper. Someone
was well-prepared...

<Examine Curtain, Open, 1>
Junpei: Shower curtains, huh...
June: Let's try closing it.
<Examine Curtain, Closed, 1>
* Now I can see the full expanse of the shower curtain, in all its waterproof
glory.
Junpei: There's nothing...
June: ...suspicious.
June: It's just a normal old shower curtain.
* A narrow shower...
* And I'm standing in it with June...
Junpei: ...
June: ...
* This is awkward.
* Time to open the curtain!

<Examine Door, 1>
Junpei: Uh...yeah. Why don't we go back to the living room?
June: Okay. Let's go back.

{Screen 7, Left Room Entrance}

<Examine Vase, 1>
* Looks like a valuable vase. Empty though.
* There seems to be a room on the [left side of the vase].
<Examine Vase, 2+>
* There's a room to the [left of the vase]...

<Examine Picture Frame, no tiles in inventory, 1>
Santa: Hey, there's a square tile in this frame.
Santa: I think I saw a tile like that somewhere else...
<Examine Picture Frame, no tiles in inventory, 2+>
* There's a square tile in the frame.
* Those empty areas seem kinda suspicious...
<Examine Picture Frame, 1 tile in inventory, 1>
Santa: Hey Junpei, that tile you've got...
Santa: You think maybe you're supposed to put it in one of those empty spaces?
Santa: I mean, the pattern does look kinda the same, doesn't it?
Lotus: He's right... I think so too.
Lotus: But if that is the case, you're going to need to collect all 3 tiles,
right?
Lotus: Don't you think we should collect all of them before you start putting
them in?
<Examine Picture Frame, 1-2 tiles in inventory, 1+>
* If I'm gonna fill the empty spaces on that frame, then I need 3 tiles.
* I'll come back here after I've found all of 'em.
<Examine Picture Frame, 3 tiles in inventory, 1>
* There's a tile in the frame.
* So I guess I'm supposed to put tiles in the empty spaces...
Junpei: All right! I'm gonna give it a shot!
<Examine Picture Frame, tiles unsolved in frame, 1>
Lotus: Junpei, you screwed this up the last time...
Lotus: Could you please do it right?
Junpei: O-Of course! Just leave it to me!
* This one's probably supposed to look just like the picture in the other room.
* So if I can just make it look like that one...
Junpei: All right! I'm gonna give it a shot!
<Examine Picture Frame, tiles unsolved in frame, 2>
Junpei: Let's do this...again!
<Examine Picture Frame, tiles unsolved in frame, before looking at reference,
2>
Santa: Junpei, just guessing isn't gonna work.
Santa: You have to match the tiles. Stop screwing around.
Lotus: Pay attention to the direction of the tiles.
Lotus: You need to make sure they're facing the right direction in the frame.
Junpei: All right, I'm gonna do it this time!
<Examine Picture Frame, tiles unsolved in frame, before looking at reference,
3+>
Junpei: One more time! THIS time I'll get it!

<Examine Single Tile in frame, 1+>
* It's a tile with a black and white pattern on it.

<Go "Back" without solving Picture Puzzle, 1>
Junpei: Damn! It's wrong!
Santa: Damnit Junpei, why're you screwin' around?!
Santa: Is it really that hard?
Junpei: ...
<Go "Back" without solving Picture Puzzle, 2>
Junpei: Argh! Wrong again! Damnit!
Lotus: Junpei...
Lotus: Maybe there's another picture that we could use a reference?
Lotus: If we could find something like that, it'd be much easier to figure out
this pattern.
<Go "Back" without solving Picture Puzzle, 3>
Junpei: *Sigh* I messed up again...
* Oh, wait... Yeah, there's a picture like this in June's room.
<Go "Back" without solving Picture Puzzle before seeing right room picture, 1>
Junpei: Damn! It's wrong!
Santa: Damnit Junpei, why're you screwin' around?!
Junpei: Hey, shut it! I'm doing the best I can, all right?
Junpei: I don't have reference for what this is supposed to look like, okay?
This is hard!
Santa: A reference?
Junpei: Yeah, you know... Like, when you get a jigsaw puzzle, there's a picture
on the front of how it's supposed to turn out.
Junpei: But...I don't have anything like that for this.
Junpei: So I don't have any idea what it's supposed to look like.
Santa: Aaaah... I get it. Hmm...
Santa: Are you sure there isn't anything like that around here?
Junpei: ...Huh?
<Go "Back" without solving Picture Puzzle before seeing right room picture, 2>
Junpei: Arg! Wrong again!
Lotus: Junpei, why don't you try looking for that reference we were talking
about.
Lotus: There might be another picture somewhere.
<Go "Back" without solving Picture Puzzle before seeing right room picture, 3>
Junpei: *Sigh* I messed up again...
Lotus: Junpei, did you find a reference picture?
Lotus: I looked around too, but I didn't find anything in this room.
Lotus: Maybe it's over in June's room?
<Go "Back" without solving Picture Puzzle before seeing right room picture, 4+>
Junpei: Man... This is hard...
* Well, Lotus thinks there might be something in June's room...

<Solve Picture Puzzle, 1>
Junpei: Yes! I did it!
* There. Picture, complete!
* Aaaand there goes the frame.
Lotus: Wh-What's this?
Santa: Wadda you mean "what's this"? Pretty obvious, isn't it?
Santa: It's a hole in the wall. Like a hidden safe or something, you know?
Santa: Anyway, let's take a look. I think there's something inside.

<Examine Space behind Picture, 1>
* We already got the key. There's nothing else here.

<Examine Picture Frame under space, 1>
* Well, who would've thought this was behind that frame...

<Examine Door, 1>
Santa: What's up? You're going back already?
Junpei: Well, I can't just leave June there by herself.
Santa: Hmph. What, you think you're her knight or her protector or something?
Santa: You're creepin' me out.
Santa: Whatever, man. I'm going.
<Examine Door, 2>
Lotus: Junpei...
Lotus: If you miss her so much, you don't have to keep coming back here.
Junpei: Psssh. No, that's not what this is.
Junpei: I'm just being, like, a bridge between the 2 rooms...
Lotus: Uh huh. You just keep telling yourself that.
Lotus: Now get out of here and go help June.
<Examine Door, 3>
* The exit.
* June's room is on the other side of the hallway.
Junpei: Maybe I'll go back.
<Examine Door with Mars key, 1>
Santa: All right! Let's go to the hallway!
Santa: I'll go get June. You guys head to the door!
Lotus: Okay.
Junpei: Roger that.

<Screen 8, Left Room Lounge}

<Examine Sofa, 1>
Santa: Hey, check this out. This's a pretty nice sofa.
Lotus: I know. It's a shame I can't take it back with me.
<Examine Sofa, 2>
Santa: Huh...?
Lotus: What's the matter, Santa? Why are you examining the sofa?
Santa: Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it.
<Examine Sofa, 3+>
* This sofa looks pretty expensive.

<Examine Table, before taking candle, 1>
Lotus: A round, wooden table.
Lotus: Wow... This is very nice wood.
Santa: So? Big deal. There's something on top of it.
<Examine Table, before taking candle, 2>
* It's a round, wooden table. There's something on top of it.

<Examine Candle, 1>
Lotus: A candle with a candlestick. This might come in handy...

<Examine Display Case, no key, 1>
Santa: Well, this is a display case. Check it out, these plates and shit look
really expensive.
Santa: You wanna take a look?

<Examine Display Case mid-left and bottom-left plates, 1+>
* There are a number of expensive-looking plates in here.

<Examine Display Case top-right and bottom-mid vase, 1+>
* That vase looks pretty expensive.

<Examine Display Case top-mid pot, 1+>
* There are some pieces of expensive-looking ceramic and porcelain in here.

<Examine Display Case top-left, mid-left and bottom-left art piece, 1+>
* There are a couple of pieces of art in here. Can't say if they're very good
or not...

<Examine Display Case middle tile, no key, 1>
Junpei: That's a pretty weird-looking design.
Lotus: It looks like a Holstein pattern.
<Examine Display Case middle tile, no key, 2+>
* There's a tile with a black and white pattern on it sitting in the display
case.

<Examine Display Case door handle, no key, 1>
* Come on you stupid thing! Open!
Santa: It's locked?
Santa: Yeah, looks that way.
Lotus: Then we need to find the key that opens it.
<Examine Display Case door handle, no key, 2+>
* The glass door is locked up tight. It won't open.
<Examine Display Case door handle, dresser key equipped, 1>
Junpei: Damn. Guess this's the wrong key.
Santa: Well, that means there's gotta be another one somewhere around here.
Santa: Otherwise we aren't gonna be able to open this thing.
<Examine Display Case door handle, dresser key equipped, 2+>
* It's locked. I don't think I can open it.
* This key's probably for something else...

<Examine Display Case door handle, candlestick key equipped, 1>
* Let's see if this candlestick key will do anything...
Junpei: Yes! It opened!
Santa: All right, pull that shit open!
<Examine Display Case door handle, after opened, 1+>
* This is the keyhole for the cupboard. It's already been unlocked.

<Examine Display Case door, no key, 1>
Santa: Shit! It's not opening...
Santa: All right, you grab that side of the table, and I'll get the other...
Let's smash this bitch open!
Lotus: I don't think that's going to work. That looks like tempered glass.
Lotus: I don't think throwing a table at it is going to break it.
<Examine Display Case door, no key, 2>
* This is the door for the display case.
* Lotus says it's tempered glass. I guess that means it's hard to break.
<Examine Display Case door, no key, 3+>
* There's a glass door on the display case. It won't open.
<Examine Display Case door, candlestick key in inventory, 1>
* There's a glass door on the display case. It's locked tight. I can't get it
open.
* A key... A key huh...
* Oh yeah...
<Examine Display Case door, candlestick key in inventory, 2+>
* There's a glass door on the display case. It's locked tight. I can't get it
open.
* A key... A key huh...
<Examine Display Case door, opened, 1+>
* We already opened the glass door.

<Attempt to Enter Bedroom before taking candle/matches, 1>
Lotus: The room in the back is dark.
Santa: Aren't there any lights?
Junpei: Huh? This is a light switch, right?
* Sweet, I could use some light--
* Shoot. No dice.
Santa: You think the bulbs're burned out?
Lotus: Either that, or the electricity to this room was deliberately shut off.
Santa: I don't really give a crap why it doesn't work. It doesn't work, and we
can't do shit about it.
Santa: It's way too dark in here to see anything.
Lotus: We're going to need some light...
<Attempt to Enter Bedroom with candle and matches uncombined, 1>
Santa: Hey, Junpei. That room's pretty dark.
Santa: Don't you have something that'll give us some light?
Junpei: Something that'll give us some light...
<Attempt to Enter Bedroom with candle and matches uncombined, 2+>
* The room over there is really dark. I need to find something that'll give us
some light.
<Attempt to Enter Bedroom, lit candle in inventory but unequipped, 1>
Lotus: Junpei, I don't mean to pry, but...
Lotus: You lit that candle so we could check that room over there, right?
Lotus: I mean, it is dark, you know.
Junpei: Uh...y-yeah...? So?
Lotus: Well, you need to take it with you then, otherwise there's not really
much point to lighting it.
<Attempt to Enter Bedroom, lit candle in inventory but unequipped, 2+>
* That room's dark. I should probably bring the lit candle with me if I wanna
go in.
<Attempt to Enter Bedroom with lit candle, 1>
Junpei: Awesome. With the light from the candle, maybe we can take a look
around over there.
Junpei: But...it gets so hot when I hold it...
Junpei: I wanna put it down...
Lotus: Well, why don't you set it on top of the dresser?
Lotus: It's flat there. At least it won't fall over.
Junpei: Oh, yeah... Good idea.
Santa: Hey. It got pretty bright.
Lotus: Now we can look around a little.

{Screen 9, Left Room Bedroom, facing bed}

<Examine Bed, no lights, 1+>
* I can barely make out the bed in the darkness.
* Sleep would be nice... But it would probably cost me my life.
<Examine Bed, with lit candle, curtain still on bed, 1>
Santa: Hey, Junpei, there's something on top of the blanket.
Junpei: ...?
<Examine Bed, with lit candle, curtain still on bed, 2+>
* There's something sitting on top of the blanket. Whatever it is is all folded
up.
<Examine Bed, with lit candle, curtain taken, 1>
* Anything under the blanket...? Nope. Nothing suspicious here.
<Examine Bed, with lit candle, curtain taken, 2>
* Anything under the blanket...?
* A girl with burning red eyes stares back at me.
Junpei: Gah!
* Ah, I'm just messin' with ya. There's nothing there.
<Examine Bed, with lit candle, curtain taken, 3+>
* Anything under the blanket...?
* Nope, still nothing suspicious. No ghosts, or girls either.

<Go back from bed after taking curtain>
Junpei: Huh? Hey, what the hell?! It just got dark all of a sudden...
Lotus: Maybe the candle got blown out?
Lotus: We should go see.

<Examine Bed Pillows, with lit candle, 1>
Lotus: 2 pillows in a pile...oh.
Santa: ...
Junpei: ...
Lotus: A pile 'o pillows...
Santa: Is that supposed to be some kinda joke?!
Lotus: H-Hey, calm down...
<Examine Bed Pillows, with lit candle, 2+>
* There are 2 pillows. Must be a double bed.

<Examine Light, no lights, 1+>
* It's too dark.
<Examine Light, with lit candle, 1>
Santa: It's a light. What'd you expect?
Santa: Can't really tell if it's burned out or not, though.
Lotus: That doesn't matter anymore.
Lotus: The light from the candle should let us search the room.
<Examine Light, with lit candle, 2+>
* This light is as cold and quiet as death itself.

<Examine Water Bottle, no lights, 1+>
* It's too dark to see anything inside...
<Examine Water Bottle, with lit candle, 1+>
* A bottle full of water. I don't think we're gonna need this for anything.

<Examine Cupboard, no lights, 1+>
* It's too dark to search for anything.
<Examine Cupboard, with lit candle, 1>
Santa: Hey, Junpei! It's a cupboard! There's a freakin' cupboard in here!
Junpei: ...Are you all right?
Santa: Oh, don't gimme that! C'mon! A cupboard in a bedroom can only mean
there's a safe in here!
* Really...?
Santa: Damn. There's nothing in here...
Santa: Got me all worked up for nuthin'...
<Examine Cupboard, with lit candle, 2+>
* A cupboard. There's nothing inside.

<Examine Picture Frame, no lights, 1+>
* It's too dark to see.
<Examine Picture Frame, with lit candle, 1>
* There's a picture of an old cruise ship.
* Is it... The Titanic?
<Examine Picture Frame, with lit candle, 2+>
* There's a picture of a cruise ship on the wall. Nothing behind it, though.


{Screen A, Left Room Bedroom, facing dresser}

<Attempt to leave bedroom, no candle/matches in inventory, 1>
Lotus: It doesn't look like this light can turn on...
Santa: Maybe we'll get lucky and find something else that can light this place
up...
<Attempt to leave bedroom, no candle/matches in inventory, 2+>
* If we're gonna look around this room, we need light.
* I need to find something that can give us that.
<Attempt to leave bedroom with lit candle on dresser, 1>
Lotus: Hey, where are you going, Junpei?
Junpei: I'm gonna go check out the next room...
Santa: This candle is burning pretty damn fast.
Santa: We don't have any time to waste, guys. This thing's gonna burn out in no
time.
Lotus: Then we should look around this room now, before the candle goes out.
Lotus: We can examine the rest of the room later.
<Attempt to leave bedroom with lit candle on dresser, 2>
* If that candle burns out, we won't be able to look around this room any more.
* I better make sure I get a good look at this place before I'm out of time.
<Attempt to leave bedroom with lit candle on dresser, 3+>
* I need to go over this place with a fine-tooth comb before that damn candle
burns out.

<Examine Light, no lights, 1>
Junpei: Is that a light? Kinda hard to tell in the dark... Hmm, I wonder if
this is what they call "irony"...
Lotus: To figure out if this is a light...we need a light.
Lotus: Talk about a Catch-22.
Lotus: Kind of says something about life, though, don't you think?
Junpei: ...
<Examine Light, no lights, 2+>
* There's something in here that looks like a light, but it's too dark to tell.
<Examine Light, with lit candle, 1>
Santa: It's a light, man. Can't you figure that out on your own? Hard to tell
if it's burned out or not.
Santa: Course, now that we have the candle...
Santa: I guess it doesn't really matter that much any more.
<Examine Light, with lit candle, 2+>
* This light is as cold and quiet as death itself.

<Examine Chair, no lights, 1>
Lotus: Oh, a chair for the dresser.
Lotus: I'm feeling a little tired. I think I'll just sit down here for a
minute.
Lotus: Aaaaaaahhh...
Santa: Heh. You sound like an old lady.
Lotus: Why you little son of a-! I'm gonna kick your ass!
<Examine Chair, no lights, 2+>
* The chair that goes with the dresser.
<Examine Chair, with lit candle, 1>
Lotus: It's a chair for the dresser.
<Examine Chair, with lit candle, 2+>
* The chair that goes with the dresser.
There's nothing particularly interesting about it.

<Examine Mirror, no lights, 1>
Lotus: This is the mirror for the dresser.
Santa: Damn straight. Nothin' weird about it, though.
<Examine Mirror, no lights, 2>
Lotus: Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?
Lotus: "That would of course be Lotus."
Lotus: Ohohohoho!
Santa: Crazy old bat...
Santa: Guess the stress was just too much for her...
Lotus: Did you say something!?
Santa: Nope, nothing...
<Examine Mirror, no lights, 3>
* The mirror on the dresser. It doesn't respond when I talk to it. Very rude
for a mirror.
<Examine Mirror, no lights, 4+>
* The mirror on the dresser. There's nothing suspicious about it.

<Examine Dresser, no lights, no dresser key, 1>
Lotus: A dresser...
Santa: There's nothing on top of it...
<Examine Dresser, no lights, no dresser key, 2+>
* There's a dresser. There isn't anything on it.
<Examine Dresser, with lit candle, 1+>
* There's a lit candle sitting on top of the dresser.
<Examine Dresser, with burnt out candle, 1>
* There's a candlestick covered in melted wax on top of the dresser.
Junpei: Hey... What's this...
Junpei: The top of the candlestick looks kinda weird...
Lotus: You're right... It's all bumpy.
<Examine Dresser, after taking burnt out candle, 1>
* There's nothing on top of the dresser.

<Examine Drawer, no lights, no dresser key, 1>
Lotus: This drawer is locked.
Lotus: We need a key to open it...
<Examine Drawer, no lights, no dresser key, 2+>
* The dresser drawer. It's locked and can't be opened.
<Examine Drawer, no lights, with candle key, 1>
* The dresser drawer. It's locked.
* Maybe the key on this candlestick...
* Nope. No dice. The size is all wrong... I'm never getting in there.
Lotus: I don't think the candlestick key goes to this.
Lotus: You're probably supposed to use it somewhere else.
<Examine Drawer, no lights, with candle key, 2+>
* The dresser drawer. It's locked and can't be opened.
<Examine Drawer, with dresser key unequipped, 1>
* The dresser drawer. It's locked.
<Examine Drawer, with dresser key unequipped, 2>
* The dresser drawer. It's locked.
* If I want to open this...
<Examine Drawer, with dresser key unequipped, 3+>
* The dresser drawer. It's locked.
* Yeah, I think I've got...
<Examine Drawer, with dresser key equipped, 1>
* Let's see if this...yes!
Junpei: Yes! It worked!
<Examine Drawer, open, tile is in drawer, 1+>
* There's a thing with a black and white pattern on it in this drawer.
<Examine Drawer, open, tile is taken, 1>
* There was a tile inside this drawer. Nothing else besides the tile, though.

<Examine lit candle from distance, 1+>
* The candle's lighting up the room...for now.
<Examine lit candle up close, 1>
Lotus: The candle is burning fast.
Lotus: Its beauty melts my heart, but...
Lotus: This isn't the time to be enjoying the soft glow of a candle, I suppose.
Lotus: We'd better make a detailed investigation of the room before it goes
out.
<Examine lit candle up close, 2>
* The candle's flame is flickering, as candle flames often do.

{Screen B, Left Room Bathroom, facing wall}

<Examine Back Wall, 1>
Lotus: This is the bathroom wall.
Lotus: The whole wall is covered in these square tiles.
<Examine Back Wall, 2+>
* It's a wall, covered in small, square tiles. They've all got geometric shapes
on them.
<Examine Back Wall after having looked through curtain hole, 1>
* All right, looking through this hole, I can see...
* ...A white tile, [5th from the top and 3rd from the right].
* Let's have a closer look, shall we? ...Hm. Nothing strange here...
* ...Nope. The thing's not budging.
Junpei: Hmm... Well, then that means...
<Examine Back Wall after having looked through curtain hole, 2>
* A tiled wall. They are ordinary, everyday tiles.
* Then that means...what?
<Examine Back Wall after having looked through curtain hole, 3>
* A tiled wall. They are ordinary, everyday tiles.
* Oh yeah...there's another bathroom...
<Examine Back Wall after having looked through curtain hole, 4+>
* A tiled wall. They are ordinary, everyday tiles.
* Maybe there's something in the bathroom June's in...
<Examine Back Wall after taking tile without looking through curtain hole, 1+>

* The whole wall is covered in tiles. No weird-looking tiles in this room.

<Examine Shower Head, 1>
Santa: Whoa, look! Junpei! There's a mushroom growing out of the wall!
Junpei: Um...that's a shower head...
<Examine Shower Head, 2+>
* A shower head. It's dry, and it doesn't look like it's been used in a while.

<Examine Soap Holder, 1>
Junpei: This thing's a little shelf for putting soap on.
<Examine Soap Holder, 2+>
* A shelf you put soap on. Nothing that special about it.

<Examine Shower Knob, 1>
Lotus: That's the shower knob.
Lotus; I tried turning it, but no water comes out.
<Examine Shower Knob, 2+>
* The shower knob. Doesn't matter how far you twist it, no water comes out.

<Examine Shower Curtain, open, 1>
Junpei: Let's try spreading the curtains...
<Examine Shower Curtain, closed, 1>
* Might as well put it back.
<Examine Shower Curtain hole, 1>
* There's a hole in the curtain.
* If I look at it from a ways back...
* ...I can see a single tile.
* All right, from here I can see what tile it is...
* Looks like it's...
* ...[5th from the top and 3rd from the right].
<Examine Shower Curtain hole, 2>
* The tile [5th from the top and 3rd from the right]...
<Examine Shower Curtain hole, 3>
* I can see a tile throug the hole. {Author's Note: There's a typo! Hur hur.}
* It's a white tile [5th from the top and 3rd from the right].
<Examine Shower Curtain hole after retrieving bathroom tile, 1+>
* Sadly, there are no hot women on the other side of the hole.
* As such, there's no point to looking through it... So I won't.

{Screen C, Left Room Bathroom, facing door}

<Examine Ceiling, no shower curtain in inventory, 1>
Junpei: This room doesn't have a shower curtain.
Santa: This room?
Junpei: Well, um...
Junpei: There were shower curtains... In the bathroom that June was checking
out.
Santa: But you're saying this bathroom doesn't have any.
Junpei: Yeah, that's right.
Santa: Hmm... There's probably a reason why.
<Examine Ceiling, no shower curtain in inventory, 2+>
* There's a curtain rod running along the ceiling.
* No curtains, though.
<Examine Ceiling, with shower curtain in inventory, 1>
Lotus: There's a curtain rod on the ceiling.
Junpei: Yeah, there is.
<Examine Ceiling, with shower curtain in inventory, 2>
Lotus: There's a curtain rod on the ceiling!
Junpei: Wh-Why does that make you angry?
<Examine Ceiling, with shower curtain in inventory, 3>
Lotus: The ceiling! There's a curtain rod on it!
Junpei: Okay, okay, I get it.
Lotus: Then hurry up and move! Come on! Get going!
Junpei: ...
<Examine Ceiling, with shower curtain in inventory, 4+>
* There's a curtain rod running across the ceiling. That means...
<Examine Ceiling, shower curtain equipped, 1>
* There's a curtain rod running along the ceiling.
Junpei: Let's put that shower curtain on those hooks.
<Examine Ceiling, shower curtain hug up, 1>
* There's a shower curtain hanging from the bar on the ceiling.

<Examine Shower Curtain, open, 1>
Junpei: Let's try spreading the curtains...
<Examine Shower Curtain, closed, 1>
Santa: Wow... That's a pretty obvious peephole.
Santa: Somebody's really dedicated.
Junpei: Well, with a hole this big, you gotta wonder if maybe they wanted to be
caught.
Santa: So, you're saying maybe the one getting spied on was into that shit?
Junpei: Maybe they were into, like, those home invasion fantasies...
Santa: "Home invasion"? Interesting... I see...
Lotus: You 2 are real idiots, you know that?
Santa: ...
Junpei: ...

<Examine Toilet, 1>
Santa: Is there anything in the toilet? Guess not.
Santa: The tank's empty too.
<Examine Toilet, 2+>
* A toilet. There's nothing suspicious about it.

<Examine Toilet Paper, 1>
Lotus: Some toilet paper. We've got 2 rolls, I guess.
<Examine Toilet Paper, 2+>
* There are 2 rolls of toilet paper. One for business, and one for fun.

{Screen D, Hallway between rooms; only accessible with Mars key}

<Examine left door, 1>
June: H-Hey, Jumpy! Where are you going!?
Junpei: Oh, uh... I was gonna go get you...
June: I know, Santa told me.
June: Come on. Let's go!
<Examine left door, 2+>
* There's nothing left in this room. I wanna get out of here, and back into the
hallway.

<Examine right door, 1>
Lotus: We don't have any reason to go back there, Junpei.
Lotus: Come on!
<Examine right door, 2+>
* There's nothing left in this room. I wanna get out of here, and back into the
hallway.

<Examine central door without Mars key equipped, 1+>
* There's a Mars symbol engraved on the keyhole.
<Examine central door with Mars key equipped, 1>
Junpei: Yes! It unlocked!
Lotus: Good job, Junpei!
Santa: Good, now we can get going.
Santa: C'mon, what're you guys standing around for?! Let's get outta here!
<Examine central door once unlocked, 1>
June: Come on Jumpy, let's go!
Junpei: All right. Let's go!

(To "a12b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search candle, no matches, in Left Room, 1>
Lotus: It's a candle, Junpei. It's on an iron candlestick.
Santa: That's a pretty big candle.
Santa: If we light it, it'll probably get really bright.
<Search candle, no matches, in Right Room, 1>
June: This is a candle on a candlestick.
June: It's a pretty big one. If we light it, it should burn really bright.
<Search candle, no matches, in either room 2+>
* A candle on a candlestick.
* If we light this, it'll give us some, uh, light.

<Search dresser key in right room, 1>
June: A key... Do you think it's the key to the dresser?
<Search dresser key in right room, 2+>
* It's a key we found in the dresser.
* Maybe I can use it on another, similar dresser?
<Search dresser key in left room, 1>
Lotus: Junpei. Did you find this key in the other room?
Junpei: Yeah.
Santa: Then maybe that means...
<Search dresser key in left room, 2+>
* It's a small key I found in a dresser.
* I found it in the other room, but maybe...

<Search matches in right room, 1>
June: It's a box of matches. There are matches inside, obviously.
<Search matches in right room, 2>
Junpei: Hey, do you think we could burn down that door at the end of the
hallway with these matches?
June: ...
June: ...
Junpei: Not gonna work, huh...
June: Yeah...
<Search matches in right room, 3+>
* They're matches. I could probably light something small on fire with them.
<Search matches in left room, 1>
Lotus: They're matches.
Lotus: They won't be enough to set fire to anything very big.
Junpei: How about that door at the end of the hallway?
Lotus: No. Are you an idiot?
Santa: Well, maybe there's a way...
Santa: We might be able to use Junpei's clothes to build a bigger fire...
Junpei: U-Um... No.
<Search matches in left room, 2+>
* They're matches. I could probably light something small on fire with them.

<Combine candle and matches>
Junpei: I know.
Junpei: If I use these matches to light the candle...

<Search lit candle in left room, 1>
Santa: So, you lit the candle.
Lotus: I'm sure it'll be a light in dark places, when all other lights go out.
<Search lit candle in left room, 2>
* A lit candle. I can feel the heat it's putting out...
* Actually it's...pretty hot... I'd kinda like to set it down...
<Search lit candle in left room, 3+>
* A lit candle. It's hot, and I don't want to hold it any more.
<Search lit candle in right room, 1>
June: Jumpy, you lit the candle.
Junpei: Yeah. You want me to light your heart on fire?
June: ...
Junpei: ...
June: Jumpy... Don't quit your day job, okay?
<Search lit candle in right room, 2+>
* A lit candle. Should give us some light.

<Search curtain in left room, 1>
Santa: A curtain, huh.
Santa: Well, it's got all these metal rings, probably so you could hang it from
something, you know?
Lotus: Yes, but it doesn't look like a normal curtain.
Lotus: The way it feels... I think it's probably waterproof.
Lotus: Which would make this a shower curtain.
Junpei: A shower curtain, huh...
<Search curtain in left room, 2>
Santa: It's a folded-up shower curtain.
Santa: Damn, that thing's big, if you open it up.
Lotus: Oh, there's a hole... Like a bug ate through it, or something.
Santa: Oh you're right. Think maybe it was a peeping tom?
* I'll bet Lotus would sure make the perv hurt.
Lotus: If I catch him, you won't hear a peep out of the jerk--I'll knock him
into tom-morrow.
Santa: That's tom much.
<Search curtain in left room, 3>
* It's a shower curtain.
* The jury's still out on whether or not it was the work of a pervert, but
there's a hole in it.
<Search curtain in left room, 4+>
* It's a shower curtain. There's a hole in it.
<Search curtain in right room, 1>
June: Is that a shower curtain? It looks like it's probably waterproof.
June: There are some metal rings along this edge, probably so you can hang it
off a pole with some hooks on it.
Junpei: This thing's pretty big...
June: Huh? Hey...
June: Look, Jumpy. There's hole in the curtain, like a bug chewed through it or
something.
<Search curtain in right room, 2+>
* It's a shower curtain. It has a hole in it.
<Search curtain in middle hallway, 1>
* A shower curtain with a hole in it.
Junpei: Why am I holding this...?
* Ah well. I'll just throw it away later.
<Search curtain in middle hallway, 2+>
* It's a shower curtain with a hole in it. I'll throw it away later.

<Search plate [from dresser] in left room, 1>
Lotus: That's a strange design... Is it ceramic?
Lotus: It doesn't look like there are any puzzles in it...
<Search plate [from dresser] in right room, 1>
June: It looks like some kind of tile. Probably ceramic, by the feel of it.
June: The way the design on it cuts off is kind of weird, though... I think
maybe it's supposed to match up with other plates.
<Search plate [from dresser] in either room, 2+>
* A tile with a black and white pattern on it.

<Search plate [from bathroom] in right room, 1>
June: Who would have thought this would be hidden in the bathroom, huh?
June: You did a good job finding it.
Junpei: ...
June: So one side has a design like the rest of the bathroom tiles...
June: ...And the other side has the black and white design.
June: I think I've seen that pattern somewhere before...
<Search plate [from bathroom] in right room, 2+>
* This is the tile I pulled off the bathroom wall. It looks like one of the
bathroom titles on one side, and has that black and white pattern on the other
side. {Author's Note: Another typo! "Titles". Oh ho ho. XP}
<Search plate [from bathroom] in left room, 1>
Lotus: Junpei. Where did you find this?
Junpei: It was on the wall in the other bathroom.
Santa: Heh. Good job.
Lotus: I get it... One side has the same pattern as the rest of the bathroom
tiles...
Santa: Yeah, and the other side has that black and white pattern.
<Search plate [from bathroom] in left room, 2+>
* This is the tile I took from the bathroom wall. The side that doesn't match
the other tiles has that black and white pattern on it.

<Search plate [from display case] in left room, 1>
Lotus: Hey, don't you think the pattern on that tile looks like something?
Santa: Yeah... I think I saw it somewhere...
<Search plate [from display case] in left room, 2>
Lotus: Maybe we need to put that tile in the frame...
Santa: Maybe...
<Search plate [from display case] in left room, 3+>
* It's a tile with a black and white pattern on it. I think I'm supposed to
insert it somewhere.
<Search plate [from display case] in right room, 1>
June: It's a black and white tile...
June: Hmm... I...I think I've seen that pattern somewhere before...
<Search plate [from display case] in right room, 2>
* A tile with a black and white pattern on it.
<Search plate [from display case] in right room, 3>

<Search candlestick key in left room, 1>
Lotus: The part of the candlestick where the candle goes looks like a key.
Santa: A key, huh...
Santa: I think I ran into a lock I couldn't open earlier...
<Search candlestick key in left room, 2+>
* Part of the candlestick is a key, apparently. Guess I'd better try and find
the lock it goes to.
<Search candlestick key in right room, 1>
June: The tip of that candlestick looks like a key, doesn't it?
June: I wonder if you might be able to use it somewhere...
June: I don't see any keyholes around here that would fit it, though.
<Search candlestick key in right room, 2+>
* It appears that part of the candlestick is a key.
* No keyhole that'll fit it in this room, though.

<Search Mars key, 1>
Santa: Whoa! This is one of those Mars symbols!
Lotus: The door at the end of the hallway!
Lotus: It has the same symbol engraved on the keyhole!
Santa: Then...that's gotta mean...
Lotus: Yes! We can use this key to get through that door!
<Search Mars key, 2+>
* A key with a Mars symbol on it.
* We should be able to use this to open the door at the end of the hallway.
<Search Mars key while standing in final hallway, 1>
Santa: Yeah, that's the key with the Mars symbol on it.
Santa: You know what that means, right?
Santa: We used that thing to open the door, and now we're out here.
Lotus: That key will open this door!
Lotus: Come on! What are you waiting for?!
<Search Mars key while standing in final hallway, 2+>
* It's a key with a Mars symbol on it.
* This should open the door at the end of the hallway.

<After leaving items screen upon picking up matches>
(To "a11d.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<After leaving items screen upon picking up plate [from display case]>
(To "a11d.c", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<After leaving items screen upon picking up Mars key>
(To "a11d.d", replacing quotations with braces {} )

==========================
{a11d.a} File #07
::2nd class cabin::
-In right room bedroom, after retrieving matches-

Junpei looked down blankly at what he was holding, then up at June.

Junpei: Oh, yeah... How's your fever? You feeling better now?
June: Yes. I'm feeling fine.

June certainly looked fine.
Junpei held his hand on her forehead for a few seconds...
It seemed her fever really had gone down.

June: Are you...worried about me?

<Yeah, I guess I am.> - {a11d.a1a}
<Hey, c'mon, it's not like that.> - {a11d.a1b}

{a11d.a1a}
<Yeah, I guess I am.>

Junpei: Yeah, I guess I am.
June: *Giggle*

June blushed and giggled.

(To "a11d.a1z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a11d.a1b}
<Hey, c'mon, it's not like that.>

Junpei: Hey, c'mon, it's not like that.

Junpei did his best to act as though he didn't care. His best wasn't very good.

June: I guess you haven't changed at all, Jumpy.

She giggled.

(To "a11d.a1z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a11d.a1z}

June: By the way...Jumpy...?
Junpei: Hm?
June: How did you end up here?
Junpei: What do you mean? I told you earlier, didn't I?
June: There was a man with a gas mask when you got home at night.
June: You inhaled some white smoke and passed out.
June: When you woke up, you were on D Deck...
Junpei: Yeah, that's it.
June: But is that really the truth?
Junpei: ...What?!
June: Jumpy, are you hiding something from me?
Junpei: No! Why would I!?
June: Well, if you think about it, this is awfully suspicious.
June: I mean, why would 2 childhood friends bump into each other in a place
like this...?
Junpei: Hey, I could ask you the same thing!
Junpei: Are you hiding something?
June: What would I hide...?
Junpei: Well, I dunno. Anything. I mean, you're hiding it. How would I know?
June: You mean, like...the number of men I've dated?

Junpei's heart stumbled over itself.

June: Do you want to know?

He had to admit, he was a little curious.

June: Don't worry.

She smiled at him.

June: Only 18...

!?

June: ...Times 0.
June: Yeah... I guess I just haven't met Mr. Right yet...

June looked a little embarrassed, and scratched the back of her head in a
desperate attempt to seem nonchalant.
Junpei coughed quietly in much the same way.

June: Anyway, I'm not hiding anything.
June: Just like you, Jumpy.
June: When I woke up, I was on D Deck...
Junpei: Well, you do have a point.
Junpei: I mean, why did Zero pick us? We haven't seen each other since
elementary school.

June nodded, and for a few moments she had the faraway look of someone in deep
thought.

June: "Look for what connects the victims. That will lead you to the culprit."
June: Do you remember Seven saying something like that?
Junpei: Yeah, I do. So?
June: Well, that's what I'm saying.
June: I think this must all have something to do with a classmate of ours...
Junpei: You got any ideas who it might be?
June: No, nothing...
Junpei: Oh...
June: Well, if it had something to do with school, then it could be one of our
teachers, or maybe the principal...
Junpei: Or the janitor or the lunch lady?
June: No... I can barely remember any of them...
Junpei: Yeah, I know...

...
...
Junpei went back to searching feeling unpleasant and confused.
Elementary school... Elementary school...
Was there anything strange that had happened in elementary school?
As he searched the room, he continued to wrack his brain.

(Return to investigation)

==========================
{a11d.b} File #07
::2nd class cabin::
-In right room bedroom, after retrieving map of ship-

Junpei took one last look at the map, then folded it up and slid it back into
his pocket.
June looked up as he closed it.

June: This ship is bigger than I thought.
Junpei: Yeah, it's probably about 900 feet long.
June: Must be one of those fancy cruise ships.
Junpei: Course, it doesn't really look like a cruise ship.
Junpei: Everything in here is really retro. Even if it's some sorta style
choice, there's just too much.
June: Do you remember what Zero said?
Zero: On April 14th, 1912...the famous ocean liner Titanic crashed into an
iceberg.
Zero: After remaining afloat for 2 hours and 40 minutes, it sank beneath the
waters of the North Atlantic.
June: Do you think maybe this boat and the Titanic have something to do with
each other?
Junpei: Hmmm... That's a good point.
Junpei: I doubt he would've mentioned it if there wasn't a reason...

Junpei took a moment to look around the room.

Junpei: Do you think this boat is...

<A replica of the Titanic?> - {a11d.b1a}
<The actual Titanic?> - {a11d.b1b}

{a11d.b1a}
<A replica of the Titanic?>

Junpei: A replica of the Titanic? 
June: A replica...?
Junpei: Yeah. You know, like a copy of the actual boat.
June: Who on Earth would make something like that?
Junpei: Fans. Crazy Titanic fans.
June: No way! Do you even know how much money that would take?
Junpei: No idea.
Junpei: But all they've gotta do is break even, you know?
June: Break even...?
Junpei: Yeah. They could use it as a cruise ship.
Junpei: "Climb aboard a piece of history! Sail 'round the world in the
resurrected Titanic!"
Junpei: Hell, with marketing like that, they'd probably have more customers
than they'd know what to do with.
June: Do you really think people would want to ride on a ship with such an
ominous past?
June: It's the site of the worst accident in history...
June: Over 1500 people died... I wouldn't be surprised if you'd get cursed just
for going.
Junpei: A curse, huh...

June: Jumpy, do you believe in that sort of thing? You know...curses and stuff?

<I do.> - {a11d.b1c}
<No, they're a load of crap.> - {a11d.b1d}

{a11d.b1b}
<The actual Titanic?>

Junpei: The actual Titanic?
June: The actual...Titanic?
June: You mean it, like, slipped through time and ended up here?
June: Before the ship sunk on April 14, 1912...
Junpei: ...
June: ...
Junpei: Huh...? What the hell are you smoking?
June: Huh? Did I get it wrong?

Junpei grinned and shook his head.

Junpei: No, no, that's not... I mean, come on... "Slipped through time"?
Seriously...
Junpei: I was talking about the controversy surrounding the Titanic.
June: Controversy? What do you mean?
Junpei: Haven't you heard of it? It's pretty famous, you know.
Junpei: The Titanic has a sister ship that was essentially identical.
Junpei: It was called the Olympic.
June: Oh! Yes, I have heard of that!
June: If I remember correctly, the Olympic was a ship that had a lot of
problems.
June: And the company that owned it didn't know how to get rid of it, right?
June: So they made the Olympic up to look just like the brand-new Titanic.
June: ...And then, they sunk it, on purpose.
Junpei: That's right. They also took out a huge insurance policy on it, before
it set sail.
June: That would mean that the real Titanic never sank.
Junpei: Yeah. The ships got swapped.
Junpei: The real Titanic was renamed the Olympic in secret, and was used as a
passenger ship for more than 20 years.
June: Hey... wait a minute.
June: Wouldn't that mean it retired in 1935?
Junpei: Huh? Well yeah, I guess sometime around then, yeah.
June: Well...what happened to it after that?
Junpei: I heard it was dismantled.
June: Dismantled... Then it doesn't matter, does it?
June: Whichever boat the real Titanic was, it doesn't exist any more...
June: It was either retired and dismantled, or sunk in the Atlantic by the
[curse].
June: But then that would mean that this ship is--
Junpei: Wait! What did you just say!?
June: ...Huh?
Junpei: Sank in the Atlantic because of what?
June: The...curse...
Junpei: What do you mean, a curse?
June: A curse is a curse.
June: This one is the curse of the Egyptian mummy.

Junpei couldn't understand how June had maintained a straight face to say that.

June: Supposedly the Titanic carried the mummy of the Priestess Amon-Ra...
June: ...Which was stolen from a pyramid.
June: And they say that the mummy had a history...
June: Everyone involved with it died mysterious deaths...
June: Come on, I'm sure you've heard of it before...
June: "Those who open the coffin will be forever cursed"... Haven't you ever
heard that one?
Junpei: So you're saying the Titanic sunk because of that curse...?
June: That's right!

June's eyes had lit up with excitement, like a child with a new toy.

Junpei: Hmph. That's stupid. I don't buy it.
June: It's true!
Junpei: How can you be so sure...?
June: That mummy wasn't just a normal mummy.
June: It was really mysterious...totally unbelievable...
Junpei: What is so unbelievable about it?

( To "a11d.b1z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a11d.b1c}
<I do.>

Junpei: Yeah, well, I guess so. To a certain extent.

Junpei scratched his temple.

Junpei: What about you...?
Junpei: Nah, I guess that's kind of a dumb question.
June: Yes, I do believe in curses.
June: In fact, I think it was a curse that sunk the Titanic.
Junpei: What?
June: A curse sank the Titanic.
June: The curse of the Egyptian mummy.

Junpei couldn't understand how June had maintained a straight face to say that.

June: Supposedly the Titanic carried the mummy of the Priestess Amon-Ra...
June: ...Which was stolen from a pyramid.
June: And they say that the mummy had a history...
June: Everyone involved with it died mysterious deaths...
June: Come on, I'm sure you've heard of it before...
June: "Those who open the coffin will be forever cursed"... Haven't you ever
heard that one?
Junpei: So you're saying the Titanic sunk because of that curse...?
June: That's right!

June's eyes had lit up with excitement, like a child with a new toy.

June: That mummy, the priestess...
June: Supposedly, she was...special.
Junpei: ...What do you mean?

( To "a11d.b1z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a11d.b1d}
<No, they're a load of crap.>

Junpei: Sorry, but I can't really say I believe in that kind of stuff.

Tact was not one of Junpei's many better qualities.

Junpei: What about you...?
Junpei: Nah, I guess that's kind of a dumb question.
June: Yes, I do believe in curses.
June: In fact, I think it was a curse that sunk the Titanic.
Junpei: What?
June: A curse sank the Titanic.
June: The curse of the Egyptian mummy.

Junpei couldn't understand how June had maintained a straight face to say that.

June: Supposedly the Titanic carried the mummy of the Priestess Amon-Ra...
June: ...Which was stolen from a pyramid.
June: And they say that the mummy had a history...
June: Everyone involved with it died mysterious deaths...
June: Come on, I'm sure you've heard of it before...
June: "Those who open the coffin will be forever cursed"... Haven't you ever
heard that one?
Junpei: So you're saying the Titanic sunk because of that curse...?
June: That's right!

June's eyes had lit up with excitement, like a child with a new toy.

Junpei: Hmph. That's stupid. I don't buy it.
June: It's true!
Junpei: How can you be so sure...?
June: That mummy wasn't just a normal mummy.
June: It was really mysterious...totally unbelievable...
Junpei: What is so unbelievable about it?

( To "a11d.b1z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a11d.b1z}

June: Well, supposedly, she was really pretty.
Junpei: Pretty?
June: Yes.
Junpei: But...she was a mummy.
June: That's right.
June: She wasn't all shriveled up or rotten or anything.
June: She looked just like she was alive.
Junpei: Ohhh. I get it. It's that thing... I don't remember the name... Where
your body turns into some kind of wax?
Junpei: If a dead body is put in the right sort of environment...
Junpei: The fat in it turns into something kinda like candle wax, right? And--
June: Yes, saponification. But that's not what it was.
Junpei: Huh?
June: That's not it. She wasn't wax.
Junpei: Then what is it?
June: They say...that she was frozen.
Junpei: What...? Frozen?
June: That's right. The whole body was frozen solid...
June: You know how a human body is more than 60 percent water?
June: Well, all of that water was frozen.
June: The story says that from the time of its discovery, all the way through
to when it got put on the Titanic...
June: And even though it was carried through the desert...
June: ...Her body never melted.

June and Junpei talked a little more, and then went back to their
investigation.
But even as they did, his mind went back to what she'd told him.
Ice that wouldn't melt, even in the desert... Could such a thing really exist?
No, even if it did, it wouldn't really be "ice" anymore, would it?
The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.
Like he'd eaten his ice cream too fast...

(Return to investigation)

==========================
{a11d.c} File #07
::2nd class cabin::
-In left room bedroom, after retrieving plate from display case-

Santa: Hey, Junpei, you got a minute?

Santa had shown up out of nowhere, and gave Junpei no small start.

Santa: Here, take this.

Santa pulled something out of his pocket.
It looked like a bookmark.
It had a [4-leaf clover] in it.

Junpei: What is this...?
Santa: I found it in-between some of the cushions on the sofa.
Santa: Pretty sure it ain't gonna be any help to us, but I figured we might as
well hang onto it anyway.
Junpei: Then why don't you hold onto it?

Santa gave him a wry smile.

Santa: You know what I hate most in the world?
Santa: I got 4 things:
Santa: Hope, Faith, Love, and Luck.
Junpei: "Hope", "Faith", "Love", and "Luck"...?
Santa: Damn straight.
Junpei: And you...hate these things?
Santa: Yeah, you got a problem with that?
Junpei: Uh, not really, but...

Junpei tried to figure out how best to phrase what he wanted to say.

Junpei: What does a bookmark have to do with any of that?

Santa scratched the back of his ear, and looked awkward.

Santa: Well, see, each leaf on the 4-leaf clover has a meaning to it, okay?
Santa: And that meaning is pretty much those 4 words.
Santa: It's like...a flower language.
Santa: Well, I guess it's not a flower is it? So a leaf language, I guess.
Yeah, you could call 'em leaf words.
Junpei: Leaf words...

Junpei looked at the bookmark.
Hope, Faith, Love, and Luck...

Santa: So...yeah. I want you to take it, okay?
Santa: Just touchin' it gives me the creeps.
Santa: Take the damn thing, all right!?

Santa pretended to shiver with disgust and shoved the bookmark into Junpei's
confused hands.
Junpei...

<<What do you want to do?>>

<Take it.> - {a11d.c1a}
<Don't take it.> - {a11d.c1b}

{a11d.c1a}
<Take it.>

...Decided to take it. After all, why shouldn't he?

Junpei: All right, sure, I'll take it.

He shoved the thing into his pocket, and gave Santa a last, confused look.

(To "a11d.c1g", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a11d.c1b}
<Don't take it.>

Junpei: Thanks, but no thanks.
Junpei: It's kinda weird to be getting presents from another dude, you know?

Santa's eyebrows went up. Apparently, he hadn't thought of that.

Santa: Well...hm. I guess you do have a point.
Santa: I won't force it on ya...
Santa: ...Sure you don't want it?

<I don't want it.> - {a11d.c1e}
<Actually, I'll take it.> - {a11d.c1f}

{a11d.c1e}
<I don't want it.>

Junpei: Yeah, I don't want it.
Junpei: Why don't you give it to Lotus?
Santa: Ahh. Good idea. Will do.

Santa turned and headed off to the other room.

Santa: Hey, you old bag!
Santa: I just found the perfect thing for a woman in her 40s!

He walked into the next room, waving the bookmark...
Junpei turned back to his work...
...And heard a faint sound from the other room... The sound of bones breaking.

Junpei: ...
Junpei: I'm just gonna pretend I didn't hear that...

Junpei returned to his search with renewed vigor.

(Return to investigation)

{a11d.c1f}
<Actually, I'll take it.>

If Santa wanted him to have it that much, Junpei couldn't see any harm in
taking it.

Junpei: Actually...I...I guess I'll take it.
Santa: Geez. Just make up your mind, all right?

Before Junpei could change his mind again...

Santa: Here.

Santa shoved the bookmark into his hand.
He took it, clumsily, and stuffed it into the inside pocket of his vest.

(To "a11d.c1g", continued below)

{a11d.c1g}

Santa: Phew. Man, I feel a lot better now.
Santa: That thing was a real pain, you know?
Junpei: Do you really hate those 4 words that much?
Santa: Yeah, well, they can all betray you, you know?
Santa: Hope, Faith, Love... even your destiny...

What had happened to Santa, Junpei wondered. How had he become such a bitter
person?
For a moment, they looked at each other.

Santa: Well, that's not my only reason.
Junpei: What?
Santa: That's not the only reason I hate the 4-leaf clover.
Santa: I just can't bring myself to like the number (4).
Junpei: What, worried about the Four Horsemen?
Santa: Nah. C'mon man, that's just silly.
Santa: Maybe back in the Dark Ages that kinda crap scared people, but this is
the 21st century, and I'm a 21st century guy.
Junpei: Then why do you hate (4) so much?
Santa: 'Cause it's a half-ass number.
Santa: Not the best or the worst. That's why.
Junpei: ...What.
Santa: (9) is a way better number.
Santa: So what if it's last place, right? Least it's not some lameass middle
number.

Santa's explanation made no sense. Junpei was even more confused than before.

Santa: You play?
Junpei: Play? 

<You mean like...gambling?> - {a11d.c1c}
<What, you mean like play the stock market?> - {a11d.c1d}

{a11d.c1d}
<What, you mean like play the stock market?>

Junpei: You mean, like, the stock market?
Santa: Nah, that's not what I mean. Why the hell would you think that?
Santa: I mean, yeah, I do stocks too, but...

This last statement, more or less thrown away by Santa, caught Junpei very much
by surprise.

Junpei: You!? A stockbroker?!
Santa: Yeah. Got a problem with that?
Junpei: No, you just...don't look like the type.

What Junpei didn't say, of course, was that he didn't think Santa looked smart
enough to be a stockbroker.

Santa: Man, that stuff's just like gambling, you know?
Santa: All you gotta do is bet on the winning horse.
Santa: Nothing that hard about it.
Junpei: You sure sound pretty confident.
Junpei: So...are you betting on winning horses?
Santa: Course I am.
Santa: You remember a couple years back when the stock for Cradle
Pharmaceuticals shot through the roof?
Santa: Stacked a few bills over that, if I do say so myself.
Junpei: Uh huh...

"Uh huh" was all Junpei could think of.
He'd never even heard of [Cradle Pharmaceutical]...
Fortunately, he was saved quickly from further embarrassment.

Lotus: Hey! How long are you going to stand around wasting time?!
Lotus: Stop screwing around!

The voice screaming at them from the other room was unmistakably Lotus's.
Junpei and Santa looked at each other.

Santa: ...The lady has spoken.

Santa sighed.

Santa: We'd better get back to work before we really piss her off.
Santa: I don't want her beating me up.

And with that, Santa walked off, slowly...

Junpei: Hey, wait! We weren't done!

He started after Santa, intended to catch him, but...

Lotus: ...

Lotus appeared from the next room, blocking his path.
Her posture suggested she was not about to let him pass.
There was nothing for it. He had lost.

Junpei: Okay, okay. I'll get back to work, damnit.

Her glare suggested any other choice would not have ended pleasantly for him.
Junpei mumbled to himself under his breath, and went back to his search.

(Return to investigation)

{a11d.c1c}
<You mean like...gambling?>

Junpei: You mean like...gambling?
Santa: Uh, yeah. Of course. What else would I mean?
Junpei: ...
Santa: In baccarat, the best possible hand totals (9). They call it "Le
Grande".
Santa: But the lowest, most worthless cards, the 0s, they call "monkey".
Junpei: Just like the guy in charge of this game, huh?
Junpei: Zero's a monkey...

Santa blinked, utterly stunned.
Then he began to laugh.

Santa: Ahahahahahahahahaha! Ha...! Oh man, you're totally right!
Santa: The guy who trapped us in here sure is one hell of a monkey...

That was when Lotus spoke up.

Lotus: You know, if you think about it, the Nonary Game is really a lot like
baccarat.

Apparently, she'd been listening.

Lotus: Of course, it doesn't use any of that stupid [digital root] junk.
Lotus: You just drop the tens digit, and that's it.
Lotus: Still, it does have the same idea of your final number needing to be a
single digit.
Santa: Oh... Yeah, I guess you got a point.
Lotus: And in both games, whoever has (9) wins.
Junpei: The person who makes (9)...wins?
Lotus: Did you forget already? Don't you remember what Zero said?
Junpei: The exit is hidden, but it is there.
Junpei: Seek the exit... Seek the door that carries a [9]. 
Junpei: So, if we wanna get off this boat...
Junpei: ...We have to make a team whose numbers have the digital root of 9...
Santa: And only the people in that team are going to make it out alive...
Lotus: Of course!
Lotus: That's why it's called the [Nonary Game].
Junpei: What...?
Santa: Huh?
Lotus: You don't know?
Lotus: [Nonary] means something derived from 9, or Base-9.
Lotus: It's derived from the Latin prefix "nona", which means 9.
Lotus: While we're at it, the prefix for 1 is "uni". You know, like the
unicorn--the horse with 1 horn.
Lotus: 2 is "bi"...like binary. Binary means composed of 2 parts.
Lotus: 3 is "tri". I'm sure you've heard that one plenty. Like trio, triple,
and triangle... You get the idea.
Lotus: After that you have quart, quinti, sext, septim, and so on.
Lotus: And of course the prefix for 8 is "octo", like octopus.
Lotus: It's called that because it has 8 legs. Get it?
Junpei: I see...
Junpei: So then "nona" means (9).

Lotus nodded.

Lotus: So, how many of us are trapped on this ship?
Santa: That'd be 9.
Lotus: And what are the bracelet numbers we have?
Junpei: They go from 1 to 9.
Lotus: And our time limit? How many hours did we have?
Santa: Zero said 9 hours...
Lotus: And finally...to get out of this ship?
Junpei: We need to find the door with a [9] that's hidden somewhere in the
ship.
Santa: By making a team with the digital root of 9...

Lotus nodded again.

Lotus: And there you have it.
Lotus: The number (9) is everywhere in this game.
Lotus: He's got a real theme of (9)s for this whole thing.
Lotus: No wonder it's called the [Nonary Game].

...
...
Somewhere far away, Junpei heard the creak of stressed metal.
It sounded almost like Zero laughing at them...
...Or the sad, desperate scream of a pig headed to the slaughterhouse.

(Return to investigation)

==========================
{a11d.d} File #07
::2nd class cabin::
-In left room entrance, after finding Mars key-

Junpei messed around a bit with the key he had, and looked blankly at the
picture that slid down.

Santa: What's the deal with this picture anyway...

Santa had only been mumbling to himself, but it drew Lotus's attention.
She looked at the picture, and paused.

Lotus: I...I think I've seen this picture before.
Junpei: Where?
Lotus: In a book.
Lotus: There's a British biochemist named [Sheldrake]. He has a rather
interesting theory.
Lotus: I saw this picture in his book.
Junpei: What's this interesting theory?
Lotus: [Morphogenetic field], which relies on the theory of [morphic
resonance]...
Santa: Man, I can't deal with this. Just listening to you talk about it is
giving me a headache.

Santa put his hands on his head, as though he were in great pain.
Lotus merely arched an eyebrow in his direction and continued.

Lotus: It's not a difficult concept to grasp.
Lotus: In essence, he states that the "shapes of living organisms and their
behavioral patterns are transmitted through a field not visible to the eye"...
Santa: Uh, what part of that isn't difficult, exactly?

Lotus did not look pleased.

Lotus: All right, how about this...
Lotus: Theory of the Telepathic Mechanism.
Santa: Telepathy?
Lotus: Yes, telepathy.
Lotus: Well, perhaps not exactly telepathy, but... It is close enough, for a
simple approximation.

Santa suddenly burst into laughter.

Santa: HAHAHAAHA! Are you serious!? Telepathy?
Santa: Who do you think we are? Kids from the 70s?
Santa: I can't believe someone would actually do serious research on something
like that.
Lotus: Yes, I agree.

Lotus's response was surprisingly curt. Junpei had expected at least some
conflict.

Lotus: I read the book, but I can hardly say I understood it.
Lotus: I'm in no position to defend or condemn anything it said.
Lotus: It was probably just someone latching on to a statistical out-lier from
some study and turning it into a ridiculous theory.
Lotus: There's no scientific merit to any of it, I'm sure.
Lotus: But even so... I...
Junpei: ...
Santa: ...
Lotus: Anyway, I saw a picture like that one in his book.

Lotus indicated the picture they'd all been looking at.
After a moment she walked up to the strange picture, examined it, and then
spoke.

Lotus: Hey... What do you think this picture looks like?

Santa answered first.

Santa: Wadda ya mean? Isn't it just, like...abstract, or something like that?
Santa: It's just black and white scribbles. There's no meaning there. That's
it.
Lotus: What about you, Junpei? Does it look like anything to you?
Junpei: Hmm... I guess it looks like...

<A man's face.> - {a11d.d1a}
<Butterfly.> - {a11d.d1b}
<A koi.> - {a11d.d1c}
<A dog.> - {a11d.d1d}
<A small boat floating in a lake.> - {a11d.d1e}
<Funyarinpa.> - {a11d.d1f}

{a11d.d1b}
<Butterfly.>

Junpei: It's Butterfly.
Junpei: Cho "Butterfly" Yusofa.
Junpei: This is the head, and this is the nose and the mouth...
Lotus: W-Wait, what!?
Lotus: What's a Cho Yusofa?
Junpei: What?! You mean you...you don't know? He's a former pro wrestler, and a
huge movie star!
Junpei: He was just in this movie called "Man-Bag"! Oh man, it was so sweet...
Junpei: He was all like "Nom nom nom", throwing the bag around like a big
mouth...
Junpei: ...And then, like, guns and gadgets and stuff would fly out of it...
Junpei: Damn, just thinking about it gives me chills.

Several seconds of silence passed, as Lotus stared at Junpei.

Lotus: You're just screwing with me, aren't you, Junpei?
Junpei: ...
Lotus: Forget it. I'm just gonna tell you.
Lotus: This is a dog.
Lotus: See? Like this...

Lotus pointed out parts of the picture, and eventually a dog took shape in
them.
It looked as though she had a point.
It was a dog.
Santa also nodded in agreement.

(To "a11d.d1z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a11d.d1c}
<A koi.>

Junpei: A koi?
Junpei: See, here's the head and the tail...
Junpei: And this here's the hands and the feet back here...
Junpei: Looks like he's got some wings on his back, too.

Junpei pointed to what he was talking about.
After 3 seconds of silence, Lotus looked at Junpei.

Lotus: I...really don't think that's how a koi looks.
Junpei: ...
Lotus: Junpei, are you just screwing around?
Junpei: ...
Lotus: Forget it. I'm just gonna tell you.
Lotus: This is a dog.
Lotus: See? Like this...

Lotus pointed out parts of the picture, and eventually a dog took shape in
them.
It looked as though she had a point.
It was a dog.
Santa also nodded in agreement.

(To "a11d.d1z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a11d.d1d}
<A dog.>

Junpei: Maybe a dog?
Junpei: See, you've got the head here, and these are the front paws... And
these are the back paws.

Junpei traced the black contours.

Junpei: See?
Santa: Ahh...I see it...
Santa: I guess you've got a point...

Santa despite his constant aloofness, was clearly impressed.
Junpei glanced over at Lotus.
She looked stunned.

Lotus: How did you know? You're right.
Lotus: I didn't think you would have been able to guess that.

For a brief moment, Junpei felt a swell of pride.

(To "a11d.d1z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a11d.d1e}
<A small boat floating in a lake.>

Junpei: A small boat floating in a lake?
Junpei: That's the front of the boat, and there are the oars sticking out...

Junpei pointed to what he was talking about.

Lotus: Nope. That's wrong.

Lotus smiled triumphantly.

Lotus: This is a dog.
Lotus: See? Like this...

Lotus pointed out parts of the picture, and eventually a dog took shape in
them.
It looked as though she had a point.
It was a dog.
Santa also nodded in agreement.

(To "a11d.d1z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a11d.d1f}
<Funyarinpa.>

Junpei: A funyarinpa?
Junpei: See...? I mean this totally looks like one... Here, and here...

Junpei indicated parts of the picture that looked exactly like the other parts.
After 3 seconds of silence, Lotus looked at Junpei.

Lotus: What the hell is a funyarinpa?
Junpei: What do you mean "what the hell is a funyarinpa"? You mean...you don't
know?!
Lotus: How the hell would I know!?
Junpei: How could you not know?!
Junpei: That's...that's practically blasphemous.
Junpei: Say you're sorry! Apologize to the funyarinpa! Goodness, you are such a
rude woman.

Another 3 seconds of awkward silence went by.
Lotus opened her mouth as she shook.

Lotus: Junpei, are you just screwing around?
Junpei: ...
Lotus: Forget it. I'm just gonna tell you.
Lotus: This is a dog.
Lotus: See...like this.

Lotus pointed out parts of the picture, and eventually a dog took shape in
them.
It looked as though she had a point.
It was a dog.
Santa also nodded in agreement.

(To "a11d.d1z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a11d.d1a}
<A man's face.>

Junpei: A man's face?
Junpei: This is the head, and this is the nose and the mouth...

Junpei pointed to what he was talking about.

Lotus: Nope. That's wrong.

Lotus smiled triumphantly.

Lotus: It's a "dog".
Lotus: See? Like this...

Lotus pointed out parts of the picture, and eventually a dog took shape in
them.
It looked as though she had a point.
It was a dog.
Santa also nodded in agreement.

(To "a11d.d1z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a11d.d1z}

Junpei: So?
Junpei: Now we know what it's a picture of, but... I don't see how that helps
us.

Lotus nodded, and began to speak.

Lotus: A TV show from Great Britain did an experiment once.
Lotus: They took 2 similar pictures.
Lotus: Both of them were difficult to identify, initially...
Lotus: But once you'd figured out the answer, you couldn't see it as anything
else.
Lotus: The first picture was a woman wearing a hat.
Lotus: The other one... Well, to make it easier...
Lotus: ...Let's just say it was this picture of a dog.
Lotus: So. Their experiment...

First, they sent the pictures to other parts of the world where British radio
and television didn't reach.
To Ireland, the U.S., Africa, Europe, etc...
Then, in each country, they gathered a number of test subjects. All in all,
there were roughly 1,000 people.
Those 1,000 people were shown the 2 pictures, and asked "What does this picture
look like to you?"
The results, in and of themselves, were not terribly interesting...
[9.2%%] of the people saw the lady in the lady picture.
[3.9%%] saw the dog in the dog picture.
Then, 2 days later... They broadcast a new show.
During the 30 minute show, they broadcast the dog picture, and its solution.
The audience was estimated to be 200,000 people.
After the broadcast, it could be assumed that the number of people who knew the
solution to the dog picture now totalled over 200,000 people.
After another 2 days had passed, they gathered a number of research subjects
from areas where British TV and radio did not exist.
This time, they were only able to find a sample of roughly 850 people.
Naturally, none of them were people who had participated in the 1st test.
They were, however, given the same test, and the same 2 pictures.
The results...were shocking.
[10%%] of the people saw the lady in the lady picture.
The previous test had yielded a [9.2%%] success rate--the change was not
statistically significant.
The dog picture, however, produced a very different result.
The percentage of people able to successfully find the dog grew from [3.9%%] to
[6.8%%]. A very significant increase.

Lotus: So, do you understand? Do you realize the significance of this
experiment?
Lotus: There was no way the second group could have seen the picture.
Lotus: They lived far away from Britain, and couldn't have seen the picture.
Lotus: But even so, it was only the success rate for the dog picture that went
up.
Lotus: Why? How did that happen? What does it mean?

Lotus looked back and forth, from Junpei to Santa and back again.
Normally calm and collected, she looked now as though she were very nearly
possessed, and there was something manic about her manner.
Santa took an involuntary step backward.
Junpei didn't budge, and stared straight back into Lotus's eyes...

Junpei: Does this have something to do with that "field" or whatever it was
that you were talking about earlier?
Junpei: ..."A field not visible to the eye"...
Junpei: So if more people know the answer...
Junpei: ...Then that information will pass through the field...
Lotus: ...
Junpei: ...
Lotus: ...
Junpei: ...
Lotus: Pssyyyych!

Her manner suddenly shifted, and Lotus smiled broadly at Junpei and Santa.
She waved her hand dismissively, doing her best to laugh the whole
confrontation off.

Lotus: Oh, I was just kidding. You really shouldn't take me seriously.
Lotus: Well, I mean, the things I just told you about are true. They really did
happen.
Lotus: But the results of that experiment really aren't anything to go by. They
could have easily falsified them.
Lotus: In the end, I'm sure they were just in it for the ratings. They are a TV
station, after all.

At last, it seemed that Santa had gained control of his composure.

Santa: R-Riiiight! Man, I gotta admit, you had me there for a minute!
Santa: I, uh, really thought you were serious...
Lotus: *Giggle* Of course not!
Lotus: Like I told you before, I'm sure it's all just pseudoscience.
Santa: O-Oh, okay, right! Ha ha ha hahahaha!

Santa and Lotus laughed, and gave one another jovial claps on the shoulder.
Junpei, however, didn't feel so much like laughing.
Something felt...wrong...unclear...
...

Lotus: All right, enough nonsense.
Lotus: We've got the key. Let's get out of here.
Santa: Word.

Lotus and Santa walked away from the picture.
...But Junpei stayed, staring at the picture of the dog.
"A field not visible to the naked eye"...
[Morphogenetic field]...
The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.

(Return to investigation)

===========================================
===========================================
{a12b} File #09
:In a wide hallway:
-After completing first escape from the 2nd class cabin-
===========================================

They stepped through the door to find themselves in a wide hallway.
Junpei, June, Lotus, and Santa stopped for a moment, and looked at their
surroundings.
A short distance away, a metal grate extended across the width of the hallway.
They took hold and shook, but it refused to move.
Nearby was a pair of elevators.
It took only a few button presses to determine that the elevators would not
respond to their efforts.
They could only assume the elevators were not powered.
There was only one door left.

Junpei: Well, looks like we don't have any choice.
Santa: Yeah.
June: Sure does.
Lotus: Well then, let's open it.

Junpei grabbed hold of the knob, and quietly pushed the door open.
He entered, slowly, trying to take in as much of his surroundings as he could.
The others followed shortly.

Santa: Oh... So it's a kitchen...

Santa did not look pleased.

June: What were you expecting?
Santa: Isn't it obvious?
Santa: The exit. I was hoping this would be the way out of here.
Junpei: Heh. You really think it'd be that easy?
Santa: Yeah, yeah, I know. Still...

As they talked, Lotus headed deeper into the room.
...Until at last she stood in front of a door.

Lotus: If we can just get through this door, we should come out on the other
side of that grate we saw earlier.
Junpei: But...don't we need a key for that...?
Junpei: ...Sorry. I guess that wasn't very constructive...

Neither Junpei nor Lotus looked terribly happy.
Junpei dug the ship map from his pocket, and spread it out in front of him.
As he did...

Lotus: H-Hey!
Santa: What's that?!
Junpei: Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess I forgot to tell you.
Junpei: I found this a little while ago.
Junpei: It's a map of the B Deck--

Before Junpei could finish, Lotus snatched the map away from him.
She ran her finger across it, muttering to herself.

Lotus: I knew it. See? Look.

Junpei did as he was told.
Santa and June moved over to look at the map as well.

Lotus: See? We came in here. If we go out there, then we'll be on the other
side of the grate.

With her finger Lotus traced a path on the map.
She was right.
Satisfied that she had been correct, Lotus folded the map and handed it back to
Junpei.
He took it, and slid the valuable piece of paper back into his pocket.

June: There's a card reader on the right side of the door.
Santa: Then that means the [key card] is somewhere in here, right?
Lotus: That seems the most likely.
Junpei: All right, we know what we need to do then.
Junpei: Let's get moving! First off, I say we split up and look for clues. 
June: Okay!

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::Kitchen::
=============================================
{a12} File #16
Plot points within this section:
-Prediction of the Sinking Titanic: "a12d.a"
-[Ice-9] and crystallization of glycerin: "a12d.c"
( To skip to next story segment, search for "a12e" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \ : Room Connections
v: Returns to the previous room
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

Freezer   Pantry  Grill
     [6]=[8][5]   [7]
        \   /    /   \
   <1> = [2] = [3] = [4] -> (to 1)
         Main Room
 

{Screen 1, Plate Counter}

<Examine Square Plates, 1>
Junpei: Those 9 plates look pretty expensive.
Lotus: They're plates for appetizers. Remember, appetizers usually come on
square plates.
Junpei: Okay, okay. Well excuuuuuuse me, princess.
<Examine Square Plates, 2+>
* Appetizer plates. There are 9 of them, in total.
<Examine Square Plates after voucher talk, 1+>
* There are 9 plates for appetizers. 9 is 9 even in hexadecimal and decimal.
<Examine Square Plates after unlocking iron oven, 1+>
* This pile is all square plates.

<Examine 2nd to left Plates, 1>
Junpei: 1, 2, 3... There's 10 of 'em.
Junpei: If you flip these over, they look like hats. The middle is super deep
for a plate...
Lotus: They're soup plates. They're made that way so that the soup doesn't
spill.
Lotus: If we ever get out of here, you should treat yourself to a nice dinner
out.
Junpei: What makes you think a poor college student has the money to do
something like that?
<Examine 2nd to left Plates, 2+>
* A deep soup bowl. There's 10 of 'em in a stack here.
<Examine 2nd to left Plates after voucher talk, 1+>
* There are 10 soup plates. 10 is A in hexadecimal.
<Examine 2nd to left Plates after unlocking iron oven, 1+>
* These plates are for soup.

<Examine 2nd to right Plates, 1>
Lotus: I think there are 15 of these plates.
Lotus: I'm assuming they're for seafood...
Junpei: How the hell can you tell that?
Junpei: They look just like any other plate from the 99-cent store...
Lotus: If you ever take a lady out to dinner, you're going to embarrass
yourself. I feel sorry for June.
Junpei: Wh...wh...wh...why the hell are you bringing up June!?
Lotus: The lady doth protest too much, methinks. You are not terribly subtle.
<Examine 2nd to right Plates, 2+>
* A round plate for seafood. There are 15 of them, in a pile.
<Examine 2nd to right Plates after voucher talk, 1+>
* There are 15 of these seafood plates. It says "F" on the voucher.
<Examine 2nd to right Plates after unlocking iron oven, 1+>
* There isn't a whole lot to say about these plates.

<Examine Rightmost Plates, 1>
Junpei: There's a bunch of little wavy ridges on this plate.
Lotus: Those plates are for serving meat. Ugh. You really are ignorant, aren't
you?
Junpei: C'mon, it's not like I need to know this crap... Geez...
<Examine Rightmost Plates, 2+>
* Plates for meat. There's 16 of 'em.
<Examine Rightmost Plates after voucher talk, 1+>
* There are 16 meat plates. 16 is written as 10 in hexadecimal. That is nuts.
<Examine Rightmost Plates after unlocking iron oven, 1+>
* Out of the 4 types of plates here, this one is the most abundant.

<Examine Any Plate after having examined all 4 plates at least once, triggers
voucher talk, 1>
* There's a voucher at the end of the counter.
Junpei: This voucher doesn't match the number of plates on the table...
Lotus: It says "Appetizer 9, Meat dish 10, Soup A, Seafood dish F" on the
voucher.
Lotus: And the plates on the table are... "9 Appetizer, 16 Meat, 10 Soup, 15
Seafood".
Lotus: Maybe they're using [hexadecimal] here.
Junpei: And hexadecimal is...?
Lotus: It's a number system that goes 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F, 10, 11...
Lotus: You're familiar with base-10, right? That's the "normal" system of
numbers.
Lotus: The base-10 equivalents for hexadecimal numbers would go like this:
Lotus: A = 10, B = 11, C = 12, D = 13, E = 14, F = 15...
Lotus: ...And 10 = 16
Lotus: The 10 becomes 16 in base-10.
Lotus: I know it sounds strange, but you can think of it as just 6 letters
added on to the normal number system after 9.
* A = 10, B = 11, C = 12, D = 13, E = 14, F = 15, 10 = 16, and so on...
* I think I get it...

<Examine Voucher before examining plates, 1+>
* A voucher. It says...
* "Appetizer 9, Meat dish 10, Soup A, Seafood dish F"
<Examine Voucher after voucher talk, 1>
Lotus: Hexadecimal... I wonder if it's some kind of hint.
Junpei: Yeah, maybe.
Lotus: Junpei, do you remember what I told you about hexadecimal code earlier?
Junpei: Yeah, course I do.
Lotus: All right then, here's a little quiz for you.
Lotus: What would 9 + F be in base-10?
Junpei: Well, F = 15, so it'd be 9 + 15, which would be 24...right?
Lotus: That's right. Good job, you're a fast learner.
<Examine Voucher after voucher talk, 2>
* A = 10, B = 11, C = 12, D = 13, E = 14, and F = 15.
* Then once you hit 16, it's 10, so 10 = 16.
* ...8 9 A B C D E F 10 11...
* That's how you count in hexadecimal.
<Examine Voucher after voucher talk, 3+>
* A = 10, B = 11, C = 12, D = 13, E = 14, F = 15, and 10 = 16.
<Examine Voucher after unlocking iron oven, 1+>
* It's a voucher.

<Examine Partition, 1+>
* A partition. There's nothing special about it.

<Examine Serving Table under plates, 1>
Lotus: This looks like a serving table.
Lotus: I would imagine food is put here after it's prepared so that the waiters
and waitresses can take it out to the customers.
Lotus: But... Something doesn't seem right here.
Lotus: Why are there so many plates?
<Examine Serving Table under plates, 2+>
* A serving table. There's a voucher sitting on it, along with 4 different
types of plates.

<Examine Lights, 1+>
* There's a light hanging from the ceiling.

<Examine Utensils/Ladles in back, 1>
Junpei: It's kinda far away... I can't really tell, but...is that a ladle?
Santa: I don't really think a ladle is going to be very useful.
<Examine Utensils/Ladles in back, 2>
* Just an ordinary ladle. No reason to hang onto it.
<Examine Utensils/Ladles in back, 3>
* Ladle, Ladle, Ladle, I made you out of clay...
* Oh wait...
* This is sad... I can't even remember a simple children's song...
<Examine Utensils/Ladles in back, 4+>
* Just an ordinary ladle. Remember, Junpei, ladle, not dreidel...

<Examine Countertop in back, 1>
Santa: A countertop.
Santa: We've got a rolling pin and...a colander. Nothing useful, in other
words.
<Examine Countertop in back, 2+>
* A well-kept countertop. Doesn't seem to be anything useful on it, though.

<Examine Left Iron Door, 1>
Santa: That's the exit. There's a big old iron plate over the door.
Junpei: I don't think we can open it.
<Examine Left Iron Door, 2+>
* There's an iron plate over the exit. I don't think we can open it while it's
like that.

<Examine Right Iron Door, 1>
Lotus: Hey, Santa. Could you open that door, please?
Santa: What the hell?! There's no way I could open that thing!
Santa: Guess you're gettin' to that age where your eyes start to go, huh?
Lotus: You'd better watch your mouth, boy, or someone won't live long enough to
see that door opened.
* This has got the 2 of them on edge.
* We gotta get out of here, and fast...
<Examine Right Iron Door, 2+>
* There's an iron plate over the door. There's no way it'll open.

<Examine Tanks, 1>
* It's a tank with a pipe coming out of it. Nothing really that special about
it.
<Examine Tanks, 2>
Junpei: Hey, is that a boiler over there?
Santa: Who knows.
Junpei: The pipe goes up into the ceiling.
Junpei: Maybe, just maybe, we could climb into that pipe, and get out of there.
Santa: Idiot. How the hell are you supposed to get into a pipe that size?
* Well, at least he kind of got my joke. That makes me kinda happy.
<Examine Tanks, 3+>
* A tank with a pipe coming out of it. There's nothing special about it.

{Screen 2, Facing Storage and Freezer Doors}

<Examine Teapot, 1>
Junpei: Wow. This pot looks like it's made out of silver.
June: I bet drinking tea from this pot would be really yummy.
* Spending a day off with June, drinking tea... Could such a day ever happen
for me?
June: Jumpy?
Junpei: Oh, nothing.
Junpei: We don't really need hot water, so we should be moving on.
<Examine Teapot, 2+>
* There's a silver pot here.

<Examine Table, 1>
June: This table looks really old-fashioned.
Junpei: Probably means this is an old boat.
<Examine Table, 2+>
* This table is old enough to be an antique. It probably is an antique.

<Examine Partition, 1>
Junpei: It's a partition that splits the room.
Junpei: On the right side of the wall...
June: It's one of those swinging doors. You see them a lot in-between kitchens
and dining areas in restaurants.
June: Without this door, you'd need to run all the way around the partition to
get to the other side.
Junpei: That'd really be a pain in the ass, huh? Well, I guess it's not really
important, but still...
<Examine Partition, 2+>
* A partition. On the right side of the wall, there's a swinging door.

<Examine Light, 1> (Note: It's pretty hard to touch this; you need to be just a
bit to the left of "File")
June: Wow Jumpy, you can reach really high.
Junpei: Heh. Yeah. I can jump pretty high.
Junpei: Here we go!
<Examine Light, 2+>
* This light is pretty high up. It's hard to get to.

<Examine Bulletin Board, 1>
Santa: It's a note.
Santa: It's got a bunch of stuff written on it, but it doesn't look like a code
or anything like that.
<Examine Bulletin Board, 2>
Junpei: Looks like a bunch of instructions for using the cooking utensils...
Junpei: Nothing really suspicious about that.
<Examine Bulletin Board, 3+>
* There's a note here, but it doesn't look like it's very important.

<Examine Left Door, 1+>
* A door. There's a bolt keeping us from opening it.
<Examine Left Door after escaping from freezer, 1>
Santa: Hey Junpei, where do you think you're goin'?
Junpei: Oh, I was just thinking I'd check and see if we missed anything in the
freezer.
Santa: Why would we have missed anything?
Santa: We searched that whole damn place. We put our lives on the line, man.
June: Yeah...yeah, I guess you're right.
June: I don't need to go back there.
<Examine Left Door after escaping from freezer, 2>
* We've looked around in the freezer enough already.
* We can't afford to get in that kinda trouble again. Probably better if we
don't go back in there.
<Examine Left Door after escaping from freezer, 3>
* We already searched that damn freezer top to bottom. I should go somewhere
else.

<Examine Left Door Handle, 1>
Santa: Well, I can move the doorknob.
Junpei: Then I'll bet all we need to do is get this bolt off.
<Examine Left Door Handle, 2+>
* The doorknob works. That damn bolt is the problem...

<Examine Left Door Bolt, 1>
Lotus: It's a bolt. And it's really rusty.
Lotus: Will this even open...?
Junpei: We won't know 'til we try! Let's give it a shot.
* All right, let's see if you're gonna come out...
Junpei: Damn... No dice.
<Examine Left Door Bolt, 2>
June: A rusted bolt...
June: This door won't open until we can do something about this bolt.
Lotus: Maybe if we had some kind of lubricant...
<Examine Left Door Bolt, 3+>
* The bolt is rusted in place. It won't move.
* I don't think I can get it out unless I have some kind of lubricant.
<Examine Left Door Bolt with Oil, 1>
* This bolt is rusted in place. It won't budge.
Junpei: Of course! Maybe if I put some oil on it...
Santa: H-Hey!
Junpei: Just a little bit of oil, and... Come on! Come on, you little son of a
bitch!
* Whoa! ...Ha! Yes! Got you, you little bastard!
June: You did it, Jumpy! You're so smart!
<Examine Left Door Bolt after opened, 1>
* The bolt is off! It's all oily and gross, though...

<Examine Right Door after acquiring Saturn key card, 1+>
* The door to the pantry. I don't need anything else from there.

{Screen 3, Facing Sink and Grill}

<Examine Partition, 1+>
* It's a partition that splits the room. Nothing suspicious about that.

<Examine Left Trash Can, 1>
Junpei: A trashcan. There's nothing inside of it.
Santa: Well, better than being full of rotten food, I suppose.
<Examine Left Trash Can, 2+>
* A big bucket made of tin. There's nothing inside.

<Examine Right Trash Can, 1>
Santa: Damnit, there's nothing in here.
Lotus: Hey Santa, digging through the trash really suits you.
Santa: What the hell did you say?!
Santa: Listen lady, I did you a favor! I knew you'd just piss and moan, so I
did it for you!
Lotus: Oh my. I don't recall asking you to do anything...
Santa: Rrrrggh... I oughta throttle you...
Lotus: Ex-squeeze me.
* ...
* Does...does it feel colder in here?
<Examine Right Trash Can, 2+>
* A big bucket made of tin. There's nothing inside.

<Examine Countertop, 1>
Junpei: Oh, a countertop.
Santa: There's a rolling pin and colander here. Nothing useful.
<Examine Countertop, 2+>
* A rolling pin and colander. Nothing useful.

<Examine Lights, 1>
Santa: They're lights, buddy. Nothin' weird about that.
<Examine Lights, 2+>
* Lights to...light up the room. They're doing a good job.

<Examine Left Counter, 1+>
* Maybe this table is for preparing food... There are plates everywhere.

<Examine Sink, 1>
Santa: A sink. It's still got water in it.
Santa: There're a couple'a plates in there, but I don't think they're gonna
help us much.
<Examine Sink, 2+>
Junpei: It's a sink with water in it. There're a couple of plates in the water.

<Examine Dish Rack (left of grill), 1>
Lotus: Wow, what a nice dish rack. I'd love to have that in my kitchen.
Junpei: Why don't you take it back with you?
Lotus: Are you offering to carry it for me?
Junpei: Why don't you ask Seven?
Lotus: You're kidding.
Lotus: You don't honestly think I'd let a beast like that into my home, do you?
<Examine Dish Rack (left of grill), 2+>
* A dish rack. It's filled with plates and cups.

{Screen 7, Grill}

<Examine Grilltop, 1>
Junpei: All right, it's going... Do you think this was all part of Zero's plan?
Santa: Probably. Kinda hard to believe there's a chef on board somewhere.
<Examine Grilltop, 2>
* It's a grill.
* There're some coals down here. They're bright red.
<Examine Grilltop, 3+>
* A grill ready to grill.
<Examine Grilltop, after returning from freezer without pork equipped, 1>
June: Jumpy...
June: You could probably heat stuff up on there now, you know.
Junpei: ...Huh?
<Examine Grilltop, after returning from freezer without pork equipped, 2+>
* The grill's all fired up now.
* I might be able to defrost frozen stuff on it.
<Examine Grilltop, with frozen pork equipped, 1>
* Guess I'll put this meat on the grill.
Lotus: Hey, what are you doing!?
Lotus: What are you going to do if the paper burns!?
Santa: C'mon, it'll be fine. I mean, it's not like it's gonna burn right away,
right?
Santa: We just gotta keep an eye on it, and the paper'll be fine.
* Well, they can argue all they want.
* I'm gonna keep an eye on this pork...
Junpei: Cool, looks like it's about time. I'm gonna try taking the paper out.
June: Jumpy, be careful.
* Sweet of her to care, but I know what I'm--
Junpei: OUCH!
June: See...? I told you.
Santa: Hey, what the hell are you doing? Hurry up and take the paper out--
Junpei: It's not coming out.
Junpei: This thing's frozen stiff. I can't get it out.
Lotus: So are we going to have to cut the meat?
Junpei: Yeah, looks that way.
<Examine Grilltop with pork on top before finding rusty knife, 1+>
* This paper is stuck in here real good.
* If I'm gonna get it out, I need to cut the meat open.
<Examine Grilltop with pork on top with rusty knife equipped, 1>
Junpei: We've got to cut open the meat to get to the paper.
Junpei: I should be able to use this knife to cut it...
Junpei: It's not working. This knife is too dull.
June: Well, that's probably because it's all rusty.
June: If we had something you could sharpen the knife with...
<Examine Grilltop with pork on top with rusty knife equipped, 2+>
* I'm not gonna be able to cut the meat unless I sharpen this knife.
<Examine Grilltop with pork on top, 1>
Santa: It looks like we'll have to cut into that meat to get that piece of
paper.
Santa: Hey, Junpei, I thought you had something you could cut meat with, didn't
you?
<Examine Grilltop with pork on top, 2+>
* We're gonna have to cut into that meat to get the piece of paper.
* Have I got anything that can do that?
<Examine Grilltop with pork on top and knife unequipped, 2+>
* We're gonna have to cut into that meat to get the piece of paper.
* Did I have anything in my items?
<Examine Grilltop with pork on top, with knife equipped, 1>
Junpei: All right, I'm gonna use this knife I sharpened...
Junpei: Yes! I cut the pork!
Santa: Awesome, Junpei. Now we can cut out the paper.
<Examine Grilltop with pork on top, after retrieving paper, 1+>
* Look at that pork, roasting on the grill... Man, that looks good.
<Examine Pork on grill, after retrieving paper, 1+>
* Man, this pork smells good...
Junpei: Mmmmmm...

<Examine Drawer, 1>
Junpei: I wonder what this drawer is...
Lotus: You see the metal grate on top of the grill?
Lotus: They make it like that so that the fat and juices can drip off of the
meat while it cooks.
<Examine Drawer, 2+>
* The drawer seems to be stuck. It won't open.

<Examine Area under drawer, 1>
Junpei: It looks like the area under the plate opens up...
Lotus: No, you can't.
Lotus: I already checked. It's sealed shut.
Lotus: I think that's where the coal goes...
<Examine Area under drawer, 2+>
* This is apparently the area where you put the coal. It's sealed shut. We
can't get it open.

{Screen 4, Facing Safe}

<Examine Pot and Pan, 1>
Junpei: All we've got here is a pot and frying pan... Oh, and a pressure
cooker.
Junpei: Well, I guess we could use some of those as weapons...
Santa: What kind of an idiot are you? You're gonna run around holding that
thing while you're looking for the DEAD?
Junpei: Hey man, it was just a joke. Why so serious?
<Examine Pot and Pan, 2>
* A frying pan and 2 kinds of pots.
<Examine Pot and Pan, 3>
Junpei: Did you see that action movie that came out last week?
Santa: Nah, I heard it was critically panned.
Junpei: I dunno, it's pretty enjoyable with a little pot.
<Examine Pot and Pan, 4+>
* A frying pan and 2 kinds of pots.

<Examine Partition, 1>
Lotus: It's only a partition. There's nothing else worth noting here.
<Examine Partition, 2+>
* It's a partition that splits the room.

<Examine Seasoning Bottles, 1+>
* There are some bottles of seasoning in here.

<Examine Counter under pans, 1>
Lotus: There's a pot on top of the stove.
Lotus: If there are some ingredients around here, I could cook something up for
us...
Junpei: Lotus, you can actually cook?
Lotus: Who the hell do you think I am?
Lotus: You'd better believe I know how to boil hot water and put in my instant
noodles!
Junpei: ...
Lotus: And...and...I can boil eggs too!
Junpei: ...
<Examine Counter under pans, 2+>
* There're 2 pots and a pan on top of the stove.

<Examine Lights, 1>
Lotus: Oh, lights. It's nice to have something finally go our way.
<Examine Lights, 2+>
* There are a bunch of lights, um, lighting up the room.

<Examine Left Door, 1>
Santa: This is the door we came in through.
Santa: It's not locked, so we could go back out, but...
Junpei: What's the point, right?
Junpei: All that's out there is an iron gate and a dead-end hallway.
Santa: Yup.
Santa: Might as well be locked, for all the good going back out there'd do.
<Examine Left Door, 2+>
* The door we came in through. It's not locked, but it'd be pointless to go
back out.

<Examine Right Door or handle, 1>
Junpei: Damnit! Didn't work.
Lotus: It doesn't matter how many times you try it.
Lotus: This door isn't going to open until we've solved all the puzzles in this
room.
Lotus: I'm sure this is all just part of Zero's plan.
Lotus: I just can't imagine what his motives could be...
<Examine Right Door or handle, 2+>
* The door is locked. It won't open.
<Examine Right Door after acquiring Saturn key card, without unlocking door, 1>
Lotus: Junpei.
* She's pointing at the card reader...
* Yeah, yeah, I get it.
<Examine Right Door after acquiring Saturn key card, without unlocking door,
2+>
* This door is locked. If I want to unlock it...
<Examine Right Door or handle after unlocking door, 1>
Junpei: Yes! Let's go!

(To "a12e", replacing quotations with braces )

<Examine Right Door Handle after acquiring Saturn key card, without unlocking
door, 1>
June: Um... Jumpy....
June: I don't think you can leave until you've unlocked the door...
<Examine Right Door Handle after acquiring Saturn key card, without unlocking
door, 2+>
* I can fiddle with this knob until the cows come home...
* It's not gonna do me much good unless I unlock the door!

<Examine Right Card reader, 1>
Santa: It's a card reader.
Santa: Since the light's red, I figure it's probably still locked.
Santa: The key card for it's gotta be around here somewhere.
Santa: We just gotta find it.
<Examine Right Card reader, 2+>
* A card reader. The light is red.
<Examine Right Card reader, after acquiring Saturn key card, unequipped, 1>
Santa: Junpei what the hell are you doin'!?
Santa: Just hurry up and do it!
Junpei: ...Huh?
Santa: Oh for the love of-- Seriously?! You don't know what I'm talking about!?
Junpei: O-Of course...I do... Duh!
<Examine Right Card reader, after acquiring Saturn key card, unequipped, 2+>
* The card reader's light is red. It's still locked.
* If I want to unlock it...
<Examine Right Card reader, with Saturn key card equipped, 1>
Junpei: Yes! I think it's unlocked now!
June: You did it, Jumpy!
June: Let's get out of here!
<Examine Right Card reader, after unlocking, 1+>
* A card reader. The light is green.

<Examine Iron oven, 1>
Santa: An iron oven. Looks pretty heavy-duty.
June: It's probably industrial quality. I bet you could cook anything with
this.
Junpei: Anyway, let's have a look inside...
Junpei: Damn...I knew it. It's locked.
<Examine Iron oven, 2+>
* This is the oven door. It's locked. Of course.
<Examine Iron oven after unlocking, 1>
Junpei: Yeah! The door opened!
June: Good job, Jumpy!
<Examine Iron oven after taking card, 1>
Lotus: It doesn't seem hot at all.
Santa: Man, if the card got burned here, I'm never gonna forgive Zero.
<Examine Iron oven after taking card, 2+>
* The inner walls of the oven. They feel cool, like old metal.

<Examine oven plate after open, 1>
Junpei: This plate must be for putting stuff in the oven.
<Examine oven plate after open, 2+>
* It's an iron plate.

<Examine Keypad Display, 1+>
* This is the display area above the buttons.
<Examine Keypad Display after unlocking oven, 1+>
* The password input device. Don't need to screw with this piece of junk
anymore!

<Examine Keypad Buttons, 1>
Junpei: It looks like you can enter numbers into this thing...
Junpei: Is it an oven timer?
Lotus: It's probably for entering a passcode.
Lotus: After all, the oven door is locked...
Lotus: My guess is that it'll open if we put in the correct code.
<Examine Keypad Buttons, 2>
* These buttons are for entering a passcode.
* We don't have a passcode yet, though.
* I should probably look for some hints before I start messing around with this
thing...
<Examine Keypad Buttons, 3+>
* These buttons are for entering a passcode.
* I shouldn't be messing around with this unless I have at least some idea of
what I should be entering.
<Examine Keypad Buttons after acquiring pork note, 1>
Lotus: This is probably what you're supposed to use to enter the password.
Lotus: Maybe if we put in the right number it'll open the oven door.
Lotus: Junpei, maybe the note you found earlier...
Junpei: Yeah. I know.
Lotus: Do you know how to enter those numbers?
Lotus: I think [E] is for enter and [C] is for clearing.
Junpei: So basically, when I'm ready to submit my answer, I press [E].
Junpei: So if I screw up, I just press [C], right?
* Lotus nodded.
Junpei: All right, let's give it a shot!
<Examine Keypad Buttons after acquiring pork note, 2+>
* So if I want to enter my answer, I press [E], and if I screw up and need to
start over, I should press [C], right?
Junpei: Let's try this again!
<Examine Keypad Buttons after unlocking oven, 1>
Santa: Hey man. We don't need to mess with that anymore.
<Examine Keypad Buttons after unlocking oven, 2+>
* These buttons are for entering numbers.

<Examine Keypad after retrieving Saturn key card, 1+>
* The password input device. Don't need to screw with this piece of junk
anymore!

<Go "Back" from oven keypad without entering correct code before finding
voucher clue, 1>
Junpei: Shit. It didn't work...
June: Do you think the note we found in the pork wasn't a hint?
June: "C + 10 + F"
June: There aren't any letters on the input device...
Junpei: Hmm...
June: Maybe if we can find a way to convert letters to numbers...
Santa: Oh yeah.. The voucher we found next to the plates had some letters on
it, didn't it?
Santa: Maybe they've got something to do with it.
Junpei: That voucher...next to the plates?
<Go "Back" from oven keypad without entering correct code before finding
voucher clue, 3>
June: Jumpy, did you look at the voucher Santa was talking about?
June: He said there were some letters on it.
<Go "Back" from oven keypad after pressing [E] without entering correct code,
1>
Junpei: Huh? This is weird...
Santa: Hey... You're just punchin' in random numbers, aren't you?
Lotus: Maybe if you just enter it like it said in the hint...
Junpei: Aaaaaah shut up! Just shut up!
<Go "Back" from oven keypad after pressing [E] without entering correct code,
2>
June: Remember, the paper we found in the pork said...
June: "C + 10 + F"
June: There aren't any letters on the input device, though.
June: What does that mean...?
Junpei: Maybe "C + 10 + F" is a hexidecimal number?
Junpei: If we convert it to base-10...
<Go "Back" from oven keypad after pressing [E] without entering correct code,
3>
June: So you convert "C + 10 + F" to base-10, right?
Junpei: Well, if you look at the voucher, and the number of plates, then F =
15.
June: Then what about 10?
June: I don't think 10 is 10 from base-10.
Junpei: Well, then that would mean that 10 is actually a 1 and a 0 in
hexidecimal.
June: Yes. Then that means...
Junpei: 1 and 0 in hexadecimal is actually 16 in base-10.
June: Then what about C?
Junpei: C is... Well... A is 10 and B is 11 so...
June: F = 15 and 10 = 16
June: All we need to do is figure out what C is, and we'll have it in the bag.
<Go "Back" from oven keypad after pressing [E] without entering correct code,
4+>
June: Jumpy, figure it out already!
June: F = 15, right!? 10 is 16!
June: Do you know what 15 + 16 is!?
Junpei: Y-Yes... Of...course I do.
June: Then we already know what F + 10 is, right?!
June: Just add C to it!
Junpei: A = 10, B = 11...what's C?!
<Enter correct code into keypad, 1>
* Sounds like metal is falling...
* Well, I guess that went well.

{Screen 5, Storage Room}

<Examine Left Shelf, 1+>
* This shelf has a white cloth on it.
<Examine Left Shelf with cloth removed, 1>
June: There's so much stuff in here.
June: A whole lot of cans...
Junpei: This is probably a pantry.
<Examine Left Shelf with cloth removed, 2+>
* There are cans lining every shelf in here.
* Wooden box on the second row, though.

<Examine Wooden Box before removing knife, 1+>
* There's a knife in this box.
<Examine Wooden Box after removing knife, 1+>
* There's nothing inside.

<Examine Rusty Knife, 1>
(To "a12d.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine Rightmost Shelf, 1>
Junpei: There's milk in here...
June: Milk in an iron barrel.
June: Judging by the rust...it's probably really old.
Junpei: Maybe we shouldn't open it up.
Junpei: I don't think it'd be a pretty sight.
<Examine Rightmost Shelf, 2+>
* There's a big barrel of milk behind the cloth.

<Examine Light, 1+>
* The light for the pantry.

<Examine Any Cheese besides center one, 1>
* There are a number of cheeses lined up on the shelf.
June: This is gouda cheese. The most famous Dutch cheese.
June: If you don't cut open the casing, it usually won't go bad.
June: ...So you can store it at room temperature for quite a while.
Junpei: So we can eat this?
June: Most likely.
* Uh, I'm not hungry. At all.
* I guess it's hard to get hungry in a situation like this.
<Examine either of bottom-most cheeses, 1>
June: J-Jumpy... You're searching with such tenacity.
June: I don't think you have to search down there...
Junpei: I just want to be sure.
<Examine center cheese, 1>
Junpei: Hey... There's something behind the cheese.
June: You're right.
June: Why don't we move some of the cheese.
* All right guys, time to move it. June and I need to look behind you...
* There's a little green bottle back there.
<Examine Any Cheese, 2+>
* There's cheese on this shelf. Sweet.

{Screen 6, Freezer room, facing freezer}

<Upon entering room, 1>
( To "a12d.b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine Frozen Pork, 1>
Santa: This thing's frozen solid. This pork?
Junpei: Yeah, seems like it.
Santa: What's this thing? It looked like a tag or something...

<Examine Right Rack before taking meat, 1>
June: There's some frozen meat up there.
June: Looks like pork...
Junpei: ...Huh? What's this? It looks like a...tag or something...
<Examine Right Rack after taking meat, 1>
Junpei: Everything's frozen in here.
June: It doesn't look like there's anything else interesting.
<Examine Right Rack after taking meat, 2+>
* The shelves are covered with frozen food. Nothing special about that.

<Examine Trapdoor, 1>
June: There's so much stuff in here...
June: Why don't we take some of it out, Jumpy.
<Examine Trapdoor, 2+>
* A storange area built into the floor, like a small cellar. There are a couple
bottles in here. {Author's Note: Hahah, "storange". }
<Examine Trapdoor after removing items, 1+>
* There isn't anything else here that looks useful.

{Screen 8, Freezer room, facing door}

<Examine Pipes on right, 1>
June: There's water dripping from this pipe.
Junpei: Hmmm...
Junpei: It looks like when the pipe burst the water hit the doorknob and froze
it in place.
* This water actually seems almost...warm...
<Examine Pipes on right, 2+>
* There's warm water flowing from the pipe.

<Examine Pipes on left, 1+>
* It's a thin pipe.

<Examine Cover on left, 1>
June: This thing is covering something.
Junpei: It's frozen solid. I can't flip it over.
<Examine Cover on left, 2+>
* A cover. It's frozen in place. I can't get it off.

<Examine Door, 1>
Junpei: There's no way we could break this door down.
June: Then that means...
June: We have to do something about that ice.
Santa: Yeah.
<Examine Door, 2+>
* This door leads out of here.
* Unfortunately, the doorknob's covered in ice.
<Examine Door after finding bottle, before dry ice, 1>
Junpei: Why don't we try putting the water into the water bottle we just found?
Santa: Why would we do that?
Junpei: It'll turn into ice.
Santa: And what the hell are we gonna do with ice? We're gonna BE ice in a few
minutes!
Junpei: I dunno...
Santa: Ugh...
<Examine Door after finding dry ice, 1>
Santa: Hey, Junpei...
Santa: Didn't you find some dry ice earlier?
Junpei: Yeah?
Santa: There's warm water coming out of that pipe...
Santa: Warm water and dry ice...
Santa: What do you think would happen if we put that stuff in a sealed
container together?
<Examine Door after finding dry ice, before finding bottle, 2>
* That ice keeps the doorknob from moving... I can't open the door as long as
it's there.
* Maybe if I put some of the dry ice into a sealed container with some of that
warm water...
<Examine Door after finding dry ice and water bottle, 2>
Santa: Let's start off by putting the dry ice into the water bottle.
Junpei: But the dry ice is too big...
Santa: Well, you gotta figure out a way to make it smaller then, don't you
genius.
<Examine Door after finding dry ice and water bottle, 3+>
* I need to crush the dry ice if I want to get it in the bottle...
<Examine Door after crushing dry ice, 1>
Santa: What the hell, Junpei? You're doing it wrong.
Junpei: You gotta put the crushed dry ice into the water bottle.
<Examine Door after crushing dry ice, 2+>
* All right, let's just put some of this dry ice into the water bottle...
<Examine Door after filling bottle with dry ice, 1>
Santa: Not yet, Junpei.
Santa: We're not gonna get the result we want unless you can hook that bottle
to the doorknob somehow.
Santa: It's gotta explode right next to the ice on the doorknob.
Junpei: We need to figure out a way to attach the bottle to the doorknob.
<Examine Door after filling bottle with dry ice, 2+>
* I need to figure out how I'm going to attach the water bottle to the
doorknob.
<Examine Door after building water bottle bomb, 1>
(To "a12d.d" replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine Door Window, 1>
Junpei: No luck... It's too hard, I can't break it.
Santa: There's too much mist to see what's going on over at the other end.
<Examine Door Window, 2+>
* There's a window in the door, but it's pretty thick. We won't be able to
break it.

<Examine Door Handle, 1>
Junpei: No good. I can't hit it hard enough to break it.
Santa: Maybe it just needs more of a shock, you know?
June: More of a shock...
<Examine Door Handle, 2+>
* There's ice surrounding the doorknob.

{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search rusty knife in pantry, 1>
June: We're really in trouble...
June: I know I'm just repeating myself, but this is really a "Futility" moment.
June: That blade is so rusty...
Junpei: Yeah, I know. We can't cut a damn thing with a knife like this.
June: If we're going to cut anything, we probably have to sharpen the knife.
<Search rusty knife in pantry, 2+>
* If I can sharpen this knife, I should be able to cut stuff with it.
<Search rusty knife in main room, 1>
Santa: Man, I think there's more rust on this knife than metal.
Lotus: I doubt you'll be able to cut anything as long as it's like that.
Lotus: If you want to cut anything, you'll need to sharpen it.
<Search rusty knife in main room, 2+>
* I need to sharpen this knife if I want to cut anything.
<Search rusty knife in freezer, 1>
June: Wh-What's wrong Jumpy!?
June: Why did you just pull out a knife?!
Junpei: Oh, I was just thinking I might be able to use it to open the door...
Santa: C'mon man, all you're gonna do is break your knife.
Santa: Is the cold in here startin' to mess with your head?
<Search rusty knife in freezer, 2+>
* I guess this rusty knife is pretty useless at the moment.

<Search bottle of oil in pantry, 1>
June: Oh look, cooking oil.
June: You could probably use this to make something slippery.
<Search bottle of oil in pantry, 2+>
* A bottle of oil, originally intended for cooking. It also might be useful for
lubrication.
<Search bottle of oil in main room, 1>
Santa: The bottle's old, but we might be able to use the oil inside for
something.
Santa: Maybe we could put it on the old hag's face. Might help moisturize a
little; get rid of some of those wrinkles.
Lotus: How about we put it on your face and then light it on fire?
<Search bottle of oil in main room, 2+>
* A bottle of oil for cooking.
* We could probably use it to make stuff slippery too, though.

<Search whetstone in main room, 1>
Santa: A whetstone? What're you planning to do with that?
Santa: Aw shit, don't tell me you're gonna try and smash open the card
reader...
Lotus: Are you an idiot?!
Lotus: If you do that, then we'll never get out of here!
Santa: Oh... Yeah, I guess that would be bad, huh...
Lotus: This whetstone's only gonna be useful if I need to sharpen something.
<Search whetstone in pantry, 1>
June: A whetstone! Where did you find that!?
June: Good job, Jumpy! I'm sure it'll be really useful!
Junpei: How is it going to be useful...?
June: You could use it to sharpen a knife or something!
Junpei: Sharpen a knife, huh?
<Search whetstone in either pantry or main room, 2+>
* A whetstone. I could probably use it to sharpen a knife...
<Search whetstone in freezer, 1>
Santa: Hey, what're you lookin' for, Junpei?
Junpei: Oh. Um, I was just wondering if I could sharpen this one something...
Santa: Why the hell are you doing that? We don't have time for this crap.
June: Let's try and find a way out of here first.
<Search whetstone in freezer, 2+>
* Well, this whetstone would be perfect if I needed to sharpen something, but I
don't, so...

<Search knife in freezer, 1>
Junpei: Hey, guys, take a look THIS!
Junpei: Tadaaa! THE  KNIFE!
Santa: ...
June: ...
Santa: Well, I guess the cold finally got to him.
Junpei: Eeeehehehehehehehe...
June: Jumpy, you're scaring me...
<Search knife in freezer, 2+>
* It's a knife. Haven't got any use for it right now. Might as well hang onto
it, though.
<Search knife in main room, 1>
Lotus: So, I guess you managed to sharpen the knife, Junpei?
Santa: Who're you gonna stab with that?
Junpei: No one!
Lotus: Hmmm. You could probably cut something soft with that...
<Search knife in pantry, 1>
June: Wow... It's so shiny.
June: Did you sharpen it, Jumpy?
Junpei: Yup.
June: Now we can use it to cut something soft...
<Search knife in pantry or main room, 2+>
* This knife is nice and sharp again. I could probably cut something soft with
it.

<Search chunk of pork in freezer, 1>
June: Jumpy, is there a slip of paper in that meat?
Junpei: I think there's something written on here, but I can't read it like
this...
Junpei: If we try and pull it out, it'll probably rip...
Santa: You need to defrost that.
Santa: Don't think we're gonna be doing that in this room.
<Search chunk of pork in main room, 1>
Lotus: That is a frozen piece of pork.
Lotus: Hey...what's that? It looks like there's a piece of paper inside it...
June: If you try to pull it out, it might tear.
June: Maybe you can melt it if you put it on something warm.
Lotus: Something warm? Something....warm...
Lotus: Oh yeah... Didn't someone burn themselves on something earlier?
<Search chunk of pork in pantry, 1>
June: Jumpy, is there a slip of paper in that meat?
Junpei: I think there's something written on here, but I can't read it like
this...
Junpei: If we try and pull it out, it'll probably rip...
June: Then we need to find a way to melt it.
<Search chunk of pork in any room, 2+>
* It's a chunk of pork with paper inside of it.
* We should be able to take it out once it's been defrosted.

<Search frozen chicken, 1>
June: It's really hard. It's frozen stiff.
Junpei: Hey, June, can you say that again?
June: ...Eh?
Junpei: Say it again.
June: It's...really hard.
Junpei: Again.
June: It's...really hard.
Junpei: Th... Thanks.
Santa: Somethin' wrong Junpei? Your face is bright red.
Junpei: N-Nothing. I'm fine.
June: If it's that hard, you can probably use it as a hammer.
Junpei: Yeah, good point. Maybe we can use it to break something.
<Search frozen chicken, 2>
June: Jumpy... It's...really hard. It's like a hammer.
* Maybe we can use this to crush something.
<Search frozen chicken, 3>
June: Jumpy, your chunk of meat... It's rock solid.
* Maybe we can use this to crush something.
<Search frozen chicken, 4>
June: Jumpy... It's...really hard. It's like a hammer.
June: Nom nom...
Junpei: Don't eat it!
* Maybe we can use this to crush something.
<Search frozen chicken, 5+>
* It's chicken. Might as well be a rock though, for how hard it's frozen.

<Search dry ice, 1>
June: Dry ice...?
Santa: Can't you make that stuff cause an explosion if you seal it in something
that's airtight?
Junpei: Explode...?
Santa: Yeah, didn't you do that in school? You should never underestimate the
power of expanding gas.
<Search dry ice, 2+>
* Dry ice.
* We might be able to cause an explosion if we put it in something airtight and
make it melt.

<Search dry ice (crumbled), 1>
June: Wow, you crushed it up really good. You should be able to get it into
anything you want now.
Santa: Can't you make that stuff cause an explosion if you seal it in something
that's airtight?
<Search dry ice (crumbled), 2+>
* The dry ice is all broken up into pieces.
* We might be able to cause an explosion if we put it in something airtight and
make it melt.

<Search water bottle, 1>
Santa: A water bottle...
June: Yes, it is...
<Search water bottle, 2+>
* It's an empty water bottle. The neck is pretty small. I don't think I could
fit anything very big in there.

<Search sturdy rope, 1>
June: It's...a rope.
Santa: Well, we could use it to attach something to something else, I suppose.
<Search sturdy rope, 2+>
* A sturdy rope. I could probably tie things together with this.

<Search water bottle with dry ice in it, 1>
June: So you put the dry ice in the water bottle, Jumpy?
June: If it explodes, it could probably blast away the ice on the door.
Santa: So...how are we gonna get it to stay against the doorknob?
<Search water bottle with dry ice in it, 2>
* A water bottle with dry ice in it.
* A little water in there will make it explode.
* If I can attach it to the doorknob, then it should blow the ice off the door.
<Search water bottle with dry ice in it, 3+>
* A water bottle with dry ice in it.
* I need to attach it to the doorknob somehow...

<Search water bottle bomb, 1>
Santa: Hey, why don't we use that rope to tie that bottle onto the doorknob.
Santa: We just have to put some water in it and then if we can give it a good
whack with something--
Santa: KABOOM!
Santa: It'll explode, and break the ice off the door.
June: Then what are we waiting for!?
June: I can't take this cold any longer!
<Search water bottle bomb, 2>
* A water bottle bomb.
* All I gotta do is put a little water in it, and give a good whack.
* The pressure of the gas inside should make it explode.
<Search water bottle bomb, 3+>
* A water bottle bomb. Time to set it...

<Search pork note in main room, 1>
Lotus: "C + 10 + F"... Do you think it's some kind of code?
Santa: Damnit! They're just screwing around!
Lotus: Junpei, do you know what C and F stands for?
Junpei: You think maybe it means "Corporate Finance"?
Lotus: ...
Junpei: I thought it was "Clever and Funny".
Lotus: ...
<Search pork note in pantry, 1>
June: "C + 10 + F"... Do you think it's some kind of code?
Junpei: Hmm...
<Search pork note in any room, 2+>
* It says "C + 10 + F" on the note.

<Search Saturn key card, 1>
Santa: This looks like a lower case "h", but the line next to it is throwing me
off.
June: This is the symbol for [Saturn].
June: Remember? There was an elevator next to the main staircase...
June: Wasn't there a mark like this on the card reader next to it?
Santa: Oh yeah. I remember that.
Santa: I guess that means that card ain't gonna help us get out of this room,
then.
June: I'm not sure...
June: Why don't we try it out?
<Search Saturn key card, 2>
* A Saturn key card.
* I saw the same symbol on a card reader next to the elevator by the main
staircase.
* This card might be useful here too, though.
* Can't hurt to give it a shot.
<Search Saturn key card, 3+>
* A Saturn key card. Let's try it on the card reader near the exit.

<Combine whetstone and rusty knife>
* Maybe I'll use the whetstone to sharpen the knife...
* The blade of the knife is getting sharper by the second.
* I should be able to cut something pretty good with this.

<Combine dry ice and frozen chicken>
* All right. The dry ice is all in pieces now.

<Combine water bottle and dry ice (crumbled)>
* I'm gonna put these pieces of dry ice into the water bottle...

<Combine water bottle with dry ice in it and sturdy rope>
* ...And let's just tie a rope on here...

<Upon leaving inventory after picking up dry ice>
(To "a12d.c", replacing quotations with braces {} )

==========================
{a12d.a} File #10
::Kitchen::
-In pantry, after examining rusty knife-

Junpei: A rusty knife...
Junpei: I don't think we'll be able to use it while it's like this...

The knife seemed important, Junpei thought, but it wasn't going to be much use
the way it was.

June: It's futile.
Junpei: Futile...?
June: You know... A waste, useless, pointless...
Junpei: Oh...
Junpei: Um... Any particular reason you wanted to bring that up?
June: Oh, no reason, really...
June: I was just thinking about Futility...

She wasn't making much sense...
Junpei tried rephrasing his question.

Junpei: Why were you thinking about Futility?

At last, she answered.

June: Well, it has something to do with the Titanic.
Junpei: The Titanic?
June: Yep.
June: Have you ever heard the story that the sinking of the Titanic was
predicted?

<Yes, I have.> - {a12d.a1a}
<No, I haven't.> - {a12d.a2a}

{a12d.a2a}
<No, I haven't.>

Junpei: No, I haven't... What is it?
June: In 1892, 14 years before the Titanic sank...
June: A novel was published.
June: It was called Futility.
June: It was written by an American novelist named Morgan Robertson.
June: The story was about a big cruise ship colliding with an iceberg and
sinking.
June: Of course, if that was the only similarity, there wouldn't be any reason
to mention it...
June: It wasn't though...
June: The name of the ship, its nationality, course, departure time...
June: ...Size, displacement, maximum speed, number of passengers and crew, the
number of lifeboats...
June: Even the location of the accident itself, and the cause, and the location
of the damage...
June: Everything matches the Titanic almost exactly.
June: It was almost as if he'd seen the whole thing happen.
June: ...But this book was written 14 years before the Titanic sank.
Junpei: ...
June: But that's not all.
June: It wasn't just "Futility" that predicted the sinking of the Titanic.

(To "a12d.a1z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a12d.a1a}
<Yes, I have.>

Junpei: Ooooooh yeah. I know what you're talking about.
Junpei: There was a novel that had a bunch of stuff in it that described the
sinking of the Titanic before it actually sank.
June: Yeah, that's the one.
June: The title of the novel is Futility.
June: It was written 14 years before the Titanic sank.
June: But--
Junpei: I know, I know.
Junpei: I mean, I didn't know the name of the book, but...
Junpei: The story was the same, right? It was just like what happened on the
Titanic?
June: Yeah...
Junpei: Well...I heard it was all a hoax.
June: ...A hoax?
Junpei: I heard that the stuff that matched up to the Titanic so well was
actually added after it sank.
Junpei: Apparently, the only thing that was the same originally was that a boat
ran into an iceberg and sank.
June: But...the novel was published in 1898, 14 years before the accident...
Junpei: Like I said, that was the first print of the book.
Junpei: 14 years later, the author heard about what happened to the Titanic.
Junpei: He figured that was his chance, you know?
Junpei: He just went back and changed some stuff in his novel...
Junpei: ...So that it matched the Titanic exactly.

Surprised by Junpei's response, June seemed rather taken aback.

June: R-Really?
Junpei: Really...
Junpei: There's no such thing as premonitions or any of that stuff.

For a moment, June looked very unhappy, more so than Junpei thought was normal
for such a discussion.
...But it lasted only a moment.
With no apparent reason, she suddenly looked up at him, alarmed.

June: But! But, but!
June: That wasn't the only book that predicted the Titanic sinking!
Junpei: ...It wasn't?
June: Yep!

(To "a12d.a1z", continued below )

{a12d.a1z}

June: There were 2 other, similar stories written by a man named William Thomas
Stead.
June: Both of them before the accident...
June: One in 1886, and one in 1892.
June: Stead wrote 2 stories that had striking similarities to the Titanic
disaster.
June: In one, 2 ships collided, and many of the passengers died because there
weren't enough lifeboats. In the other, a ship collided with an iceberg, and
sank.
Junpei: Hmm... I dunno. I mean, I'll give you that it seems a little weird,
but...
Junpei: I'm pretty sure it wasn't too uncommon for ships to hit icebergs back
in the day, or even other ships.
June: Right. I knew you'd say that.
Junpei: ?
June: But...what if Stead had some sort of special powers...?
June: To be more specific, what if he had the ability to do automatic
writing...?
Junpei: What? Automatic writing? Wait, are you...
Junpei: Are you talking about that thing where someone says they're possessed
by a spirit...
Junpei: And then they write a bunch of stuff without knowing what they're
writing?
June: Yes.
Junpei: What do you mean "yes"... That stuff's a load of bull!

(If you said "I believe in curses" in 2nd class cabin, To "a12d.a1z1" )
(If did not say "I believe in curses" in 2nd class cabin, To "a12d.a1z2" )

{a12d.a1z1}

June: But Jumpy, you said you believe in curses...
Junpei: C'mon, that's totally different...

(Continue below at "a12d.a1z2" )

{a12d.a1z2}

Junpei: Okay, so let's say--hypothetically--that automatic writing isn't a
total load.
Junpei: These guys still couldn't have predicted the sinking of the Titanic.
Junpei: When this Stead dude wrote his thing...
Junpei: Nobody had died on the Titanic yet.
Junpei: So if automatic writing is about being possessed by spirits of dead
people...
Junpei: Who the hell possessed him so he could write that stuff?
June: That's not it.
Junpei: What's not it?
June: Stead wasn't possessed by a spirit.
June: He was doing the possessing.
Junpei: ...
Junpei: ...
Junpei: What are you smoking?!
June: William Thomas Stead was a passenger on the Titanic.
June: He just wrote down what he saw with his own eyes.
June: ...20 years before it happened...

...
...
He decided it was probably best to say nothing.
What June was saying was insane and utterly absurd. If he tried to take what
she was saying seriously, he'd go mad.
Junpei smiled uncomfortably.

Junpei: Well...uh... Why don't we talk about this some other time...okay?
June: Huh...? But...

Her voice trailed off, and she glanced at the floor, troubled.
*Tap* *Tap*
Junpei tapped June gently on the shoulder and awkwardly reached around her to
pick up the knife from the box.

(Return to investigation)

==========================
{a12d.b} File #10
::Kitchen::
-In pantry, freezer room upon entry-

As Junpei walked into the room, a blast of cold air washed over him.
Almost instinctively, he folded his arms tight across his chest, doing what he
could to conserve body heat.

Junpei: Brr... It's cold in here!
Junpei: What is this place...
Santa: Are you blind?
Santa: It's a freezer.

Santa's teeth had already begun to chatter.
Hardly surprising...
The freezer was far too cold for someone dressed as he was.
Lotus, however, was in an even worse situation.

Lotus: Oh, no way! That's way too cold for me.
Lotus: I'll freeze solid in seconds.
Lotus: Sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass on this one. I'm going to leave
the rest to you.

And with that, she ran out of the room.
As Lotus left, June came in.

June: Whoa... It's really cold in here...

White puffs of steam hovered in front of their faces as they talked.
June had already started to shiver.

Junpei: Hey, you don't need to be in here.
Junpei: You had a fever just a little bit ago. You should stay outside. We got
this.
June: No, I'm fine.
June: My fever's gone now.
Junpei: But--

Junpei had scarcely opened his mouth...
...When the thunderous sound of metal upon metal rang out from behind them.
In unison, they spun around, to find that the door they had only recently come
through...
...Was closed.

Junpei: !
June: !
Santa: !

Junpei rushed to the door.
Desperately, he grabbed hold of the doorknob--

Junpei: Ow!

It was cold--beyond cold. Merely touching it was painful.
The doorknob had been frozen solid.
They quickly deduced that the pipe next to the door had ruptured.
Water released by the rupture had hit the door and frozen instantly.
Santa shoved Junpei aside and pounded against the door.

Santa: Hey! Lotus! You're out there, right? Open the door!

She wasted no time in responding.

Lotus: What do you want?  What's going on?
Santa: The door won't open!
Santa: Try opening it from that side. Please!
Lotus: Ugh, fine.
Lotus: If you say so. Hold on...

Soon, they could hear Lotus on the other side of the door...

Lotus: Nggrrr... Arrrrrgh! NNNNNNNNNNNNRRGH!

Then the grunting ceased, and they could hear light panting, as if from
exertion.

Lotus: It's no use. It won't budge.
Lotus: You've got more people in there. You figure it out.
Santa: ...
June: ...
Junpei: ...
Santa: ...Goddamnit.

Santa was shaking like a newborn deer.
June was hugging herself and was shivering violently.
Even Junpei, with the heaviest clothes of any of them, was clearly feeling the
cold.
With every breath they took, they could feel the cold working its way deeper
and deeper into their bodies.

Junpei: A-A-Anyway... L-Let's f-find a way out...
Junpei: If we don't get moving, w-we're gonna be permanent residents!
June: T-T-Two heads a-a-are better than n-none.
June: I-I'm sure we'll figure something out...
Santa: Y-Y-Y-Yeah. Y-You're right.
Santa: L-Let's just take a good l-look around this room, okay?
Junpei: R-Right!

They pushed in close to one another, and began to search.

(Back to investigation)

==========================
{a12d.c} File #10
::Kitchen::
-In freezer, after picking up dry ice-

Junpei picked up the dry ice with his sleeves so as to avoid burning himself.

Santa: Dry ice is just frozen carbon dioxide, right?
Junpei: Yeah, it is.
Santa: I wonder how warm it has to get for it to turn back into gas again...
Junpei: Hell if I know. How's that gonna help us, anyway?
Santa: Oh, well, I figured we might be able to use it to get out of here.

They were about to move on when June spoke up.

June: Carbon dioxide's sublimation point is -109 degrees.
June: Any warmer than that, and it'll turn into gas. Any lower, and it becomes
a solid.

Junpei looked at her, dumbfounded.

Junpei: How do you know that?
June: Tee-hee. Despite my looks, I'm the Qleen...bleh. Ahem...the Queen of
random knowledge.
Junpei: Looks bad to mess up when you're showing off.
June: Argle mouf *Mumble* *Mumble*
Junpei: Oh, you're so cold your mouth's going numb?
June: Yef. Wats wite.
Junpei: ...You're just doing that on purpose, aren't you?

June giggled, and did her best to hide her guilt. At least she was still
feeling good enough to joke around, Junpei told himself.

Santa: C'mon guys... Don't you think that's kinda weird?
Santa: I wonder why it doesn't turn into a liquid first...

Santa was now shivering at an astounding rate, but his curiosity seemed
unaffected.
Junpei, however, was not in a mood to discuss science.

<He wanted out of the freezer, now.> - {a12d.c1a}
<It did strike Junpei as rather odd.> - {a12d.c1b}

{a12d.c1a}
<He wanted out of the freezer, now.>

His patience was wearing thin.

Junpei: How the hell would I know!? And how the hell is that gonna help us get
out of here?!
Junpei: We don't have time for this crap--
June: Actually...

Junpei stopped mid-sentence, surprised by June's interjection.

June: Under enough pressure, carbon dioxide will turn into a liquid.
Junpei: This isn't really a good time for a chat about science!
June: But...I was wondering the same thing...
Junpei: Wondering what!?
June: Wondering why carbon dioxide doesn't turn into a liquid unless it's under
pressure.
Santa: Right? It just seems weird...
Santa: Water's a liquid between 32 degrees and 212 degrees...
Santa: So why isn't that the case for carbon dioxide?
Santa: H20 and C02 are pretty similar.
Junpei: No, they're not! They're totally different substances!
Junpei: Look, guys, if we keep this up we're just gonna freeze to death!
Junpei: You good with that? You wanna die talking about sublimation and gases?!
'Cause I sure as hell don't!

He fixed both of them with a glare.

Junpei: Now let's get back to work.
Junpei: Assuming you don't want to end up like a pair of ice sculptures.

Junpei turned around, the problem dealt with.
...Or so he thought.

June: There's a kind of ice that doesn't turn into liquid when it goes above 32
degrees.

?

June: I...heard about it...
June: Its melting point is 96 degrees.
Santa: Its melting point is 96 degrees?
Santa: You mean there's water that freezes at 96 degrees?
June: Yeah. Well, you could also look at it as ice that won't melt until it's
96 degrees...
* "Water that freezes at 96 degrees?"
* "Ice that won't melt until it's 96 degrees?"

<That's interesting.> - {a12d.c2a}
<It doesn't matter.> - {a12d.c2b}

{a12d.c1b}
<It did strike Junpei as rather odd.>

It did seem rather odd to Junpei, and he couldn't help but think about it.
June answered.

June: But it can turn into a liquid.
June: Carbon dioxide turns to liquid if you put it under high enough pressure.
June: But at 1 atmosphere, normal air pressure...
Santa: It won't turn into a liquid, right?
June: That's right. Instead of melting, it'll do what's called "sublimating",
and change immediately from a solid state to a gaseous one.
Santa: See, that is weird.
Santa: Water's a liquid between 32 degrees and 212 degrees...
Santa: So why isn't that the case for carbon dioxide?

June replied, with an answer that stunned both of them.

June: There's a kind of ice that doesn't turn into liquid when it goes above 32
degrees.
Junpei: ?
Santa: ?

June: I...heard about it...
June: Its melting point is 96 degrees.
Junpei: Ice with a melting point of 96 degrees?
Santa: You mean there's water that freezes at 96 degrees?
June: Yeah. Well, you could also look at it as ice that won't melt until it's
96 degrees...

Water that freezes at 96 degrees?
Ice that won't melt until it's 96 degrees?
Junpei was cold as hell, but this was too interesting to ignore.
He did his best to warm up by rubbing his arms and stamping his feet, then put
the question to June.

(To "a12d.c1c", continued below )

{a12d.c1c}

Junpei: So what's this ice with a melting point of 96 degrees called?
June: I heard it's called [ice-9].
Santa: [Ice-9]...?
June: Originally, [ice-9] was a made-up substance invented by a science-fiction
author.
June: ...But recently, scientists have discovered that such a substance
actually exists.
Junpei: Wait. Hold up.
Junpei: So is this thing called [ice-9]? Or is it water?
June: Like I said, if the ice is over 96 degrees it'll be liquid, if it's under
that, it'll solidify.
June: So you could think of it as a polymorph of H2O.
June: Here, think of it like diamonds and graphite...
June: They're both made of carbon, right?
June: But depending on the structure of the crystallization, the hardness and
structure are completely different.
Junpei: So you're saying normal water and this ice-9 are like that...
June: Yep.

She wasn't finished.

June: Have you heard the story about the crystallization of glycerin?
June: For 150 years after the discovery of glycerin, people cooled it, warmed
it, and did all sorts of things to it...
June: But whatever they did, it never crystallized.
June: However, one day in 1920...

Some glycerin that was en route to England by ship was discovered to have
crystallized during the trip.
Naturally, scientists worldwide wanted to research this new, crystallized form
of glycerin, and began asking for samples of the seed.
A seed is, of course, a sample of the original crystallized substance.
With a seed crystal, further crystallization of glycerin would be a simple
matter.
However... Something very strange happened.
Not only did the glycerin encouraged by seed crystals begin to crystallize,
nearby samples did as well.
It didn't end there.
After that day, all glycerin in the world began to crystallize naturally when
cooled to less than 64 degrees.
Before that day, no matter how glycerin was cooled, it refused to crystallize.
But once the crystallization had begun...

June: It was almost like... How do I put it...
June: It was almost like all the glycerin in the world was communicating.
June: Communicating in some way that we can't sense...

Junpei...

<...Was honestly impressed.> - {a12d.c3a}
<...Was kind of annoyed.> - {a12d.c3b}


{a12d.c2a}
<That's interesting.>

Now that...that was difficult to ignore.
Junpei had to ask.

(To "a12d.c1c", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a12d.c3b}
<...Was kind of annoyed.>

...Was kind of annoyed.
June was nice, but he'd had enough of her ridiculous stories.
So all of a sudden a substance began to crystallize without a seed crystal?
That seemed unlikely... No, impossible.
In fact, it was utterly ridiculous.
Even so, Junpei couldn't help but ask...

(To "a12d.c3c", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a12d.c3a}
<...Was honestly impressed.>

...Was honestly impressed.
It was, in fact, a pretty interesting story.

Junpei: Wow... That's pretty interesting. But...uh...

(To "a12d.c3c", continued below )

{a12d.c3c}

Junpei: What does that have to do with ice-9?

To his surprise, it was Santa, and not June, who answered.

Santa: What she's saying is that it's a lot like ice-9. What happened, I mean.
Junpei: A lot like...? That would be bad.
Junpei: If water everywhere started freezing at 96 degrees...
Junpei: ...Man...
Santa: It'd be the end of the world.

Junpei felt that Santa might not be treating the idea of the end of the world
with the proper concern.

Santa: At any rate, we're not gonna have to worry about the end of the world
unless we can get out of here pretty damn quick.

He was right.
Junpei shivered.

Santa: All right guys, I think that's enough of that. I didn't think we'd get
quite this far off-topic...
Santa: I mean, I know I'm kinda at fault here, but we can't be screwing around
any more.
Santa: Seriously...
Santa: I might go by the name Santa right now, but I didn't grow up in Iceland.
Santa: I freakin' hate the cold.
Santa: So, let's get crackin' all right? We gotta find a way out of here.

Santa stomped off, clearly doing his best to pretend the cold wasn't affecting
him.
Selfish, isn't he, thought Junpei to himself.
Still, Santa was right, and it was high time they got back to their search.
The story of [ice-9] had him interested, but there'd be time to think about
that once they'd gotten out of the freezer.
Junpei looked at June, nodded, and resumed his search of the room.

(Return to investigation)

{a12d.c2b}
<It doesn't matter.>

It was strange, but... No, Junpei told himself, it didn't matter.
Their first concern needed to be leaving the freezer, or none of them would be
around to ponder scientific quandaries for very long.
He did his best to pretend he'd heard nothing, and resumed his investigation of
the room.

(Return to investigation)

==========================
{a12d.d} File #10
::Kitchen::
-In freezer, after preparing the water bottle bomb and inspecting the door-

Warm water dripped from the ruptured pipe near the door.
Junpei pulled out the water bottle filled with dry ice, let a good amount of
water fall in, and then quickly sealed it up tight.
The [make-shift bomb] complete, he tied it to the doorknob as quickly as he
could manage in the cold.

Junpei: All right, that's set.
Junpei: So...uh...what do we do now?
Santa: We just need to give it a little, uh, tap.
Santa: The bottle's already about to pop.
Santa: If we just throw a rock or something at it, it'll go off all on its own.
Junpei: A small rock? A small rock...

Junpei looked down at the floor...
Scattered across it were pieces of dry ice left over from the larger chunk he'd
crushed earlier.

Junpei: All right, this oughta do the trick.

He pulled his sleeve down over his hand to keep from getting burned, and
grabbed the chunk of dry ice.
It was a pretty good size... About as big as a pool ball.
He figured it would be just about the right size.

Junpei: All right guys, stand back. Actually, we should probably hide
somewhere.

Both Santa and June looked at him with new concern.

Santa: Where, exactly, do you expect us to hide, genius?
June: There isn't really anywhere big enough...

...
...

Junpei: Yeah, there is!
Junpei: Look! Right here! We can hide in there!

Junpei pulled open the door to the small cellar.

Junpei: Come on! Get inside, quick!

Santa and June nodded and jumped down, into the hole.
Junpei quickly followed.
In his hand, he could feel the chill of the frozen carbon dioxide, even through
his sleeve.
He tightened his grip, took aim, and prepared to throw.

Junpei: All right, here it goes!
Junpei: 3!
Junpei: 4!
Junpei: 5!
June: You're counting the wrong way!
Junpei: Oops!
Santa: That is a really sad excuse for a joke, man...
Junpei: Sorry, dude.
Junpei: All right, for real this time. You guys ready?
June: Yes! Whenever you're ready!
Santa: Just throw the damn thing...
Junpei: All right, here I go!
Junpei: 3!
Junpei: 2!
Junpei: 1!

Junpei threw the chunk of dry ice as hard as he could.
With the same motion, he ducked down into the cellar with Santa and June, just
as--
...
...
Junpei leapt up out of the cellar and ran to the door.

June: Jumpy! The ice on the door! Is it gone?!
Junpei: Yeah! It's gone!
Santa: The blast must've shattered it!
Junpei: Yes! All right, let's see if it opens!

Junpei grabbed the knob and pushed, with all his might.
The door gave way easily, and all 3 of them tumbled out of the freezer at once.

June: Hooray! We're out!

June, relieved, collapsed onto the floor.

Santa: Move!

Santa shoved past Junpei and ran straight to the grill, which he immediately
grabbed.

Santa: Ow! Goddamnit! Hot hot hot hot hot! Fuck!

He proceeded to kick the grill in a futile but amusing fit of rage.
But...where was Lotus?
It took Junpei only a moment to find her... She was sitting on the counter,
idly scratching her chest.

Lotus: *Yawn* Welcome back. I was starting to get tired of waiting for you
guys.

With a great yawn, Lotus lowered herself off of the counter.
Junpei clenched his teeth and walked toward her.

Junpei: What...were you doing...?
Lotus: What do you mean, what was I doing? I was waiting.
Junpei: We were gonna die!
Lotus: Oh yeah?
Lotus: But you didn't, so everything worked out all right, didn't it?
Junpei: What the hell...
Lotus: Just kidding! It might not look like it, but I was really worried.
Junpei: Don't gimme that crap!
Lotus: I'm telling the truth! I mean, if you died, then I'd be in trouble too.
Lotus: If you died, then I'd be stuck here, and I'd die too. See?
Junpei: ...
Lotus: I did all I could.
Lotus: I even looked around to see if there was anything I could use to pry
open the door.
Lotus: But I couldn't find anything.
Lotus: ...So all I could do was wait.
Lotus: I mean...what else did you want me to do? Call the cops?

It was true that there wasn't much she could have done, but something about her
tone...
Junpei gritted his teeth.

Junpei: Fine.
Junpei: But there's one thing I have to ask you.
Lotus: What's that?
Junpei: You didn't close the door...did you?
Lotus: Wh-What?! You think I closed the door on you?
Lotus: Why would I do something like that?! It closed on its own!
Lotus: I told you before, if you die, then I die too!

She was right, and Junpei knew it. Without them, she'd be in very serious
trouble.
It seemed that an accident was the only explanation for the door's closure.
If Lotus had really wanted to kill them, all she would have had to do was bar
the door from the outside...
And she hadn't. Well, she hadn't done anything.
The most she was guilty of was laziness, or negligence, not attempted murder.
Junpei swallowed his anger, and did his best to apologize.

Junpei: Well. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I doubted you.
Lotus: Hmm? Oh. Yes, well, that's all right. As long as you understand.

Lotus looked away and twirled her hair between her fingertips.
His vengeance against the grill complete, Santa swaggered back toward Junpei
and Lotus.

Santa: Hey! No more screwin' around you 2!
Santa: Break time's over.
Santa: Especially for you, lady. You've just been sitting on that fat ass of
yours while we were freezing to death.
Lotus: How rude! I was plenty busy!
Santa: Yeah, yeah, how about you put all that energy into something besides
bitching. Let's go!

(If forgot to pick up frozen pork, continue below; else Return to
investigation)

Santa: Oh, yeah...
Santa: Hey Junpei, you forgot something.

With that, Santa tossed something about the size of a football in Junpei's
direction.
He caught it in mid-air.

Junpei: What's this...
Santa: It's the [frozen pork]. I took it out of the freezer.
Santa: It...looked kinda suspicious.

(Return to investigation)

===========================================
===========================================
{a12e} File #11
:In a hallway:
-After completing escape from Kitchen-
===========================================

They stepped out of the kitchen and into a hallway that looked rather familiar.
A metal grate stretched from wall to wall.
Beyond it were 2 elevators and the entrance to the kitchen.
They had entered the kitchen from one door and come out the other.
That meant their map of the ship's interior was accurate.
They laid the map out in front of them, and began to discuss their next step.
There were 4 possible routes.
A, B, C and D...
First, A and B...
A and B both seemed to connect to an L-shaped room.
However, the 2 doors that lead to the room...
...Were both locked, and could not be opened.
Next was route C...

Junpei: This goes all the way to the main staircase.
Santa: That means it's door [5]. One of the numbered doors...
June: Then do you think we would meet up with the other 4 after this
hallway...?
Lotus: No, I don't think we will.
June: Why not?
Lotus: Look. There, by the stairs. See how the gate is opened?
Lotus: When we went into the kitchen, it was closed...
Lotus: But it's open now... What do you think that means?
Junpei: They opened it...
Lotus: Most likely.
Santa: Then if we take route C, we're going backwards.
June: That would be pointless.
Junpei: Then that means...

All 4 looked at the map.
They all looked at the staircase, its lazy curve leading down, deeper into the
ship.

Lotus: Route D, then.
Santa: D it is.
June: Yep, route D.
Junpei: Then we're set.

They jogged down the stairs, until they reached the [C Deck].
Just to be sure, they kept going, to check the deck beneath...

Junpei: Yeah, just like I thought. Deck D is totally underwater.
June: Just like the bottom of the central staircase...

The water gazed back at them, its smooth surface like a great mirror.
As ominous as it was, Junpei took at least some comfort from the fact that the
level hadn't gone up much since the last time he'd seen it.
They turned back to C Deck.
It didn't take them long to find the 2 elevators in front of the stairs.
They looked identical to the elevators on the top floor, with one exception...
These elevators had a card reader on the wall between them.
On the card reader was a strange mark...

Junpei: Hey, look, it's Lotus's symbol.
Lotus: Huh?
Junpei: See, it's the woman symbol with a thorn on it. That seems like--
Junpei: Ouch! Ouch ouch ouch ouch!

Lotus had taken hold of Junpei's hair.
She began to shake him violently, and he thought he heard a low growl coming
from her throat.
Such violence... Junpei began to wonder if she was not the Devil itself...
With an uncomfortable smile, June spoke up.

June: This is a [Mercury symbol].
June: The thorn symbolizes the wings on Hermes's staff.
Santa: Hermes, herpes, whatever.
Santa: If we can't get this thing to work, these elevators aren't going
anywhere.
Lotus: In other words, we need a [key card] with the [Mercury symbol] on it.
Santa: Probably.

They gave up on the elevator and returned to the stairs.
A hallway stretched out to the left.
A great many doors lined both sides of the hallway.
They weren't sure how many, but certainly enough to be discouraging.

Santa: Damnit. If we try and search all these, the sun's gonna go down before
we've done half of 'em.
June: I think the sun already set...
Junpei: I have a feeling this ship is the only thing that's going to be going
down any time soon.
Santa: That's even worse!
Lotus: Well, we can come back to this hallway later.
Lotus: Let's check the hallway on the other side, shall we?

Frustration and fear building, they walked back to the stairs.
To their right was a small hallway.
Quickly, they headed into it...
It was approximately the same size as the alcove in front of the stairs.
The hallway led toward the stern, and at its end was a set of double doors.

Lotus: Let's open it.

Junpei nodded, and grabbed the one closest to him.
He gave it a small tug and felt it move.
It was unlocked.
Thrilled to have found an unlocked door, he threw it open.
Junpei didn't know what to make of what he saw.
He simply stood, unable to speak.
The others simply stared, open-mouthed.
After a few long moments, Santa managed to speak.

Santa: Wha...what the hell is this...

A massive room stretched out in front of them--more a cavern than a room.
Its vastness was oppressive, and it bore down on the 4 companions.
It was not empty, however. The entire room was filled with lines upon lines of
beds.
They were simple things, little more than pipe and thin mattresses.

June: Is...is this a hospital?

He had at last been able to put a name to the harsh scent that pervaded the
room...
The room swam with the harsh, biting smell of antiseptic.
In the center of the room were shelves stacked with medicine, and a number of
medical devices the function of which Junpei did not know.
More importantly, however, on the back wall of the room were 4 doors.
3 of them were emblazoned with large single-digit numbers made with thick, red
paint.
The door on the left was labeled [3].
The second door from the left had no number, but the third had been given a
[7].
...And the right-most door had an [8].
There could be no doubt--they were [numbered doors].
It did strike Junpei as strange, however, that the door between [3] and [7]
should be blank.
What, he wondered, could it mean...

Junpei: Let's take a look at the doors.
Lotus: Yes, that sounds like a good plan.

Junpei headed toward the doors, weaving his way between the beds.
He started with door [3], on the left, and moved to the right until he reached
door [8].

June: It's no use...
Lotus: Well, of course.
Lotus: If it was that easy to open these doors, what would be the point of the
Nonary Game?
Lotus: We have to activate the RED, or the numbered doors won't...
Lotus: ...Wait a minute...
Junpei: What's wrong?  &&& CHECK SPEAKER
Lotus: Look. The display on the RED... There's nothing on it...
Santa: Huh?
Lotus: Don't you remember? The RED at the central staircase?
Lotus: If no one was inside, it said [VACANT]...
Junpei: Oh yeah... You're right...
Lotus: But this one...
June: There's nothing on it.
Lotus: Right?
Santa: I wonder if it's broken?
Junpei: Only one way to find out.

...
...
...
...
It didn't respond.
All 4 took turns placing their hands over the RED, but it refused to respond.
They pulled at the lever, and still it did nothing.
As they soon discovered, it wasn't only the RED for door [8] that was behaving
strangely...
The RED on door [7] also refused to respond...And door [3] was similarly
silent... None of them would respond.
What did it mean?

Santa: Haha. I knew it. They're broken.
Santa: Zero sure sucks at maintenance.
Lotus: No... That's impossible.
Lotus: You really think Zero, who prepared all of this...
Lotus: ...Would make such a stupid, simple mistake?
Santa: Maybe, but that doesn't explain why this thing ain't workin'.

It was at that moment that they heard a voice from behind them.

Snake: I believe the bottom of the device has been removed.

They spun around to see--

Junpei: Snake!

...But it was more than just Snake.
Ace, Clover, and Seven quickly filed into the room as well.
Although they were glad to see one another, it wasn't terribly surprising that
they had.
If it had been the other party who'd opened the gate in front of the kitchen,
it wasn't unreasonable that they'd bump into one another eventually.
The rest of Snake's team, however, did look rather surprised.

Clover: How...?
Seven: How did you guys...
Ace: How did you end up here?

...
...
After a moment of silence and surprise, everyone suddenly began to talk,
desperate to exchange information.
They talked about the rooms they'd been through, and how they'd ended up in the
same place.
Of course, none of it was very useful information, but that hardly mattered.
They were happy to simply see one another again.
Although the level of cheer varied greatly from person to person, each one of
them was wearing some manner of smile.
Almost as though they had already forgotten about the death of the 9th Man...
No, thought Junpei, perhaps that wasn't it.
Perhaps thoughts of his death were what drove them to smile at one another.
Not in a morbid or hateful way, no. The 9th Man had died... But they were still
alive, and that was something to be happy about.
A sort of simple, uncomplicated joy, Junpei thought, the joy of being alive.
Still alive...
He felt sorry for the 9th Man, but more than anything Junpei was just happy to
be alive.

Ace: ...There you have it. Our half of the story.

His part finished, Ace fell silent.
For a moment, Junpei was silent, in thought. Then he spoke.

Junpei: Okay, lemme see if I've got all this straight...
Junpei: When you guys got here, the bases for the REDs were already gone.
June: And you looked all over this room, but you couldn't find anything.
Santa: So you figured...
Santa: ...That there might be something in the hallway with all the doors.
Lotus: So you went and had a look?
Seven: Yeah.
Junpei: And while you were looking around, you heard voices?
Clover: Uh-huh.
June: So you followed the voices and came back here.
Snake: Indeed. And that was how we found you.

Junpei examined the 3 REDs again, just in case.
On the bottom of each was a long, thin gap.
It looked like a slot for...something. Probably something electronic.

June: Well...this isn't good...
June: If the RED is inactive... We can't keep going...
Junpei: Well, what about that hallway over there?
Junpei: Isn't there anywhere else we can go?
Ace: No, there isn't.
Ace: There are plenty more hospital rooms, but nothing else.
Lotus: Hospital rooms? That's what's behind all those doors?
Ace: Yes. There are a number of individual rooms, in addition to this large
one.
Clover: There was a door at the end of the hallway, but it was locked.
Snake: There was an astrological symbol engraved near the keyhole, however.
Snake: I was able to get a good, ah, feel of it. I believe it was the [symbol
of Jupiter].
Santa: Not again... Those goddamn things are everywhere...
June: I wonder what they all mean?

For a moment, everyone was silent, deep in thought.

Junpei: While we're asking what things mean... What's the deal with this room?
Junpei: I mean... I thought this was a cruise ship, but I can't imagine a
cruise ship would have a hospital like this...

Of all people it was Seven who answered, and with calm confidence.

Seven: Well, I figure it's probably a hospital ship.
Seven: Chances are, it's the [Gigantic].
Junpei: The Gigantic...?

Junpei looked confused.
So did everyone else.

Lotus: What is this "Gigantic"...?

Seven knit his brows for a moment, then began to explain.

Seven: The Gigantic...

He explained that she had been a sister ship to the Titanic, built in the early
20th century.
The Titanic had 2 sister ships, who were identical to one another in nearly
every aspect. The Gigantic was said to be 1 of them.
She was initially intended to be a passenger liner, like the Titanic, but soon
after the ship was launched the First World War began, and she was pressed into
duty by the British navy as a hospital ship.
Some time later, the Gigantic was damaged by a German mine in the Aegean Sea.
She managed to run aground after the incident, and consequently was not sunk.
What, then, happened to the Gigantic after her fateful encounter in the Aegean
Sea?
One theory ran that a man named [Lord Gordain] purchased her.
Lord Gordain, it seemed, had been one of the few survivors of the Titanic
tragedy, and that trauma had turned him into an obsessive collector of all
things related to the Titanic.
As his obsession deepened, he began to desire the Titanic itself.
That, of course, was impossible--the Titanic lay at the bottom of the Atlantic
Ocean.
The Gigantic, however, had not suffered such a dire fate, and as she was
identical to her sister ship, she caught Lord Gordain's eye.

Junpei: So, you're saying this [Lord Gordain] bought this ship...?
Seven: Yeah. At least I think I am.
Santa: That's impossible! No way we're in some boat that's almost 100 years
old!
Lotus: Pipe down. Just pay attention.
Lotus: ...What, that's it? Well, have you got any proof?
Seven: Proof?
Lotus: Proof that this ship is really the Gigantic.
Seven: Well, uh...
Seven: This ship's got stuff that's like the Titanic and a hospital ship. So I
just figured--
Lotus: Oh for goodness... Don't tell me that's your only reason?
Seven: N-No, I've got more...
Lotus: Like...?
Seven: Well, uh, I mean...

Seven looked around desperately, doing anything to avoid meeting Lotus's
piercing stare.
He scratched his head for a moment, then gave up.
Finally, he opened his mouth.

Seven: I dunno...

Lotus sighed and shook her head...

Lotus: I guess your memory isn't back yet, is it?
Seven: Yeah... Sorry about that...
Junpei: Hey hey hey hey! Wait a minute! "Memory isn't back"!?

Junpei was, he felt, legitimately shocked by what seemed to be new, and very
important, information.
Everyone else, however, seemed unimpressed.
In fact, they all looked at Junpei as though he had said something very
strange.
He decided to revise his attitude for the next question.

Junpei: Wait... Was I the only one...that didn't know?

Everyone nodded.

Junpei: Why!?
Seven: Oh...yeah, I guess I didn't tell you, huh...
Seven: I told the rest of 'em before we ran into you on the stairs.
Seven: I told 'em I couldn't remember a damn thing from before I woke up.
Junpei: ...What?

Then, almost as if to save Junpei from further embarrassment...
...A bell began to ring from far away.
It sounded as though it was the clock at the main stairway.
Junpei counted each chime, carefully.
10... 11... 12.

June: It's midnight...
Clover: Then we've still got 6 hours left, right?
Seven: We don't have any time to screw around.
Seven: Let's get going. We gotta find the missing parts for the REDs.
Lotus: What do you mean "find"? How on Earth do you propose we do that?
Seven: We've looked everywhere in this room.
Seven: That only leaves one place to look.
Lotus: One...?
Seven: Well, I guess that's not really right...
Junpei: ?
Lotus: W-Wait!
Lotus: Don't tell me you mean we need to search all of the other rooms?!
Seven: Don't freak out. We already searched 4 of them.
Lotus: 4 rooms...
Seven: We just have to split up the rest between the 8 of us.
Seven: If each person does 6 rooms, that'll be 48 rooms, right?
Lotus: So there are 48 rooms left?

Her earlier experiences had apparently not encouraged Lotus to trust Seven.
Seven scratched his head awkwardly.

Seven: I dunno.
Lotus: ...

After a little more discussion, they split up, and headed toward the rooms to
begin searching them.
Junpei was chosen to search the rooms on the starboard side, moving from fore
to aft...
They also determined when they would return to report their findings: The next
time the clock sounded the time. When it did, they would meet back in the large
central room full of beds.
If, during their search, any one of them were to locate the missing components,
they were to yell for the others.
If this strategy failed, they'd return to discuss their options later.
The details decided, they left to begin searching.
Out into the hallway they went, each to the rooms they'd been assigned.
However...
...
...

(To "m20a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

==========================================
==========================================
DOOR 5
{b11b} File #31
-Entering Door 5-
==========================================

Junpei: Hey, wait!

Junpei's cry echoed across the room.
The 4 people walking toward the door stopped... And turned back toward him.

Junpei: I want to go through door [5] too.

The words were scarcely out of his mouth when June spoke up.

June: What!? What are you saying, Jumpy?!
June: If you're going through that door, then I'm going with you!

He turned around to look at her.

Junpei: No, you can't. I can't take you with me.
June: Wh-Why...?
Junpei: We're...well, you know what's in there, don't you? Are you sure you
want to see that?
June: ...

June opened her mouth, as if to say something...
...But instead closed it again, and looked at the floor.
Junpei felt an ache in his chest at her clear distress, but...
The choice was not his to make. There was nothing else he could do.
Junpei turned away from June, doing his best to silence his turbulent emotions.

Junpei: Please. Let me go into door [5]. 

Seven scratched his head and looked at the young man.

Seven: Man... Now we're right back where we started, you know that?
Snake: Junpei's bracelet number is (5), right?
Snake: If we are going to add Junpei, then...
Snake: We must subtract (5) from the rest of us.

Snake turned to Ace...

Snake: Ace... Please, take good care of Clover.
Ace: Oh...all right. That's...that's fine.

1 + 4 = 5

Clover: Don't go away!
Snake: You need to listen to me, Clover.
Snake: Go to door [4] with the others.
Clover: No!
Snake: Don't be so selfish!

Snake's tone was harsh.
Tears welled up in Clover's eyes. She bit her lip, and did her best to fight
them off.
Snake's expression softened, and he put his arms around Clover.
He held her close, and whispered into her ear.

Snake: You'll be fine... Just relax...

It looked as though he whispered 2 or 3 more words, but whatever they were,
Junpei didn't hear them.
He couldn't help but wonder what the other man had said.
Snake pulled back from his sister, his eyes kind and inquiring.

Clover: Okay... I understand...

Her voice was barely audible from where Junpei stood.
...
Before long, new teams were assembled.
Those going to door [5]:
Seven, Snake, and Junpei.
7 + 2 + 5 = 14 ? 1 + 4 = 5 
Those going to door [4]:
Lotus, Santa, June, Ace, and Clover.
8 + 3 + 6 + 1 + 4 = 22 ? 2 + 2 = 4
Seven, Snake, and Junpei scanned their numbered bracelets in quick succession.
The screen of the RED showed 3 asterisks.

Junpei: All right then, let's go.

Junpei glanced around one last time, his hand resting on the lever of the RED.

June: Okay... Please be careful...

Concern was written plainly across her face.
Junpei looked her in the eye and gave what he hoped was a reassuring nod.
He pulled the lever.
With the sharp "clack" of a lock releasing, the door swung open.
Ahead of them, in the small hallway, were the pitiful remains of the 9th Man.
For a moment, Junpei froze. Try as he might, his eyes would not leave the
corpse, and his feet would not leave the floor.
Seven, too, seemed paralyzed.
Snake, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned.  He walked calmly down the bloody
hallway, and only stopped when he realized his companions were not following.

Snake: Do you intend to kill me? I assume you haven't forgotten the door only
remains open for 9 seconds, have you?

He hadn't even bothered to turn around--his head was, at most, slightly cocked
toward one shoulder.
Junpei and Seven looked at one another, nodded, and threw themselves through
the door.
As they did, a cold tone sounded from the left wrists of all 3 men.
Seven and Junpei looked down at their bracelets. On both of them, and on
Snake's, a red skull had flickered to life.
The detonator had begun its countdown!
They had scarcely processed this information when--
With a metallic slam, the numbered door behind them swung shut.
Unless they could find the device that would deactivate the detonators on their
wrists...
They would not be leaving the hallway.

Seven: Hey! Where's the DEAD!?

The fear and urgency in Seven's face reflected what all 3 of them felt.
Junpei spun around, searching desperately for the DEAD.
He found it easily enough. It was on the wall, next to the closed door labeled
[5].

Junpei: Found it! Right here!

As he yelled, he struck the scanner with his hand.
The other 2 scrambled to follow suit.
As soon as they finished, Snake threw the lever down.

Junpei: ...
Snake: ...
Seven: ...
Junpei: Phew... Well, it looks like it's stopped.

As he spoke, Junpei wiped the sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand.

Seven: Goddamn thing's gonna give me a heart attack...

A muscle stood out in Seven's neck, and the corners of his mouth were
twitching.

June: Jumpy, are you all right?!
Clover: Are you guys okay?!

They could hear anxious voices, muffled but distinct, from the other side of
the door.

Junpei: Yeah, we're fine!
Snake: The detonators have been deactivated!

They heard relieved sighs, and even through the door the 3 men could feel the
tension disperse.

Seven: All right, we're moving on! Be careful, okay?
Lotus: Okay!
Santa: Sure thing!

...
They heard footsteps moving away, and before long they were alone again.
Junpei looked around.
The hallway hit a dead end 20 or 30 feet from where they stood.
A thick, iron wall blocked their way. Try as they might to force it, the wall
refused to move.
To the left, however, was a wooden door that looked positively inviting by
comparison.
In the middle of it was a plaque that read [1st Class].

Seven: A 1st class cabin, huh...
Junpei: Well, it seems like it.
Snake: Let's have a look then, shall we?

Without hesitation, Snake opened the door and stepped inside.
Seven followed closely behind him.
Junpei moved to follow them as well, but...
He stopped, just short of the threshold, and looked back, not knowing why.
Lying in the small hallway was a man's body--or at least, what was left of it.
He'd tried hard to avoid looking at the grisly scene, but it just wouldn't...
leave... his mind.
What had once been a man's internal organs now looked like so much vomit... As
though something had chewed up and spit out the better part of his torso. It
was hideous, but worse still, it was cruel.
It was hard to believe the thing on the floor had once been human... The black
pool of thick blood... The lumps of glistening flesh spread across floor... The
awkward, twisted tangle of shredded intestines... The head, wrenched to some
grotesque, unnatural position...
The man's glasses lay next to his head. The lenses were cracked, and the frame
bent and distorted.
And next to the glasses lay a bracelet, the number 9 still displayed on its
face.
"Lastly, let us discuss [how to remove the bracelets]. There are only 2 ways to
do so."
"One: You escape from this ship."
"Two: Your heart rate reaches zero."
"In other words, once the bracelet is taken outside the confines of the ship,
or detects that its wearer's heartbeat has fallen to zero, it will shut down
automatically."

Junpei: Hrg!

Suddenly, Junpei felt his stomach convulse, and a knot of muscle gripped his
throat.
He clapped his hands over his mouth, and ran to the 1st class cabin.
The atmosphere changed immediately. The room was gorgeous, and despite the
apparent age of the ship, none the worse for wear.
He looked around. Seven and Snake were nowhere to be seen.
There were 2 doors on the right side of the room.
He opened the one on his right, and went through.
On the other side of the door was a short hallway.
He jogged down the hallway, opened the door at the other end, and peeked
through.
There they were, to his right, busy examining something.
He stepped through the door and walked toward them.

Junpei: What's up...?
Seven: Check this out... We found this thing here on the door.
Junpei: The red light's on... Does that mean it's locked?
Snake: So I would assume.
Junpei: Is there any other way out?
Seven: We looked around a little. Other than this door, we didn't find
anything.
Junpei: So you're telling me that unless we can open this door...
Snake: Yes. We won't be going anywhere.

Junpei stepped away from the door, and looked around the room.
The room they were in looked like a bedroom.
He figured the room he'd originally entered was the living room, or whatever
passed for one on a ship.

Seven: All right, let's find a way to open this door.
Seven: C'mon, guys!

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::1st class cabin::
=============================================
{b11} File #31
Plot points within this section:
-Seven's Amnesia: "b11d.a"
-Snake's Blindness: "b11d.b"
( To skip to a story segment, search for "b11d.#" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
( Next story segment: "b12b", replacing quotations with braces {} )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \ : Room Connections
v: Returns to the previous room
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

     (to3)(to6)[C]
          \ | /
       [B] [A]
         \ /
         [9]=[7]=[8]->(to 9)   
         [6]  /
           \ /
           [5] [4]
             \ /
         <1>=[2]=[3]->(to 1)

*Is it just me, or is the 1st class cabin one of the most confusing places
ever?

{Screen 1, Bedroom, Facing Exit Door}

<Examine Microphone Lock, 1>
Junpei: So, this is the locking...thing... It's flashing red. That's usually
not a good sign.
Junpei: Is that...a microphone?
Junpei: It looks like a satellite dish...
Snake: Let me see... Hmm...
Snake: Well, judging by the feel of it...
Snake: I would guess that we are meant to produce some sort of sound...
Snake: ...And this device will sense it, and unlock.
<Examine Microphone Lock, 2+>
* Some sort of lock, apparently. It's connected to a microphone.
<Examine Microphone Lock after solving piano puzzle, 1>
Junpei: Yeah... The sign's green now.
Snake: I would imagine that means it is now unlocked.
Seven: Then what the hell are we sitting around here for?! Let's get outta
here!
<Examine Microphone Lock after solving piano puzzle, 2+>
* It's already unlocked.

<Examine Door, 1>
Junpei: Doesn't look like there's a keyhole in this door.
Snake: True, but there's some strange device in lieu of one.
<Examine Door, 2+>
* The exit. It's locked tight. We can't get it open.
<Examine Door after solving piano puzzle, 1>
Junpei: All right! Let's go!
(To "b12b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine Desk, 1+>
* A white desk. Feels kinda...fancy.

<Examine Chair, 1+>
* It's a small, round chair. Looks like it probably goes to the vanity.

<Examine Bed, 1>
Junpei: A bed with a canopy...
Junpei: I've seen things like this in movies and stuff, but never in real life.
Snake: True. You don't see too many these days.
Snake: I can't see the details, obviously, but...
Snake: I imagine it's one of those princess beds Clover is so fond of.
Junpei: Clover...wants one of these?
Snake: Yes.
Junpei: She wants a princess bed.
Snake: Didn't I say that? You think it doesn't suit her?
Junpei: Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that.
Snake: Ah, Junpei. Judge her by appearances, will you?
Snake: And where you should not.
Junpei: ...
<Examine Bed, 2+>
* A large bed with a canopy. Man, this makes me miss my own bed... And sleep...
<Examine Bed after solving piano puzzle, 1+>
A bed.

<Examine Pillow before taking board, 1+>
* Anything under the pillow...?
<Examine Pillow after taking board, 1+>
* There's nothing under the pillow.

{Screen 2, Bedroom, Facing 2 doors}

<Examine Desk, 1>
* It's a white desk. Snake's...rubbing it.
Snake: Hmm... This is a high-quality desk.
Snake: Teak...or perhaps mahogany.
Junpei: Wow... How can you tell?
Snake: Oh, I have my ways.
<Examine Desk, 2+>
* It's a white desk. Seems a little fancy to me.

<Examine Chair, 1>
* It's a small, round chair. Looks like it probably goes to the vanity.
Snake: Oh... Wow, this fabric feels great. I bet that chair's really
comfortable.
<Examine Chair, 2>
* A small round chair. It's really soft.
<Examine Chair, 3>
Junpei: Squish...
<Examine Chair, 4>
Junpei: Squish... Squish...
<Examine Chair, 5>
Junpei: Squish... Squish... Squish...
<Examine Chair, 6>
Junpei: Squish... Squish... Squish... Squish...
Snake: Junpei, how long to you intend to abuse that chair?
Snake: I suggest you finish soon. Otherwise, I may be forced to teach you a
lesson in physical pain.
* His face might look calm, but there's a monster under there.
* Gotta admit, I'm a little scared...
<Examine Chair, 7>
* I don't wanna get my ass kicked by a blind guy, so I think I'm gonna leave
the chair alone. ...For now.
<Examine Chair, 8+>
* It's a small, round chair. Looks like it probably goes to the vanity.

<Examine Light, 1>
Junpei: Well, at least we've got light...
Snake: What?!
Junpei: H-Huh? What the hell, man? It's...it's just a light.
Snake: O-Oh... Of...of course...
Junpei: ?
<Examine Light, 2+>
* The lights are on.

<Examine Left Door after solving piano puzzle, 1+>
* This door goes to the living room. I don't have any reason to go out there.

{Screen 3, Bedroom, Facing Piano}

<Examine Lights, 1+>
* The lights are lit.

<Examine Bed, 1>
Junpei: A bed...
<Examine Bed, 2>
Junpei: A bed...
<Examine Bed, 3>
Junpei: A bed...
<Examine Bed, 4>
Junpei: A bed...
<Examine Bed, 5>
Snake: Junpei, I cannot help but notice your interest in the bed.
Snake: Perhaps you are hoping we will spend time on it, together...
Junpei: Gah! Y-You--! I-- Don't say stuff like...damn! That's not a mental
image I want!
<Examine Bed, 6+>
* It's a bed. I don't want anybody getting the wrong idea, so I'm just gonna
leave it alone, okay?

<Examine Table with Mirror, 1>
Junpei: It's totally a table with a mirror.
Snake: Ah yes. You know, that sort of thing is known as a "vanity". Were you
aware of that, Junpei?
Snake: Of course, "vanity" also refers to self-love, conceit, and narcissism.
Snake: As such, you could say that every day, when a woman looks into one of
these...
Snake: She is staring at her own conceit and narcissism.
Snake: Doesn't that strike you as terribly sad?
Junpei: ...
<Examine Table with Mirror, 2+>
* An antique vanity. There's nothing in the drawer. Yep, totally empty.

<Examine Window, 1+>
* A window. There's an iron plate nailed to it.

<Examine Piano, 1>
Snake: An upright piano...
Snake: From the feel of the wood, it must be quite old.
<Examine Piano, 2+>
* Sure don't see pianos like this much nowadays...
<Examine Piano after solving piano puzzle, 1+>
* There's no reason to mess with the piano.

<Examine Piano keys, 1>
* A piano keyboard.
* ...What is Snake doing? He can't play, can he...?
Snake: This piano... There's something amiss with the keys.
Junpei: You mean it's out of tune or something?
Snake: No, no, not that. It's properly tuned, just...
Snake: Well, the sounds are clearly purposefully different.
Snake: The C key doesn't yield a C, but rather a different note entirely.
Snake: The same goes for the D keys...
Snake: They play...some other note.
Junpei: Huh. Why do you think it's like that?
Snake: Isn't it painfully obvious? Zero modified it in some way.
Snake: This piano, you see...
Snake: ...Is part of one of the puzzles Zero has set for us.
Snake: Perhaps if we play the keys in the correct order...
Snake: ...Something will happen.
Junpei: In other words, we need to play a song on the piano.
Snake: I believe so.
Junpei: Hmm...
<Examine Piano keys, 2+>
* The keys on here are all messed up.
<Examine Piano keys after failing to play score, 1>
Snake: You're going to try again, Junpei?
Snake: There's no point to just guessing.
Snake: You need to know which keys correspond to which sound.
Junpei: I know! Just...lemme do it, all right?
<Examine Piano keys after failing to play score, 2>
Snake: You didn't do so well the last time, Junpei.
Snake: Are you quite sure you've got it this time?
Junpei: ...
Snake: "Ahh, so this note matches the xth note from the top..."
Snake: That is how you should approach this problem.
Snake: Now, how about another attempt?
<Examine Piano keys after failing to play score, 3+>
* "This note matches the xth note from the top..."
* Well, if Snake says that's the way to go...
Junpei: All right! Let's give this another shot!
<Examine Piano keys after solving piano puzzle, 1+>
* The piano keyboard. I don't need to play the piano anymore.

<Examine Map, 1>
Junpei: What's this...? This...isn't a score...
Junpei: Is this...a map of the ship?!
Snake: A map?! There's a map of the ship here!?
Junpei: Yeah...
Snake: Then I imagine it will prove very helpful. You'd best hold onto it,
Junpei.
Junpei: Okay.

<Examine Music Stand without any plates, 1+>
* A music stand. There's nothing on it.
<Examine Music Stand, only glass plates, 1>
* A music stand.
Junpei: Well, might as well put this glass plate on it...
Junpei: ...Oh. Hm...
Snake: Is something wrong?
Junpei: It's kinda hard to see the notes.
Junpei: Maybe if I put something under them...?
Snake: Hmmm... A background for the notes...
<Examine Music Stand with only ceramic plate, 1>
* A music stand... Maybe this where the music goes.
* ...I've only got this ceramic thing, though...
* And all it's got is a staff.
* I think I'm missing something...
<Examine Music Stand with only ceramic plate, 2+>
* A music stand. Seems like something's missing, though.
<Examine Music Stand, 1-3 glass plates, 2+>
* I can't see the notes very well, with the glass being so transparent.
* If I just had something to slide underneath...
<Examine Music Stand, ceramic + 1-3 glass plates, 1>
* A music stand.
* Might as well put the music I've found on it.
Junpei: I'll put the ceramic plate on the bottom...
Junpei: ...And the glass plates on to--
Junpei: Wait a minute...
Snake: What's wrong?
Junpei: Well, I put them all on top of each other, but they look...odd.
Junpei: It doesn't really look like a song.
Snake: Hmm...
Snake: Then in all likelihood we haven't found them all.
Snake: We need to find more glass plates.
<Examine Music Stand, ceramic + 1-3 glass plates, 2+>
* Even if we put all the glass plates we've got together, its pretty clear that
this isn't a song.
* There must be more of them hidden somewhere...
<Examine Music Stand, ceramic + 4 glass plates, 1>
* A music stand. Seems as good a place as any to put this music we found.
* Just gotta put the ceramic plate on the bottom...
* ...And then stack the glass plates on top of it.
* All right...good.
Junpei: Sweet. Now I can play the music.
Snake: Junpei, would you be so kind as to play the piano? I am unable to, you
see.
Snake: I'm sure I needn't tell you, but...
Snake: The keys on this piano are...not what you might expect them to be.
Snake: C won't be C, D won't be D, and so forth.
Snake: You must listen carefully to determine which keys to strike. Do you
understand?
Junpei: Yeah. All right, let's give this a shot.
<Examine Plates on Music Stand, ceramic + 4 glass plate after attempting to
play score, 1>
* All right, I've put all the plates on the music stand.
Junpei: This song... It only uses 4 notes... C, D, G, and A.
Snake: That means we need only play those 4 notes.
<Examine Plates on Music Stand, ceramic + 4 glass plate after attempting to
play score, 2+>
* All right, I've put all the plates on the music stand.
* The song uses only 4 notes...C, D, G, and A.
<Examine Music Stand, ceramic + 4 glass plate after attempting to play score,
1+>
* It's a music stand. There are a number of pieces of sheet music on top of it.
* I need to go to the keyboard if I want to play the piano.
<Examine Music Stand, after solving piano puzzle, 1+>
* A music stand.

<Solve Piano Puzzle, 1>
* ...And we're done. Music is not my forte--wait! What was that noise...?
Snake: Junpei! We did it! Looks like it worked!
Snake: I heard something unlock over by the exit...
Snake: Let's go!
* Good plan--
Seven: Stand! Bow! Be seated!
* ...Well, I guess he hasn't forgotten that.
* At least Snake thinks it's funny...
Snake: Hahaha. Yes, I suppose that was the classroom bell, wasn't it.
Snake: I don't imagine that's what Zero was thinking of, however.
Snake: No, no, Zero almost certainly meant to suggest Westminster, not middle
school.
Seven: Westminster?
Snake: The palace in London that plays host these days to the Houses of
Parliament.
Snake: You've heard of Big Ben, the famous clocktower, yes?
Snake: Big Ben plays that very collection of notes on the hour...
Seven: London... The capital of England, huh...
Snake: At any rate, the door is now unlocked.
Snake: Let's leave this place, immediately!
Junpei: ...

{Screen 4, Closet with Safe}

<Examine top suitcase, 1>
* A leather suitcase.
Snake: There's nothing inside.
Snake: I can tell by the weight, and it makes no noise when shaken.
<Examine top suitcase, 2+>
* A leather suitcase. There's nothing inside.

<Examine bottom suitcase, 1>
* A leather suitcase.
Snake: Unfortunately, there's nothing inside.
<Examine bottom suitcase, 2+>
* A leather suitcase. There's nothing inside.

<Examine Door, 1+>
* A closet door.

<Examine Cabinet before taking plate, 1+>
* There's something in here...
<Examine Cabinet after taking plate, 1+>
* There's nothing in here.

<Examine Safe, 1>
Snake: This safe is locked.
Seven: It's one'a those dial locks.
Seven: It doesn't have a key. We just need to get the dials in the right place,
and it'll open.
Junpei: Did you find anything, Seven?
Seven: Nope. How 'bout you, Snake?
Snake: I also found nothing.
Junpei: ...
<Examine Safe, 2+>
* It's a safe with a dial lock on it. We won't be able to open it until we know
the right numbers.
<Examine Safe after solving piano puzzle, 1>
Seven: A safe...
Snake: It's a safe...
Junpei: A safe, huh...
Seven: The exit's open...
Snake: Yes, strange that we didn't need to open this to achieve our goal.
Junpei: Do you think it's important? I wonder what's in there...
Seven: Hmm...
Snake: Hmm...
<Examine Safe after solving piano puzzle, 2+>
* It's a safe with a dial lock on it. We won't be able to open it until we know
the right numbers.
* Guess we'll just leave it alone for now, and move on.

{Screen 5, Hallway, facing 2 doors}

<Examine Light switch, 1+>
It's a light switch. Nothing happens when I press it.

{Screen 6, Bathtub}

<Examine Shower Head, 1>
Seven: Testing, testing.
Seven: Hey, it's great to see you all here. I just flew in from New York, and
boy are my arms tired!
Seven: Yes, thank you, I'll be here all week! Try the veal!
Junpei: That's not a mic, Seven. It's...just a shower head.
Seven: Wha--?! What the hell?!
Junpei: ...
<Examine Shower Head, 2+>
* It's a dry shower head. Doesn't seem like I can get any water to come out of
it.

<Examine Lights, 1>
Seven: The lights, huh...
Seven: Nope, doesn't look like there's anything hidden there.
<Examine Lights, 2+>
* There are a couple of light fixtures in the bathroom. They seem perfectly
ordinary.

<Examine Sink, 1>
Junpei: Well, the sink's clean... Any water?
Seven: Nothing's coming out... We've got the faucet on all the way, but I can't
hear anything...
<Examine Sink, 2+>
* It's a sink. The water doesn't appear to be working.

<Examine Mirror, 1>
* ...And there we are in the mirror. What a pair... A college kid and a
terrifying giant of a man in a beanie.
* Stuck in a cramped bathroom... With this beast of a man...
* What would my parents say?
Seven: Hm? Something wrong, Junpei? You looked real sad all of a sudden.
Junpei: Uh...no, nothing.
<Examine Mirror, 2>
* There's a mirror here.
<Examine Mirror, 3>
* A mirror...
<Examine Mirror, 4>
Seven: Mirror, mirror, on the wall...
Seven: Who is the toughest, sexiest, and most beautiful young man of them all?
Seven: "That is of course Seven."
Seven: Hahahahaha!
Junpei: ...
Junpei: Idiot...
<Examine Mirror, 5+>
* There's a round mirror mounted on the wall here.

<Examine Bath Faucet from distance, 1+>
* This faucet must be for putting water in the bathtub.
<Examine Bath Faucet from tub closeup, 1>
Junpei: Huh...? This faucet is...really...hard to turn...
* Man, doesn't matter how hard I yank on it, this thing won't budge.
Seven: Heh. Hard for you to turn, kid? How 'bout you let a man give it shot?
Seven: Hnngh! HnnnnnRRRRGGGGGHH!
Junpei: ...
Seven: Damnit! Nothing... Might as well be a damn rock.
Seven: It looks like something's holding that knob in place.
Junpei: Well, if you can't do it, Seven... Guess we might as well give up.
<Examine Bath Faucet from tub closeup, 2+>
* This faucet isn't going to be producing water any time soon. It's impossible
to turn the knob.

<Examine Bath Plug before examining fireplace, 1>
Junpei: There is a plug at the end of this chain. Let's see if I can pull it
out...
Seven: Whoa, hold up!
Junpei: ...?
Seven: I was just thinkin'... We might be able to use the water...
Junpei: ...Use the water?
<Examine Bath Plug before examining fireplace, 2+>
* Something's bothering Seven. Maybe I'll hold off on pulling this plug for a
moment.
<Examine Bath Plug after examining fireplace, 1+>
* There's a plug at the end of this chain.
* If I pull the plug, it'll drain the water. Before I do that, though...
<Examine Bath Plug with vase unequipped, 1>
Seven: Hey, Junpei, hold on a minute...
Seven: If you pull that plug, all the water's gonna drain out right?
Seven: I'm not sure we wanna jump the gun like that...
<Examine Bath Plug with vase unequipped, 2+>
* There's a plug at the end of this chain.
* If I pull the plug, it'll drain the water. Before I do that, though...
<Examine Bath Plug after filling vase, 1>
* There a plug at the end of this chain. {Author's Note: Yes, and there a
missing word in this sentence as well.}
Junpei: All right, why don't we just...drain this water?
Seven: Yeah. Good plan.
* All right, where's that thing... A good tug oughta be enough to get it out.
* ...Huh?
<Examine Bath Plug after draining bath, 1+>
* There's a plug for a bathtub on the end of the chain.

<Examine Bath, 1+>
* The water's dirty, but the rest of the bathtub looks comparatively clean.
* Almost like the dirty water was moved there from somewhere else,
intentionally...
<Examine Bath after draining, before taking plate, 1+>
* There's a plate sitting at the bottom of the bathtub.
<Examine Bath after draining, after taking plate, 1+>
* There's nothing in the bathtub any more.

<Examine Bathwater, 1+>
* The bathtub's full of gross, cloudy water.
<Examine Bathwater after fireplace, 1>
* The bathtub's full of cloudy water.
Seven: Hey, Junpei... Maybe we could douse it with this, you know?
Seven: Then maybe we could grab whatever's in the back.
<Examine Bathwater after fireplace, 2+>
* The bathtub's full of cloudy water.
* Maybe we can use it...
<Examine Bathwater with vase unequipped, 1>
* The bathtub's full of gross, cloudy water.
Seven: Hey Junpei, we just found that blue vase, right?
Seven: You think maybe we could use it for something?
<Examine Bathwater with vase unequipped, 2+>
* All right, so I've got this tub full of nasty water... And a vase.
<Examine Bathwater, with vase equipped without examining fireplace, 1>
* The bathtub's full of gross, cloudy water.
Seven: Yeah...
Seven: If we fill the vase up, then we can toss it...
Junpei: Huh?
* Not really sure what he's saying... Whatever.
* Let's just get this vase full of water.
<Examine Bathwater, with vase equipped after examining fireplace, 1>
* The bathtub's full of gross, cloudy water.
Junpei: All right... Shouldn't be too hard to fill this vase up.
<Examine Bathwater after filling vase, 1>
Seven: Man, this water's dirty...
Seven: Can't see more than...4 inches or so...
Seven: I can't see anything down there...
Junpei: Hmm... Do you think...
Seven: ...Think what?
<Examine Bathwater after filling vase, 2>
* The water's filthy. If there's anything under it, I sure can't see it.
* Still, If I wanna be sure...
<Examine Bathwater after filling vase, 3>
* The water's filthy. If there's anything under it, I sure can't see it.
* If I wanna be sure, I'm gonna need to pull the plug.
<Examine Bathwater after filling vase, 4+>
* The bathtub's full of gross, cloudy water.
* ...Anyway, let's see if I can get that plug out.

{Screen 7, Kitchen, facing Table, Desk, and Door}

<Examine Door, 1>
Seven: Hey Junpei, where are you going? Didn't we come outta that door?
Seven: No point to going back there.
Seven: All that's out there are a locked numbered door and...
Junpei: A dead body... Or what's left of it...
Seven: ...Yeah...
Junpei: ...
<Examine Door, 2+>
* The 9th Man's body is on the other side of that door. Maybe I don't want to
go out there after all.

<Examine Lights, 1+>
* There're a couple lights on the wall here.

<Examine Desk, 1>
Seven: This's some sorta antique desk.
Seven: Makes sense though, I guess. This whole room's full of antiques.
Seven: You could get a nice handful of cash for all the stuff in here...
<Examine Desk, 2+>
* An old-fashioned desk. Adds a little class to the room.

<Examine Desk Chair, 1>
Junpei: Somebody spent a lot of time carving the legs of this chair.
Junpei: It'll snap like a twig if Seven sits on it, though.
Seven: Mind your own business!
<Examine Desk Chair, 2>
* A chair with intricately carved legs.
<Examine Desk Chair, 3>
* A chair with intricately carved legs...
<Examine Desk Chair, 4>
* A chair with intricately carved legs, meow.
<Examine Desk Chair, 5+>
* A chair with intricately carved legs...

<Examine Table Chair, 1>
Seven: It's a chair.
<Examine Table Chair, 2>
Seven: A chair, huh...
<Examine Table Chair, 3>
Seven: That chair looks nice... Mind if I take a load off?
Junpei: I think you'd be doing the opposite.
Seven: ...
<Examine Table Chair, 4+>
* That chair does look pretty comfortable.

<Examine Table before examining paper, 1+>
* There's a piece of heavy paper, folded in half, sitting on the table.
<Examine Table after examining paper, 1+>
* There's a cover for a musical score sitting on the table.

<Examine Paper on table, 1>
Seven: Is this a cover for something?
Seven: It looks like you could slip something into it, but there's nothin' in
there.
Junpei: Well, it says "SCORE" on the front.
Seven: So you think this was for filing sports scores or something?
Junpei: No, I don't think so... I think "SCORE" probably means musical score.
Junpei: So this is like a folder for some sheet music or something.
<Examine Paper on table, 2+>
* It says "SCORE" on this paper. I guess you put sheet music in it?

{Screen 8, Kitchen facing Fireplace}

<Examine Lights, 1+>
* There are a couple of lights up on the wall.

<Examine Couch, 1>
Junpei: This couch looks just big enough for 3 people.
Seven: Looks perfect for me.
Junpei: ...What?
Seven: Perfect for an elegant gentleman like myself...
Junpei: The couch looks a lot more elegant...
Junpei: ...
Seven: Hey! There's something you aren't sayin'!
Junpei: Uh... Never mind...
<Examine Couch, 2+>
* The couch does look pretty elegant. Doesn't really go with Seven, though.

<Examine Chair, 1+>
* There's an expensive-looking chair sitting over here.

<Examine Table before examining paper, 1+> (Same table as Screen 7)
* There's a piece of heavy paper, folded in half, sitting on the table.
<Examine Table after examining paper, 1+>
* There's a cover for a musical score sitting on the table.

<Examine Paper on table, 1> (Same paper as Screen 7)
Seven: Is this a cover for something?
Seven: It looks like you could slip something into it, but there's nothin' in
there.
Junpei: Well, it says "SCORE" on the front.
Seven: So you think this was for filing sports scores or something?
Junpei: No, I don't think so... I think "SCORE" probably means musical score.
Junpei: So this is like a folder for some sheet music or something.
<Examine Paper on table after retrieving score plates, 1>
* A heavy piece of paper, folded in half.
* It has the letters "S", "C", "O", "R", and "E" on the front of it...
Junpei: "Score"... That must mean musical score.
* If that's true, then the score we just found was probably in here.
* ...At least, at some point.
<Examine Paper on table, 2+>
* It says "SCORE" on this paper. I guess you put sheet music in it?

<Examine Fireplace, 1>
Junpei: A fireplace...huh. Don't see one of these too often.
Seven: Aren't a lot of people these days with real fireplaces and real fires.
<Examine Fireplace, 2>
Junpei: It's a fireplace.
<Examine Fireplace, 3>
Junpei: It's a fireplace...
<Examine Fireplace, 4>
Seven: Hey Junpei, what's this...?
Junpei: The Thinker... By Auguste Rodin.
Seven: Right on!
Junpei: ...
<Examine Fireplace, 5+>
* A fireplace.
<Examine Fireplace, fire is out, 1+>
* There was a fire here a bit ago, but it's out now.

<Examine Fireplace Grate before taking plate, fire is on, 1+>
* There's an iron grate in front of the fireplace. There's something behind
it...
<Examine Fireplace Grate before taking plate, fire is out, 1>
Seven: Looks like the fire's gone out.
Seven: Just get that thing out of it.
<Examine Fireplace Grate before taking plate, fire is out, 2+>
* The fire in the fireplace is out. I can see something behind the iron
grate...
<Examine Fireplace Grate after taking plate, fire is out, 1>
* There's an iron grate in front of the fireplace.
Junpei: Dang, Santa's not gonna be able to get through that grate...
Seven: Huh? You mean that guy with the silver hair?
Junpei: No, wrong Santa...
<Examine Fireplace Grate after taking plate, fire is out, 2+>
* There's an iron grate in front of the fireplace.

<Examine Fireplace Fire before taking vase, 1>
Junpei: Huh...? There's something in the back...
* Let's see if I can reach it...
* Just a little--
Junpei: Goddamnit that's hot!
Seven: You aren't real smart, are you?
Seven: C'mon, course it's gonna be hot. It's a fire.
Seven: Even a monkey knows it shouldn't stick its hand in a fire.
Junpei: ...
<Examine Fireplace Fire before taking vase, 2>
* There's something in the fireplace, behind the fire...
* How am I gonna get it out...?
<Examine Fireplace Fire with water filled vase unequipped, 1>
* I think there's something in the back of the fireplace, behind the fire...
Seven: Right on, buddy! Do it!
Junpei: Do...what?
Seven: Come on, it's not hard to figure out! You seriously...? Throw that shit
on there!
Junpei: Okay, I'll take this out now.
<Examine Fireplace Fire with water filled vase unequipped, 2>
Seven: What're you waiting for?! Hurry up and do it!
Seven: After we put out this fire, we're gonna grab that thing in the back,
right?
<Examine Fireplace Fire with water filled vase unequipped, 3+>
* There's something in the fireplace, behind the fire...
* But if I wanna get at it, I'm gonna have to put out the fire. How am I gonna
do that...
<Examine Fireplace Fire with water filled vase equipped, 1>
Junpei: All right, time to put this fire out.
Seven: About time, buddy! Let's do it!
Junpei: Here we go!
* ...
* ...
Seven: Hahaha! Good job!
Seven: Another success! That fire didn't stand a chance.

<Examine Fireplace Coal, fire is out, 1>
* Charcoal...? No, looks like coal... Maybe that stuff called coke?
* Now that the fire's out, I think I can see something in there...
<Examine Fireplace Coal, fire is out, 2+>
* Just the fuel, no fire burning it now. I think there's something else in
there...
<Examine Fireplace Coal, fire is out and plate is taken, 1+>
* Looks like it burns coke. ...Well, "burned", past tense. It's out.

<Examine Plate, fire is out, 1>
Junpei: All right, I'll just pull this out now...
Junpei: Don't wanna get burned, so let's pull down the sleeves...

{Screen 9, Kitchen, facing 2 Doors}

<Examine Wooden Stand, 1>
Junpei: Hey, Seven, look! It's a Martian, and he looks pretty pale!
Seven: Idiot...
Seven: It's just a vase on a table.
Seven: Well, I guess maybe it does look a little bit like an anemic Martian...
<Examine Wooden Stand, 2+>
* There's an expensive-looking vase sitting on the table.
<Examine Wooden Stand after taking vase, 1+>
* There was once a vase on this table.

<Examine Vase after examining fireplace, 1>
Seven: I get it... You're gonna use this vase, right? That's pretty clever,
Junpei.
Seven: We just gotta fill this thing with water...
<Examine Vase before examining fireplace, 1>
Seven: I get it... You're gonna use this vase, right? That's pretty clever,
Junpei.
Seven: We just gotta fill this thing with water...
Junpei: What? What are you talking about?
Seven: Oh man... You don't get it?
Seven: Just grab that vase and take a look around. You'll figure it out soon
enough.

{Screen A, Hallway, Facing 3 Doors}

<Examine Light Switch, 1>
Seven: Hey Junpei, you're a Taurus...right?
Junpei: ...What? Why?
Seven: Well, you're so well-organized.
Seven: Most people wouldn't bother to search something that didn't seem to mean
much.
Junpei: ...
<Examine Light Switch, 2>
* It's a light switch.
<Examine Light Switch, 3>
* Pretty sure this is for switching lights on and off.
<Examine Light Switch, 4>
Seven: Hey, Junpei, I wrote a little song for you.
Seven: Take a listen. "The Ballad of the Well-Organized Man"...
Seven: Well-organized... Well-organized...
Seven: You're orderly, but not an orderly...
Seven: ...That ain't no bull.
Junpei: ...
* Urge to kill...rising...
<Examine Light Switch, 5>
Seven: Hey Junpei, I wrote you another verse... Listen...
Seven: Well-organized... Well-organized...
Seven: You've got it all laid out, when you're not out getting laid...
Seven: Not a torus but a Taurus.
Junpei: ...
* His death will be slow.
<Examine Light Switch, 6+>
* A light switch. Well, nothing happens when I switch it.

{Screen B, Kitchen Closet}

<Examine Closet Door, 1+>
* It's a closet door.

<Examine Top Briefcase, 1>
* This is a suitcase made of leather the color of rich mahogany.
Seven: Well shoot... Looks like there's nothing in it...
<Examine Top Briefcase, 2+>
* It's a leather suitcase. There's nothing inside.
<Examine Bottom Briefcase, 1>
* It's a leather suitcase.
Seven: Dang, nothing in there.
<Examine Bottom Briefcase, 2+>
* It's a leather suitcase. There's nothing inside.

<Examine Cabinet before taking plate, 1+>
* It looks like there's something inside this cabinet...
<Examine Cabinet after taking plate, 1+>
* There's nothing in here any more.

{Screen C, Toilet Room}

<Examine Toilet, 1>
Seven: It's a toilet... Doesn't seem to be anything in the toilet or the tank.
<Examine Toilet, 2>
* It's a toilet. Nothing strange going on here.
<Examine Toilet, 3>
* It's a toilet. Nothing suspicious here...I think...
<Examine Toilet, 4>
Seven: Junpei, look! There's a hand coming out of the toilet!
Junpei: ...
Junpei: ...
Seven: Just a joke there, kid.
Junpei: Not funny, man...
Seven: I'm too old for this shit.
Junpei: Incontinence is a problem many older men struggle with, but there's
help.
<Examine Toilet, 5+>
* A clean bathroom. There's nothing in the toilet bowl or the tank.

<Examine Toilet Paper, 1>
Seven: There's some toilet paper on the wall there.
Seven: Nothing that looks suspicious...
<Examine Toilet Paper, 2>
* There's some toilet paper in a dispenser on the wall.
<Examine Toilet Paper, 3>
* There's some toilet paper...in a dispenser...on the wall.
<Examine Toilet Paper, 4>
Junpei: All right, I'm gonna pull off some of this toilet paper!
Junpei: Rolling, rolling, rolling... Rolling, rolling, rolling...
Seven: Hey Junpei... I don't really think you need that much...
Junpei: ...
Junpei: Well, let's just wipe the slate clean then, shall we?
<Examine Toilet Paper, 5+>
* There's some toilet paper in a dispenser on the wall. Nothing that looks
suspicious.

{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search vase not in bed room, 1>
Seven: Looks like a vase. Maybe you could use that...
<Search vase not in bed room, 2+>
* A vase. It could probably hold quite a bit.
<Search vase in bed room, 1>
Snake: A vase? Where did you find this?
Junpei: Over in the kitchen.
Snake: I see...
Snake: Well, I suppose that might be useful for bludgeoning Seven over the
head.
Junpei: That's not what we're using it for.
<Search vase in bed room, 2+>
* It's a vase. It's pretty big. I think it could probably hold quite a bit.

<Search vase filled with water not in bed room, before examining fireplace, 1>
Seven: Hey, Junpei! What're you doing over there...?
Seven: Only one thing to do now that you got that thing full of water.
Seven: C'mon, what're you waitin' for?
* Huh? Take what down?
<Search vase filled with water not in bed room, after examining fireplace, 1>
Seven: Hey, Junpei! What're you doing over there...?
Seven: Only one thing to do now that you got that thing full of water.
Seven: C'mon, what're you waitin' for?
<Search vase filled with water not in bed room, 2+>
* The vase is full of water from the bathtub.
<Search vase filled with water in bed room, before examining fireplace, 1>
Snake: So, you've filled the vase with water, have you?
Snake: I assume you intend to dump it onto Seven's head?
Snake: Hmm... Not a bad idea.
Snake: Very well. I would appreciate it if you would put this plan into action
post-haste.
Junpei: ...
<Search vase filled with water in bed room, before examining fireplace, 2+>
* The vase is full of water from the bathtub.

<Search score plate not in bed room, 1>
Seven: It's a ceramic plate of some kind...
Seven: It looks like a blank sheet of music.
<Search score plate not in bed room, 2+>
* A sort of proto-score on a ceramic plate. It looks like a blank sheet of
music.
<Search score plate in bed room, 1>
Snake: Hmm. A rectangular plate...
Snake: This texture... It feels like it's probably ceramic--you know, fired
clay, like a plate or a bowl.
Snake: What color is it?
Junpei: Well...it's white.
Snake: Is there anything written on it?
Junpei: Yeah, a staff...like for music.
Junpei: No notes, though. Huh...
Snake: Interesting... How strange...
<Search score plate in bed room, 2+>
* A ceramic music score sheet. It's got a staff, but no notes.

<Search score plate (G) not in bed room, 1>
Seven: It's a rectangular piece of glass. You can see right through it.
Junpei: It has a couple of G notes written on it...
Seven: Huh. I wonder what that means...?
<Search score plate (G) in bed room, 1>
Snake: It's a rectangular plate of some sort... ...And made of glass, it seems.
Junpei: It's got a music staff, and a couple of G notes on it, but...nothing
else.
Snake: G...
<Search score plate (G) any room, 2+>
* A transparent music score sheet, apparently made from glass. It has a number
of G notes on it.

<Search score plate (D) not in bed room, 1>
Seven: A transparent plate made of glass, yes?
Junpei: It's a sheet of music with a couple of D notes on it.
<Search score plate (D) in bed room, 1>
Snake: A glass rectangle... Where did you find this?
Junpei: It was sitting in the bathtub, under the water.
Snake: Really. Underwater, hm...
<Search score plate (D) in any room, 2+>
* A transparent music score sheet, apparently made from glass. It has a number
of D notes on it.

<Search score plate (C) not in bed room, 1>
Seven: This is some kinda transparent glass plate.
Seven: It's got a C note on the staff here a couple'a times.
Junpei: Seven, you can read music? Huh. Didn't call that one.
Seven: What, you think I'm some kinda idiot? Yeah, I know how to read music!
<Search score plate (C) in bed room, 1>
Snake: Yes, yes... Well, this feels like glass.
Snake: A rectangle of glass... Transparent, I assume?
Snake: I can feel something printed on the surface... What is it?
Junpei: A sheet of music with some C notes on it.
<Search score plate (C) in any room, 2+>
* A transparent music score sheet, apparently made from glass. It has a number
of C notes on it.

<Search score plate (A) not in bed room, 1>
<Search score plate (A) in bed room, 1>
Snake: I see... This feels like glass.
Snake: A rectangular plate of glass...
Snake: Is there something written on the surface...?
Junpei: Yeah, it's a sheet of music with a couple of A notes...
Snake: Just As?
Junpei: Yeah, that's it. Kinda weird, huh?
<Search score plate (A) in any room, 2+>
* A transparent music score sheet, apparently made from glass. It has a number
of A notes on it.

<Upon leaving Items screen after receiving fireplace score plate>
(To "b11d.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Upon leaving Items screen after receiving score plate (A)>
(To "b11d.b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

==========================
{b11d.a} File #33
::1st class cabin::
-After retrieving score from fireplace-

As Junpei tucked the plate into his pocket--
Seven cried out, and stumbled--his balance lost.
He threw out a hand and caught the wall in time to steady himself and avoid the
floor, but his face was flushed, and he looked startled.

Junpei: Hey... Seven, what the hell was that? Are you all right?
Seven: Yeah, yeah, I'm fine... I just felt a little dizzy, that's all.

Seven rubbed a couple of fingers across his brow, and then shook his head, as
if to clear it.

Seven: What the hell's wrong with me...?
Seven: First memory loss, now I'm gettin' dizzy for no reason...
Junpei: ...
Seven: ...
Junpei: Memory loss?!

Junpei couldn't hide the surprise in his voice.
Seven, for his part, seemed unconcerned.

Seven: Right, guess I haven't told you, have I.
Seven: Told the rest of 'em, but that must'a been before you showed up.
Seven: Well, the long and short of it is that I don't remember Jack from before
I woke up here.
Seven: Didn't realize I hadn't told you...
Junpei: Woah woah, wait a minute...
Junpei: You're talking about amnesia, right?
Seven: Yeah, I guess so.
Junpei: Well, why're you an amnesiac? What happened to you?
Seven: If I knew that, I wouldn't really be one, would I?
Junpei: Oh...yeah, I guess that's true.

Junpei paused for a moment, and stared at Seven.

Junpei: Are you telling the truth?
Seven: Huh?
Junpei: Well, you look pretty calm for somebody who doesn't remember anything.
Junpei: If you've really got amnesia, shouldn't you be...like...upset, or
confused, or something?
Seven: Well, sure, I mean I was pretty confused when I woke up down on D Deck.
Seven: But that was a while ago.
Seven: I've had some time to get used to it. After a while, I figured it wasn't
worth the trouble of worryin' about it.
Seven: After all, why worry about something I can't change?
Seven: Well, people usually don't stay amnesiacs forever.
Seven: I figure it'll work itself out eventually.
Junpei: That's... That's it?
Seven: That's it.
Junpei: ...
Seven: All right, that's enough talkin' for now. Let's get back to work.

Seven gave Junpei a look the younger man wasn't sure how to interpret, and
turned to walk away.
Somehow, though, Junpei didn't find his reassurances very reassuring.

(Return to investigation)

==========================
{b11d.b} File #33
::1st class cabin::
-After retrieving score plate (A) from under bed room pillow-

It took Junpei by surprise.
Snake, usually so calm and collected, suddenly began to move.
He stared about the room almost frantically, clearly looking for something.
No, Junpei thought, not "staring"...
...After all, he's blind.
Blind or not, Snake was clearly attempting to do something.
At last, Junpei could no longer contain his curiosity.

Junpei: What're you doing?

Snake waited a moment before answering.

Snake: I heard something...strange.
Junpei: ...Something strange?
Snake: Ah well. Nevermind. It doesn't seem to be anything suspicious.
Snake: I don't wish to toot my own horn, but my auditory senses are
considerably more advanced than those of most humans.
Snake: I notice even the slightest of noises.
Junpei: Right, are you gonna tell me you can hear a needle drop from a mile
away?
Snake: Ha! No. Such a thing would be impossible.
Snake: However, by listening to the sound of footsteps and breathing...
Snake: ...As well as sound echoing off the environment, I can locate most
objects.
Junpei: Oh yeah, that's right.
Junpei: When Clover fell on the big staircase a little while ago, you were at
her side immediately.
Junpei: So that was...hm.
Snake: Yes. I could hear it happening.
Snake: In fact, I can run quite fast--certainly as fast as you.
Snake: And should someone attempt to start a fight with me, I am quite
confident that I could defeat them.

Junpei was somewhat taken aback by this revelation. He stared at Snake,
skeptical.

Snake: You don't believe me, do you? Care to give me a try?
Snake: I must warn you, you'll no doubt regret it.
Junpei: ...
Snake: Well, I suppose that's enough playing around. Let's resume our search,
shall we?

With a small, self-satisfied smile, Snake turned, and walked away from Junpei. 

(Return to investigation)

===========================================
===========================================
{b12b} File #35
:B Deck hallway:
-After completing escape from 1st class cabin-
===========================================

He came out of the door, and into a long, straight hallway.
He paused for a moment, and turned around to look behind him.
Seven was bent over, apparently doing something to the door.

Junpei: What's he up to...?

Junpei had spoke more or less to himself, but apparently Seven had heard
anyway.
The larger man stood up and turned to Junpei.

Seven: I was just putting one of those plates in there.
Seven: It oughta keep the door from locking again.
Seven: Now we can come back here any time we want, right?
Snake: Ah... Why would you want to come back here?

Snake was a reasonable one. Seven thought about it for a moment before he
answered.

Seven: I might like to play a little piano.
Junpei: Piano...?
Seven: C'mon, let's get moving. We aren't outta this yet.

Without waiting for an answer, Seven started off down the hallway.
Snake shrugged, sighed, and quietly followed Seven.
That's a lie, Junpei thought to himself.
He had difficulty enough believing Seven could play the piano...
But even if he could, the piano they'd just left was largely useless... The
keyboard completely scrambled.
If Seven wanted to come back, it was unlikely he intended to do so in order to
play the piano.
But if that was the case, why would he want to leave the door unlocked...?
...
Junpei frowned, took one last look at the door, and then walked away toward his
companions.
After some time in the hallway, they emerged into a larger, more open area.
A large, metal grate, like the door of a jail, divided it in half.
They shook it for a while, but as they had expected, it did not move.
Behind the grate were 2 elevators.
From so far away, however, it was difficult to tell if they were still
operating.
On the left side of the grate was a door.
Unfortunately, however, it was locked, and refused to open.
Junpei took a moment to examine the left side of the room. Next to the wall was
a set of stairs, leading downward.
Standing guard at the top of the stairway was a large iron gate.
Foreboding as it was, the gate seemed to be the sort that could be opened,
unlike the metal grate that bisected the room. With luck, Junpei hoped he might
be able to get it open.
In the center of the door was a small keyhole. Next to the keyhole, a small
symbol had been carved into the metal...

Junpei: ...The female symbol...?

He wasn't quite sure what to make of it.
Snake, naturally, was somewhat more sure.

Snake: Ah... The [Venus symbol], I imagine.
Snake: Do you recall the similar symbols near the large central stairway?
Snake: They reference many of the solar bodies...

 --Sun--
 --Saturn--
 --Earth--

Snake: So, as you can see, that one is likely...
Junpei: ...Not the woman symbol, but a [Venus symbol].
Snake: So I assume.

While they had been discussing the symbols, Junpei now realized, Seven had
slipped away.
His absence now felt, Snake and Junpei turned to look for their missing
companion. --There.
Seven had left them to head down the hallway extending to the right of the
stairs.
Junpei grabbed Snake to lead him in the right direction, and they both headed
off after Seven.
Before long, the 3 of them stood in front of a door.
It was a French door.
Junpei tested the door, and realized that, unlike so many others that they'd
encountered, it was unlocked.
Almost as though he was afraid it would suddenly lock itself, Junpei threw the
door open.
He stepped inside...
It took only a moment for Junpei to take in his new surroundings.

Junpei: Is this some kind of casino...?
Seven: Sure looks like one.

Before Junpei could comment further, a noise from behind made him turn around.
Snake was shaking the door they'd just come through.
As Seven and Junpei watched, he threw up his hands in frustration, and then
kicked the door for good measure.
It looked as though they were once again locked in.
There was no reason to panic, however.
Even if the door had been left open, there was nowhere for them to go back
there.
They would have to find another way out.

Seven: All right guys, let's split up and search this room.
Seven: C'mon no dawdling! Let's go! Quickly now!

Spurred to action by Seven's words, Junpei and Snake began to examine the room.

(To "b12", continued below)

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::Casino::
=============================================
{b12} File #34
Plot points within this section:
-Baccarat: "b12d.a"
( To skip to a story segment, search for "b12d.#" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
( Next story segment: "b12e", replacing quotations with braces {} )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \ : Room Connections
v: Returns to the previous room
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

        [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
          \ /    |   |   |
          <1>===[2]=[3]=[4]->(to 1)

5: Poker Table Closeup
6: Bar Closeup
7: Baccarat Table
8: Exit door
9: Top of Fireplace

{Screen 1, Facing Bar}

<Examine Closer Poker Table, 1+>
* A square poker table. There's nothing on it.

<Examine Closer Chairs, 1>
Seven: It's a chair...
Junpei: Yup, totally a chair.
Snake: It feels like a chair--nothing more, nothing less.
<Examine Closer Chairs, 2+>
* This is just a chair. There's nothing else to say about it.

<Examine Chandeliers, 1>
Seven: Those are some strange-looking chandeliers...
Seven: They look kinda like the UFOs from that movie... "Michelle's Farm
Tools"...
Junpei: What the hell kind of movie is that...
<Examine Chandeliers, 2+>
* A number of luxurious chandeliers hang from the ceiling.

{Screen 2, Facing Fireplace}

<Examine Fireplace, 1>
Seven: Well, at least this one isn't lit, like the one in the 1st class cabin.
Seven: Maybe that's why it feels a little chilly in here.
<Examine Fireplace, 2+>
* It's really a very nice-looking fireplace.
<Examine Fireplace after turning on both lights, before taking bag, 1+>
* There's something in the fireplace...
<Examine Fireplace after turning on both lights, after taking bag, 1+>
* A fireplace. There's some firewood here, but nothing else.

<Examine Firewood, 1+>
* There's firewood in the fireplace.
<Examine Firewood after taking coin bag, 1+>
* Firewood. Nothing else.

<Examine Door, 1>
* This door is shut tight.
* It won't open...
<Examine Door, 2+>
* That's the door we just came through. It's locked, and I can't get it to
open.

<Examine Doorframe, 1>
Snake: Well, at any rate, this gate is very impressive. It feels
like...granite?
Snake: It seems to be elaborately decorated in several places.
Snake: A shame I cannot see it.
<Examine Doorframe, 2+>
* An elaborately decorated gate stands guard over the door we just came
through.

<Examine Chairs, 1>
* This chair goes to the poker table. Hmm... It feels really soft...
<Examine Chairs, 2>
* It's a chair. The seat is nice and soft.
<Examine Chairs, 3>
Junpei: Squeeze...
<Examine Chairs, 4>
Junpei: Squeeze... Squeeze...
<Examine Chairs, 5>
Junpei: Squeeze... Squeeze... Squeeze...
<Examine Chairs, 6>
Junpei: Squeeze... Squeeze... Squeeze... Squeeze...
Snake: Are you quite finished with the chair, Junpei?
Snake: If you don't stop this behavior at once, I will be forced to teach you a
lesson you will not soon forget.
* His face is as calm as ever, but his voice...
* Terrifying...
<Examine Chairs, 7>
* I don't wanna get beat up, so maybe I'll just leave the chair alone for now.
<Examine Chairs, 8+>
* This chair goes to the poker table.

{Screen 3, Facing Slot Machines}

<Examine Lights, 1>
Junpei: Huh...a light...
Snake: !
* Wait... Did Snake just tense up?
Junpei: Uh...hey... What's up?
Snake: No, never mind...No need to worry...
Junpei: ?
<Examine Lights, 2+>
* The lights glow yellow, filling the room with their light.

<Examine Chandelier, 1>
Seven: Hey, can you touch that thing?
Junpei: Yeah, I'm a pretty good jumper, if I may say so myself.
Junpei: Here I go!
<Examine Chandelier, 2+>
* The chandeliers hang, chandelier-like, from the ceiling.

<Examine Slot Machine 1 Stand, 1+>
* This is the stand for the slot machine.
* I don't see anything suspicious.

<Examine Slot Machine 1 Nameplate, 1+>
* It says (1) on the plate.

<Examine Slot Machine 1 Body, 1+>
* This slot machine has a pretty old-fashioned design.
* It looks well-maintained and probably still works...
<Examine Slot Machine 1 Body with coin bag, 1+>
* The main body of the slot machine. There's the coin slot on upper left.
<Exam
ine Slot Machine 1 Body after getting coins stuck, 1+>
* The coins are stuck in there but good. This machine won't be working any
more.
<Examine Slot Machine 1 Body after getting Slot Machine 2 items, 1+>
* The main body of the slot machine. I don't need to use this for, uh,
anything.

<Examine Slot Machine 1 Slots, 1+>
* So I've got the symbols for heart, spade, and diamond here.
<Examine Slot Machine 1 Slots after getting coin stuck, 1+>
* The reel won't move 'cause the coins are stuck.

<Examine Slot Machine 1 Coin Slot, 1+>
* The coin slot.
<Examine Slot Machine 1 Coin Slot with coin bag in inventory, 1+>
* The coin slot.
* How convenient, seeing as we only just now discovered a blue bag full of
coins.
<Examine Slot Machine 1 Coin Slot with coin bag equipped, 1>
Junpei: All right, let's put the coins from that bag in here...
Snake: What happened? I heard an odd noise.
Junpei: Uh... Well, to be honest, I don't know...
* I pressed some of the buttons and smacked the machine once or twice, but
nothing happened--
Junpei: Oh. ...Looks like the coins got stuck.
Snake: Oh dear...
<Examine Slot Machine 1 Coin Slot with coin bag equipped after getting Slot 3
stuck, 1>
Snake: Junpei, perhaps you should be more careful in the future.
Snake: You got the coin stuck in the machine on the right.
Snake: Please don't make the same mistake again. That would be bad.
Junpei: I know that! It'll be fine!
* Jerk. I'll put this coin in this slot, and that'll show him...
Junpei: Hu-Huh...?  Ah...that's weird...
Snake: Do you mean to seal us up in here forever?
Junpei: I-It's not my fault! The coin just got stuck all on its own!
Snake: Ha... Oh boy...
<Examine Slot Machine 1 Coin Slot after placing coin in, 1+>
* The coins are stuck. Don't think this machine's gonna work any more.

<Examine Slot Machine 1 Drawer, 1+>
* It's the drawer they use to pick up money. It's locked tight. I can't get it
open.

<Examine Slot Machine 2 Stand, 1+>
* The slot machine stand.
* I don't see anything suspicious.

<Examine Slot Machine 2 Nameplate, 1+>
* There's a plate on it that says (2).

<Examine Slot Machine 2 Body, 1+>
* This slot machine has a pretty old-fashioned design.
* It looks well-maintained and probably still works...
<Examine Slot Machine 2 Body for first time with coin bag, 1>
Snake: A slot machine, I see.
Snake: There seems to be a coin slot on the upper left corner.
Snake: Perhaps we should put the coins we have recently acquired in there?
<Examine Slot Machine 2 Body with coin bag, 2+>
* The main body of the slot machine. There's the coin slot on the upper left.
<Examine Slot Machine 2 Body after getting 777, 1+>
* This is a slot machine.
* I wonder what the deal is with the drawer on the bottom of the machine...

<Examine Slot Machine 2 Slots, 1+>
* So I've got the symbols for heart, spade, and diamond here.
<Examine Slot Machine 2 Slots with coin bag, 1>
Junpei: Heart, spade, and diamond...
Snake: Hm? What do you mean?
Junpei: The symbols on the reels.
Junpei: They're the same as the playing card symbols that I saw over the
fireplace.
Junpei: But this is different...
Snake: Junpei, are the reels the only place where you see the symbols?
Junpei: ...Huh?
Snake: Don't you think the symbols might be found in other places as well,
apart from the reels?
Junpei: ?
<Examine Slot Machine 2 Slots with coin bag, 2+>
* So I've got the symbols for heart, spade, and diamond here.
* Snake said the symbols might be somewhere other than on the reels.
<Examine Slot Machine 2 Slots after getting 777, 1>
* The reels shows 777. {Author's Note: It...should be "the reels show", right?}

<Examine Slot Machine 2 Coin Slot, 1+>
* This is the coin slot.
<Examine Slot Machine 2 Coin Slot with coin bag in inventory, 1+>
* This is the coin slot.
* That's right... That blue bag we just found is full of coins...
<Examine Slot Machine 2 Coin Slot with coin bag equipped after trying slots 1
and 3, 1+>
Junpei: All right, let's drop this coin in the coin slot.
* Come on you little bastards, I only need one of you...
<Examine Slot Machine 2 Coin Slot after failing, 1-4>
Junpei: Damnit! Time to try again...
<Examine Slot Machine 2 Coin Slot after getting 777, 1+>
* The coin slot. I don't need to put coins in it any more.

<Solve Slot Machine 2 by getting 777, 1>
* 7...7...7! Yes! 777! 
* Aaaand I think I hear something unlocking in there!
Snake: Impressive, Junpei. It would appear to be unlocked now.
Snake: There is something akin to a drawer in the bottom part of this machine,
yes?
Snake: That is a pick-up drawer for dividend. Probably the lock for the drawer
got unlocked.
Snake: Please open it, if you would.

<Go "Back" from Slot Machine 2 without getting 777, 1>
Junpei: Hmm, this's a tough one...
Snake: And what is so "tough", if I might ask?
Junpei: Hitting these reels just right... The timing is...well, it's not easy.
Snake: I don't believe you need to "hit them just right".
Junpei: ...Huh?
<Go "Back" from Slot Machine 2 without getting 777, 3>
Snake: Junpei, are you trying to time your button presses to the reels?
Snake: Are you quite sure you need to focus so much on the movement of the
reels?
Junpei: ?
Snake: Look at the buttons on the machine. You see the symbols?
Snake: You've seen these symbols somewhere before, haven't you?
<Go "Back" from Slot Machine 2 without getting 777, 4+>
Junpei: Shoot... It's no good, I just can't get it right...
* Snake was saying something about "focusing on the buttons of the machine"...

<Examine Slot Machine 2 Drawer, 1>
Junpei: Well, usually the way these things work is that if the reels match, a
whole bunch of coins come out.
Junpei: Exchanging those coins for prizes is the best part, though.
Snake: A prize, eh... I wonder what might happen if we were to match all the
reels.
Snake: I imagine the prize would be the tools that would lead to our escape.
<Examine Slot Machine 2 Drawer, 2+>
* It's the drawer they use to pick up money. It's locked tight. I can't get it
open.
<Examine Slot Machine 2 Drawer after opening, before taking items, 1+>
* There's something inside...
<Examine Slot Machine 2 Drawer after opening, after taking items, 1+>
* There's nothing in the drawer.

<Examine Items in Slot Machine 2 Drawer, 1>
Snake: What is it? Is there something in there?
Junpei: Yeah, a playing card. And this...
Junpei: ...A key with the [Venus symbol] on it!
Snake: Excellent, Junpei!
Snake: Now we will be able to open the gate!
Junpei: Then we just need to figure out how to get out of this room...
Snake: Correct. Come on, Junpei! Hurry up!
* ...And he's off.
* There was a playing card and a Venus key...
* Better put the key in my pocket for later.
* As for the card...

<Examine any part of Slot Machine 2 (besides stand) after taking 2 items in
drawer, 1+>
* There is a slot machine.

<Examine Slot Machine 3 Stand, 1+>
* This is the stand for the slot machine.
* Nothing suspicious here.

<Examine Slot Machine 3 Nameplate, 1+>
* The plate says (3).

<Examine Slot Machine 3 Body, 1+>
* This slot machine looks pretty old-fashioned.
* There's no rust, though, so I guess it probably still works...
<Examine Slot Machine 3 Body with coin bag, 1+>
* The main body of the slot
machine. There's the coin slot on upper left.
<Examine Slot Machine 3 Body
after getting coin stuck, 1+>
* The coins are stuck. Don't think this machine's gonna work any more.
<Examine Slot Machine 3 Body after getting Slot Machine 2 items, 1+>
* The main body of the slot machine. I don't need to use this for, uh,
anything.

<Examine Slot Machine 3 Slots, 1+>
* So I've got the symbols for heart, spade, and diamond here.
<Examine Slot Machine 3 Slots after getting coin stuck, 1+>
* Now that the coin's stuck, the reel won't even move.

<Examine Slot Machine 3 Coin Slot, 1+>
* It's the coin slot.
<Examine Slot Machine 3 Coin Slot with coin bag in inventory, 1>
* It's the coin slot.
* How convenient, seeing as we only just now discovered a blue bag full of
coins.
<Examine Slot Machine 3 Coin Slot with coin bag equipped first, 1>
Junpei: All right, let's put the coins from that bag in here...
Snake: What happened? I heard an odd noise.
Junpei: Uh... Well, to be honest, I don't know...
* I pressed some of the buttons and smacked the machine once or twice, but
nothing happened--
Junpei: Oh. ...Looks like the coins got stuck.
Snake: Oh dear...
<Examine Slot Machine 3 Coin Slot with coin bag equipped after getting slot 1
stuck, 1>
Snake: Junpei, perhaps you should be more careful in the future.
Snake: You got the coin stuck in the machine on the left.
Snake: Please don't make the same mistake again. That would be bad.
Junpei: I know that! It'll be fine!
* Jerk. I'll put this coin in this slot, and that'll show him...
Junpei: Hu-Huh...?  Ah...that's weird...
Snake: Do you intend to lock us in here?
Junpei: I-It's not my fault! The coin just got stuck all on its own!
Snake: Ha... Oh boy...
<Examine Slot Machine 3 Coin Slot after placing coin in, 1+>
* The coins are stuck. Don't think this machine's gonna work any more.

<Examine Slot Machine 3 Drawer, 1+>
* It's the drawer they use to pick up money. It's locked tight. I can't get it
open.

{Screen 4, Facing Baccarat Table}

<Examine Stained Glass, 1>
Seven: Check out that stained glass...
Snake: How beautiful...
Seven: ...What?
Junpei: ...Huh?
Snake: Stained glass is colored pieces of glass, placed together in a frame.
Snake: As I've said many times before... I need only touch it to know.
Snake: I can at least discern the... Basic structure.
<Examine Stained Glass, 2>
* The stained glass is recessed into the wall.
* All I can see in there is lighting fixtures, though.
* Probably means the stained glass doesn't look outside.
<Examine Stained Glass, 3+>
* The stained glass is built into a recess in the wall. It's actually really
beautiful.

<Examine Chandelier, 1+>
* The chandeliers hang, chandelier-like, from the ceiling.

<Examine Distant Chairs, 1+>
* There are 4 chairs surrounding the square table.

<Examine Distant Table, 1>
Seven: That square table... It looks like a mahjong table.
Snake: Do you play mahjong, Seven?
Seven: Uh...maybe? I don't remember exactly, but...
Seven: I do remember a couple hands, and some of the rules, so I figure I
must've played it at some point.
Snake: Excellent. Once we've vacated this vessel, I should like to play a game
with you.
Seven: Can you...uh, play?
Snake: So long as you tell me which tiles I am eliminating, yes, I believe I
have at least enough skill to defeat an amateur.
Snake: However, I must ask you to remove the red tiles when we play.
Seven: ...
<Examine Distant Table, 2+>
* It does look like a mahjong table, but I think this is probably for poker.
* There's nothing on it.

<Examine Close Chairs, 1+>
* There are some chairs. They seem perfectly normal and chairy.

{Screen 5, Poker Table Closeup}

<Examine Chairs, 1+>
* Standard, run-of-the-mill chairs.

<Examine Table before taking card, 1>
Seven: Hey Junpei, isn't that a card sitting on the table there?
Snake: This feeling... It seems to be a playing card.
<Examine Table before taking card, 2+>
* There's a playing card on the table.
<Examine Table before taking card, 1+>
* There's nothing on the table any more.

{Screen 6, Bar Closeup}

<Examine Glasses on shelf, 1>
Seven: That's a lot of expensive glasses.
Seven: Even cheap drinks'd taste great outta glasses like these.
<Examine Glasses on shelf, 2+>
* There are a whole lot of glasses over there.

<Examine Shelf before taking card, 1>
Seven: Hey Junpei, I just found this on the shelf...
Junpei: Hm? A playing card...?
<Examine Card on shelf before taking card, 1>
Junpei: Hm? A playing card...?
<Examine Shelf after taking card, 1+>
* There's a whole lot of glasses on that shelf. Doesn't look like there's
anything else back there, though.

<Examine Counter before taking card, 1>
Snake: Junpei, I found this on the counter.
Snake: It feels like a playing card...
<Examine Card on counter before taking card, 1>
Junpei: There's something on the counter...
Junpei: Looks like a card. ...A playing card...

<Examine Counter after taking card, 1+>
* The counter's pretty well polished.

<Examine Light, 1>
* The chandeliers hang, chandelier-like, from the ceiling.
<Examine Light, 2>
* The chandeliers hang, chandelier-like, from the ceiling.
Junpei: That hat makes you look like you've got candle-ears.
Junpei: No, take that back! You're a chandle-liar!
Snake: Junpei, why do you talk to yourself so frequently?
Junpei: ...
<Examine Light, 3+>
* The chandeliers hang, chandelier-like, from the ceiling.

<Examine Alcohol Bottles, 1>
Seven: Well, will you look at that... Someone left a bottle of booze here.
Seven: Don't mind if I do...
Seven: Glug... Glug... Glug...
Seven: Ahh! Oh, that hits the spot!
Seven: Feel's like my throat's burning! {Author's note: Yes, it feel is like my
throat is burning too.}
* Damn, he really drank it... We don't even know how long it's been there...
<Examine Alcohol Bottles, 2>
* There's a bottle with some booze in it sitting on the counter.
Seven: One more sip...
Junpei: I don't think so. I'm cuttin' you off, pal.
Seven: *Whimper*
<Examine Alcohol Bottles, 3+>
* There's a bottle with some booze in it sitting on the counter.
* Seven looks like he'd very much like to get acquainted with that bottle.

{Screen 7, Baccarat Table Closeup}

<Examine Tabletop, before taking 3 card, 1+>
* There's something on the table.
<Examine Tabletop, after taking 3 card, 1+>
* It's the baccarat table. There is the glass case in the center of it.
<Examine Tabletop, after taking 8 card, 1+>
* We got the (8) card. Don't need to hang around here anymore.
<Examine Tabletop, after using 8 card, with 3 cards in inventory, 1+>
* I've got 3 cards here.
* I won't be needing them for this puzzle.

<Examine Glass Pane, 1>
(To "b12d.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )
<Examine Glass Pane after taking 8 card, 1+>
* There is nothing in the frame anymore.

<Examine Glass Pane Closeup before taking card, 1+>
* I can see the playing card behind the thick glass case.
* It's the (8) of spades.
<Examine Glass Pane Closeup after solving Baccarat puzzle, 1>
Junpei: All right, let's take this card.
<Examine Glass Pane Closeup after taking card, 1+>
* There's nothing in the glass case anymore.

<Examine Three Card Markings Closeup without any cards, 1>
Junpei: Do I put cards here...?
Seven: Seems like it, but...
Seven: Do you...even have any cards?
Junpei: No...not a single one...
Seven: ...
<Examine Three Card Markings Closeup without any cards, 2+>
* I don't have any cards to play. We gotta find some cards first.
<Examine Three Card Markings Closeup, 1>
Junpei: Hey Seven, are we really supposed to play baccarat?
Seven: It's a baccarat table. What the hell else would we do?
Junpei: Hmm...
Seven: Aah, stop worryin' about it. It's real simple.
Seven: What's the opponent's hand?
Junpei: Well, there's an (8) in that glass case...
Seven: All right, then that's your opponent's number.
Seven: If that's the case, what 3 cards do we need to get that number?
Junpei: 3 cards?
Seven: There are a couple of indentations with white lines around 'em, right?
Seven: Those mean we gotta put down 3 cards. So...
Junpei: Place 3 cards here and defeat the opponent's 8.
Junpei: That's what I've gotta do, I guess.
Seven: Yeah, I think so.
* Hmm...
* Something tells me those aren't the only rules.
* All right, let's give it a shot.
* Before I start, I'd better make sure I've got the rules straight.
* There are 3 empty indentations. I just gotta pick a card and play it.
* I figure if I put them in the right spots, something oughta happen.
Junpei: All right, let's give this a try.
<Examine Three Card Markings Closeup without solving puzzle, 1>
* Before I start, I'd better make sure I've got the rules straight.
* There are 3 empty indentations. I just gotta pick a card and play it.
* I figure if I put them in the right spots, something oughta happen.
Junpei: All right, let's give this a try.
<Examine Three Card Markings Closeup without solving puzzle, 2>
Seven: Hey, Junpei...
Seven: You just asked me "are we really supposed to play baccarat", right?
Junpei: Yeah...
Seven: Well, I was thinkin' and... You might be right.
Seven: See, in baccarat, players calculate their score by taking the sum of all
the cards they've got and just play using the single-digit numbers. Just ignore
the stuff in the tens place, is what I'm saying.
Seven: ...But this game seems a little different.
Seven: I'll bet it uses the digital root.
Seven: So you take the sum of your 3 cards, and your play is the digital root
of your cards.
Seven: In other words...
Seven: We'll win if the digital root of the sum of 3 cards is larger than 8.
Junpei: Hmm... All right, let's give that a shot.
* Before I start, I'd better make sure I've got the rules right.
* There are 3 empty indentations. I just gotta pick a card and play it.
* I figure if I put them in the right spots, something oughta happen.
Junpei: All right, let's give this a try.
<Examine Three Card Markings Closeup without solving puzzle, 3+>
* Before I start, I'd better make sure I've got the rules right.
* There are 3 empty indentations. I just gotta pick a card and play it.
* I figure if I put them in the right spots, something oughta happen.
Junpei: All right, let's give this a try.
<Examine Three Card Markings after solving puzzle, 1+>
* The 3 cards I put down are stuck to the table.
* They won't be going anywhere any time soon.

<Solve Baccarat puzzle, 1>
* All right, if I just put down these 3 cards...
* Yes! Open for me!
Seven: Great! You did it, Junpei!
Seven: You think it's telling us to take the (8) card?!
Seven: C'mon, let's grab it!

<Go "Back" from Baccarat without solving puzzle, 4>
Seven: C'mon Junpei, what the hell're you doing? Stop screwin' around.
Seven: You get it? If we wanna win (8), we gotta have (9).
Seven: That means we gotta make (9) with the digital root of 3 cards.
Seven: ...An' there's only two ways we can do that: Either we get (9), or we
get (18) when we add 'em up.
Seven: You see what I'm sayin'? We gotta make (9) or (18) with 3 cards.
Junpei: 9or 18, huh... {Author's note: Seems a space is missing.}
<Go "Back" from Baccarat without solving puzzle, 5+>
Junpei: Hmm, this's a tough one...
* I gotta make either (9) or (18), and I've only got 3 cards...

{Screen 8, Exit Door View}

<Examine Light, 1+>
* The lights shine with a bright yellow glow.

<Examine Door Arch, 1+>
* There's a thick, stone gate here.

<Examine Door before unlocking, 1>
Junpei: Damn it! This isn't exactly working out the way I expected.
Snake: It's locked, isn't it?
Seven: Is there a key hole?
Junpei: If there is, I can't find it.
Snake: Well, there must be some way to unlock it.
Snake: Let's look around a little more, shall we?
<Examine Door before unlocking, 2+>
* The exit is locked.
<Examine Door after unlocking, 1>
Junpei: All right! Let's go!
(To "b12e", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine Card Holder after unlocking door, 1+>
* The lock has been unlocked. I don't need to screw around with it any more.

<Examine Device Ace of Spades Card, 1>
Snake: It seems the card is attached to the panel.
Snake: ...And attached very well, it seems.
Snake: If you don't mind... What sort of card is this?
Junpei: It's a playing card.
Junpei: The ace of spades, in fact.
<Examine Device Ace of Spades Card, 2+>
* The ace of spades is stuck.
* It's on there really good. I don't think I can get it off.

<Examine LOCK Display, 1+>
* It says "LOCK".
<Examine OPEN Display, 1+>
* It says "OPEN".

<Examine Right Cover before solving Card Holder puzzle, 1>
Junpei: It says 9.
Seven: Yeah, it looks like that cover's hiding something.
Junpei: If this is the cover, then maybe it opens up...
Seven: Probably does.
<Examine Right Cover before solving Card Holder puzzle, 2+>
* Looks like this is meant to cover something up. There's a (9) engraved in the
middle of it.
<Examine Right Cover after solving Card Holder puzzle, 1+>
* The cover's still open.

<Examine Card Holder before finding any cards, 1>
Seven: It looks like a card's supposed to fit in here. Yeah, looks like one
card per slot.
Junpei: Cards, huh... Interesting.
<Examine Card Holder before finding any cards, 2+>
* It looks like you can put some sort of cards in here.
<Examine Card Holder before finding 8 of spades, 1>
Seven: Hey, Junpei, you really think you got all the cards we need for this
one?
Seven: Ah, hell, guess there's no harm in trying it anyway.
<Examine Card Holder before finding 8 of spades, 2+>
* The playing cards and the slots are exactly the same size.
<Examine Card Holder with any card equipped, before finding 8 of spades, 1>
* Here's the card slot. Looks like we need to put a playing card in here.
Junpei: All right... Let's give it a shot!
<Examine Card Holder after solving Card Holder puzzle, 1>
Junpei: Can I pull this card out?
Seven: Course not.
Seven: The thing next to it'll close if you do.
<Examine Card Holder after solving Card Holder puzzle, 2+>
* Well, the (8)'s in the slot now. I guess I shouldn't pull it out..
<Examine Card Holder after solving 3-Card puzzle, 1+>
* Well, the (8) is in the slot now.

<Solve Card Holder Puzzle, 1>
Junpei: And in you go--hey! All right, it opened up!
Snake: It seems we have another device to contend with, yes?
Seven: There are 3 slots in this one...

<Go "Back" from Card Holder puzzle without 8 of spades, 1>
Junpei: It's not working...
Snake: ...So it would seem.
Snake: I am shocked and appalled that guessing at random has not yielded better
results.
Junpei: ...Yeah.
<Go "Back" from Card Holder puzzle without 8 of spades, 2>
Junpei: Huh... I don't get it...
Seven: You're just gonna waste your time if you don't sit down an' try to think
it out, Junpei. Let's try an' sort this out, all right?
Seven: There's the ace of spades on the left side of the card slot and a (9) on
the right side.
Seven: That ace is a (1).
Seven: So we gotta make (9) using (1), and the other cards we got.
Junpei: Oh, so that's it...huh.
Junpei: Well, in that case, the card we need is...
<Go "Back" from Card Holder puzzle without 8 of spades, 3+>
Junpei: I can't get it right...
* We've already got (1), I just need to add cards to that to get (9).

<Examine 3-card Slots, 1>
Junpei: Let's see... 3 slots for cards.
Junpei: And there's a (9) right below them.
Seven: So, that probably means we gotta make (9) with the 3 cards we put in the
slots, right?
Seven: Just like what we did over at the baccarat table...
Junpei: All right, let's give it a shot.
<Examine 3-card Slots after solving 3-card puzzle, 1>
* The door is unlocked. Don't need to pull the cards out.

<Go "Back" from 3-card Slot puzzle with only 1-2 cards, 1-2>
Seven: Don't you think maybe we don't have enough cards?
Junpei: Yeah, probably. That means there's gotta be some more lying around
somewhere.
<Go "Back" from 3-card Slot puzzle with only 1-2 cards, 3+>
* I don't have enough cards.
* There's gotta be more cards around here somewhere. Guess we better go look
for 'em.

<Solve 3-card Slot puzzle, 1>
Junpei: All right, so I put all the cards we had left into the slots...
Seven: What happens now?
* Is that...? Yes! I did hear something from the exit!
Snake: Excellent work, Junpei! Wonderful!
Snake: It seems the exit is unlocked!
Snake: Let's go!

<Attempt to go "Back" after unlocking door, 1>
Snake: Junpei, where are you going? Isn't the exit unlocked now?
Seven: The liquor! You're gonna drink that booze on the counter!
Seven: Well, I'm not gonna let you beat me to it!
Seven: Of one, you're way too young to drink liquor--
Junpei: ...I turned 21 a while ago...
Seven: ...
Seven: Gaaaaa! Just leave my medicine alone, all right?
Snake: Junpei, we must leave before Seven goes insane!
Junpei: I think it's a little late for that...
<Attempt to go "Back" after unlocking door, 2>
Seven: Junpei! If you really want this, you're gonna hafta get through ME
first!
Seven: You can't even guess at my true strength! If you don't wanna die here,
turn around!
Snake: Would you, ah, like me to leave you two alone together?
Junpei: ...
<Attempt to go "Back" after unlocking door, 3>
Seven: You should know this, Junpei!
Seven: I got my nickname of Seven after I took 7 guys at once, and sent them
all to the hospital. I'm a legend!
Junpei: Wait... Didn't you have amnesia?
Seven: ...
<Attempt to go "Back" after unlocking door, 4+>
* We oughta get outta here before Seven loses it completely.

{Screen 9, Top of Fireplace Closeup}

<Examine Fireplace top before taking card, 1>
Junpei: There's something on top of the fireplace...
<Examine Card on Fireplace top, 1>
Junpei: Hm? Didn't think I'd find a card here...

<Examine Fireplace top, 2+>
* There is a pair of lights, each with a strange glass object in front of it,
on top of the fireplace.

<Examine White Canvas, 1>
Snake: Junpei, I can feel a frame here... What sort of painting is it?
Junpei: Clouds, maybe...?
Snake: Clouds?
Junpei: Well, maybe it's a rabbit...
Snake: A rabbit?
Junpei: Well, if it's not that, it might be a close-up of some teeth...
Snake: ?
Junpei: Oh, I guess there's actually nothing there.
Junpei: Just a blank piece of a canvas in a frame...
Snake: I see... How strange...
<Examine White Canvas, 2+>
* A large piece of canvas is stretched across this frame.
* There's nothing painted on it.
<Examine White Canvas with only left light on, 1>
Junpei: Circle, Circle, V, V...
Junpei: What the hell does this mean?
<Examine White Canvas with only left light on, 2+>
* There are some weird-looking shadows on the canvas.
<Examine White Canvas with only right light on, 1>
Junpei: A woman...something with a pointy tip...an upside-down butt... Hm...
Snake: Ju-Junpei! What on Earth are you talking about?
Junpei: Oh, uh, well...um...
Junpei: Well, when I turn on these lights, they make these shadows on the
canvas.
Junpei: They look like...well, like what I just said.
Snake: A woman, something with a pointy tip, and...an upside-down butt...?
Junpei: Yeah...
Snake: It sounds like a rather sensual shadow-play.
Junpei: N-Not really...
<Examine White Canvas with only right light on, 2+>
* There are some weird-looking shadows on the canvas.
<Examine White Canvas with both lights on, 1>
* Wait... When those 2 lights turned on, I heard something from the bottom of
the fireplace.
Junpei: What was that? I heard something down there...
<Examine White Canvas with both lights on, 2>
Junpei: Clubs, diamonds, and hearts...?
Snake: Hm...? What's that?
Junpei: Well, when I turned on these lights, I got these shadows on the
canvas...
Snake: And the shadows look like the 3 symbols, right?
Junpei: Yeah.
Snake: Hmm... Clubs, diamonds, hearts...
<Examine White Canvas with both lights on, 3+>
* There are 3 symbols being projected onto the canvas. 
* Starting from the left, we've got clubs, diamonds, and hearts. 
<Examine White Canvas both lights off, after having both lights on at least
once, 1+>
* A sheet of canvas, hung over the fireplace.
<Examine White Canvas, one light on, after having both lights on at least once,
1+>
* The shadows on the canvas look weird and fragmented.

<Examine Left or Right block before turning on light, 1+>
* There's a weird-looking thing floating in there.
<Examine Left or Right block after turning on light, 1+>
* It's lit up by the lights.

<Examine Right Light after turning on, 1>
* It's shedding quite a bit of light.
<Examine Right Light after turning on, 2+>
* The light on the right side is lit.

<Examine Left Light after turning on, 1>
* It's shedding quite a bit of light.
<Examine Left Light after turning on, 2+>
* The light on the left side is lit.

{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search card 2, 1+>
* The 2 of Spades.

<Search card 3, 1+>
* The 3 of Spades.

<Search card 4, 1+>
* The 4 of Spades.

<Search card 5, 1+>
* The 5 of Spades.

<Search card 6, 1+>
* The 6 of Spades.

<Search card 7, 1+>
* The 7 of Spades.

<Search card 8, 1+>
* The 8 of Spades.

<Search coin bag, 1>
* There are a whole bunch of coins stuffed into this velour bag.
Seven: Look at all these coins...
Snake: Perhaps these coins will allow us to convince the machines to move.
<Search coin bag after checking slots, 2+>
* This bag's full of coins. ...And I think I know just the place to use them...

==========================
{b12d.a} File #36
::Casino::
-Upon Examining Glass Pane in Baccarat Table-

Suddenly, Seven began to speak.

Seven: Ahhh, baccarat...
Seven: You ever played, Junpei?

Junpei shook his head. He'd barely even heard of the game.

Seven: All right then, how about I explain the rules to you a bit.
Seven: See, baccarat is kind of an unusual game.
Seven: You've got the Banker and the Player, and the whole point is that you
guess which one's gonna win.
Seven: And whether the Banker or the Player wins all depends on their hands.
Seven: The way each hand works is different from other games, too.
Seven: See, you take the number from the ones place after you add up the value
of all your cards.
Seven: Whoever gets the number closest to (9) wins. If your number is smaller
than your opponent's you lose.
Seven: And that's it. That's the explanation. Got it?
Seven: Well, actually, there's a lot more to it--strategy, details, that sort
of stuff...
Seven: But what I just told you sums the core game up pretty well.
Seven: The single digit of the sum of all the cards you have--
Seven: The strongest hand is a (9)...
Seven: ...And the weakest hand is a (0).
Seven: You just ignore the number in the tens spot.
Seven: Do you get it...?

He hadn't been asked for it, but Seven's explanation--rushed though it had
been--was helpful.
Although he had only half understood most of it, Junpei now felt as though he
had some grasp of how victory was won in baccarat.
However...Junpei had no way of knowing if the puzzle in the baccarat table in
front of them made use of those rules, and if it did, in what way.
No problem, he told himself. He would simply have to try everything he could
think of.
Feeling more confident, if only slightly, Junpei approached the baccarat table.

(Return to investigation)

===========================================
===========================================
{b12e} File #37
:B Deck hallway:
-After completing escape from casino-
===========================================

Junpei and his companions ran out of the casino and into a large, open room...
...A room, in fact, that they had been in once before. There was little to
surprise them there.
They already knew what their next step had to be.
The iron gate still stood in place, locked tight, blocking the stairway.
In the center of the gate, was the keyhole, engraved with the [Venus symbol].
This time, however, Junpei had the [Venus key] in his pocket.
Wasting no time, he pulled it out, and shoved it into the keyhole.
He turned it.
With the distinctive sound of metal on metal, he felt the lock click open.

Junpei: All right, let's get this thing open.
Seven: No problem. Lemme help with this one.

Junpei grabbed the handle on the left side, and Seven took the handle on the
right. On Junpei's signal they both pushed, and the gate creaked open.

Snake: It sounds as though you have opened it.
Snake: We should be able to reach [C Deck] now, I imagine.
Junpei: Snake, are you gonna be all right? I mean, the stairs...
Snake: Please, do not do yourself the embarrassment of underestimating me. I
would be unlikely to trip even if I were running backwards.
Seven: Good to hear. Let's move.

At Seven's words, they leapt onto the stairs, and jogged quickly down them.
In no time at all, they found themselves on C Deck.
Junpei ran down the stairs a little farther, in hopes of checking on the deck
below.
When he reached the water, he called back up to Snake and Seven.

Junpei: Just what I thought. D Deck is completely underwater.
Seven: Just like the bottom of the central staircase.

The surface of the water below them was flat, like a mirror.
That it had not changed too greatly since they'd last seen it was a great
relief.
Junpei quickly retraced his steps, and headed back to C Deck.
In front of the stairs were a pair of elevators.
They appeared to be identical to the ones from the upper floor.
Between them, attached to the wall, was another card reader.
And next to that was another strange symbol...

Junpei: Hey, check it out... It's the symbol for Lotus.
Seven: What?
Junpei: See? It's got the woman symbol, and then it's got devil horns, right?
Seven: Hahahahaha! Yeah, I see it. No two ways about it.
Seven: That was a pretty good one, kid.

Seven tousled Junpei's hair in what he likely thought to be a friendly
manner--Junpei feared his neck might break, even though it was clear Seven had
kept his strength in check.
Thankfully, Snake interrupted. After Junpei's observation, he'd gone over to
examine the card reader.

Snake: This is a [Mercury symbol].
Snake: The marks you mistook for horns are a stylized version of the wings and
staff of Hermes.
Junpei: Wings and a staff, huh... So she beats you with the staff until you die
and go to Heaven?
Junpei: Sounds like Lotus all right.
Seven: Hahahaha! Hahahaha!

Seven shook Junpei's head even more vigorously, and the younger man began to
feel as though his brain was being jostled about inside of his skull.
He began to feel rather...ill.

Snake: Unless we can activate this device, I doubt the elevator will function.
Seven: In other words, we gotta find a key card with a [Mercury symbol] on it. 
Snake: So I would assume.

They decided to leave the elevators alone for the time being, and headed back
to the stairs.
To the left was another hallway.
There were a great many doors lining both sides of the hallway.
They seemed to stretch on forever, and all 3 men suddenly felt very small.

Seven: Ah shit... We're not gonna have enough time to check all of these, are
we?
Junpei: Maybe we can come back here later. Let's check out the other side.

They turned around and went back the way they'd come.
To the right of the stairs, another hallway stretched out, reaching deep into
the bowels of the ship.
After a few moments of moving briskly down the hallway...
They emerged into an area roughly the same size and shape as the one at the top
of the stairs.
On the left side of the room were 4 French doors.

Seven: Well, let's open 'em up.

Junpei nodded, and grabbed the one closest to him.
He gave it a small tug and felt it move. It was unlocked.
Thrilled to have found another unlocked door, he threw it open.
Junpei didn't know what to make of what he saw.
He simply stood, unable to speak.
Seven's eyes opened wide, and his mouth gaped.
After a few long moments, Seven at last managed to speak.

Seven: Hey... What...what is this place...

A massive room stretched out in front of them--more a cavern than a room.
Its vastness was oppressive, and it bore down on Seven and Junpei.
It was not empty, however. The entire room was filled with lines upon lines of
beds.
They were simple things, little more than pipe and thin mattresses.

Junpei: Is this...a hospital?

He had at last been able to put a name to the harsh scent that pervaded the
room...
The room was full of the clean smell of antiseptic solution.
In the center of the room were shelves stacked with medicine, and a number of
medical devices the function of which Junpei did not know.
More importantly, however, on the back wall of the room were 4 doors.
3 of them were emblazoned with large single-digit numbers, made with thick, red
paint.
The door on the left was labeled [3].
The second door from the left had no number, but the third had been given a
[7].
The door on the right bore an [8].
There could be no doubt--they were [numbered doors].
It did strike Junpei as strange, however, that the door between [3] and [7]
should be blank.
What, he wondered, could it mean...

Junpei: Let's take a look at those doors.
Seven: Yeah, good idea.

The 3 of them threaded their way through the beds, toward the back of the room.
Upon reaching them, they proceed to investigate each door in turn, but to no
avail.

Junpei: Yup. Locked, just like I thought...
Snake: Naturally.
Snake: After all, there are rules to the Nonary Game, and to allow these doors
to open easily would violate those rules.
Snake: Unless we can authenticate ourselves with the RED, the numbered doors
will--
Seven: Whoa, whoa, check this out...

Suddenly, Seven spoke up, interrupting Snake.

Seven: Look at the RED...There's nothing on it...
Junpei: Huh?
Seven: Don't you remember the RED back at the main staircase?
Seven: If there wasn't anyone in it, it said [VACANT] on the little screen,
remember?
Junpei: Oh...yeah... Yeah, you're right.
Seven: But this one...
Junpei: There's nothing.
Seven: Right? ...You think it's broken?
Junpei: Only one way to find out.

...
...
...
Junpei and the others put their hands on the panel, but nothing happened. The
RED refused to change. They tried pulling the lever, and still nothing.
As they soon discovered, it wasn't only the RED on door [8] that seemed to be
malfunctioning.
The RED on door [7]... And, the RED on door [3]. None of them worked.
What, they wondered, did it mean?

Seven: They've gotta be broken.
Seven: Man, that bastard... I didn't think Zero was the kinda guy who'd screw
around with something like this.
Junpei: Whoa, whoa...Zero's been prepared for everything so far...
Junpei: And you're saying he's gonna make a mistake now?
Seven: Well, that's the only thing I can think of. This thing ain't workin' at
all.

While Junpei and Seven talked, Snake busied himself with examining the RED.
After a time, he lowered his hands and spoke.

Snake: It seems as if some of the internal hardware has been removed.
Junpei: Internal hardware...?
Snake: That is what I said. Take a look at the underside of this RED, if you
please.

Junpei obliged, and bent over to look at the underside of the device.
A long, thin slit ran along the bottom of it.
As he looked harder, he realized it was more of a slot than a slit, and that it
was clearly meant to accommodate some manner of electrical device.
The other 2 REDs were the same. Something had clearly been removed from all 3
of them.

Junpei: I get it... So the REDs aren't working because somebody pulled out
their guts.
Snake: So I assume.
Junpei: But... Why?
Junpei: And who? I mean, it doesn't really make sense...
Snake: I have no idea. Why on Earth would I know something like that...?

Just then--
They heard the sound of a door opening.
The 3 of them turned, and saw...
Akane! Oh, no, Junpei thought, it's...

Junpei: June!

She stopped short, surprised to see them, and was very nearly bowled over by
the the rest of her companions, who were coming through the door behind her.
Ace, Santa, Clover, and Lotus all poured out of the door, each of them as
surprised as the last to see Junpei, Snake, and Seven.
Junpei and Seven were, for the moment, at a loss for words.

Junpei: What are you guys doing...?
Seven: Why are you...?

...
...
After a moment of silence and surprise, everyone suddenly began to talk,
desperate to exchange information.
They talked about the rooms they'd been through, and how they'd ended up in the
same place.
Of course, none of it was very useful information, but that hardly mattered.
They were happy to simply see one another again.
Although the level of cheer varied greatly from person to person, each one of
them was wearing some manner of smile.
Almost as though they had already forgotten about the death of the 9th Man...
No, thought Junpei, perhaps that wasn't it.
Perhaps thoughts of his death were what drove them to smile at one another.
Not in a morbid or hateful way, no. The 9th Man had died... But they were still
alive, and that was something to be happy about.
A sort of simple, uncomplicated joy, Junpei thought, the joy of being alive.
Still alive...
He felt sorry for the 9th Man, but more than anything Junpei was just happy to
be alive.

June: This is bad, though...
June: If the RED isn't working, we can't keep going...
Junpei: What about that big hallway?
Junpei: Maybe there's somewhere in there we might be able to go.
Ace: No, there's nothing there. The 5 of us had a quick look.
Ace: There were a great many rooms, although none of them appeared to have held
patients for quite some time.
Seven: Patients? You mean all those doors are for hospital rooms?
Ace: Yes. Apparently, they have a number of individual rooms, in addition to
this large central room.
Clover: There was a door down at the end of the hallway too, but it was locked.
Santa: It had one of those solar system mark things on it.
June: It was the [Jupiter symbol].
Snake: Jupiter...
Lotus: I wonder what it means...

Confusion seemed to be the consensus.

Junpei: That reminds me, what's the deal with this big room anyway?
Junpei: What is this thing...? Was this some kind of huge passenger ship?

No one, not even Snake, appeared ready to offer an answer until Seven
unexpectedly spoke up.

Seven: I bet it's a hospital ship.
Seven: In fact, it's probably the [Gigantic].
Junpei: The...Gigantic...?

Junpei looked at Seven, shocked both by his knowledge and the apparent identity
of their prison.
He was not the only one.

Lotus: What's the Gigantic?

Seven nodded to Lotus and began to speak.

Seven: The Gigantic...

He explained that she had been a sister ship to the Titanic, built in the early
20th century.
The Titanic had 2 sister ships, who were identical to one another in nearly
every aspect. The Gigantic was said to be 1 of them.
She was initially intended to be a passenger liner, like the Titanic, but soon
after the ship was launched the First World War began, and she was pressed into
duty by the British navy as a hospital ship.
Some time later, the Gigantic was damaged by a German mine in the Aegean Sea.
She managed to run aground after the incident, and consequently was not sunk.
What, then, happened to the Gigantic after her fateful encounter in the Aegean
Sea?
One theory ran that a man named [Lord Gordain] purchased her.
Lord Gordain, it seemed, had been one of the few survivors of the Titanic
tragedy, and that trauma had turned him into an obsessive collector of all
things related to the Titanic.
As his obsession deepened, he began to desire the Titanic itself.
That, of course, was impossible--the Titanic lay at the bottom of the Atlantic
Ocean.
The Gigantic, however, had not suffered such a dire fate, and as she was
identical to her sister ship, she caught Lord Gordain's eye.

Junpei: So, you're saying this [Lord Gordain] bought this ship...?
Seven: Yeah. At least I think I am.
Santa: That's impossible! No way we're in some boat that's almost 100 years
old!
Lotus: Pipe down. Just pay attention.
Lotus: ...What, that's it? Well, have you got any proof?
Seven: Proof?
Lotus: Proof that this ship is really the Gigantic.
Seven: Well, uh...
Seven: This ship's got stuff that's like the Titanic and a hospital ship. So I
just figured--
Lotus: Oh for goodness... Don't tell me that's your only reason?
Seven: N-No, I've got more...
Lotus: Like...?
Seven: Well, uh, I mean...

Seven looked around desperately, doing anything to avoid meeting Lotus's
piercing stare.
He scratched his head for a moment, then gave up.
Finally, he opened his mouth.

Seven: I dunno...

Lotus sighed and shook her head...

Lotus: I guess your memory isn't back yet, is it?
Seven: No, sorry...

Then, almost as if to save Seven from further embarrassment...
...A bell began to ring from far away.
It sounded as though it was the clock at the main stairway.
Junpei counted each chime, carefully.
10... 11... 12.

June: It's midnight...
Clover: Then we've still got 6 hours left, right?
Seven: Let's just get moving. We gotta find that hardware the REDs are missing.
Lotus: That's all well and good, but where are we going to look?
Seven: Well, we've already searched the big patient room...

They had been examining the room as they talked.

Seven: ...But we haven't found anything.
Lotus: Right.
Seven: Well, there's only one thing left to do.
Lotus: Just one?
Seven: Uh, well, not just one...
Junpei: ?
Lotus: W-Wait a minute! Are you telling me we have to search all of these
rooms?!
Seven: Well, you already checked some of 'em out before you came here, right?
Ace: We each checked a single room, so... 5 rooms in total.
Seven: All right then, that's 5 rooms we don't have to search.
Lotus: ...
Seven: If we split up, it won't be that bad.
Seven: If each of us can do 6 rooms a piece, we'll have the other 48 rooms
cleared in no time.
Lotus: There are 48 other rooms?

Lotus did not seem excited by the prospect.
Seven fidgeted nervously before responding.

Seven: ...Uh...maybe?
Lotus: ...

After some discussion, the 8 of them decided which rooms to begin with, and in
what order they would go. Junpei was chosen to search the rooms on the
starboard side, moving from fore to aft...
They also determined when they would return to report their findings: The next
time the clock sounded the time. When it did, they would meet back in the large
central room full of beds.
If, during their search, any one of them were to locate the missing components,
they were to yell for the others.
If this strategy failed, they'd return to discuss their options later.
The details decided, they left to begin searching. Out into the hallway they
went, each to the rooms they'd been assigned.
However...
...
...

(To "m20a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

===========================================
===========================================
{m20a} File #67
:Outside hospital room:
-After investigating each room for the missing RED device components-
===========================================

From far away, Junpei heard the bell ring.
It did so only once--it was 1 a.m.
He jogged through the entrance of the large hospital room to find 6 of the
others already there.
Ace, Santa, Clover, June, Seven, and Lotus.
They had gathered in front of door number [8].
Or perhaps, to be accurate, they had gathered in front of the RED next to door
number [8].
Had one of them found the missing piece?

Junpei: What happened, guys?!

It was June who answered him.

June: Jumpy, look!

She was pointing at the RED.
He pushed through the others until he stood in front of it.
Immediately, he knew what she had meant.
The display on the front of the RED read "VACANT".
Junpei sighed.

Junpei: C'mon guys, who was it?
Junpei: I thought we're supposed to yell if we found it.
June: Well...

Junpei wondered why she was hesitating.
The others looked as confused as June, but kept their mouths shut.

Junpei: What the hell? What is up with you guys?

They all knew something he didn't and Junpei wasn't about to leave things that
way.
Finally, Lotus frowned and spoke.

Lotus: Well, that's the thing... We don't know.
Junpei: You don't know?
Lotus: When I got back, it was already like this.
Lotus: There was no one else here...
Lotus: That means I was the 1st one back, but...
Lotus: The missing parts were already back in the RED.

Junpei looked at the bottom of the RED again, just to make sure.
The slot that had been open on the bottom was now covered with metal.
Clearly, whatever had been missing had been returned.

Junpei: What about the other 2...?
Lotus: They're the same.

Junpei quickly examined the other 2 boxes.
Satisfied that they were also repaired, but still very confused, he returned to
the others.

Junpei: All right, I just wanna be sure here.
Junpei: Nobody has any idea what the hell happened here, right?

Ace and June nodded silently.
Seven raised his hands as if to say "not me", and Santa just shrugged.
Only Clover lowered her head and did nothing.

Junpei: Huh? ...Wait a minute...

That was when he noticed...

Junpei: Where's Snake?

Junpei swept his eyes across the room a second time, but Snake was nowhere to
be seen.

Junpei: Does that mean that he found them...?
Ace: I've no idea. There's nothing to suggest it, but nothing to suggest he
didn't either.
Lotus: I don't suppose we'll know until we can ask him in person.
Seven: Well, whatever he did or didn't do, he's pretty damn late. What the hell
is he up to?
June: Maybe he's lost...
Santa: Yeah, well, that seems likely. Dude can't see. I don't know how he gets
around in the first place...

Clover raised her head.

Clover: No, that's impossible!

Suddenly, she was shouting.

Clover: Yeah, my brother's blind, but he's got really great hearing! He can get
around as well as anyone who can see!
Clover: So he...he couldn't get lost... That's impossible...

Clover had started to shake, and the knuckles of her hands had gone white.
She spun around, but before she did Junpei noticed tears welling up in her
eyes.

Clover: I'm gonna go look for him!

The words were barely out of her mouth when she began to run.

Junpei: Hey! Hold on, Clover! Wait!

Junpei cried out to her, but he was too slow.
She kept going, and before anyone else could react, she was gone.

Junpei: Damnit... What should we do now?
Lotus: Well, the RED is working now...
June: No, we're not leaving 2 people behind! We should go look for them!
Seven: Aw man, this ain't good...
Santa: Oh, yes, what an excellent idea! We just wasted a bunch of time looking
for some piece of electronic junk, now let's waste some more by looking for a
couple of idiots!
Ace: Then remain here, if you feel you must, but there's no time.
Ace: We've only 5 hours left.

Junpei and the others nodded to one another, and took off at a run.
...
...
In front of the stairs that led to B Deck, they decided to split up.
They quickly assigned search areas, and went their separate ways.
Soon only 2 of them were left.
Those 2 were Junpei and June, who had been a few steps behind the others.

Junpei: All right, we should go too!
June: Yes! Let's go!
June: But...where should we start?
Junpei: Let's see...

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.a0"
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.b0"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.c0"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.d0"

{m20a.a0}
<The casino (B Deck)>

Junpei: How about the casino on B Deck?
June: Okay, sounds good.

They took off up the stairs at a run.

(To "m20a.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.b0}
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)>

Junpei: What about the 1st class cabin on B Deck?
June: All right! Sounds good.

They took off up the stairs at a run.

(To "m20a.b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.c0}
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)>

Junpei: We should go check out that hallway with all the rooms.
June: Okay, let's go, Jumpy!

They turned, and ran down the hallway to their left.

(To "m20a.c", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.d0}
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)>

Junpei: Let's go back to the large hospital room.
June: Huh? Why would we go back?
Junpei: Well, I mean, we might have just missed him, you know? Maybe he really
was just late.
June: Oh... I hadn't thought of that... Okay, let's go.

They turned, and ran down the hallway to their right.

(To "m20a.d", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.a}

Before they knew it, they were there.
So was Lotus.
She was leaning against the wall, examining her nails.

Junpei: Hey, what do you think you're doing?

She glanced up at him, unimpressed.

Lotus: Isn't it obvious? I'm looking for Snake.
Junpei: I'm just not seeing it...
Lotus: Really? Maybe you need to look harder.

Junpei didn't think that was the problem.

Lotus: Oh, by the way... 
Lotus: I've got a proposal for you 2... Care to hear it?

<Listen to what she has to say.> - "m20a.a1"
<Refuse and leave.> - "m20a.a2"

{m20a.a1}
<Listen to what she has to say.>

Junpei: What is it?
Lotus: Well, I don't like to beat around the bush, so I'll get right to it.
Lotus: Why don't we team up?
Junpei: Team up?
Lotus: Yeah. What, you need me to explain it to you?
Lotus: I'm saying, why don't we go through a numbered door?
June: Even if we wanted to, that's impossible.
Lotus: Why?
June: Jumpy's bracelet number is 5, mine is 6, and yours is 8.
June: Our digital root would be (1).

5 + 6 + 8 = 19
? 1 + 9 = 10
? 1 + 0 = 1
June: But there's no number [1] door in the large hospital room.
June: The only doors there are [3], [7], and [8]...
Lotus: Then we add another person.
June: Huh?
Junpei: Who?
Lotus: What, isn't that easy? Seven.

She was right. If they added Seven...
5 + 6 + 8 + 7 = 26 ? 2 + 6 = 8
Then the 4 of them could go through the number [8] door.
But...

Junpei: Whoa, hold on a sec.
Junpei: What about the other 4?
Lotus: Why don't you add them up?

That was simple enough...
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10 ? 1 + 0 = 1

Junpei: The digital root for those 4 would be (1).
Lotus: That's right.
Junpei: And you...know the number [1] door isn't in the big hospital room,
right?
Lotus: Of course I know that.
June: No! Are...are you saying you'd leave them behind?
Lotus: Of course not. What kind of a woman do you think I am?
Lotus: Once we get off the ship, we could come back and rescue them, couldn't
we?
Lotus: Then we wouldn't really be leaving them behind...
June: Don't try to lie to us. I don't think you'd do anything of the sort.
Lotus: Really? Why do you think that?
June: You remember, don't you? We have less than 5 hours left.
June: Even if we managed to escape...
June: There's no way we could come back to rescue them in less than 5 hours!
Lotus: Well, you never know until you try.
Junpei: No, no... You're not thinking this through.
Junpei: Even if we brought Seven with us, we wouldn't be able to get off the
ship.
Junpei: The 4 of us couldn't open door [9].
Zero: It is hidden, but an exit can be found.
Zero: Seek a way out... Seek a door that carries a [9]. 
June: Yeah... Yeah, that's right.
June: The digital root for us 4 will be (8), so we'd have to add Ace to make
(9)...
Lotus: Right.
Junpei: Unless we bring Ace too, we'll be stuck.

Lotus scratched the back of her ear.

Lotus: Oh. Hmmm... Well, that's unfortunate.

She didn't sound particularly bothered by what Junpei said.
...Nor did she seem particularly surprised.
...

June: Well, let's try and find another way, okay? A way to get out of here with
all 8 of us.
Lotus: That's impossible. Are you being serious?
Lotus: You do know that only 5 people, at most, can go through 1 of the
numbered doors, right?
Lotus: The number [9] isn't going to be an exception to that rule. Regardless,
at least 3 people will get left behind.
June: ...
Junpei: You're right... That is true...

The moment he said it, Junpei felt a chill run down his spine.
It was true.
How Lotus could remain cavalier about so terrifying a prospect was beyond him.
When they found the number [9], they would have to choose which 3 of them would
die.
Lotus's forehead furrowed.

Lotus: Do you think I could have a moment alone?
Lotus: There are some things I need to think about.

...
...
Junpei and June turned, and began walking away from Lotus.
Talking to her had left them feeling ill.
Junpei's heart felt heavy, and his steps sluggish.
But, he told himself, pessimism would get them nowhere.
So he forced himself to smile, and turned to June.

Junpei: Let's just focus on finding Snake for now, okay?
June: Yes...you're right.
June: We can think about those other things later...

Junpei nodded.

Junpei: All right, where should we go next?

<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.ab1"; if visited already - "m20a.ab2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.ac1"; if visited already -
"m20a.ac2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.ad1"; if visited already -
"m20a.ad2"

{m20a.ab1}
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)>

Junpei: Let's go take a look at the 1st class cabin. It's really close...

They turned around, and took off down the hallway to their left.

(To "m20a.b", replacing quotations with braces "} )

{m20a.b}
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)>

Outside of the 1st class cabin, they found Clover. She was standing in front of
the wall.
She was staring at a meaningless point on the wall, her eyes blank.

* <<What should Junpei do?>>

<Talk to her.> - "m20a.b1}
<Leave her alone.> - "m20a.b2}

{m20a.b1}
<Talk to her.>

Junpei: Are you all right?

He did his best to sound friendly, but Clover didn't respond.

Junpei: Look, I know you're really worried, but...um...

He could think of no words to say that didn't sound hollow and fake.
Junpei hesitated.
Clover was so consumed by worry and fear that Junpei feared it would crush her.
Her actions didn't surprise him--she had suddenly lost her brother, who she
seemed to have been very close to.

Clover: ...lone...

Her voice was thin, and barely audible.

Clover: ...lone...
Junpei: ...?
Clover: ...lone...
June: ...?
Clover: I said leave me alone!

Suddenly she was screaming.

Clover: You're so annoying! Just go away and leave me alone! Just looking at
you guys is pissing me off!
Clover: Go away, okay?! Just go...somewhere else! Stop bothering me!

Junpei was taken aback.
Such anger and hate...
June's eyes had gone wide with surprise as well.

Clover: Why are you still here!? Didn't you hear me?!
Junpei: ...
June: ...
Clover: Fine! Forget it. If you aren't gonna leave, then I'll just--
Junpei: All right. Let's go, June.
June: Y-Yeah...

They turned, and left Clover.
As they did, Junpei glanced back over his shoulder to see Clover wiping tears
from her face.
Clover had driven home the misery of their situation, but Junpei told himself
that getting depressed would get him nowhere but depressed.
For Clover's sake, they had to find Snake, and fast.
He did his best to push away the misery and depression, and forced a smile.

Junpei: So, where do you think we should go next?

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.ba1"; if visited already - "m20a.ba2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.bc1"; if visited already -
"m20a.bc2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.bd1"; if visited already -
"m20a.bd2"

{m20a.ba2}
<The casino (B Deck)>

Junpei: How about the casino?
June: Let's go take a look.

They turned, and headed off down the hallway to their right at a jog.
...
There was no one there.
They had no choice--Junpei and June turned around, and headed to a different
location.

<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.ab1"; if visited already - "m20a.ab2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.ac1"; if visited already -
"m20a.ac2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.ad1"; if visited already -
"m20a.ad2"

{m20a.ab2}
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)>

Junpei: Let's go take a look at the 1st class cabin. It's really close...

They turned around, and took off down the hallway to their left.
...
No one was there.
Junpei figured they might have more luck somewhere else.
But where?

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.ba1"; if visited already - "m20a.ba2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.bc1"; if visited already -
"m20a.bc2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.bd1"; if visited already -
"m20a.bd2"

{m20a.c}
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)>

Ahead of them, farther down the hallway, they spotted Ace.

Ace: Hey! Snake! Where are you?!
Ace: Answer me if you're there!

Junpei paused.

<<What did he want to do?>>

<Run to Ace.> - "m20a.c1"
<Let Ace handle it.> - "m20a.c2"

{m20a.c1}
<Run to Ace.>

With June in tow, Junpei jogged up to Ace.
Hearing their footsteps, he turned to greet them.

Ace: Ah, hello there.
Ace: Snake is... Well, that's obvious, isn't it?
Ace: I assume you haven't found him yet either?

Junpei nodded.

June: I really wonder where he could have gone.
Ace: Well, wherever he's disappeared to, we must find him as quickly as we can,
for Clover's sake.
June: Right.

June's face looked kinda enraptured.

Junpei: By the way... Do you think Clover and Snake are really siblings?
Ace: Ah... Why would you say that?

"Why would you say that?"
The question seemed somehow...odd to Junpei.

Junpei: Why? Well, it's obvious, isn't it?
Junpei: They don't look alike at all.

Ace looked at him for a moment, and then spoke.

Ace: Yes, you know, now that you mention it, they don't.

"Now that you mention it"...?

Ace: Still, there are a great many siblings who do not look like one another.
Ace: It certainly isn't rare.

Junpei wasn't sure why, or even if he was seeing what he thought he was, but he
could have sworn that Ace's face tightened as he spoke.

Ace: At any rate, we really must find Snake as soon as possible.
Ace: The clock is ticking. We really can't afford to waste any time.
Junpei: ...
Ace: Very well, let's get back to the search, shall we?
Ace: You can leave this area to me.
June: All right.
June: Let's go, Jumpy.

At June's urging, they left.
They found themselves back at the stairs, but Junpei's mind was in turmoil.
There was so much to think about, but... No, it would have to be put aside for
now.
As Ace had said, finding Snake was their top priority.
Junpei did his best to clear his mind.
All right... Where should we go next...

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.ca1"; if visited already - "m20a.ca2"
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.ca1"; if visited already - "m20a.ca2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.cd1"; if visited already -
"m20a.cd2"

{m20a.d}
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> 

On their way to the large hospital room Junpei and June noticed Santa, standing
next to the number [3] door.
Junpei paused.

<<What should Junpei do?>>

<Talk to him.> - "m20a.d1"
<Walk away without saying anything.> - "m20a.d2"

{m20a.d1}
<Talk to him.>

Junpei and June walked up to Santa.

Junpei: What are you doing?
Santa: What, you can't tell? I'm checking out the RED.
June: Why, is there something bothering you?
Santa: What, it's not bothering you?
June: ...Huh?
Santa: This... The guts of this RED.
Santa: Why wouldn't you wonder who the hell put it back in here?
June: Y-Yeah, that's true.
June: Well, I'm curious too, but...
Santa: Who do you think did it?

Santa's eyes narrowed as he looked at June.
She shook her head.

June: I don't know.
Santa: Well, what about you, Junpei? Who do you think fixed this thing for us?

<Snake> - "m20a.d3"
<Lotus> - "m20a.d4"
<Zero> - "m20a.d5"
<Someone other than the 8 of them.> - "m20a.d6"

{m20a.d3}
<Snake>

Junpei: Well, it seems like it would have to be Snake, wouldn't it?
Junpei: Maybe he got back here before any of us.
Junpei: He found the parts somewhere, put 'em back, and then went through one
of the numbered doors...
Santa: No, that's not possible.
Santa: You have to authenticate with at least 3 people, or the RED won't open
the door.
Santa: There's no way a single person could get through there by themselves.
Junpei: Y-Yeah... Uh, I guess you're right...

It was a stupid mistake, and Junpei knew it.
How had he made such a foolish miscalculation? And how had Santa noticed it so
quickly?
Perhaps he just wasn't as clever as he used to be...
Junpei shook his head sadly.

(To "m20a.d9", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.d9}

Junpei: So, in other words...
Junpei: One of us is the person who fixed the RED.

Santa grinned.

Santa: Bingo. We have a winner.
Junpei: But if that's true, then the person who did it doesn't want the rest of
us to know they fixed the RED.
Santa: Yeah. 
Junpei: But...why?
Santa: No idea. Maybe if they come clean on that, it means we'd find out
something else, something bad.
Junpei: Something bad?
Santa: Dunno. But whatever it is, it's gotta be worth hiding.
Junpei: Hm...
Santa: Of course...
Santa: It could have something to do with Snake's disappearance.
Junpei: You think maybe they did something to Snake?
Santa: It's not out of the question.

Junpei stared at Santa.
There was something about him that made Junpei wary...
At first, he'd assumed the other man wasn't terribly clever, but Junpei was
beginning to think he would need to re-evaluate that assessment.
When Santa spoke again, his voice was quiet.

Santa: Look, if you trust anybody in this game, you're gonna lose.
Santa: You've gotta be careful.
Santa: The person you trust the most could turn out to be the one who stabs you
in the back.

With that depressing suggestion, he turned and quietly walked away.
Junpei and June looked at one another and smiled awkwardly.
...
...

<<Where would they go next?>>

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.da1"; if visited already - "m20a.da2"
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.db1"; if visited already - "m20a.db2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.dc1"; if visited already -
"m20a.dc2"
<Finish searching.> - "m20a.e"

{m20a.ac1}
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)>

Junpei: Let's got back downstairs and check out that hallway with all the
doors. {Author's Note: Yes, let's got back.}

They took off at a run, down the stairs.

(To "m20a.c", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.ca2}
<The casino (B Deck)>

Junpei: Let's take a look around the casino.
June: Okay. Let's go.

They turned, and headed toward B Deck.
...
There was no one there.
They had no choice--Junpei and June turned around, and headed to a different
location.

<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.ab1"; if visited already - "m20a.ab2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.ac1"; if visited already -
"m20a.ac2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.ad1"; if visited already -
"m20a.ad2"

{m20a.ac2}
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)>

Junpei: Let's got back downstairs and check out that hallway with all the
doors. {Author's Note: Yes, let's got back.}

They took off at a run, down the stairs.
...
There was no sign of anyone.
Snake, of course, was nowhere to be found.
They would have to look somewhere else.
But where?

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.ca1"; if visited already - "m20a.ca2"
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.cb1"; if visited already - "m20a.cb2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.cd1"; if visited already -
"m20a.cd2"

{m20a.cb2}
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)>

Junpei: Let's go check out the 1st class cabin.
June: Okay. I'm coming with you.

They turned, and headed toward B Deck.
...
No one was there.
Junpei figured they might have more luck somewhere else.
But where?

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.ba1"; if visited already - "m20a.ba2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.bc1"; if visited already -
"m20a.bc2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.bd1"; if visited already -
"m20a.bd2"

{m20a.bc2}
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)>

Junpei: Hey, why don't we go back to C Deck?
Junpei: We can take a look at that hallway with all the rooms.
June: Okay. Let's get going, then.

Together, they ran down the stairs.
...
There was no sign of anyone.
Snake, of course, was nowhere to be found.
They would have to look somewhere else.
But where?

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.ca1"; if visited already - "m20a.ca2"
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.cb1"; if visited already - "m20a.cb2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.cd1"; if visited already -
"m20a.cd2"

{m20a.cd1}
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> 

Junpei: Why don't we go back to the big hospital room?
June: Okay. Let's go then.

They turned, and headed back toward the large hospital room.

(To "m20a.d", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.da2}
<The casino (B Deck)>

Junpei: Let's go take a look around the casino.
June: Okay.

They quickened their pace and headed for B Deck.
...
There was no one there.
They had no choice--Junpei and June turned around, and headed to a different
location.

<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.ab1"; if visited already - "m20a.ab2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.ac1"; if visited already -
"m20a.ac2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.ad1"; if visited already -
"m20a.ad2"

{m20a.ad2}
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> 

Junpei: Hey, why don't we go back to the big hospital room?
June: Sure. Let's go.

They took off at a run, down the stairs.
...
There was no one to be seen.
What next...

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.da1"; if visited already - "m20a.da2"
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.db1"; if visited already - "m20a.db2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.dc1"; if visited already -
"m20a.dc2"
<Finish searching.> - "m20a.e"

{m20a.db2}
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)>

Junpei: Why don't we go check out the 1st class cabin?
June: All right. Let's go.

They quickened their pace and headed for B Deck.
...
There was no one there.
Junpei figured they might have more luck somewhere else.
But where?

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.ba1"; if visited already - "m20a.ba2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.bc1"; if visited already -
"m20a.bc2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.bd1"; if visited already -
"m20a.bd2"

{m20a.bd2}
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> 

Junpei: Let's head back to the large hospital room.
June: All right. That's probably the best idea.

Together, they ran down the stairs.
...
There was no one to be seen.
What next...

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.da1"; if visited already - "m20a.da2"
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.db1"; if visited already - "m20a.db2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.dc1"; if visited already -
"m20a.dc2"
<Finish searching.> - "m20a.e"

{m20a.dc2}
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)>

Junpei: Let's go have a look at the hall with all the rooms.
June: I'll go wherever you do. Let's go.

They quickened their pace and headed for the bow.
...
There was no sign of anyone.
Snake, of course, was nowhere to be found.
They would have to look somewhere else.
But where?

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.ca1"; if visited already - "m20a.ca2"
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.cb1"; if visited already - "m20a.cb2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.cd1"; if visited already -
"m20a.cd2"

{m20a.d2}
<Walk away without saying anything.>

Junpei turned around and walked away from Santa.
There was nothing he'd learn from talking to him anyway.
Junpei took June and left the large hospital room.

<<Where would they go next?>>

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.da1"; if visited already - "m20a.da2"
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.db1"; if visited already - "m20a.db2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.dc1"; if visited already -
"m20a.dc2"
<Finish searching.> - "m20a.e"

{m20a.da1}
<The casino (B Deck)>

Junpei: Let's go take a look around the casino.
June: Okay.

They quickened their pace and headed for B Deck.

(To "m20a.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.a2}
<Refuse and leave.>

Junpei: No, that's all right. Let's go, June.

Junpei tugged June's arm, and lead her quickly back toward the stairs.

June: Was that okay? You don't think we should have listened to her?
Junpei: No, I've got a pretty good idea what her "proposal" would've been.
Junpei: We should be looking for Snake.
June: ...
Junpei: Well, where should we go next...

<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.ab1"; if visited already - "m20a.ab2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.ac1"; if visited already -
"m20a.ac2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.ad1"; if visited already -
"m20a.ad2"

{m20a.db1}
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)>

Junpei: Why don't we go check out the 1st class cabin?
June: All right. Let's go.

They quickened their pace and headed for B Deck.

(To "m20a.b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.b2}
<Leave her alone.>

Something told Junpei that Clover probably wasn't in much of a mood to talk.
He leaned over and whispered quietly to June.

Junpei: Maybe we should leave her alone...
June: Yes... I think you're right...

They turned, and walked quietly down the stairs.
Clover had driven home the misery of their situation, but Junpei told himself
that getting depressed would get him nowhere but depressed.
For Clover's sake, they had to find Snake, and fast.
He did his best to push away the misery and depression, and forced a smile.

Junpei: So, where do you think we should go next?

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.ba1"; if visited already - "m20a.ba2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.bc1"; if visited already -
"m20a.bc2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.bd1"; if visited already -
"m20a.bd2"

{m20a.bc1}
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)>

Junpei: Hey, why don't we go back to C Deck?
Junpei: We can take a look at that hallway with all the rooms.
June: Okay. Let's get going, then.

Together, they ran down the stairs.

(To "m20a.c", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.c2}
<Let Ace handle it.>

Junpei: Why don't we just leave this area to Ace. We can go somewhere else.
June: I don't mind...
June: But...where?
Junpei: Well...let's see...

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.ca1"; if visited already - "m20a.ca2"
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.cb1"; if visited already - "m20a.cb2"
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> - "m20a.cd1"; if visited already -
"m20a.cd2"

{m20a.cd2}
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> 

Junpei: Why don't we go back to the big hospital room?
June: Okay. Let's go then.

They turned, and headed back toward the large hospital room.
...
There was no one to be seen.
What next...

<The casino (B Deck)> - "m20a.da1"; if visited already - "m20a.da2"
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)> - "m20a.db1"; if visited already - "m20a.db2"
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)> - "m20a.dc1"; if visited already -
"m20a.dc2"
<Finish searching.> - "m20a.e"

{m20a.ba1}
<The casino (B Deck)>

Junpei: How about the casino?
June: Let's go take a look.

They turned, and headed off down the hallway to their right at a jog.

(To "m20a.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.ad1}
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> 

Junpei: Hey, why don't we go back to the big hospital room?
June: Sure. Let's go.

They took off at a run, down the stairs.

(To "m20a.d", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.d4}
<Lotus>

Junpei: You think maybe it was Lotus? They say the 1st person at the scene is
the most suspicious...
Santa: Hm... Yeah, that's possible.
Santa: You don't have anything else to suggest she did it, though. You might as
well just suspect everybody.

Junpei furrowed his brow.

(To "m20a.d9", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.dc1}
<The hallway with all the rooms (C Deck)>

Junpei: Let's go have a look at the hall with all the rooms.
June: I'll go wherever you do. Let's go.

They quickened their pace and headed for the bow.

(To "m20a.c", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.cb1}
<The 1st class cabin (B Deck)>

Junpei: Let's go check out the 1st class cabin.
June: Okay. I'm coming with you.

They turned, and headed toward B Deck.

(To "m20a.b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.bd1}
<Back to the large hospital room (C Deck)> 

Junpei: Let's head back to the large hospital room.
June: All right. That's probably the best idea.

Together, they ran down the stairs.

(To "m20a.d", replacing quotations with braces {} )


{m20a.d5}
<Zero>

Junpei: I think it was probably Zero.
Santa: Why?
Junpei: Isn't that obvious? He's the guy who set this whole thing up.
Santa: You don't think that should mean the opposite? Seems to me like that
means he didn't do it.
Santa: I mean, who do you think took that stuff out in the 1st place?
Junpei: Probably Zero.
Santa: Yeah, exactly.
Santa: Then why the hell would he put them back in, after he'd taken them out
himself?
Santa: It just doesn't make sense.
Santa: Why do all that work?
Junpei: ...
Santa: ...
Junpei: Yeah... I guess that makes sense.
Santa: So what happened then? Who put that stuff back in the REDs?

Junpei furrowed his brow.

(To "m20a.d9", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.ca1}
<The casino (B Deck)>

Junpei: Let's take a look around the casino.
June: Okay. Let's go.

They turned, and headed toward B Deck.

(To "m20a.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.d6}
<Someone other than the 8 of them.>

Junpei: Maybe there's someone else on this ship with us.
Santa: You mean someone hiding here?
Junpei: Yeah. Well, I mean, it's just an idea.
Santa: And you're saying this mystery person fixed the REDs?
Junpei: Yeah.
Santa: Why?
Junpei: That's... Um... I don't know.

Santa shoved his hands into his pockets and cracked his knuckles.

Santa: Seems unlikely.
Junpei: Why?
Santa: I dunno, just a feeling. Hard to believe Zero'd bring in a secret 10th
player.
Santa: I mean, the name of the game is "The Nonary Game", for Christ's sake.
Santa: You know what "nonary" means, right? It means "9".
Junpei: No, that's not what I meant.
Junpei: I mean more like someone who's been living here for a long time.
Junpei: Or someone who...like...stayed here...
Santa: Seriously? That's even more ridiculous.
Santa: Why do you think Zero would leave them alone?

Junpei furrowed his brow.

(To "m20a.d9", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20d.e}
<Finish searching.>

They looked everywhere they could think of, but Snake was nowhere to be found.
...
...
Lotus looked around at 6 frustrated faces and spoke.

Lotus: We can't keep looking for Snake. Wherever he is, it's not here. We need
to get moving.

Junpei couldn't disagree with what she was saying.
Snake seemed to have completely disappeared.
There was no point to wasting any more time.
The others seemed to be having similar thoughts, but they stayed silent.
Finally, Seven spoke.

Seven: We don't got a choice... Lotus is right.
Seven: We're not gonna find Snake.
Seven: There's a problem, though.
Seven: We've gotta figure out who's gonna go through which door.
Lotus: Yes. I have a proposal.

She walked back and forth across the floor, her heels clicking against the
wood.
Finally, she stopped.

Lotus: Why don't we decide on 1 person to sacrifice?
Santa: Sacrifice?!
Lotus: Well, perhaps that's a bit of a harsh word, but yes.
Lotus: You've all figured it out by now, haven't you? We can't all make it
through those doors.
Lotus: If we split into 2 teams, of 4 and 3 people respectively, then 3 people
will be left behind.
Lotus: If we split into 2 teams, of 5 and 2 people respectively, then 2 people
will be left behind.
Lotus: But, if we split into 2 groups of 3, and leave 1 person out, then only 1
person will be left behind.
* <<Leaving behind 3 people with 2 teams of 4 and 3...>>

<Not sure.> - "m20a.f1"
<She was right.> - "m20a.f2"

{m20a.f1}
<Not sure.>

Junpei wasn't quite sure that was true.

Junpei: Wait a minute.
Lotus: ?
Junpei: 2 people get left behind if we split into 5 and 2.
Junpei: And 1 person is left behind if we split into 3, 3, and 1.
Junpei: I got that part. You can't go through the numbered doors with any less
than 3 people.
Junpei: But if we split into 4 and 3, then why do 3 people have to be left
behind?
Lotus: Just run the numbers.
Lotus: Let's say we go through door [7] with (1456).
Lotus: Who's left over?
Junpei: That would be (378).
Lotus: What's the digital root for that?
Junpei: (3 + 7 + 8 = 18), so add (1) and (8)...(9).
Lotus: Exactly.  But door [9] isn't here, right?
Lotus: That means (378) won't be going anywhere.
Lotus: That was just an example, of course.
Lotus: There are a lot of different combinations, but the result will always be
the same.
Lotus: It doesn't matter which 4 it is--the 3 that are left over can't go
through any of the doors.
Lotus: Go ahead and calculate it, if you have the time. You'll see.
Junpei: ...
Lotus: Anyway, that's how it is.
Lotus: Now, if we can get back to my proposal...
Lotus: We only have to sacrifice 1 person if we split into 3, 3, and 1.

(To "m20a.f3", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.f2}
<She was right.>

It wasn't pleasant, but she was right.
There wasn't any way that the numbers worked out... If one group was 4, the
other group would always have a digital root that didn't match a door.

(To "m20a.f3", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m20a.f3}

When Seven spoke, his voice was strained.

Seven: Then... You're saying we gotta decide who's gonna stay behind?
Lotus: Yes, we do.
Lotus: Given our circumstances, it's logically and morally the best solution.
Lotus: If the other 6 are to survive, then 1 person has to sacrifice
themselves.
June: No! That's too cruel!
Lotus: What's so cruel about it?!
June: To...to just sacrifice someone like that...
Lotus: Then what's your plan?!
Lotus: Maybe we should sacrifice 2 people, instead of just 1!
June: That's not what I meant!
June: We shouldn't sacrifice anyone!
Lotus: I told you, that's impossible!
Lotus: Wake up!
Santa: Whoa, whoa, calm down you 2.

Santa stepped between Lotus and June.

Santa: Look, what Lotus is trying to say is that you should aim to bring the
greatest amount of happiness to the greatest amount of people, right?
Lotus: Exactly. That's how democracy works.
Lotus: And for that reason, I think the only fair way to decide who'll be
sacrificed is through a vote.
Lotus: What do you think?
June: No, that's terrible.
Lotus: I'm not asking you! Shut up!
Lotus: What about you, Santa?
Santa: Me? Well...I agree, I guess.
Lotus: All right, that's 1 vote for. Counting mine, that's 2.
Lotus: Seven?
Seven: I can't say I agree with you, but...
Seven: We don't exactly have a choice.
Seven: If we don't do somethin', we're all gonna die.
Lotus: Glad to see you get it.
Lotus: If I can get 1 more vote, then it's decided.
Lotus: What about you, Clover?

Clover had moved away from the group, and was sitting on one of the beds.
Her whole body drooped. Junpei didn't know if she'd even heard Lotus's
proposal.
Lotus walked over to Clover, and gently laid a hand on her shoulder.

Lotus: Your brother has to be behind 1 of the numbered doors.
Lotus: We searched everywhere, but we didn't find him. Doesn't that mean he has
to have gone through 1 of them somehow?

Clover slowly lifted her face.

Lotus: Let's go look for him together, okay?
Lotus: If we sacrifice 1 person, then we can go look for him.
Lotus: You...agree with me, right?

Clover nodded once.

Lotus: *Giggle* The motion carries.

Lotus spun around, and walked toward Junpei.

Lotus: Now, let's start a vote to--
Ace: That won't be necessary.

Ace had barely spoken for Lotus's entire speech, and everyone jumped a little.
6 pairs of eyes turned to look at him.
He didn't seem to notice, or even care.

Ace: I will stay. That should solve our problem, yes?
Santa: !
Clover: !
Seven: !
Junpei: !
June: A-Ace! What are you saying?!
June: No, you can't do that! That won't solve anything!

June's voice shook, and she looked around desperately for someone to agree with
her.
Ace simply looked at her.

Ace: June, I'm afraid you may have misunderstood me.
Ace: I said I would stay, but I never said I would sacrifice myself.
June: ...Huh?
Ace: I trust you, each and every one of you. I believe you'll come back for me.
Seven: Whoa whoa whoa, there's optimistic and then there's just nuts.
Seven: Those doors only go 1 way--you go in, you don't come out.
Seven: If we go through 'em--
Ace: You won't be able to return, correct?
Seven: Yeah.
Ace: True, but that will not be the case once you've escaped from the ship.
Seven: What...?
Ace: Please, I beg you, once you've escaped, come back and rescue me.
Ace: Ideally within the time limit Zero has given us...
Junpei: No, that's ridiculous! There's no way we could get back in time!

Finally, Junpei could hold his tongue no longer.

Junpei: We've only got 5 hours left.
Junpei: We don't even know where the hell we are.
Junpei: How on Earth are we gonna find someone to come and rescue you?!
Ace: Then perhaps you would prefer to stay, instead of me?
Ace: Or perhaps you would be willing to leave June behind?

Ace's voice was dignified, and without a hint of cruelty or malice. 
Junpei had no rebuttal.

Ace: You see? There's no other choice.
Ace: Then I see we've come to our conclusion.
Ace: Go on. Don't worry yourselves about me.
Ace: Go, quickly!

Junpei stood frozen by indecision, unable to move.
June bit her lip so hard that Junpei feared she would break the skin.
Santa stood against a wall, calm and aloof.
Seven tore his beanie from his head, and turned it over anxiously in his hands.
Only Clover stared at Ace, with an expression Junpei was unable to decipher.
Lotus's attitude, however, was different from the others.

Lotus: Good. Let's accept his kind offer, then.

She smiled, her eyes bright.
Ace answered with a smile of his own.

Ace: Good. I think this is the best for me.
Ace: Perhaps I'll be able to take a nap.
Ace: Perhaps it's my age, but I get tired so easily these days.

As he spoke, Ace lowered himself down to the floor next to one of the beds.
From somewhere deep in the ship, Junpei suddenly heard the screeching of metal
on metal.
It was almost as if the ship were screaming.
Would it really hold until their time limit was up?
Already, D Deck was flooded...
In the sudden silence, the only sound was the sad metal wail of the ship.
Unsurprisingly, it was Lotus who spoke first.

Lotus: Well, what are you waiting for?
Lotus: We're wasting time. Why don't we hurry it up?

As if a spell had been broken, the others all began to talk at once.

Seven: You're right. We should get goin'. That's all we can do right now.
June: Seven...
Santa: Seriously. Honestly, I was getting kinda sick of listening to you guys
talk.
June: You too, Santa...?
Clover: I...I have to find my brother...
June: W-Wait! All of you! Let's just calm down and think about this!
June: There has to be a way to get everyone out! There has to be!
June: R-Right, Jumpy?! Say something!
Junpei: Y-Yeah, let's think... There's...gotta be another way...

His words sounded hollow and fake...

June: Fine! Forget about it! I'll figure it out on my own!

She spun around, and ran toward Ace.
He had slumped down next to the bed when June grabbed his arm and pulled.

June: C'mon, Ace, please stand up! You can't give up yet!
June: We just have to sit down together and think about this! We'll figure out
a way that we can all get out of here!

Then it happened.
Ace fell forward.
He slumped over onto the wooden floor, his body folded in half like a boxer out
cold.

June: Ace!

June cried out and dropped to her knees beside him.
She put her arm around his neck and did her best to lift him up.

June: What happened, Ace?! Say something!

She shook him, frantically.
His eyes fluttered open.

Ace: I'm all right...

His voice was weak, and slightly slurred.

June: How are you...fine?
Ace: This...

He held out his left arm, and slowly opened his hand...
In it was a syringe, and a small vial.
The vial was empty.
It had only recently been emptied--a few drops clung to the sides.
There was a label taped to the side of the container...
It read [Soporil-Beta].
"Soporil...Beta"...?
Junpei had no idea what it meant, or what kind of medicine it might be.

June: Did...did you use this?!
Ace: Yes... It's just...anesthetic... I'll be...fine...
June: Anesthetic?
Ace: I found it...earlier...
Ace: While we were searching the...hospital rooms...
Ace: I thought it might be useful...later...
Ace: Ha... I didn't think I'd be...using it on...myself...
June: Why did you do this...?
Ace: Didn't I...tell you? I'd like to take a...nap...
Ace: I really am...very tired...

Junpei knew that wasn't why he'd done it.
Ace had injected himself with anesthetic to forestall Junpei and June's
attempts to bring him along.
If he couldn't move, there was nothing they could do.
He'd injected himself so that they would be forced to leave him behind.

June: Ace...
Ace: Hm...? Is there something you want to...say?
Ace: I'd just like to sleep...a little... Could you...keep it down...?
June: No! Don't, Ace! Don't fall asleep!
Ace: Ah...you feel...warm...
Ace: So...comfortable...
Ace: I think I'll have...a nice...dream...

Ace's eyelids drooped further and further...
Almost as though he were...dying...

June: Ace! Ace!

She shook his shoulder, again and again...
But this time, he didn't respond.
Only the gentle rising and falling of his chest told them he was alive.
Junpei was relieved to see he was, in fact, still breathing.
He lifted Ace up off the floor, and laid him on the bed he'd been leaning
against.
When Junpei turned around, Lotus gave him a look of pity.

Lotus: Well, we really don't have a choice now.
Lotus: We can't let his sacrifice go to waste.
Lotus: ...Right?

She wasn't feeling any remorse, Junpei was sure of that.
Still, he held no grounds upon which to oppose her.
It felt wrong, but he had to agree.
Then suddenly, Santa spoke.

Santa: Yeah, but we're not done choosing yet, are we?
Lotus: Huh? What do you mean?
Santa: Well, we haven't decided who's going in what door.
Lotus: Ah, yes. Yes, that's true.
Santa: Well, enough of this screwin' around. Let's decide.
Santa: You 1st Lotus. Which door do you want?
Lotus: I...um...I want door number [8].
Lotus: It's the same number as my bracelet number.
Santa: Got it. You're [8].
Santa: You're next, Seven. Which one do you want?
Seven: I'll take [7]. I can't get along with that old lady.
Lotus: What?! What did you just say!?

Her face distorted by rage, Lotus took a step toward Seven.
He threw up his hands, and made a face like a child caught with his hand in the
cookie jar.

Lotus: Ugh! You're going to get it next time!

She shot him a glare that would have melted steel, then turned and stalked off.

Santa: All right, who's next...

Santa's gaze moved across the 3 people left.
Finally, they stopped on Junpei.

Santa: Junpei, which door do you want?

At last...
Junpei's mind was already made up.

<Door [3]> - "m20a.f4"
<Door [7]> - "a21b.a1"
<Door [8]> - "b21b.a1"

{b21b.a1}
<Door [8]>

{&&&! Note dialogue will vary if you attempt to choose door 3 first; will need
to pick this one up next round}

Junpei: I...
Junpei: I think... I'm gonna go with door [8].
Santa: Okay. [8] it is.
Junpei: Yeah.
Santa: All right then, that means June's gotta go through [7].
June: What?! Why?!
Junpei: What...?

Santa grimaced, and muttered angrily to himself, but finally began to explain.

Santa: If the 6 of us are gonna keep going without leaving anyone behind...
Santa: ...There're only 3 ways we can do it.

 --Plan A--
Go through [7] with (358), and 
go through [8] with (467).
 --Plan B--
Go through [7] with (457), and
go through [8] with (368).
 --Plan C--
Go through [7] with (367), and
go through [8] with (458).

Santa: ...And that's it. Those are our only options.
Santa: In other words, 3 & 4 and 7 & 8 can never go through the same doors.
Santa: You get it now?

As Santa finished, June looked over at Junpei, tears welling up at the corners
of her eyes.

June: Oh no...
June: You're saying we aren't going to see each other again for a long time...

Junpei felt just as June did. He wanted to be at her side through whatever
trials they were preparing to face.
But he knew if they were to survive, he had to swallow his feelings.
In order for the 6 of them to move forward, he and June had to be separated.
He looked at June. He was scared to lose her, but... He swallowed, steeled his
resolve, and did his best to smile.

Junpei: Hey, c'mon, you're making it sound like we're never gonna see each
other again.
Junpei: We gotta split up, but only for a while.

{&&& if you went through door 5 first vs. 4 first, dialogue varies; need to try
Door [4]}

Junpei: This is just like when we went into the [4] and [5] doors, remember?
Junpei: We got split up then too, but we all met back up.
Junpei: I'll bet [7] and [8] are just like that.
June: You mean they're connected somewhere?
Junpei: Yeah... Probably...
June: ...Probably?

She didn't sound very hopeful.
It was Seven that interjected.

Seven: I'm sure they're gonna connect somewhere.
June: Why...? What makes you think so?
Seven: If they don't connect...
Seven: Neither team can get through door [9].
Seven: In other words, the game would end right here.
Seven: Zero's been on top of his shit so far.
Seven: I don't think he'd blow it now.
Seven: I'm damn sure that son of a bitch wants to have his fun as long as
possible.
Seven: He's not gonna end this game until we get through the [9] door.

June said nothing.
The tears were gone, but her eyes were still sad as they looked at Junpei.
He met them, and with what reassurance he could manage, laid his hand gently on
her shoulder.

Junpei: Everything's gonna be fine. We're gonna see each other again. I
promise.

June bit her lip and gave him an almost imperceptable nod.

June: Yes... Promise...?

Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Santa's voice shattered the moment.

Santa: *Yawn* ...You guys are done, right?

He stretched and continued.

Santa: Anyway, that's pretty much it.
Santa: Clover and I will both go into separate groups.
Santa: I figure I'll take [7], and Clover can take [8].
Santa: Any problems with that, Clover?

Clover looked away, and was silent for a moment.

Clover: Whatever...

It was more of a dismissal than an agreement, but Santa didn't seem to care.

Santa: All right, we're ready to go then.
Santa: Let's move!

At Santa's command, the group split, and headed for their respective doors.
Santa, Seven, and June walked toward door [7]...
While Clover, Lotus, and Junpei headed for door [8].
For a long moment, they stood in front of the door. Then, Lotus laid her hand
against her chest, and turned to Junpei and Clover.

Lotus: Are you ready?
Junpei: Yeah...
Clover: Yes...
Lotus: Then shall we go?

The door had opened. A narrow hallway stretched out before them.
Lotus and Clover leapt through the door.
The moment they did, their bracelets beeped.
The detonators in the bracelets had been activated.
Junpei stepped forward to follow them...
But as he was about to step over the threshold, he stopped.
He looked to his left... Toward door [7]...
June stood there, a mirror image of Junpei.
She turned and looked toward him.
Their eyes met. They nodded.
Their farewell took almost 1.5 seconds.
Then someone took hold of Junpei's arms, and hauled him bodily through the
door.
He heard the sound of the numbered door slam shut behind him.
His bracelet gave a cold, electronic beep.

Lotus: 81 seconds left! Hurry!

Lotus snapped at him, and ran to the DEAD.
Junpei and Clover followed her, as fast as they could.

Lotus: Phew... It's stopped.

With a shaking hand, she wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead.
Clover, however, was calm. Aloof, perhaps.

Clover: Pointless...

She muttered to herself, without emotion, and began to walk down the hallway,
leaving behind a confused Junpei and Lotus.
Lotus watched the girl's receeding back with a mix of frustration and
curiosity.

Lotus: What an unpleasant girl.
Lotus: I bet she's not very popular with the boys.

Her sarcasm seemed a little more biting than was, perhaps, necessary, but she
sighed, and started after the younger girl.
After taking a moment to catch his breath, Junpei followed.
The hallway made a number of turns before at last coming to a dead end.
Set into the wall on the left side was a large iron door.
For a few minutes, they stood in front of the door, examining it.
Above the door was a plate with the word "Laboratory" engraved on it.

Junpei: A [laboratory], huh...
Lotus: That doesn't sound very pleasant. I don't like the look of this place.
Junpei: Me either, but there aren't any other doors. It's not like we have a
lot of choices.
Lotus: Junpei.
Junpei: ...Huh?
Lotus: Please, you first.

Junpei suspected her politeness was motivated by something other than respect.

Junpei: Guh...

Junpei muttered to himself and pushed open the iron door.
His first steps inside were tentative, and careful, but as he examined the
room, it became clear that there was no imminent danger.
Lotus followed him in, and Clover brought up the rear.
The room they found themselves in was divided into two separate areas by a
curved wall.
A thick glass window built into that wall made it possible to see into the
other side of the division.
Junpei walked to the window and looked through...

Junpei: What the hell...?

He wasn't sure what else to say.
In the center of a room shaped like a quarter-circle, a mannequin lay on what
looked like a medical exam table.

Lotus: That looks so creepy...

Junpei jumped a little. He hadn't noticed Lotus come up next to him.

Lotus: You...don't think that thing is going to suddenly...sit up or something,
do you?
Junpei: Well, I don't know.
Junpei: I mean, look at all those cables sticking out of it...
Junpei: If we press the wrong button, I dunno--
Lotus: Stop it. Just thinking about it is terrifying.

She was gripping her arms, the knuckles on her hands white.
It was then that Junpei noticed Clover...
She was still standing near the entrance of the room.
Her face had the appearance of calm, but it was drawn, and somehow sad.
There was something almost pitiful about her.
Junpei walked over to her and, as kindly as he could, spoke.

Junpei: Are you okay?

Clover looked away.

Clover: What're you talking about?
Junpei: What... I'm just worried about you.
Junpei: You've been real quiet...
Clover: What, I can't be quiet if I want to?
Junpei: Well, I mean, of course you can, I just--
Clover: Okay then, if I can be quiet if I want, just leave me alone, okay?
Junpei: C'mon, you know I can't do that.
Junpei: We gotta work together...

Clover bit her lip, and was silent for a moment, then suddenly--

Clover: Junpei, you just don't get it!

Her cry took Junpei by surprise, and he stumbled backward a few steps, alarmed.

Clover: My brother's not the kinda person who'd just leave me behind!
Clover: Something happened to him...
Clover: Something...something bad...

Junpei had nothing to say.
Lotus, jolted from her mannequin nightmares by Clover's voice, turned toward
them.

Lotus: What happened...?

Clover's eyes slid to Lotus, then back to Junpei.

Clover: Look, just don't bother me, okay? Leave me alone...

Finished, she turned around.
Before Junpei or Lotus could say anything, Clover had begun to walk quickly
away.

Junpei: Hey! Wait, Clover! Hold on!

He might as well have been talking to a wall, for all the notice she took of
his cries.
Not even slowing down, she made for a doorway cut in the wall in front of her.
Without even slowing down, she passed through the doorway--
And without warning, an iron gate fell from the ceiling like a portculus,
sealing Clover in.

Clover: Wh-What the heck?! What's going on here?!

Clover grabbed hold of the iron bars and shook them as hard as she could.

Junpei: Hang on! I'll get it open.

Junpei grabbed the bars and pulled. In a moment, Lotus joined him.
The 3 of them pulled as hard as they could, but...

Clover: Ahhhhh!
Lotus: Ughhhh!
Junpei: Grrrrr!

...

Junpei: Damnit. It's not moving...
Clover: Wa-Wait! Are you just gonna give up, just like that!?
Junpei: No, I'm not giving up. This's gotta be another one of Zero's puzzles.
Lotus: If it is, then there's got to be a way to open it.

Junpei nodded.

Junpei: Just what I was thinking. Now all we gotta do is find it.
Junpei: Lotus and I can look around out here. Clover, you're gonna have to see
if you can find anything in there.
Clover: Oh! Yes, I'm on it!

(To "b21", replacing quotations with braces {} )

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::Laboratory::
=============================================
{b21} File #60
Plot points within this section:
-The Wireless Monitor; Prosopagnosia: "b21d.a"
-Snake's Accident: "b21d.b"
( To skip to a story segment, search for "b21d.#" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
( Next story segment: "b21e", replacing quotations with braces {} )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \ : Room Connections
v: Returns to the previous room
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

      [6] [7] [8]     [9]
       |   |   |       |
      <1>=[2]=[3]=[4]=[5]->(to 1)

6: Barred Door Closeup
7: Computer Closeup
8: Control Panel Monitor Closeup
9: Lab-View through Window

{Screen 1, Facing Barred Entryway}

<Examine Handrail, 1>
Junpei: A silver handrail.
<Examine Handrail, 2+>
* It looks like a regular handrail.
<Examine Handrail after setting Mannequin on fire 1>
Lotus: What're you doing Junpei!? We need to save Clover!
<Examine Handrail after setting Mannequin on fire 2+>
* Now is not the time for looking at handrails!
<Examine Handrail after saving Clover, 1+>
Clover: Don't do that, Junpei! We've gotta get out of here!

<Examine Window, 1>
* A window made of really thick glass. I don't even think a bullet could break
it.
<Examine Window, 2+>
* A window made of really thick glass. Doesn't matter what I hit it with. It
might as well be made of steel.
<Examine Window after setting Mannequin on fire, 1+>
* It's a mannequin the size of a human being. It's on fire.

<Examine Door through Window, 1>
Junpei: Clover, there's a door in the back, isn't there?!
Clover: Wait right there! I'll take a look!
* ...
Clover: Oh noooo, it's locked... I can't get it to move...
<Examine Door through Window, 2+>
* There's a double door in the back. It seems to be locked and, unsurprisingly,
won't open.
<Examine Door through Window after setting Mannequin on fire, 1>
Junpei: Clover! Isn't that back door open!?
Clover: *Cough* *Cough*
Clover: I'll try!
* Clover stumbled toward the door, coughing violently.
Clover: No, it's not working! It won't move at all!
Clover: Junpei! Help me! Get me out of here!
<Examine Door through Window after setting Mannequin on fire, 2+>
* There's a double door in the back. It seems to be locked and, unsurprisingly,
won't open.

<Examine Barred Door after setting Mannequin on fire, 1>
Junpei: Damn! The gate's still shut!
<Examine Barred Door after setting Mannequin on fire, 2+>
* Clover is in trouble on the other side of the gate. We gotta save her, now!
<Examine Barred Door after saving Clover, 1+>
Clover: What're you doing, Junpei!? It's dangerous over there!

{Screen 2, Facing Lockers}

<Examine Cardboard Boxes, 1>
* It's a cardboard box. There are some papers and stuff in it.
Lotus: What's in the box? It looks like it's quite full.
Junpei: As far as I can tell, it's a bunch of notes about some kind of
experiments... But it's all really technical and...stuff. I don't really get
it.
<Examine Cardboard Boxes, 2+>
* It's a cardboard box filled with papers.

<Examine Bottom Lockers, 1>
Lotus: These lockers are a little larger than the ones on top.
Junpei: Let's see if there's anything useful in here... ...And no. Nothing.
<Examine Bottom Lockers, 2+>
* A couple vertical lockers. There isn't anything useful in them.

<Examine Red Light Lockers, 1>
* A whole bunch of steel lockers.
* The 9 on the right all have little red lights on them.
Junpei: Red lights, huh...
* Well, can't hurt to give these babies a try...
Junpei: Yep, just as I thought. Locked tight, all 9 of 'em.
Lotus: I wonder if there's anything important in there...
<Examine Red Light Lockers, 2+>
* A whole bunch of lockers. 9 of them are locked.
<Examine Green Light Lockers, 1>
Lotus: Look, Junpei! The lights on the lockers are green!
Junpei: Then we must have unlocked it with the computer puzzle!

<Examine Left Open Locker, 1>
Lotus: There's something in here...
<Examine Left Open Locker, 2+>
* There's something in the locker.
<Examine Left Open Locker after taking ethanol, 1>
* There's nothing here anymore. It's empty.

<Examine Right Open Locker, 1+>
Junpei: What's in here... Keys?

<Examine Keys, 1>
Junpei: There's more than one key in here.
Lotus: This one is small, and looks like it goes to some sort of machine.
Lotus: ...And this one has the [Earth symbol] on it.
Junpei: I think the [Earth symbol] matches a keyhole in a door on the A Deck.
Lotus: Well, if that's the case, we probably don't need the [Earth key] right
now.
Junpei: All right then, [Earth key]...
Junpei: I'll just tuck you away deep in my pocket.
Junpei: Now, as for the other key...
(To "b21d.b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine Computer after solving puzzle, 1+>
* Don't need the computer anymore.

<Examine anything after setting Mannequin on fire, 1+>
* Clover's still in trouble. We have to save her, now!
<Examine anything after saving Clover, 1+>
Clover: We don't have time to look at that, Junpei!

{Screen 3, Facing Control Panels}

<Examine Cables, 1>
Junpei: I wonder what this cable is connected to?
Lotus: Okay, one side of this thing is in the room with us.
Lotus: The other side extends into the laboratory where Clover is.
Junpei: In other words, the console in front of us is connected to the device
in the laboratory.
<Examine Cables, 2+>
* There are thick cables covering the walls and ceiling.

<Examine Clock, 1>
Lotus: The hands on the clock have stopped moving.
Junpei: The clock may stop, but time goes on.
Junpei: No time to screw around.
Junpei: We need to figure out a way out of here.
<Examine Clock, 2+>
* It's a clock. The hands have stopped, so we don't know what time it actually
is.

<Examine Top Left Panel with Levers, 1>
Lotus: There are 2 levers here.
Lotus: Do you think they...activate something?
Junpei: Well, why don't you move one?
Lotus: All right, I'll give it a try.
Lotus: Nope. Doesn't look like anything's happened.
<Examine Top Left Panel with Levers, 2+>
* The only thing about the room that's changed is that the lever is down now.
Not very impressive.

<Examine Right Shelf, 1>
Lotus: There's a lot of stuff here.
Junpei: I don't know how we could use any of these...
Lotus: Hmm... Well, I can say for sure that I do know how to use at least one
of these things.
Junpei: Which one?
Lotus: The one on top. I think it's a power cable.
Junpei: The power cable, huh...
* I'll take that!
<Examine Right Shelf, 2+>
* A stand for various pieces of equipment. Some of them might be useful.

<Examine anything after setting Mannequin on fire, 1+>
* Clover's still in trouble. We have to save her, now!
<Examine anything after saving Clover, 1+>
Clover: We don't have time to look at that, Junpei!

{Screen 4, Facing Doors}

<Examine Left Door, 1>
Lotus: It looks like this door is the exit. The door on the right just goes to
the laboratory...
* ...Nope, this door isn't going anywhere.
Junpei: No dice. It won't open.
Junpei: I mean, that's about as much as I expected...
Lotus: I don't think Zero would let us out of the room quite that easily.
<Examine Left Door, 2>
Junpei: All right, let's think about ways we could open this door.
Lotus: Like...what?
<Examine Left Door, 3+>
* Everything suggests this door is the exit. The only problem is figuring out
how it opens...
<Examine Left Door after discovering light is green before saving Clover, 1>
Lotus: Junpei, look!
Lotus: The light! It's green!
Junpei: The emergency system has activated and disabled the lock!
<Examine Left Door after discovering light is green before saving Clover, 2>
Lotus: W-Wait, Junpei!
Lotus: You aren't going to leave Clover behind, are you?
<Examine Left Door after discovering light is green before saving Clover, 3>
* We can't leave Clover behind.
<Examine Left Door after discovering light is green before saving Clover, 4>
* We can't leave Clover behind...
<Examine Left Door after discovering light is green before saving Clover, 5>
* I could leave her... Just book it with Lotus. At least we could save
ourselves--
* No...no! What the hell are you thinking, Junpei?! What is wrong with you!?
* Then again, she is--
* No! No no no no NO! I can't do that!
* I might survive, but I couldn't live with myself...
<Examine Left Door after discovering light is green before saving Clover, 6+>
* Clover is in big trouble over in the laboratory. We gotta save her!
<Examine Left Door after saving Clover>
(To "b21e", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine Right Door, 1>
Junpei: Hey, Clover! There's a door over here too!
Clover: Wait! I'll be right there!
* I can hear her over there...
* Is this door gonna...
Junpei: Damnit! I can't open it!
Junpei: Clover! What about your side?
Clover: It won't work! I can't even move the knob!
<Examine Right Door, 2>
* The door to the laboratory is locked up tight. It's not going to open.
* Clover can't open the door from her side either.
<Examine Right Door, 3+>
* The door to the laboratory is locked up tight. It's not going to open.
<Examine Right Door after discovering light is green before saving Clover, 1>
Lotus: Junpei! Look at the light!
Junpei: Yes, it's green!
Junpei: The emergency system has activated and disabled the lock!
Junpei: Now, we can save Clover!
Clover: Junpei!
* C'mon kid... Jump! She's safe!
* Oh man, that smoke is some serious business.
* Time to close this door again, I think.
Junpei: Clover! Are you okay? Are you hurt?!
Clover: *Cough* *Cough*
* Damn, she's coughing so hard she can't even talk...
Clover: Ah-Ah-Ah-*Cough*...
Clover: Of course I'm not all right! What the hell took you so long, you big
jerk!
Clover: I was almost dead!
Junpei: ...
Junpei: S-Sorry... I was going as fast as I could...
Lotus: You 2 can do this later. Right now, we need to get the hell out of here.
Lotus: That fire's not going to stay in that room forever!
<Examine Right Door after saving Clover, 1>
Clover: What are you doing Junpei!? Not that way!
<Examine Right Door after saving Clover, 2>
Clover: Are you an idiot?!
Clover: That's the laboratory! Y'know, the room full of FIRE!? You wanna burn
to death?!
<Examine Right Door after saving Clover and naming Science Boy, 3>
Clover: Heeeeeeeey! Knock that off!
Junpei: Yeah, yeah, I know...
Junpei: I just feel kinda bad for leaving Science Boy in there to die...
Clover: Whaaaaaaaa?! The MANNEQUIN!?
<Examine Right Door after saving Clover and naming Science Boy 4>
* Clover's eyes are kinda freaking me out right now. Maybe I should just give
up on the mannequin...
<Examine Right Door after saving Clover and naming Science Boy 5+>
* So long, mannequin... You may not have been a real man, but I always thought
of you as kin...

<Examine Left Door Control Panel, 1>
Lotus: This looks like the control for some kind of electric lock.
Lotus: The red light is on--
Junpei: Then it's gotta be locked.
Lotus: There's a green light just below it... Although that one isn't lit.
Junpei: I bet it'll turn on if we can unlock it, right?
Lotus: Yes, but...how are we going to unlock it?
Lotus: There's no keyhole, no card reader, and no keyboard for putting in a
password.
Junpei: Hmmm...
Junpei: I have no idea.
<Examine Left Door Control Panel, 2>
* The control device for the electronic door lock. There's no way to input the
password, though.
* If we want to open this door, I bet we need to do...something, somewhere
else.
<Examine Left Door Control Panel, 3+>
* The control device for the electronic door lock. The red light is on.
<Examine Left Door Control Panel after rescuing Clover, 1>
Clover: The green light is lit! It's gotta be unlocked now!
<Examine Left Door Control Panel after rescuing Clover, 2+>
* The control device for the electronic door lock. The green light is on.

<Examine Right Door Control Panel, 1>
* This looks like the control for an electronic door lock.
* There's a red light on the display. That means it's locked.
* If we can get that light to turn green, then maybe we can get Clover back.
<Examine Right Door Control Panel, 2+>
* The control device for the electronic door lock. The red light is on.
<Examine Right Door Control Panel after rescuing Clover, 1+>
* The control device for the electronic door lock. The green light is on.

{Screen 5, Facing Window}

<Examine Handrail, 1>
Junpei: It's a silver handrail.
<Examine Handrail, 2+>
* Seems like a regular, run-of-the-mill handrail.
<Examine Handrail after setting Mannequin on fire, 1>
Lotus: What are you doing, Junpei!?
Lotus: You can't save Clover by pulling on that handrail!
<Examine Handrail after setting Mannequin on fire, 2+>
* Forget about the handrail! We have to save Clover!
<Examine Handrail after saving Clover, 1>
Clover: Hey! Why're you holding onto the handrail like that?
Clover: Are you scared?
<Examine Handrail after saving Clover, 2+>
* There's no point to holding onto the handrail. Nobody's gonne save us.

<Examine Window after setting Mannequin on fire, 1>
* Clover is on the other side of this gate. She's in pretty bad shape.
Lotus: What are you doing, Junpei?! You need to save Clover, now!
<Examine Window after setting Mannequin on fire, 2+>
* Clover is in trouble. I've gotta help her!
<Examine Window after saving Clover, 1>
* There's a mannequin on fire on the other side of the window.
* The skin is already melting and dripping off. I can see some of its metal
bones...
Clover: What're you doing, Junpei! Let's just get out of here!
<Examine Window after saving Clover, 2+>
* There's a mannequin on fire on the other side of the window.

{Screen 6, Barred Door Closeup}

<Examine Barred Door, 1>
Clover: Junpei! Do something! Please!
<Examine Barred Door, 2+>
Clover: Quick! Figure out how I'm gonna get out of here!
<Examine Barred Door after Clover retrieves 2-prong plug, 1>
Clover: Here. The 2-prong plug.
Junpei: Thanks.
<Examine Barred Door after Clover retrieves 2-prong plug, 2>
Clover: Junpei. What do I do next?
Junpei: For now, just have a look around.
Junpei: I'm definitely gonna save you, so you just hang on a little longer.
Clover: Okay. I'm counting on you.
<Examine Barred Door after Clover retrieves 2-prong plug, 3+>
* I have to get Clover out of here, now!
<Examine Barred Door after solving monitor puzzle, 1>
Clover: Junpei... Thank you so much... For everything...
Junpei: Whoa, what's this all about?
Clover: And...and also... I'm sorry I messed up.
Junpei: Hey, we can talk about this when we get you out, okay?
Junpei: Just hang on, Clover! I'm gonna get you out of there right away!
Clover: Yay!
* I think this is the first time I've actually seen a genuine smile out of this
chick.
<Examine Barred Door after solving monitor puzzle, 2+>
* I'm gonna get Clover out of there!
<Examine Barred Door with ethanol equipped, 1>
Junpei: Clover, use this ethanol.
Junpei: You should be able to wipe off that permanent ink with it.
Clover: What am I gonna wipe with...?
Junpei: Oh, well, your clothes, of course.
Clover: ...
Junpei: ...Ha ha ha! Kidding! Just kidding! Please don't look at me like that.
You're scaring me.
<Examine Barred Door after giving ethanol, 1>
Junpei: Anyway, could you wipe off that permanent ink?
Junpei: Look, Clover...
Junpei: Right now, at this moment, you're the only person we can depend on. I'm
trusting you with this.
Clover: *Giggle* You trust me. I feel kinda special.
<Examine Barred Door after giving ethanol, 2+>
* I have to get Clover out of here, now!
<Examine Barred Door after Clover writes down numbers, after solving puzzle, 1>
Clover: Here, Junpei. I wrote down all the numbers from the desk on here.
Junpei: Hm? I've seen something like this before...
Junpei: A grid divided into 9 cells, with 4 numbers...
Junpei: Maybe this is a hint for the computer puzzle?
Clover: Uh... Are you gonna need this?
Junpei: Um... Yeah, maybe. I'll take it, just in case.
<Examine Barred Door after Clover writes down numbers, after solving puzzle,
2+>
* I'm gonna get Clover out of there!

{Screen 7, Computer Closeup}

<Examine Keyboard, 1+>
* The keyboard.

<Examine Mouse, 1+>
* The mouse.
<Examine Mouse when monitor is on, before solving puzzle, 1>
* Touching the mouse doesn't seem to do anything.
* Looks like I'll have to use the touchscreen to solve the puzzle.
* The display itself is the input device, I guess.
<Examine Mouse when monitor is on, before solving puzzle, 2+>
* This is the mouse. ...Doesn't seem to do anything.
<Examine Mouse after solving puzzle, 1+>
* I don't really need to mess with it right now. It wouldn't do anything.

<Examine Monitor 1st time before finding power cable, 1>
Junpei: This is the computer. The power isn't on.
Junpei: Well, there is a power button...
Lotus: This is a waste of time.
Junpei: ...What?
Lotus: I don't see a power cable.
Junpei: Oops yeah, you're right. No power cable.
Junpei: This thing isn't even connected to a main computer, though!
Junpei: It's got a monitor, keyboard, mouse... But that's it.
Junpei: Just sticking the power cable in isn't going to do anything.
Lotus: Oh, I don't know about that.
Junpei: ?
<Examine Monitor 1st time after finding power cable, 1>
Junpei: This is the computer. The power isn't on.
Junpei: Well, there is a power button...
Lotus: This is a waste of time.
Junpei: ...What?
Lotus: I don't see a power cable.
Junpei: Oops yeah, you're right. No power cable.
Junpei: This thing isn't even connected to a main computer, though!
Junpei: It's got a monitor, keyboard, mouse... But that's it.
Junpei: Just sticking the power cable in isn't going to do anything.
Lotus: Oh, I don't know about that.
Junpei: ?
Lotus: Junpei, can we get back to what we were talking about, please?
Lotus: This computer doesn't have a power cable.
Junpei: No, it sure doesn't.
Junpei: And...?
Lotus: Don't say "and...?" It's rude.
Lotus: Have you already forgotten what you just picked up?
Junpei: What I just picked up?
<Examine Monitor while off, 2+>
* This is the computer. It doesn't have any power right now, so it isn't
working.
* The power cable, huh...
<Examine Monitor with power cable equipped, 1>
* This monitor doesn't have a power cable.
* So, one end of this cable needs to be connected to a monitor...
* ...And the other end needs to plug in under the desk.
* All right, let's just slip you in--
Junpei: Huh? Well, shoot. I can't use this.
Lotus: What's wrong?
Junpei: This cable has 3 prongs, but the socket only has 2 holes.
Junpei: It's not gonna fit, is what I'm saying.
Lotus: In other words, we're gonna need a plug to change the power cable to one
with 2 prongs.
Junpei: That's right.
<Examine Monitor with power cable equipped, 2>
* We've got the power cable, but without the 2-prong plug, it can't be
connected.
<Examine Monitor with power cable equipped, 3>
* I need a 2-prong plug. I wonder if there's one around here somewhere...
<Examine Monitor with power cable equipped, 4>
* I need a 2-prong plug. I don't see one in here...
<Examine Monitor with power cable equipped, 5+>
* I need a 2-prong plug. There doesn't seem to be one in this room, so...
<Examine Monitor with 2-prong plug in inventory, 1>
Lotus: Junpei, why did we get the 2-prong plug from Clover?
Junpei: So we could connect it to the plug.
Lotus: Okay, then you do know. Now, hurry up and do it, quickly!
<Examine Monitor with 2-prong plug in inventory, 2>
* There is no power going to the computer.
<Examine Monitor with 2-pronged power cable unequipped, 1>
Lotus: Junpei, you're not too bright, are you?
Junpei: Huh? What are you trying to say?
Lotus: Arg! The cable! The plug!
Lotus: You still don't get it?
Junpei: A-Ah... Of...course I do.
<Examine Monitor with 2-pronged power cable unequipped, 2+>
* The power to the computer is not switched on.
<Examine Monitor with 2-pronged power cable equipped, 1>
* All right, I've got the 2-pronged power cable in my hand.
* I'm pretty sure this will work.
* Under the desk I go...
* ...And let's just plug this thing into the monitor...
Junpei: All right, that ought to do it!
Lotus: All right, let's turn the power on.
Junpei: Uh... I don't think anything's going to happen.
Lotus: Why not?
Junpei: Well, it's not connected to the main computer.
Lotus: You never know until you try.
* Pretty optimistic...
(To "b21d.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine Monitor when on, before solving puzzle, 1>
* Maybe I should run over the instructions one more time...
* I'm dealing with the red and green panels here.
* When I touch one of the panels, some of the others will change color. There's
a pattern to it.
* I need to get all the panels to turn green.
* I have to do it in 4 turns--4 touches. It automatically resets if I go higher
than that.
Junpei: All right, let's give this another shot!
<Examine Monitor when on, after solving puzzle, 1+>
* There are a bunch of green squares on the screen.

<Go back from monitor puzzle without solving, 1-2>
Junpei: So when I press one of the panels, the colors of the ones next to it
switch...
* Oh, looks like there's some text here...
* [All Panels Green = Unlock]
* [Restriction: No more than 4 attempts. Will automatically reset after
failure.]
* In other words, I have to get all the panels green in less than 4 tries.

<Solve Monitor puzzle, 1>
Junpei: All right! I solved it!
Lotus: Did you hear a noise just now?
Junpei: Yeah, I did... It sounded like something unlocking...
Lotus: Where did it come from?

{Screen 8, Control Panel Monitor Closeup}

<Examine Red Framed Keyhole, 1>
Junpei: This is...a keyhole.
Lotus: This looks like a keyhole for the activation key.
<Examine Red Framed Keyhole, 2+>
* A keyhole. I might be able to activate this thing if I put in the right key.
<Examine Red Framed Keyhole with activation key equipped, 1>
Junpei: This key... The shape sure makes it seem like it goes to this machine.
Junpei: All right, I'm turning it on.
Junpei: Okay, the monitor is on now.
Junpei: ...And it's full of letters...
<Examine Red Framed Keyhole after monitor is on, 1+>
* We've already inserted the key and activated this machine.

<Examine Keyboard, 1>
Lotus: This is a really old type of keyboard...
<Examine Keyboard, 2+>
* This keyboard is pretty old-fashioned.
<Examine Keyboard with monitor on, 1>
Junpei: Typing on this keyboard isn't doing squat.
<Examine Keyboard with monitor on, 2+>
* The keyboard! It does nothing!

<Examine Monitor, 1>
Junpei: I think this thing's supposed to power that machine in the other room.
Lotus: Well, it doesn't appear to be doing that. I wonder how we're supposed to
turn it on?
<Examine Monitor, 2+>
* The power distribution board and the control panel. They're not working at
the moment.
<Examine Monitor after turning on, 1>
Lotus: It's showing some kind of...warning...
Lotus: "Power restored to experimental device."
Lotus: "Emergency system will activate in the event of abnormal subject
behavior."
Lotus: ...Okaaaay....
<Examine Monitor after turning on, 2>
* It says "Power restored to experimental device."
<Examine Monitor after setting Mannequin on fire, 1>
Lotus: Hey! The screen is all red.
Lotus: "Malfunction has been detected... Experiment discontinued..."
Lotus: It says "The emergency system has been activated".
<Examine Monitor after setting Mannequin on fire, 2+>
* Apparently the emergency system has been activated. ...Whatever that means.

<Examine anything after saving Clover, 1>
Clover: Junpei! We don't have time for looking at stuff! We gotta get out of
here!
* Clover's right. We need to get out of here, now.
<Examine anything after saving Clover, 2+>
* We have to leave this room as fast as possible!

{Screen 9, Lab-View through Window}

<Examine Stairs, 1>
Clover: Those are the stairs I just came down. The bars and the gate are just
above me...
<Examine Stairs, 2+>
* A short flight of stairs.
<Examine Stairs after setting Mannequin on fire, 1>
Clover: Junpei! It's so hot in here! Help me!
<Examine Stairs after setting Mannequin on fire, 2+>
* I have to save Clover!

<Examine Right Table, 1>
Clover: I dunno what kind of table this is, but part of it's all black.
Clover: There's a pen lying over here... I think someone probably used it to
make the table black.
Junpei: Hmm... Well, if they only used the pen on one part of it, there's
probably something underneath all that pen. Clover, do you think you can erase
it?
Clover: Yeah, sure-- Oh. This is a permanent marker.
Clover: Junpei, do you know how to erase ink from a permanent marker?
Junpei: Erase ink from a permanent marker, huh... Gimme just a minute, Clover.
I'll be right back.
<Examine Right Table, 2+>
* Part of the table's been colored over in black with a permanent marker.
* If I could find something that could get rid of that ink, I could hand it
over to Clover through the bars...
<Examine Right Table after giving Clover ethanol, 1>
Junpei: Clover, can you use the cloth on the table?
Clover: Use...huh?
Junpei: Soak it in ethanol, and then use it to wash off all the stuff from the
permanent marker, okay?
Clover: Right, okay, so I gotta soak the cloth with ethanol.
* Well, she's got the cloth, but she seems to be having a little trouble with
the bottle of ethanol...
* When she's ready, I should ask her to get to work on that stuff on the table.
<Examine Right Table after giving Clover ethanol, 2>
Clover: Soak the cloth in ethanol, and...
Clover: Junpei! It's working! It's wiping the permanent ink off!
Clover: Huh? There's some kinda weird drawing under all the permanent ink...
* What's the deal with that drawing Clover found? Maybe I should ask her to
take another look at the table.
<Examine Right Table after giving Clover ethanol, 3>
Clover: I wonder what this is...?
Clover: There are a bunch of numbers in some kind of grid...
Junpei: I can't see it from here...
Junpei: Clover, you've got a pen and a notebook, right?
Junpei: Could you write those numbers down and then hand them to me through the
bars?
Clover: Okay. Roger.
<Examine Right Table after giving Clover ethanol, 4+>
* The stuff on the table seems like it's some kind of hint.
<Examine Right Table after retrieving numbers from Clover, 1+>
* I've got the scribblings from the table already.
<Examine Right Table after setting Mannequin on fire, 1>
Clover: Junpei! It's so hot in here! Help me!
<Examine Right Table after setting Mannequin on fire, 2+>
* I have to save Clover!

<Examine Right Rack, 1>
Clover: It's a rack. There are a bunch of cables on it.
Clover: Somebody cut the outer stuff off the cables... I can see the wires
inside.
<Examine Right Rack, 2+>
* It's a rack. There are some cables on top with copper wire exposed.
<Examine Right Rack after setting Mannequin on fire, 1>
Clover: Junpei! It's so hot in here! Help me!
<Examine Right Rack after setting Mannequin on fire, 2+>
* I have to save Clover!

<Examine Sink, 1>
Clover: I wonder what they washed here...
Clover: There are these weird-colored stains all over the sink...
<Examine Sink, 2+>
* It's a wash-basin, more commonly known as a sink.
<Examine Sink after setting Mannequin on fire, 1>
Clover: Junpei! It's so hot in here! Help me!
<Examine Sink after setting Mannequin on fire, 2+>
* I have to save Clover!

<Examine Top Left Machine, 1>
Clover: I wonder what this is...?
Clover: This thing here looks like a voltmeter...
Clover: And is this the control for that...? Gosh, there's so many dials...
Junpei: Why don't you try turning one of them?
Clover: Uh... Nope. Nothing. There's no power here, guys.
Clover: I turned the dial a whole bunch, but...
Clover: Even if I turn all the switches on, nothing happens.
<Examine Top Left Machine, 2>
Junpei: Is there anything unusual on that machine?
Clover: Well...hmm... I dunno, you know?
Clover: There are a bunch of cords hanging from the bottom of it.
Clover: Geez, this is a lot of cords. It looks like they all go over here into
the mannequin's head.
* So the device and the mannequin are connected...
* What the hell were they doing in there?
* Oh man... Back when this laboratory was active, that wasn't a mannequin in
there, I bet...
* It was a real live human on that table... I wonder what--
* No. I don't wanna think about that.
<Examine Top Left Machine, 3+>
* According to Clover, it's some kind of device that can regulate voltage.
* There's no power going to it, though.
<Examine Top Left Machine after turning on control panel monitor, 1>
Clover: Junpei! This thing in here is on now!
Junpei: Yeah, that's 'cause we activated the power over on this side.
Junpei: Could you, like, play with it a little?
Clover: Okay. Yeah. I'll turn this dial here...
Clover: *Turn* *Turn* *Turn*
* ...
Clover: Uh, I don't think it's working. Nothing happened.
* Well, maybe she missed something... I should ask her to look around the room
again.
<Examine Top Left Machine after turning on control panel monitor, 2>
Lotus: Maybe if you increase the voltage?
Clover: Roger. Will do.
Clover: Okay, I'm gonna go all the way to max voltage!
Junpei: Ma-Max voltage!? Hey--! Wait, Clover!
* Awww shit...
Clover: Wha...what? Um... I think...uh...
Clover: Omigod!
Clover: Th-The mannequin's...head!
* Oh man, that sounds like a fire alarm--
* Gah! What the hell--?!
* "Fire detected! Fire detected!"
* "The emergency system will be activated."
* "Evacuate the room immediately."
* "Malfunction has been detected... Experiment discontinued..."
<Examine Top Left Machine after turning on control panel monitor, 3>
Clover: He-Hey, Junpei! Do something!
Clover: This is your fault!
* My fault? ...Is it?
<Examine Top Left Machine after turning on control panel monitor, 4>
Clover: Agh! It's hot in here! And smokey and stinky!
Clover: *Cough* *Cough*
Clover: I'm gonna die!
<Examine Top Left Machine after turning on control panel monitor, 5>
Clover: Junpei! This really isn't funny anymore!
Clover: What should I do?! Please! Help me!
<Examine Top Left Machine after turning on control panel monitor, 6+>
Clover: Junpei! Do something!

<Examine Monitor under top left machine, 1>
Junpei: Hey, Clover, how're the power cables over there?
Clover: Huh? Wadda ya mean?
Junpei: Does the plug have 3 prongs or 2?
Clover: Uh... I dunno what you're talking about. Lemme go look.
* Guess she does have to kinda crouch down to get a look under there...
Clover: The cable on the monitor has...uh...
Clover: It's got 2 of those little metal things. What does that mean?
Junpei: That's it!
Junpei: Okay, can you unplug that cable and bring it over here?
Clover: Uh...okay, but...
Junpei: ...But?
Clover: Well, I can unplug it, but it's connected to the main computer... I
can't take it over to you.
Junpei: Damnit, that's no good then.
Clover: Well, how about just the plug?
Junpei: ...What?
Clover: The...plug? Well, maybe more like a...uh...connector?
Clover: It's a sort of thing that makes the plug with the 3 metal thingies into
a plug with 2 metal thingies. ...Still useless?
Junpei: Not useless! Not useless at all!
Junpei: That's just what we were looking for!
Clover: Okay. Can you hold on for a little bit?
* And back down she goes...
Clover: All right. Unplugged. I'll hand it to you over at the bars, okay?
<Examine Monitor under top left machine before retrieving plug, 2+>
* Clover is holding the 2-prong plug.
* We should be able to get it from her over by the bars.
<Examine Monitor under top left machine after retrieving plug, 1+>
* This is the monitor. There are a whole lot of cables under this table.

<Examine Mannequin, 1>
Clover: Is this, like, an examination table...?
Clover: There's a creepy mannequin in here, guys...
<Examine Mannequin, 2>
Clover: There's something sticking out of the mannequin's head, like...wires or
something.
Junpei: What the hell were they doing in there...
* ...Huh? Why's she all quiet now?
Clover: They were doing experiments on humans... Probably...
* Oh man, now she looks sad...
Junpei: ?
<Examine Mannequin, 3>
* There's a mannequin lying on the exam table.
* I can't really see it very well from here, but it looks like there are a
bunch of electrodes sticking out of its head.
<Examine Mannequin, 4>
* There's a mannequin lying on the exam table. It's got a bunch of electrodes
sticking out of its head.
<Examine Mannequin, 5>
* That mannequin looks so...sad... I gotta admit, I'm starting to feel kinda
sorry for it.
<Examine Mannequin, 6>
* Am I getting attached to this thing?
* ...Maybe I should give it a name.
* How about the Science Boy...?
<Examine Mannequin, 7+>
* Science Boy is lying on the table. His poor head is full of electrodes.
<Examine Mannequin on Fire, after naming Science Boy, 1>
* Science Boy's head is on fire.
Junpei: Science Boy! Noooooooooo! Oh, the humanity! 
Lotus: What the hell is "Science Boy"?! Are you...are you talking about the
mannequin?!
Junpei: ...Yes...
Lotus: Forget about the mannequin! You need to help Clover, now!
<Examine Mannequin on Fire, after naming Science Boy, 2+>
* Science Boy's head is on fire.
* I feel bad for him, but he's already done for. I need to save Clover!


{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search 3-pronged power cable, 1>
Lotus: This is definitely a power cable.
Lotus: Do you remember if we ran into anything that didn't have power?
<Search 3-pronged power cable, 2+>
* A power cable. Maybe I can plug it into something...
<Search 3-pronged power cable after failing to plug into computer, 1+>
* A power cable with 3 prongs.

<Search 2-prong plug, 1>
Lotus: This's the 2-prong plug that we can use to convert the power cable from
a 3-pronged cable into a 2-pronged one.
<Search 2-prong plug, 2+>
* This is the adapter that makes the 3-pronged cable into a 2-pronged one.

<Search 2-pronged power cable, 1>
Lotus: It fits perfectly.
Lotus: This should be just what we need.
<Search 2-pronged power cable, 2+>
* This is the power cable with the 2-prong  plug attached to it. This should do
the trick...

<Search activation key, 1>
Junpei: What key is this?
Lotus: From the shape of it, I'd say it's not for a door.
Lotus: Probably...some sort of device...
Lotus: ...Oh!
Junpei: What is it?
Lotus: I wonder... Do you think maybe this is the activation key for that
thing?
Junpei: The activation key...?
Lotus: Yes, it has to be! I feel good about this!
<Search activation key, 2+>
* It looks like it's a key to activate...something.

<Search ethanol, 1>
Lotus: Ethanol... I wonder if this is for antisepsis.
Lotus: Oh, it says anhydrous ethanol.
Junpei: Anhydrous? Is that different from the regular ethanol?
Lotus: Come on, that's common knowledge. Anhydrous ethanol is a powerful
cleaner--it can even erase marks left by a permanent marker.
<Search ethanol, 2>
Lotus: Did you know that ethanol is used in some alcoholic drinks?
Junpei: So does that mean you can use booze to clean up marker graffiti?
Lotus: Well, I don't know about that. I'd rather drink it than use it to clean.
Junpei: Uh...don't drink that...
Lotus: I'm not gonna drink it!
<Search ethanol, 3+>
* A bottle of anhydrous ethanol. Apparently, it can erase the marks of a
permanent marker.

<Combine 3-pronged power cable and 2-prong plug>
* Okay. Put the 2-prong plug onto the head of this power cable...

==========================
{b21d.a} File #40
::Laboratory::
-Upon turning on computer monitor-

Junpei pushed the button on the front of the monitor.
With a soft hum, it turned on...
Streams of letters that made no sense to Junpei began to scroll across the
screen.
He had hoped it would turn on, but he hadn't expected...this...

Junpei: Huh...? It's actually working?
Lotus: So it would seem.
Junpei: Uh... Isn't that kinda...weird?
Lotus: What?
Junpei: Well, it's not connected to the main computer, right?
Junpei: There's just this keyboard and monitor.
Junpei: The only cable connected to this thing is the power cable we just
plugged in.
Junpei: So...why is it working?
Lotus: Maybe it's a wireless display.

Clearly, this was a reasonable explanation to Lotus.

Junpei: A...wireless display?
Lotus: Yes, it connects to your computer wirelessly. Hence the name.
Lotus: Have you been living in a cave, Junpei?

He most certainly had not, but...

Junpei: Is that...normal...?
Lotus: Yes, at least where I worked.
Junpei: ?

As they spoke, the lines of letters suddenly stopped, and disappeared.
The only thing left on the screen was the word "pass", followed by a colon.

Lotus: It looks like we need to enter a password.
Junpei: Again. There must be a hint around here somewhere...
Lotus: Could you go take a look?
Junpei: Yeah. I'm on it.
Junpei: What are you going to do?
Lotus: I'll see if I can do something about this on my own.
Junpei: On your own?
Lotus: Yup, on my own.

Lotus pulled over the nearest chair and dropped herself down onto it, in front
of the keyboard.
For a second she stared at the screen...
She kneaded her hands, knuckles popping, and twisted her back left, then right.

Lotus: All right, let's kick some ass.

Lotus smiled to herself and rubbed her hands together in anticipation.
Then, before Junpei had time to blink, she was typing at an incredible speed,
the click-clack of the keys running together like machine-gun fire.

Junpei: Uh... Wh-What?!

Junpei was, for once, at a loss for words.

Lotus: Didn't expect that, did you?
Junpei: Of course I didn't!
Junpei: What kind of job do you have?! What are you!?
Lotus: I'm unemployed at the moment.
Lotus: I used to work for a cyber-security firm, but I...quit.
Junpei: Why?

Lotus blinked.

Lotus: Huh? Oh...um... It was just...something.

She stopped typing for a moment, and her face fell.
This was not an avenue of questioning to be pursued, Junpei realized, and
quickly shut his mouth.
Lotus's fingers began to move again, and in a few seconds she was back up to
speed.
As she typed, more letters and symbols that meant nothing to Junpei began to
pour across the screen.

Junpei: Uh... What are you doing now?
Lotus: I'm going to try and brute-force it.
Junpei: Brute...what?
Lotus: A brute force attack is... Well, the short version is that I just attack
the thing head-on. The long version...

Without looking up, or slowing down, she began to explain.
A brute force attack is one of the simplest ways to break a cipher, she told
him.
It checks every possible combination until it finds the right one. For a
complex cipher, it can take a very long time.
The thought of doing something like that made Junpei feel tired, but Lotus
explained that she was writing a program that would run just such an attack on
its own.

Lotus: It's not the most elegant solution, certainly...
Lotus: But, given the circumstances, there isn't much else I can do.

Even as she talked, her fingers never slowed or missed a key.
Junpei couldn't help but feel a little awed.

Lotus: Oh, but back to what we were talking about earlier...
Junpei: What were we talking about?
Lotus: The wireless display.
Lotus: It's kind of strange if you think about it, isn't it?
Junpei: ?
Lotus: Hmm... How do I put it...
Lotus: Well, let's say you write a program that calculates an addition problem
for you, all right?
Lotus: So you enter 1 + 1...
Lotus: The screen will show you 2.
Lotus: See? Isn't that strange?
Junpei: U-Uh...no? Not really...
Lotus: Oh come on now. Of course a caveman like you would think it was strange.
You said so just a minute ago.
Junpei: ?
Lotus: You're just not getting it, are you?
Lotus: Who calculated 1 + 1?
Junpei: The...uh, the main computer, right? You said it's connected to the
monitor wirelessly.
Lotus: Yeah, but someone who grew up in a cave wouldn't know that, right?
Lotus: They'd probably think that this thing here, the monitor, is doing the
calculating.
Lotus: And once they've decided that, they'll start examining this monitor.
Lotus: They might poke the screen or something...
Lotus: "Ah, I see, the color changes when I press it here..."
Lotus: Then they might investigate the hardware on the inside...
Lotus: "Ah, I see, so this wire supplies power..."
Lotus: Eventually, they might even cut the wires...
Lotus: "Ah yes, just as I expected. When this wire is cut, no results
appear..."
Lotus: "Therefore, it must be this device which does the calculations!"
Junpei: ...
Lotus: But the truth is that, just like you said, the computer is doing the
calculating.
Lotus: But these cave people wouldn't know that...
Lotus: Because they have no idea that the monitor and the computer are
connected wirelessly.

Lotus continued to type.
Junpei scratched his head.

Junpei: So...uh...what are you trying to say?
Lotus: Nothing. Really. It's just... I thought maybe...
Lotus: What if the relationship between human beings and our brains is like
that?
Junpei: ...Huh?
Lotus: Well, let's say you stick a bunch of electrodes into parts of the brain.
Lotus: A scientist examining the signals they send out might say...
Lotus: "Interesting, so stimulating this part of the the brain causes this
person to see colors..."
Lotus: "That must mean this neuron cluster controls that function."
Lotus: "Okay, let's see what happens when I cut out this part..."
Lotus: "Ah, just what I thought! Cutting off this part causes that function to
cease!"
Lotus: "Therefore, human thought processes must occur in the human brain!"
Lotus: You get it? It's just like this monitor.
Junpei: ...
Lotus: Maybe the brain is just an output device--like this monitor.
Lotus: Maybe our thought processes actually occur somewhere else, in a "main
body"...
Lotus: ...We just don't know it. We never even think about it...
Lotus: Just like those cave people wouldn't know about wireless
communications...
Lotus: ...We can't imagine that there's some unknown medium that transfers
information into our brains, where we experience that information as thoughts.

Junpei didn't say anything.
Not so much because he had no retort. No, her argument just seemed...silly, and
he was a little surprised to be hearing something like it from someone like
her.
The brain is just an output device? Human thought actually occurs somewhere
else...?
Did Lotus really think that, he wondered?
It was a little creepy, Junpei thought. It sounded altogether too much like a
bizarre cultish religion.

Lotus: Maybe that's the cause of Seven's amnesia. 

Oblivious to Junpei's increasing discomfort, Lotus continued.

Lotus: If memory is actually stored somewhere else, in some sort of "main body"
somewhere...
Lotus: Maybe he hasn't "forgotten" anything at all.
Lotus: He's just having a difficult time accessing his memories because the
monitor--his brain--has been damaged.
Junpei: ...
Lotus: I suppose that would explain aphasias and blindsight, too.
Lotus: Perhaps they actually can speak, or see...
Lotus: The monitor just isn't functioning properly.

(If went through Door [5], continue below, else to "b21d.a1" &&&)

Lotus: Hmm... I guess people with prosopagnosia could be suffering from the
same thing...
Junpei: W-Wait a minute...
Junpei: Pro...sop-what?

He knew what aphasia was from watching medical dramas on TV, and blindsight was
easy enough to guess, but he'd never heard the word "prosopagnosia" before...

Lotus: What, you've never heard of prosopagnosia?

Lotus spun around in her chair to look at him.
Junpei just shrugged and shook his head.

Junpei: Nope. What is it?
Lotus: Well, put simply, it means a condition where the mind can't distinguish
between human faces.
Lotus: In other words, my face would look the same as Clover's, or even yours.
Lotus: So they can't remember faces, which is how most people recognize each
other.
Lotus: That means that people with prosopagnosia have trouble recognizing even
people they're close to.
Lotus: Usually, they can make do by associating people with other things--their
voices, their clothes, their hair.
Junpei: Does that mean other people's faces look...like...blanks?
Lotus: No... No, I don't think so.
Lotus: You've seen monkeys, like in a zoo, right?
Lotus: To you and me, all the monkey faces look the same.
Lotus: Even though they've obviously got faces...
Lotus: ...It's almost impossible for a human to distinguish between them.
Lotus: The zoo staff that works with them would learn to identify different
monkeys eventually, but you or I couldn't, unless one had a scar or something
else to set it apart.
Lotus: That's how people would be to someone with prosopagnosia.
Junpei: Prosopagnosia, huh... Didn't even know that kinda thing existed...

Junpei did his best to act as though the entire lecture hadn't gone entirely
over his head.

Junpei: And...uh...what were we talking about?
Lotus: The idea that your brain is just an output device, like a monitor.
Junpei: Are you serious about that stuff?
Lotus: Not really. I was just kidding for about half of it.
Junpei: What about the other half?
Lotus: Well...
Lotus: I guess I was just adulting?
Junpei: ...
Lotus: ...
Junpei: Not funny...
Lotus: *Giggle*

Lotus's smile had something rather masochistic to it.

Lotus: It's nothing more than a story I made up out of boredom. Don't take it
seriously.
Lotus: It was the first thing that came to mind, and I just talked about it to
kill time.
Lotus: But...it looks like I don't need to talk anymore.
Junpei: ...Why?
Lotus: I don't have to kill time any longer.

As she spoke, Lotus raised her right arm high...
And brought it down on the Enter key.
The program took only seconds to analyze the system.
Chunks of text flickered on and off in quick succession, and then a line of
numbers appeared, blinked, and disappeared.
The screen cleared, and all that was left was the word "Accepted".

Lotus: *Giggle* Piece of cake.

Lotus would clearly have patted herself on the back, if it would not have made
her look entirely ridiculous.
After a few seconds, the "Accepted" disappeared, to be replaced with...
...9 squares, arranged in a 3 by 3 square.

Junpei: What the hell is that...
Lotus: No idea. It looks like a puzzle.

Suddenly, Lotus stood up.

Junpei: ...Huh? Aren't you gonna...I dunno...do more computer stuff?
Lotus: I can't do any more. It won't let me do any more programming.
Lotus: See, the keyboard...
Lotus: ...Nothing.
Lotus: So, there's nothing more I can do.
Junpei: Umm...
Lotus: Well, I guess I'll leave this to you then, Junpei.
Junpei: What!?
Lotus: Let me take a break, all right?
Lotus: I did my part.

He wasn't sure what to say to that.
She certainly had done her part. In fact, without Lotus, they probably would
have run completely aground. I shouldn't rely on other people so much, Junpei
thought to himself.
From here on out, he told himself, he would rely on no-one else.
Junpei crossed his arms and stared at the puzzle shown on the screen.

(Return to investigation)

==========================
{b21d.b} File #40
::Laboratory::
-Upon retrieving two keys from locker-

It was just at that moment that he heard a voice behind him.
It was Clover.

Clover: Hey Junpei, do you have a minute?

He put the puzzle aside for the moment, and walked over to Clover.

Junpei: What's up...?
Clover: I, um, I wanted to ask you something...
Junpei: ...?
Clover: Junpei, you went into door [5] with my brother, right?
Clover: Did you hear him say, like...anything weird?

Why is she asking me this, Junpei wondered.
The more he thought about it, however, the more it made sense. Snake had been
gone for a long time.
Clover was quite attached to her brother. Of course she would have been worried
about him.
He thought back to when he'd gone through door [5], hoping he might remember
something, even a small something, that would help her.
However...
...

Junpei: Sorry, Clover... I can't really think of anything...
Junpei: I mean, he did mention that his hearing "exceeds that of a regular
person", or something like that, but...
Junpei: That's about it.
Clover: Okay...

Clover's words were barely audible. She nodded vaguely to Junpei, and turned to
walk away.

Junpei: Uh, hey, wait a minute...
Clover: ...Hm?
Junpei: Look, I don't know if I should...ask you things, but...
Junpei: If you don't mind, I was hoping you could tell me if...uh...
Junpei: Is Snake...um, I mean... Was he born...
Clover: You're talking about his eyes?
Junpei: Yeah...
Clover: No... He wasn't born blind.
Clover: When he was a kid, he got in an accident...
Clover: A really bad car accident.
Clover: He couldn't see after that...
Clover: And...his arm...
Junpei: ...His arm?
Clover: Yeah...
Clover: My brother's left arm is...um, it's not like a normal person's arm...
Clover: ...It's fake. It's not a real arm. 
Clover: The accident hurt him really bad... To save him, they... They had to
cut off his arm...
Junpei: ...
Clover: ...
Junpei: ...
Clover: Is that all you wanted to ask me?

Talking about her brother had clearly taken a great deal out of Clover.
Junpei nodded.

Junpei: Look, I'm...I'm sorry. For making you talk about all that painful
stuff...

Clover only shook her head, and walked off down the stairs.

(Return to investigation)

===========================================
===========================================
{b21e} File #41
:C Deck hallway:
-After completing escape from laboratory-
===========================================

Junpei, Clover, and Lotus leapt out of the laboratory, slamming the door shut
behind them.
All 3 collapsed against the wall, breathing heavily.
Junpei's heart was pounding in his chest, and his whole body felt weak.
He inhaled gulps of clear air, and with each one, he could feel his body begin
to calm down.

Junpei: All right, let's go.

They nodded to each other, and started off down the hallway.
Before long, they found a few new doors, but all of them were locked.
Soon, they had tried all of the doors but one.
The final door sat in a corner of the hallway.
Junpei grabbed the door handle, and was about to pull it open, when--
A voice cried out behind him.
It was neither Clover, nor Lotus, but he recognized it...
There was no doubt, the voice belonged to--

June: Jumpy!

He spun around.
There, at the other end of the hall, Junpei saw human figures running toward
him.
3 of them. June, Santa, and Seven.
They stopped short in front of Junpei and his companions, gasping for air.

Santa: Hey! What're you guys doing here?!
Junpei: What...? But...we didn't...

Before he could finish, Clover spoke.

Clover: Um, guys, could you come over here?

She was standing near the end of a small hallway that branched off to the
right.
The rest of them ran over to her, curious as to what she'd found.
There was something on the wall at the end of the hallway...

Junpei: A map of the ship's interior...

It said [C Deck] in the upper left corner.
Most likely, they assumed, it was a map for the floor they were on.
Door [7] and... Door [8]... The map confirmed what they already knew: Both
doors eventually led to the hallway where they had found themselves.
In fact...

Seven: Yeah, isn't that what I said?
Seven: 'Till we find that [9] door, Zero ain't gonna split us up.
Seven: We might get separated for a little while, but we'll see each other
again.
Seven: Otherwise, we can't open door [9].
Seven: That's how the Nonary Game works.

Junpei looked at the map of the ship's interior again.
As he looked more closely, his surprise and excitement gave way to weariness.
One by one, the others saw what he'd seen.
As one, they all moved back toward the door Junpei had only a moment ago been
ready to open.
He pulled the [map of the ship's interior] off of the wall, put it in his
pocket, and followed the others.
The 6 of them stood in front of the door, arrayed in a semi-circle.
Santa stepped forward.
He took hold of the door and spoke, without looking back at the other 5.

Santa: Ready...? I'm gonna open it.

They nodded their silent assent.
With a deep breath, Santa threw open the door.
They poured through the doorway, and into the room.
Even without looking around, each one of them knew where they were.
They were just where the map had said they would be...
The same room they'd been in not so very long ago...
The tremendous central hospital room, with empty beds from wall to wall.
...
...

(To "m30a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

===========================================
===========================================

{m20a.f4}
<Door [3]>

Junpei: I want to go through door number [3].
Santa: No. You can't.
Junpei: Huh? Why?
Santa: Because it's impossible.
Santa: If we split ourselves into 3 and 3, then we give up on going through
door [3].
Junpei: Why...?
Santa: The bracelet numbers for the 6 of us are (345678).
Santa: There are 2 combinations that can go through door [3] with 3 people:
(345) or (678).
Santa: That's it.
Santa: Of course, 2 teams can't go through the same door.
Junpei: I see... That means 1 team would get left behind.
Santa: That's right.
Junpei: That doesn't happen if we go through door [7] or [8]?
Santa: No, they're fine. We've got 3 options.

Santa began to explain.
 --Plan A-- 
Go through door [7] with (358), and
go through door [8] with (467).
 --Plan B-- 
Go through door [7] with (457), and
go through door [8] with (368).
 --Plan C-- 
Go through door [7] with (367), and
go through door [8] with (458).

Santa: Those are the only 3 options. That's it.
Santa: At least, if we want to get all 6 of us out of here.

That was when Junpei realized...
Plan A divides into 2 teams:
(358) and (467).
Plan B divides into 2 teams:
(457) and (368).
Plan C divides into 2 teams:
(367) and (458).
There was one thing they all had in common...
In every single combination, (5) and (6) were never on the same team.
In other words, if all 6 people were to move forward, [Junpei and June would be
separated].
June and Junpei had been friends when they were kids. He trusted her more than
anyone else on the ship.
If he chose [7] or [8] he'd be taken away from her.
Was that something he was prepared to do...?
...

Santa: Anyway, that's the deal, so think it over.
Santa: You've got 2 choices: [7] or [8].
Santa: You can't choose [3].
Santa: If you choose [3], you're gonna be leaving 3 people behind to die.
Santa: So, what're you gonna do?
Santa: [7] or [8]. Time to choose.

Junpei thought hard.

* <<After thinking it over his conclusion was...>>

<Door [7]> - "a21b.a2"
<Door [8]> - "&&&.a2"
<Take the risk and choose door [3].> - "c21b"

{a21b.a2} File #13
<Door [7]>

Junpei: Okay, okay.  Fine...
Junpei: I'll go with door [7].
Santa: Okay... So, [7].
Junpei: Yeah.
Santa: All right then, that means June's gotta go through [8].
June: ...Huh? Why?

June's face was blank and confused.
Santa muttered to himself and turned to Junpei.

Santa: Junpei, you figured it out, right? Can you explain it to her?

Junpei chose his words carefully.
...
When Junpei finally finished, June looked as though she was about to cry.

(To "a21b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a21b}
<Door [7]>

Junpei: I...
Junpei: I think... I'm gonna go with door [7].
Santa: Okay. [7] it is.
Junpei: Yeah.
Santa: All right then, that means June's gotta go through [8].
June: What?! Why?!
Junpei: What...?

Santa grimaced, and muttered angrily to himself, but finally began to explain.

Santa: If the 6 of us are gonna keep going without leaving anyone behind...
Santa: ...There're only 3 ways we can do it.

 --Plan A--
Go through [7] with (358), and 
go through [8] with (467).
 --Plan B--
Go through [7] with (457), and
go through [8] with (368).
 --Plan C--
Go through [7] with (367), and
go through [8] with (458).

Santa: ...And that's it. Those are our only options.
Santa: In other words, 3 & 4 and 7 & 8 can never go through the same doors.
Santa: You get it now?

As Santa finished, June looked over at Junpei, tears welling up at the corners
of her eyes.

(To "a21b.a", continued below)

{a21b.a}

June: Oh no...
June: You're saying we aren't going to see each other again for a long time...

Junpei felt just as June did. He wanted to be at her side through whatever
trials they were preparing to face.
But he knew if they were to survive, he had to swallow his feelings.
In order for the 6 of them to move forward, he and June had to be separated.
He looked at June. He was scared to lose her, but... He swallowed, steeled his
resolve, and did his best to smile.

Junpei: Hey, c'mon, you're making it sound like we're never gonna see each
other again.
Junpei: We gotta split up, but only for a while.
Junpei: This is just like when we went into the [4] and [5] doors, remember?
Junpei: We got split up then too, but we all met back up.
Junpei: I'll bet [7] and [8] are just like that.
June: You mean they're connected somewhere?
Junpei: Yeah... Probably...
June: ...Probably?

She didn't sound very hopeful.
It was Seven that interjected.

Seven: I'm sure they're gonna connect somewhere.
June: Why...? What makes you think so?
Seven: If they don't connect...
Seven: Neither team can get through door [9].
Seven: In other words, the game would end right here.
Seven: Zero's been on top of his shit so far.
Seven: I don't think he'd blow it now.
Seven: I'm damn sure that son of a bitch wants to have his fun as long as
possible.
Seven: He's not gonna end this game until we get through the [9] door.

June said nothing.
The tears were gone, but her eyes were still sad as they looked at Junpei.
He met them, and with what reassurance he could manage, laid his hand gently on
her shoulder.

Junpei: Everything's gonna be fine. We're gonna see each other again. I
promise.

June bit her lip and gave him an almost imperceptable nod.

June: Yes... Promise...?

Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Santa's voice shattered the moment.

Santa: *Yawn* ...You guys are done, right?

He stretched and continued.

Santa: Anyway, that's pretty much it.
Santa: Clover and I will both go into separate groups.
Santa: I figure I'll take [8], and Clover can take [7].
Santa: Any problems with that, Clover?

Clover looked away, and was silent for a moment.

Clover: Whatever...

It was more of a dismissal than an agreement, but Santa didn't seem to care.

Santa: All right, we're ready to go then.
Santa: Let's move!

At Santa's command, the group split, and headed for their respective doors.
Clover, Seven, and Junpei walked toward door [7]...
Santa, Lotus, and June headed for door [8].
For a long moment, they stood in front of the door.
Seven took a deep breath.

Seven: You guys ready?
Junpei: Yeah...
Clover: Yes...
Seven: Okay. Let's go.

The door had opened. A narrow hallway stretched out before them.
Seven and Clover leapt through the door.
The moment they did, their bracelets beeped.
The detonators in the bracelets had been activated.
Junpei stepped forward to follow them...
But as he was about to step over the threshold, he stopped.
He looked to his right... Toward door [8]...
June stood there, a mirror image of Junpei.
She turned and looked toward him.
Their eyes met. They nodded.
Their farewell took almost 1.5 seconds.
Then someone took hold of Junpei's arms, and hauled him bodily through the
door.
He heard the sound of the numbered door slam shut behind him.
His bracelet gave a cold, electronic beep.

Seven: Only 81 seconds left!
Seven: No time to waste, guys! Let's get movin'!

Seven lead the way down the hallway.
Junpei and Clover followed him, as fast as they could.
After what seemed like far more than 81 seconds, they reached the end of the
hall.
To the left of a wooden door they found the DEAD.
There was no time to rest, or catch their breath.
All 3 slammed their hands, in quick succession, over the scanner panel on the
DEAD.

Seven: *Pant* *Pant* *Pant*...
Clover: *Pant*... *Pant*... *Pant*...
Junpei: *Pant*... *Pant*... *Pant*...

Still trying to catch his breath, Seven leaned heavily against the wall.

Seven: It...stopped...  It stopped...
Seven: Haha...Haha...HAHAHAHHAHAHA...

His smile seemed forced, and a little crooked.

Seven: This is the 2nd time we've gone through one of these numbered doors,
but...
Seven: *Phew* You never really get used to it...

He stood up straight, no longer out of breath, and wiped some of the sweat from
his head and neck.
Clover smirked at him.

Clover: I would'a thought a guy your size would have bigger balls than that.
Seven: What!? What the hell did you just say!? Say it again. I dare you!
Clover: YOU HAVE NO--
Seven: Y-You little--... You wanna die?
Clover: I'd like to see you try!
Seven: You fucking brat... All right, let's go!
Junpei: Hey, hey, calm down guys. This isn't the time for...uh...this.
Junpei: It's not gonna do us any good.
Seven: Hmph.
Clover: Ugh.
Junpei: Gosh...

Junpei sighed...
Sometimes, he wondered if the doors and the puzzles were really the greatest
challenge they faced...

Junpei: Wait here for a minute, all right? I'm gonna go see if there're any
other doors.

They didn't respond, but Junpei wasn't in the mood for a conversation anyway.
First, he examined the inner part of the numbered door. It was, of course, shut
tight.
On the left was a single short hallway that terminated almost immediately at a
thick iron wall. Junpei doubted the wall could be moved.
At last, he gave up, and returned to Seven, who was tapping lightly on the
wooden door.

Seven: This door's the only option we've got, right?
Junpei: Yeah, looks like it.

There was a metal plaque bolted above the door.
It read [Operating Room].
If it was to be believed, the room on the other side of the door was an
[operating room].
Something about it made Junpei feel...nervous...

Seven: Well, there's no point to standin' around.
Seven: Might as well go in and see what's waitin' for us.

Seven grabbed the brass knob, and slowly opened the door.
The creak of the hinge sounded like the groan of an old woman.
A chill snaked its way down Junpei's spine.
Quickly, he gathered what courage he could, and took the first step into the
room.
Seven followed, with Clover right behind him.
Part of the room just past the door was obscured by a screen.
Clover's curiosity got the better of her, and she darted past Junpei to peer
around the screen.

Clover: Eyyyyyyyaaaaagh!

Her scream nearly blew out Junpei's eardrums.
He and Seven ran toward Clover, to see what had frightened her.
They rounded the screen, and the cause of her outburst was immediately clear...

Seven: Wh-What the hell is this?!
Junpei: Is...is this a corpse!?

It was something that looked...kind of like a human, lying across some sort of
bed.
...No, not a bed. An operating table.
The table sat on a rusty steel lift, and a cluster of bright operating lights
shown down on it from the ceiling.
Slowly, they approached.
As they got closer to the body, it became clear that it wasn't a body at all.

Junpei: What the hell... That's just a huge doll or something...
Clover: A...d-doll...?

Clover did not look terribly comforted.
Slowly, she approached the operating table and looked, as intently as possible,
from as far away as possible, at the thing.

Clover: *Phew*

Junpei could see her relax.

Clover: You're right... It's only a doll...
Clover: Man, it really scared me...

She heaved a great sigh of relief, and wiped a few drops of sweat from her
forehead.
Seven smirked.

Seven: Heh... Well, I guess it would'a been weird if you actually had any
balls.
Clover: Shut it! Don't you start with me, fatty!
Seven: Oh, what's this? You want a piece of me, short stuff?
Clover: Yeah, bring it on, you whale!
Junpei: Hey, guys...not again, okay...? Seriously, knock it off.
Seven: Hrm.
Clover: Hmph.

Junpei sighed, and shook his head.

Junpei: Anyway, it looks like he's got something the 2 of you could stand to
have a little more of...
Junpei: ...I'm talking about a heart.
Seven: Huh? Oh, this? You mean on his chest?
Junpei: Yeah.

It was set a little higher than normal for a human body, but from the shape of
the organ, there could be no doubt that it was a heart.

Clover: Why would there be a heart in a doll...?
Junpei: I don't think it's a doll.
Clover: You think maybe it's, like, a medical mannequin or something?
Seven: Or maybe it's got more...personal uses...?

Seven's grin was more than a little perverted.
Clover glared at him.

Junpei: Anyway... How about we take a look around this place? Let's go!
Clover: Okay...
Seven: Sure thing.

(To "a21", replacing quotations with braces {} )

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::Operating room::
=============================================
{a21} File #12
Plot points within this section:
-[All-Ice]: "a21d.a"
-Locke's Socks and the Ship of Theseus: "a21d.b"
( To skip to a story segment, search for "a21.#" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
( Next story segment is "a21.e" )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \ : Room Connections
v: Returns to the previous room
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

                  Beaker
                    [B]  
                   /   \
                  [9]=[A]
                   |
                  [8]   [C]
                   |     |
                  [7]   [6]
                    \   /
         <1>=[2]=[3]=[4]=[5] -> (to 1)
                                      

{Screen 1, Operating Table, John}

<Examine Operating Table, 1>
Clover: An operating table...
Clover: Do you think old operating tables looked like this?
Junpei: I have no idea...
<Examine Operating Table, 2+>
* It's an old operating table. The medical mannequin is lying on it.

<Examine Operating Table Scale, 1>
Clover: Hey... I wonder what this thing is...
Clover: It says kg on the display...
Seven: You think maybe it's a scale?
<Examine Operating Table Scale, 2>
Seven: Huh? There's some sorta lid on this thing...
Clover: Why don't you try opening it?
Seven: Can't. There's no handle.
Seven: I can't get under it with my nails either...
<Examine Operating Table Scale, 3+>
* There's something that looks like it could be a scale next to the operating
table.
* It has something that looks like a lid on the front of it.
<Examine Operating Table Scale after solving puzzle, 1>
Junpei: Huh? The lid on the scale...
Junpei: Hey, it opened!
Junpei: Oh...I get it! It must've opened because we matched John's weight to
what's on the chart!
<Examine Operating Table Scale after opening before taking key, 1+>
* There's something in the part that's sticking out.
<Examine Operating Table Scale after opening after taking key, 1+>
* There's nothing left on the scale.

<Examine Mannequin, 1>
Clover: These dolls are really kinda creepy, you know...
Seven: Hey, it says something here...
Junpei: "John"...?
Clover: You think that's this doll's name?
Junpei: Maybe?
Clover: This thing is creepy...
Seven: I wonder why it's on the bed...
<Examine Mannequin after examining Lucy, 1>
Clover: This doll over here looks like a woman.
Seven: You mean Lucy?
Clover: Yeah.
Junpei: Hey, this thing says something too...
Junpei: It says..."John".
Seven: Miss Lucy over here has only got a head and a left arm.
Seven: Looks like John's still got all his parts, though.
Seven: What the hell's goin' on here...
<Examine Mannequin, 2+>
* A creepy medical mannequin is lying on the bed.
* Apparently, his name is "John".
<Examine Mannequin before solving puzzle and before finding charts, 1+>
* There's a creepy-looking medical mannequin lying here.
* It says "John" on it.
<Examine Mannequin after solving puzzle, 1>
Seven: Hey, Junpei, look at the scale!
<Examine Mannequin after solving puzzle, 2+>
* John can't talk. There's something suspicious about the scale...
<Examine Mannequin after taking Jupiter key, 1>
Clover: Do you think John is still John...even if parts of his body are
switched?
Junpei: Uh... What the hell are you talking about?
Clover: Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it.
<Examine Mannequin after taking Jupiter key, 2>
* John looks like he might know the answer, but he's not telling.
<Examine Mannequin after taking Jupiter key, 3+>
* Goodbye, John. See you around...

<Examine Cloth, 1+>
* A white cloth.

{Screen 2, Measuring Tool Table and Lucy Mannequin}

<Examine Measuring Tool Table before taking forceps, 1>
Clover: They use these for surgery, right?
Clover: Let's see... Syringes...cups...a plate...
Clover: There's a sort of scissor-ish thingy...
<Examine Measuring Tool Table before taking forceps, 1>
* There are a bunch of surgical tools on the table. One of them looks kind of
like a pair of scissors.
<Examine Measuring Tool Table after taking forceps, 1+>
* A bunch of surgical tools.
<Examine Measuring Tool Table from distance after taking forceps, 1>
* That's a lot of tools.
<Examine Measuring Tool Table from distance after taking forceps, 2+>
* A bunch of surgical tools. None of them look very useful.
<Examine Measuring Tool Table from distance after retrieving Jupiter key, 1>
Seven: Hey, Junpei! What are you doing? Let's go!
<Examine Measuring Tool Table from distance after retrieving Jupiter key, 2+>
* That's a lot of tools.

<Examine Heater, 1>
Seven: What's this thing? It's got these short iron legs...
Clover: Maybe it's a heater...?
Junpei: There's nothing inside it.
<Examine Heater, 2+>
* Looks like it's probably a heater. There's nothing in it.

<Examine Pipes, 1>
Clover: There's a pipe going outside.
<Examine Pipes, 2>
Clover: There's a pipe going outside.
Junpei: Hey, I know! Let's go through that pipe and escape!
Clover: Are you nuts? What the hell is wrong with you?
Clover: Junpei, are you flexible like an octopus or something?
<Examine Pipes, 3>
* There's a pipe going outside.
* Since we're not octopi, we can't go through that.
<Examine Pipes, 4+>
* There's a pipe going outside.

<Examine Operating Table, 1>
Seven: This bed doesn't look very comfortable.
<Examine Operating Table, 2+>
* An old, hard bed.

<Examine Operating Table Scale, 1>
* There's some kinda device attached to the bed.
* It says kg on the panel...
Junpei: Is this...a scale?
<Examine Operating Table Scale, 2+>
* There's something that appears to be a scale attached to the bed.
<Examine Operating Table Scale with Lucy's pieces together, before solving
puzzle, 1>
Clover: Oh, there's a number on here...
Seven: 51 kg? What's this? Is this the weight?
Junpei: Well, we were just stacking body parts on it, so it makes sense that
it'd be the weight.
<Examine Operating Table Scale with Lucy's pieces together, before solving
puzzle, 2>
* It seems to be a scale that measures the patient's weight.
* The panel says 51 kg.


<Examine Operating Table Scale after solving puzzle, 1+>
* A scale. The display now shows 53.2 kg.

<Examine Mannequin, Incomplete, 1>
Clover: Another...medical mannequin...?
Seven: From the looks of it, this one's a chick.
Clover: She has a name too...
Junpei: "Lucy"...
Seven: Poor thing...
Seven: Looks like Miss Lucy only has a head and a left arm.
Clover: Maybe we're supposed to gather all her parts?
<Examine Mannequin, Incomplete, 2+>
* Lucy's head and left arm are sitting on the bed.
* Maybe something will happen if we gather all of her body parts.
<Examine Mannequin, after gathering all parts, 1>
Junpei: Okay... So we've collected the 6 parts of the medical mannequin...
Junpei: So you think these, uh...parts here go to this...um...
Clover: Oh, you mean Lucy?
Clover: That's her name, I think.
Clover: See, it says "Lucy" right here.
Junpei: Oh, yeah. Right.
Seven: That table over there says "John".
Junpei: Hmm...
Junpei: Well, it doesn't look like John is missing any of his parts...
Junpei: ...So the one's we've got must be for Lucy. Right? {Author's Note:
Extra apostrophe after "one" is probably a typo}
Clover: Yeah.
Seven: Seems like it.
Junpei: Well, I say we give Lucy her parts back.
Junpei: Any objections?
Clover: Nope.
Seven: Agreed.
Junpei: All right, let's get started.
Junpei: COMBINE!
<Examine Mannequin, Complete, 1>
Clover: Hey... Nothing happened.
Seven: That's odd...
Junpei: Maybe it's the wrong weight?
Clover: Weight?
Junpei: Yeah, well, you know how there's a scale on the side of the bed?
Junpei: Maybe...
Junpei: We need to get the scale to a specific number.
Seven: ...How're we gonna do that?
Junpei: I think we're supposed to swap her body parts with John's.
Clover: Oh...
Junpei: Let's give it a shot.
[Operating Instructions]
The screen below displays 2 medical mannequins.
You can switch their body parts by touching the part you want to switch out,
and then the part you want to switch in.
<Examine Mannequin, after solving puzzle, 1+>
* Lucy is lying quietly on the bed.

<Solve Mannequin Puzzle, 1>
Seven: Hey Junpei, I just heard something!
Seven: It came from John's operating table!
Seven: We better check it out.

<Go "Back" from Mannequin without reaching correct weight before finding
records, 1>
Junpei: But there's no point to switching the parts around unless I know how
much each one weighs.
<Go "Back" from Mannequin without reaching correct weight before finding
records, 2>
Junpei: Damn... If only we know how much all the parts weighed...
<Go "Back" from Mannequin without reaching correct weight before finding
records, 3>
Clover: What's wrong, Junpei? You keep messing up.
Junpei: It's the weight... I don't know how much each part weighs.
Clover: Did you look for any hints? I think it's probably better to look for
some hints than just sit around doing it wrong.
Junpei: Yeah, you're right. There might be some more hints lying around
somewhere.
<Go "Back" from Mannequin without reaching correct weight before finding
records, 4+>
* There's gotta be some more hints around here that I haven't found yet.
<Go "Back" from Mannequin without reaching correct weight, 1>
Junpei: No dice. I think if we knew the weight of each part, we could figure it
out...
<Go "Back" from Mannequin without reaching correct weight, 2>
Clover: Junpei, are you looking at that medical record? You gotta use your
hints, or you're never gonna figure it out.
Junpei: You're right. Maybe I oughta take a look at that thing...
<Go "Back" from Mannequin without reaching correct weight, 3>
Clover: This says Lucy weighs [51] kg, right?
Clover: If you add up everything on her medical record, it's only [21].
Clover: [51 - 21 = 30]. So then that means the head and arms are 30 kg.
Junpei: The head and arms are 30kg, huh...
<Go "Back" from Mannequin without reaching correct weight, 4>
Clover: On Lucy's medical record it says [53.2] kg, but the head and left arm
don't move, right?
Clover: [53.2 - 30 = 23.2]. That's how much the rest of her body weighs.
Clover: So basically, we need to make Lucy's weight equal to [23.2] kg.
Junpei: Right, we need to get Lucy's parts to weigh [23.2] kg. All we've gotta
do is a little calculation...
<Go "Back" from Mannequin without reaching correct weight, 5+>
* To make Lucy's weight 53.2 kg, we need to make the rest of her parts total up
to [23.2] kg!

{Screen 3, Table and Medicine Shelf}

<Examine Table, 1>
Clover: Maybe you're suppose to heat something like that gauze to kill the
bacteria?
Clover: There's a boiling thingy over there.
Junpei: There's nothing on the lid or in the drawers...
<Examine Table, 2+>
* A thing for boiling tools to sterilize them. There's nothing in the drawer.

<Examine Medicine Lower Shelf, 1>
Clover: The drawer is empty.
Junpei: Yeah, nothing there.
<Examine Medicine Lower Shelf, 2+>
* There's nothing on the lower shelf.

<Examine Medicine Middle Shelf, 1+>
* There's a lot of different kinds of medication. It's hard to tell them apart.

<Examine Medicine Upper Shelf, 1>
* There are a whole bunch of bottles on the shelves. They all look like
medicine.
* They've got labels, but they're all big, medical words that I don't
understand.
<Examine Medicine Upper Shelf, 2>
Clover: That's a lotta medicine.
Seven: I wonder if one'a these is a laxative...
* Yeah, it sounds kinda gross, but...
* I'm pretty sure every one of us has had the same idea.
* If we had some laxatives...maybe we could crap out the bombs Zero put in us.
* Unfortunately...
Seven: Damnit...
Seven: I don't know what medicine does what here...
<Examine Medicine Upper Shelf, 3>
* The shelves are packed with bottles of medicine I can't identify.

{Screen 5, Anatomical Model and Scalpel Table}

<Examine Screen, 1>
Seven: Just a wooden partition.
Seven: Nothin' special about it.
<Examine Screen, 2+>
* A simple wooden partition. It separates the hallway from the operating room.

<Examine Scalpel Table before taking scalpel, 1>
Clover: That's a lotta surgery stuff.
Seven: There're some scalpels, a few pairs of forceps, and a couple'a
syringes...
Seven: All of it's too rusty to be useful, though.
Clover: Hey, there's a scalpel here that looks new!
<Examine Scalpel Table before taking scalpel, 2+>
* Most of these tools are too rusty to be worth anything...
* But it looks like there's a scalpel that might still be usable.
<Examine Scalpel Table from distance after taking scalpel, 1>
Seven: A table with a scalpel and forceps.
Seven: They're all rusty, though. Don't think they'll be real useful.
<Examine Scalpel Table from distance after taking scalpel, 2+>
* There's a scalpel and a pair of forceps on the table.
* They're rusty, though. I don't think they'd be very useful.

<Examine Internal Organ, 1+>
* An internal organ--specifically, a lung.

<Examine Anatomical Model, 1>
Junpei: A medical mannequin with its guts showing.
Clover: Ew... Gross.
Seven: Hey Junpei. There's a slit in this thing's chest.
Junpei: Yeah, sure is.
Seven: There's somethin' in there... Maybe we can get it out.
Seven: *Grunt*
Seven: Damnit! Stinkin' thing won't budge.
Seven: It's stuck.
Clover: Well, I guess you can't use force on this one, then.
Clover: We need something small that can fit into that little hole...
<Examine Anatomical Model, 2+>
* You can see this thing's internal organs.
* If we had something that could fit into those cracks, maybe we could take out
some of the internal organs.
<Examine Anatomical Model after taking lung, 1>
* The chest of the medical mannequin. One of the organs is missing.
Junpei: The organ is...?
Clover: ...Or-gone?
Junpei: Really Clover? I expected more from you.
Clover: Oh, like you could do better!
<Examine Anatomical Model after taking lung, 2>
* The chest of the medical mannequin. Part of one of the organs is missing.
Junpei: The organ is...?
Seven: If you pull out the lung on the right, there's still more stuff in
there...
Junpei: Man... You're kinda slow, aren't you...?
Seven: You say something?
<Examine Anatomical Model after taking lung, 3+>
* The chest of the medical mannequin. One of the organs is missing.
<Examine Anatomical Model from distance after taking organ, 1+>
* The chest of the medical mannequin. An organ is missing.

{Screen 6, Entrance and Door to Chemical Room}

<Examine Right Door, 1>
Clover: Junpei, where are you going?
Seven: That's the door we came through.
Clover: The only thing out there is the numbered door...
Seven: I'm pretty sure I don't need to tell you that the numbered door is a
one-way deal. So...
Junpei: You're saying... There's no point to going back there, huh.
* ...Aaaand they're nodding. Awesome.
<Examine Right Door, 2>
* The entrance to the operating room. It isn't locked, but there's no reason to
go back.
* I need to figure out how we're going to get out of here.
<Examine Right Door, 3+>
* The entrance to the operating room. It isn't locked, but there's no reason to
go back.
<Examine Right Door after finding Jupiter key, 1>
* The entrance to the operating room. It isn't locked, but there's no reason to
go back.
* The only thing back there is a numbered door.
<Examine Right Door after finding Jupiter key, 2+>
* The door we came in through. This isn't the door that needs to be opened...

<Examine Left Door without key, 1>
Seven: Looks like it's locked.
Junpei: Guess we're gonna need a key for this one.
<Examine Left Door without key, 2+>
* This door is locked tight. I wonder if there's a key around here somewhere...
<Examine Left Door with key in inventory, 1>
* It's locked.
<Examine Left Door with key in inventory, 1>
* It's locked. But...
<Examine Left Door with organ key equipped, 1>
Junpei: Awesome! It's unlocked.

<Examine Left Door Nameplate, 1>
Seven: It's a chemical closet...
<Examine Left Door Nameplate, 2>
* Beyond this door is a chemical closet.

{Screen C, Chemical Room}

<Examine Table, 1>
* A rectangular table. I wonder... Did people mix medicine on this thing?
<Examine Table, 2+>
* There's a rectangular table in the center of the room.

<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 1>
Clover: Hey, Junpei. You think there are any slugs on this ship?
Junpei: Huh...?
Clover: Well, if there are, I was thinking we could put salt on them.
* What's she pointing at...
* The label states [NaCl]...
Junpei: Salt, huh...
Clover: Do you think Seven will shrivel up if we put it on him?
Seven: Hey. You say something?
<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 2>
* There's a bottle of salt on the shelf. The label says [NaCl].
<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 3>
Seven: [NaCl]...
Seven: Na is sodium and Cl is chloride.
Clover: So salt is made up of...
Clover: 1 sodium atom and 1 chloride atom.
<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 4+>
* There's a bottle of salt on the shelf.
* Salt is made up of 1 sodium atom and 1 chloride atom.

<Examine Top Left Shelf, 1>
Clover: Junpei, there's a bottle of iron powder on the shelf.
Junpei: How do you know it's iron?
Clover: The label says [Fe].
Clover: [Fe] stands for iron, right?
<Examine Top Left Shelf, 2>
* There's a bottle of iron powder on the shelf. It says [Fe] on the bottle.
<Examine Top Left Shelf, 3>
Clover: Iron is [Fe]... It's a molecule with only one atom.
<Examine Top Left Shelf, 4+>
* There's a bottle of iron powder on the shelf.
* Iron is [Fe]... Even with only 1 atom, it's still a molecule.

<Examine Top Middle Shelf, 1>
Clover: Hm? Something stinks...
Junpei: Is it coming from this bottle? It says [NH3].
Seven: Well, that of course stinks. It's ammonia.
<Examine Top Middle Shelf, 2>
* There's a bottle of ammonia on the shelf. It says [NH3] on the label.
<Examine Top Middle Shelf, 3>
Seven: [NH3]...
Seven: N is nitrogen, and H is hydrogen.
Clover: So, in other words, ammonia is made of...
Clover: 1 nitrogen atom and 3 hydrogen atoms.
<Examine Top Middle Shelf, 4+>
* There's a bottle of ammonia on the shelf.
* Ammonia is composed of 1 nitrogen atom and 3 hydrogen atoms.

<Examine Bottom Middle Shelf, 1>
Seven: Ohhhh good stuff! Let's go for a drink.
Junpei: What are you talking about...?
Seven: I'm talking about that bottle.
Seven: It says [C2H5OH], right?
Junpei: It's ethanol...
Seven: That's right. It's also known as ethyl alcohol. It's pretty much what
booze is made of.
Junpei: So... you're gonna drink it?
Seven: ...
Junpei: ...
Seven: Nah. I won't.
Seven: It might say that's what it is on the label, but there could be anything
in there.
<Examine Bottom Middle Shelf, 2>
* There's a bottle of ethanol on the shelf. The label says [C2H5OH].
<Examine Bottom Middle Shelf, 3>
Seven: [C2H5OH]...
Seven: C is carbon,  H is hydrogen and O is oxygen.
Clover: So basically, ethanol is made of 2 carbon atoms...
Clover: 6 hydrogen atoms, and 1 oxygen atom.
<Examine Bottom Middle Shelf, 4+>
* There's a bottle of ethanol on the shelf.
* Ethanol is made of 2 Cs, 6 Hs...and 1 O.

<Examine Top Right Shelf, 1>
Seven: Hey, Junpei! There's dihydrogen monoxide on the shelf!
Junpei: Why don't you just say "water"...
<Examine Top Right Shelf, 2>
* There's a bottle of water on the shelf. The label says [H20].
<Examine Top Right Shelf, 3>
Seven: [H20]...
Seven: H must mean "hot", and O probably stands for "orphans"...
Seven: So [H20] must be made of 2 hot orphans...
Clover: Seven...
Clover: Is your head...okay?
<Examine Top Right Shelf, 4+>
* There's a bottle of water on the shelf.
* The water molecule is made up of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom.

<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 1>
Junpei: What's this...
Seven: Looks like a can with a spray nozzle.
Seven: It says [CO2].
Junpei: So it's a can filled with carbon dioxide.
<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 2>
* There's a canister of carbon dioxide on the shelf. The label says [CO2].
<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 3>
Seven: [CO2]...
Seven: C is for carbon, and O is oxygen.
Clover: So carbon dioxide is made up of...
Clover: 1 carbon atom and 2 oxygen atoms.
<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 4+>
* There's a canister of carbon dioxide on the shelf.
* The CO2 molecule is made up of 1 carbon atom and 2 oxygen atoms.

<Examine Any Shelf after taking red and blue locker items, purple locker is
still locked, 1>
Clover: Junpei, are you looking for the purple liquid?
Junpei: Well, I found a red liquid and a blue liquid, so there's gotta be a
purple one around here somewhere...
<Examine Any Shelf after taking red and blue locker items, purple locker is
still locked, 2>
Clover: Junpei, there isn't any purple liquid anywhere.
Junpei: Naw, we're just not looking hard enough. Let's keep looking, okay?
<Examine Any Shelf after taking red and blue locker items, purple locker is
still locked, 3>
Clover: Hey Junpei, I was thinkin'...
Clover: Don'tcha think you could just...like...make a purple liquid?
Junpei: Make it?
Clover: Yeah, you know, you could mix 'em. The red and blue.
Clover: Just...put 'em both in a bottle or something.
Junpei: That's it!
<Examine Any Shelf after taking red and blue locker items, purple locker is
still locked, 4+>
* If there's no purple liquid then I'll just have to make it.
* If I mix the red and blue liquids in a beaker, then...

<Examine Safe, 1>
Seven: This thing won't open... Is it locked?
Clover: You probably need to put in a passcode.
Clover: I mean geez. They've even got a keypad on there. How much more obvious
can you get?
* I can only enter 3 numbers.
* [E] is for enter and [C] is clear.
* Once you input the number, press [E]. If you mess up, press [C].
Junpei: Let's give it a shot.
<Examine Safe, 2>
* A locked box. Looks like you have to punch in a passcode on the keypad if you
want to open it.
* I can only enter 3 numbers.
* [E] is for enter and [C] is clear.
* Once you input the number, press [E]. If you mess up, press [C].
Junpei: Let's give it a shot.
<Examine Safe, 3>
* The box is locked.
* Looks like you have to enter a passcode on the keypad to open it.
* I can only enter 3 numbers.
* [E] is for enter and [C] is clear.
* Once you input the number, press [E]. If you mess up, press [C].
Junpei: Let's give it a shot.
<Examine Safe, 4+>
* I can only enter 3 numbers.
* [E] is for enter and [C] is clear.
* Once you input the number, press [E]. If you mess up, press [C].
Junpei: Let's give it a shot.
<Examine Safe once open, without taking everything, 1+>
* There's something in the box...
<Examine Safe once open, empty, 1+>
* An empty box. There's nothing left inside.

<Examine Note, 1>
* There's a note on top of the table...
* Iron=1 Salt=2 Water=3 Carbon dioxide=? Ammonia=? Ethanol=?
Clover: What do you think this is a hint for?
Junpei: Maybe it's got something to do with this box...?
<Examine Note, 2>
* Iron=1 Salt=2 Water=3 Carbon dioxide=? Ammonia=? Ethanol=?
Seven: Well, look at the first line... Maybe ? represents a number.
<Examine Note, 3+>
* Iron=1 Salt=2 Water=3 Carbon dioxide=? Ammonia=? Ethanol=?
* I wonder what numbers go after carbon dioxide, ammonia, and ethanol...?
<Examine Note after unlocking, 1+>
* A note with a hint on it. Don't need you any more!

<Examine keypad after unlocking, 1+>
* A numeric input device. Don't need to use it any more.

<Attempt to leave Chemical Room after retrieving 2 bottles>
(To "a21d.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{Screen 7, Entrance to Preparation Room}

<Examine Door without key, 1>
Junpei: It's locked.
Clover: We can probably find the key if we just look some more. Let's look
somewhere else.
<Examine Door without key, 2+>
* This door is locked tight. We aren't getting in without a key.
<Examine Door with key in inventory, 1>
* It's locked.
<Examine Door with key in inventory, 2+>
* It's locked. But...
<Examine Door with organ key equipped, 1>
Junpei: Cool, it's unlocked.

<Examine Door Nameplate, 1>
Clover: It says preparation room...
<Examine Door Nameplate, 2>
* Apparently this is the preparation room.

{Screen 8, Hallway}

<Examine Hooks, 1+>
* I think you hang your coat here. There's a bunch of hooks.

<Examine Light, 1+>
* There's a lightbulb illuminating the room.

{Screen 9, File Cabinet, Beaker, and Door View}

<Examine Bench, 1>
Clover: Aaaahhh...
Seven: What the hell're you doin'?!
Seven: Don't you want to get out of here!?
Clover: But I'm tiiirreeed.
<Examine Bench, 2+>
* There's a long chair in the corner of the room.

<Examine Cabinet, 1+>
* A cabinet with a drawer in it.

<Examine Drawer, 1>
* Let's see if...huh. A piece of paper...
Junpei: What's this...?
Junpei: Is this some kind of medical record?
<Examine Drawer before taking record, 1>
* There's a medical record in the drawer.
<Examine Drawer after taking record, 1>
* There's nothing left in the drawer.

<Examine Light Switch by door, 1>
Seven: What's this... A light switch?
Seven: Hmm... Doesn't seem to be working.
<Examine Light Switch by door, 2+>
* Looks like a light switch, but it ain't working.

<Examine Door, 1>
Junpei: It's locked. It won't even budge.
Clover: Do you think this is the exit...?
<Examine Door, 2+>
* It's locked. It won't open.

<Examine Door Keyhole, 1>
Junpei: There's a symbol engraved over the keyhole.
Clover: Hey... This is a [Jupiter symbol].
Seven: Hey wasn't this Jupiter symbol engraved by the keyhole on the other
door?
Junpei: Other door?
Clover: The door at the end of the hallway with all those rooms.
Seven: You think maybe this door and that door use the same key?
Clover: Maybe?
<Examine Door Keyhole, 2+>
* The door's key hole. There's a [Jupiter symbol] engraved here.
<Examine Door Keyhole with Jupiter key equipped, 1>
(To "a21d.b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{Screen A, Lockers and Sink}

<Examine Sink, 1>
Seven: A sink.
Seven: The doctors and nurses probably washed their hands here before an
operation.
Seven: Nothing suspicious here.
<Examine Sink, 2+>
* A sink. Doesn't look suspicious.

<Examine Left Locker, 1>
Clover: Hmm... It won't open.
Clover: It looks like it's locked.
Clover: There's a red plate on it. Do you think that means something?
<Examine Left Locker, 2+>
* A locker with a red plate on it. It's locked and it
won't open.
<Examine Left Locker, after unlocking blue but before unlocking red, 1+>
* A locker with a red plate on it. It's locked.
<Examine Left Locker after unlocking, before taking leg, 1+>
* A locker with a red plate on it. There's something inside.
<Examine Left Locker after unlocking, before taking leg, 1+>
* A locker with a red plate on it. There's nothing left inside.

<Examine Middle Locker, 1>
Seven: Damn... It's not opening.
Seven: Locked, of course.
Seven: The blue plate on here seems a little suspicious, though...
<Examine Middle Locker, 2+>
* A locker with a blue plate on it. It's locked and it won't open.
<Examine Middle Locker, after unlocking red but before unlocking blue, 1+>
* A locker with a blue plate on it. It's locked.
<Examine Middle Locker after unlocking, before taking leg, 1+>
* A locker with a blue plate on it. There's something inside.
<Examine Middle Locker after unlocking, after taking leg, 1+>
* A locker with a blue plate on it. There's nothing left inside.

<Examine Right Locker, 1>
Junpei: Damn! It's not opening.
Junpei: It won't even budge.
Junpei: It's got this purple plate on it too...
<Examine Right Locker, 2>
* A locker with a purple plate on it. It's locked.
<Examine Right Locker after unlocking, before taking stomach, 1+>
* A locker with a purple plate on it. There's something inside.
<Examine Right Locker after unlocking, after taking stomach, 1+>
* A locker with a purple plate on it. There's nothing left inside.

{Screen B, Beaker Apparatus}

<Examine Beaker, 1>
Clover: I found a beaker.
<Examine Beaker, 2>
* It's an empty beaker.
<Examine Beaker with lights on, beaker is empty, 1>
Junpei: There's a ray of light going through the beaker...
Clover: ...And it's hitting the thing on the right.
<Examine Beaker with lights on, beaker is empty, 2+>
* There's a ray of white light passing through the beaker.
<Examine Beaker with lights off, blue liquid, 1+>
* A beaker with blue liquid in it. 
<Examine Beaker with lights off, red liquid, 1+>
* A beaker with red liquid in it.
<Examine Beaker with lights off, purple liquid,1+>
* A beaker with purple liquid inside of it.
<Examine Beaker with lights on/off, red liquid, blue liquid equipped, before
unlocking red or blue, 1>
Junpei: Let's put in the blue liquid next.
Junpei: I'll put the red liquid back in the bottle...
<Examine Beaker with lights on/off, blue liquid, red liquid equipped, before
unlocking red or blue, 1>
Junpei: Let's put in the red liquid next.
Junpei: That means the blue liquid is going back in the bottle for now...
<Examine Beaker with lights on, red liquid, 1+>
* A beaker with red liquid in it. It makes the light that passes through it
red.
<Examine Beaker with lights on, blue liquid, 1+>
* A beaker with blue liquid in it. It makes the light that passes through it
blue.
<Examine Beaker with lights on, purple liquid,1+>
* A beaker with purple liquid in it. The light passing through it is making it
shine.

<Examine Color Lens, 1+>
* There are 4 different lights, each one a different color: white, red, blue,
and purple.
* Does this thing react to something, and then the lights light up?
<Examine Color Lens, White light on, 1>
Clover: The white light on the top is glowing.
Junpei: Yeah, but the red, blue, and purple ones still aren't lit.
<Examine Color Lens, White light on, 2+>
* Only the white light on the top is lit.
* The red, blue, and purple ones are still dark.
<Examine Color Lens, lights off, any liquid in beaker, 1+>
* The lights on the device aren't moving.
<Examine Color Lens, lights on, red liquid in beaker, 1+>
* The red light is on.
<Examine Color Lens, lights on, blue liquid in beaker, 1+>
* The blue light is on.
<Examine Color Lens, lights on, purple liquid in beaker, 1+>
* The purple light is on.

<Examine Light, red liquid in beaker, 1>
Clover: Hey! It turned red!
Seven: Forget about that... Didn't you hear that just now?
<Examine Light, blue liquid in beaker, 1>
Seven: Hey, the blue light turned on.
Clover: And I heard a noise. It sounded like something unlocking.
<Examine Light, purple liquid in beaker, 1>
Seven: I get it...
Seven: You combined the red liquid and the blue liquid to make a purple one.
Clover: The purple light turned on.
Clover: Right when I did, I heard a noise. Wadda ya think it was? {Author's
Note: This should probably be "Right when it did,..." XP}
Seven: That noise came form somewhere close by. Something in this room must've
changed.
Junpei: All right, let's go take a look.
<Examine Light, purple liquid in beaker, after purple liquid discussion in
chemical room, 1>
Seven: I get it...
Seven: You combined the red liquid and the blue liquid to make a purple one.
Clover: Good job, Junpei!
Clover: The purple light came on, and I heard it unlock!
Clover: I'm sure it's unlocked! The locker with the purple plate has gotta be
unlocked!
Junpei: All right, let's see what happened.


{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search fake chest, 1>
Clover: Ewwwwwww that's gross.
Seven: This's the chest... It's a woman's chest...
Seven: The heart's gone, but it's pretty hot.
Clover: If that kinda thing turns you on, Seven, you're a real creepo.
<Search fake chest, 2+>
* The chest of a medical mannequin. There's a hole in the left side of the
chest.

<Search Kocher forceps, 1>
Clover: Are those...scissors? They look kinda funny.
Seven: No, that's probably a pair of Kocher forceps.
Seven: Surgeons use 'em during operations. They can hold blood vessels shut,
and keep tissue outta the way.
Seven: We can use it to pull stuff outta small holes, or something like that.
<Search Kocher forceps, 2+>
* Kocher forceps. They can fit into small holes and...stuff.

<Search fake organ, 1>
Clover: So we took the organ thingy out of the chest thingy...
Seven: It's a lung, not an "organ thingy".
Clover: Huh? This part here, on the back... It's all rubbery...
Seven: You're right.
* So? It's a fake organ, of course it'd be--wait, what's Seven grabbing it for?
Seven: Hey, it feels like there's something in here.
Clover: You think we can cut through the rubber part?
<Search fake organ, 2>
* The organ we took out of the chest.
* Part of the back of it is a little rubbery. It feels like there's something
inside it.
* If we can cut the thing open, we should be able to get whatever's in there.
<Search fake organ, 3>
* An organ from the medical mannequin. There's something inside it.
* If we cut open the rubbery part, we should be able to pull out whatever's in
there.

<Search scalpel, 1>
Seven: A scalpel that's not rusty...
Junpei: Seems like it was put here for a reason, huh?
Clover: You think it's telling us to cut something?
Junpei: Yeah, I do.
<Search scalpel, 2>
Clover: That's a scalpel.
Seven: You could probably cut somethin' soft with it.
<Search scalpel, 3>
Clover: That's a scalpel.
Junpei: What about Seven?
Clover: He looks more like a scalper.
Seven: You guys are jerks.
Clover: ...
Junpei: ...
<Search scalpel, 4>
* A sharp scalpel. I can probably cut things with this, just not anything
that's too tough.

<Search organ key, 1>
Clover: There's a key in this organ...
Seven: Found a key in an internal organ...
<Search organ key, 2>
* A key we found in one of the mannequin's internal organs.

<Search fake heart, 1>
Clover: A heart. This thing is super creepy...
Seven: This ain't good for the heart.
<Search fake heart, 2+>
* The heart of a medical mannequin.

<Search fake right arm, 1>
Clover: It's the right arm of the body... It's kinda creepy...
<Search fake right arm, 2>
* The right arm of a medical mannequin.

<Search blue liquid, 1>
Clover: It looks like there's something inside that bottle.
Seven: Why don't you try pouring some out into the cap?
* Can't see any reason why not...
Clover: What's that? It's bright blue. Do you think it's...alien blood?
Seven: *Sigh*
Seven: Where the hell did that come from?
Clover: Then what do you think it is, Seven?
Seven: I dunno... Some sorta special bath soap?
Clover: Ugh. What a boring guess...
<Search blue liquid, 2+>
* A bottle with blue liquid in it.

<Search red liquid, 1>
Clover: It looks like there's something inside that bottle.
Seven: Why don't you try pouring some out into the cap?
* Can't see any reason why not...
Clover: What's that? It's bright red. Do you think it's...blood?
Seven: No, blood's thicker than that.
Clover: Then what is it?
Seven: Beats me...
<Search red liquid, 2+>
* It's a bottle full of red liquid.

<Search empty bottle (red), 1>
Clover: That bottle had red liquid in it.
Junpei: Yeah, well, it's empty now.
<Search empty bottle (red), 2+>
* A bottle that used to have red liquid in it.

<Search empty bottle (blue), 1>
Seven: That bottle used to have blue liquid in it.
Seven: But now it's empty...
<Search empty bottle (blue), 2+>
* A bottle that used to have blue liquid in it.

<Search purple liquid, 1>
Clover: That bottle has purple liquid in it.
<Search purple liquid, 2>
* A bottle with purple liquid in it.
<Search purple liquid, 3>
* A bottle with people liquid in it.
* W-Wait, what?!
* What would "people liquid" even--oh...oh! It wouldn't even be this
color--aah! Why am I even thinking about that?!
* The liquid in the bottle is purple! Purple!
<Search purple liquid, 4+>
* A bottle with purple liquid in it.

<Search empty bottle (Kurashiki), 1>
Clover: That's the bottle that had the purple liquid in it.
Junpei: There's nothing in there anymore, though.
<Search empty bottle (Kurashiki), 2>
* A bottle that had purple liquid in it once.
<Search empty bottle (Kurashiki), 3>
* A bottle for storing people liquid.
* Aah! No! No!
* What the hell am I saying!? What kind of pervert am I!?
* It's purple! It's just a purple liquid!
<Search empty bottle (Kurashiki), 4+>
* A bottle with a purple-colored liquid in it!

<Search fake stomach, 1>
Clover: This is a really big nose.
Seven: That's no nose... It's a stomach!
Clover: Oh... A stomach.
<Search fake stomach, 2>
Clover: *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
Seven: Hey, that ain't a drum, kid!
<Search fake stomach, 3+>
* The stomach of a medical mannequin.

<Search fake left leg, 1>
Clover: This is the left foot of the mannequin.
Clover: Do you think I'm better?
Junpei: Uh...what?
Clover: Do you think my legs are skinnier?
<Search fake left leg, 2+>
* The left foot of a medical mannequin.

<Search fake right leg, 1>
Seven: The right foot of the medical mannequin.
Seven: I guess it's a woman's foot but damn... Doesn't look hot at all...
Clover: Have you got a thing for feet, Seven?
Seven: N-No! Th-That's crazy...
Clover: You're sure actin' kinda shady...
<Search fake right leg, 2+>
* The right foot of a medical mannequin.

<Search Jupiter key before examining exit, 1>
Junpei: There's a mark engraved on this key.
Clover: I think it's the [Jupiter symbol].
<Search Jupiter key before examining exit, 2+>
* A key with the Jupiter symbol engraved on it.
<Search Jupiter key after examining exit, 1>
Seven: Hey!
Seven: The symbol engraved in that key... Isn't it the Jupiter symbol!?
Seven: Then...that means--!
<Search Jupiter key after examining exit, 2>
* A key with the Jupiter symbol on it. I'm pretty sure I've seen this symbol
before...

<Combine fake organ and scalpel>
Junpei: Let's try cutting this organ with a scalpel.

==========================
{a21d.a} File #14
::Operating room::
-In chemical room, upon leaving after retrieving 2 colored liquid bottles-

Clover: You think we should go back?
Junpei: Yeah, I think that's probably best.

Clover nodded, and left.
Junpei was about to follow her when he realized that Seven wasn't following
suit.

Junpei: Hey, Seven, what's up?
Seven: Oh...well...

He looked up at Junpei distractedly, and then back down at the brown bottle he
held cupped in his large hands.

Junpei: What's that?

In response, Seven tossed the bottle gently to Junpei.
He caught it, and twisted it around to read the label.

Junpei: Ethylenediamine tartrate?
Seven: EDT--It's tartaric ethylenediamine.
Junpei: What kind of medicine is that?
Seven: It's not medicine. I think it's an industrial-strength detergent.
Junpei: Why would they have something like that here?
Seven: Well, probably to clean stuff up.
Junpei: Clean what up?
Seven: Fuck if I know. Still...
Seven: It looks like it's cleaned my brain up.

Junpei looked up from the bottle.

Junpei: You remember something?

Seven nodded, slowly, and spoke.

Seven: Well, I remember a story about EDT.
Seven: It happened about 50 years ago.
Seven: There was this factory, somewhere in America, making big old EDT
crystals.
Seven: They were makin' it to sell as industrial-strength cleaner, like I told
you before.
Seven: But...

A year after the factory started up...
Somethin' strange started happening with the crystals they were building.
Water molecules started attaching themselves to the EDT crystals. This made 'em
into a sort of mutation of the original crystals, called a "hydrate".
Once the crystal turns into a hydrate, though, it's useless as a cleaner. The
factory had to just dump the crystals--as a hydrate, they were useless.
But it didn't end there.
After that day, the same thing started happening in EDT factories everywhere,
even ones nowhere near that first American factory.
They'd been making crystals the same way, with the same materials and the same
equipment and environment. But now, all of a sudden, every single crystal they
formed turned into a hydrate.
In fact, ever since that day, no factory anywhere has been able to make a pure
EDT crystal.
Even in EDT research done years before, they'd never gotten a hydrate.
But after it happened at the first factory, it just...spread...

Seven: It was like... Man, how do you say it...

(If you had [Ice-9] talk, to "a21d.a1" replacing quotations with braces {} )
(If no [Ice-9] talk, to "a21d.a2" replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a21d.a1}
([Ice-9] talk was done)

Junpei: "Like the molecules were communicating with one another."
Junpei: "Transmitting information in a way humans couldn't perceive..."
Junpei: "This phenomena spread throughout the world." ...Right?

Junpei looked up at Seven with half a smirk.
Seven stared at him, dumbfounded.

Seven: Yeah, that's... That's it, exactly.
Seven: But...how did you know?
Junpei: I heard another story kinda like that one.
Seven: When?
Junpei: In the freezer.
Seven: What? The freezer?

Junpei told Seven the story he'd heard from June in the freezer in the kitchen.
How one day, glycerin began to crystallize...
...And the story of ice that wouldn't melt at room temperature.
When Junpei was done, Seven looked thoughtful, and absent-mindedly rubbed the
scar on his chin.

Seven: Ice that doesn't melt at room temperature, huh...
Junpei: That sounds familiar?
Seven: Yeah, hold up... I feel like I can remember something... It's...right
there...

Seven squinted.
His eyes stared off into space, as if he were trying desperately to focus on
something far away.

Junpei: Do you...

<...Know something about it?> - "a21d.a1a"
<...Know about ice-9?> - "a21d.a1b"

{a21d.a1a}
<...Know something about it?>

Junpei: ...Know something about it?
Seven: I told you, I think I do! Just hold on...

Seven thought hard, and mumbled to himself.
After a few minutes, he gave up.

Seven: Arg! Damnit!
Seven: Why'd you have to ask me some dumbass question?!
Seven: I totally lost my train of thought!
Junpei: ...
Junpei: ...
Junpei: S-Sorry, man...

But before Seven got the chance to reproach him further--
Clover's voice pierced the air.

Clover: Hey! What are you 2 doing over there?!
Clover: Stop wasting time and get over here!
Seven: Okay, okay, we're coming.
Clover: Ugh!

Seven looked at Junpei...

Seven: Ah well. Look, if I remember anything, I'll let you know, all right?
Seven: Right now, we need to get the hell outta this room though, okay?

With that, he turned and left.
Junpei, his mind still occupied with the story Seven had told him, slowly
followed.

(Return to investigation)

{a21d.a1b}
<...Know about ice-9?>

Junpei: Do you know about ice-9?
Seven: Ice-9...?
Seven: Ice-9... Ice-9...
Seven: Ice... Ice... Ice...

Suddenly, Seven's eyes shot open.

Seven: That's it! I remember now! That woman! She's on this boat!
Junpei: That woman...?
Seven: Alice!
Junpei: Who's Alice?
Seven: Come on! The woman who won't melt at room temperature!
Junpei: ?

It became clear to Seven that Junpei had no idea what he was talking about.
He ran his hand across his face and took a deep breath.

Seven: You know how the Titanic sank on April 15th, 1912, right?
Junpei: Yeah. More than 1500 people died. Worst maritime accident in history.
Junpei: What about it?
Seven: Did you hear about the boat that was sent to collect the dead bodies?
Junpei: Uh, I think that was the RMS Carpathia, right?
Junpei: It was a cruise liner, just like the Titanic.
Seven: No. That was the ship that picked up the survivors.
Seven: The ship that collected the dead bodies was the CS Mackay-Bennett.
Seven: The Mackay-Bennet showed up on April 17th, 2 days after the accident...
Seven: It set out from Halifax, a port in Canada...
Seven: ...And recovered 306 bodies.
Seven: The Atlantic that far north was really cold. It would have to be, for
there to be icebergs and stuff.
Seven: Anyway, the bodies they pulled out of the water were frozen solid.
Junpei: This isn't a very nice story. ...So, what happened next?
Seven: Well, they say the Mackay-Bennet recovered something more than just dead
bodies.
Seven: There were various bits of stuff floating around in the water--things
the drowned had carried with them, or stuff dislodged as the ship sank.
Seven: One of the things they found was a coffin.
Junpei: A coffin?
Seven: Yeah. A wooden one.

The craftsman who'd made it must have been pretty skilled.
It wasn't just a wooden coffin--it was all wood. There were no nails, or
reinforcements and there were no gaps in the wood anywhere. It was airtight.
The crew got pretty curious about what might be inside it, and opened it up.
They had to get a wedge and hammer it open, it was so well-made.
Inside...
...They found a woman. Or, I guess you should say, they found the dead body of
a woman.
Her hair was thick and black, and her skin was deep brown and didn't show any
signs of age or decomposition.
They say that she looked gorgeous, like a goddess.
She was obviously dead, but everyone who looked at her said she just looked
like she was sleeping.
Her skin was so lifelike, she looked like she might wake up any minute.
She didn't though.
Like the rest of the bodies they found, she was frozen solid.
Eventually, the Mackay-Bennet finished the search and returned to Halifax.
The 306 bodies were unloaded, and taken ashore. However, it was warm enough
that they began to melt.
They say that the stink was horrible.
But there was 1 body that didn't thaw...

Junpei: The girl in the coffin.
Seven: That's right.

Everybody thought for sure that she'd melt and start to rot like the rest of
'em eventually.
But weeks passed, and nothing happened.
Then a month had passed, and another, and it was summer, and she was still
frozen solid.
After a while, people started to say she was some sort of miracle.
Rumors about the girl started to spread, and people came to visit Halifax from
all over.
After a while, people started to call her "All-ice"...
...Alice.

Seven: Course, those rumors didn't last long.
Junpei: Why?
Seven: Well, she up and disappeared. One day, Alice was there, the next day,
she wasn't.
Seven: They say someone snuck into where they were keeping her and stole the
body.
Seven: With the body gone, the rumors followed pretty quickly.
Seven: And after a while, no one remembered her.
Seven: You might be able to find something about her if you could find a
newspaper from back then, but that's about it.
Junpei: Wait... You just said that she was on this boat...
Seven: Yeah, I did. Alice has got to be somewhere on this ship.
Junpei: Now why the hell would you say something like that?
Seven: 'Cause I know.
Junpei: And just what is it you know?
Seven: What happened to Alice after she was stolen.

Junpei gulped.

Junpei: All right, tell me. What happened to Alice...?

Seven nodded, slowly, and took on the look of a man recalling something long
buried.

Seven: Well, around that time, the word was that there was a thriving black
market in New York.
Seven: I mean, I'm sure there still is, but this was special. All millionaires,
from all over the world.
Seven: I've heard that Alice went up for auction there.
Seven: The person who won the auction was... [Lord Dashiell Gordain].
Seven: You've heard that name before, right?
Junpei: Sir Gordain...
Junpei: Isn't he the guy who bought the Gigantic? The Titanic's sister ship.
Seven: Yeah, that's him. Although I guess he hadn't done that yet...
Junpei: What do you mean?
Seven: Gordain bought Alice in 1912.
Seven: Then, 4 years later in 1916, he bought the Gigantic...
Seven: And he hid Alice somewhere on the Gigantic.
Seven: But nobody knows where.
Seven: He died in 1931.
Seven: And apparently, he died without ever telling anyone where Alice was
hidden.
Seven: However...
Junpei: However...what?
Seven: Well, he did have one close friend, who asked him...
Seven: "Where is Alice...?"
Seven: And he said...
Seven: "Alice sleeps in a small chamber past the forest of knowledge, beneath
the navel of the Gigantic."
Junpei: What the hell is that? Some kind of riddle?
Seven: Your guess is as good as mine.

Seven threw his hands up in defeat.

Seven: So that's it. Whatever you think, I believe it.
Seven: She's hidden somewhere on the Gigantic. In other words, she's hidden
somewhere on this ship.
Junpei: Hmm...

Before Junpei could dispute Seven's rather bizarre claim--
They heard Clover's voice from the door.
She did not sound pleased.

Clover: Hey! What are you 2 doing over there?!
Clover: Stop wasting time and get over here!
Seven: Okay, okay, we're coming.
Clover: Ugh!

Seven looked at Junpei...

Seven: Yeah, so, anyway, that's the story.
Seven: It might be useful someday. Don't forget it.

With that cryptic remark, he turned and left the room.
Junpei was left behind to ponder what he'd just heard.
He tried to remember what June had told him earlier...

June: That mummy wasn't just a normal mummy.
June: They say...that she was frozen.
June: The story says that from the time of its discovery, all the way through
to when it got put on the Titanic...
June: And even though it was carried through the desert...
June: ...Her body never melted.

Was that Egyptian priestess Alice?
Had the water in her body become ice-9?
...
...

Junpei: No, that's nuts.
Junpei: There's no way somebody like that could exist.

Junpei shook his head, trying desperately to clear it, and followed Seven to
the operating room where Clover was waiting.

(Return to investigation)

{a21d.a2}
([Ice-9] talk was not done)

Junpei: You mean like it was infected with a virus or something?

Seven shook his head.

Seven: No, not like that.
Seven: It spread like wildfire. It showed up in labs that were completely
isolated from the rest of the world.
Seven: It even started happening to crystals that were completely sealed up.
Seven: It doesn't seem like it could have been a result of this stuff coming in
contact with other samples.
Junpei: Then...
Seven: Well, I'd guess it was some sort of information.
Seven: Like...the crystals were transmitting this information all across the
world somehow.
Junpei: What information?
Seven: How to make a new crystal.
Seven: Something had to...tell the stuff how to do it, right?
Seven: Like it just whispered to the EDT in the tank...
Seven: "Hey, if you do this...you can take in water molecules."
Junpei: C'mon man, that's just... I mean, who is this "someone" anyway?
Seven: Someone you can't see.
Seven: Someone who exists all over the world.
Junpei: You mean, like...a god?
Seven: Or maybe the devil.

Seven grinned.
As Junpei was trying to figure out what on Earth he was going to say next--
Clover's shrill voice pierced the room.

Clover: Hey! What are you 2 doing over there?!
Clover: Stop wasting time and get over here!
Seven: Okay, okay, we're coming.
Clover: Geez!

Seven looked at Junpei.

Seven: Yeah, so, anyway, that's the story.
Seven: It might be useful someday. Don't forget it.

With that cryptic remark, he turned and left the room.
Junpei was left behind to ponder what he'd just heard.
Information being transmitted invisibly...
Could such a thing really happen?
...
...

Junpei: Well, thinking about that crap isn't going to help me right now.
Junpei: We need to figure out how to get the hell out of here first.

He took a deep breath, tried to clear his mind, and followed after Seven.

(Return to investigation)

==========================
{a21d.b} File #14
::Operating room::
-In preparation room, after finding Jupiter key and attempting to unlock door-

Seven: Hey, hold on.

Junpei stopped, about to put the key into the doorknob.

Junpei: What's up?
Seven: Where's Clover?
Junpei: Huh?

Junpei turned around. Clover was nowhere to be seen.

Junpei: Goddamnit. Where the hell did she go?
Junpei: Arg. Okay, just hold on a minute. I'll go get her.
Seven: Sure thing.

Junpei left Seven at the door, and headed back to the operating room.
He found her, standing next to the operating table.
She was staring at the mannequin.

Junpei: Hey, Clover, what's wrong? C'mon, let's get outta here.
Clover: ...

She didn't respond.
If she hadn't been standing up and breathing, Junpei might have thought she was
dead.

Junpei: What're you doing?
Junpei: Did you want to come back here and say good-bye to John?

It wasn't the best joke, but it was something. An attempt to lighten the mood.
Clover didn't laugh.
She stood stock-still, and said nothing.

Junpei: Hey, Clover, can you hear me?

Perhaps it was something he'd said, or perhaps it was...something else.
Suddenly, her mouth opened, and she whispered in a dry, dead voice...

Clover: My brother...might be dead...
Junpei: ...
Clover: ...
Junpei: Huh...?
Clover: That's why we couldn't find him.
Clover: If he's dead...
Clover: ...I'm going to be next.

Suddenly the operating room felt very, very cold.

Junpei: Wh-What are you talking about?
Junpei: What's wrong with you?

He gave her a small shake, but she still didn't respond.
The silence grew heavier.

(If you took the 4-Leaf Clover Bookmark, to "a21d.b1" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
(If you didn't take the 4-Leaf Clover Bookmark, to "a21d.b1a" replacing
quotations with braces {} )

{a21d.b1}
(If you have the 4-Leaf Clover Bookmark)

Junpei...

* <<What do you want to do...?>>

<...Told Clover they needed to leave.> - "a21d.b1a"
<...Gave her the 4-leaf clover.> - "a21d.b1b"

{a21d.b1a}
<...Told Clover they needed to leave.> / <Do not have 4-Leaf Clover>

Junpei: Let's just get out of here.
Junpei: We've got the key, let's use it. That cool with you?

Clover nodded, almost imperceptibly.
Still, Junpei was glad to see she was at least somewhat responsive.
He put his hand on her shoulder, and guided her to the preparation room.
As they arrived at the door, she suddenly stopped.

Clover: I'm sorry...

What was this? Why was she apologizing? Junpei wasn't sure what to make of her.
Was she emotionally unstable because her brother had gone missing?

Clover: I'm really sorry...
Clover: Just forget everything I told you, okay?
Clover: Don't worry about it... Really, I mean it...

How could anyone pretend not to hear something like that?
But something told him this wasn't the time to press the issue.
Junpei gave her the warmest, kindest smile he could manage.

Junpei: All right.
Clover: Thank you.

Her smile was weak. It was almost painful to watch.

Seven: Damn. What the hell took you guys so long?

Seven looked up as they walked into the room, clearly irritated.

Seven: You playin' doctor in there or something?
Junpei: Maybe. Jealous?

Seven avoided answering the question.
They stood in front of the door.
Junpei took out the Jupiter key.

Junpei: All right, I'm gonna open it now. Is that cool?
Seven: You don't need to keep asking. Just do it, all right?
Junpei: Heh. Fine then.

He slid the key into the keyhole, and turned it.
He felt it unlock.
The door opened with a soft, melancholy creak.
Beyond it lay a simple, white hallway.
There was no fanfare or confetti.
Obviously, there was no one there to applaud them.
They simply walked through the door. That was it.

Junpei: All right, let's get going.
Seven: Hey man, what's up with you?
Seven: You're so serious, you know?
Seven: Can't you sound more happy? You know? Get a little excited?
Junpei: ...
Seven: ...
Junpei: Not really.

Junpei turned away from Seven, and took his first step down the simple, white
hallway.
"My brother...might be dead..."
"...I'm going to be next."
Clover had told him only a few minutes before that her brother was probably
dead, and she was likely to follow him.
How could he pretend to be happy after hearing something like that?

(To "a12e", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a21d.b1b}
<...Gave her the 4-leaf clover.>

Junpei: Oh, yeah...

He didn't know why, but suddenly, Junpei remembered something he'd been given
earlier.
He reached into his pocket, and dug it out.
A 4-leaf clover...
Santa had given it to him in the 2nd class room.
He held it out to Clover.

Junpei: Did you know that each leaf on the 4-leaf clover means something?
Junpei: Hope, faith, love, and luck.
Junpei: Take it. Use it as a good luck charm.

He pressed the 4-leaf clover into her hand.

Junpei: Listen to me, Clover.
Junpei: No matter what happens, you can never lose hope.
Junpei: You have to remember what's most important, and that's to have faith,
and to have love.
Junpei: If you can remember all of those, that'll bring you good luck.
Clover: ...
Junpei: Snake--I mean, your brother--... He's not dead.
Junpei: He's alive, somewhere. I'm sure of it. You've just gotta believe in
that...

Clover stared at the 4-leaf clover in her hand.
He could see tears start to form at the corners of her eyes.

Clover: Thank you...

Her voice was tiny and broken, and as she spoke, she started to cry.
She tried to hide her tears by looking at the floor, but it did little good.
She wiped away tears with the baggy arms of her jacket, but more quickly took
their place.
No matter how she tried, she couldn't stop crying.
Her tears made small wet circles on the floor.

Clover: Thank you...

She said it again.
Then she looked up at Junpei, and seemed to choke down the last of her grief.
She did her best to smile.
Junpei wiped an errant tear from her cheek with his thumb, and gave her the
best smile he could manage.

Junpei: Now come on. Seven's waiting for us at the exit.

But still, she didn't move.

Clover: Wait. Before we go, there's one thing I want to ask you.
Junpei: What's that...?
Clover: What do you think when you hear the word "experiment"?

For a moment, his mind froze.
Then he came back to his senses, and realized the word meant nothing to him,
aside from the dictionary definition.

Junpei: Uhh... What?
Clover: Oh... Huh...
Clover: I guess it was just a coincidence, then...
Clover: I mean, that you knew about the 4-leaf clover...
Junpei: Uh... Look, I'm sorry, I don't want to be a jerk, but... You are making
less than no sense right now.
Clover: Oh no no no! It's nothing. Just forget about it.
Junpei: Oh don't give me that. You really think I could just drop this?
Junpei: What is this "experiment" you were talking about?

Clover looked away.
The 4-leaf clover was still in her hand.
She stared at it for a long moment and then, finally, spoke.

Clover: You...promise you won't tell anyone?
Junpei: Cross my heart.
Clover: Really?
Junpei: Really.
Clover: I can...trust you, right?
Junpei: Of course you can.

Clover slipped the 4-leaf clover into her pocket.
Her eyes still red from crying, she looked up at Junpei.

Clover: Okay then. I'll tell you.
Clover: I'll tell you what happened on this ship, 9 years ago...
Junpei: Wait Wait wait wait wait! On this ship!?
Clover: Yeah. This ship.

He was entirely lost.
He had 1000 questions, but... It was probably best, he thought, to save them
until Clover had finished.

Clover: It was an experiment, to test some sort of psychic thing.
Clover: Something about...
Clover: Communicating through these fields that you can't see.
Junpei: ...Fields that you can't see...?

He'd heard something like this before...
Clover nodded.

Clover: Like, think about this...

She pointed at the operating table.
On top of it was a somewhat mis-matched medical mannequin whose parts had been
swapped with another mannequin.

Clover: This is John, right?
Clover: But...is he really John?

All Junpei could think was "She has finally completely lost it."

Clover: Isn't this like Locke's socks?
Clover: Or the Ship of Theseus...?

Junpei grew even more confused.
He'd never heard of either of those things, although they...sounded smart...

Clover: You don't know? You haven't heard of those paradoxes?

Junpei shook his head.
Clover laughed.

Clover: Okay, well pay attention then. This is how Locke's socks works.
Clover: Let's say I've got a pair of socks. They're my favorite socks.
Clover: One of them gets a hole in it.
Clover: What would you do if that was your sock, Junpei?

<Patch it up.> - "a21d.b1c"
<Throw it away.> - "a21d.b1d"

{a21d.b1c}
<Patch it up.>

Junpei: Well, I guess I'd patch it up.
Junpei: Get some cloth and close up the hole.

(To "a21d.b1f", continued below)

{a21d.b1f}

Clover: But what if another hole opens?
Junpei: I'd add another patch, I suppose.
Clover: What if another hole opened after that?
Junpei: Um... Another patch, I guess?
Clover: Well, let's say you just keep adding new patches...
Clover: Until eventually, the original cloth of the sock is totally gone.
Clover: Once you get to that point...
Clover: Can you really say they're the same socks you started with?
Junpei: H-Hmmm... That's...uh...that's tough...

Junpei crossed his arms.

Junpei: So... That's the Locke's socks thing?
Clover: Yeah. The Ship of Theseus is a lot like it.

The Ship of Theseus... If you keep fixing the damaged parts of a ship,
eventually it ends up with none of the parts it started with.
Can you really say that ship is the Ship of Theseus that you started with?
And what if you took all the old parts from the first ship, and build another
one, somewhere else?
Then which ship is the real Ship of Theseus?
The one you repaired? Or the one you built with all the original parts?

Junpei: Hmm...

It was an interesting question.
Clover could see Junpei was intrigued.

Clover: Hey. Do you think it's the same?
Junpei: What's the same?
Clover: These guys. Is this John? Or is it Lucy now?

Junpei looked at the operating table again.
A mannequin full of body parts from a different body...
Clover had been right. It was just like Locke's socks and the Ship of Theseus.
The part of the body that holds a person's identity is the head. Of course, for
many hundreds of years, conventional wisdom had held that a man's identity
resided in his heart, or any of a number of internal organs.
John's head and heart were both his...
But apart from that, and a single arm, the rest of his body had once been
Lucy's.
Was that mannequin really John?

Clover: We're just like these mannequins.

She looked at Junpei again.

Clover: Think about it.
Clover: The cells in our body change every day. Old ones die, and new ones are
born.
Clover: Maybe part of my arm is made of stuff from a fish I ate once.
Clover: Or maybe part of your right side is made from a cow you ate.
Clover: If you take it a little further...
Clover: Those cows and fishes are made from something else too, right?
Clover: That's how we're all connected.
Clover: Through fields that can't be seen with the naked eye...

The silence was broken by Seven.

Seven: Hey! What the hell is taking you 2 so long?!

Seven's head appeared in the doorway.
He was not happy.

Seven: How long are you gonna make me wait?!
Seven: We don't have time to screw around!

Junpei and Clover looked at each other.
Clover looked at Junpei as if to say there was more she wanted to tell him.
She shook her head.
Whatever she had to tell him, she didn't want to tell him in front of Seven.
Seven seemed to catch on...

Seven: Oh? What were you 2 doing? Was this some sorta secret meeting?
Clover: No. It wasn't.
Clover: We were just...
Seven: Just...?
Clover: Playing... With the mannequins.
Seven: Huh?
Clover: Let's go, Junpei.

Moving a little bit too fast to be entirely innocent, Clover headed toward the
exit.
Seven stared after her, then turned to Junpei with an amused expression.

Seven: Playing with mannequins, huh...
Seven: Didn't know you were into that kinda thing, Junpei...
Junpei: ...
Seven: ...
Junpei: You're a dick.

Junpei dashed past him, and traced Clover's path out the door.
With a short laugh, Seven followed.
They stood, looking at the door.

Junpei took out the Jupiter key.

Junpei: All right, I'm gonna open it now. Is that cool?
Seven: You don't need to keep asking. Just do it, all right?
Junpei: Heh. Fine then.

He slid the key into the keyhole, and turned it.
He felt it unlock.
The door opened with a soft, melancholy creak.
Beyond it lay a simple, white hallway.
There was no fanfare or confetti.
Obviously, there was no one there to applaud them.
They simply walked through the door. That was it.

Junpei: All right, let's get going.
Seven: Hey man, what's up with you?
Seven: You're so serious, you know?
Seven: Can't you sound more happy? You know? Get a little excited?
Junpei: ...
Seven: ...
Junpei: Not really.

Junpei turned away from Seven, and took his first step down the simple, white
hallway.
"My brother...might be dead..."
"...I'm going to be next."
Clover had told him only a few minutes before that her brother was probably
dead, and she was likely to follow him.
How could he pretend to be happy after hearing something like that?

(To "a12e" replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a21d.b1d}
<Throw it away.>

Junpei: Well...I'd pitch it, I guess.
Clover: But it's your favorite pair of socks.
Junpei: C'mon, who loves their socks that much?
Clover: It doesn't matter! Just suppose you do love them that much!
Junpei: Uh...
Junpei: Well, I guess then I'd patch it.

(To "a12d.b1f", replacing quotations with braces {} )

===========================================
===========================================
{a21e} File #15
:C Deck hallway:
-After completing escape from the operating room-
===========================================

They left the operating room.
The hallway took them around several corners, and past several doors, but they
were all locked.
Until, at last...
The final door was hidden in a corner of the hall.
Junpei grabbed the handle.
As he made to push it open, a voice stopped him.
The voice came from behind him, and belonged to neither Seven nor Clover.

June: Jumpy!

He spun around.
He saw someone running toward him, from the other end of the hallway.
There were 3 people coming toward Junpei and his companions. Santa, Lotus...and
June!
They pulled up short in front of Junpei, breathing hard.

Santa: Whoa! What the hell is this?!
Lotus: What are you doing here?!
Junpei: What...? But...we didn't...

Before he could finish, Clover spoke.

Clover: Hey, guys... Could you come take a look at this?

She was standing near the end of a small hallway that branched off to the
right.
The rest of them ran over to her, curious as to what she'd found.
There was something on the wall at the end of the hallway...

Junpei: A map of the ship's interior...

It said [C Deck] in the upper left corner.
It was, they assumed, a map to the floor they were on.
Door [7] and... Door [8]... The map confirmed what they already knew: Both
doors eventually led to the hallway where they had found themselves.
In fact...

Seven: Yeah, isn't that what I said?
Seven: We aren't gonna be split up permanently 'til we find door [9].
Seven: We might get separated for a little while, but we'll see each other
again.
Seven: Otherwise, we won't be able to open door [9].
Seven: That's how the Nonary Game works.

Junpei looked at the map of the ship's interior again.
As he looked more closely, his surprise and excitement gave way to weariness.
One by one, the others saw what he'd seen.
They moved, as one, for the door.
He pulled the [map of the ship's interior] off of the wall, put it in his
pocket, and followed the others.
The 6 of them stood in front of the door, arrayed in a semi-circle.
Santa stepped forward.
He took hold of the door and spoke, without looking back at the other 5.

Santa: Ready...? I'm gonna open it.

Slowly, all 5 nodded their silent assent.
With a deep breath, Santa threw open the door.
They poured through the doorway, and into the room.
Even without looking around, each one of them knew where they were.
They were just where the map had said they would be...
The same room they'd been in not so very long ago...
The tremendous central hospital room, with empty beds from wall to wall.
...
...
(To "m30a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

===========================================
===========================================
{c21b} File #54
:Large hospital room:
-Selecting Door [3]-
===========================================

Junpei: Sorry, Santa, but I still want to go through door [3].
Santa: What?! That's nuts! You've gotta be crazy!
Santa: Why the hell are you so obsessed with that door?
Junpei: I'm just...

Junpei paused.
He swallowed the words he'd been about to say.

Junpei: I'm just curious about door [3]. That's all.
Santa: That doesn't explain shit!
Junpei: I've got a reason. I'd be happy to explain it to you if you'll just
come with me.

With that, he began walking toward the door.
Their curiosity likely getting the better of them, the others followed.
A few of them looked a little suspicious, but Junpei told himself that wouldn't
matter.
He kept walking and kept silent.
Eventually, they arrived at the number [3] door.
Junpei stopped.

Junpei: I'm curious about the RED.
Junpei: Seven, would you mind authenticating for me?
Seven: Huh? Why?
Junpei: Please, just do it.

He stared at Junpei for a moment, then grunted and laid his palm heavily on the
scanner.

Seven: Happy?
Junpei: Yeah, thanks.

The number (7) had been entered into the RED.

Junpei: Next is June. Please touch the RED just like Seven did.
June: Jumpy... What are you trying to figure out?

Junpei thought about his answer for a moment.

Junpei: I think I might have found another way out.
Seven: Huh!?
Santa: What!?
Lotus: Really?!

That got them excited. ...Just as Junpei had intended.

Junpei: Now please, June...
June: O-Okay...

7 + 6 = 13 -> 1 + 3 = 4
With those 2 numbers in the RED, Junpei had what he wanted.
He casually placed his own hand on the scanner, and the 3rd asterisk blinked
on.
4 + 5 = 9

Junpei: All right... The only people who haven't authenticated now are Santa,
Clover, and Lotus.
Lotus: So? What's your point?
Junpei: You don't get it? Think about it.
Lotus: ...?
Junpei: What's the sum of your number and Clover's?
Lotus: 12...
Junpei: And what's the digital root of that?
Lotus: 3...
Junpei: Which is Santa's number.
Junpei: By the way Lotus, what's the number that's currently in the RED?
Lotus: 7 + 6 + 5 = 18... It would be (9), right?
Junpei: Yes. And what will the digital root be if you add (3) to that?
Lotus: (3)... The door's number.
Junpei: There you go.
Santa: Hey! Wait a minute! What the hell are you up to?!
Junpei: I'm not up to anything. I'm just waiting.
Santa: Waiting for what?
Junpei: I'm waiting for the balance to shift.
Junpei: Santa... Or Lotus and Clover...
Junpei: Once one of you moves, the others won't have a choice.
Junpei: So I'm waiting.

Junpei laid his hand almost casually on the lever.

Santa: Y-You son of a bitch! You tricked us!
Santa: Then all that stuff you were going on about is all bullshit!
Junpei: Bullshit? I don't think so. Didn't I tell you I'd figured out another
way to get out of here? This is it.
Santa: Why the hell would you do something like this?!

Junpei glanced at June.

June: Jumpy...
Santa: You did this just so you could go through the same door as June...?!
Santa: That's it?!

Santa was furious. His face was red, and flecks of spit flew from his lips as
he spoke.
Junpei closed his eyes calmly, and then opened them again.

Junpei: So, who's it going to be?
Junpei: Santa...? Or Lotus and Clover...?
Santa: Shit...!
Lotus: ...
Clover: ...
Santa: ...
Lotus: We're going! Clover!

Lotus leapt forward.
She grabbed Clover by the sleeve, and ran for Junpei and the door.
Caught by surprise, Santa froze for a moment, then shot forward like a bullet
from a gun.
Lotus had a headstart, but Santa had the advantage in size and speed.
Almost immediately, he passed Lotus and Clover--

Lotus: No! Wait!

Santa did not hesitate.

Santa: Rrrrrrgh!

He slammed his hand down on the RED.

Santa: This is insane! This isn't right!

He glared at Junpei, his chest heaving.

Junpei: Yes, well... You may be right.

Junpei's voice was cold, but not without effort.
He turned to the RED and pulled the lever.
With the sound of metal on metal, the door opened.
It would only remain so for 9 seconds--there was no time to think.

Junpei: Go!

Junpei and his 3 reluctant companions jumped into the door's gaping mouth, one
after another.
No sooner did they enter than an all-too-familiar noise sounded from their left
wrists.
The detonators had activated.
Junpei looked back only once, and saw Lotus and Clover on the other side of the
closing door.
They stood still, stopped where they had been when Santa reached the RED. The
defeat and desperation on their faces tore at Junpei's heart. Then the door
closed, and they were gone.

Santa: You son of a bitch, Junpei! This isn't fair!

Santa rounded on Junpei, lightning crackling in his eyes and his knuckles
white.

Santa: Do you realize what you just did?! You leave them out there, and they
can't--
Seven: Shut it! That's enough!

It hadn't been Junpei that spoke, but Seven.

Seven: We gotta find the DEAD, or none of this is gonna matter!

The clock was ticking.
The DEAD was their only chance at survival.
Unless they could find it, and deactivate their detonators, the 4 of them would
be--

Seven: We got less than a minute left! No time for screwin' around! Get moving!

They scattered, and began to scour the room.
The Deactivation Device was nowhere to be found.
Corridors stretched out in 3 directions, but every one was blocked off by a
wall of metal.
There was only one way out.
One other door.

Seven: There!

Seven ran for the door, a rusty iron thing.
His large hands grabbed hold of the handle and pulled.
The room inside was pitch black. They could see nothing beyond the small patch
of light that spilled through the doorway.
Junpei stuck his head through the door, and looked around the room.
Almost immediately, he spotted the blinking red light on the right wall.

Junpei: I found it! The DEAD's right over here!

He stepped into the room-- ...And nearly fell down. The floor was...slippery.

Junpei: W-What...?

He stopped, and glanced down at his feet. What was--

Seven: Hey! What the hell're you doing?! Get over there!

Junpei felt Seven's heavy hand against his back, and stumbled across the room.
The other 3 piled in behind him.
They all felt immediately that something was wrong. Nothing that could be
easily identified, only a sense that something terrible shared the room with
them...
But there was no time to say so.

Seven: Quick! Get to the DEAD!

They all started running.
In the dark, it was hard to tell where the wall was...
All they could see was the tiny red light, blinking at them over, and over, and
over...
Then finally, suddenly, they were there.
In quick succession, they all slammed their hands against the scanner panel.

Seven: *Pant* *Pant* *Pant*...
June: *Pant*... *Pant*... *Pant*...
Santa: *Pant*... *Pant*... *Pant*...

Seven leaned against the wall, gulping air. As his breathing began to return to
normal, he glanced at his left wrist and grunted.

Seven: Heh. It stopped. It stopped...
Seven: Hahahah...ahahahahaha...

Junpei could hear him laughing in the dark, but could barely make out the
larger man's face.

Santa: What the--... Hurrk! Haarggh!

The sound of retching came from Santa's direction.

Santa: W-What the hell is this smell?!
Santa: This is vile! I'm gonna puke!

So desperate had they been in their race to the DEAD that no one had noticed
the horrible smell that pervaded the room.
It was a terrible, nauseating stench, like burnt and rotten meat.
Adrenaline had drowned it out, but now it rolled over Junpei in waves, forcing
itself into his nose with every breath he took.
He felt his stomach clench, and bile rise up in his throat.

Seven: Let's get the lights on first.
Seven: There's a switch over...here...

The light that spilled in from the door barely illuminated a small switch plate
next to the door.
Slowly, with the toll of the last few minutes apparent in his gait, Seven
walked toward it.
He stopped as he got close, and extended his fingers toward the switch...
There was a soft click as the lights came on.
It had scarcely faded when another noise pierced the air--a scream.

June: Eeeeeyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Junpei's breath stopped in his throat.
His heart ceased to beat.
Time froze.
His mind scrambled to make sense of what he saw before him.
What was left of the body sat in a sea of blood.
Chunks of flesh, torn from the body, sat in the blood like tiny islands in a
great, red sea.
A vast, ragged hole had been torn in the torso, and what remained of his
intestines spilled out of it like fresh spaghetti.
Smaller chunks of meat had splattered against the wall, and become stuck there
as they dried.
Globules of yellowish fat had left trails like tiny slugs as gravity pulled
them down the wall, even as they dried to it.

Seven: Looks like an explosion...

Seven's voice was low and strained.

Seven: Just like the 9th Man...
Seven: The detonator in his bracelet set off the bomb in his gut.

It looked as though the explosion had been quite powerful.
His legs were both bent in an odd, unnatural way, and his left arm had split
open, exposing the painfully white bone of his ulna.
His bracelet lay next to him.
It seemed to have hit the wall hard enough to have shattered the display, which
lay on the ground in pieces.
Half of his head had simply collapsed.
The blood coating almost made it look like raw pizza dough covered in tomato
sauce.
His clothes, too, were covered in blood.
The burgundy tie, the white shirt, the jacket with the yellow piping, and the
gray slacks...
They were all familiar to Junpei.

Santa: Is that...Snake...?

Santa's voice wavered as he spoke, his mouth dry.

Junpei: Oh my God...

Finally, Junpei spoke.

Junpei: Why did this happen...
June: Noooooooooo!

Suddenly June was screaming, her voice broken. It was an eerie scream, full of
insanity, and not entirely human.

June: No! No!
June: Noooooooooo!

She shook her head violently, and grabbed fistfulls of her own hair. Junpei
could hear the sound of hair tearing.

Junpei: No! Stop it, June!

He grabbed for her wrist--
But as he did, June leapt up, and ran.
Toward the exit--

June: Please! Get me out of here! You have to let me out of here!

She screamed at the door, and her fists slammed against it with a hollow sound.
Junpei could see drops of blood on her knuckles.

June: Why are you doing these horrible things to us?! What did we do to deserve
this?!

She screamed again, a desperate, mindless cry. Her fists flailed against the
door.

June: Get me out of here! Please! Please, just let me out!

Junpei couldn't watch anymore. He ran to June and wrapped his arm around her,
pulling the screaming girl away from the door.

June: No! Get off of me! Let me go! Let me go!

She scrambled for a moment, her legs skittering across the floor, but her
resistance didn't last long.
As suddenly as her outburst had begun, it was over. The manic energy
disappeared, and her body went limp in Junpei's arms.
June collapsed toward the floor, and Junpei knelt down with her.
He felt drops of something warm and wet...
Was she...crying?
A moment later, she began to sob.
Her shoulders shook, and great, hot tears rolled down her face like rain.

Junpei: We're gonna be fine... It's gonna be all right, June.
Junpei: It's going to be okay, Kanny.

Her name was a whisper.

Junpei: I'll be here with you, okay?

She nodded once.

June: Thank you...
June: Thank you so much, Jumpy.

Her trembling voice pulled at Junpei's heart.
He stroked her hair gently.
His face was so close to her. The scent of her hair was...nostalgic...

Junpei: Do you feel better?
June: Yes...
June: But I'd like to stay here...
June: For a little while, at least.
June: Jumpy's body is...so warm...

...
...
Several minutes passed before June's tears had dried.
Junpei stood up.
He bent down, put his arms under June's and helped her to her feet.

June: ...
Junpei: ...

They didn't speak.

Seven: ...
Santa: ...

Neither did Seven or Santa.
A person was dead.
They had died in that room, in a terrible way.
Junpei knew there was no way he could make himself forget that.
There was no way any of them could forget it, but mourning would do no good.
They spread out to search the room, but each felt as if their heart was made of
lead.

(To "c21", replacing quotations with braces {} )

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::Shower Room::
=============================================
{c21} File #53
Plot points within this section:
-Rabbit Hutches: "c21d.a"
-107 degrees Fahrenheit: "c21d.b"
( To skip to a story segment, search for "c21d.#" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
( Next story segment: "c21e", replacing quotations with braces {} )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \ : Room Connections
v: Returns to the previous room
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

            [D] [E][F]
              \ /  /
     [B][C][5][6][7][8] [9][A]
      |    \ \ | /    \  /  |
     [1]======[2]=====[3]==[4]->(to 1)

5-7: Toilet Stalls
8: Gutter Closeup
9: Exit Door Control Panel Closeup
A: Valve Compartment Closeup
B: Blood Closeup
C: Top Left Shelf Closeup
D: Middle Stall Toilet Tank Closeup
E: Middle Stall Toilet Bowl Closeup
F: Right Stall Toilet Tank Closeup
G: Wall Thermometer Closeup

{Screen 1, Facing Wall with Blood}

<Examine Entrance Door, 1>
Seven: That's where we came in.
Seven: I guess it's not locked, but there ain't really any point.
Seven: All that's out there is the numbered door.
Seven: We can't go back through the numbered door, even if we wanted to.
<Examine Entrance Door, 2+>
* There's no point to leaving.
* The only thing out there is the numbered door.
<Examine Entrance Door after unlocking exit, 1>
Santa: What is this, Junpei? You losin' it?
Santa: That's not the exit, genius.
<Examine Entrance Door after unlocking exit, 2+>
Santa: I said that's not the exit!

<Examine Hall Divider, 1>
* The divider between the stalls. On the other side of this wall...
* No. I don't wanna think about that.
<Examine Hall Divider, 2+>
* The divider between stalls. I really don't want to think about what's over
there.

<Examine Blood on Floor, 1>
* Chunks of pinkish meat are splattered across the floor.
* Snake... Why did this happen to you...
* Damn... I just can't--
<Examine Blood on Floor, 2>
* Snake's body.
* I can barely stand to look at it...
<Examine Blood on Floor, 3>
* That's what's left of Snake's body...
* Oh man, Clover... To lose your brother like this...
<Examine Blood on Floor, 4+>
* There are just...chunks of flesh all over the place... Shit, I can't look at
this anymore.
<Examine Blood on Floor after unlocking exit, 1>
* Chunks of pinkish meat are splattered across the floor.
* I hope you're in a better place now...

<Examine Shower Head or Knob, 1>
* All right, let's see if anything happens when I turn you...
* ...Nope, nothing. Not even a drop.
* Is the pipe clogged?
<Examine Shower Head or Knob, 2+>
* Doesn't look like this shower works.

<Examine blood message after unlocking exit, 1+>
* Letters, written in blood.

{Screen 2, Facing Bathroom Stalls}

<Examine Middle or Top Right Shelf, 1+>
* A shelf. There's nothing on it.
<Examine Middle or Top Right Shelf after unlocking exit, 1+>
* A shelf.

<Examine Light, 1+>
* This light bulb provides light for this room. 

<Examine Stall Dividers, 1>
* The dividing wall that separates the toilets.

{Screen 3, Facing Exit Door}

<Examine Bathroom Stalls, 1>
Santa: Uh, I already checked all 3 toilets, you know...
Santa: Nothing unusual there.
<Examine Bathroom Stalls, 2>
Santa: C'mon man, I said I already checked 'em!
Santa: What, you don't trust me?!
<Examine Bathroom Stalls, 3>
Santa: Jesus Junpei, I said I checked 'em all!
<Examine Bathroom Stalls, 4>
* The doors to the toilet stalls.
* Santa says he already checked 'em out. Didn't find anything, apparently.
<Examine Bathroom Stalls, 5+>
* Nah, I don't need to check the toilets. I'm just gonna trust Santa.

<Examine Wall Thermometer closeup without red screwdriver, 1>
Santa: It's a thermometer...
June: Can you get it off?
Junpei: No. It's screwed on to the wall.
<Examine Wall Thermometer closeup without red screwdriver, 2+>
* A thermometer. It's been attached to the wall pretty good with screws.
<Examine Wall Thermometer closeup with red screwdriver, 1>
(Go to "c21d.b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine wall behind thermometer closeup, 1+>
* There's a thermometer on the wall.

<Examine drain after taking blue key card, 1+>
* There's water flowing out of the drain where we found the key card.

<Examine door after unlocking exit, 1>
(To "c21e", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{Screen 4, Facing Showers}

<Examine Shower heads or knobs, 1>
* There's water coming out of the showerhead.
* Let's see if--
Junpei: Shit! That's hot!
* Really hot!
* Man, that water must be just about boiling...
<Examine Shower heads or knobs, 2>
* Well, now I know that really, really hot water comes out of that shower.
* Maybe I should just leave it alone for now, though...
<Examine Shower heads or knobs, 3+>
* Boiling hot water... Is there anything I might be able to use that for?
<Examine Shower heads or knobs with bucket equipped, 1>
* Maybe I can use the shower here to fill the bucket with hot water...
Junpei: Hey, Seven, could you turn on the shower?
Junpei: I'm gonna put the bucket under the head.
Seven: Ah. Okay, sure thing.
<Examine Shower heads or knobs after filling bucket with water OR opening
thermometer but not both, 1+>
* Really hot water comes out of this shower. I get the feeling it might still
be useful for...something else...
<Examine Shower heads or knobs with thermometer, 1>
Junpei: Yeah... If I can get this hot water on the thermometer, then maybe...
* All right, thermometer, let's get this party started...
* Yup, looks like that's doing the trick. There goes the gauge...
* ...And now it's at the "Open" mark.
Junpei: Hm? Huh. It opened...
* What's this...? Looks like there's a piece of paper in here...
<Examine Shower heads or knobs after using for bucket and thermometer, 1+>
* Boiling hot water comes out of this shower. There oughta be a warning label
or something.
<Examine Shower heads or knobs after unlocking exit, 1+>
* There's nothing else to do, but I don't really feel like taking a shower
here.

<Examine Valve Compartment after retrieving blue key card, 1+>
* Don't need to mess with that anymore.

{Screen 5, Left Toilet Stall}

<Examine Pipe, 1+>
* A thick pipe that stretches across the floor.

<Examine Broom, 1>
(To "c21d.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{Screen 6, Middle Toilet Stall}

<Examine Toilet Paper Shelf, 1+>
* There's some toilet paper on this shelf.

<Examine Toilet Pipe, 1+>
* Some pipes. They're connected to the tank on the toilet.

<Examine Toilet Tank, 1>
Santa: It's a water tank for a toilet.
Seven: I've seen a lotta OC guys try an' hide a piece in something like this.
Usually for a 187 or something. Guess they think it's clever. Dunno when
they'll figure out everybody else thinks it's clever too...
Santa: Huh? I mean, I know "piece", but...what's "OC"?
Seven: Organized Crime.
Junpei: What is that, some kinda police slang?
Seven: Huh?
Seven: U-Uh...probably...
* Huh? What'd I say? Why's he look all sad now?
Santa: That's not really important right now, guys.
Santa: Let's just check it out, all right?
* Well, he's not wasting any time.
<Examine Toilet Tank after filling with hot water, 1>
Junpei: All right, let's flush the hot water.
* Well, there it goes. Just like a toilet should work.
<Examine Toilet Tank after filling with hot water, 2+>
* There's no more hot water. I can't flush it anymore.
<Examine Toilet Tank after unlocking exit, 1+>
* I don't need to check that out.

{Screen 7, Right Toilet Stall}

<Examine Toilet Paper Shelf, 1+>
* A skinny shelf.

<Examine Toilet Pipe, 1+>
* Some pipes. They're connected to the tank on the toilet.

<Examine Toilet Tank, 1>
Seven: There might be something in the tank, you know?
Seven: Let's open that shit up...
<Examine Toilet Tank after unlocking exit, 1+>
* I don't need to check that out.

<Examine Toilet Bowl, 1>
Santa: There's nothing in the toilet.
Seven: If there was, that would be...gross.
<Examine Toilet Bowl, 2>
* Nothing unusual about this toilet. ...Thank God.

{Screen 8, Gutter Closeup}

<Examine Drain before taking card, 1>
June: It's the drain.
June: Huh? I think there might be something in there...
<Examine Drain before taking card, 2+>
* The card's sitting on some sort of fine metal grate down in the drain.
<Examine Drain after flooding, 1>
* There must be water flowing through the pipe on the right...
* There's water pouring out of the drain.
<Examine Drain after flooding, 2>
June: Jumpy, the card is floating!
* Looks like the water floated the card up out of the drain.
<Examine Drain after flooding, 3+>
* The blue card is floating in the water.
<Examine Drain after taking blue key card, 1>
* There's water pouring out of the drain. Nothing else interesting here.


<Examine Card at bottom of grate, 1>
June: It looks like a card. Like a key card.
June: I wonder if we can get to it somehow...
Junpei: Don't think so... It's too deep. I can't reach it.
<Examine Card at bottom of grate, 2+>
* It looks like there's a key card in there, but I can't reach it.

{Screen 9, Exit Door Control Panel Closeup}

<Examine top LOCK display, 1>
Santa: It looks like the red light is off.
Junpei: Yeah, and it still says "LOCK".
<Examine top LOCK display, 2>
Santa: You think maybe we gotta disable the "LOCK" first?
<Examine top LOCK display, 3+>
* Still no love from the red light.
<Examine top LOCK display after OK, 1+>
* The red light is on. The display says "OK".
<Examine top LOCK display after OK for both lights, 1>
Santa: All right, you've got the red and blue lights lit.
Santa: Says "OK"... I'm guessing now you just gotta put in the password.
<Examine top LOCK display after OK for both lights, 2+>
* The top and bottom displays both say "OK".
<Examine top LOCK display after unlocking exit, 1+>
* It says "OK".

<Examine bottom LOCK display, 1>
Santa: "LOCK", huh...
Santa: There's a blue light right next to it, but it's off.
<Examine bottom LOCK display, 2+>
* Wishing doesn't seem to be a very effective way of getting lights to turn on.
<Examine bottom LOCK display after OK for both lights, 1>
Santa: Well, it says "OK" and both of the lights are on.
Santa: Next you just gotta put in the password.
<Examine bottom LOCK display after OK for both lights, 2+>
* The top and bottom displays both say "OK".
* All I have to do now is put in the password...
<Examine bottom LOCK display after unlocking exit, 1+>
* It says "OK".

<Examine Four Digit display, 1>
Santa: The password is 4 digits...
<Examine Four Digit display, 2+>
* I guess the password is 4 digits long.
<Examine Four Digit display after unlocking exit, 1+>
* It says "Open".

<Examine Control Panel keys, 1>
Junpei: Nothing happens when I press these buttons...
Santa: Well, it looks like the power's on...
Santa: I'm wondering what the deal is with those things that say "LOCK" up
there, though...
<Examine Control Panel keys, 2>
Santa: I think we have to do something else before it's gonna let us enter a
password.
Santa: Maybe we have to disable those 2 things that say "LOCK" first, you know?
<Examine Control Panel keys, 3+>
* Nothing happens when I press any of the buttons.
* I need to disable the "LOCK"s first.
<Examine Control Panel keys after unlocking, 1>
Santa: Both lights are on. We should be able to enter the password now...
Junpei: What's with these "E" and "C" keys?
Santa: "E" means "Enter", and "C" means "Clear", I think.
Santa: So after you put in the password, hit "E".
Santa: If you screw it up, hit "C".
<Examine Control Panel keys after unlocking exit, 1>
* The lock is disabled.

<Examine Card Slot, 1>
Seven: It's a card slot. C'mon man, you know... For swiping a card.
<Examine Card Slot, 2>
Seven: Well, maybe if you swipe those key cards here...
Junpei: You think maybe the two locks would open?
Seven: Probably.
<Examine Card Slot, 3+>
* If I swipe these cards here...
<Examine Card Slot with red key card, 1>
June: The red light's on, Jumpy!
<Examine Card Slot with red key card, 2+>
* All right, the red card is done. Next...
<Examine Card Slot after swiping one card, no cards equipped, 1>
* There's a little slot here for swiping a card.
<Examine Card Slot with blue key card, 1>
June: Great job, Jumpy! Both of the lights are on now!
June: Now you just need to put in the password...
<Examine Card Slot with any key card equipped after both are OK, 1>
* Both the red and blue lights are on.
* I don't need to slide any more key cards.
<Examine Card Slot with any key card equipped after both are OK, 2+>
* The card slot. I've already done what I needed to do with the key cards.
<Examine Card Slot after unlocking exit, 1>
* A card slot.

{Screen A, Valve Compartment Closeup}

<Examine Piece of paper, 1>
* There's a piece of paper tied to this pipe with a wire...
* [Notice: Drainage Valve Operation]
* "Please do not flush the water in these pipes."
* "Doing so may cause the drain to overflow."
<Examine Piece of paper, 2>
Seven: The pipe on the right here must be connected to the drain in the middle
of the room.
Seven: If you turn on the water here, it'll probably come up through the drain.
<Examine Piece of paper, 3+>
* On the note, it said "Doing so may cause the drain to overflow."

<Examine Pipes, 1>
* It looks like the flow of water can be controlled with these handles...
* We can't put any water through the pipe on the right, though.
* If we do that, it'll start overflowing from the drain.
<Examine Pipes, 2>
* There are size handles for adjusting the valves...
* It looks like each handle has 3 positions... Left, center, and right.
<Examine Pipes, 3+>
* All right, I've got 6 handles here. Each one's got 3 positions: Left, center,
and right.

<Adjust Valves to match "LLRLRL", 1>
* Well, I did what it said on the wall...
* I wonder if it actually did anything...

<Attempt to leave after adjusting valves to match LLRLRL, 1>
Santa: Hey, this drain's acting up! What the hell did you do?!
Junpei: I just messed with the valves a little. Nothing big...

{Screen B, Closeup of Blood}

<Examine Wall, 1>
* Those letters written in blood...
Junpei: "LLR"... Do you think that might be some sort of dying message from
Snake?
Seven: No, that's impossible.
Seven: You saw the body. You aren't doing anything after something like that
happens to you.
Junpei: Then, this...
Seven: The way the blood's dried tells you it's real old.
Seven: Whoever's blood this is, it ain't Snake's.
Junpei: Then you're saying this blood was put here a long time ago?
Seven: Yeah.
<Examine Wall, 2+>
* An old message, written in blood. It says "LLR".
<Examine Wall with luminol equipped, 1>
Seven: Wait... You don't really think we're supposed to use the luminol here,
do you?
Junpei: Yeah, it does seem kinda weird to use it here.
Junpei: But maybe I should try it just in case.
<Examine Wall after spraying luminol with lights on, 1+>
* Okay, I've sprayed the luminol on the wall. What's next...
<Examine Wall after spraying luminol with lights off, 1>
Seven: Just like you thought, Junpei.
Seven: There're some more letters showing up after the "LLR"... See?
Junpei: It says..."LLR"..."LRL".
<Examine Wall after spraying luminol with lights off, 2>
* "LLRLRL".
* What the hell does that mean?
<Examine Wall after spraying luminol with lights off, 3+>
* "LLRLRL"...
<Examine Wall after retrieving blue key card, 1>
Seven: I get it...
Seven: These letters are positions for the water valves...
<Examine Wall after retrieving blue key card, 2+>
* The blood letters were the clue we needed to solve the water valve puzzle.


{Screen C, Top Left Shelf Closeup}

<Examine Box, 1>
* A wooden box. There's something in here...
<Examine Box, 2+>
* A wooden box. Nothing else interesting in here.

<Examine Toilet Paper, 1+>
* A stack of toilet paper.

<Examine Thick Pipe, 1+>
* A thick pipe that stretches down from the ceiling.

<Examine Shelf, 1+>
* A shelf. There's some toilet paper and a wooden box on it.

{Screen D, Middle Stall Toilet Tank Closeup}

<Examine Tank before taking screwdriver, 1>
Santa: The toilet's tank. It doesn't look like the pipes that are supposed to
take water to it are working.
Seven: Hey, there's somethin' in there... You see it?
<Examine Tank before taking screwdriver, 2+>
* There's something inside the tank.
<Examine Tank after taking screwdriver, 1>
* The toilet's tank. There's nothing in it.
* ...Which means we can't flush it. Kinda hard to flush a toilet without water.
<Examine Tank after taking screwdriver, 2+>
* The toilet's tank. Nothing in it.
<Examine Tank with bucket filled with hot water, 1>
Junpei: All right, so I just pour the hot water into this tank, and...
Seven: Looks like you filled it. Now you should be able to flush it, right?
Seven: There's probably a handle somewhere on the tank that you can pull.
Junpei: You think so?
Seven: Serious? Yeah, I'm pretty sure.
<Examine Tank after filling with hot water, 1+>
* The tank's filled with boiling water.
* All I gotta do now is pull the handle.

{Screen E, Middle Stall Toilet Bowl Closeup}

<Examine Toilet Bowl, 1+>
* There's some kinda weird stain in the toilet bowl.
<Examine Toilet Bowl after flushing with hot water, 1>
* That hot water seemed to do the trick... All the dirt's gone.
Santa: There's something written in there...
<Examine Toilet Bowl after flushing with hot water, 2+>
* There's something written inside the toilet bowl.
<Examine Toilet Bowl after flushing with hot water and unlocking exit, 1+>
* It looks like it says..."185=".

<Examine Stain, 1>
June: What do you think this is...?
Santa: It looks like tar...
Santa: It's kinda sticky. I don't think we can just wipe it off...
Santa: I doubt just pouring some water on it's gonna help much either...
June: What about...hot water?
Santa: Hot water?
June: If we had some really hot water, like boiling hot, then maybe that would
wash it off.
<Examine Stain, 2+>
* There's something that looks like tar inside the toilet bowl.
* Hot water might be able to wash it off.
<Examine Stain with bucket filled with hot water, 1+>
* There's something that looks like tar inside the toilet bowl.
Junpei: If I flush the hot water from the bucket, that should clean it up...

<Examine Tar mixed with water, 1+>
* The dirt we flushed out has settled to the bottom of the bowl.

<Examine Message under Tar, 1>
Seven: That stuff's washed off...
Seven: Looks like that writing was numbers. See it?
June: "185="...?
June: What is this?
Seven: You got me. Just looks like numbers...
<Examine Message under Tar, 2+>
* It says "185=" on the inside of the toilet bowl. Huh.
<Examine Message under Tar after unlocking exit, 1+>
* I don't need this anymore.

{Screen F, Right Stall Toilet Tank Closeup}

<Examine Tank before taking card, 1>
Seven: Hey, there's something floating in here.
Seven: Is that...a card?
<Examine Tank before taking card, 2+>
* There's a red card floating in the tank. Delightful.
<Examine Tank after taking card, 1+>
* The tank where the red card was. Nothing here now...

{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search blue key card, 1>
June: It's the blue key card.
Junpei: This is...um...the symbol for [Mercury], isn't it?
Junpei: There was an elevator right outside of the big hospital room...
Junpei: I think that same symbol was on the card reader next to it.
June: That's right.
Junpei: I guess that means we're not supposed to use this card in this room.
June: Umm... Do you really think so?
June: You don't think maybe we need it for this room, and for the elevator?
<Search blue key card, 2>
June: That's the blue key card.
June: I don't really think you need to worry about the Mercury symbol part
right now.
<Search blue key card, 3+>
* The blue key card.
<Search blue key card after unlocking exit, 1>
Junpei: It's the blue key card. We don't need this anymore.
* Might as well toss it--
June: W-Wait!
June: This has the [Mercury] symbol on it!
June: If you throw it away, we wont't be able to use the elevator anymore!
{Author's Note: Wont't must be like a super version of won't.}
Junpei: A-Ah... Right. That's...true.
<Search blue key card after unlocking exit, 2+>
* The key card with the Mercury symbol on it.
* I think I'll hang onto it. It might be useful later.

<Search red key card, 1>
Seven: It's a red card. Probably a key card.
Seven: Do you remember if you saw a card reader anywhere around here?
<Search red key card, 2+>
* The red key card.
<Search red key card after unlocking exit, 1+>
* The red key card. There's
nothing else for me to do with it.

<Search luminol, 1>
Santa: What the hell is this thing? Some kinda spray bottle?
Santa: There's somethin' written on it...
Santa: "Lumin--...." Can't read anything else, the label's all faded.
Seven: Lemme see that.
* He just grabbed it from him... That wasn't very nice...
Seven: Oh, this is luminol.
Seven: You know, forensics guys use it at crime scenes.
Santa: Oh yeah, that stuff that glows blue when you spray it on blood?
Santa: Even if the blood's been wiped off, it'll still glow.
<Search luminol before using, 2+>
* It's luminol. You can use it to detect blood.

<Search thermometer, 1>
June: Oh, you took the thermometer off.
June: It says "Open" at the bottom of the gauge...
June: I wonder what it means...
Junpei: Maybe when it gets that hot, something will open?
<Search thermometer, 2+>
* The thermometer. It says "Open" at the bottom of the gauge...

<Search a piece of paper, 1>
Seven: "957+"...
Santa: That means you're supposed to add something to 957, doesn't it?
Seven: Well yeah, doesn't take a genius to figure that out. The problem
is...what to add?
<Search a piece of paper, 2+>
* The paper from the thermometer. It says "957+".
<Search a piece of paper after unlocking exit, 1+>
* The paper from inside the thermometer. It says "957+".

<Search toilet paper, 1>
Santa: It's toilet paper with some kinda red symbols on it.
Seven: You think maybe that's a scytale cipher?
Santa: Scytale cipher? What the hell is that?
Seven: You wrap a piece of paper around a stick, and then write several
sentences on it, so that the whole paper is filled up.
Seven: Then you unwrap the paper, and you can't tell what the original message
was, right?
Seven: That's how it works, more or less.
Seven: Then to decipher it, you gotta have a stick that's the same diameter as
the original one.
Junpei: Same diameter as the original one, huh?
Seven: Yeah. Then you just wrap the paper around that stick, and you can read
the code.
<Search toilet paper, 2>
Seven: If we wrap the toilet paper around a stick or something...
Seven: Maybe...
<Search toilet paper, 3+>
* The toilet paper.
* Seven said I should wrap it around a stick...

<Search broom, 1>
Santa: Hm? What're you doing with the broom?
<Search broom, 2>
Santa: You know, if you look at it real close...
Santa: You can see it's got these lines cut in it that kinda spiral up the
shaft...
<Search broom, 3+>
* A broom. It has lines cut in it that spiral up the shaft.

<Search bucket, 1>
June: It's a tin bucket.
June: Hey, Jumpy...
June: Do you remember back in elementary school when you spilled all of our
paint across the whole classroom? They made you clean it up, and all they gave
you was a sponge and a bucket like this.
Junpei: H-Hey, c'mon now... Can't we just leave the past in the past?
<Search bucket, 2>
June: It's a tin bucket.
<Search bucket, 3>
June: It's a tin bucket.
<Search bucket, 4>
June: I told you, Jumpy. It's a bucket!
June: You could probably put hot water from the shower in it.
<Search bucket, 5+>
* A tin bucket. June says I could put hot water from the shower in it.

<Search bucket filled with hot water, 1>
Junpei: It's filled with water. Try not to spill it, okay?
June: I-It's heavy...
Junpei: Okay, okay. I'll carry it.
<Search bucket filled with hot water, 2>
June: If we dump this hot water over it, then we might be able to wash the dirt
off...
Junpei: Dirt...?
<Search bucket filled with hot water, 3+>
* The bucket's filled with hot water.
* June said something about "washing dirt off"...

<Search screwdriver, 1>
June: It's a screwdriver.
June: We can unscrew things with this.
June: Was there something we needed to unscrew somewhere?
<Search screwdriver, 2+>
* The screwdriver. It can unscrew things. Intense.

<Search broom wrapped in toilet paper, 1>
Santa: Oh, so you wrapped the toilet paper around the broom, huh?
Santa: Looks like the symbols line up perfectly.
Santa: It says "634+"!
<Search broom wrapped in toilet paper, 2+>
* It says "634+" on the toilet paper.
<Search broom wrapped in toilet paper after unlocking exit, 1>
* This broom is wrapped in toilet paper.
* I don't think we need it anymore.
Seven: Junpei, can I borrow the broom later?
Junpei: Um...? Why...?
Seven: Oh, nothing important.
Junpei: ?
<Search broom wrapped in toilet paper after unlocking exit, 2+>
* This broom is wrapped in toilet paper.
* Dunno why he wants it, but I guess I can give it to Seven when I'm done with
it.

<Combine toilet paper with broom, 1>
Junpei: Hm...
Junpei: What if I wrap the toilet paper around the broom...

==========================
{c21d.a} File #55
::Shower Room::
-Upon Examining Broom-

Junpei reached for the broom, and as he grabbed it, he heard a soft voice from
behind him.
It was June.

June: The rabbit hutch...
Junpei: ...Huh?

He turned around.
June still looked sadly pale, but there was a smile on her face.

June: Oh, you just reminded me of it.
June: The rabbit hutch, I mean.
Junpei: How did I remind you of something like that...?
June: Jumpy and the broom.
June: You were always playing around with the broom in front of the rabbit
hutch.
Junpei: I was...?
June: Don't you remember?

Junpei stared at the broom in his hand.

June: You mean...you don't remember that summer either?

She looked very sad. He shook his head.

Junpei: Of course I remember. How could I forget something like that?
Junpei: It was terrible...

They were in the 6th grade.
Junpei and June had been assigned to take care of the classroom pets--the
rabbits.
Their chief duty was to clean the hutches every morning.
On the final day of school before summer vacation began, Junpei overslept.
He rushed to school, and found June standing in front of the rabbit hutches.
No sooner had Junpei arrived than June began to cry.
He had no idea why until he looked behind her, into the rabbit hutch.
The first thing he saw was blood.
The hutch was filled with the dead bodies of the rabbits.
Even after their teachers and friends came to see what the commotion was, June
couldn't stop crying.

June: I just kept crying and crying, until you came over.
June: You held my hand and you looked very serious and you said...
June: "Don't cry. I'm gonna catch the person who did this."
June: After you told me that, I finally stopped crying.
Junpei: Well, the real fun started after you quit crying.
Junpei: You told me we were gonna catch the killer together.
June: *Giggle*

June smiled, and a little of the flush of life returned to her cheeks.

June: Then we decided that we'd ambush them.
Junpei: Yeah, I remember.

The school also kept roosters and guinea pigs.
Junpei and June had decided the murderer would likely return to finish off the
rest of the animals.
They would ambush the killer at night.
Junpei and June hid behind the hutch at dusk and waited.
It was a warm summer night.
The quiet sound of crickets whispered through the air.
As the sun went down, the stars began to wink at them from the sky.
And June's...Akane Kurashiki's face...
That night was something Junpei knew he would never forget, as long as he
lived.

Junpei: But the murderer never showed up.
Junpei: We waited for them all summer vacation, and they never showed up.
June: Yeah, but the animals didn't get attacked either.
June: I think all that work amounted to something, you know?

He'd felt the same way, but it was good to hear her say it.

Junpei: Although you know, if you think about it, we were probably taking on a
lot more than we could handle.
June: ...? What do you mean?

She looked up at him, confused.

Junpei: Well, c'mon... We were just kids.
Junpei: If whoever'd killed the rabbits had actually showed up, they probably
would've had a knife or something.
Junpei: I mean, you must've been pretty worried, right?
June: I...I wasn't worried...
June: Because you were...
June: ...Because you were there with me.

She blushed furiously.

June: You know, no one else wanted to take care of the animals.

Clearly embarrassed, she tried desperately to change the subject.

June: I was the only one who asked to do it, at first.
Junpei: Yeah, boys don't really wanna bother with taking care of animals, you
know?
June: Well, yeah, but you asked to do it after I did, didn't you?
Junpei: Ehhh... If it wasn't the rabbits, they were gonna make me do something
else. You know how that school was.
Junpei: I figured it'd be better if I was working with somebody who wasn't too
much of a loud-mouth, right?
Junpei: Somebody who wasn't gonna tell on me if I felt like blowing it off...
June: Really? That's why you volunteered?
Junpei: Yeah, yeah it is.

He nodded quickly and much too earnestly and then quickly looked away at
something very important.
That hadn't been the reason, of course.
He had asked to take care of the rabbits so that he could be near June.
But it had been so long ago... He couldn't bring himself to tell her how he'd
felt back then. It would be...embarrassing.
He took a quick breath to clear his head, tossed the broom up, and then
snatched it out of the air.

Junpei: Well, we don't really have time to be walking down memory lane like
this, you know?
Junpei: We've gotta figure out a way out of this room. Otherwise...
June: Yes.

June nodded curtly, then turned and walked away.
Junpei turned around and looked at the room. At Snake's body.
Chunks of flesh and organs still lay on the floor.
The conversation he and June had been having scarcely fit their surroundings.
But perhaps, that was simple human nature.
Despite such a situation--or perhaps because of it--the mind turned to the
farthest thing from death that it could find.
Still, Junpei couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at wanting so
desperately to live when Snake lay dead before him.
He had to live... He wanted a life again, a life...with June in it...
As he stared at the clumps of blackened flesh, all Junpei could think of was
how much he wanted to live.

(Return to investigation)

==========================
{c21d.b} File #55
::Shower Room::
-Upon Examining Wall-mounted Thermometer-

The thermometer was screwed onto the wall.
That meant that Junpei needed to take the screws out with the screwdriver.
While he was so engaged, Santa suddenly spoke.

Santa: Hey, Junpei...
Santa: You know why thermometers only go up to 107 degrees Farenheit, or 75
degrees Celsius, like this one?

Junpei answered without taking his eyes off the screw.

Junpei: No, can't say I ever thought about that.
Santa: At 107 degrees, the cells in the human body start to die, and the organs
begin to shut down. The proteins in your cells start to harden.
Santa: It's like when you hard-boil an egg. Even if you cool it down
afterwards, it won't go back to being a raw egg.
Santa: In other words, it's dead.
Santa: That's why thermometers don't go past 107. There's no point.

Why had Santa brought that up, Junpei wondered.

Junpei: Oh yeah?

He continued to work at the screw.

Santa: But it's pretty rare for a fever to get that high.
Santa: Even viruses and stuff don't usually drive the body temperature up to
107.
Santa: Of course, there are other, external things that could...
Junpei: ...Like what?
Santa: Well, let's see... Something like getting locked in a sauna...
Santa: Or getting thrown into an incinerator and burnt to death...
Junpei: Ha! Yeah, I guess that would get a little hotter than 107 degrees
Fahrenheit.

Junpei gave a short, barking laugh.
A moment later, the screw fell off.
With a small tug, Junpei pulled the thermometer from the wall.

Junpei: All right! I got it!

He looked up and saw Santa, glaring at a blank section of wall.

Junpei: H-Huh? What's up...?
Santa: ...
Junpei: ...
Santa: Nothing. Forget about it.

Santa spun around and walked off, away from Junpei.
But as Junpei watched him go, he didn't look angry... He looked very, very sad.

(Return to investigation)

===========================================
===========================================
{c21e} File #56
:C Deck hallway:
-After completing escape from shower room-
===========================================

Outside of the shower room was a hallway that extended off to the left and
right.
At the right end was a large iron door.
They'd moved a few steps toward the door when Junpei heard the sound of metal
on metal.
They turned around. Seven was doing something to the door of the shower room.

Junpei: What're you doing, Seven?
Seven: Well, I figure maybe we might wanna come back here sometime.
Seven: So I stuck the broom in there to keep the door from shutting. All right,
let's go.

With that, he stood up and began walking down the hallway. He brushed past
Junpei and kept going.
After a moment, the rest of them followed him.
Before long, they found themselves at the large iron door.
They had only been there for a moment when June spoke up.

June: Jumpy, look...

He turned.
There, on the right side of the hallway, was a piece of paper attached to the
wall.
Junpei ran over and peeled it off.

Junpei: It's a map of the ship's interior...

It said "C Deck" in the upper left corner.
From what he could tell, it was a map of the floor they were on.
There would be time to look at it later.
Junpei folded the map and stuffed it into his pocket.
Back at the door, the 4 of them lined up in front of it.
Santa stepped forward.
He grabbed hold of the door, and then turned to look back at the rest of them.

Santa: Ready...? I'm gonna open it.

They nodded.
Santa nodded back, and threw the door open.
All 4 of them leapt through...
It took only a moment for them to realize where they were.
They had been there only a short time ago...
It was the large hospital room, filled with countless beds.
...
...
Lotus and Clover looked up as they entered.
Ace was there as well, although he looked as though he had only just woken up.
The moment they spotted Junpei, Lotus and Clover headed straight for him.
As she neared him, Lotus drew back her hand--
And slapped him, open-palmed, across the face.

Lotus: How could you do this to us?!

Her face was furious.
She grabbed Junpei by the collar and shook him violently.
Clover didn't touch him, but the hate in her eyes was no less potent.
It was Seven who stopped them.

Seven: Knock it off! We've got bigger shit to worry about right now!

His deep voice echoed across the massive room.
Lotus glared at Seven, but let Junpei go after one last, vicious shake.

Lotus: What?
Seven: Go have a look.
Lotus: Um...?
Seven: I stuck the screwdriver in the door.
Seven: That door over there. The one without a number.
Seven: So long as the screwdriver's there, it can't shut, so you can get in
there.

Seven also explained how they might find the shower room and how he'd used the
broom to ensure that door remained open as well.

Lotus: Then you're saying we can go in there without passing through the
numbered door?
Seven: Yeah, that's about the size of it.
Lotus: What the hell is in there?
Seven: You'll know when you see it.

Lotus and Clover looked at one another for a moment, then nodded and stepped
through the door.
By then, Ace had made his way to them, moving with the stiff, shuffling steps
of someone who has only just awoken from a lengthy slumber.

Ace: My goodness...
Ace: I know I said I was sure you'd come back for me...
Ace: I didn't think it would happen so soon, though.

Ace shook his head weakly.

Ace: Should I go as well?

Seven nodded.

Ace: Very well.

Ace followed Lotus and Clover, with his stiff, tired gait.
...
...

(To "m30a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

===========================================
===========================================
{m30a} File #68
:Big hospital room:
-After completing escape from [7] or [8]-
===========================================

(If completed escape from door [7] and [4], to "m30a.7", replacing quotations
with braces {} )
(If completed escape from door [7] and [5], to "m30a.75", replacing quotations
with braces {} )
&&&
(If completed escape from door [8] and [5], to "m30a.8", replacing quotations
with braces {} )
(If completed escape from door [8] and [5], to "m30a.84", replacing quotations
with braces {} )
&&&
(If completed escape from door [3], to "m30a.3", replacing quotations with
braces {} )

{m30a.8}
(Returning from door [8])

Ace: I see. I believe I understand what you're saying...
Ace: The 6 of you split into 2 teams, and went through doors [7] and [8].
Ace: You solved the puzzles in the [operating room] and the [laboratory] and
then met one another in the hallway after opening your respective locked doors.

He looked like anyone might, after only just waking up, but it seemed that his
brain was working as well as ever.
He had managed to grasp, summarize, and understand each team's report.

Ace: At any rate... I feel a bit silly for my little show of altruism.
Ace: "I'm sure you'll be back for me."
Ace: I did hope you would come back, but I confess I didn't think you'd be back
so soon.

Ace shook his head with a rueful smile.

Seven: Well, we saw each other again, and we ain't dead, so I say that's good
enough.

Seven smiled.

Seven: Anyway, I say we get outta this creepy old place.
Seven: We found the key we need.
Junpei: The key?
Seven: Ain't that what I just said? I'm talkin' about the [Jupiter key]. We
found it in the operating room.
Seven: Here.

Seven tossed something small and metallic toward Junpei.
He caught it, and found that the object was a key.
On it, someone had engraved a symbol very similar to a (4).
He looked over at June, who nodded back. It had to be the Jupiter symbol.

Seven: I'm gonna let you hold onto that, all right?
Junpei: Yeah, got it.
Lotus: Well, I've got something for you too, then.
Lotus: Here. It's the [Saturn key card]. We found it in the kitchen.
Lotus: I might lose them. It's probably better if you hold on to them. That way
it won't be my fault if they get lost.

And with that, she pressed it into Junpei's hand. He felt slightly less than
honored.

And with that, she pressed it into Junpei's hand. He felt slightly less than
honored.

(To "m30a.78", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m30a.7}
(Returning from door [7])

Ace: I see. I believe I understand what you're saying...
Ace: The 6 of you split into 2 teams, and went through doors [7] and [8].
Ace: You solved the puzzles in the [operating room] and the [laboratory] and
then met one another in the hallway after opening your respective locked doors.

He looked like anyone might, after only just waking up, but it seemed that his
brain was working as well as ever.
He had managed to grasp, summarize, and understand each team's report.

Ace: At any rate... I feel a bit silly for my little show of altruism.
Ace: "I'm sure you'll be back for me."
Ace: I did hope you would come back, but I confess I didn't think you'd be back
so soon.

Ace shook his head with a rueful smile.

Seven: Well, we saw each other again, and we ain't dead, so I say that's good
enough.

Seven smiled.

Seven: Anyway, I say we get outta this creepy old place.
Seven: We found the key we need.
Lotus: The key?
Seven: Ain't that what I just said? I'm talkin' about the [Jupiter key]. We
found it in the operating room.
Seven: Right, Junpei?

Junpei nodded.

Lotus: Ah, the solar system keys.
Lotus: Actually, we found one in the laboratory too.
Lotus: Here...the [Earth key].

Lotus dug out a still-warm key with an Earth symbol on it.

Lotus: I might lose it. It's probably better if you hold on to it. That way it
won't be my fault if it gets lost.

And with that, she pressed it into Junpei's hand. He felt slightly less than
honored.

(Continued below at "m30a.78")

{m30a.78}

As a group, they now had 3 keys that had not been used:
- The [Jupiter key], which had been found in the operating room. {If you did
Door [7]}
- The [Jupiter key], which Seven had just handed to Junpei. {If you did Door
[8]}
- The [Saturn key card], which had been found in the kitchen. {If you did Door
[4]}
- The [Saturn key card], which Lotus had just handed to Junpei. {If you did
Door [5] and [8]}
- The [Earth key], which Lotus had just handed to Junpei. {If you did Door [7]}
- The [Earth key], which had been found in the laboratory. {If you did Door
[8]}
- The [Saturn key card], which Lotus had also just handed to Junpei. {If you
did Door [5] and [7]}

Junpei tucked the new keys into his pocket.
June spoke up.

June: The [Jupiter key] is supposed to be for the door at the end of that long,
straight hallway, right?
Seven: Yeah.
Seven: If the map's right, then it connects to the central staircase.
Seven: Then next to the stairs--
Clover: Wait.

They were the first words anyone had heard out of Clover in quite some time.
Her face suggested they weren't going to be very happy words.

Clover: What about door [3]?
Seven: Look... You saw the map, right?
Seven: It's the same as [7] and [8]. It'd just lead us back to the big hospital
room.
Seven: There's no point to seeing what's on the other side of that door.
Clover: There is a point. At least there is for me...

There were tears in her eyes, but she glared at Seven as hard as she could,
just the same.
She looked very much like a frightened puppy.
There wasn't a man alive who could have resisted those eyes.
Seven looked everywhere in the room except at Clover, and muttered and coughed
apologies under his breath.

Seven: Yeah, you're right, I'm sorry...
Seven: Snake might be on the other side of door [3]...

Clover nodded once.
The next person to speak was Ace.

Ace: Very well. I'll be coming with you, then.
Ace: I've had a nice, long rest. I think it's time I was up and about again.
Ace: So, Seven... You'll help me, won't you?
Seven: Huh...? Me?

Junpei did the calculations, quickly, in his head.
4 + 1 + 7 = 12 ? 1 + 2 = 3
It looked like Seven was doing them too. At last, he gave up.

Seven: Damn. Well, I guess that's how it's gotta be...
Seven: So I'm goin' with you, huh?
Ace: Yes, you are.
Seven: All right, let's get moving...

And so it was decided that Clover, Ace, and Seven would discover what lay
beyond door [3].

Seven: Okay, we're headin' out.
Lotus: Be careful.
Seven: Whoa. Didn't think I'd be hearin' that from you, Lotus.
Lotus: Don't let it go to your head. I'd be in trouble if the 3 of you bought
it.
Lotus: The rest of us can't open the [9] door.
Seven: Aaaah. The truth comes out.

Seven nodded, as if this answer made much more sense, and pulled the lever on
the RED.

Ace: Okay! Let's go!

The door opened, and Ace, Clover, and Seven jumped through it.
6... 7... 8...
After exactly 9 seconds, the door closed noisily.

Lotus: All right. We should get moving too.
Junpei: Huh?
June: Get moving?
Santa: Where are we going?

Everyone except Lotus seemed rather confused.

Lotus: Well, it would be a waste of time to just sit around, wouldn't it?
Lotus: Let me explain...

...
...

June: I get it. We're gonna see if we can get anywhere interesting with the
[Jupiter key].
Lotus: Yes. If we're lucky, we might find Snake.

They were at the end of the hallway lined by individual hospital rooms.
The Jupiter symbol was engraved on the keyhole.

Lotus: All right, Junpei. Open it, if you please.
Junpei: Yeah, on it.

Junpei pulled the [Jupiter key] out of his pocket and slid it into the keyhole.
He twisted.
With a nice, sharp click, he felt the door unlock.

Junpei: All right. Ready, guys?

Junpei's companions nodded.
He nodded back, then slowly and quietly opened the door.
Inside was exactly what he expected to see, from the map of the ship's
interior.
They were in a tremendous hall, almost like a ballroom, with a massive central
staircase.

Santa: Great, back to the beginning. You sure this is a good idea?
Junpei: What do you mean...?
Santa: Well, we already searched every inch of this room, didn't we?
Santa: I'm asking you if there's any reason we came back here.

<Of course there's a reason.> - "m30a.a1"
<No idea.> - "m30a.a2"

{m30a.a1}
<Of course there's a reason.>

Junpei: Of course there's a reason.
Junpei: Man, sometimes I can't tell if you're smart or just lucky...
Santa: ...Huh?
Junpei: This.

Junpei pulled 2 things out of his pockets.
The [Saturn key card]...
...And the [Earth key].
Santa cocked his head to one side, like an inquisitive bird, and looked at
them.
After several long moments, during which it became apparent that Santa had no
idea what the cards meant, June took pity on him.

June: Don't you remember, Santa?

(To "m30a.a3", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m30a.a2}
<No idea.>

Junpei: You know, that's a good question...

Junpei looked off into the distance, thoughtfully.
Lotus sighed and shook her head.

Lotus: I can't believe this... You guys followed me here, but you don't even
know why?
Junpei: ...
Santa: ...
Lotus: Junpei, you've got the solar system keys, don't you?

He did. He pulled them out.
The [Saturn key card]...
...And the [Earth key].
Junpei didn't see what they had to do with anything, though.
Both he and Santa were completely lost.
Fortunately, June took pity on them.

June: Don't you remember the elevator?

(To "m30a.a3", continued below)

{m30a.a3}

June: On C Deck, where we are now, there was a big elevator behind the stairs,
remember?
June: And next to the elevator, there was a card reader with the Saturn symbol
on it.
June: And on A Deck, on the door to the left...
June: There was a keyhole with the Earth symbol on it. ...I think.
June: So, the 2 keys that Jumpy has--
Santa: Should let us use the elevator and the door on A Deck... Huh.
June: Yes. That's right.

June smiled, pleased with herself.
So did Santa.

Santa: All right, I got it. Let's get started, then.
Santa: Wadda you say we split into 2 teams?

Santa: Lotus and I will search the [Earth] one, so you 2 can search [Saturn],
all right?
Junpei: Sounds good.

Junpei handed the [Earth key] to Santa.
They decided that their initial search should be brief--only 10 minutes.
They'd meet back near the staircase once they were done.
Junpei and June headed for the elevators.
Sure enough, there was a card reader bolted to the wall next to the left
elevator.
He lined up the [Saturn key card] and swiped it through the reader.
A light on the upper left corner blinked to life.

Junpei: Great. Looks like it's working now.
June: All right, now how do I call the elevator...

There was a single button to the right of the elevator door.
On the button was the upside-down triangle--the universal symbol for "down".
There didn't appear to be an "up" button.
Junpei pushed it. He didn't have much of a choice.

June: It...It opened! Look, Jumpy!

June's voice was excited, but Junpei could hear a tinge of anxiety.

Junpei: Sweet, it opened. Let's get going.

He grinned at June, and stepped toward the open door.
As he was about to set foot in it, he felt a hand on his arm.

June: W-W-W-Wait...
Junpei: What...?
June: I-I-I-I'm not really...uh... I just... Oh gosh...

Junpei was at something of a loss. What could she possibly be so frightened of?

* <<June was probably afraid of...>>

<Being locked up alone with a boy.> - "m30a.b1"
<They could only go down.> - "m30a.b2"

{m30a.b1}
<Being locked up alone with a boy.>

After a little thought, Junpei decided that she had to be nervous about being
locked up in such a small space alone with a boy.
In a way, it was kinda cute. Very...demure, you could say, he thought.
Still, even though it wasn't exactly roomy in the elevator, they weren't going
to be pressed up against one another. At least, they didn't have to be--
Still, it was making her nervous. Junpei couldn't help but think how innocent
she was...

Junpei: C'mon, let's go.

Again, he stepped toward the elevator--
And again, he felt himself restrained.

June: I said wait a minute!
Junpei: Why?!
June: Aren't you afraid, Jumpy?
Junpei: Afraid of what?!
June: Well, I've never...you know...

She'd never been in an elevator with a man alone before?
Even so, she still seemed awfully alarmed...

June: I might...get wet.

Wh-What?!

June: Down there... I'd get soaking wet...
Junpei: W-Well, I mean, of course you would, that's the way it works.
Junpei: I mean, I've never heard of anyone getting soaking
wet...somewhere...else...
June: That's...that's true...
Junpei: ...
June: You...don't mind?
Junpei: Mind what?
June: Getting...wet...
Junpei: W-Well, I dunno, I think I'd probably... You know...like it.
June: Gosh, Jumpy! You're so brave!
Junpei: ...Really? I mean, I kinda think any guy would do the same thing, you
know?
Junpei: What happens, happens, right? If you get the chance, you've just gotta
go for it. That's what a man's supposed to do, I guess.
June: Y-You're so cool, Jumpy! I really admire you!
Junpei: Uh, that...doesn't really seem like the sort of thing you oughta admire
someone for...
June: I'm...I'm really scared...
Junpei: Y-Yeah... I mean, like you said, you've never...done it...before...
June: Yes...
June: So I don't think I'll be able to last very long, and then it'll
be...over...
Junpei: ...O-Over...?
June: Yes. I'll go to heaven...
Junpei: ...Heaven...?
June: It feels kind of like you're floating in space, and your mind gets all
fuzzy, like when you pass out...
June: At least, that's what I've heard from people who have experienced it...
Junpei: A-Ah, yes, I've heard that too.
Junpei: Although I don't think the same thing happens to guys.
June: ...What?
Junpei: ...Huh?
June: But, it would happen to men too, wouldn't it? It would happen to anyone.
June: Once it gets into your body, the same thing happens to everyone.
Junpei: ...Well...I mean... Usually it doesn't...go inside...the man... I mean,
generally...
June: Yes, it does.
June: Well, eventually it will. It's not like you really have a choice... Your
body will force you to swallow some of it, eventually...
Junpei: Wh-What are you trying to do to me...?
June: Nothing... I'm not going to do anything to you.
June: I'm just saying that that's what happens. It's a psychological reaction
to what you're experiencing...

Was...was that really how it happened? It occurred to Junpei that perhaps that
was how it worked...
Perhaps he'd been mistaken all these years. Had he misunderstood life so
gravely?
The thought terrified him.
June seemed to be entirely oblivious to Junpei's mounting confusion and terror.

June: I know most men probably have larger lungs, but...
June: Even then, I don't think you could hold your breath for 20, or even 10,
minutes.
June: Eventually, you'd have to breathe, and then the water would get into your
lungs...
June: Once that happens, your body won't be able to get oxygen anymore, and
you'll start to feel that floaty feeling as you pass out...
Junpei: ...
June: ...
Junpei: ...
June: ...
Junpei: Ha ha... Ha ha ha ha... Ahahahahahaha!

Finally, Junpei understood.
He understood what June was trying to say, and why she was so scared.

Junpei: Yeah, you're right, you wouldn't last very long.
June: See?

She was afraid that the only elevator button pointed down.

(To "m30a.b3", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m30a.b2}
<They could only go down.>

She was afraid because the only elevator button pointed down.

(To "m30a.b3", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m30a.b3}

That meant, of course, that the elevator couldn't go any higher than the floor
they were on.
As he thought about it, Junpei realized he hadn't seen elevators on the A or B
decks near the central staircase.
All of which meant that the elevator could only convey them to the lower decks.
And the floor below the one they were on--D Deck--should be completely
submerged.
That meant...

Junpei: Hey, wait a minute.
Junpei: This elevator came up from somewhere under us, right?
June: Um, well... Yes, I guess it did.
June: It didn't open right away, after you pressed the button.
June: There was a motor noise, like it was moving, and then it opened.
Junpei: Yeah, exactly.
June: Yes...
Junpei: So take a look inside.

Junpei jerked his head toward the interior of the elevator.

Junpei: It's not wet at all, is it? The walls and even the floor are totally
dry.
June: Oh... You're right, they are...

She looked around the elevator, slightly embarrassed.

Junpei: Well, let's test it.
June: Test it?
Junpei: Yeah. Watch this.

Junpei put one foot in the elevator and bent around the corner of the door
until he could see the floor buttons.
There were only 2: E and C.
He pushed the E button and jumped out of the elevator.
The door slid shut, and they heard the grinding of the motor as the elevator
car moved down.
A few moments later, they heard the sound of the elevator door grinding open
several floors below.
Junpei nodded to June, and pressed the elevator button again.
A few moments later, the elevator returned.
The door slid open, and just as Junpei had expected, there was no water to be
found.

Junpei: See?

Junpei couldn't resist puffing out his chest, just a little bit.
June, however, still looked confused.

June: What does that mean?
June: How can the E Deck be safe if the D Deck is full of water?
Junpei: Well, here's what I think...
Junpei: The elevator shaft and E Deck must be water-tight, and separated from
wherever the ship's been punctured.
Junpei: Here, let me show you...

He pulled out his notebook and pen, and sketched out a rough illustration.

June: I see... So is that why the ship hasn't sunk?
June: The shape of the inside keeps it from all filling with water?
Junpei: Yeah, I think that's what's going on.

Junpei continued talking as he closed the notebook and slipped it back into his
pocket.

Junpei: So I'm gonna go down and check it out. You stay here, all right?
June: Um...but...
Junpei: C'mon, just do it, all right?

He gave June's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, then hopped onto the elevator.
He pushed the E button, and the door began to close...
June looked worried, her eyes darting back and forth as if she was trying to
make a decision, when suddenly--

June: I-I'm coming with you!
Junpei: Huh?!

At the last possible moment, June dashed forward, turning sideways just in time
to slip through the gap between the closing doors.
Junpei jammed his finger against the "Open" button--
But it was too late.
The door had shut, he and June were in the elevator, and it was headed down, to
E Deck.
He was so surprised by June that he didn't even have time to think about what
awaited him on the E Deck.
The elevator stopped, and the door slid open.
They stepped off, onto the floor outside the elevator. Nothing seemed
especially unusual.
No fish going about their fishy business, or jellyfish floating lazily through
the water.
There was, however, a blowfish. ...Or at least something that looked very much
like one.
June's cheeks were puffed out, and her mouth a tiny, intense frown.

June: Mmmm...
Junpei: Oh, knock it off. It's just like I thought... This part hasn't flooded.
Junpei: Come on, just look around! There's no water here!

June looked around nervously, then...

June: Haah--!

...Exhaled.

June: You're right... It's not flooded at all.
Junpei: See?
June: But there's a whole lot of water...
Junpei: Yeah, right on top of us.
June: What's going to happen if the ceiling breaks?

Junpei thought about that for a moment.

(If you answered <Being locked up alone with a boy.>)

Junpei: Well... We'd probably get really wet...up there.
June: ...Huh?

(Continued at "m30a.b6")

(If you answered <They could only go down.>)

Junpei: We'd probably die.
June: O-Oh no... D-Don't be so casual about something like that...

(Continued at "m30a.b6")

{m30a.b6}

Junpei: At any rate, we should probably go back as soon as we can, once we're
done looking around down here.
Junpei: Lotus and Santa might already be back.
June: Okay. Good idea.

Junpei glanced around the room they'd found themselves in.
The first thing he noticed was a set of thick iron bars.
They ran the length of the room, separating the left elevator from the right
one.

Junpei: Well, we can't go over there.
June: Right.

Then perhaps...
In the corner of the room that housed the elevators, Junpei found an opening.
He walked up to it and stuck his head around the corner.
A long, straight hallway stretched out in front of him.

June: That door at the end of the hallway... There's something written on it.
Junpei: Yeah. Let's go have a look.

Junpei and June set off down the hallway at a brisk clip, somewhere between a
run and a jog.
Before long, they found themselves in front of the door.
On it was a number written in bright red paint...[6].

Junpei: I knew it...
June: This is a numbered door!

And indeed, there was a RED bolted to the wall right next to the door.
Of course, with only 2 people, there wasn't much they could do with it.

Junpei: All right, let's head back.
June: Yes!

Junpei and June turned, and headed back to C Deck.
On their way back, Junpei noticed a map on the wall.
As it turned out, it was a burnt [map of the ship's interior] for E Deck.
...
...

Junpei: Huh... So you guys found door [1]...

They'd met back up with Santa and Lotus, who had explained what they'd found.
Apparently, there was another numbered door on A Deck, just like the one on E
Deck, beyond the door that the Earth key opened.
According to Santa and Lotus, there was a [1] on the door.
All told, they had discovered 2 new doors: The [6] door and the [1] door.

Lotus: It is interesting that E Deck wasn't flooded...

Lotus was quiet for a moment, lost in thought.

Junpei: Well, we don't really know if all of E Deck is safe.
Junpei: We only checked the area around the elevator.
Lotus: Even so. It's still very interesting...
Santa: You said the [6] door was there, right?
June: Yes.
Santa: Then that means Zero planned all this out, even the sinking.
Santa: That would have meant some pretty serious remodeling of the ship's
interior.
Lotus: It's pretty mindblowing, when you think about it.
June: Yeah. I wonder how long it took... I can't even imagine how much it
must've cost...
Santa: It would've been a ton, that's for sure.
Junpei: Well, that does go along with what Ace was saying.
Junpei: The most reasonable explanation would be that this was done by some
organization with access to a whole lot of cash.
Lotus: Yes, it does make sense...

That thought made them all go quiet for a moment.
June bit her lip while Lotus sighed softly to herself and Santa cracked a stiff
neck and stared off into the distance at nothing.

June: Um... I don't think it's a very good idea to stay here.

June looked up at Junpei with large, pleading eyes.

Junpei: Yeah, you're right. Ace and his team might be back already.
Lotus: Well, June, Junpei, and I should be able to open door [1].
Santa: Huh? You guys leaving me behind?

8 + 6 + 5 = 19
? 1 + 9 = 10
? 1 + 0 = 1

Lotus: Just kidding.
Lotus: All right. Let's go.

Lotus's words were all the impetus they needed. Back to the large hospital room
they went.
The moment they stepped inside, a tremendous voice echoed across the room.

Seven: Hey! Where the hell did you guys go?!

It was Seven.
Ace was right behind him, and Clover was behind Ace, although she seemed to be
hanging back.
It looked as though there was something...strange about them.
Seven had the look of a man who'd seen a ghost. Ace was just as pale, and
Clover looked as though she was only moments from passing out entirely.
For a long moment, they simply stood there, looking at one another.
Junpei looked around nervously, waiting for someone else to speak. No one did.
He looked at Seven.

Junpei: What...happened?
Seven: What the hell kind of a question is that?!

Seven was trying very hard to be angry, but something had shaken him, hard.
His shoulders were trembling, and his voice was strained.

Seven: Snake was... Snake is... 

Seven couldn't finish.
He just looked away, his face twisted by... Junpei wasn't sure what.
Instead, Ace spoke.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and spoke.

Ace: Snake is...dead.
Ace: He died...just as the 9th Man did.
Junpei: !

It was as if all the air had suddenly been sucked out of the room.
Junpei felt his heartbeat quicken, and he realized he was having trouble
breathing.
He could feel cold sweat beading on his forehead and neck.
June, Santa, and Lotus looked the way he felt.
All 3 were frozen in place, their faces white.

June: Oh my God... That's not true, is it...?
Junpei: ...
Lotus: We should make sure!
Junpei: Y-Yeah, right, we should...

They nodded to one another, and headed for the number [3] door--

Seven: Wait! Not that way.

They stopped short, and turned to look at Seven.
He was pointing at the [door with no number]...

Seven: I stuck a screwdriver in there, to keep the door from closing all the
way.
Seven: It's not locked, so you can go in that way.
Junpei: Where is...where is he?
Seven: The [shower room], on the left side of the hallway.
Seven: I put a broom in there too, to keep the door open.
Santa: We can get in without going through the numbered door, right?
Seven: Yeah, that's right.

Their new destination clear, Junpei and his companions headed for the [door
with no number].
Once in the hallway, it was easy to spot the metal door on the left wall.
It hadn't been open when they'd been through before...
But now, just as Seven had said, there was a broom stuck between the door and
the frame, keeping it open.
They looked at it for a moment, then stepped inside.

Lotus: Ugh... It smells horrible...

Lotus wrinkled her nose and covered her mouth in disgust.
Even Santa pinched his nose shut...

Santa: Yeah, this is pretty awful... I feel like I'm gonna puke.

It was just as bad as they said--perhaps worse.
A hideous smell filled the air, so thick they could almost taste it.
It was sour, and smelled of fish, feces, and burnt meat...
It worked its way through Junpei's nose and down his throat, to pound against
the entrance to his stomach.
He put his hands over his mouth, and struggled to keep what little was in his
stomach where it belonged.
They didn't have to wonder where the body was.
There was blood everywhere, a few arms of the splatter reaching toward them as
they walked in through the door.
All one had to do was follow the many radial arms to their source...
The body itself was hidden behind a divider.

Junpei: June, you should stay here.
June: But...
Junpei: Please, just do me a favor, okay? All right?

He didn't give her a chance to say no. He put his hand on her shoulder, as if
to shove her into the ground like a tentpole, turned, and walked toward the end
of the divider.
It felt like it took an eternity for him to get there.
Santa and Lotus followed, timid and nervous as a pair of children.
Eventually, they reached the divider.
They looked at one another and nodded, slowly.
Junpei put his hands on the divider and peered around the corner.
For a moment, he forgot to breathe.
He felt his heart collapse in his chest like an empty cigarette carton, and
time froze.
He knew in that instant that he would take the image before him to the grave.
What was left of the body sat in a sea of blood.
Chunks of flesh, torn from the body, sat in the blood like tiny islands in a
great, red sea.
A vast, ragged hole had been torn in the torso, and what remained of his
intestines spilled out of it like fresh spaghetti.
Smaller chunks of meat had splattered against the wall, and become stuck there
as they dried.
Globules of yellowish fat had left trails like tiny slugs as gravity pulled
them down the wall, even as they dried to it.

Santa: Just like Ace said...

Santa's voice was strained. Junpei suspected he was holding down some vomit of
his own.

Santa: Just like the 9th Man.
Santa: The detonator in his bracelet set off the bomb in his gut.

It looked as though the explosion had been quite powerful.
His legs were both bent in an odd, unnatural way, and his left arm had split
open, exposing the painfully white bone of his ulna.
His bracelet lay next to him.
It seemed to have hit the wall hard enough to have shattered the display, which
lay on the ground in pieces.
Half of his head had simply collapsed.
The blood coating almost made it look like raw pizza dough covered in tomato
sauce.
His clothes, too, were covered in blood.
The burgundy tie, the white shirt, the jacket with the yellow piping, and the
gray slacks...
They were all familiar to Junpei.

Lotus: No mistake about that. It's Snake...

Lotus's voice was unnaturally deep and strained, and Junpei heard it catch in
her throat.
...
...

(Continued at "m30a.3")

{m30a.3}

The squeal of tortured metal made Junpei's teeth curl.
It sounded like the noise a ghost would make. No matter how many times he heard
it, he never got used to it.
Every time, it put him on edge.
It didn't help that there was a girl nearby who looked far more like a ghost
than a living human should.
It was Clover.
She sat on the edge of the bed, her head drooping listlessly onto her chest.
Her eyes were blank, and stared across the room at nothing. Her breathing was
slow and mechanical.
Aside from the rise and fall of her chest, she didn't move.
Junpei felt as if even a nudge might cause her to shatter into a thousand
pieces.

Seven: Snake was probably murdered.
Seven: Chances are he was killed the same way the 9th Man was.

Seven lowered his voice, likely in an effort to keep Clover from hearing what
he had to say.
There were 4 other people in the room with Junpei and Seven.
Ace, Santa, June, and Lotus.
Seven looked at each one of them in turn, and continued.

Seven: It's pretty straightforward. Not that hard to figure out how they did
it.
Seven: First, the killers got Snake to authenticate on the RED to open door
[3].
Seven: Then they shoved him into it, alone...
Seven: ...And waited 9 seconds for the door to shut.
Seven: Once that door shut, it was over for Snake, but he didn't give up.
Seven: He probably knew it wouldn't do him any good, but he probably ran into
the shower room looking for the DEAD.
Seven: It was a small chance, but it wasn't like he had anything to lose.
Seven: Unfortunately, it didn't work.
Seven: The detonator's only deactivated if everybody who authenticated when
they went in uses the DEAD.
Seven: And then 81 seconds after he was shoved in...
Seven: That happened.
Junpei: I see... So that's what you meant by killers, huh.
Junpei: You need at least 3 people to open one of the numbered doors, including
Snake.
Junpei: It wouldn't open for Snake and a single killer.
Seven: Exactly.
Seven: That means we're looking at multiple perps here.

Junpei crossed his arms and grunted.

Junpei: Well, just in case, I wanna make sure.
Junpei: Let's say you're right... When do you think Snake was killed?
Seven: When we all split up to look for the parts for the REDs... I think.
Seven: Right after that was when we noticed he was gone.
Junpei: Then that means none of us have alibis.
Junpei: We were all off searching the rooms we'd been assigned, looking for
those parts...
Seven: Yeah... That means anybody could be a killer.
June: W-Wait a minute! What are you talking about?!

June seemed shocked.

June: How can you say 1 of us is a killer so casually?!
Seven: Well, not just 1 of us. If I'm right, then at least 2 of us are
murderers.
Ace: Why don't you calm down a bit, Seven...
Ace: What are you going to gain by being so suspicious? That's what Zero wants,
you know.
Seven: What...Zero wants?
Ace: Exactly. This game was set up by Zero, wasn't it?
Ace: Any game has a winner and loser.
Ace: Whoever makes it through door [9] is a winner, and those who don't are the
losers.
Ace: Zero is trying to make us fight against one another for that victory.
June: Then you're saying that Zero is trying to split us up by making us fight
each other?
Ace: Yes.
Ace: That is why we can't let ourselves fall prey to suspicion.
Ace: We have to trust one another, and form a strong bond of friendship.
Ace: Otherwise, we'll end up ensnared by Zero's manipulations.
Lotus: Then, does that mean that...the person who killed Snake...
Ace: Yes. Almost certainly Zero himself.
Ace: If there's anyone we should doubt, it should be Zero.
Ace: He masterminded this game, and kidnapped all of us.
Ace: Doesn't it seem reasonable that he would have killed Snake as well?

Junpei hadn't really considered that.
If Zero had killed Snake, then Zero was on the ship with them.

* <<Was Zero still on the ship with them...?>>

<Junpei wasn't sure.> - "m30a.c1"
<Of course.> - "m30a.c2"

{m30a.c1}
<Junpei wasn't sure.>

He wasn't sure.

Junpei: Hey, I'm just wondering about 1 thing...
Ace: And what's that?
Junpei: How can you be so sure that Zero's on this ship?

Ace's eyebrows shot up.

Ace: Really, Junpei? I confess, I'm a little disappointed. Usually you're
rather sharp.
Ace: Isn't it obvious?
Junpei: Obvious? How so?
Ace: "This ship."
Junpei: ...Huh?
Ace: Zero said "this ship" several times when he addressed us.

"I am Zero... The captain of this ship."
"The purpose of the game is simple... Leave this ship alive."
"As you have no doubt surmised, this ship has begun to sink."

Ace: If he weren't here, he wouldn't say "this ship", would he?
Ace: He'd be saying something like "that ship" or "the ship".
Junpei: Oh... Yeah, I guess that makes sense.

Ace's explanation made perfect sense. Junpei felt a little foolish that he
hadn't seen it himself.
Still, he was left with a question, and it was one of no small importance.

Junpei: If Zero's on the ship...where is he?

Suddenly, everyone went very quiet.
The silence was cold and clammy, and Junpei could feel it crawling across his
back and around his throat.
Again, he heard the ghosting moaning noise.
And moments later, a person who looked more ghost than human appeared.
It was Clover.
She looked at the floor as she spoke, and her voice was a cold monotone.

Clover: I think...
Clover: I think Zero is...one of us...
* ?!

Every human body in the room froze. The only sound was the muffled rustling of
breath.
Eyes darted from face to face. One of those faces was the face of their jailer.
...But who?
Junpei...

* <<Said...>>

<"Hmm... Well, that's possible."> - "m30a.d1"
<"That's crazy!"> - "m30a.d2"

{m30a.c2}
<Of course.>

Of course he was. That was obvious.
Zero was somewhere on the ship, but...
Junpei had no idea where.
Junpei mumbled to himself, lost in thought.

Junpei: ...Where could Zero be hiding...?

Suddenly, everyone went very quiet.
The silence was cold and clammy, and Junpei could feel it crawling across his
back and around his throat.
Again, he heard the ghosting moaning noise.
And moments later, a person who looked more ghost than human appeared.
It was Clover.
She looked at the floor as she spoke, and her voice was a cold monotone.

Clover: I think...
Clover: I think Zero is...one of us...
* ?!

Every human body in the room froze. The only sound was the muffled rustling of
breath.
Eyes darted from face to face. One of those faces was the face of their jailer.
...But who?
Junpei...

* <<Said...>>

<"Hmm... Well, that's possible."> - "m30a.d1"
<"That's crazy!"> - "m30a.d2"

{m30a.d1}
<"Hmm... Well, that's possible.">

Junpei: Hmm... Well, that's possible.
June: ...Huh?
Junpei: Like Clover said, Zero might be one of us.
June: W-What are you saying, Jumpy?!
June: Didn't you hear what Ace said?!
Ace: Exactly. I said we shouldn't suspect one another for no reason--
Junpei: No reason? I've got a great reason.
Santa: And what's that?
Junpei: The bracelets.

He held out his left arm.

Junpei: Why are the bombs in our bodies connected to the [bracelets]?
Junpei: You're all thinking Zero's hiding somewhere, watching us, right?
Junpei: If he's doing that, then he could just detonate the bombs by remote
control if someone did something they weren't supposed to.
Junpei: It would be a lot more precise, and a lot easier. But...
Junpei: If that's the case, then why is the bomb set off by the detonator in
the bracelet?
Santa: Huh... You got a point.
Junpei: I'm not done. Try applying the same ideas to the Nonary Game.
Junpei: All of the puzzles here run all by themselves.
Junpei: In other words, Zero doesn't have to be controlling them for the game
to move forward.
Junpei: Why's that? Why would Zero bother to do something like that?

Junpei let the question hang in the air, and looked at the others.
It was Santa who answered.

Santa: So let's say you and Clover are right. Zero's one of us.
Santa: If that's the case, then it'd be really hard for him to keep track of
all of us, or control anything remotely.
Santa: That's why all the puzzles run by themselves.
Santa: ...That's what you're getting at, right?
Junpei: Yeah.

Junpei nodded.

Junpei: Seven, when we were talking earlier...
Junpei: You said any one of us could be Snake's killer, right?
Seven: Yeah, something like that.
Junpei: All right then, I've got a question for you, Ace.
Junpei: You said something like "Zero must be the one who killed Snake", right?
Ace: Yes, something like that. I can't think of any other explanation.
Junpei: So what do we get if we combine those?
Junpei: They fit together pretty well, I think. Something like this...
Junpei: (Whoever killed Snake) = (Zero) = (one of us)
Junpei: Seven and Ace's theories aren't mutually exclusive. They actually
complement each other pretty well.
Junpei: At least they do if Zero is one of us.

No one spoke.
Their faces were grim, but Junpei wasn't sure if they believed him or not.
Finally, Lotus spoke up.

Lotus: What were his motives?
Junpei: His motives?
Lotus: Yes. Isn't that pretty important?
Lotus: Why would Zero want to hide as one of us?
Junpei: Oh... Well, that's because...um...

Junpei choked.
He hadn't thought of that, and he had to be honest with himself... He had no
idea.

Junpei: I...don't know...

Lotus sighed.

Lotus: Well, so much for making a persuasive argument, Junpei.
Ace: In other words, you had only circumstantial evidence.
Seven: I don't really think that's enough to go on, you know...?

Junpei was painfully aware of their eyes on him, and their disapproval.
He tried to find something else--anything else--to look at.
Just when he felt he could bear it no longer--
They heard a bell begin to ring. It was the clock at the central staircase.

Santa: 3 in the morning...
Lotus: That means we have 3 hours left...
Ace: Then we need to move, now.
Ace: Seven, Clover, Junpei... 
Ace: I know how you feel, but you do understand that, right now, it's important
we trust one another, don't you?

Junpei couldn't bring himself to respond.
He swallowed the words he wanted to say, and sighed.
Seven and Clover remained silent.
Their eyes were looking at something somewhere else, very far away.

(To "m30a.e", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m30a.d2}
<"That's crazy!">

Junpei: That's crazy!
Junpei: Isn't this ship going to sink in a few hours?
Junpei: If Zero was here with us, he'd be putting himself in danger!
Junpei: Why the hell would he do something like that?!
Junpei: There's no motive!

Clover looked up at Junpei, and her face fell.

Clover: You...don't believe me...
Junpei: ...

Her eyes were so pitiful...
The moment Junpei's met them, he felt his heart tighten.
He didn't think what he said was wrong...
...But perhaps the way he'd said it had been. He'd been too insensitive.
Clover had just lost her brother.
His death would have been bad enough, but she'd also seen the blasted wreck of
his body.
Junpei barely knew him, and the sight had been enough to make him sick. What
Clover had felt...he couldn't begin to imagine.
Junpei barely knew him, and the sight had been enough to make him sick. What
Clover had felt...he couldn't begin to imagine.
She felt everyone was against her. The least Junpei could have done was try to
understand what she was feeling.
He felt ashamed of what he'd said.
Perhaps, he thought, I should apologize.
But before that apology could begin--

Ace: Clover, I understand what you're feeling. You don't feel that you can
trust any of us.

Ace had beaten Junpei to the punch.
As he spoke to Clover, his face was calm and friendly.

Ace: But you have to understand...
Ace: The more we distrust one another, the further we fall into our true foe's
trap.
Ace: Zero was the one who did those horrible things to your brother.
Ace: Do you want to let yourself be manipulated by someone who would do such a
horrible thing?

Clover didn't answer. She didn't even look at Ace.
The whole time, her eyes were on Junpei.
He could feel Clover's eyes boring into him.
They were the color of a deep winter lake. Junpei saw no suspicion in
them...only sadness.
Then, in that horrible silence--

They heard a bell begin to ring. It was the clock at the central staircase.

Santa: 3 in the morning...
Lotus: That means we have 3 hours left...
Ace: Then we need to move, now.
Ace: Seven, Clover...
Ace: I know how you feel, but you do understand that, right now, it's important
we trust one another, don't you?

Seven and Clover remained silent.
Their eyes were looking at something somewhere else, very far away.

(To "m30a.e", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m30a.e}

Ace: We must go! We have very little time left!

Ace's words put their feet to moving.
They all knew where they were going.
Their next destination...was [Mercury].

(If completed door [3], to "c21e.1" replacing quotations with braces {} )
(Else completed door [7] or [8], continue below )

It sat, bolted to the wall near the stairs that led to the casino and the
kitchen, between the 2 elevators.
The Mercury card reader.
Junpei stood in front of it with the [Mercury key card]...
Seven had given him the card.

Seven: I found it when we were checking out the shower room.

At least, that's what he'd said.
Junpei slid the card through the reader.
The light on the reader turned green and made a tiny, electronic noise.
Now, they were ready.
Junpei and June had been chosen as the investigators.
The reasoning being that they had been to E Deck before, and no one else had.
As before, Junpei sent the elevator ahead, to make sure the floor they were
heading to wasn't flooded.
As before, the elevator returned as dry as when it had left.
Once it had been checked for water, Junpei and June stepped into the elevator.
There were only 2 floor buttons they could push...
The "C" and "Bottom" buttons.
The rest were destroyed or did nothing when pushed.
Junpei hit the "Bottom" button.
The door closed. Slowly, they began to move downward.
Some time later, Junpei and June stepped off the elevator and onto the [Bottom
Deck].
They stepped off, and saw that the hallway to their right ended somewhere
between 20 and 25 feet from them.
The hallway in front of them was a dead end...
But not a regular dead end.

June: This is a numbered door... 
Junpei: This is the 8th one we've found...

There were 2 numbered doors on B Deck, near the central staircase.
They were doors [4] and [5].
There were 3 more numbered doors in the large hospital room...
Doors [3], [7], and [8].
Junpei and June had found another door on E Deck and Lotus and Santa had found
a 7th on A Deck.
There was a [6] on the door on E Deck... And a [1] on the door on A Deck.
[4], [5], [3], [7], [8], [6], [1]...
And now, door [2] stood in front of Junpei.
There was only one thing it meant.

June: Do you think...the next door we find...
Junpei: Yeah, I think so.
Junpei: The next one's gonna be door [9].

Despite himself, Junpei felt excited.
There was something about that excitement that frightened him as well.
He did his best to put it from his mind, and headed back to C Deck with June.
...
...

Junpei: All right, let's open these up.

The pieces of paper they'd folded up lay on the ground next to Junpei's legs.
There were 7 of them, all told. They were written on paper pulled from Junpei's
notebook, and each one bore a codename and a door.
Why had they decided to vote that way?
They'd decided it wasn't fair to simply ask everyone at once--that would allow
people to force others to go through certain doors.
Well, that wasn't the only reason. Junpei had proposed the voting system...
...And he had a plan.
It wasn't a plan he wanted anyone catching wind of, however, so he did his best
to act calm as he began to open and read the pieces of paper.
The 1st one read...

Junpei: Ace requests door [1].
Ace: Yes, I do. Would you like me to explain why?
Junpei: No, we don't have the time for that. Sorry. Let's keep going...

He opened the second one.

Junpei: Next is Santa. He wants door [6].
Santa: Yeah, that's what I wrote.

Junpei continued with the 3rd, 4th, and 5th pieces of paper.

Junpei: Clover wants [1]... Lotus wants [2]...and Seven also wants [2].
Lotus: Eh!? W-W-Wait a minute!
Lotus: There's no way I'm going anywhere with the Elephant Man!
Junpei: No. There'd be no point to the voting if we let people change their
choices because of stuff like that.
Lotus: But--!
Seven: Just give it up, Lotus.
Seven: It's not like I wanna hang out with some exhibitionist grandma.
Lotus: I'm not an exhibitionist! I'm wearing clothes!
Seven: Barely.
Lotus: So?! Last I checked, that's not a crime!
Seven: Maybe, but what about common decency?
Seven: Nobody wants to hafta look at a chick who looks like a half-naked
raisin...
Lotus: RrrrrrrrRRRRGH! I'm going to kill you!

Lotus's hair flared out like the mane of an angry lion, and she roared with a
voice that shook the walls.
With some difficulty, Ace managed to restrain her.

Ace: Junpei! Read the rest!
Junpei: U-Uh...right...

Junpei tore his eyes away and looked down at the 6th piece of paper.
He opened it.

Junpei: June wants door [6]...
June: Yes. I don't really have a reason, I just felt like it.

All of the papers, save Junpei's, had been read.
He did some quick calculations in his head.
People who requested door [1] = Ace + Clover.
(This was the door on [A Deck], near the central staircase.)
People who requested door [2] = Seven + Lotus.
(This was the door on the [Bottom Deck] and could be reached by taking the
elevator to the bottom of the ship.)
People who requested door [6] = Santa + June.
(This was the door on [E Deck] and could be reached by taking the elevator near
the central staircase down.)
It took him less than a second to run the numbers. He opened the 7th piece of
paper and spoke.

Junpei: Okay, the last one is mine.
Junpei: I want to go through...

<Door [1]> - "a31b"
<Door [2]> - "c31b"
<Door [6]> - "b31b"

===========================================
===========================================
{a31b} File #17
:Bottom Deck:
-Entering door [1]-
===========================================

Junpei: My choice...is door [1].

Santa was unconvinced.

Santa: Hey, wait a minute there. You cheatin'?
Junpei: Cheating...?
Santa: I'm asking if you changed your number after you heard what doors we
wanted.
Junpei: How could I do that? I wrote it down on the paper earlier.
Santa: Lemme see that.

Junpei shrugged and handed it to him.
Santa examined it furiously. The others peered at it as well.
As they did, Junpei quickly slipped the piece of paper he'd been hiding into
his pocket.
Although he'd never know it now, Santa had been justified in his suspicions.
Junpei had switched papers.
He had prepared 3 pieces of paper, for doors [1], [2], and [6], and put the
paper with "Door 6" on it into the pot. He put a small mark on it, so that he
would know which one was his.
He put the paper that said "Door 1" in his left hand, and the paper that read
"Door 2" in his right. When the drawing began, he saw to it that he drew last.
The rest was easy.
If he wanted to go into door [1], he'd use his left hand, and his right hand if
he wanted door [2].
Of course, if he wanted door [6], that would be simple. All he need do was
switch nothing, and say 6 had been what he wanted all along.

Junpei: Well? What does it say?

He fought the urge to smirk.

Santa: Hmph... You got lucky.

Santa snorted, and tossed the paper aside, frustrated.

Ace: Very well. We've decided who will go through door [1].
Ace: It will be Clover, Junpei, and myself.

1 + 4 + 5 = 10 -> 1 + 0 = 1

Ace: Our only problem is the 2 remaining teams...
Santa: June and I want door [6].
Seven: Lotus and I want door [2].
June: That's not good...
June: We can't open either of those doors with only 2 people...
Santa: ...
Seven: ...
June: ...
Lotus: Fine.
Lotus: Seven, we'll go through door [6].

3 + 6 + 7 + 8 = 24 -> 2 + 4 = 6

Seven: Sure thing.
Seven: I didn't really wanna go through door [2] anyway.
Seven: Besides, if we've got a younger girl with us, it'll lower the average
age.
Seven: Right, June?
June: Eh...Well... I... Um...

June was at a loss for words.
Lotus was not.

Lotus: That pig... You just wait and see...

Her eyes were the eyes of a woman prepared to kill. A shiver ran down Junpei's
spine.
Even after they separated at the staircase, Lotus was still muttering angrily
to herself.
Circumstances dictated that Junpei and June would have to part ways again, but
this time it didn't sting quite so much.
After all, he knew he would see her again...

Seven: 'Til we find that [9] door, Zero ain't gonna split us up.
Seven: We might get separated for a little while, but we'll see each other
again.
Seven: Otherwise, we can't open door [9].
Seven: That's how the Nonary Game works.

...
...
Junpei, Ace, and Clover headed toward A Deck...
They took out the Earth key and opened the door to the left.
It opened, and they walked through.
It was just as Santa and Lotus had said.
At the end of the hallway sat a door with a large, red [1] upon it.
A numbered door.
To the left of it, bolted to the wall, was the RED.
Ace went first, and waved his wrist over the scanner panel.
Junpei was next.
Finally, listlessly, Clover lifted her arm.
She leaned toward the scanner panel.
The 3rd asterisk clicked to life, shining brightly.
Ace took hold of the lever.
He took a deep breath, and turned to Junpei and Clover.

Ace: Are you ready? Shall I pull it?
Junpei: Yeah, any time.
Clover: ...

Clover said nothing.
She nodded, little more than a lethargic twitch of the head.

Ace: Very well then. Let's go.
Ace: 3... 2... 1...!

The door opened.
They stumbled into the room.
Frantically, Junpei scanned the room.
His eyes stopped on the device that would determine whether they lived or died.

Junpei: There it is! Over there!

Next to the door they'd come through was the DEAD.
As one, they ran to it.
They put their hands over it as if they were fighting for it.

Junpei: ...
Ace: ...
Clover: ...
Junpei: It stopped...
Ace: Yes... It did...

Junpei could feel his heart pounding against the inside of his ribs.
Ace and Clover were breathing hard and fast.
It was the 3rd time they'd been through the process, but they had yet to grow
accustomed to it.
Not that Junpei wanted to...
He planned to finish the game before he got a chance to let imminent death
become commonplace.
Junpei looked around again, this time more slowly.
There was another door. Different from the one they'd entered through.
He took hold of the knob and easily, gently, pulled it open.

Junpei: So... This is the wheelhouse...?

He closed the door again, and turned to Ace and Clover.
He fixed each in turn with a meaningful stare, then spoke.

Junpei: Ace, you investigate the wheelhouse next door!
Ace: V-Very well...
Junpei: Clover, you're in charge of this room!
Clover: ...
Junpei: Say something!
Clover: O-Okay... I will...
Junpei: All right then! Let's get started!

(To "a31", replacing quotations with braces {} )

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::Chart Room::
=============================================
{a31} File #16
Plot points within this section:
-Caught Red Handed: "a31d.a"
( To skip to a story segment, search for "a31d.#" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
( Next story segment: "a32b", replacing quotations with braces {} )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \ : Room Connections
v: Returns to the previous room
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.


    [A] [B]   [7] (to 3)
      \ /      | /
      [6]=[4]=[5]
      [8] /   [9]
       | /     |
      <1>=[2]=[3]->(to 1)

7: Pocketwatch Door Closeup
8: Drawer Closeup
9: Desk Closeup
A: Engine Order Telegraph Closeup
B: Steering Wheel Closeup

{Screen 1, Facing Drawers and Door}

<Examine Light, 1+>
* A light. It looks kind of like a wilted flower.

<Examine Chair, 1>
Junpei: A chair...
Clover: A chair...
* Clover isn't talking much.
* Well, I guess that's understandable... I mean, she's been through a lot.
* Really, it's more surprising that she's still together enough to talk at
all...
<Examine Chair, 2+>
* A chair. It seems solemn, somehow, and melancholy.

{Screen 2, Facing Steel Door}

<Examine DEAD, 1+>
* The DEAD is bolted to the wall here.

<Examine Steel Door, 1>
Clover: Junpei... Are you trying to open that door?
Clover: Forget it... It's pointless... I tried it earlier.
Clover: It won't open.
<Examine Steel Door, 2+>
* This is the door we came in through. We can't go back.

<Examine Steel Door Handle, 1>
* It's locked. Well, actually, the handle just won't move.
* There's gotta be some sort of locking mechanism at work here, though...
<Examine Steel Door Handle, 2+>
* The door handle won't move.

<Examine Steel Door Nameplate, 1+>
* There's a plate on the door. The letters are too scratched... I can't tell
what it says.

{Screen 3, Facing Desk}

<Examine Top Shelf, 1>
* The shelves are lined with books. Let's see what's in this blue one...
* There's something written on it...
* [Ship's Log]
Junpei: Huh... Ship's log, huh...
<Examine Top Shelf, 2>
* The shelves are lined with books. Looks like they all have something to do
with sailing.
Junpei: None of these look very useful...
<Examine Top Shelf, 3+>
* The shelves are lined with books. All sailing books, apparently.

<Examine Wooden Box on desk, 1>
* It's a wooden box. Maybe a case for letters?
Junpei: Hey, Clover... You ever write letters?
Clover: ...
* ...Nothing.
<Examine Wooden Box on desk, 2+>
* There's a wooden box on the desk. Doesn't look very suspicious.

<Examine Light, 1>
Junpei: It's a light.
Clover: ...
* Well, I guess she doesn't really feel like talking.
* She's not really paying attention to anything, is she? Her mind must be
somewhere else.
<Examine Light, 2+>
* There's a light bolted to the wall.

<Examine Map on wall, 1>
* A map. It's got the Atlantic Ocean in the middle.
Clover: Hey, Junpei... What do you think these red things are...?
Junpei: Yeah... They look like pins...
Clover: What do you think they're for?
Junpei: Who knows?
Clover: What do you mean "who knows?"
Clover: Come on! Be serious!
Junpei: I am...
<Examine Map on wall with charts in inventory, 2>
Clover: Red pins on a map of the world... I wonder what they mean...
Clover: Hey, Junpei...?
Clover: You sure you don't have any, like, hints or clues or something?
Junpei: Oh... Hmm...yeah... Lemme see if they match up...
<Examine Map on wall with charts in inventory, 3>
* A world map with the Atlantic Ocean in the center. There are a number of red
pins in several locations.
<Examine Map on wall with charts in inventory, 4+>
* There are a bunch of red pins on this map.
* Maybe they match up to one of those other maps I found...
<Examine Map on wall with charts equipped, 1>
* A world map with the Atlantic Ocean in the center. There are a number of red
pins in several locations.
* What do these red pins mean...?
* Well, the nautical charts I picked up earlier have a map like this one...
* Maybe one of them matches up to the pins or something...
* Let's see...
Junpei: Well, what do you know... Looks like this one's a match to the pins.
* Okay, so we've got 7 locations, connected by straight lines...
* And each one has a word next to it. That's probably the speed...
<Examine Map on wall after logging locations, 1>
* All right, I've got the nautical chart that matches up to these pins.
* I don't think I need to spend any more time with this map.
<Examine Map on wall after logging locations, 2+>
* It's a map of the world, with the Atlantic ocean in the middle.

{Screen 4, Steering Wheel facing Windows}

<Examine Windows, 1+>
* There's another room on the other side of the window.

<Examine Steering Helm, 1>
Junpei: The helm...
Ace: Well, "steering wheel" might be a more appropriate term.
<Examine Steering Helm, 2>
Junpei: This thing won't budge. Feels like there's something keeping it in
place...
Ace: What would be the point of moving it?
Ace: The ship is stopped. What would be the use of steering it?
Junpei: Yeah, I know. Still...
<Examine Steering Helm, 3+>
* The helm. It won't move.

<Examine Compass, 1>
Ace: A compass. ...It appears to be broken, however.
Ace: You see? The glass cover has been smashed to pieces.
<Examine Compass, 2+>
* A broken compass. Doesn't look like it'll be very useful.

<Examine Far Right Desk, 1>
Junpei: A desk. Anything in the drawers...? Nope.
<Examine Far Right Desk, 2+>
* There's nothing in the desk.

<Examine Left Desk, 1>
Ace: *Sigh* This isn't good.
Ace: So many drawers, but nothing inside of them...
<Examine Left Desk, 2+>
* A desk. There's nothing in the drawers.

{Screen 5, Facing Two Doors and Display}

<Examine Display Closeup, 1>
Junpei: What is this...some kind of display?
Ace: It looks a little like an electronic scoreboard. I imagine it was added
recently.
<Examine Display Closeup, 2+>
* An arrival board, like at an airport. There's nothing on it right now,
though.
<Examine Display Closeup after putting incorrect speeds in Engine Order, 1>
* There's something on the wall that looks kind of like an arrival board.
* There's only stuff displayed on the left side.
Junpei: What the hell is this...?
Ace: It's the name of the ports in the world.
Ace: I imagine it's showing us the ship's route.
Ace: You know, just like the ones you might see at an airport.
Ace: "Departing XX Carrier XX Flight XX at XX:00"...  Like that.
Junpei: Oh, I get it. It does look like those are the names of all the ports
along the ship's route.
Junpei: But there's only one line that shows the arrival time...
Ace: Ah, the time on the bottom, right?
Ace: 47 seconds and 25 minutes past 7 o'clock. Perhaps that's the arrival time?
<Examine Display Closeup after putting incorrect speeds in Engine Order, 2>
* There a whole bunch of words on the arrival board. {Author's Note: There
should be an "are" in there.}
* It looks like they're showing the different stops on the ship's route, and
the time it's expected to arrive at the final destination.
* The time is set to 25 minutes and 47 seconds past 7 o'clock.
Junpei: Why would they specify seconds...?
<Examine Display Closeup after putting incorrect speeds in Engine Order, 3+>
* 47 seconds and 25 minutes past 7 o'clock... I guess that's when the ship
arrives at her final destination.
* Time... The time...
<Examine Display Closeup after putting incorrect speeds with watch equipped, 1>
Ace: 47 seconds and 25 minutes past 7 o'clock...  This time is suspicious.
Junpei: Yeah, I know.
Junpei: I mean it's set even to the last second. There has to be meaning behind
it.
Ace: Hm...? Oh...perhaps...
* Ace suddenly went up to Junpei....
Ace: Excuse me, Junpei.
* Hey! He just took my pocket watch!
Junpei: H-Hey!  What the hell are you doing!?
Ace: Just trust me.
Junpei: ...
Ace: It should be fine now.
* Well, thanks for giving me the pocket watch back, but you don't need to look
so smug about it.
* I took it and looked at the needle. Then...
Junpei: 47 seconds and 25 minutes past 7 o'clock...
Junpei: Oh, so you changed it to match the final arrival time...
* Ace nodded slowly.
Ace: You know what to do next, right?
Ace: Give it a shot.
<Examine Display Closeup after putting incorrect speeds and adjusting watch,
2+>
* 47 seconds and 25 minutes past 7 o'clock... I guess that's when the ship
arrives at her final destination.
* The needle of the pocket watch is pointing to the same time as well.
<Examine Display Closeup after solving Engine speed puzzle, 1>
* There's something on the wall that looks kind of like an arrival board.
* There are a whole bunch of words on the left side of the display.
Junpei: What the hell is this...?
Ace: They're names of ports across the world.
Ace: I imagine it's showing us the ship's route.
Ace: You know, just like the ones you might see at an airport.
Ace: "Departing XX Carrier XX Flight XX at XX:00"...  Like that.
Junpei: Oh, I get it. It does look like those are the names of all the ports
along the ship's route.
Junpei: It looks like only one of those has a time on it, though...
Ace: The time on the last line, right?
Ace: 10 seconds past 3 o'clock... Perhaps that's the arrival time?
<Examine Display Closeup after solving Engine speed puzzle, 2>
* An arrival board... The left side is filled with words.
* It looks like 10 seconds past 3 o'clock is the arrival time for the final
destination.
Junpei: But... Why are they showing even to the seconds...?
<Examine Display Closeup after solving Engine speed puzzle, 3+>
* 10 seconds past 3 o'clock... So that's when the ship arrives at the final
destination.
* Time... The time...
<Examine Display Closeup after getting incorrect time first, and then solving
Engine speed puzzle , 1+>
* The display's changed. Now it's showing an estimated time of arrival of 10
seconds past 3 o'clock...
* The time.... Time...
<Examine Display Closeup after getting incorrect time first, and then solving
Engine speed puzzle , watch equipped, 1>
Ace: Junpei take a look. The display panel looks different.
Junpei: Yeah, you're right... Only the left half of it's on, though.
Ace: The last line... It says that the estimated arrival time at the final
destination is 10 seconds past 3 o'clock.
Junpei: Oh. Then, you mean...
* ...
Ace: I see. Good work, Junpei. You're a sharp one.
Ace: You matched up the hands on the watch like I did earlier, didn't you?
Ace: Now you've set it to 10 seconds past 3 o'clock.
Junpei: Yup.
Ace: Then surely you know what need to happen next.
Ace: Let's give a shot, shall we?
<Examine Display Closeup after solving Engine speed puzzle, pocket watch
equipped, 1>
* A digital scoreboard...or something like that. On the left side, it's got the
names of the ports the ship will stop at along its route.
* The last line says 10 seconds past 3 o'clock...
* That must be the estimated time of arrival at the final port.
Ace: Hm...? Oh...perhaps...
* Woah! What's he doing--
Ace: Excuse me, Junpei.
* Hey! He just took my pocket watch!
Junpei: H-Hey!  What the hell are you doing!?
Ace: Just trust me.
Junpei: ...
Ace: It should be fine now.
* Well, thanks for giving me the pocket watch back, but you don't need to look
so smug about it.
* Let's see what he... Oh. He moved the hands...
Junpei: 10 seconds past 3 o'clock...
Junpei: Oh, so you changed it to match the final arrival time...
* Ace nodded slowly.
Ace: You know what to do next, right?
Ace: Give it a shot.
<Examine Display Closeup after adjusting pocket watch, 1+>
* A digital scoreboard...or something like that. On the left side, it's got the
names of the ports the ship will stop at along its route.

<Examine Right Door after unlocking watch door, 1+>
* The door to the chart room. Clover is over in the wheelhouse already.
* I don't need to open this door anymore.

{Screen 6, Steering Wheel facing Wall}

<Examine Compass, 1>
Junpei: A compass...
Ace: And what destiny does it point us to...?
Junpei: I really hope you don't think that sounded cool.
Ace: ...
<Examine Compass, 2+>
* A compass. The needle is pointing north.

<Examine Steel Plating, 1>
Ace: This room is just like the other one... Metal plates bolted over the
windows.
* Heck, not just bolted... It looks like they've been welded on.
* No way in hell are we going to get those off any time soon.
<Examine Steel Plating, 2+>
* There's a thick iron plate covering the window.

<Examine Circle-holed Boards, 1>
* It's a wooden board with a circular hole in it.
<Examine Circle-holed Boards, 2+>
* There are a bunch of wooden planks piled up underneath the window.

<Examine Rightmost Telegraph, 1>
Ace: Ah, a human hammer.
Ace: They're often used to subdue large men like Seven.
Junpei: ...What?
Ace: That was a joke, of course.
Junpei: Thank you, Captain Obvious.
Junpei: Ace... You really kinda suck at making jokes...
Ace: ...
Ace: That was rather cruel...
<Examine Rightmost Telegraph, 2+>
* It's just like the one on their left.
* It's broken, though. Can't really use something that's broken.

{Screen 7, Pocket Watch Door Closeup}

<Examine Doorknob, 1>
* Let's see if this'll open... No dice.
* Must be locked.
<Examine Doorknob, 2>
* This door is locked.

<Examine Door, 1>
Ace: It looks like this is the only exit.
<Examine Door, 2+>
* A door. It's locked.
<Examine Door after unlocking device, 1>
(To "a32b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine LOCK Display, 1+>
* It says "LOCK" in bright red letters.
<Examine LOCK Display after inserting corrected watch, 1+>
* It says "OPEN" in bright green letters.

<Examine Square Plate, 1+>
* There's some sort of square device embedded in this door.
<Examine Square Plate after inserting corrected watch, 1+>
* It says "OPEN" in bright green letters.

<Examine Indentation after finding watch, unequipped, 1+>
Junpei: This looks familiar... I saw something earlier that's the same shape as
this hole, I know it...
<Examine Indentation with pocket watch equipped, 1>
* Looks like this is some sort of lock. It's got a weird-shaped indentation on
it.
Junpei: Huh...? This shape...  Maybe...
* It does look like the pocket watch would fit here...
Junpei: ...
Junpei: Nothing.
Ace: I imagine the pocket watch is intended to go in there.
Ace: However, we may need to do something with the watch first.
<Examine Indentation with pocket watch equipped, 2+>
* I know that I'm supposed to put the pocket watch in this hole, but...
<Examine Indentation with pocket watch adjusted to incorrect time, 1>
* Looks like this is some sort of lock. It's got a weird-shaped indentation on
it.
* Actually, maybe the pocket watch would fit in there...
Ace: Huh? That's strange... Nothing's happening.
Ace: Perhaps we set it to the wrong time?
Junpei: Well, the arrival board had the time for the final destination...
Junpei: And we set the hands on the watch to that time, so...
Ace: Are you saying that the arrival board has the wrong time?
Junpei: Yeah, I think it might.
Junpei: We need to figure out how to get it to show the right one.
<Examine Indentation with pocket watch adjusted to incorrect time, 2+>
* I know that I'm supposed to put the pocket watch in this hole, but...
<Examine Indentation with pocket watch adjusted to 10 seconds past 3, 1>
* Looks like this is some sort of lock. It's got a weird-shaped indentation on
it.
* Actually, it's shaped just like this pocket watch I've got...
Junpei: Let's try putting this in there!
Junpei: Yes! It says "OPEN" now!
Ace: Good work. It seems you were successful.
Ace: Well done, Junpei.
Junpei: Heeeey! Clover!
Clover: What...?
Junpei: Look! We unlocked the door!
Junpei: Now we can get out of this roo--...
Clover: ...
Clover: Oh...
Clover: Well... Let's go then...
Junpei: Clover...
Clover: ...
<Examine Indentation with pocket watch inserted, 1+>
* The watch is stuck in the hole. It says "OPEN" in green on the left.

<Examine Lock device from distance after unlocking, 1+>
Junpei: The control for the lock. It says "OPEN".

{Screen 8, Drawer Closeup}

<Examine Top of Drawer, 1>
Clover: It's a cabinet...
Junpei: Yeah, there sure are a lot of drawers here.
Clover: ...
* Clover isn't very talkative. She looks kinda upset.
<Examine Top of Drawer, 2+>
* A big cabinet. It has a bunch of drawers.
<Examine Top of Drawer after taking charts, 1>
Clover: I guess this is probably for reading maps...or something...
Junpei: Yeah, they probably spread the map out here and there to decide on the
route.
<Examine Top of Drawer after taking charts, 2+>
* It's a cabinet where they store nautical maps, apparently.

<Examine Open drawer before taking charts, 1+>
* There's something in this drawer... Is this...a map?
<Examine Open drawer after taking charts, 1+>
* There's nothing left in the drawer.

{Screen 9, Desk Closeup}

<Examine Chair, 1>
Clover: A chair...
* Clover isn't very talkative. She looks kinda out of it...
* Is she thinking about Snake?
<Examine Chair, 2+>
* A chair... There's nothing special about it.

<Examine Left Drawer, 1>
* The left drawer. Let's have a look... Nothing.
<Examine Left Drawer, 2+>
* The left drawer. Nothing in here.

<Examine Right Drawer, 1>
* The right drawer. Let's have a look... Nothing.
<Examine Right Drawer, 2+>
* The right drawer. Nothing in here.

<Examine Desk Top, 1>
Junpei: This is a pretty empty desk...
Clover: My brother's desk looked a lot like this...
Clover: Cause he couldn't see, he never put stuff on it that he didn't need...
Junpei: ...
* Damn, that's... What am I supposed to say to that? Poor kid...
<Examine Desk Top, 2+>
* Doesn't look like there's anything useful on the desk.

<Examine Open Drawer before taking watch, 1+>
* Hold up, there's something in this one...
<Examine Open Drawer after taking watch, 1+>
* The center drawer. Nothing in here anymore.

{Screen A, Engine Order Telegraph Closeup}

<Examine Engine Order Telegraph, 1>
Ace: An engine order telegraph. They used this on old ships to adjust the speed
of the ship.
Junpei: Like the gear-shift in a car?
Ace: Well, it's a little different.
Ace: This device doesn't connect directly to the engine.
Ace: In short, it's a transmitter.
Ace: The navigation officer uses it to set the speed of the ship, and it sends
a signal to the engine.
Ace: There's a handle on top of it, which can be moved back and forth to--
Junpei: Hold on...
Ace: Huh...?
Junpei: There's no handle...
Ace: You're right... There isn't...
Ace: It looks as though it was deliberately removed.
<Examine Engine Order Telegraph, 2+>
* An engine order telegraph. The handle's been taken off.
* If we can find a replacement handle I could probably get it to move.
<Examine Engine Order Telegraph with handle unequipped, 1>
Ace: Junpei, what are you doing?
Ace: We're almost finished. There's only one thing left to do.
<Examine Engine Order Telegraph with handle unequipped, 2+>
* An engine order telegraph. There's no handle.
* If we can find a replacement handle I could probably get it to move.
<Examine Engine Order Telegraph with handle equipped, 1>
Junpei: So...
Junpei: I sure hope this handle fits...
Junpei: Yes! It fits!
Ace: Excellent. That should allow us to operate the engine order telegraph.
Junpei: Let's give it a shot.
<Examine Engine Order Telegraph after replacing handle, 1+>
Junpei: All right, let's give this another shot!
<Examine Engine Order Telegraph after solving Engine speed puzzle, 1+>
* An engine order telegraph. I don't really think I need to be messing with
that right now...

<Go back from Engine Order Telegraph without solving puzzle before finding
charts, 1>
Junpei: Hmm...
Junpei: I have no idea what speed I'm supposed to set this to.
Junpei: This must be another one of Zero's puzzles.
* Man, I have no idea what I'm supposed to--
Ace: Junpei, take a look at this.
Ace: Look at the door to the chart room... There's something up above it...
<Go back from Engine Order Telegraph without solving puzzle before finding
charts, 3>
Junpei: That's weird... Nothing happened...
Ace: No change in the arrival board either...
Junpei: You mean that arrival board over there...?
<Go back from Engine Order Telegraph without solving puzzle before finding
charts, 4+>
* Just putting in random stuff isn't going to get me anywhere. I need to find
some clues.
<Go back from Engine Order Telegraph without solving puzzle, 1>
Junpei: Hmm... Nothing's happening...
Ace: No, I don't think so.
Ace: Take a look. Over there, above the door to the chart room...
<Go back from Engine Order Telegraph without solving puzzle, 3>
Junpei: That's weird... Nothing happened...
Ace: No change in the arrival board either...
Junpei: You mean that arrival board over there...?
Ace: Nevermind that, Junpei! What is that you're holding?
Junpei: Huh? Oh, this? It's a nautical chart or something, I think. I found it
in the chart room.
Ace: What on Earth are you doing?! The speed is written right there!
Ace: Did you put in the speed it shows on the chart?!
Junpei: ...
<Go back from Engine Order Telegraph without solving puzzle, 4+>
* This nautical chart has a number of differen speeds written on it. {Author's
Note: And I think there's a differen way to spell different.}
* If we put them in the way they're written here... Something should happen. I
hope...

<Solve Engine Order Telegraph puzzle, 1>
Junpei: Huh...? That's weird... I thought I put in the right speed...
Junpei: Did I mess up?
Ace: No, I don't think so.
Ace: Look. Something's happened on the back wall of the wheelhouse.
Junpei: Yeah, you're right... Let's check it out!
<Solve Engine Order Telegraph puzzle after checking scoreboard with incorrect
time, 1>
Junpei: Huh...? That's weird... I thought I put in the right speed...
Junpei: Did I mess up?
Ace: No, I don't think so.
Ace: The same thing happened earlier, remember? There's been a change to the
arrival board.
Junpei: Yeah, you're right... Let's check it out!

<Examine Metal Plates, 1+>
* There's a metal plate bolted over the window.

<Examine Wooden Board, 1+>
* A wooden board. Nothing suspicious here.

<Examine Steering Wheel, 1>
* A steering wheel. There are handles placed at regular intervals, so that it's
easy to turn. Old school.
Junpei: Hey... A handle...?
<Examine Steering Wheel, 2+>
* A steering wheel. There are handles placed at regular intervals, so that it's
easy to turn. Old school.
<Examine Steering Wheel after solving wheel puzzle, 1+>
* A steering wheel that's missing one of its handles. I've already done all I
need to do with it.

{Screen B, Steering Wheel Closeup}

<Examine Metal Plates, 1+>
* There's a metal plate bolted over the window.

<Examine Wooden Board, 1+>
* There's a circular hole cut into this board.

<Examine Compass, 1+>
* There's a compass behind the helm.

<Examine Steering Wheel before getting chart directions / examining engine
order telegraph, 1>
Junpei: The helm...
Ace: Yes, I suppose you could call it a helm. "Steering wheel" might be more
accurate, however.
<Examine Steering Wheel before getting chart directions, 2+>
* A well-polished steering wheel. Looks like it still moves...
<Examine Steering Wheel after examining engine order telegraph, 1>
* A steering wheel.
* Let's see if it--woah!
Junpei: Looks like the steering wheel moves...
Ace: So it would seem.
Ace: I noticed something else as well...
Junpei: What's that?
Ace: Well, when you move this wheel, the compass also moves.
Junpei: What do you mean?
Ace: The ship...it's moving...
Ace: ...Ha! Tricked you, didn't I?
Junpei: The wheel and the compass must be connected to one another somehow...
Ace: Hmmm... Do you think that's important?
Junpei: Well, let's try turning it again...
<Examine Steering Wheel after examining engine order telegraph before getting
charts, 2>
Ace: Junpei...
Ace: There no point to simply guessing like that... {Author's Note: There
missing a word in this sentence as well.}
Junpei: Just shut up for a second!
<Examine Steering Wheel after getting chart directions and examining engine
order telegraph, 2>
Junpei: Steering wheel... Steering wheel...
* If we move it, then the direction changes...
* I swear I saw something that had directions on it...
Junpei: Maybe if I entered directions in that order...
<Examine Steering Wheel after solving puzzle, 1+>
* A steering wheel that's missing one of its handles. Don't need to mess with
that thing anymore.

<Go back from steering wheel without solving before finding charts, 3>
Ace: Nothing is happening...
Ace: If only we had a clue of some sort...
<Go back from steering wheel without solving before finding charts, 4>
Ace: Junpei, there's no point to simply guessing.
Ace: This is almost certainly one of Zero's puzzles.
Ace: There must be a clue or a hint around here somewhere.
Ace: Perhaps you should look for that first...?
<Go back from steering wheel without solving before finding charts, 5>
Junpei: Still no response...
* I should probably be looking for clues.
<Go back from steering wheel without solving, 1>
Ace: Nothing is happening...
Ace: Junpei, this is almost certainly one of Zero's puzzles.
Ace: There must be a clue here, somewhere, that will help us solve it.
Ace: Have you...found anything?
Ace: Perhaps... Something with the points of the compass on it?
<Go back from steering wheel without solving, 2>
Junpei: Th-That's weird. Why isn't anything happening?
Ace: Junpei, you aren't hiding anything, are you?
Ace: Have you already found something with directions on it?
Junpei: Something with directions...?
* Does he mean something with compass points on it?
* If that is what he means, then maybe it would show the order that I'm
supposed to enter this stuff in...
<Go back from steering wheel without solving, 3+>
Junpei: Still no response...
* Well, I've got this paper with some directions written on it...
* I think I'm supposed to move the wheel in the same order...

<Solve Steering Wheel Puzzle, 1>
Junpei: What the...
Junpei: The handle came off...
Ace: Heh... Stooping so low, are you, Zero?

{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search stack of nautical charts in chart room, 1>
Junpei: I think this is a... nautical chart? There's this line on it...here.
Junpei: I think the line is the route the ship is supposed to take.
Clover: There are these dots all over the map...
Junpei: Oh, those are probably ports. Like, for a boat to stop at. It looks
like the lines connect the dots...
<Search stack of nautical charts in chart room, 2>
Clover: There's a stack of charts like that one...
Junpei: Yeah...
Clover: How many are there?
Junpei: I'm not really sure, but I'd say somewhere in the ballpark of 10 or so?
<Search stack of nautical charts in chart room, 3+>
* A stack of nautical charts. Each page has different lines on it.

<Search pocket watch in chart room, 1>
Clover: That's a pocket watch...
* She sure hasn't been saying much... And she just keeps looking at the floor.
She seems kinda sad...
<Search pocket watch in chart room, 2>
* A pocket watch. An old one too... The kind you have to wind.
* The hands have stopped at 5 minutes, 39 seconds past 10 o'clock.
* Huh... I wonder if it's broken...
* ...Yeah, I don't feel anything moving when I fiddle with the dial here.
* Looks like I could move the hands manually, though.
<Search pocket watch in chart room, 3+>
* A broken pocket watch. I can only move the hands manually... The knob doesn't
work.
<Search pocket watch in steering room, 1>
Ace: A mechanical pocket watch with a spring... It doesn't appear to be
working.
Ace: The hands have stopped at 5 minutes, 39 seconds past 10 o'clock.
Ace: Turning the knob does nothing...
Junpei: Yeah, it's probably broken.
Ace: It looks as though you could move the hands, however.
<Search pocket watch in steering room, 2+>
* A broken pocket watch. I can only move the hands manually... The knob doesn't
work.
<Search pocket watch in chart room after adjusting to incorrect time, 1>
Clover: That's a pocket watch...
Clover: The hands stopped at 7:25 and 47 seconds...
Junpei: Yeah, Ace set it to that after looking at the arrival board in the
wheelhouse.
Junpei: The arrival time at the final destination was 25 minutes and 47 seconds
after 7 o'clock.
Clover: Sorry... I don't have any idea what you're talking about.
Clover: If it's got something to do with the other room, talk to the person in
the other room about it, okay?
Junpei: ...
<Search pocket watch in chart room after adjusting to incorrect time, 2+>
* A pocket watch. The hands show 47 seconds and 25 minutes past 7 o'clock.
<Search pocket watch in steering room after adjusting to incorrect time, 1>
* A pocket watch. The hands show 47 seconds and 25 minutes past 7 o'clock.
* It's set to the same time as the estimated arrival time at the final
destination.
* Ace changed it so they match.
<Search pocket watch in steering room after adjusting to incorrect time, 2+>
* A pocket watch. The hands show 47 seconds and 25 minutes past 7 o'clock.
<Search pocket watch in chart room after adjusting to correct time, 1>
Clover: That's a pocket watch...
Clover: 10 seconds past...3 o'clock...
Clover: Okay...? What about it?
Junpei: Well, uh...
Clover: ...
<Search pocket watch in chart room after adjusting to correct time, 2+>
* A pocket watch. The hands show 10 seconds past 3 o'clock.
<Search pocket watch in steering room after adjusting to correct time, 1>
* A pocket watch. The hands show 10 seconds past 3 o'clock.
* It's set to the same time as the estimated arrival time at the final
destination.
Ace: What are you doing? There's only one thing for you to do, you know.
Ace: Now, give it a try.
<Search pocket watch in steering room after adjusting to correct time, 2+>
* A pocket watch. The hands show 10 seconds past 3 o'clock.

<Search handle in chart room,1>
Clover: This is a handle for something...
Clover: Why are you showing me this...?
<Search handle in chart room, 2>
* A handle from the steering wheel.
<Search handle in chart room, 3+>
* A handle. I wonder... Is there somewhere I could put this?
<Search handle in steering room, 1>
* The handle that came off the steering wheel.
Junpei: Hmm... A handle...
<Search handle in steering room, 2>
* The handle that came off the steering wheel.
Junpei: If I put this in here... Then maybe....
<Search handle in steering room, 3>
Ace: Junpei, you're stronger than you look.
Ace: You pulled that handle off the wheel with your bare hands...
Junpei: No, I didn't! It just fell off!
<Search handle in steering room, 4+>
* The handle that came off the steering wheel.
* Maybe I could use it to move something else...

<Upon leaving items screen after picking up pocket watch>
(To "a31d.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

==========================
{a31d.a} File #18
::Chart Room::
-Upon retrieving pocket watch-

A voice he hadn't expected startled Junpei from his examination of the pocket
watch.

Ace: Oh, a pocket watch. Might I take a look at it?

He spun around to find Ace standing in the doorway.
Junpei shrugged, and handed him the pocket watch.

Junpei: Hey man. What're you doing over in this room?
Ace: Oh, I just thought I'd come check up on the 2 of you. Is there a problem?

<Yeah, there is!> - "a31d.a1"
<Well, not a problem, but...> - "a31d.a2"

{a31d.a1}
<Yeah, there is!>

Junpei: Yeah, there is!

Ace's eyebrows went up.

Junpei: You checked on us, now get outta here. We split this stuff up for a
reason, all right?

(If gave Clover bookmark, to "a31d.a11", replacing quotations with braces {} )
(If did not give Clover bookmark, to "a31d.a12", replacing quotations with
braces {} )

{a31d.a11}

It was a lie. There was no reason to split up the work.
Junpei wanted to talk to Clover, privately.
That was why he'd sent Ace to the wheelhouse.
There was something he meant to ask Clover, and he didn't want anyone else to
hear him ask it.
He also knew that Clover would likely remain silent if there was anyone else
around when he asked.
That was why he was so desperate to send Ace back to the wheelhouse.

(To "a31d.a3", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a31d.a12}

Junpei caught himself. Why had he said that?
There had been no reason to speak to Ace that way. Junpei felt...off, somehow.

(To "a31d.a3", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a31d.a2}
<Well, not a problem, but...>

Junpei: Well, not a problem, but...

(If gave Clover bookmark, to "a31d.a21", replacing quotations with braces {} )
(If did not give Clover bookmark, to "a31d.a22", replacing quotations with
braces {} )

{a31d.a21}

It was a lie. All Junpei wanted was to get rid of Ace.
He'd sent Ace to the wheelhouse at the beginning for a reason.
There was something he meant to ask Clover, and he meant to ask her in private.
There was something he wanted to ask Clover, and he didn't want anyone else to
hear him ask it.
He also knew that Clover would likely remain silent if there were anyone else
around when he asked.
That was why he was so desperate to send Ace back to the wheelhouse.

(To "a31d.a3", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a31d.a22}

Junpei looked desperately around the room--anywhere but at Ace--trying to find
a convincing reason to dismiss him.

(Continued below, "a31d.a3")

{a31d.a3}

Ace opened his mouth, then took another look at Junpei and shut it again. A
small smirk appeared on his face.

Ace: Oh-ho. I see. Of course...

He looked Junpei over.
Then glanced at Clover...

Ace: I apologize for the intrusion.
Ace: Well... Best of luck.

Ace gave Junpei a knowing pat on the shoulder and left.

(If gave Clover bookmark, to "a31d.a31", replacing quotations with braces {} )
(If did not give Clover bookmark, to "a31d.a32", replacing quotations with
braces {} )

{a31d.a31}

Junpei: *Phew*

Junpei let out a sigh and brushed a few drops of sweat from his forehead.
He turned, and found himself looking straight into Clover's eyes.
She'd heard what Ace had said.
She regarded Junpei with caution.

Clover: What was that about...?

She was clearly suspicious, and with good reason.
Junpei's eyes widened, and he held up his hands in a gesture of innocence.

Junpei: Oh, no no no no. It's not like that...
Clover: What's it like, then?
Junpei: I just wanted to hear the rest of that story.
Junpei: I didn't get a chance to ask you about it until now...
Clover: What story...?
Junpei: About the experiment. Remember? The one you started to tell me in the
operating room?
Junpei: You said something about an experiment that happened here 9 years
ago...

Clover bit her lip.
She stared down at the floor for several long moments, and when she spoke, it
was barely audible.

Clover: I'm sorry, but... I don't want to talk about that right now...
Clover: I'm just...not in the mood, okay?
Junpei: ...
Clover: You understand right..?
Clover: I'm just... I keep thinking about my brother...
Clover: I...I can't stop... I mean, who would do something like that...? To my
brother...
Junpei: ...
Clover: I can't forgive them. I'm not gonna let them get away with it...
Clover: They're going to pay for it... I promise...
Clover: So... So...

Her shoulders were shaking.
Drops of blood had sprung up on her lips where she was biting them.
She wiped it off, and looked up at Junpei, her eyes fierce and angry.

Clover: Junpei? Who do you think did it?

Her voice was cold, and scarcely above a whisper.
Junpei gulped.

Junpei: Well, if what Seven said was right, then there would have to be at
least 2 of them.
Junpei: You need at least 3 people to open the numbered doors, and if you
subtract Snake, that means there were at least 2 other people.
Clover: You're right. ...So what does that mean?
Junpei: Well, if we just look at the bracelet numbers we should be able to
figure it out.
Junpei: Who could have opened door [3] with Snake?
Junpei: Well, really, who and who or who, who, and who...
Clover: You mean it could have been 4 people?
Junpei: Well... Technically, it's possible...
Clover: Um...I dunno...
Clover: That...doesn't seem very likely...
Junpei: Why...?
Clover: Um, I'll tell you later...
Clover: Why don't we just assume it was only 2 other people, for now?
Junpei: O-Okay... Got it. Let's do that, then.
Clover: Then who do you think it could be?

Junpei crossed his arms and thought.
Snake's bracelet number was (2)...
Which 2 bracelet numbers, added to (2), would give a digital root of [3]...

(Continued below, "a31d.a310" )

{a31d.a310}

<<Which 2 bracelet numbers, added to (2), would give a digital root of [3]...>>

<Would it be Ace and Santa?> - {a31d.a311}
<Would it be Ace and June?> - {a31d.a312}
<Would it be Ace and Seven?> - {a31d.a313}
<Would it be Ace and Lotus?> - {a31d.a314}
<Would it be Santa and June?> - {a31d.a315}
<Would it be Santa and Seven?> - {a31d.a316}
<Would it be Santa and Lotus?> - {a31d.a317}
<Would it be June and Seven?> - {a31d.a318}
<Would it be June and Lotus?> - {a31d.a319}
<Would it be Seven and Lotus?> - {a31d.a31A}

{a31d.a311}
<Would it be Ace and Santa?>

Would it be Ace and Santa?
2 + (1 + 3) = 6
No. They wouldn't be able to open door [3].
Then who could...?

{a31d.a312}
<Would it be Ace and June?>

Ace and June?
2 + (1 + 6) = 9
No. They wouldn't be able to open door [3].
Besides, Junpei would sooner accept that he was the murderer himself than June.
He'd have to rethink things.

{a31d.a313}
<Would it be Ace and Seven?>

Would it be Ace and Seven?
2 + (1 + 7) = 10 -> 1 + 0 = 1
The numbers were wrong. They wouldn't be able to open door [3].
In that case...who?

{a31d.a314}
<Would it be Ace and Lotus?>

Would it be Ace and Lotus?
2 + (1 + 8) = 11 -> 1 + 1 = 2
The digital root won't be [3]. They wouldn't be able to open door [3].
Then what 2 other people could it be...?

{a31d.a315}
<Would it be Santa and June?>

Would it be Santa and June?
2 + (3 + 6) = 11 -> 1 + 1 = 2
No. They wouldn't be able to open door [3].
Besides, Junpei would sooner accept that he was the murderer himself than June.
Junpei needed to rethink his approach.

{a31d.a317}
<Would it be Santa and Lotus?>

Would it be Santa and Lotus?
2 + (3 + 8) = 13 -> 1 + 3 = 4
No. They wouldn't be able to open door [3].
Then... 

{a31d.a318}
<Would it be June and Seven?>

Would it be June and Seven?
Junpei couldn't believe June was the murderer, but...just in case.
2 + (6 + 7) = 15 -> 1 + 5 = 6
Of course, he thought. They wouldn't be able to open door [3].
Then how about...

{a31d.a319}
<Would it be June and Lotus?>

Would it be June and Lotus?
June, the murder? No, it simply wasn't possible.
But...perhaps, just in case...
2 + (6 + 8) = 16 -> 1 + 6 = 7
Junpei breathed a sign of relief. They wouldn't be able to open door [3].
{Author's Note: I've never heard of breathing anything other than a sigh of
relief before.}
Then which 2 people could?

{a31d.a31A}
<Would it be Seven and Lotus?>

Would it be Seven and Lotus?
2 + (7 + 8) = 17 -> 1 + 7 = 8
No, it didn't work. They wouldn't be able to open door [3].
Then which 2 people could?

{a31d.a316}
<Would it be Santa and Seven?>

Would it be Santa and Seven?
2 + (3 + 7) = 12 -> 1 + 2 = 3
[3]...!
Could it be...?
Were Santa and Seven...the killers?

Junpei: ...
Clover: What's wrong...?

Clover looked at Junpei, and he looked back at her.
There was no point in hiding it.
He told her his conclusions.

Clover: That's what I thought...

She looked less surprised than he'd expected.

Clover: Santa and Seven... 
Clover: If it was 2 people, then that's the only combination that works...
Junpei: Hey, wait a minute there...
Junpei: Don't you think it's a little too early to be jumping to conclusions?
Junpei: Well, all I said is that those 2 would have been able to open door [3]
with your brother.
Junpei: There might be other possibilities...
Clover: Well? What other possibilities?
Junpei: Ah...um...

He didn't have an answer.
He was ready to admit defeat when Clover spoke.

Clover: Are you saying you think that it was 3 or 4 people?
Clover: I really don't think that's likely...
Junpei: Why...?
Clover: Can I...borrow your pen and paper?

Clover put her hand out expectantly.
Junpei pulled out his pen and pad of paper and handed them to her.
She opened the notebook... And wrote down several simple addition problems.
Eventually, she had 8 which provided a digital root of [3].
a. 2 + (1 + 3 + 6) = 12
b. 2 + (1 + 4 + 5) = 12
c. 2 + (4 + 7 + 8) = 21
d. 2 + (5 + 6 + 8) = 21
e. 2 + (1 + 3 + 7 + 8) = 21
f. 2 + (1 + 4 + 6 + 8) = 21
g. 2 + (1 + 5 + 6 + 7) = 21
h. 2 + (3 + 4 + 5 + 7) = 21

Junpei: What's this...?
Clover: These are the combinations for 3 or 4 people.
Clover: These 8 combinations...are the only possible ones.
Junpei: I see...
Clover: Junpei...?
Junpei: Yeah?
Clover: I...I can trust you...right?
Junpei: O-Of course... Why would you need to ask that?
Clover: Really...?
Junpei: Yeah...
Clover: So then I should get rid of (b), (d), (g), and (h), right?
Junpei: Of course. Just cross 'em out.
Junpei: And you should take off yours too... The ones with (4).
Clover: So...what does that leave?
Junpei: (a) and (e).

a. 2 + (1 + 3 + 6) = 12
e. 2 + (1 + 3 + 7 + 8) = 21

Junpei: Wait... It can't be (a).
Clover: Why not...?
Junpei: Because June's in that one. There's no way in hell she'd do something
like that!
Clover: Are you sure...?
Junpei: I'd bet my life on it.
Clover: Okay then. Then I can cross off (a) too, right...?
Junpei: Yeah.
Clover: Well... What have we got left?
Junpei: (e)...

e. 2 + (1 + 3 + 7 + 8) = 21

Clover: Do you know what this means...?
Junpei: Everyone besides me, you, and June would be working together.
Clover: Do you think that's likely?
Junpei: Hmmm....
Clover: If there were 4 people working together, they wouldn't be very
cautious.
Clover: I don't think they'd try that hard to hide what they were doing if they
outnumbered us, right?
Junpei: Well... You do have a point...
Clover: And besides, if Ace and Seven are working together...
Clover: They could have easily gotten rid of me when I went to the shower room
with them.
Clover: But they didn't. They didn't even try anything.
Clover: If they were the killers, why wouldn't they?

Her voice was calm, but Junpei had only to look her in the eye to know it was a
forced calm.
There were tears forming at the corners of her eyes, and she was blinking
furiously to keep them back.
Perhaps by attempting an objective analysis of who might have killed her
brother, she had been able to distance herself from the harsh reality of his
death.
The more she struggled to act unconcerned, the more Junpei felt his heart
tighten.

Junpei: Okay... Yeah, well, that does make sense.
Junpei: It seems pretty unlikely that it was as many as 3 or 4 people.
Clover: Yeah...
Junpei: Then that means there's a good chance it was Santa and Seven.
Clover: That's how it looks...
Junpei: But why would they do it...?

There was a moment of silence.

Clover: I...I think I know...
Junpei: ...What is it?

He laid his hand gently on her shoulder. He was close, so close, to the
answer--
When Ace chose the worst possible moment to return.
He raised a knowing eyebrow and then spoke.

Ace: Have I...interrupted something?
Junpei: ...
Clover: ...
Junpei: What do you want?
Ace: There was something I wanted to speak with you about, Junpei. Could you
come with me for a moment?

He turned on his heel, and walked back toward the wheelhouse.
Junpei looked over at Clover. He gave her a short nod, hoped that she would be
willing to talk to him again later, and followed Ace.

Junpei: What did you want to talk about?

Ace looked at Junpei and smiled. Perhaps more of a smirk than a smile...

Ace: There was something I wanted to...check.
Junpei: Yeah? What's that?
Ace: If you'll excuse me...

(To "a31d.a321", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{a31d.a32}

For no reason he could fathom, Junpei's head began to hurt.
A sharp, piercing pain...
A sharp...pain, in...his...head...
...
...
How much time passed? He wasn't sure.
But he did notice when Ace strode through the door.
His smile was more of a smirk, and he had the air of a man who knew more than
his opponent.

Ace: Ah, yes. There was something I wanted to...check, if you don't mind.
Junpei: Yeah? What's that?
Ace: Pardon me...

(Continued below, "a31d.a321" )

{a31d.a321}

With no warning, Ace slipped his hand into the pocket of Junpei's vest.

Junpei: H-Hey! What the hell are you doing?!

He reached for Ace's arm--
But it was already too late.
In the older man's hand were the pieces of paper Junpei had balled up and
hidden in his pocket.

Ace: Just as I thought...
Ace: You switched them didn't you? When we voted.
Junpei: ...
Ace: Ah well. I can't say that I care.
Ace: I managed to get through the numbered door I wanted, despite your
mischief.
Junpei: When...why did you...?
Ace: Oh, simply curiosity. I hope you won't think ill of me for it.

Ace smiled, gave Junpei a friendly pat on the shoulder, and then turned on his
heel and left.

Junpei: ...

It was a small defeat, but it was a defeat. Junpei had lost the upper hand, and
he knew it. He could feel his stomach begin to tense.
...
...

(Return to investigation)

==========================
{a32b} File #20
::A Deck Hallway::
-After escaping from chart room-

The space they found themselves in outside of the wheelhouse was far too narrow
to be called a hallway.
On their left was a wooden door.
Junpei pushed it open, and stepped into the room beyond.
It was full of all manner of turn-of-the-century electronic equipment.
Most of them were things they'd never seen before. They had no idea what they
might have been for, let alone how to operate them.
One smaller machine had a metal bar that ended in a circular handle. Ace seemed
to recognize it.

Ace: Ah, yes. A telegraph key. These were used to transmit Morse code, a long
time ago.

He turned, and slowly took in the room.

Ace: This must be the [communication office].

Across the room from the door they'd entered through was another door.
A metal plaque was nailed to it.
It read...

[Captain's Quarters]

Junpei: The [captain's quarters]...
Clover: That's what it says...
Ace: Then... Do you think...
Zero: I am Zero... The captain of this ship.

Ace swallowed.
Junpei could feel his hands begin to sweat.
Only Clover seemed unaffected.

Clover: Well, we won't know if we don't open it.

She walked up to the door and put her hand on the knob.
It opened easily, and without so much as a pause, she walked in.
Junpei and Ace followed.
The first thing they saw...
...Was a man on the floor, covered in blood.

Junpei: !
Ace: !
Clover: !

Junpei felt his body seize up. His mouth went dry, and he felt very, very cold.
The blood in his veins slowed to a crawl, and his heart tightened like a fist.
This was the 3rd time he'd seen the horror of death laid out before him.
He didn't think it was something he could stand to see much more of.
Still, he had begun to accept that whatever it was that he saw, whatever
happened to him, was beyond his control, and whatever force controlled him was
driven by a determination that he could not hope to match.
A sense of helplessness, of desperation, washed over him.
It left behind a feeling of utter emptiness that wormed its way through his
body, like acid...
...
Then he realized... They had yet to check the man's pulse!
Perhaps he was still alive!
Fueled by that spark of hope, Junpei ran to the man's body...
And his heart fell.
His fingers on the man's neck felt no pulse.
His pupils had dilated, and he wasn't breathing.
Junpei lifted the man's already-stiff body. There was a deep, red wound on his
chest...
Junpei did not have to wonder long at what could have made such a wound.
...For lying next to the corpse was an ax.
The entire blade of it was drenched in bright red blood.
From the shape of the man's wound, there could be no doubt that it had been
made by the ax.
Junpei looked at the body again.
A lake of blood stretched out around it.
It was wearing the clothes of a ship's captain, although they were stained with
blood...
A captain...
Did that mean that this man...was Zero?
On his left hand was a bracelet.
The number on the bracelet was...

[0]

It was only then that Junpei noticed the stench of blood that filled the room.

Junpei: Heh...

He couldn't help but laugh. There was nothing else for him to say.
It was too simple. Too obvious; too straightforward. If there hadn't been a
dead man on the floor, Junpei might have thought it a joke.

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::Captain's Quarters::
=============================================
{a32} File #19
Plot points within this section:
-Zero and Snake's Fate: "a32d.a"
-ALLICE, Book of Hieroglyphs: "a32d.b"
( To skip to a story segment, search for "a32d.#" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
( Next story segment: "m40a", replacing quotations with braces {} )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \, < : Room Connections
v: Returns to the previous room
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

           [D]
            |
       [C]<[B][A] (to 1)
[9]      \ /   |  /
 |       [8]==[7]
[3][4][5][6]  /
  \ | /    \ /
   <1>=====[2]

3: Camera Closeup
4: Chair Closeup
5: Nightstand Closeup
6: TV Screens Closeup
9: Exit Door Control Panel Closeup
A: Desk Closeup to right of Morse Instrument
B: Morse Instrument Closeup
C: Desk Closeup in front of Morse Instrument
D: Morse Code Input Closeup

{Screen 1, Facing Camera and Door}

<Examine Bed, 1>
Clover: A bed...
Clover: There's nothing in it.
<Examine Bed, 2+>
* A bed. Nothing suspicious here.

{Screen 2, Facing TV Screens}

<Examine Door before switching TV display to 'zero', 1>
Clover: Junpei...? Where are you going?
Junpei: I was gonna pop over to the communications office and talk to Ace.
Clover: You're...gonna leave me alone in here...?
Junpei: ...
Clover: You could, um, stay here with me a little longer...
Clover: There are still lots of places we haven't looked...
<Examine Door before switching TV display to 'zero', 2>
Clover: Junpei? Are you good with machines?
Clover: There's this weird thing on the desk... Could you come take a look at
it?
<Examine Door before switching TV display to 'zero', 3>
* The door to the communications office.
* Man, the moment I look like I'm gonna leave, Clover looks like she's gonna
cry...
Clover: Junpei... Please...
Junpei: ...
<Examine Door before switching TV display to 'zero', 4+>
* The door to the communications office. Before I go...
<Examine Door after solving exit passcode, 1+>
* The door to the communications office. I don't need to go back in there.

<Examine Chair, 1>
Clover: A chair...
<Examine Chair, 2+>
* A chair. It looks a little lonely...

<Examine Left Grey Box, 1+>
* They look like batteries. There's a cable running from them to the monitor.

<Examine Steel Plating, 1>
Junpei: I think this probably used to be a door...
Junpei: Nobody's going through it as long as this metal plate's here, though.
Clover: Well, even without the metal plate, the desk's in the way...
<Examine Steel Plating, 2+>
* There's a thick metal plate over the door.

{Screen 3, Camera Closeup}

<Examine Door, 1>
Junpei: So this is the exit, huh...
Junpei: Don't even really have to try this door to know that it's locked.
Junpei: I knew it.
<Examine Door, 2+>
* The exit. It's locked.
<Examine Door after solving exit passcode, 1>
(To "m40a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine Door Handle, 1+>
* Let's see if shaking you gets us anywhere...
* ...No dice.

<Examine Door Plaque, 1+>
* There's a plaque on the door, but it doesn't say anything.

<Examine Camera before adjusting TV display, 1>
Clover: A camcorder...
Junpei: It looks like it's pointed at the door.
Clover: Well, the power's on...
Junpei: Why would someone want to videotape a door?
<Examine Camera before adjusting TV display, 2>
Junpei: I think this kind of camera records to a hard drive...
Junpei: But it doesn't look like this one's recording anything.
Clover: What do you mean?
Junpei: It's just sending whatever it sees to...something...
Clover: What does it see?
Junpei: The door...
<Examine Camera before adjusting TV display, 3+>
* The camera's pointing at the exit.
<Examine Camera after adjusting TV display, 1>
* It looks like whatever the camera sees...
* ...Shows up on the screens behind us.
* Yeah, so if I put my hand here, in front of it...
* ...It shows up on the middle top screen back there...
Clover: You've got a short life line, Junpei...
Junpei: Hey! Mind your own business!
<Examine Camera after adjusting TV display, 2+>
* The camera's pointing at the exit.
<Examine Camera after solving exit passcode, 1+>
* A video camera on a tripod.

{Screen 4, Chair Closeup}

<Examine Nightstand, 1>
* There's something metallic on top of that table...
Clover: Hey... Is that a music box?
Junpei: Well, let's have a look...
<Examine Nightstand, 2+>
* There's a little music box on this table.

<Examine Bed, 1>
Junpei: I moved the sheets and took a look under the bed. There's a lot of
space...
Junpei: Somebody could hide down there.
Clover: Then you could hide...other stuff too...
Junpei: Huh? You mean...like this body?
Clover: Yeah, but... Whoever killed him didn't do that. Why not?
Junpei: Well... Let's see...I guess I can think of 4 possibilities.
Junpei: They might have just not noticed the space under the bed...
Junpei: Or they didn't think of hiding the body...
Junpei: Or they didn't have the time to hide it, or...
Clover: Or...what?
Junpei: Maybe they didn't want to hide it.
Junpei: Maybe they wanted us to find it, to prove a point or something.
Clover: Hmm...
<Examine Bed, 2+>
* There's plenty of space under the bed.

<Examine Chair, 1>
Clover: There's blood on the chair...
Clover: Do you think this was the...dead guy's...
Junpei: Yeah, probably.
<Examine Chair, 2+>
* There's blood on the chair. Kinda creeping me out...

{Screen 5, Nightstand Closeup}

<Examine Bed, 1+>
* It's a bed. There's nothing under the sheets.

<Examine Desk, 1>
* There's a lamp with a shade on it on the table.
* And something else...something metal...
Clover: Looks like... A music box...
<Examine Desk, 2+>
* There's a lamp and a music box on the table.
<Examine Desk after taking music box, 1+>
* A small table.

<Examine Lamp, 1>
Clover: It's a lamp...
Clover: ...But it doesn't turn on.
Clover: I don't think there's anything special about it.
<Examine Lamp, 2+>
* A lamp. Nothing to see here.

{Screen 6, TV Screens Closeup}

<Examine top-left screen, 1+>
* This screen's showing what's happening at the central staircase on B Deck.
<Examine top-left screen after checking keyboard, 1+>
* There's nothing on the monitor. Just static.
<Examine top-left screen before solving exit passcode, 1+>
* It's an old-school CRT screen. There's nothing on it but static.

<Examine top-mid screen, 1+>
* This screen shows what's going on in a small room somewhere that I don't
recognize.
<Examine top-mid screen after checking keyboard, 1>
Junpei: Hey, isn't the door on that screen the one right behind us?
Clover: You're right...
Junpei: So whatever that camera sees is sent to this screen in real time...
Clover: I wonder if that means something, you know?
Junpei: Hmm...
<Examine top-mid screen after checking keyboard, 2+>
* This screen is showing the door behind us.
<Examine top-mid screen before solving exit passcode, 1>
Junpei: Hmm...
Junpei: I wonder why this screen just shows the exit... I mean, it's just a
door...
Clover: I know, right? The 4 on the bottom just say "zero"...
Junpei: The exit...
Clover: And those 4 letters...
Junpei: Maybe...
<Examine top-mid screen before solving exit passcode, 2+>
* This screen is showing the exit. 
* I think it might have something to do with the bottom monitors.
<Examine top-mid screen after solving exit passcode, 1+>
* This screen is showing the exit. Pretty exciting stuff.

<Examine top-right screen, 1+>
* The room on this screen looks really fancy.
<Examine top-right screen after checking keyboard, 1+>
* There's nothing on the monitor. Just static.
<Examine top-right screen before solving exit passcode, 1+>
* It's an old-school CRT screen. There's nothing on it but static.

<Examine bottom leftmost screen, 1+>
* There's just some random hallway on this one.
<Examine bottom leftmost screen after checking keyboard, 1+>
* There's a "z" on this screen.
<Examine bottom leftmost screen before solving exit passcode, 1>
Clover: Hey, there's a "z" on this one...
Clover: With the the other screens, it spells "zero". {Author's Note: Double
the the, double the excitement!}
Junpei: I wonder... Why's there only 1 letter per monitor?
Junpei: If they wanted to say "zero", they really only needed one monitor for
that, you know?
Junpei: But why...
Clover: Hmm.... Maybe...
Clover: There's a reason why the letters are displayed individually?
Junpei: So it's not really "zero", it's "z", "e", "r", "o"?
<Examine bottom leftmost screen before solving exit passcode, 2+>
* "z, e, r, o"...

<Examine bottom mid-left screen, 1+>
* This screen shows the big hospital room.
<Examine bottom mid-left screen after checking keyboard, 1+>
* There's an "e" on this screen.
<Examine bottom mid-left screen before solving exit passcode, 1>
Clover: There's an "e" on this screen.
Clover: So if you combine it with the 3 other letters, it says "zero"...
Junpei: I wonder... Why's there only 1 letter per monitor?
Junpei: If they wanted to say "zero", they really only needed one monitor for
that, you know?
Junpei: But why...
Clover: Hmm.... Maybe...
Clover: There's a reason why the letters are displayed individually?
Junpei: So it's not really "zero", it's "z", "e", "r", "o"?
<Examine bottom mid-left screen before solving exit passcode, 2+>
* "z, e, r, o"...

<Examine bottom mid-right screen, 1+>
* This one shows the central staircase on C Deck.
<Examine bottom mid-right screen after checking keyboard, 1+>
* There's an "r" on this screen.
<Examine bottom mid-right screen before solving exit passcode, 1>
Clover: There's an "r" on this screen.
Clover: So if you combine it with the 3 other letters, it says "zero"...
Junpei: I wonder... Why's there only 1 letter per monitor?
Junpei: If they wanted to say "zero", they really only needed one monitor for
that, you know?
Junpei: But why...
Clover: Hmm.... Maybe...
Clover: There's a reason why the letters are displayed individually?
Junpei: So it's not really "zero", it's "z", "e", "r", "o"?
<Examine bottom mid-right screen before solving exit passcode, 2+>
* "z, e, r, o"...

<Examine bottom rightmost screen, 1+>
* I don't recognize the room on this one...
<Examine bottom rightmost screen after checking keyboard, 1+>
* There's an "o" on this screen.
<Examine bottom rightmost screen before solving exit passcode, 1>
Clover: There's an "o" on this screen.
Clover: So if you combine it with the 3 other letters, it says "zero"...
Junpei: I wonder... Why's there only 1 letter per monitor?
Junpei: If they wanted to say "zero", they really only needed one monitor for
that, you know?
Junpei: But why...
Clover: Hmm.... Maybe...
Clover: There's a reason why the letters are displayed individually?
Junpei: So it's not really "zero", it's "z", "e", "r", "o"?
<Examine bottom rightmost screen before solving exit passcode, 2+>
* "z, e, r, o"...

<Examine top of Desk, 1+>
* A sturdy desk.

<Examine Left Drawers, 1+>
* A drawer. There's nothing inside.

<Examine Middle Drawer before removing paper, 1+>
* There's a piece of paper in here with some letters on it.
<Examine Middle Drawer after removing paper, 1+>
* ...And that's it.

<Examine Middle Drawer after removing paper, 1>

<Examine Paper in Drawer, 1>
Junpei: What's the deal with this? Is it some kind of code?
* There are 4 rows of numbers and letters.
* They all start with a "0", and end with "8", "f", "n", or "v", respectively.
* Maybe this has something to do with number bases.

<Examine Keyboard, 1>
Junpei: There's a bunch of weird buttons on here...
Junpei: They probably switch what you see on the screens...
Clover: Do you know how to work this thing...?
Junpei: Um... Why don't we just press one of these...
Junpei: Like...this one!
* Well, I guess it does change the--!
Junpei: Wh-What the hell is this...
<Examine Keyboard, 2>
* This is one of those things that switches what's on the screen.
* Let's see what happens if I flip one of these switches...
* Nothing.
* Looks like it doesn't work anymore.
<Examine Keyboard, 3+>
* One of those things that switches what's on the screen. It doesn't work
anymore.

<Attempt to leave screen after switching display to "zero">
(To "a32d.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{Screen 7, Facing Right door and Switch Panels}

<Examine Bottom Gray Panels, 1+>
* It's an old telegraph machine. ...I'll be honest. I have no idea how it
works.

<Examine Top Panels, 1+>
* It's an old telegraph machine. Nothing suspicious here.

{Screen 8, Facing Left Door and Left Half of Morse Instrument Desk}

<Examine Door, 1>
Ace: Junpei... What are you doing?
Ace: We've searched the wheelhouse from top to bottom. There's no reason to go
back.
Ace: In fact, don't you think it would be wise to investigate the captain's
quarters?
Ace: I think we ought to check both rooms, don't you?
<Examine Door, 2>
* That's the door we came in through.
* There's a hallway on the other side of it that goes to the wheelhouse.
<Examine Door, 3+>
* That door goes back to the wheelhouse.
* We don't have time for backtracking right now.

<Examine Wall Hooks, 1>
Ace: Look, a hook.
Junpei: ...
Ace: Th-That wasn't a joke!
Junpei: I know man...
<Examine Wall Hooks, 2+>
* It's a hook. For hanging clothes, I think.

<Examine Chair, 1>
Ace: A chair.
<Examine Chair, 2>
Ace: It's a chair...
<Examine Chair, 3>
Ace: If I sit in it, will you let me be chairman?
Junpei: No.
Ace: Aww...
<Examine Chair, 4+>
* It's a chair. Nothing exciting going on there.

<Examine Clock, 1>
Ace: A clock mounted on the wall.
Ace: The hands aren't moving. Little surprise that the time is wrong then, I
suppose.
Ace: And there's...nothing on the back.
<Examine Clock, 2+>
* Just an ordinary wall clock. The hands aren't moving.

<Examine Light, 1>
Ace: A light. It looks like a pretty flower.
<Examine Light, 2+>
* A light.

{Screen 9, Exit Door Control Panel Closeup}

<Examine Control Panel, 1>
Junpei: The control panel for the electronic lock. I guess I've gotta put in a
passcode...
Clover: I don't think it's just about numbers.
Clover: There's a hole in the bottom of it, right there.
Clover: I think you need to put a key in it first.
<Examine Control Panel, 2+>
* There's a hole in it that looks like it might be a keyhole.
<Examine Control Panel after turning on, 1+>
* The control panel for the electronic lock. It's on.
<Examine Control Panel after solving exit passcode, 1+>
* It's unlocked.

<Examine Keyhole, 1+>
* It's a little rectangular hole. I think it's a keyhole of some sort. With the
right key, I should be able to unlock it...
<Examine Keyhole with unique key equipped, 1>
* The control panel for the electronic lock. Looks like it's got a keyhole on
the bottom right...
Junpei: Maybe the key I got earlier...
* ...Sweet! Just had to put that key in, and now it's on!
Clover: Junpei, look! There's a minus sign on the screen!
Junpei: There're 8 of them. That probably means we've got to put in 8 digits.
Clover: Do you think you can figure it out...?
Junpei: Ummmmm...
<Examine Keyhole after turning on control panel, 1>
* It's a keyhole. I don't need to put any more keys in it.

<Examine Display Panel, 1+>
* The display is dark. I guess the power isn't on.
<Examine Display Panel after turning on control panel, 1+>
* There are 8 dashes on the screen. I guess I need to put in 8 numbers.
<Examine Display Panel after solving exit passcode, 1+>
* The display says "LOCK-OPEN".

<Examine Keypad, 1>
Junpei: No dice... It doesn't matter what I push on here, it's not working...
Clover: I don't think the power's on...
<Examine Keypad, 2+>
* There's a button on it. Nothing happens when I push it.
<Examine Keypad after turning on control panel, 1>
Junpei: 8 digits, huh...
* Once I've put in the 8-digit number, I just press [E] to enter it.
* And if I mess up, I guess I just press [C].
Junpei: All right. Let's give it a shot.
<Examine Keypad after turning on control panel, 2+>
* Once I've put in the 8-digit number, I just press [E] to enter it.
* And if I mess up, I guess I just press [C].
Junpei: One more time!
<Examine Keypad after solving exit passcode, 1+>
* It's unlocked.

<Go back from Keypad without solving before finding clues, 1>
Junpei: Hmmm... What's the passcode...
Junpei: I don't have any idea what it might be...
Clover: There's gotta be a hint or a clue in here somewhere...
Clover: I mean, that's what all the other rooms have been like, you know?
Clover: Let's look for it.
Junpei: A hint, huh...
<Go back from Keypad without solving before finding clues, 2+>
* The passcode is 8 digits long. I'll be here forever if I just keep plugging
in random numbers.
* I've gotta find a hint...
<Go back from Keypad without solving, 1-2>
Junpei: Huh... What's the passcode...?
Junpei: I'm pretty sure I've searched every part of this room by now...
<Go back from Keypad without solving, 3>
Junpei: Shit! Wrong again!
Clover: Hey, Junpei...
Clover: Didn't you find a list of numbers and letters?
Clover: Don't you think that might be a clue?
Junpei: ...Huh?
<Go back from Keypad without solving, 4>
Junpei: Damnit! Why isn't this working?!
Clover: Hey, Junpei...
Clover: Look at the letters on the monitor... Don't you think that's weird?
Clover: You think maybe the letters and the list have something to do with each
other?
<Go back from Keypad without solving, 5>
Junpei: ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGH! I don't get this!
Junpei: What the hell am I supposed to do?!
Clover: Hey, Junpei...
Clover: That list had something to do with, like, number bases and stuff,
right?
Junpei: Y-Yeah... I think so.
Clover: What would the hexadecimal number "a" be in base-10?
Junpei: 10...
Clover: What about "b"?
Junpei: 11...
Clover: And "c"?
Junpei: 12...
Clover: So that means you can make letters into 2-digit numbers, right?
Junpei: I guess so...
Clover: Well don't you think you could apply the same idea?
Junpei: ...Huh?
<Go back from Keypad without solving, 6>
Junpei: *Sigh* Screw this... I'm so lost...
Junpei: There's no way in hell I'm gonna figure this one out...
Clover: Hey, Junpei...
Clover: You know the letters on the screens?
Clover: Maybe if you convert them into numbers, that'll give us the passcode.
Junpei: What do you mean?
Clover: Okay, well, let's say we've got a number systerm called base-36.
{Author’s Note: Systerm: a term for system.}
Clover: What would the number "a" in base-36 be in base-10?
Junpei: 10...
Clover: What about "b"?
Junpei: 11...
Clover: Or "c"?
Junpei: 12...
Clover: How about "z"? Or "e"? Or "r" or "o"?
Junpei: Oh! I get it!
<Go back from Keypad without solving, 7+>
* So if a=10 and b=11 and c=12, I can just go on from there...
* What would "zero" be?
* If I can get 8 digits out of that...

<Solve Keypad puzzle, 1>
Junpei: Yes! It worked!
Clover: Good job, Junpei!
Ace: Excellent! You seem to have unlocked it!
Ace: Good work, Junpei.
Junpei: All right... Let's go!

{Screen A, Desk Closeup to right of Morse Instrument}

<Examine Desk, 1+>
* There's a wooden case with something in it on the table.
<Examine Desk after taking box, 1+>
* There's nothing on the table anymore.

<Examine Open Drawer, 1+>
* There's something in the drawer.
<Examine Open Drawer after taking bottle, 1+>
* There's nothing in the drawer anymore.

{Screen B, Morse Instrument Closeup}

<Examine Cable, 1>
* The cable that comes out of this thing is connected to the desk.
* What does that mean...?
<Examine Cable, 2+>
* The cable that comes out of this thing is connect to the desk. {Author's
Note: It should be connected. Oddly enough, it was grammatically correct the
first time...}
<Examine Cable after solving telegraph puzzle, 1+>
* There are a couple of cables on the desk.

<Examine Headphones, 1>
Ace: A pair of headphones.
Ace: I can't hear anything... Guess whatever they were connected to doesn't
work anymore.
<Examine Headphones, 2+>
* A pair of heaphones, for listening to radio transmissions. {Author's Note: I
want some heaphones, though I think I need an extra "D" to go with it.}
<Examine Headphones after solving telegraph puzzle, 1+>
* Headphones for listening to radio transmissions...I think.

<Examine Bottom Left Machine with Cylinders, 1>
Junpei: Hey, Ace, look! It's a model of a steam train!
Ace: How on Earth did you arrive at that conclusion?
<Examine Bottom Left Machine with Cylinders, 2>
* To be honest, I have no goddamn idea what this thing really is.
* It's probably some kind of radio transmitter...
<Examine Bottom Left Machine with Cylinders, 3+>
* It's probably part of some kind of radio transmitter.

<Examine Top Left Machine, 1>
Junpei: Hey, Ace, look! It's a monkey with glasses!
Ace: How on Earth did you arrive at that conclusion?
<Examine Top Left Machine, 2>
* It also kinda looks like someone who's been watching too much TV...
* To be honest, I have no goddamn idea what this thing really is.
* It's probably some kind of radio transmitter...
<Examine Top Left Machine, 3+>
* It's probably part of some kind of radio transmitter.

<Examine Light, 1+>
* Just a normal light. Well, it won't turn on, so maybe not that normal.

{Screen C, Desk Closeup in front of Morse Instrument}

<Examine Chair, 1+>
* A chair.

<Examine Center Drawer, 1>
Ace: It looks as though that drawer is the only thing that's locked.
Junpei: I don't see a keyhole, though...
Ace: An electric lock, perhaps?
Ace: Take a look at the left side of the drawer...
Junpei: Yeah, there's some cables over there.
* That must mean...
<Examine Center Drawer, 2+>
* The drawer won't budge. I think it's got some kind of electronic lock.

<Examine Open Left Drawer, 1+>
* There's a piece of paper in the drawer.
<Examine Open Left Drawer after taking piece of paper, 1+>
* There's nothing in the drawer anymore.

<Examine Morse Instrument, 1>
Ace: An early telecommunications device. Most likely used to transmit a radio
signal of some sort.
Ace: I experimented with it earlier, but to no avail.
Ace: I imagine it's broken.
<Examine Morse Instrument, 2+>
* I guess people used this to communicate back in the day? Whatever it is, it
doesn't work.

<Examine Cable, 1+>
* This is a really long cable... The tip is hooked onto one of the desk's
drawers.
<Examine Cable after solving telegraph puzzle, 1+>
* There are some cables on the desk.

<Examine Headphones, 1+>
* There's a pair of headphones on the desk.

<Examine Piece of paper, 1>
Junpei: Hey... What is this?
* It's blank... There's nothing written on it.

<Examine Open Middle Drawer before taking file, 1+>
* There's something inside that looks like a file or something.
<Examine Open Middle Drawer before taking key, 1+>
* There's a key in the drawer. I guess it was hidden under the red file?
<Examine Open Middle Drawer after taking key, 1+>
* There's nothing else in there.

<Examine Red File, 1>
(To "a32d.b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{Screen D, Morse Code Input Closeup}

<Examine Telegraph Key Main Body, 1>
Junpei: Hey Ace, look! There's a big-ass rat trap over here!
Ace: I told you, that's a telegraph key!
Ace: It is a device that transmits messages through Morse code.
<Examine Telegraph Key Main Body, 2>
* A telegraph key. There's no cheese on it, unfortunately.
<Examine Telegraph Key Main Body, 3+>
* A telegraph key.
<Examine Telegraph Key Main Body after solving telegraph puzzle, 1+>
* It's an electronic key.

<Examine Telegraph Key Lever, 1>
Ace: It's a telegraph key. A machine for transmitting Morse code.
Ace: I tried sending an SOS earlier, but... I doubt that did anything.
Ace: Zero would never make it that easy.
Junpei: So you think it's broken?
Ace: No, it works...
Ace: I'm just not sure if actually transmits anything outside of the ship.
Junpei: Hmm...
<Examine Telegraph Key Lever, 2+>
* A telegraph key. Ace says you use it to send messages in Morse code.
<Examine Telegraph key Lever with Morse code chart in inventory, 1>
* All right, I've got the Morse code I'm supposed to enter...
* If I do this right... Something will happen. I hope.
Junpei: All right! Let's give this a shot!
<Examine Telegraph key Lever with Morse code chart in inventory, 2>
Ace: Junpei, do you know how to operate this device?
Ace: You operate it by pressing this button.
Ace: The dot, which is read as "dit", is the result of a light tap on the
button.
Ace: The dash, which is read as "dah", is what you will get if you hold the
button down.
* All right... So I press it once, quickly, for a dot...
* ...And I hold it down for a dash.
Junpei: Okay, I'm gonna give it a shot.
<Examine Telegraph key Lever with Morse code chart in inventory, 3+>
* All right... So I press it once, quickly, for a dot...
* ...And I hold it down for a dash.
Junpei: Okay, one more time!
<Examine Telegraph Key Lever after solving puzzle, 1+>
* A telegraph key. No need to mess around with it anymore.

<Go back from Telegraph key without solving puzzle, 1>
Ace: Hey, Junpei... What's the matter? You can do better than that!
Junpei: M-My hand slipped!
Junpei: I'll get it right next time!

<Solve Telegraph key puzzle, 1>
* That's the last one, and... Yes!
Ace: Excellent work, Junpei! Good job!
Ace: You seem to have figured it out!
Ace: You've unlocked the drawer!

{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search paper, 1+>
* A white piece of paper. It's blank.

<Search ink in Telegraph room, 1>
Ace: A bottle of ink.
Ace: It's filled with ink...
<Search ink in Camera room, 1>
Clover: A bottle of ink.
Clover: Well, this would be great if we had an old-school pen, but otherwise
it's pretty useless.
<Search ink in either room, 2+>
* Some black ink.

<Search small screwdrivers in Telegraph room, 1>
Ace: Hmm... A set of small screwdrivers.
Ace: Perhaps we can use them to dismantle small devices?
<Search small screwdrivers in Camera room, 1>
Clover: There's a whole bunch of these little screwdrivers.
Clover: I think we could probably use them to take apart, like...small things.
<Search small screwdrivers in either room, 2+>
* A set of small screwdrivers. Perfect for screwing and unscrewing small
screws.

<Search music box in Camera room, 1>
Junpei: Oh, it's one of those old music boxes... How about we wind it up?
Clover: Why's it sound like that? Is it broken?
Junpei: The pins on the cylinder are shaped all weird...
Clover: I don't think those are the pins... It looks like someone put something
else on top of it...
Clover: I think we're gonna have to take it apart to figure out what's going
on, don't you?
<Search music box in Telegraph room, 1>
Ace: A music box...
Ace: Would you wind it for us, Junpei?
Ace: It sounds rather odd...
Ace: Hm? What's this...? The pins on the cylinder look rather strange...
Ace: In fact, these don't look like pins at all. It looks to be some sort of
board...
Ace: We'll need to dismantle it to get a better look.
<Search music box in either room, 2+>
* A music box. The pins on the cylinder look odd.
* We'll have to take it apart if we want to get a good look at it.

<Search cylinder in Telegraph room, 1>
Ace: It looks to be a cylinder for a music box.
Ace: There are a number of pins and some pieces of metal that look rather like
fans attached to it.
<Search cylinder in Telegraph room, 2>
Ace: Junpei... I was thinking.
Ace: These pins, and this metal thing... If you look at them in 2 dimensions,
don't they remind you of something?
Junpei: What do you mean, "in 2 dimensions"?
Ace: What would the cross-section of 1 of these pins look like?
Junpei: A...dot...?
Ace: And what about the fans?
Junpei: They'd just look like lines.
Ace: Exactly. Now...
Ace: Do you know a code that makes use of dots and lines?
Junpei: A code with...dots and lines...?
<Search cylinder in Telegraph room, 3+>
* Dots and lines...
* Maybe I could transfer them onto another surface by rolling the cylinder
across it...
<Search cylinder in Camera room, 1>
Clover: This is a cylinder for a music box, right?
Clover: Well, doesn't a music box have a little metal comb thingy that runs
over the pins on the cylinder, and then that makes a song?
Clover: It looks like there's something besides the pins on this cylinder,
though...
Junpei: Yeah, there's these things that look kind of like little metal...fans,
I guess.
<Search cylinder in Camera room, 2>
* A cylinder for the music box.
* It has some pins and a weird metal fan glued onto it.
* I get the feeling it's important, but... I don't know what it means...
<Search cylinder in Camera room, 3+>
* A cylinder for the music box.

<Search dirty cylinder in Telegraph room, 1>
Ace: Ah, yes, I see. You put ink on the cylinder.
Junpei: Yeah...
Junpei: If I roll it across a piece of paper, the pins and the fans will leave
marks on it, right?
Junpei: The pins'll make dots, and the fans will leave lines.
Ace: All right then, show us.
<Search dirty cylinder in Camera room, 1>
Clover: Huh? You put the ink on the cylinder from the music box?
Junpei: Yeah.
Clover: Why would you do that...?
Junpei: I've got a theory...
<Search dirty cylinder in either room, 2+>
* A cylinder covered with ink.
* Maybe if I roll this over a piece of paper...

<Search Morse code chart in Telegraph room, 1>
Ace: Just as you suspected, right? Now you have a pattern of dots and lines on
the paper.
Ace: I imagine it's Morse code.
Ace: These dots and lines are the dots and dashes of Morse code.
<Search Morse code chart in Telegraph room, 2>
Ace: Junpei, what are you doing?
Ace: We have the Morse code message.
Ace: Certainly you know what to do next?
<Search Morse code chart in Telegraph room, 3+>
* It's a piece of paper with some Morse code.
<Search Morse code chart in Camera room, 1>
Clover: What is this? It's just a bunch of lines and dots...
Junpei: I put ink on the cylinder from the music box.
Junpei: Then I rolled it across the paper, and it left this.
Clover: Is it some kinda code?
Junpei: I think it's probably Morse code.
Clover: Oh...Morse code...
<Search Morse code chart in Camera room, 2+>
* It's a piece of paper with some Morse code.

<Search unique key in Telegraph room, 1>
Ace: A key with a leather case...
Ace: It isn't metal... My guess would be ceramic.
Ace: Junpei, have you found a keyhole that might fit it?
<Search unique key in Camera room, 1>
Clover: What is this? A key?
Junpei: Seems that way.
Clover: The tip is square...
Clover: Do you think maybe you're supposed to use it over there?
<Search unique key in either room, 2+>
* A rather unique key. The tip is square.

<Combine small screwdrivers and music box>
Junpei: All right, this screwdriver oughta make short work of this music box...

<Combine cylinder and ink>
Junpei: Um...
Junpei: I guess I'll put the ink on the cylinder...

<Combine dirty cylinder and paper>
Junpei: Now I just gotta roll the cylinder across a piece of paper...
Junpei: And if I'm right, the ink should...

==========================
{a32d.a} File #21
::Captain's Quarters::
-Upon adjusting TV display to "zero"-

Junpei: Heh...

Junpei snorted with grim humor for the 2nd time since he'd come into the room.
The 4 screens along the bottom had a single letter each, spelling out "z e r
o".
Junpei felt as though he was being mocked... The real villain was somewhere,
laughing at him.

Junpei: What do you think?

He turned to Clover, who was standing next to him.
Her voice was almost too low to hear.

Clover: Nothing...

It seemed that she cared about little.
Of course, Junpei could hardly blame her.
Given the strain she was surely under, Junpei was somewhat surprised she had
responded at all.
Still, he had to ask.
He gestured toward the corpse.

Junpei: What about him? Do you think that's really Zero?

Clover shook her head weakly.

Clover: There's no way that's him.
Clover: Didn't I tell you already? Zero is one of us...
Junpei: Yeah...right.

(If gave Clover the bookmark and discussed Ice-9, to "a32d.a1")
(If did not give Clover the bookmark and discuss Ice-9, to "a32d.a2")

{a32d.a1}

Junpei: Well, even if he wasn't one of us, there's no way that man could be
Zero.
Clover: ...?
Junpei: Don't you get it?
Junpei: The letters that spell "zero" on the tv screen... The captain's clothes
he's got on...
Junpei: And, of course, the bracelet with a (0) on it...
Junpei: It's too obvious.

"Look, look! This is Zero, right here! This dead body is Zero!"

Junpei: Doesn't that seem kinda funny to you?
Clover: You're right. Only an idiot wouldn't see through something like that...
Junpei: No, that's not the point.
Junpei: I'm not trying to make fun of them for thinking a trick like this would
work.
Junpei: I'm sure they didn't think it would work. Which makes me wonder...why
did they do it?
Junpei: I think this is a challenge. A challenge from the person who's really
behind all of this. He's making fun of us.
Clover: ...?
Junpei: Don't you get it?
Junpei: If whoever killed this guy really wanted us to think this corpse was
Zero...
Junpei: They'd never have put a bracelet on him.
Junpei: Walking about with a (0) bracelet would be like hanging a sign around
your neck that said "I did it".
Junpei: Anyone with a brain would be able to see that this guy is supposed to
look like everything Zero is supposed to be.
Junpei: Just like we did...
Clover: ...
Junpei: The killer must have known we wouldn't think he was Zero, and put the
bracelet on him anyway.
Junpei: Do you know why?
Clover: Why?
Junpei: Like I said, he's mocking us.

"Too bad, suckers! This isn't Zero!"

Junpei: It's the same bad joke a lot of criminals like to play. They'll just
sit back and watch people run in circles.

"Look, here I am! What's wrong, guys? Come on! Catch me if you can!"

Clover: That's really...twisted... But it almost seems kind of...childish...
Junpei: Yeah, you're right. It's really childish. It's like it's just a game to
whoever this person is... That's what seems funny to me.

Junpei bent down next to the corpse.

Junpei: All right, let's get back to the point.
Junpei: Who killed this man?
Clover: I don't know...
Junpei: And what's this guy's deal? Who is he?
Clover: How would I know that? If I knew anything, I would've told you...
Junpei: You have no idea who he is?
Clover: Why would I?
Junpei: Hmm...

Junpei sat back on his haunches and thought.

Junpei: We should check and see if he's got anything on him that might tell us
who he is.
Junpei: Gimme a hand here, Clover.
Clover: ...What?
Junpei: We've gotta flip him over. How else are we gonna search his pockets?
Clover: ...

Clover didn't move.
Junpei had no choice but to move the body on his own.
He grabbed hold of an area not completely covered in blood, and shoved.
It took a moment, but eventually Junpei felt the man's bulk begin to shift.
But just as it did--
Something fell...
From the man's left wrist...
The bracelet with (0) on the face.
...
"Lastly, let us discuss [how to remove the bracelets]. There are only 2 ways to
do so."
"One: You escape from this ship."
"Two: Your heart rate reaches zero."
"In other words, once the bracelet is taken outside the confines of the ship,
or detects that its wearer's heartbeat has fallen to zero, it will shut down
automatically."
Junpei stared at the bracelet.

Junpei: This man... He's dead, isn't he...
Clover: ...Huh?
Junpei: No, it's just... I guess I didn't really think about it until right
now...
Junpei: If his bracelet's off, that means he's dead.
Clover: Well, it's pretty obvious that he's dead... You don't really need to
look at his bracelet to figure out that he's dead.
Junpei: Yeah... Yeah, I guess you're right. It is pretty obvious.
Junpei: He looks a lot better than the other bodies we've seen though, you
know?
Junpei: I mean, if there wasn't all this blood, he'd almost look like he was
still alive...
Clover: ...
Junpei: I mean, I know it's kind of a messed-up thing to say, but... He kinda
has it better, you know?
Junpei: Dying from a bomb going off inside you... I mean, that's just...
Junpei: Some of Snake's bones went right through his skin...
Junpei: I think the explosion must have thrown him against a wall or something.
Junpei: There was a broken bone just sticking out of his left arm--

Suddenly, Junpei realized what he was saying.
How could he have been so cruel? He clapped his hands over his mouth--
But it was already too late.
He turned to look at Clover. She was glaring at him furiously.

Clover: What did you just say?

Her words sounded cold.
He knew an apology could hardly atone for what he'd done, but he tried anyway.

Junpei: Oh man... I am...I am so sorry. I shouldn't have said that, I really
don't know what I was thinking. I mean--
Clover: No! That's not what I'm talking about! What did you say about his arm?!
Junpei: A-Arm?
Clover: Yes! His left arm! You said it, didn't you?
Junpei: W-Well, yeah, I did, but--
Junpei: I mean, didn't you see it too...?
Clover: Of course not! I could barely look at him!

Clover took a quick, deep breath.

Clover: Are you sure it was his left arm?

Junpei thought back...

Junpei: Y-Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was.
Clover: And he had a broken bone, right?!
Junpei: What the hell are you getting at here?
Clover: Just shut up and answer me!

She shoved her face closer to his. He could see the fire in her eyes.
Junpei winced and swallowed.

Junpei: Yeah, he did.
Junpei: It was pretty bad too. The bone was sticking out of the arm...

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than Clover's expression changed.
Suddenly, she was crying. Junpei wasn't sure what to do.

Clover: Thank you...

It was close to the last thing he had expected to hear.
Junpei had no idea what had just happened.
He didn't think he'd done anything worthy of thanks, and he couldn't understand
why she would have chosen that moment to begin crying.
So he simply stood there, confused.

Clover: Thank you, Junpei...

She thanked him again, and then something even stranger happened.
Clover threw herself into Junpei's surprised arms.

Junpei: H-Hey... What's going on with you?
Clover: I'm sorry, it's just... I'm so happy...
Junpei: ...Why?
Clover: The body in the shower room. It...it isn't his. It isn't my brother.
Junpei: ...Huh?
Clover: It's not Snake.
Junpei: Why on Earth would you think that?
Clover: Because his left arm is--

She stopped herself.

Clover: I'm sorry...
Clover: I...really shouldn't be talking about this...

Junpei decided it would be prudent not to press her for any more information.
If she did not wish to tell him, she certainly had a reason for doing so.
Perhaps more importantly, however, if Clover was so certain, then she was
likely right.
That meant that the body in the shower room wasn't Snake.
It wasn't much, but that knowledge lifted some of the weight from Junpei's
heart.

Clover: He's still alive...
Clover: I'm...I'm so happy...

Tears shone in her eyes.
Those tears melted Junpei's heart.
As she cried, she had pushed herself up against his chest, like a child.
Junpei put his arms around her and held her tight.

Clover: Junpei... You were right.
Junpei: ...?
Clover: "No matter what happens, you can never lose hope."
Clover: "You have to remember what's most important, and that's to have faith,
and to have love."
Clover: "If you can remember all of those, that'll bring you good luck."

Clover reached into her pocket and pulled something out.
It was a laminated bookmark with a 4-leaf clover.

Clover: I...I only made it here because you gave me this.
Clover: I was suspicious of everybody, and I was angry and miserable...
Clover: But because I had this 4-leaf clover...
Clover: Because of what you said to me, I...

Junpei hadn't thought his words would have had such an effect on her.
Her words were making him feel a little awkward.

Clover: Thank you so much, Junpei.
She looked up at him.
He scratched his nose and pretended to notice something interesting somewhere
else in the room.

Junpei: If you really wanna thank somebody, you should be thanking Santa.
Clover: Santa? Why?
Junpei: Well, he was the one who gave me that thing.
Junpei: And the words for each leaf? I got that from him too.
Clover: ...
Junpei: ...
Clover: ...
Junpei: ...?

Then suddenly--
Clover broke away from Junpei.

Junpei: Huh?

He looked confused. He hadn't thought she'd react that poorly...
Clover began to pace across the room.
6 steps to the left... 6 steps to the right... Another 6 to the left... And
then she stopped.

Clover: Did...did Santa really tell you those things?

Her eyes were serious, but not angry.

Junpei: Y-Yeah, he did...
Junpei: Did I, uh, say something wrong?
Clover: Oh, no. Not at all.
Clover: In fact... This could be really good news. ...I think.
Junpei: You think?
Clover: Santa knew about the words and the clover...
Clover: The only people who should know about that are the other subjects...
Junpei: Subjects?
Clover: The other people who were in the experiment 9 years ago, with my
brother and me.
Junpei: ...
Clover: But, he's blind...
Clover: And I was part of the Nevada test group...
Clover: So neither of us would be able to recognize the faces of the people who
were on this boat.
Junpei: Whoa whoa whoa whoa! Time out!

Junpei held up his hands.
He took a deep breath, and let it out.

Junpei: Let's just...calm down for a second, okay?
Junpei: Start from the top.
Junpei: Don't start with the end, and then jump to the middle.
Junpei: You gotta start at 1, and then move to 2, and 3, and 4, and so on.
Junpei: If you don't tell me stuff in the right order, I'm never gonna be able
to figure it out.

Clover nodded.

Junpei: All right. Let's start with this experiment.
Junpei: What happened on this boat 9 years ago?
Clover: Do you know about morphogenetic fields?

He did, and the realization sent chills down Junpei's spine.

Lotus: All right, how about this...
Lotus: "Theory of the Telepathic Mechanism".

Junpei recounted what Lotus had told him earlier.
Clover nodded.

Clover: Hmm... Telepathy, huh...
Clover: Well, that's not really it, but I suppose it's similar.
Junpei: So they were testing telepathy on this ship?
Clover: Yeah, I guess so.
Junpei: So... What exacty did they have you guys do?
Clover: The same thing that we're doing now. Exactly the same thing.
Junpei: What?
Clover: The Nonary Game.
Clover: 9 people were put on this boat, and 9 others were put in the building
in Nevada, and the game started.

Junpei grabbed the sides of his head.

Junpei: Look, I'm sorry, but I don't get it...
Junpei: What do the Nonary Game and some telepathy experiment have to do with
each other?

Clover bit her lip.
She blinked back sudden tears. What had happened to her in Nevada...?

Clover: The ability to access a morphogenetic field is affected by a couple of
things...
Clover: The first is "epiphany"... And the other is "danger"...
Clover: You know how sometimes when you're up against a really tough problem...
Clover: And then the answer just kind of pops into your head?
Clover: That's an "epiphany".
Clover: And what you learn from the epiphany can be transmitted with telepathy.
Clover: When you add danger to that equation, then it gets easier to transmit
that information over telepathy.
Junpei: So you're saying the Nonary Game was supposed to introduce that element
of danger...
Clover: Yeah, but... It couldn't be just any old danger...
Clover: It had to be life and death.
Clover: And... And...
Clover: Someone did...actually die... A girl...

Junpei felt the sudden grip of despair on his heart.
Something deep and distant and powerful squeezed, and for a moment he felt
very, very empty and alone.

Clover: She was on the boat, with my brother...
Clover: I was in Nevada, so I never met her, but...
Clover: I did hear her name...
Junpei: ...
Clover: Her name was... Um...

The sound of the door opening was like a gunshot.
Junpei spun around.

Ace: Oh, my apologies. I seem to have disturbed you.
Junpei: Ace...
Ace: You 2 must have strong stomachs.
Ace: I can't imagine how you could stay in this room for so long...

Ace glanced down at the floor...
At the corpse, covered in blood...

Ace: At any rate... Junpei, would you be so kind as to come and help me with
something?
Ace: I'm having a little trouble, and I could really use your assistance.
Junpei: ...
Ace: Come on, it'll only take a moment.

With that, he turned and walked back toward the communications office.
Clover waited until he was out of sight, then spoke in a small, quiet voice.

Clover: I don't want Ace to hear us... We can talk about this later...
Junpei: Huh? Hey, wait!

Clover ignored him.
From outside, Junpei could hear Ace calling.

Ace: Junpei! What are you doing in there? Hurry up!
Junpei: ...
Junpei: Arg!

Grumbling to himself, Junpei stomped off toward the communications office.
...
...

(Return to investigation)

{a32d.a2}

Clover: I know it's important to figure out who this guy is, but...
Clover: Don't you think we should figure out how to get out of here first?
Junpei: But...
Clover: Please... I don't want to waste any more time...

Clover looked miserable, as if she could start crying at any moment.
Junpei just didn't have the heart to tell her no.

Junpei: All right. Sure thing.

Was his mind playing tricks on him, Junpei wondered. For a moment, he could
have sworn he'd seen Clover smile.
...
...

(Return to investigation)

==========================
{a32d.b} File #21
::Captain's Quarters::
-Upon retrieving the red file in the telegraph drawer-

A red file lay in the drawer.
Junpei reached down and picked it up.
The cover read...
"ALLICE".

(If had Ice-9 conversation, To "a32d.b1", replacing quotations with braces {} )
(If did not have Ice-9 conversation, To "a32d.b2", replacing quotations with
braces {} )

{a32d.b1}

"ALL-ICE"
"Alice"...
Did that mean...
Junpei couldn't hold back. He had to know what was in that file...
Each page was covered with strange characters.
They looked like tiny drawings of birds, snakes, insects, horned animals,
wings, and even kneeling humans. There were many pages in the file, and each
was full of these strange symbols.

Junpei: What the hell is this...

He didn't realize he'd spoken out loud until Ace looked over at him.

Ace: They are hieroglyphs. A form of writing used in ancient Egypt.
Junpei: ...Ancient Egypt?
Ace: That's right.
Junpei: Can you read them?
Ace: Of course...
Ace: ...I can't. What would make you think I could?
Junpei: What the hell...

Junpei flipped through a few more pages.
It wasn't just 1 or 2 pages that were covered in the strange symbols...
Every single page was covered in them.
Trying to read them was pointless.
Junpei wasn't going to waste any more time with them. He made to close the
file--
And something fell out.
He bent down and picked it up.

Junpei: ...A key card.

There was a symbol on it that reminded Junpei of the symbols for the Saturn and
Mercury key cards.
This one, however, had a dot in the center of the male symbol...

Ace: Uranus. ...That's the Uranus symbol.

Junpei looked over to see Ace examining the card.
In addition to the Uranus symbol, there were 3 words engraved on the card as
well.
On the lower right, it said "BOTTOM DECK LIBRARY".

Junpei: This must be a key to the library on the bottom deck...
Ace: So it would seem.

The bottom deck... The library...
Junpei remembered something he'd heard from Seven when they'd been in the
chemical closet...

Seven: "Alice sleeps in a small chamber past the forest of knowledge, beneath
the navel of the Gigantic."

Did "beneath the navel" mean the bottom deck? Did "forest of knowledge" mean
the library?
If it did, then was Alice in a room somewhere beyond the library?

Ace: What's wrong?

Junpei blinked. Only then did he notice Ace looking at him, curiosity and
concern written across his face in equal parts.
There was no reason for Junpei to hide his thoughts. He began to explain his
theory to Ace.
Then he stopped. It wouldn't make any sense if Ace didn't know who Alice was
supposed to be. So he told Ace everything June had told him.
About the Egyptian Priestess...
About ice-9...And finally, about the woman who wouldn't melt who had been
recovered from the Titanic disaster. 
He told him about how she had been called "All-ice", which had eventually
turned to "Alice"... And how she had been purchased by an English millionaire
who called himself "Lord Gordain"...

Ace: And how Gordain had hid Alice somewhere on the ship.
Ace: And you think that he hid her in a small room beyond the library on the
bottom deck?
Junpei: Yeah. Well, I mean, I guess so.
Ace: I see...

Ace stared off into the distance, his hand slowly and absent-mindedly stroking
his beard.
After a few moments, his hand stopped.
He turned slowly to look at Junpei, and his brows drew together.

Ace: Junpei... Have you ever heard of the term "CAS"?
Junpei: CAS?
Ace: It stands for "Cells Alive System". It is an advanced technology for
freezing and preserving organic matter.
Ace: Put simply, it is a technique that allows one to freeze things without the
formation of ice crystals.
Ace: Normally, if you freeze something fresh, water within its cells expands as
it crystallizes, damaging the cell membrane.
Ace: CAS, however, works differently.
Ace: The object to be frozen is supercooled using magnetic fields, and then
frozen instantly and uniformly, giving ice crystals no time to form.
Ace: It was originally developed for the preservation of food, as an
alternative to the normal freezing process.
Ace: Now, however, there are rumors that it can be used for...other things.
Junpei: What do you mean, "other things"?
Ace: Well, there are obvious medical uses, but perhaps also...space travel.
Junpei: Space travel? Are you serious?
Ace: Surely you've heard of suspended animation? Cryogenic freezing?
Ace: It's a fairly common idea in science-fiction books and films.
Ace: People are sometimes "frozen" for especially lengthy journeys through
space.

That was when Junpei understood what Ace was suggesting.

Junpei: Whoa whoa whoa... Wait a minute there!

Ace looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

Junpei: Are you saying that Alice was frozen using that...CAS thing?
Ace: Well, I'm sure the possibility is quite low, but it is a possibility...
Ace: If this special ice you call "ice-9" does indeed exist...
Ace: And if CAS were used to freeze her into that sort of ice
instantaneously...
Junpei: You think she could be alive?!
Ace: Well, I can't say for sure, of course.
Ace: I'm only talking about possibilities.
Ace: The melting point for ice-9 is 96 degrees, right?
Ace: If she were put somewhere where she could reach that temperature...
Junpei: That's nuts! Are you really saying she could have defrosted and started
walking about?!
Ace: You're quite right, it does sound unbelievable.
Ace: But if she had, then we would have an explanation for the man we found
dead on the floor.
Junpei: You mean the guy dressed like a captain?
Ace: Yes.
Ace: He was dead when we found him. Clearly, he was murdered.
Ace: But if he was murdered, then by who?
Ace: It couldn't have been one of us. That would be impossible.
Ace: In order to enter the captain's quarters, one must first open door [1].
Ace: That door that requires the Earth key prevented us from accessing door
[1].
Ace: Who was it that opened that door?
Junpei: Santa and Lotus.
Ace: Right. Clearly, the 2 of them could not have opened door [1], or any other
door for that matter.
Ace: Who else, then, could have done so?

Junpei thought for a second.

Junpei: No, nobody.

After Santa and Lotus had used the Earth key, they turned back and met up with
Junpei and June, who had just returned from E Deck. 
The 4 of them then proceeded to return to the large hospital room to reunite
with Ace, Seven, and Clover...
When Junpei and his team had gone into the shower room, Ace, Seven, and Clover
had been left in the large hospital room, but they would have been unable to
open door [1].
Perhaps when Junpei and June had taken the elevator to door [2], then?
No, that would have been impossible. They had been gone only 5 minutes--no
human being could have run to the captain's quarters, killed the man in there,
and run back in 5 minutes.

Ace: It would be impossible for any of us to be the murderer.
Ace: That being the case, who could have killed him?
Ace: Wouldn't it make sense if his killer was someone who had been in the ship
for some time?
Junpei: ...
Ace: A person like that would know the ship well.
Ace: They would know the locations of all the hidden passages and secret doors.
Ace: The numbered doors would mean nothing to someone like that.
Ace: It would be a simple thing for them to enter the captain's quarters.
Junpei: Then you're saying...the killer was Alice?

It was Junpei's turn to raise an eyebrow.
Ace drew his thumb across his lips thoughtfully.

Ace: Well, this is all only one possible theory.

...
...
ALL-ICE--Alice...
Was Alice indeed somewhere on the ship with them?
Junpei had only one clue...
The key card in his hand.
It would, he hoped, grant him access to the forest of knowledge.
But beyond that...
What waited for him beyond the forest of knowledge?
Whatever might be there, however, would have to wait. At the moment, there was
nothing Junpei could do.
He gripped the key card tighter, and shoved it deep into his pocket.

(Return to investigation)

{a32d.b2}

But...was it supposed to say "ALL ICE"?
There wasn't a space between the "L" and the "I".
Were they trying to say that "ALLICE" was a single word?
It was an interesting thought, but it left Junpei's mind quickly as he opened
the file--what lay inside was far more interesting, and far more confusing.
Each page was covered with strange characters.
They looked like tiny drawings of birds, snakes, insects, horned animals,
wings, and even kneeling humans. There were many pages in the file, and each
was full of these strange symbols.

Junpei: What the hell is this...

He didn't realize he'd spoken out loud until Ace looked over at him.

Ace: They are hieroglyphs. A form of writing used in ancient Egypt.
Junpei: ...Ancient Egypt?
Ace: That's right.
Junpei: Can you read them?
Ace: Of course...
Ace: ...I can't. What would make you think I could?
Junpei: What the hell...

Junpei flipped through a few more pages.
It wasn't just 1 or 2 pages that were covered in the strange symbols...
Every single page was covered in them.
Trying to read them was pointless.
Junpei wasn't going to waste any more time with them. He made to close the
file--
And something fell out.
He bent down and picked it up.

Junpei: ...A key card.

There was a symbol on it that reminded Junpei of the symbols for the Saturn and
Mercury key cards.
This one, however, had a dot in the center of the male symbol...

Ace: Uranus. ...That's the Uranus symbol.

Junpei looked over to see Ace examining the card.
In addition to the Uranus symbol, there were 3 words engraved on the card as
well.
On the lower right, it said "BOTTOM DECK LIBRARY".
Was the bottom deck a library...?
...
Whatever might be there, however, would have to wait. At the moment, there was
nothing Junpei could do.
He gripped the key card tighter, and shoved it deep into his pocket.

(Return to investigation)

===========================================
===========================================
{m40a} File #69
:A Deck hallway:
-After completing escape from [1]-
===========================================

They stepped out of the captain's quarters and into another hallway.
The hallway stretched out in front of Junpei for a bit, before turning left,
like a great, backward L.
Junpei rounded the corner, and took off down the straightaway.
He ran. ...And ran. ...And ran...
At the end of the hallway was a door.
He made straight for it.
He was nearly halfway to it when he noticed a piece of paper in the middle of
the floor.
What was a piece of paper doing in the middle of the hallway? Junpei skidded to
a halt.
He dropped down to his hands and knees, and quickly tore the paper off of the
floor.
Now that he had a chance to examine it more closely, it was clear that it was a
map. More specifically, a [map of the ship's interior for the A Deck].

Ace: *Pant* *Pant* *Pant* What's wrong?

Ace, slightly slower by virtue of his advanced age, had finally caught up to
Junpei.
Junpei said nothing--simply showed Ace what he had found.
He looked at it long enough to determine what it was, and nodded.

Ace: I see.

With that, he began running again, past Junpei.
Junpei shoved the map into his pocket, and got up to follow Ace--
But something stopped him.

Junpei: Hey... Where's Clover...?

He turned around. Clover was nowhere to be seen.

Junpei: Damnit! What the hell is she up to?!

Junpei muttered angrily under his breath, and took off back the way he'd come.
As he stomped around the corner, he saw her.
She was standing in front of the door to the captain's quarters, her hand on
the doorknob.
As Junpei watched, she closed it, gently and quietly.

Junpei: What the hell are you doing?
Clover: Nothing...
Junpei: What do you mean "nothing"?

Clover had, unconsciously, put her hands over the pockets of her jacket, as if
trying to hide something.

Junpei: What the hell is that?
Clover: What...?
Junpei: You've got something in your pocket. What is it?
Clover: Oh, this...?
Clover: Uh...um... This is...

(If gave Clover bookmark & discussed Ice-9, to "m40a.1", replacing quotations
with braces {} )
(If did not give Clover bookmark, to "m40a.2", replacing quotations with braces
{} )

{m40a.1}

Clover: A note.
Junpei: A note?
Clover: Yeah. I found it in the pocket of the guy with the captain's clothes.
Clover: It said something about the "darkness of the sinister hand" or
something...
Junpei: What the hell... Lemme see it.

But Junpei wasn't going to get to see it.
From the other end of the hall, he heard Ace's voice.

Ace: Hey! Junpei! Clover! What are you 2 doing?! Hurry up!

Clover shrugged.

Clover: I'll show it to you later, all right?
Clover: Come on! We gotta hurry!

Before Junpei could protest, she was gone.
Around the corner, and off down the long stem of the L.
A note? A note... Junpei was curious.
But there was something else that bothered him...
Her pocket had been bulging, far more than it would from just a note...

(To "m40a.3", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m40a.2}

Clover: Hm, I wonder...
Junpei: What the hell!?
Clover: C'mon! We gotta hurry!

With that, Clover ran, straight past a somewhat confused Junpei.
As she did, he caught a glimpse of her back...
Sticking up from her collar, was something that looked like a...big wooden
stick...

Junpei: Hey! Clover! What the hell's that thing on your back?!

She didn't respond.
Instead, she quickly turned the corner and disappeared.

(Continued below, "m40a.3")

{m40a.3}

Junpei: ...

Junpei did his best to convince himself that it would make sense later, and ran
off after Clover.
Junpei pushed through the door, and found himself in a large room with a large
set of stairs.
It was just what he'd expected to see, after reading the map.
His "I see" after reading the map himself meant that Ace had probably realized
the same thing.
Junpei looked around, but Ace was nowhere to be seen...
He put his hand on the handrail and leaned over to look down.
There he was.
And not just Ace... Santa, June, Seven, and Lotus as well.
Junpei and Clover glanced at each other, and hurried down the stairs.
They reached B Deck at the same time.

June: Jumpy! Clover!

June's face was excited.
Something had happened, that much Junpei could tell by simply looking at her.

Junpei: What's up?

Given their situation, he was not inclined to be excited about sudden
developments.
June, however, couldn't contain herself.

June: We found it!
Junpei: Found what...?
June: We found it!
Junpei: What did you find?!
June: The last door!
June: We found door [9]!
Junpei: Wha... What?!
Seven: C'mon, just follow us! We'll explain on the way.
Junpei: O-Okay! Let's go!

Seven turned, and jogged off down the stairs.
The rest followed.

June: We finally made it...

The relief and excitement in her voice, echoed what each one of them felt.

Junpei: Yeah... It's finally time...

Junpei wasn't quite ready to believe they'd really done it, at least not just
yet.
Still, if everyone said that it was door [9], then it probably was...
He could feel his heart racing.
A mixture of anticipation and fear ran through his veins, and he could feel his
legs shaking.
He was doing his best to maintain a sense of healthy skepticism, but he
couldn't deny that the prospect of escape was an exciting one.
But there was one thing he couldn't get off his mind... The numbered door could
only accommodate between 3 and 5 people.
There were 7 of them on their way to door [9]. That meant that even in the
best-case scenario, there would be 2 of them who would have to stay behind.
2 people...
He didn't have any solutions to that problem yet, but he was desperately hoping
one would present itself.
Junpei looked over at the clock.
The hands indicated that it was 4:30.
They had 90 minutes before their time was up.

Santa: Hey! Junpei! June! What the hell are you 2 doin'?! Hurry it up!

Santa's voice jolted Junpei out of his reverie.

June: Let's go, Jumpy!

June took off down the stairs, jogging as quickly as she could.
Junpei followed.

(If coffin/true ending requirements not met, To "abad", replacing quotations
with braces {} )
(If coffin/true ending requirements met, To "m40a.4", replacing quotations with
braces {} )

{m40a.4}

As a group, they piled onto the elevator, and rode impatiently down to E Deck.
It looked familiar.
There was a metal grate between the 2 elevators.
Seven grabbed hold of it and began to talk.

Seven: I know I told you I'd explain it earlier, but honestly, there ain't much
to explain.
Seven: After we split off from you guys, the 4 of us got onto the elevator on
the left.
Seven: And that took us to the other side of the grate.
Seven: After that...

They'd headed down another hallway...
It took them toward the bow of the ship, and eventually to the number [6] that
Junpei and June had found earlier.
With 4, they'd been able to open the door and keep going.
As usual, they'd faced a locked door, but had been forced to complete 2
different areas before they could unlock it.
Once they were through that door, there was another hallway that went in the
other direction, towards the stern.

Junpei: So...on your way, you found the elevator.
Seven: That's right.
Junpei: So in other words, you kinda did a lap, huh?
Junpei: You came from that side to this side.
Seven: Yeah.

With that settled, Junpei looked around.

Junpei: So... Where's the number [9] door?
Seven: Over here. Follow me.

Seven began walking, down the hallway that lead toward the stern.
Junpei and the others broke into a jog to keep up with him.
They had been walking for a while, June in silent step with Junpei, when she
spoke.

June: You know, it's because of Santa that we're all here right now.
Junpei: ...Huh?
June: That all 7 of us are going to door [9].
Junpei: ...?
June: You don't get it?
June: Santa, Seven, and Lotus...
June: What's their digital root?

3 + 7 + 8 = 18 -> 1 + 8 = 9

Junpei: (9)... It's (9)...
June: That's right.
June: They could have just left me behind and kept going, if they'd wanted to.
Junpei: But they didn't.
June: Yes. Because Santa wouldn't let them.
June: He said "We can't leave June behind"...
June: That's why we went looking for you guys.
Junpei: And then you got on the elevator and went back to the central
staircase.
June: That's right.
Junpei: Hmm...
Junpei: Well, I wouldn't have called that one... That Santa would be the one to
stick up for you, I mean...

Junpei felt his eyebrows knit as he considered that.

June: Oh, don't get me wrong...

Perhaps June had sensed Junpei's concern.

June: I don't mean that Seven and Lotus said they wanted to leave me behind.
June: We were just talking about it, and Santa objected to it first.

Junpei was about to respond when--
Seven suddenly stopped.
In front of them stood a door.

Junpei: So, is this...?

Junpei couldn't see Seven's face, but he could see him nod.

Junpei: There's no other place for us to go?
Seven: Nope. Just look around.

At the end of the hallway was a thick, iron wall.
To the left and right, other hallways led to the port and starboard sides of
the ship, but they were both closed off by thick metal grates.
It looked as though Seven was right.
The door in front of them was their only choice.

Seven: All right. Let's get moving.

(If Safe ending has not been completed, To "aed0", replacing quotations with
braces {} )
(If Safe ending has been completed, continue below, "m40a.5" )

{m40a.5}

He pulled open the door, and walked in.
Junpei took a deep breath and followed.
It appeared they'd been telling the truth.
The first thing Junpei saw as he entered the room was the number.
-----[9]-----
Like all the others, it was a rough thing, made of red paint.
The door it decorated sat on the back wall of a rectangular room.
Junpei ran up to it.
It was a large double door, with powerful styling.
Something about it was almost majestic, and it made the red paint look
especially garish.
Junpei grabbed the handle and shook. It didn't budge, but then, he hadn't
really expected it to.
The RED was bolted to the wall next to the door.
Its display read "VACANT".
Finally, they'd arrived.
Junpei felt a flood of emotion wash over him.
He felt a chill down his back, and his chest tightened even as his blood began
to boil.
He was about to speak, when--

Santa: Junpei. Look behind you...

He turned around.
Junpei could scarcely believe what he saw.
A door...and a [9].
There was...
...Another one...

Junpei: H-Hey... What the hell... What the hell is going on here...?

His words came slowly, and his brain struggled to understand what he'd seen.
On shaky legs, he made his way to the second [9].
It was a small door, set parallel to the door they'd come through, but in the
other corner of the room.
-----[9]-----
There was no mistaking the number, and if any more proof was needed, a RED was
bolted to the wall near the door.
He grabbed the handle and shook the door, not because he expected it to open,
but because he had to make sure it was real.

Junpei: Why the hell...are there 2 doors?

It was Ace who spoke first.

Ace: Do you think perhaps one is the "right" door, and the other is the "wrong"
one?

Lotus was skeptical.

Lotus: I...don't know about that. That seems unlikely.
Ace: What makes you say so?
Lotus: Well, think about all the rooms we've been through so far.
Lotus: They're full of puzzles, but there are always hints about how to solve
them.
Lotus: I'm pretty sure there aren't any rooms where we just had to go with our
best guess, and leave it to instinct to solve the puzzle.
Lotus: Do you really think that at the very end of the game, Zero's going to
suddenly throw in something that depends entirely on luck?
Ace: Then you're saying there's some sort of hint in this room?
June: No... I don't think there's a hint anywhere in here.
June: I searched it very well when I was in here before.
June: I didn't find anything that might have been a hint, though.
Ace: Hmm... Well, then, that means...
Santa: Yeah. Both of these are the "right" door.
Santa: I mean, if you think about it...
Santa: Zero never actually said there was only one door with a [9] on it.
Junpei: The exit is hidden, but it is there.
Junpei: Seek the exit... Seek the door that carries a [9]. 

Junpei began to mutter to himself.

Junpei: So if there are 2 number [9] doors...
Junpei: If we split it up right...
Clover: That's not gonna work.

Junpei blinked, and looked up at Clover.
She held out her hand.

Clover: You've got a notebook and a pen, right? Can I borrow them?

Slightly confused, he pulled them out and handed them to her.

Clover: Look at this.

Clover opened the notebook to a blank page, and set it down on the desk.
Everyone else gathered around her and watched as she wrote down a series of
numbers.

Clover: You get it?
Clover: The numbers on the top are all the combinations with digital roots of
(9). The numbers on the bottom are the people who don't fit.
Clover: There's only 8 possibilities, if we split up into 2 groups of 3 or 4
people.
Clover: So...
Junpei: If 3 people go through the door, then 4 are left behind.
Junpei: If 4 go through...then 3 are left behind. Right?

Clover nodded, almost as if she were pleased with herself for solving a
difficult math problem.
The room went very quiet.
Silence lay across everyone like a thick, heavy blanket.
No one spoke.
Their faces were blank.
Desperate for something else to look at, Junpei turned his eyes to the room
around him.
As he did, he began to wonder... What was it?
The walls were covered with candles.
The wavering flame made the shadows of Junpei and his companions look as though
they were dancing.
2 rows of wooden pews filled most of the room.
Between them was a strip of rich, red carpet.
The carpet ran straight through the room, ending at the door that pointed to
the stern of the boat.
At the other end of the carpet...
An...altar? It was a recessed space set into the wall between the 2 other
doors.
Sitting on a raised section of the altar was...a coffin.
A coffin... A coffin... A coffin... No. It couldn't possibly be...
But if it wasn't... Then whose body occupied it?
...
That was as far as Junpei wanted to pursue that line of thought.
He decided not to think about the coffin, for the time being.
At that moment, Seven spoke.
There was an edge of humor to his voice, but it was forced.

Seven: Okay. I give up. I give up.
Seven: I figured if we sat around here long enough, someone would volunteer,
but...
Seven: I guess nobody's got the guts to do it.

Junpei didn't understand, and he wasn't the only one.

Seven: What? You guys didn't figure it out yet?
Junpei: ?
Seven: Ugh. Fine, fine. Lemme enlighten you.
Seven: Clover was mostly right with her little explanation earlier, but she
missed something.
Seven: She wasn't really wrong, she just...
Seven: Argh! Screw it! Lemme just write it out.

Seven snatched up the notebook and began to write in it.
Everyone else clustered around him, desperate for a look.

Seven: If you're trying to leave with a group of 3 and a group of 4, and get
everybody out, Clover's right.
Seven: But there's another way... Only one combination, though.
Seven: If you split us up into groups of 3, 3, and 1... You can make this
combination.
Junpei: Wait... This means...
Seven: Don't get me wrong, here. I'm not tryin' to copy Ace or anything like
that.
Seven: Even if he hadn't been the hero back in the big hospital room, I'd still
be saying the same thing.
June: The same thing...? Are you saying...
Seven: Yeah, I am.
Seven: I'll stay behind.
Lotus: !
June: !
Clover: !
Ace: !
Junpei: !
Lotus: Wh-Why are you acting so heroic all of a sudden?!
Lotus: Are you some kind of idiot!?

Lotus was the first to speak.
That in itself was a little strange. She'd reacted much differently when Ace
had volunteered.

Lotus: I'm completely against this! I'll be goddamned if I'm going to have to
owe you for getting out of here!

The rest of them began to speak, all at once.

June: I'm against it too! I didn't want to leave Ace behind, and I don't want
to leave you either!
Clover: I don't like that idea. There's gotta be other options.
Ace: I disagree as well. I can't say I care much for you being the hero...

Finally, they quieted down. Junpei looked at Seven.

Junpei: Well, there you go Seven. Proposal denied.
Junpei: Clover's right. There's gotta be a better way than this.

Seven made some noise that was somewhere between a derisive snort and a cough.

Seven: Hmph... Doesn't make any sense...

He was doing his best to pretend they were making a foolish decision, but
Junpei could see the twinkling of water at the corners of Seven's eyes.
That was when Santa spoke.

Santa: Whoa, hold on a minute. I haven't said anything yet.

Until then Junpei hadn't realized that Santa had stayed quiet for the whole
discussion of Seven's fate.
Something in his voice made Junpei uncomfortable.

Junpei: Are you...agreeing? You want to leave him here?

Santa shook his head.

Santa: Nah. I'm against it. I don't want to leave Seven here alone.
Junpei: Then I don't see how it matters--
Santa: I said "alone".
Junpei: ...Eh?
Santa: I said I don't want to leave Seven alone.

There was a dull shine in Santa's eyes.
They were cold, and hard. Junpei felt himself shiver.

Junpei: Wh-What the hell are you...
Santa: What, you don't get it?
Santa: I can't leave just 1 person. I need 2 more.
Santa: 3 people, including Seven. I'll be leaving behind 3 people.
Santa: That's my proposal. ...No...
Santa: Those are my orders.
Junpei: What do you mean, "orders"?
Junpei: What the hell makes you think you can order us around?! Who the hell's
gonna listen to you?!
Santa: You all will. In 3 seconds, you won't have a choice.
Junpei: Wh-What?!
Santa: 3...2...1...

Santa was so fast, Junpei could barely see him.
When he moved, it was almost like watching a dance.
His feet moving like lightning.
He spun, and--

June: Aaaah!

He had June.

Santa: See? I told you.

His lips curled into a cruel, mocking smile.
A shudder traveled the length of Junpei's spine. His chest froze, and he could
feel his breath go stale in his lungs.
Nothing made sense. Junpei felt as though his head were about to explode.
Santa's sudden change in attitude... Saying that he needed 2 more... The gun in
his right hand--a revolver...
Santa had grabbed June from behind, and pressed what Junpei's shaken brain
identified as a revolver roughly against her temple.
What was he doing with a gun?!
Where on Earth had Santa possibly found a gun!?
Junpei's questions roared in his mind, but his mouth refused to ask them.
Seven spoke, almost as though he had sensed Junpei's confusion.

Seven: The gun's from the other room...
Junpei: What room?
Seven: One of the rooms behind door [6].
Seven: I shoulda known he was gonna do this... I shoulda taken the gun...
Santa: Heh. Well, it's too late now, fatass.
Seven: Damnit...

A mixture of fury and frustration twisted Seven's face, and he glared at Santa.
Santa, for his part, didn't so much as flinch. The corner of his lip twitched
into a slightly wider smile.
Then the smile faded, and he began to move.
He walked backward, dragging June with him.
Before long, his back was resting against the door.
On the wall next to him was the RED.
He put his hand on the scanner panel, quickly, and then forced June to do the
same.

Santa: Now... Time for you to start following my orders.
Santa: Ace, Lotus, congratulations. I've chosen you to come with me.
Santa: Put your hands on the RED.

3 + 6 + 1 + 8 = 18
That was what Santa had meant when he said he needed 2 more...

Santa: Hey. You deaf? I gave you an order.

Santa's eyes narrowed to slits. He glared at Ace and Lotus.
They stayed, frozen, like deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

Santa: ...Right. Fine.
Santa: I didn't want to waste any bullets, but you guys just don't get it.

No sooner were the words out of Santa's mouth than his hand twitched--
And the gun roared.
A section of the floor exploded, scattering wooden splinters across the floor.
A thin plume of smoke snaked out of the hole in the floor.
There could be no doubt that the gun was real, and worked.

Clover: But...why...? Santa, why are you...

Clover's voice spoke of betrayal and disbelief.

Clover: Santa... I thought... I thought you were one of us... I thought we were
friends...
Santa: What!?
Clover: You knew about the leaf word, and the 4-leaf clover...

Santa's cheek twitched, almost imperceptibly.

Santa: What the hell is that shit? I've got no idea--
Clover: You're lying!
Santa: Shut up! Just shut up, you stupid bitch!
Santa: You want me to put a bullet in your fucking head?!

Flecks of spit flew from Santa's mouth, his face twisted with rage.
Clover recoiled, her eyes wide. When she spoke, her voice was very small.

Clover: Santa...

He snorted, then shook his head vigorously and turned to face Ace and Lotus.

Santa: All right, assholes. What're you still standing there for?
Santa: Get over here and scan those bracelets. I don't have all day.
Santa: Oh, what's the matter? Your hearing starting to go? Goin' senile, maybe?

Ace and Lotus still didn't move. It almost seemed as if they couldn't move.
June's face was pale behind Santa's arm.
Her eyes were wild and her chest heaved with every quick breath, like an animal
cornered by a predator.
Junpei's mind worked furiously. What were they going to do?
Then he realized something...
There was nothing they needed to do. There was nothing to debate.
June's safety was the first priority. That much was obvious.
Doing as Santa had commanded meant that she would be safe from at least 2
threats...
She wouldn't be shot, and she would leave the ship alive, along with Santa,
Ace, and Lotus.
There was only one thing for Junpei to do.
He turned to Ace and Lotus.

Junpei: Please. Go.
Ace: Huh?
Lotus: But...
June: Jumpy! What are you saying!?
June: If you stay here, you're gonna be stuck, Jumpy!
June: And so will Clover and Seven!
Junpei: I know.
Junpei: But you don't need to worry about us. We'll figure something out.
Junpei: Right, Seven?
Seven: R-Right! You just leave it to us!
Seven: It's gonna piss me off to do what Santa says, but...
Clover: Don't worry about me either...
Clover: There's still something I have to take care of.
June: But... No! You can't!
June: Ace! Lotus! Don't do it!
June: Don't worry about me! Please!

June was almost crying.
Junpei walked around behind Ace and Lotus.
Without a word, he laid a hand on each of their backs, and gently pushed them
forward.
They almost stumbled, then righted themselves and took another step. And
another...
They turned around, and Junpei nodded.
Ace and Lotus turned around again, and walked slowly toward the door where
Santa was waiting for them.
After what seemed like an eternity, they stopped, in front of the door marked
[9].
Santa smiled.

Santa: All right, now let's get those hands on the scanner panel.
Ace: ...
Lotus: ...
Santa: What's the hold-up?
Santa: What, you think I'm fucking around here? I don't give a shit about this
girl.
Santa: The RED doesn't need a person, you know.
Santa: All I need is the bracelet.
Santa: You get it? Good. Now put your fucking hands on the scanner. I'm not
gonna say it again.

He shoved the revolver harder against June's head, and she winced.

Ace: Fine...

Ace sighed, defeated, and placed his hand on the scanner panel.
Lotus went next.
Lotus glared at Santa and slammed her hand onto the scanner panel.
The 4th asterisk blinked on.

Santa: Good job.
Santa: Now Lotus, pull that lever.
Santa: Soon as the door opens, you get your ass in there.
Santa: Try anything stupid, and you know what happens, right?

Junpei could almost hear Lotus's teeth grind.
The door slid open. Door number [9], opened at last.
It opened with a low, powerful rumble--a drumroll to welcome the chosen few.

Santa: All right! Go!

Lotus and Ace walked through the door, their eyes furious but defeated.
Santa waited until they were all the way inside, then hauled himself and June
across the threshold as well.
6... 7... 8... 

Santa: Later.

After exactly 9 seconds, the door swung shut.
The gust of air it created caused the candles on the altar to flicker and die.
...
...
The room fell silent.
Junpei, Clover, and Seven had been left behind.
Clover looked down at her hand, and traced with her finger the faint blue veins
that crisscrossed them.
Seven shoved his arms into the front of his overalls, and scratched his
stomach.
No one spoke. Silence made the air feel thick and oppressive.
Desperate for something, anything, to occupy his mind, Junpei walked to the
larger of the 2 [9] doors.
He stood in front of it, and looked at the RED.
It read "ENGAGED".
He moved to the smaller door...
The RED read "VACANT".
The digital root of the remaining people was (7).
5 + 4 + 7 = 16 -> 1 + 6 = 7
There was no possible way for them to open a door with [9] on it.
Junpei touched the surface of the door.
He thought about June... About Akane Kurashiki.
Was she safe?
That was all that mattered to him. If she was alive, if she had escaped this
horrible boat...
That was what Junpei prayed for.
Seven came up next to him.
He pulled off his hat, scratched his head, and sighed.

Seven: So... What do you wanna do, Junpei?
Junpei: What do you mean, "What do I want to do"? What can we do?

Seven opened his mouth to respond, when--
A noise echoed through the room.
Someone was pounding on something, vigorously. It wasn't mechanical...it was
certainly human.
Junpei and Seven looked at one another.

Seven: Wh-What the hell is that?
Clover: Shh! Quiet!

Clover motioned to Seven to be quiet.
She put one finger to her lips, and closed her eyes in concentration.
The 3 of them listened, trying to determine where the sound was coming from...
Where... Where was it coming from...
Could it be...

Seven: H-Hey! I think it's coming from this coffin!
Clover: You're right!
Junpei: Let's open it!
Seven: But how!?
Clover: What are those muscles for!? For show!?
Seven: You're telling me to force it open!?
Junpei: Just shut up and try!

Junpei and Seven grabbed hold of the coffin.
They tried to get a good grip with what little purchase they could find, and
pulled with all their strength.

Junpei: ARRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNGHHHHHHH!
Seven: GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
Junpei: Damnit!
Seven: Man, it won't even budge!

There was some sort of keypad attached to the coffin. Its purpose would not
have been difficult to determine.
Their eyes were almost immediately drawn to it.

Seven: Not another one...
Junpei: Yeah... Looks like it...
Clover: Do you think we have to put in the right password or it won't open?
Junpei: I think so.

The noise wasn't stopping.
In fact, it was getting louder.
They had no idea who was in the coffin, but they wanted out, and they wanted
out now.
They had no idea what they were supposed to do.
Without a passcode, it didn't seem like there was a lot they could do.
They couldn't even tell how many numbers the passcode needed to be.

Clover: Isn't there a hint somewhere?!
Seven: Well, let's look for one!

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anything near the coffin.
Clover ran to examine the pews, and Seven investigated the desk, but they
turned up nothing.
The sound still wouldn't stop.
It wasn't a noise that belonged in that room.
What was the passcode...
What was Junpei supposed to do? How was he supposed to figure it out?
He needed...something.
--The world blinked--
Suddenly, there was a voice, inside of Junpei's head.

---: "Truth had gone, truth had gone, and truth had gone."
---: "Ah, now truth is asleep in the darkness of the sinister hand."
Junpei: Wha...what the hell was that...? That voice...?

Junpei was utterly and completely baffled.

Seven: Huh? What're you talkin' about?
Clover: What's up?

Seven and Clover ran over to him, but Junpei didn't know what to tell them.
If he told them he'd heard a voice, they'd laugh--or worse, think he was going
insane.
So all he said was...

Junpei: Oh...nothing...

He cleared his throat a little too loud, and looked pointedly down at his
bracelet.
There were a pair of small buttons protruding from either side of it...
Junpei...

* <<...Pressed the buttons on the bracelet...>>

(Continue below, "m40a.50" )

{m40a.50}

<right->right->right->left->left->left> - "m40a.51"
<left->left->left->right->right->right> - "m40a.52"
<right->left->right->left->right->left> - "m40a.53"
<left->right->left->right->left->right> - "m40a.54"
<right->right->left->left->right->left> - "m40a.55"
<left->left->right->right->left->right> - "m40a.56"

{m40a.51}
<right->right->right->left->left->left>

right->right->right->left->left->left

---: That's wrong. You should know that already.
---: You should know that "truth" means "right"...

(To "m40a.50", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m40a.52}
<left->left->left->right->right->right>

left->left->left->right->right->right

---: That's wrong. You should know that already.
---: "Gone" means you "leave", so it means "left".

(To "m40a.50", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m40a.54}
<left->right->left->right->left->right>

left->right->left->right->left->right

---: That's wrong. You should know that already. You should know everything...
---: If you don't, then why did you bother to look at the bracelet?
---: You already know that "the darkness of the sinister hand" is telling you
to look at the "bracelet on your left hand".
---: That's why you looked at your bracelet.  Right?

(To "m40a.50", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m40a.55}
<right->right->left->left->right->left>

right->right->left->left->right->left

---: That's wrong. You should know that already.

(To "m40a.50", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m40a.56}
<left->left->right->right->left->right>

left->left->right->right->left->right

---: That's wrong. You should know that already.

(To "m40a.50", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m40a.53}
<right->left->right->left->right->left>

right->left->right->left->right->left
That was it.
8 numbers blinked on and then off on the bracelet display.
Junpei checked one last time...
(1)(4)(3)(8)(3)(4)(2)(1)

Junpei: 1-4-3-8-3-4-2-1...
Seven: Huh...?
Clover: Eh...?
Seven: Hey... What the hell were those numbers!?
Clover: Oh my gosh... Are those--?!

Junpei didn't answer. He simply walked straight to the coffin.
He knelt down in front of the keypad, running over the numbers in his head so
that he wouldn't forget.
1-4-3-8-3-4-2-1... 1-4-3-8-3-4-2-1...
With trembling fingers, he punched them in.
(1)(4)(3)(8)(3)(4)(2)(1)
That was all of them.
He punched the (E) button.
There was a moment of complete silence.
Then there was the sound of the coffin lid unlatching.
Someone sat up out of it--

Clover: A-Aaaaaaaaaahhh!
Snake: Oh... Is that you, Clover? I apologize for worrying you.
Junpei: Snake!
Seven: Oh my... How did you...
Snake: Junpei... And Seven? Is that you? Is everyone else there as well?

Just like Rip Van Winkle.
Still, it was very much like Snake to simply cut to the heart of the matter and
ask.
Junpei and Seven shared a wry smile.
Clover's eyes were filled with tears.

Clover: Y-You're back!

With a cry of joy, she leapt into Snake's arms.

Snake: Gently now!
Snake: My body's still a little weak...
Clover: You're back! You're back!

Clover looked like nothing so much as a lost child who had finally found her
home.
She cried and cried and cried.
Her eyes were red, and her nose was running. She hiccuped and gasped, as if she
were about to begin hyperventilating.

Clover: You're back... You're really here...

Her voice was happy, but almost desperate--as if she feared he would disappear
again if she stopped talking to him.
Tear after tremendous tear rolled its way down her face.
Her small arms strained as she clutched Snake's body as tightly as she could.
Perhaps she had to convince herself he was real.
Perhaps she was worried he would be gone the moment she let go.
Perhaps she simply didn't know what else to do.

Clover: Ohhh... You're back...
Snake: Come now, what's gotten into you?
Snake: You're acting as though I've returned from the grave.
Clover: Not "as though"! You did! I really thought you were dead!
Snake: Huh...?
Clover: You jerk! Idiot, idiot, idiot!
Snake: ...

Clover broke into sobs so great, she could no longer talk.
It was a touching reunion between brother and sister.
Even though Junpei knew they had little time, and every minute they waited was
a minute they wasted, it felt cruel to pull them apart.
Junpei and Seven sat down on one of the pews, waiting for Clover to calm down
before explaining to Snake what had transpired.
...
...

Snake: I see. I believe I understand things rather well now, thank you.
Snake: In the shower room, there is a dead body wearing my clothes.
Snake: Because of that, you thought that I was dead. Correct?

He had quickly and neatly summarized the events of several hours.
Junpei nodded.

Snake: You also discovered a corpse in the captain's quarters, and Santa turned
on you here, in this room.
Snake: Do I have it straight?

Seven had been rather surprised to learn of the dead body in the captain's
quarters.
With everything that had taken place, Junpei had simply forgotten to mention it
to him.

Snake: Well then...
Snake: I've got a pretty decent idea of what happened while I was indisposed,
but...
Snake: It's still something of a mystery who did all this, and why.
Snake: The corpse in the shower room that looked like me... And the corpse in
the captain's quarters...
Snake: Why were they killed in the way they were?
Seven: You don't know?
Snake: No. Why would I?
Seven: The guy in the shower room... We don't know who he is, so let's just
call 'im [Mr. X].
Seven: Anyway, this Mr. X is wearin' Snake's clothes.
Seven: But you're wearin' some kinda weird robes...  
Seven: That means someone took your clothes and put 'em on Mr. X.
Seven: We need to figure out who that was...
Snake: I apologize, but I have no idea who might have done this to me.
Snake: I only just now woke up.
Snake: I was unconscious during all the events you just described to me.
Snake: They must have undressed me and changed my clothes during that time.
Clover: When were you knocked out?
Snake: When we split up to look for the RED.
Junpei: Where did they get you? Do you remember?
Snake: It was a small room in one of the hallways on C Deck.
Seven: What happened?
Snake: The same thing that happened to every one of us when we were abducted.
Snake: A can releasing some sort of gas was thrown into the room.
Snake: I believe the gas is some sort of incapacitating agent.
Clover: Then, that means it was...
Junpei: ...Zero.
Seven: Looks that way, huh.
Snake: There's nothing else I have to tell you.
Snake: When I woke up, I was in this coffin.

Junpei crossed his arms and thought.
Why had Zero made Mr. X wear Snake's clothes...?
How had the results of that trick benefited Zero?
It was a mystery. Junpei couldn't make sense of it.
He also didn't have a satisfactory explanation for how he'd discerned the
keycode for the coffin. It just didn't make sense.
"Truth had gone, truth had gone, and truth had gone." What did that mean? Did
it mean anything?
And why had Junpei felt compelled to push the buttons on the bracelet after
hearing them?
Seven had asked him about it while they waited for Clover to finish crying.
He'd had no answer for him then, and he still didn't.
All he could say was that it seemed to have been a subconscious reaction. His
fingers had simply moved of their own accord... It was the only explanation
that made any sort of sense, and it made almost no sense.
Junpei had no idea what any of it meant.
His mind was a maelstrom of mysteries, clues, theories, and more mysteries. He
could barely think.
And of course, Snake and Clover had been subjects in a similar experiment 9
years ago...

Clover: The ability to access a morphogenetic field is affected by a couple of
things...
Clover: The first is "epiphany"... And the other is "danger"...
Clover: And... And...
Clover: Someone did...actually die... A girl...
Clover: Her name was... Um...

There had been another experiment conducted on the same ship, 9 years ago. A
girl had died during it...
Morphogenetic field theory...
The 2 murders...
Switching clothes...
The Nonary Game...
And whatever strange thing was happening to Junpei himself...
The maelstrom in his head spat out words and ideas that disappeared back into
it almost as soon as he grasped them.
But as he struggled through them, Junpei began to realize something...
There was something that tied all of them together...
...Zero.
He was the ringleader; the person who had trapped 9 people on a sinking ship.
Zero knew everything.
If they could uncover Zero's identity, all of their questions would be
answered.
Who was Zero...
Junpei had the beginnings of a theory.
If he could only test it... Or...perhaps...

Snake: At any rate, we'll have plenty of time to decipher the details later.
For now, it is of utmost importance that we escape.
Snake: Junpei, it was 4:30 the last time you checked the clock, yes?
Snake: That means we have less than an hour.
Snake: We must hurry!
Seven: H-Hey... Uh, how are we gonna get out of here?
Snake: Isn't that obvious? Through the other number [9] door.

5 + 4 + 7 + 2 = 18 -> 1 + 8 = 9

Seven: Oh! Oh yeah! Yeah, you're right!
Seven: With Snake, we can open the door!
Clover: Don't tell me you hadn't figured that out...?

As they sniped back and forth, Junpei glanced at Snake's left hand.
He was wearing a bracelet with a (2) on it.

Seven: C'mon, you gotta tell me these things!
Snake: I, ah, assumed you'd figured it out...
Seven: Gah! Forget it! Let's just get goin'!

Seven stomped off toward the smaller number [9] door.
Clover, Snake, and Junpei followed.
Seven quickly laid his hand on the RED. An asterisk appeared on the screen.
Junpei and the others followed suit, and laid their hands on the scanner panel.
Soon, there were 4 asterisks on the screen.
Seven glanced at them, then laid his hand on the lever of the RED.

Seven: All right! You guys ready to go?!
Snake: Yes!
Clover: Yup!

Junpei paused for a moment.

Junpei: Not yet.
Seven: Huh...?
Junpei: Before we go in, I'd like to check something.
Snake: You want to...check something?
Junpei: Yeah, but before I do... Seven, could you pull the lever?
Junpei: I want to make sure we can verify with just the 4 of us.
Seven: Wadda you mean? We don't need--
Junpei: Just do it, all right?
Junpei: But if the door opens, don't go in yet, okay?
Seven: ...
Junpei: Please. This is really important.
Junpei: I really need to check this, okay? Work with me here.

Junpei looked directly into Seven's eyes.
The older man looked back for a moment, then nodded.

Seven: Fine.

Seven pulled down on the lever and door [9] creaked open.
Then they waited.
6...7...8...
After 9 seconds, the door closed.

Junpei: All right, that means the 4 of us can go into door [9].
Seven: So? We knew that already. It's obvious.
Junpei: Obvious... Yeah, you're right. It is.
Junpei: Now, what happens if we add Zero's bracelet?
Seven: ....What?
Snake: Zero's...bracelet?
Junpei: Why don't you take it out, Clover?

For a moment, Clover looked surprised, but she recovered quickly, and stuck her
tongue out at Junpei.

Clover: Hehe. So you did know I had it...
Clover: I picked it up 'cause I thought it might be useful sometime.

She reached into one of the pockets of her voluminous jacket and produced a
bracelet.
Junpei took it from her and turned to Seven.

Junpei: This was in the left hand of the corpse in the captain's quarters.
Junpei: If you look at it, you can see it's got a (0) on the face.
Junpei: Just to make this a little easier to talk about, I'm gonna call the guy
we found dead in the captain's quarters "Cap".
Junpei: If Cap was really Zero...
Junpei: Then I should be able to open door [9] with just me, Clover, and his
bracelet.

5 + 4 + 0 = 9

Junpei: But most importantly, if you were Cap, and this was your game...
Junpei: Would you really put one of these bracelets on yourself?
Junpei: Anyway, let's just give it a shot. Clover, give me your hand.
Clover: O-Okay...

After he and Clover scanned their bracelets, he waved Cap's over the scanner
panel.
Then he pulled the lever. However...
The door didn't open.
The RED's display read "ERROR".

Junpei: I knew it.
Junpei: Now... What does this tell us?
Seven: Maybe the bracelet has to be on your wrist in order for it to work...?
Junpei: No, that's impossible.
Junpei: Did you see how the panel showed a 3rd asterisk when I scanned Cap's
bracelet?
Junpei: Whether or not it's on your wrist doesn't matter.
Junpei: All you have to do is put the bracelet near the panel for it to
register.

Seven waved his bracelet in front of the scanner panel.
Sure enough a single asterisk appeared on the RED.

Seven: Huh... Looks like you're right.
Junpei: See? So, what does that mean? There's only one possibility.
Snake: That bracelet isn't the number (0).
Snake: Is that what you're saying?
Junpei: That's right.
Clover: Then...what number is it...?
Junpei: Let's find out.

Junpei...

(Continue below, "m40a.5z" )

{m40a.5z}

* <<Scanned the bracelet with this combination...>>

<Snake + Junpei + Cap> - "m40a.5a"
<Snake + Clover + Cap> - "m40a.5b"
<Snake + Junpei + Seven + Cap> - "m40a.5c"
<Snake + Clover + Seven + Cap> - "m40a.5d"
<Seven + Junpei + Cap> - "m40a.5e"
<Seven + Clover + Cap> - "m40a.5f"

{m40a.5a}
<Snake + Junpei + Cap>

Snake + Junpei + Cap
Snake + Junpei = 2 + 5 = 7
If this combination opened the door, then Cap's bracelet was number (2).
However...
The door didn't open.
Cap's number wasn't (2).
Junpei proceeded to...

(To "m40a.5z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m40a.5b}
<Snake + Clover + Cap>

Snake + Clover + Cap
Snake + Clover = 2 + 4 = 6
If this combination opened the door, then Cap's bracelet was number (3).
However...
The door didn't open.
Cap's number wasn't (3).
Junpei proceeded to...

(To "m40a.5z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m40a.5c}
<Snake + Junpei + Seven + Cap>

Snake + Junpei + Seven + Cap
Snake + Junpei + Seven = 2 + 5 + 7 = 14 -> 1 + 4 = 5
If this combination opened the door, then Cap's bracelet was number (4).
However...
The door didn't open.
Cap's number wasn't (4).
Junpei proceeded to...

(To "m40a.5z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m40a.5d}
<Snake + Clover + Seven + Cap>

Snake + Clover + Seven + Cap
Snake + Clover + Seven = 2 + 4 + 7 = 13 -> 1 + 3 = 4
If this combination opened the door, then Cap's bracelet was number (5).
However...
The door didn't open.
Cap's number wasn't (5).
Junpei proceeded to...

(To "m40a.5z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m40a.5f}
<Seven + Clover + Cap>

Seven + Clover + Cap
Seven + Clover = 7 + 4 = 11 -> 1 + 1 = 2
If this combination opened the door, then Cap's bracelet was number (7).
However...
The door didn't open.
Cap's number wasn't (7).
Junpei proceeded to...

(To "m40a.5z", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{m40a.5e}
<Seven + Junpei + Cap>

Seven + Junpei + Cap
Seven + Junpei = 7 + 5 = 12 -> 1 + 2 = 3
If this combination opened the door, then Cap's bracelet was number (6).

Seven: H-Hey! It opened! The door opened!
Clover: What!? Why?! What does that mean!?

Both Seven and Clover seemed rather shaken.
As they turned to look at Junpei for answers...
The door slid heavily shut.
Junpei raised an eyebrow.

Junpei: Isn't it obvious?
Junpei: Cap's bracelet is number (6).

7 + 5 + (6) = 18 -> 1 + 8 = 9

Seven: But...doesn't it say (0)...?
Junpei: This isn't a (0).
Junpei: The symbol on here isn't a number (0)...
Junpei: It's a letter "O".
Seven: "O"...?

...
...

Clover: Whoa, wait a minute... I don't get it.
Clover: I mean, we figured out that Cap's bracelet is (6), right?
Junpei: Yeah.
Clover: Does that mean there are 2 people with (6)s?

Before Junpei could answer, Snake spoke up.

Snake: There is, most likely, only one person with a (6).
Clover: But... I don't get it... What about June?
Snake: Well, this is only an educated guess, but...
Snake: I think June's number was never (6) to begin with.
Snake: Her bracelet was flipped.
Snake: In other words...
Snake: June's real number is...
Seven: ...(9)?
Snake: That seems the most likely.
Clover: Then all this numbered door stuff was just a load of crap?
Snake: Why would you say that?
Clover: Because! If June is (9), then the numbers wouldn't match up.

Clover grabbed Junpei's notebook and began to write furiously in it.
Junpei leaned over to look at it.
"List of all the numbered doors June's gone through:"
Clover read each row out loud so that Snake could follow along.

Clover: All right, I made a list of all the numbered doors that June has gone
through so far.
Clover: I wrote down which door she went into, and with who.
Clover: And I wrote what all the numbers were.
Clover: So if you switch (9) in wherever there's a (6), the numbers don't work.
Clover: If the digital root is (7), then you can't open door [4].
Clover: If the digital root is (2), then you can't open door [8]...
Snake: Clover... Do you notice anything interesting on that list?
Clover: What do you mean?
Seven: You're talking about (3), right?
Clover: (3)?
Seven: Santa's always in the room with her. That's what you're saying, isn't
it?
Snake: Yes. Exactly.
Clover: What about it...?
Snake: That's quite simple, really.
Snake: You told me that the first time you came to this room, Santa was the
first to refuse to leave June behind.
Snake: Now, doesn't that beg the question "why?" Why would Santa do such a
thing?
Snake: The answer is easy.
Snake: Because Santa can't open door [9] with only Seven and Lotus.
Snake: Of course, there's only one reason for that... His number isn't actually
(3).
Snake: Santa's real number...
Snake: Seven, would you be so kind as to modify my sister's equations?
Seven: Yeah, sure.

Seven took the pen from a confused Clover, and began to adjust her
calculations.

Seven: This is what you were getting at, right Snake?

He read out the changes he'd made. When he finished, he looked at Snake.
Snake smiled.

Snake: Thank you. That is exactly right, Seven.
Snake: Santa's true number wasn't (3).
Snake: It was Zero.
Clover: No way...
Clover: Santa is...Zero...!?
Snake: And June was (9), not (6).
Snake: On the contrary, Santa was (0), not (3).
Snake: (+3) and (-3)...
Snake: They cancel one another out. Nothing appears out of order.
Seven: Then that means that even though he set the whole damn thing up...
Seven: Santa was still playing by the rules of the Nonary Game this whole time.
Snake: Precisely.
Clover: So you're saying Santa planned this whole thing?!
Snake: I'm not sure if he acted alone or not.
Snake: But I think it is safe to conclude that he is Zero.
Snake: If...my hypothesis is correct.
Clover: ...

Clover bit her lip. She seemed to be having some difficulty believing her
brother's explanation.
Junpei...
Junpei remained silent, and thought.
Snake's hypothesis didn't satisfy him.
June's bracelet was flipped...
Even if that were possible, then there would have been 2 number (9)
bracelets...
And if that were the case...
...
...

Snake: All right, that's enough talking!
Snake: Let's go! It's high time we went through that door!

Door [9] opened.
They leapt through.
The DEAD was directly in front of them as they came through the door.
Quickly, they scanned their bracelets...
...And the detonator stopped.

Junpei: Phew...

After pausing for a moment to catch their collective breath, Junpei and his
companions headed down the long hallway in front of them.
At the end was a set of stairs leading down into the ship.
It looked as though they led all the way to the bottom deck.
They looked down. It didn't seem to be flooded.
After deciding it was safe, they headed down the stairs.
Before long, Junpei and his companions found themselves on the bottom deck.
They turned left, into another hallway, at the end of which they found another
door.
And of course, there was a symbol engraved over the keyhole.
It looked like the sort of harpoon one would use to hunt fish, the kind with 3
prongs.
Snake traced the shape of it with his fingers.

Snake: This is the Neptune symbol. There must be a key around here somewhere.

Neptune key...
All Junpei had was the Uranus key card.
Not the same planet, and not even the same sort of key.
Clearly, it wasn't going to open this door.
After examining the door for a few more minutes, they gave up and headed back
the way they'd come.
With a little more searching, they found a metal door.
To the side of it was a card reader.
A symbol was engraved onto the card reader.
It matched the Uranus symbol on the key card Junpei was carrying.

Junpei: This is the place...

He muttered to himself, and slid the card through the reader.
It beeped once, and the light on it turned green.
With a heavy metal groan, the door creaked open.
Junpei, Clover, Snake, and Seven looked at one another, nodded, and stepped
through.
The room they found themselves in was full of books.
It looked remarkably like a library.
Not the sort of library where large numbers of people came to read books--more
the sort of library that was simply a place to store books.
He felt a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of books, but Junpei did his
best to speak with authority.

Junpei: All right, if we want to get through that door out there, we need the
Neptune key.
Junpei: I say we split up and look for it.
Clover: Okay.
Snake: Very well.
Seven: Sure thing.
Junpei: Good. Let's get started, then! We don't have a lot of time! Hurry!

"Alice sleeps in a small chamber past the forest of knowledge"...
As he began his search, for reasons he didn't fully understand, Junpei felt
those particular words float through his mind.

(Continued below, "a41" )

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::Library::
=============================================
{a41} File #22
Plot points within this section:
-The Truth Behind Snake: "a41d.a"
( To skip to a story segment, search for "a41d.#" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
( Next story segment: "a42b", replacing quotations with braces {} )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \, < : Room Connections
. : Book Shelf Divider
v: Returns to the previous room
^: Up Stairs
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

   [K]
    |
 [A]                     [F].[A]
 [B].[C] [C].[D] [D].[E] [E].[B]
    |       |       |       |
   <1>=====[2]=====[3]=====[4]->(to 1)
    ^ \___     ___/ ^
    |     \   /     |
   [7]=====[5]=====[6]->(to 7)          
   /|       |      / \ 
[I][H]     [G]   [J] [H]

A~F: Book Shelves (Top Floor)
G: Colored Book Volumes Closeup
H: Light Podium Closeup
I: Cupboard Closeup
J: Book Shelf Closeup (Bottom Floor)
K: Exit Door Closeup, from screen <1>

{Screen 1, Top Floor facing Book Shelf and Table on Right}

<Examine Table, 1>
Junpei: There's a note on that table.
Clover: "Lights to the books!" Huh. What does that mean?
Snake: Interesting. Well, intelligence often hides itself in darkness.
Snake: Have you ever thought about the pages of a book?
Snake: Each page only sees...what, maybe 2 or 3 minutes of light before the
reader is on to the next?
Snake: They spend the rest of their lives locked in darkness.
Snake: Rather like myself...
Clover: That's horrible...
Snake: Oh, don't get me wrong.
Snake: I'm not complaining. Not at all.
Snake: I live in the darkness, yes. But that has gifted me with the ability to
catch the truths others might miss.
Snake: I can hear the voices hidden in the darkness, you might say.
<Examine Table, 2+>
* There's a note on top of the table. It says "Lights to the books!"
<Examine Table after pressing red button, 1+>
* A table. Why am I looking at this table?!

<Examine Coatrack, 1>
Clover: It's a coatrack. Like, a place where you can hang coats and hats and
stuff.
Clover: Well, this one's not too big, so maybe just hats.
<Examine Coatrack, 2+>
* A hatstand. You put hats on it.
<Examine Coatrack after pressing red button, 1+>
* This is a coatrack. Why am I looking at a coatrack?!

<Examine Handrail, 1+>
* This handrail is made of metal.

<Examine Top Right Shelf, 1>
Seven: "Energy Theory", huh. I don't even understand the damn title...
Seven: Looks like this shelf's all science'n technology.
<Examine Top Right Shelf, 2+>
* This bookshelf's full of books on science and technology--things like "Energy
Theory".

<Examine Any Shelf after pressing red button, 1+>
* The bookshelf is moving!

<Examine Staircase after pressing red button, 1+>
* I don't have any reason to go back to the bottom floor.

{Screen 2, Top Floor facing Book Shelf and South Walkway}

<Examine Top Left Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Energy Theory"... "Development of Nanotechnology Materials"...
Junpei: "Interactions Between Shortwave Energy and Matter"... What else've we
got...
Clover: Just listening to you read those titles is giving me a headache.
Seven: Can't say fancy technology stuff an' I get along real well.
Seven: Keep on talking about that stuff and you're gonna put me to sleep.
<Examine Top Left Shelf, 2+>
* This bookshelf has a bunch of books about things like "Energy Theory".
<Examine Left Bookshelves after pressing red button, 1+>
* The bookshelf is moving!

<Examine Top Right Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "The Black Hole Hypothesis"... "Gamma Ray Astrophysics"...
Snake: I guess this bookshelf has an astronomy theme.
<Examine Top Right Shelf, 2+>
* There're a bunch of books with titles like "The Black Hole Hypothesis".
<Examine Right Bookshelves after pressing red button, 1+>
* The bookshelf on the left is--!

<Examine Handrail, 1+>
* This handrail is made of metal. Probably a wise choice of building material.

<Examine Stairs, 1+>
* These stairs go down to the bottom floor.

<Examine Bottom-right Cupboard, 1+>
* It's a cupboard. It's on the bottom floor.

<Examine Bottom-floor Bookshelf, 1+>
* This bookshelf is on the bottom floor.

<Examine Walkway Scaffold, 1+>
* This scaffold set up in the shape of a cross.

{Screen 3, Top Floor facing Metal Door}

<Examine Metal Door, 1>
* This big opening is the door to the library.
* It's pretty impressive. Almost looks like the door to a shrine, or a church,
or something.
* There's another door after it, and then a passageway beyond that.
* At the end of that passageway is a door with that [Neptune symbol] engraved
on it.
Snake: Hurry up. We need to find the key with the mark of Neptune.
Clover: Okay! This sounds like a job for the best brother-and-sister team in
the world!
Junpei: Man, it's like Seven and I don't even exist...
<Examine Metal Door, 2>
* This gate is huge...
* Well, it's not like there's a lock, so we can get out any time we want.
* Still, it'd be kind of pointless to leave. I need to look around this place
some more.
<Examine Metal Door, 3+>
* This gate is enormous... Well, there's no point in turning back now.
<Examine Metal Door after pressing red button, 1+>
* Doesn't look like the the gate's changed.

<Examine Handrails, 1+>
* This handrail is made of metal.

<Examine Walkway Scaffold, 1>
* It's a scaffold.
<Examine Walkway Scaffold, 2>
* It's a scaffold.
<Examine Walkway Scaffold, 3>
* What's the day after tomorrow's yesterday?
* Tomorrow, of course.
<Examine Walkway Scaffold, 4+>
* It's just a scaffold.

<Examine Bookshelves after pressing red button, 1+>
* This bookshelf hasn't changed.

<Examine Staircase after pressing red button, 1+>
* There's no reason to go back downstairs.

{Screen 4, Top Floor facing Book Shelf and North Walkway}

<Examine Handrail, 1>
Clover: Um... Do you... Do you think we should hold hands where there aren't
any handrails?
Snake: I'll be fine.
Snake: I can feel vibrations in the floor that tell me where I am.
Clover: Uh...um... That's not what I meant...
<Examine Handrail, 2+>
* Some parts of the junction have handrails, and others don't.
<Examine Handrail after pressing red button, 1+>
* That's a pretty nice handrail. Wait, why the hell am I admiring a handrail?!

<Examine Walkway Scaffold, 1>
Junpei: Man this thing is narrow... I feel like I'm walking across a tightrope.
Junpei: Geez, Snake... Aren't you scared?
Snake: Imagine a wall 20 inches wide that runs along the top of a 10-story
building.
Snake: Could you walk along that wall, Junpei?
Junpei: No way!
Snake: Then what about a balance beam in a gymnasium?
Junpei: Oh, well, that's easy.
Snake: Hm. You don't find that strange?
Snake: A balance beam is far narrower than 20 inches...
Snake: So why is it that a balance beam poses no challenge to you, but the
hypothetical 10-story wall does?
Junpei: ...
Snake: The light can easily turn people into cowards.
Snake: From time to time, a life in darkness can give you courage.
<Examine Walkway Scaffold, 2+>
* Narrow parts of the scaffold overlap each other like a multitude of crosses.
<Examine Walkway Scaffold after pressing red button, 1+>
* Wow, a scaffold. Wait...why the hell am I impressed by that?!

<Examine Bottom-floor Bookshelf, 1>
* A bookshelf, downstairs.
Seven: Don't shove! I'm not kiddin'! Don't push me!
Junpei: What the heck, man? I wasn't gonna, but now that you bring it up...
<Examine Bottom-floor Bookshelf, 2+>
* A bookshelf, downstairs.
<Examine Bottom-floor Bookshelf after pressing red button, 1+>
* This bookshelf is on the bottom floor. No, wait, that doesn't matter!

<Examine Stairs, 1>
* The stairs that go down to the bottom floor are on the other side of that
junction.
<Examine Stairs, 2+>
* These are the stairs that go down to the bottom floor.

<Examine Right Bookshelves after pressing red button, 1+>
* The bookshelf is moving!

<Examine Left Bookshelves after pressing red button, 1+>
* The bookshelf on the right is--!

{Screen 5, Bottom Floor facing Colored Book Shelf}

<Examine Scaffold, 1+>
* There's a scaffold made of wire netting that goes all the way to the edges of
the cylinder.

<Examine Top Left Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Algebraic Number Theory"... Math, huh.
Seven: There's another one like that over here...
Snake: You mean something like "Primary Number Theory" or "Analytical Number
Theory" or "Geometry"?
Clover: Omigosh, how did you know?! Nobody said anything about those!
Snake: Well, number theory is usually split into 4 chief disciplines.
Snake: If there was a book named "Algebraic Number Theory", I took a wild guess
that the other 3 would be there as well. Looks like I was right.
<Examine Top Left Shelf, 2+>
* This book's called "Algebraic Number Theory".
<Examine Top Left Shelf after pressing red button, 1+>
* I don't have the time to be screwing around with books! I need to get to the
top floor, now!

<Examine Top Right Shelf, 1>
Junpei: This one's "Goldbach's Conjecture".
Seven: Conjecture? What's it about, like magic or psychic stuff or something?
Seven: Right, I bet it's about jewelry, isn't it?
Snake: It may have an odd title, but it's actually a very respectable
mathematics book.
Snake: It deals with one of the unsolved problems of additive number theory...
Seven: Uh...sorry I said anything... Look, let's not get into this right now,
okay?
<Examine Top Right Shelf, 2+>
* There are a bunch of important-sounding books here, with titles like
"Goldbach's Conjecture".
<Examine Top Right Shelf after pressing red button, 1+>
* I don't have time to be reading books! I need to get to the top floor, now!

<Examine Middle Left Shelf, 1>
Junpei: The "Pythagorean Theorem". This is a famous one.
Snake: Sounds like there are a number of math books in this section.
<Examine Middle Left Shelf, 2+>
* This shelf is full of math books, like the "Pythagorean Theorem".
<Examine Middle Left Shelf after pressing red button, 1+>
* No! I don't have time for this! I need to get the top floor, now!

<Examine Middle Right Shelf, 1>
Clover: That's a weird book, Junpei.
Clover: "Indian Mathematics". Hahaha. That's funny.
* Wh-Why's that funny...?
<Examine Middle Right Shelf, 2+>
* There's a weird book here called "Indian Mathematics".
<Examine Middle Right Shelf after pressing red button, 1+>
* I don't have time to be messing around with books! I need to get my ass to
the top floor!

<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 1>
Clover: It says "Riemann Hypothesis". What is there to hypothesize about with a
reamin'? Isn't it pretty straightforward?
Snake: Heavens no. There are many factors--length, girth, lubrication or lack
of... It's an exciting and rapidly growing field.
Clover: Whoa.
<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 2+>
* There are a number of other theory books along with the "Reimann Hypothesis".
<Examine Bottom Right Shelf after pressing red button, 1+>
* I don't have time to be looking at books! I need to get to the top floor,
now!

{Screen 6, Facing Starcase and Podium to the Right}

<Examine Bottom Right Bookshelf, 1>
Junpei: Hmm... Let's see what we've got here...
* So many books here... I wonder what this one's--whoa! What's this?
...Warm...?
Clover: Oh...! S-Sorry!
Junpei: Oh, uh, no... I'm, uh, I'm sorry...
Seven: Hey, what's the deal with this sappy stuff...
<Examine Bottom Right Bookshelf, 2+>
* There are a bunch of books on folklore and myth here.
<Examine Bottom Right Bookshelf after pressing red button, 1+>
* I don't have time for books right now! I need to get to the top floor!

<Examine Scaffold, 1+>
* This is the scaffold for the top floor.

{Screen 7, Facing Cupboard, Podium, Metal Door, and Staircase}

<Examine Bookshelf before unlocking cupboard, 1+>
* There are books here in all sorts of languages.
* ...But there's something suspicious about the [shelf on the left]...
<Examine Bookshelf after unlocking cupboard, 1+>
* There are books here in all sorts of languages. I can't read them...
<Examine Bookshelf after pressing red button, 1+>
* I can't be messing around with books right now! I need to get to the top
floor!

<Examine Metal Plate, 1>
* This iron plate is bolted down.
* I don't think it's a door... I think it's just a wall.
<Examine Metal Plate, 2+>
* A wall with iron plates bolted to it.
<Examine Metal Plate after pressing red button, 1+>
* I don't have time to sit around rubbing an iron plate! I need to get to the
top floor, pronto!

<Examine Scaffold, 1+>
* This is the scaffold for the top floor. It goes all the way to all 4 corners
of the room.

<Examine Cupoard after pressing red button, 1+>
* Why am I shaking this cupboard?! I don't have time for this! I need to get to
the top floor, now!

{Screen A, Top Floor Bookshelf 1}

<Examine Top Left Shelf, 1>
Junpei: This book is called...uh..."Mindswap".
Clover: You mean you could, like, change bodies with someone?
Clover: Well, I guess I wouldn't mind switching bodies with my brother or
Junpei too much, but I'd rather die than let Seven switch with me.
Seven: What the hell!?
Seven: Like I'd even want to swap bodies with a little brat like...
Seven: ...
Clover: Hey! Were you just imagining it...? You were!
Seven: Sh-Shut up!
* Yeah, well, he wasn't the only one.
<Examine Top Left Shelf, 2+>
* This book says "Mindswap" on the spine. Sounds like a reality show.

<Examine Top Right Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Teletemporation and Telepathy"... What the hell is this one about?
Seven: Well, I know what telepathy is, but I've never heard of
"teletemporation".
Snake: It refers to having the ability to travel through time.
<Examine Top Right Shelf, 2+>
* This book is called "Teletemporation and Telepathy".

<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Kitab al-Azif"... Man, they've got some weird stuff here. I can't even
pronounce this one...
Clover: Who's that? Some famous guy?
Snake: It's not a person's name. It's the name of a fictional book created by
Abdul Alhazred.
Snake: It's said to be one of the sources used in the creation of the legendary
Book of the Dead--the Necronomicon.
Clover: Oh. So these are all occult books and stuff.
<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 2+>
* This bookshelf is full of occult stuff like "Kitab as-Azif".

<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 1>
Clover: This one says "The Golden Rabbit and the Moon" on it. Does that mean
it's about a rabbit that lives on the moon?
Clover: Rabbits are pretty cute, but what's the moon stuff about?
Snake: It's talking about the Judas tree that is said to grow on the moon,
according to Chinese legend.
<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 2+>
* This book is called "The Golden Rabbit and the Moon".

{Screen B, Top Floor Bookshelf 2}

<Examine Top Left Shelf, 1>
Seven: "Why Did Mankind Lose Their Tails"... Junpei, do you know what this
one's about?
Junpei: Why are you asking me? I didn't even know we had tails to lose. Maybe
you should ask a human with a tail.
Snake: Mankind's ancestors most likely lost their tails as they were no longer
useful and the nutrients required to grow them were better put to use
elsewhere.
Snake: At least, that's what I read. I was rather young, I may have remembered
it incorrectly.
Seven: Huh? Why the hell would a kid be reading a book like that?
<Examine Top Left Shelf, 2+>
* It looks like these books are all on evolution and stuff. They've got titles
like "Why Did Mankind Lose Their Tails".

<Examine Top Center Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Micrographia", huh.
Snake: Ah, yes, Robert Hooke's famous work. First published in 1665.
Snake: He built a microscope and examined insects, inorganic substances, and
other things too small to be seen in detail by human eyes.
Snake: He then drew pictures of many of the things he'd examined, and published
them in a book.
Snake: I'd hazard a guess this shelf is concerned with natural sciences.
<Examine Top Center Shelf, 2+>
* This bookshelf has a bunch of books about the natural sciences. Stuff like
"Micrographia".

<Examine Top Right Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Creatures of the South Seas", huh.
Junpei: I wonder if this one's got pictures of colorful fish and stuff...
<Examine Top Right Shelf, 2+>
* This book's called "Creatures of the South Seas".

<Examine Middle Left Shelf, 1>
Clover: "Paleontology". This one's about fossils, right?
Clover: Ammonites are pretty nasty-looking.
<Examine Middle Left Shelf, 2+>
* This book's called "Paleontology".

<Examine Middle Center Shelf, 1>
Seven: This one says "Transition of Extinct Species".
Snake: We need to hurry it up, or we're going to end up in the
Snake: pages of a book like that.
<Examine Middle Center Shelf, 2+>
* I guess the books on the shelf with "Transition of Extinct Species" are about
living creatures.

<Examine Middle Right Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Introduction to Geology", huh.
Snake: Thinking about the Earth, even when you're on the ocean. Kinda romantic
in a way, I guess.
<Examine Middle Right Shelf, 2+>
* This book's called "Introduction to Geology".

<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 1>
Seven: "The Theory of Evolution". Heck, even I know this one.
Seven: This's that Darwin guy, right?
Snake: Well, yes and no.
Snake: Charles Darwin wrote a book called "On the Origin of the Species".
Snake: In it, he put forth his theory of evolution.
Junpei: Yeah, I remember that part. He called it "Natural Selection".
Snake: Exactly.
<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 2+>
* This shelf has a bunch of books about evolutionary theory.

<Examine Bottom Center Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Mother Nature"...
Seven: Is that some sorta book about hippie chicks?
Snake: Uh, probably not, except perhaps tangentially. It's most likely about
environmental protection.
Seven: I was just tryin' to make a joke...
Junpei: Dude, hippie chicks? Really?
<Examine Bottom Center Shelf, 2+>
* This book is called "Mother Nature".

<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 1>
Seven: "Theories of the Cambrian Explosion"...?
Seven: Did a bomb go off near somewhere called "Cambria"?
Snake: Wrong kind of explosion. Roughly five hundred million years ago, during
what is known as the Cambrian period...
Snake: ...Research suggests that the variety of living organisms increased by
an order of magnitude.
Snake: Why that happened is, however, still something of a mystery. There are a
number of theories.
Snake: This book is most likely a collection of them.
<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 2+>
* This book looks pretty old. It's got "Theories of the Cambrian Explosion"
written down the spine.

{Screen C, Top Floor Bookshelf 3}

<Examine Top Center Shelf, 1>
Junpei: All that's here is "Faraday's Laws of Electrolysis".
Snake: I believe that's going to be about eletrolysis in an electrolyte
solution.
Snake: These particular laws were set down by Michael Faraday.
<Examine Top Center Shelf, 2+>
* This book's called "Faraday's Laws of Electrolysis".

<Examine Middle Left Shelf, 1>
Seven: Are property values going up out in space too these days? Man, guess
times are tough for aliens, too.
Clover: This one says "Cosmic Inflation".
<Examine Middle Left Shelf, 2+>
* This book's called "Cosmic Inflation".

<Examine Middle Right Shelf, 1>
Clover: "Quantum Gravity". Seven, do you have any idea what this is?
Seven: How 'bout you start by using real words. Then maybe we'll get somewhere.
<Examine Middle Right Shelf, 2+>
* This book is called "Quantum Gravity".

<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Supersymmetric String Theory and Ten-Dimensional Spacetime"... Uh...
Snake: They're just talking about superstring theory.
Snake: It's a theory of reality where... Hmm. How to explain...
Snake: It says that all elements of the universe are governed by the vibrations
and harmonics of tiny supersymmetric strings.
<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 2+>
* This book's called "Supersymmetric String Theory and Ten-Dimensional
Spacetime".

<Examine Bottom Center Shelf, 1>
Junpei: What's this...? "An Overview of Conformal Field Theory"...
Snake: Ah, well, it's a theory that posits an invariant quantum field where
conformal transformation can take place...
Seven: Knock it off with this science voodoo stuff! You tryin' to put me to
sleep?!
<Examine Bottom Center Shelf, 2+>
* This shelf has a bunch of difficult-looking books like "Conformal Field
Theory".

<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Theory of General Relativity", huh...
Clover: Oh, I know this one! That's Einstein, right?!
<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 2+>
* There are some physics books here, like "Theory of General Relativity".

<Examine Top Half of Middle Center Shelf, 1+>
* There are a couple of books on this shelf.

<Examine Bottom Half of Middle Center Shelf, 1+>
* One of these books is not like the others. One of these books doesn't belong.
<Examine Bottom Half of Middle Center Shelf after rearranging 4 books, 1+>
* It looks like sombody put these 4 books here on the shelf together. {Author's
Note: Looks like they missed out an "e" in sombody}

<Examine 4 books in Middle Center Shelf, 1>
Junpei: What's the deal with these titles...?
Seven: They're all just jibberish...
Clover: Hey... What if we...like...switched them around?
Seven: Switched them around?
Clover: Yeah.
Clover: If we move 'em around, maybe they'll spell something.
Junpei: Oh. I get it... Yeah. Heck, it's worth a shot.
<Examine 4 books in Middle Center Shelf after rearranging, 1+>
* All right, I think I've got these set up right... And they say...
* OPEN HERE FIND BULB
* Well, that's straightforward enough. I open this thing up, I get a lightbulb.

<Solve 4-book puzzle in Middle Center Shelf, 1>
Junpei: How about this!
* Looks like putting those books in the right order opened this thing right up.
Junpei: Heh. That was a piece of cake.
Clover: Hooray! You did it, Junpei!
Snake: I guess that turned out well enough.
Clover: So the letters from the titles spell out...
Clover: OPEN HERE FIND BULB

<Examine Compartment before taking bulb, 1+>
* There's a lightbulb sitting on the shelf.
<Examine Compartment after taking bulb, 1+>
* There's nothing in here any more.

{Screen D, Top Floor Bookshelf 4}

<Examine Top Left Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "A History of Buddhism"...
Seven: Hm...
<Examine Top Left Shelf, 2+>
* This one has books about religion, like "A History of Buddhism".

<Examine Top Center Shelf, 1>
Clover: Look, this one says "Cultural Heritage of Rome".
Seven: Bet that's gonna be serious inheritance tax...
<Examine Top Center Shelf, 2+>
* This book's called "Cultural Heritage of Rome".

<Examine Top Right Shelf, 1>
Seven: "Permian Creatures"? Seems a little fancy for some kinda prehistoric
critter.
Seven: Not to mention most of them were likely reptiles and amphibians. Without
hair, I can't imagine they had much need of perms.
Junpei: That's got nothing to do with this!
<Examine Top Right Shelf, 2+>
* This book is called "Permian Creatures".

<Examine Middle Left Shelf, 1>
Clover: "History of the Medieval Period". Maybe it's about Sir Lancelot?
Junpei: Isn't he just a story? I don't think you're gonna find a guy who didn't
really exist in a history book.
<Examine Middle Left Shelf, 2+>
* This book's called "History of the Medieval Period".

<Examine Middle Center Shelf, 1>
Junpei: A kid's book, here?
Junpei: It looks like it's a children's story about Native Americans...
Clover: Hmm... Don't you think a random book like that is kinda suspicious?
Clover: Maybe you oughta hold on to it.
<Examine Middle Center Shelf, 2+>
* These books all seem to be about history.

<Examine Middle Right Shelf, 1>
Clover: What's..."Hellenism"...?
Junpei: I think it's something like a fusion of Greek and Oriental culture...
<Examine Middle Right Shelf, 2+>
* This book's called "Hellenism".

<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 1>
Clover: "Oriental History"... Maybe this one's about China's four thousand
years of history or something?
Junpei: Hey, Chinese history and Oriental history aren't the same thing.
<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 2+>
* This book is called "Oriental History".

<Examine Bottom Center Shelf, 1>
Junpei: This one's called "History of the Western World".
Snake: Well, I'd assume it's about European history.
Junpei: U-Uh...yeah...  Just gonna leave it at that, Snake? Doesn't seem like
you...
Snake: ...
<Examine Bottom Center Shelf, 2+>
* This shelf has history books, with titles like "History of the Western
World".

<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 1>
Junpei: Hey, look at this... This book's called "Greek Mythology".
Seven: Damn, that thing's huge. Can't imagine anyone's actually read the whole
thing...
Seven: Pretty sure it'd just put me to sleep.
<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 2+>
* One of the books on the shelf is called "Greek Mythology".

{Screen E, Top Floor Bookshelf 5}

<Examine Top Left Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Principles of Monkey Behavior", huh.
Snake: I'd imagine that's a book describing praxeology studies on monkeys.
Snake: Monkeys are very similar to humans evolutionarily, so I imagine the
research was fruitful.
<Examine Top Left Shelf, 2+>
* This book is called "Principles of Monkey Behavior".

<Examine Top Center Shelf, 1>
Clover: Oh, look Seven. Here's a book that's perfect for you.
Clover: It's called "Correlation of Muscle, Bone Density, and Bone Strength".
Seven: You're just sayin' that 'cause it says "Muscle".
<Examine Top Center Shelf, 2+>
* This book's called "Correlation of Muscle, Bone Density, and Bone Strength".

<Examine Top Right Shelf, 1>
Junpei: This book is just called "Dissection". This bookshelf must be all
medical books.
Snake: From what I can tell, it sounds as though these books have been
organized by genre.
Snake: This library must be massive. I'm rather impressed by how well-organized
it is.
<Examine Top Right Shelf, 2+>
* This shelf is full of medical books. There's one called "Dissection".

<Examine Middle Left Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Functions of the Human Brain". Huh. I guess this is a book about the
nervous system?
Snake: I'd love to ask you to read it to me, but I don't think we have the
time.
Clover: I'm kinda curious about it too.
Clover: There's gotta be a reason why people connect with each other, you know?
<Examine Middle Left Shelf, 2+>
* This shelf has books about the nervous system, like "Functions of the Human
Brain".

<Examine Middle Center Shelf, 1>
Clover: This one...it looks just like that picture book from earlier... The one
with the pop-ups.
Seven: You think they're part of a series of something? They do have the same
binding...
<Examine Middle Center Shelf, 2+>
* There aren't any other books that look suspicious.

<Examine Middle Right Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Human Equilibrium Theory"...
Seven: "Human Anatomy"...
Clover: "Regeneration of Internal Organs"...
<Examine Middle Right Shelf, 2+>
* These books are all about human anatomy.

<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Dissection Atlas" huh. This whole shelf is full of medical books.
<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 2+>
* This shelf is full of medical books like "Dissection Atlas".

<Examine Bottom Center Shelf, 1>
Seven: Look, this one's called "Recreation of Lost Human Functions".
Seven: You think they're talking about if you, like, lose part of your body,
then you could grow it back?
Snake: Hmm...I don't think so...
Snake: Maybe they're talking about reconstructing abilities that humankind once
possessed?
Snake: In other words, they may be talking about cultivating a sixth sense.
<Examine Bottom Center Shelf, 2+>
* There's an old book here called "Recreation of Lost Human Functions".

<Examine Bottom Right Shelf,1 >
Junpei: "Ancient Gladiators"... What's this book doing here?
Snake: Maybe they were researching human physical limits across history?
<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 2+>
* "Ancient Gladiators" is the only book that stands out here.

{Screen F, Top Floor Bookshelf 6}

<Examine Top Left Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Automated Robotic Assembly Line Techniques"... Huh.
Clover: What's that? Some sort of comic book? Geez, I guess boys really like
that stuff, huh?
Snake: No, you're thinking of a different sort of robot.
Snake: This book is talking about automated machinery that's used to build
things like cars.
<Examine Top Left Shelf, 2+>
* This book is called "Automated Robotic Assembly Line Techniques".

<Examine Top Right Shelf, 1>
Seven: What's that one called?
Junpei: Um...it says "Foundations of DNA and Genetic Engineering".
<Examine Top Right Shelf, 2+>
* This book is called "Foundations of DNA and Genetic Engineering".

<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Communication and Computer Science", huh...
Snake: That's a pretty generic title.
Snake: To be honest, it's so vague, I don't really know what it might be about.
<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 2+>
* This book is called "Communication and Computer Science".

<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "An Overview of Photochemistry"...?
Clover: I think whoever set this up wanted us to see the cover, not the spine.
Clover: Let's look at it, okay?
* Huh... Looks like there's a whole lot of space behind these books...
Clover: Look, Junpei! I think there's something hidden behind the books!
<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 3+>
* Well, there was a lightbulb here. There isn't anything here now...

{Screen G, Colored Book Volumes Closeup}

<Examine Red Volumes, 1>
Junpei: "DADKIND"...What the hell is this?
Snake: Wasn't that a German mathematician?
Snake: Maybe it's a compilation of his work.
<Examine Red Volumes, 2+>
* This red book says "DADKIND" on it.
<Examine Red Volumes after pressing red button, 1+>
* I don't have time to be staring at books!I need to get to the top floor,
fast!

<Examine Yellow Volumes, 1>
Junpei: "LEIBERNIZ"....?
Clover: This book is in German... It looks like it's the complete works
of...something...
Snake: I've never heard of it...
Junpei: Well, if Snake doesn't know what it is, I don't think we'll ever know.
<Examine Yellow Volumes, 2+>
* There's a yellow book with the word "LEIBERNIZ" written on it sitting on the
bookshelf.
<Examine Yellow Volumes after pressing red button, 1+>
* I don't have time to be screwing around like this! To the top floor,
double-time!

<Examine Light Blue Volumes, 1>
Junpei: "OWEN", huh...
Snake: "Owen" isn't enough to go on.
Snake: Perhaps it's about the English revolutionary...?
<Examine Light Blue Volumes, 2+>
* This book says "OWEN" on it. It's light blue.
<Examine Light Blue Volumes after pressing red button, 1+>
* What am I doing?! I can't be wasting time like this! I need to get to the top
floor!

<Examine Brown Volumes, 1>
Clover: "SHELDRAKE"...?
Junpei: Sheldrake...
Junpei: Isn't Sheldrake...
Clover: ?
<Examine Brown Volumes, 2+>
* It says "SHELDRAKE" on the spine of this book.
* It's got the volume number written on the lower part of the spine.
<Examine Brown Volumes after lighting central podium, 1>
Junpei: "SHELDRAKE". This is it! This is what the shadow picture was pointing
to!
Clover: But didn't it say "5" at the end of the shadow picture?"
Snake: Yes... I think we need to find the 5th volume.
* ...Well would you look at that. There's a big red button behind this book.
Junpei: I guess we should press this button.
<Examine Brown Volumes after lighting central podium, 2+>
* There's a button hidden behind the books.

<Examine Red Button behind SHELDRAKE-5, 1>
Clover: What was that sound!?
Seven: It sounded like something really big was moving!
Clover: It came from the top floor!
Junpei: All right, let's go check it out!
<Examine Red Button behind SHELDRAKE-5, 2+>
* I've already pressed that. I don't think I need to do it again...do I?


{Screen H, Light Podium Closeup}

&&&Check light podium before finding bulbs and books!
&&&Need to check with 1-2 books as well.

<Examine Center, 1+>
* There are dim lights on the floor.
* The dim lights are set at 3 points across the floor.
<Examine Center after placing pop-up books, before replacing bulbs, 1>
Seven: Hmm... You can sorta see the letters...
Seven: It's too dark in here to really tell, though.
Junpei: Well, that probably means our light isn't bright enough.
<Examine Center after placing pop-up books, before replacing bulbs, 2+>
* There are some kind of vague letters on here.
<Examine Center after placing pop-up books and replacing bulbs, 1>
(To "a41d.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )
<Examine Center after placing pop-up books and replacing bulbs, 2+>
* It says "SHELDRAKE-5" on the bottom.

<Examine Stands after finding 3 pop-up books, 1>
* It's a small enclosure with 9 sides. There are three of these things that
look kind of like music stands.
Junpei: Okay, how about we try putting these picture books on the stands...
* Then...
Clover: H-Hm... This is a little weird...
<Examine Stands after placing books, 1+>
* Okay, I put the pop-up books on top of the stands.

<Examine Lights after finding 1-2 bulbs, 1>
* There are 3 lights in this thing.
* They aren't very bright, though.
Seven: Hey... Didn't we find some kinda really powerful lightbulb earlier?
Seven: Why don't you put it into one of those lights?
Clover: Yeah... Well, it'll get a lot brighter, but...
Snake: But...if there are 3 lights, that means 3 lightbulbs.
Snake: There won't be much point unless we can replace all 3 bulbs.
Junpei: We need 3 lightbulbs, huh...
<Examine Lights after finding 1-2 bulbs, 2+>
* If I could just change out those bulbs, then... Ah, what's the use wishing? I
don't have any more lightbulbs.
<Examine Lights after finding 3 bulbs and placing books, 1>
* All right, so there are 3 lights in here...
Junpei: I'm gonna change these bulbs.
* Now, they should...
Clover: Awesome! It worked!
Seven: Way to go, Junpei! Good job, buddy!
Clover: There's something projecting on the bottom...
Seven: These letters... They seem familiar...
<Examine Lights after replacing, 1+>
* The lights are really bright here.

{Screen I, Cupboard Closeup}

<Examine Cupboard, 1>
Seven: This bookshelf has sort of a glass inlay.
Seven: It's pretty big, but there're only 6 books on it. That seems
kinda...weird...
Clover: Hey... It looks like there's something on the bottom.
Clover: I can't really see it, though.. The glass is all foggy...
<Examine Cupboard, 2+>
* Awesome. There's a lock on the glass door. Yup, won't budge.

<Examine Books in Shelf, 1>
* There're a couple books on the glass shelf.
* From left to right, they say "Vol. 6", "Vol. 3", "Vol. 2", "Vol. 4", "Vol.
1", and "Vol. 5".
<Examine Books in Shelf, 2+>
* The books in the glass shelf are labeled "Vol. 6", "Vol. 3", "Vol. 2", "Vol.
4", "Vol. 1", and "Vol. 5".
<Examine Books in Shelf after unlocking, 1+>
* All 6 books seem to be pointing at the cylinder number lock.

<Examine Lock, 1>
* In the middle of the glass door is a cylinder lock.
* You know... The kinda lock where you rotate the numbers around until you've
got the right ones to open it.
Junpei: Wh-What the hell is this... It's like they just gave us the answer...
Junpei: Guess I might as well give it a shot.

<Examine Lock Metal Frame, 1+>
* The glass door has a metal frame, and that's locked up tight.
<Examine Lock Metal Frame after unlocking, 1+>
* There isn't a lock there any more.

<Solve Lock Puzzle, 1>
Clover: You did it, Junpei! Yay!
* I don't know why, but... I don't really feel particularly happy about being
praised for that...
* Whatever. At least the lock's open now.
Junpei: Let's see if we can get it open, all right?

{Screen J, Bottom Floor Book Shelf Closeup}

<Examine Top Left Shelf, 1>
Junpei: What's this..."Origin of Japanese Folklore"?
Junpei: Looks like there are a bunch of books about Japanese culture here.
Mostly ones about folklore, though...
Snake: Well, folklore can cover a wide range of subjects.
Snake: History, urban life, religious trends, environmental changes, oral
traditions... 
Snake: "Folklore" can cover all those things, if you know where to look.
Clover: This looks pretty deep.
<Examine Top Left Shelf, 2+>
* This shelf has books on Japanese folklore and oral traditions.
<Examine Top Left Shelf after pressing red button, 1+>
* No time for books! I need to get to the top floor!

<Examine Top Right Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Agriculture and Historical Organizations in Folklore"...
<Examine Top Right Shelf, 2+>
* This book is called "Agriculture and Historical Organizations in Folklore".
<Examine Top Right Shelf after pressing red button, 1+>
* I don't have time for books right now! I've gotta get to the top floor,
quickly!

<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 1>
Junpei: "Modern Japanese Literature", huh...
<Examine Bottom Left Shelf, 2+>
* This one's a book on Japanese culture called "Modern Japanese Literature".
<Examine Bottom Left Shelf after pressing red button, 1+>
* I don't have time to be messing around with books! I gotta get to the top
floor, now!

<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 1> &&&If this is first book found, dialogue is
different
Seven: Hey, there's another one'a those picture books here...
Seven: Somethin' about these things feels kinda nice, you know?
Seven: Brings back good memories...
Clover: I guess even people like Seven were kids once.
Seven: No shit, you little brat!
Junpei: Hey guys, cool it... All right, I think I'm gonna take this picture
book with me.
<Examine Bottom Right Shelf, 2+>
* There isn't a picture book on this shelf any more.

{Screen K, Exit Doors Closeup}

<Examine Handrail, 1+>
* This handle is made of metal.

<Examine Walkway Scaffold, 1>
Junpei: Man, who the hell comes up with stuff like this...?
<Examine Walkway Scaffold, 2>
* The door in front of me is made of two massive slabs of metal.

<Examine Left Door, 1+>
* It's a thick, metal door. There's a handle in the middle of it, though...

<Examine Left Door Handle, 1>
* All right, this handle's gonna open the door for me.
Junpei: DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!
Seven: HRRRRRRRRGH!
* Man... Doesn't matter how hard we pull, this thing isn't going anywhere.
* Looks like it's probably locked.
<Examine Left Door Handle, 2+>
* The door won't move. It's gotta be locked.
<Examine Left Door Handle after solving Roman Numeral puzzle, 1>
* All right handle, it's time we got this over with.
Junpei: RRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!
Junpei: Damn it! I can't get it open! This thing won't even budge.
Seven: What?! Why not?! We put in the password! What else do we have to do?
Clover: Then, that means...
Junpei: It's the other door!
<Examine Left Door Handle after solving Roman Numeral puzzle, 2+>
* All right, time to try the other door!

<Examine Right Door, 1+>
* It's a thick, metal door. There's a handle in the middle of it, though...
<Examine Right Door or handle after solving Roman Numeral puzzle, 1>
Junpei: All right! Let's get this thing open!
(To "a42b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine Right Door Handle, 1>
* Come on door, open!
Junpei: NNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHH!
* Nothing. I might as well try to open a wall.
Snake: I know you're feeling kind of rushed...
Snake: But you do realize that's pointless, don't you?
Snake: It's not going to get you anywhere...
Junpei: ...
Snake: There's only one thing we can do. Let's go.
<Examine Right Door Handle, 2+>
* The door won't move. It's gotta be locked.

<Examine Central Alcove, 1>
Junpei: There's a keyboard in front of the numbers... And there are 4 Roman
numerals on the wall. It's gotta be a hint of some sort...
Junpei: "XIII", "XIV", "X", and "XIII". Those're all Roman numerals.
Clover: Do you think we just need to put in the numbers from the wall on the
keyboard?
Seven: No, you can't.
Seven: The keyboard doesn't have any number keys.
Seven: You can't type in stuff like "3" or "4".
Junpei: Hmmm...Then that means...
<Examine Central Alcove, 2+>
* Somebody carved some Roman numerals onto the wall.
* Specifically, "XIII", "XIV", "X", and "XIII".
<Examine Central Alcove after solving Roman Numeral puzzle, 1+>
* "XIII", "XIV", "X", and "XIII" are engraved on the wall.

<Examine Central Alcove Monitor, 1>
Junpei: This looks like an output monitor.
Junpei: I bet the letters you type in on the keyboard will show up here.
<Examine Central Alcove Monitor, 2+>
* An output monitor.
<Examine Central Alcove Monitor after solving Roman Numeral puzzle, 1+>
* It says "OPEN".

<Examine Central Alcove Keyboard, 1>
Clover: Well, I bet you've gotta type something on that keyboard.
Junpei: Yeah, but you can only enter letters...
Clover: And it looks like you only enter 4 letters.
Junpei: Hmmm... Let's see how it works...
Junpei: I guess you need to hit [Enter] once you type in the letters.
Junpei: And you can erase what you typed with [Clr]... Okay, I get the basic
operations.
Junpei: Let's give it a shot!
<Examine Central Alcove Keyboard, 2+>
* Okay, so I press [Enter] after I type in the letters. If I screw up, I can
delete what I typed with [Clr].
Junpei: All right, let's try this again!
<Examine Central Alcove Keyboard after solving Roman Numeral puzzle, 1+>
* A keyboard. Don't need to mess with it any more.

<Go back from keyboard without solving, 1>
Junpei: Damnit! I just don't get this...
* What the hell is the point of these Roman-- What is Snake doing?
Snake: These Roman numerals... If you convert them to Arabic numerals...
Snake: You'll have "13","14","10", and "13".
Junpei: True...
Junpei: But this keyboard only has letters, and we can only enter 4 letters.
Snake: Then why don't you just convert the numbers to letters?
Junpei: Convert the numbers...to letters?
<Go back from keyboard without solving, 2>
Junpei: Ugh! Why isn't this working?!
Clover: Hey, Junpei, I was thinking...
Clover: Isn't this kinda like that other one?
Junpei: Other one what?
Clover: C'mon, you remember... The one in the captain's room...
<Go back from keyboard without solving, 3>
Junpei: WHY!? Why the hell isn't this working?!
Clover: Don't you remember, Junpei? That thing in the captain's room.
Clover: You put in letters for numbers, remember?
Clover: So, I think we gotta do the opposite of that. Right?
Junpei: Do the opposite...?
<Go back from keyboard without solving, 4>
Junpei: Gah... I don't get this... I can't figure this out...
Junpei: Junpei, you idiot! Idiot idiot idiot!
Clover: H-Hey, calm down, Junpei!
Clover: Just think about the numbers we've got, all right? Okay?
Junpei: You mean the "13", "14", "10", and "13"?
Clover: Yeah. They're all under 16, right?
Junpei: Yeah...they are...
Clover: So, how do you write "11" in hexadecimal, Junpei?
Junpei: Uh..."B", right?
Clover: How about "12"?
Junpei: That'd be "C".
Clover: And "15"?
Junpei: "F", of course.
Clover: Then what are "10", "13", and "14"?
Junpei: Oh...OH! I get it!
<Go back from keyboard without solving, 5+>
* If "11 = B", "12 = C", and "15 = F"...
* Then what would "13", "14","10", and "13" be?

<Solve Roman Numeral Puzzle>
Clover: Yay! You did it, Junpei!
Clover: It's unlocked now!
Snake: Good job, Junpei!
Seven: Whoa there, don't get too excited...
Seven: The password was "DEAD", remember?
Seven: Just makes me think whatever's waitin' for us isn't good.
Clover: So what? Geez. You're such an old lady. We can't be worrying about
stuff like that.
Clover: I mean come on... We got it to unlock, didn't we?
Clover: Let's go! Hurry up!
Seven: ...

{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search powerful lightbulb from compartment in shelf, 1>
Clover: The lightbulb looks like it's brand-new!
Clover: And it's really big, so it'll make a lot of light!
<Search powerful lightbulb from compartment in shelf, 2+>
* A powerful lightbulb, huh. This'll be pretty bright.

<Search powerful lightbulb from behind shelf, 1>
Seven: This is a brand-new lightbulb.
Seven: Looks like a pretty high-wattage one, too.
<Search powerful lightbulb from behind shelf, 2+>
* A powerful lightbulb, huh. This'll be pretty bright.

&&&Need lightbulb from the cupboard

<Search book with Native American cover, 1>
Seven: This one has some Native Americans on the cover.
Seven: Hey, Junpei, take a look at this one.
* Native Americans, huh? Maybe it's got some--whoa!
<Search pop-up book with Native American cover, 2>
Seven: What's that...? This one'a them pop-up books?
Seven: "L", "R", "K"...?
Junpei: That...doesn't mean anything. ...Does it?
Seven: Well, you could make 'em "KRL"...
Seven: Like... "curl", or "Carl"...
<Search pop-up book with Native American cover, 3+>
* So I've got a picture book here with the letters "L", "R",  and "K" sticking
out of it, huh...

<Search book with Baseball cover, 1>
Clover: There's a baseball on this one.
Clover: C'mon Junpei, let's see what's in it.
* I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it's probably baseball stu--whoa!
<Search pop-up book with Baseball cover, 2>
Clover: This is a pop-up book.
Clover: It's got the letters "H", "E", "A","D" popping out of it.
<Search pop-up book with Baseball cover, 3+>
* Sure enough, the letters "H", "E", "A","D" are sticking out of the book.

<Search book with "Magic Wand" cover, 1>
Junpei: It's got a magic wand on it... Okaaaaaay...
Snake: So? What's inside? Well? Aren't you going to open it?
* Pretty sure it's just gonna have pages inside, smarta--whoa!
<Search pop-up book with "Magic Wand" cover, 2>
* Looks like another pop-up book.
* This book has an "S", an "E", a dash, and a number 5 sticking out of it. I
might be impressed, if I was 5.
<Search pop-up book with "Magic Wand" cover, 3+>
* This book's got an "S", an "E", a dash, and a "5" sticking out of it...

==========================
{a41d.a} File #23
::Library::
-Upon inspecting SHELDRAKE-5 Display-
-The Truth behind Snake, True Ending part 1-
&&&Dialogue varies depending upon whether you have cleared Door [2]

[SHELDRAKE-5]

Junpei: Sheldrake...

Junpei read the text out loud.

Seven: I think I saw the rest of this collection somewhere...
Clover: Yeah, I think it was somewhere around here.
Seven: Let's go take a look.
Clover: Okay.

Seven and Clover walked off, leaving Junpei and Snake behind.

Snake: Have you heard of him? Sheldrake, I mean.

Junpei grinned.

Junpei: Yeah. Lotus told me about him.

Lotus: There's a British biochemist named [Sheldrake]. He had a rather
interesting theory.
Lotus: The theory of [morphogenetic fields], which relies on the theory of
[morphic resonance]...

Snake: Really. From Lotus, huh...
Junpei: Well...Clover also said something to me about that stuff...
Snake: ...She did?
Junpei: Yeah. Uh...what was it...

Clover: The ability to access a morphogenetic field is affected by a couple of
things...
Clover: The first is "epiphany"... And the other is "danger"...

Snake: *Sigh* That girl... I told her not to tell anyone...
Junpei: You did? Why?

Junpei's eyes narrowed.

Junpei: Look man, I didn't push it 'cause we're in a hurry, but I'm kinda sick
of this. How about you just tell me, okay?
Snake: Tell you what?
Junpei: Don't gimme that. About the experiment.

Snake's shoulders slumped and he shook his head slowly.
He'd finally given up.

Snake: Very well. Fine. I'll tell you everything.
Snake: But not here. Let's move to the top floor.

Junpei nodded.
With that, they climbed the stairs to the top floor.
Snake was silent for a moment after they arrived, then finally crossed his arms
and spoke.

Snake: I suppose I might as well start by telling you why I kept quiet, and why
I made sure Clover did as well.
Snake: To be honest, the explanation is quite simple.
Snake: Zero told me not to. I had little choice.
Snake: He didn't walk up and tell me, of course.
Snake: He gave me a message engraved on a card.

Snake reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small, stiff piece of paper.
It looked a good deal like the one he'd shown everyone on the central
staircase.

Junpei: So you had 2 cards.
Snake: No, only one.
Junpei: Huh? What do you mean?
Junpei: I thought that card just had some rules for the Nonary Game on it...
Snake: Yes, it did.
Snake: And those were the rules I read you.
Snake: However...
Snake: They were not the only thing on the card.
Snake: There was something I didn't read.
Snake: Well, perhaps I should say, there was something I couldn't read.
Junpei: And that was...?

"Tell no one of the events that took place 9 years ago."
"Tell, and I activate your sister's detonator."

Junpei: Oh...
Junpei: Well, um...

Snake nodded.

Junpei: Well, what about Clover? Did she get a message from Zero too?
Snake: I don't believe she did.
Snake: But doesn't it strike you as strange that Zero would shut my mouth, but
not hers?
Junpei: Yeah, that does seem a little weird.
Snake: To be on the safe side, however, I told her it was best not to tell
anyone.
Snake: Still...apparently she told you. That girl...
Junpei: What's wrong with her telling me?
Junpei: I figured some stuff out with the things she told me.
Snake: Hmm...
Junpei: I mean, it looks like the whole "activate her detonator" thing was just
a bluff.
Junpei: She's prancing around downstairs, happy as a clam now that you're back.

Snake glanced down at Clover and Seven, examining one of the bookshelves.

Snake: That's very true. I've decided I can trust you.
Snake: I've decided to tell you the truth.
Snake: The chance that Santa is Zero is very high.
Snake: I feel I can assume Santa doesn't have the time to observe us at the
moment.
Snake: And at any rate, even if he were, I very much doubt he would kill us.
Junpei: Why not?
Snake: Clover told me about the 4-leaf clover. About the words.
Snake: If he knew about that, then he was in my group during the 1st
experiment. I'm sure of it.
Snake: He wouldn't kill us.
Snake: No matter what the situation was...

Snake paused, and cocked his head, as though he was listening to something very
far away.
His face looked dark, as though something was weighing on him.

Junpei: Hey, uh...Snake...

Junpei wasn't quite sure what to say.
Snake turned and looked at him.

Snake: Yes, I know. You want to know what happened during the experiment.
Junpei: Yeah.
Snake: How much do you know?

Junpei relayed to Snake everything Clover had told him.
The morphogenetic field and the experiments 9 years prior that had dealt with
it...
How the experiment had taken place simultaneously at 2 locations, one being the
ship and the other being a building in Nevada. How they'd played the Nonary
Game... He told him everything.
And finally.. He told him how a girl had died during the experiment...

Snake: Oh... She...told you all that, did she...

Snake looked down. His face was tight.
A slight tremor shook his body, and he tried to hide it.
He was putting on a good front, but even Junpei could tell that he was holding
back something deep and powerful.
He made as if to brush something from his face, and looked up at Junpei.

Snake: At any rate, I now know how much you've learned. All that remains for us
to determine...
Junpei: Is who did this, and why, right?
Snake: Yes.
Junpei: Can you tell me what happened?

Snake nodded slowly.

Snake: The people who organized the initial experiment were from a company
called "Cradle Pharmaceutical".
Snake: There were 4 of them running the show...
Snake: [Gentarou Hongou]
Snake: [Nagisa Nijisaki]
Snake: [Teruaki Kubota]
Snake: [Kagechika Musashidou]
Snake: Hongou was the CEO of Cradle Pharmaceutical.
Snake: Nijisaki was his right-hand man, and did the lion's share of the
planning.
Snake: Kubota led the company's research and development division.
Snake: Musashidou was their majority stockholder.
Snake: It was these 4 people who planned the initial experiment.
Snake: Hmm... Let me simplify it for you. Hongou designed it, and Nijisaki put
it all together.
Snake: Kubota developed the technology required, and Musashidou provided the
cash.
Junpei: So it's Hongou, Nijisaki, Kubota, Musashidou...

Junpei couldn't shake the sense that he had heard those 4 names somewhere
before.

Snake: Of course, more than 4 people were required to conduct an experiment of
this scale.
Snake: To that end, they organized a top-secret team to assist them with their
research.
Snake: All in all, they gathered 10 people or so.
Snake: Those 10 completed their team, and they were able to begin the project.
Snake: They named it...the [Nonary Project].
Snake: The purpose of the experiment was to research the prospect of
controlling a human mind through sheer will.
Snake: The...vessel, I suppose you could say, for this control was the
morphogenetic field.
Junpei: ...
Snake: Why did the glycerin suddenly begin to crystallize?
Snake: Why did the crystal structure of EDT undergo a sudden change?
Snake: Why did the rats improve their puzzle-solving skills with each
generation?
Snake: Experiments with humans produced the same results.
Snake: The more people who knew the answer to a question...
Snake: The more people there were who could answer correctly without having
seen the problem before. Why? How?
Junpei: ...
Snake: The answer is that the "shape" of the answer has been stored in a field
invisible to the naked eye.
Snake: And through that field the [resonant event] transmits information
related to that answer.
Snake: That's...essentially the idea behind morphogenetic fields.
Snake: But that's just a theory...
Snake: Can't bring yourself to believe it?
Junpei: Not really...
Snake: Let's say someone killed another person because the devil told them to
do it.
Snake: Whether the devil exists or not has no relevance to the murderer.
Snake: They believe the devil exists. Whether or not he does is immaterial.
Junpei: So what matters here is that Hongou believed in the morphogenetic
field...

Snake nodded.

Junpei: But I still don't get it...
Junpei: You said they wanted to figure out how to control people...
Junpei: Right? That is what you were saying...?
Snake: Yes.
Junpei: So how were they going to do that with a morphogenetic field?
Snake: I'll keep it simple.
Snake: Let's suppose 10,000 people have solved a certain problem.
Snake: The chance of you knowing that answer, even if no one has told you, will
go up.
Snake: Let's have another example, shall we?
Snake: Say 1,000,000 people were to do a hand-stand right now.
Snake: Tomorrow, the chances of you doing a hand-stand would be higher, even if
you had heard nothing of this hypothetical mass hand-standing.
Snake: Mankind's thought process and actions are all part of a resonant event.
Snake: All of the resonant events encoded in the fields are projected onto you.
Snake: Of course, this assumes you believe in this theory. Do you follow so
far?
Junpei: Yeah...
Snake: But let's say, hypothetically...
Snake: That there was a person who had the same effect as those millions of
people. What would happen?
Snake: If that one person were to do a hand-stand, other people would find
themselves wanting to do hand-stands as well.
Snake: Can you imagine what a person with powers like that would be able to do?
Junpei: C'mon, there's no way--
Snake: I'm not done.
Snake: Imagine another scenario. Imagine another person...
Snake: This is an ordinary person. Let's say he does a hand-stand.
Snake: What if there was someone who could grab the resonant event he created
by doing that...
Snake: ...And use it to make other people do hand-stands? What would happen
then?
Junpei: ...
Snake: A person who has the power to write to the field and someone who can
read from the same...
Snake: You could think of them as the Writer and the Reader, or the transmitter
and the receiver.
Snake: What would the world be like if there were people with abilities like
these?

Junpei thought about it for a moment.

Junpei: So the transmitter's resonant event can be transmitted through the
field and sent to the receiver.
Junpei: And then the transmitter can control the receiver however they wish...
Junpei: That's what you're saying, right?
Snake: Yes. Close enough, at least.
Junpei: C'mon, that's just crazy--
Snake: Well, if you want to prove that, then you'll have to test it first.
Snake: ...At least, that was how they thought.
Snake: That was why they decided to do their experiment.
Snake: That was how the Nonary Project began.

Snake suddenly looked very serious.

Snake: Junpei, have you ever heard of the Ganzfeld experiment?

Junpei nodded.

Junpei: Yeah, that was an experiment in telepathy, right?
Junpei: They put a pair of subjects in separate rooms.
Junpei: Then they'd show one of them a picture, and ask the other one what they
saw.
Snake: Interesting. I'm impressed. Yes, that is exactly correct.
Junpei: So... Why'd you bring up the Ganzfeld experiment?
Snake: It was used to screen subjects for the Nonary Project.
Snake: The hospital in a remote town was affiliated with Cradle Pharmaceutical.
Snake: Hongou used it to conduct experiments on visiting children in secret.
Snake: Some of them, he found, had potential...
Snake: He began to gather children that showed promise... Children that seemed
as though they might be able to access the field.
Snake: Of course, none of them volunteered.
Snake: They were...kidnapped.

His face barely moved as he spoke.
There were 9 pairs of siblings taken, for 18 children total.
For reasons that were not fully understood at the time, each pair had one
transmitter and one receiver. They were split perfectly.
As such, the 18 children were split into 2 groups of nine.
The children who were put in [Group Q] were the ones who excelled at
transmitting.
They were transferred to the mock experiment building known as Building Q in
the Nevada desert.
The children who excelled at receiving were put in [Group A].
The members of Group A were placed on the former hospital ship Gigantic.
From the experiments he had conducted so far, Hongou had learned the following:
There are two things that can increase one's resonance with the fields.
The first is epiphany. The other is danger.
Have you ever been faced with an especially difficult problem, and thought
about it very long and very hard, until finally an answer suddenly appeared in
your mind? It may seem obvious to say so, but that is what is meant by
"epiphany".
The information obtained through that epiphany can be easily transmitted
through the fields, where it can be easily interpreted.
Adding danger to that equation allows for even easier field access.
Therefore, Hongou set up a number of puzzles across the Gigantic. The
participants had to solve each puzzle before they could move to the next room.
Of course, he hadn't forgotten to include danger.
More specifically, he had detonated a bomb on the hull of the Gigantic. The
children in Group A were forced to play the Nonary Game as the ship sunk.
By forcing the children into a life or death situation, Hongou hoped to
increase the likelihood of their tapping into the fields.
The children from Group Q, on the other hand, were confined to the mock
experiment building--Building Q.
Building Q duplicated the interior and the puzzles of the Gigantic exactly.
Hongou explained the situation to the children in Group Q:
"Solve the puzzles you find throughout the rooms. When you solve them, transmit
that information to the children in Group A."
"If you succeed, they will be able to solve the puzzles and escape."
"But if you fail, then the Gigantic will sink, and your brothers and sisters
will drown."
Do you know why the astronauts of Apollo 13 were able to return to Earth
safely?
It was because NASA had access to a replica of the Apollo 13 capsule.
All of the equipment, the instruments, everything. All of it identical.
NASA was able to replicate the situation the astronauts were facing. By putting
themselves in the same situation, they attempted to solve the problems they
knew the astronauts were experiencing.
Once they had found solutions, they reported their findings to the men aboard
the actual capsule.
That was how they were able to return safely.
It was the same with the Gigantic and Building Q.
The children from Group Q had to use the power of epiphany to solve the puzzles
they found, and transmit what they learned through the fields.
The children in Group A, however, had to access the fields to learn how they
might advance to the next stage.

Snake: That is the simplest explanation I can manage.

Snake sounded defeated.
His half-hearted attempt at derision served only to show how much the story had
affected him.
Just as Junpei was about to speak--

Seven: Hey! Junpei! Snake! How much longer are you two gonna sit around on
those bony asses?!
Seven: Get down here already!

Seven's voice echoed up from below.
Snake took a deep breath and blinked rapidly, as if just waking up from a long
nap.

Snake: He's right.
Snake: Let's go, shall we? We don't have much time. We need to get out of here,
and soon.

Snake headed for the stairs, but Junpei put out an arm to stop him.

Junpei: Hold it. There's one more thing I want to ask you.
Snake: ...?
Junpei: Are you sure that there were 18 kids?
Snake: Why...?
Junpei: Well... I thought it was only 16...
Snake: Oh... Yes, that was what they said on the news, wasn't it?
Snake: Yes, I have no doubt that 18 children were abducted, and used in
Hongou's experiment.
Snake: After all, you couldn't exactly play a Nonary Game with any less, could
you?
Junpei: Well, yeah, but...
Junpei: Are you saying that the news got it wrong?
Snake: Yes, I am. There were 2 more children.
Snake: However, they had no relatives that I'm aware of. I imagine no one filed
a police report when they went missing.
Snake: They were brother and sister, like Clover and I.
Snake: The brother's name was [Aoi]...
Snake: The sister's name was...
Snake: Her name was...

Snake couldn't seem to bring himself to continue.
It looked as if what he was about to say brought him great pain.

Snake: Her name was [Akane].
Snake: That was the girl who...died...

Junpei felt as if he had been punched in the stomach.
His vision went blurry, and his head felt light.
He couldn't think straight...
Everything was...blank...
Had...Akane Kurashiki died 9 years ago...?
If she had, then...who was June?
No...no! That was impossible.
It couldn't be true...
"Akane" wasn't an uncommon name.
If Snake had known her last name, then that would have been a different matter
entirely.
So they shared a name. There were many other people who did as well. It meant
nothing.
It was a different person. Of course it was a different person. It had to be.
Junpei shook his head, hard, and pulled himself back to reality.

Snake: Is something wrong, Junpei? Your breathing sounds strange.

Then Snake had noticed...
Junpei cleared his throat and tried to act calm.

Junpei: Oh, no, it's nothing. I'm fine.
Junpei: Let's get back down there, all right?

Snake raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He headed down the stairs, Junpei
bringing up the rear.
He couldn't bring himself to ask.
He told himself he knew the answer already, but...
He couldn't bring himself to ask what the girl's last name had been.
With every step he took, the cold, hard sound of feet against metal dug at his
heart.

(Return to investigation)
(To skip to True Ending, part 2, to "a42d.a", replacing quotations with braces
{} )

==========================
{a42b} File #25
::Bottom Deck, study::
-After completing library escape-

The door opened...
...And Junpei and the others leapt through it.
But no sooner had they done so----Than the clang of metal on metal rang out
behind them.
They spun around. The door they'd just come through had slammed shut.
Junpei grabbed hold of it with both hands and pulled with all his strength--

Junpei: Hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggh!
Junpei: Damnit!
Junpei: It looks like it locks automatically...
Snake: Is there any other way out?
Junpei: Well, there's another door over on the right. There's a card reader
next to it...
Junpei: It's got a red light on it, though, so I'm pretty sure it's locked too.
Snake: But there is a card reader, right?
Junpei: Yeah.
Snake: Then perhaps if we find a key card, we could open the door and leave?
Junpei: Well... Yeah, that might work, but--
Clover: H-Hey! Wait a minute!
Clover: Are you saying we're gonna have to search through this room for 1
little card?!
Seven: Oh man...

They took a second look at the room they'd found themselves in.
It was filled with piles upon piles of all manner of things. The only word that
could describe it was "chaotic".
It was like a tornado had passed through, followed by a giant who had picked up
and shaken the entire room a few times.
Junpei's heart fell.
Clover and Seven looked as though they were about to cry.

Snake: Well, we can sit down and wait to die, if that's what you'd prefer.
Snake: I rather doubt that, however, so it would be wise to start looking.
Snake: We haven't much time. Let's find that [key card].
Snake: Oh, and the [Neptune key] as well.
Snake: We won't be able to get through the hallway without it.
Junpei: ...
Clover: ...
Seven: ...
Snake: All right then! Let's begin!

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::Study::
=============================================
{a42} File #24
Plot points within this section:
-Seven's Memories, Tragedy 9 Years Prior: "a42d.a"
( To skip to a story segment, search for "a41d.#" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
( Next story segment: "aed1", replacing quotations with braces {} )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \, < : Room Connections
. : Book Shelf Divider
v: Returns to the previous room
^: Up Stairs
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

[I][J][G][H][D][G][F][E][D][C][B] [A]
   \|/    |/      \__\|/   \|/   /
   [5]===[4]==========[3]===[2]=<1>


A: Drafting Table Closeup
B: Tall Monitor Machine Closeup
C: Numbered and Lettered Drawer Closeup
D: 3 Old Computer Monitors Closeup
E: Tall Monitor #2 Machine Closeup
F: Compass Monitor Machine Closeup
G: Warning-labeled Door Closeup
H: Metal Cabinet Closeup
I: Ceiling TV-Screens Closeup
J: Exit Door Closeup

&&&Note: Need to try solving compass puzzles before the tall monitor puzzles

{Screen 1, Facing Drawing Board}

<Examine Back of Metal Machine, 1>
Clover: Look, Junpei! The rust on here looks like Elvis's face!
Junpei: A-Ah... Yeah... How exciting...
<Examine Back of Metal Machine, 2>
* The back of that huge machine. Clover says she can see Elvis's face in it.
<Examine Back of Metal Machine, 3>
* The back of that huge machine. Clover says she can see Elvis's face in it...
<Examine Back of Metal Machine, 4>
* The back of that huge machine.
Junpei: ...Okay, seriously, where the hell is it? I can't see it!
Clover: Really? See, there's the nose right there, and that's the hair...
Junpei: Y-Yeah...sure...
* There's nothing there...
<Examine Back of Metal Machine, 5+>
* The back of the huge machine. I can't see the front from here.
<Examine Back of Metal Machine after finding key card 0, 1+>
* The back side of the screen board. Don't really have time to be messing
around with that...

<Examine Chair, 1>
Clover: It's a chair.
<Examine Chair, 2>
Clover: It's a chair.
<Examine Chair, 3>
Clover: That chair looks nice... Mind if I take a load off?
Junpei: I think you'd be doing the opposite.
Clover: ...
<Examine Chair, 4+>
* A chair.

<Examine Left Table, 1>
* There are piles of crap everywhere.
Junpei: Man, this place is a mess...
Clover: It's so messy... I dunno where to start...
Seven: Some of this crap looks familiar...
Seven: I think a lot of these are parts of the puzzles we've solved in the
other rooms.
Snake: If that's true, then...
Snake: This room could be Zero's laboratory.
Snake: Perhaps Zero would shut himself in this room to devise the machines and
puzzles he'd need to see his plan come to fruition.
Junpei: Umm...
<Examine Left Table, 2+>
* It's just a pile of junk. There's nothing useful here.
<Examine Left Table after finding key card 0, 1+>
* It's just a pile of junk. I really don't need to mess with it.

<Examine Machine on Left, 1+>
* I can see some sort of big machine on the other side of all this crap...

<Examine Desk in Back, 1>
Clover: Gosh, this desk is really big, and it feels really sturdy.
Junpei: Yeah, it does seem pretty heavy-duty.
Snake: I suppose it belongs to whoever uses this room, wouldn't you say?
<Examine Desk in Back, 2+>
* There's a big desk in the back of the room.

<Examine Cabinet in Back Left, 1+>
* A steel cabinet with a double-door.

<Examine Pipe, 1+>
* A pipe. Great.
<Examine Pipe after finding key card 0, 1+>
* It's just a pipe. Don't really think we need to worry about pipes at the
moment.

<Examine Fans, 1>
Seven: I think these fans are for ventilation.
Seven: They're probably there to circulate air.
<Examine Fans, 2+>
* Ventilation fans. If only we needed to ventilate something, they'd be
useful...
<Examine Fans after finding key card 0, 1+>
* Ventilating fans, I'd guess. I don't really have time to be messing with
these...

<Examine Computer Monitors in Back, 1>
Clover: There're some old computer monitors on this desk.
Seven: You don't see CRT monitors that much anymore...
<Examine Computer Monitors in Back, 2+>
* There are a couple of monitors on the desk. I can see their screens from
here.
<Examine Computer Monitors in Back after finding key card 0, 1>
* There are a couple of old monitors on this desk. I don't really have time for
that right now...

<Examine Drafting Table after finding key card 0, 1+>
* A drafting table. I really don't have the time to be screwing around with
this right now.

{Screen 2, Room Corner and Fans}

<Examine Fans, 1>
* These fans must be for ventilation. I can see walls on the other side of
them...
* There are metal bars in front of the fan openings. I don't think we can get
out that way.
<Examine Fans, 2+>
* Ventilation fans. There are metal bars over the openings, though. We can't go
through them.

<Examine Pipe, 1>
Clover: That's a pipe. There's a cabinet underneath it.
<Examine Pipe, 2+>
* There's a small cabinet under the pipe.
<Examine Pipe after finding key card 0, 1+>
* It's just a pipe. Don't really think we need to worry about pipes at the
moment.

<Examine 3 monitors after finding key card 0, 1+>
* I don't really think I need to go back to the desk.

<Examine Cabinet after finding key card 0, 1+>
* A cabinet. Don't really need to worry about that right now...

<Examine Tall Monitor after finding key card 0, 1+>
* Don't need to mess with this thing anymore.

{Screen 3, Green Monitors and Wiring}

<Examine Desk under 3 Monitors, 1>
Seven: C'mon, Junpei. Knock it off, all right? There's nothing over there.
Junpei: I just wanna be sure, okay? Geez...
<Examine Desk under 3 Monitors, 2+>
* The desk. There are a couple of boxy-looking monitors sitting on it.
<Examine Desk under 3 Monitors after finding key card 0, 1+>
* We don't have the time for screwing around here.

<Examine Pipe, 1>
Seven: A pipe. It's running into this box over here...
<Examine Pipe, 2+>
* A pipe. It's running into this box over here.
<Examine Pipe after finding key card 0, 1+>
* It's just a pipe. Don't really think we need to worry about pipes at the
moment.

<Examine Compass or Tall Machine after finding key card 0, 1+>
* I don't need to search this.

<Examine Metal Door with coffin after finding key card 0, 1+>
* I don't think I need to search the coffin.

<Examine 3 monitors after finding key card 0, 1+>
* I don't really think I need to go back to the desk.

{Screen 4, Metal Cabinet and Vents}

<Examine Fans, 1+>
* Ventilation fans. There are metal bars over the openings, though. We can't go
through them.

<Examine Pipe, 1>
Seven: A pipe...
Clover: A pipe...
Snake: A pipe...
<Examine Pipe, 2>
* There are 3 pipes here.
<Examine Pipe, 3>
Seven: Gimme a "P"!
Clover: Gimme an "I"!
Snake: Give me a "P" and an "E"!
Junpei: What's that spell?! Pipe!
Junpei: What the hell are we doing...
<Examine Pipe, 4+>
* There are 3 pipes here.

<Examine Metal Cabinet after finding key card 0, 1+>
* A steel cabinet.

<Examine 3 monitors or desk after finding key card 0, 1+>
* I don't really think I need to go back to the desk.

{Screen 5, Metal Door and Ceiling TVs}

<Examine Left Machine, 1+>
* The side of the machine. The rust makes it feel rough.

<Examine Table, 1>
* There are piles of crap everywhere.
Clover: This is a pretty impressive mess...
Seven: If we try and search every one'a these, we're gonna be at it 'til the
cows come home.
Snake: Well, that doesn't seem too bad. We won't have to go bring them in
ourselves, then.
Seven: Don't you get smart with me, kid!
Junpei: Uh, how 'bout we deal with this area later, okay guys? Maybe we should
try something more...promising...
<Examine Table, 2+>
* A pile of junk. We don't have the time to go through this.
<Examine Table after finding key card 0, 1+>
* A pile of junk.

<Examine Left Door, 1>
Seven: That's the door we came in through. It's locked.
Seven: I don't see anything around that looks like it'll unlock it. We probably
shouldn't waste our time trying, you know?
<Examine Left Door, 2+>
* That's the door we came through. It's locked now. We can't open it.
<Examine Left Door after finding key card 0, 1+>
* This is the entrance. We don't wanna open this door.

<Examine Metal Door with coffin after finding key card 0, 1+>
* I don't think I need to search the coffin.

<Examine Ceiling TVs after finding key card 0, 1+>
* These are totally monitors.

{Screen A, Drafting Table Closeup}

<Examine Light, 1+>
* A light that's attached to the drafting table. It's got this little metal arm
that holds it up...

<Examine Ruler, 1+>
* A ruler that's attached to the drafting table.

<Examine Table/Map, 1>
Clover: Hey, Junpei, isn't this a nautical table?
Junpei: Yeah, I feel like I've seen this before...
<Examine Table/Map after attempting compass puzzle, 1>
Clover: Look, Junpei. This is what I was talking about.
* Clover's pointing at the drafting table.
* Just like she said, there's something on it that looks kinda like a nautical
table.
Junpei: Let's see...
<Examine Table, 2+>
* A drafting table. Looks like it's been used quite a bit.

<Examine Table/Map after attempting compass puzzle, 1>

{Screen B, Tall Monitor Machine Closeup}

<Examine Control Panel before turning on monitor, 1>
* There's a control panel in front of the big screen here.
* Wonder if any of these buttons do anything...
* There's something on the screen now.
Junpei: What's this...
Junpei: There are 15 cells here, with numbers and letters in them...
Seven: Lemme see that.
Junpei: ...
Seven: Ah, I see...
Seven: So whenever you touch a cell, the ones next to it turn on or off.
Seven: You just gotta use that to make the "ALL" cells on the right and the
bottom green.
Junpei: Umm...
Clover: Hey Junpei, I found this piece of paper under that thing. You wanna
take a look at it?
Clover: Do you think this might have something to do with the puzzle?
* It's a piece of paper Clover gave me.
* There are a bunch of numbers and letters connected by equals signs on it...
* Just like she said, this is probably related to the puzzle on the screen
somehow.
Junpei: Thanks, Clover. This really helps...
Clover: He he he he...
Junpei: All right, let's go back and try again!
Junpei: Anyway, it looks like I just need to make all of the cells "ALL" green.
<Examine Control Panel after solving puzzle, 1+>
* There's something on the right edge of the control panel...
<Examine Control Panel after solving puzzle and taking emblem, 1+>
* The control panel for this thing. Nothing happens when I press the buttons.

<Examine Monitor before turning on monitor, 1>
* This screen is huge. Wonder why it's blue...
* Maybe if I touch it...
* There's something on the screen now.
Junpei: What's this...
Junpei: There are 15 cells here, with numbers and letters in them...
Seven: Lemme see that.
Junpei: ...
Seven: Ah, I see...
Seven: So whenever you touch a cell, the ones next to it turn on or off.
Seven: You just gotta use that to make the "ALL" cells on the right and the
bottom green.
Junpei: Umm...
Clover: Hey Junpei, I found this piece of paper under that thing. You wanna
take a look at it?
Clover: Do you think this might have something to do with the puzzle?
* It's a piece of paper Clover gave me.
* There are a bunch of numbers and letters connected by equals signs on it...
* Just like she said, this is probably related to the puzzle on the screen
somehow.
Junpei: Thanks, Clover. This really helps...
Clover: He he he he...
Junpei: All right, let's go back and try again!
Junpei: Anyway, it looks like I just need to make all of the cells "ALL" green.
<Examine Monitor after solving puzzle, 1+>
* Now the screen says "ALL", in green.

<Examine Control Panel or Monitor after turning on monitor before solving
puzzle, 1+>
* Before I try this again, I really should look over the instructions.
* I touch any of the 9 cells that aren't the "ALL" cells.
* When I touch a cell, the cell I touch and the ones next to it change.
* So...I just have to touch the right cells to make the "ALL" cells "all"
green!
Junpei: Okay, one more time!

<Go back from monitor without solving, 1>
Junpei: Um... This is a lot harder than I expected...
Junpei: Well, according to the chart Clover gave me, 
Junpei: I just need to plug in a number for each letter...

<Solve Monitor puzzle, 1>
Clover: You did it, Junpei! You're so smart!
Snake: You seem to have done an excellent job and solved the puzzle.
Snake: Just what I would have expected of you, Junpei.
Junpei: H-Hey, c'mon, you're embarrassing me...
Seven: Whoa, whoa! Don't get cocky, kid. We don't got time for that.
Seven: Look at this. Check out the right edge of the control panel.
Seven: The lid slid open, and somethin' came out.

{Screen C, Numbered and Lettered Drawer Closeup}

<Examine Left Shelf before solving Tall Monitor puzzle, 1>
* There's a piece of paper in here.
Snake: What have you found in there, Junpei?
Junpei: Looks like someone was working on a solution...
Junpei: It's got some handwriting on it too...
<Examine Left Shelf after solving Tall Monitor puzzle, 1>
* There's a piece of paper in here.
* Not sure without taking a closer look, but I think it might be a clue...
Clover: Junpei, we don't need this anymore, do we?
Junpei: No, I don't think so.
* Yeah, this is for a puzzle we already solved.

<Examine Open Drawer after taking paper, 1+>
* There's nothing in the drawer anymore.

<Examine Drawer under open drawer, 1+>
* There's nothing in the other drawers.

<Examine Right Drawers, 1>
* There are 10 skinny drawers in this thing. Nothing in any of 'em, though.

<Examine Entire Cabinet, 1>
Junpei: There are a bunch of skinny drawers lined up here.
Clover: It looks like one of those cabinets you see in the hospital to keep
medical records in.
<Examine Entire Cabinet after opening left drawer, 1+>
* There's a whole buttload of drawers in this cabinet.

{Screen D, 3 Old Computer Monitors Closeup}

<Examine Drawer under Keyboard, 1>
Seven: Damnit... Looks like this thing's locked. It's not movin'.
* Well, it's pretty obvious how we're supposed to open it...
<Examine Drawer under Keyboard, 2+>
* The drawer's locked. Let's see, what do I need to do to get it open...

<Examine Keyboard, 1>
* The keyboard. Let's just tap a few keys, see if we can wake this thing up...
* Damn. No dice...
<Examine Keyboard, 2+>
* A keyboard. Nothing happens when I hit the keys.
<Examine Keyboard before solving steering puzzle, 1+>
Junpei: Okay, one more time!
<Examine Keyboard after solving steering puzzle before adding next emblem, 1+>
* A keyboard. Nothing happens when I hit the keys.
* I got a feeling something'll happen if I put the 2nd emblem into the
indentation on the desk...
<Examine Keyboard before solving cross puzzle, 1+>
Junpei: All right, let's give this another shot!
<Examine Keyboard after solving cross puzzle before adding next emblem, 1+> &&&
Double check this dialogue
* A keyboard. Nothing happens when I hit the keys.
* I got a feeling something'll happen if I put the 3rd emblem into the
indentation on the desk...
<Examine Keyboard before solving code puzzle, 1+>
Junpei: Damnit! Okay, this time I'm gonna get it!
<Examine Keyboard after solving code puzzle before adding next emblem, 1+>
* A keyboard. Nothing happens when I hit the keys.
* I got a feeling something'll happen if I put the 4th emblem into the
indentation on the desk...
<Examine Keyboard before solving coffin puzzle, 1+>
Junpei: All right, let's give this another shot!
<Examine Keyboard after solving coffin puzzle before opening drawer, 1+>
* The keyboard. I can pound away on the keys all I want--nothing's happening.
* I'm a little curious about the drawer under it, though...

<Examine Right Small Monitor, 1>
Clover: It's so small... I wonder what it is.
Junpei: I got no idea.
<Examine Right Small Monitor, 2>
* Some kind of little machine.
* If I turn it upside down, it looks like a robot with its eyes popped out.
<Examine Right Small Monitor, 3>
Junpei: A small machine...
Junpei: I messed around with it a bit, but I couldn't get it to do anything.
Seven: Messed around? Didn't know you were into that kinda thing...
Clover: Maybe you'd have better luck if you got to know it first, Junpei....
Junpei: You guys are jerks, and it's still not working.
<Examine Right Small Monitor, 4+>
* Some kind of small machine. I have no idea what this thing does...

<Examine mouse, 1>
* A mouse. Nothing happens when I mess with it, though.
<Examine mouse, 2>
Seven: Looks like the mouse.
Clover: Squeak squeak...
Junpei: I knew that was coming...
Snake: This seems to be the sort of room where someone conducted experiments
and research... Do you think perhaps this is a laboratory mouse?
Junpei: I think that's the worst joke I've ever heard!
<Examine mouse, 3>
* A mouse. Nothing happens when I mess with it, though.
<Examine mouse, 4>
Junpei: Squeak squeak... Squeak-squeak-squeak? I don't think it can hear me... 
Clover: Junpei! Stop messing around!
Junpei: ...
<Examine mouse, 5+>
* A mouse. Nothing happens when I mess with it, though.

<Examine 3 monitors, 1+>
* There are 3 monitors here.
* The power's on, but there's nothing on any of the screens.
<Examine 3 monitors during solving steering/cross/coffin emblem puzzles, 1+>
* The screen's showing me the ball puzzle and the instructions for it.
* - When you touch a numbered area, that area will be selected, and it will
turn blue to indicate this.
* - Touching a numbered ball after selecting an area will cause that ball to be
moved to that area.
* - However, you cannot move the red balls.
* - You can only move 3 to 5 balls into a single area.
* - Press the "Check" button once you have moved all of the balls (except for
the red ones, which you cannot move).
* - The digital root of the balls in an area must match the number for that
area.
* Well, I guess those are the rules.
<Examine 3 monitors after solving steering/cross/code/coffin emblem puzzle, 1+>
* There are a couple of old-fashioned TV monitors here.
<Examine 3 monitors during solving code emblem puzzles, 1+>
* The screen's showing me the ball puzzle and the instructions for it.
* - When you touch a numbered area, that are will be selected, and it will turn
blue to indicate this. {Author's Note: Oddly, this typo only appears when
solving the code emblem puzzle.  It's correct for the rest of them.}
* - Touching a numbered ball after selecting an area will cause that ball to be
moved to that area.
* - However, you cannot move the red balls.
* - You can only move 3 to 5 balls into a single area.
* - Press the "Check" button once you have moved all of the balls (except for
the red ones, which you cannot move).
* - The digital root of the balls in an area must match the number for that
area.
* Well, I guess those are the rules.

<Examine desk indentations with no emblems, 1+>
* There are 4 indentations on the desk. I wonder if I'm supposed to put
something into them...
<Examine desk indentations with any emblem besides steering wheel emblem, 1>
* All right, I've put the emblems into the 4 indentations on the desk, but...
Junpei: ...
Junpei: Huh? Nothing's happening.
* ...Wait, what's Snake doing...?
Snake: I feel symbols engraved just above each indentation...
Snake: On the upper left is the steering wheel symbol....
Snake: On the upper right, the cross symbol...
Snake: On the bottom left, the mysterious circle symbol...
Snake: And lastly, the waffle pattern is engraved near the bottom right
indentation.
Snake: Additionally, each symbol seems to have been given a number.
Snake: 1. steering wheel, 2. cross, 3. mysterious circle, and 4. waffle
patterns.
Snake: Perhaps we need to insert the emblems in this order?
Junpei: That order, huh...
<Examine desk indentations with any emblem besides steering wheel emblem, 2+>
* Well, I put the emblem into the indentation, but nothing's happening.
* The indentations are numbered 1 through 4...
* And there are symbols for a steering wheel, a cross, a weird circle, and some
kind of waffle pattern engraved on here.
<Examine desk indentations with steering wheel emblem equipped, 1>
* Let's just drop the emblem of the steering wheel in here...
* Whoa! Well, now we've got something on the monitors, at least.
Seven: W-What's that?!
Junpei: Looks like...some kinda puzzle...
Clover: I wonder if these are the rules...
Clover: Here, I'll read them to you!
Clover: - When you touch a numbered area, that area will be selected, and it
will turn blue to indicate this.
Clover: - Touching a numbered ball after selecting an area will cause that ball
to be moved to that area.
Clover: - However, you cannot move the red balls.
Clover: - You can only move 3 to 5 balls into a single area.
Clover: - Press the "Check" button once you have moved all of the balls (except
for the red ones, which you cannot move).
Clover: - The digital root of the balls in an area must match the number for
that area.
Clover: ...That's it.
Junpei: Uh... I still don't really get it.
Junpei: Whatever! Like they say, practice makes prefects! Let's give it a shot!
Snake: Don't you mean "practice makes perfect"?
Junpei: Hey! Let's see you solve the next one! Then you can make fun of me!
<Examine desk indentations, steering wheel inserted before solving puzzle, 1>
* The steering wheel is already in there.
* If I want to give the puzzle another shot, then the keyboard needs to be...
<Examine desk indentations, steering wheel inserted with anything besides cross
emblem equipped, 1> {Author's note: This text does not seem to match the
situation, since the cross emblem has not been placed in the indentations yet}
&&& Should check dialogue at this point without anything equipped.
* All right, I guess nothing happens if I put that in there.
Clover: Junpei, don'tcha think maybe you put the wrong one in there?
Clover: There are symbols in each of those indentations, right?
Clover: There're numbers too...
Clover: 1. steering wheel, 2. cross, 3. mysterious circle, and 4. waffle
patterns.
Clover: You already put in the steering wheel and the cross... What comes after
that?
<Examine desk indentations, steering wheel inserted with anything besides cross
emblem equipped, 2+>
* Well, I put the emblem into the indentation, but nothing's happening.
* The indentations are numbered 1 through 4...
* And there are symbols for a steering wheel, a cross, a weird circle, and some
kind of waffle pattern engraved on here.
<Examine desk indentations, steering wheel and cross emblem equipped, 1>
* Okay, let's put in the emblem of the cross...
Seven: Hey, Junpei, somethin' just showed up on the screen...
Clover: This puzzle sure looks a lot like the last one...
Seven: Yeah, but there's more'a those red balls you can't move.
Clover: The numbers for each area are different too.
Seven: It looks like it's got the same rules as the last one, though.
Seven: You sure you don't wanna double-check that?
Junpei: No, I'll be fine. If I get confused, I can just look at the screen over
there, right?
Junpei: Anyway, like they say, a picture is worth 1000 wards! Let's give it a
shot!
Snake: Isn't that..."A picture is worth 1000 words"?
Junpei: Hey, shut it! At least I'm trying, all right!?
<Examine desk indentations, 2 emblems inserted and puzzles solved, without
anything equipped, 1> &&& Need to check desk indentation with 2 emblems
inserted, before solving puzzle
* The indentations on the desk. They have the numbers 1 through 4 written above
them...
* There are symbols for a steering wheel, a cross, a weird circle, and some
kind of waffle pattern engraved on here.
* I've already put in the steering wheel and the cross, so the next one would
be...
<Examine desk indentations, 2 emblems inserted and puzzles solved, with coffin
emblem equipped, 1>
* All right, I guess nothing happens if I put that in there.
Seven: Junpei, don't you think maybe that's the wrong emblem?
Seven: See how the symbols are engraved in each of the indentations?
Seven: They've got numbers in there too...
Seven: 1. steering wheel, 2. cross, 3. mysterious circle, and 4. waffle
patterns.
Seven: That's the order they're in.
Seven: And you've already put the steering wheel and cross in, so the next
would be...
<Examine desk indentations, 2 emblems inserted and puzzles solved, with coffin
emblem equipped, 1>
* Well, I put the emblem into the indentation, but nothing's happening.
* The indentations are numbered 1 through 4...
* And there are symbols for a steering wheel, a cross, a weird circle, and some
kind of waffle pattern engraved on here.
<Examine desk indentations, 2 emblems inserted and puzzles solved, with code
emblem equipped, 1>
* Okay, let's put in the emblem of the secret code...
Seven: Damn, this puzzle looks a lot like the last one.
Seven: Looks like the rules are the same, though.
Clover: Don't you think you should double-check it?
Junpei: C'mon, this is the 3rd time I've done this. It'll be fine.
Junpei: So this...uh...um...
Snake: If you can't think of anything clever, please don't strain yourself. You
might hurt something.
Junpei: Arg! Shut up! Just gimme a break, all right?! I'll think of something!
<Examine desk indentations, 3 emblems inserted before solving puzzle, 1+>
* Okay, so I've inserted the emblems of the steering wheel, cross, and secret
code.
* If I want to give the puzzle another shot, then the keyboard needs to be...
<Examine desk indentations, 3 emblems inserted after solving puzzle, 1+>
* The only empty indentation is the one with the waffle pattern on it.
<Examine desk indentations, 3 emblems inserted and puzzles solved, with coffin
emblem equipped, 1>
* Let's see what happens when I put the emblem of the coffin into this
indentation...
Seven: This is the 4th one. This puzzle looks a lot like that last couple...
Clover: I think this is probably the last one.
Snake: Once we solve this puzzle, I'm sure something will happen.
Junpei: All right! I'll solve it in no time!
<Examine desk indentations, 4 emblems inserted before solving puzzle, 1+>
* All of the emblems are in indentations.
* If I want to give the puzzle another shot, then the keyboard needs to be...
<Examine desk indentations, after solving all 4 puzzles before opening drawer,
1+>
* All of the emblems are in indentations.
* That's boring. Now, this drawer in the bottom left corner, on the other
hand...

<Go back from steering emblem puzzle without solving, 1+>
Junpei: Um... This is a lot harder than I expected...
* The rules are displayed on this screen.
* Maybe I should read it again...

<Solve steering emblem puzzle, 1>
Junpei: Okay, this is it... Right?
Clover: But... Nothing's happening...
Snake: There are still 3 more indentations left empty.
Snake: I imagine something will happen when they are all filled. Doesn't that
seem likely?

<Go back from cross emblem puzzle without solving, 1+>
Junpei: Damnit, I just don't get this...
* The rules are displayed on this screen.
* Maybe I should read it again...

<Solve cross emblem puzzle, 1>
Seven: That's awesome, Junpei!
Seven: There's only 2 left now! You can do it!

<Go back from code emblem puzzle without solving, 1+>
Junpei: Shit... I just don't get it...
* The rules are displayed on this screen.
* Maybe I should read it again...

<Solve code emblem puzzle, 1>
Snake: Excellent work, Junpei!
Snake: You've only got one left... I can see the light at the end of the
tunnel!

<Go back from coffin emblem puzzle without solving, 1+>
Junpei: Damnit, I just don't get this at all...
* The rules are displayed on this screen.
* Maybe I should read it again...

<Solve coffin emblem puzzle, 1>
* ...Huh? Where did that noise come from...? Underneath the keyboard...?
Clover: Way to go, Junpei! You answered all the questions!
Seven: Damn, Junpei! Good job!
Junpei: Hey, did you hear something just now?
Snake: Yes, I heard that as well.
Snake: From the...bottom left corner of the desk, I believe.

<Examine Open Drawer before taking picture, 1+>
* There's something in the drawer...

<Examine Picture, 1>
(To "a42d.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{Screen E, Tall Monitor Machine #2 Closeup}

<Examine Control Panel or Monitor before turning on, 1>
* Let's see what happens when I--
* Whoa! Well, now we've got something on the screen, at least.
Junpei: Huh? What is this?
Junpei: Oh...wait a minute...
Junpei: I saw something like this when I figured out that Morse code puzzle
back in the communications office...
Snake: Morse code?
Junpei: Yeah... The dots on here look like dits for Morse code.
Junpei: There's 2 dots on the 1st line, 4 on the 2nd, and 1 on the last...
Snake: Ah, I'm afraid I don't understand...
Snake: Well, perhaps you should give it a shot anyway?
Junpei: All right, I'll try.
* Before I do that, though...
* Maybe I oughta run through the instructions.
* If I just tap the button, it'll enter a "dit".
* If I hold the button down, it'll enter a "dah".
* Once we enter our answer, it'll automatically determine if it was the correct
answer or not.
Junpei: All right, let's do this!
<Examine Control Panel or Monitor before solving puzzle, 1+>
Junpei: All right, let's give it another shot.
* Before I do that, though...
* Maybe I oughta run through the instructions.
* If I just tap the button, it'll enter a "dit".
* If I hold the button down, it'll enter a "dah".
* Once we enter our answer, it'll automatically determine if it was the correct
answer or not.
Junpei: All right, let's do this!

<Examine Control Panel after solving puzzle, before taking emblem, 1+>
* There's something on the right edge of the control panel...
<Examine Control Panel after taking emblem, 1+>
* The control panel. Pushing the buttons on it doesn't do anything.

&&&Check from before taking emblem!
<Examine Control Panel Right Indentation after taking emblem, 1+>
* The indentation where the emblem was.

<Examine Monitor after solving puzzle, 1+>
* The screen is showing the Morse code for "ICE".

<Go back from Control Panel without solving, 1>
Junpei: Umm...

<Solve Monitor Morse Puzzle, 1>
Snake: I see. It seems you have solved the puzzle, Junpei. Excellent work.
Snake: The answer was "ICE".
Junpei: How did you know...?
Snake: All I had to do was listen to the sounds the machine made. After that,
it was a trivial matter to decode them.
Snake: Ah, yes...
Snake: I believe I heard a noise from somewhere on the right of the device
after you solved the puzzle.
Snake: It sounded rather like something sliding open.
Snake: Do you see anything that could have made that noise?
Junpei: Yeah, that's true...
Snake: Ah yes, one more thing.
Snake: I hear a noise from the back of this device.
Snake: Rather like metal striking wood, or something similar I would say.
Snake: Well, it's nothing we need to concern ourselves about.

{Screen F, Compass Monitor Machine Closeup}

<Examine Hanging Monitor, 1>
* There are some monitors hanging down from the ceiling here.
<Examine Hanging Monitor, 2>
Junpei: Hey, Clover, why don't you hang off those monitors?
Clover: No way! Why should I have to do something like that?!
Clover: Ooooh, I get it! You're gonna try and sneak a peek inside my underwear,
aren't you?!
Junpei: That's...impossible. How could I see inside them?
Clover: Wha--?! You! You...you pervert! You're a dirty old man!
Junpei: Whoa, hey! Lay off, all right! I'm not an old man!
Clover: You should be saying you're not dirty!
<Examine Hanging Monitor, 3+>
* There are some monitors hanging down from the ceiling here.

<Examine Left Door, 1+>
* That's the door we came through. It's locked now. We can't open it.

<Examine Right Door, 1+>
* That's the exit. We gotta get it open as fast as we can!

<Examine Monitor, 1>
Junpei: This monitor is part of this machine...
Junpei: It's really dim though. It's got a map of the world on it, but I can
barely see it...
Junpei: Umm...
<Examine Monitor, 2>
Junpei: No matter how many times I look at it, all I can see is a map of the
world.
Clover: Hey, Junpei...
Clover: I think we saw a map near the entrance, didn't we?
Clover: Maybe you can compare the map with this thing, and that might tell you
something, right?
Junpei: Near the entrance... All right, let's go take a look.
<Examine Monitor, 3+>
* There's a dim map of the world on here...
* Clover said she saw a map like this near the entrance...
<Examine Monitor after seeing map, before solving puzzle, 1>
* There's a dim map of the world on here...
* I can compare the nautical table I just found with this...
Junpei: I see... Interesting...
* I think I just need to turn this device according to the instructions on the
nautical table.
<Examine Monitor after seeing map, before solving puzzle, 2+>
* There's a dim map of the world on here...
* I think I just need to turn this device according to the instructions on the
nautical table.
<Examine Monitor after solving puzzle before taking emblem, 1+>
* A monitor for this thing. Looks like there's something on the right-hand side
of it...
<Examine Monitor after solving puzzle and taking emblem, 1>
* There's a dim map of the world on here...
<Examine Panel right of monitor, 1> &&& Check dialogue if this is first
investigated
Junpei: It's a sliding panel... Just like the last one...
Junpei: I wonder if there's a plate with an emblem engraved on it in here...
<Examine Panel right of monitor, 2>
* There's a sliding panel on the right side of the monitor.

<Examine Entire Machine, 1+>
* I wonder what the hell this thing is for... There's something on the front
that looks like a compass...
<Examine Entire Machine after solving puzzle before taking emblem, 1+>
* Some sort of huge machine with a compass attached to it. It looks like
there's something to the right of the monitor.
<Examine Entire Machine after solving puzzle and taking emblem, 1+>
* Some sort of huge machine with a compass attached to it.

<Examine Wheel or Compass before finding map, 1>
Clover: Junpei, there's a wheel over here...
Junpei: Ah, that should work like the steering wheel.
Clover: Sterling?
Junpei: No, I'm too poor for that.
Clover: Stealing?
Junpei: That might solve my money problems, but I'd rather not.
Clover: ...
Junpei: Oh, right...
Junpei: You were in the chart room, weren't you?
Junpei: There was a puzzle like this in the wheelhouse.
Junpei: I can figure out how this one works just by looking at that compass.
Junpei: I figure this thing will work just like that other one.
Clover: The other one?
Junpei: I just need to match the directions of the compass with the routes on
the map.
Junpei: I used the steering wheel in the wheelhouse, but this time I think I'm
gonna use the wheel attached to the side here.
Clover: What are the routes?
Junpei: ...
Junpei: I don' t know...
Clover: What the hell...
Junpei: Well, I'll just give it a shot.
Junpei: If it doesn't work, then I'll look for some clues.
Junpei: Okay, let's get started.
* Maybe I oughta run through the instructions.
* This looks like it probably works the same way the steering wheel in the
wheelhouse did.
* If I just touch the direction I want it to turn to, the compass will turn
that direction.
* Then I just gotta press "STOP" when the compass is pointing where I want it
to.
* I'm betting something'll happen if I can do it right...
Junpei: All right, let's do this!
<Examine Wheel or Compass before finding map, 2>
Clover: Junpei, I don't think you're gonna be able to solve it by just plugging
in random stuff...
Junpei: A-Ah, right...
Junpei: I wonder if there's a hint or something that might give us a specific
course...
Junpei: Anyway, let's give it another shot.
* Maybe I should go over the instructions one more time.
* If I just touch the direction I want it to turn to, the compass will turn
that direction.
* Then I just gotta press "STOP" when the compass is pointing where I want it
to.
Junpei: All right, let's give this another shot!
<Examine Wheel or Compass before finding map, 3>
Clover: Junpei, are you just guessing?
Junpei: N-No, of course not...
* Maybe I should go over the instructions one more time.
* If I just touch the direction I want it to turn to, the compass will turn
that direction.
* Then I just gotta press "STOP" when the compass is pointing where I want it
to.
Junpei: All right, let's give this another shot!
<Examine Wheel or Compass before finding map, 4+>
Junpei: I wonder if there's a hint or something that might give us a specific
course...
Junpei: Whatever. Let's try again!
* Maybe I should go over the instructions one more time.
* If I just touch the direction I want it to turn to, the compass will turn
that direction.
* Then I just gotta press "STOP" when the compass is pointing where I want it
to.
Junpei: All right, let's give this another shot!
<Examine Wheel or Compass after finding map, 1> &&& Check if this is only after
attempting without the map several times
Clover: Well, you've got the nautical table, Junpei? The rest oughta be
super-easy then!
Junpei: Yeah, you can count on me!
* Maybe I should go over the instructions one more time.
* If I just touch the direction I want it to turn to, the compass will turn
that direction.
* Then I just gotta press "STOP" when the compass is pointing where I want it
to.
Junpei: All right, let's give this another shot!
<Examine Wheel or Compass after finding map, 2+>
* Maybe I should go over the instructions one more time.
* If I just touch the direction I want it to turn to, the compass will turn
that direction.
* Then I just gotta press "STOP" when the compass is pointing where I want it
to.
Junpei: All right, let's give this another shot!

<Examine Compass after solving puzzle, 1+>
* I already solved a puzzle on this thing. I don't need directions!
<Examine Compass after taking emblem, 1>
* I'm not a compass, so I don't need to worry about directions.
<Examine Compass after taking emblem, 2>
* I'm not an actor, so I don't need to be directed.
<Examine Compass after taking emblem, 3>
* I wonder what sort of dye reaction Zero needed to get Snake's robe to look
like that... It's really quite fetching.
<Examine Compass after taking emblem, 4+>
* The compass. I don't need to bother with that anymore.

<Examine Wheel after solving puzzle, 1+>
* This wheel is attached to this machine. Nothing happens when I turn it.

<Solve Compass Puzzle, 1>
Clover: Yay! You did it, Junpei!
Clover: Good boy! Who's a good boy!
Junpei: Agh! Knock it off!
Seven: Hey, we don't have time for screwin' around right now.
Seven: Check out the right side of the monitor...
Seven: It just kinda slid open, and somethin' came out.
Junpei: Oh...yeah...
Clover: I heard a noise too...
Clover: You know that big box in the hall by the exit?
Clover: I think it made a noise...
Clover: Like something unlocking, you know?
Junpei: A noise, huh...

{Screen G, Warning-labeled Door Closeup}

<Examine Door, 1>
* The metal shutter looks pretty sturdy. It's framed with black and yellow
warning stripes.
Junpei: I've got a bad feeling about this...
Clover: I don't think we're gonna find a relaxing, sunny garden on the other
side of that thing...
Seven: Oh c'mon, what the hell are you so scared of?
Seven: Lemme handle this...
Seven: Hah!
Seven: Hnnnnnnnnnnngggggh!
* ...
Seven: Damnit! Damn thing won't budge.
Snake: I have to admit, I'm very curious about what might be hiding on the
other side...
Junpei: ...
<Examine Door, 2+>
* A sort of shutter. It's locked, and we can't get it open.
<Examine Door after solving compass puzzle, 1>
* The metal shutter looks pretty sturdy. It's framed with black and yellow
warning stripes.
Junpei: All right, let's open it.
* Oh holy shit...
* That is pretty damn creepy.
* There's a coffin in there...
* A coffin... A coffin...
* Oh man... Does Seven think...?
* Yeah, he's all pale.
* He's thinkin' the same thing I am...
Seven: No way... Could this be...
Snake: I'm sorry, but what's going on?
Clover: It's a coffin!
Clover: I wonder if there's a vampire in it...
* Right, I guess Clover and Snake don't know the story...
* Man, I can't bring myself to tell 'em...
Snake: Well, at any rate, let's have a look around.
Junpei: ...

<Examine Coffin, 1>
Junpei: All right! Fine! I'll open it!
* Okay, Junpei, you can do this. It's just a box. It's just a box...
* Oh holy shit this is a coffin. There is going to be something horrible in
there, I just know it.
* Okay, okay. Deep breaths.
* Here we go...
Junpei: ...
Seven: ...
Clover: ...
Seven: Hahahahahahaha...
Seven: Oh man, there's nobody in there...
Seven: Shit, can't believe I was scared of somethin' like that...
Clover: What do you mean "nobody"...? Were you expecting someone to be in
there?
Seven: Eh, it's a long story. Ask Junpei about it sometime.
Clover: ?
* Well, just like Seven said, there's nobody in there.
* There is something in there, though.
* Well, 2 somethings, actually.
Junpei: What is that...?

<Reopen Coffin before taking items, 1+>
* There's something down there on the bottom...
<Reopen Coffin after taking items, 1+>
* There's nothing in the coffin anymore.

<Examine Coffin bottom half before taking items, 1+>
* There are 2 things on the bottom of the coffin.
<Examine Coffin bottom half after taking items, 1+>
* There's nothing in the coffin anymore.

<Examine 2 items in coffin, 1>
* There are 2 things on the bottom of the coffin.
Seven: Looks like we've got a plate with an emblem on it, and...
Clover: The [Neptune key]!
Clover: Yes! We finally found it!
Clover: Now we can get through the hallway!
Snake: That's correct, Clover, but we do need to get out of this room first,
you know?
Clover: Yeah, yeah... I know...
Clover: Okay! Let's get the hell out of here as quickly as possible!
Junpei: I don't have any objections to that.
* I don't think we'll use the [Neptune key] in this room.
* It's really important, though, so I'll keep it in my pocket for now.
* As far as this other thing goes...

{Screen H, Metal Cabinet Closeup}

<Examine Cabinet before taking paper, 1+>
* There are some pieces of red paper on the middle shelf of the cabinet.
<Examine Cabinet after taking paper, 1+>
* There's nothing left in the cabinet.

<Examine Red Paper, 1>
Junpei: There's something written on these pieces of paper...
Junpei: Looks like we've got 3 sheets of the stuff.

{Screen I, Ceiling TV-Screens Closeup}

<Examine Light, 1+>
* Fluorescent bulbs fill the room with harsh, white light.

<Examine Pipe, 1+>
* The pipe.

<Examine Monitors, 1+>
* These monitors hang down from the ceiling. Each screen shows a room on the
ship.

{Screen J, Exit Door Closeup}

<Examine Door, 1+>
* This thick metal door is blocking our way out. It's locked, and I can't get
it to open.
<Examine Door after unlocking, 1>
Junpei: All right! Let's go!
(To "aed1", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine Card Reader, 1>
* The card reader. It says "LOCK".
* I'm not gonna be able to open this door until I find the card that goes to
this thing.
<Examine Card Reader, 2+>
* The card reader. It says "LOCK".
<Examine Card Reader with key card 0 unequipped, 1+>
* I've got the card for this thing. What am I waiting for?
<Examine Card Reader with key card 0 equipped, 1>
* All right, let's just swipe this card...
Clover: Junpei, look! It's unlocked!
Seven: Yeah! Now we can go back to the library!
Snake: Hurry up, Junpei! We don't have time!
Snake: Let's go!
<Examine Card Reader after unlocking exit, 1+>
* The card reader. It says "OPEN".

{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search coffin emblem, 1>
* A metal plate shaped like a shield.
* It has a sort of cross-hatch pattern on it, like a waffle.
Junpei: The waffle pattern looks just like the lid of the coffin...
<Search coffin emblem, 2+>
* This thing has a pattern just like the one on the coffin.

<Search helm emblem, 1>
* A metal plate shaped like a shield.
* There's a symbol that looks like a steering wheel engraved on it.
<Search helm emblem, 2+>
* This thing has what looks like a steering wheel engraved on it.

<Search code emblem, 1>
* A metal plate shaped like a shield.
* It has some sort of weird pattern engraved on it... I don't know how to
describe it.
* Considering where I found it, it's probably a code.
<Search code emblem, 2+>
* This has a pattern engraved on it that is probably a code of some sort.

<Search cross emblem, 1>
* A metal plate shaped like a shield.
* There's a cross engraved on it.
<Search cross emblem, 2+>
* This thing has a cross carved on it.

<Search key card 0, 1>
* A key card with a [0] in the middle of it.
Junpei: Zero... Zero...
* Goddamnit... Zero's just screwing with us, isn't he?!
<Search key card 0, 2+>
* The zero card. Maybe...

==========================
{a42d.a} File #26
::Study::
-Upon inspecting picture in drawer under 3 monitors-
-Seven's memories, Tragedy 9 years prior: True Ending part 2-

Junpei: A...picture?

In the drawer was a single picture.
He picked it up.
It was a photograph of 4 men.
Involuntarily, Junpei's eyebrows shot up.
He'd seen 3 of them before.
On the right was a man with a moustache...
The same man they'd found, murdered, in the captain's quarters.
He'd been wearing the (0) bracelet when they found him.
2nd from the left was a man wearing glasses and a doctor's coat...
He was the 9th Man, the one who'd worn bracelet number (9).
He had gone into door [5] alone and met an unpleasant end.
Finally, the man on the very left... The man in the pin-stripe suit...

Junpei: Oh man... That's Ace.
Seven: Yeah, I guess it is...
Clover: No doubt about it.

Seven and Clover had come to peer over Junpei's shoulders.
But...what did it mean? What was Ace doing in the picture?
Perhaps more importantly, why were the 9th Man and Cap in it as well?
As Junpei looked closer, he noticed the expression on each man's face.
Their smiles suggested that they were close, at least to some degree.
But why? How?
What was the relationship between these 4 men...
Snake's voice broke into Junpei's thoughts.

Snake: You say Ace is in that picture?
Junpei: Yeah. It doesn't look like it was taken recently, though.
Junpei: Ace, the 9th Man, and Cap all look about 10 years younger.
Snake: Ah, so the 9th Man and the man you found murdered in the captain's
quarter are also on the picture?
Junpei: Yeah.
Snake: Is there anyone else? Or are there only 3 people in the picture? I'm
afraid I can't see it.
Junpei: No, there's 1 more guy.
Junpei: He's got kinda long hair. He looks smart, but a little cold.
Junpei: He's the only one I don't recognize...
Snake: Hmm...

Snake knit his eyebrows.

Snake: What's the date of the photograph?
Junpei: It doesn't have one.
Snake: Did you look on the back?
Junpei: The back...?
Snake: Yes. The reverse. The other side.

Junpei flipped the picture over.
There it was.
To be precise, it wasn't a date, but it was certainly significant.
He read it out loud, so that Snake would not be left in the dark.

Junpei: "Praying for the success of the Nonary Project"
Junpei: "with Nijisaki, Kubota, and Musashidou..."

Nonary Project... Nijisaki... Kubota... Musashidou...
Junpei immediately flipped the picture back over.
That meant that the 4 men in the picture had run the Nonary Game 9 years ago.
Only Hongou had not been mentioned on the back, which, Junpei felt, meant he
had written those words himself.
But what surprised Junpei was not this revelation, but the fact that it felt
nothing like a revelation. It felt...obvious.
That their true identities did not come as a surprise was what Junpei found
most surprising.
Why, then? Why wasn't he surprised?
Junpei had just discovered that Ace had run the Nonary Project, but...
He felt no spark of excitement, or surprise. Nothing.
It was almost as if he'd already known...

Snake: Ah... Of course. I understand now.

Junpei looked over at Snake. In his own confusion, he had missed the dark look
on the other man's face.

Snake: Ace was the CEO of Cradle Pharmaceutical...
Snake: He was the one who invented the game 9 years ago... He was [Gentarou
Hongou].
Junpei: Ace is...Hongou?

Even as he asked, Junpei felt as though he'd already known.
It was as if someone had whispered into his head that, yes, of course Ace was
Hongou.

Snake: I had my suspicions from the beginning.
Snake: Their voices were familiar... Too familiar to be a coincidence.
Snake: I could never forget his voice. It was the voice of the devil.
Snake: I couldn't be sure, though.
Snake: After all, I had no way to check. I certainly couldn't ask him.
Snake: Even if I had known, however, I would never have told you.
Snake: Zero made it quite clear what would have happened if I did.
Clover: Oh my gosh, I had no idea!
Snake: ...Huh?
Clover: I didn't know that Ace was Hongou!
Snake: Oh, yes, I suppose you wouldn't have.
Snake: 9 years ago, you were in Building Q in Nevada.
Snake: But Hongou was in the Gigantic with us.
Clover: I know. That's why I didn't know what Hongou looked like.
Clover: But...why? Why didn't you tell me?
Clover: I mean, I'm your sister, right? You coulda told me...
Snake: I'm sorry. I apologize for keeping this from you.
Snake: But if I'd told you, Clover, you would have told everyone else.
Snake: And if you did, then I would have been forced to tell them about what
happened 9 years ago.
Snake: I had to prevent that.

Clover and Snake's conversation wasn't of particular interest to Junpei.
He still couldn't make sense out of his strange feelings of knowledge...
He was trying to organize his thoughts when he heard Seven's voice.

Seven: Hey, Junpei. You think I could borrow that picture for a sec?

He had no reason to say no, so Junpei handed the picture over.
Seven stared at the picture, and began to mutter the 4 names of the project's
leaders over and over to himself.

Seven: Hongou... Kubota... Nijisaki... Musashidou...

His brow was furrowed and his face was flushed.

Seven: Hongou... Kubota... Nijisaki... Musashidou...

He chanted their names to himself, pacing back and forth across the floor.

Seven: Hongou... Kubota... Nijisaki... Musashidou...

Seven shouldn't have known their names.
After all, he hadn't been there when Junpei and Snake had spoken of them in the
library.
But as Junpei watched him pace, it was clear that he did know them...

Junpei: Hey, Seven... Do you--
Seven: Shut it! Just...just be quiet!

His eyes were red, and Junpei could see sweat beginning to bead on his
forehead.

Seven: I'm this close to remembering! This close...!

He was sweating heavily now, but his lips were dry.

Seven: Hongou... Kubota... Nijisaki... Musashidou...
Seven: Cradle Pharmaceutical... Nonary Project...

Then he stopped.
Seven set down the picture and looked at the red light near his feet.
His eyes narrowed.
Then suddenly his eyes went wide, and he shot up straight.

Seven: Shit...
Junpei: What?
Clover: What's wrong?
Seven: Holy shit... This is nuts...
Junpei: Um... What's nuts?
Seven: I remember...
Clover: Remember what...?
Seven: Everything...
Junpei: Everything...?
Seven: Yeah...yeah! I remember all of it!
Seven: My memory's back!
Seven: I remember what happened before I got snatched!

Seven's voice was filled with excitement.
Shock and excitement had frozen Junpei in place, along with Snake and Clover.

Seven: Lemme tell you what happened.

Seven hastily drew a shaking hand across his mouth, and began to speak.

Seven: Like Snake said, Ace is Hongou.
Seven: From the right, the other 3 are Musashidou, Nijisaki, and Kubota.
Seven: Musashidou was the man with the cash.
Seven: Nijisaki was Hongou's right hand man, and Kubota developed the actual
technical details of the experiments.

Realization began to dawn on Junpei, along with a pressing question.

Junpei: How do you know all this?
Seven: C'mon man, I told you. I finally got my memory back!
Junpei: No, that's not what I mean.
Junpei: I'm trying to ask you why you knew all this stuff in the first place,
before you forgot it.

Seven rubbed the scar on his chin.

Seven: You really wanna know?
Junpei: Of course!
Clover: Me too!

Snake was the only one who didn't voice any sort of agreement.
It looked to Junpei as if he was simply waiting, to see where Seven's sudden
recovery might take them.

Seven: This's gonna take a while. Hell, it'll probably take me a good 3 days to
tell you everything...
Clover: Well, we don't have 3 days.
Junpei: Just give us the short version, all right?
Seven: Short version, huh...

The big man pulled off his hat and scratched his head.
He made a face and put his hat back on.

Seven: All right, fine. I'll give it a shot. No promises, though.

Junpei and Clover nodded earnestly.
...
...
Seven was a lone-wolf detective, who valued his own code over the rules, doing
what was right over doing what you were told.
That was why, on that fateful day, he'd gone with his gut, and gone to the
wharf at night on a slim lead.
It was 9 years ago. The wharf had been dark and cold and foreboding.
At the time, he'd been investigating a spate of kidnappings, all of them
children.
They'd all had one thing in common... A history of visits to one particular
hospital.
The hospital had been under the management of Cradle Pharmaceutical, and
Seven's investigation had turned up evidence that Cradle had been involved in
the kidnappings.
After a little persuasion, he'd managed to finally get a real lead from someone
inside Cradle Pharmaceutical...
They'd told him that, that night, a ship was set to take the children from
where they were being held to a large passenger liner docked offshore.
Seven had, of course, gone to the wharf.
Hidden in the shadows, he'd searched the harbor until at last he found the ship
he was looking for.
There were a number of human shapes moving near the ship. They were men in
black suits. Many of them were carrying large bags.
The bags... There was something about the way they moved as they were
carried... There could be no mistake: There were human beings in those bags.
He had moved before he even realized he was going to.
Out of the shadows he came, his gun already in his hand.
He heard the words "Don't move", but they weren't his.
He felt metal touch the back of his head.
"Drop your gun," came the cold voice from behind him. "I could kill you right
now. It would mean nothing at all. I need only tie an anchor to your feet and I
doubt anyone will see you for perhaps a week or so." 
"Is that what you'd like? The fish here would be thankful for the meal..."
With the words, he felt the cold metal thing behind him press against his
skull.
Slowly, Seven crouched down, and laid his gun on the ground.
Then suddenly--
He felt a sharp pain in his neck. ...A needle.
Was it...some sort of drug?
As he was thinking about that, Seven felt his face hit the cold concrete
beneath him.
He could feel the chill of it seeping into him.
...
...
"Ugh... Damnit! Shit, my head hurts..."
Seven woke to find himself lying on a hard floor.
He twisted his neck to peer around the room.
"Where am I..."
There was a small, shabby bed, and a dirty sink.
A toilet with no stall or privacy of any sort...
As a cop, it was a place Seven had seen all too often.
"I'm in a cell, huh."
Opposite the toilet was a door set into the wall.
Seven struggled to his feet and hobbled toward it.
He gave the door a good shove, then another. Then tried pulling it.
It didn't open.
Well, that was about what he'd expected. It wasn't likely that someone would
put him in a cell only to leave it unlocked.
He threw himself against the door a few times, but to no avail.
"I knew it..."
Seven grumbled to himself as he moved back toward the bed. He sat down.
...
...
He sat there for a very long time. Just how long, he wasn't sure.
At last, he began to nod off, and had nearly fallen asleep when he was roused
by a distant voice.
"There...s! Over...! It's...9....!"
The voice was far away--very far away. Seven couldn't understand what it was
saying.
Nonetheless, it was a voice, and a high one--most likely a child.
His eyes shot open.
"Hur...! O...ere!" "...kay...ing!"
As he listened, he could pick out several different, distinct voices.
There were at least 5 or 6, possibly more...
Where were the voices coming from?!
He looked around the room, frantically.
Perhaps the door?
No! That wasn't it!
"What...go...ow?"
Was it coming from the left? Was it coming from...under the bed...?
He grabbed the bed and flipped it up with ease.
There it was.
There was a hole for ventilation in the wall where the bed had been, covered
with a metal grate.
Seven lay down on his stomach and peered through the grate. He couldn't see
anything... It was too dark.
Now that he'd found it, however, there could be no doubt--this was the source
of the voices.
For a moment he was confused. Why were there children nearby?
Then he remembered what the man from Cradle Pharmaceutical had told him...
How a ship would take the kidnapped children from the wharf to a waiting
passenger liner out in the ocean...
Was Seven...on that passenger liner?
...
It didn't matter. What mattered was that he find a way to the children.
Seven looked at the metal grate.
Could he fit through that hole...?
He stuck his fingers through the grate and grabbed hold of it.
"Hhhhggh!" "Urrrrgghhh!" "UuuuurrrrrrrRRRRGGGHHH!"
"Hrrrraah--!"
"*Pant* *Pant* *Pant*... Yeah! How'dya like that, you son-of-a-bitch!"
The dark square sat open before him.
Seven wiped the sweat from his forehead and crawled inside.
The first section of the duct was small--Seven could do little more than
wriggle along on his belly.
After a time, however, it got a little larger, and even someone as large as
Seven was able to crawl along on his hands and knees.
He felt like he'd grown from an inchworm to an insect. Not much of an
improvement, but it was better than nothing.
He'd begun to wonder where the duct would take him, when--
There was a thunderous sound, like a massive metal door slamming shut.
Then he heard a voice.
Warning.
Warning.
Emergency incineration command has been acknowledged.
Automatic incineration will take place in... 18 minutes.
Please evacuate the incinerator immediately.
Repeat...
Emergency incineration command has been acknowledged.
The voice wasn't harsh, but something about the calm with which it spoke made
it even more terrifying.
Seven wasn't sure what it meant, but "incinerator" certainly didn't sound good.
Then, almost as if to confirm his suspicions, he heard a chorus of young
voices.
"Nooooo!"
"Help me!"
Many of the voices were simply screaming in terror, mixing with one another to
create a single, horrifying howl.
"Damnit! What the hell is going on here?!"
Seven began to crawl along the duct as fast as his arms and legs would carry
him.
The noise he made was tremendous, but he was long past caring.
A few moments later, a metal door appeared on the left side of the duct.
Seven could hear the screams of the children from the other side of it.
This was it! He grabbed hold of the handle and threw the door open. The old
metal gave way easily before his onslaught.
"What the... What the hell is this place?!"
The room he was looking out into had a dome for a ceiling, and 9 equally-sized
walls.
At the top of the dome was an upside-down funnel.
It looked almost like a...chimney...
Then he looked down...There they were. The children he'd been looking for.
They stared up at Seven, their cries silenced--for the moment--by surprise and
fear.
Whether they were scared of the room or him, Seven couldn't tell. It was
certainly possible that they were frightened of both.
"Not that I could blame, 'em, running into a mug like this when they're already
scared shitless..."
He permitted himself a short snort of a laugh, then turned to the children
again.
"Don't worry, kids! I'm not your enemy! I'm one'a the good guys!"
Not a single one of them moved.
Except for one. He was a boy, slightly older than the others, in a private
school uniform.
"Who the hell are you?"
As he spoke, he took a tentative step forward, and gave Seven a suspicious
look.
"I'm a detective. I'm here to rescue you."
The moment the words were out of his mouth, he could see the children relax.
"How are you gonna help us?" the boy in the uniform asked.
"Where's the exit," Seven responded.
"There isn't one. The doors we came in through won't open, and the door over
there--"
He cut himself off, considered something, and then continued.
"Anyway, there's no point! We can't all get ouf of here! If we don't get out of
here, we're gonna be burned to death!"
"Burned to death...?"
"Can't you hear it? That voice said the incinerator's gonna start up soon!"
The voice spoke again.
Automatic incineration will take place in... 
...15 minutes.
15 minutes. They only had 15 minutes.
Seven looked back down at the children.
It was a good 20 or 30 feet to the floor... There was no way he could pull the
children up.
That was when he had an idea.
"Wait right there! I'm gonna be right back!"
"What?!" "Wh-Where is he going!?" "Are you just going to leave us here?!" 
Seven did his best to smile what he felt was a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, all right? I'll be back, I promise. So just stay calm, and wait
right there. Got it?"
He didn't wait to hear them respond. There wasn't time.
He ran, as fast as a man could run on his hands and knees.
Before long, he was back in his cell.
He was back where he had started, but he had a plan. There was something there
that he needed.
As soon as he was finished, he dove back into the duct, and took off toward the
incinerator.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, guys."
Leaning out of the door in the duct, Seven lowered the rope he'd brought to the
floor of the incinerator.
Back in the cell, he'd torn the bed sheets into strips, and tied them together
to make a rope. Like Seven himself, it wasn't very attractive, but it got the
job done.
"All right, just tie that around yourself, okay?! I'll pull you up one at a
time."
"Right!"
"...Huh? Wait a sec..."
That was when he noticed.
"There were more'a you before! Where'd the rest of you go?!"
The boy in the uniform answered.
"I let them go on ahead! We opened the number [9] door and they left!"
"What?! You're tellin' me you opened that door?!"
"That's what I said!"
"Then what the hell are you doing here?!"
"We couldn't go with them!"
"Why not?!"
"Look, the only people who can go through the numbered door--"
Automatic incineration will take place in...
...5 minutes.
The voice reverberated against the walls of the room.
"Look, that can wait, all right?! Just get us out of here!"
"R-Right!"
Seven grabbed ahold of the rope.
1st up was a girl with a ponytail. Next was the girl with a red necktie,
followed by a boy in a jacket who said he'd climb up on his own.
The last up was the boy in the uniform.
Like the boy in the jacket, he climbed up the rope himself.
He'd looked scrawny from above, but his looks belied impressive strength. He
scaled the rope quickly, but as he was almost to Seven--
They heard the sound of someone knocking. All eyes turned to the door.
Cut into it was a thick, square window.
On the other side, they could see a furious face.
"Goddamnit! What's going on here?! Why is the room empty! Where the hell are
those fucking kids!?"
The door opened, and a man stepped in, looking half mad with fury.
Seven recognized his face. He'd seen him many times in photos during his
investigation.
The man's name... ...Was [Gentarou Hongou]. The CEO of Cradle Pharmaceutical.
Hongou saw the boy hanging from the rope.
"GrrrrrraaaaaaaaGGGGHHHHHH!"
He roared like an animal, and lunged for the rope.
"Hurry!"
"I know!"
The boy in the uniform resumed his scramble up the rope.
"You son of a bitch! Get back here, you little shit!"
He was 15 feet away...10... The moment he came within arm's reach, Seven
grabbed the boy in the uniform.
With a jerk, he tossed him into the duct behind him.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Hongou had lost any semblance of control.
His face no longer looked human. It was twisted into something terrifying--the
visage of a devil, or a ferocious monster.
Seven quickly reeled in his rope, leaving a furious Hongou on the floor of the
room, and crawled back into the duct.
"You fucking bastard! You won't get away with this! How dare you compromise
this experiment?!"
"What experiment?" Seven wondered.
Automatic incineration will take place in...
...1 minute.
"Hey, old man! What the hell are you doing?! Hurry up!"
It was the boy in the uniform.
Seven tossed Hongou a taunting salute, and pulled the door closed.
There was no point to going back to Seven's cell, so they continued down the
duct in the other direction.
After 30 feet or so, another duct met theirs, heading down.
They nodded at one another, then turned and slid down the duct.
A short time later, they crawled out of the duct to find themselves in a narrow
hallway.
There was a door on each side of it.
The one on the left was a normal double door.
...But the one on the right was a familiar thick, metal door, with black and
yellow stripes and a device next to it on the wall.
On the door was a plate that read "INCINERATOR".
"Then...that's where we were?"
"Yeah... Hongou might still be there. It looks like it's been shut off,
though..."
"Wait, what?! If he's still in there--"
"Yeah, that's not good!"
"Ugh..."
Seven grunted.
"Fine, the other door! Go into the other door! Hurry!"
The children began to run, with Seven following close behind them.
On the other side of the door was a large spiral staircase.
"Run!" Seven shouted.
They didn't need to be told twice.
Up and up and up they went.
Their feet pounded against the steps, and their arms churned the air.
Round and round and round they went, like a human tornado.
...
The stairway kept going...
They'd passed a couple of rooms that looked to be dance halls when the boy in
the uniform spoke.
"*Pant* *Pant* *Pant*... Something's up... Akane's not catching up to us."
Akane?
"My kid sister. The girl with the red necktie."
Akane? That was strange...
Seven didn't remember seeing that name in the list of children who'd gone
missing...
"Hey! Akane!"
He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled.
There was no response.
"Maybe we out-ran her..."
Suddenly, the boy in the uniform stopped short.
Seven stopped too, as did the boy in the jacket and the ponytailed girl.
"When did we do that?"
"Well, we passed a couple big rooms on the way here. Maybe she took a rest on
one of 'em?"
"No, that's impossible..."
"Sorry grandpa, you keep going. I gotta go look for her downstairs!"
He turned to go--
"Hey! Kid! Wait! Goddamnit, I said wait!"
The boy didn't even seem to hear him.
"Fuck!" Seven spun around and yelled to the boy in the jacket and the girl with
the ponytail.
"I'm goin' after him! You 2 keep going, all right? You got it!?"
The girl nodded, and began to run up the stairs. The boy, however...
"I'm going with you."
"..."
Seven didn't have time to argue. Instead, he simply nodded, and took off down
the stairs. The boy in the jacket followed.
They ran all the way to the bottom floor, calling for her. Akane was nowhere to
be found.
"Goddamnit! Where the hell did she go?!"
The boy in the uniform couldn't hide his frustration.
"Help me! Somebody, help me!"
It was a girl's voice.
"Akane!"
The boy in the uniform threw open the door, and leapt into the hallway that
faced the incinerator.
Seven and the boy in the jacket followed.
Seven couldn't believe what he saw.
Hongou had grabbed Akane by the arm, and was doing his utmost to force her into
the incinerator.
"Come on, goddamnit! Move!"
"No, I don't want to! Let me go! Please, let go of me!"
She had planted her feet squarely on the floor, and was doing her best to get
away, but Hongou was much larger than she was. She wasn't going to win.
"Akane!" the boy in the uniform shouted.
He roared with anger, and charged toward Hongou.
"You came back!"
"Ha! You're too late, idiot!"
Hongou lifted Akane bodily from her feet, and threw her, struggling, into the
incinerator.
"Aaaaaah!"
Before Seven or the boy in the uniform could react, Hongou leapt through the
door after her.
They saw him land inside--And then the door slammed shut, with the finality of
a great steel guillotine.
The 3 of them ran to the door.
They pulled and strained, trying desperately to get it to open...
"GrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaAAAAAAA! Fuck! It's no use! The goddamn thing won't move an
inch!"
The boy in the uniform cried out, and began to slam his fists against the door.
He hit it with such force, Seven feared his knuckles would shatter from the
impact.
"Akane! Akane! Are you okay?!"
"Help me!" Her voice was muffled by the door, but the sheer terror in it was
unmistakable.
"What should I do?! I-I think I'm trapped in here!"
"Where's Hongou!?"
"He went out the other door!"
"Wh-What!?"
Warning.
Warning.
Emergency incineration command has been acknowledged.
Automatic incineration will take place in... 18 minutes.
Please evacuate the incinerator immediately.
Repeat...
Emergency incineration command has been acknowledged.
"Are you fucking kidding me..."
Seven was at a loss.
"It's the same damn thing..."
"Are you there?!" Akane's voice sounded close to tears.
"Yeah, we're here! Just hang on, all right! We're gonna figure out a way to
save you!"
If she could have seen the bloodless face of the boy in the uniform, his words
would have seemed like little more than a sick joke.
Automatic incineration will take place in...
...17 minutes.
"Please! Please help me! I'm really really scared! I don't want to die! Please,
I don't want to die! I don't want to die..."
"It's gonna be all right! I'll figure something out, I promise! I promise,
okay? You hear me? I promise!"
They could hear her muffled sobs from the other side of the door.
The boy in the uniform tightened his fists. His knuckles were a bloodless
white. Seven could tell that he was holding back tears of his own.
...
...

It was silent. All they could hear was the creaking of the boat as it shifted
in the water.
They waited. And waited. But Seven didn't continue.

Junpei: Uh... What happened then...?

Junpei couldn't wait any longer. He had to know.
Seven looked at the floor.

Seven: C'mon man... Put yourself in my shoes. It doesn't end good. You think I
wanna remember that?
Junpei: Then...
Seven: Yeah.
Seven: Shit... If I'd known it was gonna be like this... I almost wish I hadn't
remembered...

Seven shook his head.
But there was something Junpei had to know.

Junpei: Hey...um... Are you...sure?
Seven: Huh?
Junpei: Look, I don't wanna ask this either, but...
Junpei: There's...there's something I don't get...
Seven: ...
Junpei: So if you could just...tell me...
Junpei: Did that girl Akane really...

Seven stared straight ahead at nothing.

Seven: Yeah. I'm sure.
Seven: There wasn't anything we could do... After a while, the countdown
ended...
Seven: And we heard something...burning...
Seven: We...

Even after the fire stopped, they couldn't move.
Seven and the boy in the jacket simply stood where they were, frozen. The boy
in the uniform collapsed, falling to the floor in a jumble of limbs like a
puppet whose strings had been cut.
A few more minutes passed.
The door opened.
The boy in the uniform ran in, stumbling over his own feet.
Seven and the boy in the jacket followed, still too numb to speak.
The air in the incinerator was hot.
Every breath made Seven's lungs feel like they were on fire.
The air shimmered with heat.
And in the middle of the room, beneath the waves of heat... There it lay.
The boy in the uniform walked toward it, his legs shaking violently. Seven
couldn't see his face, but his body looked somehow empty.
Finally he reached it. The boy collapsed to his knees, his legs no longer able
to support him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Junpei felt a cold lump form in the pit of his stomach.
A feeling of sickening anticipation washed over him. He could feel his body
shivering.
He desperately did not want to know the answer he feared he knew already, but
he had to ask. He had to know for sure.

Junpei: Um... Can I ask you one more thing?
Seven: What?
Junpei: The girl... Akane... What was her last name?
Seven: What does it matter to you?
Junpei: Just...just tell me, okay? Please...

Seven looked at Junpei curiously, and ran his tongue quickly over his dry lips.

Seven: Kurashiki. Her name was Akane Kurashiki.

Something inside of Junpei stopped.
He had no more words left. He had no more Junpei left. He was just a shell of
flesh and bone.
Seven turned to Snake.

Seven: You were there that day, weren't you?
Seven: The tall kid in the jacket... That was you, wasn't it?
Snake: Yes, I was. You are correct, detective.

Junpei's mind was blank, withdrawn from the world.
Somewhere far away, he could hear Seven and Snake talking.

Snake: Don't misunderstand me.
Snake: I told you before how Zero threatened me. There was nothing I could do.
Snake: I couldn't say anything about what happened 9 years ago.
Seven: So you're saying you're not workin' for Zero, right?
Snake: Of course not.
Seven: Clover...? What about you...?
Clover: H-Hey... C'mon! You really think I'm working with Zero?!
Clover: I told you before, you idiot! I was in Nevada, in Building Q!
Clover: I did hear that a detective rescued the kids on the boat, but...
Clover: I didn't know it was you...

Her surprise seemed to be genuine.
Seven regarded Clover for a moment, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Seven: Hm. Well, I guess I believe you.

Clover nodded.

Seven: All right, lemme ask you another question.

He stuck his hands into his pockets and took a few steps.
Then he stopped, and turned to face them again.

Seven: Santa's real name is [Aoi Kurashiki].
Seven: He's Akane's brother.
Seven: You know that?

...
...

Clover: N-No! No, I didn't! Did you?!
Snake: Well... Yes, I know Aoi Kurashiki was her brother.
Snake: But I didn't know he was Santa, at least not from the beginning.
Snake: 9 years ago, he was in the middle of puberty. His voice is entirely
different now.
Snake: I'm ashamed to say that even my exceptional hearing wasn't able to make
that connection.
Snake: As such, I had no reason to think Santa was Aoi...
Seven: When did you figure it out?
Snake: A short time ago, Clover told me that Santa might have been one of the
subjects of the initial experiment.
Snake: When she told me that, I had a...feeling.

Santa is Aoi!? Akane Kurashiki--June's brother!?
That spark caught flame in Junpei's leaden mind, and the fog began to clear.
Like an engine beginning to turn, images and thoughts began to coalesce in his
mind, coming faster and faster, forming bigger images; bigger thoughts--
Junpei blinked. He was back.

Junpei: There's still a lot we don't know.
Junpei: I mean, like, a lot a lot.
Junpei: But...there is one thing I think we can say we know.
Seven: What's that?
Junpei: The body we found in the shower room had to be [Nijisaki], dressed up
to look like Snake.
Seven: What...?
Junpei: C'mon man... What kind of a detective are you? You didn't figure that
out already?
Seven: Hey, go easy on me, man. I just got my memory back, all right...? Cut me
some slack...
Junpei: Hmm...
Junpei: Well, if he is, the 3 murders make sense then, don't they?
Junpei: Yeah, that's right. Murder. [Kubota] blew himself up, but that was
murder too.
Junpei: So why did these murders take place...
Snake: If Junpei is correct, and the body in the shower room was Nijisaki's...
Snake: That means all of the people who were murdered were involved with the
creation of the Nonary Project.

[Kubota] - The person who conducted the actual experiments.
[Nijisaki] - Hongou's assistant.
[Musashidou] - The man who financed the project.

Clover: You mean this was all just revenge?
Clover: Santa is Zero... He's getting revenge for the death of his sister...
Junpei: No, I don't think Santa actually murdered anyone.

In fact, Junpei didn't think--he knew.
He couldn't explain why, or how, but he had no doubt that Santa had killed no
one.
Perhaps the madness of the last several hours was finally driving him insane,
but Junpei had ceased to be surprised at his sudden knowledge, and had even
begun to accept it.

Junpei: If I'm right, then it's not hard to figure out who the next victim's
gonna be, is it?
Junpei: I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell you...

Snake, Clover, and Seven all nodded.

Snake: The next target will be Gentarou Hongou.
Clover: The person who planned the Nonary Project.
Seven: In other words...Ace...

There was a moment of silence--
And then the room shook.
From far away, they heard the sudden rush of water.

Seven: Whoa! What the hell's going on here?!
Snake: It must be 6 a.m. Our time is up.
Seven: Shit!
Junpei: C'mon! We need to get outta here!
Clover: How?!

In the drawer that had held the picture was a key card.
Junpei grabbed it.

Junpei: I'm betting this sucker opens the exit!
Junpei: C'mon! Let's go!

(Return to investigation)
(To skip to True Ending part 3, to "aed1", replacing quotations with braces {}
)

====================

{c21e.1}
(Continued after Door [3])

They stood in front of the elevators next to the stairs that led to the casino
and the kitchen.
Between the 2 elevators was a card reader with the Mercury symbol engraved on
it.
Junpei stood in front of it with the [Mercury key card]...
He'd found the card while investigating the shower room.
He took a deep breath and slid the card through the reader.
It made a small beep, and the lights on the reader blinked to life.
Now, they were ready.
7 people, including Junpei, climbed onto the elevator.
There were only 2 floor buttons they could push...
The "C" and "Bottom" buttons.
The rest were destroyed or did nothing when pushed.
Junpei hit the "Bottom" button.
The door closed. Slowly, they began to move downward.
Some time later, all 7 of them stepped off the elevator and onto the [Bottom
Deck].
They stepped off, and saw that the hallway to their right ended somewhere
between 20 and 25 feet from them.
The hallway in front of them was a dead end...
But not a regular dead end.

June: This is a numbered door... 
Junpei: Yeah...  It's door [2].

Immediately they began to discuss who would go through it.
Their earlier experiences had shown them that they would meet again, regardless
of which numbered doors they took. As a result, there were no arguments this
time.
Instead, they concerned themselves with who would be sent in to investigate
what was beyond the door.
The first to volunteer was Seven. Junpei followed suit, which meant Lotus was,
by default, the 3rd member.
5 + 7 + 8 = 20 -> 2 + 0 = 2

Junpei: All right, we're taking off.
June: Okay. Please be careful.
Seven: Jesus, you 2 are acting like you're married, you know that?

June blushed. So did Junpei.
Perhaps in an attempt to hide his emotions, he quickly turned away to pull the
lever on the RED.
The door opened. As they'd come to expect, there appeared to be a short hallway
on the other side.

Lotus: All right, let's go!

Lotus was the first through the door.
Seven was next, and Junpei brought up the rear.

(Continued at "c31b")

===========================================
===========================================
{c31b} File #58
:Bottom Deck:
-Entering door [2]-
===========================================

(If went through Door [7] or [8], to "c31b.1")
(If went through Door [3], to "c31b.2")

{c31b.1}

Junpei: My choice...is door [2].

Santa was unconvinced.

Santa: Hey, wait a minute there. You cheatin'?
Junpei: Cheating...?
Santa: I'm asking if you changed your number after you heard what doors we
wanted.
Junpei: How could I do that? I wrote it down on the paper earlier.
Santa: Lemme see that.

Junpei shrugged and handed it to him.
Santa examined it furiously. The others peered at it as well.
As they did, Junpei quickly slipped the piece of paper he'd been hiding into
his pocket.
Although he'd never know it now, Santa had been justified in his suspicions.
Junpei had switched papers.
He had prepared 3 pieces of paper, for doors [1], [2], and [6], and put the
paper with "Door 6" on it into the pot. He put a small mark on it, so that he
would know which one was his.
He kept the "1" paper hidden in his left hand, and the "2" paper hidden in his
right. Then he just made sure he didn't read his paper until the end.
The rest was easy.
If he wanted to go into door [1], he'd use his left hand, and his right hand if
he wanted door [2].
Of course, if he wanted door [6], that would be simple. All he needed to do was
switch nothing, and say 6 had been what he wanted all along.

Junpei: Well? What does it say?

He fought the urge to smirk.

Santa: Hmph... You got lucky.

Santa snorted, and tossed the paper aside, frustrated.

Seven: All right...
Seven: So we know who's going through door [2].
Seven: It'll be me, Lotus, and Junpei.

7 + 8 + 5 = 20 

Seven: The only problem's the other 2 teams.
Santa: June and I want door [6].
Ace: Clover and I choose door [1].
June: That's not good...
June: We can't open either of those doors with only 2 people...
Santa: ...
Ace: ...
June: ...

Everyone was silent.
Then suddenly, Clover spoke, her face blank and cold.

Clover: Why don't Santa and June go into door [1]? With Ace...

They looked at one another.
3 + 6 + 1 = 10 -> 1 + 0 = 1
Finally, Ace spoke.

Ace: Then what will you do, Clover?
Clover: I'll be...waiting. At the stairs...
Clover: You guys are coming back here, right? That's what Seven was saying,
wasn't it?

That had been what Seven said...

Seven: 'Til we find that [9] door, Zero ain't gonna split us up.
Seven: We might get separated for a little while, but we'll see each other
again.
Seven: Otherwise, we can't open door [9].
Seven: That's how the Nonary Game works.
Clover: I'm sorry, but I just wanna be by myself for a while... You understand,
right?

There was no emotion on her face, but it was drawn and pale, and her eyes were
red.
No one had the heart to contradict her.
The room grew very quiet. Silence drifted down over everything like a blanket
of fresh snow.
It was Santa who finally spoke.

Santa: All right. I'm going through door [1].
Santa: That all right with you, June?

June said nothing. She simply nodded.
...
...
And just like that, their paths were set.
It meant that Junpei would be away from June for a time, but... It had been his
choice, and he would have to make his peace with it.
Seven had said they'd all see one another again, and Junpei believed him.
Ace, Santa, and June headed toward the central staircase and the number [1]
door.
Clover followed them.
After seeing them off, Junpei, Seven, and Lotus stepped into the elevator
behind them, and descended to the Bottom Deck.
They stepped off of the elevator and headed for door [2].
One by one, they put their palms onto the Recognition Device, and 3 asterisks
blinked to life on its screen.
The door opened...
And they leapt inside.

(Continued below, "c31b.2")

{c31b.2}

Fortunately, it took them only moments to find the DEAD.
It had been placed just inside the room, right next to the numbered door.
They gathered around it and quickly scanned each of their bracelets.

Junpei: ...
Lotus: ...
Seven: ...
Junpei: It stopped...
Lotus: Yeah... It stopped...

Junpei could feel his heart pounding against the inside of his ribs.
Seven and Lotus were breathing hard and fast.
It was the 3rd time they'd been through the process, but they had yet to grow
accustomed to it.
Not that Junpei wanted to...
He planned to finish the game before he got a chance to let imminent death
become commonplace.
Junpei looked around again.
It was a short hallway, with 5 doors along the walls.
There were 3 doors along the left wall...
...And a single one on the right.
At the end of the hallway the 5th door was covered by a thick metal plate.
Junpei didn't think they'd be able to open it.
After taking a look around the room himself, Seven spoke.

Seven: All right, let's get started. I think we'd probably better split up. You
2 okay with that?
Lotus: Yes, no problem.
Junpei: Sure thing.

Seven nodded to them and stepped into the room closest to him.
Lotus looked at the doors for a moment, then headed for the one in the center.
At last, Junpei was left alone.

Junpei: Well, I guess I'd better get started too.

He looked intently at the remaining 3 doors.

(To "c31", replacing quotations with braces {} )

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::Confinement Room::
=============================================
{c31} File #57
Plot points within this section:
-Kidnapping Case Investigation, 9 Years Prior: "c31d.a"
( To skip to a story segment, search for "c31d.#" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
( Next story segment: "c32b", replacing quotations with braces {} )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \ : Room Connections
v: Returns to the previous room
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

[5]     [8]     [B] [C]
 |       |       | /
[3]=[4] [6]=[7] [9]=[A]
  \  v   |   v   |   v
   \(1)  |  (1) /   (1)
    \    |     /
     \  /  ___/
      [1]===========[2]

C: View of right room with mirror drawer equipped

{Screen 1, Facing Left side of Hallway with 3 doors}

<Examine Ceiling, 1+>
* It's a ceiling. I've seen a lot of ceilings in my time. I'd say this one
rates about a 3, 3.5.

<Examine Any Door after opening exit, 1>
* The exit's open already. I don't have anything else to do here.

{Screen 2, Facing Right side of Hallway}

<Examine Wall Partition, 1+>
* There's a bulge in the wall.

<Examine Ceiling, 1>
* The ceiling.
<Examine Ceiling, 2>
* Ceiling...
<Examine Ceiling, 3>
* So that's the ceiling, huh...
* I wonder if it's sealing us in?
<Examine Ceiling, 4+>
* That's the hallway ceiling.

<Examine Door on right, 1>
* There are a bunch of tiles on the door that spell out "EMERGENCE".
Lotus: "EMERGENCE" ...Maybe it means we need to emerge out of here...
<Examine Door on right, 2>
* "EMERGENCE"...Probably means to "emerge", or to "escape" from  here.
* Do we need to do something with these tiles to open the door?
<Examine Door on right, 3+>
* "EMERGENCE", huh...
<Examine Door on right with 4 tiles, 1>
Lotus: Okay... Well, it looks like we've investigated all the rooms.
Lotus: The only mystery left is that door.
Seven: All right, let's crack that mystery then.
Junpei: We've got 4 tiles.
Seven: And there are a bunch of tiles that are the same size up on the wall
here.
Lotus: So if we replace 4 of the tiles on the wall with the one's we've got,
that should open the door.
Lotus: Well, there's only one way to find out.
<Examine Door on right after unlocking, 1>
Junpei: Yes! Let's go!
(To "c32b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Go "Back" from door puzzle without solving, 1>
Lotus: Junpei, calm down. You just have to replace 4 tiles.
Junpei: Yeah. You're right. It's just 4 tiles. I need to think...
<Go "Back" from door puzzle without solving, 2>
Lotus: Junpei. Think carefully what the tiles you're holding mean.
Lotus: If you don't know what that is, then maybe you need to examine them a
little bit closer.
Junpei: Examine the tiles I have, huh...
<Go "Back" from door puzzle without solving, 3>
Seven: Junpei, don't you think there's a hint for this somewhere?
Seven: If you're not sure, just make sure you take a good, long look at
everything, and think it all over again.
<Go "Back" from door puzzle without solving, 4>
Seven: Was there anything in that dark room? Like one'a those weird drawings or
something?
Seven: If we're missin' a big hint, then we're gonna have trouble solving this
thing.
<Go "Back" from door puzzle without solving, 5+>
Lotus: Junpei... Sometimes you just have to re-examine and reconsider.
Seven: Think carefully. Try and remember if you missed anything.

<Solve door puzzle, 1>
Junpei: Hey, did you just hear something unlock?! Does that mean we got it
right?
Lotus: Yes, it looks like we did! The (14) hidden on the tile...
Lotus: If you convert that to hexadecimal...it's an "E".
Seven: Basically the Es in "EMERGENCE" are the (14)s from the tiles...
Seven: So if we replace it, that gives up the answer.
Junpei: Do you really care why it worked? Let's just get out of here.

<Examine Door at end of hall, 1>
Junpei: Hmm... There's a door in the back. I wonder where it goes?
Seven: I thought of that, and I tried a couple things, but...yeah. Same result.
* Guess Seven wasn't about to do anything. Ah well.
<Examine Door at end of hall, 2+>
* The door in the back won't open.

{Screen 3, Leftmost Room facing Bed}

<Examine Bed Blanket, 1+>
* There's a dirty blanket on the bed.

<Examine Bed, 1>
Junpei: Man, this is a mess. It's not even a bed anymore.
Seven: Can't say I'd want to sleep there.
<Examine Bed, 2+>
* This bed is really dirty.

<Examine Mirror, 1>
Seven: What the hell's this supposed to be? Like a drawing of a whirlpool or
something?
Junpei: Well, if I had to guess, I'd say it's trying to look like water.
<Examine Mirror, 2+>
* There's a drawing on the mirror that looks kinda like a spring.
<Examine Mirror with towel in inventory, 1>
Junpei: That picture on the mirror... There's one in the next room too. Maybe I
should see how that one relates to the towel...
Junpei: Maybe that'll help. Hell, it's not like it can make this situation any
worse.
<Examine Mirror with towel in inventory, 2+>
* So, this picture on the mirror... Maybe I should compare it to the towel.
<Examine Mirror with towel equipped, 1>
Junpei: So there's a spring at the bottom of the river... Yeah, I guess I can
see that.
Seven: Are you talking about that towel you've got? Yeah, I guess it does look
a little like that thing on the mirror.
Junpei: Yeah, the spring on the towel has gotta be indicating the picture on
this mirror.
Seven: And the mirror is indicating the sink...right? But...the picture looks
like a spring with water, and the sink's all dried out.
<Examine Mirror with towel equipped, 2+>
* The mirror has a spring drawn on it.
<Examine Mirror after filling sink in middle room, 1>
Junpei: All right, I let the water run into the sink with the river symbol over
it, so for the spring...
Junpei: Huh? Something's wrong with the sink...
<Examine Mirror after filling sink in middle room, 2+>
* There's something wrong with the sink...

<Examine Sink, 1+>
* There's a tile stuck in the drain.
<Examine Sink after filled, 1>
Junpei: There's water in this room too...
Seven: What do you mean "This room too"?
Junpei: Well, I turned on the faucet in the other room, and it looks like it
made the water come up through here.
Seven: So the drain in the other room just runs here, and the water from over
there pushed out this tile.
<Examine Sink after filled, 2+>
* Looks like the water bubbled up through this drain and pushed the tile out.

<Examine Faucet, 1>
Seven: Huh. Looks like the water doesn't work.
* Doesn't matter how much Seven turns that thing, no water's coming out.
* Has the water been shut off from somewhere else?
<Examine Faucet, 2+>
* No water comes out of this faucet, even if you turn the knob.
<Examine Faucet after sink filled, 1+>
* The water for this faucet's probably been shut off on purpose.

<Examine Tile, 1>
Seven: There's a little tile in the drain.
Junpei: Doesn't look like we're gonna be able to pull it outta there.
Seven: Might have to use our heads on this one. All right, let's figure this
thing out.
<Examine Tile, 2+>
* There's a tile stuck in the drain. There's no way we're gonna be able to pull
it out.

<Examine Wall Partition from Sink view, 1>
Junpei: There's a partition here...
Seven: Maybe it's for...privacy?
<Examine Wall Partition from Sink view, 2+>
* This partition closes off part of the bathroom.

{Screen 4, Leftmost Room facing Door}

<Examine Chair, 1>
Junpei: This chair's pretty old. If Seven sat on it, it'd probably break.
Seven: Huh? You say something?
Junpei: Nothing at all.
<Examine Chair, 2+>
* This chair is totally old.

<Examine Desk, 1>
Junpei: This thing's really simple... Is it really a desk?
Seven: Well, of course it's gonna be simple. I mean, it's probably like that so
we don't try and use it as part of the puzzle, right?
Seven: You probably use a desk to write letters to your family or something,
but this's a boat.
Seven: I'll bet the only thing they used this for was eating off of.
<Examine Desk, 2+>
* It's a really simple desk. There's only one drawer in it.
<Examine Desk after removing screws, 1>
Seven: Well, we can look at the thing all we want, but the only thing we can
take is the drawer.
Junpei: Yeah... Looks like the desk is just a desk.
<Examine Desk after removing screws, 2+>
* I already pulled the screws out of the desk.
<Examine Desk after removing drawer, 1+>
* I already took the drawer out of this desk.

<Examine Drawer, 1>
Seven: Huh? What the hell? It's not opening.
Junpei: There's something up with this drawer. I don't trust it.
<Examine Drawer, 2+>
* Somebody made sure this drawer wouldn't open.
<Examine Drawer after removing screws, 1>
Junpei: There's nothing in here...
Seven: Well, maybe the drawer's what we need.
Junpei: The drawer, huh...
Seven: All right, let's yank the thing out.

<Examine Screwhead after discovering drawer is locked, 1>
* There's a pair of screws screwed into the desk... Right on top of the drawer.
Junpei: Doesn't matter how old this thing is... We're gonna have a tough time
if we just try and break it open.
Seven: It's probably gonna be a pain, but I think we need to figure out a way
to get those screws off.
<Examine Screwhead after discovering drawer is locked, 2+>
* There is a pair of screws holding the drawer in place.
<Examine Screwhead with screwdriver equipped, 1>
Junpei: Sweet. Got the screws off.
Seven: Now we can open the drawer.
<Examine Screwhead hole after screw is removed, 1+>
* I already took the screws out of the desk.

{Screen 5, Leftmost Room facing Toilet}

<Examine Toilet Paper Holder, 1>
Junpei: I...don't think I'm gonna need this tube.
<Examine Toilet Paper Holder, 2>
Junpei: Well, this part is thinner than the rest.
Junpei: In fact...this doesn't really look like it's part of the rest of this
thing...
* This rod feels loose... Maybe if I give it a couple turns...
* Here we go...
<Examine Toilet Paper Holder, 3+>
* Well, it looks like the rod comes out easily enough, but I don't think the
rest of that is going anywhere.

<Examine Toilet Bowl, 1>
Junpei: This looks like...a toilet.
Seven: Pretty old-school toilet. Guess that makes sense, though. This ship
seems pretty old, too.
<Examine Toilet Bowl, 2+>
* An old-school toilet.

<Examine Toilet Bowl in closeup, 1>
Seven: Damn, this toilet's pretty nasty to begin with, but the inside's even
worse.
Junpei: Honestly, I'm amazed you could bring yourself to touch it.
Seven: Hah! There's way nastier stuff out there in the world than a gross
toilet.
Junpei: You're a real deep thinker, aren't you?
<Examine Toilet Bowl in closeup, 2+>
* Probably the nastiest toilet I've ever seen. Seven didn't think twice about
touching it.

<Examine Toilet Cover in closeup, 1>
Seven: A symbol on a toilet lid, huh. Seems a little fishy to me.
Junpei: It's a sun symbol, but it doesn't look like the ones on the doors.
<Examine Toilet Cover in closeup, 2>
* It's a sun symbol.
<Examine Toilet Cover in closeup after seeing right room symbols, 1>
Junpei: It's just like the sun symbol we saw in that dark room.
Seven: Yeah, that's right. There was some kinda number hint, there too.
Seven: You think maybe the number was how many times we took a piss? No... It's
gotta be how many times we flushed.
<Examine Toilet Cover in closeup after seeing right room symbols, 2+>
* I wonder... Was the sun we saw in the dark room indicating this place? Was
the number how many times I need to flush?
<Examine Toilet Cover in closeup after flushing both toilets, 1+>
* There's a sun symbol drawn on it.

<Examine Flushing Handle, 1>
Junpei: Hey, this handle's pretty loose.
Seven: Loose? You think it'll come off if you pull on it?
Seven: It fell off.
Seven: Huh... Look at this... That handle doesn't really fit on the string.
Seven: Maybe it wasn't meant to be attached to it.
<Examine Flushing Handle, 2+>
* I've taken the handle off, and the string's just hanging there.
<Examine Flushing Handle after seeing right room symbols, 1>
* The only thing you can manipulate in this room is that string.
* Chances are, they made this puzzle so someone wouldn't trigger it by
accident...
<Examine Flushing Handle after seeing right room symbols, 2>
* I guess I should just keep pulling on this thing, then... All right, here
goes. Second pull!
<Examine Flushing Handle after seeing right room symbols, 3>
* Third pull...
<Examine Flushing Handle after seeing right room symbols, middle room toilet
done, 4>
Junpei: There it is again! It makes some kinda weird sound when I pull on that
string.
Junpei: The same thing happened in the other room. That means...
Seven: I dunno... Don't you think it's a little suspicious that the other room
gave us a hint to figure this one out?
Junpei: You're right. The room next door's just like this one, so that leaves
the dark room...
<Examine Flushing Handle after seeing right room symbols, 5>
* Pulling on the string makes a sound, and it doesn't sound anything like
water.
* I get the feeling I shouldn't pull it any more.

{Screen 6, Middle Room facing Bed}

<Examine Bed Blankets, 1>
Junpei: That bed looks cold. Pretty sure you'd freeze to death in the winter.
Lotus: No kidding. If I tried to sleep here, my skin would dry out in no time.
Junpei: Well, it's not like you're that young any more. That shouldn't really
matt--
Lotus: My my, Junpei. Aren't you lucky... It seems you'll die before you have a
chance to grow old and hideous.
Junpei: I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You're right. Dry skin is a woman's worst enemy.
<Examine Bed Blankets, 2+>
* This bed looks cold. It's got a single, threadbare blanket, and that's it.

<Examine Bed before taking towel, 1>
* There's an old piece of cloth on top of the bed.
Lotus: This cloth has some sort of design on it... Oh, this is pathetic...
<Examine Bed before taking towel, 2+>
* There's a weird little piece of cloth where a pillow would usually be.
<Examine Bed after taking towel, 1>
Junpei: This bed looked even sadder without the pillow.
Lotus: So? It's still a terrible bed. I'd never sleep on a bed like that.
<Examine Bed after taking towel, 2+>
* It's a bed without a pillow on it. That's pretty much it.

<Examine Mirror, 1>
* Somebody made some wavy blue lines on this mirror with blue paint.
Lotus: Is that a drawing of a blue scarf...? No, maybe not...
<Examine Mirror, 2+>
* Someone drew a wavy line on this mirror with blue paint.
<Examine Mirror after taking towel, 1>
Junpei: This looks just like part of the design on the towel. Do you think that
means anything?
Lotus: On the towel, it looks like water is flowing from the river to the
spring.
Lotus: Do you think that means we need to make water "flow" from here?
<Examine Mirror after taking towel, 2+>
* There's a drawing of a river on the mirror. Is it saying we need to make
water come from here somehow?
<Examine Mirror after filling sink, 1+>
* I let the water pour in the sink with the river symbol over it, and it filled
up. So what happened over at the spring mirror?

<Examine Sink, 1>
Junpei: So, these sinks... They're on opposite sides of this wall, right?
Junpei: No, it's not just the sinks... Everything's opposite, like a mirror
image.
Lotus: So? That's normal if you're both using the same water pipes, right?
<Examine Sink, 2+>
* It looks like the sinks are back-to-back, with the wall separating them.
<Examine Sink when filled, 1+>
* This sink is totally filled with water.

<Examine Faucet, 1>
Junpei: There's no knob on this faucet... There's no way we can get water out
of it like this.
Lotus: If we can find a knob, or something that'll work as one, then we should
be able to get water to come out of this thing.
<Examine Faucet, 2+>
* There's no knob on this faucet. If I could find a replacement, that'd be
sweet...
<Examine Faucet with knob in inventory, 1+>
* Ths faucet doesn't have a handle. If I can find a knob for it, I can probably
get water out of it. {Author's note: And this sentence doesn't have an "I". If
I can find an "I" for it, I can probably get it to make more sense.}
<Examine Faucet with knob equipped, 1>
* Sweet. The handle I got off that drawer fits onto the faucet perfectly.
Junpei: Now I can turn the water on.
<Examine Faucet with knob on, 1>
Lotus: Junpei, what are you doing?
Junpei: It's pretty obvious, isn't it? I'm running the water.
Lotus: I can see that. I'm asking you why you're just letting it run like that.
Junpei: Think about it, Lotus. This faucet didn't have a knob when we found it,
right?
Lotus: What do you mean?
Junpei: Just watch.
* Any time now...
Lotus: Hey! Water's filling up! Doesn't that just mean the pipes are clogged?
Junpei: Whoops! Let's turn it off for now.
Lotus: So...did anything change?
Junpei: The water stopped flowing.
Lotus: Thank you, Mr. Obvious! Ugh. Junpei, I'm leaving this one to you, all
right?
<Examine Faucet with knob on, 2+>
* Well, it looks like turning the knob did the trick. The sink's filling up
with water.

<Examine Drain, 1>
Junpei: This drain is kind of a weird shape, for a drain. You think they made
it that shape for a reason? Or just for fun?
<Examine Drain, 2+>
* This drain has a really weird shape, for a drain.
<Examine Drain with sink filled, 1+>
* Is the drain clogged? It looks like a lot of the water isn't draining out of
the sink.

<Examine Wall Partition from Sink view, 1>
Lotus: This wall... Is this supposed to be some sort of partition? What do they
think this is? Privacy is important for...these...things.
Junpei: Well, it's not like you're going to use it, Lotus. At least the guards
couldn't watch you drop a loaf.
Junpei: Heck, it's better than being totally exposed, right?
<Examine Wall Partition from Sink view, 2+>
* It's a partition that hides part of the bathroom.

{Screen 7, Middle Room facing Door}

<Examine Chair, 1>
Junpei: This looks like a chair for prisoners. It's rusty, but I don't think
it's gonna be a lot of help.
Lotus: Isn't that obvious? Look, I don't want to...touch anything unless I have
to.
* Lotus is not having this.
* Does she really not want to be in this room that bad?
<Examine Chair, 2+>
* It's a really old chair.

<Examine Desk, 1>
Lotus: This is a very simple desk. It looks like it was made from left-over
scrap wood.
<Examine Desk, 2+>
* It's a simple, straightforward desk. The handle on the drawer doesn't really
look like it belongs there.
<Examine Desk after removing Drawer, 1>
Junpei: Well, we took the drawer out, but nothing happened.
Lotus: Of course. There's no way you could hide a puzzle in something that
small.
Junpei: Yeah, I know... Still. Hmm....
* Still seems like they might try to--huh? What's that? It looks like
there's...something...
Junpei: Huh? It looks like there's something in there...
<Examine Desk after removing Drawer, 2+>
* ...Damn. No dice. Doesn't matter what angle I got at it from, I can't see
anything in there. {Author's note: Yes, let's got--I mean--go at it.}
<Examine Desk after removing Drawer with desk drawer equipped, 1>
* Sounded like something...falling.
Junpei: What was that...?
Lotus: I heard it too. Let's open the drawer.
<Examine Desk after placing desk drawer in, 1+>
* All right, let's see if anything happens when I put this thing in--oh?!
<Examine Desk after taking drawer tile, 1+>
* I don't think there's anything else going on with this desk.

<Examine Open Drawer, 1>
Lotus: There's nothing in the drawer.
Junpei: Yeah. Something's not right, though...
Junpei: That handle on that drawer doesn't really fit, you know? It just
looks...messy.
Lotus: Why don't you take it out?
<Examine Open Drawer with tile, 1>
Junpei: There's a tile in here... I guess that's what made that noise, huh.
Lotus: I see... The drawers weren't the same size.
Lotus: That's why the tile didn't get knocked down by the other drawer.
<Examine Open Drawer with tile, 2+>
* There is an odd-looking tile in the drawer.
<Examine Open Drawer after taking tile, 1+>
* There's nothing in the drawer.

{Screen 8, Middle Room facing Toilet}

<Examine Toilet Paper Holder, 1>
Junpei: This paper seems to be pretty old.
Lotus: Eww... How the hell can you touch that? It's...it's horrible.
Junpei: Well, it's not like I've really got a choice, do I? It's not like I
want to...
<Examine Toilet Paper Holder, 2+>
* Half-used toilet paper? Well, it's old, and it's kinda grossing me out, but
there's nothing suspicious about it.

<Examine Toilet Bowl, 1>
Lotus: This toilet is disgusting. You don't expect me to touch that...that
thing, do you?
Junpei: If you don't want to, then I'll do it, all right?
<Examine Toilet Bowl, 2+>
* This toilet is vile. Unsurprisingly, Lotus refuses to go anywhere near it.

<Examine Toilet Bowl in closeup, 1>
Lotus: I refuse to touch this! I refuse!
Junpei: What the hell's wrong with you...
Lotus: I don't want to touch it! Ever!
<Examine Toilet Bowl in closeup, 2+>
* It's a very, very old toilet. Apparently, Lotus refuses to touch it, ever.

<Examine Toilet Cover in closeup, 1>
Lotus: A moon? What a filthy, disgusting moon.
Junpei: Yeah, it's pretty filthy, but it's a precious hint. Let's remember it,
all right?
<Examine Toilet Cover in closeup, 2>
* There's a picture of a moon here.
<Examine Toilet Cover in closeup after seeing right room symbols, 1>
Junpei: It's the same as the moon symbol we saw in that dark room.
Lotus: Right... There was a number there too, right?
Lotus: Number... That's probably how many times you're supposed to flush--ugh.
I mean, ah, how many times you pull the string.
<Examine Toilet Cover in closeup after seeing right room symbols, 2+>
* If the moon we saw in the dark room was talking about this toilet, then the
number must be how many times we have to pull the string.
<Examine Toilet Cover in closeup after flushing both toilets, 1+>
* There's a moon symbol on it.

<Examine Flushing Handle, 1>
Junpei: It's just hanging from the wall.
Lotus: Well, if we're pulling the string, then it must be a toilet that
flushes.
<Examine Flushing Handle, 2+>
* There's a string hanging from the ceiling here. You pull it to flush the
toilet.
<Examine Flushing Handle after seeing right room symbols, 1>
* So this is what the moon symbol was pointing to, huh...
* They probably made it so that someone wouldn't trigger it by accident... If
that's the case...
<Examine Flushing Handle after seeing right room symbols, 2>
* 2nd time.
<Examine Flushing Handle after seeing right room symbols, 3>
* And a 3rd time.
<Examine Flushing Handle after seeing right room symbols, 4>
* 4th time.
<Examine Flushing Handle after seeing right room symbols, 5>
* 5th time.
<Examine Flushing Handle after seeing right room symbols, 6>
* This is the 6th consecutive time.
<Examine Flushing Handle after seeing right room symbols, 7>
Junpei: Huh? Did you hear something?
Lotus: I heard a loud flushing noise.
Junpei: No, not that...
<Examine Flushing Handle after seeing right room symbols, 8+>
* Wait... What was that noise? How many times did I pull this thing?
* ...Maybe I shouldn't pull it any more.

{Screen 9, Rightmost Room facing Bed}

<Examine Light Shaft, 1>
Junpei: What's the deal with the lighting here? There's just this one beam of
light.
Junpei: The rest of the place is too dark... I can't see anything. There's no
way we can explore the rest of this room.
<Examine Light Shaft, 2+>
* There is a ray of light in the center of the room.
<Examine Light Shaft with drawer without handle equipped, 1>
Junpei: Oh yeeeeaaaah... We can probably use this mirror to reflect the light.
* Now I just gotta figure out where to reflect the light...
* Maybe if I go somewhere that's a little easier to shine light on...
(Adjust to Screen C)
<Examine Light Shaft after flushing toilets, 1>
* There's a ray of light in the center of the room. We don't need to shine
light on the hint anymore.

<Examine Bed Blanket, 1+>
* It's a blanket. Not a really great one, but still.

<Examine Bed, 1>
* This light's barely enough to see by... I feel like I'm gonna see a ghost
here or something.

<Examine Far Mirror, 1>
* I can just barely see a mirror from the light coming through the ceiling.
Junpei: Sure would be nice if that mirror was a little lower down.
Junpei: It looks like it's the same height as the mirror on the right... I
wonder if that means anything.
<Examine Far Mirror, 2+>
* The mirror is hanging at the same height as the one on the right.
<Examine Far Mirror after reflecting ray of light, 1>
* It looks like the mirror was put up high so that you can reflect light off of
it.

<Examine Sink Mirror, 1>
* This mirror seems really high.
* In fact, its so high that it's kind of hard to see your reflection in it.
{Author's note: This sentence...it seems that its missing an apostrophe.}
<Examine Sink Mirror, 2+>
* The mirror is really high up. It looks pretty old, too.
<Examine Sink Mirror after reflecting ray of light, 1+>
* This mirror was probably put here to reflect what's opposite from it.

<Examine Sink, 1>
* It's a sink, but there's no light shining on it.
Junpei: It's hard to be sure 'cause it's so dark here, but I don't think
there's anything going on with this sink.
Junpei: This faucet is...too hard to turn.
<Examine Sink, 2+>
* It's a sink, but there's no light shining on it.

<Examine Partition, 1>
* It's a partition that juts out from a dreary wall.
Junpei: Are...are those scratch marks? ...Am I seeing things?
<Examine Partition, 2+>
* It's a partition that juts out from a dreary wall.

{Screen A, Rightmost Room facing Door}

<Examine Chair, 1+>
* There's a simple chair over where the light doesn't shine.

<Examine Desk, 1+>
* This desk is old and rusty.

<Examine Desk from drawer view, 1+>
* There is nothing special about this desk, although I'm sure its parents
thought differently.

<Examine Drawer, 1>
Junpei: ARRRRRRRRRRRRGH!
* Goddamnit! No matter how hard I pull on this damn thing, it won't budge!
Junpei: Guess I won't be opening this any time soon.
* It doesn't look like it's got a keyhole, and there doesn't seem to be
anything stopping it.
* How the hell am I supposed to open it?
<Examine Drawer, 2+>
* A drawer that doesn't open... I wonder if this is part of a puzzle...
<Examine Drawer after flushing both toilets, 1>
* Well, this drawer opens easily enough.

<Examine Open drawer with tile(s), 1+>
* There's something in the desk.
<Examine Open drawer after taking tile(s), 1+>
* There's nothing left in the desk.

{Screen 9, Rightmost Room facing Toilet}

<Examine Toilet Paper Holder, 1>
Junpei: Toilet paper. It's still white enough for me to know what it is, even
in the dark.
Junpei: There's nothing out of the ordinary about it.
<Examine Toilet Paper Holder, 2+>
* I can see white toilet paper in the darkness.

<Examine Toilet Bowl, 1+>
* It looks like a dirty toilet, but it's too dark to tell.

<Examine Toilet Cover, 1>
Junpei: What is this... "14=E"?
* It probably means a (14) somewhere represents an E, but I don't know what
(14) that would be...
<Examine Toilet Cover, 2+>
* It says "14=E".
<Examine Toilet Cover after finding at least 1 tile, 1>
* It says "14=E" in red.
Junpei: (14) in red... That's what it says on the tile. ...Well, more or less.
Junpei: See, the (14) on the tile is... Well, it's an "E", right?
<Examine Toilet Cover after finding at least 1 tile, 2+>
* It says "14=E". Just like the (14) on the tile.

<Examine Flushing Handle, 1>
* I can just barely make out the string for the toilet, but I can get a hold of
it.
Junpei: Damn it...! It kinda pisses me off that I can see it, but I can't touch
it.
<Examine Flushing Handle, 2>
* All right, it took a couple tries, but now I've got you, string!
Junpei: Yes! Now I can pull on it!
Junpei: Huh...?
* Doesn't matter how many times I pull it, there's no flush!
Junpei: I kinda feel like an idiot... I wasted a bunch of time 'cause I was
determined to flush a toilet...
<Examine Flushing Handle, 3+>
* This toilet won't flush when you pull on the string.

{Screen C, Angle view of Right Room with Mirror Drawer}

<Examine Left Mirror without mirror drawer equipped, 1+>
* This mirror is really high up on the wall. No light's gonna hit it as long as
it's up there.
<Examine Left Mirror with mirror drawer equipped, 1>
* When I shine light on the mirror in the back...
Junpei: Is that a number...? So if I shine light on this mirror, then I get to
see some numbers...
* I can see...a (4) on the left...and a (7) on the right.
Junpei: (4) and (7)...
<Examine Left Mirror with mirror drawer equipped, 2+>
* There are 2 numbers on the wall--a (4) on the left, and a (7) on the right.

<Examine Toilet Paper, 1+>
* There's nothing special about this toilet paper. I don't really think I need
to bother shining any light on it.

<Examine Partition, 1+>
* I can see a partition over there, it seems pretty pointless to bother
examining it.

<Examine Right Mirror without mirror drawer equipped, 1+>
* It looks like that mirror could reflect light too, but it's attached to the
wall pretty good, and I don't think the light can reach it where it is.
<Examine Right Mirror with mirror drawer equipped, 1>
* So, if I shine this light on the mirror in back...
Junpei: I get it... If I shine light on a mirror, a symbol appears.
* The left one has a sun, and the right one's got a moon symbol.
Junpei: I'm gonna remember this.
<Examine Right Mirror with mirror drawer equipped, 2+>
* The left side has a sun, and the right symbol looks like a moon.

<Examine Sink, 1>
* Okay, it's nice to see the sink lit up I guess, but all it shows me is the
pipe.

{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search tile [any], 1>
Seven: So we've got this tile...
Seven: And it's got these red, blue, and grey lines...
Seven: What the heck does this stuff mean?
Junpei: Hell if I know...
<Search tile [any], 2>
Seven: Take a look at this tile here...
Seven: See, if you look real close, the 3 red lines here are on top of the
other ones.
Junpei: The red lines...?
Seven: Yeah.
<Search tile [any], 3>
Seven: Hmm... A tile with 3 lines in it, huh...
Seven: Hey Junpei, I was thinking...
Seven: The red line on the top...Doesn't it look like a (14)?
Junpei: (14), huh... Yeah, I guess it kinda does...
<Search tile [any], 4+>
* The red lines on the tile look like they make a (14).

<Search screwdriver in left room, 1>
Junpei: Thank God it's the right kind of screwdriver for that screw... Awesome.
We can totally use this.
Seven: Damn, this screwdriver looks like a soldering iron. You think it's some
sorta industrial-grade screwdriver?
Seven: Guess that doesn't really matter... Anyway, so long as we've got this
thing, we can unscrew any Phillips screws we run into.
<Search screwdriver in middle room, 1>
Lotus: Ah, so it's a Phillips screwdriver. We can tighten or loosen any screw
we find, so long as they're Phillips-head screws.
Junpei: Ah... Shoot... I was hoping we might be able to tighten Seven's screws
a bit...
Lotus: I think I'll tell him you said that. This'll be fun...
<Search screwdriver in right room, 1>
* I made a screwdriver by combining the handle and the metal rod.
Junpei: This'll do the trick if we come across any Phillips-head screws.
<Search screwdriver in any room, 2+>
* It's a Phillips-head screwdriver with a long rod. Should deal with any
Phillips screws we run into.

<Search knob in left room, 1>
Seven: Hey! Did you break it, Junpei?
Junpei: No, dude. Seems kinda weird to have a handle on a wooden drawer like
this.
Seven: This handle... It looks like it should be a handle for that faucet.
Seven: But the faucet already has a handle. Maybe it goes somewhere else?
<Search knob in middle room, 1>
Lotus: Well, that came off easily enough. It looks like a faucet handle.
Junpei: Yeah, it seemed a little weird to put it on a wooden drawer like this.
Lotus: I'm sure they made it look odd on pupose. With a shape like that,
there's only one place it could go. {Author's Note: Did they leave an "R" out
on pupose?}
<Search knob in right room, 1>
Junpei: Well, I guess it's pretty cool that I've got this thing now, but the
faucet's already got one.
Junpei: Am I supposed to use it somewhere else?
<Search knob in any room, 2+>
* It sure looks like this handle goes to the faucet.

<Search towel in left room, 1>
Seven: That towel... I've seen that design somewhere before...
Seven: It's not exactly the same, but...
<Search towel in left room, 2+>
* This towel has a river with a spring drawn on it. I think we saw this design
somewhere around here...
<Search towel in middle room, 1>
Lotus: It's a towel with a river and a spring drawn on it. The river looks just
like the design on this mirror.
<Search towel in middle room, 2+>
* It's a towel with a river and a spring drawn on it. Part of it looks just
like a design on the mirror.
<Search towel in right room or hallway, 1+>
* A towel with a river and a spring on it. I don't think I'll need it here.

<Search center room drawer in left room, 1>
Seven: A drawer with a mirror on the back, huh. Where the hell did you find
this?
Seven: The handle looks all weird too. Like...maybe somebody put it with a
screw that wasn't supposed to go there?
<Search center room drawer in left room, 2+>
* This drawer has a mirror on the back, and the handle's kinda weird.
* I think somebody attached the handle with a screw.
<Search center room drawer in middle room, 1>
Lotus: So, there's a mirror on the other side of this drawer. Interesting.
Lotus: It's kind of an odd shape, and it looks like someone attached the handle
with a screw after the fact.
<Search center room drawer in right room, 1>
* There's a mirror on the back of the drawer.
Junpei: Somebody screwed the handle on, so maybe I can unscrew it.
<Search center room drawer in middle or right room, 2+>
* There's a mirror on the back of this drawer, and the handle is weird.
* It looks like the handle was attached with a screw.

<Search drawer without handle in left room, 1>
Seven: A drawer with a mirror on the back of it, huh. Don't think it'll do us
any good here.
Junpei: Well, you use a mirror to reflect things... Can you think of any other
uses for it?
Seven: Well, if you asked Lotus... She'd probably tell you it'd be real shiny
and pretty if we broke it.
<Search drawer without handle in left room, 2+>
* There's a mirror on the backside of this drawer. I could reflect something
with it, and...that's all.
<Search drawer without handle in middle room, 1>
Lotus: If you take the handle off, it's just a big mirror.
Lotus: Usually you'd use a mirror to reflect something, but I can't see how
that would help us here.
Junpei: What else can I do with it?
Lotus: Well, it'd be really pretty if we shatter it!
<Search drawer without handle in middle room, 2+>
* There's a mirror on the back of this drawer. All I can do with it is reflect
stuff.
<Search drawer without handle in right room, 1>
Junpei: So all I'm gonna be able to use this mirror for is reflecting stuff,
right? There's nothing else we can do with it?
Junpei: Other stuff to do with it...? You wanna break it?
Junpei: ...I don't think that's a good idea.
<Search drawer without handle in right room, 2+>
* There's a mirror on the back of the drawer. All it's good for is reflecting
things.
<Search drawer without handle in hallway, 1>
Junpei: I don't suppose it'd do anything to just reflect some light into the
door with this, huh?
Seven: If it was that easy to open this door, we wouldn't be in this mess.
Lotus: Using the mirror to shine light on things isn't a bad idea, but I don't
think that's going to help us here.
<Search drawer without handle in hallway, 2+>
* There's a mirror on the back of the drawer. It's only good for reflecting
things.
<Search drawer without handle left room after flushing both toilets, 1>
* If you flip the drawer over, there's a mirror on the back of it.
<Search drawer without handle middle room after flushing both toilets, 1>
* There's a mirror on the back of the drawer.
<Search drawer without handle right room after flushing both toilets, 1>
* There's a mirror on the other side of the drawer.
<Search drawer without handle hallway after flushing both toilets, 1>
* There's a mirror on the back of this drawer.

<Search screwdriver shaft in left room, 1>
Seven: Hey, this is a screwdriver shaft. It's missing a handle, though...
Seven: Even if we run into a screw it fits, we're gonna have a hard time of it
without a handle.
Junpei: Well, if we can find a handle, maybe then it'll do us some good.
<Search screwdriver shaft in middle room, 1>
Lotus: Junpei, you're going to have a hard time trying to unscrew anything with
a screwdriver rod.
Lotus: You'll need a handle if you want that thing to be useful.
<Search screwdriver shaft in right room, 1>
Junpei: Yeah, I guess this rod is pretty useless by itself.
* I'm gonna need to combine it with a handle if I want to do anything useful
with it.
<Search screwdriver shaft, 2+>
* A rod from a Phillips-head screwdriver. The other end of it is threaded.

<Search handle in left room, 1>
Seven: Take a look at this handle... The inside of the hole's threaded, like
you're supposed to screw somethin' in there.
Seven: We seen anything that might fit in there?
<Search handle in middle room, 1>
Lotus: There's a hole in one end of it, isn't there? That probably means
something goes in it, wouldn't you say?
Lotus: And the inside of this hole... You see? It's threaded, like you're
supposed to screw something into it.
<Search handle in left or middle room, 2+>
* It looks like something screws into this handle.
<Search handle in right room, 1+>
* One end of the handle has a small hole in it.

<Search desk drawer in left room, 1>
Seven: There's a bump on the back.
Junpei: I wonder what it's for.
Seven: Hmm... Maybe there's a hole somewhere, and these bumps line up with it
an' trigger a hidden switch or something...
Seven: Hey, we've seen weirder stuff. Doesn't seem that far-fetched.
<Search desk drawer in left room, 2+>
* This drawer has a weird bump on the back of it.
* Maybe there's some kind of switch somewhere that these bumps fit. Seems a
little...far-fetched, though.
<Search desk drawer in middle room, 1>
Lotus: Junpei. What's that bump behind the drawer?
Junpei: Don't ask me...
Lotus: Oh. Don't boys love that sort of thing? I just figured you'd know...
<Search desk drawer in middle room, 2+>
* This drawer has a weird bump on the back. Maybe it fits into something.
<Search desk drawer in right room, 1+>
* This drawer has a weird bump on the back of it.
<Search desk drawer in hallway, 1>
Seven: There isn't anywhere in the hallway where we coud use this drawer, huh.
{Author's Note: I think we coud use an extra letter somewhere in there,
though.}
Lotus: Well, if we're going to "use" it, I imagine we'd do so in a room
somewhere.
Lotus: There are only so many places you can put a drawer, after all.
<Search desk drawer in hallway, 2+>
* There are really only a couple places you can put a drawer. And I'm not gonna
find any of those in the hallway.

<Combine screwdriver shaft and handle, 1>
Junpei: So if I just stick this metal rod into the handle...

<Combine screwdriver and center room drawer, 1>
Junpei: If I use this screwdriver on the screw on the center of the handle,
maybe I can...

<Upon leaving Items screen after picking up wet tile>
(To "c31d.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )

==========================
{c31d.a} File #59
::Confinement Room, Left Room::
-Upon Acquiring Wet Tile from Left Room Sink-

Junpei put the wet tile into his pocket.
He was about to turn away when--
There was a noise behind him.
He spun around to see Seven kneeling on the floor.
His face was rigid and pale. Droplets of sweat covered his forehead.

Junpei: H-Hey... What's going on? You okay, man?

He was concerned... He'd never seen Seven like this before.
Slowly the other man lifted himself to his feet on shaky legs.

Seven: Yeah, I'm fine. I just got a little dizzy, that's all.

His face was pale, and his breathing was heavy. Sweat was pouring off his face
and staining his shirt.
He was many things, but "fine" was not one of them.

Junpei: Are you sure? You don't look so good...

Seven didn't answer. Half of his face was twisted, as if distorted by extreme
pain, and his eyes were glazed.
Finally he spoke.

Seven: What am... What am I doing here?
Junpei: ?

His words made no sense.

Junpei: W-What are you talking about...?
Junpei: We opened the number [2] door and walked in here. Don't tell me you
forgot...?
Seven: No, no, that's...that's not what I mean.

He shook his head several times, as if trying to clear something from it.

Seven: It ain't much, but... I think some of my memories came back.
Seven: I... I...
Seven: I... I think I've been here before...
Junpei: ...
Seven: ...
Junpei: ...Huh?
Seven: I said I've been in this room before!
Junpei: You were here?! When?! Why!?
Seven: Aoi, Light, Nona...

Suddenly Seven was mumbling to himself. They were words Junpei didn't
understand...
Seven's hoarse voice trailed off, and Junpei couldn't make out what he'd said.

Junpei: What the hell was that?

Seven's brow furrowed furiously, and he ground his teeth back and forth.

Seven: It's...it's right there...
Seven: I feel like I'm this close to remembering everything, but I just can't--

Seven stopped, frustrated. He pulled his hat off, and ran a hand through his
hair.
Then suddenly, he looked up, his eyes wide.

Seven: That's right! An experiment!
Seven: There was some kinda experiment going on on this ship!
Junpei: An experiment?! What...sort of experiment?
Seven: They were...they were trying to control people! Or...or something like
that...

Junpei didn't know what to make of Seven's story.
Instead, he simply stared as Seven continued.

Seven: Aoi, Light, and Nona...
Seven: Those were their names. Well, some of them. The kids that were there, in
the experiment, I mean...
Seven: I think there were...4 or 5 more... But I don't remember all their
names.
Junpei: ...
Seven: Yeah, that's right... That's why I'm here...

Seven began to mumble to himself, and wander aimlessly about the room.
He looked...confused.
So far as Junpei could tell, the man was simply rambling, and there were odd
twitches to his movements.

Seven: Experiment... Cradle Pharmaceutical... Those kidnapped kids...
Seven: Was I working that case...?

Seven continued to mumble to himself about things that meant nothing to Junpei.
Junpei didn't have any answers for him, of course. He couldn't understand what
was happening to Seven. All he could do was wait.
After a few minutes, Seven finally stopped.
He crouched down and looked under the bed. His face registered mild surprise,
and he began to mumble to himself again.

Seven: The hole's gone...? No, maybe it was a different room.
Seven: There's gotta be a ton of rooms on this boat that look just like this
one...

At last, Junpei could contain himself no longer.

Junpei: Hey, uh, what exactly do you remember?
Junpei: Well, maybe you could stop talking like a crazy person and tell me
what's going on here?

Seven stood up slowly.

Seven: Well, it's not like I really remember everything.
Seven: I've only got bits'n pieces, and they're scattered and don't make much
sense...
Junpei: I don't care. Tell me the bits and pieces, then!

Junpei could feel it... Whatever Seven had remembered, it was important--very
important.
Seven drew a large, muscled hand down, across his face. As he wiped the sweat
from his brow, he spoke.

Seven: From what I can remember, I think I was...
Seven: ...A cop...
Junpei: A cop?!
Seven: Yeah...
Seven: I was looking for that group of kids that got kidnapped 9 years ago.
Seven: You remember that, right? It was all over the news.
Junpei: Y-Yeah... I was still in school...
Junpei: I don't remember all the details, but I do remember some of it.
Junpei: I think it was a bunch of kids right around my age...
Junpei: They all just disappeared. Nobody knew why.
Junpei: It was all over TV and the newspapers, every day...
Junpei: So you're saying you were investigating it?
Seven: Yeah, that's what it looks like.
Seven: And I guess I found something...
Seven: There was this medical company called "Cradle Pharmaceutical" that had
something to do with those kids.
Seven: After I figured that out, I managed to get some information out of
somebody who worked for them.

They told me a ship would be leaving that night, with all the kids on it. They
were gonna be taken to some kinda big passenger ship somewhere out in the
ocean.
...
...
And so, Seven had headed to the wharf.
He kept to the shadows, and before long found the suspicious ship he'd been
looking for.
There were a number of human shapes moving near the ship. They were men in
black suits.
Many of them were carrying large bags onto the ship.
The bags... There was something about the way they moved as they were
carried... There could be no mistake: There were human beings in those bags.
He had moved before he even realized he was going to.
Out of the shadows he came, his gun already in his hand.
He heard the words "Don't move", but they weren't his.
He felt metal touch the back of his head.
"Drop your gun," came the cold voice from behind him.
With the words, he felt the cold metal thing behind him press against his
skull.
Slowly, Seven crouched down, and laid his gun on the ground.
Then suddenly--
He felt a sharp pain in his neck. ...A needle.
Was it...some sort of drug?
As he was thinking about that, Seven felt his face hit the cold concrete
beneath him.
He could feel the chill of it seeping into him.
...
...
"Ugh... Damnit! Shit, my head hurts..."
Seven woke to find himself lying on a hard floor.
He twisted his neck to peer around the room.
"Where am I..."
There was a small, shabby bed, and a dirty sink.
A toilet with no stall or privacy of any sort...
As a cop, it was a place Seven had seen all too often.
"I'm in a cell, huh."
Opposite the toilet was a door set into the wall.
Seven struggled to his feet and hobbled toward it.
He gave the door a good shove, then another. Then tried pulling it.
It didn't open.
Well, that was about what he'd expected. It wasn't likely that someone would
put him in a cell only to leave it unlocked.
He threw himself against the door a few times, but to no avail.
"I knew it..."
Seven grumbled to himself as he moved back toward the bed. He sat down.
...
...
He sat there for a very long time. Just how long, he wasn't sure.
At last, he began to nod off, and had nearly fallen asleep when he was roused
by a distant voice.
"There...s! Over...! It's...9....!"
The voice was far away--very far away. Seven couldn't understand what it was
saying.
Nonetheless, it was a voice, and a high one--most likely a child.
His eyes shot open.
"Hur...! O...ere!" "...kay...ing!"
As he listened, he could pick out several different, distinct voices.
There were at least 5 or 6, possibly more...
Where were the voices coming from?!
He looked around the room, frantically.
Perhaps the door?
No! That wasn't it!
"What...go...ow?"
Was it coming from the left? Was it coming from...under the bed...?
He grabbed the bed and flipped it up with ease.
There it was.
There was a hole for ventilation in the wall where the bed had been, covered
with a metal grate.
Seven lay down on his stomach and peered through the grate. He couldn't see
anything... It was too dark.
Now that he'd found it, however, there could be no doubt--this was the source
of the voices.
For a moment he was confused. Why were there children nearby?
Then he remembered what the man from Cradle Pharmaceutical had told him...
How a ship would take the kidnapped children from the wharf to a waiting
passenger liner out in the ocean...
Was Seven...on that passenger liner?
...
It didn't matter. What mattered was that he find a way to the children.
Seven looked at the metal grate.
Could he fit through that hole...?
He stuck his fingers through the grate and grabbed hold of it.
"Hhhhggh!" "Urrrrgghhh!"  "UuuuurrrrrrrRRRRGGGHHH!" "Hrrrraah--!"
"*Pant* *Pant* *Pant*... Yeah! How'dya like that, you son-of-a-bitch!"
The dark square sat open before him.
Seven wiped the sweat from his forehead and crawled inside.
...
...
Junpei waited for Seven to resume his story.
The longer he waited, however, the clearer it became that Seven had no
intention of doing so.
He had gone silent, and simply stared off into the air, his eyes blank.

Junpei: Hey... What happened after that?

He'd waited long enough.
But Seven shook his head.

Seven: I don't... I don't remember what happens after that.
Seven: I think I found some kinda door out of the duct...
Seven: And I think I found some kids too...

...
...

Seven: Oh man... Why can't I remember what happened next...?
Junpei: Oh man... What happened to the kids, Seven?!
Junpei: Did you save them?!
Seven: I dunno... I dunno if it was me...
Seven: I just... I've got this feeling...
Seven: I think one of the kids died. ...A girl, I think.
Junpei: Huh?

Deep in his heart, Junpei felt something very cold.
Seven's head dropped, and Junpei saw on it a look of sadness the likes of which
he had never seen on the man before. The large man's eyes blinked rapidly, as
if he were fighting back tears, and he swallowed hard.

Seven: *Sigh*

His sigh was like the melancholy setting of an old, abandoned building. He
shook his head and spoke.

Seven: Anyway, just... Please don't ask me any more, okay?
Seven: I really don't remember anything else...

After that, Junpei could hardly try to force any answers out of the other
man...
There was nothing more he could do.
Instead, Junpei turned his mind to trying to make sense of what Seven had told
him.
The children who had been kidnapped 9 years before...
Apparently, a company called [Cradle Pharmaceutical] had been behind the
kidnappings, and had taken the children to the ship they were on now.
They had been brought to the ship for an [experiment]. Something to do with
controlling human beings, Seven had said.
The 16 children who'd been kidnapped were the subjects for the experiment.
Seven had said 3 of their names were [Aoi], [Light], and [Nona].
That was the new information.
He had also learned that Seven was, or had been, a police officer.
Still, there was little he could do with this new information.
He'd learned nothing about the Nonary Game or Zero.
He had no idea why they had been brought to the ship that had been the site of
those experiments 9 years before.
Junpei couldn't forget what Seven had said the purpose of the experiment had
been... To control human beings!
Could such an absurd experiment really have been conducted?
...
...
Before long, Junpei realized he had spent quite some time deep in thought.
No time for that, he chided himself. He had work to do.
Junpei shook his head quickly to clear it, and returned to his investigation,
thoughts swirling in his mind.

(Return to investigation)

===========================================
===========================================
{c32b} File #61
:Bottom Deck:
-After completing escape from Confinement Room-
===========================================

They passed through the opened door and headed to the next room.
Junpei jogged down the short staircase and looked around.

Junpei: What the hell is this place...

The words had sprung unbidden to his lips, but it was clear why.
Junpei shivered.
Lotus and Seven reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped short, terrified.

Lotus: This room is really creepy...
Seven: I think we oughta get the hell out of here, now.

He jogged up the stairs on the opposite side of the room and shook the door on
the wall next to the catwalk.
It didn't open, and he muttered to himself.

Seven: Figures...
Lotus: It's locked, isn't it?
Seven: Yup. Dunno why I thought this one'd be any different.

Junpei looked around the room again.
In the center of it was a chair.
The back of it was covered with electrodes connected to a nest of wires.
Beneath it was a strange glass panel. Junpei wasn't sure what it was for, but
it made him uncomfortable.
Whatever might have been beyond the glass, Junpei couldn't tell... It was too
dark.
Junpei turned to look at the right side of the room.
There was a table covered with a piece of cloth.
Parts of the cloth were stained with something that looked suspiciously like
blood.
On top of the table were a number of metal instruments. Junpei didn't know what
they were for, and he had a feeling he didn't want to find out.
His mind began to imagine what could have taken place in that dark, cold room.
The things he imagined were not pleasant.
Junpei shook his head in an attempt to clear it, and tried to focus on
something else.

Seven: Anyway, we don't want to stay here any longer than we got to.
Seven: Let's figure out the puzzle and get the hell out of here.
Seven: C'mon!

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::Torture Room::
=============================================
{c32} File #60
Plot points within this section:
-Lotus's Daughters and the Ganzfeld Experiment: "c32d.a"
( To skip to a story segment, search for "c32d.#" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
( Next story segment: "ced1", replacing quotations with braces {} )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \ : Room Connections
v: Returns to the previous room
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

          [B]
           |
 [5][9][A][6]    [7]     [8]
   \  \ /  /       |       |
      <1>=======[2]=[3]=[4]

5: Control Panel closeup
6: Torture Chair closeup
7: Table closeup
8: Tank closeup
9: Exit Door
A: Floor view
B: Chair Display Panel

{Screen 1, Facing Torture Chair}

<Examine Wires, 1>
Junpei: The cables sure don't look very pleasant.
Lotus: This looks like something from a prison movie.
Seven: They come all the way down from the ceiling. Just trying to look up that
high's makin' my neck hurt.
<Examine Wires, 2+>
* There are a bunch of cables attached to the chair.

<Examine Catwalk, 1>
Junpei: It looks like this catwalk goes across about half of the room.
Seven: I think it's made like that so you can get around without standing on
the floor.
<Examine Catwalk, 2+>
* A catwalk that wraps around half of the room.

<Examine Control Panel after unlocking exit, 1+>
* We don't need to search this thing anymore.

{Screen 2, Facing Bloody Table}

<Examine Stairs, 1>
* A set of rusty stairs that lead to the door we came through.
Seven: What, you wanna go back, Junpei?
Junpei: I wish solving this puzzle were that easy...
<Examine Stairs, 2+>
* The stairs that run to the door we came through.

{Screen 3, Facing Door and Catwalk}

<Examine Catwalk, 1>
Seven: When you look at it from here, the catwalk looks pretty high up.
Lotus: That makes the stairs pretty steep. We'd better be careful going up and
down them.
<Examine Catwalk, 2+>
* The catwalk's pretty high up.

<Examine Door, 1>
Junpei: Of course. The entrance is locked.
Lotus: It's been like that in every room we've been in. What did you expect?
Lotus: There's no point to try to go back. Let's just think about going
forward, all right?
<Examine Door, 2+>
* The entrance is still locked.
<Examine Door after unlocking exit, 1+>
* No point to going back. Let's just hurry up and get out of here.

<Examine Cables, 1>
Junpei: All of the cables are running out of the chair...
Lotus: I can't see them very well, but...
Lotus: It looked like they're connected to some wires up on the ceiling.
<Examine Cables, 2+>
* A bunch of cables that run from the chair in the center of the room up to the
ceiling.

<Examine Pipe near floor, 1>
Junpei: Hey... This pipe is connected to that thing over in the corner.
Lotus: I imagine there are electrical wires running through that pipe to the
device.
<Examine Pipe near floor, 2+>
* A pipe that connects to the device on the other side of the wall.

<Examine Pipe near ceiling, 1>
* There are a bunch of pipes up near the ceiling.
* I don't think there's going to be a puzzle up there. At least, I hope not. We
can't even reach them...
<Examine Pipe near ceiling, 2+>
* A pipe for...something. It runs outside this room somewhere.

<Examine Lights, 1>
* There's a lot of dust on the light.
* It makes it looks like this room hasn't been used in a long time.
<Examine Lights, 2+>
* A light attached to the wall. It's dirty, but it's still really bright.

{Screen 4, Facing Catwalk, Stairs, and Tank}

<Examine Catwalk Rails, 1>
Junpei: This hand-rail runs all the way from the entrance.
Seven: It doesn't go down one side of the stairs.
<Examine Catwalk Rails, 2+>
* A hand-rail that goes from the exit to the stairs.

<Examine Stairs, 1>
Lotus: These stairs go to the exit.
<Examine Stairs, 2+>
* A short set of stairs that go to the exit.

<Examine Pipe, 1>
Junpei: The L-shaped pipe and the straight one are both connected to this tank
thing.
Seven: They're pretty big pipes, but that tank is even bigger.
<Examine Pipe, 2>
* The L-shaped pipe and the straight pipe both run into some sort of tank-like
thing.

<Examine Tank after unlocking exit, 1+>
* There's nothing here anymore.

{Screen 5, Control Panel Closeup}

<Examine Square Gauges, 1>
Seven: The needle on the gauge is at 0. It doesn't look like it's going to
move.
<Examine Square Gauges, 2+>
* The needle on the gauge is at 0. 

<Examine 3 Dials, 1>
Seven: All of the dials are pointing in different directions.
Junpei: Maybe something'll happen if we turn them? Hah!
Junpei: ...Shoot. They're all rusted. I guess turning them doesn't really do
anything.
<Examine 3 Dials, 2+>
* All the dials are rusted. I don't think where they're pointing means
anything.

<Examine Right Panel, 1>
Seven: There are a ton of knobs here... Doesn't seem like any of them do
anything, though.
Lotus: Do you think it's broken?
<Examine Right Panel, 2+>
* I can't get it to do anything. I shouldn't waste my time messing around with
it.

<Examine Buttons with letters, 1>
* There are a bunch of buttons here with the letters A through F on them.
Junpei: Let's push some of them.
* Down you go!
Junpei: So if I press it again...
* Back you come!
Junpei: I guess these buttons switch something on or off when you push them.
<Examine Buttons with letters after turning on chair, 1+>
* This combination already made something happen.
* Probably shouldn't touch that any more.

<Push buttons "B","D","E", and "F", 1>
Junpei: What?
Lotus: There's a strange noise coming from the chair. It looks like it's been
turned on.
Lotus: I guess the puzzle here was that the power had to be sent in a specific
way.

<Examine Red Lever, 1>
Junpei: Red, yellow... You think the colors mean something?
Seven: No idea. I mean, red looks more dangerous, but other than that...
* The bottom of this one looks like it's covered in rust.
* I don't think it'll move at all.
<Examine Red Lever, 2>
Junpei: Well, I guess I might as well try. Let's give it a shot...
* ...Nope, no dice. This thing isn't going anywhere.
Seven: Oh, gimme that. You just ain't man enough.
* Sure pal, you give it a shot. Let's see just how much more of a man you
are...
Seven: Urg! Hrrrrgh!
Lotus: Hey! You're going to break it!
Seven: *Pant* *Pant* Man, that thing ain't goin' anywhere...
<Examine Red Lever, 3+>
* Well, if Seven can't move it, then we might as well give up on that lever.

<Examine Yellow Lever, 1>
Junpei: These levers have gotta turn something on.
Seven: Of course they would. All they can do is turn something on or off.
Seven: What's important is what they turn on or off.
Lotus: Don't say the floor is going to suddenly open up...
<Examine Yellow Lever, 2>
* I can see some oil or something down there at the base of the lever...
* ...Yeah, feels like it's got some movement to it. I should be able to pull
this one.
Lotus: All right, let's pull the lever.
* ...Is that...water?!
Seven: What the hell?! What's going on!?
Junpei: Will you calm down? It's just water going somewhere.
Lotus: It sounds like it's underneath us. That means the floor... Oh!
Lotus: Junpei, look!
* What's she--Oh damn! I can see through the glass now...
<Examine Yellow Lever, 3+>
Junpei: Probably shouldn't mess with that any more. You never know what might
happen.

{Screen 6, Torture Chair Closeup}

<Examine Chair, 1>
Seven: A really creepy chair. The manacles make me think it was used to torture
people.
Junpei: Well, we can't open these manacles without a key.
Junpei: Hm... There's some sorta weird symbol on 'em...
<Examine Chair, 2>
Seven: What kind of symbol?
Junpei: Well, if I've got this right, I think it's the Sun symbol.
<Examine Chair, 3+>
* The manacles are still locked in place. They've got a Sun symbol engraved on
them.
<Examine Chair with Sun key in inventory, 1+>
* There's a Sun symbol engraved on these manacles.
<Examine Chair with Sun key equipped, 1>
Junpei: This Sun key should fit into the keyhole on these manacles.
* All right Sun key, in you go. Aaaaand... Yes!
Junpei: Great, they're open.
Junpei: I don't think we're gonna need the Sun key again in here, though. Just
seems unlikely.
* All right, Sun key, you've done your job. Into my pocket with you!
<Examine Chair after unlocked before going back to screen, 1+>
* I don't think examining the chair is going to cause that machine to do
anything.
* I should probably take a look at the monitor instead...
<Examine Chair after unlocking exit, 1+>
* The exit is unlocked. No need to sit here.

<Examine Floor, 1>
Junpei: The floor's glass... You really think it's safe to have a chair here?
Seven: Well, you can tell just by standing on it that the glass's pretty damn
thick.
Lotus: Don't you think it's a little strange that only this part is glass?
Junpei: That chair looks pretty heavy all by itself... That glass could be
dangerous.
* We'd be in some serious trouble if that glass broke... I probably shouldn't
walk on it.
<Examine Floor, 2+>
* A section of the floor made from thick glass. It looks like it's probably
bulletproof.
<Examine Floor after turning on light, 1>
Junpei: I didn't think there'd be water under there...
Junpei: If it opens up, do you think the chair would drop into it?
Lotus: Well, that could be dangerous. Water conducts electricity, you know.
Lotus: And if it opens up, maybe the water would flow into this room...
Junpei: H-Hey, don't talk about stuff like that...
<Examine Floor after turning on light, 2+>
* There's water moving around under the glass.
* Now that I can see through it, I'm even more scared about the glass
breaking...
<Examine Floor after unlocking exit, 1+>
* I wonder how many people died in this thing...

<Examine Cables, 1>
Junpei: These cables are really complicated... Does this thing really need all
these cables?
Seven: Maybe they're for adjusting the voltage, you know?
Seven: If you power just one cable, then the voltage is low. You turn on more
cables if you want more voltage.
Junpei: If you pump electricity through all 10 cables, that'd probably be
enough to electrocute someone.
* Oh man, just thinking about that scares the crap out of me. Let's try not to
do that anymore, okay?
<Examine Cables, 2+>
* There's something about those cables that creeps me out... They feel...heavy.

{Screen 7, Table Closeup}

<Examine Table, 1>
* There are a number of ominous-looking tools and instruments here.
Seven: Let's see... We've got an adze and hammer... A pair of forceps... ...And
these other things are too old and broken. I have no idea what they are.
Seven: Hey... Doesn't this wrench look way too new to be here with all this
other stuff?
Lotus: Yes, it does... I didn't notice it before you mentioned it, but it's not
rusty at all.
<Examine Table, 2+>
* In among the rusty tools of torture, there's a wrench that looks brand-new.
<Examine Table after taking wrench, 1>
* A number of rusty torture tools are lined up here.
Seven: I don't think there's anything else here we need.
<Examine Table after taking wrench, 2+>
* A number of rusty torture tools are lined up here.

{Screen 8, Tank Closeup}

<Examine Pipes, 1>
* There's a metal pipe connected to a big tank-like thing.
Lotus: What are Earth is hitting that pipe supposed to accomplish? {Author's
Note: I believe the saying was "what on Earth."}
Junpei: I'm trying to fiind out if it's hollow. {Author's Note: I didn't
realize I would fiind an extra "i" in that sentence.}
Lotus: What did you find out?
Junpei: I found out that I don't know enough about pipes to know if it's hollow
or not.
<Examine Pipes, 2+>
* This paint on this pipe is faded.

<Examine Tank, 1>
Junpei: This tank...thing...is connecting the pipes.
Seven: This looks like it's supposed to split a pipe or something, you know?
But this one just connects a pair of pipes. You could've done the same thing
with more pipe.
Seven: It doesn't really seem like they need it here... I wonder if there's a
reason for it.
<Examine Tank, 2+>
* There doesn't seem to be any reason for the tank to be here. I wonder if it
serves another purpose...
<Examine Tank after finding Sun key, 1+>
* I found the Sun key hidden inside the tank.

<Examine Tank Window, 1>
Junpei: I thought there was a hole here, but I guess it's got a cover over it.
Seven: You aren't gonna be able to get that off. It's bolted on there pretty
good.
Seven: Maybe there's something around here we can use to get that thing off'a
there.
Lotus: Can you see anything in there? If you can't see anything, I don't really
think we need to bother with trying to open it.
Junpei: It's too dark to see anything...
Seven: Huh...? Did I see something shiny in there?
<Examine Tank Window, 2>
Junpei: There's something shiny in there?
Seven: Yeah. Well, maybe. We oughta check, though. It would be pretty bad if we
missed something important.
Seven: Maybe we can find something to take that cover off with.
<Examine Tank Window, 3+>
* Seven said he saw something shiny in the tank.
* If we can find something to get the bolts off, then I should be able to open
up the tank.
<Examine Tank Window with wrench unequipped, 1>
Junpei: A cover made of black glass. Looks like it's bolted on there.
Seven: Didn't we find a wrench, Junpei?
Seven: You think maybe you could take the bolts off with it?
<Examine Tank Window with wrench unequipped, 2+>
* Yeah, I might be able to get those bolts off with the wrench.
<Examine Tank Window with wrench equipped, 1>
* The cover's bolted on there pretty good.
* Should be able to get those bolts off with this wrench we just found, though.
Junpei: Sweet! It's open!
<Examine Tank Window once open, 1>
Lotus: The hole's too small. You can't see in, even with the cover off.
Junpei: Well, you can't see in, but I think there's enough room to stick your
arm in.
Lotus: Are you sure you want to do that? There could be something dangerous in
there.
* Okay, I admit, that scares me a little, but we need to see if there's
anything useful in there.
<Examine Tank Window once open, 2>
* All right, here we go. Arm into the hole... Hey, I think I can feel
something...
* It's small, cold, and hard... Doesn't feel like there's anything else in
here.
* All right, let's see what this thing is.
<Examine Tank Window once open, 3>
Junpei: There's nothing in there anymore.
<Examine Tank Window once open, 4+>
* There's nothing in the tank anymore.

{Screen 9, Facing Exit Door}

<Examine Door, 1>
Seven: Well, I guess we can't force this one open. Figures...
Junpei: If it was that easy, we wouldn't be having this tough of a time.
Lotus: Well, it isn't, so why don't we have our tough time of it, and figure
out a way to open the door?
<Examine Door, 2+>
* The exit. I can't see anything that looks like a lock or a keyhole...
<Examine Door after unlocking Exit, 1>
(To "ced1", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine Light, 1+>
* There's nothing suspicious about these lights. They're a little blurry from
the dust, but that's about it.

{Screen A, Floor view}

<Examine Floor, 1>
Seven: What's wrong, Junpei? What're you doing on the floor?
Junpei: Well, I thought maybe if I got down here, I could see through the
glass... It's not working, though.
Lotus: You don't think it's just a large sheet of glass they put into an
indentation?
Junpei: I dunno... I mean, why would they do that? And the placement of the
chair...
Seven: You're not making sense, Junpei. What's your point?
Junpei: Well, I'm not sure, but... Don't you think there's something under the
glass?
<Examine Floor, 2>
Junpei: Maybe the glass is one-way... Like they have in a police station, you
know?
Junpei: Or maybe it's just covered with something that makes it opaque...
* ...Nah, doesn't matter how close I get, I still can't see anything.
* Echoes when I knock on it though...
* I wonder if it's hollow?
<Examine Floor, 3>
Seven: Man, you ain't gonna give up on that thing, are ya? You know we don't
got time for shit like that, kid.
Junpei: C'mon, that's why I want to take a good look at it. Think about all the
other rooms we've gone though.
Junpei: You never know where you might find a puzzle, you know? We gotta be
suspicious of everything.
Lotus: What? Why on Earth are you putting your ear on the floor? It's filthy.
* Huh... That's weird. I think I can hear water down there...
<Examine Floor, 4+>
* I wonder if there's water down there, underneath the glass.
* Too dark to tell right now...
<Examine Floor after pulling yellow lever, 1>
Seven: Guess the shark was someone's pet, huh? That's a bit of a surprise...
Seven: You die on the chair, you get dumped into the water and he cleans up the
mess. Convenient.
<Examine Floor after pulling yellow lever, 2+>
* The only thing in the water is the dead shark.

<Examine Shark after pulling yellow lever, 1>
* There are a couple of letters in the color of blood written on the shark's
belly. 
Seven: It's dead... Looks like the letters are "E", "D", "B", and "F".
Seven: Whatever these are for has to be in this room somewhere.
<Examine Shark after pulling yellow lever, 2+>
* It says "E", "D", "B", and "F" on the shark's underside.
* Whatever those letters go to has to be in the room somewhere.
<Examine Shark after turning on chair, 1+>
* It looks like the letters "E", "D", "B", and "F" on the shark's underside are
for the buttons on the control panel.

<Examine Torture Chair, 1>
Junpei: These shackles are just leather straps. I don't think they actually
lock.
<Examine Torture Chair, 2+>
* These shackles are leather straps.
<Examine Torture Chair after unlocking exit, 1+>
* Man, if this thing had been turned on, Lotus would've been toast...

{Screen B, Chair Display Panel}

<Examine Cables, 1+>
* There's a whole lot of cables coming out of that thing.
* It's really kind of a mess... I can barely tell which is which.

<Examine Screen, 1>
Junpei: There's something on the screen...
* [This device will conduct the experiment. Once the experiment has been
completed, the door will unlock.]
* [First, adjust the switches to match the blocks in the sample above.]
Seven: Huh. I dunno what this thing is, but we gotta figure out this puzzle.
Lotus: It's right next to a torture chair.
Lotus: Whatever it is, I don't think it's good.
Junpei: Anyway... We just adjust the switches to match the blocks up on top,
right?
Lotus: You adjust the switches shown at the 4 corners of the screen, then press
the check button.
Lotus: Junpei, we don't know what this thing does.
Lotus: You can always come back to it later. There are...lots of other things
you could do...
<Examine Screen, 2+>
* Adjust the switches to match the blocks on top, and then press the check
button. All right...
<Examine Screen after solving first block puzzle before powering chair, 1>
* [Error: Cannot communicate with external hardware. Check connection and power
source.]
Junpei: External hardware? That must mean the chair... After all, there's all
these cables running between them.
Seven: I don't see a power source for the chair, though.
Seven: You think maybe it's controlled from somewhere else?
Junpei: It looks like the only controls are in this room.
<Examine Screen after solving first block puzzle before powering chair, 2+>
* We need to turn on the chair's power.
* It looks like the only controls are in this room.
<Examine Screen after first block puzzle with power to chair, before unlocking
chair, 1>
* [Error: The restraining device is locked but empty. The subject has not been
properly placed.]
* [Unlock the restraining device and re-seat subject.]
Junpei: Well, the restraining device has to be the chair...
Lotus: Well then, I guess we just need to unlock the chair.
<Examine Screen after first block puzzle with power to chair, before unlocking
chair, 2+>
* The screen says we need to unlock the chair.
<Examine Screen after unlocking chair, 1>
(To "c32d.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )
<Examine Screen while Lotus is seated, 1>
Seven: Alright, Junpei. It looks like you've gotta match the number of pointed
blocks.
Seven: You can rotate it to the left and right, but the switches work a little
different.
Seven: Just focus on how many blocks are changed when you press the switch.
<Examine Screen after unlocking door, 1+>
* The screen says "DOOR UNLOCKED".

<Go "Back" from screen without solving first puzzle, 1>
Seven: Whenever you turn on one of these switches, more blocks show up on the
screen.
Seven: So I think you gotta figure out which buttons you have to press in order
to get this screen to match the diagram.
Junpei: Yeah, but it's hard to figure out what button does what...
Lotus: If you want to see how many blocks each switch adds, just turn on one
switch.
Lotus: When all of them are off, there aren't any blocks, right? Then you can
see how many each switch adds.
Junpei: Oh yeah... I get it...
<Go "Back" from screen without solving first puzzle, 2>
Junpei: When you turn each switch on, the numbers of blocks goes up. Each
switch adds a different number of blocks.
Junpei: But if you think about it, all you've gotta do is a couple addition
problems.
Junpei: If you turn a single switch on, and count its blocks, and do that for
every switch... It's super-easy.
<Go "Back" from screen without solving first puzzle, 3+>
Junpei: All right, I just need to do 4 addition problems here.
Junpei: If I turn a single switch on, and count its blocks, and do that for
every switch... It's super-easy.

<Solve First Screen Puzzle, 1>
* [Adjustment is completed. Now proceeding to execution phase.]
* [To complete the experiment, data must be collected from subject.]
* [Once preparation is finished, place subject in chair.]
Seven: Whoa, whoa, I thought we solved the puzzle already. What does it mean by
"preparation?"
Lotus: I don't know... I've got a bad feeling about this.
Seven: I think this means one of us has gotta sit in the chair.
Lotus: Well, Seven's never going to fit in that thing. It's either you or me,
Junpei.
Lotus: Collecting data... I wonder if it's going to run electricity through the
subject...
Seven: There's a human head on the screen... Maybe it's gonna zap the brain
with a little electricity?
Lotus: This really doesn't sound safe.
Junpei: A-Anyway, we've still got to "prepare".
Junpei: We can talk about this after we've figured out what it means by
"preparation", all right?
Seven: Well, it wants us to prepare, so maybe we oughta ask it what we need to
do.

<Go "Back" from screen with Lotus seated without solving, 1>
Seven: Calm down, Junpei. Just look at it carefully, all right?
Seven: First off, the number of blocks ain't gonna change. All that's gonna
change is the [shape].
Seven: Just like in the first game, you gotta match your pointy blocks to the
ones up top.
Seven: Do you know how to figure out how many blocks change with each switch?
Junpei: Yeah, turn everything off, then just do one switch at a time, right?
Seven: Close enough. You just gotta pay attention to how many blocks change.
<Go "Back" from screen with Lotus seated without solving, 2>
Seven: Just keep it simple. This is just like the last one you did. Well, okay,
it's pretty close...
Seven: For instance, when the (1) on this switch is on, how many blocks turn
pointy?
Seven: Let's just say 2 of 'em do, okay? Then if you press the (2) on another
switch, 3 of 'em turn pointy.
Seven: Using those 2 switches, you made 5 blocks pointy. Make sense? That's how
you gotta solve it.
Junpei: Yeah, you're right. It's just more addition.
<Go "Back" from screen with Lotus seated without solving, 3>
Seven: So how many of the blocks turned pointy? If you're having trouble
remembering that, maybe you should just memorize the number of pointy blocks
for one side.
Seven: Trying to remember which blocks turn pointy in all 4 sections is gonna
make your head pop.
Seven: If something happens right in front of you, it's easy to focus on
that...
Seven: Try to avoid that. Just focus on how many pointy blocks would show up on
the side you decided to keep paying attention to.
<Go "Back" from screen with Lotus seated without solving, 4>
Seven: This is the last thing I can think of, Junpei.
Seven: Look at it from the right. There are 7 pointy blocks on the top, and 6
on the bottom.
Seven: There are only gonna be a few combinations that'll let you match up your
pointy blocks to the ones in the diagram.
<Go "Back" from screen with Lotus seated without solving, 5+>
* All right, Seven's last hint was to look at it from the right...
* It's just addition, Junpei. You can do this. I just need to remember the
number of pointy blocks I get when I touch the switches...

<Solve 2nd screen puzzle, 1>
* [The experiment has concluded. The door will now unlock.]
* I can hear the door unlocking... And now we've got a new message...
* [Release subject from restraining device.]
Junpei: Lotus, a-are you all right?
Lotus: Yes, I am. I'm glad nothing bad happened, but I do think my life just
got a little shorter.
Junpei: Hold on, I'll get you out right away.
* Shouldn't take long for Seven and me to get her out of here...
Lotus: Let's get out of here now. Being a guinea pig is not for me.
* Damn straight. I don't ever want to see this thing again.

<Attempt to leave screen when Lotus is seated, 1>
Seven: Junpei, this is no time to get scared, all right?!
Seven: Pull yourself together, Lotus! We're in this together, aren't we!?
<Attempt to leave screen when Lotus is seated, 2+>
* I don't think it's a good idea to leave right now.

{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search wrench, 1>
Junpei: This wrench looks brand-new.
Lotus: Considering where we found it, I have to wonder how it was used.
Junpei: Knock it off. I don't wanna think about that.
Lotus: You've already seen plenty of things that are a lot more cruel than
that. He he... You're unexpectedly sensitive.
Junpei: C'mon, let's not talk about stuff that doesn't matter, okay? We need to
find somewhere where we can use this thing.
<Search wrench, 2+>
* A brand-new wrench. Maybe I can use it to unscrew bolts or something.

<Search Sun key, 1>
Seven: A key with the Sun symbol on it.
Junpei: We should be able to open the other door with this.
Seven: Yeah, but we gotta get outta this room before we can do that.
Junpei: And we're probably gonna need the Sun key to do that.
Seven: But none of the doors in this room have keyholes. I bet we gotta use it
on something that's not a door.
<Search Sun key, 2+>
* A key with the Sun symbol on it. I don't think it goes to any of the doors in
this room.

==========================
{c32d.a} File #62
::Torture Room::
-Upon Inspecting Torture Chair monitor after unlocking chair-

[The restraining device is unlocked. Please seat subject in device.]
The message on the screen was disturbingly detached.

Junpei: Well, like we thought, it's not going to work unless someone sits in
it.
Lotus: How ironic that this would be the situation in which this slim,
beautiful body is useful.
Junpei: Lotus... Are you sure? I can sit in it, and you can solve--
Seven: Junpei's right. If we screw it up...

Seven couldn't bring himself to finish the thought. His eyes fell to the floor.
Junpei followed them...
Beneath them was the dead shark, floating underneath the glass.
Perhaps it had been killed by an electric shock.

Lotus: I'll be fine. Even if I fall in, the shark is already dead.
Junpei: But--!
Lotus: No one likes an indecisive man, Junpei. I can still give you advice from
the chair too, you know.
Lotus: I just don't want to stay in this room any longer than we have to... Go
over to that screen and let's get this over with.

After her words had made it clear that Lotus would book no argument, she turned
and walked toward the chair without hesitation.
...But she did not sit down.
Despite what she had said, she did indeed feel hesitation.
Her legs shook.

Lotus: Look... Do you think you could do me one last favor?
Junpei: Don't say last...
Seven: You're makin' me nervous...
Lotus: Just listen.
Lotus: If something happens to me, I want you to tell my daughters that I loved
them very much.
Lotus: ...No. Tell them that I will always love them.
Junpei: Daughters...?
Seven: You...you've got kids?
Lotus: Yes, I do. I suppose they're about your age, Junpei.
Lotus: They're twins... I had them when I was young after...after some things
happened.
Lotus: Their names are [Nona] and--
Junpei: Wait! Nona!?

Junpei's words shot out before he even realized what he was saying.
He remembered the story Seven had told him--
Aoi, Light, and Nona...
Those were their names. Well, some of them. The kids that were there, in the
experiment, I mean...

Lotus: Wh-What the hell? What's wrong with you?

Lotus took a step back from Junpei.
Seven looked just as shocked as Junpei.
He blinked his eyes rapidly, as if he weren't sure if he was completely awake.

Seven: No way... It couldn't...
Seven: Lotus... Is your last name Kashiwabara?

Lotus's eyes went wide.

Lotus: H-How do you know that...
Seven: Are you serious...? What the hell is this?
Seven: There's no way you're that kid's mom...
Lotus: "That kid"?! What do you mean "that kid"?!
Lotus: Why are you acting like you've met her!?

Seven's brow furrowed.

Seven: I have...
Lotus: What!?
Seven: Yeah, I... I met one of your kids.
Lotus: When?!
Seven: 9 years ago.
Lotus: Where?!
Seven: On this ship.
Lotus: Why were you--?!
Seven: It's not a short story...
Lotus: I don't care how long it is! Tell me, please! What happened here?!

Seven glanced at Junpei, then turned back to Lotus and began to speak.
It was the same story Junpei had heard only minutes before. Every detail...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
At last, Seven finished. Lotus shook her head...

Lotus: Oh my God...
Lotus: Everything I've been looking for the last 9 years...
Lotus: The person who had all the answers was right here...
Junpei: Looking for...?
Lotus: Yes, that's right. 9 years ago, my daughters disappeared.
Lotus: Then, 9 days later, they came back.
Lotus: They never told me what had happened to them over those 9 days...
Lotus: I took them to the doctor, but I was told they hadn't been hurt in any
way...
Lotus: Still, I was sure that they had been through something terrible.
Lotus: ...So I couldn't bring myself to force them to talk about it.
Lotus: If I did, then I'd force them to relive whatever horrors they'd been
through.
Lotus: I didn't have any choice. I had to try to ignore it and move on...
Junpei: ...
Seven: ...
Lotus: A few months passed...
Lotus: Gradually they started to act like they always had, before they
disappeared.
Lotus: They smiled, and made jokes, and did all the silly things kids do.
Lotus: It got harder and harder for me to ask them about what had happened. How
could I ask them to remember that?
Lotus: Eventually, I knew there was no way I could do it.
Junpei: ...
Seven: ...
Lotus: But I'm still a mother. I couldn't simply forget that something terrible
had happened to my children.
Lotus: So I decided I would investigate what had happened on my own.
Lotus: I would find out what had happened during those 9 missing days!
Seven: ...What did you find out?
Lotus: Nothing.
Lotus: The police pretended to be concerned, but they didn't do anything.
Lotus: Once the 16 children who'd gone missing came back, things were just...
Lotus: ...Swept under the rug...
Lotus: Even the media didn't talk about what had happened.
Lotus: I figured someone was probably paying or threatening them to keep their
mouths shut.
Seven: Cradle Pharmaceutical.
Seven: ...No, probably something even bigger than that...
Lotus: Cradle Pharmaceutical...
Junpei: Have you heard of them before?
Lotus: No, that's the first time I've ever heard that name.
Lotus: Seven, how did you find out that Cradle Pharmaceutical was connected to
the kidnappings in the first place?
Seven: I figured finding out whatever the victims had in common would lead me
to the culprit. That's what any good cop does.
Junpei: What did they have in common?
Seven: Every single one of the kids who disappeared had gone to this one
hospital at some point.
Seven: The hospital was one of a bunch that were under the control of Cradle
Pharmaceutical... After that, it was just about connecting the dots.
Lotus: The hospital...
Junpei: The hospital...
Seven: For a while I was trying to get some kinda story outta the kids at the
hospital.
Seven: One of 'em told a weird story...
Junpei: What was it?
Seven: Have you heard about the [Ganzfeld experiment]?
Seven: I guess all these kids had to go through it while they were at the
hospital.
Seven: I think it was passed off as some sort of counseling.

Seven cleared his throat and proceeded to explain the [Ganzfeld experiment].
First, subjects Q and A are put into separate rooms, far away from one another.
Then a series of video images are shown to subject Q, who is told to send the
images to subject A by thinking about them.
Subject A, on the other hand, is put in a large reclining chair and given a
blindfold.
With their senses cut off, A is asked to guess what images Q is looking at.

Lotus: Oh, yes, I've heard of that.
Lotus: It's a famous telepathy experiment, isn't it?

Telepathy... Telepathy...
Junpei rolled the word over in his mind.

Junpei: That's how the experiment on this ship was supposed to work.
Lotus: The experiment to control people, right?
Junpei: Yeah.
Junpei: I don't know if any of the telepathy stuff really exists...
Junpei: But maybe someone from Cradle Pharmaceutical bought into it...
Lotus: Hmph...

Lotus grunted.
Seven had been thinking hard for the last several minutes, and finally spoke.

Seven: Even if that is the case...
Seven: I still don't get how that has anything to do with any of this.
Seven: The Nonary Game, Zero, why we were kidnapped...
Seven: What does any of that have to do with telepathy?
Seven: I know I brought all this up, but... I have no idea.
Seven: Maybe none of this stuff is connected after all...
Junpei: ...
Lotus: ...
Seven: ...

Then, in that moment of silence--
A cold voice echoed down from the ceiling.

Speaker: No subject has been detected. Unless a subject is detected within 60
seconds, all power will be shut down.
Speaker: System recovery is estimated to take 1 hour.
Speaker: If you wish to proceed with the experiment, please seat subject in the
restraining device.
Seven: Whoa, that doesn't sound good...
Junpei: Yeah...
Lotus: Okay. I'm going, I'm going.
Seven: Oh, no, that's not what we--
Lotus: Just hurry up and get it over with!
Lotus: Junpei! I'm counting on you!
Junpei: R-Right!

Lotus sat down on the chair.
Junpei looked at her one last time, then made his way to the monitor.

Junpei: Lotus, please, tell me right away if you feel anything...weird...
Lotus: You worry too much. Now get on with it and be a man, or June's going to
leave you.

Lotus was putting on the best act she could manage, but her legs were shaking
so much that if she hadn't been sitting, she likely would have fallen down.
Failure was not acceptable.
Junpei took one last deep breath and stared at the monitor.

(Return to investigation)

===========================================
===========================================
{b31b} File #43
:C Deck hallway:
-Door [6] Selected-
===========================================

Junpei: I want to go through...door [6].

Junpei flipped open the piece of paper.
It read "Junpei -- Door [6]".
Of course it did. He'd written it, after all.

June: That's a problem...

June spoke barely above a whisper, but they all knew what she'd said.

June: None of these teams will be able to go through the doors they want.
Ace: Clover and I chose door [1].
Seven: Lotus and I chose door [2].
Ace: That's not enough people to open a numbered door, however.
Seven: The digital root's don't match up either. {Author's Note: There probably
doesn't need to be an apostrophe on "roots"}
Santa: We've got similar problems.
Santa: June, Junpei and I want to go through door [6].
Santa: But our digital root is 5. &&& Check line placement
Santa: If we're gonna open that door, we need a (1).
Lotus: Damn... What are we going to do now?
Junpei: What are we going to do...

Junpei crossed his arms, and did his best to put his thoughts in order. The
others followed suit, but with little result.
Eventually Clover broke the silence.

Clover: Why don't Seven and Lotus go through door [1]...? With me.

Her face was cold and flat, as was her voice, but her logic was sound.
Seven and Lotus looked at each other.
7 + 8 + 4 = 19
? 1 + 9 = 10 ? 1 + 0 = 1
The first problem resolved, Ace spoke up.

Ace: What about...me?
Clover: Isn't that obvious?
Clover: Wasn't one of the teams just complaining that they didn't have a (1)?
Ace: You mean... I should join Santa's team?

Clover nodded, her face still cold and emotionless.
Her attitude and posture could not have been more different than the energetic
girl of only a few hours before.
No one seemed ready to contradict her.
Her response was understandable, given the horrible situation in which she had
found herself, but even so...

Ace: I understand... I will go through door [6], then.
Ace: If we do as Clover has suggested, we can all pass through a numbered door.
Ace: No one will be left behind.
Ace: This seems to be the most reasonable solution.

3 + 6 + 5 + 1 = 15 ? 1 + 5 = 6

Junpei: Seven? Lotus? What do you guys think?
Seven: I don't have a problem with it.
Lotus: Me either...
Junpei: All right then, we're good to go.

...
...
At last, Junpei and the other 6 had managed to separate themselves into 2
teams.
Clover, Seven, and Lotus headed to [A Deck], where door [1] was, near the main
staircase.
Junpei, June, Ace, and Santa, however, took the elevator to [E Deck]...
The ride to [E Deck] was a silent one.

Santa: All right, let's go.

Santa's words jolted them to action, and they stepped out of the elevator, into
a long, straight hallway.
Before long, they arrived in front of door [6].
One by one, they put their palms over the RED.
With a soft electronic noise, it authenticated each of them.
The door opened...
And all at once, the 4 of them leapt through it.
Fortunately, the DEAD was located easily enough.
This one had been placed quite close to the door they'd entered through.
They gathered around it quickly, and hurriedly placed their palms on it for
authentication one by one.

Junpei: ...
June: ...
Ace: ...
Santa: ...
Junpei: It stopped...
June: Yes... It stopped...

The countdown had ceased, but Junpei's heart was still pounding in his chest,
like a frantic, thunderous drum.
It felt as though it might shake itself up and out of his throat.
He'd been through the doors 3 times before, but repetition had not dulled the
experience.
He was not anxious to find it dulled, however.
He hoped to be free of the ridiculous game long before that happened.

Junpei: All right, let's go!

With that attempt at good humor, Junpei took a deep breath, and began to walk.
He jogged down the stairs at the end of the hallway, and found himself staring
at a large door.
It was a heavy thing, made of iron, and more than a little threatening.
He took hold of the bar that served as its doorknob, and shoved it down.
The room beyond stopped him in his tracks.
It was gargantuan, and made entirely of metal--none of the accents of wood or
tile he'd seen in the rest of the ship. This room was purely functional, but
utterly tremendous.

Santa: Whoa, what the hell is this...

Santa got out a few words, before awe stole the rest of them.
The rest were too stunned to offer anything more than gasps.
It was easily the largest room they'd seen, and yet it was somehow closed, and
oppressive. The ceiling was at least 2 stories high, if not significantly more.
It was easily several hundred feet across, and appeared to stretch the entire
width of the ship.
In the center of that gargantuan room stood a massive, rounded building. Even
from a distance, the sheer bulk of it was...oppressive. Junpei could feel the
room, the building, even the air, pressing down on him.
Junpei and the others were standing on scaffolding that criss-crossed the whole
area. The proper term was "catwalk", Junpei thought, although that didn't seem
particularly important. 

Junpei: All right, let's head downstairs.

Nearby was a long iron staircase that made its way, eventually, to the floor
beneath them.
They moved around toward the opposite side of the massive building, following
the catwalk.
They hadn't said much as they walked, but as they approached the building, Ace
suddenly spoke up.

Ace: This looks to be the steam engine room.
Junpei: The steam engine room...?
Ace: Yes. The thing that looks like a cross-section of a mushroom is the
boiler.
Ace: Do you see the 3 round doors near the bottom?
Ace: Coal is put into those, and burned, which heats the water, producing
steam.
Ace: The same thing that drives a steam engine. This one is simply
somewhat...larger.
Junpei: I see...

Even if Ace was right, the boiler was boiling nothing as they approached it.
The entire room was as silent as the grave.
Suddenly--
Junpei heard a noise behind him.
He turned, just in time to see June collapse to her knees.

Junpei: Hey! What's wrong?! Are you all right?

He dashed toward her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to steady her.
It was then that he noticed...

Junpei: You... You're really warm!
Junpei: Is your fever coming back?!
June: Yes... Yes, it...probably is...
June: But... I'm fine... Please, don't...worry about me.
June: I just need to rest... And I'll be fine...

Her voice was weak, and forced, and it said a great deal more than her words
did.
Junpei carried her to the nearest wall, and propped her up against it.
She let her head fall back against the wall, as if she no longer had the
strength to support it, and drew a ragged breath.
Her eyes were empty, as if she was having trouble focusing them, and even
speaking seemed difficult for her.
Junpei felt his hand ball itself into a fist, and clench tight, his knuckles
whitening. He had to find a way out, and quickly!
He turned, and looked at Ace and Santa in turn.
They might not have shared the depth of his emotion, but they certainly shared
his concern.
He didn't need words to express the urgency of their situation.

Junpei: All right, let's get started.
Junpei: Hang in there, June... I'm gonna get you out of here real soon.

She managed a small nod before leaning back to rest her head on the wall.

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::Steam engine room::
=============================================
{b31} File #42
Plot points within this section:
-Part of an Experiment / The Rat Maze: "b31d.a"
-Black and White Santa: "b31d.c"
( To skip to a story segment, search for "b32b.#" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
( Next story segment is "b32b" )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \ : Room Connections
v: Returns to the previous room
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

            [H]=[I] [K]=[J]
             |       v /
            [G]=[E]=[F]
               / ^ /
            [7]=[6]  [A]
             v[L]^    |
            [8]^[5]  [9]
               \ |    |
        [2]=<1>=[3]=/[4]
         |\\\ ///|  /
        [B] [C] [D]

*Screen [3] can go to [4] either by pressing right arrow key or tapping on the
area to the left of the staircase.
*Both Screen [2] and [3] can access the boiler gears [B], [C], and [D], and
Screen [4] can access boiler gear [D].
*You can access screen [E] from [6], but returning back from [E] goes to [7].
*You can access screen [L] (the control switch) from both screen [8] and [5].

{Screen 1, Facing Conveyer Belt}

<Examine Tunnel, 1+>
* A tunnel. It goes all the way across the ship.

<Examine Conveyer Belt, 1>
Ace: I'd say this is probably here to move coal from place to place.
Ace: It probably comes from over there...
Ace: ...And then the belt carries it down the tunnel and out here.
Junpei: So, if the conveyor belt was moving...
Ace: Yes, the coal would almost certainly come out here.
<Examine Conveyer Belt, 2+>
* Looks like a conveyor belt. It's not conveying anything right now.
<Examine Conveyer Belt after lowering box before taking control panel, 1+>
* Looks like a conveyor belt made for carrying coal. And over on the right...
<Examine Conveyer Belt after lowering box after taking control panel, 1+>
* Looks like it's a conveyor belt made for moving coal around... For conveying
it, you might say...
<Examine Conveyer Belt with coal on, 1>
Junpei: There's a whole lot of coal on the conveyor belt.
Ace: Ah, so the conveyor belt carries all the coal from the right side...
<Examine Conveyer Belt with coal on, 2+>
* There's a whole lot of coal on the conveyor belt.
<Examine Conveyer Belt after taking coal box, 1>
Ace: Junpei, do you really think you should be paying so much attention to the
conveyor belt?
<Examine Conveyer Belt after taking coal box, 2+>
* There's a whole lot of coal moving along the conveyor belt.

<Examine Pillar, 1+>
* This pillar goes up toward the ceiling.

<Examine Light Button, 1>
Santa: Look at that button... It's glowing orange, right?
Santa: That's gotta mean something...
* I guess pressing it is the best way to find out if it does anything, Santa.
Santa: Hm... Nothing.
<Examine Light Button, 2+>
* This button is glowing orange. Nothing happens when I press it.
<Examine Light Button after activating control panel, 1+>
* The light in the button isn't on anymore. I don't need to press it.

<Examine Square Compartment, empty, 1>
Santa: It's a square...hole. Nothing in here.
Ace: Ah, look at the back wall there.
Ace: I can see 3 small slots... Terminals for some sort of connector, perhaps?
Santa: You mean you think we're supposed to plug something in here?
Ace: Perhaps.
<Examine Square Compartment, empty, 2+>
* There's a square hole on the side of the tunnel. There are 3 slots here. They
look like connection terminals for something.
<Examine Square Compartment with control panel in inventory, unequipped, 1>
Ace: Junpei, this hole here...
Ace: Don't you think that panel you just found would fit in it?
<Examine Square Compartment with control panel in inventory, unequipped, 2+>
* There's a square hole on the side of the tunnel. There are 3 slots here. They
look like connection terminals for something.
<Examine Square Compartment with control panel equipped, 1>
Junpei: Maybe this hole...is where the control panel goes...
* Well, there's only one way to find out... In you go!
Santa: Dude, you did it. Everything looks all right...
Junpei: Okay, but... What do we do now?
Ace: Why don't you press the button next to it?
Junpei: The orange one?
Ace: Yes.
Junpei: All right, I'll do that.
Junpei: Pushing!
* Sweet! All sorts of lights are lighting up on this thing!
* And...oh! Yes, I think I just heard something turn on!
Junpei: Oh!? What's that!? What happened!?
Santa: Junpei, look! The conveyor belt's moving!
Junpei: The conveyor belt..?
* ...Well, I guess it's done moving now.
* There's still a bunch of coal on the belt, though...
* It looks like a bunch of it got dumped off the end of the belt into that
wooden box where we found the control panel.
Junpei: Coal... Coal, huh...

<Examine Box after lowering from above before taking control panel, 1+>
* A wooden box. Let's see what's inside...
<Examine Box after lowering from above after taking control panel, 1+>
* This box is empty.
* Of course, I could always put something in it...

<Examine Control Panel, 1+>
* This is the control panel for the conveyor belt. It's covered in lights.

<Examine Coal on Conveyer Belt, 1>
* Since the belt started moving, it's transported quite a bit of coal.
* It all drops off the left end of the belt, right into the wooden box.
<Examine Coal on Conveyer Belt, 2+>
* There's a lot of coal on the conveyor belt. Consequently, there's a lot of
coal in the box, too...
<Examine Coal on Conveyer Belt after taking coal box, 1+>
* It's coal. It's shiny and black and...coal-like.

<Examine Winch Hook, 1+>
* A winch, rope, and hook. The wooden box is right underneath.
<Examine Winch Hook after taking coal box, 1+>
* A winch, rope, and hook. There's nothing hanging off it any more.

{Screen 2, Boiler}

<Examine Entire Furnace, 1>
Junpei: Man, this thing is huge.
Junpei: I guess a ship this big needs something like that to power it.
Ace: True, but I doubt a single boiler of this size could actually move a ship
like this at any reasonable speed.
Ace: You'd need at least 3--no, 4, of these.
Junpei: Huh, I guess you know a lot about boats, huh?
Ace: Well, not really. It's just common sense, you know?
<Examine Entire Furnace, 2+>
* This is the massive furnace for this boiler.
* There is a door built into it near the bottom, where you can put coal in.

<Examine Fuel Doors, 1>
Ace: I believe this opening is for fueling the furnace.
Ace: If we were to put some coal in here, and ignite it...
Junpei: Then the steam engine might start working?
Ace: It's certainly possible.
<Examine Fuel Doors, 2+>
* An opening for fueling the furnace.
<Examine Fuel Doors with coal box unequipped, 1>
Santa: I think you put fuel into the furnace through that hole.
Santa: Hey, Junpei, why don't you put some of that coal we found in there?
Santa: If we can get it to light, maybe something cool'll happen, you know?
<Examine Fuel Doors with coal box unequipped, 2+>
* It's a hole. I think it's for putting fuel into the furnace.
<Examine Fuel Doors with coal box equipped, 1>
* There's a hole that'll let us put coal into the furnace.
* Maybe, if we can get some coal in there, and set it on fire...
Junpei: Okay, let's do it.
* All right, that's the last of it... No coal left in the wooden box.
* And...nothing. Great.
* Well, I guess I should have expected that. Why would just throwing coal into
a cold furnace do anything?
* Ah well, a man can dream...
Ace: Junpei, explain it to me again.
Ace: You're planning to stoke the furnace with coal...
Ace: ...Which will heat the water stored up there, and make steam...
Ace: ...Which will then drive something else.
Ace: Am I correct?
Santa: In other words, you wanna generate enough pressure with the steam to
power the turbine...
Santa: ...And drive the steam engine, right?
Junpei: Y-Yeah, I guess that's the...uh...gist of it.
Ace: Hmm. Well, in that case, this isn't enough coal.
Santa: This furnace is enormous.
Santa: So we're gonna need a whole hell of a lot more coal than this.
Ace: Very well then, if the 3 of us work together, then we should manage to
fill it much faster.
June: I...I want to help, too...
* Man, I totally didn't even see her walk up...
Junpei: Are...are you feeling up to that?
June: Y-Yes...
Junpei: ...Yeah right. You look like you're one stiff breeze away from falling
over, June.
Junpei: I think you'd better rest some more, all right?
June: But...I--!
Junpei: No arguing! You need your rest! So you just stay there. We'll handle
this.
June: ...
Junpei: ...
June: Okay... I understand...
* ...
* All right... Time for some manly work!
* Let's get this coal into those furnaces!
* ...Man, this is a lot of work...
Ace: All right, I think this should be sufficient.
Santa: All right, now we just gotta light it.
Santa: Junpei, hand me your matches.
Junpei: What makes you think I have matches?!
Santa: I see...
Santa: Then how're we gonna light it?
Ace: Perhaps there's a device nearby that will allow us to remotely ignite the
coal.
Ace: Let's take a look, shall we?
Junpei: Some sort of ignition device, huh...s
<Examine Fuel Doors after putting in coal, 1>
* Well, we put a bunch of coal into the furnace.
* If we can get it to light...
<Examine Fuel Doors after putting in coal, 2+>
* Well, we put a bunch of coal into the furnace.
* Now I just need to figure out how to light it.
<Examine Fuel Doors after turning on furnace, 1>
Junpei: Hot!
Santa: What kind of an idiot are you?
Santa: It's a hellish inferno in there. Of course it's going to be hot.
Junpei: ...
<Examine Fuel Doors after turning on furnace, 2+>
* The coal behind that door is burning hotter than the fires of hell. I
probably shouldn't open it.

<Examine Area around Fuel Doors, 1+>
* This is the bottom of the massive boiler.

<Examine Tunnel Left of Furnace, 1>
Junpei: There are a number of these little windows along the inside of this
thing.
Santa: I think you're supposed to put coal in through these, but...
Santa: ...They're welded shut. I don't think we can get these open.
<Examine Tunnel Left of Furnace, 2+>
* The conveyor belt comes out of a sort of arch-shaped tunnel.

<Examine Catwalk, 1+>
* Stairs stretch from the catwalk to the boiler.

{Screen 3, Facing Boiler Gears and Staircase}

<Examine Fuel Doors, 1+>
* This is where the coal goes. ...Or would go, if all 3 of these things hadn't
rusted shut.

<Examine Entire Furnace, 1>
* This is the huge oven for this boiler. There are 3 open areas in it.
* Each of the open areas has a gear in it.
<Examine Entire Furnace, 2+>
* This is the huge oven for this boiler. There's a big gear in each of the 3
open areas.
<Examine Entire Furnace after turning gears, 1+>
* This is the huge oven for this boiler. There's a big gear built into part of
it.

<Examine Catwalk, 1+>
* Stairs to the upper floor. They're connected to the boiler.

<Examine Boxes, 1>
Junpei: There're a bunch of wooden boxes over here by the wall.
Santa: I already looked through those. There's nothing there.
<Examine Boxes, 2+>
* A number of wooden boxes piled up under the stairs. There's nothing in them.

<Examine Barrel, 1>
Junpei: There's a barrel under the stairs. Sweet.
Ace: Unfortunately, it's empty.
<Examine Barrel, 2>
* There is a barrel under the stairs.
<Examine Barrel, 3>
* A barrel...
<Examine Barrel, 4>
Santa: We should get Seven to throw the barrel from the top of the stairs.
Santa: It'd be just like that old game, remember?
Ace: Ah, yes, with the gorilla who threw barrels...
Ace: And you tried to jump over the barrels, and make your way to the top...
<Examine Barrel, 5+>
* There's a barrel under the stairs. It's empty.

{Screen 4, Facing Sandbags and Staircase}

<Examine Sandbags, 1>
Santa: Look, Ace!
Santa: It's some kind of snowman secret meeting!
Ace: Those are just bags full of sand.
Ace: You use them as a counterweight when you're lifting something with a pully
system.
Santa: Man, you're too serious...
<Examine Sandbags, 2+>
* There are a number of cloth bags over here. There's nothing but sand in them.

<Examine Pillars, 1>
Junpei: There was a pillar like this on the other side.
Santa: Yeah, you're right...
<Examine Pillars, 2+>
* There are 2 pillars that reach up toward the ceiling.

<Examine Wooden Boxes, 1>
Santa: There's a pair of wooden boxes here.
Santa: There's...nothing in them.
<Examine Wooden Boxes, 1>
* There's a pair of boxes here. 

{Screen 5, Facing Control Switches going up}

<Examine Top Door, 1+>
* This is the door we came through when we entered the steam engine room.

<Examine lower Iron Door, 1+>
* I can see an iron gate. It looks pretty sturdy.

<Examine Catwalk, 1+>
* The back side of the catwalk and the pipe.

{Screen 6, Catwalk, North Side, facing doors A and B}

<Examine Door A, 1>
* One of the doors on the furnace. There's an [A] on it.
* There's a circular wheel in the center of the door.
Junpei: All right, let's give that sucker a twist...
* Well, it's noisy, but it opens.
* ...And it's totally pitch-black in there...
Junpei: We should...um...go in here...
Santa: All right.
Ace: Let's go.
Junpei: This...looks just like the door we went into...
Santa: Uh...where are we...?
Ace: We must be on the other side, yes?
Santa: Which would put us...directly above the conveyor belt.
Ace: At any rate, we should keep moving. There's a great deal we've yet to
investigate.

<Examine Door B from distance, 1+>
* One of the doors on the furnace. There's a [B] on it.

<Examine Boxes, 1+>
* There's a bunch of stuff in our way.

<Examine Catwalk, 1>
* There are several catwalks spidering across the walls of the room.
<Examine Catwalk, 2>
Junpei: The catwalk.
<Examine Catwalk, 3>
Junpei: The catwalk.
Santa: Hey Junpei, I think that catwalk there is like the ones you see up in
the tops of theaters, you know?
Santa: Like, for adjusting the lighting and stuff.
Junpei: Yeah, I know.
Junpei: But...what do you call it?
Santa: Uh, well, how about a tigerwalk?
Santa: It's...uh...wider than a catwalk...
Junpei: ...
<Examine Catwalk, 4>
* A catwalk even a cat might fall off of... Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a
little.
* Anyway, I think I'll still call it a catwalk, for now.
<Examine Catwalk, 5+>
* There are several catwalks spidering across the walls of the room.

<Examine Furnace, 1>
* The furnace for the massive boiler.
* I feel like I'm in a building built for another building.
<Examine Furnace, 2+>
* The furnace for the massive boiler.

{Screen 7, Catwalk, North Side, facing door C}

<Examine Furnace, 1+>
* This is the furnace for the enormous boiler.

<Examine Catwalk, 1>
Ace: There's a catwalk over there.
Junpei: Yeah, if by "catwalk" you mean, "narrow strip of metal"...
Ace: Junpei, are you brave enough to cross that?
Ace: If you were to fall, you do realize that broken bones would be the least
of your problems...
Junpei: ...
<Examine Catwalk, 2+>
* There are several catwalks spidering across the walls of the room.

<Examine Supports, 1>
Santa: I think that's part of the ship's structure.
Santa: They're like ribs that support the hull.
<Examine Supports, 2+>
* This supports and braces the side of the ship. It's not a ladder.

<Examine Door C, 1+>
* One of the doors on the furnace. There's a [C] on it.

{Screen 8, Facing Control Switches going down}

<Examine Boxes, 1+>
* There's a box here. It's full of glowing embers.

<Examine Supports, 1+>
* One of the great metal ribs of the ship.

{Screen 9, Facing Exit Door from distance}

<Examine Stairs on opposite side, 1>
Santa: Oh man, Junpei, I can't believe I missed something so important!
Junpei: What's so important?
Santa: Look at those stairs... Look at them carefully!
Santa: That gap! That height! That angle! It's perfect!
Junpei: Perfect? Perfect for what...?
Santa: Whatever, just bring Clover here, right now!
Santa: Tell her she needs to walk up and down these stairs!
Junpei: Huh?
* Clover's not here... What the hell is he talking about?
<Examine Stairs on opposite side, 2+>
* I don't really get it, but apparently these stairs are perfect
for...something.

<Examine Catwalk, 1+>
* The catwalk on the upper floor. There's a staircase that reaches out from the
catwalk to the boiler.

<Examine Wooden Boxes, 1+>
* There are a number of wooden boxes piled up at the bottom of the stairs.
They're all empty.

{Screen A, Exit Door closeup}

<Examine Door, 1>
* There's a thick, iron door blocking our way.
Junpei: You think this is...
Ace: Yes. It looks like the exit.
Santa: Looks like this door slides up into the ceiling.
<Examine Door, 2+>
* This thick, iron door blocks our way out. It's probably the exit.

<Examine Pedestal, 1>
Junpei: What is this...
Ace: Given its placement...
Ace: This must unlock the door to the left.
Santa: There's a weird indentation on the top of this thing.
Santa: You think that means you have to insert something here?
Ace: Yes, I would imagine so.
<Examine Pedestal, 2+>
* It looks like this thing unlocks the door.
* There's a depression here that looks like it's the outline of 3 circles laid
on top of each other in a triangle.
<Examine Pedestal with 1-2 discs, 1>
* It looks like this thing unlocks the door.
* There's a depression here that looks like it's the outline of 3 circles laid
on top of each other in a triangle.
Junpei: If I put the discs we found in there...
Santa: Hey, hold up there, Junpei.
Santa: You even look at this thing? Any idiot could see you need 3 discs.
Santa: We don't have enough of 'em...
<Examine Pedestal with 1-2 discs, 2+>
* This indentation looks like 3 circles put together to make a triangle.
* How do the discs fit in there...
<Examine Pedestal with 3 discs, 1>
* It looks like this thing unlocks the door.
* There's a depression here that looks like it's the outline of 3 circles laid
on top of each other in a triangle.
Junpei: Maybe... Maybe if we put those 3 discs we found into this thing...
* Well, there's only one way to find out. Let's stick 'em in...
Junpei: Huh...? That's odd... Nothing's happening.
Santa: Maybe you're...I dunno...putting them in the wrong places?
Ace: Perhaps you have them facing the wrong directions?
Ace: Perhaps you should rotate the discs to make some of the lines connect to
one another?
Junpei: Hmm... Well, no harm in trying.
Instructions for operation:
When the disc is touched, it will rotate a certain amount.
When the white arrow is touched, the discs are switched.
Please note when the discs are switched, the angles for the discs are reset.
<Examine Pedestal with 3 discs after failing to solve puzzle, 1+>
Junpei: All right, let's give it another try!

<Go "Back" from Pedestal after failing to solve puzzle, 2> (Nothing happens
first time)
Junpei: Ugh... I didn't think this would be so hard...
Junpei: I don't know where each disc is supposed to go...
Junpei: If I could just figure that out the rest of this would be cake.
Ace: Junpei...
Ace: Do you remember what positions these discs were in when you found them?
Ace: If we know that, it might help us figure out where each disc is supposed
to go.
Junpei: Where each disc was when I found it...
* If I look at the 3 gears again, I might remember...
<Go "Back" from Pedestal after failing to solve puzzle, 3>
Junpei: Man, this is tough...
Santa: Hey, Junpei, why don't you go have another look at where you found the
discs?
Santa: You remember... The indentations on the gears...
Santa: You might find some clues you missed out on, you know?
<Go "Back" from Pedestal after failing to solve puzzle, 4+>
Junpei: No... I just don't get it at all...
* Santa said I might find some clues on the gears, but...

<Solve Pedestal Puzzle, 1>
* The red lines on these discs...
* I think maybe I can make a star polygon with these...!
(To "b32b", replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine Handrail, 1+>
* The hand rail.

{Screen B, Golden Boiler Gear}

<Examine Back Wall, 1+>
* The conveyor belt runs into a sort of arched tunnel.

<Examine Back Door, 1>
Ace: It looks like there's a door over here, in this tunnel...
Ace: The belt over there must deliver the coal, which is then picked up and
thrown into this door...
Ace: The door appears to be welded shut, however.
<Examine Back Door, 2+>
* There's a small door on the side of the tunnel. It's welded shut, and won't
open.
(Note that each of both golden and bronze boiler gear screens share the same
back door)

<Examine Rusty Gear, 1+>
* This gear is rusty, but it looks like it's still pretty sturdy.

<Examine Golden Gear, 1>
Ace: A golden gear...
Junpei: It doesn't look like it was always golden like this.
Ace: Well then, I imagine it was prepared especially for this game.
<Examine Golden Gear, 2+>
* A huge golden gear. I have a feeling it's important.

<Examine Golden Gear closeup, 1>
* The golden gear. If we turn it 180 degrees...
* ...The section of it that was hidden under the floor comes into view.
<Examine Golden Gear closeup, 2+>
* A golden gear. There's something in the indentation on this part of it...
<Examine Golden Gear closeup after removing disc, 1+>
* The golden gear. There's nothing in the indentation.

<Examine Golden Gear indentation, 1>
Ace: There's a a strange indentation here... It looks like a triangle made from
3 overlapping circles. {Author's Note: There are two "a"s in a row here.}
Ace: There's a golden disc in the bottom left corner...
<Examine Golden Gear indentation, 2+>
* The gold disc is in the indentation.
<Examine Golden Gear indentation after removing disc, 1>
Ace: Junpei, the gold disc we found...
Ace: Do you remember where it was when we found it?
Junpei: Um... I think it was on the bottom left.
Junpei: Why?
Ace: Oh, I was just thinking...
<Examine Golden Gear indentation after removing disc, 2+>
* I'm pretty sure the gold disc was on the bottom left when we found it.

{Screen C, Bronze Boiler Gear}

<Examine Back Wall, 1+>
* The conveyor belt runs into a sort of arched tunnel.

<Examine Back Door, 1>
Ace: It looks like there's a door over here, in this tunnel...
Ace: The belt over there must deliver the coal, which is then picked up and
thrown into this door...
Ace: The door appears to be welded shut, however.
<Examine Back Door, 2+>
* There's a small door in the side of this tunnel. It's welded shut, and won't
open.
(Note that each of both golden and bronze boiler gear screens share the same
back door)

<Examine Rusty Gear, 1+>
* This gear is rusty, but it looks like it's still pretty sturdy.

<Examine Bronze Gear, 1+>
* A huge, bronze gear. This has to be important...

<Examine Bronze Gear closeup, 1>
* The bronze gear. If we turn it 180 degrees...
* ...The section of it that was hidden under the floor comes into view.
<Examine Bronze Gear closeup, 2+>
* The bronze gear. There's something in the dent...
<Examine Bronze Gear closeup after removing disc, 1+>
* It's a bronze gear. There's nothing in the indentation anymore.

<Examine Bronze Gear indentation, 1>
June: There's a weird indentation that looks like 3 circles put together...
June: It looks like a calotte model of...ah...
Junpei: What...?
Junpei: Hey, are you all right?!
June: Yes... I'm...um...fine...
* Aaaand now she can't stand...
Junpei: See? I told you. Now get some rest, all right?
June: Yes... I'm sorry...
<Examine Bronze Gear indentation, 2+>
* The bronze disc is in the indentation.
<Examine Bronze Gear indentation after removing disc, 1+>
* The indentation where I found the bronze disc in the bottom right.
* There's nothing here anymore.

{Screen D, Silver Boiler Gear}

<Examine Back Wall, 1+>
* The conveyor belt runs into a sort of arched tunnel.

<Examine Rusty Gear, 1+>
* This gear is rusty, but it looks like it's still pretty sturdy.

<Examine Silver Gear, 1>
Junpei: It's a silver gear...
Santa: Do you think it's made of pure silver?
Junpei: No way. Silver's way too soft to use for a gear.
Junpei: It's gotta be a steel or iron gear that's been coated with silver.
Santa: Ugh... Shouldn't have called it a silver gear then.
Junpei: Shouldn't have got your hopes up. Were you thinking you'd haul this
thing back?
Santa: Nah, but I think Seven could probably carry it, don't you?
Junpei: ...
<Examine Silver Gear, 2+>
* A huge silver gear. I've got a feeling it's important.

<Examine Silver Gear closeup, 1>
* The silver gear. If we turn it 180 degrees...
* ...The section of it that was hidden under the floor comes into view.
<Examine Silver Gear closeup, 2+>
* A silver gear. There's something in the indentation on this part of it...
<Examine Silver Gear closeup after removing disc, 1+>
* The silver gear. There's nothing in the indentation anymore.

<Examine Silver Gear indentation, 1>
Santa: There's some kinda weird indentation on this thing.
Santa: Like a...triangle made out of 3 circles...
Santa: There's a silver disc in the top of it...
<Examine Silver Gear indentation, 2+>
* The silver disc is in the indentation.
<Examine Silver Gear indentation after removing disc, 1>
Santa: Hey, Junpei, you remember that silver disc?
Santa: Do you remember where it was when we found it?
Junpei: Uh... I think it was...on the top?
Junpei: Why?
Santa: Oh, nothing, just thinking...
<Examine Silver Gear indentation after removing disc, 2+>
* I'm pretty sure we found the silver disc in the top slot of the weird
indentation.

{Screen E Catwalk, South Side, facing door A}

<Examine Stairs, 1+>
* Stairs stretch from the catwalk to the boiler.

<Examine Boiler, 1>
* The furnace for the enormous boiler. It says [A] on this door.

{Screen F Catwalk, South Side, facing door C}

<Examine Boxes, 1+>
* There are a whole bunch of boxes in my way. I can't get through.

<Examine Catwalk, 1+>
* The catwalk.
* I can see some scaffolding on the wall over there.

<Examine Supports, 1+>
* This supports and braces the side of the ship.
* We might be right above where June's resting.

<Examine Furnace, 1+>
* The furnace for the enormous boiler. It says [C] on this door.

{Screen G Catwalk, South Side, facing door B}

<Examine Pipe, 1>
Santa: Well, anyway, looks like that's the pipe.
Santa: Looks like the bottom connects to the conveyor belt housing.
Ace: Then coal must come out of this pipe, onto the conveyor belt.
Ace: In other words, there must be a great deal of coal in that pipe.
<Examine Pipe, 2+>
* A pipe the goes to the conveyor belt. {Author's Note: the first "the" should
probably be a "that". =P}

<Examine Catwalk, 1>
Junpei: The catwalk.
<Examine Catwalk, 2>
Junpei: The catwalk.
<Examine Catwalk, 3>
Junpei: It's the catwalk, meow.
Santa: You want me to push you off her, Junpei?
Junpei: No way, meow.
Santa: You jackass...
<Examine Catwalk, 4+>
* The catwalk.

<Examine Boxes, 1>
Ace: There are a number of boxes on the catwalk.
Junpei: I don't think we can go over there.
<Examine Boxes, 2+>
* There are a whole bunch of boxes in the way.

{Screen H Catwalk, Northwest Side, facing door B}

<Examine Furnace, 1+>
* A huge furnace for a bigger boiler. There are 3 doors in it.

<Examine Boxes, 1>
Junpei: The stairs back down should be on the other side of these boxes.
Ace: You have an excellent memory. Use that to draw a map inside your head.
Ace: That way, you won't get lost.
<Examine Boxes, 2+>
* Those damn boxes are getting in my way. I can't get through here.

<Examine Catwalk, 1+>
* The catwalk.

<Examine Door A, 1+>
* One of the doors on the furnace. There's an [A] on it.

<Examine Door B, 1+>
* One of the doors on the furnace. There's an [C] on it.

{Screen I Catwalk, Northwest Side, facing pulley}

<Examine Catwalk, 1+>
* The catwalk.

<Examine Boxes, 1+>
* There are a whole bunch of boxes blocking the way here.

<Examine Supports, 1>
* This supports and braces the side of the ship. It's not a ladder.
<Examine Supports, 2>
* This supports and braces the side of the ship. It's not the rail for the
train.
<Examine Supports, 3>
* This supports and braces the side of the ship. It's not a centipede.
* No, it couldn't possibly be a centipede. That's just too ridiculous.
<Examine Supports, 4+>
* It's an iron beam the runs along the hull of the ship, supporting it.
<Examine Supports on winch closeup, 1+>
* This supports and braces the side of the ship. It's not a ladder.

<Examine Winch before examining eastern winch, 1>
Ace: That's a hand-operated winch.
Ace: It's a simple machine, used to lift things up and down.
Ace: You simply turn the wheel to pull up the rope.
Santa: Junpei, why don't you...turn the wheel?
Junpei: The wheel...?
<Examine Winch before examining eastern winch, 2+>
* A hand-operated winch. Maybe I should try turning the wheel...
<Examine Winch after eastern winch, 1>
Santa: This winch looks like the other one we saw earlier.
Ace: Although this one has a wheel on it...
<Examine Winch after eastern winch, 2+>
* A hand-operated winch. The wheel is attached to it.
<Examine Winch after removing wheel, 1>
* A hand-operated winch. The wheel it once had is now in my hand.
* Let's see if I can get it back on...
* There's a couple of posts on the back of it that look like they fit into
holes on the winch...
Junpei: Damn, no good. These little shafts are too small for this big hole...
Junpei: It's like throwing a hot dog down a hallway, to be honest.
Ace: If that's the case, then...
Santa: That wheel wasn't originally part of this winch...
Junpei: Then that means...
<Examine Winch after removing wheel, 2+>
* A hand-operated winch. I've got the wheel from it in my hand.

<Examine Wheel, 1>
Junpei: All right, let's give this wheel a spin!
Junpei: Wh-What? That's weird...
Junpei: I don't feel any resistance...
* Gah! Ahhhh shit...

{Screen J Catwalk, Northeast Side, facing pulley without wheel}

<Examine Catwalk, 1+>
* There is a wooden box hanging beneath the catwalk.

<Examine Supports, 1+>
* One of the great metal ribs of the ship.
* I think June's resting right underneath it...
<Examine Supports on winch closeup, 1>
* One of the great metal ribs of the ship.
* I think June's resting right underneath it...
* Well, to be exact, she's really kind of to the left, not straight below it...
* Uh, I guess that's not really an important detail right now.
* Anyway, we should be directly above the corner of the conveyor belt here.
<Examine Supports on winch closeup, 2+>
* One of the great metal ribs of the ship.
* The edge of the conveyor belt should be just below it.

<Examine Hanging box, 1+>
* There's a wooden box on the end of the rope hanging from the winch.
* It looks like there's something in the box...

<Examine Boxes, 1+>
* This damn pile of boxes is blocking my way.

<Examine Winch, 1>
Santa: It looks like a hand-operated winch...
Santa: But it doesn't look like there's any way to...uh...operate it.
Ace: That means the wheel isn't attached.
<Examine Winch, 2+>
* The hand-operated winch. I don't see a wheel to operate it with, though.
<Examine Winch with wheel in inventory, 1>
* The hand-operated winch. I...don't see a wheel, though.
Santa: Junpei, why don't you put that wheel you broke off the other winch on
here?
Junpei: I didn't break it! It just fell off, all right!
Santa: Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just put it on.
<Examine Winch with wheel in inventory, 2+>
* The hand-operated winch. Let's see if this wheel fits on here...
<Examine Winch with wheel equipped, 1>
* The hand-operated winch. Um... There's no wheel to turn.
* Oh yeah... 
* I've got the wheel I pulled off the other winch, don't I?
Junpei: Let's see if it fits...
Junpei: Sweet, it's a perfect fit. Like they were made for each other.
Junpei: Not shaky at all... Good, I should be able to turn this now.
Ace: Good work, Junpei.
Ace: We should be able to haul up the wooden box now.
Ace: You see? The wooden box... It's under the catwalk...Can you see it?
Ace: It's hanging from the rope on the winch, isn't it?
Ace: It looks like there's some sort of...device in the box.
Ace: I'm...not sure what it is.
Ace: At any rate, you might as well turn that wheel now.
Ace: I'm counting on you.
<Examine Winch with wheel on, before turning, 1+>
* The hand-operated winch. All right, we've got a wheel on there, let's see if
I can turn it.
<Examine Winch with wheel on, after turning, 1+>
* The hand-operated winch. There's a wheel on it.

<Examine Wheel, 1>
Junpei: All right, I'll turn the wheel.
Junpei: Huh... What's this?
Ace: What happened?
Junpei: This wheel only turns to the left.
Ace: It only turns to the left?
Santa: That means we can't reel up that rope.
Junpei: Yeah... We can only let the rope down.
Ace: Interesting... I don't think that will be a problem.
Ace: We will simply need to go downstairs after letting the wooden box down.
Ace: I will be counting on you, Junpei.
Junpei: Sure thing. No sweat.
* ...
* ...
(To "b31d.a", replacing quotations with braces {} )
<Examine Wheel, 2+>
* I don't think I need to turn the wheel any more.

{Screen K Catwalk, North Side, facing door C}

<Examine Furnace, 1+>
* The furnace for the enormous boiler. It says [C] on this door.

<Examine Catwalk, 1+>
* The catwalk.

{Screen L, Switch Panel}

<Examine Leftmost Slider, 1>
* This slider is down.
* Well, let's see if I can get this thing to go anywhere...
Junpei: Ugh! ...Man! No dice. This thing isn't going anywhere.
<Examine Leftmost Slider, 2+>
* This slider is locked in place. It won't move.

<Examine Second to left Slider, 1>
* This slider is down.
* Looks like Santa wants to give this one a shot...
Santa: Urgh! Damnit... Nothing... This thing won't budge.
<Examine Second to left Slider, 2+>
* This slider is locked in place. It won't move.

<Examine Second to right Slider, 1>
* This slider is down.
* I guess Ace feels like giving it a try...
Ace: Hmm... Nothing. It won't move at all.
<Examine Second to right Slider, 2+>
* This slider is locked in place. It won't move.

<Examine Rightmost Slider, 1>
Junpei: The three sliders on the left are down, but this one is up.
Ace: There are a number of lines engraved in these...
Ace: I suspect we are meant to do something rather specific with them.
Santa: Junpei, why don't you move that slider down?
* Well, there's no harm in trying, I suppose...
Ace: Nothing... Hm...
Santa: Nothing happened.
Ace: Maybe it needs to be...prepared, somehow.
Santa: You're saying if we did...something, somewhere else, it'd respond
somehow?
Ace: Yes, I suppose that's one way of putting it...
<Examine Rightmost Slider, 2+>
* Nothing happens when I move the slider down.
<Examine Rightmost Slider after loading coal, 1>
Junpei: Is this...
Santa: I think it might be...
Ace: It probably is.
Ace: I think this is how we might ignite the furnace.
Santa: That means that if we move that thing down...
Junpei: All right, let's do it!
* Here we go!
Santa: Hey Junpei, Ace, look at this!
Santa: There's big gears turning under the boiler here!
Junpei: ...?
Junpei: The gears...
Ace: They're spinning...
Santa: What the hell are you guys waiting for!?
Santa: Let's start looking!
<Examine Rightmost Slider after loading coal, 2+>
* I don't need to move the slider.

<Examine Bottom Lights, 1>
Ace: These 2 columns are different from the others...
Ace: The lights are red.
<Examine Bottom Lights, 2+>
* There are a whole bunch of lights here. Most of them are yellow, except for 2
columns on the right.
<Examine Bottom Lights after replacing control panel, 1>
Santa: Huh... I wonder why these lights are like this...
Santa: When I went by earlier, I think the 2 columns on the right were lit up
red.
Ace: You're right...
Ace: But it seems they're all yellow now.
Ace: I would imagine that indicates something is ready to activate, wouldn't
you?
<Examine Bottom Lights after loading coal, 2+>
* All of the lights are lit with a soft yellow light.
<Examine Bottom Lights after rotating gears, 1+>
* All of the lights are yellow.

<Examine Bottom Lights after replacing control panel, 1>

{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search Wheel, 1+>
* It's a wheel that seems to be part of the winch.
* There are some pegs on the back that look like they go into the holes on the
winch.

<Search control panel for something, 1>
* Some kind of machine... Maybe a control panel?
<Search control panel for something, 2>
Santa: It looks like some kinda control panel. It's got 3 terminals on the
back.
<Search control panel for something, 3+>
* Some sort of control panel, apparently. Interesting that it has 3 terminals
on the back...

<Search box filled with the coal, 1>
Santa: A wooden box full of coal.
Santa: Guess there's really only one thing we can do with this stuff...
<Search box filled with the coal, 2+>
* It's a wooden box full of coal.
* There's really only one thing to do with coal.

<Search gold disc, 1>
Ace: The gold disc. It has a number of lines engraved on it.
Ace: I can make out 3 colors here... Red, blue, and...black.
Ace: Hmm... I wonder what they mean...
<Search gold disc, 2+>
* The gold disc. There are a bunch of lines carved into it.

<Search bronze disc, 1+>
* The bronze disc. It has a bunch of lines on it, in 3 different colors: red,
blue, and black.

<Search silver disc, 1>
Santa: The silver disc.
Santa: It has a bunch of lines on it, but the red ones really stand out, right?
Junpei: The red ones, huh...
<Search silver disc, 2+>
* The silver disc. The red lines are especially noticeable.

<Leave Items screen after picking up Wheel, 1>
Santa: Good job, genius. You broke it.
Junpei: I didn't break it! It broke all by itself!

==========================
{b31d.a} File #44
::Steam engine room::
-On Catwalk, after turning winch wheel to lower box-

Ace: I believe the box has reached the floor.
Junpei: Yeah.

He stuck his head out over the side of the catwalk, and looked down.
The box that had only recently hung just below the catwalk now sat on the
floor.
It had come to rest near the end of the tunnel that covered the conveyor belt.
Near where June had collapsed...
Junpei could see her, still leaning against the wall as if she barely had the
strength to sit up.
Even from so far away, it was not difficult to see that she had not improved.
He almost thought he could see heat rising from her body...

Ace: She doesn't seem to be improving.

Ace's expression was inscrutable, but he'd said what they had all been
thinking.

Junpei: Well, of course not. She's not gonna just get better right away, you
know? It'll take time.

He tried desperately to convince himself that what he'd said was true.

Ace: What could be causing this, I wonder. Illness, perhaps?
Santa: Nah, it's gotta be exhaustion.

Santa's response was confident and certain.

Santa: She gets dropped into some weird-ass ship...
Santa: ...Forced to play some messed-up game...
Santa: If you think about it, it's a lot weirder that we aren't freakin' out
just like her, you know?
Ace: So you're saying we're...abnormal?
Santa: Yeah.
Santa: We're just running around this room, solvin' all these puzzles like it's
just business as usual.
Santa: How the hell could you call that "normal"?
Santa: We're just guinea pigs.

Santa snorted in disgust.

Junpei: A guinea pig... You mean like a lab rat...
Junpei: You mean we're being used for some sort of experiment?
Junpei: Is that what you're saying?
Santa: Dunno.
Santa: But...it does seem like a possibility, you know?

(If went through doors [5] and [8], To "b32d.a1" )
(If did not go through doors [5] and [8], To "b32d.a2" )

{b32d.a1}

With that, he turned, and walked away from the winch.
Junpei and Ace followed him.

Santa: You know, speaking of experiments...

Santa suddenly stopped.

Santa: There was this experiment some scientists did with rats...

First, they took a squarish C-shaped tank, and filled it with enough water that
the rats could drown.
The tank has 2 exits: A and B.
Exit (A) is pitch black--so dark, even a rat can't see anything.
Exit (B), however, is electrified, which means the rat can't leave through it.
So, what would a rat do if it was put in this situation?
Which exit would the rat choose?
There was a moment of silence after Santa posed the question, and then Ace
responded.

Ace: (B), of course. The rat has no way of knowing that exit (B) is
electrified.
Santa: Exactly. The rat goes to exit (B).
Santa: Of course, like I said, it's electrified.
Santa: Which means the rat can't get out that way.
Santa: So, after a lot of trial and error...
Santa: The rat finally finds exit (A).
Ace: Hmmm. I can't say that's very interesting, or relevant. It's simply the
story of a laboratory experiment.
Santa: You're right, it isn't very interesting...yet.
Ace: ...?

These scientists repeated this experiment over and over, using hundreds of
different rats over several generations.
This produced some surprising results.
With each generation of rats, they took less time to find the correct exit. 
Eventually, a rat was put in the tank who instantly chose exit (A) without even
attempting to go to exit (B)...
But even that wasn't the most impressive thing.
The same experiment was conducted in another laboratory, far from the original
one, with the same results. ...No, on second thought, the results weren't
really the same...
The rats in this second experiment began the trials with significantly faster
times than the first rats in the initial experiment.
These rats were not related to the rats used in the first experiment, and had
never even come in contact with them, and yet... They all easily found their
way to exit (A), as though they already knew.
What did it mean...?

Ace: Are you suggesting something like...telepathy?
Ace: They were passing information to one another through some undetectable
medium?

Ace looked skeptical. Santa snorted at him.

Santa: How the hell would I know?
Santa: I'm not any kinda scientist. I dunno what made 'em do that...
Santa: ...But I do know that story's true, and if you've got another
explanation, I'd sure love to hear it.
Ace: ...
Santa: C'mon, let's get going. There's still a lot here we haven't checked out.
Santa: And we gotta get the hell out of here before June passes out.

Without waiting for a response, he turned around and started walking.
Junpei, however, wasn't quite ready to leave the topic alone.

Junpei: Hey, wait. There's something I wanna ask you.

Santa stopped, and turned around.

Junpei: Why did they use that tank for the experiment?
Santa: ...Huh?
Junpei: Well, I mean, it seems like you could conduct the same experiment
without the water.
Junpei: They could have just used a dry box, you know?
Junpei: If they needed to motivate the rats to escape, they could have...I
dunno...
Junpei: Put some bait by exit (B) or something.
Junpei: I mean... Do they really have to make it so the rats can drown?

Santa gave a grim bark of a laugh.

Santa: You know the word "emergency" comes from the same root as the word as
"emerge"?
Santa: You ever think about that?
Junpei: ?
Santa: Well, an emergency is something urgent--often something dangerous.
Santa: And to "emerge" means to sort of come out, or appear, or rise out of
something else.
Santa: So what's going to "emerge" in an "emergency"? Inspiration.
Junpei: Inspiration...?
Santa: Yeah.
Santa: Think about it. When the chips are down, either you crack, or your mind
focuses, and pulls up what you need.
Junpei: So in an emergency, your real potential...emerges...? Is that what
you're saying?
Santa: Yeah.
Santa: That's why the rats had to drown. They had to be in danger. There had to
be an emergency for inspiration to emerge.

Junpei suddenly felt cold.
The back of his head was aching, and his stomach felt strange.
...
...

(Return to investigation)

{b32d.a2}

They stood there for a few more minutes, no one speaking, until Santa turned,
and walked away from the winch.
Junpei and Ace followed him.

(Return to investigation)

==========================
{b32b} File #46
::Steam engine room::
-After unlocking exit-

Junpei: Yes! The door's open!

Given the circumstances, Junpei's happiness was certainly understandable.
Ace seemed to share his excitement.

Ace: All right, Junpei. Why don't you go get June now?
Ace: Santa and I will keep an eye on this door.

Santa snorted.

Santa: Why do we need to do that?
Santa: Even if it shuts, we know how to solve the puzzle now. We could just
open it again.
Ace: Well... I suppose that's true...
Ace: Shall all 3 of us go and collect June, then?
Santa: Nah, I'm cool. I'll let Junpei handle it.

He still seemed irritated by something, however, and sat down on the stairs
petulantly.

Ace: So you are only interested in being contrary...?

Ace sighed, with the air of a long-suffering parent.

Junpei: All right, I'll go get June. I'll be right back.

He gave a quick nod to Ace and Santa, and dashed off down the stairs.
Before long, he was back on the 1st floor, next to the conveyor belt, and June.
As he drew closer, she stood up, slowly.

Junpei: Are you okay...?

He did his best to sound calm and nonchalant, but there was no hiding the
genuine concern in his voice.

June: Yes. I'm fine now. I'm sorry I made you worry.

June blushed.
He wasn't sure if she was embarrassed, or still feverish.
Just to make sure, he reached out and put his hand against her forehead.

Junpei: ...Good. You're feeling a lot better.

She was feeling far less warm than she had earlier, but still wasn't down to
what seemed normal to him.

Junpei: Are you sure you're all right?

He had to be sure.
June gave him a look.

June: Oh, you're such a warrior, Jumpy.
June: Oops! I-I mean...worrier...

June giggled.

Junpei: ...

He wasn't sure if she'd just made a joke or not, but... Seeing her smile again
made Junpei feel at ease. If she was well enough to smile and laugh, then she
really was feeling much better.
He gave her a friendly poke on the forehead.

Junpei: Let's go.
June: Go where...?
Junpei: Oh, right. I didn't tell you...
Junpei: We got the exit open, so--
June: Great! Let's go!

June clasped her hands and nodded urgently.

{b31d.c}

As they walked back toward the exit, Junpei noticed Santa, sitting on the
stairs.
He was, however, holding something in his right hand, and staring at it with a
strange expression.
Junpei and June slowed down, and finally stopped in front of him.

Junpei: What are you looking at?

Santa answered without looking up, his voice quiet.

Santa: It's a photo. It's my sister.
June: Sister? Santa, you've got a sister?

Santa simply nodded.

Santa: Yeah... Kid was as cute as a button...

June cocked her head, confused.

June: She was only about an inch tall, then?

Santa glared at her.

June: A-Ah... Sorry...
June: I-I guess an inch is a little large for a button... Probably more
like...a half-inch?
Junpei: ...
Santa: ...

Santa didn't smile, or laugh.
He simply turned back to his picture, and spoke.

Santa: I was her Santa Claus.

This sudden revelation took Junpei by surprise. He had no idea what Santa
meant.
He glanced at June, who shook her head. She didn't know either.

(If went through doors [5] and [8], To "b32b.1" )
(If did not go through doors [5] and [8], To "b32b.2" )

{b32b.1}

Santa: We didn't have parents. They bought it in an accident when we were still
kids.
Santa: So I had to be like her dad.
Santa: And that meant that I bought her Christmas presents every year.
Santa: On Christmas Eve, I'd leave the present next to her pillow.
Santa: And the next morning, she'd come running into my room with this big
smile...

"Look! Look! Santa left me a present! Santa got me that doll I really wanted!
I'm so glad that he got the letter I wrote!"

Santa: I was the one who told her to write those letters.
Santa: I'd say... "Write down something you want, and mail it to Santa."
Santa: The address I gave her was somewhere in Northern Europe that doesn't
exist. Anyway, she'd write the letter, and stamp it, and send it out.
Santa: ...And then a few days later, it'd show up back in our mailbox, marked
"Address Unknown".
Santa: I'd open the letters before she figured out they'd been sent back.
Santa: Once I had the letter, I'd go around to a couple stores, with some money
I'd saved up over the year, and buy her the stuff she'd asked for.
Santa: It took a lot of saving, but I managed to buy her presents every year.

Junpei was silent. He could think of nothing to say.
June looked down, uncomfortable.
The wall next to him suddenly groaned.
Either he hadn't heard the sound, or didn't care--Santa kept talking.

Santa: But one year, her letter was different...
Santa: She didn't write a list of toys she wanted, or anything like that.
Santa: Instead, it said...

"I don't want any presents this year."
"Instead, I want you to make my wish come true."
"My wish is that we'll be happy like this for a really, really long time."

Santa: ...But I couldn't make that wish come true.
Santa: Some Santa I am...

Santa looked...sad. Junpei had never seen him look sad before.
He wasn't sure he liked it. Junpei decided it was probably best not to ask
Santa any more questions.
But...

June: What...happened?

June glanced up at Santa quickly as she spoke.
He answered, but only with an effort.

Santa: She died.
Santa: She was killed... 9 years ago...
Junpei: ...
June: ...

There was nothing Junpei could say. His heart felt like a great lump of lead.
June bit her lip and looked away. Her face was pale.

Santa: All right. Let's go.

Santa stood up suddenly, his downcast demeanor gone.
He shoved the picture back in his pocket, and headed back up the stairs, taking
them 2 at a time.
Junpei and June looked at one another.
There was nothing they could think of to say...

(To "b32b.3", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{b32b.2}

Santa: Have you ever heard the story of the 2 Santa Clauses?
Santa: It goes that a long time ago, there were 2 Santas...
Santa: One of 'em wore white, and the other one wore black.
Santa: The white Santa gave presents to good kids.
Santa: And the black Santa played tricks on bad kids.
Santa: They went on like that for a while, but eventually the black Santa's
tricks started to get worse and worse.
Santa: Pretty soon, the white Santa couldn't stand it anymore...
Santa: And he stabbed the black Santa to death.
Santa: When he stabbed the other Santa, the white Santa got blood all over his
clothes.
Santa: And that's why, these days, his clothes are red.
Santa: You could say that red is all that's left of the black Santa.

Junpei was silent. He could think of nothing to say.
June was staring at Santa, sadness plain on her face.
He continued.

Santa: I wonder...which Santa I am.
Santa: The white Santa or the black Santa... 
Junpei: ...
June: ...
Junpei: ...
June: ...
Santa: All right. Let's go.

Santa stood up suddenly, his downcast demeanor gone.
He shoved the picture back in his pocket, and headed back up the stairs, taking
them 2 at a time.
Junpei and June looked at one another.
There was nothing they could think of to say...

(Continue below, "b32b.3" )

{b32b.3}

Santa: Hey, what're you 2 doing?! Let's get moving! C'mon!

Santa's voice echoed across the room from above them.
They nodded, and followed him quickly up the stairs.
Ace was waiting for them at the top.
He was leaning against the handrail. He looked very tired.
The door had shut, but it wasn't cause for concern.
Junpei quickly solved the disc puzzle a second time, and the door opened once
again.
In single-file, they walked through...
After walking for nearly 15 feet, they found themselves in front of a metal
door.
It opened easily enough, and they passed through it as well.
A new room stretched out before them...

Junpei: Is this a...warehouse?
Ace: No, I believe this is the cargo room. This must be where they store all of
this vessel's freight.
June: There are wooden crates everywhere... I wonder how old they are...

Junpei, Ace, and June had stopped unconsciously, pausing to take in their new
surroundings.
Santa's voice broke through their momentary trance.

Santa: Well, we probably oughta start with finding the exit, right?
Santa: Let's get going!
(To "b32", replacing quotations with braces {} )

===============SEEK A WAY OUT!===============
::Cargo room::
=============================================
{b32} File #45
Plot points within this section:
-Ace & Prosopagnosia: "b32d.a"
( To skip to a story segment, search for "b32b.#" replacing quotations with
braces {} )
( Next story segment is "bed1" )
=============================================

MAP:
[#]: Screen #
<#>: Screen # that you start on
|, =, /, \ : Room Connections
v: Returns to the previous room
Screens to the left and right can be reached by arrow.

            [D]         [C]
             |           |
            [7]         [5]->(to 4)
             |           |
            [6] (to 5)<-[4]->(to 3)
             |           |
            <1>===[2]===[3]->(to 1)
             |    / \    |
            [8] [9] [A] [B]

*8, 9, and B are closeups of boxes on the screen.
*A contains a closeup of the blue boxes.

{Screen 1, Facing Gate from Distance}

<Examine Lower Right Boxes, 1+>
* A box. There's nothing inside.

<Examine Left Boxes, 1>
Ace: These crates are quite large. They seem to be tied to one another with
sturdy straps.
<Examine Left Boxes, 2+>
* The 3 crates are tied to one another with several straps.

{Screen 2, Facing Entrance Door and Blue Boxes}

<Examine Rightmost Door, 1+>
* This door leads to the steam engine room.

<Examine Light, 1+>
* The lights are shining with bright, white light.

<Examine Pipes, 1+>
* A number of pipes stretch out toward the ceiling, behind the boxes.

<Examine Mid-right boxes, 1>
Ace: We've searched all the boxes. There's nothing in them.
<Examine Mid-right boxes, 2+>
* There's nothing in the boxes.

<Examine Barrels, 1>
Ace: There is some sort of liquid in these barrels.
Ace: I'm not sure what it is, however.
<Examine Barrels, 2+>
* There are a number of barrels full of some unidentified liquid near the wall.

<Examine White bag, before finding any cards, 1>
Junpei: There are a bunch of bags here... I wonder what's in 'em...
<Examine White bag, after taking card, 1+>
* There's nothing in the bag anymore.

{Screen 3, On Ground Facing Staircase}

<Examine Any White bag, before finding any cards, 1>
Junpei: There are a bunch of bags here... I wonder what's in 'em...

<Examine Large Crate, 1>
Ace: There's nothing in these crates.
<Examine Large Crate, 2+>
* 3 wooden crates.

<Examine Barrels, 1>
Ace: I don't know what's in these barrels.
Ace: Judging by their weight, perhaps a liquid of some sort...
<Examine Barrels, 2+>
* There are 4 barrels next to the wooden crates.

<Examine Light, 1+>
* The lights are shining with bright, white light.

{Screen 4, Looking up to Facing Staircase}

<Examine Staircase, 1>
Junpei: These stairs... They go up 3 stories...
Santa: What are you waiting for Junpei? Whatever. I'm going.

<Examine Door, 1>
Santa: This is the only door here, 'cept for the one we just came in through.
Junpei: Then this is the exit.
Santa: No shit, Sherlock.
Santa: Course it's locked... 
Junpei: Is it an electronic lock?
Santa: No, just a keyhole, right under the doorknob.
Junpei: So to open this door, we've gotta find the key that fits that keyhole.
Santa: Yeah.
<Examine Door, 2+>
* This door has to be the exit. There's a small keyhole under the doorknob.
<Examine Door with rusty key in inventory, 1>
* Let's just put this key in here, and--yes! Sounds like that did it!
June: Yay! Looks like it's open, Jumpy!
Ace: I see. This key should open this door...
Santa: Hey, what're you waiting for?! Let's go!
<Examine Door after unlocked, 1>
Junpei: Yes! It's opening!
(To "bed1" replacing quotations with braces {} )

<Examine Scaffold, 1+>
* The scaffolding that supports the staircase.

{Screen 5, By Control Panel}

<Examine Scaffold, 1+>
* The scaffolding that supports the staircase.

<Examine Window, 1+>
* There's a metal panel over the outside of the window.

<Examine Handrail, 1+>
* A handrail that surrounds the platform with the control panel on it.

<Examine Entire Control Panel, 1+>
* It's some sort of boxy device.
<Examine Entire Control Panel after solving pushmaster, 1+>
* I don't need to use that thing anymore.

<Examine Top Control Panel, 1>
Junpei: The monitor's off.
Santa: I've got a green switch here, and a red one, and some kind of lever...
Santa: None of them seem to do anything, though.
Junpei: Maybe the power's off?
Santa: Yeah, maybe.
Santa: There's a single green light on the bottom, though...
Junpei: That means...
<Examine Top Control Panel, 2+>
* Some kind of control panel. Looks like it's not powered right now.
* There is a green light on the bottom, though...
<Examine Top Control Panel after solving 9-pin, 1>
Junpei: A green button, a red button, and a lever. I wonder what these do...
Santa: I think this might help...
* What...what the hell is this? Where did he find this?
Junpei: What is that? Where'd you find it?
Santa: I found it when you were messing around with the pin holes.
Santa: It looks like instructions for this thing.
Santa: According to what it says here...
Santa: This thing's a remote control for...that.
Junpei: That?
Santa: Yeah, that.
* What's he pointing--oh...
Santa: That machine over there. Apparently, it's called the Pushmaster 5000...
Junpei: ...Are you serious...?
Junpei: Whatever... So what are we supposed to do with the Pushmaster 5000?
Santa: You see the coffin over on top of the crates?
Junpei: Yeah...
Santa: Don't you wanna know what the deal is with it?
Junpei: I do.
Santa: You wanna check it out?
Junpei: Yeah.
Santa: All right, how do you think we're gonna get there.
Junpei: Well...
Junpei: Well, there were some crates on the right side of the fence that
someone piled up like stairs...
Junpei: Maybe if we make a path to the coffin from there...
Santa: How would we do that?
Junpei: Line up...the crates...I guess?
Santa: Yeah, that sounds about right.
Santa: I guess this is just another of Zero's puzzles...
Junpei: Yeah...
Santa: Anyway, let's give it a shot.
Santa: Oh... Looks like the Pushmaster 5000 runs off a battery.
Santa: So to keep it from using up its energy too fast...
Santa: ...It's been programmed so that it'll only start moving once its path
has been completely programmed in.
Junpei: All right. I'll keep that in mind.

<Examine Top Control Panel Monitor after solving 9-pin, 1+>
* The monitor shows a top-down view of the area where we can move the machine.
* Once I want to send my orders to the Pushmaster 5000, I just pull the
lever...
<Examine Top Control Panel Monitor after solving pushmaster, 1+>
* We don't need to mess with this thing anymore.

<Examine Top Control Panel Green Button after solving 9-pin, 1+>
* This is the reset button. It allows me to start over again.
* Once I want to activate the program, I just pull the lever...
<Examine Top Control Panel Green Button after solving pushmaster, 1+>
* We don't need to mess with this thing anymore.

<Examine Top Control Panel Red Button after solving 9-pin, 1+>
* This is the return button. It allows me to quit command.
* Once I want to activate the program, I just pull the lever...
<Examine Top Control Panel Red Button after solving pushmaster, 1+>
* We don't need to mess with this thing anymore.

<Examine Top Control Panel Lever after solving 9-pin, 1>
Junpei: All right, let's give this a try.
Santa: Sure thing. Just keep in mind that there is a limit on the battery, all
right?
Santa: The battery dies after 50 moves. At least, that's what it says in the
manual...
Junpei: 50 moves, huh...
Santa: Also, keep in mind that the Pushmaster 5000 can't move the heavy metal
crates, okay?
Junpei: Got it.
Instructions for operation:
When a square adjacent to the Pushmaster 5000 is touched, the Pushmaster 5000
will move to that square.
If there is a crate in the way, the Pushmaster 5000 will push up to a single
crate.
Move the crates appropriately and efficiently, and fill the yellow areas.
<Examine Top Control Panel Lever without solving pushmaster puzzle, 1>
Instructions for operation:
When a square adjacent to the Pushmaster 5000 is touched, the Pushmaster 5000
will move to that square.
If there is a crate in the way, the Pushmaster 5000 will push up to a single
crate.
Move the crates appropriately and efficiently, and fill the yellow areas.
<Examine Top Control Panel Lever without solving pushmaster puzzle, 6+> (No
dialogue 2~5th times)
Junpei: So basically, what Santa's saying is...
Junpei: Move around the field and make a cross with the crates.
Junpei: ...And fill the 2nd spot from the top 1st... I think.
Junpei: All right, let's give this another shot!
<Examine Top Control Panel Lever after solving pushmaster, 1+>
* We don't need to mess with this thing anymore.

<Go "Back" from pushmaster without solving, 2>
Junpei: The name makes me think it can only push stuff...
Junpei: Maybe it can only push 1 box at a time because it just doesn't have
enough power for more...?
Santa: Hey, did you notice that the number of moves you can make just went up?
Junpei: Really?!
* Maybe it says something about this in the manual...
* "When beginning operation, it will take some time before the Pushmaster 5000
is fully charged."
Junpei: In other words, it doesn't start out with a fully charged battery.
Santa: You got 51 moves last time, so you should get 52 this time.
<Go "Back" from pushmaster without solving, 3>
Santa: Junpei, you gotta stop being so stingy with your moves.
Junpei: H-Huh? What are you...?
Santa: You've got enough power to get around the whole field at least 3 times.
Santa: If it gives you that many moves, then you're probably going to have to
use quite a few of them, you know?
Junpei: ...?
<Go "Back" from pushmaster without solving, 4>
Santa: Hey... If you go around the field once, you end up moving the crates
into a sort of cross shape, right?
Junpei: "Sort of" being the operative part of that sentence...
Santa: Yeah, true... I was just thinking... Moving those crates into a cross
might help us get them where we need to get them.
Junpei: Uh, okay... What do we do after we've done that?
Santa: I'm not sure what we should do after making a cross with 'em...
<Go "Back" from pushmaster without solving, 5>
Santa: So I was thinking about what we should do after we've got the crates
into a cross.
Junpei: You come up with something?
Santa: Yeah, you know the 4 squares on the right that we're trying to get the
crates into? I think we need to fill the 2nd one from the top 1st.
Junpei: ...And then?
Santa: Hey, cut me some slack! I'm still tryin' to figure that part out, okay?
* Sombody's getting touchy... Whatever. I think I can get the rest on my own.
{Author's note: Looks like sombody's missin' an "E".}
* All right, he said I need to get the 2nd one from the top filled 1st...
<Go "Back" from pushmaster without solving, 6>
Santa: Junpei, you know what I mean by filling the 2nd square from the top,
right?
Santa: Just put a crate on the yellow square next to the 2nd, and move it a
bit.
Santa: That's the only way you can get one into the 2nd square, you know?
Junpei: Y-Yeah...
<Go "Back" from pushmaster without solving, 12> (No dialogue 7~11th times)
Junpei: Huh...? It looks like it won't let me make any more than 60 moves...
Junpei: I thought it was giving me 1 more move every trial...
Santa: Well, it was just charging up the battery, so the battery's probably
fully charged now.
Santa: It looks like the battery's limit is 60 moves.
Santa: You'll just have to make do, I guess.

<Solve pushmaster puzzle>
Junpei: Okay, I'm done putting in the program!
Junpei: What do I do next?
Santa: Just be quiet and watch. See? It's moving already.
* Awesome! The Pushmaster 5000 did just what I told it to, and lined up all the
crates.
Junpei: Great, now we can reach the coffin.
Junpei: We just need to climb those crates over by the fence...

<Examine Bottom Control Panel Right Shutter, 1>
Junpei: This looks like it's covering something.
Santa: It looks like some kind of little shutter. Maybe it'll open if we
do...something.
Junpei: What's gonna come out of it if it does open?
Santa: Yeah, like I'd know that...
<Examine Bottom Control Panel Right Shutter, 2+>
* It's a little shutter that looks like it's a cover for something.
* I have a feeling it'll open up.
<Examine Bottom Control Panel Right Shutter after solving 6-pin puzzle, 1>
Junpei: Okay, so we've got 9 holes...
Junpei: And there's an F up above them.
Santa: I don't know what the F means, but I do know one thing...
Junpei: What's that?
Santa: This time, there're 9 holes. So we need to insert 9 pins.
Junpei: Man, that's boring.
Santa: Well, why don't you just try it, all right?
<Examine Bottom Control Panel Right Shutter after failing to solve 9-pin, 1>
Santa: You think maybe this F means (15)...?
Junpei: (15)...?
Santa: Yeah, (15) in base-10 is F in hex, right?
Junpei: You're right! Yeah, that's gotta be it!
Junpei: All right, let's give it one more shot!
<Examine Bottom Control Panel Right Shutter after failing to solve 9-pin, 2>
* Seems like the letter F up there means (15).
Junpei: All right, let's give it one more shot!
<Examine Bottom Control Panel Right Shutter after failing to solve 9-pin, 3+>
* Seems like the letter F up there means (15).
* In other words, every line of 3 pins...
* ...Needs to add up to (15).
Junpei: All right, let's give it one more shot!
<Examine Bottom Control Panel Right Shutter after solving 9-pin, 1+>
* All the lights are lit. There's nothing for me to do here now.

<Examine Bottom Control Panel Bottom holes, 1>
Santa: Well, there're 6 holes here.
Santa: They look like jacks for a headphone cable...
Junpei: Jacks, huh...
Junpei: Then maybe if we put something in them...
Santa: Yeah, something might happen.
<Examine Bottom Control Panel Bottom holes, 2+>
* There are 6 holes here. It looks like I could probably insert some kind of
pin in them.
* If we do that, then maybe something might happen.
<Examine Bottom Control Panel Bottom holes, with 9 pins in inventory, 1>
Junpei: There are 6 holes here... And it looks like the pins I just found would
be a perfect fit for them.
Santa: The ones you found in the 9 boxes, right? Well, why don't you try it?
* All right, let's see what happens...
* I think (2), (4), and (6) should go here on the top part... And (3), (5), and
(7) on the bottom part.
Junpei: Well... Some of them lit up...
Santa: Yeah, (3) and (6). I wonder if there's some kinda rule that determines
which lights go on...
Junpei: Well, I put the (2), (4), and (6) pins on the top part, and the (3),
(5), and (7) pins on the bottom...
Santa: Hm... You think... You think maybe it's the the digital root? {Author's
Note: There are two "the"s in the the sentence.}
Junpei: The digital root...?
Santa: 2 + 4 + 6 = 12. The digital root of 12 is (3)... Therefore, light (3)
turns on.
Santa: 3 + 5 + 7 = 15. The digital root of 15 is (6)... Therefore, light (6)
turns on.
Santa: Makes sense, right?
Junpei: I see... 
Junpei: The lights that match the digital root of the pins inserted on the top
and lower parts will light up.
Junpei: So that's how it works...
Santa: Well, there's one other thing I'd like to check.
* Well, if he wants to try, he's certainly welcome to.
* So... He'd put the (1), (2), and (3) pins on the top, and the (6), (7), and
(8) pins on the bottom.
* ...Oh...
Junpei: They turned off...
Santa: 6 + 7 + 8 = 21. The digital root of 21 is (3)... Therefore light (3)
turns off.
Santa: 1 + 2 + 3 = 6. The digital root of 6 is (6)... Therefore, light (6)
turns off.
Junpei: Ooooh... I get it now.
Junpei: If the digital root for the pins you insert is the same as the number
on the lights that are lit...
Junpei: ...Those lights turn off.
Santa: Yeah, looks like that's the trick.
Santa: All right, now we know how it works. You wanna give it a try?
Junpei: Wait... You mean you know what we're supposed to do with these lights?
Santa: Well, no, but I figure we could try and see if we can turn them all on,
you know?
Santa: I figure something's gotta happen if we can manage that...
Junpei: Turn on the lights, huh...
* Okay Junpei, let's make sure we know how this works, all right?
* Pick one of the 6 holes. Then pick one of the pins in your hand, and insert
it into the hole.
* Keep it up until all 6 of the holes are filled.
* Once all the holes are filled, the lights with the numbers that correspond to
the digital roots of the pins in the upper and lower parts will turn on.
* However, if a digital root corresponds to a light that is already on, that
light will be turned off.
* The goal is to turn all the lights on.
Junpei: All right, let's do it!
<Examine Bottom Control Panel Bottom holes, unsolved, 1+>
* Okay Junpei, let's make sure we know how this works, all right?
* Pick one of the 6 holes. Then pick one of the pins in your hand, and insert
it into the hole.
* Keep it up until all 6 of the holes are filled.
* Once all the holes are filled, the lights with the numbers that correspond to
the digital roots of the pins in the upper and lower parts will turn on.
* However, if a digital root corresponds to a light that is already on, that
light will be turned off.
* The goal is to turn all the lights on.
Junpei: All right, let's do it!
<Examine Bottom Control Panel Bottom holes, solved, 1+>
* Probably don't really need to mess with that.

<Examine Bottom Control Panel Upper Lights, 1+>
* There are several lights here, with numbers from (1) to (9). Only the light
with a (9) on it is lit.
<Examine Bottom Control Panel Upper Lights after solving 6-pin puzzle, 1+>
* All of the numbered lights are lit.

<Go back from 9-pin puzzle after failing, 5>
Santa: Junpei... Do you know the sum of (10 + 5)?
Junpei: Yeah, it's (15). Do you really think I'm that much of an idiot?
Santa: All right, so what are the sums of (1 + 9), (2 + 8), (3 + 7), and (4 +
6)?
Junpei: They're all (10).
Santa: So if you put the (5) in the middle, what's the sum going to be for each
of those?
Junpei: Well, if they're (10) right now...
Santa: Yeah, I think you've got it. I'll just let you figure the rest out.
<Go back from 9-pin puzzle after failing, 6+>
Junpei: Man, this is tough...
* Okay, Santa said put the (5) in the middle...


<Solve 6-pin puzzle>
* All the lights are on, and the shutter's opened up...
Junpei: Hey, does that mean...
Santa: Yeah, we gotta do it again.
Junpei: Man, and I thought I was doin' so well...

<Solve 9-pin puzzle>
* There we go! All pins inserted, all lights lit!
Junpei: We did it. The power's on now.
Santa: It looks like there's electricity going to the monitor on top now.
Santa: All right, let's see if we can activate the device on the top.

{Screen 6, Electric Gate Closeup}

<Examine Crates closest to front, 1>
June: There are 3 crates here, stacked up like stairs.
Santa: If we climb up there, I think we can get over the fence.
Santa: Junpei, think you could go take a look at that?
Junpei: Sorry, but no thanks.
Santa: Why...?
Junpei: I've...uh...got a bad feeling about it...
Santa: Pussy...
Santa: Okay. Fine. I'll go.
June: Please be careful, Santa.
Santa: Yeah... But, just in case...
* Wait... What's he going to do with that screw...?
* I don't see what throwing a screw at a fence is--
* Holy shit!
June: !
Santa: !
Junpei: !
June: This... Oh man...
Junpei: There's...electricity running through that fence...
Santa: ...Looks like it...
June: Then we can't get to the other side...
Santa: Well, we could jump off those crates, but we wouldn't be able to get
back.
Junpei: Hmm...
<Examine Crates closest to front, 2>
Junpei: I think we can get over the fence by jumping on those crates...
June: Wh-What are you saying, Jumpy?!
June: There's a huge electrical current flowing through that fence!
June: If you do that, you won't be able to get back!
Junpei: Well, if I can move some of those crates over there...
June: Are you even sure you can move them?!
June: What if they weigh too much?! Then what are you going to do!?
Junpei: Oh...yeah. Hmm. Hadn't thought of that...
<Examine Crates closest to front, 3+>
* There are 3 crates here, piled up like a set of stairs. It'd be easy enough
to climb to the top of them, but after that...

<Examine Fence before finding out it's electrified, 1>
June: This is the only area with a fence around it.
Santa: Junpei, think you could go take a look at that?
Junpei: Sorry, but no thanks.
Santa: Why...?
Junpei: I've...uh...got a bad feeling about it...
Santa: Pussy...
Santa: Okay. Fine. I'll go.
June: Please be careful, Santa.
Santa: Yeah... But, just in case...
* Wait... What's he going to do with that screw...?
* I don't see what throwing a screw at a fence is--
* Holy shit!
June: !
Santa: !
Junpei: !
June: This... Oh man...
Junpei: There's...electricity running through that fence...
Santa: ...Looks like it...
June: Then we can't get to the other side...
Santa: Well, we could jump off those crates, but we wouldn't be able to get
back.
Junpei: Hmm...
<Examine Fence, after finding out it's electrified, 1+>
* There's a tall fence surrounding part of the cargo room.
* Apparently there's a high-voltage current running through the fence.

<Examine Crates past Fence, 1>
June: I wonder what's inside all these crates...
<Examine Crates past Fence, 2+>
* There are a bunch of wooden crates on the inside of the fence.

<Examine Lined up Crates after solving pushmaster, 1+>
* There are crates lined up in front of the coffin.

<Examine Coffin, 1>
June: Jumpy, look at that crate over there... There's something on it, isn't
there?
Junpei: Yeah... Looks like...
Junpei: A coffin...
June: A c-coffin?!
Junpei: Yeah, seems kinda weird to find a coffin here, right?
June: As if it's telling us search here...
<Examine Coffin, 2+>
* There's a coffin on the other side of the fence.
<Examine Coffin after solving pushmaster, 1>
June: I think we can get to the coffin.
Junpei: Yeah, I think you're right.
<Examine Coffin after solving pushmaster, 2+>
* Time to head over to the coffin.

{Screen 7, Past Fence, Coffin View}

<Examine Fence, 1+>
* A fence.

<Examine Gate, 1+>
* This gate must be where they move cargo in and out.
* Right now it's shut tight with a metal plate.

<Examine Pipe, 1+>
* It's a thin pipe.

<Examine Crate, 1+>
* There's a coffin sitting on the crate over there.

{Screen 8, White Bag Closeup in front of fence}

<Examine Any White bag, before finding any cards, 1>
Junpei: There are a bunch of bags here... I wonder what's in 'em...
<Examine Any White bag, after taking card, 1+>
* There's nothing in the bag anymore.

<Examine Fence through top White Bag closeup, 1+>
* I can see some metal boxes on the other side of the fence.

<Examine Crates through top White Bag closeup, 1>
Ace: These crates are a little smaller than the others.
Junpei: They look like they're the children of the other crates.
Ace: Junpei, that sounds like some sort of fairy tale.
Junpei: Really?
Junpei: I dunno man... You ever think about how crates would reproduce?
Junpei: Doesn't sound like a fairy tale to me...
<Examine Crates through top White Bag closeup, 2+>
* The crate triplets.

{Screen 9, Closeup of Box in Back with two cards}

<Examine any card before finding any other cards, 1>
Ace: Did you find something, Junpei?
Junpei: It's a card. It has a head-shot on it...
Ace: A...head-shot...?
Junpei: Yeah...

<Examine Box Lid, 1+>
* It's the lid for the crate.

<Examine Box before taking cards, 1+>
* There's something inside this crate.
<Examine Box after taking cards, 1+>
* There's nothing in here.

{Screen A, Closeup of Blue Boxes}

<Examine Barrels, 1>
* There are a bunch of barrels surrounding the 9 boxes.

<Examine Blue boxes without any cards, 1>
Junpei: It's locked. I guess we need a key to open it, huh?
Ace: All of the boxes have numbers on them.
Ace: What if we need a different key for each--oh...?
* Ace bent down and picked up something that had been sitting next to the box.
Ace: Junpei, take a look at this.
Junpei: It's a picture... No, wait...is that a card?
<Examine Blue boxes with at least one card found from a white bag, 1>
Junpei: It's locked. We need the key.
Ace: All the boxes have numbers on them. Do they-oh...?
* Ace bent down and picked up something that had been sitting next to the box.
Ace: Junpei, take a look at this.
Junpei: Cards...
<Examine Blue boxes after receiving Lotus's card, 1~8 cards, 1>
Junpei: There are some numbered boxes, and cards with pictures of all of us...
June: Does that mean we need to collect the cards we don't have?
<Examine Blue boxes after receiving Lotus's card 1~8 cards, 2+>
* In order to open the crates, I'm going to need all 9 cards.
<Examine Blue boxes with all cards, 1>
(Go to "b32d.a" replacing quotations with braces {} )
<Examine Blue boxes once empty, 1+>
* There's nothing in the boxes.

{Screen B, Closeup of small box}

<Examine Bottom half of box before opening lid, 1+>
* A small box with a lid on it.
<Examine Bottom half of box after opening lid, before taking card, 1+>
* There's a card in this box.
<Examine Bottom half of box after opening lid, after taking card, 1+>
* There's no card in this box.

<Examine card before finding any other cards, 1>
Ace: Did you find something, Junpei?
Junpei: It's a card. It has a head-shot on it...
Ace: A...head-shot...?
Junpei: Yeah...

{Screen C, Overlooking Pushmaster 5000 boxes}

<Examine Pushmaster 5000, 1+>
* I can see the machine. The spinning light on top of its head looks kinda
cute.
<Examine Pushmaster 5000 after solving pushmaster puzzle, 1+>
* Its work finished, the machine is silent.

<Examine Metal Boxes, 1+>
* A heavy-looking metal box.

<Examine 4 Crates, 1+>
* There are 4 crates, lined up at equal intervals.
<Examine 4 Crates after solving pushmaster puzzle, 1+>
* There are a bunch of crates lined up in the back.
* If we go across those, we might be able to reach the coffin.

<Examine Stacked Crates under coffin, 1+>
* There are a whole bunch of identical crates in a pile here.

<Examine Coffin, 1+>
* There's something that looks like a coffin sitting on top of the pile of
crates.

{Screen D, Coffin Closeup}

<Examine Fence, 1+>
* There sure are a lot of crates on the other side of the fence.

<Examine Crate, 1+>
* There's a crate underneath the coffin.

<Examine Coffin, 1>
(To "b32d.b", replacing quotations with braces {} )
<Examine Coffin after obtaining rusty key, 1>
* There's a revolver in this coffin.
* What was this thing for...
June: Jumpy...
Junpei: I know, I'll be there in just a minute.
<Examine Coffin after obtaining rusty key, 2+>
* Now's not the time to be thinking about the coffin. I need to focus on
getting out of here.

{ITEMS}
???¦?

<Search card with a head-shot [Ace], 1>
Junpei: It's Ace's card. You look like some kind of European lord...
Ace: Oh, my head-shot...
Junpei: You wanna see it? It's actually a pretty good picture.
Ace: No, I don't need to see it.
Ace: In fact, we really ought to get back to our search.
<Search card with a head-shot [Ace], 2+>
* It's the card with Ace's face on it.

<Search card with a head-shot [Snake], 1>
Junpei: Snake...
Ace: Is that Snake's card?
Junpei: Yeah, you wanna see it?
Ace: No, that's fine.
<Search card with a head-shot [Snake], 2+>
* This card has Snake's face on it.

<Search card with a head-shot [Santa], 1>
Santa: Man, the guy on this card is one good-looking son-of-a-bitch! Way more
class than that other chump...
Junpei: Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!
Santa: Huh? What's your problem? Didn't say I meant you, did I?
Junpei: Shit...
<Search card with a head-shot [Santa], 2+>
* A card with Santa's face on it.

<Search card with a head-shot [Clover], 1>
Junpei: This is Clover's card.
Junpei: You know, looking at this photo... She's kinda cute, isn't she?
June: ...
Junpei: Huh? What's up?
June: Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.
* Why does her smile make me feel cold?
<Search card with a head-shot [Clover], 2+>
* A card with Clover's picture on it.

<Search card with a head-shot [Junpei], 1>
Junpei: Not cool, man... You took this picture without my permission.
June: It looks pretty cool, though. You look really handsome in this picture...
Santa: Hey, knock it off, lovebirds.
June: Wh-Wh-What?!
June: We're not a couple! Not at all! Not in any way!
Junpei: ...
<Search card with a head-shot [Junpei], 2>
* There's a pretty cool-looking dude on this card. I can't take my eyes off it.
<Search card with a head-shot [Junpei], 3>
* There's a pretty cool-looking dude on this card. I feel...enraptured...
<Search card with a head-shot [Junpei], 4>
* There's a pretty cool-looking dude on this card. I just wanna rub my face on
it.
<Search card with a head-shot [Junpei], 5>
* There's a pretty cool-looking dude on this card. I wanna eat it.
<Search card with a head-shot [Junpei], 6>
* There's a pretty cool-looking dude on this card. It belongs in a shrine.
<Search card with a head-shot [Junpei], 7>
* There's a pretty cool-looking dude on this card. It belongs in a museum!
<Search card with a head-shot [Junpei], 8>
* There's a pretty cool-looking dude on this card. I bet I could get quite a
bit for this online...
<Search card with a head-shot [Junpei], 9>
* There's a pretty cool-looking dude on this card. I feel kind of
unfulfilled...
<Search card with a head-shot [Junpei], 10+>
Junpei: Umm... My picture...

<Search card with a head-shot [June], 1>
Junpei: This must be...
June: Oh no! Don't look at it!
June: I'm not cute at all and I'm not photogenic, and I don't look sexy
either...
June: Next to Clover, my skin looks gross...
June: And I'm not sexy like Lotus...
Junpei: ...
June: I know guys go for women who look like Lotus...
June: But! But, but!
June: I'm trying too! I'm doing the best I can!
June: So please, don't call me a board, or a trash can, or a cutting board--
Junpei: W-Wait a minute... I haven't said anything like that... Have I?
June: ...
<Search card with a head-shot [June], 2+>
* This card has a picture of June on it.

<Search card with a head-shot [Seven], 1>
Santa: This is Seven's card...
Santa: If this is supposed to be a trading card, it's not a very good one...
<Search card with a head-shot [Seven], 2>
Santa: He looks like some kinda criminal.
Junpei: It looks like one of those photos you see on the bulletin board at a
police station.
<Search card with a head-shot [Seven], 3+>
* This card has a picture of Seven on it.

<Search card with a head-shot [Lotus], 1>
Junpei: There's a picture of Lotus on this card.
Santa: Man, her hair is ridiculous. It's like...clay, or something...
Junpei: Says the pot to the kettle...
<Search card with a head-shot [Lotus], 2+>
* This card has Lotus's picture on it.

<Search card with a head-shot [9th Man], 1>
Junpei: This guy... This card has the 9th Man on it.
* He is the first victim of this Nonary Game.
* Actually, come to think of it, he was acting pretty weird.
* I wonder what his deal was...
<Search card with a head-shot [9th Man], 2+>
* This card has the 9th Man's picture on it.

<Search 9 pins, 1+>
* These look like the kinda pins you use for sewing.
* There are 9 of them, in total, and they have numbers on them that run from
(1) to (9).

<Search rusty key, 1+>
* A rusty key. Maybe I can use this...

<Leave Items Screen after picking up a card from a white bag; card must be
first card received>
Ace: What's that?
Junpei: It's a card. It has a head-shot on it...
Ace: A head-shot...?
Junpei: Yeah. I'm...not really sure what purpose this could possibly serve.

==========================
{b32d.a} File #47
::Cargo room::
-In front of blue boxes, after collecting 9 picture cards-

&&& This is from path 4-7-6

They had finally collected all 9 picture cards.
All that remained was to insert the cards into the slots at the front of each
box.
Junpei stared at the cards in his hands.
Ace peered over his shoulder at them.

Ace: You know which card goes in which box, yes?

Junpei gave him a look.

Junpei: Uh...yeah. Of course I do. It's really obvious.
Junpei: You just match our numbers to the numbers on the boxes.
Junpei: So for instance, the card with the [picture of Ace] on it goes into
[box 1]...
Junpei: ...The card with the [picture of Snake] on it goes into [box 2]...and
so on.
Ace: A-Ah, I see...

Junpei thought he might have imagined it, but he could have sworn Ace
stiffened.

(If went through doors [5] and [8], To "b32d.a1" )
(If did not go through doors [5] and [8], To "b32d.a2" )

{b32d.a1}

Just then--
Junpei heard a noise.
He spun around, just in time to see June collapse in front of the fence.

Junpei: June! Are you okay?!

...She did not respond.
Junpei spun back around to face Ace.

Junpei: I'm sorry, I gotta go check on her! You do the box thing, all right?
Ace: ...Hm?
Junpei: Just put the cards in the boxes!
Junpei: I'm counting on you!

He shoved the cards into Ace's hands, and ran off toward June.

Junpei: Are you all right?! What happened?!

Junpei called out to her as he ran.
As he arrived, June was climbing to her feet with Santa's help.

June: Ah...I'm sorry. I'm fine...
June: I just tripped--
Junpei: Don't gimme that! Now's not the time--
June: But it's true! I tripped over a box...

Junpei put his palm on her forehead.
Her temperature was much the same as it had been the last time he'd checked.
She wasn't hot, like she'd been before, but she was still warm. Her fever
wasn't completely gone.

Santa: I saw her fall. I think she really did just trip on something, you know?

Junpei would have been more willing to agree if June hadn't needed quite so
much help standing up.

Santa: Still, to fall down like that...
Santa: I think she's probably still a little messed up.

June was doing her best to busy herself brushing dust off of her dress.
Her smile looked a little embarrassed, and her face was a bit flushed... But
she did look a great deal better than she had.
Still...

Junpei: All right, well, let's get out of here as fast as we can, so we can get
you to a hospital.
June: Oh... I don't think it's anything that serious.
June: I just need a little medicine and some sleep, and I'll be fine.
Santa: Medicine... Medicine, huh...
Santa: Well, if we could get in touch with anyone outside, I'll bet Ace could
swing that for you, easy.
Junpei: Ace...? Why...?
Santa: Huh? Don't you know? He's the president of a pharmaceutical company.
Santa: [Cradle Pharmaceutical] is the name, I think.
Santa: Their flagship product is an anesthetic drug called [Soporil].
Junpei: Soporil... Soporil... 

Junpei couldn't shake the feeling that he'd heard about Soporil before...
Santa continued.

Santa: Soporil...

...Soporil is an anesthetic that is gaseous at room temperature, similar to
nitrous oxide. It takes only a few seconds to spread, and even a small amount
is very effective.
For these reasons, it found widespread acceptance with police and military
forces in numerous countries. It was an effective crowd-suppressant and
room-clearer, and is practical, ethical, and humane.
Developed 6 years prior, it was made from the extracts of several different
roots.
It became popular almost as soon as it was made public, with many governments
placing large orders. Demand for Soporil skyrocketed, and as it did, so did the
stock of Cradle Pharmaceuticals.

Junpei: Why do you know all this...?

Santa's information was interesting, but Junpei couldn't help but feel a little
suspicious.
Santa's reply was blunt and simple.

Santa: I heard it from the old man himself.
Junpei: From Ace? When...? 
Santa: By the number [4] door, at the central stairway. When we were searching
the 2nd class room.
Santa: Remember how Snake, Seven, and you went to door [5]?
Santa: I asked him what he did for a living, and he said he ran his own
company.
Santa: After that, we just started talkin', and...I guess it just came up, you
know?
Junpei: ...
June: Are you worried about something?
Junpei: No...nothing...

As he spoke, Junpei looked over toward Ace.
He seemed to be having difficulty with the 9 boxes.

Junpei: What the hell is he doing...

He turned back to June and Santa.

Junpei: June, don't push yourself, all right?
June: Yes.
Junpei: Santa, could you take care of her?
Santa: Sure.

He gave them both a short nod, then turned and headed toward Ace.

Junpei: What are you doing?

Ace's back was to him as Junpei approached.
The older man turned around to look at him. His face was pale and covered in
sweat.

Junpei: What happened...?
Ace: Nothing. I...my vision has gotten rather blurry, I think perhaps because
of fatigue. I can't see very well, at the moment.
Junpei: What can't you see well...?
Ace: These pictures.

Ace held the cards out to Junpei, splayed out in the shape of a fan.

Ace: I don't care to admit it, but I may be developing presbyopia.
Ace: Growing old is a difficult thing.

He made the best attempt he could at a self-deprecating smile, but his face was
flushed and his lips were pale and drawn.

Ace: At any rate, I'll leave the rest to you.
Ace: I'm feeling awfully tired, so if you don't mind I'd like to rest for a
bit.

He shoved the cards into Junpei's hands and walked quickly away.
Junpei looked at him quizzically.
How could simply looking at cards have tired him out?

Junpei: ...

Junpei looked down at the cards in his hands.
All of the pictures were quite clear, and each person easily recognizable. Was
Ace's vision truly so bad...?
...But if it wasn't, what had made him so uncomfortable?
That was when Junpei remembered what he'd heard from Lotus much earlier...
[Prosopagnosia]...
Well, put simply, it means a condition where the mind can't distinguish between
human faces.
In other words, my face would look the same as Clover's, or even yours.
So they can't remember faces, which is how most people recognize each other.
That means that people with prosopagnosia have trouble recognizing even people
they're close to.

Junpei: Maybe... Maybe he's got prosopagnosia...?

Junpei took another look at Ace.
He sat at the base of the stairs, looking quite depressed.

Junpei: ...

It was reasonable, of course, that he'd feel that way.
If he really did have prosopagnosia, there was no doubt it was a depressing and
painful experience.
Still, Junpei didn't feel like patting him on the shoulder and telling him
everything would be all right would help that much.
Still... Junpei felt perhaps it was best he keep Ace's condition to himself, at
least for the time being.

Junpei: Oh well...

Doing his best to clear his mind for the task at hand, he turned back toward
the boxes.
It was time to solve the puzzle of the 9 boxes!
9 cards with pictures...and 9 boxes.
Junpei stared at them for a moment, and then began.
Ace's card went into box number 1... Then Snake's went into box number 2.
Then Santa's card into box number 3, Clover's card into box number 4, Junpei's
card into box number 5, June's card into box number 6, Seven's card into box
number 7, Lotus's card into box number 8...
And finally, the 9th Man's card went into box number 9. As soon as he'd
inserted all of the cards--
...All 9 box lids popped open at once.
He peered inside.
In each box was a single [pin].
They looked a little like sewing pins, but much thicker.
Junpei collected them all quickly, and shoved them into his pocket.

(Return to investigation)

{b32d.a2}

Ace: I'll leave the rest to you.

He quickly turned, and walked away.
Strange, Junpei thought...

Junpei: Oh well. Whatever...

Doing his best to clear his mind for the task at hand, he turned back toward
the boxes.
It was time to solve the puzzle of the 9 boxes!
9 cards with pictures...and 9 boxes.
Junpei stared at them for a moment, and then began.
Ace's card went into box number 1... Then Snake's went into box number 2.
Then Santa's card into box number 3, Clover's card into box number 4, Junpei's
card into box number 5, June's card into box number 6, Seven's card into box
number 7, Lotus's card into box number 8...
And finally, the 9th Man's card went into box number 9. As soon as he'd
inserted all of the cards--
...All 9 box lids popped open at once.
He peered inside.
In each box was a single [pin].
They looked a little like sewing pins, but much thicker.
Junpei collected them all quickly, and shoved them into his pocket.

(Return to investigation)

==========================
{b32d.b} File #47
::Cargo room::
-In front of coffin-

They walked slowly past the row of crates, until they came to the coffin.
They stopped and nodded to one another, and Junpei put his hand on the lid of
the coffin...

Santa: M-M-M-Mummy!
Junpei: ...
June: ...
Ace: ...
Santa: Just kidding.

He smirked heartily at his own joke.
Junpei grumbled and shook his head.

Santa: Whatever. Just open it.

Junpei resisted the urge to remind Santa that he would have had it open a long
time ago if Santa hadn't interrupted, and quickly threw off the lid of the
coffin.
They peered inside.
Contrary to what they'd expected, the inside of the coffin was quite large.
It was mostly empty, but not completely so.
Laying on the bottom was a rusty key...
And next to the key...

June: It's a g-gun...
Santa: Yeah... A revolver.
Ace: It looks pretty old...
June: I wonder if this is a...replica...?

Junpei reached down slowly and cautiously picked up the revolver.
In his hand, it felt...heavy.
He checked the cylinder. There were 6 bullets.
He'd never seen a real gun, or even a real bullet, before. He couldn't tell if
these were real or not.
The barrel was rifled, and nothing seemed to be blocking it.
As Ace had said, the gun was a very old one.
However, it appeared to have been well maintained. If it was a real gun, Junpei
thought it would most likely function perfectly.
If it was real...
Holding the gun made Junpei feel...unpleasant. Carefully, he placed it back in
the coffin.

Santa: You're not gonna take it?
Junpei: Of course not. All something like this is gonna do is cause more
trouble.
Junpei: It's a powerful weapon that gives one person a huge advantage...
Junpei: Something like that would be way too dangerous to have around. We're in
enough danger already.
Santa: Yeah, I suppose you're right.
June: Maybe...
June: Maybe Zero put this gun here, hoping that something like that might
happen...
June: In other words, maybe he put it here to make us fight each other...
Ace: In that case, we should most certainly leave it here. I, for one, have no
desire to let Zero control me.

The others nodded. They had no desire to be under Zero's control either.

Santa: Okay, we've got that figured out, but you aren't gonna leave that key in
there, are you?
Junpei: Yeah, yeah. Course I'm not...

Junpei picked up the [rusty key], and slid the top of the coffin back into
place, the gun back where they had found it.

(Return to investigation)

===========================================
===========================================
{bed1} File #49
:E Deck hallway:
-After completing escape from [6] Cargo Room-
===========================================

The hallway that left the cargo room headed straight toward the stern.
Junpei and the other 3 proceeded down it, silently.
Some distance along it, a large room opened up on the left-hand side.
It looked...familiar.
An iron grate covered each of the elevators.
Junpei and his companions drew to a stop, and began to discuss what their next
move should be.

Ace: We've seen this elevator before.
June: We got off the one on the left just a little while ago.
Santa: Then we went through the number [6] door, and that took us to the engine
room...
Ace: Yes, and after that we passed through the cargo room... 
June: And now we're back here...
Santa: In other words, we made a loop. We're back where we started.

Junpei approached the elevator.
Gently, he pushed the triangular button on the wall next to it.
A moment passed...
...
...
The elevator door opened... And shut.
Pushing the button had apparently restored power to the elevator.
The elevator was now functional.

Ace: What do we do? Should we return to C Deck?
Junpei: No, this hallway keeps going.
Junpei: Even if we do end up going back, I think we should see what's down
there first.
Santa: I agree. Let's go.

Their decision made, Junpei and his companions left the elevators behind, and
continued down the hallway.
Some time later...
Santa, who had been walking several paces in front of the rest, suddenly
stopped.
Set in the wall in front of him was a door.
So far as Junpei could see, there was no other way to proceed.
It was the door, or nothing.

Junpei: All right. Let's open it.

Junpei took a deep breath, readied himself, then grabbed the doorknob and
pulled the door open.
He paused for a moment, then stepped through, into the room.
...And there he saw the number that had hung over their heads since they'd
woken up.
--[9]--
Like the numbers on every other door, this one, too, was a rough shape made of
red paint.
Its door was set into the back wall of the room.
Junpei leapt toward it with a sudden burst of hopeful energy.
It was a large double door--heavy, and full of solemn importance.
He grabbed hold of the door handle and shook. Nothing, but he hadn't expected
it to open.
The RED sat on the wall, next to the door.
Its screen read [VACANT]...
Finally, they'd found it.
Junpei felt himself overwhelmed by a torrent of emotion. At last, they'd found
the exit, but cold gripped his heart, and he knew all too well why.
As he stood, frozen, unsure of what to think or feel--

June: J-Jumpy! Look! Behind you!

He spun around.
...And couldn't believe what he saw.
...It was a door, with the number [9] written across it...
...Was there...
...A second door...?

Junpei: Why...

Junpei's voice was barely audible, even to himself.
He stumbled toward the second door, as if somehow compelled.
It was a small single door.
It sat in the starboard corner of the room, on the same wall as the door they'd
entered from, but in the opposite corner.
--[9]--
There was no mistaking it. A RED sat on the wall next to this door as well.
Junpei shook the door handle pointlessly, and muttered to himself.

Junpei: Why... Why the hell are there 2 doors?

It was Santa who answered.

Santa: There were always 2 doors.
Santa: Just think about it...
Santa: Zero never said "There is only one door with 9 on it".
Junpei: It is hidden, but an exit can be found.
Junpei: Seek a way out... Seek a door that carries a [9]. 
Santa: Of course, we just assumed that there was only 1.
Santa: After all, why would there be more than 1? 
Junpei: Oh man...

Geez...
Junpei was stunned. Zero's trick had taken him completely by surprise.
There were 2 doors. That meant that all 9 people who had met at the central
staircase could escape, and leave no one behind.
Now the reason for the bracelet numbers being [1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9] was clear...
Divided in 2, the digital root for both teams would be (9).
For instance, [1278] and [34569]... The digital root for both teams would be
(9).
Or [2349] and [15678]... The digital root would be also (9).
There were many other workable combinations, but they all ended the same way:
with a digital root of (9).
What did that mean? The answer was quite simple.
From the very beginning, the Nonary Game was designed to save all 9 people.
Zero hadn't been lying. Zero had never said "there is only one door".
But anyone who'd found themselves in the game would have assumed that was the
case. Fights would have broken out.
One team would likely betray or deceive the other. Someone might be hurt.
Someone might get killed.
But eventually, they would reach the room Junpei now found himself in, and
realize the pointlessness of whatever violence they'd visited upon each other.
There were 2 doors. No need to kill each other.
They'd understand, and be appalled, overwhelmed with guilt at what they'd done.
Perhaps...perhaps that was the purpose of the game... That was how the Nonary
Game was meant to be played...
Fortunately, they hadn't started to fight one another, at least not yet.
But if one misstep was made, if the wrong mistakes happened, the stakes would
rise and the noose would tighten.
The thought of it sent a chill down his spine.

Santa: So... What are we going to do, Junpei?

A voice broke through Junpei's frantic thoughts. Santa's voice.
It brought Junpei back to his senses. No use worrying about the future. He
needed to figure out what they were going to do next.
There were 4 people in the room.
Ace, Santa, Junpei, and June...
Their bracelet numbers were...
(1-3-5-6)...
The digital root would be...(6).
In other words, the 4 of them couldn't open a door with the number [9].
But...what if there were only 3?
Could door [9] be opened with 3 of them...?
It took him no time at all to determine the answer.
There was only one combination of 3 people that would give a digital root of
(9).
1 + 3 + 5 = 9
That would mean...

Junpei: No! We gotta go back!

That wasn't a possibilty he was willing to consider.
Santa and Ace agreed.

Santa: Yup.
Ace: I agree. We cannot leave June behind.

Junpei let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

June: A-Are you sure...?
June: I...I don't mind...staying...

June's body betrayed her true feelings.
Her eyes were wet with the beginnings of tears, and her legs shook.

Santa: It's okay. There's no way we'd leave you behind.

Santa had said what Junpei had known the moment he realized which 3 people
could go through the door.

Junpei: Besides, I'd rather drown at the bottom of the ocean than escape with
this sausage-fest.
Junpei: Maybe I'll get to go to Atlanta.
Ace: Ah... Are you sure you don't mean...Atlantis?
Junpei: ...
Junpei: Oh...right...
Junpei: Ha ha ha ha... Hahahahahahaha!

Perhaps it was the sudden reassurance that no one wanted to leave June behind,
but Junpei laughed harder than he had in some time.
Santa and Ace smiled.

June: You guys...

June blinked tears from her eyes and bit her lip. She didn't seem to know what
else to say.

Ace: Very well. Best we head back to C Deck then. We should be able to take
the elevator we passed earlier.
Ace: Perhaps Clover, Seven, and Lotus will have returned from door [1].

Even as Ace spoke, they knew finding the others wouldn't improve the situation.
There was no way they could be split into teams that could both go through the
doors.
Ace knew it. They all knew it.
But there was nothing else they could do.
They would find the other 3, and search for another solution.

Ace: All right. Let's go.

Ace looked at all 3 of them, then turned and headed through the door.
Santa and June followed.
Junpei started toward the door, then stopped.
He'd been too busy with other concerns to notice the room itself.
It didn't seem terribly important now, but...what exactly was it?
Junpei looked around the room, for the first time noticing the things that
weren't doors with 9 on them.
A red carpet ran between 2 columns of wooden benches that ran the length of the
room.
The carpet began at the large set of double doors, and ran toward the bow,
toward...
Junpei wasn't sure.
Was it...an altar, perhaps? There was a small, rectangular alcove at the end of
the carpet, and inside the alcove was a raised platform.
Resting on top of the platform was a coffin.
A coffin. A coffin...
What on Earth was a coffin doing in a place like that?
But before Junpei had time to answer that question--

Santa: Hey, Junpei! The hell are you doing?! Let's move!

Santa's voice echoed in from the hall outside.

Junpei: Right! Okay! I'll be right there.

Junpei turned on his heel and left the quiet, somber room.
...
...

(Continued in "bed2", replacing quotations with braces {} )

===========================================
===========================================
{bed2} File #50
:C Deck central staircase:
-Returning to the elevator back to C Deck-
===========================================

They took the elevator up to C Deck.
Once there, they headed back toward the main hall, and the central staircase.
It didn't take them long.
Junpei found Seven and Lotus waiting for them.
They didn't look happy.

Seven: We've got a problem.
Lotus: Clover is gone!

Junpei and his 3 companions looked at one another.
He turned back to Seven and Lotus.

Junpei: What do you mean...gone?

Santa, Ace, and June had their own questions to ask.

Santa: When?!
June: Why?!
Ace: You 2 went into door [1] with Clover, didn't you?

Seven and Lotus responded as best they could.

Seven: Yeah, we went through the door together.
Lotus: But Clover barely spoke to us...
Seven: She just did her own thing the whole time.
Junpei: ...
Lotus: There were 4 rooms on the other side of door [1]...
Seven: She wouldn't let us into the 4th room.
Lotus: She just said "I'll take care of this one..."
Seven: ...And shut the door.
Lotus: She must have blocked it with something on the other side.
June: ...
Seven: We waited for a while, but Clover didn't come out.
Lotus: We called for her, but she didn't answer...
Seven: So I kicked down the door, and we went into the room.
Lotus: But...
Ace: ...
Seven: It was empty.
Lotus: Clover wasn't there.
Seven: There was a door on the other wall...
Lotus: ...And it was open.
Santa: ...
Seven: We figure she opened the door and left by herself.
Lotus: We ran after her, of course, but...
Seven: Well, obviously we didn't find her. You've figured that much out.
Lotus: Clover's gone.

Junpei thought for a moment.

Junpei: When did this happen?
Seven: We got here just before you.
Lotus: You certainly have excellent timing.
June: So you haven't searched anywhere other than near the staircase?
Seven: No, we haven't.

Finally, Ace spoke.
His voice had an edge of resolve and concern.

Ace: Very well then. We'd best separate and look for Clover.
Ace: We haven't much time left. Let's begin!

There were quick nods all around, and the 6 remaining players spread out.
...
...

(If you took doors 5, 8, and 6) - "bed3"
(If you took any other set of doors) - "bbad"

===========================================
===========================================
{bbad} File #48
:large hospital room:
-Knife Ending-
===========================================

Junpei and June ran into the central hospital room and looked around.

Junpei: She's not here...
June: No, she isn't...

They searched a little longer, but with no luck.
They couldn't find Clover.
Finally, they gave up, and left the central hospital room.
Slowly, they made their way back to the hallway.
At last, they reached the stairs, and Junpei spoke.

Junpei: All right. I'm thinking we should probably split up.
Junpei: I'll head back to the stairs, and take the elevator down to E Deck.
Junpei: June, you can take the stairs up to B Deck.
June: All right. That sounds good.
June: But...um...
Junpei: ...What?
June: Could you stop calling me by that code name when we're alone...?
Junpei: Huh? Oh...s-sure, right... I'll, um, I'll do that.

There was a reason Junpei persisted in calling her "June" even when they were
alone.
...Although, perhaps not the best reason.
He was embarrassed to call her by the nickname he'd used when they were
children... Kanny...
9 years ago, it came naturally--after all, they were children.
But now that they were adults, it felt...strange.
Regardless of what he might hope for, to call a woman he wasn't dating by such
a childish nickname felt...odd to him.
Of course, to call her "Ms. Kurashiki" would be even more awkward, and simply
"Kurashiki" would seem a little brusque.
And although he couldn't put his finger on why, it felt somewhat forward to
call her "Akane" when they hadn't seen one another for so long.
In short, it was simply easier for him to call her "June", and leave it at
that.

June: All right, I'm going then.
Junpei: Yeah. Be careful...Kanny.

June--or perhaps more appropriately Kanny--blushed and smiled.
You be careful too, Jumpy.

Junpei: Yeah. Got it. ...Take care.

Junpei looked after her for a moment as she ran up the stairs, then turned
around and took off for the hallway.
Tragedy always strikes when one least expects it.
But to wait for a man to stand before striking him down seems almost crueler
than dealing the fatal blow while he lies on the ground.
A light in a dark place, June's smile had given him hope--both for escape, and
possibly...for something else.
It was that hope that raised his spirits just enough that they might soon be
fully dashed.
He opened the elevator door, and there she was.
A woman sat, slouched against the wall. Lotus.
Junpei felt his blood turn to ice.
Her body was limp, and her skin, smooth and pale as always...
...Was covered in bright red blood.
Junpei felt his chest constrict. He couldn't breathe, and his legs began to
shake.
A slow, cold drop of sweat trickled down his back.
He felt his stomach somersault.
Junpei's mind went blank--all his thoughts replaced with endless, hissing
white.
Driven by little more than instinct, he began to walk toward Lotus, slowly.
Each slow movement of his stiff limbs brought him closer to her corpse.
Finally, he stood next to her. Robotically, he bent down, and put his hand
against her neck.
There was no pulse. No rise and fall of breathing.
She was slightly warm. Something, somewhere in Junpei's shaken mind, told him
that meant she had been killed recently.
Yes, Junpei thought, his mind slowly returning, she had been killed. Someone
had killed her.
There was a deep cut on the left side of her chest.
Blood still oozed from it, although clearly her heart had stopped beating some
time ago.
The weapon had been a knife, then? Perhaps she had been stabbed in the heart,
once. She would have died immediately.
He took little comfort from knowing she must have suffered very little.
Only then did Junpei notice...
Lotus's [bracelet] was gone.
"Lastly, let us discuss [how to remove the bracelets]. There are only 2 ways to
do so."
"One: You escape from this ship."
"Two: Your heart rate reaches zero."
"In other words, once the bracelet is taken outside the confines of the ship,
or detects that its wearer's heartbeat has fallen to zero, it will shut down
automatically."
Was that why the killer had ended Lotus's life?
So that they might have the number (8) bracelet ?
If that was true, then the killer was whoever wanted the number (8) bracelet.
Or perhaps more accurately, the person who would gain the most by obtaining
bracelet number (8).
Who is that...? Who would benefit the most from the number (8) bracelet?
The thought had only just entered Junpei's mind when--
He heard a noise. A sound like a sharp knife cutting through wet meat.
It struck him as strange that the noise came from inside his own body.
A moment later, the pain hit him.
It wasn't merely pain--there was heat, extreme heat, as well. He felt as though
molten iron had been splashed against the side of his body.
Finally, his brain made the connection--he had been stabbed. But where...?
His body was quickly going numb. He couldn't tell where the knife had met his
flesh.
Given the circumstances, however, he had most likely been stabbed in the back.
Whoever had killed Lotus had now done the same to Junpei as well.

Junpei: Uuughhh... 

His voice was little more than a weak groan.
With what little strength he had left, Junpei turned his body, trying to catch
a glimpse of his attacker--
But as he did, the knife dug itself in deeper, twisting viciously.

Junpei: Eeeyaagh! *Pant* Ugghh....

He collapsed to the floor--a puppet with its strings cut.
His arms and legs lay where they fell, oddly twisted and awkwardly positioned.
Junpei's body was entirely numb. He could feel the blood leaking out of him,
but nothing would move.
Nothing, save his eyes.
As he lay on the floor, his life ebbing away, Junpei finally saw his attacker.
2 tiny images of the killer, reflected in his eyes.
With that recognition came...nothing. He felt no emotions--not anger, not
sadness, not regret.
The paralysis that had claimed his body had reached his mind. 
His killer glanced down at his body...
Then, without a word, climbed into the elevator and was gone.
His eyesight began to fade. The world grew blurry, and began to dissolve into
an empty, white fog.
The fog crept into the edges of his mind and worked inexorably inward.
...
Soon, it swallowed up the last that remained of Junpei's mind, and his
consciousness left him.
There was nothing more.
Into utter emptiness, he fell--Into Zero. Whatever Junpei had been was gone.

BAD END

[If this is first ending, continue below; else return to beginning "a01b"]

You have reached one ending.
This game has multiple endings.
In order to experience all the endings, you need to save now.
Once you've saved, you can restart the game, with information you've acquired
in this playthrough saved.
Once you begin the game again, you can skip through text you've already seen.
Simply press "right" on the +Control Pad to fast-forward through lines you've
already read.
Once you reach lines you haven't seen, or new choices, it will automatically
stop.

Memory of Escape has been added on the title screen.
Memory of Escape enables you to play the stages you have completed.
It is recommended to save after this in order to unlock Memory of Escape.

(END GAME, RETURN TO BEGINNING "a01b")

===========================================
===========================================
{ced1} File #63
:Bottom Deck hallway:
-Submarine Ending-
===========================================

Outside of the room, a hallway led off to their left.
With nowhere else to go, they started down it.
It turned left twice before they saw the elevator.
In silence, they jogged up to it.
Junpei pushed the "C" button.
The elevator motor ground away, and before long they found themselves once
again on C Deck.
The door opened, and they stepped off.
They'd expected to find 4 other people waiting for them. There were none.

Seven: Where did they go...?
Lotus: I have no idea...

Lotus shrugged.
Something in the pit of Junpei's stomach stirred.
He tried to forget the feeling, and took off down the long hallway before him.
Seven and Lotus followed at a run.
They ran, and ran, and ran.
The hallway seemed endless.
Their destination had already been decided.
The door behind the central staircase...
There was a [Sun symbol] engraved on the keyhole of that door...
And Junpei had the [Sun key] in his pocket.
That key would open the door. It had to.
That was why they ran for the central staircase.
They had run for quite some time when they arrived at the door that ended the
hallway.
Junpei stopped.
He laid his hand on the doorknob, his breathing heavy--
Seven laid a hand on his arm.

Seven: Hold on a sec there.
Junpei: Huh?
Seven: We don't have the key for this one yet, right?

There is the Jupiter symbol engraved over the keyhole.
Seven was right. They had no Jupiter key.

Junpei: Then we can't open this door...
Lotus: Unfortunately, no, we can't.
Junpei: Geez... The Sun door's gotta be just on the other side of this, you
know...?

Frustrated, he twisted the doorknob.
The door opened.

Junpei: ...Hey! It opened!
Seven: What...?
Lotus: The others must have found the [Jupiter key].
Junpei: Well, what are we waiting for?!

As he spoke, he shoved the door the rest of the way open.
They rushed through--
And stopped cold.
The terrible scene before them made their blood run cold.
3 people lay dead on the floor, covered in blood.
Junpei felt a cold sweat trickle down his spine.
He couldn't breathe. His legs shook.
His body felt cold, deathly cold...
...But his blood was boiling hot.
He could feel his mind begin to fade...
He couldn't think, he couldn't concentrate... His mind was...blank...

Seven: Wh-What the hell...
Seven: What the hell happened...?

Seven's voice was weak and broken.
He edged toward the bodies, his movements stiff.
He bent down over Clover, and pressed his fingers to her wrist.

Seven: Nothing... She's dead...

Suddenly, Lotus moved.
Before he understood what was happening, her hand was in Junpei's vest pocket.

Junpei: H-Hey! What're you doing?!

He leapt back--
Lotus looked up at him, terrified.

Lotus: The key! Give me the [Sun key]...!
Junpei: W-Why...?
Lotus: Why do you think?! We have to get out of here before the murderer comes
back!

The murderer... The murderer...
Once again, Junpei looked at the dead bodies.
Santa...Clover...and Ace...
That meant that the person who had killed them was...
...
No... No, it couldn't be true.
Before Junpei could react, Lotus dove back into his pocket, and came out with
the key.

Lotus: Let's go!

Without waiting for Seven or Junpei, she ran, straight for the central
staircase.
They followed.
Junpei shut his eyes and swallowed his emotions. Mourning would have to wait.
Soon they stood in front of the door.
Lotus shoved the [Sun key] into the keyhole--And twisted it, hard.
But...
...

Lotus: Wh...why...
Seven: What happened?
Lotus: Nothing... Nothing happened! I didn't feel it unlock!
Seven: Oh no... Is it the wrong key?
Lotus: I don't know... Maybe...

Lotus sighed, defeated, and leaned against the doorknob.
She felt it twist--
A small gap appeared between the door and the frame.

Seven: What the hell is this?!
Lotus: You mean...the door was already unlocked...?
Seven: Why?
Lotus: How would I know that?
Seven: ...
Lotus: Whatever. Let's just go.

Lotus took a deep breath and slowly opened the door the rest of the way.
They stepped inside.
In front of them was another hallway.
It stretched out toward the bow of the ship.
They began to run.
Faster and faster they ran, trying desperately to reach the end of the hallway.
A few seconds later, they were there.
In front of them stood a massive metal door.

Junpei: *Pant* *Pant* *Pant*

They were all breathing heavily as Junpei spoke.

Junpei: What the hell is this door?!
Junpei: I can't see anything that looks like a doorknob or switch or lever or
card reader or...or...or anything!
Junpei: How the fuck are we supposed to open this?!
Seven: We don't have a choice. We're gonna have to go back.
Lotus: No! No! I'm not going back there! There's a murderer back there!

There was more stark terror in Lotus's voice than authority. She was almost
begging.

Seven: But I don't see any other doors...

As he spoke, Seven stepped toward the door in front of them, as if to
illustrate that it was the only door.
It opened.
Nothing surprising. A simple automatic door.

Seven: Look, guys, I've got a really bad feeling about all this.
Seven: The other doors were already unlocked, and this one's automatic...
Seven: We haven't seen anything like this before...

How could their situation possibly get worse? 3 people were already dead!
They'd hit the bottom, Junpei told himself. There was nowhere to go but up.
He stepped through the door...
...And whatever hope Junpei had managed to summon disappeared.
No... Nonononono... It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. It was impossible.
Utterly impossible. It was a dream. 
It had to be a dream--a nightmare. Yes, it was a nightmare, and if he could
just wake up-- He was seeing things. Yes, that was it, this was a
hallucination. 
A lie. It wasn't real. It wasn't real...
It wasn't real...right? June...
No! No, the code names meant nothing now!
Kanny...  Kanny!

Junpei: Kanny!

Junpei cried out and leapt through the door.
He flew to her side, his heart like a stone in his chest.

Junpei: Kanny! Kanny! Hang on!

Junpei swept her up, and shook her by the shoulder.
She moaned, and her eyes fluttered open, but only barely.

Junpei: Kanny! 
Kanny: Jumpy...?

Her face was pale, and her lips were dry and cracked.
Her eyes were blank and cloudy. They stared straight at Junpei, but saw
nothing.
Junpei put his hand against the small of her back to hold her up.
It felt warm and...wet.
He lifted his hand up. It was covered in blood.

Junpei: Oh man... Kanny...
Junpei: What the hell happened to you...
Junpei: How did this happen...?

It was all he could do not to break into tears.

Kanny: Jumpy...  I'm sorry...

Her voice was thin, a miniscule thread that was the only thing keeping her with
him.

Kanny: I...I might not make it.
Junpei: N-No way! No way am I gonna let you die! I'm gonna save you, I promise!
Kanny: Thank you, Jumpy...
Kanny: Thank you so much... For everything...
Kanny: I was...really happy...
Kanny: ...To see you again, Jumpy...
Kanny: ...Really...happy...
Junpei: Don't gimme that "I was" crap! You're gonna see me again lots more
times!
Junpei: You've... You've just gotta hang on, all right Kanny!?
Kanny: ...
Junpei: You... You...

What could he do?!
He looked up from Kanny desperate for something, anything--
Then he saw it. A small submarine...
A submarine?! What on Earth was a submarine doing there?!
No, that didn't matter. Nothing mattered, except saving Kanny.
That was the only thing he wanted.
Junpei turned his head back to look down at her.

Junpei: Hang on, all right? There's a submarine over there. I'm gonna go see if
it works.
Kanny: No... Don't go... Please, don't go...
Kanny: Please, just...stay with me, okay...?
Kanny: I want to...be close to you, Jumpy... When...when I...
Junpei: Kanny...
Kanny: Jumpy, did you know...
Kanny: You...meant a lot to me...when we were kids...
Kanny: I've liked you...for a long time, Junpei... A really...long...time...

Junpei's vision had gone blurry. It took him a moment to realize his eyes were
filled with tears.
He could feel a piercing point of heat deep in his heart, like a white-hot
flame.

Kanny: Jumpy, do you remember...how we hung out a lot when we were...kids?
Kanny: We went to the pool... And to...the fair...
Kanny: Do you remember...playing snowball at the school...?
Kanny: They're all memories I'll...never forget...
Kanny: All of those moments are...treasures...to me...
Junpei: ...
Kanny: But I also wanted to...go to a lot of other places with you... A lot
more...
Kanny: But...that...won't happen...now...
Junpei: No! I mean yes! Yes, it will happen! We'll go all sorts of places,
Kanny!
Junpei: You hear me?! I promise! We'll go wherever you want!
Kanny: ...Really...?
Junpei: Yeah, really. I swear.
Kanny: That makes me happy... Really...happy...

She said it to herself, over and over, a weak smile creasing her tired face.

Kanny: Jumpy...
Kanny: I feel...sleepy...
Junpei: No, Kanny! Don't fall asleep!
Kanny: Thank you...Jumpy... Thank you...so much...

Her eyes were slowly closing...
Junpei screamed, even as he felt his throat go hoarse.

Junpei: Kanny! Kanny! Kaaaaannnnyyyyy!

...
...
...
Time passed.
Junpei wept, curled around Kanny's body.
He cried and cried until he had no tears left.
When the last tear fell, Junpei was no more. His body remained, but only as an
empty shell.
Somewhere, he heard a bell ring. It was the clock at the central staircase.
It rang 5 times, then faded.

Junpei: 5 o'clock...

Quietly, gently, softly, he set Kanny down on the floor. Slowly, Junpei stood.
Only then did he realize that Seven and Lotus had not followed him. Where had
they gone?
Slowly, he looked around the room.
There was nothing. No sign that they had ever been there.
It felt as though every part of Junpei's body was made of lead.
Slowly, he made his way to the door he'd come through.
As he approached it, it opened, sliding apart with a sound like grinding stone.
Junpei passed through the gate and into the hallway.
His heart rattled in his chest, an empty lifeless thing.
It had been so utterly broken that there was nothing left to feel.
When he saw their bodies, he simply stared.
It was a lake--a sea--of blood. 2 bodies lay in it.
There was no need to check. There was no breath left in them.
His eyes lit on Lotus's wrist.
Her [bracelet]... It was gone.
He stared. It meant nothing to him.
He didn't care anymore. He couldn't care anymore.
Junpei's body felt numb.
A part of him knew the lump of lead in his chest had once been a heart. He
couldn't quite remember what it had been for.
Tears poured from his eyes in great streams. He wasn't sure why.
He gave up trying to make them stop.
He turned around. The door opened again, and slowly, numbly, he walked through.
He kept walking. Why stop?
An object set in motion, simple inertia carried him forward.
Eventually, he found himself in front of the submarine.
His arm reached for the hatch--
And then he was floating in water.
His eyes stared down into it. He couldn't see the bottom.
His back was hot. Dimly, he felt the blade of a knife in it.
Who...?
One dead body lay behind door number [5].
The body of the 9th Man.
Another lay in the shower room.
The body of Snake.
At the central staircase were 3 more...
Ace, Santa, and Clover.
Just outside the door were 2 corpses...
Those of Seven and Lotus.
And in this very room lay the body that had once been Kanny.
And now, Junpei would join them.
Who, then, had killed them all...? Who...?
...
...
Junpei let out one last breath. Faintly, he felt the bubbles creep up the side
of his face.
His consciousness faded quickly, dissolving away into the cold, gentle lapping
of the water.

---[Credit Roll]---

The end...or is it?

[If this is first ending reached, continue below; else return to beginning]

You have reached one ending.
This game has multiple endings.
In order to experience all the endings, you need to save now.
Once you've saved, you can restart the game, with information you've acquired
in this playthrough saved.
Once you begin the game again, you can skip through text you've already seen.
Simply press "right" on the +Control Pad to fast-forward through lines you've
already read.
Once you reach lines you haven't seen, or new choices, it will automatically
stop.

Memory of Escape has been added on the title screen.
Memory of Escape enables you to play the stages you have completed.
It is recommended to save after this in order to unlock Memory of Escape.

(END GAME, RETURN TO BEGINNING "a01b")

===========================================
===========================================
{abad} File #27
:B Deck central staircase, on the way to Door [9]:
-Axe Ending-
===========================================

They were quiet for a while, until...
They had just reached C Deck when Clover spoke.

Clover: Hey... What about door [2]?

Everyone else stopped.
They all turned to look at Clover.
Seven spoke.

Seven: What about door [2]?
Clover: Door [2] is the only one we didn't... We haven't gone through it, I
mean...
Ace: Yes, that is true...
Clover: Are you guys okay with that? Not investigating it, I mean?
Santa: So what?! We found door [9]! We don't need any of the other doors!
Clover: What's the point?
June: ...
Clover: What's the point in going to door [9]?
Lotus: ...
Clover: We can't all go through it, can we?
Junpei: ...
Clover: Then we should do what we have to do before we go any further.
Seven: ...
Clover: It's like a jigsaw puzzle...
Clover: The best way to finish it quickly is to do the border pieces first.
Clover: You know?
Ace: ...
Clover: Or what? You think all 7 of us should go to door [9]...
Clover: And then we argue over who stays behind and who gets to go?
Clover: Do we really wanna do that again?
Santa: ...
Clover: Who knows? If we check out door [2], maybe we'll find something...
Clover: Maybe we can find a way to get...all of us out...
June: ...
Clover: I dunno what might be in there. We might not find anything.
Clover: But don't you think it'd be better to at least have a look?
Clover: I mean...am I wrong? Does that sound wrong to you guys?
Lotus: ...
Seven: ...
Ace: ...
Santa: ...
June: ...
Junpei: Yeah... You do have a point...

The others nodded in agreement.

Junpei: The last time I checked the clock, it was 4:30.
Junpei: It's not like we've got a lot of time, but...
Junpei: If we're quick about it, we might have time to take a look.
June: You're right.
June: Let's go take a look at door [2].

...
...
They were back in front of the elevator. Nearby was the large hospital room.
The elevator could take them down to door [2].
After a few minutes of discussion, they decided that Clover, Santa, June, and
Seven would go.
4 + 3 + 6 + 7 = 20 -> 2 + 0 = 2

Clover: All right. Let's get going...
June: I'll see you later. 
Junpei: Okay. Be careful.

They climbed into the elevator and Junpei listened to it creak and rattle its
way to the bottom deck.
Only Junpei, Ace, and Lotus were left.
As the elevator rumbled out of sight, Ace spoke.

Ace: Lotus, would you be so kind as to go with me?
Lotus: Go with you? I didn't think people still talked that way outside of the
1950s...
Lotus: Well, I'm a mother. Would that be a problem for you?
Ace: U-Uh... That wasn't what I meant to...
Ace: I was hoping you would come with me...
Lotus: Ha ha ha... Seriously though, I was kidding.
Ace: ...
Lotus: So, where was it you wanted to take me?
Ace: There's something I wanted to show you...
Junpei: Hey man, what the hell? I'm not important enough?
Ace: Well, it's...not like that.
Ace: Once I've shown Lotus, I'll show you.
Junpei: Really...?
Ace: Of course.

Ace's smile was friendly.

Junpei: Fine. Do whatever you want.
Ace: Thank you.
Ace: Are you coming, Lotus?
Lotus: Fine.
Lotus: It doesn't look like they're going to be back any time soon.
Lotus: I might as well go see whatever it is you think is so important.
Ace: Thank you.
Ace: Well then... Shall we go?

Ace turned, and began to walk. Lotus followed.
They disappeared into the hallway on the left.
...
...
Junpei wasn't sure how long they'd been gone when the elevator suddenly opened.
A single person stood there...
Clover.
She looked at Junpei, then slowly, purposefully, stepped out of the elevator.
The door closed behind her.

Junpei: Where's everybody else...? What happened?

She didn't answer.
Instead, her eyes swept the room, and then settled on Junpei.

Clover: Where are Ace and Lotus...?

Junpei explained what had happened.
...

Clover: Oh... Then they went over there?

Her voice was small and timid.

Junpei: Yeah, I think so.

He repeated his earlier question.

Junpei: So where are June and Santa and Seven?
Junpei: Why aren't they with you?!
Clover: You really wanna know...?

There was something wrong with her smile.

Junpei: Y-Yeah...
Clover: Okay... Sure...
Clover: Here, lemme show you...

Clover pulled something out of her pocket and tossed it onto the floor at
Junpei's feet.
He looked down. On the floor in front of him...were 3 metal rings.
Bracelets.

Junpei: Oh my God... Oh holy shit...

Junpei collapsed.

Junpei: No... No way... This's gotta be some kinda joke...
Junpei: This...this can't be real...

Junpei's body felt like rubber.
His heart felt like a cold lump in his chest, and his hands shook
uncontrollably.
Sweat poured down his face.
The 3 bracelets sat there on the floor before him.
He could see the numbers on their faces...
-----[3]-----
-----[7]-----
And...
-----[6]-----

...
"Lastly, let us discuss [how to remove the bracelets]. There are only 2 ways to
do so."
"One: You escape from this ship."
"Two: Your heart rate reaches zero."
"In other words, once the bracelet is taken outside the confines of the ship,
or detects that its wearer's heartbeat has fallen to zero, it will shut down
automatically."

Junpei: But... Why...

Junpei's voice was flat and broken.
Clover's response was cold.

Clover: [Revenge] for my brother.
Clover: He was forced into door [3] and murdered.
Clover: You need at least 3 people to open a door.
Clover: Who were the 2 that opened that door with him...?
Clover: It could only have been Santa and Seven.
Clover: That's why I killed them.

2 + 3 + 7 = 12 -> 1 + 2 = 3

Junpei: But...why...
Junpei: Why did you kill June?
Clover: Because she tried to protect them.
Clover: She was in my way. She had to die too.
Junpei: No... No...

Junpei shook his head, trying desperately to wake himself from what had to be a
dream.
It couldn't be real... It just couldn't...

Clover: Hey, Junpei...

He felt Clover's hand on his shoulder.
Her smile was wrong--horribly wrong.
Her face looked like a mask made from stretched human skin.
The smile that parted her lips did not extend to her eyes. They were dead and
empty.
The girl in front of him was no longer the Clover he had known. Perhaps she was
not even human...

Clover: Let's go.

Her hand reached out toward him...

Clover: Let's get out of here. Let's leave this ship.
Junpei: Wha... What the hell are you talking about...?
Junpei: To...to open a...numbered door...
Clover: Yes, I know. You need at least 3 people.
Clover: But as long as we have this...

Once again, Clover reached into her pocket, and pulled something out.
It was another bracelet.
Junpei could see the number on the face.
-----[0]-----
[0]...
(Flashback) "You've got something in your pocket. What is it?"
(Flashback) "Oh, this...? Uh...um... This is..."
...
...

Clover: See? You get it now? If we have the (0) bracelet, we can leave.
Clover: You and I can open door [9] with just the 2 of us.

4 + 5 + 0 = 9

Clover: See...? So let's go!
Junpei: ...
Clover: C'moooon! Hurry up!

She shoved out her hand again.
Junpei looked up at Clover. She had the face of a demon...
But there was...something else. There was a holy light that surrounded her.
She was both a fierce god, and a benevolent goddess, filled with love...

Clover: Junpei...?

Her voice was soft.
Her eyes weren't empty anymore... They were deep--so deep, Junpei could feel
himself falling into them.
He felt dizzy.
There was something oddly bewitching about her. His mind was beginning to
crack, and his heart began to melt.

Clover: Junpei...?

The hand she was offering him... It looked so soft...so inviting...
Junpei reached out with his own trembling hand, and closed it over hers...

Junpei: 
H
r
k
.
.
.
g
u
h
-
g
a
a
a
aaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Junpei writhed in agony.
He shuddered and twitched, his body spasming as he went into shock.
He screamed until his throat was torn and bloody, then screamed more.
His cries echoed across the room.
Eventually, his movements slowed, then faded...
There was no more strength left in Junpei.
He could feel his body begin to go numb.
He no longer felt pain.
He no longer felt anything. Whatever Junpei had been was gone.
The last remnants of his mind began to fade...
...
...
Even as his vision faded to nothingness, he saw Clover.

Clover: Thanks, Junpei.
Clover: I'm just gonna borrow this, 'kay?

Her smile was cold.
What was left of Junpei's conscious mind drifted away.
All that was left was a twisted, broken corpse.

---

BAD END

[If this is first ending reached, continue below; else return to beginning]

You have reached one ending.
This game has multiple endings.
In order to experience all the endings, you need to save now.
Once you've saved, you can restart the game, with information you've acquired
in this playthrough saved.
Once you begin the game again, you can skip through text you've already seen.
Simply press "right" on the +Control Pad to fast-forward through lines you've
already read.
Once you reach lines you haven't seen, or new choices, it will automatically
stop.

Memory of Escape has been added on the title screen.
Memory of Escape enables you to play the stages you have completed.
It is recommended to save after this in order to unlock Memory of Escape.

(END GAME, RETURN TO BEGINNING "a01b")

===========================================
===========================================
{aed0} File #NA
:B Deck central staircase, on the way to Door [9]:
-Coffin Ending-
===========================================

He pulled open the door, and walked in.
Junpei took a deep breath and followed.
It appeared they'd been telling the truth.
The first thing Junpei saw as he entered the room was the number.
-----[9]-----
Like all the others, it was a rough thing, made of red paint.
The door it decorated sat on the back wall of a rectangular room.
Junpei ran up to it.
It was a large double door, with powerful styling.
Something about it was almost majestic, and it made the red paint look
especially garish.
Junpei grabbed the handle and shook. It didn't budge, but then, he hadn't
really expected it to.
The RED was bolted to the wall next to the door.
Its display read "VACANT".
Finally, they'd arrived.
Junpei felt a flood of emotion wash over him.
He felt a chill down his back, and his chest tightened even as his blood began
to boil.
He was about to speak, when--

Santa: Junpei. Look behind you...

He turned around.
Junpei could scarcely believe what he saw.
A door...and a [9].
There was...
...Another one...

Junpei: H-Hey... What the hell... What the hell is going on here...?

His words came slowly, and his brain struggled to understand what he'd seen.
On shaky legs, he made his way to the second [9].
It was a small door, set parallel to the door they'd come through, but in the
other corner of the room.
-----[9]-----
There was no mistaking the number, and if any more proof was needed, a RED was
bolted to the wall near the door.
He grabbed the handle and shook the door, not because he expected it to open,
but because he had to make sure it was real.

Junpei: Why the hell...are there 2 doors?

It was Ace who spoke first.

Ace: Do you think perhaps one is the "right" door, and the other is the "wrong"
one?

Lotus was skeptical.

Lotus: I...don't know about that. That seems unlikely.
Ace: What makes you say so?
Lotus: Well, think about all the rooms we've been through so far.
Lotus: They're full of puzzles, but there are always hints about how to solve
them.
Lotus: I'm pretty sure there aren't any rooms where we just had to go with our
best guess, and leave it to instinct to solve the puzzle.
Lotus: Do you really think that at the very end of the game, Zero's going to
suddenly throw in something that depends entirely on luck?
Ace: Then you're saying there's some sort of hint in this room?
June: No... I don't think there's a hint anywhere in here.
June: I searched it very well when I was in here before.
June: I didn't find anything that might have been a hint, though.
Ace: Hmm... Well, then, that means...
Santa: Yeah. Both of these are the "right" door.
Santa: I mean, if you think about it...
Santa: Zero never actually said there was only one door with a [9] on it.
Junpei: The exit is hidden, but it is there.
Junpei: Seek the exit... Seek the door that carries a [9]. 

Junpei began to mutter to himself.

Junpei: So if there are 2 number [9] doors...
Junpei: If we split it up right...
Clover: That's not gonna work.

Junpei blinked, and looked up at Clover.
She held out her hand.

Clover: You've got a notebook and a pen, right? Can I borrow them?

Slightly confused, he pulled them out and handed them to her.

Clover: Look at this.

Clover opened the notebook to a blank page, and set it down on the desk.
Everyone else gathered around her and watched as she wrote down a series of
numbers.

Clover: You get it?
Clover: The numbers on the top are all the combinations with digital roots of
(9). The numbers on the bottom are the people who don't fit.
Clover: There's only 8 possibilities, if we split up into 2 groups of 3 or 4
people.
Clover: So...
Junpei: If 3 people go through the door, then 4 are left behind.
Junpei: If 4 go through...then 3 are left behind. Right?

Clover nodded, almost as if she were pleased with herself for solving a
difficult math problem.
The room went very quiet.
Silence lay across everyone like a thick, heavy blanket.
No one spoke.
Their faces were blank.
Desperate for something else to look at, Junpei turned his eyes to the room
around him.
As he did, he began to wonder... What was it?
The walls were covered with candles.
The wavering flame made the shadows of Junpei and his companions look as though
they were dancing.
2 rows of wooden pews filled most of the room.
Between them was a strip of rich, red carpet.
The carpet ran straight through the room, ending at the door that pointed to
the stern of the boat.
At the other end of the carpet...
An...altar? It was a recessed space set into the wall between the 2 other
doors.
Sitting on a raised section of the altar was...a coffin.
A coffin... A coffin... A coffin... No. It couldn't possibly be...
But if it wasn't... Then whose body occupied it?
...
That was as far as Junpei wanted to pursue that line of thought.
He decided not to think about the coffin, for the time being.
At that moment, Seven spoke.
There was an edge of humor to his voice, but it was forced.

Seven: Okay. I give up. I give up.
Seven: I figured if we sat around here long enough, someone would volunteer,
but...
Seven: I guess nobody's got the guts to do it.

Junpei didn't understand, and he wasn't the only one.

Seven: What? You guys didn't figure it out yet?
Junpei: ?
Seven: Ugh. Fine, fine. Lemme enlighten you.
Seven: Clover was mostly right with her little explanation earlier, but she
missed something.
Seven: She wasn't really wrong, she just...
Seven: Argh! Screw it! Lemme just write it out.

Seven snatched up the notebook and began to write in it.
Everyone else clustered around him, desperate for a look.

Seven: If you're trying to leave with a group of 3 and a group of 4, and get
everybody out, Clover's right.
Seven: But there's another way... Only one combination, though.
Seven: If you split us up into groups of 3, 3, and 1... You can make this
combination.
Junpei: Wait... This means...
Seven: Don't get me wrong, here. I'm not tryin' to copy Ace or anything like
that.
Seven: Even if he hadn't been the hero back in the big hospital room, I'd still
be saying the same thing.
June: The same thing...? Are you saying...
Seven: Yeah, I am.
Seven: I'll stay behind.
Lotus: !
June: !
Clover: !
Ace: !
Junpei: !
Lotus: Wh-Why are you acting so heroic all of a sudden?!
Lotus: Are you some kind of idiot!?

Lotus was the first to speak.
That in itself was a little strange. She'd reacted much differently when Ace
had volunteered.

Lotus: I'm completely against this! I'll be goddamned if I'm going to have to
owe you for getting out of here!

The rest of them began to speak, all at once.

June: I'm against it too! I didn't want to leave Ace behind, and I don't want
to leave you either!
Clover: I don't like that idea. There's gotta be other options.
Ace: I disagree as well. I can't say I care much for you being the hero...

Finally, they quieted down. Junpei looked at Seven.

Junpei: Well, there you go Seven. Proposal denied.
Junpei: Clover's right. There's gotta be a better way than this.

Seven made some noise that was somewhere between a derisive snort and a cough.

Seven: Hmph... Doesn't make any sense...

He was doing his best to pretend they were making a foolish decision, but
Junpei could see the twinkling of water at the corners of Seven's eyes.
That was when Santa spoke.

Santa: Whoa, hold on a minute. I haven't said anything yet.

Until then Junpei hadn't realized that Santa had stayed quiet for the whole
discussion of Seven's fate.
Something in his voice made Junpei uncomfortable.

Junpei: Are you...agreeing? You want to leave him here?

Santa shook his head.

Santa: Nah. I'm against it. I don't want to leave Seven here alone.
Junpei: Then I don't see how it matters--
Santa: I said "alone".
Junpei: ...Eh?
Santa: I said I don't want to leave Seven alone.

There was a dull shine in Santa's eyes.
They were cold, and hard. Junpei felt himself shiver.

Junpei: Wh-What the hell are you...
Santa: What, you don't get it?
Santa: I can't leave just 1 person. I need 2 more.
Santa: 3 people, including Seven. I'll be leaving behind 3 people.
Santa: That's my proposal. ...No...
Santa: Those are my orders.
Junpei: What do you mean, "orders"?
Junpei: What the hell makes you think you can order us around?! Who the hell's
gonna listen to you?!
Santa: You all will. In 3 seconds, you won't have a choice.
Junpei: Wh-What?!
Santa: 3...2...1...

Santa was so fast, Junpei could barely see him.
When he moved, it was almost like watching a dance.
His feet moving like lightning.
He spun, and--

June: Aaaah!

He had June.

Santa: See? I told you.

His lips curled into a cruel, mocking smile.
A shudder traveled the length of Junpei's spine. His chest froze, and he could
feel his breath go stale in his lungs.
Nothing made sense. Junpei felt as though his head were about to explode.
Santa's sudden change in attitude... Saying that he needed 2 more... The gun in
his right hand--a revolver...
Santa had grabbed June from behind, and pressed what Junpei's shaken brain
identified as a revolver roughly against her temple.
What was he doing with a gun?!
Where on Earth had Santa possibly found a gun!?
Junpei's questions roared in his mind, but his mouth refused to ask them.
Seven spoke, almost as though he had sensed Junpei's confusion.

Seven: The gun's from the other room...
Junpei: What room?
Seven: One of the rooms behind door [6].
Seven: I shoulda known he was gonna do this... I shoulda taken the gun...
Santa: Heh. Well, it's too late now, fatass.
Seven: Damnit...

A mixture of fury and frustration twisted Seven's face, and he glared at Santa.
Santa, for his part, didn't so much as flinch. The corner of his lip twitched
into a slightly wider smile.
Then the smile faded, and he began to move.
He walked backward, dragging June with him.
Before long, his back was resting against the door.
On the wall next to him was the RED.
He put his hand on the scanner panel, quickly, and then forced June to do the
same.

Santa: Now... Time for you to start following my orders.
Santa: Ace, Lotus, congratulations. I've chosen you to come with me.
Santa: Put your hands on the RED.

3 + 6 + 1 + 8 = 18
That was what Santa had meant when he said he needed 2 more...

Santa: Hey. You deaf? I gave you an order.

Santa's eyes narrowed to slits. He glared at Ace and Lotus.
They stayed, frozen, like deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

Santa: ...Right. Fine.
Santa: I didn't want to waste any bullets, but you guys just don't get it.

No sooner were the words out of Santa's mouth than his hand twitched--
And the gun roared.
A section of the floor exploded, scattering wooden splinters across the floor.
A thin plume of smoke snaked out of the hole in the floor.
There could be no doubt that the gun was real, and worked.

Clover: But...why...? Santa, why are you...

Clover's voice spoke of betrayal and disbelief.

Clover: Santa... I thought... I thought you were one of us... I thought we were
friends...
Santa: What!?
Clover: You knew about the leaf word, and the 4-leaf clover...

Santa's cheek twitched, almost imperceptibly.

Santa: What the hell is that shit? I've got no idea--
Clover: You're lying!
Santa: Shut up! Just shut up, you stupid bitch!
Santa: You want me to put a bullet in your fucking head?!

Flecks of spit flew from Santa's mouth, his face twisted with rage.
Clover recoiled, her eyes wide. When she spoke, her voice was very small.

Clover: Santa...

He snorted, then shook his head vigorously and turned to face Ace and Lotus.

Santa: All right, assholes. What're you still standing there for?
Santa: Get over here and scan those bracelets. I don't have all day.
Santa: Oh, what's the matter? Your hearing starting to go? Goin' senile, maybe?

Ace and Lotus still didn't move. It almost seemed as if they couldn't move.
June's face was pale behind Santa's arm.
Her eyes were wild and her chest heaved with every quick breath, like an animal
cornered by a predator.
Junpei's mind worked furiously. What were they going to do?
Then he realized something...
There was nothing they needed to do. There was nothing to debate.
June's safety was the first priority. That much was obvious.
Doing as Santa had commanded meant that she would be safe from at least 2
threats...
She wouldn't be shot, and she would leave the ship alive, along with Santa,
Ace, and Lotus.
There was only one thing for Junpei to do.
He turned to Ace and Lotus.

Junpei: Please. Go.
Ace: Huh?
Lotus: But...
June: Jumpy! What are you saying!?
June: If you stay here, you're gonna be stuck, Jumpy!
June: And so will Clover and Seven!
Junpei: I know.
Junpei: But you don't need to worry about us. We'll figure something out.
Junpei: Right, Seven?
Seven: R-Right! You just leave it to us!
Seven: It's gonna piss me off to do what Santa says, but...
Clover: Don't worry about me either...
Clover: There's still something I have to take care of.
June: But... No! You can't!
June: Ace! Lotus! Don't do it!
June: Don't worry about me! Please!

June was almost crying.
Junpei walked around behind Ace and Lotus.
Without a word, he laid a hand on each of their backs, and gently pushed them
forward.
They almost stumbled, then righted themselves and took another step. And
another...
They turned around, and Junpei nodded.
Ace and Lotus turned around again, and walked slowly toward the door where
Santa was waiting for them.
After what seemed like an eternity, they stopped, in front of the door marked
[9].
Santa smiled.

Santa: All right, now let's get those hands on the scanner panel.
Ace: ...
Lotus: ...
Santa: What's the hold-up?
Santa: What, you think I'm fucking around here? I don't give a shit about this
girl.
Santa: The RED doesn't need a person, you know.
Santa: All I need is the bracelet.
Santa: You get it? Good. Now put your fucking hands on the scanner. I'm not
gonna say it again.

He shoved the revolver harder against June's head, and she winced.

Ace: Fine...

Ace sighed, defeated, and placed his hand on the scanner panel.
Lotus went next.
Lotus glared at Santa and slammed her hand onto the scanner panel.
The 4th asterisk blinked on.

Santa: Good job.
Santa: Now Lotus, pull that lever.
Santa: Soon as the door opens, you get your ass in there.
Santa: Try anything stupid, and you know what happens, right?

Junpei could almost hear Lotus's teeth grind.
The door slid open. Door number [9], opened at last.
It opened with a low, powerful rumble--a drumroll to welcome the chosen few.

Santa: All right! Go!

Lotus and Ace walked through the door, their eyes furious but defeated.
Santa waited until they were all the way inside, then hauled himself and June
across the threshold as well.
6... 7... 8... 

Santa: Later.

After exactly 9 seconds, the door swung shut.
The gust of air it created caused the candles on the altar to flicker and die.
...
...
The room fell silent.
Junpei, Clover, and Seven had been left behind.
Clover looked down at her hand, and traced with her finger the faint blue veins
that crisscrossed them.
Seven shoved his arms into the front of his overalls, and scratched his
stomach.
No one spoke. Silence made the air feel thick and oppressive.
Desperate for something, anything, to occupy his mind, Junpei walked to the
larger of the 2 [9] doors.
He stood in front of it, and looked at the RED.
It read "ENGAGED".
He moved to the smaller door...
The RED read "VACANT".
The digital root of the remaining people was (7).
5 + 4 + 7 = 16 -> 1 + 6 = 7
There was no possible way for them to open a door with [9] on it.
Junpei touched the surface of the door.
He thought about June... About Akane Kurashiki.
Was she safe?
That was all that mattered to him. If she was alive, if she had escaped this
horrible boat...
That was what Junpei prayed for.
Seven came up next to him.
He pulled off his hat, scratched his head, and sighed.

Seven: So... What do you wanna do, Junpei?
Junpei: What do you mean, "What do I want to do"? What can we do?

Seven opened his mouth to respond, when--
A noise echoed through the room.
Someone was pounding on something, vigorously. It wasn't mechanical...it was
certainly human.
Junpei and Seven looked at one another.

Seven: Wh-What the hell is that?
Clover: Shh! Quiet!

Clover motioned to Seven to be quiet.
She put one finger to her lips, and closed her eyes in concentration.
The 3 of them listened, trying to determine where the sound was coming from...
Where... Where was it coming from...
Could it be...

Seven: H-Hey! I think it's coming from this coffin!
Clover: You're right!
Junpei: Let's open it!
Seven: But how!?
Clover: What are those muscles for!? For show!?
Seven: You're telling me to force it open!?
Junpei: Just shut up and try!

Junpei and Seven grabbed hold of the coffin.
They tried to get a good grip with what little purchase they could find, and
pulled with all their strength.

Junpei: ARRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNGHHHHHHH!
Seven: GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
Junpei: Damnit!
Seven: Man, it won't even budge!

There was some sort of keypad attached to the coffin. Its purpose would not
have been difficult to determine.
Their eyes were almost immediately drawn to it.

Seven: Not another one...
Junpei: Yeah... Looks like it...
Clover: Do you think we have to put in the right password or it won't open?
Junpei: I think so.

The noise wasn't stopping.
In fact, it was getting louder.
They had no idea who was in the coffin, but they wanted out, and they wanted
out now.
They had no idea what they were supposed to do.
Without a passcode, it didn't seem like there was a lot they could do.
They couldn't even tell how many numbers the passcode needed to be.

Clover: Isn't there a hint somewhere?!
Seven: Well, let's look for one!

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anything near the coffin.
Clover ran to examine the pews, and Seven investigated the desk, but they
turned up nothing.
The sound still wouldn't stop.
It wasn't a noise that belonged in that room.
What was the passcode...
What was Junpei supposed to do? How was he supposed to figure it out?
He needed...something.

---

To Be Continued

[[-Preview B is unlocked-]]

[If this is first ending reached, continue below; else return to beginning]

You have reached one ending.
This game has multiple endings.
In order to experience all the endings, you need to save now.
Once you've saved, you can restart the game, with information you've acquired
in this playthrough saved.
Once you begin the game again, you can skip through text you've already seen.
Simply press "right" on the +Control Pad to fast-forward through lines you've
already read.
Once you reach lines you haven't seen, or new choices, it will automatically
stop.

Memory of Escape has been added on the title screen.
Memory of Escape enables you to play the stages you have completed.
It is recommended to save after this in order to unlock Memory of Escape.

(END GAME, RETURN TO BEGINNING "a01b")

===========================================
===========================================
{bed3} File #51
:Big hospital room:
-Safe Ending, Part 1-
===========================================

Junpei and June ran to the large hospital room together.
As quickly as they could, they searched around and under the beds and in the
corners.

Junpei: She's not here...
June: No, she isn't.
Junpei: All right. Just in case, we should go take a look in the shower room.
June: The shower room?
Junpei: That's where her brother is. She might have gone to...see him.

June bit her lip. She knew, as Junpei did, that there was only one thing to see
in the shower room, and it wasn't pleasant.

Junpei: Well, we might as well check, right? Let's go.

There was a screwdriver stuck between the door and the frame.
Junpei and June slipped through the door, moved down the hallway, and stepped
into the shower room.

Junpei: No luck...
June: Yeah... I don't think she's here...

June's voice was faint, and she placed her hands over her mouth. Her face
looked a little green.
The stench in the room was almost unbearable. It had grown far more unpleasant
since their last visit. If Junpei had eaten a lunch, he would have had
difficulty retaining it.
He wanted to leave the room as soon as possible, but...
He had to be sure. And the only way to be sure was to check the other side of
the divider.

Junpei: Wait here.

June offered no resistance, and nodded weakly to Junpei as he headed around the
divider.
He stopped at the corner and turned his head.
As he'd expected, Clover was nowhere to be seen.
The only thing on the other side of the divider was a dead body, lying in a
reddish-brown puddle of dry and drying blood.
There are many ways a man can die, but this... 
The skull was shattered, and the head little more than a pulpy mass of brain,
bone, and viscera. The left arm was hideously twisted into a horrific, alien
shape, the bright white of the ulna shining through the remains of skin and
muscle.

Junpei: ...Huh? Wait...

...Bright white...
...Ulna...
--[Bones]--
The pieces fell into place.
Junpei remembered something Clover had told him in the laboratory.

Clover: My brother's left arm is...um, it's not like a normal person's arm...
Clover: The accident hurt him really bad... To save him, they... They had to
cut off his arm...

Of course... Of course!
Why hadn't he realized it earlier?!
Clover had told Junpei that Snake's left arm was prosthetic.
But the left arm of the corpse behind the divider was quite clearly a real
human arm--or at least it had been, once.
That meant...
The corpse...
...
...
Junpei and June headed back toward the large hospital room.
They stepped through the door, and out of the shower room.
Down the hallway they went, searching for Clover in every corner.
They had reached the stairs when--
Seven appeared, breathless and yelling.

Seven: Junpei, June! Where were you guys?!

He looked pale, and his face was drawn.
Something terrible had happened.
Junpei's breath caught in his throat.

Junpei: Did... Did something happen?

Seven drew a shaking hand across his face, and gulped down a breath of air.

Seven: Clover is... Clover is dead.
Seven: I found her...in the 1st class bathroom...

...
...

Junpei: *Pant* *Pant* *Pant*...
Junpei: *Pant*... *Pant*... *Pant*...

All sound ceased for Junpei. The world was an empty, muffled expanse.
Then he began to hear his own breathing.

June: ...

June's mouth moved, but he heard nothing.
She tried once more, and then her energy was gone, and she collapsed against
the wall.
He could have helped her, but he hadn't, and now she was dead.
So he stood there, frozen in place.
Clover... Clover...
Why... Why had this happened?
He forced his body to move.
Each step felt like another nail pounded into his heart.
Finally, he was in front of her.
He knelt, and placed 3 fingers against Clover's neck.
No pulse. No breath.
But she was still warm, and her eyes were closed peacefully. It would have been
easy to think she was asleep.
Easy, that is, were it not for the slowly-expanding puddle of blood beneath
her.
He traced its source to her back.
A gash just beneath her shoulder blade.
Was the weapon a knife, perhaps?
If it was a knife, the killer had taken it when they left...
When he closed his eyes, he saw Clover's smile.
Her innocent smile... Her energy...
He would never see her smile again.
He could have done something... He could have helped her... His stomach twisted
itself into a sickening knot.
Junpei lifted a limp June from the floor, and carried her from the bathroom.

Junpei: Are you all right...?

It was a foolish question, and he knew it.

June: Yes... I...I think so...

Her voice was weak.
The fever had gone down, but the emotional scars she'd received were not likely
to recede as quickly.
Junpei laid his hand on her shoulder, and they walked back to the bedroom.

Junpei: You should get some rest.

He lowered June, until she was sitting against the bed.
She nodded, once, and stared at the floor.
There were 4 others in the room.
Ace, Lotus...
...Santa, and Seven.
They all stared at nothing, their faces drawn and tired.
After a while, they drifted into the bathroom to see Clover's corpse
themselves.
Once everyone was back in the bedroom, Junpei walked slowly to the center of
it, and looked around as the slumped figures gathered there.

Junpei: Who was the first to find the body?
Seven: Me...

Seven spoke from behind Junpei. He turned around.
Seven's hand was up.

Junpei: Why'd you come to this room?
Seven: To look for Clover. Why else?
Seven: I found her body in the bathroom...
Seven: Soon as I did, I ran outside.
Seven: I got to the top of the stairs--by the casino--and yelled as loud as I
could.

"Hey! Guys! I found her, but it's bad! She's in the bathroom, in the 1st class
cabin! Come quick!" ...Or something like that.

Seven: Then I went back to the bathroom.
Seven: Ace, Santa, and Lotus showed up real soon after that.
Seven: But I guess you 2 hadn't heard me, or something, 'cause you didn't show.
Seven: So I took off down the stairs to look for you.
Seven: After that... I mean, you know the rest, right?

Junpei nodded and closed his eyes. There was one more thing he needed to ask.

Junpei: Seven, there's one more thing I'm worried about...
Seven: What's that?
Junpei: When we finished all the puzzles in this room, and got the door open...
Junpei: You stuck one of those [plates] in between the door and the frame,
right?
Junpei: Why'd you do that?
Seven: C'mon, didn't I already tell you that? I did it so that the door
wouldn't lock.
Seven: So we could come back to this room--
Seven: Oh. ...You think I did it?
Junpei: Well, I don't know.
Junpei: That kinda depends on what you say, doesn't it?

Seven sighed, and shook his head.

Seven: Follow me.

There were 2 doors standing next to one another. He opened the one on the
right.
Behind the door was a closet.
Seven stepped inside.
He stood in front of one of the shelves that filled it, and gestured toward a
small box.
The box was a small, metal cube.
He looked at Junpei.

Seven: This is the reason. This [safe].
Seven: We couldn't open it when we were getting through this room.
Seven: I figured there might be something pretty important in it.
Seven: I couldn't stop thinkin' about it.
Seven: Besides...
Seven: I figured eventually we might figure out what the [numbers] are for the
safe.
Seven: And if we did, I didn't wanna screw around with door [5] again.
Seven: So I put that plate in the exit door so we could get back in that way.
You get it now?

Junpei nodded, and looked at the safe.
He grabbed the handle and shook it.
Nothing happened.
It was as locked as it had been when Seven found it.
There was one change, however. 
Just underneath the safe was a pile of fine reddish-brown powder.
Rust. Junpei stared at it for a moment.
Had someone opened the safe, dislodging the rust?
...
Junpei left the closet.
Seven followed him back to the bedroom.
It was cold and quiet.
No one spoke.
They sat, frozen in place by shock and grief and fatigue.
The room felt tiny and oppressive, and the thick metallic smell of blood filled
the room.
Junpei turned, and headed for the living room. Anything to get out of there.
Was there some other clue, perhaps?
Anything that might lead him to whoever had stabbed Clover.
He took his time, and examined the room carefully.
His eyes caught on the door.
The door that lead to the passageway of door number [5].
Behind that door was the dead body of the [9th Man].

Junpei: Maybe I should have another look at it, just in case...

Quietly, he pushed open the door.
The smell hit him like a blow to the face.
His lungs contracted, unwilling to inhale such fetid air.
Acid boiled up from the base of his stomach, churning what little food was
there into a violent froth.
It was too much for him, and he vomited. A thin stream of yellow water and bile
spattered onto the floor.
He wiped his mouth weakly, and stared at the dead body.
Chunks of torn flesh lay in an arc around the body. What remained of its
intestines had slid out onto the floor.
The pool of blood that framed it was half dry, but so thick that it had taken
on a texture not unlike that of an egg yolk prepared sunny-side up.
On the floor, next to the broken mass of the man's head, lay his glasses,
cracks spidering across the lenses.
The bloodstains near them had already dried, like scabs on the floor.
That was when he noticed. 

Junpei: It's gone...
Junpei: His bracelet... It's gone.

It had been there when Junpei had gone through door [5] before.
He was sure of it. Right next to the glasses.
But now...
It was gone. The number (9) bracelet was gone.
But...why?
Had someone taken it?
He was turning it over and over in his mind when he heard Seven's voice.

Seven: Huh? Where'd Junpei go?

It had drifted out to him from the living room.
Junpei walked, slowly, out of the hallway.

Seven: Oh, there you are. Were you looking for something in the hallway?

Seven looked up as Junpei entered the room.

Seven: Did you find something?

He thought for a moment before he responded.

Junpei: No. Nothing.

Technically, it wasn't a lie.
He hadn't found anything. In a way, in fact, that was the problem. Something
he'd expected to find hadn't been there... The 9th Man's bracelet.

Junpei: What's up?
Seven: Uh, well, I wanted you to take a look at something.
Junpei: What is it?

...
...
Seven lead Junpei back to the bathroom.
As Clover's corpse came into view, he felt his heart flip, and then fall to the
bottom of his stomach.
Something between a sigh and a groan escaped his lips.

Junpei: What was it you wanted to show me?

His voice was hollow and empty.

Seven: I searched Clover's body again.
Seven: I found...this.

As he spoke, he moved around Clover's head...
Then knelt down, and flipped open her right hand.

Junpei: What...?

She was holding a piece of paper.

Seven: I haven't actually looked at it yet. Didn't want to disturb the crime
scene, you know? Basic stuff.
Seven: ...Well, I did borrow one thing.
Junpei: ...?

He wasn't sure what that meant, but it likely didn't matter.
The paper was more important.
He picked it up, and carefully opened it.
There were 2 sentences written on it.
[Truth had gone, truth had gone, and truth had gone.]
[Ah, now truth is asleep in the darkness of the sinister hand.]

Seven: What is this? Some kinda secret code?

Seven peered over Junpei's shoulder at the note.
Junpei stepped away from Clover's body...
...And into the living room. He began to pace, attempting to decode the note.
The first clue was likely the phrase "sinister hand".

* <<Sinister hand means...>>

<The right hand.> - "bed2.1"
<The left hand.> - "bed2.2"

{bed2.1}
<The right hand.>

...No, that wasn't right.
In heraldry, the term "sinister" was used to refer to the left side of a coat
of arms.
Or more accurately, it referred to things on the left side of a bearer of a
coat of arms.

(To "bed2.3", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{bed2.2}
<The left hand.>

Sinister was a term used in heraldry that meant "to the left of the bearer of a
coat of arms".

(Continue below, "bed2.3" )

{bed2.3}

The left hand. The left hand... What did the left hand mean?
Junpei looked at his own left arm. At the bracelet on his wrist.
Did "the darkness of the sinister hand" have something to do with the
bracelet...?
He examined the bracelet closely.
There were 2 protrusions on either side of the face. The left and right sides
of the face.
Left and right...
Left and right...
Right and left...
Truth is gone...
Truth... Gone...
It sounded funny... What did it mean?

* <<"Truth"... "Gone"... Maybe those 2 words...>>

(Continue below, "bed2.40" )

{bed2.40}

<How about reading it out loud?> - "bed2.41"
<How about switching them?> - "bed2.42"
<What else could they mean?> - "bed2.43"
<How about reading them backwards?> - "bed2.44"

{bed2.41}
<How about reading it out loud?>

How about reading it out loud?
Junpei said the words to himself, quietly.
...
Nothing.
They sounded exactly as he'd expected they would.

* <<Time for a different idea...>>

(To "bed2.40", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{bed2.42}
<How about switching them?>

How about switching them?
"Gone had truth"...
...
It made no more sense than the initial riddle. Less, even.
Clearly, switching the words wasn't going to help.

* <<Time for a different idea...>>

(To "bed2.40", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{bed2.44}
<How about reading them backwards?>

How about reading them backwards?
"Gone" and "truth".
"Enog"...and "hturt"...
 ...
They weren't even words. Junpei doubted they had anything to do with the
riddle.
It was a good try, though...

* <<"Truth" "Gone"... Those two words...>>

(To "bed2.40", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{bed2.43}
<What else could they mean?>

What else could "gone" and "truth" mean?
"Truth", of course, meant something that was "correct"; something that was
"fact". In other words... Something that was right.
It would follow, then, that "gone" meant "left". After all, after someone
"left", they were "gone".
In this case, however, they clearly referred to their directional homonyms.
So, that means...
Truth=Right
Gone=Left
That seemed to make sense.
Junpei looked at the bracelet again...
...At the 2 protrusions on the left and right of the face.
Junpei...

* <<...pressed them in the following order:>>

(Continued below, "bed2.50" )

{bed2.50}

<Right->Right->Right->Left->Left->Left> - "bed2.51"
<Left->Left->Left->Right->Right->Right> - "bed2.52"
<Right->Left->Right->Left->Right->Left> - "bed2.53"
<Left->Right->Left->Right->Left->Right> - "bed2.54"
<Right->Right->Left->Left->Right->Left> - "bed2.55"
<Left->Left->Right->Right->Left->Right> - "bed2.56"

{bed2.51}
<Right->Right->Right->Left->Left->Left>

Right->Right->Right->Left->Left->Left.
No... That was wrong. What had he been thinking?
[Truth had gone, truth had gone, and truth had gone.]
"Truth" had to mean "right"...

(To "bed2.50", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{bed2.52}
<Left->Left->Left->Right->Right->Right>

Left->Left->Left->Right->Right->Right.
No... That wasn't right...
[Truth had gone, truth had gone, and truth had gone.]
"Had gone" was a way of talking about someone "leaving", and the past tense of
"leave" was "left"...

(To "bed2.50", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{bed2.54}
<Left->Right->Left->Right->Left->Right>

Left->Right->Left->Right->Left->Right.
No... That was the wrong order.
[Truth had gone, truth had gone, and truth had gone.]
"Truth" came first.

(To "bed2.50", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{bed2.55}
<Right->Right->Left->Left->Right->Left>

Right->Right->Left->Left->Right->Left.
No... What was he thinking, Junpei wondered.
Right. He needed to go to the right.

(To "bed2.50", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{bed2.56}
<Left->Left->Right->Right->Left->Right>

Left->Left->Right->Right->Left->Right.
No... He was doing it all wrong...
Left. He needed to go to the left.

(To "bed2.50", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{bed2.53}
<Right->Left->Right->Left->Right->Left>

Right->Left->Right->Left->Right->Left.
And then...
One after another, 8 numbers flashed on, then off, of the face of Junpei's
bracelet.
He checked one more time, to be sure...
(1)(4)(3)(8)(3)(4)(2)(1)

Junpei: 14383421...
Seven: Huh...? Hey, what are those numbers?

Junpei didn't answer. He couldn't answer.
He had no idea what they were either.
Besides, he was sure he would forget the numbers, and the order they came in,
if he said anything.
14383421...
Muttering the numbers to himself, over and over, Junpei headed toward the
bedroom.
14383421...
14383421...
14383421...
14383421...
Before long, he found himself in front of the safe again.
Its lock was the only device he could think of that required a sequence of
numbers such as the ones he'd just discovered.
Besides, someone had opened the safe at least once already.
Had Clover come to the bedroom to open it?
14383421...
Junpei slowly dialed in the numbers the bracelet had given him.
1--to the right. 4-- to the left.
3--to the right. 8--to the left.
3--to the right. 4--to the left.
2--to the right. 1--to the left.
...Finished.
Junpei heard the small, tell-tale sound of a lock opening.
He grabbed the handle, took a deep breath, and pulled it up.
Inside was a piece of paper.
It was roughly the same size as the one Clover had been holding.
Junpei picked it up. This is what it said:

-----Fact #1-----
The Nonary Game was played once before, 9 years ago.
-----Fact #2-----
The person with the number (2) bracelet attended the game 9 years ago.
-----Fact #3-----
It was planned by the following 4 people:
- Cradle Pharmaceutical CEO--
[Gentarou Hongou]
- Cradle Pharmaceutical Chief of Staff--
[Nagisa Nijisaki]
- Cradle Pharmaceutical R&D Supervisor--
[Teruaki Kubota]
- Majority Shareholder in Cradle Pharmaceutical--
[Kagechika Musashidou]

I must punish them.
For the innocent lives they sacrificed.
This is the only warning they will receive.
That innocent souls might be saved, I now state the truth. --Zero 

...
...
Junpei left the closet.
There were 5 people waiting for him in the bedroom.
Ace... Lotus... 
Santa... Seven...
And June.
He looked at each one of them in turn, then slowly placed his hands in the
pockets of his vest.

Junpei: Sorry, but do you think you could all come with me?
Ace: Come with you...?
Junpei: I want all of you to go to the big hospital room.
Lotus: Why...?
Junpei: There's something I want to be sure of.
Santa: What...do you want to be sure of?
Junpei: I want to know if the person I suspect is really the culprit.
Seven: Wait... Then, you're saying--
Junpei: Yeah.
Junpei: I think I've got it figured out.
Junpei: I know who killed Snake and Clover.

The atmosphere in the room changed.
Grief was suddenly gone, replaced by a tension like a strap of leather
stretched to its limit.
5 sets of eyes stared at Junpei.
He pretended not to notice.
Anyway, if you could all please move to the big hospital room...
I'll explain everything as soon as we get there.
Then, almost as if on cue, the bell began to ring.
They all heard it. It was the bell from the clock in the main staircase.
The bell rang 5 times, then ceased.
It was 5 o'clock. They had only an hour left.

Junpei: We don't have a lot of time left. Let's go.

Slowly, one by one, they followed Junpei out of the bedroom.
...
...

(Contined below, "bed3.a" )

===========================================
===========================================
{bed3.a} File #51
:Big hospital room:
-Safe Ending, Part 2-
===========================================

Junpei: Actually... Before we get started, I was hoping you could do something
for me.

Junpei stopped in front of door [3] and turned around.

Junpei: Ace, Seven, and Lotus... Could you please place your palms on the RED?
Ace: ...Um?
Seven: ...Huh?
Lotus: ...Why?
Lotus: If we need to get to the shower room, why don't we just--
Junpei: No, we're not going inside.
Junpei: Once you've authenticated, step away from the door.
Seven: Why...?
Junpei: Please, just do it.
Junpei: ...Or perhaps you don't want to know who killed Snake and Clover?

Junpei's implication was clear, and Seven understood perfectly.

Seven: Ugh... Fine.
Junpei: What about you, Ace? Lotus?
Ace: Very well.
Lotus: Sure.

Quickly, they pressed their palms onto the RED.
Once they had finished, they stepped away from the door, as Junpei had
instructed.
3 asterisks shone from the RED's display panel.
Junpei approached it, and held his bracelet over the scanner.
He made quite sure he didn't place his palm on it, and instead only brought his
bracelet near it.
The fourth asterisk appeared.
Just as Junpei had expected. It was possible to authenticate without placing
one's palm on the RED, so long as the bracelet was brought near it.
Junpei pulled the lever down.
Door [3] opened, like a hungry mouth.
9 long seconds passed...
And the door shut, unfed.
Junpei walked slowly back to the others, who were waiting some distance from
the door, talking to one another.
Santa and June had joined them as well.
It looked as though they hadn't found a chance to break into the conversation
yet.
As Junpei approached, they turned to look at him, curiosity plain on their
faces.
Before long, the other 3 did as well.
Clearly, they were all expecting some answers.

Junpei: Thanks. I appreciate your cooperation.

Clearly, they'd hoped for something more forthcoming.
He continued.

Junpei: By the way, Ace... Would you mind if I asked you something?
Ace: What is it?
Junpei: Do you know...who I am?
Ace: Wh-What!? What kind of question--
Junpei: Just answer it, please. Who am I?
Ace: You're...Junpei. Of course. Who else would you be?
Junpei: Unfortunately, that's the wrong answer. Actually... I'm Santa.
Ace: Wh-What?!

Ace's voice was full of surprise, but it was also tinged with confusion, and
fear.
Everyone else looked nearly as surprised.
Santa looked especially shocked to discover he was actually someone else.
If he spoke, however, the trap would be exposed.
Junpei quickly continued.

Junpei: The clothes I'm wearing, I borrowed from Junpei.
Junpei: And the clothes he's wearing are mine. We had a little swap.
Ace: That's ridiculous! Impossible!
Junpei: So, you're saying I'm not Santa...?
Ace: Of course you aren't!
Junpei: Why? What makes you so sure I'm not Santa?
Ace: If you were Santa, then door [3] wouldn't have opened for us just now!
Ace: 1 + 7 + 8 + 3 = 19!
Ace: 1 plus 9 would be 10! The digital root would be (1)!
Ace: But the 4 of us just opened door [3]!
Ace: You can't possibly be Santa! Your bracelet number isn't (3)--
Junpei: It's (5). Right?
Ace: ...

Only then, when it was too late, did Ace realize his mistake.
He set his jaw and glared at Junpei.

Junpei: You're exactly right. My bracelet number is (5).

As he spoke, Junpei lifted his wrist up to show everyone the bright red (5) on
his wrist.

Junpei: Sorry, Ace... I tricked you.
Junpei: Of course, I'm not really Santa. I'm Junpei.
Junpei: Who could possibly think I was? It's obvious I'm not. To think I was...
ridiculous.
Junpei: But I guess you couldn't see just how obvious it was.
Ace: ...
Junpei: I asked you before, didn't I?

"What makes you so sure I'm not Santa?"

Junpei: And you answered...

"If you were Santa, then door [3] wouldn't have opened for us just now!"

Junpei: Most people wouldn't say something like that.
Junpei: As their justification for why I'm not Santa, I mean.
Junpei: The first thing that would come to anyone else's mind wouldn't be the
bracelet number.
Junpei: There'd only be one thing they'd say.
Junpei: One sentence... "You don't have his face."
Ace: ...
Junpei: Ace... You have prosopagnosia. Am I right?

Junpei's voice was quiet and calm. He knew the truth. So did Ace.
He could hear a sudden buzz of conversation from the others... "Prosopagnosia?"
"What's that?"
He heard Lotus begin to explain it to them.
Ace glanced at them, then turned back toward Junpei and sighed.

Ace: *Sigh* Very well. I confess.
Ace: I have prosopagnosia. I cannot differentiate human faces.
Ace: Is that what this was about?
Ace: You want to mock me for my disorder?
Junpei: No, no, not at all.
Junpei: I'm not making fun of you at all. In fact, I feel kinda bad for you.
Junpei: No, the reason I brought this up...
Junpei: Is that there's an excellent chance the person who killed Snake has
prosopagnosia.

Ace's face tightened. His eyes narrowed.

Ace: What do you mean?

Junpei leaned casually against the iron piping of one of the beds.

Junpei: I'll just come right out with it.
Junpei: I think it was you, Ace. You killed him.

Junpei was suddenly very aware of 5 pairs of eyes on him.
He had their undivided attention now.
The room had grown very, very quiet. Junpei took a deep breath.

Ace: That's ridiculous. What possible evidence do you--
Junpei: I have 3 pieces of evidence.
Junpei: The 1st. Think back to a few hours ago...
Junpei: You made us argue over the 3 doors here in the big hospital room.
Junpei: There was no way all 7 people could go through them.
Junpei: Lotus suggested that we sacrifice one of us.

Lotus looked away awkwardly.
Junpei glanced at her and continued.

Junpei: Then you, Ace, said... "I'll stay here."
Junpei: Why would you say something like that? It's pretty simple, really.
Junpei: You didn't want us to see the dead body in the shower room.
Ace: ...
Junpei: You see, if Ace stayed behind, there were only 2 doors the rest of us
could go through...
Junpei: Doors [7] and [8].
Junpei: There was no way we could get through door [3]--the shower room.
Junpei: You knew that, didn't you Ace?
Junpei: That's why you volunteered to stay behind.
Ace: Come on now, I think that's going a bit far...
Ace: I can understand if you're jealous of my bravery, but...
Ace: Please, don't devalue my actions.
Ace: I only wanted to save the rest of you. Surely you can understand my
altruism...
Junpei: Altruism, huh...

Junpei stared off into the darkness at something very interesting and lazily
began to dig a persistant bit of wax out of his ear.

Junpei: You already knew, didn't you?
Junpei: You knew that whichever doors we took, eventually we'd end up back in
the big hospital room...
Ace: What on Earth are you saying?! Of course I didn't know that! How could I
have?!
Junpei: Really...?
Ace: Yes! Yes!

Pleading was not something they'd heard from Ace before.
Junpei pulled the piece of wax from his ear, glanced at it, and flicked it off
into the darkness.

Junpei: Ah well. That's cool.
Junpei: I've still got 2 more pieces of evidence that say you're the killer.
Junpei: The 2nd is that, as I said earlier, you have prosopagnosia.
Ace: Then you mean to imply that a person who can't distinguish human faces
must be a bad person...?
Ace: Junpei, they call that prejudice.
Junpei: No. I'm not that stupid.
Ace: Then why?
Junpei: Well, before I explain, I suppose there's something I should tell you.
Junpei: The corpse in the shower room...
Junpei: It's not Snake's.
Ace: Wha--... What?!

Ace's face went pale.
The others looked confused as well. If the body wasn't Snake's...

Junpei: I didn't put it together right away, but there was something Clover
told me... She said that Snake's left arm was prosthetic. He'd lost his real
arm in an accident.
Junpei: But the body we saw in the shower room--let's call him "Guy X"...
Junpei: Guy X's left arm was definitely flesh and blood.
Junpei: In other words, Guy X couldn't possibly have been Snake.
Ace: Oh God... No... That's impossible...

Ace had started muttering deliriously to himself, shaking his head back and
forth.
Junpei was long past caring.

Junpei: Let's say, hypothetically, that the killer didn't have prosopagnosia.
Junpei: If that were the case, he would immediately realize that Guy X wasn't
Snake.
Junpei: Even if the clothes were the same as Snake's, their faces would be
completely different. It would have been obvious they were different people.
Junpei: And yet, they still killed him.
Junpei: Why?
Junpei: Why would they kill a stranger who'd only just shown up?
Ace: ...
Junpei: On the other hand, if the killer did have prosopagnosia, it makes
sense.
Junpei: They thought Guy X was Snake and killed him.
Ace: Wait. Wait just a moment.
Ace: Let's say you're right, and I mistook Guy X for Snake.
Ace: Even if I did, I would have had no motive to kill him!
Ace: Why would I want to kill Snake?
Junpei: I can think of at least 2 motives.
Junpei: One, Snake knew about your past.
Junpei: If he ever revealed what he knew, that would've been really bad for
you. You really didn't want that to happen.
Junpei: So, to make sure Snake's mouth stayed shut, you killed him.
Ace: ...
Junpei: Two.
Junpei: Snake had a grudge against you.
Junpei: You knew that, or at least you could have easily assumed he did.
Junpei: Even without exposing your identity, he was a threat to you.
Junpei: You never knew when you might be attacked.
Junpei: You couldn't ever let your guard down. Every moment was a moment he
might try something.
Junpei: You didn't want that kind of danger hanging over you, so you--
Santa: Hey, hold on a minute.

For the first time since the beginning of Junpei's explanation, someone besides
Ace spoke.

Santa: What's the past that Ace wouldn't want us to know?
Santa: Why did Snake have a grudge against him?
Junpei: Look at this.

He handed Santa a small piece of paper.
Santa squinted at the paper and began to read.

Santa: "The Nonary Game was played once before, 9 years ago."
Santa: "The person with the number (2) bracelet attended the game 9 years ago."
Santa: "It was planned by the following 4 people: Cradle Pharmaceutical CEO,
[Gentarou Hongou]..."
Santa: What...is this...?

Slowly, Santa looked up from the paper.
His eyes met Junpei's.

Junpei: It's the message from Zero. It was in the safe in the 1st class cabin.

Then, suddenly--

Ace: Give me a break!

Ace's face was red and shaking, and his voice was full of fury tinged with
desperation.

Ace: That paper is a lie!
Ace: Someone is trying to frame me!
Junpei: "Me"... You said "me", right?

Junpei's eyes narrowed, and the trap began to close.
Ace inhaled sharply. His eyes flicked off of Junpei to
something--anything--else.

Junpei: Wouldn't that mean that you're admitting you're [Hongou], the CEO of
Cradle Pharmaceutical?
Junpei: Or am I mistaken?

It was as though a switch had been flipped.
The color drained from Ace's face, and as he realized what he'd done, his eyes
went wide.

Ace: Very well. I admit that much.
Ace: I am certainly the CEO of Cradle Pharmaceutical, Gentarou Hongou.
Ace: So what if I am?
Ace: I don't know anything about this Nonary Game that supposedly took place 9
years ago.
Ace: Everything on that scrap of paper is bullshit.
Ace: Someone is trying to set me up, you see!
Ace: First of all-- First of all...

Ace stammered as he tried desperately to work himself to a more tenable
position.

Ace: Junpei, you're claiming I did all this by myself.
Ace: Think that over, all right?
Ace: How could I have killed Snake all by myself?
Junpei: Not Snake. It was Guy X.
Ace: I don't care who it was!
Ace: You said the killer put this other man into door [3], right!?
Junpei: Yeah, maybe.
Ace: Then I couldn't have possibly done that alone.
Ace: I couldn't have opened door [3] with only myself and Guy X.
Junpei: Nope. You could have.
Santa: !?
June: !?
Seven: !?
Lotus: !?
Ace: Wha...what?

Ace's face was tight, and his teeth were clenched.
Junpei fixed him with a level stare. The trap was about to close.

Junpei: Actually, Ace...
Junpei: When you were unconscious, I took something from you.
Junpei: Remember when you were injected with that anesthetic and fell asleep in
the big hospital room?
Junpei: Yeah, back then. I...took this--

Junpei put his hand into his pocket.

Ace: No! You couldn't have--

Ace's right hand moved.
Junpei smiled.

Junpei: I got you, Ace. Your right hand there tells me all I needed to know.
Junpei: You wanna tell me what you were so worried about? What's in your
pocket?
Ace: ...
Junpei: It's the number 9 bracelet, isn't it?
Ace: ...
Junpei: Ace, Guy X, and the 9th Man's bracelet.
Junpei: That was all you needed to open door [3].

1 + 2 + 9 = 12 -> 1 + 2 = 3

Junpei: That's how you killed Guy X all by yourself, Ace!
Junpei: All you needed was the number 9 bracelet in your chest pocket!

Ace lowered his hand from where it had stopped, half-way to his pocket.
He looked down at the floor, his face hidden from Junpei.
All he could see was the corner of Ace's mouth, twitching like a dying fish.

Junpei: If you wanna play innocent, that's fine by me.
Junpei: Go ahead, tell me "I don't have the bracelet", if that's what you want
to do.
Junpei: But if you could take off your coat and hand it to me, I'd really
appreciate it.
Junpei: Otherwise, we'll have to take it from you by force. Right, Seven?
Seven: Yeah. It'd be my pleasure.

Seven cracked his knuckles with a sound like gunfire.

Ace: Eh heh heh heh heh... Ha ha ha ha ha... HyahahahahaHAHAHAHAHA!

Ace roared with laughter.
He threw his arms wide and his head back and laughed, filling the room with a
sound that scarcely belonged there.
Then it stopped.
His arms came down, and his head dropped to look straight ahead, at Junpei.
His face was flat and cold, devoid of any emotion.

Ace: Well done, Junpei.
Ace: As you so correctly deduced...I have the number 9 bracelet.
Ace: I retrieved it while we were searching for the missing hardware for the
RED.
Ace: I left the room I was supposed to search, and headed to the 1st class
cabin on B Deck.

His voice showed no emotion, no sense of remorse or interest. It was
almost...bored, as though he were reciting an especially dull corporate letter.

Ace: My purpose was to obtain the number 9 bracelet.
Ace: (9) is a potent ally in the Nonary Game.
Ace: Adding (9) to any set of numbers won't alter the digital root.

1 + 9 = 10 -> 1 + 0 = 1
2 + 9 = 11 -> 1 + 1 = 2
3 + 9 = 12 -> 1 + 2 = 3
...

Ace: As you can see, (9) is a very useful number here.
Ace: With it, one can go anywhere, with anyone.
Ace: So I made for the 1st class cabin to obtain it.

Ace successfully acquired the number 9 bracelet.
He also found an unexpected bonus--the knife the 9th Man had been holding.
He slipped both of them into his chest pocket and left, as quickly as he'd
come.
He walked down the stairs and headed back to where he was supposed to be.
That was when he met Guy X, and mistook him for Snake.
"Snake" was on his way to the large hospital room, and had not noticed Ace
behind him.
Ace made sure it stayed that way.
He followed the man wearing Snake's clothes to door [3].
When the man stopped, he walked up behind him, quietly, and called out...
"Snake..."
The man turned to look at Ace.
He said nothing. No words came out of his half-open mouth.
He seemed dazed, somehow. Almost like a man half asleep.
Perhaps he had been drugged? It didn't matter to Ace.
Ace was certain the man was Snake.
He knew Snake had been a part of the Nonary Game 9 years before.
Snake hadn't recognized Ace immediately, but he was blind. That much made
sense.
Why, then, hadn't Snake said anything to him?
Surely he hadn't forgotten what had happened to him in the Nonary Game, but not
once had he attempted to confront Ace.
Perhaps, his lack of sight had prevented him from recognizing Ace.
Or perhaps Snake had conspired with Zero to deceive Ace...
In either event, he was a threat, and it was better to deal with him sooner
rather than later.
Ace's mind was made up. He moved.
He held the number 9 bracelet over the RED.
He waved his own bracelet in front of the RED, and finally grabbed "Snake's"
arm, and shoved his hand against the scanner panel...
The door opened.
Ace threw the man through it.
...
9 seconds later, the door shut.
81 seconds passed.
The man inside the door passed away.
...
...

Ace: After that, I returned to my post as though nothing had happened.
Ace: After conducting my own search, I returned to the large hospital room when
the 1 a.m. bell rang.

Ace's eyes were cold, and his cheeks were hollow and pallid.
When he spoke, only his lips and tongue moved. The rest of his face was eerily
still.
Junpei glared at Ace.
He took a deep breath, and thought about the next question he had to ask.
He didn't want to. He knew what the answer would be.
He just didn't want to hear it.
Junpei swallowed, then spoke.

Junpei: Ace... Did you kill Clover?
Ace: Yes.
Junpei: Why... Why did you kill her?
Ace: She was Snake's sister.
Ace: It was possible he had told her something dangerous.
Ace: Additionally, she had gone through door [1].
Ace: It seemed likely she might have found it.
Junpei: Found what?
Ace: Why don't you go through door [1] yourself?
Ace: Perhaps it's hidden somewhere.

Seven and Lotus interrupted.

Seven: Yeah, but Lotus and I went through door [1], too.
Lotus: We didn't see anything suspicious.
Ace: Yes, I thought as much after I heard your report at the central stairs.
Ace: I doubt the 2 of you could find it.
Seven: ...?
Lotus: ...?
Ace: But perhaps Clover was different.
Ace: Perhaps she had found it.
Ace: I was, therefore, desperate to find her.
Ace: And at last I did, in the 1st class cabin.
Ace: I spoke very calmly.
Ace: Did you...see it?
Clover: S-See what?
Ace: Don't act as if you don't understand. You were in the Captain's quarters,
weren't you?
Clover: H-Huh? What are you talking about...?
Ace: Hm. Very well.
Clover: ...
Ace: By the way... What are you doing here, Clover?
Clover: What...? Nothing...
Ace: There's blood on your shoes. It looks fresh.
Clover: ...
Ace: Did you go take a look at the 9th Man's corpse?
Clover: ...
Ace: I see... 
Ace: Your silence suggests that you noticed. You saw something, didn't you?
Ace: You saw that his bracelet was...gone.

Clover ran.
She made for the exit, but Ace stood in her way.

Ace: You aren't going anywhere!

He caught her by the collar as she passed, and threw her to the floor, hard.
She leapt back up and darted past him, into the hallway.
Ace followed at a run.
He was faster.
...
...

Ace: That was how I killed Clover.

His face hadn't changed.
If he felt guilt, or remorse, or anything one might feel after taking the life
of another human being, it didn't show.

Seven: You son of a bitch...

Seven's whole body trembled with rage, and his voice rumbled with hate.
Santa's eyes were blood-thirsty and Lotus and June's faces were distorted by
anger and hatred.
Ace looked at them and smiled. It was a cold, cruel thing, with no humor in it.
He shook his head and sighed.

Ace: I admit it... I've lost. I have lost, completely and utterly.
Ace: But don't misunderstand, Junpei. I didn't lose to you.
Ace: I lost to Zero. Not you.
Junpei: ...
Ace: I'm rather disgusted with myself for falling into such a simple trap.
Ace: And it was a trap, make no mistake.
Ace: I was trapped and manipulated by Zero.
Junpei: ...
Ace: The man I killed in the shower room... If he wasn't Snake, then I have no
idea who he was.
Ace: But he was wearing Snake's clothes, and that was no coincidence.
Ace: He had also been injected with something that reduced his cognition and
prevented him from identifying himself or resisting me.
Ace: And we can't forget the components that were removed from the RED before
we arrived.
Ace: I have no doubt that Zero planned all of this.
Ace: Zero made sure I would kill that man.
Junpei: ...
Ace: It follows, of course, that Zero knew everything I would do.
Ace: That I would try to take the number 9 bracelet...
Ace: That I would try to kill Snake... Everything...

Suddenly, Junpei remembered the paper he'd found in the safe.
He remembered the last words Zero had written on it...

I must punish them.
For the innocent lives they sacrificed.
This is the only warning they will receive.
That innocent souls might be saved, I now state the truth. --Zero 

And he remembered other words, words he'd heard from Clover...

Clover: I think Zero is...one of us...

One by one, Junpei looked at the 5 people standing in front of him.
Ace...
Santa...
June...
Seven...
Lotus...
"Zero is...one of us..."
No... Junpei paused.
There was one more person...
Snake. It was clear now that the man who'd died in the shower room was not
Snake.
That meant that Snake was almost certainly still alive.
Perhaps Snake was Zero.
Perhaps Snake had made Guy X wear his clothes so that he would appear to be
dead.
Where was Snake now...? 
Perhaps he was somewhere, laughing at them...
If he was Zero, surely he had lied about many other things...
Was he...watching them...?
...
...

(Continued below, "bed4" )

===========================================
===========================================
{bed4} File #52
:Big hospital room:
-Safe Ending, Part 3-
===========================================

Ace: Well... I believe I've finished with my confession. Why don't we get
moving?

He sounded as if he'd just finished doing nothing more exciting than describing
the weather.
For Santa, it was the last straw.

Santa: What the hell is this shit?!
Santa: You aren't going anywhere, you son-of-a-bitch! We're gonna leave your
ass here to rot!
Ace: Why? Because I killed Clover? That's ridiculous.
Ace: Why are you so upset that I killed the little bitch?
Ace: She was nothing to you. A stranger you only met a few hours ago. Am I
wrong?
Seven: You bastard!

Seven roared, and lifted a fist that would likely have shattered Ace's jaw--
But someone else was faster.
It was Lotus.
She stepped toward Ace, raised a fist of her own...
...And drove it straight into his nose.

Ace: Huh... You've got some fire, don't you?
Ace: I confess, I rather like a tough woman...

He sniffed, and wiped a small trickle of blood from his nose with a raised
eyebrow.

Lotus: Well, maybe you'd like another one then?
Ace: Ah, before that...
Ace: Let me give you one of my own.
Lotus: Huh?

Lotus scarcely had time to blink.
Ace snaked his arms around her and pulled Lotus's back up against him.
In the same motion, he reached into his coat pocket--
It was a gun. The revolver.
Almost lazily, he tilted it to point at Lotus's head.

Ace: If any of you so much as blink, I won't hesitate to pull this trigger.
Ace: I've already killed 2--no, 3--people. Don't think I'm not ready to make it
4.
June: 3 people...? What do you mean?
Ace: Hm... Very well. Let me take this opportunity to illuminate you.
Ace: The person who killed the 9th Man was me.
Ace: Although I suppose to be more accurate, I encouraged him to get himself
killed.
Junpei: ...
Ace: While we were examining the main staircase, he came to me and told me his
name.
Ace: I recognized it at once.
Ace: So I gave him a little...push. Just a little white lie...

"It seems the settings for the DEAD were altered. Now it only requires a single
person to deactivate the detonator in the bracelet. Investigate what's beyond
door [5]. We'll meet again later."

9th Man: O-O-Okay, have a good one, guys.
9th Man: I'm going off ahead now. Well then...
9th Man: Shit! Why isn't it stopping?! Goddamnit!
9th Man: Y-Y-You l-lied!
9th Man: O-O-O-Open the door! Please! I'm begging you!
9th Man: Help me! Please, get me out of here! Get me out of here!
9th Man: A-Ah... Oh my God, oh my God, there's no time left...!
9th Man: Listen! I was lied to! He lied to me! He put me in here!
9th Man: It was him! He killed me! It was him!
9th Man: Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaght--!

...
...

Ace: I had 4 reasons for killing him.

--1--

Ace: As I said before, in the Nonary Game the number (9) bracelet is of utmost
importance.
Ace: If I had allowed him to keep such a useful tool, he--or it--would have
become a threat to me.
Ace: As such, I decided that he should be eliminated early on.

--2--

Ace: I wanted the number 9 bracelet.
Ace: If I could manage to obtain it, I would be able to manipulate the game as
I saw fit.
Ace: I would be unable to acquire the bracelet unless its owner was dead.

--3--

Ace: Even setting aside his number, he would have been nothing but trouble for
me.
Ace: He was aware of my past. He knew what happened here 9 years ago.
Ace: It was important that I eliminate him before he was able to disseminate
this information.

--4--

Ace: Lastly, I wished to conduct a simple test.
Ace: A test to see if this Nonary Game was serious, or a poor attempt at a
joke.
Ace: I needed to be quite sure.
Ace: As such, I encouraged him to act against the rules so that I might observe
the outcome.

Junpei glared at him.

Junpei: I don't get your third motive.
Junpei: What the hell happened 9 years ago?!
Ace: Didn't I say? The Nonary Game was played.
Ace: I planned it out, and I conducted its execution.
Junpei: Why?! What on Earth was it supposed to do!?
Ace: I don't really think I have any obligation to tell you that.

Ace smirked.
He was trying to provoke them, and it was working.
Although Ace had paid very little attention to Lotus after catching her, the
gun had never wavered from her temple.
She looked quite pale, and when she spoke, her voice shook.

Lotus: H-Hey, what's with this gun...?
Lotus: Where did he...get this...?
Ace: Why don't you tell her, Santa?

Santa ground his teeth and glared at Ace.

Santa: On the other side of door [6]. We found the gun in the coffin in the
cargo room... Right?
Santa: The bastard must've grabbed it when we weren't looking.
Ace: Indeed I did. That was a pretty serious mistake, you know...
Ace: Just saying you intended to leave it behind...

Ace laughed--a short, derisive snort--and gave Junpei a sickingly pitying look.

Ace: Well, there isn't much time left. I'll be off then.
June: Wh-Where are you going?!
Ace: Do I really need to explain? I had assumed it would be obvious.
Ace: I have the number 9 bracelet. And now I have Lotus.

9 + 8 + 1 = 18 -> 1 + 8 = 9

Seven: Wasn't there a door with a [9] on it in the room that looked like a
church?
Seven: That's where you're goin', isn't it?
Ace: And how do you know that?
Seven: Santa told me about it while we were lookin' for Clover.
Ace: I see.
Ace: Well, you are correct, that is my destination, but now I must say good-bye
to all of you.
Ace: Ah, and please, don't forget my warning.
Ace: Move, and I'll pull the trigger. I don't need her alive to open the door,
you know.

As he spoke, Ace began backing toward the door, practically dragging Lotus
behind him.
Junpei, Santa, June, and Seven stood, frozen.
Ace had the face of a man gone mad.
They had no doubt he would pull the trigger.
Ace had reached the exit.
He forced Lotus to open it, then turned and addressed them once more.

Ace: Good-bye.

Then he stepped through the door.
It fell shut.
In the blink of an eye, they were gone.
As soon as Ace and Lotus were gone, Junpei and the others leapt for the door,
in pursuit of Ace.
But as Junpei laid his hand on the doorknob--
There was a noise behind him.
He looked over his shoulder--
June was kneeling on the floor, breathing heavily.

Santa: Hey! June, what happened?! Are you all right?!

Santa ran to June and wrapped his arm around her before she could collapse all
the way.

Santa: Jesus, you're burning up! Your fever's back... Are you okay?!

June's fever had returned, again for no apparent reason.
Her eyes were watery and her eyelids drooped. Her breath came in dry, shallow
gasps.

June: I'm okay... Really, I'm fine...
June: You should... Be worrying about...Lotus...

She was breathing hard now, and she could barely summon the strength to talk.
Junpei was torn. He couldn't leave June alone in the state she was in...
...But every moment they waited, Ace was farther away, Lotus's life in his
hands.
What was Junpei supposed to do?!
June's eyes drifted to Junpei's. She managed to muster a weak smile.

June: Jumpy. Don't...worry about me.
June: I just need...a little rest. I'll be fine.
June: Don't you...remember? I just needed to rest a...little bit...last time.
June: So...please... Please save...Lotus...
Seven: Think about what Ace's already done, Junpei. When he's got what he needs
from Lotus, you really think he's gonna let her just walk away?
Junpei: Goddamnit!
Santa: You guys go on ahead!
Santa: Soon as June starts feeling better, we'll follow you! Go!

Junpei looked at June.
She nodded, once. She couldn't manage much more...
...But it was all the confirmation Junpei needed. His resolve was set.

Junpei: All right! C'mon Seven, we're going after Ace!
Seven: Hell yeah!
Junpei: Santa, you take good care of June! I'm trusting you!

Santa nodded.
Junpei turned, before he had a chance to change his mind, and started running
toward the door.
He could hear Seven's heavy footsteps behind him.

Junpei: Let's go!

Junpei and Seven exploded into the hallway, their feet pounding the metal floor
as they ran.
...
...

Junpei: *Pant* *Pant* *Pant*
Seven: *Pant* *Pant* *Pant*

Junpei and Seven had finally arrived at the church, exhausted and out of
breath.
As their lungs struggled to catch their breath, their eyes frantically scanned
the room. No sign of Ace or Lotus.

Seven: You think they already went through?

He reached up to wipe a palm-full of sweat from his brow.

Junpei: Maybe.

Even as he spoke, Junpei was already on his way to the larger of the number [9]
doors.
He looked at the RED.
The display panel read "VACANT"...
He spun around and headed toward the smaller door--
This RED would tell him if Ace and Lotus had moved to another room--

Junpei: "ENGAGED". It's occupied.
Seven: That means Ace and Lotus went through here.
Junpei: Yeah, it seems like it.

Junpei and Seven stepped away from the door.
They retreated to the center of the room, and began to talk.

Seven: What do we do now...?
Junpei: Yeah...what should we do...
Junpei: Well, the big door is still vacant, but--
Seven: The 2 of us can't do anything with it.
Junpei: Yeah. First of all, our digital root is not (9)...

Just then, as they were pondering what to do next--
There was a noise.
A noise like someone hitting a thick, wooden panel.
Junpei looked up, surprised.
Seven followed suit, his eyes jumping around the room, looking for the source
of the sound.
It wasn't long before they found the altar.
Or, more precisely, what was on it.

Junpei: The coffin...
Seven: Yeah...
Junpei: Let's open it!
Seven: How?!
Junpei: By force!
Seven: I don't think that's gonna happen...
Junpei: Well, you never know 'til you try, right?
Junpei: "The only necessity for success is the willingness to suffer 1000
failures!"
Seven: Who said that?
Junpei: I forget...
Seven: ...
Junpei: Anyway, we've gotta try!

Junpei and Seven leapt at the coffin.
They grabbed hold of what purchase they could find, and pulled.

Junpei: Uuuuuuuuugh!
Seven: Hrrrrrgh!
Junpei: Damnit!
Seven: See? Didn't I tell ya?
Seven: If you could just pull it open, why would it have something like that?

Seven pointed at a [keypad] on the side of the coffin.

Junpei: Right... So unless I put in the right passcode, it's not gonna open.

The noise hadn't stopped.
In fact, as it continued, it had only gotten louder, and more forceful.
What were they supposed to do, Junpei wondered.
Was there some sort of clue somewhere?
They stood there for a few moments, staring at the coffin, and then Seven
spoke.

Seven: Hey, Junpei...
Seven: I remember you mumblin' about some weird numbers over by the bathroom in
the 1st class cabin...
Seven: You got those numbers by solving the secret message Clover was holding,
right.
Seven: "Truth had gone..." or something like that...
Junpei: Yeah, that's right... What about it?
Seven: Well, maybe that number's the passcode for this thing too.
Junpei: C'mon, that's impossible.
Junpei: Those numbers were the code to unlock that safe.
Seven: Yeah, but the person who set up that safe and this coffin is the same
person, right? Zero set up both of these.
Junpei: Yeah, probably.
Seven: Well, then they might've set the same passcode for both of them.
Junpei: That's ridiculous...
Seven: Why don't you just try it? I mean, it's not like you'll make things any
worse.
Junpei: It'd just be a waste of time. There's no way they're the same number.
Seven: How do you know that? You never know until you try.
Seven: "The only necessity for success is the willingness to suffer 1000
failures!"
Junpei: ...
Seven: ...
Junpei: Who said that?
Seven: You.
Junpei: Ugh... Fine.

He knelt down in front of the keypad and looked at it.
Perhaps because he'd repeated them so many times before, the numbers came
easily to Junpei's mind.
"14383421"...
Quickly, he typed them in.
(1)(4)(3)(8)(3)(4)(2)(1)
He checked that he'd entered the right numbers, took a deep breath, and pressed
the (E) button.
It only took a moment.

Junpei: Wha... You've gotta be kidding me...

There was a click...
And with a heavy clunk, the lid of the coffin slid off, onto the floor.
Someone sat up from inside--

Junpei: Snake...! 
Seven: You... Why...!?
Snake: Ah, those voices... Junpei and Seven, unless I'm mistaken?
Snake: Where are the others? Are they elsewhere?

Of course, there was no reason Snake would have known anything about where
anyone else would be.
Junpei and Seven looked at one another. There was a great deal he needed to
know, but...
...
...
They had to tell him something, however, so they began to talk.
Snake explained to them how he came to be locked in the coffin--apparently,
he'd been hit with some sort of knock-out gas--and Junpei and Seven explained
what had happened to the rest of them.
There was one thing, however, that neither Seven nor Junpei could bring
themselves to say...
...That Ace had killed Clover.
They feared that if Snake knew, he might well go insane.
They'd decided as much by a look the moment Snake had climbed out of the
coffin.
Snake's story explained frustratingly little.
Zero's true identity was a mystery, as were his intentions.
Why had Zero put Guy X in Snake's clothes?
If Zero had left a note for them to say the Nonary Game had been played 9 years
before, was there some connection?
Junpei put the question to Snake.
His answer was less than illuminating.

Snake: Um... What are you talking about? I apologize, but I have no idea what
you're saying.

It seemed as though Snake was, perhaps, not being entirely honest, but that
knowledge did Junpei and Seven little good.
No matter how many times they asked, he insisted that he knew nothing.
It was becoming clear that Snake wouldn't give in, and every second they spent
asking him was a second wasted.
Their time limit was fast approaching.
Snake's release from the coffin had changed nothing--they still needed to
follow Ace as quickly as possible.
However...
They stood in silence, the overpowering atmosphere of the chapel almost
stifling...
Junpei, Seven, and Snake simply stood, at a loss for what they should do next.

Junpei: What do we do now?

He glanced over at Snake's wrist.
Sure enough, he could see the (2) on the bracelet on Snake's wrist.

Snake: The 3 of us can't make a digital root of (9).
Junpei: Yeah... We'd just get (5).
Snake: We're stuck here, then.
Seven: Oh... Hey, I just remembered something.

Seven began patting his pockets, as if he were checking to see if any of them
held anything.

Junpei: What...?
Snake: What is it...?
Seven: I, uh... I found something earlier...
Junpei: What did you find?
Seven: This.

He'd finally found the pocket he wanted, and his hand dove into it.
Seven pulled out something round, and metal--
A bracelet.
There was no mistaking the number glowing at them from the face like a cartoon
eye.

Junpei: (0)...
Junpei: [Zero]'s bracelet...
Snake: What the hell...?
Snake: Are you saying that Seven has the number (0) bracelet?
Junpei: Y-Yeah...
Snake: Where did you get that?

Snake's question was innocent enough, but... If he learned the truth...
If he'd been able to see, he would have noticed Seven look away.

Seven: Clover...gave it to me.
Snake: She did?
Seven: Yeah...
Snake: How did she come by it?
Seven: Well, she found it, see...
Seven: On the other side of door [1], A Deck. In the Captain's quarters.
Seven: She asked me to hold onto it 'cause it was too big and bulky for her to
be luggin' around.

It was a lie, and Junpei knew it.

Seven: I haven't actually looked at it yet. Didn't want to disturb the crime
scene, you know? Basic stuff.
Seven: ...Well, I did borrow one thing.

...
...

Seven: All right, Junpei. Been nice knowin' ya.
Junpei: Wha... What?!

7 + 2 + (0) = 9

Seven: C'mon man, I'm just kidding.
Junpei: ...
Seven: Still, just in case, I wanna make sure the (0) bracelet gets picked up
by the RED.
Seven: Snake, gimme a hand, all right?

Without waiting for a response, he started walking toward the door.
Junpei and Snake followed him, quietly.
Before long, they found themselves in front of the larger of the 2 doors.
Seven and Snake put their palms on the RED.
Once they'd done that, Seven put the number (0) bracelet on the scanner panel
as well.
A 3rd asterisk appeared on the screen.
7 + 2 + (0) = 9
Now they just needed to pull the lever and the door would open--

Junpei: Huh? Why isn't it opening?
Seven: Umm...
Seven: Well, the 3rd asterisk lit up, so...
Seven: It must've registered the (0) bracelet.
Snake: Maybe it isn't actually (0)...
Junpei: ...Huh?
Seven: ...What?
Snake: That bracelet may not actually produce the number (0) when scanned.
Snake: That is what I'm saying.
Junpei: ...
Seven: ...
Snake: Why don't we try a few different combinations?
Snake: Perhaps we can determine what number that bracelet actually contains.

Junpei nodded.

(Continued below, "bed4.0" )

{bed4.0}

* <<They decided to use the following combination...>>

<Snake + Junpei + the bracelet> - "bed4.1"
<Junpei + Seven + the bracelet> - "bed4.2"
<Snake + Junpei + Seven + the bracelet> - "bed4.3"

{bed4.1}

Snake + Junpei + the mysterious bracelet
Snake + Junpei = 2 + 5 = 7
If that combination worked, then the mysterious bracelet's number was (2).
However...
The door didn't open. The mysterious bracelet wasn't (2).
Junpei continued...

(To "bed4.0", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{bed4.3}

Snake + Junpei + Seven + the mysterious bracelet
Snake + Junpei + Seven = 2 + 5 + 7 = 14
-> 1 + 4 = 5
If that combination worked, then the mysterious bracelet's number was (4).
However...
The door didn't open. The mysterious bracelet's number wasn't (4).
Junpei continued...

(To "bed4.0", replacing quotations with braces {} )

{bed4.2}

Junpei + Seven + the mysterious bracelet
Junpei + Seven = 5 + 7 = 12 -> 1 + 2 = 3
If that combination worked, then the mysterious bracelet's number was (6).
They scanned in their bracelets...

Seven: It opened...
Snake: Yes, so it would seem.

Seven clearly hadn't thought their experimentation would produce anything
useful, and looked rather confused.
Snake was, as usual, calm and smug.
The door slid closed.
Junpei's forehead furrowed as he thought.

Junpei: That meant the number for the mysterious bracelet was (6)...

5 + 7 + (6) = 18 -> 1 + 8 = 9
But...how could it be (6)?
The display on the bracelet clearly showed a (0)...
...
Suddenly, from somewhere far beneath them, they heard the creak and groan of
tearing metal.
With it, came the sound of water pouring into parts of the ship that had, until
recently, been dry.

Seven: Aw man, that's not good... I guess our time's just about up, huh?
Snake: At any rate, we know now that the door can be opened. Let's go!
Junpei: But... Snake, are you sure?
Seven: Yeah... You know that only Junpei and I can go through this way...
Snake: You needn't worry. I have a solution to this problem. My last resort,
but if now is not the time for last resorts, then when?
Junpei: Last...
Seven: ...Resort?

...
...
...
...
Junpei, Seven, and Snake ran, full-tilt, down a long, straight hallway.
They were headed for the stern of the ship, and had no time for distractions.
As they ran, Seven spoke.

Seven: Gotta admit, you really surprised me there, kid. I couldn't figure out
how the hell you were gonna get outta that one.
Seven: How come you didn't do that right off the bat?
Snake: As I told you, it was a last resort.
Snake: Had I used it at the beginning of the game, I would have come under a
great deal of suspicion.
Snake: I imagine most people would have taken it to mean that I was Zero.
Snake: Once they'd convinced themselves of that, I wasn't optimistic about my
chances of making it out of here alive, let alone unscathed.
Snake: I felt it best to play my cards close to the the chest, as it were.
Snake: That way, if I were in a situation where there was nothing else I could
do...
Snake: ...I'd have a little...trick up my sleeve.
Snake: I'd just take my bracelet off.

Snake's plan had been simple, but effective:
He'd simply removed his bracelet.
How? To Junpei, it had looked as though Snake had simply crushed the bones of
his hand until they were small enough to fit through the wristband.
Of course, that would have been practically impossible, so...
How had he done it?

Clover: My brother's left arm is...um, it's not like a normal person's arm...
Clover: ...It's fake. It's not a real arm. 

Snake had slid the bracelet off, and tossed it into the coffin.
With it gone, he'd had little to fear from the numbered doors.
He'd walked through the door easily, without authenticating.
He stepped out the other side, unscathed, and begun running down the hall
alongside Seven and Junpei.
They kept running for a while longer, and eventually came upon a set of stairs
leading downward on the right side of the hallway.
They stopped, and peered down the staircase.
As far as they could tell, it went all the way to the bottom deck. There didn't
seem to be any flooding.
They nodded quickly to one another, and jogged down the stairs.
It took only a few minutes to make their way to the bottom deck.
There was a single hallway in front of them, at the end of which was a single
door.
Junpei threw it open.
Inside was a massive iron gate.
A plate was affixed to the top of it.
It read "INCINERATOR".

Junpei: Incinerator?
Snake: Oh my... That doesn't sound very pleasant.
Snake: Do you see a lever near the gate, perhaps?
Junpei: Y-Yeah... Right over here...
Seven: How did you know that?
Snake: Well, I'd be happy to regale you with the story. I imagine it should
only take...half a day or so.
Junpei: ...
Seven: ...
Junpei: Ugh...

Junpei grumbled, gave Snake a dirty look, and jogged over to the lever.

Snake: If you pull it, the door ought to open.
Junpei: Got it!

He pulled the lever down.
With the rumble of an ancient motor, the door opened.
There was no need to hold back, and no time to hesitate.
They pushed their way inside.
Standing in front of them were Ace and Lotus.
Ace still held the revolver in his hand.
It was still pressed hard against Lotus's temple. A small dark bruise had begun
to form near the tip.
Even from several yards away, Junpei could see that Lotus was shaking.
She was terrified.
But perhaps more interesting was what Junpei saw behind them...
--[9]--
Another number [9] door.
But...why?
Why was there another one?
The door stopped Junpei in his tracks. It simply shouldn't have been there.
As his brain finally began to consider why--
The whine of a warning klaxon filled the air, drowning out any thought.

Speaker: Warning.
Speaker: Warning.
Speaker: Emergency incineration command has been acknowledged.
Speaker: Automatic incineration will take place in...
Speaker: ...9 minutes.
Speaker: Please evacuate the incinerator immediately.
Ace: Oh my... How exciting.
Ace: You've run quite a show here, Zero!

A terrifying smile twisted Ace's face.

Ace: What's the matter? Too frightened to understand?
Ace: Here, let me explain--
Snake: It said that the incineration system is about to activate.
Snake: In 9 minutes, this room will be engulfed in flame.
Ace: Huh? Who are you...?
Snake: You don't recognize me? I'm hurt. It's me, Snake.
Ace: Snake...?
Ace: Ah, yes, you are alive.
Ace: I'm afraid your bizarre style had me confused.
Ace: I'm...quite glad to see that you're alive.

Ace's voice didn't change.
Snake ground his teeth.

Ace: If you don't mind my asking, how did you get here?
Ace: Snake, Junpei, Seven... The 3 of you couldn't have opened a door with a
[9]...
Snake: ...
Ace: Did you use Clover's bracelet, perhaps?
Snake: Wh-What?!

2 + 5 + 7 + (4) = 18 -> 1 + 8 = 9

Ace: Ah. Well, your reaction suggests that you did not.
Snake: Hold on!
Snake: Why did you think we'd have Clover's bracelet!?

Junpei felt his chest tighten.

Ace: Oh... They...haven't told you?
Snake: T-Told me what?
Ace: Hm, clearly not.
Ace: Normally, I would take some time and enjoy the moment, but I'm afraid my
time is at a premium just now.
Ace: I'll have to make this quick.
Ace: Clover--
Junpei: Don't do it, Ace! Keep your goddamn mouth shut!
Ace: Clover--
Junpei: I said stop it!
Junpei: Don't listen to him, Snake!

Junpei could feel his voice going hoarse, but Snake didn't listen to him.

Snake: What happened to Clover?

Ace looked at him. The corner of his mouth curled into the hook of a cruel
smile.

Ace: Clover died.

The color left Snake's face.
He shook his head, weakly...

Snake: No... That's not true... That's impossible...
Snake: It's a lie. It has to be a lie...
Ace: Oh, it's quite true. I can assure you of that. I killed her myself, you
see.
Snake: What!?
Ace: I'm sorry, did I stutter?
Ace: I killed her.

Snake's face twisted into a mask of rage, mottled red rising to dot his pale
skin.
His entire body shook. He looked, to Junpei, disturbingly like a demon.

Ace: I would have rather she died with less suffering...
Ace: A bullet in her brain, perhaps, would have been ideal.
Ace: Unfortunately, that would have made quite a bit of noise.
Ace: Circumstances being what they were, I was forced to settle for the knife.
The one the 9th Man had, you remember?
Snake: ...
Ace: I believe I caught her just below the shoulder blade.
Ace: I was rather lucky, in fact. My first thrust went right between her ribs.
Ace: Her flesh was so soft.
Ace: My knife slid in so easily... There was no resistance.
Ace: That feeling was... I confess, I feel rather excited. It is a...powerful
memory.
Ace: Someday, perhaps, I hope I can feel it again.
Speaker: Incineration will begin in...
Speaker: ...7 minutes.
Snake: I'm going to kill you...

Snake's words were a guttural growl, barely audible.

Ace: Hm? I'm sorry, what?
Snake: I'm going to kill you...
Ace: Ah, so you're going to kill me.
Ace: Please do. Come now, I'm waiting.
Junpei: Don't do it! Don't listen to him, Snake!
Seven: Stop it, kid! He's screwin' with your head!
Ace: Is there a problem? What are you waiting for, boy?
Ace: Don't you want me to send you to join your sister?
Junpei: Don't! Snake!
Seven: Don't do it!

But Snake could no longer hear them. Snake could no longer hear anything.

Snake: Uaaahhh.... Aaaaaahhh...
Snake: Graaaaaahhhh!

Snake moved like a bolt of lightning.
His scream echoed through the incineration chamber, full of rage and despair.

Junpei: Snake!
Seven: Snake!

...
...
...

Lotus: Eyaaaaaaaagh!

Another scream filled the room.
It was Lotus.
She ran across the room toward Junpei, her eyes wide with terror.
Snake's ill-fated attack had loosened Ace's grip on her, and she'd made a run
for it.
She reached Seven and Junpei, and ducked behind them.
Junpei could feel her fingers on his arm, tight enough to be painful, keeping
him between her and Ace.

Speaker: Incineration will begin in...
Speaker: ...5 minutes.
Ace: Give me the woman.

He raised the gun.

Ace: I need her.
Ace: Without her bracelet I will be unable to open this door.

1 + 8 + 9 = 18 -> 1 + 8 = 9

Ace: Quickly now. I don't have time for your shenanigans.

In the center of the room, Snake's body lay eerily still.
He looked like a human larva, prone and vulnerable on the floor.

Ace: I see. Then it would seem I have no choice.
Ace: The rest of you must die as well.
Ace: Fortunately, I have 5 bullets left.
Ace: 1 for Junpei, another for Lotus, and the last 3 for that lump of idiotic
man you call "Seven".
Ace: I will take Lotus's body with me, and leave this room.
Speaker: Incineration will begin in...
Speaker: ...4 minutes.
Ace: Well, it looks as though our time together is at an end.
Ace: I rather enjoyed playing with you. Goodbye.

Junpei could see Ace's finger tighten.
He could see it begin to squeeze down on the trigger.
His body tensed, preparing for the catastrophic impact of hot lead against
human flesh.
Then it happened.
Snake stood up.

Ace: What?! No... That's impossible!

For the first time, Ace's composure broke.
With obvious effort, Snake lunged forward, one step closer to Ace. Then
another...
He looked, for all the world, like a zombie.

Snake: I'll kill you... I'll kill you...

His voice was the mournful wailing of the undead.

Ace: Stay...stay away from me! Get back!
Ace: Stop! If you come any closer, I'll...I'll... Get away from me!

Little by little, Ace was retreating.
Snake didn't stop.
He continued his stiff, inexorable approach, his eyes twin pools of pure fury.

Ace: L-Listen to me! I said, don't come any closer!
Ace: Shit! You bastard!

Ace's revolver leapt 5 times.
5 times, the air in the incinerator was split by the crack of a bullet.
Snake's body twitched as 5 clouds of blood and torn flesh leapt into the air
across his body.
A fine pink mist drifted from his body and disappeared.
Snake made a strange sort of choking cough...
...And then his strength was gone. His legs crumbled and his broken and
battered body slid to the floor.

Speaker: Incineration will begin in...
Speaker: ...3 minutes.

But Snake wasn't done.
Even as the pool of blood beneath him grew, he began to move.
He half-crawled, half-slid, toward Ace.
One bloody arm wrapped itself around Ace's leg...
...And the other gripped his thigh with strength that should have been long
gone.

Ace: Y-You son of a bitch! You're...you're a monster!
Ace: Get off of me! Let me go! Damn you!

He kicked at Snake with his free leg, driving his foot into Snake's face, his
arm, his shoulder...
It made no difference.
Snake refused to release him.
Once a snake has ensnared its prey, rarely does it release it.

Snake: Hurgh... This is...it, Ace...
Snake: We're going to...burn to death...together.
Ace: W-What?!
Speaker: Incineration will begin in...
Speaker: ...2 minutes.
Ace: Aaahh! Damnit! Damn you!
Ace: Get off! Let me go, you monster!
Ace: Okay, okay okay... Look. Think about it this way.
Ace: My company owns a wonderful hospital. It has excellent doctors.
Ace: Y-You're not wounded too seriously. I'm sure they can fix you up easily.
Ace: You don't have to die. You can be saved! Just...let me go.
Snake: Haha... Hahahaha...
Snake: Pathetic. Begging for your...life...

Then Seven and Lotus began to speak.
Junpei could hear tears in their voices, and their words were strained...

Seven: Snake! That's enough! You can stop now!
Lotus: Yes! He's right, Snake! You've done enough!
Seven: C'mon Snake, let's go! Let's get outta here!
Lotus: You have to come with us! We have to leave together!

Snake turned toward them. He coughed, and blood splattered across the floor.
Then he smiled a sad sort of smile.

Snake: I apologize, but I'm afraid I...can't...do that.
Snake: You'd best forget...about me. You...need to leave soon...
Snake: I'm going to...take him...with me...
Ace: Shut up! Be quiet!
Snake: I couldn't...save Clover... My sister died...because of me...
Snake: Perhaps this will...begin to...atone for that...
Snake: Perhaps in...the afterlife... She can...forgive me.
Snake: Now go! Go now!
Snake: You have to...go!
Speaker: Incineration will begin in...
Speaker: ...1 minute.
Seven: Goddamnit! Shit! We're outta time!
Seven: We have to go!

Seven ran toward the exit.  Lotus followed him.
But Junpei... Junpei couldn't move.
There were white lines down Snake's cheeks where his tears had washed the blood
away. He was broken, body and soul, and Junpei felt as though half of his own
heart had been torn out. His eyes stung, and he tried desperately to swallow to
clear the lump in his throat.

Snake: Junpei! What are you doing?! You have to...get out of here... Now!

Junpei's chest tighened, pulled taunt by anger, misery, and a cold feeling of
emptiness...
Pure emotion surged through his heart, alongside the torrent of blood.
He could feel it building, a tremendous wave growing taller and taller and
taller...
And then it broke, crashing down with thunderous force onto his shaken,
unprepared mind.

Junpei: Snake...!
Junpei: Snake!

Junpei's rational mind was gone.
He was driven by instinct now, and he launched himself across the floor at
Snake and Ace.
...Or he tried to.

Seven: Wait! Don't be an idiot, Junpei!

He felt a hand grab him from behind.
It was Seven. Before he had time to react, the larger man had pinned Junpei's
arms to his sides, and was hauling him bodily back toward the door.

Junpei: No! No! I have to help Snake! Snake! Snake!
Junpei: Get off of me! Let me go!
Speaker: Incineration will begin in...
Speaker: ...10 seconds.
Junpei: Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Junpei: Hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!
Speaker: 7... 6... 
Seven: Damnit! I don't got a choice, kid! Don't blame me for this, all right?!
Junpei: Ugh... Uuugh...
Junpei: Aghhhh...
Speaker: 5... 4... 
Speaker: 3... 2... 
Seven: Uuurgh!
Speaker: 1... 0... 
Speaker: Gates 2 and 3 are locked down.
Speaker: Beginning incineration.

Junpei felt Seven's fist bury itself deep in his stomach, and then his legs
turned to mush.
Seven scooped him up in the same motion, and leapt through the door.
It slammed shut behind them.
Junpei struggled to shaky feet. He glanced over to see Lotus only a short
distance away.
Junpei ran to the door.
There was a small window cut into it.
Inside, he could see Ace and...Snake...

Ace: Shit! Damn you all!
Ace: Why! Why!?
Ace: Why me! I don't
Ace: deserve this!
Ace: Answer me! Answer me, Zero!
Ace: Why!
Ace: WHYYYYYYYY?!
Ace: Zero! ZERO!
Ace: ZEEEEEROOOOOOOOO!

...
...
...
He didn't know how much time passed.
He didn't know how long he stood there, in front of the incinerator.
He looked to the side. Lotus's face was ashen, and if not for the hand she'd
put against the wall, Junpei didn't think she could have stood. Seven looked
old, and tired, and used. His eyes stared at the floor, seeing nothing.
Junpei said nothing, he simply began to walk toward the open door, and the
hallway they'd come down earlier.

Seven: H-Hey! Wait! Junpei!
Lotus: Junpei! Where are you going?!

He blinked when their voices broke the silence. He stopped.

Junpei: You stay here. I'll go get Santa and June.
Seven: You're gonna bring them here...
Lotus: How...?
Junpei: Don't worry about that. Just stay here and wait. All right?
Seven: ...
Lotus: ...

He began to walk again.
He looked over his shoulder and watched Seven and Lotus grow smaller and
smaller.
They stared back, not moving. He wasn't sure if they could.
He turned around again.
He knew where he was going.
When they'd walked through the hallway earlier, he'd noticed an elevator at the
end of the side hallway.
If it still worked, then maybe...
...
Before long, Junpei found himself in front of the elevator.
Next to the door was a button with a triangle on it.
He pushed it, and the door opened.
Junpei was in the large hospital room.

Junpei: June! Santa!

He kept calling, and walked to the center of the room.
...But try as he might, he couldn't find them.

Junpei: Urgh... Damnit!
Junpei: Where did they go?!

Increasingly frustrated, and increasingly worried, Junpei left the large
hospital room.
He had no choice. He would have to look for them.
Junpei's heart was heavy.
He couldn't shake the feeling, but there was a part of him that felt it would
be wrong to, even if he could.
With every step he took, his legs felt more and more like lead.
...
...
Some time later, Junpei found himself at the chapel.
He stepped inside, expecting to find nothing.
But there, on the red carpet in the center of the room...
June!
No, codenames didn't matter any longer!
She was Kanny...

Junpei: Kanny!

Junpei cried her name, and ran.
Like lightning he ran, across the room, toward her.

Junpei: Oh man... Kanny...

He stumbled to a stop.
As he looked down at her body, lying so still on the floor, he felt the icy
grip of fear upon his heart.
She was still... So very still...
No... No, it couldn't be. It was impossible...
Slowly, Junpei bent down toward her. His hands shook, and he felt very cold and
very hot at the same time.
He forced himself to look. Her back...her back was moving. Slowly, it rose and
fell.
Relief washed over him.

Junpei: Kanny!

Junpei reached down and gently, very gently, lifted her up.

Junpei: Kanny! Kanny! Are you all right?!
Kanny: Jumpy... 

Her face was pale, and her lips were dry and cracked.
Her eyes were blank and cloudy. They stared straight at Junpei, but saw
nothing.
Trembling, Junpei wrapped his arm around her back.
She was cold... Very cold.
Junpei tried to convince himself that it was only his imagination, but she felt
as though she were fading away.
He could feel his heart pounding frantically in his chest.

Junpei: Oh man... Kanny...
Junpei: What the hell happened to you...?
Junpei: You...you feel...
Kanny: Jumpy... I'm sorry....

Her voice was very faint.

Kanny: I...I might not make it.
Junpei: N-No way! No way am I gonna let you die! I'm gonna save you, I promise!
Kanny: Thank you, Jumpy...
Kanny: Thank you so much... For everything...
Kanny: I was...really happy...
Kanny: ...To see you again, Jumpy...
Kanny: ...Really...happy...
Junpei: Don't gimme that "I was" crap! You're gonna see me again lots more
times!
Junpei: You've... You've just gotta hang on, all right Kanny!?
Kanny: Jumpy, did you know...
Kanny: You...meant a lot to me...when we were kids...
Kanny: I've liked you...for a long time, Junpei... A really...long...time...

Junpei's vision had gone blurry. It took him a moment to realize his eyes were
filled with tears.
He could feel a piercing point of heat deep in his heart, like a white-hot
flame.
He looked down at Akane...

Zero: Game over.

There was a crack of static from above his head, and a voice spoke.
Zero!

Junpei: Y-You son of a bitch! Where are you hiding?!

Junpei frantically scanned the ceiling for the source of the voice.

Zero: I am right here. I've always been close to you.
Junpei: What the hell are you talking about?!
Zero: No matter. I will tell you again.
Zero: Game over. This game has ended.
Junpei: No! No, it hasn't! I'm not gonna let it end yet!
Junpei: I'm gonna get out of here with Kanny!
Zero: You can't. That is impossible.
Junpei: Why?!
Zero: Because you chose the wrong path.
Junpei: The wrong path...?
Zero: That is correct.
Zero: Your path was inevitable, however. Admit defeat.
Zero: Where there is shadow, there is light. Where there is light, there is
shadow. So it goes.
Junpei: W-What are you talking about?!
Zero: It matters not. The loser has been decided.
Junpei: I told you, I'm not gonna lose!
Zero: No. You misunderstand.
Zero: You haven't lost.
Zero: I...have lost.
Junpei: W-What...?!

Junpei didn't have time to ponder what that meant before--
He heard the door slam shut behind him.
He spun around. There was no one there.
Was it...Zero?

Junpei: Kanny, wait here! I'll be right back, I promise!

She managed a single nod.
Junpei laid her back down gently, and leapt for the door.
He yanked it open and shot outside.
No one. The hall was empty.
There was nothing moving anywhere.

Junpei: Damnit!

He didn't want to leave Kanny alone any longer than he had to, so Junpei turned
around and headed back to the chapel.
...
...

Junpei: Kuh...Kanny...?

She wasn't there. She wasn't anywhere.
She'd been lying there, on the floor, just moments before...
And now she was gone.

Junpei: Oh God...
Junpei: No... No...
Junpei: Where is she...
Junpei: Kanny... Kanny... Kanny... 
Junpei: Kaaaannyyyyyy!

His cry split the heavens themselves.
He screamed until his voice gave out. Then he screamed some more.
But there was nothing. No answer.
His voice faded away, and all that remained was cold, unfeeling silence.
That was when he noticed it.
A strange smell, one he'd smelled before...
The smell of a peculiar...white...smoke...
9 seconds later, Junpei's mind winked out.

---[Credit Roll]---

The end...or is it?

[[-Preview A is unlocked-]]

[If this is first ending reached, continue below; else return to beginning]

You have reached one ending.
This game has multiple endings.
In order to experience all the endings, you need to save now.
Once you've saved, you can restart the game, with information you've acquired
in this playthrough saved.
Once you begin the game again, you can skip through text you've already seen.
Simply press "right" on the +Control Pad to fast-forward through lines you've
already read.
Once you reach lines you haven't seen, or new choices, it will automatically
stop.

Memory of Escape has been added on the title screen.
Memory of Escape enables you to play the stages you have completed.
It is recommended to save after this in order to unlock Memory of Escape.

(END GAME, RETURN TO BEGINNING "a01b")

===========================================
===========================================
{aed1} File #28
::Bottom Deck, hallway::
-After completing study escape; True ending, part 3-
-The confession-
===========================================

The door opened, and they stumbled into the library.
The shaking had stopped, but they knew the danger hadn't passed.
They ran across the hallway, straight for the large metal door.
Next to the door was the Uranus card reader.
They slid the key card through, and the door rumbled open.
Out of the library and into the hallway they ran.
At the end of the hallway was a door. Junpei reached into his pocket to pull
out the key as he ran toward it. The key he put into the lock was the [Neptune
key].
He turned it.
The lock clicked.
As one, they shoved the door open and poured through it.
In front of them was another great metal door.
Above it was a metal plaque.
It read "INCINERATOR".

Junpei: So this is the [Incinerator]...
Seven: This's the first time I've seen it from this side, but yeah...I think
so.
Snake: Then there ought to be a lever near the door...
Junpei: Yeah... Right here.

Junpei ran up to it.

Snake: Pull that, and the door should open.
Junpei: Got it.

As he spoke, he pulled the lever.
The motor in the door groaned, as it slowly ground open.
There was no time to waste.
As soon as the door had opened far enough to admit them, all 4 dashed through.
Then suddenly, there before them, were the 4 who they'd parted from earlier.
Ace and Lotus stood in front of the number [9] door.
Santa was curled into a ball against the wall of the incinerator, holding his
stomach.
And then there was June...
She sat slumped against the wall, exhausted.
What had happened...
Junpei ran toward June.
He skidded to a stop in front of her and knelt down.

Junpei: What's wrong?! Are you okay?!

Her face was pale, and her lips dry.
When she spoke, he could barely hear her.

June: Jumpy... Y-You came to get me...
Junpei: Of course I did. I made a promise.
June: I'm so glad you're here... So glad...

She mumbled the same words over and over, weakly. Junpei could feel his heart
breaking.

Junpei: Hey... What happened to you?
June: I'm...fine...
June: I just fainted. I wasn't feeling very good...
June: I'm feeling...a lot better now, though...
Junpei: Are you sure?
June: Yes. I just need to rest a little longer. I'm...sure I'll be fine.
June: You shouldn't worry about me...

She was looking toward Santa. Junpei turned to look as well.
Santa grimaced, his face contorted in pain.
Seven grabbed him by the collar and roared at him.

Seven: Hey! Where is it?! Where's the gun?! You hide it somewhere!?
Santa: Hurg...!

Despite himself, a grunt of pain escaped Santa's lips as Seven shook him.

Santa: I...don't have it...
Santa: I got sucker-punched, and... They took the gun.
Seven: What?! Who took it!?
Santa: What, isn't that obvious?
Ace: I took the gun.
Junpei: Ace!

He did indeed have the revolver in his hand.
It was pressed against Lotus's temple.
Ace had her pinned to him with the other arm, and she was shaking visibly.
Her fiery attitude was gone, replaced by fear.
She didn't dare speak.
There was sweat on her forehead, and when her eyes weren't flicking up to the
gun pressed against her, they seemed to desperately want to say something.

Seven: Just what the hell do you think you're doin', Ace...
Seven: Or maybe I oughta say [Gentarou Hongou], CEO of Cradle Pharmaceutical?!

Seven's deep, baritone rumble shook the walls.
Ace sneered.

Ace: You have me at a disadvantage, and I don't like that.
Ace: You know me, but I don't know you.
Ace: Do you have any idea how much I've suffered? Can you even begin to
understand my pain?
Junpei: The pain of prosopagnosia, right?

Junpei's voice was casual. Or at least it was trying to be.

Ace: Hmph. Another irritating insect.
Ace: And how do you know that, hm?

Junpei couldn't say--he just knew. Another unexplainable mystery.

Ace: No matter. If you don't want to answer, it makes no difference to me.
Ace: This is a waste of time anyway. It's time for me to go.

Behind Ace, Junpei could see the RED. It was placed in the small indentation on
the wall.
Quickly, Ace placed his hand on the scanner.
It beeped, and he forced Lotus's hand onto it as well.
Then at last, he reached into the pocket of his jacket... He pulled something
out and pressed it against the panel.
The 3rd asterisk appeared on the RED.
The thing he had used for the final verification was the bracelet with the
number (9).
It had belonged to the first man to die... Kubota.
1 + 8 + 9 = 18 -> 1 + 8 = 9

Ace: I believe I've won this game.

His smirk made Junpei's blood boil.

Ace: I've had quite a time playing with you. I must thank Zero, I suppose.

Wait... Something about the way he'd spoken...
Did Ace not know who Zero was?
Junpei's eyes flicked toward Santa.
He hadn't moved since they'd entered the room. Santa was still holding his
stomach and groaning as if in immense pain.
Junpei wasn't sure if it was real pain, but he wasn't sure it wasn't either.
What the hell did Santa have up his sleeve this time...

Ace: At any rate, this game ends now.
Ace: I will escape, and the rest of you will have a slightly less pleasant
ending.
Ace: I suggest you enjoy your final moments. Goodbye.
Seven: Wait--!

Ace, of course, paid no heed to Seven's request, and laid hold of the lever on
the RED.
With a sickening sense of finality, he pulled it.
...
...

Ace: What...? WHAT?! Why isn't it opening?!

Lotus tried to take advantage of Ace's confusion, and managed to twist herself
out of his grasp, but--
At the last second, he grabbed hold of her wrist and shoved it onto the RED.
He waved the number (9) bracelet over the RED and then his own bracelet as
well.
He pulled the lever a second time...

Ace: No! What is this?! Why!?
Ace: The digital root should be (9)! It has to be (9)! 
Ace: Then why...why isn't it opening?!

Ace's fury and confusion had overridden all other thoughts. He had set down the
revolver.
It was just below the RED.
Seven chose that moment to act.
He moved far faster than a man of his bulk should have been able to, and he
launched that bulk straight at Ace.

Seven: G
r
r
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

...
...
It was over before they knew it.
In the blink of an eye, Ace was on the floor.
He rolled onto his side, groaning in pain.

Ace: Uuuughh...

Lotus ran, straight for Junpei.
She darted around behind him, and stuck her head out, making sure to keep
Junpei between herself and Ace.

Lotus: Phew... That was close. Too close. Thank you, Seven.
Seven: Don't mention it.

Seven stood over Ace, his breathing slow and heavy.

Seven: Just 1 punch ain't enough for this piece'a shit.
Seven: After what he did 9 years ago, I oughta rip 'im to pieces.
Seven: But if a suspect can't talk, they ain't much good.
Seven: Once he's locked up in a cell, we're gonna have a little chat.
Ace: 9 years ago? Ah, then you must be--
Seven: Yeah, you finally figure it out. Dumbass.

Ace planted his hands on the floor and shook his head.
Junpei walked toward him.
He stopped, and looked down at Ace, with pity on his face.

Junpei: Ace...
Junpei: You killed Kubota, Nijisaki, and Musashidou didn't you?
Ace: Wait...Nijisaki?

He peered at Junpei, geniunely confused.

Junpei: Oh, right... You don't know yet.
Junpei: All right. We'll just go through 'em in order then.
Junpei: Let's start off with Kubota.
Junpei: You talked to Kubota and managed to convince him to go into door [5]
alone.
Junpei: You killed him without making it look like you killed him.
Junpei: The way I figure it, you had 4 motives.

-----1-----
In the Nonary Game the number (9) was dangerous. Whoever had the number 9
bracelet could join whatever team they wanted.
You could add (9) to any number, and the digital root wouldn't change.
1 + 9 = 10 -> 1 + 0 = 1
2 + 9 = 11 -> 1 + 1 = 2
3 + 9 = 12 -> 1 + 2 = 3
...
In other words, number (9) could do whatever they wanted.
Ace had wanted to remove that threat as soon as possible.
-----2-----
Ace also wanted to have the number (9) bracelet himself, so that he could make
use of its power. In fact, he later made use of it in the murder of Nijisaki.
-----3-----
Even if his number had been different, Kubota presented a problem for Ace.
Kubota had known Ace's past. He knew what had happened 9 years before.
Before he told anyone, Ace had to silence him.
-----4-----
But last, and perhaps most disturbing, Ace had used Kubota as a test. He wanted
to know how serious this Nonary Game was. Was it truly life or death, or simply
a harmless prank.
He convinced Kubota to break the rules so that he might see what happened.

Junpei: That was why you killed Kubota, but he was only the 1st.
Junpei: Next was Nijisaki.
Junpei: While everyone was off looking for the missing part for the RED...
Junpei: You ran into Nijisaki near the big hospital room.
Junpei: However, because of your prosopagnosia, you didn't realize he was
Nijisaki.
Junpei: Chiefly because, when you met him, he was dressed like Snake.
Junpei: That was why you thought Nijisaki was Snake.
Ace: N-No... That's not... That was Nijisaki?
Ace: Why... How did...
Junpei: I'll get to that.
Junpei: Anyway, you thought he was Snake.
Junpei: Snake was one of the kids in your experiment 9 years ago.
Junpei: You remembered him because he was the blind kid.
Junpei: But his presence made you think...

"Snake was one of my subjects 9 years ago. He probably hates me."
"But if that's true...why isn't he saying anything?"
"Is he keeping quiet because he can't see?"
"Or perhaps he's working with Zero to get revenge on me..."
"Whatever the reason, anyone who knows my past is a threat."
"Before he tries anything, I need to get rid of him."

Junpei: That was when you decided you had to kill him.
Junpei: The murder weapon was Kubota's bracelet.
Junpei: You just waved it over the RED...
Junpei: ...Verified your own number, and then grabbed Nijisaki's arm and forced
it over the scanner panel.
Junpei: Then when the door opened, you kicked him in.
Junpei: 9 seconds later, the door closed.
Junpei: And then 81 seconds passed...
Junpei: And poor Nijisaki was dead.

...
...

Ace: Then you mean to say Snake is still alive...?
Snake: Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm good as new.
Ace: ...
Snake: Thank you for killing the wrong man, but I can't say I like knowing that
you wanted me dead.
Snake: Although to be honest, even if you hadn't tried to kill me...
Snake: I would still hate you very much.
Ace: Heh. Well, I wouldn't blame you...

Ace's self-derision was frustrating.
...But Junpei kept his emotions in check, and continued.

Junpei: Last but not least, let's talk about Musashidou's death.
Junpei: When Clover and I were investigating the chart room you came over to
talk to me.
Junpei: Do you remember what you said?

"Oh, a pocket watch. Might I take a look at it?"

Junpei: I handed you the pocket watch, and you left the room.

Ace had been in charge of the Nonary Project.
He would, of course, have known the solution to every puzzle.
It followed, then, that he knew how to get out of the wheelhouse.
All Ace had to do was place the pocket watch in the indentation on the door to
unlock it.
With the door open, he was able to enter the captain's quarters.
Musashidou was there.
Next to him was an ax that fairly begged Ace to kill Musashidou with it.
He picked up the ax and swung it, burying the blade deep in the other man's
chest.
One blow was all it took.
Afterwards, Ace returned to the chart room as though nothing had happened.
"There was something I wanted to speak with you about, Junpei. Could you come
with me for a moment?"
With no reason not to, Junpei had followed Ace to the wheelhouse.
When they reached the wheelhouse, Ace slipped his hand into Junpei's vest.
He pulled out a piece of paper, the piece of paper Junpei had used to cheat
during the vote.
But it wasn't the piece of paper that Ace was after. His true purpose had been
to slip the pocket watch into Junpei's pocket.
It wasn't a very good plan. It had far too many flaws, and the wrong word of
discovery could easily have toppled it.
What had made Ace so desperate?
That was the only thing Junpei hadn't been able to figure out.

Junpei: Musashidou's murder is the only one I don't understand. You obviously
did it, but...why?
Ace: Because of this...

Slowly, Ace reached down and pulled something out of his pocket.
It was a folded piece of paper.
Junpei took it and opened it.
This was what it said:
Number (1).
There are 2 ways you might survive this ordeal.
The 1st is to win the [Nonary Game].
The 2nd is for you to confess your sins of 9 years past.
I have prepared a camera in the captain's quarters.
The images captured by that camera will be streamed through a satellite and
distributed across the world.
Simply look into the camera and repent.
Once you have confessed everything, I will release you from this ship.
To make your confession more credible, I have left you a [witness] in the
captain's quarters.
Perhaps he will confess with you.
The decision is yours. Do as you please.
-----Zero-----

Ace: When I awoke in that room on D Deck, I found that in my pocket.
Junpei: ...
Ace: That was why I chose door [1] when we voted.
Ace: If I went through that door, I knew I could get to the captain's quarters.
Ace: As you said, I knew how to enter the wheelhouse.
Ace: My plan was to find the pocket watch before anyone else.
Ace: If I could, then my alibi would be set. At least, that was the plan...
Ace: Unfortunately for me, you got to it first.
Ace: That sleight of hand was the best I could manage on short notice.
Junpei: You meant to kill him from the beginning, then?  Musashidou, I mean.
Ace: I only knew Musashidou was the "witness" after I reached the captain's
quarters.
Ace: I asked him...and he answered.
Ace: He seemed groggy. Perhaps he had only just awoken from sedation.
Ace: I suppose Nijisaki was in much the same state. He seemed confused and
disoriented when I encountered him.
Junpei: ...
Ace: But yes, you are correct. I intended to kill him from the beginning, even
though I didn't know who he was.
Ace: I proceeded to the captain's quarters in order to remove this so-called
[witness].

Ace had confessed everything. What energy he had left him with the truth, and
he sagged on his knees.
Although he had confessed, his sins were not forgiven.
Junpei felt revulsion for the pathetic man on the floor near his feet.
But in among the revulsion was a hint of pity.
After all... Ace had not been the only person who murdered those 3 men.
Junpei spoke quietly.

Junpei: Ace... You've figured it out, haven't you?
Junpei: You were being manipulated.
Ace: Yes. So it would seem.
Ace: I was little more than a puppet, in many ways.
Ace: Everywhere I went, everything was already prepared.
Ace: The REDs in the large hospital room were dismantled. Nijisaki was dressed
like Snake.
Ace: There was an ax in the captain's quarters.
Ace: Musashidou was delirious from the anesthetic, so he couldn't fight back.
Nijisaki as well.
Ace: In retrospect, I can't understand how I could have fallen into such a
simple trap.
Ace: I'm quite ashamed of myself.
Ace: But yes... Yes, this was a trap.
Ace: It was Zero's trap, and I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. I did
everything he wanted me to do.
Junpei: Yeah.
Junpei: By manipulating Ace, Zero was able to kill 3 people and keep the blood
off his own hands.
Junpei: All of this was revenge for what happened 9 years ago.
Junpei: That's why this Nonary Game happened.
Junpei: Am I right...Santa?

Junpei looked over at Santa.
As Junpei spoke, he stood up, his legs still shaky.

Santa: Huh...? What the hell are you talkin' about? I don't know any--
Seven: Ain't no point tryin' to play dumb anymore, Santa. Actually, guess I
should call you [Aoi Kurashiki], huh?

Seven's face was sad as he spoke.

Seven: My memory came back, kid. You're Aoi Kurashiki, no doubt about it.
Seven: Never thought I'd be back in this room, talkin' to you.
Santa: ...
Seven: But hey, I guess this was all part'a your plan, right?
Seven: After all, the person who planned the Nonary Game this time around was
Zero...
Seven: ...And Zero's you.
Santa: Heh. Looks like you really do have your memories back, huh.

Santa's smile was sarcastic, and...something else.

Santa: Well, I guess there's no point in hiding it then, huh?
Santa: Yeah, you got me. I'm Aoi Kurashiki. I was one of the kids in the Nonary
Game 9 years ago.
Santa: I made it out. So did Snake over there.
Santa: But there's 1 thing-- No, I guess there's 2 things you got wrong.
Santa: Number 1, I ain't Zero.
Seven: What?!
Junpei: Wait, what?!
Santa: Sure, I was helping Zero out, but I'm really more of an...assistant.
Like a secretary.
Santa: But an assistant's only an assistant.
Santa: I didn't come up with all this.
Santa: All I did was follow Zero's orders.
Junpei: Then... If you're not Zero, who is?
Santa: Calm down there, Junpei. Didn't I say "2 things"?
Santa: You made 1 more mistake.
Santa: Junpei, you just said...

"All of this was revenge for what happened 9 years ago."
"That's why this Nonary Game happened."

Santa: But that's not it. Revenge isn't the only purpose.
Santa: There's another reason you guys were playing the Nonary Game.
Junpei: ...?
Santa: To save someone.
Junpei: Save...someone?
Santa: Right.
Santa: You were brought here to help my sister. To save Akane.
Seven: Wh-What the hell are you talkin' about?!
Seven: Akane Kurashiki died 9 years ago in this room... I was there, I saw--

Suddenly, Seven froze.
His eyes went as wide as dinner plates, and he spun around toward June.
Junpei followed his gaze--
She was gone. Where June had been, there was nothing.

Seven: What the hell...? Where's...where is she? Where's Akane Kurashiki?

Seven began to mumble to himself, a strange series of words strung together as
if his mind wasn't functioning properly.
His face was twisted with effort, as though he were struggling with something
they couldn't see.
He gritted his teeth and pressed his hands against the sides of his head.

Seven: Arg... My head... My head... It feels like it's gonna pop...

He groaned and fell to his knees.

Lotus: Seven! What the hell is going on!?
Seven: I don't know... I don't know, I just... I swear to God, my head feels
like it's about to explode.

From somewhere far away, they all heard a deep, heavy noise.
It sounded like a tremendous wheel slowly beginning to turn.
Santa seemed to have entered an almost trance-like state. His words were calm
and measured.

Santa: What was the Nonary Project?
Santa: I'm sure you know already, but I'll tell you one more time.
Santa: It was a project designed to test a particular phenomenon.
Santa: And what was that phenomena?
Santa: For 2 organisms to communicate with one another in the absence of
physical contact...
Santa: The morphogenetic field theory.
Santa: Could human beings use these invisible fields to exchange information?
Santa: That was what this experiment was conducted to determine.
Junpei: ...
Santa: There were 2 separate locations. One was the Gigantic, and the other was
a building in Nevada called "Building Q".
Santa: Building Q had been built to replicate, exactly, the interior of the
Gigantic.
Santa: The 9 children trapped in Building Q were faced with numerous puzzles,
copies of identical ones on the Gigantic.
Santa: They were told to send their answers into the morphic fieldset, and
transmit them to their brothers and sisters on the Gigantic.
Junpei: ...
Santa: The transmitters were put in Building Q and the receivers were put on
the Gigantic. Each sibling pair was supposed to be split up, but...
Santa: But there was a mistake.
Santa: Akane was a transmitter. She should have been in Building Q. However...
Santa: For some reason, she was placed on the Gigantic, with the receivers like
me.
Santa: Perhaps she was mistaken for someone who was supposed to be in Group A.
Santa: Whatever the case, Akane ended up on the Gigantic.
Junpei: ...
Santa: I think I've told you enough. You get it, don't you?
Santa: I'm pretty sure you know where this is going, Junpei.
Junpei: Wh-Where what is going...
Santa: Don't play dumb.
Santa: You know things you shouldn't. Things you couldn't.
Santa: How did you know Ace had prosopagnosia...?
Santa: How did you know why Ace wanted to kill Kubota and how Nijisaki was
killed?
Santa: Were you surprised when you found out Ace was Hongou?
Santa: And what about the coffin Snake was trapped in?
Santa: How the hell did you open it?
Junpei: Well...
Junpei: That's...

The answer to that is easy.
He knew because I knew.
Junpei was receiving information that I sent to him through the morphic
fieldset.
It's simple, really.
How do I know the alternate futures, then?
Imagine a river that splits in 2, like an upside-down Y.
The river flows from the top to the bottom; from a single stream into 2
branches. It only flows in one direction. It can never flow backward.
Information is the same way. It moves from the past to the future, but never
flows backward.
That's why people at the river's source, in the past, will never know about
those downstream, in the future.
But the people downstream will never know about one another either. Information
only flows along the path of the river.
But I am different. I can manipulate the morphic fieldset to pluck knowledge
from the future.
I know what happens on either fork of the river...
...Even though the people on either fork know nothing about one another.
Now... Who am [I]?
I am [I], the 9th letter of the alphabet.
But I am also [Zero].
...No, that's not true. I'm not really Zero. Not yet. Perhaps you could say I
am...[less than Zero].
Zero is my future. In 9 years...I will be [Zero].

(Continued below, "aed2" ) 

===========================================
===========================================
{aed2} File #29
::Bottom Deck, Incinerator::
-True ending, part 4-
-Morphogenetic Sorrow-
===========================================

* Where...where did she go?
* June...No, Akane...
* Where did you go?!

Clover: Santa!

* Why's Clover--
* Oh shit.

Santa: Freeze.

* Santa's got the gun.
* Guess he picked it up when we weren't watching...
* Looks like he's turned the tables on Ace, though. Wonder how he likes having
a gun to his head.

Santa: Get up.

* Sure isn't about to take that gun off him for a minute, is he?
* Ace isn't putting up any kinda fight. I mean, I don't think I would either,
but he just looks...drained.
* I guess he's going for the door, huh...
* He doesn't need to verify to go through that door, but...

Junpei: What's your plan, Santa? What are you doing?

* He can't get through any numbered doors with just 2 people... What the hell
is he thinking?

Santa: Didn't I tell you? I'm Santa Claus.
Santa: It's time for me to go make a wish come true.

* That's it? That's all he's gonna give us?!
* What the hell does that even mean?
* Shit, they're out--
* ...And now the gate's shut. Looks like the rest of us are stuck in here.
* They're all looking at me...
* At least Seven's headache is gone. He seems to be all right...
* Well, I guess there's no harm in trying.
* Let's see if this door still opens...

Junpei: ...Damn. Well, it looks like this door isn't opening any time soon.
Lotus: You mean we're trapped?
Snake: So it would seem...
Seven: What the hell is Santa trying to do?
Clover: Oh my gosh...
Seven: "Oh my gosh" what?
Snake: Have you considered where we are? There can really only be 1 thing Santa
would do now.
Lotus: N-No... No, you can't be serious!

* Oh, but he is! Shit... We've gotta do something!
* Maybe we can still get out through door [9].
* There's the RED...
* Yeah, all right, we can do this, I've just gotta--...
* No. It's not gonna work... There's no way. The 5 of us can't open this door!
* 2 + 4 + 5 + 7 + 8 = 26 -> 2 + 6 = 8
* Is there any combination that'll work...?

Clover: Junpei, can I borrow your pen and notebook?

* Sure, why not. I don't think I'm going to need them. ...Ever again...
* Well, she certainly looks purposeful... Looks like she's writing equations. A
lot of 'em...
* Huh? Ah man... She doesn't look very happy.
* --What?! Hey! No need to be ripping pages out like that! Geez!

Seven: What the hell are you doing, Clover?! Give me that!

* All right, at least Seven got it away from her. Maybe now I can get a look at
what she was writing...
* Let's see...

Junpei: ...
Seven: ...
Junpei: Shit...
Seven: Then there's no other way?

* Lotus...
* ...Looks like she'd figured it out, though. Man, this is just too cruel...

Lotus: It's okay. Go.
Junpei: Lotus...
Seven: C'mon, you know we can't do that.
Lotus: Oh, don't give me that. I'm sure you'd love to get rid of me.
Seven: Goddamnit, you idiot!

* Whoa! Where the hell did that come from?!
* Looks like she expected that about as much as I did...

Seven: Without...uh... If you're not... Look, it'd be bad, all right?

* For a cop, he sure doesn't have much confidence.

Lotus: ...Bad?
Seven: Uh...yeah...
Seven: I-If there weren't assholes like you around, I'd be out of a job.
Lotus: ...Huh?
Seven: Look, I'm just not leavin' you behind, all right? End of story.
Lotus: Seven...
Junpei: He's right. I'm not leaving you either.
Clover: Me too.
Snake: You don't honestly think I'd abandon you, did you?
Lotus: Ugh... You're all idiots.

* Act as tough as you want, Lotus. We can all see you're about to cry...

Snake: That being said, however...
Junpei: ...However?
Snake: I doubt we would be able to open the door anyway, even if we were to
leave Lotus behind.
Clover: Huh? Why?
Snake: I trust you remember what happened to Ace?
Snake: I couldn't, ah, see exactly what happened, but...
Snake: I was able to guess what he was attempting to do earlier, at the RED.
Junpei: Oh yeah...

Ace: No! What is this?! Why!?
Ace: The digital root should be (9)! It has to be (9)! 
Ace: Then why...why isn't it opening?!
Snake: Just to see, why don't we give it a shot?
Seven: Give it a shot..?
Snake: Yes, that...is what I said.

* ...
* ...
* 2 + 4 + 5 + 7 = 18 -> 1 + 8 = 9
* ...

Clover: You were right...
Seven: It ain't openin'...
Snake: But it did open 9 years ago. The digital root was (9) then, I'm sure of
it...
Junpei: You think maybe they changed the settings?
Snake: Perhaps.

* Shit. If we can't get through the door, we can't get out.
* The walls are way too high... There's no way in hell we could get to that
hole Seven popped out of 9 years ago.
* All we can do is stand here and stare at this door with a [9] on it.
* I guess this is it... This is the end.
* ...
* ...

[I] was watching. I had watched everything that was reflected in his eyes.
I was listening. Every sound that vibrated in his eardrums, I heard.
Smell, taste, touch... I felt everything he felt.
I knew. I knew everything about him.
What he was thinking, what he was feeling, what he was sensing...
All of his feelings and worries and fears became mine...
My mind, my consciousness, was inside of him.
Through the morphic fieldset we were resonant, and we were as one.
I was him, and at the same time, I was an observer.
...
It started with a tremendous noise like a clap of thunder.
That was approximately 9 hours ago.
A bomb had gone off on the ship we were on.
That was when my resonance with him began.
My resonant event melted into him and we became one. Inside of [Junpei]...
Somehow I found myself in Junpei's mind, 9 years in the future.
But I didn't lose myself...
I was living in 2 realities at once.
One was the present, and the other was the future.
Perhaps you can think of it as 2 movies showing on the same screen, at the same
time. Eventually, it becomes difficult to separate them, and determine which
movie is which.
However, if I concentrated, I was able to focus on one or the other.
That was why I was able to grasp what was happening in front of me.
"Come on! Over here!" That was my brother, Aoi. He was screaming.
I followed him.
Around me were 7 other children. They all looked like they were about my age.
"C'mon! Hurry up!"
We ran down a long straight hallway, and burst into the large hospital room.
Everyone was arguing. 2 of the boys got in a fist-fight. A girl watching them
began to cry.
"I wanna go home!" she cried. "I wanna go home!" Another girl slapped the
crying girl, and glared down at her.
It has been 2 hours since the Nonary Game began. We were starting to fall
apart.
But just when all hope seemed lost... [Light] started talking. He was blind. 9
years later, we would call him [Snake].
"Hello! Everyone! Yes, could you come over here for a moment?" He was older
than most of us, and his voice had authority and dignity.
The fights died down, and we gathered around him.
"I have a little sister. She is very important to me. Right now, she is over in
Building Q and is desperately trying to send information over to me. Her name
is [Clover], and today is her 9th birthday."
As he spoke, he pulled something from his pocket.
In his hand were 9 4-leaf clovers.
"I was going to give these to her, as a birthday present. I was outside picking
them when I was abducted. I'm sure I've already told you, but I am blind. For a
man who can't see, collecting 9 of a very specific plant is... Well, it is
difficult. But my sister means a great deal to me, and I hoped that these would
show her how much I cared for her. Since it's her 9th birthday, I thought 9
4-leaf clovers would be appropriate."
"Every one of you has a brother or a sister in Building Q with Clover. For
their sake, we have to survive. We have to get off this ship. Do you
understand?"
"If we're going to do that, there are 3 things you have to remember. We need
trust and love, and we have to have faith in one another. If we can take all 3
of those to heart, then I promise that good luck will come our way."
"Did you know that the leaves on the 4-leaf clover mean 'faith', 'trust',
'love', and 'luck'? Those words are leaf words."
"So, if you believe what I've told you, and you understand, then I want you
each to have one of these. They're a promise, between friends..."
He gave a clover to each of us. I took one too.
Eventually, he was left with only a single 4-leaf clover.
He had one last thing to say...
"Now don't ever forget... So long as you have that, we will always be
connected. Do you understand?"
When he finished, the tension of only a few minutes before was gone. We
were...calm.
...
...
After that, we ran around the ship for a while longer, and opened several of
the numbered doors until we finally found a door with the number [9] on it.
In fact, there were 2 doors with [9] on them, and we found them in the chapel.
We split into 2 groups and walked through the doors.
Before long, we all found ourselves in a room with a ceiling that looked like
an upside-down funnel.
For some reason, this room had another number [9], but this time, it was the
only 1.
But if there was only 1 door... That meant only 5 people could escape.
"What are we going to do?!"
"There aren't any other doors?!"
We began to panic...
Then, as if things had not gotten bad enough already...
Warning.
Warning.
Emergency incineration command has been acknowledged.
Automatic incineration will take place in...18 minutes.
Please evacuate the incinerator immediately.
Repeat...
Emergency incineration command has been acknowledged.
"What?!"
"What's happening?!"
"What did that thing say?!"
"That didn't sound good!"
My brother Aoi swallowed hard and answered.
"I think it means this room is gonna burn..."
"...Burn..."
"The plaque on the door says [incinerator]. And that voice said that the
incineration is about to start... And incinerate means to burn..."
"Nooooooo!"
"Help meeeee!"
Abject terror filled the room, as everyone began to scream and cry.
Every pair of eyes were filled with despair.
Then...
High up on the wall, a door opened, and a man appeared.
He was a huge, frightening mountain of a man, as large as a bear...
9 years later, we could call him [Seven]...
"Don't worry, kids! I'm not your enemy! I'm one'a the good guys! I'm a
detective. I'm here to rescue you."
...
The rest happened just like Seven had said it did.
The 4 of us who had stayed behind were saved by Seven.
We crawled through the vent, away from the incinerator, and slid down into the
hall.
We came out on the other side of door [9].
On the wall opposite the door was a set of double-doors...
We went through those, and began to run up the spiral stairs.
As we ran, I lead the way.
Behind me were Nona, my brother Aoi, Snake, and Seven.
The other children, the ones who'd gone through door [9] before us, were up
ahead.
I could hear them cheering each other on.
We ran, and ran, and ran...
We leapt across as many stairs as we could, and kept running.
The stairs spiraled upward like a tornado.
Eventually, I pulled ahead of the rest.
Perhaps Nona had slowed them down.
I didn't want to lose them, so I slowed down as well.
I didn't stop, but I glanced over my shoulder from time to time, to see if they
had caught up.
That was when I realized...
"Oh no! Where is it?! Did I drop Jumpy's present?!"
I knew I'd had it with me when we passed through the vent...
Then...had I dropped it as we slid out?
I had to go back. I had to!
But I knew I couldn't tell the others.
They would stop me; I was sure of that.
I didn't stop to think, I simply moved.
I ran to the central hall, the room that connected to all the other areas of
the ship.
And hid in the shadows, and moments later I felt a run of wind as they ran past
me, up the staircase.
...
I waited until they were out of sight, and then I ran.
I moved as quietly as I could, down and down and down.
Finally, I reached the bottom deck.
I ran into the hallway and looked around frantically.
"There it is!"
It was just where I'd thought it would be, sitting under the opening of the
vent.
I ran over and snatched it from the floor, but as I ran back towards the
stairs, and freedom--
The door to the incinerator opened, and a man stepped out.
It was [Hongou]. Gentarou Hongou...
9 years later, we would call him [Ace].
"Ah, how wonderful to see you decided to come back."
His smile made my blood run cold.
It looked mechanical, as if someone had simply pulled up the corners of his
mouth.
"Come with me. We must continue the experiment."
I shook my head, eyes wide.
Slowly, I began to walk backwards.
1 step...2 steps...3 steps...
Then I spun around, and broke into a run--
I felt Hongou's hand close over my left wrist.
"I said come with me!"
There was an edge of insanity to his voice now.
I pulled as hard as I could.
"No, I don't want to! Let me go! Please, let go of me!"
I shook my body and flailed my arms, trying desperately to get Hongou to let go
of me.
But I was still only a child... I was no match for a man like Hongou.
"Stop struggling, goddamnit! Do as I tell you!"
He heaved on my arm, trying to pull me into the incinerator.
I screamed.
"Help me! Somebody, help me!"
Then, suddenly--
"Akane!"
The door to the stairs flew open--
And my brother Aoi burst out of it.
Behind him came Seven and Snake.
"Akane!" He cried my name again as he leapt toward Hongou.
"You came back!" I cried out.
"Ha! You're too late, idiot!"
Hongou threw his full weight against my arm, pulling us both into the
incinerator.
"Aaaaaah!"
The force of it threw me to the floor.
I scrambled to my feet, and looked toward the open number [9] door.
Hongou stood between it and me, but behind him I could see my brother, his
fists clenched.
...But those fists never reached Hongou...
With the cold, heartless screech of metal on metal, the door slammed shut.
...
Hongou glanced at me mechanically, his face registering that there was an
object there, but not anything he would consider a human being. Then he turned
away, and walked to the RED that sat next to the door.
He reached into his pocket, and removed 2 bracelets.
He waved them both over the scanner panel.
2 asterisks appeared on the RED.
He checked the screen, then tossed the bracelets carelessly onto the floor.
What was he doing? What was the point?
He made no effort to explain himself, of course.
He said nothing at all, and walked past me as though I were nothing more than a
rock by the roadside.
A few moments later...
The double-doors slid shut as well.
...
Faintly, I could hear someone pounding on the door behind me.
I turned around and ran toward the door with the [9].
"Akane! Akane! Are you okay?!" I could hear a voice from the other side of the
door. A worried, frightened voice.
"Help me!" My throat was already raw, but I screamed as loud as I could. My
voice echoed, lonely, around the empty room.
"What should I do?! I-I think I'm trapped in here!"
"Where's Hongou!?"
"He went out the other door!"
"Wh-What!?"
Then it started again.
Warning.
Warning.
Emergency incineration command has been acknowledged.

Speaker: Automatic incineration will take place in...
Speaker: ...18 minutes.
Speaker: Please evacuate the incinerator immediately.

* Holy shit! Man, I knew what it was gonna say, but that is one hell of a
creepy voice!

Clover: I knew it...
Junpei: It's starting...
Snake: Santa started the incinerator...
Seven: Fuck! Man, I never thought I'd hear that damn voice again, after 9
years...!
Lotus: What the hell?! What! The! Hell?! What are you talking about?!
Lotus: It's "9 years" this, and "9 years that", and when it's not 9 years
something, then you're talking about some sort of fucking "experiments"! What
in God's name are you talking about?! You aren't making any sense!
Clover: ...
Snake: ...
Seven: ...
Junpei: I'm sorry, Lotus, but we really don't have the time to explain it right
now...
Junpei: I promise, I'll tell you everything once we get out of here.
Lotus: But--!
Speaker: Automatic incineration will take place in... 
Speaker: ...17 minutes.
Clover: You know what that means, right? "Incinerate" means "burn"--
Lotus: What kind of an idiot do you think I am?! I know what "incinerate"
means!
Clover: Well...
Lotus: Goddamnit. Okay. Okay! Fine!
Lotus: I won't ask anything else! Talk about whatever you want!
Lotus: But you have to do something for me. Seven! Figure this out!
Seven: What?! Why me...?
Lotus: Just shut up and stop this thing!
Seven: How the hell...
Lotus: There has to be some sort of emergency shut-off button!
Snake: There...isn't anything like that.
Lotus: How the hell do you know?!
Snake: Because I looked for it, 9 years ago.

* Yeah, Lotus isn't happy about that... Can't really blame her.
* Wait--
* The floor--it's moving!
* What else can I say about it, but...

Junpei: W-What the hell is that?

What else could I say, but...
W-What is that?
The floor opened, and a machine rose up out of it.
It looked like...a computer. At least, it kind of did.
There was a monitor, a keyboard, and a cross-shaped device of some kind.
Something about the machine scared me, but I forced myself to walk up to it.
I was terrified.
Tears poured down my face.
I wiped them off, even as more took their place, and forced myself forward.
Finally, I reached it.
I looked at the screen. It was blank.
All I saw was my own frightened face staring back at me from the glass,
drenched in tears.

* All I can see on this screen is a reflection of my own face.
* I'm lookin' kinda freaked out...
* I know I'm sweating like crazy, but seeing it kinda drives it home.
* Okay, Junpei, just calm down, all right?
* Everything's gonna be okay.
* --Gah! Man, I wish that thing would just shut up...

Speaker: Automatic incineration will take place in...
Speaker: ...15 minutes.

* All right, back to this thing.
* If it's only showing up now, then it's gotta be important.
* But...what the hell am I supposed to do with it...?
* Hmm...

Lotus: Hey! Move!

* Gah! Hey, we're all tense lady, that doesn't mean you get to shove people
around!

Lotus: Okay, it's turned on. There's nothing on the screen, though...
Lotus: This is bad... This is really bad... If there's nothing on here, how are
we supposed to do anything with it...

* Sure, just push buttons, I'm sure that'll--
* Huh. Well, at least it's on now.
* What's on the screen, though...

Clover: What is this...?
Seven: What the hell...
Lotus: It looks like some sort of...puzzle...

* It's got a bunch of numbers scattered across a 9 by 9 grid.
* The numbers range from 1 to 9...

Clover: Do you think that if we solve this puzzle...
Lotus: The incinerator'll stop? Yeah. Well, we can hope, right?

* All right puzzle... How do you work?
* Ah man, that goddamn voice again...

Speaker: Automatic incineration will take place in...
Speaker: ...13 minutes.

* Shit, 13 minutes... Can we really do this?
* My heart feels like it's gonna pop...

My heart was pounding like it was about to explode.
I stared at the puzzle on the screen.
I was sure I had to solve it, somehow, but...
I had no idea how...
My connection to Jumpy had been gone for a while.
His mind was gone... I couldn't get any more information from him.
I felt the seconds tick by as I stared at the screen, completely lost.
My cheeks felt hot as tears poured over them...
Then I heard a voice.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
It was muffled. I turned around...
Pressed against the window in the entry door was a face--a frightening, evil
face.
It was Hongou. How long had he been watching me?
"Awwwww... Don't know what to do?!"
He was yelling, but his voice was still muffled.
"It's simple, really, but I suppose I might as well tell you! Just solve the
puzzle on that machine! Ahahahahaha!"
His laughter was muffled by the door, but it still tore at my heart like the
claws of a vicious monster.
I bit my lip and glared at Hongou, struggling to hold back hot tears.
"You're a terrible person! I hate you!" 
"Oh my! How could you call a gentleman such as myself a terrible person? That's
not very nice. I'm quite fair. I don't use tricks or play dirty. You see? I've
even left you a way out."
"A...a way out?"
"Didn't you hear me? All you have to do is solve that puzzle. Do that, and you
can stop the incinerator!"
"What's the point of stopping it?! You'll only capture me and make me do this
all again! I'm not going to listen to you! If you're just going to throw me
back in here, I might as well just die now!"
"My goodness... Haven't you listened to anything I've said? I told you I'm a
fair man."
"?"
"If you solve the puzzle, the verification function of the RED will in turn
activate. If this experiment is to deliver valid results, there must be a
chance of success. If you succeed, you will escape."
"The verification function...of the RED?"
Then I remembered...
Before Hongou left the room, he had scanned 2 bracelets into the RED...
"Ah, so you do remember. Right now, there are 2 numbers in the RED. The first
is (1), and the second is (3). Say...Akane, what's your number?"
I looked down at my left hand. The face on my bracelet showed a (5).
1 + 3 + 5 = 9!
I ran to the door with the [9] on it...
I grabbed the RED and put my hand against the scanner panel.
...
...
"You really aren't one for listening, are you?"
I hear Hongou's muffled voiced from across the room.
"I already told you, didn't I? Once you solve the puzzle, the verification
function of the RED will activate. In other words, if you haven't solved the
puzzle, you can't enter your number! What kind of a fool are you?!"
"Why... Why are you doing this?"
"Hmph. You could never understand. You don't know what it's like to spend every
day surrounded by monkeys."
"..."
"Now, start the experiment! Solve the puzzle!"
"I can't! I don't know how!"
"Of course you don't! Isn't that the point?! You understand, don't you?! Access
the morphogenetic field and find the solution!"
"I can't!"
"Then you'll die! You'll burn alive! Ah ha ha ha! It's going to be quite hot in
there in a few minutes! I imagine it will be very painful! Hya ha ha ha ha!
Hyahahahaha...Ahahahahahahahaha!"
His horrible laugh echoed across the room, and even after his face disappeared
from the window, I could hear it.
Automatic incineration will take place in...
...10 minutes.
I was crying, great gulping sobs broken by hiccups that shook my body.
I was terrified. I could feel my fear pressing down on me like a tremendous
weight.
Somehow, I forced my shaking legs to carry me back to the device.
I stared at the empty monitor.
"I can't... I just can't, there's no...no way... I can't figure this out..."
What was I going to do? I didn't know... I didn't know!
I didn't even know where to start.
Fear scattered my thoughts, and all I could think of was how I was going to
die.
My palms were sweating, and my blood was boiling in my veins.
It was hot. So hot. I couldn't breathe. I felt dizzy.
My heart roared in my chest, as if it would pound itself to pieces.
I reached into my pocket.
I wrapped my hand around the thing I'd come back to get... The doll Jumpy had
given me... At least I had that...
I held it tight with both hands and prayed.
Help me, Jumpy...
Help me... Help me... Help me...
Jumpy!
Jumpyyyyyy!
Jumpyyyyyyyyyyy!

Please!
HELP ME!
Jumpy!

Junpei: Akane!
Seven: Akane!?
Lotus: Who the hell is Akane...
Junpei: Shut up! Just shut the hell up!

* Seven and Lotus don't understand.
* I think Clover and Snake have an idea though.
* Clover's looking at me...
* ...And I think Snake may have figured it out...
* No, it doesn't matter. They're in my way.
* Where'd she go? Maybe over here...

Junpei: Akane! Akane! Can you hear me?! Akane!? Say something!

* ...
* Fuck! Did something break our connection?
* I swear I just heard her...
* ...Shit!

Junpei: Akane! Answer me! Akane!

"Jumpy!?"
I spun around.
I heard a voice. His voice...
I looked around.
He wasn't in the room, of course...
But I'd heard it so clearly... Like he was right there...
"Jumpy!"
I screamed as loud as I could.
Immediately, I heard him call back.

Junpei: Akane!

"Jumpy!"

* That's her! She's there!

Then, that means...

Junpei: Akane! Are you in an incinerator right now!?

"Yes, I am! How...how did you know!?"

* Now I understand what Santa meant...
* "Right. There's only one way to help her."
* "You were brought here to help my sister. To save Akane."
* I think I get it now...

Speaker: Automatic incineration will take place in...

...7 minutes.
"Jumpy! We don't have time!"
As quickly as I could, I told him that I had to solve the puzzle in order to
stop the incinerator.

Junpei: Got it.

* ...And I do.
* I get everything now...
* At last, I finally understand what all of this means.
* I know why the Nonary Game was held today.
* I know why we were kidnapped and brought here.
* It was all for this moment.
* All of this was planned out to lead to this one moment.
* Oh my God...
* This is...this is insane! I...I can't believe it, but there's only one
possible answer...
* -----June is-----
* -----Zero is-----
* -----Akane Kurashiki-----
* She recreated the history of the future that she had a glimpse of, 9 years
ago.
* She tried to save herself that way 9 years ago--
* No! She's trying to save herself right now!
* That means that there's only one thing for me to do.
* Even if this is all some sort of insane plan...
* I will save her...
* I will save...
* ...Akane Kurashiki.
* I must save her, no matter what!

Speaker: Automatic incineration will take place in...

...6 minutes.
"Jumpy...!?"

Junpei: Yeah, I know! Just hang on, all right? I promise I'll get you out of
there!
Junpei: I'm not gonna let you die! I promise!
Junpei: So don't worry, all right? Just give me a few minutes. ...Okay?

"Okay..."
My voice shook as I answered.
It was hot in the room. It felt like my heart was on fire.
6 minutes or not, my heart burned with my feelings for him.
...
...

* All right, time to get to work, Junpei!
* Is Snake talking to them about something...?
* Whatever. It doesn't matter!
* Get out of my way!

Lotus: H-Hey, what are you--?!
Junpei: Just trust me, okay?!

* Sorry, Lotus, I didn't mean to snap but there's a lot more at stake here than
your pride.
* I'll apologize later, all right?
* Now, let's have a look at this thing...
* We've got numbers all over this grid.
* Now, if I'm looking at this right...
* I'm going to need to fill in all the empty squares with other numbers from 1
to 9.
* But I can't use the same 2 numbers in any horizontal or vertical row.
* The same has to go for the 3 by 3 square with the thick lines around them.
* That means I need to put different numbers in the horizontal and vertical
rows, as well as the 3 by 3 spaces.
* I think that's the rule here.

Junpei: All right! Bring it on!
Junpei: I'm gonna do this on my own, [with my own mind]! I'm gonna solve this
problem!

<Final Puzzle>

Junpei: Yes! That's it!
Junpei: Akane! Did you get it?!

"Yes! I did! I solved it! Well, I mean really, you solved it for me, but... I
copied everything you did! Now I just have to press 'Enter'!"

Junpei: Then what the hell are you waiting for!? Push it!

Okay! I will!

I hit the enter key.
...
...
Emergency shut down command has been acknowledged.
Incineration system has been shut down.
"Jumpy!"

Junpei: What's wrong?!

"It worked! It worked! The incinerator shut down! It worked!"
Tears rolled down my face as I cried out to him, but they were a very different
sort of tears.
A wonderful feeling of accomplishment and relief flooded my body. At the same
time, what strength I'd had left disappeared, and I collapsed to the floor.
For a while I just lay there, laughing and crying, and enjoying being alive.
Every time I thought about him, I thought my heart would burst.

Junpei: Phew...

* I can't quite believe I did that...
* But I am so glad...so glad... 
* I...I feel like my heart's on fire...
* No, I don't have time to be thinking about that kinda shit.
* I need to tell Akane...

Junpei: Akane! Sorry, but things are kinda busy over here.
Junpei: I'm gonna have to hang up now, okay?

"Oh! Of course! That's fine!"
I wiped the tears from my eyes and nodded vigorously, even though I knew he
couldn't see me.
Then I looked over at the corner of the floor...
There were the 2 bracelets Hongou had left behind.
...

Junpei: Now...

* Well, Seven and Lotus don't look particularly happy with me.
* Not a very nice look to give someone who just saved your lives, guys.

Seven: Junpei...are you...
Lotus: ...Okay?
Junpei: Ah shut it.

* Right. Okay, so maybe they have a reason to be pissed off.
* So what if I haven't pressed the 'Enter' key yet...
* All right, nothing holding me back now!
* Here goes!
* ...Wait...

Speaker: Automatic incineration will take place in...
Speaker: ...90 seconds.
Seven: !?
Lotus: !?
Clover: !?
Snake: It...doesn't sound like it's stopping.
Junpei: What the shit?! Why isn't it stopping?

* Okay, maybe I didn't hit the key hard enough. Just hit it again... ...And
again. ...And again...!
* Okay, that's not working either. The alarm's still going off!
* What the hell is going on?!
* I've got all the right numbers in the right boxes. It's perfect!
* So why the fuck isn't this thing stopping?!

Speaker: Automatic incineration will take place in...
Speaker: ...60 seconds.

* Wait... Of course!
* That's what these numbers under the puzzle mean!
* [2 + 4 + 5 + 7 + 8]
* Snake, Clover, me, Seven, and Lotus.  Then...
* Door [9]...
* No... That's it! That number on the door isn't a [9]!
* It's not even a number!

Zero: It is hidden, but an exit can be found.
Zero: Seek a way out... Seek a door that carries a [q]. 

* Holy shit... Of course...
* Then we just have to put the right number into the RED and...

Speaker: Automatic incineration will take place in...
Speaker: ...30 seconds.
Junpei: Run, guys! Get to the door! Run!

* Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit! Don't have much time!
* Man, I sure hope they can just trust me on this one or we are all fucked!
* All right, no time to explain, just go!

Junpei: Quick! Verify your numbers on the RED!
Snake: Verify...?
Seven: Who?!
Clover: What combination?!
Junpei: All of us! We all need to verify!
Lotus: Why!?
Junpei: You really think this is a good time to ask questions!? Just do it!

* Hurry hurry hurry hurry hurry!

Speaker: Automatic incineration will take place in...
Speaker: ...10 seconds...
Speaker: 9...8...7...
Speaker: 6
Speaker: 5
Speaker: 4
Speaker: 3
Speaker: 2
Speaker: Central gate has been opened.
Speaker: Incineration system has been disabled!

* Oh thank fucking Christ!
* No! No time to be happy! Time to go!

Junpei: Hurry! We've only got 9 seconds before the door closes! Go go go!

* C'mon guys, move it!
* Okay, they're all through! Move it, Junpei!
* Just in time--!
* ...And there goes the door.
* No, don't calm down yet! You're not done!
* We've still gotta find the DEAD.

Clover: *Pant* *Pant* *Pant*...
Lotus: *Pant*... *Pant*... *Pant*...
Seven: *Pant*... *Pant*... *Pant*...
Seven: Shit...
Seven: Looks like we made it, huh?
Seven: Ha... Ha ha ha! Ahahahahahahahaha!

* Man, that guy sure can laugh when he wants to.
* Looks like Clover and Lotus are totally out of energy...
* I guess Snake probably can't see the sky, but he sure can feel the fresh air.
* I just want to take a nap...

Junpei: Akane! Akane! Akane, can you hear me!?

* I want to tell her we made it... I want to tell her how good I feel...
* But...nothing...

The door opened. Standing in front of it was my brother.
"Akane!"
"Aoi!"
I cried his name, even though my voice was almost gone from screaming, and
leapt into his arms.
"Oh, Aoi..."
"Akane...!"
I buried my face in his chest and cried again. I cried and cried and cried.
The steady thump of his heart in my ear made me feel like I was home. Its beat
was almost like a lullaby.
I wrapped my arms around him as far as they would go and held him as tight as I
could.
Just to be there felt like a miracle.
I hadn't felt the warmth of another human body in what had seemed like an
eternity.
I just wanted to stay there in his arms forever...
But I couldn't.
The moment I'd passed through the door, my bracelets had begun the countdown to
death.
I leapt away from him and looked around.
The door had already closed.
I spotted the DEAD only a short distance away.
It took me only a moment to get to, and scan all the bracelets. I left the ones
Hongou had dropped on the scanner panel .
That was it...
"Phew..."
I took a deep breath and looked around again.
The huge detective who we'd call [Seven] in 9 years and [Snake], the blind boy,
were looking at me.
They seemed to have been utterly stunned by my sudden appearance. Their eyes
were wide and their mouths hung open.
"All right, let's get out of here. If we don't book it, we might run into
Hongou again!"
Aoi was right! It was time we got moving.
The mention of Hongou seemed to jar Seven and Snake out of their surprise, and
they nodded.
We took off running, up the spiraling stairs, to freedom.
...
...

* Up, up, up, up! Man, these stairs go on forever.
* But if they can get us outta here... No wonder we're running so hard.
* My heart's beating so hard I can barely hear... God I can't wait to breathe
real air again...
* ...Huh? Is Seven talking?

Seven: Hey, Junpei, can I ask you something?
Junpei: What's up?
Seven: That door, the one with a [9] on it. Why'd it open?
Lotus: Yeah... All 5 of us verified our numbers on the RED.
Lotus: 2 + 4 + 5 + 7 + 8 = 26. That makes our digital root (8).
Lotus: It shouldn't have opened...
Junpei: That's not like you, Lotus. I thought you would've figured it out
already.
Lotus: Huh? Why?
Junpei: Because, you were the person who taught me about the idea of [bases].
Seven: "Bases"?
Junpei: Yeah. What are the 2 numbers in base-2?
Lotus: (0) and (1).
Junpei: How about base-10...?
Seven: That goes from (0)-(9), right?
Junpei: Then how about base-16?
Lotus: (0)-(f).
Lotus: After (9), it starts at (a) and goes from there. (b), (c), (d), etc...
Junpei: You're right.
Junpei: In other words, (a) in base-16 is (10) in base-10.
Junpei: (b) is (11)...(c) is (12)...(d) is (13)...and so on.
Seven: So? What about it?
Junpei: You don't get it? What if we keep going with that pattern.
Junpei: What if you go way past base-16 all the way to [base-27].
Lotus: Base-27?!
Junpei: Yeah.
Lotus: Well, the numerical digits are the same...
Lotus: So I guess you'd add alphabetical digits...
Lotus: (e) is (14)...(f) is (15)...(g) is (16)...
Seven: (h) is (17)...(i) is (18)...(j) is (19)...
Lotus: (k) is (20)...(l) is (21)...(m) is (22)...
Seven: (n) is (23)...(o) is (24)...(p) is (25)...
Junpei: Yeah, and...? What comes after that?
Lotus: ...
Seven: ...
Lotus: !
Seven: !
Lotus: (q)!
Seven: (26)!
Junpei: And what does that mean?
Lotus: That wasn't a [9] on the door!
Seven: It was a [q]! A fucking lower-case [q]!
Junpei: Yeah, that's pretty much it.
Junpei: I guess to put it another way...
Junpei: You could say that it was a [9] in base-10, but a [q] in base-27.

* Time for more running...
* God, my thighs are killing me... I swear, any moment now I'm gonna tear a
muscle.
* I feel like every single cell of my body is dying for air.
* Damn, every breath I take is a chore now.
* I feel like my lungs are gonna burst... Maybe just a short rest--
* No, can't stop. Don't have time!
* C'mon legs, there can't be many more of these steps left!
* Let's run! Run! Like a bullet down a rifled barrel! Like a tornado cutting
through a sea of clouds!
* I feel like we're running along the back of a giant, coiled dragon--
* Finally!

Seven: *Pant* *Pant* *Pant*...
Lotus: *Pant* *Pant* *Pant*...
Clover: *Pant* *Pant* *Pant*...
Snake: *Pant* *Pant* *Pant*...
Junpei: Phew...

* Jesus, I can barely breathe...
* No, Junpei, no time to rest!
* Pull yourself together! You're almost there!

Junpei: All right... I'm gonna open it...
Seven: Yeah...
Lotus: Yes...
Clover: We're finally here...
Snake: Please, do...

* Sure, you look like a big, heavy door...
* But you're the only thing standing between me and my freedom.
* But even more important than that, you're the only thing standing between me
and Akane.
* You're gonna open, and you're gonna open now!

I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Aoi's. He gave it a small, reassuring
squeeze.
I was so happy I felt like I could melt.
My heart was at peace.
And not only because my brother and I were back together again...
Thanks to the huge detective, all 9 of us who had been kidnapped...
Were finally able to escape from the Gigantic.
On the distant horizon, we could see the faint outline of the ship as it sank.
It gave a thunderous roar as it finally slipped beneath the waves.
Its last cry echoed out across the ocean, and then it was gone.
"It's over..."
Aoi whispered.
"Yeah..."
It was over... It was finally over.
Or...was it? Was it really?
No, that was wrong. That wasn't it at all.
I was sure of it.
This wasn't the end. It was only the beginning.
This was only a prologue...to what would happen in 9 years...

* Yes! Finally! Air!
* Gah! ...Damn that sun is bright...
* I can barely see anything...
* Huh, I gotta admit, this doesn't look quite like--
* Wait...

Junpei: No way...

* You have gotta be shitting me.

Lotus: What...?
Seven: It can't be...
Clover: This is...
Seven: This is the building in the Nevada desert.
Clover: The mock experiment building...
Junpei: Oh my god... This whole time, we were in [Building Q]...

* Sure enough... That's a desert out there, with mountains all around it...
* Hello there, sun. Boy am I ever glad to see you...
* I don't think I have ever been so happy to see a sunrise...
* ...Huh?
* Did I just hear something fall...?
* Right... Our bracelets...
* I guess I've never really got a good look at the underside of one of these...
* Let's see what's inside you...
* ...Just a little electronic chip, like in an ATM card.
* ...That's it. There's nothing else.
* Nothing that even looks like a detonator.
* There was never a detonator to begin with...
* Figures...

Junpei: Akane...

"Jumpy..."

* Heh. Guess I must be pretty crazy about the girl if I think I'm hearing her
voice in the wind...

---[Credit Roll]---

(Continued below, "aed3" ) 

===========================================
===========================================
{aed3} File #30
::9 Years and 7 Months Ago, Hilltop::
-True ending, part 5-
-A promise-
===========================================

"Are you...okay?"
"Aw, c'mon. This's nothing."
"Really...?"
"Yeah."
"You don't look okay..."

It was just before the end of elementary school.
Jumpy and I were sitting next to each other on a small hill, looking down at
the town as the sun slowly set.

"How does it look, then?"

He was half-serious and half-joking.
I thought about it for a minute first.

"Um...well... Let's see. It looks like you kissed a toad and got warts but then
they just kept growing and growing and growing..."
"Heh... What does that even mean?"

Junpei grinned and-- "Ow! Oowowowowowow!"

"See? I told you you're not okay. You're too reckless. You can't beat 5
8th-graders, Jumpy. That's crazy!"
"Yeah, but I couldn't just stand there! I mean...don't you think so? I had to
do something!"

* Look at the Nevada desert go past...
* For an SUV, this thing has a pretty smooth ride. 
* Sure was nice of someone to leave it for us outside the building, keys in the
ignition and gas in the tank...
* Almost like it was a present, you know?
* Anyway, we jumped in, and now here we are, screamin' across the desert...
* Lotus is over there in the passenger seat.
* Snake and Seven and I are all squeezed into the backseat here.
* I still can't believe we let her drive...

Clover: Woohooo! This is sooo fun!
Clover: This is so awesome! Driving is so great when there's nothing around!
And there's no speed limit!
Junpei: H-Hey, Clover... Watch those bumps, all right?
Junpei: This car jumps even a little, and I think I'm gonna get crushed to
death.
Seven: Hey, shut it. I can't help it if I'm big, all right? Suck it up.
Snake: Why don't you drive, Seven?
Seven: I'm a cop. I ain't gonna break the law.
Clover: He doesn't have an international license!
Junpei: Yeah, but you could've sat in the passenger seat...
Lotus: Oh hell no. There's no way I'm giving this seat up.
Junpei: ...
Lotus: And Clover? There's no need to slow down.
Lotus: The car Santa and 6 are in should be somewhere down this road ahead of
us.
Seven: Yeah. I saw some fresh tire tracks goin' out.
Seven: There's no doubt about it.
Lotus: Then we've got to hurry if we want to catch them, don't we?
Clover: Sure thing!

* Ooooooooh shiiiiit!
* Goddamnit she doesn't have to drive so fast!
* Man, I didn't even think a car like this could go this fast...
* We're sure throwin' up a lotta dust...

It was a couple hours after we'd run into the junior high students.
They'd been hiding in the bushes on the back of one of the hills, drenching a
kitten in gasoline.
The moment we saw what they were doing, Jumpy ran up to them, furious.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" Then he jumped on them.

He quickly scooped up the kitten and tossed it to me.
I caught it, and ran for the police station as fast as I could...

"Help me! Officer, please! You have to come with me!"

The policeman and I headed back to the hill...
All we found was Jumpy, sprawled on the ground with a face covered in big,
swelling lumps.

"You couldn't run away after you threw the kitty to me?" I asked him.

He stuck his tongue out through the hole in his mouth where a tooth had fallen
out.

"Yeah, I guess I could'a..."
"Then...why didn't you?"
"I didn't want to. I wanted to beat 'em up. Beat 'em up real good."
"Because of what they were doing to the kitty?"
"Yeah, that too, but... I think they were the ones behind those murders our 1st
semester...remember?"
"Oh... You mean the bunnies?"
"Yeah... The bunnies."

He plucked some grass from the ground and tossed it into the wind.

"They asked me what elementary school I was from, so I told 'em. Then they said
they'd do the same thing to you that they did to the rabbit. 
I couldn't forgive 'em for that. So... I..."

Junpei: Hey, there's still some stuff I don't get...

* Course, they probably don't know any more than I do...

Junpei: Like Ace...
Junpei: Well, I guess I should say Gentarou Hongou. Why did he create the
Nonary Project?
Junpei: Anybody? Any ideas?
Seven: Hmph. Why don'tcha ask him yourself.

* Well, yeah, I guess I could...

Snake: He's still in the trunk, I assume?

* Yeah, he is.
* Still tied up, I'm assuming, with his mouth taped shut.
* Well, might as well have a little chat with the old man.
* ...His eyes just look...empty. No emotion.
* He looks like he's just given up. I wonder if he even cares what happens to
him anymore...

Junpei: Hey, were you listening to us?

* Yeah, go ahead and try to pretend you weren't, you old bastard.
* Let's get that tape off your mouth.

Junpei: C'mon, I know you were. Answer me.

* You could at least look at me when you talk, man...

Hongou: I...I only wanted to see the faces. Human faces.
Hongou: I thought... I thought that if I could gain the ability to access the
morphic fieldset, then perhaps I could see faces...
Hongou: By peering into people's minds, you could understand how they were
processing the expressions of others.
Junpei: That's it?
Hongou: Yes, if you want to put it simply.
Hongou: But if you are looking for a more philosophical answer, I can supply
that as well.
Hongou: You see, the human collective consciousness--

* I think that's enough out of you, pal. Time for the tape to go back on.

Clover: All right, so what's your second question?
Lotus: You said there were some things you didn't get, didn't you?

* Well, somebody's a little nosy.

Junpei: Well, my next question doesn't really have anything to do with you 2.
Junpei: This's for you, Seven. It's about the whole [Alice] thing.
Junpei: What's the deal with that?
Seven: Well...
Seven: See, 9 years ago, after I escaped from the Gigantic...
Seven: I kept goin' after Hongou on my own, hopin' I'd catch him when he
finally slipped up.
Seven: During the course of my investigations, I learned a lot more about the
Gigantic.
Seven: I also found out about Gordain and Alice.
Junpei: You're not really answering my question...
Junpei: Was there actually a girl who wouldn't melt at room temperature?
Hongou: Mmmm! Mmmm...mmmm!

* Sounds like Hongou has something to say...
* All right, fine, I'll let you talk, but you gotta behave.

Junpei: What?
Hongou: Alice doesn't exist.
Hongou: 9 years ago, I found Alice's coffin behind the library on the bottom
deck.
Hongou: There was nothing in it but the root of a peculiar plant.
Hongou: My research determined that it was a member of the genus Mandragora, of
the family Solanaceae.
Hongou: I was able to extract a particular alkaloid from it...
Hongou: I used that extract to create Soporil.
Hongou: Its creation was a tremendous boon to my firm, and we grew rapidly--

* Shit, this is gonna go on forever.
* Tape's going back on, Hongou.
* The rest of my questions can wait a bit.
* For now, I think I'll just enjoy the ride...

"Here... This is for you..."
"What is this...?"
"This is a For-You doll. His name is J-Junpei."

Jumpy pulled something out of his pocket and shoved out his arm toward me. In
his hand was a doll made of yarn small enough to fit in his palm.

"Jumpy... Are you sure it's a...uh...'For-You' doll...?"
"H-Huh? Yeah, the lady at the shop said so. Th-That means it's for
you...right?"
"I...um... Are you sure it's not a 'voodoo doll'?"
"..."
"..."
"Wh-What?! That's...oh man... Oh man!"
"He he... Well, it sure looks like a voodoo doll. I mean... You do know what a
voodoo doll is used for...right?"
"Y-Yeah... I guess calling it 'Junpei' isn't a very good idea, then..."
"Why are you giving me this, anyway? It just seems really sudden..."
"U-Uh, well...um... Y-You know how after June, we aren't gonna get to see each
other too much? I mean, we're gonna be in different schools...and..."
"I just thought I'd...uh...you know... Um..."
"Oh... Okay, well... How about we call it 'June', then?"
"O-Okay..."
"S-So I wanted to...give this...you..."
"He he... You sound like some sort of tribal chief in a bad movie..."
"Yes... I...head of tribe. This doll...traditional charm of...tribe..."
"Ahahahahaha!"
"So I...give this... It me... So we always...together..."
"Oh, Jumpy...."
"If something...bad... Then hold and pray. I go...wherever you are. So
here...take..."

I reached my hand out and picked up the doll gently.

"Thank you... Thank you so much, Jumpy..."

Before I knew it, I was crying. Tears streamed down my face, and fell onto
June's tiny yarn body.

"Oh Jumpy, I'll never forget you... I promise..."

Jumpy looked straight into my eyes, and said just 5 words...

"..."
"..."
"I'll never forget you either."

The sky was a beautiful crimson red as it melted down toward the horizon...
The last golden rays of sunlight stretched out across the city and painted
themselves across the hills.
We sat, bathed in the warm light of evening. Just the 2 of us, leaning gently
against one another, shoulder-to-shoulder...
The sun set, and we still didn't leave. We watched in silence as the darkness
deepened, and one by one, the lights of the town began to flicker on.
...
...

* There's still one thing I don't get...
* To be honest, it's the biggest mystery as far as I'm concerned, and also the
only one that's really important...
* It has to do with [June and Akane].
* 9 years ago, she died in the incinerator on the Gigantic.
* But...she's still alive now, as June.
* But how? Was it because I tapped into the morphic fieldset and saved her 9
years ago?
* Hmmm... All right, let's say that makes some kind of insane sense...
* If I did that, then...
* How do I make sense of what Seven remembers?
* Snake makes sense. He's blind.
* He couldn't have seen her body anyway.
* But Seven... He said he was sure he saw it.
* Does that mean there's some kind of...historical discrepancy?
* Or...wait. Maybe that's not it at all...
* There is one other logical explanation...
* Was what you told me the truth, Seven?
* You look...satisfied.
* No. No way...
* ...
* He couldn't--

Clover: Hey, look! Over there... There's somebody next to the road.
Lotus: Huh?
Seven: Wha...?
Snake: Mm?

The burning gaze of the Nevada sun pounded down on her head.
The desert around her rippled with heat.
Standing there, on that shimmering plain, was a woman, her arm out and her
thumb up.
It would not be long before Junpei realized who she was.
...
...

END

{End of script}

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VI. APPENDIX
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
{VIa}
a. Version History
================

Jan/9/2011 - Version 0.27: Knife Ending and Doors 4, 7, and 6 script completed.
Feb/21/2011 - Version 0.36: Submarine Ending and Doors 5, 3, and 2 script
completed.  Added in 2nd class cabin additional script and other minor changes.
Jun/19/2011 - Version 0.45: Axe Ending and Doors 8 and 1 script completed. 
Added in additional minor script changes in door 5.
Jul/4/2011 - Version 0.54: Coffin Ending and additional Door 1 script changes
made.  Minor script additions in Doors 4 and 7 added.
Jul/14/2011 - Version 0.72: Safe Ending and additional Door 6 script additions
made.
Aug/12/2011 - Version 0.81: True Ending and Door 9 script completed.

{VIb}
b. Disclaimer
================

Copyright 2011, NorseFTX
All rights reserved.

Need to plod through this stuff as always, so here goes.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.

The following sites have my permission to post this:
-www.gamefaqs.com
-www.neoseeker.com
-www.supercheats.com

This guide may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use.  If you would like to host this guide on your website or otherwise
distribute it publicly, please contact me by e-mail (chong_klly@yahoo.com). Use
of this guide on any website or as part of any public display without my
permission is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
The latest version of this guide can always be found on GameFAQs.

{VIc}
c. Acknowledgments
==================

If you find anything I'm missing in this script or have any suggestions in
formatting, please feel free to contact me!  Questions and comments are
welcome.
Email: chong_klly@yahoo.com

A big thank you to GameFAQs, Neoseeker, and Supercheats for providing a place
to host this guide!
Also, a huge thanks to Treeki, the author of Nitro Explorer, from which I was
able to generate a text dump of the game.

In addition, thanks to vaderence for providing additional 2nd class cabin
script for the shower curtain.
Thank you to all you readers and users for your support and encouragement!