Part 76: Zero

It's simple, really.

How do I know the alternate futures, then?

[Music: Who Is Zero?]

Imagine a river that splits in 2, like an upside-down Y.



That's why people at the river's source, in the past, will never know about those downstream, in the future.



Information only flows along the path of the river.







[Music: Silence]





(Where did you go?!)
Santa!
(Why's Clover--)
(Oh shit.)





(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.)

Get up.



(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...)



(He can't get through any numbered doors with just 2 people... What the hell is he thinking?)
Didn't I tell you? I'm Santa Claus.





(What the hell does that even mean?)
(Shit, they're out--)





(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...)



You mean we're trapped?
So it would seem...
What the hell is Santa trying to do?
Oh my gosh...
"Oh my gosh" what?



There can really only be 1 thing Santa would do now.
N-No... No, you can't be serious!

(Oh, but he is! Shit... We've gotta do something!)



(There's the RED...)



(No. It's not gonna work... There's no way. The 5 of us can't open this door!)
(Is there any combination that'll work...?)



(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.)



(Geez!)
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...)



...
Shit...
Then there's no other way?
(Lotus...)

[Music: Imaginary]



(Man, this is just too cruel...)



Lotus...
C'mon, you know we can't do that.
Oh, don't give me that. I'm sure you'd love to get rid of me.



(Whoa! Where the hell did that come from?!)
(Looks like she expected that about as much as I did...)



(For a cop, he sure doesn't have much confidence.)
...Bad?
Uh...yeah... I-If there weren't assholes like you around, I'd be out of a job.
...Huh?



Seven...







Ugh... You're all idiots.
(Act as tough as you want, Lotus. We can all see you're about to cry...)
That being said, however...
...However?
I doubt we would be able to open the door anyway, even if we were to leave Lotus behind.
Huh? Why?



I couldn't, ah, see exactly what happened, but I was able to guess what he was attempting to do earlier, at the RED.
Oh yeah...



The digital root should be (9)! It has to be (9)! Then why...why isn't it opening?!



Give it a shot..?
Yes, that...is what I said.





You were right...
It ain't openin'...



You think maybe they changed the settings?
Perhaps.



(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.)



...

[Music: Silence]

...



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...



[Music: Morphogenetic Sorrow]



A bomb had gone off on the ship we were on.