Part 137: NGAE: ~/yellow/betray/green/ally sigma\$ cd ~/cyan/betray/red/ally && chmod u+rwx *

I have a notion.

Notable: I didn't bring it up before, but here we see the first very obvious instance of the flowchart lying to us. Other plot locks have always let us see the empty nodes below, but this one hides them until it's opened. There are other locks like this. This is more or less the only reason I'm considering maybe showing the entire visible flowchart in a screenshot later on.

Can you believe it's nearly been an entire year since this plot lock was raised? Everything was going so well for me until I finished my Final Year Project, did my finals, graduated and got a job. I think we need a recap.

Previously on this route: Sigma betrays Alice in retaliation for "last time" and is somewhat nonplussed when she allies and makes him look like a total dick. This is quickly forgotten about when an antimatter bomb shows up in the Crew Quarters. After the next round of explorations, Quark and Alice come down with nasty cases of Radical-6. Quark is sedated and Alice disappears, to be later found by Phi in the Garden along with another bomb. In the next AB Game, Signa and Luna ally with Phi who betrays them in retaliation for "last time". Phi, having accrued 9 points, is about to escape but Sigma talks her out of it by quoting her favourite Latin proverb at her. Everyone makes up and goes back to worrying about the bombs. While searching for the implicit #2 bomb Phi briefs Sigma on quantum physics-based time travel and states explicitly what Sigma was beginning to suspect; that the two of them are capable of jumping between the branching timelines of the Nonary Game: Ambidex Edition, and that causality may not be as straightforward as they thought. Briefly they consider if any of this is serving a purpose - but they are interrupted by the discovery of the last bomb in the Control Room. Clover - who is totally not a government agent by the way - wonders if someone isn't trying to blow the reactor. Everyone gathers in the infirmary and Phi is about to pat them all down for evidence when Sigma suddenly blurts out-



-before blacking out.

We rejoin our heroes at that exact moment...



VLR OST: [Consternation]

Listen in: [English/Japanese]





"Who Set Up Us The Bomb, Part A"


Well, we're about to find out.
Sorry K, but could you hold him down?


A-Ah, well...


It's on him, I promise.


Knock it off, Sigma! You're doing this all backwards!


So? This isn't a court.
Besides, all we want is to know who set the bombs.


Rrrgh...


And why are you getting so worked up anyway?
If you're innocent, then a search will show that and I'll look like an idiot.


Nice try, but that's some bullshit totalitarian logic. I don't think so.
What are you even basing this on?
How do you "know" I set the bombs?!


Because...


Just spit it out!




The Myrmi-what?


I beg your pardon?




Oh, that's not all I know.
I know about Free the Soul, and I know about Brother.


What the hell are you talking about?


I can tell you the details later.
But there's no question that you were the one who set up the bombs.




I don't know who the "Myrmidons" are!
And I don't know what Free the Soul is, and I certainly don't know anything about some old fart called "Brother!"


Heh... Oh, Dio. Tell me, how does that foot taste?
"Who" the Myrmidons are? I don't recall saying the Myrmidons were people.
And what about Brother? How would you know his age if I haven't said anything besides his name?




...
...


Wait...so...




A terrorist?


Oh dear...


..."Left"?




Well, looks like I won't be able to talk my way out of this one.


Seriously though, when did we get so famous?
The Myrmidons aren't supposed to be something anybody knows about, let alone you two jokers.


...


...




Yes, I'm the leader of the Myrmidons.
My real name is Left.
I was sent here to stop Zero Sr.'s AB plan.
That's why I planted the bombs.
If it looked like the plan might actually succeed, I was supposed to blow this whole place sky-high.


AB plan...?


What's that?




I should've been more careful. Then again, it's not like it really matters.
After all, you're going to die here.


...What?


Goddamnit, no—



I leapt toward him—






Whoa there, heh! Better not come any closer!
You think I'm not prepared for this?
Take one step, and it'll be your last.


Then...that thing you're holding...


It's the detonator.


Yeah, I guess it is.


Now back the fuck off!


D-Dio, please, calm down!
If you press that button you'll die too!


So?
Believe me, there's plenty more where this came from.


What...?


Now that we've cleared that up, back! Off!


...
...


Come on, move it! Go go go!



We had no choice.
Slowly, carefully, we backed away.
All of us, except for one...
Tenmyouji.




Hey! Grandpa! Your hearing gone?
I said back off!


No.


Rrgh! You... I'm not screwing around here!


I can see that. So why don't you do it?
Go ahead. Press that button.


What!?


Tenmyouji!


Something wrong? Hurry it up. I'm not getting any younger.


...
...


Oh? Do I sense hesitation?
What's the matter, Dio? Scared? Well?


Urgh... Gnnnnnn... You son of a bitch...


Ho ho ho ho ho...
So you were just bluffing?


I'm not bluffing, goddamnit!
You hear me!? I'll do it!


Oh, I'm sure you will.
But there's really something I should tell you...


See, that detonator you're holding...
...It's a fake.

[Music fades out]


Wh-What?!



For just an instant, Dio's eyes twitched down to the device in his hand. That was all the opening Tenmyouji needed.







He cried out as he leapt through the air—
Tenmyouji's leg shot out, knocking the detonator from Dio's hand.
...
...






What happened?


The detonator... He doesn't have it anymore...


What...?


Wh-What's happening...?



999 OST: [Chill and Rigor]




Oh, you really fucked up, Tenmyouji!


This is what happens when you try to show off!


Wh-What?


I'm sorry... This is my fault. I didn't have time to tell you how it worked...


What are you saying?


The detonator isn't supposed to be separated from Dio.
If it is, then the timer on the bombs automatically activates.


Damn... How much do you know?


...
...




If that thing ever gets more than a meter away from me, it activates.
When it does, it starts the timers on all the bombs.
So thanks to this old fart, you get to try and defuse a bunch of activated bombs on a countdown.


You can go ahead and destroy the detonator if you want.
Once the timers have been activated, they'll go off anyway.


How long do we have? When do they explode?!


You should know, Sigma. Why don't you tell her?


...
...
Thirty minutes.




Th-Thirty minutes?!
That's crazy!


Yeah...


H-How do we stop them?!


The emergency deactivation passwords.


None of us know them, though.


Right, none of us know.
But there's someone who does, isn't there?





What, hoping I might spill the beans? Nice try.
Unless one of you is secretly a medium, I think you're shit out of luck.


Wait, a medium...?

[Music fades out]


Heh... Well, I'm out. Peace!


Wait! Stop!

VLR OST: [Strain]



I threw myself toward Dio and wrapped my hand around his wrist, slamming it to the floor.
He struggled, but I put all my weight on it and kept his arm pinned.






Shit! Let go of me, goddamnit!
Get off of me! Let me goooo!



He continued to struggle, but I wasn't going to let him go.
I shifted my weight to free one of my hands, and started trying to pry his open.




Hey! Hey! I'm not fucking around, all right?!
Let go of my goddamn arm!



By then the others had run over and piled onto Dio along with me.
Even then he refused to stop.
With increasing desperation, he tried to get the hand I had grabbed to his mouth.




We don't have a choice.
Luna, go get the Soporil!


No! If we put him to sleep, we can't get what we need out of him!


You think I don't know that?! What other choice do we have?!
Every minute we spend wrestling this prick is a minute we don't have to deal with those bombs!
We don't have time for this!


Rgh... Shit!


What're you doing, Luna?! Go!


Right!


Okay, I've got it! I'm ready when you are!


Grraaaaaah! You can do whatever you want to me, you fucking cowards!
You're still gonna die!
Go ahead, tell yourselves you can fix it! Run around like idiots before you get blown to atoms!
Serves you fucking right! You're gonna burn!


Oh for God's sake...
Luna, shut him up!


Right!
H-Here it goes!


Graaaaaaagh!
Urrrrgggraaaaah!
Hnnnnnnnngggghhh—!



[Music fades out]


...
...




*Pant* *Pant*



As they began to climb off of him, I finally pried Dio's hand open.
There it was, just what I'd expected.



A small, unassuming capsule. I didn't know what was in it exactly, but it was undoubtedly some kind of poison.

I stumbled toward the sink, and tossed it into the drain.



999 OST: [Trepidation]




Twenty-five minutes or so, I believe.


And how much time until the white doors open?






We put in the password and stop the bombs.


We searched Dio, but he doesn't have a note or anything with the codes on it...


Hm... Well, only one option left, then.


And that is?




We trust our hunches.


That's... Are you suggesting we just...guess?


Do you have a better idea?


Well, no, but...






Before I can tell you, everyone has to promise to do exactly as I say.
No questions.
What's your answer?



We all nodded.




Good.
First of all, Sigma, you're coming with me.


R-Right.


The rest of you, listen up.
I want you to take Alice, Quark, and Dio to the floor B warehouse.


Huh?


Why?


Didn't I say "no questions"?


...


...


Good. That's it. We're done.


That's...it?


Is there a problem?
I seem to recall you promised to do exactly what I told you to do.


...
...




Sigma! You're with me!



Phi turned without waiting, and headed for the door.
Before I could blink she was gone.
I gave everyone else in the infirmary a quick thumbs-up and a shaky smile.




Take care of these guys, okay?
We'll see you back on floor B before you know it.
So...
Just trust us, all right?
Good?



I couldn't think of anything else to say. I turned and ran after Phi.