Part 17: [continued]
Time to do the rounds.
999 OST: [Imaginary]
You guys find anything?
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
Hello Mr. Sigma.
Nothing yet.
Oh...
I doubt you'll find any hidden hallways here.
Why are you back here, then?
Ah, well, I was concerned about the lady you found.
Who would do such a horrible thing...
Given what we know so far, you're the most likely candidate.
Phi, please.
Why would I kill this woman?
Hey, don't get me wrong.
I'm just saying the evidence points to you right now.
If we find more evidence in the future, that could change.
...
Beats me. I've never seen her before.
Neither do I.
Well... I suppose I might have known her before I lost my memories, but there's no way to know, is there?
Are you suspiscious of me too, Sigma?
Suspicious? Have you looked in a mirror lately?
You might as well have "suspicious" tattooed across your forehead.
If someone ran into you on the street at night, they'd probably pass out from fright.
Or maybe even during the day.
I'm so sorry. I apologize for my frightening appearance.
Well... it's not really something you need to apologize for.
I mean, it's not your fault, right?
No, I suppose not. Well, I assume not. But...
But what?
The mask and suit, I mean.
In a way it almost feels... natural. I don't feel as though I was forced into it...
Are you saying this is how you always look?
No, I don't think that's it.
This might be a pretty obvious question, but is there any way for you to take it off?
No. I've tried several times, to no avail.
I honestly don't even know where to start.
Ah, there is something I'd like to ask of you...
There are parts of the suit I can't see. Could you have a look, and tell me if there is a switch or something similar?
There's a hole here... on the back of your head.
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
A... hole?
Yeah, looks like you... insert something.
It says "OPEN", so maybe if you put some kind of key in there...
You could open up the suit and take the mask off...
I see... That's excellent news.
We just need to find whatever it is that goes in there, then.
Yeah.
I was beginning to fear I might have to spend the rest of my life like this.
Wait... A minute ago you said that it felt natural.
It does. But that doesn't mean I want to stay in it forever.
Imagine having glasses, for instance.
Wearing them doesn't feel strange, but you'd hardly want to wear them all the time, forever, would you?
That's what wearing this suit is like.
...
VLR OST: [Placidity]
No. There still might be something here. I'm staying.
Me too.
I see.
Well then, I will move ahead and see how our companions are doing.
What do you intend to do?
Hmmm... I think I'll be moving along, too.
Good thing we tied this all up in one vote!
I was thinking I might go over to the crew quarters.
Very well. I shall head for the lounge, then.
Until we meet again. Excuse me.
VLR OST: [Anxiousness]
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
What're you doing here?
Hey, c'mon man, don't be like that. We aren't enemies, are we?
What happened to you, Tenmyouji?
You've been acting weird ever since we found that lady's body.
Ya think so?
What, you sure it ain't just all in your head?
...
...
Fine. Let's move on to something else then.
You and Quark...
Is he your... uh... grandkid?
Why do you want to know?
Why? Well, I mean, why do you think?
He keeps calling you "grandpa". Of course I'm gonna wonder what the deal is.
We all got kidnapped and bought here, apparently for no reason.
Now they're making us all play some sort of weird game.
I'm just trying to find a little meaning in all this nonsense. That's it.
So tell me, Tenmyouji...
Are you really Quark's grandpa?
Luna.
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
Sigma! Where'd you come from?
Did you not want me here?
No, it's okay I guess...
I just thought Tenmyouji was the only other person here.
This is the crew quarters. I came here with Clover and Tenmyouji.
We decided we'd split up to investigate.
Huh. Makes sense.
So... you find anything?
What? Which one?
No, I meant I found zero things.
What about you? Anything suspicious?
I didn't find anything either.
Although... I guess you could say this whole facility is suspicious...
Yeah... you've got a point there.
Hmm...
Well, maybe solving all of these puzzles is part of the Nonary Game.
Really? I thought the Nonary Game was a couple rounds of the AB Game.
Why would he need the puzzles and stuff, then?
Why is Zero making us do all this?
Um... Well, this is just, um, speculation, but...
Maybe it's... for entertainment. So rich, powerful people can watch.
Entertainment?
Yes. They're probably off in an opulent theater, watching us struggle while they drink brandy and eat caviar...
You think so, huh?
So, some rich bastards killed her off for kicks...
What kind of a death is that?
K was right.
If her dying wasn't part of all this, the rabbit would've said something.
But what do we get? Nothing.
Just tells us to keep playing and disappears.
I can only think of one reason he'd do that.
Murdering her was always part of Zero's plans.
If you can think of another way all this fits, well, I'd love to hear it.
So you're saying that Zero Sr. is the one who murdered the old lady?
Well, it sure looks that way.
Well, Alice and I can't be Zero.
Okaaaay... I'll let the "I" part go, but...
You're gonna have to give me a little to convince me Alice can't be Zero.
What? Come on. Alice and I know each other.
Well, um, how do you know each other?
And where do you co-work?
An... organization.
That's kind of vague... What kind of... organization?
Um... that's...
...
...
...
What?!
What do you mean you can't tell us?!
I mean I can't tell you!
Just forget about it, okay?
Why can't you tell us?
I promised I wouldn't tell.
Oh come on, don't give me that!
Look around you, Clover! You really think this is the time for playing it close to the chest?
Y-Yeah!
Wh-What if the people you work for have something to do with what's going on here?
You're right.
Maybe I should tell you...
Finally--
I mean, what if one of you is Zero?
It could be any of you?
...Sorry.
...
...
...
I just don't really feel like I can trust you guys.
Maybe if that changes... Then I can tell you.
...
Go? Where are you going?
I don't know. I haven't really figured it out yet.
Then I'll be going too.
Fine.
Save it. I don't trust you any more than she does.
In other words, you aren't gonna tell me anything, are you?
Sorry.
VLR OST: [Placidity]
VLR OST: [Sinisterness]
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
Perfect timing.
You were here earlier, right?
Yeah, I was. Phi, Luna and I were the first into this room...
Did you find anything suspicious?
Like, a secret pathway or something...
You really think that's the kind of detail I would have neglected to mention?
Anything else, then? Anything out of the ordinary?
Out of the ordinary... Hmm...
Isn't that obvious?
It's an astronomy magazine.
Apparently, it's got an article about a lunar eclipse.
Says it's going to happen on... December 31st, 2028.
Yeah. Six days from now...
What do you mean "six days"?
Uh, well, today's Christmas, right?
So...
When were you grabbed?
Didn't you hear me? On Christmas. About... 2 or 3 in the morning.
Wait... Did they pick you up on a different day?
Y-Yeah...
I was abducted in the middle of the night on December 22nd.
What about you?
I... I think it was... the 20th.
Then we were all taken on different days.
Does that mean we were just... sleeping until the Nonary Game started?
Maybe they kept us on a Soporil IV drip or something?
In theory, you could have everyone wake up at the same time, if you got the dosage right.
Then today might not even be the 25th...
I think that's likely.
Yeah, some of us were probably abducted after you.
Oh... Well, I guess that explains why I feel kinda dizzy.
You too? I've felt disoriented since I woke up.
My body doesn't feel... right.
Maybe it's because we were asleep for so long.
Your muscles start to atrophy if you don't use them...
Uh... Then...
...
...
Beats me.
I have no idea.
Was there anything interesting in the crew quarters or the infirmary?
Naw, nothing in the quarters...
...Well, there was a book about a cat...
...A cat.
Yeah. Something about a cat in a box, and whether it's dead or alive...
Hmm...
Well, it doesn't really sound like something that's going to help us get out of here.
Yeah, I didn't think so either.
Find anything interesting?
What?
I wasn't trying to hide it.
The right moment to mention it just never came up.
You don't need to apologize, just tell us what you found.
It's... a newspaper article, looks like.
Yeah. It was in the safe in the infirmary.
999 OST: [Riddle and Puzzle]
Let me see that...
"Radical-6 Infection Spreads, Cure Continues to Elude Authorities."
Wh-What the hell?
What's... "Radical-6"?
Just read the article.
"The Radical-6 virus continues to spread across the globe like wildfire.
The WHO has confirmed...
...that the death toll is estimated to have passed 100,000 victims.
Immediate quarantine of any infected patients is strongly advised."
...
You mean you think we got infected with this Radical-6 thing?
C'mon, you gotta be kidding me.
Well, we don't know anything for sure.
But... Look at us. We seem pretty healthy.
Admittedly, I don't know what the symptoms of Radical-6 are...
But if it's killing people worldwide, they must be horrific.
Does this beauty look like something infected with an awful disease?
I can see it in your eyes.
Go on. Try.
Well, I am feeling a little weird...
That could just be from sleeping for a couple of days.
Or maybe it's a side effect of that drug.
Besides, if this is where they ship people to quarantine them, don't you think there aren't enough, uh, people?
This thing is killing people all over the world, right?
So why would there only be nine of us here?
Yeah, I guess you do have a point...
Think about it. Zero is forcing us to play this "Nonary Game".
Why would the government quarantine people, and then make them play a game?
Also a good point.
Yes it is.
So you're saying there are no connections between our abduction and this virus?
Probably not.
Hmm...
I mean, even if we're safe in here, our friends and families are still out there...
That's true. I hope they're all right...
Wait a minute... When did this virus actually show up?
I've never heard of it before.
Neither have I.
Me either.
So what day is it?
If this "Radical-6" killed hundreds of thousands of people while we were asleep...
Just how long have we been here for?
If we want the truth, we'll need to find more information.
Yeah, well, doesn't look like we're gonna have time for that.
[Music fades out]
Uh, yeah.
All right. We should hurry.