Part 33: First come, first saved: C

Part 33: First come, first saved: C



I was wondering when we would get around to trying one of these.



Simple fragment here. No puzzle room, either.



Music: Solitary Snail







Well, that was for when there was a nuclear war and the world was contaminated...

Ah, that explains the showerheads.



Just as I thought. This won't open either.

The map shows an elevator hall beyond this door...



If we came down the elevator normally, we'd be able to run into this room immediately, but...





I checked it earlier, but no dice. Locked up tight...

So we're locked in the Decontamination Room in Ward C. But there aren't any puzzles. So why are we here?

Do you think Zero trapped us in here to make us play the Decision Game?



It's pretty obvious at this point...

What is?



18:10...

Oh good, yet another fragment that starts at 18:00. That's seven-for-seven since we got through the Execution fragments, I think.





It's kind of funny how often the characters wake up and have the same conversation.



Fade to black, and now everyone's sitting on the floor. Just going to chill for 90 minutes I guess.

Junpei... I have something I've been wanting to ask you...

Sounds like a good time for some serious







Time to learn why Junpei's been an asshole all game.

What about--?





You used to... You'd never have said that a year ago.







Wh... What happened to you, Junpei... What happened while I was gone...



Carlos is all, "I know I'm not part of this conversation, but I also want to hear it."



What's that, Carlos? Does that mean you're interested in me...?



Got no time for a love life.



That's almost the same line that Akane said to Carlos back in the Pantry. "Oh, so a sister complex?" Weird.



And this time Akane gets all offended.

Carlos really is worried about yo--



"Actually you two are real shady and I'm stuck in this crazy death game that you two seem way too familiar with."



Weren't you friends as kids? And last year you were trapped just like this, and escaped together. So why...



That's exactly why.



Missing Lip Animations: 21



I've seen people die. Horrible, cruel deaths I never wanted to see... So many... I'm probably becoming numb.

Music: Ustulate Pathos



Oh man... What made you want to do that?

It was all because of Akane there.



She up and disappeared, so I went to a firm to try to find her.





Saw a coworker I'd just finished eating with pushed off a rooftop the other day.

What kind of detective firm is this?



Never had a by-the-books case where I just had to "prove he cheated". Every job that passed my hands was dirty. And dangerous.



That's when I realized: Humans aren't as beautiful as I thought... I'd only been skimming the surface all this time.



I slept in my bathtub with the shower running. It was the only way I was able to get the scent of blood off me...





I got intel through our network that Akane was joining this experiment...







Music: Morphogenetic Sorrow (Mix 3)

Fade to black, and when we come back, everyone is quiet.













Missing Lip Animations: 22

Aoi, known by the code name of Santa, was another character in 999. We don't find out that he's Akane's (Zero's) accomplice until the very end. Oddly, he doesn't show up in VLR at all. We don't what he's up to at the current time, either.



He's stuck in jail, if he hasn't escaped yet.

Ace was another 999 character. He was the organizer of the first Nonary Game that has child Akane simultaneously killed in an incinerator and saved by connecting to Junpei nine years in the future. One of Akane's primary goals for the second Nonary Game in 999 was revenge on Ace.



Lotus is doing all right. She's working and raising her kids still.

Another 999 character. Lotus was a single mother of two children who were particpants in the first Nonary Game, along with Akane and Aoi. She got kidnapped and forced to participate in the second Nonary Game during the events of 999.





I worked with him once. We destroyed Free the Soul's headquarters.

Seven was a detective from 999. He investigated and rescued the missing children from the first Nonary Game, then ended up as an amnesiac participant in the second Nonary Game.

Free the Soul was a terrorist group that formed the secondary antagonist for VLR. They released the Radical-6 virus that directly and indirectly killed six billion people. The very event we're here in ZTD to prevent. But Junpei and Seven already destroyed their headquarters?



Akane's also part of a secret group working against Free the Soul. Kind of funny she hadn't heard of any of that.



A religious cult.





I don't remember if this information was part of 999 or VLR before, but apparently Free the Soul also funded the first Nonary Game and the person who ran it (Ace) was a member.





My brother and I were trying to track Free the Soul's movements, but...



I came across some info on them while I was working. Seven was the one still on their trail...



But I kind of think we went too far by destroying their headquarters. I'm pretty sure we pissed off their boss. I think his name was "Brother"?



You know anything about it, Akane?



I don't know why this person is calling themselves Zero.



A noise -- some movement?





Missing Lip Animations: 23







From what I can tell, Akane's the victim--!





Akane stands up as well.

Huh?



I infiltrated the experiment to stop that...



I didn't know! I don't know any specifics about all of this!

Odd flaw here - the voiced line is actually "I don't know! I didn't know any...." I think it was actually supposed to match the subtitle, but got read wrong and kept that way for some reason?

But you just said it's to change the future--!



So you accessed the morphogenetic field and...



What are you talking about..

I love how Carlos is just like, wait, that story took a crazy left turn there.





Yeah good luck explaining that one. (Akane did explain it a bit at the end of the Pantry fragment, after getting the antidote.)



But before we can hear more on that topic, it's time for another inconvenient interruption.

A little late perhaps, but I will now announce the voting results.



Music: Zero (Unary Game Remix)



All three groups have voted for different teams. Therefore, none have been executed. The current death count: 0.

Hey, we did it! We found the timeline that continued from our initial set of execution votes!





I can't say this is an ideal situation for any of us involved. It appears that none of you fully grasp the essence of this game.



Think back on the rules you were told... You will remain in this shelter for eternity until six people are killed.



I will give you one last chance. A single action from you may result in your escape from the depths. What must you do? It's simple. I shall show you.

Music: CQD Ward BGM 3



The other two teams are listening to a message just like this one... In their ward's Decontamination Room...



The construction of all of them are the same. A yellow button exists on the wall in each.



Oh, that thing.



Pressing it activates the showers in the other wards, and they will rain down a solution of hydrogen fluoride.





It's not only acidic enough to melt a body, but it even dissolves glass and iron. Explaining what would happen if you were under it seems unnecessary.

Dissolves glass and iron, but not shower heads or pipes, I guess.





That button on the wall is your way to freedom. Using it will kill the other teams, and you will obtain the needed X-Passes to escape.



I have one final thing to tell you. The early bird gets the worm. After the first team pushes it, the button will become inactive for both of the other teams. Your time limit is three minutes. What will you do? Will you press it? Or refuse?

Ah, shit, you know Eric's going to jump right on that button. We're screwed.



It is ultimately all up to you to decide.



Music: Extreme Urgency (What Will You Decide?)



Junpei makes a move for the button, but Akane blocks him.





We need to push the button before the other teams do!



Are you really planning to sacrifice everyone else so you can escape?

Everyone followed the plan during the execution votes. Can they be trusted to stick to keeping everyone alive now?



It's kill or be killed, so we need to make sure to kill them first!



One year... And you've changed so much...



Ah!



Junpei!

I think...Junpei just knocked Akane down?







Maria...



I did not go through everything just to die today!



Ahhhh!





Carlos is breathing heavy, shoulders moving up and down, staring at the button.



No, don't Carlos!



If none of the teams push it, then it has to be like when we voted--!



While you're wishing on a star, we'll end up killed!

Junpei!

Knowing this thread, they'll end up both being right.



Push it, Carlos!



Here comes the heartbeat. You know what that means.



Music: Moral Dilemma (Annihilation 3rd Mix)



We used up most of our three minutes arguing already, just ten seconds left. Get out of here, or keep trusting the other teams? Press the button?



Extras:



Our conversation got us another file, this one on Free the Soul.



We got this file back when we watched Q-Team get executed.