The Let's Play Archive

Zero Time Dilemma

by DKII

Part 51: Inject

Part 51: Inject



Sure, let's inject ourselves with these syringes for no reason.



I mean, what's the worst that could happen? Besides unleashing a deadly virus and killing six billion people, I mean.



Music: Divulgation 2nd Mix



Let's do it...



Why...?

Care to share your reason?

Yeah, I'd like to hear this, too.





It's just like Eric said. If Zero does have that power, then it's the same either way.





Our fate can go four different ways if that's the situation:



If we are infected with FBR, and we inject ourselves with Radical-6. Or not.



If we aren't infected with FBR, and we inject ourselves with Radical-6. Or not.





Zero said the casualty rate is 75% for the Radical-6 virus.



And we saw in the files that death is 100% confirmed for Fanatic Bio R.

Of course, this whole scenario involves Zero lying to us in the first place. So can we really trust the mortality rates he told us?



Screen turns black for a second, and there's the sound of markers writing.



I'm not sure where the markers and paper came from, but this whole explanation feels a lot like Sigma convincing Diana to shoot him in the Trash Disposal Room. The game came up with a better justification than I was expecting, though.

It's clear which option is best, right?

I see... The probability that we're infected with FBR is 2 to 1, which means if we inject Radical-6, our survival rate is half of 125 - 62.5%.

And if we don't inject it, then our chance is sitting at 50%.





None there. Let's do this.





Clicking sounds as everyone grabs their syringes.



Okay, here we go!

Wasn't Eric afraid of needles? Maybe we should do it for him. And not just because I want to stab Eric, honest.



Eric and Mira both nod.



Flash to white as the injection happens, then fade to black.

Music: Placidity 2nd Mix





So, are we good? Did we do the right thing?



Yeah, but would it have opened either way?

Do you feel any different?









Kind of a tentative laugh from Eric here.



What is that pose supposed to be?

Hey, Eric...









Issues at home, I guess...

Yeah, you could say that...



That's just it. We were completely normal.

"And then my mom died and my dad killed my brother."



A kind mom, a clumsy dad, and an annoying little brother...

Oh, so we are going to go there.

Music: Reminiscence



There's a kid sniffling in the background.

[Eric's Mom:] Oh dear, what's wrong?

[Eric's Dad:] I'm not sure. They've just been crying...

Dad of the year, right there.

[Eric's Mom:] Hey you two. Mind telling Mommy why you're crying?

[Young Eric:] Chris broke my toy!

[Chris:] No! It was your fault, Eric!

[Eric's Mom:] Chris, Eric. Listen to me, okay? When painful or sad things happen, people get angry or cry because of them. But even at those times, I want you to never forget to smile.



[Young Eric:] Smile?

[Eric's Mom:] Yes, smile. No matter how painful things get, as long as you can face it with a smile, happiness will come to you. Smiles have a strange power.



[Young Eric:] Really?

[Eric's Mom:] Yes, really. And that's not all. A smile can make everyone all around you happy too.

[Chris:] You too, Mommy? You'll be happy too?

[Eric's Mom:] Of course. So why don't you two stop fighting and show Mommy your smiles?

[Young Eric:] Okay!

[Chris:] Yeah!

[Eric's Dad:] Heh, you sure are something else... Hey, what about me? Can Daddy get some smiles, too?

[Eric's Mom:] Oh dear, it looks like Daddy's lonely, you two! Let's all give him a whole lot of smiles.

[Chris and Young Eric:] Okay!

[Eric's Dad:] Get over here for a hug! Oof!

Chris giggles.

[Eric's Dad:] You've gotten big.

[Young Eric:] Me too, me too!

[Eric's Dad:] Okay, okay! Come at me, I'm ready!

[Young Eric:] Yay!

And everyone laughs. What a happy family! Shame someone had to ruin that.



Mom always told us to "never forget to smile". She'd never hurt a bug... Not even if a line of ants crossed her path... She was that kind and gentle.

How about if a snail crossed her path?



Music: Confession 2nd Mix



There's a kid crying in the background.

[Eric's Dad:] Shut the hell up! Who said you could fucking cry?!

Glass breaking. A punch.

[Young Eric:] Chris...!

[Eric's Dad:] Jesus, Eric! Can't you even look after your shitty little brother?!

Another punch.

[Young Eric:] I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Forgive me. Please forgive me!

[Eric's Dad:] God. Fucking kids... Go find someone to get me beer!



"Don't cry. Don't get mad. You better always smile" was what Dad liked to say. But unlike Mom, he was never not angry with us...



Eventually I figured out how to smile regardless of what was going on. Just smiling day in and day out. No fun. Not happy. I'd be made fun of...or yelled at... And no matter the pain, no matter how bad it was, I never raised my voice. I just kept smiling.

Unless you mess with Mira, then he turns into a right psycho.





Got kind of mixed up, and the result is what I pasted on my face.









Mira...





She probably feels exactly the same as she did before.





I didn't even have to ask, did I?



Eric...



It wasn't like I did it for you or anything.



Yeah... Still, thanks.



To tell the truth, I just didn't want to end up like my father... So I forced my mouth to keep smiling through everything.





The worst part of me still came to the front after we got trapped here.





I'm all right.

Ah, okay...







What, we're the same age?



Oh, maybe we could be friends.

Yeah, Eric didn't tell quite the whole story. We saw the rest of it in the Pod Room. The music also stops here.



Would it be okay if I met him after we get out?



Not exactly...





Mira laughs.



You turned the mood... Your jokes always crack me up, Eric.

Huh?

Music: Bereavement









W-Wait a minute...





Missing Lip Animations: 40

What's interesting here, is they animated Mira's smile fading, but not her lips moving.

It was such a sad story!



He just told us he's been holding in this painful past the whole time... How is that a joke?!

Yeah, but Mira isn't exactly good at emotions.







I'm so sorry. I've always been clumsy...







Hey Eric...



I like the stunned look on Eric's face here.







He can't stand public affection, I guess.



Wait, what?









Eric grunts in pain, then falls.



What happens when you have a serial killer on Radical-6?



No...

Music: Trepidation 2nd Mix









Black screen, sound of a collision, then we come back to this shot.







Mira giggles, which is rather disturbing.













Flash to white, then...







More high-pitched giggles.



The giggles turn into maniacal laughing here.



And that's it. No static, no game over, just dumped back to team select.



No lock or anything, though.



If Mira growing crazy and killing everyone seemed familiar, I can confirm that this timeline leads into the Healing Room. Where D-Team either pressed the button and blew up the whole facility, or didn't press the button and were murdered by a shadowy Mira-like figure.



The Healing Room fragment also showed a casualty list with just Eric dead from Q-Team, and a shot on the TV of his dead body. That's right, just Eric.



No new fragments here. There's something after the "Don't Press" ending of the Healing Room fragment, but it's either something we already had unlocked or it still isn't available. So we've got six new fragments, and six replays to choose from. Select the story fragment.