Zero Time Dilemma Part #79

Part 79: Force Quit: C

Part 79: Force Quit: C

It's finally time to look at the Force Quit fragments. First up is C-Team. Everyone's looking at the box. Looks like a few scenes here but only one outcome. Probably opening the box?

Music: Extreme Extrication 2nd Mix

C-Team's just about to wake up.

I'm 90% sure this is the same exact animation we see in the Decontamination Room when one of the other teams presses the button.

Guess the background is a bit of a green screen situation? Anyway...

Computer lady is here right away to help us figure out what timeline we're in.

The pause gets dragged out for several seconds here.

Carlos sighs in relief.

Not locked in anywhere. No special deals offered. We're just stuck in a loop now.

We now know that Q-Team and D-Team are safe.

You mean from back at 13:30?

I'm pretty sure that's the moment.

Ah! 00:03...?!

If the time on this watch is right, I guess so.

So these fragments take place after the Decontamination Room ones. In the timeline where no one pressed the button, obviously. You probably figured that out from the fact that they were unlocked as soon as all of the Decontamination Room fragments were completed through the "Don't Press" scenes. Since that can be done as soon as the game opens up, there are some more hints to the game's various mysteries in these fragments. The previous line is poking at the watch not necessarily having the right time.

Akane is your hair clipping through your shoulder?

Wanna play hoops?

There aren't any balls.

We can use Gab.

Junpei, you're really...

I somehow lost that image the first time around and had to re-record to go grab it again. Oops.

Music: Sinisterness Phase 3

Seriously, what the hell is this thing?

A Force Quit Box.

I know that. I'm asking what exactly it's going to end.

Whatever it is, we can't do anything unless we have the password...

Hmm, a password...

A brief flash of white, and Carlos looks up.

Missing Lip Animations: 66

I think the password has to be...

Heartbeats.

Music: Ambidexterity 2nd Mix

This one isn't so much a decision as a question. Do we know the password?

CQD Ward BGM 2

There weren't multiple outcomes in this fragment, so what happens if we don't enter a password, or enter an incorrect one three times?

Music: CQD Ward BGM 2

Dammit... It's right there on the tip of my tongue...

Carlos racks his brain for the answer as we slowly fade to black.

And we're just dumped back to Team Select until we can figure out the answer.

Weeelllll....actually that's only what happens if you play this fragment without having seen the Moon End. If we've been given the password, the game knows we have it, and gives us a hint instead via the morphogenetic flash.

The spell to open Pandora's Box.

Pandora's Box...

Wait... Then, could it be...

After the hint, we get forced back into the decision screen.

Just like with the yellow door, if the game knows we should know the answer, it'll lock us in a loop.

Kind of. We're actually free to hop about the timeline to go get the answer if we've forgotten it.

Luckily, I wrote this one down. Right in the middle, there.

No space between the words, because there's no space for it.

Music: Aftermath (Decontamination Room)

The lid on the box pops open.

What the hell is this...

It looks like a device of some kind...

Hey look, something's appearing on the monitor.

[To execute the Force Quit program, the central control computer must be booted.]

Nope. It's in Ward Q. Which means, yes, it is here.

Then we're out of luck.

Dead end, huh...

Uh, hey Carlos, how did you know that password?

That's a good question, actually. Zero only told it to Akane and Junpei, not Carlos. But I guess we've seen Carlos, Sean, and Diana getting occasional flashes from the other characters before.

What...?

Um, this is just a guess, but...

I didn't see any flashy light effects, so probably not?

Time for a series of rapid morphogenetic flashes...

That was a little fast, so I'll break it down:

C-Team's execution, specifically Akane
Decontamination Room, looking at the button
Decontamination Room, taking the acid shower
Infirmary, drinking the antidote
Pantry, after killing Akane
Pantry, after killing ourselves as Carlos
Power Room, after being betrayed in the AB game by Junpei
Power Room, after betraying Junpei in the AB game and getting ganked by Akane
Rec Room, hiding Akane in the fireplace to try and steal a couple of X-Passes
Rec Room, reuniting after receiving said X-Passes from the other timeline
Transporter Room, right before Carlos SHIFTs back to save Akane and Junpei
Rec Room, with dark-Sean enforcing the penalty for using illegal X-Passes
Control, putting the mask on Akane so she can escape

Music: Glacial Solitude

I need to think about something.

Fade to black while Carlos thinks...

Music: Zero (Unary Game Remix)

You've been sitting here for an hour, Carlos.

Yes...

M-Me...?

Huh...?

You've been thinking for an hour and that's what you came up with? Also, you can't tell, but Carlos's voice is somehow...creepier. I don't know how else to describe it. A little deeper, more throaty?