Regained Memory #9
Nov. 21st, 2013 08:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fourleafwordsTrivial Negative - Santa goes nuts, kidnapping June, Lotus and Ace
Regained: Game #226
Form: Memories come in the form of a ballpoint pen. Uncap it to view the memory. Works twice. Afterwards, it is a very functional pen.
Taken? Yes
He pulled open the door, and walked in.
Junpei took a deep breath and followed.
It appeared they'd been telling the truth.
The first thing Junpei saw as he entered the room was the number.
-----[9]-----
Like all the others, it was a rough thing, made of red paint.
The door it decorated sat on the back wall of a rectangular room.
Junpei ran up to it.
It was a large double door, with powerful styling.
Something about it was almost majestic, and it made the red paint look
especially garish.
Junpei grabbed the handle and shook. It didn't budge, but then, he hadn't
really expected it to.
The RED was bolted to the wall next to the door.
Its display read "VACANT".
Finally, they'd arrived.
Junpei felt a flood of emotion wash over him.
He felt a chill down his back, and his chest tightened even as his blood began
to boil.
He was about to speak, when--
Santa: Junpei. Look behind you...
He turned around.
Junpei could scarcely believe what he saw.
A door...and a [9].
There was...
...Another one...
Junpei: H-Hey... What the hell... What the hell is going on here...?
His words came slowly, and his brain struggled to understand what he'd seen.
On shaky legs, he made his way to the second [9].
It was a small door, set parallel to the door they'd come through, but in the
other corner of the room.
-----[9]-----
There was no mistaking the number, and if any more proof was needed, a RED was
bolted to the wall near the door.
He grabbed the handle and shook the door, not because he expected it to open,
but because he had to make sure it was real.
Junpei: Why the hell...are there 2 doors?
It was Ace who spoke first.
Ace: Do you think perhaps one is the "right" door, and the other is the "wrong"
one?
Lotus was skeptical.
Lotus: I...don't know about that. That seems unlikely.
Ace: What makes you say so?
Lotus: Well, think about all the rooms we've been through so far.
Lotus: They're full of puzzles, but there are always hints about how to solve
them.
Lotus: I'm pretty sure there aren't any rooms where we just had to go with our
best guess, and leave it to instinct to solve the puzzle.
Lotus: Do you really think that at the very end of the game, Zero's going to
suddenly throw in something that depends entirely on luck?
Ace: Then you're saying there's some sort of hint in this room?
June: No... I don't think there's a hint anywhere in here.
June: I searched it very well when I was in here before.
June: I didn't find anything that might have been a hint, though.
Ace: Hmm... Well, then, that means...
Santa: Yeah. Both of these are the "right" door.
Santa: I mean, if you think about it...
Santa: Zero never actually said there was only one door with a [9] on it.
Junpei: The exit is hidden, but it is there.
Junpei: Seek the exit... Seek the door that carries a [9].
Junpei began to mutter to himself.
Junpei: So if there are 2 number [9] doors...
Junpei: If we split it up right...
Clover: That's not gonna work.
Junpei blinked, and looked up at Clover.
She held out her hand.
Clover: You've got a notebook and a pen, right? Can I borrow them?
Slightly confused, he pulled them out and handed them to her.
Clover: Look at this.
Clover opened the notebook to a blank page, and set it down on the desk.
Everyone else gathered around her and watched as she wrote down a series of
numbers.
Clover: You get it?
Clover: The numbers on the top are all the combinations with digital roots of
(9). The numbers on the bottom are the people who don't fit.
Clover: There's only 8 possibilities, if we split up into 2 groups of 3 or 4
people.
Clover: So...
Junpei: If 3 people go through the door, then 4 are left behind.
Junpei: If 4 go through...then 3 are left behind. Right?
Clover nodded, almost as if she were pleased with herself for solving a
difficult math problem.
The room went very quiet.
Silence lay across everyone like a thick, heavy blanket.
No one spoke.
Their faces were blank.
Desperate for something else to look at, Junpei turned his eyes to the room
around him.
As he did, he began to wonder... What was it?
The walls were covered with candles.
The wavering flame made the shadows of Junpei and his companions look as though
they were dancing.
2 rows of wooden pews filled most of the room.
Between them was a strip of rich, red carpet.
The carpet ran straight through the room, ending at the door that pointed to
the stern of the boat.
At the other end of the carpet...
An...altar? It was a recessed space set into the wall between the 2 other
doors.
Sitting on a raised section of the altar was...a coffin.
A coffin... A coffin... A coffin... No. It couldn't possibly be...
But if it wasn't... Then whose body occupied it?
...
That was as far as Junpei wanted to pursue that line of thought.
He decided not to think about the coffin, for the time being.
At that moment, Seven spoke.
There was an edge of humor to his voice, but it was forced.
Seven: Okay. I give up. I give up.
Seven: I figured if we sat around here long enough, someone would volunteer,
but...
Seven: I guess nobody's got the guts to do it.
Junpei didn't understand, and he wasn't the only one.
Seven: What? You guys didn't figure it out yet?
Junpei: ?
Seven: Ugh. Fine, fine. Lemme enlighten you.
Seven: Clover was mostly right with her little explanation earlier, but she
missed something.
Seven: She wasn't really wrong, she just...
Seven: Argh! Screw it! Lemme just write it out.
Seven snatched up the notebook and began to write in it.
Everyone else clustered around him, desperate for a look.
Seven: If you're trying to leave with a group of 3 and a group of 4, and get
everybody out, Clover's right.
Seven: But there's another way... Only one combination, though.
Seven: If you split us up into groups of 3, 3, and 1... You can make this
combination.
Junpei: Wait... This means...
Seven: Don't get me wrong, here. I'm not tryin' to copy Ace or anything like
that.
Seven: Even if he hadn't been the hero back in the big hospital room, I'd still
be saying the same thing.
June: The same thing...? Are you saying...
Seven: Yeah, I am.
Seven: I'll stay behind.
Lotus: !
June: !
Clover: !
Ace: !
Junpei: !
Lotus: Wh-Why are you acting so heroic all of a sudden?!
Lotus: Are you some kind of idiot!?
Lotus was the first to speak.
That in itself was a little strange. She'd reacted much differently when Ace
had volunteered.
Lotus: I'm completely against this! I'll be goddamned if I'm going to have to
owe you for getting out of here!
The rest of them began to speak, all at once.
June: I'm against it too! I didn't want to leave Ace behind, and I don't want
to leave you either!
Clover: I don't like that idea. There's gotta be other options.
Ace: I disagree as well. I can't say I care much for you being the hero...
Finally, they quieted down. Junpei looked at Seven.
Junpei: Well, there you go Seven. Proposal denied.
Junpei: Clover's right. There's gotta be a better way than this.
Seven made some noise that was somewhere between a derisive snort and a cough.
Seven: Hmph... Doesn't make any sense...
He was doing his best to pretend they were making a foolish decision, but
Junpei could see the twinkling of water at the corners of Seven's eyes.
That was when Santa spoke.
Santa: Whoa, hold on a minute. I haven't said anything yet.
Until then Junpei hadn't realized that Santa had stayed quiet for the whole
discussion of Seven's fate.
Something in his voice made Junpei uncomfortable.
Junpei: Are you...agreeing? You want to leave him here?
Santa shook his head.
Santa: Nah. I'm against it. I don't want to leave Seven here alone.
Junpei: Then I don't see how it matters--
Santa: I said "alone".
Junpei: ...Eh?
Santa: I said I don't want to leave Seven alone.
There was a dull shine in Santa's eyes.
They were cold, and hard. Junpei felt himself shiver.
Junpei: Wh-What the hell are you...
Santa: What, you don't get it?
Santa: I can't leave just 1 person. I need 2 more.
Santa: 3 people, including Seven. I'll be leaving behind 3 people.
Santa: That's my proposal. ...No...
Santa: Those are my orders.
Junpei: What do you mean, "orders"?
Junpei: What the hell makes you think you can order us around?! Who the hell's
gonna listen to you?!
Santa: You all will. In 3 seconds, you won't have a choice.
Junpei: Wh-What?!
Santa: 3...2...1...
Santa was so fast, Junpei could barely see him.
When he moved, it was almost like watching a dance.
His feet moving like lightning.
He spun, and--
June: Aaaah!
He had June.
Santa: See? I told you.
His lips curled into a cruel, mocking smile.
A shudder traveled the length of Junpei's spine. His chest froze, and he could
feel his breath go stale in his lungs.
Nothing made sense. Junpei felt as though his head were about to explode.
Santa's sudden change in attitude... Saying that he needed 2 more... The gun in
his right hand--a revolver...
Santa had grabbed June from behind, and pressed what Junpei's shaken brain
identified as a revolver roughly against her temple.
What was he doing with a gun?!
Where on Earth had Santa possibly found a gun!?
Junpei's questions roared in his mind, but his mouth refused to ask them.
Seven spoke, almost as though he had sensed Junpei's confusion.
Seven: The gun's from the other room...
Junpei: What room?
Seven: One of the rooms behind door [6].
Seven: I shoulda known he was gonna do this... I shoulda taken the gun...
Santa: Heh. Well, it's too late now, fatass.
Seven: Damnit...
A mixture of fury and frustration twisted Seven's face, and he glared at Santa.
Santa, for his part, didn't so much as flinch. The corner of his lip twitched
into a slightly wider smile.
Then the smile faded, and he began to move.
He walked backward, dragging June with him.
Before long, his back was resting against the door.
On the wall next to him was the RED.
He put his hand on the scanner panel, quickly, and then forced June to do the
same.
Santa: Now... Time for you to start following my orders.
Santa: Ace, Lotus, congratulations. I've chosen you to come with me.
Santa: Put your hands on the RED.
3 + 6 + 1 + 8 = 18
That was what Santa had meant when he said he needed 2 more...
Santa: Hey. You deaf? I gave you an order.
Santa's eyes narrowed to slits. He glared at Ace and Lotus.
They stayed, frozen, like deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
Santa: ...Right. Fine.
Santa: I didn't want to waste any bullets, but you guys just don't get it.
No sooner were the words out of Santa's mouth than his hand twitched--
And the gun roared.
A section of the floor exploded, scattering wooden splinters across the floor.
A thin plume of smoke snaked out of the hole in the floor.
There could be no doubt that the gun was real, and worked.
Clover: But...why...? Santa, why are you...
Clover's voice spoke of betrayal and disbelief.
Clover: Santa... I thought... I thought you were one of us... I thought we were
friends...
Santa: What!?
Clover: You knew about the leaf word, and the 4-leaf clover...
Santa's cheek twitched, almost imperceptibly.
Santa: What the hell is that shit? I've got no idea--
Clover: You're lying!
Santa: Shut up! Just shut up, you stupid bitch!
Santa: You want me to put a bullet in your fucking head?!
Flecks of spit flew from Santa's mouth, his face twisted with rage.
Clover recoiled, her eyes wide. When she spoke, her voice was very small.
Clover: Santa...
He snorted, then shook his head vigorously and turned to face Ace and Lotus.
Santa: All right, assholes. What're you still standing there for?
Santa: Get over here and scan those bracelets. I don't have all day.
Santa: Oh, what's the matter? Your hearing starting to go? Goin' senile, maybe?
Ace and Lotus still didn't move. It almost seemed as if they couldn't move.
June's face was pale behind Santa's arm.
Her eyes were wild and her chest heaved with every quick breath, like an animal
cornered by a predator.
Junpei's mind worked furiously. What were they going to do?
Then he realized something...
There was nothing they needed to do. There was nothing to debate.
June's safety was the first priority. That much was obvious.
Doing as Santa had commanded meant that she would be safe from at least 2
threats...
She wouldn't be shot, and she would leave the ship alive, along with Santa,
Ace, and Lotus.
There was only one thing for Junpei to do.
He turned to Ace and Lotus.
Junpei: Please. Go.
Ace: Huh?
Lotus: But...
June: Jumpy! What are you saying!?
June: If you stay here, you're gonna be stuck, Jumpy!
June: And so will Clover and Seven!
Junpei: I know.
Junpei: But you don't need to worry about us. We'll figure something out.
Junpei: Right, Seven?
Seven: R-Right! You just leave it to us!
Seven: It's gonna piss me off to do what Santa says, but...
Clover: Don't worry about me either...
Clover: There's still something I have to take care of.
June: But... No! You can't!
June: Ace! Lotus! Don't do it!
June: Don't worry about me! Please!
June was almost crying.
Junpei walked around behind Ace and Lotus.
Without a word, he laid a hand on each of their backs, and gently pushed them
forward.
They almost stumbled, then righted themselves and took another step. And
another...
They turned around, and Junpei nodded.
Ace and Lotus turned around again, and walked slowly toward the door where
Santa was waiting for them.
After what seemed like an eternity, they stopped, in front of the door marked
[9].
Santa smiled.
Santa: All right, now let's get those hands on the scanner panel.
Ace: ...
Lotus: ...
Santa: What's the hold-up?
Santa: What, you think I'm fucking around here? I don't give a shit about this
girl.
Santa: The RED doesn't need a person, you know.
Santa: All I need is the bracelet.
Santa: You get it? Good. Now put your fucking hands on the scanner. I'm not
gonna say it again.
He shoved the revolver harder against June's head, and she winced.
Ace: Fine...
Ace sighed, defeated, and placed his hand on the scanner panel.
Lotus went next.
Lotus glared at Santa and slammed her hand onto the scanner panel.
The 4th asterisk blinked on.
Santa: Good job.
Santa: Now Lotus, pull that lever.
Santa: Soon as the door opens, you get your ass in there.
Santa: Try anything stupid, and you know what happens, right?
Junpei could almost hear Lotus's teeth grind.
The door slid open. Door number [9], opened at last.
It opened with a low, powerful rumble--a drumroll to welcome the chosen few.
Santa: All right! Go!
Lotus and Ace walked through the door, their eyes furious but defeated.
Santa waited until they were all the way inside, then hauled himself and June
across the threshold as well.
6... 7... 8...
Santa: Later.
After exactly 9 seconds, the door swung shut.
The gust of air it created caused the candles on the altar to flicker and die.
...
...
The room fell silent.
Junpei, Clover, and Seven had been left behind.
Clover looked down at her hand, and traced with her finger the faint blue veins
that crisscrossed them.
Seven shoved his arms into the front of his overalls, and scratched his
stomach.
No one spoke. Silence made the air feel thick and oppressive.
Desperate for something, anything, to occupy his mind, Junpei walked to the
larger of the 2 [9] doors.
He stood in front of it, and looked at the RED.
It read "ENGAGED".
He moved to the smaller door...
The RED read "VACANT".
The digital root of the remaining people was (7).
5 + 4 + 7 = 16 -> 1 + 6 = 7
There was no possible way for them to open a door with [9] on it.
Junpei touched the surface of the door.
He thought about June... About Akane Kurashiki.
Was she safe?
That was all that mattered to him. If she was alive, if she had escaped this
horrible boat...
That was what Junpei prayed for.
Seven came up next to him.
He pulled off his hat, scratched his head, and sighed.
Seven: So... What do you wanna do, Junpei?
Junpei: What do you mean, "What do I want to do"? What can we do?
Reactions:
+ Don't look at the coffin, ignore that coffin! It only makes you think bad things
+ I can math. Math doesn't lead to happiness.
+ Actually kinda giving a shit about and worrying for Seven. That's new.
+ WTF? WTF? WTF?
+ I'd trusted that Santa guy. I'd thought I could trust him! Well, that puts a damper on the whole trust thing.
+ And now, the three of us are fucked
Regained: Game #226
Form: Memories come in the form of a ballpoint pen. Uncap it to view the memory. Works twice. Afterwards, it is a very functional pen.
Taken? Yes
He pulled open the door, and walked in.
Junpei took a deep breath and followed.
It appeared they'd been telling the truth.
The first thing Junpei saw as he entered the room was the number.
-----[9]-----
Like all the others, it was a rough thing, made of red paint.
The door it decorated sat on the back wall of a rectangular room.
Junpei ran up to it.
It was a large double door, with powerful styling.
Something about it was almost majestic, and it made the red paint look
especially garish.
Junpei grabbed the handle and shook. It didn't budge, but then, he hadn't
really expected it to.
The RED was bolted to the wall next to the door.
Its display read "VACANT".
Finally, they'd arrived.
Junpei felt a flood of emotion wash over him.
He felt a chill down his back, and his chest tightened even as his blood began
to boil.
He was about to speak, when--
Santa: Junpei. Look behind you...
He turned around.
Junpei could scarcely believe what he saw.
A door...and a [9].
There was...
...Another one...
Junpei: H-Hey... What the hell... What the hell is going on here...?
His words came slowly, and his brain struggled to understand what he'd seen.
On shaky legs, he made his way to the second [9].
It was a small door, set parallel to the door they'd come through, but in the
other corner of the room.
-----[9]-----
There was no mistaking the number, and if any more proof was needed, a RED was
bolted to the wall near the door.
He grabbed the handle and shook the door, not because he expected it to open,
but because he had to make sure it was real.
Junpei: Why the hell...are there 2 doors?
It was Ace who spoke first.
Ace: Do you think perhaps one is the "right" door, and the other is the "wrong"
one?
Lotus was skeptical.
Lotus: I...don't know about that. That seems unlikely.
Ace: What makes you say so?
Lotus: Well, think about all the rooms we've been through so far.
Lotus: They're full of puzzles, but there are always hints about how to solve
them.
Lotus: I'm pretty sure there aren't any rooms where we just had to go with our
best guess, and leave it to instinct to solve the puzzle.
Lotus: Do you really think that at the very end of the game, Zero's going to
suddenly throw in something that depends entirely on luck?
Ace: Then you're saying there's some sort of hint in this room?
June: No... I don't think there's a hint anywhere in here.
June: I searched it very well when I was in here before.
June: I didn't find anything that might have been a hint, though.
Ace: Hmm... Well, then, that means...
Santa: Yeah. Both of these are the "right" door.
Santa: I mean, if you think about it...
Santa: Zero never actually said there was only one door with a [9] on it.
Junpei: The exit is hidden, but it is there.
Junpei: Seek the exit... Seek the door that carries a [9].
Junpei began to mutter to himself.
Junpei: So if there are 2 number [9] doors...
Junpei: If we split it up right...
Clover: That's not gonna work.
Junpei blinked, and looked up at Clover.
She held out her hand.
Clover: You've got a notebook and a pen, right? Can I borrow them?
Slightly confused, he pulled them out and handed them to her.
Clover: Look at this.
Clover opened the notebook to a blank page, and set it down on the desk.
Everyone else gathered around her and watched as she wrote down a series of
numbers.
Clover: You get it?
Clover: The numbers on the top are all the combinations with digital roots of
(9). The numbers on the bottom are the people who don't fit.
Clover: There's only 8 possibilities, if we split up into 2 groups of 3 or 4
people.
Clover: So...
Junpei: If 3 people go through the door, then 4 are left behind.
Junpei: If 4 go through...then 3 are left behind. Right?
Clover nodded, almost as if she were pleased with herself for solving a
difficult math problem.
The room went very quiet.
Silence lay across everyone like a thick, heavy blanket.
No one spoke.
Their faces were blank.
Desperate for something else to look at, Junpei turned his eyes to the room
around him.
As he did, he began to wonder... What was it?
The walls were covered with candles.
The wavering flame made the shadows of Junpei and his companions look as though
they were dancing.
2 rows of wooden pews filled most of the room.
Between them was a strip of rich, red carpet.
The carpet ran straight through the room, ending at the door that pointed to
the stern of the boat.
At the other end of the carpet...
An...altar? It was a recessed space set into the wall between the 2 other
doors.
Sitting on a raised section of the altar was...a coffin.
A coffin... A coffin... A coffin... No. It couldn't possibly be...
But if it wasn't... Then whose body occupied it?
...
That was as far as Junpei wanted to pursue that line of thought.
He decided not to think about the coffin, for the time being.
At that moment, Seven spoke.
There was an edge of humor to his voice, but it was forced.
Seven: Okay. I give up. I give up.
Seven: I figured if we sat around here long enough, someone would volunteer,
but...
Seven: I guess nobody's got the guts to do it.
Junpei didn't understand, and he wasn't the only one.
Seven: What? You guys didn't figure it out yet?
Junpei: ?
Seven: Ugh. Fine, fine. Lemme enlighten you.
Seven: Clover was mostly right with her little explanation earlier, but she
missed something.
Seven: She wasn't really wrong, she just...
Seven: Argh! Screw it! Lemme just write it out.
Seven snatched up the notebook and began to write in it.
Everyone else clustered around him, desperate for a look.
Seven: If you're trying to leave with a group of 3 and a group of 4, and get
everybody out, Clover's right.
Seven: But there's another way... Only one combination, though.
Seven: If you split us up into groups of 3, 3, and 1... You can make this
combination.
Junpei: Wait... This means...
Seven: Don't get me wrong, here. I'm not tryin' to copy Ace or anything like
that.
Seven: Even if he hadn't been the hero back in the big hospital room, I'd still
be saying the same thing.
June: The same thing...? Are you saying...
Seven: Yeah, I am.
Seven: I'll stay behind.
Lotus: !
June: !
Clover: !
Ace: !
Junpei: !
Lotus: Wh-Why are you acting so heroic all of a sudden?!
Lotus: Are you some kind of idiot!?
Lotus was the first to speak.
That in itself was a little strange. She'd reacted much differently when Ace
had volunteered.
Lotus: I'm completely against this! I'll be goddamned if I'm going to have to
owe you for getting out of here!
The rest of them began to speak, all at once.
June: I'm against it too! I didn't want to leave Ace behind, and I don't want
to leave you either!
Clover: I don't like that idea. There's gotta be other options.
Ace: I disagree as well. I can't say I care much for you being the hero...
Finally, they quieted down. Junpei looked at Seven.
Junpei: Well, there you go Seven. Proposal denied.
Junpei: Clover's right. There's gotta be a better way than this.
Seven made some noise that was somewhere between a derisive snort and a cough.
Seven: Hmph... Doesn't make any sense...
He was doing his best to pretend they were making a foolish decision, but
Junpei could see the twinkling of water at the corners of Seven's eyes.
That was when Santa spoke.
Santa: Whoa, hold on a minute. I haven't said anything yet.
Until then Junpei hadn't realized that Santa had stayed quiet for the whole
discussion of Seven's fate.
Something in his voice made Junpei uncomfortable.
Junpei: Are you...agreeing? You want to leave him here?
Santa shook his head.
Santa: Nah. I'm against it. I don't want to leave Seven here alone.
Junpei: Then I don't see how it matters--
Santa: I said "alone".
Junpei: ...Eh?
Santa: I said I don't want to leave Seven alone.
There was a dull shine in Santa's eyes.
They were cold, and hard. Junpei felt himself shiver.
Junpei: Wh-What the hell are you...
Santa: What, you don't get it?
Santa: I can't leave just 1 person. I need 2 more.
Santa: 3 people, including Seven. I'll be leaving behind 3 people.
Santa: That's my proposal. ...No...
Santa: Those are my orders.
Junpei: What do you mean, "orders"?
Junpei: What the hell makes you think you can order us around?! Who the hell's
gonna listen to you?!
Santa: You all will. In 3 seconds, you won't have a choice.
Junpei: Wh-What?!
Santa: 3...2...1...
Santa was so fast, Junpei could barely see him.
When he moved, it was almost like watching a dance.
His feet moving like lightning.
He spun, and--
June: Aaaah!
He had June.
Santa: See? I told you.
His lips curled into a cruel, mocking smile.
A shudder traveled the length of Junpei's spine. His chest froze, and he could
feel his breath go stale in his lungs.
Nothing made sense. Junpei felt as though his head were about to explode.
Santa's sudden change in attitude... Saying that he needed 2 more... The gun in
his right hand--a revolver...
Santa had grabbed June from behind, and pressed what Junpei's shaken brain
identified as a revolver roughly against her temple.
What was he doing with a gun?!
Where on Earth had Santa possibly found a gun!?
Junpei's questions roared in his mind, but his mouth refused to ask them.
Seven spoke, almost as though he had sensed Junpei's confusion.
Seven: The gun's from the other room...
Junpei: What room?
Seven: One of the rooms behind door [6].
Seven: I shoulda known he was gonna do this... I shoulda taken the gun...
Santa: Heh. Well, it's too late now, fatass.
Seven: Damnit...
A mixture of fury and frustration twisted Seven's face, and he glared at Santa.
Santa, for his part, didn't so much as flinch. The corner of his lip twitched
into a slightly wider smile.
Then the smile faded, and he began to move.
He walked backward, dragging June with him.
Before long, his back was resting against the door.
On the wall next to him was the RED.
He put his hand on the scanner panel, quickly, and then forced June to do the
same.
Santa: Now... Time for you to start following my orders.
Santa: Ace, Lotus, congratulations. I've chosen you to come with me.
Santa: Put your hands on the RED.
3 + 6 + 1 + 8 = 18
That was what Santa had meant when he said he needed 2 more...
Santa: Hey. You deaf? I gave you an order.
Santa's eyes narrowed to slits. He glared at Ace and Lotus.
They stayed, frozen, like deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
Santa: ...Right. Fine.
Santa: I didn't want to waste any bullets, but you guys just don't get it.
No sooner were the words out of Santa's mouth than his hand twitched--
And the gun roared.
A section of the floor exploded, scattering wooden splinters across the floor.
A thin plume of smoke snaked out of the hole in the floor.
There could be no doubt that the gun was real, and worked.
Clover: But...why...? Santa, why are you...
Clover's voice spoke of betrayal and disbelief.
Clover: Santa... I thought... I thought you were one of us... I thought we were
friends...
Santa: What!?
Clover: You knew about the leaf word, and the 4-leaf clover...
Santa's cheek twitched, almost imperceptibly.
Santa: What the hell is that shit? I've got no idea--
Clover: You're lying!
Santa: Shut up! Just shut up, you stupid bitch!
Santa: You want me to put a bullet in your fucking head?!
Flecks of spit flew from Santa's mouth, his face twisted with rage.
Clover recoiled, her eyes wide. When she spoke, her voice was very small.
Clover: Santa...
He snorted, then shook his head vigorously and turned to face Ace and Lotus.
Santa: All right, assholes. What're you still standing there for?
Santa: Get over here and scan those bracelets. I don't have all day.
Santa: Oh, what's the matter? Your hearing starting to go? Goin' senile, maybe?
Ace and Lotus still didn't move. It almost seemed as if they couldn't move.
June's face was pale behind Santa's arm.
Her eyes were wild and her chest heaved with every quick breath, like an animal
cornered by a predator.
Junpei's mind worked furiously. What were they going to do?
Then he realized something...
There was nothing they needed to do. There was nothing to debate.
June's safety was the first priority. That much was obvious.
Doing as Santa had commanded meant that she would be safe from at least 2
threats...
She wouldn't be shot, and she would leave the ship alive, along with Santa,
Ace, and Lotus.
There was only one thing for Junpei to do.
He turned to Ace and Lotus.
Junpei: Please. Go.
Ace: Huh?
Lotus: But...
June: Jumpy! What are you saying!?
June: If you stay here, you're gonna be stuck, Jumpy!
June: And so will Clover and Seven!
Junpei: I know.
Junpei: But you don't need to worry about us. We'll figure something out.
Junpei: Right, Seven?
Seven: R-Right! You just leave it to us!
Seven: It's gonna piss me off to do what Santa says, but...
Clover: Don't worry about me either...
Clover: There's still something I have to take care of.
June: But... No! You can't!
June: Ace! Lotus! Don't do it!
June: Don't worry about me! Please!
June was almost crying.
Junpei walked around behind Ace and Lotus.
Without a word, he laid a hand on each of their backs, and gently pushed them
forward.
They almost stumbled, then righted themselves and took another step. And
another...
They turned around, and Junpei nodded.
Ace and Lotus turned around again, and walked slowly toward the door where
Santa was waiting for them.
After what seemed like an eternity, they stopped, in front of the door marked
[9].
Santa smiled.
Santa: All right, now let's get those hands on the scanner panel.
Ace: ...
Lotus: ...
Santa: What's the hold-up?
Santa: What, you think I'm fucking around here? I don't give a shit about this
girl.
Santa: The RED doesn't need a person, you know.
Santa: All I need is the bracelet.
Santa: You get it? Good. Now put your fucking hands on the scanner. I'm not
gonna say it again.
He shoved the revolver harder against June's head, and she winced.
Ace: Fine...
Ace sighed, defeated, and placed his hand on the scanner panel.
Lotus went next.
Lotus glared at Santa and slammed her hand onto the scanner panel.
The 4th asterisk blinked on.
Santa: Good job.
Santa: Now Lotus, pull that lever.
Santa: Soon as the door opens, you get your ass in there.
Santa: Try anything stupid, and you know what happens, right?
Junpei could almost hear Lotus's teeth grind.
The door slid open. Door number [9], opened at last.
It opened with a low, powerful rumble--a drumroll to welcome the chosen few.
Santa: All right! Go!
Lotus and Ace walked through the door, their eyes furious but defeated.
Santa waited until they were all the way inside, then hauled himself and June
across the threshold as well.
6... 7... 8...
Santa: Later.
After exactly 9 seconds, the door swung shut.
The gust of air it created caused the candles on the altar to flicker and die.
...
...
The room fell silent.
Junpei, Clover, and Seven had been left behind.
Clover looked down at her hand, and traced with her finger the faint blue veins
that crisscrossed them.
Seven shoved his arms into the front of his overalls, and scratched his
stomach.
No one spoke. Silence made the air feel thick and oppressive.
Desperate for something, anything, to occupy his mind, Junpei walked to the
larger of the 2 [9] doors.
He stood in front of it, and looked at the RED.
It read "ENGAGED".
He moved to the smaller door...
The RED read "VACANT".
The digital root of the remaining people was (7).
5 + 4 + 7 = 16 -> 1 + 6 = 7
There was no possible way for them to open a door with [9] on it.
Junpei touched the surface of the door.
He thought about June... About Akane Kurashiki.
Was she safe?
That was all that mattered to him. If she was alive, if she had escaped this
horrible boat...
That was what Junpei prayed for.
Seven came up next to him.
He pulled off his hat, scratched his head, and sighed.
Seven: So... What do you wanna do, Junpei?
Junpei: What do you mean, "What do I want to do"? What can we do?
Reactions:
+ Don't look at the coffin, ignore that coffin! It only makes you think bad things
+ I can math. Math doesn't lead to happiness.
+ Actually kinda giving a shit about and worrying for Seven. That's new.
+ WTF? WTF? WTF?
+ I'd trusted that Santa guy. I'd thought I could trust him! Well, that puts a damper on the whole trust thing.
+ And now, the three of us are fucked
