FINAL INVESTIGATION

[strangerpeople]

FINAL INVESTIGATION

[Well, your time, your anger, your losses have led up to this.

It's time to go, and that blue card will give access to the floors above. In particular, there is the floor Barbara mentioned before the throne room, which seems to be a good idea to check out beforehand.

Indeed, it's much like the previous floors the Strangers had lived in, only smaller.]



[There is another elevator in the area, but that is inaccessible. Even using Marie's card doesn't seem to work on it. Hm. No matter. Marie's card works on all of these rooms, so it's fine, right?

In any case, if there's answers to be found about just whose in charge - and what in the world is going on - this is the last chance of finding them. You've all gotten this far, and as your teams descend on the rooms, you can feel the end is near. Hopefully, that end is not that of the universe - or of Ivy.

Good hunting, Titled.]

Comments

MEMORIES TIME

[losergod]

[ Once everyone's done exploring, C will gather them all in Room 4. ]

I believe I have found the means to restore our memories. This machine right here took our memories and copied them onto tapes. I believe if we insert the tapes and put someone under it, it should give them the memory on the tape listed back.

But I need a volunteer. I can't run the machine AND do it to myself; I've tried. I won't lie, there are significant risks involved. It could set us back if used incorrectly, or make the amnesia worse. I believe I have a grasp on how it operates, but I'm only about fifty percent sure.

Is someone willing to take that risk?

[vividsins]

Sure. I mean, the worst that'll happen is I become worse than I am now.

[ I mean he's already planning to mash betray if he can! So he'll just hop on up. I mean, he mostly just wants these annoying holes in his memory gone. ]

[losergod]

All right. I'll insert the first tape with the lowest number and then we'll see if you recall anything.

[ He's gonna power on the machine and insert the tape with Baku's name on it. Well, one of several. He... may have organized all the tapes while everyone was still exploring.

What? He's a neat freak. ]

[vividsins]

Let's get this over with.

[ Time to hopefully remember. ]

[tiefleaf]

I'll pass.

[ That probably shouldn't be too surprising given that you just said it might have some unintended side effects, but the sheer abruptness of it suggests something more. ]

[losergod]

Are you certain of that, Mister Tealeaf? Even if the memories are painful, wouldn't you want to know?

[ He would. ]

[tiefleaf]

What's the past going to do to me other than act like I owe it something? No, it's probably best to just leave things alone.

[backuphero]

I want her name back.

[Why yes that's a frantic, far more than half-crazed look on Jonathan's face. He'll wait for Baku to finish, he can wait to see how this goes, but... he wants back what was taken from him, all of it.]

[losergod]

We can do yours next, Mister Morris.

[ A faint smile. ]

Assuming this works.

[earietale]

[You know what this is? This is Barbara Finch's first chance to find out what really happened. The night some...thing scratched up Rick's crutch somehow. And gives her such a bad feeling that that night, for some reason, was taken away from her.

And she's going to take it.]

October 31st, 1960. The night of my sixteenth birthday.

Charles, if you can make my memories come back...please. I need to know.

[losergod]

I'll return everything at once. It might be rough. This machine is a little scary, but it does work.

[ He smiles. ]

I'll be here no matter what, all right? Even if what you remember isn't so great. We're all here.

[theserpentsmiles]

[There's still something big Nagisa is missing. Something incredibly important - something that changed his course, before this place. He doesn't know if it can be changed back.]

I'm ready.

[losergod]

[ After Barbara, Nagisa is up next. He'll help him get his memories back without too much fanfare. ]

When you're finished, I may need your help running this machine. I can't get my own memories back unless someone else helps me run the machine, so...

Sometime after everyone else has had their turn

[mementodagger]

[Once the others have their memories restored, Yurick hesitantly approaches C.]

I know at least one person would argue that I shouldn't have my last two memories restored as punishment for what I did, but... I need to remember who I did all that for, C. If you think I deserve that much, then please.

[losergod]

Why would I ever tell you no?

[ It's a good thing he's waited until C had some time to process everything... Charlotte... no, Scarlett--it's a lot to take in.

What he thought was happening had already occurred, and she'd said no...

He smiles. A dysfunctional smile from a crooked God, but a smile nonetheless. ]

Please, get in. You have the least amount of tapes, so it shouldn't take long.

[losergod]

[ After everyone else is done, he finally gets Nagisa's help and uses the machine on himself. It's... a lot to grapple with. ]

... "Inside a dream, I am the world."

[ He says it slowly. Once all the memories come back, once he's off the table. Tears form in his eyes. God... god, what has he done? ]

Miss Wiltshire... the one connected to the Oracle... I'm so... I'm so sorry... I... I came down to her world... because I wanted to hurt her... because she was Scarlett Eyler...

[ He buries his face in his hands. ]

And I completely forgot about Mother, and about the House. My world--the world I reside over... it's the House... that... that messed up place. The House. I can't--I can't believe I forgot. Her world was just a copy of the House...

... Miss Wiltshire... Charlotte Wiltshire Q84. The founder of White Society. How... how could I have forgotten about her? About my child?

[backuphero]

[This is not what was supposed to happen. C helps people, he's taken care of all of them, this isn't - ]

This can't be right.

[Okay no that was not supposed to be said aloud, definitely not.

Jonathan bends enough to put his own eyes at what, were C's eyes not hidden, would be level with them. He's keeping a respectful distance, but the worry on his face is probably obvious in his voice.]

Your Charlotte, she was... she's your daughter?

[illusionarymelody]

[So before they get out of here, the formerly dead also want to get their memories back.}

I should probably go first so I'll be recovered in time to pilot the mecha out.

[losergod]

Recovery is instant, as far as I've seen, aside from whatever emotional toll they might have, but... all right.

[ Vita's up. He'll fire up the weird giant machine and insert her tapes. ]

[crouching_sin]

[He's waited for everyone else to go. It's... strange, thinking of remembering something he's forgotten, because he can't. That's the whole point.]

[He's not happy about being vulnerable in front of others, but the idea of not remembering, when it's not on his own terms and it's imperfect like this... no.]

Let's do this.

[losergod]

Okay, here goes.

[ All right Naoya, after all that commotion he'll put you in and grab your tapes, one after another. Best to get all the memories done in sequential numbering order. ]

[beguiledcard]

[ He let almost everyone else go - Naoya seems to prefer going last, and he... can't argue that it's for the best, maybe?

Still, Akira's tense... ]

... Let's get to it, then.

[losergod]

[ He won't hesitate bitch, here you go. It's time! He'll insert the tapes and power up the machine, one tape after another. ]

[toushiro]

[ he doesn't care, at this point, what sort of memories will plague him and haunt him in his sleep. he needs to know the truth. all of it. and that's all that matters. ]

Ready.

[losergod]

All right.

[ The action is fluid for him at this point, so it's easy for him to insert the tape, and then another, and power the machine on between each one, in sequential order. Hopefully it's not going to be too bad on him. ]