WEE͠K ̸́4͝

[strangerpeople]

W҉͘E͜͠͝E̕K̡̛͡ ̡͟4̸

[The blight is all-consuming.

Within days dozens are confirmed infected, and you and your unexpected new scientist friend find yourselves trying to work on a cure. If not a cure, a stopgap of some kind. Anything to prevent this thing from destroying everything. It's hard work. It's not going very well. Really, it feels like with every step forward, you're taking ten steps back. Discouraging is an understatement, to say the least.

A week passes, and the death toll rises. It's really starting to look bleak. You constantly second-guess yourself, and even get into a fistfight with your new ally one night. It's getting to the point where you are working on fumes.

Then, unexpectedly, you get a phone call. It's been a long night, and the sun is beginning to rise above the mountains, when it happens.

You and the scientist are not the only ones looking for a cure. In fact, there are at least a dozen others-and they think they may be close to a breakthrough.

But-and you can't believe you're hearing this, after all of the failure you'd experienced throughout this blight-they need your help.]


---


[To say that the end of last week sucked would be an understatement. To say that no one knows what this week will bring is not even in question. Yet even as you wake, you feel a cloud lift from your mind, as one of the truths you've been living with since the beginning has suddenly changed.]




[But is it possible to abide by this new truth? The Hosts, and IT beyond, seem intent on making that impossible. And the rat...well. Obviously the rat's not an ally. Let's not kid ourselves.

There's only one way to find out if more deaths can truly be prevented-and that's to keep going, and hoping that the new floor that has opened up will offer something in the way of an opportunity.

In the meantime.


There are 11 strangers left in this place.]

Comments

[illusionarymelody]

[Okay, she'll go ahead and try the game out.]

[strangerpeople]

[It'll go something like this.

Mind the headache.]

[illusionarymelody]

[Unfortunately player can't watch that since she's prone to migraines and motion sickness with bright rotating colors and had to stop after a few seconds. Any chance of a basic rundown for those who can't watch?]

[strangerpeople]

[Basically it's shooting weird mathematic things with subliminal messages like OBEY or SYNAPSE RESET.]

[illusionarymelody]

[Anything happen to her if she plays as far as she can?]

[strangerpeople]

[She'll probably stop once her headache kicks in, but as she jostles the game cabinet, she will hear a thud behind the machine.


Check it out and risk losing or keep playing? It's tempting to just do the latter, you know...]

[illusionarymelody]

[Vita is the competitive sort and must try to win. She'll keep playing and ignore the thud for now. It probably wasn't anything to worry about anyhow.]

[strangerpeople]

[Ok then!

She might be able to feel that weird headache increase, until finally, there is one more OBEY AUTHORITY, and--

The game goes black.









There's nothing more.]

[illusionarymelody]

[Well, she'll go ahead and flip the bird at the game screen when she sees that "obey authority" nonsense. Since when has she ever been a good girl and obeyed? Not even her grandmother could pull that miracle off.

So guess it's time to go check on that weird thud sound. Anything behind the machine?]

[strangerpeople]

[There is, oddly. A very big thing.

It's a paraglider.]

[illusionarymelody]

[Of course Vita living in 1945 is going to think it's a parachute since paragliders haven't been invented yet in either of the worlds she knows. So she's going to take it out and take a good look at what she found. Anything special about it besides the obvious?]

[strangerpeople]

[Nothing else, it seems sturdily made.

The pattern looks like it should fit one person in particular, though, when you think about it.]

[illusionarymelody]

[And who might that be?]

[strangerpeople]

[Link.]

[illusionarymelody]

[Okay, then she'll fold it up nicely and take it with her. Obviously there is a reason they keep finding things that belong to Link so it may be useful later. Anything else stand out in this room or just regular games?]

[strangerpeople]

[That's it! Good job, Vita!]