Final Investigation

[bathymetric]

Good morning, New Rapture. You may yet see the sun today.

But before that, there's work to be done. The Mayor has sent you some sort of ultimatum, though as usual was reluctant to explain herself. You're going to meet her, to some end? It's unclear. But one way or another, you're aware that things are ending today. Spirits may be low, but at least there's that. After a night of bowling, you're probably ready for this.

As you wake in the morning, though, each suite will find something unexpected in the common area, something that absolutely wasn't there last night: an envelope, addressed to the surviving members. An attached note on the outside reads as follows:

Good morning, citizens of New Rapture. In accordance with new directives from Designations: Misfire, Space Dandy, et al. I have been asked to deliver this. Please use the included to lift your spirits, and feel free to use your new bathysphere access to gain what information you can before you face the Mayor. You know what the key does, I gather, and the card will grant you access to Fontaine Futuristics Headquarters, where the Mayor currently resides. If you do not gather information properly, you will be unable to do what she is about to ask of you. Your friends will be watching.

Included in each envelope is a silver key, a limited Hall of the Founders bathysphere access card, and a copy of this letter. Your friends are counting on you. Go rally in the Hall of the Founders and get ready.

It's time for one last investigation.

Comments

[bathymetric]

[ For the most part, it's regular desk things. Stationary, pens, tape, staplers, that sort of thing.

In the back of the bottom drawer, however, under a box of old stationary labelled "FROM THE DESK OF FRANK FONTAINE, MAYOR OF NEW RAPTURE", sits a single audio log. There's a radio on the desk if you want to play it. ]

[honeyedtea]

[ Hm, note to self, steal the desk stuff later if she gets a chance. They're taking everything not nailed down. But she'll pause in her petty theft long enough to play that audio log. ]

[sastruga]

[Mafuyu is already grabbing pens.]

[bathymetric]

[ There's a strange, yet somehow slightly familiar humming in the background of the recording when the Mayor speaks up. ]

It's your funeral, you know.

[ Another woman, who you haven't heard before, responds. ]

I just... have to know. If I ever would have surpassed him.

[ The Mayor: ]

It doesn't matter anymore-

It matters. Even here, it matters. Don't tell me you're afraid. I thought you wanted to surpass fear as well.

[ There's a moment of silence. ]

Alright. Syncing to a universe where you didn't come here, right now. Opening portal, reducing opacity.

[ The humming increases in volume and pitch, and there's a sound that you somehow know, deep in your gut, is something opening. It's followed by gunfire, and horrible screaming. ]

... So that's how I surpass him.

I'm shutting it off.

"We are terribly afraid of dying because we haven't yet lived."

[ The thing shuts down. The humming dies down completely, all at once. ]

You really did it, huh? What you said you were planning to do before Fontaine hired you.

... I think that I would like to return to my lab. My research needs a new direction. Would you like to get coffee, later?

[honeyedtea]

[ She... doesn't even know what to make of this. ]

So she was one of the Founders all along... I suppose that's no surprise. But... who's this other woman?

[ Are there any other clues she can get from listening through the log a few more times? ]

[bathymetric]

[ So! A couple things.

One is that a second instance of the other woman's voice, though distorted somehow, comes through when the gunfire does. She's screaming.

The second is that your memory finally clicks something into place about the noise - it's blurry, but you heard that noise right before you were pulled here to New Rapture. ]

[honeyedtea]

[ ... oh she doesn't like literally any of those things!! ]

Mafuyu... do you recognize this noise as well?

[ Checking in with the gf to make sure they're both on the same page. Communication is important.

Is there anything else she can get out of the desk or is it worth snooping around the room in general a bit while Mafuyu uses the PC? ]

[bathymetric]

[ That's about it for the desk, so! Other notable locations here are a door at the other end of the room, some file folders, a bookcase, and a whiteboard.

... ooc note that the whiteboard evidence may have to wait until tomorrow, though, but I'm putting it here for reference. ]

[honeyedtea]

[ Let's check out the file folders first, then!! She loves to snoop. ]

[bathymetric]

[ There are four files in here of note - Maelstrom, Jack/LeChuck, Other, and Wesker. ]

[honeyedtea]

[ Might as well go through them in order! What's the deal with Maelstrom, first of all? ]

[bathymetric]

FOUNDER: Gunnar Maelstrom
SUCCESSFUL GAMES: 1(sort of)
SUMMARY: Gunnar never regained many memories, but he definitely remembered the rules of the game. Decided to go for money, because for all his intelligence he’s a small-minded idiot. Interdimensional thief army. Please. Ironically, ended up the closest to what we went through here. Underwater space and everything. Had a weird thing about teenage girls and young women that I never really realized before. Doubt the bastard's ever gotten laid in his life.

PARTICIPANTS:
FIRST ROUND: [A list of twenty-five names and summaries of their abilities]
SECOND ROUND: [25 more people]

[There are also extensive notes on her opinions on all of them - while little of it means much to you, Mielle, it's clear that she was watching other games like this one.]

FINDINGS: Oh, they do not like hostage motives. Excellent to know. Turns out these games are easy to win when you cheat, but if you do you better not run another one or it’ll bite you in the ass.

There’s a lot of similarities between the participants in this game and the Founders, aren’t there? There’s that Constants and Variables thing the Luteces were always on about.

The “realistic simulation” idea is nice, but so played out. I have a whole city to myself, I might as well use it. Restraint in the areas they can access isn’t a bad idea, though. Same as our game. Trap them in the city core.

They didn't kill him. Someone from Wesker's world took him back. Un-fucking-believable.

Watch out for this "Carmen Sandiego." Professional thief turned good. What a shockingly familiar MO. Ended up in possession of a fucking Lutece machine, because god forbid Gunnar do anything right.

[honeyedtea]

[ SO THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A WHILE BEFORE THEM HUH COOL COOL NO DOUBT NO DOUBT SHE'S FINE WITH THAT

She!!! Guesses!!! She'll read the Jack and LeChuck file!! ]

[bathymetric]

FOUNDER: Handsome Jack
SUCCESSFUL GAMES: 0
SUMMARY: Remembered New Rapture at some point, but it didn’t help. He might have figured it out, but he got himself killed and possessed by some ancient pirate ghost. The multiverse really is an amazing place, isn’t it? Amazing the kind of company a slightly doctored voodoo book can attract. His captives beat LeChuck at the ritual anyway.

PARTICIPANTS: [Yet another list with detailed notes from the Mayor.]

FINDINGS: More constants and variables.

Davy Jones was too involved of an assistant. You need someone who isn’t here against their will - or better leverage against them if they try to move against you.

I wonder if Jack knows that Angel being in Gunnar’s game is his fault. He picked up her information from his boat.

They let Jack live. I mean they trapped him in a nightmare realm from which he’ll never escape, but still. Mercy. Strange.

As always, it’s better not to involve magic in this sort of thing. Magic is unpredictable and relying on it only leads to pride and, following that, defeat. I’ve never met a magician I couldn’t outsmart.

I don’t usually enjoy watching these, it’s just something I have to do. But watching that pirate ghost get insulted nearly to death… that I did enjoy.

I need to check my data… did another version of Jack try to poach this one for something? That can’t have actually happened, right? I mean, the whole New Columbia thing happened, but… hm.

[sastruga]

[While Mielle is taking the folders, Mafuyu will go ahead and check out that bookcase.]

[bathymetric]

[ So! There are a bunch of books in here - most of them are on psychology and philosophy, including a well-worn copy of Choice Theory by William Glasser, but there are also a couple of exceptions. ]

[sastruga]

[What she's seeing is free book. Yoink.

What exceptions are there?]

[bathymetric]

[ There's a few hardcovers of the complete works of Franz Kafka, for one thing, as well as a book on taking care of Pokemon. ]

[sastruga]

[She'll go ahead and skim those, just to see if there's anything in any of these...

...

She's considering taking more books. It's fine she brought a bag.]

[bathymetric]

[ You may take as many books as you like, Mafuyu! However, there's nothing more to be found here than all of that. ]

[sastruga]

Mm... I think so. From... before we came here, maybe...?

[honeyedtea]

So this power that she used to bring us here... by the sounds of things, it seems to be some ability or technology that she would have needed to develop rather than a purely innate power.

[sastruga]

It sounds... like technology. Or at least, she sounded technical about it.

That sound... it's like... something opened. Some kind of portal...?

[honeyedtea]

Into each of our own worlds, yes. And perhaps... if this is some sort of technology, we might be able to make use of it ourselves when making our escape.

[sastruga]

...Here's hoping she left a manual somewhere.