The Final Challenge

[airlockedmods]

[Welcome back, Champions. You've found everything that there is to find (for good or for ill), and now there's just one door left: The sealed, electronic door at the top of the room you woke up in.

It's time to gather your evidence, screw your courage to the sticking place, and carve your own place in the stars.]

Comments

[imnotfat]

[Here's Togami, with the Temerity shirt over his shoulder, not wearing it]

Now that we're gathered here, there's something I have to make clear before we start:

Jane Crocker and I aren't involved romantically, nor have ever been. That's all.

[cyan_maid]

[Following right behind, wearing one of the Temerity shirts still and holding the box of them,] Oh, for heaven's sake, I doubt any of the others even considered that a thing.

[She sets the box down in front of her.] There were loads of creepy things in the office we looked at - merchandise, weird dog plushies, the internet...but I found these, and I'm rightly pissed off. Temerity's symbol shouldn't belong to EP or the sick, creepy following we've seemed to gain. It's Bolton's - it's ours, and we should take it back and turn it from a marketing ploy into a real, true rebellion. [She nudges the box with her foot.] There's bound to be one that'll fit you in here.

[stitch_in_time]

I'd hope not.

[...Nice shirt, Togami.]

Anyway, more important than that. All this is being broadcast as some kind of- reality TV show or something.

And the others, they might not be dead! Jimmy an' I found some kind of footage of every that was murdered or executed in some kind of secondary layer of simulation.

[imnotfat]

It needed to be said loud and clear, Jane, and you know it.

[Not that the fans will believe it]

It should be added that just like Jane said, our plight in this game is being done for the entertainment of a lot of people. The website destined to publicize this game has five hundred million followers, and not a single one cares about what we're going through beyond considering it entertainment.

Whether they realize we're real people dying or not, or they know it and they still like what they see, is still something I'm not sure about.

We should focus on those behind the show, though.

[stitch_in_time]

[He looks at the box.]

[Looks up at Togami's expression.]

...yeah, all right.

[Digging through the box a little.]

[cyan_maid]

The shippers aren't going to give a solitary goshdarn if it's said. They have selective hearing, Togami.

[stitch_in_time]

Oh, is THAT it. Yeah, a denial's probably as good as a proposal, to people like that

[cyan_maid]

W-what?!

[Jane's eyes widen. They might not be - they might - ]

But, where are they? They'd be in pods too, wouldn't they? There were only the ones we were inside of!

[imnotfat]

Don't remind me. I don't want to imagine what type of comments are being written right now.

[cyan_maid]

Oh yes, it is definitely like that. [She gestures between Togami and herself and mouths, "SurvivHeir".]

[imnotfat]

Any hints of there being a way to get them out of the simulation?

[stitch_in_time]

They've already been moved, looks like.

[Just. Just a little pissed.]

They found a window like we did, but they couldn't open it. Whatever was on the other side looked to be in transit.

[cyan_maid]

[She frowns, raising an eyebrow.] Oh, dear, you took the shirt off - that simply will not do, you know. Might I remind you what I do to ridiculously difficult men?

[cyan_maid]

...Oh, God...where could they be taking them?

[Chitanda. Ricky. Kurumi. Light and Bolton and everyone else...]

[stitch_in_time]

[Oh dear lord. He mouths back an "I'm sorry."]

[imnotfat]

Make a move in front of everyone and I'll tie you up with this shirt like it's a straitjacket.

[You wouldn't dare, he hopes, but now that he's in front of everyone else his personal pride is in danger here]

[stitch_in_time]

There must be some way to pull people out from outside the simulation, but I don't know how yet.

[cyan_maid]

...Okay, but you do realize that can be construed as terribly kinky, right?

[I mean she's not into it but. Bro. Give it ten minutes and that website will be lighting up with bondage porn.]

[stitch_in_time]

Another setup like this, probably.

[stitch_in_time]

[Not. Laughing.]

[cyan_maid]

...We have to find out where. If there's a chance...if there's any hope, we can't just - we can't abandon all of them!

[Though Seth can be like put in a box until they can chuck him back into his own dimension]

[imnotfat]

I'm sure nobody in the universe will give a "solitary goshdarn" about its perceived kinkiness. We're both doomed to be considered a pairing no matter what, you said it.

[There must be some of that somewhere in the alien Internet already, augh]

[stitch_in_time]

We'll find them. They've got to have some kind of record of a destination around here somewhere.

[Jane, you're thinking too small. Seth Frisbee.]

[imnotfat]

After we're done here let's continue looking around. There may be something we haven't seen yet.

[cyan_maid]

Just put the fucking shirt back on, Togami. I don't make idle threats.

[Her face is back to beet red again.]