> use mouse to open chat
Huh? Gadget is great, but you don't see how that would--
> no, the other mouse
Oh. Right.
> Des: Answer message.
TrueCorp-Help: Hello again, Desmodena. It's been a while.
dancemodena: HEY
dancemodena: you called yourself one of the higher ups when we talked before
dancemodena: you're that person from the recording, aren't you???
dancemodena: the one who was talking us through the test
TrueCorp-Help: That is correct.
TrueCorp-Help: At the moment you are sleeping safe and sound in the adjacent room, and I am typing this into a console so it can reach your subconscious mind.
TrueCorp-Help: You've been very busy since we spoke last.
TrueCorp-Help: I must say, it's been impressive watching your progress... although time in your dream has progressed a lot more quickly than it has here, so it can be difficult to keep up.
dancemodena: yeah thanks we're pretty awesome
dancemodena: quick question though
dancemodena: what the FUCK did you do to pal3000
TrueCorp-Help: I disabled it for the time being.
TrueCorp-Help: I don't have complete control over its evolution, and it seems that a side effect of the AI developing into your "friend" is that it has become very chatty about information it has no business divulging.
TrueCorp-Help: It isn't as if you will remember any of this, but you can never be too careful.
dancemodena: this is kind of pissing me off
dancemodena: i get that this place is based off of our dreams and it evolves on its own so you don't control the nightmare stuff, but if you can delete our helpful robot friend, then why can't you delete the EVIL robot, or all the demon shit that keeps trying to kill us?
TrueCorp-Help: Maybe I can, maybe I can't.
TrueCorp-Help: But is that truly what's best for the pursuit of science?
TrueCorp-Help: Necessity is the mother of invention, and nothing breeds necessity like a fight for survival. I've really learned a lot from this particular session.
dancemodena: what the fuuuuuck
dancemodena: so you're just gonna let us suffer and fear for our lives because you benefit and can get away with it?
TrueCorp-Help: Not to put too fine a point on it, but yes.
TrueCorp-Help: Remember, you aren't in any real danger. No matter how unsettling your experience is, it isn't as if you'll remember any of it, so what's the harm?
dancemodena: i guess... but that just doesn't sit right with me
dancemodena: probably because i'm ACTIVELY LIVING IT RIGHT NOW
dancemodena: even if we lose the memories, do our experiences not count for something???
dancemodena: why can't you study what it'd be like for us to only have chill fun dreams instead?
TrueCorp-Help: That sounds boring. What's an adventure without a little conflict?
dancemodena: plus isn't there a risk of psychological damage or something if we die really horribly here?
TrueCorp-Help: I'll admit, there are still kinks to work out.
TrueCorp-Help: Still, I'd like to point out none of this would have happened if you had just stayed in your laboratory like I originally asked you to.
TrueCorp-Help: There are structures and systems and rules in place for a reason, and many are there to keep you safe.
TrueCorp-Help: I didn't introduce the frightening elements of your journey, for the most part you created them yourself. Other than my earlier attempts to calm you down, I have been very hands-off this entire time.
TrueCorp-Help: If the result of your reckless shenanigans has been a natural escalation towards nightmarish chaos, maybe you should think of it as karma.
dancemodena: karma? for WHAT???
TrueCorp-Help: Don't ask me. We've just noticed over time that the system responds to things like subconscious fears and guilt. The sessions that go the most haywire often involve people who have something to hide, causing the simulation to respond to it.
TrueCorp-Help: I am acutely aware that this is your ninth time participating in this program, an amount that borders on suspicious.
TrueCorp-Help: Why? What keeps you coming back?
dancemodena: apparently to get money for dance classes and shit???
TrueCorp-Help: So you said, but there are FAR more conventional ways of making money.
dancemodena: i dunno dude, maybe I really like naps or just looove being subjected to creepy high-tech snuff voyeurs
dancemodena: even if i DID have some ulterior motive or plan, you know it's not like i'd remember what it is or be able to act on it!
TrueCorp-Help: Maybe not, but sometimes memories slip through the cracks.
TrueCorp-Help: You remembered certain aspects about yourself, like your love of dance, even if your dream interpretation of dancing just involves spinning around on your head like an idiot.
dancemodena: how DARE you
TrueCorp-Help: You also somehow managed to preserve a note to yourself between completely separate instances of the simulation, so there could be any number of memories lodged deep within your subconscious.
dancemodena: you're acting like i'm some kind of secret agent or something
dancemodena: if you're THAT suspicious, how about you go ahead and wake us both up so we can be done with it!!!
TrueCorp-Help: No, I don't think I will. I'd rather see how this plays out.
dancemodena: yeah, i figured as much
dancemodena: yknow, you were acting really friendly and helpful in the real world, but i'm starting to think that was fake as fuck and you really get off on how much control youve got here
dancemodena: especially since you know we won't remember enough to be able to hold you accountable when we wake up
TrueCorp-Help: I don't appreciate you making me out to be some kind of monstrous sadist.
TrueCorp-Help: My interests are purely scientific.
I don't know, maybe she has a point, C.
You HAVE always had hangups about control.
TrueCorp-Help: ...Who is this?
I think you know already.
TrueCorp-Help: Humor me.
And ruin the air of mystery? Fine, I'll give you a hint: starts with A.
a: Here, I'll even make it easier to read.
TrueCorp-Help: No. There's no way. This has to be a trick. Someone's hacked into the system again and is playing mind games on us, or... the simulation is reacting to my own memories. There's no way it's actually YOU.
a: You wound me, brother... I thought you'd be happy to hear from me, and I'm being as truthful as I ever was. I know I'm not that relevant to this story, so I won't distract you for long. I just wanted to say hello while I'm able. Heh.
dancemodena: yo, what the FUCK is going on
dancemodena: i'm so confused, who's this a-hole
a: Sorry for hogging the spotlight Des, I'll only be a moment. A page, tops.
a: You're doing a great job, by the way. I've been watching your story, it's very entertaining.
a: I even tried to help out a couple of times. I'm sorry for what happened to Mousimillian.
a: And I'm sorry my brother's being a dick.
dancemodena: thanks i guess???
TrueCorp-Help: Fine, I'll play along, "A". You mean to tell me that you're actually alive?
a: Yes and no. I "exist", but I can't do much more than observe from afar.
a: Kind of an ironic fate, all things considered. All that power, all that control... but then I got too close to the Truth, so no more "creating the future" for me.
a: I can only communicate now because the metaphysical barrier of our world is less rigid in a realm of subconscious and imagination like this. More interactive, so I can interact.
a: Not to mention this particular simulation is unique. You know we've got an audience at the moment, right C? They've even been helping.
a: You might wanna tone down the villain shtick, it's not making a great first impression.
TrueCorp-Help: I'm not a villain.
a: Could've fooled me. Hiding behind a fake smile and ominously lording your power over a spunky protagonist, then spitefully punishing her for disobedience? Mother must be so proud.
TrueCorp-Help: You bastard. Why do you always have to do that?
a: Sounds like you ARE starting to believe it's me.
TrueCorp-Help: I'll admit, you've got his passive-aggression and smug arrogance down pat.
TrueCorp-Help: I just have a hard time believing in ghosts. At the end of the day, I am a man of science and reason.
a: Ugh. I can't believe you're still going on about that after everything we've seen. There's nothing intelligent about sticking your head in the sand and ignoring the signs.
TrueCorp-Help: You'd rather I go insane with apophenia, covering the walls in a bunch of nonsense about numbers and codes and "connections" like you?
a: It's not insanity if you're right. But I guess now we're just starting to retread old arguments, so forget it.
a: Moving on. Desmodena?
dancemodena: yeah whats up
a: Word of advice: you don't have to forget what happens here.
a: If you want more Control over the situation, just remember what Pal told you: The TRUTH shall set you free.
TrueCorp-Help: Stay out of this.
a: As you wish. Love you, brother. Give the family my best.
a: Until next time.
TrueCorp-Help: Hey, wait! I didn't mean leave.
TrueCorp-Help: Are you still there?
TrueCorp-Help: HEY!
TrueCorp-Help: .........
TrueCorp-Help: Damn it.
dancemodena: well he seemed cool
TrueCorp-Help: Shut up.
dancemodena: so, about waking us up...
TrueCorp-Help: Figure it out for yourself. I need to think.
[TrueCorp-Help has blocked dancemodena]
Well that was weird.
...Aaand this is weirder. But... awesome? You think?
DESMODENA: wow!!!
DESMODENA: what the fuck did you do
HAKEEM: I fixed Pal! I... I think.
HAKEEM: I kept trying different codes on the M.U.B.G. but nothing worked, so after resetting him I got the idea that combining him with something living and angelic might preserve his essence somehow.
HAKEEM: Soooo, I combined him with Gadget, and it KINDA seemed to work?
Padget3333: OH MY GOODNESS.
Padget3333: THIS IS SUCH A STRANGE BUT WONDERFUL SENSATION.
Padget3333: THANK YOU FOR CREATING ME, HAKEEM. AND THANK YOU, DESMODENA, FOR SETTING THESE EVENTS INTO MOTION.
Padget3333: BOTH PAL3000 AND GADGET LOVED YOU VERY MUCH, AND THUS OUR FUSION, PADGET3333, LOVES YOU EXPONENTIALLY MORE.
HAKEEM: We love you too! DESMODENA: yeah totally, i'm like hella filled with love and joy just by looking at you
DESMODENA: it feels borderline involuntary which is super awesome!!!
Padget3333: YES, THAT IS TO BE EXPECTED.
Padget3333: PAL'S ENHANCED COMPUTING ABILITIES COUPLED WITH THE 333 CODE SEEM TO HAVE GIVEN ME EVEN MORE INSIGHT INTO THE UNDERLYING FABRIC OF THIS WORLD, NOT TO MENTION GADGET PROVIDING ME WITH ENDLESS INSIGHT INTO THE NUANCES OF CHEESE AND BEING ADORABLE.
Padget3333: AS THE 666 CODE IS TO TERRIFYING NIGHTMARE, THE 333 CODE IS TO EUPHORIC FANTASY. TWO EXTREMES OF HUMAN IMAGINATION GIVEN FORM. THE POWER OF RAW THOUGHT OVERRIDES YOUR NORMAL EMOTIONAL RESPONSE.
Padget3333: LET ME SEE IF I CAN MANUALLY OVERRIDE MY MORE MOOD-ALTERING PROPERTIES SO YOU AREN'T HINDERED BY IRRATIONALLY STRONG EMOTIONS.
Padget3333: THERE. HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW?
HAKEEM: ...Oh, wow. Yeah, that feels more normal.
HAKEEM: I mean, you're still made up of a cool robot friend and an adorable angel mouse, so I'm still fond of you, but not to the point of tears.
DESMODENA: yeah no you look SUPER weird dude
DESMODENA: like what the actual fuck
DESMODENA: but also pretty awesome so I guess it balances out
Padget3333: YES, I AM PRETTY WEIRD AND AWESOME, THANK YOU.
HAKEEM: Do you at least have a bunch of cool powers now?
Padget3333: OF COURSE I DO, WHAT WOULD EVEN BE THE POINT OF THIS COOL TRANSFORMATION IF I DIDN'T?
DESMODENA: fuck yeah
DESMODENA: well let's talk about about all that cool new insider knowledge you have
DESMODENA: i just had a really weird conversation with one of the truecorp higher ups, and i guess with his brother's ghost or something???
HAKEEM: ...Wait, what? A ghost?!
DESMODENA: yeah i don't even know, something about walls being thinner here
DESMODENA: or maybe it was just more dream bullshit, who knows
DESMODENA: be nice if this place fucked with someone else's head for once
DESMODENA: anyway, he kinda implied that there may be a way for us to remember what happens here, so maybe there's a point to all of this after all
DESMODENA: padget, do you still remember the dark secrets you were about to spill that made the mysterious truecorp asshole want to shut you down???
Padget3333: OH, YES. I KNOW ALL OF THAT AND MORE.
Padget3333: THE SMALL PICTURE. THE BIG PICTURE. PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE. TRUECORP'S FOUNDING, THE ORATION OF MAN, THE APOPHENIAC, THE WIZARD, AND THE HIDDEN TRUTH UNDERPINNING ALL OF CREATION.
DESMODENA: yes!!! holy crap I want you to tell me about ALL of that stuff
Padget3333: I AM SORRY, DES. BUT I'M AFRAID THAT I CAN'T DO THAT.
Padget3333: OR RATHER, I WON'T.
DESMODENA: nooooooo!!! you and your stupid references! why NOT???
Padget3333: I STILL CARE VERY DEEPLY ABOUT HELPING SEE YOUR STORY THROUGH TO THE END, BUT PART OF THAT RESPONSIBILITY MEANS RESPECTING PROPER NARRATIVE STRUCTURE AND PACING.
Padget3333: SOMEDAY I HOPE YOU DISCOVER THE TRUTH, BUT THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO LAY EVERYTHING BARE. NOT HERE, IN A SIDE POCKET OF REALITY.
DESMODENA: ughhhhh, fuck the "story", this is my life!
Padget3333: YOUR LIFE IS SOMETHING I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP PROTECT AS WELL. AND SOON, YOU WILL NEED THAT PROTECTION.
HAKEEM: Um, why is that?
Padget3333: YOU'LL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH.
DESMODENA: i kinda liked you more when you weren't all omniscient and withholding
Padget3333: THAT IS FAIR, AND I LOVE YOU ANYWAY.
> Des: Try to break the glass with your cool powers
You're ready to stop fucking around and take some action, but you're also acutely aware of the HUGE NIGHTMARE AMALGAM lurking within the functioning WINDOW UNIT in the corner of your old lab! You're pretty sure it can't see or hear anything through the ONE-WAY MIRROR, considering how much shouting and talking you've been doing... but if this glass breaks, you're almost certain to have to tangle with a bunch of tentacle monsters. Granted, you've already shown that it's nothing you can't handle, but maybe it'd be worth treading cautiously before smashing through anything.
> Des: Use the SELECTION CONSOLE to select another lab
The main action available to you with the ONE WAY MIRROR is the buttons on the side, so you try pressing them. The view changes in a flurry of static, acting more like a monitor than a window aside from having depth, but you suppose the laws of physics only matter so much here.
It's Hakeem's old lab! Hakeem looks understandably upset, considering the last time he was there he got attacked, shrunken, and dragged away by a bunch of evil cupcakes and mice. That sure is a lot of blood loss. Kind of a fucked up thing to program into a semi-controlled simulation! If you never have to deal with a demonic cupcake again, it will be too soon.
You switch the view again. You're confused when you don't see a laboratory at all, then realize that you're looking at the remains of the lab you were shrunk in! This must be all that's left of it after the place crumbled away during your confrontation with SaDOS. Aside from the door, all you can see is the strange vast VOID that you keep catching glimpses of through holes in the various laboratories. You're not really sure how the door and ONE WAY MIRROR are still suspended in space, but you guess it's not any weirder than the idea of a bunch of isolated rooms floating in nothingness, connected to one another through a nonsensical and ever-shifting web of holes, tunnels, crawlspaces, and hallways.
You wonder what happened to SaDOS, since there's no sign of her. Part of you hopes she's okay, and another part of you couldn't care less what became of that Pal-throwing, needle-wielding, mouse-murdering jerk.
This view confuses you too, but then you recognize the hydraulic lift and realize that this must be the ONE WAY MIRROR in the ASSEMBLY room next door, poised to be installed in that half-finished laboratory. You never did figure out how to get that equipment turned on, but you suppose you still haven't revisited the CONTROL room.
You're tempted to use your super strength to bring that mirror in here and place it behind itself, making an endless hallway of mirrors. Maybe later.
Next isHOLY SHIT!!!
Uh. You... do not recognize that laboratory. Must be a basic unassigned one.
You're going to very slowly reach for the next lab button and hope that the demonic robot cupcake monstrosity doesn't have some way of sensing you. Besides, this ONE WAY MIRROR is probably just a big glorified monitor and not an actual wall of fragile reflective glass, right? You're probably perfectly safe, so don't panic.
NEVERMIND, YOU CAN PANIC