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![]() Using the key, the door clicks open. Stepping through the door, you find yourself in a wide hallway. A short distance away, a metal grate extends across the width of the hallway. Santa shakes it, but it refuses to move.
June: "Oh... So it's a kitchen..." She looks depressed. Santa: "What were you expecting?" June: "The exit. I was hoping this would be the way out of here." Star: "Heh. You really think it'd be that easy?" June: "Yeah, yeah, I know. Still..." The kitchen in front of you is large. Immediately to your right is a table filled with fancy dishes and silverware. In front of you, you can see a door, as well as several counters with cupboards. Around the corner, you see two more doors, an oven on the far wall, and a sink. At the bottom of one of the cupboards, you also see what looks like a safe. ![]()
![]() Santa: "Yeah, is that what you're saying? Does it have something to do with that 'invisible field' you were talking about earlier? So if more people know the answer, the answer will pass through the field?" Star: ".......................................................................... ........................................................................... ........................................................................... ........................................................................... ........................................................................... ........................................................................... ........................... PPPSSSSYYYYYCCCCHHHH!!!" His manner suddenly shifts, and he smiles broadly at the group. He waves his hand dismissively. Star: "Oh, I was just kidding. You really shouldn't take me seriously. Well, I mean, the things I just told you about are true. They really did happen. But the results of that experiment really aren't anything to go by. They could have easily falsified them. In the end, I'm sure they were just in it for the ratings. They are a TV station, after all." Santa: "R-Riiiight! Man, I gotta admit, you had me there for a minute! I, uh, really thought you were serious..." Star: "*Chuckle* Of course not! Like I told you before, I'm sure it's all just pseudoscience." Santa: "O-Oh, okay, right! Ha ha ha hahahaha!" Santa and Star laugh, and give one another jovial claps on the shoulder. June: "Hey, wasn't there a frame in one of the rooms? Let's see if the tiles fit in there. I have no idea where else they would go." ![]()
![]() Star: "Fortunately, it's much less morbid." He turns it back. "Its actually a picture of a dog." He outlines it for you (Check your e-mail). Santa: "So? What difference does the picture make?" Star: "A TV show from Great Britain did an experiment once. They took 2 similar pictures. Both of them were difficult to identify, initially... But once you'd figured out the answer, you couldn't see it as anything
First, they sent the pictures to other parts of the world where British radio and television didn't reach. To Ireland, the U.S., Africa, Europe, etc... Then, in each country, they gathered a number of test subjects. All in all, there were roughly 1,000 people. Those 1,000 people were shown the 2 pictures, and asked 'What does this picture look like to you?' The results, in and of themselves, were not terribly interesting... 9.2% of the people saw the lady in the lady picture. 3.9% saw the dog in the dog picture. Then, 2 days later... They broadcast a new show. During the 30 minute show, they broadcast the dog picture, and its solution. The audience was estimated to be 200,000 people. After the broadcast, it could be assumed that the number of people who knew the solution to the dog picture now totalled over 200,000 people. After another 2 days had passed, they gathered a number of research subjects from areas where British TV and radio did not exist. This time, they were only able to find a sample of roughly 850 people. Naturally, none of them were people who had participated in the 1st test. They were, however, given the same test, and the same 2 pictures. The results...were shocking. 10% of the people saw the lady in the lady picture. The previous test had yielded a 9.2% success rate--the change was not statistically significant. The dog picture, however, produced a very different result. The percentage of people able to successfully find the dog grew from 3.9% to 6.8%. A very significant increase. So, do you understand? Do you realize the significance of this experiment? There was no way the second group could have seen the picture. They lived far away from Britain, and couldn't have seen the picture. But even so, it was only the success rate for the dog picture that went up. Why? How did that happen? What does it mean?" Star looks back and forth, from you to Santa to June and back again.
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![]() The key definitely unlocks the case. You're able to ask the group where they should go. Before your fingers even pass your waistband, however, Star speaks up. Star: "Hold on, I've seen this picture before." He rotates the picture 180 degrees. Santa: "Where?" Star: "I went to University in England before I joined the military. While there, I read a book by a British biochemist named Rupert Sheldrake. He had a rather interesting theory. The picture was in that book." June: "What was the theory?" Star: "Morphogenetic field, which relies on morphic resonance." Santa: "You're giving me a headache..." He massages his temples jokingly. Star: "It's not a difficult concept to grasp. In essence, he states that the shapes of living organisms and their behavioral patterns are transmitted through a field not visible to the eye..." Santa: "Uh, what part of that isn't difficult, exactly?" Star: "All right, how about this... Theory of the Telepathic Mechanism." Santa: "Telepathy?" Star: "Not exactly. But close enough for approximation." Santa (laughing): "Are you serious!? Telepathy? Who do you think we are? Kids from the 70s? I can't believe someone would actually do serious research on something like that." Star: "Yes, I agree. I read the book, but I can hardly say I understood it. I'm in no position to defend or condemn anything it said. It was probably just someone latching on to a statistical outlier from some study and turning it into a ridiculous theory. There's no scientific merit to any of it, I'm sure. But even so... Anyway, I saw a picture like that one in his book." He pauses a moment. "Hey, what do you think this picture looks like anyway?" June: "It just looks like a bunch of abstract black and white scribbles to me." Santa: "What about you Maya?" ![]()
![]() While searching through the items you've collected, you notice that the candle you used to light the dark room had half melted. Inside the wax, you notice a small shaft of metal poking out. From its shape, you deduce that it is a small key. You are definitely able to find something to scrape of the grout and remove the tile. On the backside is another white and black pattern. Check your email. Santa: "Nice!! Now we just need the one that's locked in the glass case!" ![]()
![]() Santa: "What if..." He stands on the footprints. Nothing happens. He sighs, and closes the curtain. "HOLY S#+!!!!" June: "Whats wrong?!?!" She tears open the curtain. Santa: "No wait!!! The hole lines up exactly with one of the wall tiles!!! Like, when I stand on the prints, I can only see one tile!!! It has to mean something!!!" He opens and closes the curtain about four times. "It's the fifth one down, third to the right from the left corner." He comes out of the shower and points to it. ![]()
![]() Star: "Wait, why don't we use this candle?" He pulls a thick candle from his pocket Santa: "... You've had that the whole time? What the hell!!" Star (nonchalantly): "Why does it matter so much? It's not like we could have lit it anyway." Santa: "If we want to survive this, we need to share f$%#ing information!!! Where did you get it anyway?!" Star: "I found it behind the toilet of the room with the footprints. Calm down, Santa. I'm not hiding anything else." Santa still looks furious, but doesn't say anything else. Star hands you the candle. ![]()
![]() The others follow you in silence, obviously deep in thought. Star: "I'm going back to the bathroom. Those footprints have to mean something, and I'm going to find out what it is." He leaves. June follows. Santa: "I just had an idea. What if there's a clue written on the wall in the dark room or something? We wouldn't have been able to see it." ![]()
![]() The tile is behind the locked case. You can see, but you can't touch. Santa and Star both look at each other. You notice Santa's hand subtly move to cover his crotch, and Star turns a bright shade of red and begins to closely examine the tile. June giggles. The bathroom has a sink and a toilet. The bathtub/shower is missing a shower curtain. In the center of the tub are two red footprints. Although it looks like blood, your intuition tells you its probably paint. I made a mistake. I said that the first room had no shower curtain, but it does. It is cloth with red and gold checkers. ![]()
![]() June looks startled by your words and pauses, then runs after you. June: "But... wait! They say she looked like that because she was... frozen... That she was like that from the time of discovery all the way until they put it on the Titanic. And even though they carried the body through the blistering desert heat... It never melted." She falls silent. "I don't know if I believe it or not, but I guess... sometimes the real world is stranger than fiction, right?" You reach the other room. You find it to be superficially identical to the one you were just in, with the same furniture. However, one of the chairs lies on the ground, broken, and the empty frame that was near the door in the previous room is absent. You see Santa and Star near the display case, sweating and panting, each holding a chair leg. Santa notices you walk in. Santa: "...This isn't what it looks like..." Star: "We've been trying to get into this locked display case and get at some of these artifacts to see if they can help us. But this glass must be bulletproof or something because we've gotten nowhere." Santa: "There's some creepy ass footprints in the shower, and that room behind the case doesn't have a working light. The door is jammed though, so even though you can squeeze in, it doesn't let any good light in. Feeling around, though, we think it's a bedroom." ![]()
![]() You find nothing behind the mirror. June has an almost sheepish look on her face. June: "Supposedly the Titanic carried the mummy of the Priestess Amon-Ra, which was stolen from a pyramid. They say that the mummy had a history, and that everyone involved with it died mysterious deaths." June's eyes lit up as she talked. "Some people believe she's the reason the real Titanic went down. But it gets weirder... Like, the mummy was really pretty... I mean, she wasn't all shriveled up and stuff." ![]()
![]() June: "I don't know what this is. I just think that what Zero said was kinda weird. But the legends say that the real Titanic was renamed the Olympic and was used for a full twenty years before it was sunk by the curse." June takes a closer look at the key. "I haven't seen any keyholes in these rooms. Could it work in the Mars door? Or maybe it works in the room with Santa and Star?" You are already at the dresser. The only components of the dresser are the mirror and the drawer, which you opened. ![]()
![]() The drawer opens and reveals a modern looking key. June turns around to look at you. June: "What if... Have you ever heard of the controversy surrounding the Titanic? The Titanic supposedly had a sister ship that was essentially identical, called the Olympic. If I remember correctly, the Olympic was a ship that had a lot of problems. And the company that owned it didn't know how to get rid of it, right? So they made the Olympic up to look just like the brand-new Titanic... And then, they sunk it, on purpose." June moves over to you to look at the key you found as she talks. ![]()
![]() June: "I don't know, I haven't even been in there yet." She follows you into the room. You see a dresser with a mirror and a single closed drawer directly in front of you. To your right is a bed with a bright green and blue checkered blanket. Above the bed is a picture of a similar ship to the one in the room you woke up in. June moves to the picture and attempts to pull it off of the wall. It doesn't budge. June: "Looks like its bolted down." She pauses, looking at the picture. "This boat is huge." She pauses again. "Do you remember what Zero said? 'On April 14th, 1912...the famous ocean liner Titanic crashed into an iceberg. After remaining afloat for 2 hours and 40 minutes, it sank beneath the waters of the North Atlantic.' It seems weird that he would mention it without a reason. Do you think that this boat and the Titanic have something to do with each other?" ![]()
![]() When you enter the bathroom, you find it to be rather small, with a carpeted floor and tiled walls. The tiles appear to have sides of about 4 inches. The toilet is filled with water, and is relatively clean. It has no flush lever, but a long chain with a ball on the end hangs next to it. The sink is plain, but somewhat nicer than the one in the room you woke up in. To the left of the sink is a bathtub and shower. Although there is a rod, no curtain hangs from it. The main area is carpeted with thick, green carpet. It feels almost brand new beneath your feet. The couches are black leather, and are not worn. You find nothing beneath either. The table is a dark wood. On top of it is a box of five matches. They are of terrible quality. Also on the table is a strange black and white tile. You see June looking at what seems to be a clear display case. It is filled with a number of artifacts, such as vases, plates, and semi valuable jewelry. It is about ten feet tall, with three shelves on the inside. Behind the case is a door. It is slightly ajar. June turns her head towards you. June: "Look at this stuff. It's beautiful..."
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