Descend - An Escape Adventure

It would take only a fool to fail to notice the unnerving feeling the conversation between the two detectives had taken. As always, Junko took mental note of it. The true character of some of these people was slowly becoming clearer to her, but she couldn't act on it just yet. Patience was a virtue, and the anticipation would make things just so much better when they finally blew up.

Junko settled for smiling again.

When they were about to head for the Storage Room, Monika excused herself and walked away. Junko gave her a questioning glance, a wave, and a "Get better soon~" before she left. There was still a lot Junko didn't understand, and she couldn't be more thrilled about it. It was time to solve some mysteries.



"Man... Talk about a weirdo. Is she allergic to investigations? And we had finally found a person to group with..."



"Ah, whatever! It's her loss. I wanna see her face when she realized we solved the mystery! Let us go, A-KE-CHI~! ☆"


And so, she dragged her companion towards the Storage Room. Whether or not they'd find anything, that was up to luck.

Akechi seemed to be thinking, but he was not altogether lost. He watched Monika leave with interest, but shrugged off the interaction.



"There's no denying that it's a bit odd, but there's most likely a reasonable explanation. Allergies, yes, or maybe there's a bug going around."



"This is a team effort, however, so we may be at something of a disadvantage without a third member."



"Well then, I guess we'll just have to work extra hard to make up for it. Yes, let's go. Mystery awaits."

Goro began marching down to the storage room door, swinging it open with little force.

Elevator Lady wrote:"That is correct. This elevator is the only thing in this world ruled by my laws. And those laws state that only those with a key may enter, and only once all keys are gathered within and all people who are inside hold at least a key of their own, will my elevator leave this floor. Forever."

"... I see."

Elevator Lady wrote:"How long I've been here is irrelevant. You should rather focus on finding the keys, before your chance has passed."

Edgeworth stares her down for a few moments, considering whether to press her further.

"...Very well. We're not done here, however." He says sternly before walking away from the woman.

"Aleka... how long have you been in this hotel?" He asks, while walking towards the nearest hotel room, "You mentioned before that you used to be able to use the elevator. How long ago was that?"

As they arrive inside room #509, Edgeworth stops and points to the map.

"Now then, according to the map, each of the hotel rooms on this floor should be the same size, and so we can expect them to have similar layouts. I suggest we inspect each room as a group, moving clockwise, but with each of us investigating the same area of every room. That way, we'll grow more familiar with the norms for that area; we'll know what to expect, and if something is out of the ordinary, we may be able to pick it out more quickly."

Junko peered into the room without much luck: the place was completely pitch black. After failing in finding a light switch, she cursed between her teeth and got out her flip phone for a flashlight.



"Have they ever heard of a light switch? Ugh..."

From the weak light source the had, the room appeared to be in a state of disarray. Boxes upon boxes filled the floor, along with a shelf and a telephone like the ones in the rest of the rooms in the back. Junko instinctively cleared her throat, anticipating dust in the air.

"This place is such a stupid mess... Guess you better start checking those boxes, huh? I'll hold the light."

---

Elevator Lady wrote: wrote:"That is correct. This elevator is the only thing in this world ruled by my laws. And those laws state that only those with a key may enter, and only once all keys are gathered within and all people who are inside hold at least a key of their own, will my elevator leave this floor. Forever."

"... I see."

Elevator Lady wrote:"How long I've been here is irrelevant. You should rather focus on finding the keys, before your chance has passed."

Edgeworth stares her down for a few moments, considering whether to press her further.

"...Very well. We're not done here, however." He says sternly before walking away from the woman.

Edgeworth wrote:

"Aleka... how long have you been in this hotel?" He asks, while walking towards the nearest hotel room, "You mentioned before that you used to be able to use the elevator. How long ago was that?"

"Umm, well. How do I say..."



"It was long enough to have ten meals. Maybe even eleven? I had my first meal right after I started existing, but that was even more meals ago! I don't think I could count them all."



"I still remember what the first one was! Fried rice with chicken. Hmm, that was so good... " She licks her lips.



"HMMMM! I want to have that again right now! I would eat a whole room full I bet! Wanna see? Wanna!?"



"Um, I'm not sure we need to know that much about you eating...!" Aqua tells her awkwardly. 



"Oh?"






"It's odd tho... You keep measuring time in 'When you did this' or 'When you were there'... Wouldn't it be easier to speak in hours? Or days?"



"...Hours? Days?"




(So she doesn't know what those are, either...)

"Sir Edgeworth... I don't think Aleka is going to be able to tell us a whole lot." Aqua quietly tells the man. "She doesn't seem to understand anything about the world outside this Hotel. As if she didn't have any memories of it... Do you think that's the doing of whoever trapped us here, too?"

Since Edgeworth seems to have a hand for deduction, Aqua feels that this might be a good question to bounce off him.

Edgeworth wrote:As they arrive inside room #509, Edgeworth stops and points to the map.

"Now then, according to the map, each of the hotel rooms on this floor should be the same size, and so we can expect them to have similar layouts. I suggest we inspect each room as a group, moving clockwise, but with each of us investigating the same area of every room. That way, we'll grow more familiar with the norms for that area; we'll know what to expect, and if something is out of the ordinary, we may be able to pick it out more quickly."

"Clockwise... So we'll start with 509 and end with 511." Aqua concludes. She then turns to Edgeworth and nods. "Alright. That seems like the best way to do it."



"What are we looking for?"



"Oh... anything, really. Things that seem out of place." She tries to explain. "If you see anything, just tell us, okay?"



"Sure!" 








"A mirror...? No, wait, it's a screen. But what for? I don't see any sort of machinery or magic attached to it... It's not a computer, is it?"

Moving further into the room, Akechi was surprised by just how quickly all was lost to darkness. This storage space could have been a cupboard or a entirely different world, as far as the two of them could see. Then Junko had a bright idea.



"That will work. It's funny, I'd almost forgotten I had my phone on me. I'll add mine too."

Goro slid his hand into a pocket on the inside of his blazer, then pulled out a slim device backed with brushed aluminium. He put the apple down in front of him and used newly freed hand to pop open the nearest box, swiftly pulling a cardboard flap out from under another.

With something of a hunched back, the boy held onto the box with one hand and poked his smartphone in with other, a bright light emanating from within.



"Nothing."

Moving onto the next one, Akechi repeated the same process, but found himself disappointed.



"This one too."

Onto the next box.



"N-Ngh..! Why is that in a place like this?"

And the next.



"Oh, well, that's more like it. You hungry?"

Akechi tossed a bag of baked crackers at his investigative partner before emptying the box entirety of its contents. The snacks inside varied but were not of any use to him. Perhaps he had been hoping that there would be something underneath or was simply being thorough, but this all came to naught. A sigh was audible.

The next box was not empty, but Akechi rather would have preferred it had been.



"That's... unnecessary. Nobody should be doing that on the clock, let alone in a hotel. Good grief. I understand that a job in a place like this must be taxing but there's a time and a place for..."



"Oh, hello. Now what have we got here?"

Akechi brought a stack of papers up to his face from the adjacent container, squinting hard to read in the harsh, artificial light, and returned his hand to his trouser pocket.

"..."

Edgeworth remains silent for a few moments, working through everything in his mind. He checks out the bathroom first, looking to see if there was anything out of the ordinary in there first. After all, given that he'd woken up in one, it was the most...familiar room to him if anything was out of the ordinary. The search wasn't the most fruitful.

Aqua wrote:"Sir Edgeworth... I don't think Aleka is going to be able to tell us a whole lot." Aqua quietly tells the man. "She doesn't seem to understand anything about the world outside this Hotel. As if she didn't have any memories of it... Do you think that's the doing of whoever trapped us here, too?"

Thinking for a second on what Aqua has said, he checks his watch.

...

He'll answer Aqua's question, keeping quiet so that Aleka didn't overhear.



"Whoever or whatever has trapped us here clearly has something planned. For us all to have our recent memories missing? The issue regarding a lack of a language barrier? The book that young lady started with and the loss of my case's key? That we all come from different backgrounds? Whoever has trapped us here, whatever game they are playing...it is beyond normal."



"Clearly, given our situation, I have to think on things I would normally take for granted. The rules of this place are different and unique. It is entirely possible that Aleka was born and has been kept here her entire life. Judging by what the woman in the elevator has said, I think we can assume that Aleka has had free reign of the hotel in the past, but something has changed that lead us to our current situation....I think it is quite likely that things will turn more sinister in the near future. Regardless, she may be our best source of information on this place."

On that note, Edgeworth will finally take notice of the phone. He moves up to it, attempting to call 911, to no avail.

"..."

(...I wonder...)

LOGIC: 'Telephone' + 'Map of the Hotel' = ...

"...hmm."

Aqua wrote:"A mirror...? No, wait, it's a screen. But what for? I don't see any sort of machinery or magic attached to it... It's not a computer, is it?"

"That, Miss Aqua, is a television. Normally in hotel environments, it is used by the guests for entertainment purposes or to watch the news. It will also sometimes have announcements from the hotel itself. I take it that from where you come from, this isn't a common sight, Miss Aqua? ... The power for this phone is working...that might be true for the television. Miss Aqua, could you please turn it on? There should be a button for its power located either underneath or on the back. There may also be a remote control for it. "

His attention moves back to the phone, dialing the number 507 into it, just taking a moment to listen out on if his theory is correct.

After roughly thirty seconds spent skimming the documents gripped by the corner in his hand, Akechi handed them to Junko for her own perusal and began to think out loud, shutting the door oven in the process to avoid any of the others hearing his ramblings.



"At least now we know one thing for sure," muttered the hampered detective as he stepped over to the other side of the room to keep searching. "This whole thing was premeditated. I think that goes without saying regardless, but these records prove it."



"What do you want to do with them?"

Surprisingly, and perhaps, even startlingly for anyone around,  Monika bursts forward from room 517.



Her eyes are wide, and she almost looks... scared. She takes off sprinting towards the storage room, only acknowledging any one along the way with a strained, "Excuse me." Or a fleeting, "Sorry."

"Hmn?"

From the darkness of the back of the room came sounds of rustling. Junko turned her phone's flashlight back on again, looking like she'd just been on the floor, searching. She approached Goro and took a look at the contents of the box in his hands. The hum she let out was one of mischief.



"Fwhah~ I couldn't find anything even remotely useful on that shelf over there, but you went and stumbled upon all this? No wonder I'm the sidekick~"



"... You don't plan on showing everyone this, do you? All this stuff seems important, but we can't possibly know who to trust just yet..."

Junko put a hand on his back, but it seemed more like a call for support than a threat. In the dim light of the room, her eyes grew dark and brooding, and her voice lowered.



"if this pointed out towards the mastermind's identity, and they knew that we knew... we'd be screwed, wouldn't we?"

Edgeworth wrote:
Thinking for a second on what Aqua has said, he checks his watch. 

...

He'll answer Aqua's question, keeping quiet so that Aleka didn't overhear.



"Whoever or whatever has trapped us here clearly has something planned. For us all to have our recent memories missing? The issue regarding a lack of a language barrier? The book that young lady started with and the loss of my case's key? That we all come from different backgrounds? Whoever has trapped us here, whatever game they are playing...it is beyond normal."



"Clearly, given our situation, I have to think on things I would normally take for granted. The rules of this place are different and unique. It is entirely possible that Aleka was born and has been kept here her entire life. Judging by what the woman in the elevator has said, I think we can assume that Aleka has had free reign of the hotel in the past, but something has changed that lead us to our current situation....I think it is quite likely that things will turn more sinister in the near future. Regardless, she may be our best source of information on this place."

"Her entire life...? You mean, somebody might have created her just for this?"

The thought alone made Aqua sick. It sounded like something... that man... would do. Like what he did to Ven. What he used Terra for. 
She glanced over to Aleka, who clumsily looked through a magazine, page by page. That poor girl. She was so innocent and naive. Someone like that was like cannon-fodder for the Darkness out in the worlds...



"You're right, of course... She still knows this place best. But how much is this really going to help? She barely knows how to name things. I really don't want to use someone like that just to get out of here. She doesn't even comprehend what we're trying to do."

Edgeworth wrote:





"That, Miss Aqua, is a television. Normally in hotel environments, it is used by the guests for entertainment purposes or to watch the news. It will also sometimes have announcements from the hotel itself. I take it that from where you come from, this isn't a common sight, Miss Aqua? ... The power for this phone is working...that might be true for the television. Miss Aqua, could you please turn it on? There should be a button for its power located either underneath or on the back. There may also be a remote control for it. "

"Television...? No, I'm afraid I don't know what that is." She replied truthfully. "I think I understand the gist of it though. It's a playback device of sorts, right? Alright... I'll try turning it on."

Aqua quickly finds the button Edgeworth is referring to and pushes it. 

"The thought has crossed my mind once or twice, yes. The truth is, any of the people we've met already could be complicit in this game."

Akechi folded the documents up succinctly and slotted them under the heaviest box in its row.



"For now, this will do. And if any of our friends here are less than forthcoming about their backgrounds, we will have to be on guard. Keep your eye on them."

All of a sudden, there was a ringing noise somewhere further down the corridor. Akechi turned his head slightly as surprise registered quite clearly on his face.



"Is that..?"

Moreover, somebody was bounding down the hallway now.

Monika pauses for a moment when she hears the phone ringing, then shakes her head. She finally finishes her short run and throws open the door to the storage room.



"Junko? Akechi? You guys in here?"

She steps into the room slowly and pulls the door shut behind her.



"Found anything yet? Maybe a way to get all of those bolts off of the windows? Or maybe a key of some kind? We have a few locks to open after all..."

Right as a distant telephone started ringing, the door to the storage room burst open. Monika looked out of breath, and Junko wondered if it had anything to do with the ringing. She turned towards her and tilted her head, ready to start a different line of inquiry.



"What are you doing here? I thought you got sick. And what's with the rushing? Did something happen? Honestly, kids these days... Making us worry over nothing."

The constant ringing and the lack of a strong light source in the room made Junko's expression hard to read. Even through the darkness, however, Monika would still be able to notice how deeply Junko was staring at her.



"I technically didn't find anything like that, but maybe it could help," She added, gesturing to her pocket. "Is something happening outside? I'd assumed phones wouldn't work in here, so I didn't even try it, but maybe..."

"Hmm. It's as I thought."

Edgeworth hangs up the phone.

Aqua wrote:
"...HUH!?"

Aqua is absolutely baffled at the sight.

"Wait... That's... What is he...!?"

"Hmm. He...appears to be Stitch, a cartoon character. He's fairly popular amongst the children, though lacking behind the Steel Samurai in the ratings if I recall correctly. I believe he's supposed to be an alien of some sort... That's interesting. This shows that the TVs are working and may be getting a signal. Or, at the very least, it's a recorded show. It may be worth checking to see if there are other channels."

He takes note of the nuanced part of her reaction, but doesn't question it at the moment.



"Now, it appears as though the telephones here are connected via an internal line. All that one would need to do in order to communicate with the other rooms is to know the proper number. That would allow us to communicate with every other room on this floor and possibly the ones below us, with the exception of the Utility and Storage rooms, along with any other specialty rooms. However..."





"Considering the nature of hotels in general, it is very possible that those rooms may still have a phone for the staff to communicate. If we consider their placement, we might also be able to get their numbers, and that would allow us to stay in communication with the other teams, should the need arise. Let us test this theory as well."

Edgeworth will pick up the phone and dial the number "506".

Once again, Monika engages in a staring contest with Junko.



"I did get sick, but it passed pretty quickly. It was definitely a one time thing... And who are you calling kid? I bet I'm older than you."



"The ringing was a hotel phone, I think. All of the rooms have them, and I bet that we'll be able to call other rooms on them. That'll be useful whenever someone gets stranded on a floor after we use the elevator! Your phone probably won't work because there's no way that the creep behind this was dumb enough to let us have a way to contact the outside world."

Monika breaks the stare first this time and looks around the room.



"How have you been seeing in here? Because I want to look over there."

She points to a certain shelf-like object in the dark.

In other news, it's about time for this other group to actually begin investigating something...


Parker takes the lead on heading the short distance to the Utility, confident the others will follow along. The door is still partially open, as no one ever bothered to close it entirely after Peter and Adachi left, but the crack of light coming in from the hallway doesn't illuminate much even when it's widened to full. Certainly not enough to properly search the room by the ambient light of the doorway alone.

"Hmm. We're definitely going to need a light to look around in here..."  He leans on the doorframe for a moment to think, before snapping his fingers.
"Oh, I know. I'll just have to use my trusty Spider-Signal!"

As he activates a gadget hidden in front of his belt with a subtle but satisfying click, a bright light illuminates the room in front of him with a projected image of his mask. While the conical light won't necessarily help anyone but him search, given that the other two would only cast shadows if they were to walk in front of it, when combined with the light of the doorway it's enough to almost make out the features of the room in dim detail. But even vague detail is enough detail for someone to locate the light switch.

"What do you guys think? Pretty cool, huh?"

Edgeworth wrote:

Aqua wrote:
"...HUH!?"

Aqua is absolutely baffled at the sight.

"Wait... That's... What is he...!?"

"Hmm. He...appears to be Stitch, a cartoon character. He's fairly popular amongst the children, though lacking behind the Steel Samurai in the ratings if I recall correctly. I believe he's supposed to be an alien of some sort... That's interesting. This shows that the TVs are working and may be getting a signal. Or, at the very least, it's a recorded show. 

"Hm?"





"Aww! It's so cute!!"



Aqua, however, is less amused...



"A... A character... Right..."

She tries to calm down.


(That is Experiment 626, no doubt about it. But why here, in this world, like this...? Just where am I...?)

She looks at the screen for a while. 

(Well... He seems to be having fun at least. That's good. I'd be happy if that were really where he did end up after all that happened. At least one friend to come out of that mess unharmed...)

Edgeworth wrote:It may be worth checking to see if there are other channels."

"Um... Alright."








"...!"

Edgeworth wrote:



"Now, it appears as though the telephones here are connected via an internal line. All that one would need to do in order to communicate with the other rooms is to know the proper number."

"So, it's a communication device." Aqua recognizes. "I guess it doesn't allow us connect to anywhere outside this place?"

Edgeworth wrote:"That would allow us to communicate with every other room on this floor and possibly the ones below us, with the exception of the Utility and Storage rooms, along with any other specialty rooms. However..."





"Considering the nature of hotels in general, it is very possible that those rooms may still have a phone for the staff to communicate. If we consider their placement, we might also be able to get their numbers, and that would allow us to stay in communication with the other teams, should the need arise. Let us test this theory as well."

Edgeworth will pick up the phone and dial the number "506".

Although Monika had entered the room with little grace, Goro had taken to leaning against the wall pensively rather than join the girls' conversation just yet. This being what is was, he was completely taken by surprise when another phone rang out, just by his head.



"Ah! To think there would be a phone in a room like this..!"

Snatching the handset up from the bulky main body of the device and pressing it to his temple, Akechi waited just a second before speaking.



"Hello? This is the storage room, where are you calling from?"

DimitriBarronmore wrote:
"Hmm. We're definitely going to need a light to look around in here..."  He leans on the doorframe for a moment to think, before snapping his fingers.
"Oh, I know. I'll just have to use my trusty Spider-Signal!"

As he activates a gadget hidden in front of his belt with a subtle but satisfying click, a bright light illuminates the room in front of him with a projected image of his mask. While the conical light won't necessarily help anyone but him search, given that the other two would only cast shadows if they were to walk in front of it, when combined with the light of the doorway it's enough to almost make out the features of the room in dim detail. But even vague detail is enough detail for someone to locate the light switch.

"What do you guys think? Pretty cool, huh?"

"You carry that gadget with you all the time?" Really. That's what you ask? "In any case, it should be enough to find the light switch..."

Hitsugi attempted to scout the dark utility room without blocking Spidey's signal light. "Hmm... Usually, the light switch is near the doorway, right? Or is it on the other side of the room? Wait... Is that it?" She points to something on the wall. Is it the light switch?

At the sound of the classic Steel Samurai theme, Edgeworth will finally let out a small chuckle. Something familiar in this whole crazy situation.



If they looked at him, Aqua and Aleka would notice the small smile that has crept up. Especially at hearing Aleka sing every word properly. Seemed as though she was an avid fan. ... hmm.

The Phone wrote:The phone takes an unusually long time connecting after Edgeworth dials the number.
Eventually, he would hear an announcement by what seems to be a pre-recorded female voice.


"You have called. Five. Zero. Six. Inactive receiving handset detected. Please wait, while receiving handset's secondary power source is activated."

There was quite a bit of interesting information right in there. Of course, finally, the phone would be picked up.

Goro Akechi wrote:"Hello? This is the storage room, where are you calling from?"

"This is Miles Edgeworth calling from Room 509. You're...Detective Goro, correct? Detective, so that you are aware, it seems as though the phones in this building all run off of internal lines. As such, everyone should be able to communicate with each other should the need arise, simply by typing in the requisite room number.

One more thing. According to the automated system on the phone, the telephone in your room was inactive, and its secondary power activated for it to start working. Could you check to see if it remains on when this call ends?"

Goro Akechi wrote:


"I'll see you."

---

Goro's final words to Adachi catches the older Detective off-guard. Gnashing his teeth, he steps back to his group and join them at the utility room.

"Tsk... Pesky little brat..."

After those words, Adachi says nothing, nor does he reply if anyone asks him about what happened. He doesn't break his silence until Spider-Man shows the group his... spider belt? What even is that thing, anyway? Adachi's eyes go wide when he sees the bizarre gizmo.


"Whoa! That's a fancy thing you've got. Is it some kind of night vision function?"

The masked symbol in the room looks tacky enough to make the tool seem childish... Not to mention vain. Seriously, are all these people so full of themselves? ...Yet it's undeniable that this thing would help in the search of the room. Whether Adachi likes it or not, that's all that matters at the moment. Anything to keep him from groping through the dark with nothing but his bare hands to guide him.

Hitsugi Yasaka wrote:

"Hmm... Usually, the light switch is near the doorway, right? Or is it on the other side of the room? Wait... Is that it?"

"You found it? Here, let me see if I can find it..."

Adachi walks in the general direction of Hitsugi's finger. Unfortunately, it was difficult for him to see in the dark (particularly because he's stopped using his glasses), and he doesn't quite see what's in front until his feet give way under him.


"Hey wha--WHOA!!"

> ...*Bump-CRASH!*


"Ugh... Agh... Damn..."

> ....
> ....
> ....?

> A faint red aura is emitting from Adachi...
> It doesn't seem he's aware of it.

"I already looked through the shelf, and there was absolutely nothing of use except for this screwdriver handle. No paper, no pens, nothing! Don't even try to enter without your phone or you'll fall on your butt."

The red light ignited to life, and the phone started ringing, so the atmosphere in the room inmediately shifted. Red was such an aggressive colour, Junko's eyes looked almost diabolic as she kept her gaze fixed on Monika. She lowered her voice to let Akechi carry on his conversation on the phone, and stepped forwards to meet the club president.



"What exactly is your deal...? You've been acting the most suspicious out of all of us ever since we met, but I can't put my finger on why. You can't be behind all of this, but you're STILL..."

She paused, struggling to find any words at all. Her brain kept on whirring, but for once in her life it didn't give Junko the right answer, or any answer at all. The mere thought of something escaping her like this made her body jitter in excitement. 

The next smile she gave Monika looked more unnatural than it really felt. She thought back to the USB stick hidden among the cardboard boxes, and her grin grew even wider. She hadn't felt the truth's allure with such strength in so long she had started to forget how good it felt.



"Aah, whatever! I'll find out your secret eventually, right? And until that happens, I'm sure we're gonna have a lot of fun. This whole thing has been super-duper fun! I know you agree with me, so let's keep working together!"

Triplemathics wrote:> A faint red aura is emitting from Adachi...
> It doesn't seem he's aware of it.

What the hell? Am I seeing things or is there some kind of red glow coming from Adachi? Glowing auras aren't usually a good sign. Hitsugi is half tempted to ask Spider-Man if he saw the same thing. She ended up conveying that message in a way through a raised brow at Spidey.