[X] If Mari would be so kind, could she please use her SCREWDRIVER to open up the back of the TOY ROBOT.
-[X] Also ask if she can HIW the STRANGE MACHINE in the MEDICAL ROOM
[X] EXAMINE the CLOCK in the OFFICE.
Hmm... I'm very curious as to why the Drivers License name is different. Is one of the names, either Amjad or Ankara an alias? I'd also like to try and get in to her phone again, but as things stand I don't really see anything we could pull the password from.
Yeah, I hadn't considered the married angle, but she doesn't have any wedding photos or pictures of a husband, nor do I think was it mentioned that she had a wedding band.
Yeah, I hadn't considered the married angle, but she doesn't have any wedding photos or pictures of a husband, nor do I think was it mentioned that she had a wedding band.
I do wonder which name is the alias though. It could be Ankara, considering that the entirety of the staff having surnames that are also the names of cities seems statistically improbable.
[X] DFD the WATER-FILLED GLASS SPHERE
[X] Ask Owen what day does he think it is today?
[X] IFI: Explain the date discrepancy to Mari, ask her what's the last thing she remembers before awakening.
"The last time I remember seeing him, he was having an argument with Dr. Paris and Mr. Stockholm. It was about... me, I think. Something of some sort has gone horribly wrong here, and they wanted... something or other, from me. He refused. I wasn't supposed to be listening, but I did anyway. The next thing I knew, I was here."
Ah, yes, I love anxiety and the way it just [clenches fist] prevents you from doing anything. Fortunately, I'm feeling a bit better - if this update is lacking in quality, I offer my most sincere apologies (which I offer anyway simply due to how late it is). I hope you all forgive me, as I eventually wrote this between the hours of seven and nine AM. At the very least, I hope it's better than nothing - I have no intention of letting Questionably Soteriological die.
Looking around to make sure that Mari and Owen don't see you, you VERY PROFESSIONALLY confiscate the VERY SOFT CAT. D'aww, just look at him! You feel better already!
[EQUIPPED: VERY SOFT CAT: +25 ÉLAN]
"Must I?" she asks, rolling her eyes and sighing exasperatedly like a beleaguered office worker being told to please do that paperwork again, and copy it properly into Excel this time, and if they could process this box of files by Monday that would be great.
"Yes. Yes you must."
"... Well, there's no need to be so bloody bossy about it, is there, Calloway?" Despite her protests, she does walk into the MEDICAL ROOM and give the machine a thorough examination. You almost find yourself being a little JEALOUS of how good she is with machines. If only you hadn't always fallen asleep when How It's Made was on on television! Damn that narrator's soothing voice! You're shaking a melodramatic fist in mock rage when you notice Mari is looking at you and hurriedly pretend that you were just inspecting your first.
"Yes. I still have all my fingers, very good. Oh, Mari, did you finish looking at that machine?" Perfect. You're completely and utterly certain that she's bought the fist-examining ruse hook, line, and sinker.
She raises a single eyebrow, and looks at you for just long enough to make you feel embarrassed before she replies. "Yes, Calloway, I did. It's quite advanced, I'm really better with mechanical things, but from what I can tell it analyzes blood samples. I was going to prick my finger and try my own blood, but I supposed that it would probably be a good idea to wait for you. You are the detective and all, Calloway." You can't tell whether you should feel insulted or praised, and so simply give a noncommittal nod.
It's an OLD-FASHIONED WIND-UP ANALOG CLOCK, but unfortunately it SEEMS TO HAVE STOPPED. Well, at least it's right twice a day! Which means that if you just wait half a day - wait. No. That's silly. You throw that idea into the IDEAS GUTTER, which is the IMAGINARY PLACE where you throw all of your WORST and SILLIEST IDEAS.
The DANG THING seems to be LOCKED! What is it with the people here and LOCKING THINGS, you grumble. You bet they'd put a lock on their OWN GRANDMOTHERS. You quickly move on to another part of your investigation so that you don't feel EMBARRASSED by HOW LITTLE SENSE that metaphor made.
The INCORRECT PASSWORD SCREEN actually grows a pair of lips and vocal cords so that it can LAUGH AT YOU. Well. That doesn't ACTUALLY HAPPEN, but you FEEL LIKE IT DOES.
As well as MORE SERIOUS STATIONERY such as PENS and LINED PAPER, there are also a NUMBER OF CRAYONS, including a SMALL PACK OF RED CRAYONS bearing a POST-IT NOTE that reads 'For Kala'. Some of the pieces of LINED PAPER have DRAWINGS on them.
Owen frowns, seemingly deep in thought. It looks like he's considering this question with the utmost seriousness. Then, with complete and utter sincerity, he delivers his answer: "Thursday. It feels like a Thursday. Things always go wrong on Thursdays. I could never get the hang of Thursdays."
After shaking your head disapprovingly at Owen, you go over to your other, MORE SENSIBLE, if MORE SNOBBY, companion, and explain the DISCREPANCY between her account and the DATE ON THE PHONE. She frowns, looking worried.
"I... suppose I must have been out for longer than I thought. Like I told you before, Father was talking to Dr. Paris and Mr. Stockholm, in his office. I was listening, and they were having some great big bloody argument about something to do with me." Her brow furrows further, as if she's struggling to concentrate. "...The very last thing I remember, I thought that they didn't know I was there, and then Mr. Stockholm opened the door, and he was absolutely furious... next thing I know, I woke up in the room you found me in."
You enter the WALK-IN-FREEZER. Wow, is it cold in here! Brrr! You'd almost think that it wasn't at all worth it to enter this freezing-cold area, but now you've finally learned something you've always wanted to know: What it feels like to be a popsicle
Mari puts her ear to the DESK, tapping it with her knuckles. After a few seconds of RIGOROUS EXAMINATION, she grins. "There's a secret panel in that drawer there. If you're able to get it open, I'll be able to access it."
It's quite advanced, I'm really better with mechanical things, but from what I can tell it analyzes blood samples. I was going to prick my finger and try my own blood, but I supposed that it would probably be a good idea to wait for you."
As well as MORE SERIOUS STATIONERY such as PENS and LINED PAPER, there are also a NUMBER OF CRAYONS, including a SMALL PACK OF RED CRAYONS bearing a POST-IT NOTE that reads 'For Kala'. Some of the pieces of LINED PAPER have DRAWINGS on them.
[X] See if you can open the glass sphere; if not, break it open.
[X] Take the blue and green coral tile and assemble it on to the Earth slot in the geocentric solar system model.
... I'm really tempted to go figure out what "NOT ALWAYS SWORDFISH" is in phone-ese, but I think we've done that gag enough.
[X] Owen: EVERYTHING YOU CAN'T DO I CAN DO BETTER. Right now that applies to either NIMBLENESS or FISTICUFFS. If it applies to FISTICUFFS in particular, that means we've got a solid 30 points of strengthiness to apply to [X] Owen: Unstick this drawer for me, will you please?
[X] Use the GOLD CROWBAR to open the FILING CABINET.
[X] Ask Mari and Owen whether they are willing to have their blood analyzed. Please? Pretty please, with sugar and some kind of fruit that Mari likes on top?
[X] If Owen doesn't manage to unstick the DRAWER, give him the GOLD CROWBAR and ask him to try again. Wimp.
[X] Also be sure to test samples from the BLOODPACKS.
[X] Grab the SMALL PACK OF RED CRAYONS. We can give it to our SNEAKY FRIEND later.
[X] EXAMINE Ankara's GRADUATION PHOTO more closely. Is there any sort of date printed on the DIPLOMA? If so, attempt to use that as a password for her phone.
I'm wondering if the blood packs are samples of our blood from various stages of the experiment? Or maybe they have matching blood types for each of the kids in case they were ever injured severely. I also want to give breaking in to the phone one more shot.
Your blood is all INSIDE YOUR BODY. You're no medical professional, but as far as you're concerned that is the APPROPRIATE PLACE for blood to be. If at all possible, you think that you'd LIKE TO KEEP IT THAT WAY. You suppose, if REALLY NECESSARY for the sake of your INVESTIGATION, you guess you could work something out. Well. You could get Mari to do it, anyway. You're not sure if you could manage to do it yourself. Not that you're SQUEAMISH, or in fact anything less than a HARDBOILED and FEARLESS SLEUTH. You just like having blood INSIDE your veins, is all.
You daren't look too closely into the IDEAS GUTTER! When a JUNIOR SLEUTH gazes into the abyss for too long, the abyss will begin to gaze back at her! Some things are best left forgotten, like the time you put WHIPPED CREAM on a HOT DOG. Those dark days are behind you, now. Never again.
You look down at the puddle of blood. You look at the machine. You look at how lovely and clean your hands are. "Mari?" you call out sheepishly.
"What do you want me to do now because you're too much of a pansy to do it yourself, Calloway?" she replies, with a resigned, weary sigh.
After explaining your trouble, you play ANOTHER FEW LEVELS of that PUZZLE GAME. Although it's very good, you're finding that it's starting to have some issues - it's taking a longer time to respond to your input than it used to. Hopefully that glitch gets fixed! Eventually, you're interrupted from your PUZZLING BLISS by Mari tapping on your shoulder impatiently. You follow her back to the BLOOD ANALYSIS MACHINE. A small SCREEN is displaying a LARGE AMOUNT OF TECHNICAL INFORMATION that you DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND, along with a MORE SIMPLE MESSAGE.
Blood Analysis said:
NO ASCENSION DETECTED
CONCENTRATION: 0%
ACTIVE AGENT: N/A
Most of the DRAWINGS are in RED CRAYON, and although you wouldn't quite say that they were good from an artistic standpoint, they're certainly evocative. They include among them:
A drawing of a slightly emaciated dark-haired girl, with a ponytail, and the caption 'me'
A portrait sketch that is quite clearly of Dr. Brighton - he looks somewhat more melancholy than he does in his portraits.
A drawing of a woman in a hijab and labcoat and the girl from the first drawing sitting across from each other and talking. They are both smiling. It is captioned 'me and nice woman lady'
A drawing of a tall man with a sack slung over his shoulder, looking in through the window of a sleeping child. It is captioned 'boogieman'
A drawing, apparently from the perspective of someone lying down, of a man with unruly dark hair standing over them and grinning while holding a bonesaw in one hand and a syringe in the other. It is captioned 'scary scary'
A drawing of a man in a suit standing behind a girl in a school uniform. The man's hands are on the girl's shoulders, and the girl looks distinctly uncomfortable. The man has been drawn with no facial features except a smile.
A drawing of an eye. It is captioned 'THE MOON THE MOON THE MOON THE MOON THE MOON THE MOON THE MOON THE MOON THE MOON THE'
You CAREFULLY EXAMINE the GLASS SPHERE, but can't find any way to open it from the outside. Frustrated, you decide to just THROW IT AT THE FLOOR. Take that, inanimate obje- Wait! It didn't even break! It's not even scratched! What the heck! Have you just been played by an inanimate object? This is ridiculous! You didn't spend HOURS AND HOURS watching all those PROCEDURAL CRIME DRAMAS that you had to watch in SECRET because your DAD said you were too young for them to be outsmarted by some STUPID GLASS ORB FULL OF MOISTURE!
You suddenly realize you said that all aloud. Mari raises an eyebrow. You... really need to stop doing that.
[X] Owen: EVERYTHING YOU CAN'T DO I CAN DO BETTER. Right now that applies to either NIMBLENESS or FISTICUFFS. If it applies to FISTICUFFS in particular, that means we've got a solid 30 points of strengthiness to apply to [X] Owen: Unstick this drawer for me, will you please?
"Uh, right. The drawer. Unstuck. Unstuck, is the way that you want the drawer to be. Let me get on that. On unsticking the drawer, not just on the drawer. I don't even know what that would be. Um. I'm just going to. Stop talking. And go do that."
The CLASS MACHINATION [EVERYTHING YOU CAN'T DO I CAN DO BETTER] has activated!
After a GREAT DEAL OF HEAVING, the DRAWER is opened, to reveal... a PURSE. Odd thing to keep on its own in a desk drawer. If you knew anything about MECHANICAL ABSTRACTIONS, you'd know that this PURSE would ADD INVENTORY SLOTS. But you don't, so the thought doesn't even cross your mind.
[X] Ask Mari and Owen whether they are willing to have their blood analyzed. Please? Pretty please, with sugar and some kind of fruit that Mari likes on top?
"Of course," says Mari, in the exact same moment as Owen says "Uh, no." Mari turns to him.
"Come on, don't be a wimp. Calloway knows what she's doing."
"I like having all of my blood! I need it, for, you know, blood-related things, what happen, like, inside my body!"
"It'll only hurt a little."
"I don't want it to hurt at all."
Mari scowls. "I'll punch you if you don't agree to do it, see if I won't." After a few seconds of glaring, Owen holds his hands up in defeat.
"I mean. If you have to. Like, if you really, really have to, so much that doing it is more important than me having all of my blood inside of my veins." He sounds a little reproachful.
You take a BLOOD PACK at random and EMPTY IT INTO THE MACHINE. As well as FAR MORE TECHNICAL INFORMATION that you DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND, it displays the message:
Blood Analysis said:
ASCENSION POSSIBLE
CONCENTRATION: 0.1%
ACTIVE AGENT: #3
[X] EXAMINE Ankara's GRADUATION PHOTO more closely. Is there any sort of date printed on the DIPLOMA? If so, attempt to use that as a password for her phone.
