Final Trial

[cartesio]

Final Trial

It takes a few minutes after everyone talks with the generic mannequin. The easygoing conversation, the bragging from Gant, Keith's exasperation, it all stops when a very heavy and ominous presence fills the room.

"I think it's about time this circus stopped"

It's the Sergeant. He's standing on the doorway, arms crossed. The shadows on his face wriggle, he seems to be rather furious, but is restraining himself from lashing out

"I should have guessed you bunch would take advantage of all that noise and ruckus to sneak in here. I was careless, I admit. 'Oh, this is over in like four hours, it will be okay if I step away to deal with that'. Careless."

Slowly the Sergeant enters the workshop. Behind him, the door slowly disappears, fading away, until where the door was now there's only a smooth wall. The Sergeant raises an arm, the entire room shakes.

All the mannequins fly up to the ceiling, the one that was now Damon Gant turned back into the empty husk the mannequin was before. The one with a t-pose has the same fate. Once all the mannequins are up on the ceiling, the operation tables are uprooted, bolts and screws flying around. The tables are twisted in the air, formed into knots, disassembled and assembled all over again, until several rustic podiums are formed and deposited on the ground.

Seven podiums, with him at the center. The Sergeant crosses his arms and speaks:

"Get on those spots. Tell me... ...how much do you know?"

Is it a rhetorical question? Who knows. You still have to answer, though

Comments

[sergeiant]

Once you're out of here, destroy the quantum computer.

[robitussin]

...Why? What happens if we do that?

[sergeiant]

The simulation, all the records and data of what happened these two months, and myself, will all be destroyed as well.

[robitussin]

And you want that to happen... Why?

[sergeiant]

I'll explain once you're out. I'm currently moving the inactive minds onto a disk outside, and printing an explanation. I shouldn't say anything right now.

Moving the minds into the bodies is an automatic process that doesn't need the quantum computer to be working, it's a different machine. You should be able to get everyone out even after the computer is destroyed.

[robitussin]

If there’s any time you should explain, actually, I think it’s right now, when you’re standing there asking us to kill you and erase everything!

[sergeiant]

Look, you'll be outside and with time to think. There's no hurry as long as you do it.

It's just that I'm pretty sure there's something afoot and if this simulation and myself stay intact, things are going to get ugly.

[Looks like he's unwilling to explain here and now]

[robitussin]

Wow. There’s something weird afoot. That is absolutely new information to all of us. Thanks.

[marmoron]

And what are you getting out of this?

[sergeiant]

The destruction of everything including myself, of course! What else?

[clearities]

[ interrupting here, but ] Are you okay with that, though?

[sergeiant]

I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't okay with it, you know.

[clearities]

I... had to make sure. [ because, well. you're asking them to essentially kill him? ]

[quickpersuader]

...Is it because you failed the true objective?

[sergeiant]

That'd be silly! [He sounds kind of offended] Look, you're getting your wish of killing me. Isn't that enough?

[quickpersuader]

And destroying everything else you worked for, yes.

[sergeiant]

Pretty much. Looks like Sergei's intention of restoring his world is impossible now, anyway.

[quickpersuader]

Oh? How do you figure that?

[sergeiant]

Look at the state of this simulation. Do you think it's in any state to fulfill its real purpose? It's falling apart at the seams, and everything I did to keep the coding together sure won't last forever.

Besides, we're in a completely different world, and I doubt the building and the quantum computer can be returned to the world we came from. Sergei and everyone else I know are missing, and I just found out destroying everything is the best course of action, for reasons I'll explain later.

Tht's how I figured that!

[marmoron]

One thing.

Any other negative effects from destroying the quantum computer?

[sergeiant]

None.

[Doesn't seem he's lying]

[marmoron]

Done. I'll destroy the computer.