DAY 00

[thecomputer]

[Good afternoon, Citizens!

Your consciousness blurrily returns as the transport tube your comatose body was stored in opens up, admitting you access to an unfamiliar room. One wall is covered by vertical tubes, one occasionally sliding open to admit another confused person. The wall across from you has a sign saying "PROCEED TO CENTRAL HUB", with an arrow pointing at a red doorway in the corner. The wall to your right contains an unlabeled, dusty, and poorly-lit hallway with blue walls, floor, and ceiling. You can't see the end from here.

Somewhere on your person, you will find a thin, smartphone-sized object that wasn't there before. One side of it is lit up with a red background and a number of disabled menu items. Most of the screen is taken up by another message saying "PROCEED TO CENTRAL HUB".

What is this place, anyway? And who are these people stumbling in through the transport tube array?]

[[Beyond the three prompts below, anyone may start their own prompts to mingle or go off and do their own thing or whatever else they want!]]

Comments

CENTRAL HUB

[thecomputer]

[The red door leads to a long and winding corridor, eventually opening up to a large, blocky room, dotted with arbitrary railings and obviously artificial plants. There are various other exits from here, but for the moment, they are closed.

On the north wall, over a door labeled "LOYALTY CHAMBER", the room is dominated by a huge video screen. It simply reads "PLEASE STAND BY", but as soon as all twenty people are present, it switches to an emblem of a massive eye, looking down at the gathered crowd. It speaks, the voice sounding almost human.]

Congratulations, Citizens! You have been selected for Alpha Complex's 230th Computer-Sanctioned Team-Building Exercise! For the next several days, you will all learn the true meaning of teamwork while getting to know your peers. Once you have demonstrated a proper appreciation for the value of teamwork, you may return to your designated Home Sectors.

The rules of this team-building exercise are now available on the PDC. Your roles will be assigned as soon as night begins.

Thank you for your cooperation, and remember that treasonous elements lurk around every corner!

[After that speech, the PDCs are unlocked, with all basic functions enabled. The Computer will remain active for ten minutes to 'answer' any questions, after which the screen will switch back to showing the current time and PLEASE STAND BY.]

[thefaceofjustice]

But I already appreciate the value of teamwork! Every officer in the LAPD deserves credit for the criminals we've brought to justice over the years!

[thecomputer]

This is excellent news! I am confident that you will be able to survive to the end of this team-building exercise without any difficulties.

[angry_jerk]

[Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Are you telling Dan what to do? Bad move, computer.]

TEAM-BUILDING?! I'LL TEAM-BUILD YOUR GUTS TOGETHER, TYING THEM AROUND YOUR NECK, STRANGLING YOU AND YOUR STUPID, IGNORANT, ROBOT THROAT!

[thecomputer]

Your feedback has been recorded! Do you have any other questions, Citizen?

[plentyfriendly]

[Phi carefully looks over the rules once they're brought up, immediately realizing the PDC must be that phone.

...There are two things in here that already worry her. Well, aside from this AI's choice of presentation. The rat was at least kind of cute.]

"All participants who are eliminated from the exercise will be executed"... and there are a few rules that are there and that you're not telling us?

[thecomputer]

I'm sorry, Citizen, that information is not available at your current Clearance Level.

[stinkingdeadendjob]

Wait a minute, what gives you the right to force teamwork on us!? I spend everyday mustering up what little energy left inside of me tolerating people at my stinking, dead-end job, and now you're asking me to work... with them for the next however many soul-crushing days? I have a wife, a kid, and an illegitimate kid to get back to, I have no time for this!

[thecomputer]

Don't worry, Citizen! You are free to return t your home sector as soon as the Team-Building Exercise has been completed.

[ossifragant]

[Team building?

He already knows all about working in teams, multiple ones. The only team-related work he needs to do is learn how to sniff out a rat.]

Believe me, I know very well the value of teamwork. You've brought in the wrong guy.

[thecomputer]

If that is true, then you will have no difficulty in surviving to the end of this Team-Building Exercise!

[staunton]

[ Knightley takes his time to read through the rules several times just to make sure he understood everything correctly. And boy, this sure does not sound good at all and he wishes he could shoot whoever's behind this. ]

Why don't we have access to rule twelve through fifteen? If you're gonna make us do this exercise bullshit, don't withhold information from us.

[thecomputer]

Thank you for your question! However, rules 12 through 15 are not available at your current Clearance Level.

[schrodingers_man]

[ A team-building exercise? Is this some kind of passive-aggressive jab? Well, fine, whatever, Yomiel'll play along. He digs out his PDC and looks through the rules halfheartedly. Seems pretty dumb, but straightforward enou--wait, hold on, what was that about execution? ]

What's the meaning of this?! This wasn't part of the deal!

[thecomputer]

Perhaps you are suffering from confusion, Citizen! Your selection as a volunteer for this exercise was not part of any deal.

[fullonbraced]

HEEEEEEY, MAAAAAN!!!

[Robin belts out a shout, giving the computer her full attention, her brace threatening to snap now more than usual.]

I didn't sign up for this, man! You can't do this to us!!

[thecomputer]

Your selection for this exercise was not instigated by signing up for anything! In this, you are correct.

However, your participation is mandatory.

[harshwords]

[ Oh boy. Even though she's pissed about the situation, she knows all too well that this isn't the time to grumble and beat up things. Because she totally would if she could. but she knows better. ]

So basically we all have to team up to kill these so-called Communists in order to win? Sounds like another "for the sake of the many" type of situation.

[thecomputer]

That is correct! Once all Communists or all Citizens have been eliminated, the exercise will conclude.

Re: CENTRAL HUB

[cantarellacookie]

[Anthy slowly reads over the rules, twice, before shutting her PDC. In a quiet, calm voice she says:]

Thank you for choosing me.

[thecomputer]

Thank you for your cooperation, Citizen!

[alchemicals]

[Kimbley will just be taking a minute to look over these rules that they've been given; it's a little clumsy because technology is still kind of a "no", captain, but at least it's straightforward enough.

Huh. That's...interesting. It's not ideal, but it's interesting. It also looks like we're going to have exactly one outcome here, so...]

...You know, if you wanted everyone dead this badly, you could have just said so.

[Kimbley.]

[thecomputer]

Don't worry, Citizen! The rules of the game create a very strong possibility that multiple participants will survive.

[lexicalscope]

[Curly reads the rules brief quite quickly, and there's a lot she doesn't like about this. There's also a nice little loophole, but somehow she doesn't think this thing has overlooked it. ]

Excuse me, Mr. Computer, but what happens if the communists agree to not eliminate anybody, and the loyalists do too?

[in_plain_sight]

[Gee, a lot of this is familiar. Let's just cut to the chase.]

You're not being up-front about being affiliated with Ultimate Despair, but I don't see why you'd bother hiding that at this point. If not us--them, who made this facility and brought us here?