Ah, Gus! Can you tell us how the override works more? And where it's logged? Are you the only one with access to it out of everyone here?

Hm. Sure can. It's a passcode, see. Goes into the keycard reader, overrides the access. Can't always be lookin' around for someone to let me in if things go south. I'm sure you know how it goes, little lady.

As for the logs... They're logged on the computer in the Security Office. I'm sure that cat can let you see. Seems to have Universal Access, he does. Didn't have to use it at all last night though... All the work I had to do was within my wheelhouse.

Did anyone who passed through the Museum Hall last night - Dexter, Spooks, Gus, Lyra - take notice of whether the missing exhibit was still there at the time or not?

What, you think I paid attention to some useless old crap like that? I don't think there was anything missing, but if it wasn't like, super obvious, then why would I?



All inventory was present at the time of the tool's return.



Can't say I got much interest in museums, but I reckon it was, far as I could tell.



Huh? Nah, it was there, if you mean the dagger.

Hmm. Coulda just have tossed the gun onto the track where it was found from one of the stations?

You recall where Dodo found the gun. It doesn't look like it could have just been tossed, it is too far down. However it is significantly closer to Station 1 than Station 2.

Sorry about this, Gus. Dexter, do you think you can mess up the Boiler Room like you did last night? I want to time how long it takes for me to put it all back in order.

And before I do all that, Spooks, how would you describe the Boiler Room when you were in there?

Oh, why do you kids gotta be like this?



Well, if you insist...

You watch Dexter rummage through the Boiler Room tools as though he's looking for something, though you doubt he's doing it the same way. The tools are scattered, but it doesn't take too much effort to get them back into the slightly more orderly pile they were in. It's more annoying than anything.



The tools were disorderly, similar to when [AGENT DESIGNATION: DEXTER HEXLEY] just moved them. Nothing else was present in the room. I returned the crowbar to its designated place., to ensure compliance.

How well does that decontamination shower work? Blood off a knife specifically.

You head back to the crime scene and rub a bit of blood onto that dagger, before walking into Decontamination with it. The mist hisses out of the shower head, and near instantly cleans you, however the blood seems to cake onto the knife a bit. You suppose whatever mechanism it uses seems to work best on softer permeable materials like skin and fabric rather than hard steel.

A usage of the decontamination room has been logged.

How long does a proper decontamination take? I'll volunteer to dirty myself up a bit to check (but I'm taking the suit off first.)

You take off your Kiryu Kazuma suit, tossing it onto Spooks, and roll around in the fountain muck. Ew. Still, the decontamination shower manages to clean the scum off almost instantly. You put your suit back on.

A usage of the decontamination room has been logged.

Besides, I'm an easy frame target. Take one look at me, and they think "Oh that Dexter Hexley, classic scapegoat!", but I'm not having any of that. Go ahead, toss me in the slammer for watching TV. You'll just have a killer running around unchallenged, no big deal. Go ahead and take that gamble, I'm sure it'll be like Christmas-fucking-morning when you find the next body, and the next one, and so on.[/color]

While the testimony of the Astrid woman has exonerated Dexter for the most part, being issued a personal challenge like this is somewhat intriguing in its own right.

Dodo ponders briefly about the viability of executing two people instead of one.

Oh, do you like to read too? Well, it was called Disciple of the Dog. It... said it was a mystery on the cover, but the 'plot twists' were next to impossible to figure out, and it was full of really unlikeable characters too. Honestly, barely made any sense. I don't think it's a very popular book. Probably for a good reason.

Hearing the title of the book spoken aloud, a brief flash of memories momentarily resurface from the depths. Some story about a small-time blogger posting photographs of his dog being washed... then got caught in controversy when posting the same picture twice to cover up a murder he had committed.

That was a good book.

---

While Riki is being unresponsive and thus presumably asleep, I'd like to hook him up to the sleep lab doohickey to see how much sleep time it takes for the counter to go to 33%.

You lie Riki down on one of three beds. He appears to be having trouble sleeping, so you give him a swift bonk on the head. That seems to do the trick.

You check out the instruments, and take a look at that bar from earlier. It reads [SOMATIC ENERGY: 33.33%].

This post was last modified: Dec 16, 2023 at 7:33 AM by Columbo.

Has that gun we found actually been fired? You know, check for residues from the gunpowder and stuff like that. Reason you gotta clean 'em.
And after we figure that out, somebody test fire it for me. Make sure it's working.

Just to be sure, because I'm not sure if we actually did this...can we compare that dagger we found to the fatal wound?

This post was last modified: Dec 16, 2023 at 7:47 AM by Izumi Konata.

Let's also check the counter terrorism room again, that was her unit after all... Maybe there's something there.

Then afterwards I'm gonna join the group nap in the Sleep Lab, always nice to take a nap in a stressful situation

Science time!



Izumi and John Fantasy XIV will join Riki in napping in order to test the somatic energy accumulation! And then we should test Liz' corpse for a somatic energy signature!

Could I take a gander at the plant Nancy was feeding while 23 was walking? It'd help if she ran us through the feeding process and roughly how long it takes.

With half-witted determination, Dodo proceeds to the Chapel, where he roots around the reliquary for a Symbol of Heavenly Authority.

He then returns to the Anomaly Lab, facing the containment cell of BPI-2101.

"Thou shalt be compelled to reveal thy true face to me, o planar traveller," his mind chants in between pangs of irrational anger and images of breadcrumbs and beans, "In nominae matris, et frumentis, et spiritus stellae. Also, tell us everything you saw or heard happening in front of your cell."

Let me just rapid fire a few questions here. Need to be thorough for my report. Chief's a real stickler for details.

In addition to Nancy's answers, I wanna ask "Hunter" here to confirm 'em. And maybe if he remembers the feeding last night seeming longer or shorter than usual.
Oh, and, what route did you two take to the Control Department?
And one more thing, did you actually see somebody in the lounge, or just hear the TV?

Spooks, did you see which way Dexter went after you took that crowbar from him?
Does your sensors include the Museum Hall, or just anomalies?
Is your access logged too, or do you just have free reign of the place?
How did you page Gus, anyway? Do we still got pagers here?
This Security Office that you like to hang around in... is that camera pointed at the Shuttle in the basement? Did you notice any activity on the cameras or anythin'?
Oh, and I'd like to see the logs, if you please. It'd give me peace of mind.

Dexter, what did you watch on TV anyway? What kinda reception do we get here? Might catch up on a few programs myself.

It's pretty strange nobody seems to have mentioned seeing you all night, Gus. Custodians are really underappreciated these days... Where'd you say you went after you saw the two guys shootin' at each other? Oh, and, what route did you take to the Boiler Room?

THOUGHTS

DEXMAN: WHAT DO BEFORE GO MEET HALL?
+ HOW MANY TIMES SHUTTLE HEARD AFTER RETURN?

GUSMAN: NO MENTION LYRAWOMAN ASLEEP WHEN GO THROUGH SLEEP LAB TO FURNACE. NOT EVEN MENTION GOING THROUGH SLEEP LAB. WHY?

STOLE CARD WHILE SLEEP? TAKE CARD TO MURDER THEN DUMP NEAR DEXMAN? NOT SAY BECAUSE SUSPICIOUS? GUILTY? CONFESS TO DODO?

JAILOR WOMAN: HOW LONG TAKE FEED ANOMALIES IN AUX BUILDING? LONG ENOUGH FOR WALK AROUND BUILDING?

HUNTER: OPINION OF DODO PERFORMANCE + OVERALL? 5 STAR? EXCELLENT BIRD?

LIZWOMAN: RUN OUT OF BLOOD TO WRITE WITH. ALSO RUN OUT OF SPACE IN ROOM. SHOULD HAVE PICKED SMALLER FONT SIZE

Where exactly did we find that dagger in the Boiler room, again? And is there anything to suggest a more recent fire to... I dunno, burn the blood off or something.
And for sanity's sake again, would we be able to tell if there was blood in the fountain?

So, a question for spooks (and the rest I suppose.)

How long has your main body been out of commission? It wasn't recently, was it?

I have a question for any of you that can answer it; when did Spooks start using his current, uh, body?

And for you. Dexter - was Spooks carrying anything else when they took the crowbar from you?

I have been utilizing this physical interface for approximately [ONE MONTH].

My previous physical interfacing system was critically damaged when assisting in the transport of BPI-1946 alongside [AGENT DESIGNATION: DATABASE ERROR]. The anomaly was contained, but damage sustained facilitated a temporary interfacing system while my previous form was under repair. Nothing about my programming has changed.



I am still dedicated to keeping our staff healthy and safe!



More like dedicated to pissing me off. Anyway, no, the cat didn't have anything else when he took the crowbar, outside of that stupid hat and cape. What does he even need that for, anyway? He's a robot, it's not like he can be naked.

Just to be sure, because I'm not sure if we actually did this...can we compare that dagger we found to the fatal wound?

You take the dagger and slide it into the wound. It fits snugly. Looks like it probably did cause the wound on the victim.

This post was last modified: Dec 16, 2023 at 6:37 PM by Spooks?.

I'll ask anybody who's seen Miss Grayson here to try to recall if she had a book. It's a little thing, but little things like that bother me. Where is that book? Did we search the whole Anomaly Lab thoroughly enough for it? It's not still on her person, right? Might've just gotten burned up in the Boiler Room, like they tried to with the dagger.

Oh, and, somebody look through the Library for any gaps in the titles there. It's a long shot, but it might help us narrow down which book she might've took.

I'm... sorry. She was too far down the mountain from me. I don't know what she was carrying. It was dark...



Oh my god, again with the specifics! How would I know if she had a book? She was around the Library, so I dunno, probably? It's a book, it's not like she was carrying around a shotgun or something



Hmm... Nope! No book. My powers of observation are quite keen, in case you couldn't tell. I would've picked up on something like that right away, obviously!

You decide to go check the Library next. There are a few gaps between solid rows of books. They're categorized primarily by genre, so it's not too hard to make a guess:

• One missing book is from a section about history.
  
• One seems to be from a section about Anomalies.
  
• One appears to be about Magic.
  
• One appears to be Departure, by Alan Wake.
  

There are a couple books missing from the mystery section, as well as the folklore section. There is also a book lying on the ground.

Oh. Dang. Alrighty.

Okay, how about this? Heard from the cat apparently these two go back. Not that cat, the other cat.

Hold up Liz and ask Trip if he recognizes her.

You hold up the corpse to the cell. Trip recoils, before gulping and facing you.



Dude, what the hell's wrong with you? You can't just show me a dead body and ask me stuff, man. That's gnarly. How'd you like it if I showed you a murder a victim, huh?



...Yeah... I recognize her. She was keeping me locked up though, so talk about a stab in the back. Friends off, seriously. Totally bogus.

Let's also check the counter terrorism room again, that was her unit after all... Maybe there's something there.

Then afterwards I'm gonna join the group nap in the Sleep Lab, always nice to take a nap in a stressful situation

Science time!



Izumi and John Fantasy XIV will join Riki in napping in order to test the somatic energy accumulation! And then we should test Liz' corpse for a somatic energy signature!

Konata and John Final Fantasy XIV lie down in the beds near Riki to nap. You watch the monitoring equipment carefully as they drift off.

[SOMATIC ENERGY: 33.33%]
[SOMATIC ENERGY: 66.66%]
[SOMATIC ENERGY: 100%]

[SOMATIC THRESHOLD REACHED - SOMATIC SEAL CHAMBER MANIFESTING...]

[ERROR: LUNAR SYNC REQUIRED - CANCELLING PROCESS...]

Everyone jolts awake immediately, even Riki, who rubs his head, feeling a bump. Upon questioning, they each recount a similar dream, of a room with swirling pink patterns, and some kind of mechanical pedestal in the middle. Weird.

Could I take a gander at the plant Nancy was feeding while 23 was walking? It'd help if she ran us through the feeding process and roughly how long it takes.

You take a look at BPI-1650's cell. It looks like a large venus flytrap, a couple feet tall. It's sitting in a pot. She opens the cell with Spooks' blessing and shows you inside. The plant seems to be docile, for the most part.

She explains that 1650 is normally aggressive and liable to snap at you with the strength of a bear trap, but will become docile if fed and even allow you to carry its pot around. She demonstrates the feeding process, taking some meat and tossing it into the plant's mouth. The mouth closes on the meat, though not in a particularly quick manner. It takes a long time for the digestive juices in the plant's mouth to actually dissolve the meat.

She pats it on the head and smiles.

With half-witted determination, Dodo proceeds to the Chapel, where he roots around the reliquary for a Symbol of Heavenly Authority.

He then returns to the Anomaly Lab, facing the containment cell of BPI-2101.

"Thou shalt be compelled to reveal thy true face to me, o planar traveller," his mind chants in between pangs of irrational anger and images of breadcrumbs and beans, "In nominae matris, et frumentis, et spiritus stellae. Also, tell us everything you saw or heard happening in front of your cell."

Trip looks around, confused. His form doesn't seem to change though. If he is some kind of shapeshifter, it is clear that he probably isn't going to listen to you.



It's pretty hard to see out this window bro. It's all tinted on my end, most I can see is like, shapes and stuff. I could hear the whole thing though... lots of banging around, even on my door. Sounded like a nasty fight, dude. From what I could see... Agent Grayson - er, Liz... she didn't stand a chance. It was rough.

Sorry I can't help more, man. If you'd let me out though, I can try and help solve the case!

Release my boy!

Do you know why you're locked up, Trip? Everyone's treating you like an anomaly right now, y'know.

Returning the unauthorized tool was the last thing I did, before returning to the Security Office to await further instruction. When I passed through the Lobby, Astrid was visible entering the Library through the doorway. I have been instructed to keep her safe, and the Library is a non-hazardous area. This is good.

Any reason why you were specifically told to keep Astrid safe?

@23 does the metal lump we found look like a slug from your blunderbuss?

@Gus were the two gunshots you heard from the same type of weapon?

Lyra, can you be more specific about when you saw the Dagger? Before and after your nap, I mean.

Double-check the autopsy's result stating that the body was "probably tossed around the room while still alive". What specifically indicates this?

Ask Nancy and the Hunter to follow up on the latter's statement about the Crimson Interloper having augmented strength. Politely ask Nancy to assess the... accuracy of his claims, given how she is the most familiar with his tendency to exaggerate.

@Lyra @Astrid what weapons are you both carrying? The others told us about theirs.

@Astrid was BPI-3999's room damaged when you walked by it to go to the Library?