astrokit

"What's next?"

This question has been bothering me since the ATA 3 ending. Now I've decided to sit and think about it.

The last game has an open ending. To speculate about what might happen after, we should know:

a) Riley's background (I'll treat them as separate from the player character);

b) if Hameln's tracking Rebecca and Riley now;

c) what time of the day is it.

Let's say that Riley is a college student that went to Kensdale to check on aunt Kate's house after they got her letter, Hameln is chasing after Riley and Rebecca and it's nighttime when they leave the Hameln facility.

The two are now in a very difficult situation. There are three ways Riley and Rebecca can go: 1) the hospital; 2) Riley's place; 3) out of town by taking a bus or a train (getting by legs is impossible, considering Rebecca's state).

If they go to the hospital, they might get some medical treatment for Rebecca. But, first of all, it's nighttime. I'm not sure how it works in America, but there's a chance that a hospital doesn't accept patients at night. But if it does, then there is another problem: hospital workers might report them to the police, and it would be troublesome to explain their situation (and where and how Riley found a missing and badly injured woman in a hospital gown). Plus Rebecca doesn't have any documents on her and no relatives that could help her. There's a small chance that police will help them fight Hameln, but it's unlikely. Their situation could also attract the attention of news reporters, which is dangerous, because Hameln will now know their location.

That's not a bad option. Even though it's troublesome and risky, Rebecca could at least get patched up, try to shed some light on the whole Hameln situation and get documents and support (not sure about this part).

Aunt Kate's house is burned, so if Riley moved there before the main events and doesn't have another place to live now, Riley and Rebecca can't go to their place. If Riley does have an apartment in Kensdale - they can. In there Rebecca and Riley could get some rest, patch Rebecca up, give her some normal clothes and try to deal with their situation in the morning. But if Hameln is tracking them, it would be dangerous for Riley and Rebecca to stay there, because Hameln can burn their place like Kate's house or do something else. In a perfect timeline where Hameln isn't hunting them, it would've been the best option.

They could also try to get out of Kensdale. But considering that Rebecca looks like she ran away from the hospital, they might get some strange looks or, even worse, get someone to call the police. And since Rebecca (and maybe Riley) doesn't have any documents on her, it might be problematic to get train tickets. Also, Riley might not have money to buy them, so they will be stuck on the train/bus station until they find a way to leave without them.

The conclusion is: there is no fully safe place for Riley and Rebecca to go to, if Hameln's tracking them down. If they're not, (which is strange, because why would they leave their experiment which they've been working on for 20(? correct-me-if-im-wrong) years and a person who, first of all, knows their secrets, and, secondly, broke into their property and stole said experiment, walk away peacefully) the best option is to go to Riley's place or the hospital.

Maybe it's just my point of view, because I'm not the type of person to do things Riley did. So if you, reader, have a different opinion, I would love to know about it.