#juliabot

Juliabot seems to listen to the mysterious man with no questions. She begins to usher you into the Laboratory. It’s strange. This place is unfamiliar, and a bit scary. There are many people rushing around in it. Doctors, and young children chasing after said doctors with smiles, or laughing. Others seem to be crying- it really depends on what hall you’re being pushed into by Juliabot.

If you are of the Special Arts wing, you see beautiful children singing and dancing in the halls, and the halls themselves are adorned by the children’s pictures and paintings. You’re joined by AI-3V3, or as Yumiko named her, Hana. She seems nervous, but pays a kind smile, leading you along into the soulful depths of the wing.

“It’s not bad here... we’re sheltered, we don’t experience bad things like the other two wings do. S-Since you’re forgetting the game, I’m sure your life will be good here... no harm is done to this wing, so our artistic ability is honed...”

How comforting.

If you are pushed into the Brutality hallway, a huge metal door is slammed behind you, and within it the scent of blood is intense. Children who appear to be training, or standing in a military-like line, listening to orders and saying ‘yes ma’am/sir’. The sound of screaming is loud, and in the distance, you swear you can hear gunshots. A chorus of chaos. You would quickly find out how easily death is found here, if you were ushered into this hallway. Sasha joins your side, if you were put into this wing. She stares up at you. Her glare harbors the slightest amount of pity. 

“The pain will go away after a while. They alter your body so you don’t feel it anymore. And with how many times our minds are constantly erased to make sure we obey, you’ll be mindless soon anyways. It’s a sad existence, but at least you don’t hurt for very long.”

How scary.

And finally, the Intelligence wing. If you were pushed into this hall by Juliabot, you’d see that everything is systematic here. It’s pretty... barren, actually. A door also slams behind you if you are put into this wing, and the sound reverberates throughout the quiet. The most one notices right away is how silent it is here. You only hear the softest of murmurs, coming from different rooms. Robotic whirs and sounds echoing in the silence as Tomoko stands at your side here.

“I can’t say you’ll enjoy your time in this wing. We have it the worst. But little success is found here. You’ll die quickly, which is a kinder fate than living here.”

How depressing. Yet simple.

Those sent into the mysterious fourth wing... find nothing. They are never seen again... or are they?

Juliabot lets out a sigh as she finishes pushing each student into their new respective homes.

“Uwaah! What a good, good day! But gah, I’m so tired now... I think it’s time to rest...”

On the stop, though nobody is there to witness, she sits down, and shuts herself off. Symbolic, in a way. It was all over..

You breath a sigh of relief, or perhaps you shed tears. Maybe you are angry, the only one who knows is you. So he is dead. The mastermind Kai is dead. You all take a few moments to react... but soon, you can hear the sound of crashing, and the house jolting in what seems like a mini earthquake. This goes on for a good minute, before stopping. You hear doors open, and Juliabot vibrates with excitement. 

“Ooooh, come on come on come on! We have to go! The doors are open the doors are open. We can finally get out of the house. Ooooh, I wonder what will happen outside?”

What a sick joke. You know what will happen. You can hear the ocean outside.. and once you’re all ushered by force to return upstairs, the scent of saltwater assaults your noses, yet when you approach the doors, no water is seen. You only see the figure of a man, standing at the door.

Never doesn’t seem to have followed any of you upstairs to witness the oddity of a new person. Yet, the frequency of new faces has left you less surprised, and more acceptant of what’s to come. This man was nothing more than a silhouette, and gave a more chilling aura than Never could have ever given. Apathy was the main feeling here.

The ‘gift’ comes filing out of the doors that the previous students who were executed got dragged into to die. One by one... you see the students who you thought were dead join you in trial. In the final hour... they return? But how? Didn’t you see them die? No, most of you know by now. Spuds is your living... er... computing evidence. Ah, yes...

Never turned your fellow students into robots. They seem so lifelike! But you feel a bit detached... dead, but here... copies... with the memories of the fallen? Convinced they are the fallen? Are the fallen? Juliabot gauges your confused looks, and explains.

“These are your fallen. Those who have been murdered and executed. They are your Jury. They will be helping you throughout the trial, and assisting in the voting process! To put it simpler- they are fully participating in this trial! Isn’t that such a nice gift and surprise? You get to talk to them! They’ll talk back you know, their consciousnesses are in these robotic shells! They are aware and technically... alive! So cool~.”

She seems so giddy about this, as your fellow students take up their previous spots in the trial room. How familiar... nostaglic... seeing this many students... But, Juliabot continues to speak.

“Oh yeah, one more rule for this trial...”

“You don’t get to default or vote for yourself~.”

Oh. Well, it is the final vote.

“You must vote for somebody you think is guilty. No choice in the matter. If you don’t get a vote in on time, then your vote simply wont count in the final tally. But don’t you dare try to stall out the clock just so you don’t have to vote. I’ll make you vote. Don’t forget to try and piece together the mystery itself as well, okay? Why Never and the Mastermind teamed up? And what the future calls for... okeedokee?”

You suppose... that’s as good a cue as any...

You’ve collected all your thoughts, mourned if you want, murmured nothings at others if you want, but Juliabot’s voice jolts you out of your thoughts and actions and brings you back to her, like a moth to the flame. She catches your eye, her robotic grace sometimes distracted as she announced the next half of your fate. Some of you are scared. Some are anticipatory. Some want this to end, and some have a combination of this all. But surely... collectively... you all feel at least one similar feeling. The craving to just know... who did this? 

“Just who struck the very first deal with Never? You all must be very familiar with her deals throughout the game. The Mastermind... had the pleasure of the first, didn’t they? Agreed with her to start all this. Fund this for them. Eventually witness just how much she likes to meddle... but. Why? Why did they start this with her? Who and why? Figure that out for me.”

“Then, engage a vote! Vote for them... if you get it right, they’ll be executed just like the other murders. But, you might be thinking: ‘But Juliabot! We have no idea who it could be!’. Well, no worries! I have a gift for you!”

Some listen intently, some seem to only half listen, or perhaps what you chose to do while she began her speech of rules is completely different. Only you know. Perhaps that’s the only freedom you have left here! The ability to think and listen how you wish- yet you have a chilling feeling that Never seems to take away that luxury from people too. 

“This trial shall go in parts!” She begins.

“The first part, is solving Higanbana’s mystery! Who is the culprit? Whodunnit? Uwah, I’m so curious- heehee, I actually know the culprit. But you all need to figure that out first! Only polite, right? That you solve the very last mystery before you delve into the next half of the trial? Respect the dead! Even if we at Alice Project Incorporated don’t! You got all this? You will solve Higanbana’s mystery first! It doesn’t have to be correct- you just got to get past the vote.”

“Second half of the trial, will be devoted to figuring out the mastermind. Not only that, you will try to figure out what Never’s whole reason for being here is, as well! Though, it’s only really the first part that matters! Figure out the Mastermind. Get to the Mastermind vote.”

She notices some of you look confused. She continues on to explain a little more thoroughly.

“Why are we looking for the Mastermind all of a sudden, you ask? Well that’s simple! Never’s objectives have changed. The game is coming to an end. But she can’t just leave! Oh no, she never leaves a commitment behind. She thinks it should end properly! With a vote and and execution.”

“So, a rundown of what you’ll be doing, and in order! First, figure out Higanbana’s culprit, and vote for them. Once that is done, you shall go into another discussion- about who the Mastermind is. You shall vote for them! If you figure them out, they are executed! If you don’t get them right, you all suffer! Heehee. And lastly, remember to unravel the mystery of what Never’s purpose was here! Perhaps it’ll have to do with what your future is…”

“As for what I meant earlier about guests? Make it to the second half of the trial to find out~!

Juliabot giggles, finished up by doing that traditional raise of her microphone into the air! Let! The final trial! Begin!

You hear a distinct voice in the air. How spooky and chilling this place feels now. Nothing like a gameshow setting. Nothing. Just a place of silence and solitude, a place where your lives are the game and nothing more. Dancing at the strings of many hands but your own, you lie dormant within the hospital-esque setting and only react once you’ve finished your investigating and hear Juliabot calling for you.

“Trial time! Trial time! Letsago! It’ll be so much fun, ne? Some of our final days together! Uuuuwwah~! So much fun. Listen, we’ll be having special guests after the first half of the trial- oh! I should probably explain the rules of how this will play out though, huh? Okeedokee! Get to the trial room now and we can get this staaarteeeed~!”

And you listen. Like the obeying dead, you all follow eventually, whether or not you chose to do this of your own accord. You know that you would be forced into the basement eventually. So you silently go along- or you talk with somebody, who knows what your choice was. But you make it downstairs. And Juliabot goes through the motions… making sure you all stand at her podium, and look on her for the go to begin trial. 

But she doesn’t give the go. Now, she stays true to her words and begins to explain how this last… final…. trial shall work.

It almost feels unreal. It’s all almost over. Just a few more steps… and perhaps…

Juliabot twirls, and twirls, jeez she does that a lot. When she’s done being cheery and happy, she points at you all in a sweeping motion. She’s really hamming it up this time!

“The mo-tive iiiiis....~! Super duper ultra special! It’s the ultimate test! The best motive out there! A mind teaser- something to make you think! Feel! Contemplate one’s value for others, and self sacrifice and such. Tell me guys- do you know the saying? The needs of the many outweigh the few? Well...”

She sets her mic down, and pats her thighs quickly to act as a drumroll for herself. When she’s done, she stands up straight again like a cheerleader.

“The motive is! If one of you doesn’t kill, absolutely everybody in this house dies. Ev-er-y-bo-dy! Except Never-chan, of course~! Hows that for dramatic, ne, ne? Gee, the thought of this motive just gets my motors going... if somebody doesn’t kill... everybody in this house dies... even the kids upstairs~! Hoo haa~! So dramatic.”

She laughs, picking up her mic again, making her way to the lockdown room with a smooth stride.