"It's too risky," Bella whispers to you, as Grace starts to drive.

You're sure you can take care of yourself. Anjy gives Grace directions to the warehouse. For the next five minutes, that's the only conversation you hear. You arrive at your destination faster than you initially anticipated, passing by a few industrial-looking buildings along the way. It turns out that Brandon facilitated Anjy's escape from the place, but she was too exhausted to run past the bridge where you found her.

The warehouse itself looks run down and beat up. Bright lights flood the roof, making visible the rust and holes on it. The walls are stained from acid rain. Exhaust fans are spinning outside the facility. The main entrance seems to have been left open.

You all get out of the car, leaving Anjy inside. The interior of the warehouse is almost bare, illuminated through light that pours through one of the holes in the roof. Apart from a few boxes and crates littered about, you also find four tires scattered on the floor. You do not find any sign of Brandon.

"Anjy told you that Brandon was here, right?", Grace asks Bella. Bella inspects the boxes closely. "Yeah. Maybe whoever that 'Master' is must have taken Brandon away from here. Or what if Brandon was killed?" "Hopefully not, huhu. I doubt it." "Wait a second, did that box just move?", you hear Carlos ask. "It's probably the whiskey you drank earlier."

You notice the box with a "This side up" label. Carlos points at it again, insisting that it moved again. Bella walks closer to the boxes, opening the one Carlos was pointing at…

"My daughter is with my wife at the moment, so you won't really disturb anything. I can just text her that we're letting you stay there for now. I'm sure she'll understand." "Okay. Let's take her to your place first, before we head over to the warehouse."

Carlos gives Grace directions to his house. For the next ten minutes, that's the only conversation you hear. Rows of factories and industrial buildings transition into what seems to be an economically depressed residential area. Houses made of cheap materials are lined up in a series. Unlike the neon-lit cityscape where the clubs and restaurants were located, there is a certain dreariness to the place. At night, when at least a few houses should have their lights on, it seems like this part of Lower Ziara does not have access to electricity. Or perhaps everyone had gone to sleep.

"Okay, we're here." Upon hearing this from Carlos, Grace stops the car in front of a modest row house. It is taller than it is wide, and one of the lights seem to be open. You assume that Carlos is digging for his key in his pocket, since you can hear something jangling from it. He eventually pulls out a key, and inserts it onto the door knob's keyhole. He turns around to face his car, looking at the open window on Bella's side.

"Thanks for driving me home safely. Stay safe, and just return the car here when you're done." Bella waves at him, and you can see Grace nod from the window. Carlos waves back at them, and Bella closes the window.

"My house is small, I hope you don't mind that. You're safer here than in the industrial district or the commercial areas." You ask Carlos if he's sure with letting you stay over for a while. "Well, I'm guessing you don't really know many people here, do you?" Turning the doorknob, Carlos opens the door and gestures for you to get inside.

The living room is modest, barely containing any decorations save for what seem to be school diplomas and a few awards close to the wall. There is a small television set with a table and three chairs. The only division between the living room and the pantry is a bar-table with three tall stools. The place smells faintly of air freshener. Just then, you hear rapid footsteps, much akin to a gallop. A girl wearing a pajamas set, seeming around ten years old appears in front of you. Carlos bends down and pulls her up, hugging her.

"Daddy, why do you smell weird?" The girl then gives you a quizzical look. "Who is this?" "Oh, this is a friend. Uh." You realise that you haven't been properly introduced to each other. You then introduce yourself to Carlos' daughter. "Hi! I'm Rose! Nice to meet you!" She seems to be appeased by your smile. "Are you done with your homework?" "Yes, daddy." "Can we borrow your computer for a moment? Daddy has to do some work." "Okay!" With a gleeful smile, the girl leaves your sight, and you hear her run up what seems to be stairs. You look to one corner of the room and find a narrow stairway. Carlos ascends through its steps, motioning for you to follow him. Instead of a full-fledged second floor, it seems more like a loft or a mezzanine of sorts. The narrow, short hallway greeting you as soon as you get up the stairs has two doors, one opened, and another closed. You can't see much of the room with the opened door, but it must be the guest room Carlos is talking about. Carlos knocks on the closed door, and opens it.

All that's inside the room is a computer table, a shelf for books, a large bed, a wardrobe, and a large mirror. There is a door Rose is laying down prone on the bed, reading what seems to be one of her textbooks. She is facing away from the computer table.

"Do you still have the router?", asked Carlos. You reply affirmatively, and show him the red router. Following E's instructions, he aids you in taking it apart. Splitting the router into half through a crosswise crease that runs around the device, you see the usual chipboards and tiny parts that you anticipated to find in such a device. However, something seems to stick out like a sore thumb -- there's a plastic, light blue object lodged in one of the router's corners. You take it out and find that it's a flash drive. No wonder E couldn’t hack the server and needed to retrieve the physical device.

"I'm hoping that flash drive doesn't have any viruses," Carlos says as he boots his computer. He then asks you for the flash drive, as soon as the system restores from its previous session.

As soon as you insert the flash drive, its contents become visible to you.

(( Don't worry about these. The unblurred images are just mosaics of colour that I've coloured to look like they're suspicious images. I still can't show the original mosaics because they may look too suggestive! ))

Brandon blinks, visibly gasping for air. Startled, he turns his head around abruptly, wincing afterward. His eyes narrow as his head bobs around, possibly examining each of your faces amidst the dark. Some of the muscles of his neck sink and bulge in an alternating fashion as he breathes very rapidly. His ribs seem to be pulled inward by contractions. Grace and Bella pull him out of the box, and he immediately assumes a slouched sitting position, letting out a cry of pain, with his hands cupped around his mouth. His elbows press against both of his thighs. Brandon's breathing slows down, but he still seems to be panting softly.

"Can you breathe easier now," asks Bella. "Yes." "That's a relief. We're nowhere close to a hospital, so we couldn't ventilate you."

Brandon becomes motionless and speechless. His countenance is sorrowful. As he moves one of his arms to cover his private region, you hear him seethe.

"Don't move," you hear Grace say. Brandon wordlessly nods. You notice Bella give instructions to Tanja, who swiftly leaves through the door you all originally entered. Not long after Tanja leaves the warehouse, a grating noise -- similar to that of the friction between rusty shopping cart wheels and the ground -- is audible. The meager amount of light in the interior of the warehouse reveals a bottom-heavy figure. You see a large wheel from a ray of light spilling through one of the cracks on the roof. As the figure approaches you, it becomes more discernible.

The woman removes the blanket from her lap, signaling Carlos to come closer to her. She instructs him to stretch the blanket. He initially complies, but he is too uncoordinated.

"Who is this woman and why is she so bossy," Carlos says in slightly slurred speech. "That's Dr. Hiiragi," replies Bella. "You might know her as 'Big Al'," she continues in a dry tone. "So you're the Big Al in the invitation to Club PLURality," you ask. "Yeah." She points at you. "You. Help me fold this blanket once. We don't have a stretcher."

With much difficulty, owing to Al staying seated on the wheelchair, you unfurl the blanket. You move closer to the wheelchair-bound figure to fold the blanket, which seems to be large enough to accommodate Brandon.

"Lift one end of the blanket," Al tells you.

Bella instructs Brandon to lay down, and secures his head. Grace places Brandon's feet together. At the count of three, the two lift him and gently place him on the improvised stretcher. Bella helps you lift the side of the blanket close to Brandon's head, while Grace carries the side close to his feet. You move towards the exit. Al then manoeuvres her wheelchair so that she can follow after all of you. Outside, an ambulance is waiting, its backdoors wide open. While there are a lot of equipment inside, you do notice that there is nothing closely resembling a stretcher. Still lifting Brandon, you help Grace and Bella set Brandon on one of the benches inside the ambulance. Bella briefly scans the machines in the area, and pulling many wires from the side, hooks Brandon up to some monitors, applying an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth.

Bella turns to you. "Someone needs to stay with Anjy. I'll take Brandon to the hospital with Al." "I'll accompany Anjy, too," says Grace. "You all take care, okay?" Bella cups Grace's cheeks with her hands. He holds her hands, slowly pulling them off his face. "You too."

Al calls for Carlos, who runs to the driver's seat. A man wearing an orange bodysuit emerges, and lifts Al off the wheelchair, taking her inside the ambulance. He then goes back down and folds the wheelchair, stowing it in the back of the vehicle before returning to the driver's seat. Bella closes the doors of the ambulance, and they quickly drive off.

"Shouldn't we have also taken Anjy to the hospital?" Carlos asks you. Before you can respond, someone outside of your line of sight says, "She's sleeping." "Tanja! Where were you?" "I checked on Anjy. Can you let her stay in your place, Carlos?" "I don't think that's a good idea. My wife and daughter…" Tanja raises her eyebrow. "Earlier, you told us that you're fine with letting our acquaintance stay since your daughter is with your wife, and you'd tell your wife anyway. Why is it suddenly not okay for you to take Anjy with you?" "Oh, uhm." Carlos clears his throat. "One person is okay. I just don't think two people can fit at home. Our house isn't big, you know?" "You know, you've been acting very suspicious lately, but I'll let it slide. Let's go."

Tanja enters Carlos' car through the driver's seat, starting the engine. Carlos takes the seat next to her, leaving you with Anjy on the back of the car. Carlos gives her directions to his house.

"Please? Can't you really let Anjy stay with you? With all those bruises, I'm sure your wife would understand." "I know my wife is okay with it. I just don't have anywhere for Anjy to sleep in my house." "Don't you have a guest room?" "It's only good for one person. It's just a bed and a side table inside." "Anjy and our companion here can probably share." "It's a small bed. We don't just inconvenience people like that?" "Ugh. Fine! I'll take her even if I don't have any space in MY domicile!"

Rows of factories and industrial buildings transition into what seems to be an economically depressed residential area. Houses made of cheap materials are lined up in a series. Unlike the neon-lit cityscape where the clubs and restaurants were located, there is a certain dreariness to the place. At night, when at least a few houses should have their lights on, it seems like this part of Lower Ziara does not have access to electricity. Or perhaps everyone had gone to sleep.

"Okay, we're here." Upon hearing this from Carlos, Tanja stops the car in front of a modest row house. It is taller than it is wide, and just like the other houses in the area, all the lights seem to be turned off. You assume that Carlos is digging for his key in his pocket, since you can hear something jangling from it. He eventually pulls out a key, and inserts it onto the door knob's keyhole. Tanja gets out of the car and assists you in lifting a snoring Anjy out of the vehicle.

"Thanks for driving us, Tanja. Stay safe, and just return the car here when you're done." "You're drunk. I can't just let you drive like that." "Hey, wait a minute, why did you bring Anjy out?" "I don't have space in my apartment, remember?" "Didn't you agree to take her in?" "Please, Carlos? I can just take our companion with us, and you take Anjy." Carlos shakes his head. "No, no, it's fine. I'll just sleep in the living room. I don't even care if this back ache never goes away."

Carlos turns the doorknob and opens the door, gesturing for you to get inside. The living room is modest, barely containing any decorations save for what seem to be school diplomas and a few awards close to the wall. There is a small television set with a table and three chairs. The only division between the living room and the pantry is a bar-table with three tall stools. The place smells faintly of air freshener.

"My house is small, I hope you don't mind that. You're safer here than in the industrial district or the commercial areas." You ask Carlos if he's sure with letting you stay over for a while. "Well, I'm guessing you don't really know many people here, do you?"

Carlos tells you to take Anjy upstairs. Tanja offers to be in front, so that she can lead the way. Instead of a full-fledged second floor, there seems to be a loft or a mezzanine of sorts. The narrow, short hallway greeting you as soon as you get up the stairs has two doors, one opened, and another closed. You can't see much of the room with the opened door amidst the dark, but it must be the guest room Carlos is talking about. Tanja kicks the opened door, faint moonlight from the window illuminating a corner of what seems to be a bed. You both prop Anjy up on the bed. She does not stir or seem to notice that you had lifted her out of the car and into a stranger's room.

You hear rapid footsteps and faint panting, and feel a gentle tap on your shoulder. "Go to that other room and sleep there. If you need anything, just go downstairs and wake me up," you hear Carlos say. Complying with his request, you open the closed door. A small figure seems to be sleeping on a bed.

"Oh. That's my daughter. The bed is huge, so you can just sleep beside her." Tanja waves at you, and Carlos closes the door gently.

Perhaps you should get some sleep. After all, you had quite a long day.

"Anjy should be happy now, and E would be relieved." "I don't think they can rest easy just yet." "What do you mean?" "The photos are online." "Why didn't you tell them?" "Oh, E knows about it. We've assisted Anjy and E in submitting a takedown notice to the owner of the website. But if it's that 'Master' who owns the website, he might not just comply with a request that easily." "What do we do, then?" "We'll look for his weakness. There must be something that means a lot to him."

You begin to think of what could mean a lot to people. Family. Friends. A lover. Financial success. Fame.

You hear Carlos sigh. "It's easier said than done. By the way, do you want something to drink? I'll go downstairs first. Please watch over Rose for me." He stands up and leaves the room. You comply with Carlos' request, finding Rose sprawled on the bed in a supine position, her chest rising and falling as she breathes. She must have fallen asleep.

It's tempting to use the computer to check your own social media accounts, or go snooping around his files. Will you take the risk? Should you take the risk?

Just then, a notification appears on bottom-right corner of the screen. It seems to pertain to some kind of chat program. Resting your hand against the mouse, you click on the notification.

As soon as you hear footsteps, you close the chat window. Carlos returns to the room with a pitcher of cold water, and two glasses. He pours water on one of the glasses, and hands it over to you, his arms trembling slightly.

"Hey, it's fine if you snooped around my computer." He walks closer to the computer, where another notification is visible on the screen. As soon as he clicks on it, you notice him become tense. He bends down and begins to furiously type on the keyboard, when the lights and the computer suddenly shut off.

"Damn it!" You hear him slam his fist against the keyboard, making a clacking noise. "Who was that, anyway?" "Just some guy who has some petty vendetta over me. He's pissed because my wife rejected him when he was courting her…" "Then what was that about not telling anyone about something? What are you hiding?" "I swear, if I had my car, I'd seize Wayne and beat him up to a bloody pulp!" "What are we going to do with the lights turned off?" "That just means the curfew is in place. Why don't you take a rest for now? You had quite a long day."

He leads you into the guest room amidst the dark. Faint moonlight from the window illuminates a corner of the bed.

"Good night."

You hear the door creak open. You see the faint figure of someone who might as well have been the Tanja who lost her car.

"I'm Tanya with a y, her twin." "How do people even tell you apart?" "They don't! I'm a nurse." She giggles. "I guess I'm the less high-strung sibling. Sorry for messing with your head, and good night!"

[[Choose any of the other options.]]

It's then that you realise that the ocean isn't even making any waves. It's as though time had come to a standstill.

You decide to stick your head out of the window, and look up. Something is off about the sky. There's a sense of artificial-ness in it. You also notice that the 'breeze' is coming from overhead. With how focused it is with your head protruding from the window, it feels like it's coming from some kind of ceiling fan.

[[Proceed to "Look at the notebooks and their contents."]]

((Here's an album with a clearer version of the above images.))

You look behind you, and find someone on top of the bed you previously occupied.

(lineart by Rololi, coloured with permission)

"Don't be scared, we'll get you out of here," says the girl, in an oddly familiar voice. She points at your right leg. "Try to feel for something that looks like a wire on your leg. When you do, yank it out!"

You don't see anything when you check your leg for a wire. Is this girl playing some kind of prank with you? You go ahead with it anyway, and palpate for something that feels like a wire on your leg, starting from your ankle. There's nothing on the anterior surface of your leg. You then try to feel for a wire on the back of your calf, brushing upward until you feel something behind your knee.

Your surroundings pulsate. You catch a quick glimpse of dimmed overhead fluorescent lights and steel panels. You pull on the wire gently, finding it strange.

You seem to no longer be inside a well-lit, cozy beachside hut. The wood panels behind the girl turn into a wall made out of corrugated steel panels. The girl still looks the same, her pink wings glowing against your drastically changed surroundings. It's dark inside what seems to be a warehouse. You pull your hand to your field of vision to find something resembling a chip with a peripheral cable. Its tip appears to be bloodied. The sensation of something removed from your body is there, but you are otherwise numb to pain.

"What is the meaning of this," you inquire, slightly irate. "I don't know, but I couldn't take it off from you." There is a look of worry on her face. "Actually, I don't know how to take you with me, if I can't even touch you in this form." "Then how do we get out of here?" "Just trust me. If you can trust that I can get us out of this place, just close your eyes. When I tell you to open your eyes, we should be somewhere else. No cheating!"

You close your eyes. At best, you'd end up somewhere else. At worst, nothing will probably happen.