We walk into what seems to be a room full of technology.

There is a lone computer, a generator seems to be running, and a lone bookshelf. A door is locked on the other side of the room.

"I'll go check out the bookshelf, see if anything is in or on it." Meg says, as she walks over to the shelf.

I nod, and my attention immediately turns to the computer.

"Hm? Is that a computer? Does it work?" I ask, looking it over.

Eight joins in and kneels down beside the monitor.

"Hm, Let's see"

He presses the power switch, and it turns on!

"I'm going to be honest, I didn't think that would be that easy." Eight jokes.

He looks around, I'm presuming for a chair of some sort.

There are none.

He continues kneeling, and begins typing on the keyboard.

Several windows open and close on the screen I can't keep up, he really is a wiz at this sort of thing.

He then stops, the screen shows five lines of text.

"What's this?"

Meg asks as she walks back, empty handed.

"These seem to be text files I can download, which one should I do first?"

As he says, there are five files on-screen. They are;

"The Priestess of Amen-Ra"

"Titanic II"

"Zero"

"ICE-9"

"Morphogenetic Field"

"Umm, click the one that says 'Zero', maybe it'll give some information on him?" Meg says, leaning over my shoulder to get a better look at the screen.

"Alright, here we go."

He clicks on the file, and leans back. Some text appears on screen.

Zero - A number between Negative 1, and Positive 1.

"...You've got to be fucking kidding me." I say, exasperated.

"Is this it...? I can say I'm thoroughly disappointed." Eight remarks.

"Well...That stinks, try another one." Meg says.

He backs out of the file, and proceeds to click on the one about the priestess.

THE PRIESTESS OF AMEN-RA

The mummy of the late "Priestess" was discovered in an ancient Egyptian tomb. It is said that she was preserved in some top-secret material, before she was put in her is attributed to causing bad luck and misfortune to anyone who comes across her. She is also believed to be a cause of the sinking of the ship, {The Titanic}. Police reports have shown that she is still at the bottom of the sea with {The Titanic}, only the lid to the coffin had been retrieved.

"Woah, wait. I think I've heard of this. Back when the Titanic sank, people attributed the cause to a curse of some mummy." I say.

Something about this feels familiar, and then it comes to me.

"...Hey! Wait! The note!"

"Note?" Eight asks, looking over to me.

I'd forgotten, he was speaking with Seven when we were discussing these notes.

"Yeah! The note! That third note said that there was a diving team that had found something that "the police had missed"." Meg says, jumping up excitedly.

"Oh! I get it! You think they found the mummy?" Eight remarks.

"Yes! And maybe, this mummy's 'curse' is what caused this ship to 'go under', as they would say." I reply.

"I don't know, I'm not really into 'curses' or the like." Eight says.

"We could chalk it up to a possibility, then. Alright, now quick, check the file on the Titanic II."

Two clicks later, and an almost blank screen pops up, empty except for one garbled mess of text.

/'''":::?

"Is it a code?" I ask.

"Dammit, no. It's gibberish. Meant to trick us." Eight says, slamming the keyboard in frustration.

"Alright, Try the Ice one."

"Got it."

Another click, and it shows up on the screen.

ICE-9

{ICE-9} is a top secret material that is used as a super-preservative. {ICE-9} is a polymorph of water more stable than regular ice. Instead of melting at 0 Degrees Celsius (32 Degrees Farenheit), it melts at 45.8 Degrees Celsius (114.4 Degrees Fahrenheit). Living substances can also be preserved within {ICE-9}, as even a desert's heat couldn't melt the ice.

"Hm? A super-preservative?" I ask.

"It must've been top secret, because I've never even heard of this stuff."Eight remarks.

"Alright, what is the last one about?"

"It's called "Morphogenetic Field Theory", I think I've heard of this one before..." Eight trails off as he clicks on the file.

STUDY OF MORPHOGENETIC FIELDS:

It is generally researched that {Telepathy} CAN be reached at one form or another in this dimension. The act of the {Morphogenetic Field} concurs with this. Countless studies show that there is a mental link between all human beings, The speculation is that once a subject is learned, it is easier for other unknowledged patients to learn said is theoretical that this field strengthens that bond, allowing some form of {Telepathy} to undergo. Some of these fields are speculated to be located within the Bermuda Triangle, both North and South Poles, and along the Equator.

"Well, what the hell is this?" Meg asks.

"It's kind of a bullshit theory, I don't even know why scientists spend all this money to research this. I find it pointless."

"Maybe Zero is just trying to get us to waste time?" I add.

There is a sound from the other side of the room, the door seemed to have unlocked.

"Maybe not, I guess the door was programmed to open when we downloaded all of the files..."

"Hey, let's go check that generator, quick. We don't want to leave any stone unturned here." Eight says.

"Alright." Meg and I say together.

We walk over to the generator, and it's strange, because it's not like any generator I've ever seen. There's a giant "0" painted on the front, and the rest is blank. There is a little hatch on the front of the generator. Curious, I open it.

"Well, what's inside?" Meg asks.

I stick my arm inside the generator hatch, and feel around. A slip of paper brushes against my hand, and I grab it.

"It's...paper, another note perhaps?"

I pull it out, and unfold it. Another note.

They gather around me, as I read it aloud.

I hear you have been running into some problems with [ZERO].

If you can help me, I can return the favor.

I will leave another letter in The Moon Room.

Examine the area under the steering wheel for another letter.

If you can find it, follow it's directions and you may just escape this ship.

~Truth

"Huh? What is the 'Moon Room'?" I ask.

"I don't know, maybe it's another room in this ship?" Meg answers.

"Is someone else hiding out on this ship? And can we trust them?" Eight asks.

"I guess we'll have to for now, We may actually get out of this alive guys." I say, breathing a slight sigh of relief.

"Alright, let's not waste too much more time." Eight says.

"To think, only three hours ago, we woke up on this nasty old ship."

"Welp, let's get a move on."

I open the handle, and swing open the door, a little of a spring in my step, I walk through.

When we walk through the door, we enter a hospital room. Across the room, there is two numbered doors, [1], and [6]. I see Six, Seven, Three, and One. There is no sign of Two or Nine.

My smile immediately vanishes.

"...Was that scream...?" Meg begins to ask.

One silently nods his head.

"...How...?"

It feels like I had just been kicked in the stomach. I mean, he was a dick, but it's still horrible.

"Number Nine had...wandered off. I didn't hear it until it was too late. The bomb inside his body...went off." One replies.

"...And Two?" I ask.

"I don't know. We split up to find Nine, I haven't met back up with her." Three says, his face is grave.

"We have to go back and look for her! We can't leave her behind!" I

"Five, It's pointless. I know you want to be the hero here, but it'd just waste time." Three says and shakes his head.

"How could you say that? That is an innocent human stuck in there! we have to do everything to save her!"

"Listen Five, even if we were to find her, it wouldn't do much good. Do you see those doors over there? [1] and [6]? We've calculated that one person has to stay behind for the rest to go through. That person was Two." Seven explains.

"That's...Thats crazy! There must be a solution to where we can all go!"

Meg and Six are in complete silence. I don't blame them. Yet I'm almost tearing up at the thought of leaving someone stranded here.

"...Five, it's the only way. I'm sorry." One lowers his head.

"...I'll stay back, I'll go and get Two, and she'll move ahead."

"Five, now that's crazy talk, you know I'm not leaving you behind!" Meg breaks out of her silence.

"Four's right! You're not staying here!" Six seems to have also.

"See how quick you come to my defense? I can't let her die. She might have kids back home. How would they survive if their mother is stranded on this god-forsaken ship?"

"Five, it isn't your battle, you're coming with us." Seven says, bluntly.

"C'mon, We can't spend forever arguing." Eight says to try to calm me down.

"If I don't at least check for her, I'm letting her die. Please, let me do this, one of the other teams can leave first."

"That'd be Me, Four, and Three." Eight says, calculating the numbers.

"Please, let me take a look." I beg.

"...Okay, you better not die back there, or I'll kill you." Meg sighs, and walks towards the door.

I smirk at this, and prepare for my trip back through Door [3].

"Wait! Five!"

Six comes running over to me.

"What? You're not talking me out of this..."

She catches up to me, and grabs the handle.

"Well, considering how stubborn you're being about this, I wasn't planning on it. But I'm not letting you go through here alone."

"Thanks."

"No problem, consider it my thanks for stepping up to Nine for me."

She opens the handle, and we step through.

The smell of blood is apparent throughout the room.

Somebody definitely died in here, to our dismay.

This room seems to be an old research room, there's a few rooms separated by high beams. Tables litter the middle of the room, with some tack-boards along the walls.

"Yughhhk, That's nasty." I say, pinching my nose.

"You said it."

I walk over to the table and notice something odd, a lone sheet of paper.

"Another one?"

"Huh? What is it, Five?"

"It's another Note."

"Read what it says."

{REDACTED} YEAR 2 3/17/2013

Well, it seems we are a bit lucky today, we found some more artifacts down there, we have to be cautious though, because some of 'em are explosive. Been fighting with the wife again, she says I've been too invested in this boat. Some people just don't understand, this could be a great historic and scientific achievement!

"This guy really wasn't much of a family man, huh?" I say, placing the note in my pocket.

"No, it doesn't seem like it. Hey wait, explosives? Maybe that's what physically caused the ship to blow up?"

"Sounds plausible."

"Oh boy, now you're sounding like Eight."

She chuckles.

I can't hold back a chuckle either.

"Hey."

"Yeah?" Six looks at me, fixing her hair.

"Who...Who do you think is behind all of this?"

"Wouldn't that be...Zero?"

"Well yes, there is him, but is it just him? Is Zero really just a wealthy megalomaniac bored of life? Or is he being funded by a whole group? Makes you wonder."

"Well...I had never thought about it like that. Could it be both?"

"Hm, maybe. I mean, what is the point gathering nine random people together and force them to escape? Makes no sense."

"Well, we aren't all random."

"Yeah, that's right, You and Three, and Nine to a lesser extent."

"And you and Four, and to Three and I to a lesser extent."

"What?"
"When Three and I went to his school for orientation, I saw you there. You had a huge pile of books in your hand."

"Oh, Well, That was quite a bit ago, wasn't that? You remember this specifically?"

"Yeah...Because I had like, the biggest crush on you."

She looks down at her feet.

I don't even have to be told that I'm blushing, the heat rises to my head.

"Oh...Well...yeah, I remember seeing your brother at school sometimes."

"It was kind of stupid of me, I see how you and Four are together, I guess I really can't beat a childhood friend, can't I?"

And this is the awkward moment I'd dreaded.

"Oh, me and...Four? Well, we hadn't really spoken since her father had uprooted their family way back when."

"Oh well, I guess it's kind of a happy reunion for you two, huh?"

"Oh, yeah...I guess."

There is a period of awkward silence.

"Shit, Two! I forgot all about her!" I yell out.

"Oh, fuck! I'm sorry, we should get moving!"

"Well, let's do a quick scour through and see if we can find her." I respond.

"Alright, will do."

We split up, and check various rooms. I frantically shout for Two, I keep searching until...

"Oh God..."

"What? Did you find-"

We both stop and stare at what seems to be the mangled bodies of Two and Nine, side by side.

"Oh my god...I'm going to throw up." I say, already feeling the bile rise into my throat.

"This...this is..."

I go over and grab a trash can nearby, and puke straight into it.

"Oh...God fucking dammit."

"L-Look, they're bracelets aren't here..." Six points out.

"I'm sorry...I cannot even bear to look at them...How the hell are you so calm?!"

"I...I've seen dead bodies before. My father was a forensics expert, I've been on a few expeditions with him. So the initial reactions are a bit more scarce."

I throw up again.

"Like that..."

"I...I'm going. I can't stand here anymore."

"Alright, let's join up with the others."

We get up, and exit to join with the others.

When we return into the hospital room, One and Seven are standing, waiting for us.

"Did you find Two?" One asks, slight hope in his voice.

"Yeah...about that..." Six begins.

"Yes. We found Two." I interrupt.

"Oh! That's Excellent! Where is she?"

I feel so shaken. I almost lose consciousness.

"She...she's dead. She and Nine were sitting right next to each other, barely recognizable."

"T-That's...that's awful!" Seven blurts out.

The most emotion I've seen out of her yet.

"My lord, are you serious?!" One exclaims.

"...Yes. They were both dead, and they're bracelets were gone, too."

As I finish, the green light above Door [6] Lights up.

"Let's just go. I don't want to stay here any longer." I say, trying to get that image out of my mind.

"Agreed." Six says.

"Okay." One says.

Seven is silent.

We open up the door, gravely assured of our goals, and we step on through.