INT. MAIN AUDITORIUM - DAY

When we got back to the auditorium, we were surprised to find one group already waiting for us.

The main auditorium once again unfolds into view. Key Faye, Isabella Ruiz, and Kaden Kadir wait by the main stage.

KADEN KADIR
Oh, it's you guys. Welcome to the party.
(x)
How's Axel's hand? Looks cleaner at least.

AXEL STORM
The operation was a complete success!
(x)
Thanks to Tiffany and Regina, I've never felt better!

ISABELLA RUIZ
I knew it would turn out alright.
(x)
I could sense the blessing of Asclepius upon you.

TIFFANY HARPER
Um...thanks?

KEY FAYE
Don't try too hard to understand her. It's like trying to chase your own tail.
(x)
Anyway, I'm glad everything worked out for you guys.
(x)
Wish I could say the same for us.

TIFFANY HARPER
What? Did something go wrong?

KADEN KADIR
Eh, sort of.
(break)
More like nothing went right, if you catch my drift.

KEY FAYE
The search is a bust. Let's put it that way.
(x)
We'll give more details when every one else is here, so we don't have to repeat ourselves.
(x)
But don't get your hopes up.

ISABELLA RUIZ
It was truly a voyage without passion or purpose.

A heavy, awkward atmosphere settled over us as we waited for everyone else to arrive.

Eventually...

The rest of the cast pops into view. Chiyo Ito takes point.

CHIYO ITO
Is everyone here?
(x)
Group leaders, check and make sure both of your teammates are with you.

MAX LUNDBERG
I just finished counting and it looks like everyone made it back.
(x)
So...anyone find anything? Who wants to go first?

MIKEY CALDWELL
Oh! Oh! We found something, Mr. Lundberg!
(nervous)
I...I mean, I'm not sure if it's gonna help us get out b-but...
(x)
It still could be useful, right?

MAX LUNDBERG
Totally. That's the spirit.
(x)
Sounds like Mikey's team goes first, if that's okay with everyone.

CHIYO ITO
Very well.
(x)
Come to the stage, Michael.

With nervous steps, Mikey followed Chiyo up on stage, with Damien trailing in their shadows.

Even though Mikey was the one who volunteered, he quickly shrunk to the back when he saw everyone staring at him.

Fortunately, Chiyo cleared her throat and took initiative.

CHIYO ITO
Our group consisted of myself, Damien, and Michael.
(x)
We elected to examine the hotel. Though it was a rather...stunted effort.
(x)
Despite the enormity of the building, we were only able to access the first two stories.
(x)
Isn't that right, Michael?

MIKEY CALDWELL
Huh? O-oh, yeah, that's right.
(x)
I thought maybe we could call for help if we got to the roof, but we couldn't even get to the third floor.
(x)
The stairs are all blocked by these heavy doors.
(x)
And the elevator doesn't come no matter how many times you press the button.
(x)
So the only places we looked were the lobby, the pool, and the Ultimate rooms.

TIFFANY HARPER
The Ultimate rooms?

CHIYO ITO
He's referring to the suites we all woke up in on the second floor.
(x)
It seems Buffer Bun intends for those to function as our dormitories while we're trapped here.
(x)
As far as we could tell, the rooms are all singles with identical accommodations.

DAMIEN VOLKOV
And by "as far as we could tell," she means we only checked our own rooms.
(x)
I wanted to look at everyone else's too, but Little Ms. Manners here wouldn't let me.

CHIYO ITO
Just because we're in extraordinary circumstances does not mean we abandon basic decency.
(x)
Violating the privacy of our colleagues would only spread paranoia and distrust.

DAMIEN VOLKOV
Right, like there isn't already plenty of that going around.
(x)
You know what would ease my paranoia? Knowing none of you chumps are hiding an arsenal under your bedspread.

MIKEY CALDWELL
W-wait, are you saying you think people brought weapons to the convention?

DAMIEN VOLKOV
Now we'll never know for sure, will we?

CHIYO ITO
As Damien so helpfully alluded to...
(x)
Save for phones and laptops, we've been left many of our personal effects and accoutrements.

DAMIEN VOLKOV
(mischievous)
Yeah, including those weird unicorn bed-sheets you brought.

CHIYO ITO
(unfazed)
I hardly see how it's relevant, but yes, the spare bedding in my luggage was intact.

ZELDA BROOKS
Sp-spare bedding?
(pervy grin)
Oh...I get it. Your book w-wasn't the only t-thing you were planning t-to pimp out here, huh?

CHIYO ITO
(glare)
Your impropriety would be offensive were it not so predictable.
(x)
It's because of hormonal imps like yourself that I'm forced to bring my own sheets in the first place.
(x)
Though I suppose it seems strange those of you used to sleeping in each others' filth.

MIKEY CALDWELL
(actually worried)
Wh-what are you talking about?
(x)
The sheets looked clean to me...right?

DAMIEN VOLKOV
Oh, Mikey, do I have some news for you.

MIKEY CALDWELL
Huh?

MAX LUNDBERG
Uh...we should probably move on, right?
(x)
Unless you guys found anything else?

The group on stage exchanged a loaded glance.

MIKEY CALDWELL
(depressed)
No...not really.

CHIYO ITO
Outside of the blocked windows and stairwells, the facilities are as you would expect.
(x)
There was nothing that seemed conducive to an escape attempt.
(x)
Oh, but one other thing worth noting.
(x)
It seems the doors on the hotel rooms no longer lock automatically.
(x)
Be mindful of that going forward.

DAMIEN VOLKOV
I guess it'd be too easy if our rooms were automatic safe spaces.
(x)
Now all it takes is one careless mistake and yoink! Goodbye cat nap, hello eternal slumber!
(x)
Gotta hand it to the mastermind: they know how to keep things interesting.

CALVIN WALKER
Almost sounds like you admire them.

DAMIEN VOLKOV
I wouldn't say admire but...
(grinning)
Suspense and intrigue are my specialties so, you know, game recognizes game.
(x)
And it also lines up with...well, I don't want to jump to conclusions.

TIFFANY HARPER
Huh? What do you mean?

JO
You look as though you've figured something out.

DAMIEN VOLKOV
Oh, don't you worry your pretty little heads about it.
(x)
It's my nature to speculate, but I don't have anything concrete yet.
(sly wink)
But once I've found something good, I promise you'll be the first to know.

TIFFANY HARPER
Rats. Is he just messing with us again?

JO
...

CHIYO ITO
Let's move onto the next group, shall we?
(x)
Jo, how about your team? Would you care to report next?

JO
...Fine.

As Chiyo's group left the stage, Max, Jo, and Zelda stepped up to taker her place.

JO
So...
(x)
We didn't find a way out.

Without another word, Jo turned and stepped off stage.

TIFFANY HARPER
Wait, is that it?

MAX LUNDBERG
Uh, what Jo said is technically true, but we've actually got some good news too.
(x)
While we were checking out the east wing, we found out the food court is open and it's totally loaded!
(x)
We're talkin' Chinese, American, Italian, Indian, anything you can think of!
(laughing)
It might not be an escape hatch, but at least we know we won't starve.

MIKEY CALDWELL
Wow! That's awesome!
(x)
You gotta show me where that is! I bet the pantry is huge!

AXEL STORM
Indeed, this is most welcome news.
(x)
Though food court cuisine is not my first choice for a healthy diet, it is better than no diet at all!

CHIYO ITO
We should probably take stock of the supplies when we have the chance.
(x)
Hopefully we won't remain long enough for rationing to become necessary, but it's best to play it safe.

MAX LUNDBERG
I don't think we'll have to worry about that.
(x)
They stocked enough food to feed a whole con for a week, so we can hold out for a while.

ZELDA BROOKS
H-hey! Don't act like our search w-was all sunshine and r-rainbows.
(x)
We also f-found...
(intense)
Instruments of death.

TIFFANY HARPER
(shocked)
What?

DIEGO AMO
Could it be? Are you saying the fabled Muramasas are here at the Clarity Complex?

ISABELLA RUIZ
Have no fear, I am a certified three-star Meister of Death's own Academy!

KEY FAYE
For once, could you please just have a normal reaction?

ISABELLA RUIZ
This is my normal reaction.

CHIYO ITO
Zelda, care to elaborate?

ZELDA BROOKS
Wh-what? A snobby nerd like you h-hasn't already figured it out?
(x)
Oh y-yeah, probably 'cuz you've never actually b-been in a kitchen your whole l-life.
(x)
I b-bet you have servants cook, chew, and sp-spit food right into y-your fat f-fucking m-

CHIYO ITO
(super glare)
Elaborate. Now.

ZELDA BROOKS
A-ah!
(x)
I-I-I was getting to it! Fuck!
(x)
A-all the f-food court kitchens are unlocked s-so there's tons of d-dangerous stuff lying around.
(x)
It's like Hannibal fucking Lector's workshop in there.
(intense)
There are knives, and p-pans, and meat hooks, a-and hammers, deep-fat f-fryers...
(x)
...And giant slicer machines p-perfect for c-cutting up a corpse and f-feeding it to...

MAX LUNDBERG
Alright, alright, we get it!
(exasperated)
Shit, what's the point in bringing up that kinda stuff? You're just gonna freak everyone out.

CHIYO ITO
Still, it's useful information.
(x)
Having so many weapons available is definitely something we'll need to plan around.
(x)
Fortunately, Zelda's twisted imagination may actually make it easier to identify potential threats.
(x)
I underestimated your utility, Zelda. Thank you for that report.

ZELDA BROOKS
...
(x)
Whatever.

KEY FAYE
If that's settled, I guess we can go next.
(x)
Don't worry, it'll be a quick.

True to her word, Key took the stage next, cuing Kaden and Isabella to join her.

KEY FAYE
K, Izzy, Plum, and I wanted to see if we could go anywhere else besides the hotel and main convention center.
(x)
And the answer, unsurprisingly, is "no."

ISABELLA RUIZ
Every exit just leads to more of those weird white tunnels.
(x)
And the doors to the other buildings are blocked by huge steel plates.
(x)
They're sturdy too. Not even my gum gum bazooka had any effect.

KADEN KADIR
The tunnels do make super cool sounds when you hit 'em though.
(x)
Kind of like a: hmmmmmmm. No, wait, more like: huummmmmmmm.
(realizing)
Whoa. Hang on.
(x)
No...how could I have missed that? It's so obvious.

KEY FAYE
Huh? Was there something we missed?

ISABELLA RUIZ
Perhaps his super hearing quirk allowed him to find an exit with echolocation.

KADEN KADIR
I just realized...
(x)
That tunnel sound is one in a million! It's the perfect backing for a post-rock masterpiece!
(x)
I gotta go back and record it right now!

KEY FAYE
Seriously? THAT was your big realization?

KADEN KADIR
No...no...you're right.
(despairing)
It's too obvious. Too cliche. Of course. The hell was I thinking?
(x)
Stupid, K.K.! Stupid stupid stupid!

KEY FAYE
...So, anyway.
(x)
It looks like we only have access to this building and the hotel.
(x)
Guess Buffer Bun wants to make sure he can keep a close eye on us.

BECKY APPLEBAUM
Wait, you're tellin' me that not only are the windows all blocked off, we also can't go outside at all?
(x)
That's bullshit! How the hell are we supposed to live like this?

CHIYO ITO
Your agitation is exactly what the mastermind desires.
(x)
The more Buffer Bun withholds from us, the more we have to rely on him.
(x)
And the more we have to rely on him, the easier we become to influence.

CALVIN WALKER
About that.
(x)
There's something that's been bugging me about this whole setup.
(x)
Doesn't it seem weird how...easy things have been so far?

ZELDA BROOKS
E-easy? What about this seems e-easy to you?

REGINA JACKSON
Yeah, did you forget the part where we had to perform amateur surgery?

CALVIN WALKER
But that's just the thing.
(x)
We were only able to do that because Buffer Bun let us.
(x)
He could've easily blocked us from the infirmary, or even just stolen all the supplies from it.
(x)
If he had done either of those things, we'd be under a lot more pressure.
(x)
It's the same thing with the food.
(x)
If we didn't have any way of feeding ourselves, it wouldn't be long before we'd start getting desperate.
(x)
And, well...I think you can all guess how that would turn out.

TIFFANY HARPER
H-hey, that's a pretty pessimistic way of looking at things, don't you think?
(x)
Even if we didn't have food, that doesn't mean we'd suddenly start killing each other.

KEY FAYE
Maybe, maybe not. But Cal's got a point either way.
(x)
Outside of locking us in here, Buffer Bun hasn't really pushed us to play along with his game.
(x)
Which is weird, since we'd be way easier to manipulate if we were under the gun.

MAX LUNDBERG
D-don't say that out loud! You're just gonna give him ideas.
(x)
Anyway, why are we even trying to figure out what a psycho kidnapper is thinking?
(x)
They're a psycho kidnapper! There's no way we'll ever understand them.

CHIYO ITO
More worrying to me than our captor's motives are the considerable means at their disposal.
(x)
The sheer logistics and coordination required to put us in this situation are nothing short of staggering.
(x)
It points to the mastermind being someone with considerable wealth and power.
(x)
Or, more likely, to them being an organization of such people.

BECKY APPLEBAUM
You think this is all some kinda conspiracy?

ZELDA BROOKS
Are you saying you think the f-fucking Illuminati is b-behind this?

REGINA JACKSON
No, that can't be it! There's no such thing!

DAMIEN VOLKOV
I would've said the same thing about homicidal bunny robots yesterday. And yet, here were are.

REGINA JACKSON
That's completely different!
(x)
Building a remote-controlled robot like Buffer Bun is definitely possible.
(x)
I mean, automata modeled after animals have been a thing since the 1700's!
(x)
In fact, some historians trace the origin of robotics to cave drawings in...

KEY FAYE
I don't care if the Illuminati, the Knights Templar AND an army of robots joined forces.
(x)
It still doesn't explain how all of this was done while we were asleep.
(x)
The timetable just doesn't add up.

TOBY JONES
Oh shit, bro, maybe we're all still dreaming right now!
(x)
Quick, everyone pinch each other until we wake up.

KADEN KADIR
Uh, how's that supposed to work now?

As everyone continued to speculate, the conversations quickly started overlapping.

The impossibilities of our situation were popping up like weeds, sowing seeds of chaos and confusion within us.

Nothing made sense anymore. The rules we had lived by for years were vanishing under a thick tangle of contradictions.

But then...just when the path forward seemed lost...

MAX LUNDBERG
Stop! Stop stop stop!
(x)
Everyone take a breath and just chill out for a second!

Max's shout echoed above all the chatter, forcing even Chiyo to hesitate for a moment.

MAX LUNDBERG
Why are we standing around freaking ourselves out like this?
(x)
I get it: shit's super weird right now! But what good does it do to keep talking ourselves in circles?
(x)
Instead, we should focus on what we can do to make things better, right here and now.
(x)
We're not going to get anywhere just staring into the darkness.
(x)
We need to keep moving forward, and believe there's a light waiting for us at the end.

CALVIN WALKER
Darkness? Light? Seriously?
(x)
That may be a pretty metaphor, but it totally sucks as a survival strategy.
(x)
We can't just rely on blind faith to get through this.
(x)
There are forces at play here beyond anything we've ever dealt with before.
(x)
We need to confront that. We need to question everything.
(intense)
And we need to prepare for the worst.

MAX LUNDBERG
I-I'm not saying we shouldn't be prepared.
(x)
But focusing on our own fear and helplessness is just stupid!
(x)
Have some guts, dammit!

CALVIN WALKER
Ignoring your own fear isn't bravery, it's suicidal.
(x)
Fear is an instinct for reason. It's saved way more lives than reckless faith ever will.
(x)
Believing that things'll "work out" is how you end up with a knife in your back.

MAX LUNDBERG
If that's what you think, then why haven't you tried to kill any of us yet?
(x)
That's what preparing for the worst means, right? Getting us before we can get you?
(x)
Isn't that the endgame you're pushing us to?

CALVIN WALKER
(shocked)
What? What are you saying?

CHIYO ITO
Careful Max.
(x)
Such an accusation is not to be levied lightly.

MAX LUNDBERG
(snapping)
You don't think I already know that?
(x)
You don't think I know just how bad things are?
(x)
Of course I do! I'm scared shitless!
(x)
Everyone always thinks I'm some kinda easy-going airhead just 'cause I play games for a living.
(x)
But that's bullshit!
(x)
Keeping a Mega Channel alive means I'm under constant anxiety.
(x)
I'm always producing, always performing, always trying to please over 50,000,000 people every day.
(x)
And that's how I know...
(intense)
If you let even a speck of fear inside of you, it won't be long until that's all there is.
(x)
It'll grow like a weed until it chokes out every other part of you
(1,000 yard stare)
And then...and then...

TIFFANY HARPER
(worried)
Max...
(x)
It's okay, we understand. We know where you're coming from.
(x)
I'm sure Cal doesn't want to hurt anyone. He's just trying to help.
(x)
We all are, right?

CALVIN WALKER
...Right.
(x)
Sorry, Max. I let my pessimism get the better of me. My bad.

MAX LUNDBERG
(distant)
...It's fine, man. Whatever.

DAMIEN VOLKOV
Hey look at that, we're all friends again.
(x)
Leave it to the Ultimate Knitting Nerd to find the silver lining.

KEY FAYE
What silver lining? We're still trapped, you know?
(x)
And the search parties were total failures. Nobody found anything useful.

BECKY APPLEBAUM
Uh, aren't you forgetting something?

KEY FAYE
Huh?

BECKY APPLEBAUM
There were four groups, remember? And we've only heard from three.
(x)
Our team hasn't gone yet.

MIKEY CALDWELL
Oh! That's right! I knew I was forgetting something!
(x)
Did you guys find anything cool? Like a secret tunnel? Or a master key?

DIEGO AMO
Heh heh heh.

TOBY JONES
Heh heh heh.

DIEGO AMO
Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh.

TOBY JONES
Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh.

CALVIN WALKER
(on guard)
What's so funny?

DIEGO AMO
Toby, it seems our time has come.

TOBY JONES
Hell yeah, bro. Let's do this.

REGINA JACKSON
No way. Did you guys actually find something useful?

TOBY JONES
We didn't just find something useful.
(x)
We found something awesome! No, a whole room full of awesome!

REGINA JACKSON
Huh?
(x)
What's that supposed to mean?

CHIYO ITO
Becky, care to translate?

BECKY APPLEBAUM
Uh, not sure I can.
(x)
What we found is...not really my thing if you know what I mean.

DAMIEN VOLKOV
Maybe they found a virus that turned them all into babbling morons.
(x)
I mean, y'know, more than they already were.

DIEGO AMO
It seems it will be our duty to enlighten you ignorant fools.
(x)
And as ancient wisdom decrees: 'tis better to show than tell!
(x)
Come, everyone! The truth is out there!

BECKY APPLEBAUM
Yeah, uh, it's just down the hall.

TOBY JONES
Race you guys!

FADE TO BLACK.

Our pulses pounding with anticipation, we followed Toby deeper into the convention center.

The empty remains of YouCon booths stood in rows all around us, like monuments from a forgotten time.

The colorful logos and ads almost seemed to be mocking us as we passed. Reminding us of the world we had left.

The world we desperately hoped to return to.

Would this new discovery light the way?