Author's Note: I've actually been able to write more given that it's the summer, and ideas have been coming to me like rain, so I'm gonna try to pick up the update schedule a little bit. As I'm posting chapter four today (23 May 2017), I am currently writing chapter eighteen, so I've got plenty of material to post. At the end of the chapter will be Robin's first "choice," so I wanted to remind everyone that I have already decided which paths Robin will be taking in which order. The writing style is included only as an homage to that of 999. That being said, I hope you enjoy where this chapter goes!

Nonary Game: Resonance

"...Same symbol, same size, everything," Robin finished. Thus, Boxcars and Marcus had been told everything the others had found during their earlier search.

"I'm wondering why that one would be chained up to a sink if this one's free," Marcus stated. Robin could only reply with a shrug.

The key seemed to have been passed to Boxcars in the last minute or so, since Robin then saw him holding it up. "Well, someone should hang on to this, I guess. Uh, Topaz, how about you?" Without waiting for a reply, he stuck his hand swiftly forward, looking ready to release the key as soon as Robin's palm found its way below his.

"Eh…" Robin started, finding himself unsure of how to reply. A few of the other participants raised their eyebrows but said nothing, so Robin went ahead and accepted the key. "So what could we find that would take two identical keys?"

"Probably some kind of chest," Marcus suggested.

"Or it could be a spare," Delta followed.

Their knowledge on the keys exhausted, they looked into the next box, which Ian was holding. "Oh, Lord," he said the moment he popped the lid open.

"Sulfur?" Basilio snapped, immediately.

"Sulfur!" Lucky cheered as well, their voice full of sarcastic joy. The smell was rather pervasive, and Robin noticed it immediately after Lucky's comment. Admittedly, it was not unbearable, but given the circumstances, it wasn't exactly something anyone had been expecting to deal with.

"Let's just dig through it and see what's inside." Ian sighed, ruffling his left hand inside the box. "Nope, just chunks of this stuff." Without another word, he snapped the box shut again.

"...So, that just leaves Topaz's bottle. Uh, why's it painted?" Cody asked.

"Beats the shit out of me," Leo answered. "Come on, don't keep us waiting." His face seemed rather put-off, as though he would much rather be in any other part of the school than right there. Thus, Robin obediently removed the cap.

"Whoa," he whispered, seeing a metallic shine through the mouth of the bottle. As he tipped the container, the surface deformed, collecting toward one side. "It's mercury."

"What?" Lucky replied, surprised to hear the element was in a random jar in a closet.

"It must not be that much if you did not notice how much it weighs," Basilio accused. Robin's eyes widened in confusion, then looking back to the bottle. Where the hell did that come from?

"No, I guess it's not…" he replied, weakly.

Leo took the bottle then, rolling the liquid around and peering attentively inside. "Yeah, it's not really heavy. Look, there's nothing in here but mercury anyway." He tipped the bottle quickly to point it towards Robin, who did not believe for a second that he was given enough time to judge its contents. "Come on, it's probably just here to distract us."

"Are you trying to hide something from us?" Cody suggested, keeping a fairly stoic face. In response, Leo only shook the bottle. The odd sound of dense liquid splashing against the glass was all that could be heard, so he seemed satisfied. "Alright, no need to snap at me."

"I'm kind of on edge here, dude. Is that alright with you? Can I be pissed off for five damn minutes that we've been kidnapped?" Leo hadn't been nearly this upset earlier, perhaps because he, like Robin, had still been flush with adrenaline. Now that everyone had gotten a chance to calm their hormones down, it seemed there could finally be an expression of other, quite understandable emotions. In any case, the situation had somehow finally truly set in Leo's mind. Perhaps the presence of a jar of toxic metal had driven home the fact that the entirety of the situation was completely alien.

Whatever the hell this Nonary Game was, it would quite certainly be unexpected and dangerous.

Everyone decided they needed a bit of time to separate, hoping that being alone briefly could help soothe some of the tension that had just flared up. Robin watched as Leo walked off down the hallway towards Door [5]. This… game… has only just begun, and Lord knows what kind of shit we're gonna have to go through before we get out of here. He hoped that Leo would be able to maintain some sort of control over himself, lest he be someone dangerous to be around.

Basilio and Cody were having a casual conversation as well, just out of earshot. They did seem to be keeping it intentionally quiet, but Robin figured it was more likely that they were just trying not to outdo the stunning power of silence that had washed over the hallway. They too meandered away from the others, perhaps going to the little alcove where the supply closet had been. Robin wasn't entirely sure what to make of either of them. Both had quite cautious, questioning tongues, which he figured were defense mechanisms of some sort. He doubted Basilio had too much physical strength, so he'd have to depend on intimidation to keep from being seen as vulnerable. Cody, however, was clearly in excellent shape. It seemed more likely that he had recently decided to distance himself from his emotions, sticking strongly to logic in order to deal with the new challenge before him.

Before Robin could peruse on any of the other participants, Lucky sidled up to him, scratching at their wrist somewhat lackadaisically. "It kinda sucks that this thing isn't a real watch," they said. "It'd be nice to be able to see what time it is."

"Why's that?" Robin asked. As much as he was unused to being detached from that sort of information, he doubted it would be particularly helpful at any point in the near future.

"So I could keep track of how much time we're wasting here," they answered, a slight cocky grin coming over their face. Robin was unsure of how to reply, and he only smirked and raised his eyebrows. "Listen, it's all well and good that everyone wants to work off their stress, or whatever. I'm an understanding person; I get that. But, but, there gets to be a certain point where we're just delaying the inevitable by sitting around and doing nothing."

"And the inevitable is…?"

Lucky's eyes slipped a bit, taking on a slight tinge of condescension. "Doing exactly what our kidnapper wants us to. Playing the Nonary Game, of course."

Robin supposed they had a point, considering there had not even been a single glimmer of hope for any sort of early escape. "Well, I guess we're already playing the Nonary Game now, aren't we?" He glanced down at his watch then, taking in the icy digit before admiring the glint of the ceiling lights off the gold casing. "I mean, we did have those puzzles in the rooms we woke up in. At least… I assume you did too?"

"Yep, that seems to have been a constant. I'm guessing everyone's was about as difficult, since we all poured out quickly. Well, fairly quickly." Lucky nodded a few times, almost as though they were listening to music.

"Eh, could you elaborate a bit?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Lucky replied. "The first person to finish all of their puzzles and leave their room was Delta, which I know because I was the second. Not a minute behind me was Ian, and at that point we were all hyped up on enough adrenaline that we decided we had to use some of that extra energy to run down the hall. Anyway, as you might have expected, we only ended up going one way; I guess we weren't being too observant at the time. That's when we found Door [5]. We didn't bother messing with the RED beside it, since we didn't know what the hell it was, but we tugged at the handles. Of course, that did absolutely nothing."

"So I guess you all ran back to the classrooms?" Robin mused.

"Exactly. When we rounded the corner, we saw Cody looking right at us. He actually seemed pretty chill, compared to the rest of us. He, like, nodded his head in greeting instead of just shouting at us about being confused, or whatever. Anyway, Boxcars was also just coming out of his room. He actually paused in the middle of opening his door, kind of like you did, which was amusing. Uh, not to make fun of you or anything. Shock, I guess. But yeah, after a few seconds he recomposed himself and successfully came outside with the rest of us. I take it you don't need any more details here?" Lucky widened their eyebrows, as though the question was meant to test Robin.

A lot of what Lucky had said could only be described as 'details,' and Robin wondered how much of it was actually useful information. They could have just said everyone's names in the order they came outside… Alas, he feared there was still more for them to say. "That's only five," he finally replied.

The faint hint of condescension returned. "Aw, come on Topaz. Next was Basilio, the only person before you that I didn't mention yet. Then it was you, and you know, Leo and Marcus." Robin smirked then, supposing he could have inferred that if he'd bothered to be astute instead of maybe worrying about being kidnapped. "So, as I was saying earlier, I think everyone's puzzles were probably about the same. Sliding puzzle pieces around, finding hidden card keys, that sort of thing. I was probably awake in that room for maybe fifteen to twenty minutes before I made it out, and it was only perhaps another ten minutes before you and Leo were done.

"In fact, if I may be so forward, there is one thing that bothers me. Marcus was the last one to escape, right? But I get the feeling this sorta... puzzle thing... isn't really tough for him." Lucky paused for a moment, perhaps for dramatic effect. "He seems like a smart enough person, and he didn't seem too confused about any of this digital root stuff. I'm willing to bet he's a lot smarter than he lets on. Which begs the question, why did he take so long to solve all the puzzles? He might be trying to deflect suspicion off of himself."

Robin was trying to take Lucky's words seriously, but he was certain he was now giving them the widest-eyed stare he'd managed since waking up. "You're suspicious… of Marcus? What for? Do you think he's gonna turn around and stab you or something?" He realized how ridiculous his reductio ad absurdum sounded, but he couldn't keep himself from finishing the sentence.

"Not exactly. What I'm saying is… I think he might be the one who kidnapped us."

"What." Robin was no longer certain that he and Lucky were talking about the same anxious, quiet dude he'd met not an hour prior.

"I guess it's too soon to tell, but I'm just… well, suspicious." Lucky's face was rather relaxed, though, making it impossible for Robin to read whether or not they were genuinely concerned or perhaps just putting him through some kind of test.

"I don't see why anyone would kidnap us to participate in some game where we could get killed, and then he would want to throw himself into that as well," Robin followed. Marcus looks just as scared as anyone, if not more. Could he really have anything to do with this? "He probably just… woke up later than the rest of us. Or was having a panic attack or something?"

"...I see," Lucky replied, confusing Robin even further. "In any case, I think you should be careful of him, and everyone else, probably. You seem a trusting and gentle sort; I'd hate to see you get manipulated."

"Still, I really don't think he… wait, I'm gentle?" It seemed there would be no end to the confoundation of the day. "Please, I'm not so easily tricked," Robin defended.

"Uh, sure. Listen, I think we've gotten a little bit carried away from what I was saying earlier. I guess it is pretty easy to find ways to waste time in here." Lucky shook their head. "Anyway, we're going to have to play the Nonary Game here soon."

"Again, I thought we already were," Robin replied. His voice was a bit harsher than he intended, but he was still slightly insulted that Lucky thought he was weak.

"Maybe. But the Nonary Game doesn't really start until we decide how to split up. The whole digital root thing, the numbers on the watches, that's gotta be the Nonary Game. And that doesn't start until we go through the numbered doors." Lucky pumped their eyebrows ever so slightly, just quick enough that Robin wasn't entirely sure he'd seen it. Regardless of if the game had already technically started or not, they were right. There was no way of escaping unless everyone agreed to go ahead through Door [4] and Door [5].

"So… should we gather everyone up, then?" he asked.

"I imagine everyone's had enough time to themselves. It's about time we bucked up and headed out," Lucky replied. With that, they nodded reaffirmingly, then going to round up the other participants.

"Just to be clear, there isn't any other option?" Cody asked.

"Yes," Lucky replied simply.

"I hate to just go along with what the kidnapper wants us to do," Leo replied. "But I don't have any better ideas, so I guess let's do it."

"Is anyone else vehemently opposed to this?" Lucky asked. Reluctantly, Basilio lifted his hand, albeit silently. "Alright then, you won't be escaping here."

"Excuse me?" Basilio snapped.

"I know it sucks to go along with this, but it's the only way out," Ian agreed.

"If you had been listening to what I'd just said," Lucky mumbled. Basilio narrowed his eyes angrily but offered nothing further than a lowering of his hand. "Good. Now, we're going to have to split up, of course, so we should decide who's going into which door."

"Before we get that, I assume it's possible for all nine of us to go through these two doors?" Cody asked.

"Yes, nothing to worry about there," Marcus replied. "The nine of us all together have a digital root of 9, and then the digital root of these two doors is 9 as well."

"So we just have to find a group of four people with a digital root of 4, and then the other five will have a digital root of 5. Or, vice versa, I guess," Boxcars continued.

"Right. I figure this would work for any two or three doors that have a collective digital root of 9… uh, how should we decide who goes in which door?" Marcus finished.

"I guess we should see if anyone has a preference," Lucky replied. Robin couldn't imagine any logical reason to choose one of the doors over the other, so he said nothing. "In fact, if you may be so kind, I'd like to choose Door [4]."

"Uh, alright," Boxcars answered. "If I can pick next, I want Door [5]." He tried to avoid seeming like he chose it to avoid Lucky, but Boxcars did not seem the type to be indirect.

"I want Door [5] as well," Delta said.

"Really?" Lucky asked. "You're bracelet number [4], aren't you?"

"Yes," Delta replied. "But I get the feeling I'll be seeing enough of this damned number while I'm here. Is there any particular reason you chose Door [4]?"

Lucky said nothing, indicating that there likely wasn't. The area fell silent again, as though the only sort of conversations the group knew how to hold were hostile.

After several seconds, Basilio sighed to recapture everyone's attention. "What the hell, I will choose Door [4] as well."

"Uh, I'm sure at some point here we'll get down to having to assign people to a door to make sure the digital root matches, right?" Robin asked.

"Actually… we're already there. Well, almost," Marcus replied. "Both groups need 4 to match their doors, and there are two ways to get that: either Topaz and Leo or me and Ian."

"So, Topaz, I guess it's your choice how you want the rest of this to go," Boxcars stated.

"Wait, mine?" Robin answered. He had to admit, he was glad to be the one to make the decision on which door he'd be going through, but he was rather expecting Leo or Ian to say something to contradict that choice. "Why me?"

Boxcars shrugged. "You were the next one to speak after Basilio. That's about as fair as anyone else who got their opinions in first."

"I guess I'm alright with that," Ian said, only a slight tone of resignation on his voice.

"Same here," Marcus shrugged.

"Looks like I don't have a choice then," Leo groaned. "Alright, it doesn't really matter at this point."

"Uh, I am also a person who is here," Cody jumped in, a bit concerned at having not yet been mentioned.

"Well, either way, both doors are gonna have four people each," Ian replied. "Your [9] doesn't change the group's digital root, so you could go with whichever group you want."

"Hmm, fair enough." Cody nodded, then adjusting his glasses. "I suppose I'll wait to hear what Topaz picks and then decide from there."

Again the attention was on Robin. Honestly, he wasn't sure it would ever make him feel anything but uneasy to have these eight strangers staring at him. Thus, he did his best to make his decision quickly. He wanted to go through…

(Door [4] with Lucky and Basilio.)

(Door [5] with Boxcars and Delta.)