Figuring out how much of Zero's instructions to reword and/or reorganize was a bit of a pain.
Disclaimer: In no way, shape or form do I own the rights to Zero Escape or Naruto.
Chapter 2: 9 PM
"Naru-chan? What are you doing here?" the young man with red hair asked, his voice soft with concern.
"That's exactly what the hell I'd like to know! But enough about me! What about you?" Naruko responded incredulously. The young man with red hair was named Gaara, and was one of her closest friends. They'd first met when they were both around age twelve, and while they hadn't started off on the best of terms, over time, they grew to acknowledge, trust, and eventually accept one another to the point where they saw each other as siblings. Nine years had passed since then, but while they kept in touch, contacting each other fairly regularly, it had been some time since they'd seen each other in person. It was for this reason and a few others (namely the situation they were currently in) that Naruko was fighting every urge in her body to run up and give her dear friend a huge hug.
Meanwhile, Gaara was still looking over his friend, as though analyzing Naruko cell by cell. As usual, his friend's body language was a dead giveaway of their inner turmoil. But he understood the circumstances all too well, and knew that this wasn't the time for even a handshake of greeting or any sort of physical contact, let alone a hug.
The friends' reunion was interrupted, however, by a sudden crackling sound. Looking around frantically, they eventually saw a loudspeaker jotting out from a corner in the ceiling. A cold, eerie, and familiar voice filled the hall.
"Welcome aboard," the voice began. "Please allow me, from the bottom of my heart, to welcome you all to this, my vessel."
With the voice's invasion, their seven companions stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of the speaker. Some of those present glared at the loudspeaker, their faces the color of rubies and their eyes burning with enough hatred to make shatter a diamond. Others could simply stare, their eyes wide and their complexions pale.
"Does our host have a name?" Kimono asked with mock politeness.
"I am [Zero]," the harsh voice continued, interrupted only by the occasional crackling of static. "I am the captain of this ship, as well as the one responsible for sending all of you your invitations."
'No doubt about it. That's the same voice as the jerk in the gas mask. Believe it!' Naruko mentally growled.
"Hey, asshole, get down from there! If ya don't, I'll maul ya like a bear!" shouted Rapper.
"What is it you mean for us to do here?" asked Pink in a forcibly calm tone.
"I mean for you all to participate in a little game of mine. It's called the Nonary Game," Zero informed them.
"Nonary Gamme?" asked Beads, narrowing her eyes.
"What's that?" added Surfer, tilting her head to the side.
"It's a game where you put your lives on the line," continued Zero, implacably. "The rules for the Nonary Game can be found on each of your persons. They are fairly straightforward, so I suggest you give them a glance."
Naruko saw Poncho pat down his pants before blinking suddenly. "They're right. There's something in my pocket. Check it out," he said as he pulled a folded piece of paper out of one of his pockets. This prompted everyone else to do the same. Before long, Naruko felt the telltale crumpled paper in her shorts. Miraculously, it wasn't wet from her earlier ordeal.
"Yeah, I've got one, too! Believe it!" said Naruko.
"Then it would seem Zero has seen fit to give each of us a letter. Would you mind reading yours to us, young lady?" Volcano asked Naruko.
"Uh, sure," she responded, and cleared her throat.
"On this ship, you will find a series of doors emblazoned with numbers. These are the [numbered doors]. The two doors on B Deck by the main staircase are a pair of the same," Naruko began. For the first time since Zero had begun talking, Naruko looked at the wall facing away from the staircase. There were two large doors, each with red number painted on them.
- - - [ 5 ] - - -
- - - [ 4 ] - - -
'I guess these are the doors the instructions are talking about,' Naruko silently filed away before she continued reading from what was effectively the instruction manual for the Nonary Game.
"The key to opening these numbered doors are the [numbered bracelets] that each of you possess," Naruko read. "Should you total the numbers on your numbered bracelets and find that the [digital root] of that number is equal to the number of that door, the door will open. Only those who have opened the door may pass through. There are, however, limits. Only [3-5 people] can pass through one numbered door. All those who enter must leave, and all who enter must contribute."
'So this is a numbered bracelet, and that's why they included an explanation of digital roots in the room I woke up in,' thought Naruko, quickly glancing down at her wrist. Another quick look around her confirmed that everyone else had one as well, and the looks on their faces indicated that they had reached the same conclusion.
"Next, I shall tell you of the function of the [RED], of the [DEAD], and of the bracelet," continued Naruko." The RED is the Recognition Device. It will verify your number. Beside every numbered door, you will find a RED. The DEAD is the Deactivation Device. It does exactly what it says. Once you have passed through the numbered door, you must use the DEAD to stop the [detonator] in your bracelet. But perhaps you are wondering...What does this detonator detonate? I am afraid this may be something of a surprise. I have placed a [small bomb] inside of you, and the people whom you are about to meet. You swallowed it while you were unconscious. I have no doubt that by the time you read this note, the bomb will have passed your stomach and found its way to your small intestine. In other words, you will be unable to regurgitate it. I suggest you do not try."
It took a moment before the actual content of what Naruko had read aloud fully registered. "THERE'S A BOMB INSIDE ME?!" she cried out incredulously, causing a few of her companions to look at her with collective confusion. In an act of defiance, Naruko pressed her fingers inside her throat, with Surfer and Rapper joining her in her efforts, but alas, it was an act of futility and all three began to gag. The rest of their companions simply stiffened at the news. Gaara, Beads, and Poncho rested their hands on their stomachs while Pink, Volcano, and Kimono simply glanced back at their bracelets.
"Please," Gaara urged Naruko to continue after a moment of silence. The pigtailed girl sighed, but obliged nonetheless.
"As I mentioned before, the bracelet on your left hand contains a detonator," Naruko read as the letter continued to elaborate. "Think of it as a remote fuse, or [timer], for the bomb in your body. There is only 1 condition which will cause it to detonate. That condition is that you enter a numbered door. Once you have done so, the timer will activate, no matter who you may be. You will have [81 seconds]. If, after that time, the detonator has not been deactivated, it will send a signal to the bomb in your body, instructing it to explode. In order to deactivate the detonator, [every person who verified their number at the RED] must also verify their numbers at the DEAD. Once all numbers have been verified by the DEAD, you need only pull the lever at its side, and the countdown will cease. Anyone who does not verify their number at the RED will find themselves unable to verify their number at the DEAD. That is to say, if you should pass through a numbered door without first verifying your number at the RED, in 81 seconds you will be dead. You must also keep in mind that the numbered doors will close automatically after [9 seconds] have passed. So long as the door is open, the DEAD will not function. You would do well to remember this."
"Straightforward, my ass!" Naruko cursed Zero under her breath. A few of her companions raised at her sudden pause in the middle of her narration, but a quick cough from Gaara reminded her of the task at hand.
"Now, let us discuss [how to remove the bracelets]," the pigtailed woman went on. "There are only 2 ways to do so. One: You escape from this ship. Two: Your heart rate reaches zero. In other words, once the bracelet is taken outside the confines of the ship, or detects that its wearer's heartbeat has fallen to zero, it will shut down automatically. There is no other way to remove your bracelet. If you attempt to force it off, or disable the detonator, the bomb within you will immediately explode."
'It doesn't say anything about chopping my arm off, but let's hope it doesn't come to that,' Naruko prayed to herself.
"Finally, the purpose of the game is simple," Naruko said, realizing she was finally close to the end. "Leave this ship alive. It is hidden, but an exit can be found. Seek a way out... Seek a door that carries a [9]...And that's all folks!"
Several people face-palmed at the last part of her speech, which prompted Naruko to stick out her tongue. Nonetheless, she has finally finished reading, something that made her pretty happy. 'Now I have to do is remember all of those stupid rules…' she mentally cheered.
"Oh, but there is one more piece of information I must tell you," Zero spoke up first time in a while. "As you have no doubt surmised, this ship has begun to sink. On April 14th, 1912, the famous ocean liner Titanic crashed into an iceberg. After remaining afloat for 2 hours and 40 minutes, it sank beneath the waters of the North Atlantic. I will give you more time. [9 hours]. That is the time you will be given to make your escape."
The speaker went silent as the toll of a bell could be heard echoing throughout the hall. It took those present mere moments to trace the source to an antique clock embedded in the wall by the staircase. The clock chimed 9 times before going quiet.
'Nine o'clock, huh?' Naruko pondered. 'If memory serves, it looked dark outside that porthole in the room I woke up in, so that probably means 9 PM, then. Geez, that means I've been out for at least half a day! Not only that, we've only got until 6 AM to get off this ship!'
"Now, it is time," Zero remarked. "Let our game commence. I wish you all the best of luck." The speaker went silent once more, only this time around it did not speak again.
No one moved. Despite the great detail provided for them in the instructions each received, there were still too many questions that remained unanswered. Who was Zero? Were they some mad criminal who enjoyed forcing their victims to participate in twisted games? Or was there some other motive? And just what was the Nonary Game, and why had the nine of them been chosen to participate?
"Very well," Poncho's statement broke the silence. "Standing around here twiddling our thumbs won't change anything."
"That's right," agreed Pink. "Shall we get going?"
"What the…Do you actually plan to go along with what that maniac wants?" Beads cried out indignantly.
Poncho glared at Beads. "Not until we've taken a closer look at this ship, at least," he snorted.
"True," Kimono added. "We've only tried forcibly opening the doors on A Deck so far. It's not like any of us have actually tried seeing what else there is."
"Sounds like we've got a battle plan, then!" shouted Rapper. "So now that that's settled, let's meet up before 10!"
And thus everyone split up and began to search what areas of the ship they could reach.
(To be continued)
Next time on Nonary Game Jinchuriki Edition: 10 PM.
A bit shorter than the last chapter, but given the purpose of this one, I didn't want to go on any longer than I had to. Explaining the rules of the game is necessary, and unlike the game, I didn't want to do it in two separate parts, so I just got it all out of the way here.
In addition, a few heads up. First of all, to make my life easier, I'm probably going to simplify the puzzle rooms the way the novel version does, but not too much. After all, there are a ton of comedic opportunities to be had, what with bad puns, putting hands in fire, the funyarinpa, etc. Not to mention that with great resources like NicoB and the Let's Dub Project, there are way too many jokes for me to pass up on.
Second, I already have the teams who go through each door planned out, and will have a default narrator be the focus for each one. Anyone want to guess who's going through what door?
Third, there will be some shipping hints and such, but all I will confirm for the moment is that there is none planned between any of the participants in the game, and that if the previous chapter (or chapters, if you count the prologue) are any indication, there will be mentions of NaruHina, only with some genderbending thrown in.
That is all for now. See you all next time!