Chapter Number 185 - A Pain

"Ah! Two! You took forever. I went exploring while you were gone."

"Is that so? Did you get killed?"

"No! I'm still alive!"

"I see. This way. I'll need to disable the barriers before we enter Five's chamber."

"Are we gonna meet Number Five? Let's see... One... Two... Five... Seven... hey, why did we skip Three, Four, and Six? Where are they?"

As they made their way through the halls, Two took no further effort to work stealthily, boldly strutting through the facility as if he owned it.

"I'm not quite sure myself. This way."

Turning a corner, the man entered another branch of the facility, eventually coming across a room labeled "Security".

"I wonder if he is still here? Or perhaps in this Calamity, he's decided to go elsewhere?"

Speaking to himself, Two grabbed the door handle, ripping the door from it's hinges as he boldly entered the room.

And as he did so, a wretched scene spread out before him.

Dozens of men in lab coats laid on the ground, their bodies rotten and their heads decapitated. Blood covered the floors, and the odor of decomposing flesh filled the air.

Sitting at a control panel with a number of screens in front of him, a man worked quickly, hastily tapping one button to the next. As if he hadn't heard the door being ripped off, he continued to work without ceasing.

This man, whose messy black hair had grown to his shoulders, wore a labcoat which was painted red with the splatter of blood - yet despite his offsetting appearance, he didn't so much as turn around.

"Two."

And with this single word from the man, tension immediately filled the air.

"What do you want?"

"Will you turn off the barriers to Number Five?"

The two men spoke to one another in a sarcastic manner, almost as if they were comrades - yet they were anything but.

"Heh... so you come right in here and ask that of me. What would Victor say if I did something like that?"

Turning around in his swivel chair to reveal a pair of dead eyes, the man kicked his legs over one another as he leaned back in his seat.

"But then again, I've never cared about what Victor thinks. And it WOULD be a pain if I had to fight you here."

"So you'll open it?"

"If you'll kill me otherwise, I don't have much of a choice, do I? I'm the only one who knows the passwords, so you've gotta keep me alive if you want it opened. And you know that she's been locked down with Numerium, so even you won't be able to get her out without that girl. She's a host, isn't she?"

"You understand our inner workings quite well. Well, you were one of the people who designed us."

Turning around, the man hit a few buttons, and one of the security cameras to a particular door turned off.

"Ah... my hand slipped. There's been a temporary malfunction. What ever will I do if something horrible happens during this time? I might even lose my job."

The man spoke in a completely monotone voice, his apathetic eyes glancing back and forth from one screen to the next.

"You have five minutes. I don't want you to be around if Victor returns."

"Because it would be a pain, correct?"

"You know how I work. Just as I know how you work. So stop pestering me and get the hell out of my office."

With this statement, Two set off, grabbing Amy's hand as he exited the room.

"You haven't changed a bit, Conrad."

"I don't try to."

With this cheeky statement, Two stopped in the doorway as he finished his interaction with the man known as Conrad.

"Because it would be a pain, wouldn't it?"

----

"Hey Two. Who was that? A friend of yours?"

"It would be more correct to say an enemy. However regardless of affiliation or position, each individual has a certain mindset. And there are certain mindsets that can be easily taken advantage of."

"And that man has such a mindset?"

As Amy and Two walked alongside one another through the halls, they approached another protected door - however this one didn't seem to glow like the last.

The Number 5 presented itself at the top of the entrance, signifying which experimental chamber this would lead to.

"Indeed. You see, Amy, every human in this world can be utilized if you can only read and understand them. Lazy people, for example, will always do the thing that costs them the least amount of effort. So tell me. How should you get a lazy person to do as you please?"

"Mmm...."

The girl seemed to close her eyes as her brain was overwhelmed by the questions of the man, who clearly spoke above her level.

"I don't know! What's the answer, Two?"

Looking up to the man with anticipation, the girl shouted out as she awaited his response.

"It's simple."

And with a chuckle, the man opened the door, revealing a number of chambers - the barriers of which had been lifted.

"If you wish to control someone lazy... all you have to do is create a scenario where the fulfillment of your own goals provides the path of least resistance."

----

As the two bypassed the deactivated barriers, they eventually came across the entrance to the room - yet another immense door in a series of entrances.

"Do you understand why we are here?"

"It's to meet Five, right?"

"That's correct. But more than that, it is so that Five can reside within you. Amy. I am using you as a tool to assist Five in leaving this place."

Standing before the door, Two looked down to Amy without a shred of guilt.

"Do you have any issues with this?"

"So basically... it's going to be like that time when One talked into my mind?"

"It will be similar. But it will also be permanent."

The zombified young girl seemed to put her hand to her chin in thought, but after a few moments merely shrugged it off with a smile.

"That sounds fun! I'll have a friend who will never leave my side!"

With an excited expression, Amy took the lead, opening the door herself as she skipped forward.

"Let's go, Two! I wanna meet her!"

And with an excited expression, the girl whose body had rotted away flashed an innocent yet decrepit smile, one which caused Two to let out a chuckle.

"I see. If you have no issues, then that makes this all the better."

Following the girl inside, the two opened the door to reveal a gorgeous yet terrifying woman.

Wrapped in chains that bound her, the woman's eyes had been rolled back in her head, revealing only her black sclera as if she was in a trance.

Lacerations covered her body, and blood covered the white gown that had been used to cover her body.

While the woman appeared to be breathing, she was in no conscious state, a coma having completely enveloped her existence.

"The man who created us was not a fool who haphazardly created monsters that he could not control. He always had a countermeasure in anticipation of the scenario that we rebelled against him."

As Two approached the woman, a stern expression covered his face as he stood before her.

"How long have you been bound like this?"

And suddenly, furrowing his brows, an expression which contradicted everything about this man drew itself across his face.

For as he stood before this woman, the cold and calculating man known as Experiment Number Two had an expression of hatred.

"I cannot even touch you... lest the chains which bind you also put me into a trance. However, for that reason... I have brought you a host."

Turning to the girl, the man looked to Amy as he gave an order.

"Touch her forehead."

As the man spoke, the girl reached out her hand, placing it upon the forehead of the chained woman - and the moment that the skin of the two came into contact, the young girl fell to the ground with a slam.

The chained woman seemed to liquify, her flesh flooding into the body of the girl as a spiral was formed, swirling and twisting about as they merged into one.

As the flesh of the woman had completed it's process, the chains fell to the ground, for the body which they bound was no longer present in this place - only leaving the corpse of the young girl who lay on the ground.

'And now... you are freed of those bonds.'

Taking hold of the girl, Two threw the unconscious body across his back like a sack, carrying her out of that place.

'I'm sure that coming into contact with Numerium was extremely tolling, even for a human. It will be some time before she regains her energy. Therefore... my time to leave this place has come.'

----

Two left that island on that day, never to turn back.

He had obtained everything he needed. There was no further reason for him to return to such a place.

'With this... a piece has clicked into place.'

As he held the woman who was in the body of a girl on his back, the man gazed back to the island behind him as he walked on to the sea, stepping on the water as he walked off.

'Victor... one day you will realize the foolishness of your actions. But that day is not today.'

As if speaking to the island itself, Two headed out into the sea.

'No... of course, it cannot be today. After all... that is not what her Eminence has determined for you.'

And with a smile, the man grinned to himself.

'I wonder... just how far those four have progressed?'

Closing his eyes, the man stopped, standing atop the water as he remained perfectly still.

'I suppose it's about time that I found out.'

----

A man wearing a checkered suit pushed up his glasses as he sat in a fine leather couch, women in red dresses on his left and his right.

Everything about this man seemed to shout "Big Shot", from the way he carried himself to the wealth that surrounded him - even among this calamity.

"Can you show me again?"

One of the women looked at the man intently, curiosity in her expression as the man leaned forward.

In front of the couch was a roulette wheel on a coffee table, and at the request of the woman, the man took one of the balls in his hand as he spun the wheel.

"Lets see... black thirteen."

As the wheel spun at a speed that no untrained eye could read, the man calmly waited with the ball in hand before rolling it into the wheel.

The wheel spun, and the ball rolled in the opposite direction, bouncing and faltering until it finally landed.

"You're not using magnets or anything, are you?"

One of the girls seemed to be suspicious, asking this question as she gazed upon the result - for the ball had landed upon the exact number that the man had called out.

"Heh... I suppose it does seem that way, doesn't it?"

Reaching into his pocket, the man pulled out a pair of dice.

Handing the women one dice each, the man folded his hands as he explained.

"Take a good long look at each of those dice. Feel them. Roll them. They aren't weighted, are they?"

At his question, the two women each inspected their respective die, gouging the weight and confirming that they didn't appear to favor any particular result.

Rolling the dice a few times, each of the women confirmed that there was no pattern in the results, further proving that there was no form of weight that impacted the results.

"They don't seem weighted.", the girl known as Jessica commented.

"That's right. I got different numbers each time I rolled it.", the other added.

"Hand me the dice."

Closing his eyes, the man held out a hand, at which both of the women placed their die into it.

Gripping his palm, the man shifted and felt the dice as they clattered within his hand.

Then, giving them a roll, the man opened his eyes to bear the result.

"Two sixes."

The women watched with interest, at which the man took up the dice again, scrambling them in his hand once more before rolling them.

"Two sixes... again."

And then, one final time, the man took up the dice - keeping his eyes closed completely as he rolled them.

"Two sixes... a third time..."

The women merely watched with astonishment, unable to find out what sort of trick he could have possibly used to achieve such a result.

"So... they're weighted somehow to give the result of a six?", one asked.

However, at this question, the man held up his hand.

"Snake eyes."

Taking the dice once more, the man performed the same ritual as the dice came up exactly as he had predicted.

"Do you have some sort of remote control? Something that you can change some sort of setting... maybe there's a machine inside the dice that shifts a weight based on something you tell it?"

The one known as Jessica posed this question, at which the man grinned with a chuckle.

"That isn't the case, Jessica. Though that is an interesting idea, and I'm sure that some other casino owners have used such things."

Standing up from the couch, the man began to pace as he spoke.

"Counting cards... is that cheating?"

And with the sudden topic change from the man, the two women looked at each other with confusion.

"Well, you've never told us or any of the employees to call anyone out on card counting. So in our casino, at least-"

"What about the other casinos?"

Turning to look at Jessica, the man's gaze fell upon her as she was probed with this question.

"Er... well, at the other casinos they don't typically allow it. They say it's cheating."

Nodding his head 'yes' with a smile, the man confirmed her answer.

"Indeed. The other casinos will tell their clients that card counting is a manner of cheating. Anyone who is able to go on a winning streak as a result of such methods is usually thrown out of the casino."

Holding up a finger, the man looked at the woman with an intent expression.

"Now why do you think I've never been concerned with such a thing in my casino?"

At this question, both of the women seemed to be stuck in thought, at a loss for an answer.

"I don't know. Why?", Jessica asked.

"Simple. Simple, simple, simple."

Folding his hands behind his back, the man began to pace once more with an immense grin.

"It isn't cheating."

Widening her eyes at this response, Jessica was unable to understand the words of the man.

"It isn't cheating? But if you allow something like that, people might take advantage of you and the casino might lose out-"

"We have had some guests who have won large amounts as a result of such things. But what has happened with each of those guests?"

At this question, the woman lightly laughed to herself as she recalled such scenarios.

"You've always shown up and taken everything back."

"Indeed. And do you think that was because I was cheating?"

However, this sudden revelation made both of the women widen their eyes in shock.

"Were you not?", one asked.

"Hah... hahaha.... Veronica. Listen closely. What part of card counting is cheating?"

Raising a hand as he continued to pace, the man presented his case.

"Card counting is doing nothing more than using your knowledge to your advantage - an immense amount of knowledge, mind you. Few are intelligent enough to accurately utilize the technique, as it would require extremely quick thinking and high memorization capabilities. Even if they were to record the information somehow, this is in no way illegal. But in all of these cases, these people are doing nothing more than utilizing the resources and information available to them."

Fixing his coat, the man continued.

"While gambling is supposed to be a game of chance, using skill in such games is not - and cannot be considered as cheating. Experienced poker players will use certain psychological techniques to read an opponent. Should we ban the use of such techniques?"

"N-no... of course not.", Veronica responded.

"There are many legal ways to gain an advantage over an opponent. This is a matter of skill - nothing more. And for this reason, no matter what argument other casinos may make about card counting, I will never ban the use of skill in my casino."

"But wait just a minute! You said that you weren't cheating! That... that's impossible! That can't be right! You've won every game you've ever played, no matter who the opponent was! That isn't just a matter of skill! At some point you would have to get unlucky-"

"Is that really the case?"

As Jessica voiced some complaints, the man calmly responded with an expression that seemed to pierce into her soul.

"In a game of russian roulette... is the result ever random?"

Posing yet another question, the man now approached the woman, who found his overwhelming presence to be suffocating.

"From the second the chamber has been spun, the position of the bullet will be determined. And from the moment the order is decided, the loser will be decided. Is any of that truly a matter of chance?"

With a gulp, Jessica found herself looking up to the man, who reached for the dice in his pocket as he held it between two fingers.

"From the moment a dice is rolled, will its path not be determined?"

Closing his eyes, the man tossed the dice behind him as it bounced upon the table.

"The most important part of being the owner of a casino... is having the technique and precision to be able to determine a result of something that most will view as luck."

Then, turning around, the man headed off as he fixed his tie.

As he stepped away, the woman gazed over to the table - and what she witnessed was enough to send chills down her spine.

For the dice which the man had rolled was perfectly balanced on a single corner, holding itself up without any support.

"And any casino owner who doesn't have such a capability... is nothing more than a scam artist."

----

The man who wore a checkered suit entered a conference room, the lighting around him dimmed.

The time was late night, and most people would have been asleep at this time, were it not for the current state of the world.

He entered the room without knocking, at which he was met by two particular faces - ones which he grimaced upon seeing.

"Took you long enough, boy. If you're the oldest, shouldn't you take the responsibility to be here on time?"

An older man with white hair and a beard glanced over to him with a stern expression, folding his hands as he sat at the table with a piercing glare.

"Responsibility? I have nothing to discuss with you about such things, father. I have my own responsibilities to concern myself with, and the two of you happen to have impeded my ability to take care of such things. To me, the Casino takes priority over anything concerning your branches."

"Is that any way to speak to your father?"

Tension entered the air as the two spoke, however the remaining man held up a hand as he gathered the other's attention.

"That's enough of that. We've gathered because we have something to discuss, don't we?"

With the snap of his finger, another man entered the room - this one timid and sly in appearance. He wore a hood and covered most of his face so as not to reveal himself.

As the man with the checkered coat took a seat, the three men now focused on this hooded man, who stood before them as a subordinate.

"Who is this?", the man with the checkered coat asked.

"The Young Master had me stationed at the 4th Branch for the purposes of communication between the 1st and 4th."

With this introduction, the hooded man responded directly to the question, at which the one known as the 'Young Master' nodded in confirmation.

"That's correct. Obviously, we have our own methods of communication between our branches, but this was how I did it between Gerard given his... excessive nature."

"So you needed to keep an eye on him? Heh... I suppose that's about right."

The old man made this comment with a grin, looking at the hooded man as he probed further.

"So? What are you here for? Do you have a report to make? Or a message from Gerard?"

As this question was asked, the hooded man halted for a moment, clearly terrified of the information he held - and the consequences of reporting such information.

"What's wrong? Is it something that will piss me off that much?"

And this statement, filled with malevolence, caused the man to whisper his next words with terror.

"Gerard Stirling... is dead."

----