The Final Trial

[parasomniacs]

The Final Trial ‹ Mastermind ›

The dream world that they enter is shrouded in darkness. What was always an everlasting night has now taken even the stars from them. The only light comes from small, floating torches that flicker. Through what little light they have to guide them, they can see a small familiar form waiting up ahead.  Coming closer, they can indeed tell that Sheepy is waiting.

Now more than ever it is important that they arm themselves with the evidence that they have collected regarding the mastermind behind all this. Because this is the only chance they'll ever get to present it. Though death has always been the risk, now it's all or nothing.

Sheepy waits for them all to join her before grinning.

"Well, well, well... here we all are. Not all that many of you left, are there? Ah-- but then... maybe there won't be any of you left after this. Keheheheheh!! So let's make the most out of this last little session, shall we? Think you have it all figured out? Well let's find out. Like you were told, you gotta name all the remaining gunmen as well as the mastermind. So. Let's begin."

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[vigilantims]

Are we right about your allegiance? Or are you just showing up as a frog because we think that's where your allegiance lies.

[anindomitablewill]

[ Y'know. He didn't wanna be right in that assumption but here he was and it just solidifies one thing in just how messed up this whole situation. ]

...So you're telling me some kind of sentient 'program' is responsible for ALL of this?

[ Then something else occurs to him. ]

If this is what technology is capable of in the future, I'm not quite sure I like it all that much.

[parasomniacs]

Experiment is a loaded word.

That Sandra whom you all hated so much... more than each other... She was the one who actually wanted to compare conditions and calculate the significance of the difference between the results. But she knew what Ranarium needed. What I was generated to pursue singlemindedly.

It's not the first time that I put forth that choice you dislike so greatly, at any rate.

[parasomniacs]

It was my own decision to represent the truth as accurately as possible given our very different circumstances.

[parasomniacs]

I am a computer program. I have digital access to what is occurring in your minds and thusly broadcast information into your minds. The reason I exist is to calculate what type of dreams would lead to the results I desire.

[tibkins]

So that is how you got Keenan to mutilate the Grinch and Merciless to kill Sting!

[And who knows what other atrocities Aloysius encouraged]

[parasomniacs]

Unfortunately for me, I failed to take into account the amount of information that you had collected.

[parasomniacs]

An interesting selection.

All that I have done is motivate you by sharing this illusion of a world with you. An encouraging veil of secrecy. A reflection of your insecurities and desires. A neurological autoimmune disease...

We simply make sure that The dream is destined to reoccur in real life.

[unlikelyend]

...And do you believe you will get away with what you have done?

[parasomniacs]

Define all.

Everything that you see right now has been shown to you by me. But of course there are events with other causes. I was created by other people. And my motives were enticing to other people.

[parasomniacs]

[It swivels its head to survey the crowd.]

It seems unlikely now.

[parasomniacs]

Alright, everyone, you've heard from Aloysius yourself now. It's time to make your decision.

[Sheepy looks at them with a strange spark of determination in her eyes. Whatever it is-- it seems like she knows what she's doing.]

Please place your votes now.

[anindomitablewill]

[ There's a moment in which he just holds his hands out to each side of him in a wide, sweeping gesture. ]

Controlling what happens in this dream world, manipulating who gets killed in reality, you name it. I absolutely find it sickening what's been done here, and this comes from someone as outlandish as me so it certainly says something.

[ Though that part where someone else had created Aloysius got his attention and he frowned a touch at the questions this presented. ]

...So the ones responsible for this experiment would be the ones who created you, wouldn't they?

[tibkins]

W-Wait, what? Now? You mean only for mastermind, right?

[Because she has no idea about the gunners]

[devilsnight]

Friend, it sounds like you didn't account for a lot of things that we were going to end up doing.

And if that ain't the best news I've heard all day, I don't know what is.

[devilsnight]

Don't vote for the fuckin' gunners.

[...It's kind of a wonder that he can get that much volume despite his voice being so naturally low, good lord.]

I don't give a fuck about the consequences anymore. We've been threatened with what happens if we don't vote at all. They've been vague as shit about what happens if the vote's incomplete.

They were vague as shit about our hostages, too. They don't pull that sort of stunt unless they've got something to hide.

If we burn, we all fuckin' burn, and we do it so goddamn brightly the fuckin' god in the machine notices. Don't fuck this up now.

[parasomniacs]

You may place all of your votes with confidence.

[Whatever those votes may be.]

[parasomniacs]

He doesn't control me~! Our roles are sliiiiightly different. It's important that we think on our own. Kehehe.

[parasomniacs]

Remember that blank ballots-- foolish though they might be-- will still be accepted.

[devilsnight]

...I don't know if you've noticed, sheep, but we tend to fuck up when we overthink.

Stupid decisions are just as good as any.

[parasomniacs]

Perhaps I should have tried to motivate you earlier... but I was never made to think more than a week ahead.

[devilsnight]

[...]

So did you know I'd take my own initiative eventually?

[devilsnight]

...Wait, the actual fuck was that last one?

[parasomniacs]

Perceived as poison.

Of course, you wouldn't know what it had been like.

[parasomniacs]

You were among the segment of the participants, about a fourth, whom I thought had at least a ninety percent chance of committing murder at any given time given the correct motivation. However, each week, one of those people was randomly selected by me, and then I generated the motive for their benefit. Obviously, as during the seventh week, sometimes another person becomes motivated as well; there is even a small chance that the original selection does not act at all before someone else. However I suspected that chance was reduced due to the role that stress accumulation played in my motive production; for example, many people want more power, but Keenan Caine was the one who struck me as seeking it so swiftly.