SEEK A WAY OUT - CONFINEMENT ROOM (GREEN TEAM)

[formicarium]

T H E  C O N F I N E M E N T  R O O M Despite being called the "Confinement Room", you will quickly notice that it's a hallway with four rooms, instead of just one room. In fact, this seems more like jail than anything else. Someone must have put the wrong plate beside the door, but the moment you step away from the door, it closes up behind you. You find that there isn't even a handle on this door, so there's no way you're going out that way. Time to start looking around this dimly lit "Confinement Room".

Comments

[fairsfair]

[ Taking a few steps down the hall, looking around. ]

Zero sure likes keeping his warehouse as depressing as ever.

[ Celled rooms, dim lights, depressing atmosphere... ]

[puzzlinglad]

[Hershel already made himself busy checking the cell doors one by one, frowning as each creaked open with horror movie quality metallic scrapes.] I never thought I'd say I preferred the other rooms. Even the elevators were less, ah... [he prods one of the doors again, punctuating his statement with a creak] ... scenic.

At least we don't need to find the keys for these doors.

[skyentificmethod]

The inmates get full run of the jail, cute.

[she heads over to the exit, examining the mechanism with the red light]

...Looks like we'll need some sort of key card.

[fairsfair]

Then let's start looking. A key card isn't that hard to find.

[ And Jake will head off into a cell. He'll be taking the top-right cell, guys! ]

[puzzlinglad]

We can hope, though last time involved the threat of drowning. [Optimism. Hershel's going to stay out of the cells for now, thank you friends, and go towards the north part of the room where a monitor was hanging out. He was curious about that but more so about tall the other interesting things around.]

Oh- there's a safe over here. [He turns to tell the others before looking back at what was surely a harmless notebook. He picks it up, flipping it open to reveal.......]

[skyentificmethod]

What's in it? Does it open?

[ema asks, searching through the bottom right cell. ugh, that toilet...]

[formicarium]

[ This notebook seems almost brand new, hardly showing any kind of wear. It's clear that the owner hasn't used it often. At the very least, there seems to be something written in it: ]

             , 20    

I'm so sick and tired of these         . I don't care if                  for this. I'm not some sort of babysitter. These assholes keep clogging up the toilets with God knows what. They can go          themselves. I'm not sticking my hand down another toilet again.

[puzzlinglad]

[Well what a rude journal. Hershel frowns as he reads it, realizing Ema's question after a beat and turning towards the direction of her voice almost sheepishly.] Oh, let's see-

There's a lock on it, a digital one. It looks like it needs four digits instead of three this time. [He squints at it before focusing on the notebook again.] There's a notebook too... it's a bit strange, there are some blacked out words but it seems like a small journal entry from someone who's very unhappy about having to clean the cell toilets.

[skyentificmethod]

I can understand that... But maybe you'll have better luck!

[she claps him on the shoulder with a suspiciously broad smile]

[fairsfair]

[ Ema can be all happy about it, but Jake will be... well, Jake. ]

Anything else in there that might tell us how to bust open the safe? Or is it all about cleaning toilets?

[puzzlinglad]

[Hershel glances over at Ema, a little alarmed before looking at one of the toilets through the bars. Well.] ... Please don't tell me they're all like that. [He had a bad feeling about where this was going.]

[And he looks to Jake as he holds the notebook out for Ema if she wanted to see it.] Not really, there's some other stuff over here though. I haven't checked the drawers yet.

[skyentificmethod]

[she waves him off, trusting his reading comprehension. and also his skill at reading the mood of women who don't want to dig through toilets.]

Don't worry, I can take a look at that if you want to check out the cells. I think it'd be some good hands-on experience for a helpful youth like you.

[fairsfair]

[ Why are you so nice to Hershel, Ema, but so catty to Jake... ]

Yeah, you can help me clean out the toilets and grab whatever's inside.

[ HALF JOKING but also half serious, because there's seriously something stuck in here and if the notebook mentioned it... ]

[puzzlinglad]

[Because she's making him clean a toilet, Jake.] If this is one of those 'character building' activities I think I'd be happier just keeping my character the way it is.

[Despite his mild complaints Hershel sighs quietly- his mamma raised him right so there was no way he was going to let a nice lady like Ema stick her hand in a toilet anyway. He places the notebook down, takes a breath and heads to the top left cell, frowning at his new enemy, the toilet.]

Is there anything in the drawers that can help? I guess it'd be too much to ask Zero for a plunger.

[skyentificmethod]

What a gentleman! I take back everything I ever may have said about the youth today.

[to be perfectly honest, she hadn't really thought it would work--or at least, she hadn't thought Hershel would go along with it so quietly--but she definitely isn't complaining! what she is doing is rifling through these drawers for anything that might seem useful, even if only to dig through a toilet with.]

[formicarium]

[ While the top and middle drawers are empty, the bottom drawer seems to contain a small piece of metal. It has a flat head, and a long shaft. Perhaps it needs to be inserted in something or somewhere...? ]

[puzzlinglad]

[Hershel gives her something of a wry look for that statement, watching her progress with the smallest bit of hope maybe there'd be at least a spoon or something. It didn't really look like she was getting anything so he suppresses another small sigh and just starts rolling up his sleeve in preparation for the fun that was going to come.]

Anything useful, Ema?

[skyentificmethod]

Yeah, I found a metal thing. But I think we should check to see if anything needs screwing before doing anything else with it.

[that said, she attempts to stick it in the locker keyhole, 'cause you never know.]

How're those toilets coming along?

[fairsfair]

I'm not shoving my hand down these shit holes.

[ He heads over to Hershel's cell because he... actually wants to see if the kid is seriously going to shove his hand down one... ]

How's it going for you?

[puzzlinglad]

[Hershel's a little surprised at Jake's arrival and statement, not really surprised he's not all about sticking his hand in an awful toilet.] Well... I guess having more than one of us do it anyway is kind of a waste. [Said the human doormat seriously grow a backbone.]

[He eyes the toilet again, hoping against hope maybe he could use the notebook or something to help. It was pretty clear that wasn't going to happen. He allows himself an audible sigh before holding his breath against the smell and just going for it to get this over with.]

[How did one describe putting their hand in a gross toilet? It was truly an adventure to surpass any he could have possibly gone on. He was hoping he could pull whatever it was out soon because he could only hold his breath so long here.]

[skyentificmethod]

[oh wow, he actually did it

popcorn.gif]

[formicarium]

[ In the distance, Calhoun is laughing away... ]

[ It's difficult to grab whatever's clogging the toilet, but within a few seconds of pulling, it unclogs itself and Hershel now has... ]

[ ... Something covered in soggy toilet paper. ]

[ Unravelling all that paper will reveal a swiss army knife. It was... uh, worth it? ]

[fairsfair]

[ JAKE HAS TO GIVE HERSHEL SOME CREDIT, YOU HAVE SOME MAJOR BALLS, KID ]

Jesus Christ, I can't believe you actually did it.

[ ... Making sure he doesn't stand too close, but checking out what he has. ]

[puzzlinglad]

Uugh-! [Is all Hershel has to say as he covers his mouth and nose with his not gross hand, pulling the.... something out and hurrying as neatly as possible to the nearby sink.]

[Sink, he doesn't ask much of you but please work because otherwise he's going to probably throw up in his mouth a little. Somewhat shockingly the sink does in fact work and he sticks his hand under it, waiting until most of the grime and unmentionable muck washed off before daring to take a closer look.]

It's- huh, it's a swiss army knife, I think. [He holds it out a bit for Jake to get a better look. Also his hand was never going to be clean again...] Ema, please tell me there's soap in that locker.

[skyentificmethod]

Uh... I won't not tell you that...

[she starts attempting to pry open the door again]