Ruby Quest: Chapter 26

The one-handed man introduces himself as Filbert.

"Ask him how he knows Ruby" "ask him where his hand went"

Ruby quickly gets over her initial surprise and makes the connection between Filbert's name and the "-F" signed on numerous reports, as well as the severed hand she found earlier. She assaults Filbert with questions. Filbert begins to explain what he can. He says he is the chief doctor here. ">Ask him how he knows Ruby" Ruby was a patient of his. ">ask him where his hand went" Filbert calmly explains he severed his hand by slamming it shut in the security transfer chute down in Level 3. He had to, in order to stop the spread of infection.

“Were you attacked?” "Question him on what has happened here, what this place is and why you can't remember this stuff."

">Were you attacked?" Filbert nods. He explains that he was attacked, and his hand was injured. He says he believes the infection is like any other localized spread -- in order to stop it from contaminating his entire body, he had to perform an emergency amputation. ">Question him on what has happened here, what this place is and why you can't remember this stuff." "Why you can't remember anything? Isn't it obvious?" Filbert asks. "You're dead."

""Did I kill Tom?"" "Then how am I MOVING?"

">"Did I kill Tom?"" Filbert says he's afraid you did. He bled out after the attack you must have seen on the video. ">Then how am I MOVING?" "You're infected. Most everyone here has succumbed to the infection. Except for me."

"Ruby: Then why did you stumble over to me and say THANK GOD?" "Ask him if he knows anything about Ace, or if he knows that Red killed himself."

">Ruby: Then why did you stumble over to me and say THANK GOD?" "It's not important now." ">Ask him if he knows anything about Ace, or if he knows that Red killed himself." Filbert explains that Ace is tasked with duties as an orderly and a security guard. Filbert was his commanding superior. Filbert says he knows of Red's death. "He finally did it," Filbert nods.

""Was I sane?"" "Is there a cure?"

">"Was I sane?"" "Oh, I doubt it." ">Is there a cure?" "My dear, you ARE the cure." Filbert asks if you've found a PASSCODE yet. He needs to get to the TOP LEVEL. The only option now is ESCAPE. He plans to escape the entire facility. He wants to get out.

"What do you mean by that?"

">What do you mean by that?" Filbert turns, suddenly angry, and lays it all out. Ruby already HAS the cure. So does everyone else in this facility. It brought her SIGHT. It made her WELL. She didn't even need to EAT or DRINK. But when she died, she fucked it up. The cure was strong. It brought her BACK. And when she came back she brought something with her. Filbert is the only one left untouched. He has to escape. He demands the PASSCODE.

"Yell that you don't know it."

">Yell that you don't know it." Ruby is all but in shambles. She denies the accusations and tells Filbert she has no idea what the code to the surface is. Filbert says Ruby has to stay here now. She can't go to the surface. She can't ESCAPE. She is INFECTED. She is BAD. Filbert says to stay here while he gets his TOOLS from the medicine cabinet. He says he is going to cut Ruby's badness OUT.

“IT'S CLOBERIN' TIME!” “Prickly fist to the face!”

Ruby slams Filbert in the face with her SPINY FIST, sending him staggering backwards! Ruby takes this opportunity to make her escape!

Ruby runs to the next room. Filbert shouts after her -- "Wait!"

"I said WAIT!"

Ruby slams the door behind her, holding it closed. But it won't lock.

"Close the cabinet and lock THAT."

">Close the cabinet and lock THAT." Ruby re-locks the padlocked door. Filbert appears on the monitor. He shouts angrily at Ruby. He says he is the only one CLEAN. He is the only one who can ESCAPE. The others have damned themselves. He says ACE will get her. Ace won't listen to his orders anymore -- he won't even listen to HER. But he is still obedient. Filbert doesn't know who, but he knows he is still listening to SOMEONE. He says Ace will GET Ruby.

Ruby shoots the monitor the bird and it goes back to static. She radios Tom, and tells him everything that just happened. Filbert, the "infection" on which even Filbert's account contradicts itself, Ace's obedience, and whoever SHE is. Tom tells Ruby to go on ahead. There's something he needs to check first, but he'll meet up with her again shortly. It sounds as though Tom is ready to try working together again.

A different figure appears on the monitor.

The face on the monitor nods, and the east door, which is wired to the monitor, suddenly unlocks and swings open

“Who are you?” "Tell him to call off Ace."

">Who are you?" The figure stares blankly. ">Tell him to call off Ace." The figure shudders once, as if involuntarily, then, unexpectedly, begins to speak in a rattling, hoarse voice, its pitch fluctuating unsteadily. "I can't," it says. "I'm sorry."

The feed cuts out again.

Ruby enters the newly-opened door, into a new room. STITCHES is here.

"Wave at Stitches. Remark about his lack of stitching. Ask what kind of facial cream he used."

">Wave at Stitches. Remark about his lack of stitching. Ask what kind of facial cream he used." Ruby makes polite conversation, pleased to see Stitches looking so well. He smiles at Ruby and waves back, glad to see she's okay.

"Ask him what he has been up to."

">Ask him what he has been up to." Ruby shoves Stitches over the railing.

Stitches falls into the giant fans.

...what... what just happened? That isn't what Ruby meant to do! That isn't what Ruby meant to do at all!

"This is a flashback isn't it?"

">This is a flashback isn't it?" Ruby remembers now. It was horrible. She......she didn't mean to.

"Oh okay. NOW read the paper next to the door."

">Oh okay. NOW read the paper next to the door." Ruby's hands are shaking. She picks up the dog-eared NOTE from the PAPER FOLDER on the left side of the door and reads it.

Ruby reads the CLIPBOARD by the door, as well.

"look behind the plant"

">look behind the plant" Ruby goes to examine the plant. TOM enters the room and greets Ruby.

Ruby explains the situation to Tom. She even tells him about her flashbacks. Tom doesn't seem as fazed as she'd thought.

Tom explains he found this note while digging through the rubble near Red's room.

“...Click the button on your walkie talkie, make sure that it's really Tom.”

Ruby discreetly presses the button on her walkie-talkie. Tom's radio crackers.

"Collect yourself then move to Lab B's doors."

">Collect yourself then move to Lab B's doors." The door is locked with a massive, very distinctive padlock.

"Try to see if you can see anything through the windows on the door."

">Try to see if you can see anything through the windows on the door." There's nothing behind the plant, and nothing in the pot but the plant and some soil. It seems to just be... an ordinary plant.

Tom doesn't see anything through the glass. It's too dark in there.

Ruby: Look through window with third eye for a short moment. Just long enough to see inside.

>Ruby: Look through window with third eye for a short moment. Just long enough to see inside.

Ruby looks into Lab B.

Ruby staggers backwards. Whatever is in there seems very distinctly unfriendly.

The figure in the corner sobs quietly, weeping.

"Attempt to talk to it"

">Attempt to talk to it" Ruby's attempts at conversation go unheeded. The figure does not respond.

"Why are you crying?"

">Why are you crying?" "It's dark."

“Tom doesn't seem to notice him...”

Ruby asks Tom for confirmation. He confirms that he sees the same figure. It shudders in the corner, making a pained sound.

The figure turns suddenly, and the room is engulfed in blackness. "IT'S SO DARK!"