Rata Mall - The Office 2 - Phase 8

[RubberDuck]

I am being chased by someone trying to steal my youth.

We know that Xavier somehow made himself look young, presumably through technology in the lab, but his reflection shows his real age. Could he have uploaded himself to a younger clone body or used some sort of fountain of youth technology to make himself appear young?

Did any one search Marks body for items, if we presume for a moment that Xavier was possibly being partially honest about certain parts. What if Marks goal was actually to become young like Xavier by killing him for his youth?

I know in some time travel stories, incorrectly travelling through time alters the physical age of a person to look younger than they are. (e.g. Number 5 in Umbrella Academy, who is a 60 year old trapped as his younger 15 year old self.)

[RubberDuck]

If you really wanted to avoid combat and to be cruel, you could just not mention the tunnel radiation to Xavier.

I'm asking Carla if she can use her dynamite to blast her way back into the tunnel from the alley outside the bathrooms. She indicated the alley was visible from the tunnel. It might be easier than trying to push the car and removing the manhole again since Casey isn't here to open it again.

I do wonder if the coin is needed to open something in that tunnel though..

[RubberDuck]

I'm asking Carla if she can use her dynamite to blast her way back into the tunnel from the alley outside the bathrooms. She indicated the alley was visible from the tunnel. It might be easier than trying to push the car and removing the manhole again since Casey isn't here to open it again

She said no. Carla doesn't want to go to the irradiated area at this time. Ah well, was worth a shot.

[Talitha]

Oh fair enough, not without the anti-radiation pills!

And you make good points about Xavier. We have proof he's the mad scientist - but do we have any solid proof he's bad? I would argue his actions around killing Mark secretly in the darkness were not the actions of someone whose intentions are only self-preservation. If it was purely just fear of an evil clone surely he would've asked for help.
He pretends he's young and says "like" a lot, but he's actually old, as Carla's photo proves. He says someone is after him to try and "steal his youth"... well who did Xavier steal it from? It all adds up to a not-good person. Short of reading his mind, a confession, or finding something even more incriminating, I don't know how we could ever prove it 100%. I wish we still had the lie detector.

Speaking of detectors, I wonder if that metal detector in the phone shop could be useful for something...

[RubberDuck]

His claim to me was that he was like Morty from the show Rick and Morty, who is a based off Marty McFly from back to the future. He claimed he was from the future and needed to get back to his future.

We know from the mad scientist evidence, that claim is unlikely. He has offered no explanation of why he looks old other than to say sir Leo was trying to expose him. Sir Leo does sound awfully like Rick Sanchez also from Rick and Morty. Deliberately trying to aggravate everyone.

Yes, I agree - killing mark in the dark while he was unconscious was a very shady thing to do.
Ooh, that’s a good theory - maybe the clone wanted to kill and to steal youth because he was a copy of the original. Remember that Carla also said the mad scientist looked psychotic in her photo.

The lie detector could only be used every second phase and Jia was able to defeat it, which was odd. Xavier would just play the right to remain silent card. So I’m not sure it would have helped.

What happens if you meet your win conditions first, before Xavier. If we get you to complete your objectives first does that finish the game?

[RubberDuck]

And Leo also was using an anagram alias. I think those two might have connected and that explains why Leo suddenly offered to help Xavier in fixing the gas. Ohhh and they can commune with each other between rooms while alone?

[Talitha]

I have to survive to the end game In order to win. Do you as well?

I have no idea what triggers the end of the game though.

[RubberDuck]

Survive to end was my 2nd condition, it is irrelevant who else wins or how as long as I survive.

Harry made a similar comment, his was most money by the end of the game, irrelevant of everyone else.
Terry's was unique in that he just had to get wasted in the brewery and everyone else was irrelevant.

I wonder if we have to Scooby Doo solve the mystery of the mall i.e. Finish the story?

[Talitha]

Yeah, I reckon we will need to solve it!

Hey so how's this for a plan (mostly proposed by you already):

You give me the syringe. I give you the handcuffs. I stick Xavier with the syringe at first opportunity. You handcuff him. Then we tell everyone what we know and let the group decide what to do.

[RubberDuck]

Sure.

Swap Syringe for handcuffs

Just need to be close to him and use it while he is doing another action.

I still think I want to try the mad dash down the tunnel afterwards, during the next room after we go back, will need you to help me open the tunnel. It might be suicidal but why else would i have medication for withstanding radiation, right?

I'd still like to know if we could put the coin safely into Johannes briefcase - Ambic said it was very heavy when it killed Sir Leo, so I'm hoping that means its made of lead or something.

[RubberDuck]

Also, we've got less than 48 hours left in here, so we should try to find as much as we can in the time remaining?

So for items:

Knuckle Duster
Handcuffs
More matches
Security file with codes for pc and for fashion store safe
The Contract
Printed document
Pc without monitor
Two phones, wall mounted and the reception one
Hard Hat
Jacket

Have I missed anything?

Maybe take the rotary phone with us, if we find somewhere else to use it, we can link two rooms, maybe use the pc to complete an action that helps in the other room?
We will need to get someone to go collect the monitor from the lab or the one from the barbers.

[RubberDuck]

Carla has one more stick of dynamite left, one option is if she doesn't use it, you could give her the flashlight back and when she takes it, try to steal the dynamite, now that you also have matches.

Could be useful if we need to damage any device that Xavier the mad scientist is trying to achieve? Just a thought.

Or you could just throw it at anyone stupid enough to attack you.

[RubberDuck]

Also, you should be able pickpocket Xavier while he's having the seizure, same way I got your key.

[Talitha]

I made a copy of the contract and put it in my inventory. (You could grab the original if you wanted). I wonder if we should announce what we found, i.e. the contract - show everyone, but don't let on about the name anagram that points to Xavier. Then we could say, "does anyone know anything about this"? And if he says nothing, then we give him the jab & cuff treatment. It gives him a chance to explain first if he chooses to.... what you think? Someone else might figure the anagram out too... we'd have to be ready to act if he attacks or bolts. And doing it this way might give him too much warning to be ready for a confrontation.... I'm just not sure.

[Talitha]

Regarding Sir Leo... I had a lightbulb moment that he probably thought Xavier was the Sorceror. And If he had guessed right, I think something would've happened from the blood ritual. We were just lucky that Xavier wasn't the Sorceror.

And regarding Jia - you said she beat the lie detector. What exactly happened there?

[Talitha]

I don't want to try stealing or taking things from Carla anymore, unless we have good reason to believe she's dodgy or compromised. She's a good ally and I think we can mend the damage that I did in the Eatery. But if I did it again she might not be so forgiving.

[Talitha]

put on the hard hat

[Talitha]

examine piece of paper written in strange language that I stole from Jia

[RubberDuck]

Regarding Sir Leo... I had a lightbulb moment that he probably thought Xavier was the Sorceror. And If he had guessed right, I think something would've happened from the blood ritual. We were just lucky that Xavier wasn't the Sorceror.

I haven't seen any other references to magic so far other than that Ritual, which was some kind of sorcery I guess - or Alien behavior maybe?

That is also why Casey asked Jia while were in the cafe whether she was Good. He stated that her answer was not useful for the lie detector.

Examine Mark

Not sure of the specifics, but according to Carla, it didn't work on Jia - That was when I concluded that Jia was the drone and might have shot Casey. But you saw Carla and Casey in the Cafe together.

I don't want to try stealing or taking things from Carla anymore, unless we have good reason to believe she's dodgy or compromised. She's a good ally and I think we can mend the damage that I did in the Eatery. But if I did it again she might not be so forgiving.

That's fair, she did still act odd in the Eatery in the dark, how did she disappear like she did, even after the lights were back on - Perhaps an invisibility power? She also said he win condition changed after finding the H.T box and no longer needed to find "the Ghost."

I was unaware she needed to find a ghost at all, this is the first reference she's made to me regarding what she's actually trying to do.

[RubberDuck]

Mind if I take the Jacket, no sense leaving it behind. Might have some extra pockets or something.

Put on Jacket

[RubberDuck]

examine piece of paper written in strange language that I stole from Jia

Harry, Johannes, and Jia gave themselves fake notes in the bank in case they were pick pocketed, Harry said they were false codes for lockboxes in the Vault, but Jia could have written something else down.

[Talitha]

leave wireless keyboard and mouse in the secret cupboard behind the malfunctioning copier
then move the malfunctioning copier back in front of the cupboard

[RubberDuck]

I made a copy of the contract and put it in my inventory. (You could grab the original if you wanted). I wonder if we should announce what we found, i.e. the contract - show everyone, but don't let on about the name anagram that points to Xavier. Then we could say, "does anyone know anything about this"? And if he says nothing, then we give him the jab & cuff treatment. It gives him a chance to explain first if he chooses to.... what you think? Someone else might figure the anagram out too... we'd have to be ready to act if he attacks or bolts. And doing it this way might give him too much warning to be ready for a confrontation.... I'm just not sure.

Yeah, I like that. Let's go with this idea, it might trick him into trying to talk his way out of it, If we pretend to be ignorant at first?

[Talitha]

Carla told me she needed to find a ghost. That's interesting her goal has changed.

Jia's piece of paper is legit - the number on it changes when the freezer code changes. I've 'seen' it change with my own eyes when I was the one who changed the PIN code.

[Talitha]

OKay cool, let's try the ignorance strategy initially.