Rata Mall - UFO - Phase 10

[RubberDuck]

How are you here?

[RubberDuck]

Xavier was in the lab, he has a FrankenCasey with him. He let me go on the basis that I didn't interfere with his work or him stopping Jia.

Xavier told me that Jia needed the secrets of time travel & teleportation from him and this was the technology the aliens were after in the TV broadcast. He said this can be explained by the fact that Jia had an alien piece of paper that always said what the lab code was - no matter what it had been changed to.

The original door code was "Mary" 6279 - The clue in the Cafe was

"Remember her who created that which you are trying to do."

It was a reference to Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein's Monster. There was a copy of Frankenstein's Monster in the bookstore which named also named the author when looked at and Xavier has the role of creating Frankenstein monsters. It took me a while, but I eventually figured this puzzle out.

Xavier confirmed my "Mary" Shelley code theory was correct and that 6279 was the original code, and that he had changed the code as soon as he got in there during the first room.

His argument/defense was: "Why then did Jia have alien paper that was a free pass to get into the Frankenstein lab no matter what the code was, if she was in fact after the AL Hive?" Jia did head immediately to the lab upon learning of the secret door and used the paper to get in, which was confirmed by Yvonne who got in via the laundry chute.

It's also why he was asking in the Eatery about whether any of us could recognize an alien in disguise.

I actually have to say Xavier's claim does certainly seem to have some validity. He could have outright killed me his baseball bat or with FrankenCasey and yet didn't and it would have been an easy opportunity for him to do so.

But how did you get here, I assume you saw the UFO from the cinema at the same time as Johannes, but that doesn't explain why you were in the dumpster just now.

[RubberDuck]

Your turn.

[RubberDuck]

*Looks down at alien*

"Very curious to see what would happen if Xavier was to clone one of these. If it can retain it's own personality, to some degree...."

"Ha, now who's the mad scientist!"

The cloning vats were blown up along with the time machine, and I'd rather not find out what Xavier could potentially do with them.

Whisper Johannes

[RubberDuck]

I came with him.

Indicates Johannes

He saw the UFO from the Brewery, and I'll remind you I was the one who passed on to all of you about Seat K9 in the cinema, which is how you even got in there to begin with. You're welcome. Getting here was Johannes plan. Also, I told the others via the radio that I was going to the carpark with Johannes, but they seemed not to have shared that with you.

What are the odds that thing has a forcefield?

Pick up a stone and throw it hard at the UFO

[RubberDuck]

Alright, makes sense. Looks like 3 ways to access the same room, and we all have justified reasons to be exploring here.

I want to see what that stone does before trying to get in the ship. I'll be damned if there is an alien forcefield or automated defenses onboard.

I didn't think of it until now, but did either of you happen to get one of the gasmasks off Carla or Yvonne? We're assuming the aliens breath oxygen and onboard isn't a different atmosphere.

I'm still running with the glitch/simulation theory that I saw in the Cafe - the eatery appeared to be in a parallel dimension from the cafe and the AL Hive causes people to suffer memory loss when connected to it also according to Jia, of which we all happen to be suffering.

I think we're plugged in, but I haven't been able to cause or see another glitch since.

[RubberDuck]

Alrighty, stone bounced off the ship metal - No forcefield and active no counter measures.

Look for ship entrance

I'm in contact with Yvonne, Jia is not with her.

[RubberDuck]

"Supposing that Jia is, in fact, here for the time travel technology, then I suppose we're assuming that she was the one who destroyed the time machine. On the tv, didn't they say something about how there could be no peace while the technology exists? Clearly they consider it a threat. As you say, she had technology to access the lab... in fact, we know she DID access the lab shortly before its destruction. I suppose her true goal is to kill Xavier so the time machine cannot be rebuilt."
"It doesn't explain how we are all here with no memories though, as actors on a stage... but for what purpose?"

Gorph, the Alien Leader, said "Bring us the technology."

Gorph: Bring us the technology.
Interviewers: What technology?
Gorph: You will not recieve peace while you still have it. All humans note, war is useless, we bring peace to all.

Destroying the tech might have been a clever way to get Xavier to rebuild it. Or it was Cindy who died by the explosion that set the black box, though it does sound more like an alien bomb.

The portal/teleporter is still functional. The science of teleportation is in effect a type of time travel where the time vs distance equation is removed. Xavier seems to have the only way of opening portals on his person, so perhaps it's that. Jia would not only have to kill him, but take the technology and then get it to Gorph the alien leader. But I'm speculating more than anything at this point.

[RubberDuck]

The arm you found was mummified right Johannes? This UFO has been here a while then and something "Tech" may have been taken from it that enabled Xaviers lab inventions and the Aliens want it back, but they don't necessarily know where to find it?

[RubberDuck]

Go on board

[RubberDuck]

No, it was in the hardware store and connected to a tv with rabbit ears. So far nothing else that I know of has been figured out in the HW Store and it features in the Photo that Carla has on her camera.

[RubberDuck]

Examine Teleportation puzzle

[RubberDuck]

Teleporter in the alien ship would seem to indicate that they already have this technology - Perhaps Xavier stole it from them and they want it back, or they are after something else.

If its anything like the other puzzles I've encountered - We will actually need to solve a puzzle to get it to work.

[RubberDuck]

And done.

[RubberDuck]

This isn't the first one of these I've encountered by the way. The hatch in the phonestore that lead to the elevator shaft had a similar puzzle.

[RubberDuck]

It does lead me to think that if the mall infrastructure has similar alien puzzles to the ship - then perhaps the mall itself is alien?

[RubberDuck]

So we can choose to teleport when we are ready.

It seems it will take us to either the Hardware Store, or the Office.

Shall we go check the tape in the vcr in the Hardware Store?

[RubberDuck]

That's a good point.

I guess we could still do that in case there is something else there. This seems like a one way trip, so we should be sure we're done in this location before we leave.

I still have Carla's flashlight and you have the crowbar for the manhole here. Let's open up and give it a look first. Can always turn back if we need to.

We could also head back into the carpark and push the red car out the way and enter that side too?

[RubberDuck]

Assist Johannes opening manhole

Turn on Flashlight and look down hole

[RubberDuck]

I haven't seen anything in any room thus far that is even close to a ladder. I wonder what those valves are for..?

Yvonne said they were able to climb into the other manhole in the carpark, perhaps we could yoink the ladder from that one. Assuming it isn't fixed.

Search rubble and collapsed stairs for makeshift ladder

[RubberDuck]

I have no issue with that resolution.

[RubberDuck]

LOL Oops!

He isn't trapped, if he just needs to figure out the teleporter puzzle. I don't think either Johannes or I actually entered the correct code into the device.

But I suppose Johannes ought to use the ring to let him out.

[RubberDuck]

While we're waiting..

Search Half Squashed Car

[RubberDuck]

The UFO is crashed, but fairly free of dents. There are a couple of small ones, but nothing relevant

Wonder what caused the ship to crash then..

The teleporter code was a reference to

Space Invaders - 1978: A fixed shooter in which the player controls a laser cannon by moving it horizontally across the bottom of the screen and firing at descending attacking aliens.

Could this UFO have been shot down by some kind of mall laser defense? That would indicate the Aliens may well be hostile. Johannes, did you notice anything from the flight controls that indicated why they crashed, or perhaps an EM field from the mall caused interference.

Check UFO for signs of being shot down

[RubberDuck]

Perhaps the aliens aren't actually alien and are just modified humans with advanced technology

Check dead alien

[RubberDuck]

Look for hole that drops down into basement

[RubberDuck]

What? How did the alien arm with the ring end up falling into the basement.. Both Xavier and Johaness confirmed it was there and they could look up from the basement.

Carefully move dead alien out the way.

[RubberDuck]

Hmm, must have been washed down a storm drain or something.

[RubberDuck]

Or..



I have a new plan.. Johannes after we free Harry from the UFO, we check this manhole with the ladder, then we go back in the carpark check the other manhole which appears to go elsewhere and then something a little (or very) crazy.

I can't find the hole the arm dropped down into the basement from.. Other than a few small dents the ship appears to be in working order and no reason for it to have crashed.

I autopsied the dead alien to see how it lost it's arm.

"The alien appears to be slightly squashed as though something landed on it."

Meaning this alien wasn't in the ship when it crashed. Someone then tried to bury the alien, but they left the human occupant of the car. I suspect this was the UFO pilot.

Instead of teleporting away when we're done here, I'd like you to fly the ship and reverse it from the crash site to see if we can access another area or something underneath it. If it starts to go horribly wrong, we can use the teleporter on board to bail out.

[RubberDuck]

Jia is space cop right? Therefore, probably also an experienced pilot or qualified to fly this class of ship..

[RubberDuck]

I’ve got the flashlight, I’ll check it out.

Climb down

[RubberDuck]

Assuming that means we can all fit at once. Anyone else want to come?

[RubberDuck]

Other than Jia - Who else knew how to get in there? I know I told both of you, reasonably certain no one else knew the way.

It's possible to traverse from the Cafe to the Lab to the Cinema to the Brewery and also to use the elevator to reach the Office and the Eatery all during the same phase. So it could be Xavier, but I never told him how to get in there or that the room even existed.

Harry did anyone go to the cinema with you at the start, if no, then someone has moved rooms since.

[RubberDuck]

Good odds they would have seen the light from my flashlight while the lights were off.

Turn off flashlight for now

Will turn it back on once we've decided about the manhole.

[RubberDuck]

Let's see.. That also means they could find their way to the cinema emergency exit and jump down into the dumpster like Harry did.

[RubberDuck]

If we need to run from Frankenstein Casey, we get on board the ship and then Johannes put the alien ring away, while we're inside, that should close us safely inside, then we can teleport away.

[RubberDuck]

We could actually go and investigate, if we teleport to the office, take the elevator up, check out the brewery, go back to the cinema, take the exit and then jump back down here via the dumpster.

Just a thought.

[RubberDuck]

Maybe, seems too convenient there'd be a power surge precisely while we are out here to see it. The description states: "Someone must be in there."

Did the lights flicker in the brewery while you were there? And was there a toggleable light switch? Not every room has light switches - such as the Cafe.

It seems to me that someone has moved from the Office or the Lab to the cinema after you departed, you would have seen who entered the room with you however briefly. So my guess is that Jia went to the Office with Carla, and took the elevator up to have another look at the brewery. Perhaps hiding from frankencasey.

We also know Xavier can move freely around the aforementioned loops of rooms, so anyone up that way has a chance of running into xavier and his creations.

Yvonne says she isn't doing anything with the generators and the basement lights didn't flicker.

[RubberDuck]

Yvonne has just radio'd that she believes Jia has died or vanished. The alien paper (that previously showed the freezer code) which she had stolen off Jia when they were in the Lab just now dissolved into nothing as if it never existed.

[RubberDuck]

Turn on flashlight also

Look around area with light

[RubberDuck]

Yvonne is reporting that there is no water in the basement. I thought there had been previously which is how Xavier got wet?

[RubberDuck]

I haven't seen any other water in the mall at all - other than the bathrooms. Could this be a coolant for some kind of reactor, we know the other tunnel is irradiated from something?

I'd suggest not turning off all the valves lest we trigger a meltdown or something in the mall.

Perhaps its a puzzle and we need to set them to the right combination of off vs on?

Also, I'd prefer not to accidently flood the basement, but given the valves are all on currently - I think that is less of a risk.

[RubberDuck]

Yvonne says, "Oh... I've got no water here. I just tried to break the water pipe to flood the basement floor but no water came out..."

[RubberDuck]

For the record, I told her about the lever, and did not advise her to try breaking pipes.

[RubberDuck]

I was thinking the 3 valves could be an Xor logic gate:

Code: Select all

A   B  |  C
on on | off
on off | on
off on | on
off off | off

Or similar. Yeah, let's come up with a reason for why we should change these first.

[RubberDuck]

Climb ladder

Return to carpark

Let's look at the other tunnel

[RubberDuck]

And we're back!

[RubberDuck]

Put your torch away for a minute and put down the briefcase. I'll stay up here and light the valves?

Shine flashlight on valves

I'll check in on Yvonne too

[RubberDuck]

Oh I assumed that Johannes was carrying stuff in his hands, nevermind.

[RubberDuck]

Yup, meet you there.

Go to carpark

[RubberDuck]

A fun and enjoyable adventure

[RubberDuck]

Check Dumpster

[RubberDuck]

You could jump into the dumpster knowing that its there. You might want to make sure theres nothing dangerous in it ahead of time

Make sure there’s nothing dangerous in the dumpster

[RubberDuck]

We should probably talk about what we found in the carpark tunnel, it goes to underneath the lab.

<I'm at work at the moment, so will update more fully later>

[RubberDuck]

Move out of line of sight of the window

Johannes, Get down!

[RubberDuck]

Run to car and crouch down for cover

Search harry for items

Johannes get on board the Ufo, we can teleport to the office, take the lift up to the cinema and catch the killer in the act.

[RubberDuck]

Coming

Go on board ufo

[RubberDuck]

Teleport! Office