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[guardiano_perduto]

[Ratchet, being technically inclined as he was, had little issue trying to figure out the tower's network - so when the video does come online, there's the view of a adult-but-not-quite Lombax sitting in a chair, ears bent slightly backward and looking apprehensive.]

This letter's a joke, right? Please tell me whoever's running this place just wants a good scare.

[If it was, then... Clank. Alister. Talwyn. They were all gone. Dead. Ironic, considering what happened to him shortly after his own arrival. Maybe it was just some kind of Purgatory and it was an attempt at driving him crazy.

Whatever the case was, the Lombax was clearly shaken by these events one after the other.]

I wanna know everything, even if I've gotta come down and shake it out of every one of you.

Comments

[swordofzero]

We don't know for certain if it is true or not, most likely though we have been kidnapped.

[guardiano_perduto]

So... there's still a chance everyone's okay. Good. I didn't go through all that just have the universe flop over and die, y'know.

[But he still doesn't look all that relieved, rubbing at his wrists awkwardly and glancing down.]

Can you give me a good description of where we are? I-I know none of you know exactly where it is, but this building. what's really going on here?

[swordofzero]

Yes that is what we are hoping, people turn up from the same world as those currently here all the time, so it is hopeful that those you know are fine.

[He nodded and began to report, like he would to a military commander.] There are forty one floors currently, but it changes, the tower seems to grow at times overnight. Three of those floors are filled with dormitories the others hold everything from a library to a forest. A meadow and bottomless pits. Four of the floors are not even inside the tower but strange floating islands outside...

There is no way to escape, the fog surrounding the tower is deadly. [He knows this from experience.]

Which bring me to... you cannot die here. You feel the sensation of death, the pain is real but you wake up in your bed the next morning. We are not sure of the motives of our captors but we doubt they are good. Every so often, roughly once a month though sometimes it is more or less frequent than that things happen. There has been experimentation on certain captives as well as twisted games that seem to serve no purpose but to harm us.

[guardiano_perduto]

...hey. If you come across a little silver robot, lemme know? I mean, not that I want him to be trapped in a place like this, but just so I know he's okay. I just got out of a pretty bad mess in my home universe, and I have no clue if this is some other dimension entirely.

...

[He's not sure if he enjoys the aspect of 'you can't die'. Having just come to this world at the brink of death, only to wake up completely fine is baffling.]

So.

Long story short, someone's pulled us in just to be their puppets? Look, I don't know about you? But I'm not gonna sit around and take that.

Where are these guys hiding? I'll set 'em straight. I took out Draedzone, and I can do the same here.

[swordofzero]

I shall. [He had seen no silver robots, but would keep an eye out. He frowned at the later words but let the man finish.] We have been trying. We have seen none of them, we have no idea where they are. They appear to hold ultimate power.

A group of us managed to find our way down to the lower levels, we found nothing of use and were killed for our efforts.

Dreadzone* SEE I SHOULDN'T TYPE AT 2 AM.

[guardiano_perduto]

Anyway you can do a thorough sweep of the tower? Maybe find some loose wires heading in their direction? If they've got this whole place hooked up, it needs to lead back to somewhere, right?

You, ah... mean 'un-killed' right? [Like undead, but hey you don't die in the first place.] I mean if we're supposedly 'immortal' like you said, then why don't we just keep trying?

[swordofzero]

We couldn't get back in, I'm not sure how we managed to the first time, some slip in security that allowed us to get into the elevator. We woke up in our beds after dying, we were not able to get back in.

[He nods though.] That would be a good idea, though seeing where they go doesn't mean we will be able to follow.

[guardiano_perduto]

So we wait for 'em to slip up again. Play along with what they want for now, and when they least expect it, take 'em with everything we've got.

[It's nice to be part of a good cause again, even if they can't do all that much at the moment. Still, he can contribute, right?]

There's how many of them, and how many of us? We've just gotta put our heads together.

[swordofzero]

That's probably the best idea, more and more people are being brought here, we should hope that they are stretching their control. [Suzaku lives for causes, as he doesn't know any other reason to live.]

[guardiano_perduto]

They did the second they dragged me here.

[swordofzero]

[A blink, either this person was incredibly powerful or just believed he was.] It would be lucky if that were the case.

[guardiano_perduto]

We will get out of here, even if I have to die a thousand times.

[swordofzero]

There are worse things here than death, but I wish you luck and will provide any assistance you need.

[guardiano_perduto]

You got a name I can contact you with, pal?

[swordofzero]

Yes, my apologies. My name is Suzaku Kururugi, and your name is?

[guardiano_perduto]

Ratchet. Remember that, alright?

[swordofzero]

Ratchet. I will.

choo choo im the backtag train - voice

[beknightedheroine]

Duh. It's a joke.

_{[There, have some confirmation.]}

You don't have to shake me or anything, though. Just mayyyybe narrow your questions down from everything to, eh, one at a time?

/RIDES IN THE CABOOSE - voice

[guardiano_perduto]

...it'd better be. I've done way too much to have everything start falling apart now.

Look, just...

Tell me why I'm here. Okay?

[beknightedheroine]

_{[Well, that's a new one. "Why...?"]}

...'Cuz this isn't a very pleasant place, fuzzy. It just drags people in. I don't think there's any reason.

[guardiano_perduto]

[Fuzzy? Hey, he's an endangered species!]

Yeah, well, if there is one, I'm not sticking around to be someone's punching bag. I need to get back home!

[beknightedheroine]

Not stopping you! ...hey, if you find a way, toss a hint my way.

[guardiano_perduto]

You know if I find a way out, I'm taking everyone with me, right? We're all in this together.

[beknightedheroine]

Hey, that's the ideal plan~. Viva La 'Screw This Stupid Tower.'

[guardiano_perduto]

Hey.

I don't even think I got your name?

[beknightedheroine]

--oh! Sure, I'll trade you one for another. I'm Sayaka, Sayaka Miki.

[guardiano_perduto]

Sayaka, huh? I'm Ratchet.