Rubyquest | [Interactive Story]

8

You think, hard. A logic puzzle - you're good at those, you can do those!

RUBY: Okay, let's think about this like the rational, sensible people we are.

CLANCY: ...sure. You're definitely both of those things.

RUBY: Very funny, Clance. Okay, the fly's coming upwards, which probably means that the trapdoor or whatever is somewhere in the ground nearby.

CLANCY: That'd make sense - Spectrum's underground, right? Not like, inside a tree or something.

RUBY: And again, I say - very funny. What are you doing?

He's started kind of scuffing at the dirt with a shoe, and appears to be searching INTENTLY for something. After a moment or two, he uncovers a trapdoor in the ground - metal, painted brown to disguise itself in its surroundings.

RUBY: Hey, nice one!

CLANCY: Thanks! :D

RUBY: Only problem is, I can't see an opening mechanism...

You look at the CARVED FLY on the tree trunk again, and notice that it very specifically seems to be FLYING UP into the BRANCHES of the tree.

RUBY: Maybe up there?

CLANCY: On it.

RUBY: Hey, wait for me!

Clancy manages to climb to the thick tangle of branches quicker than you can, but you hoist yourself up soon after, and join him in looking for your ENTRANCE MECHANISM or WHATEVER. It takes you a couple of minutes, but you eventually notice a branch that has less graffiti and carvings than the others - one that's simply marked with the legend 'LB ❤s BB'.

She sure did, you think, and hesitantly press down on the branch. It SHIFTS SMOOTHLY; some sort of pneumatic mechanism probably, and you see that below you, the trapdoor swings open.

You and Clancy hop down and prepare to descend. You check that his disguise is securely in place, and nod.

RUBY: Okay, three things. One, try not to talk much - your voice's pretty much a dead giveaway - and also maybe try not to engage with people in the first place if you can help it? Two, if someone does ask who you are or whatever, you're a safety inspector from Spectrum One, and you can't talk because LB asked you to get to some other department right this instant or something.

CLANCY: Safety inspector, Spectrum One, got it. How long have you had this cover story planned?

RUBY: Ages. You have no idea. Also, third - try not to walk too close to me. It's probably better if nobody thinks we're down here together. Just - follow behind me or something. Blacker probably won't mind that you're here, though, so we should find his office quickly.

CLANCY: 'Probably'?

RUBY: Yeah, he's a pretty chill dude - oh, wait, you've never met him?

RUBY: Huh, that's weird to think about.

RUBY: Whatever - let's just get going.

You go down the ladder leading to Spectrum HQ first, and end up in the room that Buzz used to occupy before THE INCIDENT. Her phones and her whole communication setup are still there, but now there's a different woman sitting in her place, who's painting her nails in rainbow while talking into the phone she's got pressed up against one air with her shoulder. There's a couple of AGENTS YOU DON'T KNOW TOO WELL milling about, and you get one or two nods of acknowledgement from them. It's nice to be appreciated.

Clancy comes down after you as you lean out into one of the hallways to check the color section that you're in. NAVY BLUE, you see, edging into CYAN. You don't really know where that is, in the larger context of Spectrum, honestly.

You lean back into the main office room, and see Clancy, in his clever disguise, pick up one of the clipboards from the desk, and start perusing it very seriously, nodding to himself occasionally, and also frowning sometimes. This is a CLEVER TACTIC, and you are VERY PROUD of him. But it probably won't be convincing for long.

You should probably come up with a plan of attack, if you want to find Blacker - or if you're planning on doing something else.