Experiment 10 - Epsilon

[testingphase]

[ The elevators do not take you up to your living area. Rather, they take you DOWN, to a small room with three white walls, and one that is a thick, translucent plastic. There appears to be a chute of some sort behind the plastic wall. ]

Now, in order to determine how well you know each other, we're going to see which teams are the most popular. The rules are simple:

* At the end of the test, each team will suffer an attack. Each attack will kill about half of everyone present.
* You may choose one team (other than your own) to defend from this attack. A team that is defended will not be harmed.
* If you wish to defend yourself instead of another team, you must choose a team to attack.
* You may not refuse to choose.

Comments

[truthandcakes]

*nod*

You're right. I won't do it. But I don't know how to decide which one team to defend, either.

[rocketfueledcough]

That is the harder part. I suppose we should try to figure out which team that doesn't have strong off team ties.

Unless everyone thinks like that...

[truthandcakes]

It's too easy to get into a cycle of second-guessing ourselves if we do that, though. If we think everyone thinks like that, then think everyone thinks everyone else was thinking like that... We should either take your first guess and just try to pick someone who might not get protection, or... we can just pick Zeta, since they're the next ones in the order of the teams. And hope maybe at least a few others had the same idea, to make it a circle of defense.

[rocketfueledcough]

[Paaaause.]

Actually, that's a really good idea.

[truthandcakes]

You think so?

*he just came up with it in the middle of that sentence, after all*

[rocketfueledcough]

[Nods.] The real problem in this game would come with what you said; second guessing. Thinking too much. If they try to think about a team with a weak bond, it makes it more likely they'll hit the point of second guessing.

So it's possible if enough think of a simple solution like that during that time, they'd go with it in their frustration and hope for the best.

Of course it does still take a lot of luck, but that's all we can really hope for right now.

But overall, even if that doesn't happen this time, it's a good thing to suggest to teams for the future for these sort of games.
[Not thinking about Epsilon not being protected, nope, nope, nope.]

[truthandcakes]

*yes let's not think about that at all*

Yeah, you're right... she might try something like this, or something similar. If we've got a basic plan in place, to just go with the next team in line, it'd make things easier.

So is that what we want to do? Defend Zeta, and hope enough other people think of the same answer?

[rocketfueledcough]

[Nods.] It seems like the best solution we have right now.

[truthandcakes]

All right.

Any preference of which of us gives the answer?

[rocketfueledcough]

Not really. I can if you want.

[truthandcakes]

*unsure if giving answer makes you more or less likely for death*

Mm... go ahead.

[rocketfueledcough]

[Who even knows, but let's be honest, either way will be terrible.]

Okay.

[truthandcakes]

*there really is no not-terrible outcome here, is there?*

I guess now we just wait.

[rocketfueledcough]

[Not unless everyone defends each other miraculously. Though it will be sliiiiiightly less terrible if we are defended.]

[I really should make more friends.]

I guess so.

[truthandcakes]

*yeah, me too.*

Bet the door's locked, too, so we can't even try to sneak out.

[rocketfueledcough]

It would be a rather shoddy experiment setting if it was that easy to get out.

[truthandcakes]

Yeah, you're right about that.

Not that these have been very good experiments in general.

[rocketfueledcough]

Not really, but most of the terrible parts aren't usually in our favor.

[truthandcakes]

Not much in general here is in our favor.

[rocketfueledcough]

Here? Not in particular.

[Except that not-dead thing, but...]

[Sighs and sitting down against a wall.] Funny. I always remembered such wonderful times in testing facilities before.

[truthandcakes]

*leaning against the opposite wall*

Yeah? Most of ours ended up hiding some pretty terrible stuff... what were yours like?

[rocketfueledcough]

Well, to me, it always kind of like I found the best park to play in. Whenever we'd get real work space, there was always so much energy to use it to the fullest.

[truthandcakes]

*laughs a little*

You really were into all that stuff, huh? Not that my brother and I were much better.

[rocketfueledcough]

[Nods.] It was my life. The thought of reaching space, being able to make something that can go farther than any human ever could, it would be amazing.

Plus it's kind of fun to think we could make something that would pretty thoroughly beat gravity. Not many could say they did that.

[truthandcakes]

Mm, the best we'd managed was gliders, nothing that'd get us anywhere near high enough to escape gravity. It really would be amazing.

Have you met Lafiel? She came from a world--time, I guess--where that stuff's commonplace.