Unanswered Questions
- Why did Luna call Sigma "Doctor"?
- How did Zero know the code for the #1 bomb?
The Theme of Nines
- Alice and Clover argued for nine minutes.
- Nine minutes remain when Sigma and Phi reach the #1 Bomb.
- Lock #9 is the one that leads to the true ending.
Real-life References/Myths
- The Voight-Kampff test is from the Philip K. Dick story "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" (adapted into the film Blade Runner). It serves as a means to determine whether a person is a human or a replicant.
- Knox's Ten Commandments are a set of rules for writing detective stories. (All ten of them end up being broken in VLR)
- The many-worlds interpretation is a theory related to quantum mechanics - namely, that all possible alternate realities and histories exist in an infinite number of parallel universes.
Beyond the Director's Office login...
- Sigma inputs the login and password given to him by Luna and K in the other timelines we've encountered (Lock #7 and Lock #1) and they get into the system.
- They learn that Luna is in fact a GAULEM unit, and her ID number matches the code she gave us (GTF-DM-L-016). She is also revealed to be still alive.
- They speculate for a bit over her true function before the AB Gate opening announcement plays. They presume that Luna was the one who opened the AB gate.
- They remember the "016" numbers written in blood on Clover's body as well, hinting that Luna may have killed her. Returning to the scene of her apparent death, they find Luna gone.
- Sigma and Phi enter the AB gate, spying Luna as the door closes. They surmise that she intends to participate in the AB game.
- Sigma votes Ally. As they exit the booth, they find Luna is nowhere to be found.
- Luna's vote defaults to Ally, leaving Sigma, Phi and herself with 9 BP.
- Sigma and Phi remain behind to search for Quark, hoping he is still alive. They find another of the cyan doors is now open, leading them to the treatment center.
- One of the pods is revealed to be in use. Quark is inside and still alive. Sigma carries him to the #9 door with Phi.
- They prepare to leave; however, Sigma gets second thoughts, returning to the facility just before the door closes.
- He returns to the Garden and finds Luna, who reveals that she knows about Sigma's ability to "leap" between timelines. Likewise, Sigma reveals that he knew Luna isn't the killer, telling her about his theories.
- Luna says that his statements are mostly correct, and that Dio's presence in the game was planned from the start. She reveals that all of the game's participants have been infected with Radical-6.
- A flashback reveals that Akane ordered Luna to move Akane's body, and to keep what she knows secret. This led to her being confronted by Clover and injected with tubocurarine (after which she was deactivated by Zero Jr. to give the illusion that she was "dead"). Afterward, Dio entered the room to recover Alice's bracelet (which Phi already had) and take the knife from Alice's body. After that, he cuffed Clover and Tenmyouji to the sink in the infirmary, ensuring their deaths by lethal injection.
- Luna reveals that she removed Quark's bracelet - ironically, all it took to get it off was some aluminum foil (like the roll we found in the crew quarters). She also placed him into the pod.
- Sigma asks what the purpose of Zero's "project" is, but gets no satisfying answer.
- Luna's ABT begins to decay due to the tubocurarine, and due to defying Akane's orders (and the three Laws), she is shut down and her memories are deleted, leaving Sigma alone in the facility. Her last word to him is "Doctor"...
- LUNA ENDING UNLOCKED
Path Summary (Cyan-> Betray -> Red -> Betray)
- Sigma chooses to betray Phi for reasons even he's unsure of, putting his BP to 9. Phi curiously chose to "Ally" in this timeline...
- Phi vows to avenge Sigma's betrayal. Making good on that, the remaining survivors descend on Sigma as he moves to open the #9 door and knock him out.
- This is a game over, but it does open Lock #8...
Beyond Lock #8
- Sigma seems sure that Phi chose to Ally this time. She picks Betray.
- However, Sigma and Phi are both now aware of the other timeline.
- Phi still makes a move through the #9 door; however, Sigma manages to talk her down, repeating her words from the other timeline and convincing her to see the mystery through to the end.
- Round three of the Nonary Game begins. Sigma tells the group about the bomb he and Phi found in the garden.
- Since they have time to spare, the group splits up and searches for any other bombs that may be around.
- Sigma and Phi contemplate the graffiti in the Floor B warehouse once more, during which Phi speaks a bit about her past and shows Sigma her brooch (containing the phrase she told Sigma in the other timeline).
- They continue their search for the bomb, discussing their strange abilities as they do (and drawing comparison to Schrodinger's Cat).
- Clover enters, revealing that she's located the #2 Bomb in the Control Room. She also reveals the group's colors. This reveals that Phi and Tenmyouji will partner with Sigma in the next round.
- They return to the infirmary to take stock of the situation. Phi searches everyone to find the person who set the bombs.
- TO BE CONTINUED [LOCK #9...]
Beyond Lock #9
- Sigma points to Dio as the culprit, revealing his knowledge about the Myrmidons and Free the Soul. Dio then reveals the detonator, cementing his guilt.
- Tenmyouji disarms him of the detonator, which activates the timer on the bombs. Sigma stops him from downing his suicide pill as Luna drugs him with Soporil.
- Drawing knowledge from the other timelines, Sigma figures out the bomb codes and disarms bombs 3, 2 and 1.
- Phi gets a flash of "intuition" and orders the group in separate directions. She and Sigma set out to find the bombs.
- Sigma, drawing knowledge from the other timelines, recalls the passcodes to the three bombs and disarms them, one by one. However, Phi reveals that there is a #0 Bomb as well, but doesn't know its location...
- Sigma deduces where the final bomb is: In the Floor A warehouse, between two of the AB rooms (where he hid the knife in the other timelines). He races there and disarms it with the final code.
- Having succeeded, they continue through the white doors and end up in an enigmatic white room, simply labeled "Q"...
- TO BE CONTINUED