ruby quest: chapter 26. the one-handed man introduces himself as filbert
TRANSCRIPT
Ruby quickly gets over her initial surprise and makes the connection between Filbert's name and the "-F" signed on numerous reports, as well as the severed hand she found earlier. She assaults Filbert with questions.
Filbert begins to explain what he can. He says he is the chief doctor here.
">Ask him how he knows Ruby"
Ruby was a patient of his.
">ask him where his hand went"
Filbert calmly explains he severed his hand by slamming it shut in the security transfer chute down in Level 3. He had to, in order to stop the spread of infection.
“Were you attacked?” "Question him on what has happened here,
what this place is and why you can't remember this stuff."
">Were you attacked?"
Filbert nods. He explains that he was attacked, and his hand was injured. He says he believes the infection is like any other localized spread -- in order to stop it from contaminating his entire body, he had to perform an emergency amputation.
">Question him on what has happened here, what this place is and why you can't remember this stuff."
"Why you can't remember anything? Isn't it obvious?" Filbert asks.
"You're dead."
">"Did I kill Tom?"" Filbert says he's afraid you
did. He bled out after the attack you must have seen on the video.
">Then how am I MOVING?"
"You're infected. Most everyone here has succumbed to the infection.
Except for me."
"Ruby: Then why did you stumble over to me and say THANK GOD?"
"Ask him if he knows anything about Ace, or if he knows that Red killed himself."
">Ruby: Then why did you stumble over to me and say THANK GOD?"
"It's not important now."
">Ask him if he knows anything about Ace, or if he knows that Red killed himself."
Filbert explains that Ace is tasked with duties as an orderly and a security guard. Filbert was his commanding superior.
Filbert says he knows of Red's death.
"He finally did it," Filbert nods.
">"Was I sane?""
"Oh, I doubt it."
">Is there a cure?"
"My dear, you ARE the cure."
Filbert asks if you've found a PASSCODE yet. He needs to get to the TOP LEVEL.
The only option now is ESCAPE. He plans to escape the entire facility. He wants to get out.
">What do you mean by that?"
Filbert turns, suddenly angry, and lays it all out.
Ruby already HAS the cure. So does everyone else in this facility.
It brought her SIGHT. It made her WELL. She didn't even need to EAT or DRINK.
But when she died, she fucked it up.
The cure was strong. It brought her BACK. And when she came back
she brought something with her.
Filbert is the only one left untouched. He has to escape. He demands the PASSCODE.
">Yell that you don't know it."
Ruby is all but in shambles. She denies the accusations and tells Filbert she has no idea what the code to the surface is.
Filbert says Ruby has to stay here now.
She can't go to the surface. She can't ESCAPE. She is INFECTED. She is BAD.
Filbert says to stay here while he gets his TOOLS from the medicine cabinet.
He says he is going to cut Ruby's badness OUT.
Ruby slams Filbert in the face with her SPINY FIST, sending him staggering backwards!
Ruby takes this opportunity to make her escape!
">Close the cabinet and lock THAT."
Ruby re-locks the padlocked door.
Filbert appears on the monitor.
He shouts angrily at Ruby.
He says he is the only one CLEAN. He is the only one who can ESCAPE. The others have damned themselves.
He says ACE will get her. Ace won't listen to his orders anymore -- he won't even listen to HER. But he is still obedient. Filbert doesn't know who, but he knows he is still listening to SOMEONE.
He says Ace will GET Ruby.
Ruby shoots the monitor the bird and it goes back to static.
She radios Tom, and tells him everything that just happened.
Filbert, the "infection" on which even Filbert's account contradicts itself, Ace's obedience, and whoever SHE is.
Tom tells Ruby to go on ahead. There's something he needs to check first, but he'll meet up with her again shortly.
It sounds as though Tom is ready to try working together again.
The face on the monitor nods, and the east door, which is wired to the monitor, suddenly unlocks and swings open
">Who are you?" The figure stares blankly. ">Tell him to call off Ace." The figure shudders once,
as if involuntarily, then, unexpectedly, begins to speak in a rattling, hoarse voice, its pitch fluctuating unsteadily.
"I can't," it says. "I'm sorry."
">Wave at Stitches. Remark about his lack of stitching. Ask what kind of facial cream he used."
Ruby makes polite conversation, pleased to see Stitches looking so well. He smiles at Ruby and waves back, glad to see she's okay.
...what...
what just happened?
That isn't what Ruby meant to do!
That isn't what Ruby meant to do at all!
">Oh okay. NOW read the paper next to the door."
Ruby's hands are shaking. She picks up the dog-eared NOTE from the PAPER FOLDER on the left side of the door and reads it.
Ruby explains the situation to Tom. She even tells him about her flashbacks.
Tom doesn't seem as fazed as she'd thought.
">Collect yourself then move to Lab B's doors."
The door is locked with a massive, very distinctive padlock.
">Try to see if you can see anything through the windows on the door."
There's nothing behind the plant, and nothing in the pot but the plant and some soil.
It seems to just be... an ordinary plant.
Ruby asks Tom for confirmation. He confirms that he sees the same figure.
It shudders in the corner, making a pained sound.