Day Three: Part II
Yeah, a door left open, a woman walking by
A drop in the water, a look in your eye
A phone on the table, a man on your side
Or someone that you think that you can trust
It's just another way to die
- Chorus from the song "Another Way To Die" by Alicia Keys and Jack White, which this chapter is named after.
Warning: Nudity, swearing, suicide, sexual references, bad sex jokes
...
Tinni: That's Linear and Hydrogen. Do you like them?
Boss: You named your robots Linear and Hydrogen?
Tinni: Well, they have other more "robotic" names, but I gave them a first name and a last name each to make it easier to remember. So they're Linear Equation and Hydrogen Peroxide.
Boss: You come across as a much smarter person than you were shown to be in "A Shot at Love with Tinni Zimmer"...
Tinni: How did you recognize me? Everyone in this town are scientists, they don't watch reality shows.
Boss: A quick search on your name revealed it. Does that mean you're going to the Reality Show Reunion Party tonight? I'm probably taking the participants there...
Tinni: Yes, I'm going with Annelie.
Boss: But what about Aileen? Is she all right?
Tinni: Yes, she's fine. Although I think she should stay here and rest for two days or so, and it might be good to keep her under observation so she doesn't get attacked again.
Boss: I agree. Her safety is our first priority right now. I'm going to talk to Lily about this attack and we'll see what happens...
Justine: I know you guys are upset and worried about your friend, but please don't let it ruin your training! Work, work!
Justine: Erika, can I talk to you for a moment?
Erika: Sure.
Aileen: I'm okay Jonas. You can go back to the house.
Jonas: No, I'm going to stay here until they kick me out. You could have died and I just ran away...
Aileen: *stands up and walks up to Jonas*
Someone: *watching*
Aileen: You were worried about me. I like it. It shows that you care.
Jonas: Of course I care. You are all I've got.
Aileen: All you have got? Come on, you must have some family and friends.
Jonas: Family? My grandparents maybe. Friends? The closest I have to that is Daniel, and things have not been the same since...
Aileen: Since?
Jonas: I don't want to live anymore, Aileen. And I don't deserve to have you as my friend. But it feels like you give my life... Purpose.
Talkroom
Aileen: Jonas is very difficult to speak to, because he never outright explains anything. Sometimes he doesn't even finish his sentences. And I'm worried because I think he might be more serious about whatever-is-going-on between us than I am...
Jack: *dials a number on his cellphone*
Jack: Hi darling! I'm sorry I didn't call you yesterday, it's just been so many things going on in the house...
Jack: Yes, it's true, Jonas was nearly killed. And Aileen just got attacked with a shovel. I've been thinking about who it might be, and I have some theories...
Jack: Don't worry about me sweetie. I will come home alive, I promise.
Talkroom
Erika: I'm worried about Kim. I think she's starting to like Jack, but he has a girlfriend - it can never end well, even if the relationship is open. She doesn't seem to be the kind of person who would be happy with sharing...
Anna: Fuck, I should've known there was something tricky about this "final test"...
Boss: There is not much to say right now. You missed the question today too, but I think we should wait for Aileen to come back before we announce who the winner is to make it more fair. Right, Jonas?
Jonas: *nods*
Jack: Great! Then why don't we all try out the jacuzzis in the middle room?
Jack: It could be fun, right?
Jonas: You know I can't do it Jack...
Jack: Boss, are you joining us?
Boss: No thanks, I'm hydrophobic.
Jack: Well? Just the three of us then?
Erika: I don't know...
Jonas: It's just bathing, it can't be that hard.
Erika: Oh really? Why aren't you joining us then?
Jonas: Do you want me to show you why?
Erika: Yes.
Boss: ... Right. I think I'll be going now and eat some pe-... peanuts.
Erika: *mumbles* Peanuts...? Of all things...?
Jack: Oh my god Erika, why did you tell him you wanted to see it?
Erika: I'm curious! Besides, I think we are all mature enough to handle a shirtless man, aren't we?
Jonas: We have a problem...
Jonas: I have to take off my pants for you to see it properly and I forgot my underwear somewhere...
Erika: How can you forget your underwear?
Jonas: Do you want me to show you or not?
Erika: Yes, fine.
Erika: *stares in shock*
...
Erika: Why? For how long? When?
Jonas: It was necessary for me to survive the poisoning apparently. Turns out this place has some really good doctors and scientists, and I was dying...
Jonas: I told them that I didn't care about my life anyway, so they decided to try out this new thing on me. So now I'm a cyborg, eh....
Rudhira: So this is the portal to a parallell universe? A bookshelf?
Savannah: It's not just any bookshelf Rudhira. It's the door, or portal, whichever term you prefer - to a parallell universe. An alternate reality different from our own.
Rudhira: Are you sure this is not a late April Fools joke?
Savannah: Yes. Believe it or not - this is it. And it explains why they had such a hard time getting permission to film BigTwin in this area. Who knows what other supernatural secrets might be hiding here?
Rudhira: Like Division 47?
Savannah: No, better than Division 47.
Erika: What's that sound?
Kim: It's coming from over there...
...
Erika: Savannah Lichtenstein... I thought you were just a part of my dream.
Savannah: Does that mean I'm dreamy? *smiles*
Jack: What's going on?
Savannah: *bows in front of Jack* Hello, my name is Savannah Lichtenstein. I met Erika yesterday, right Erika?
Talkroom
Erika: This is embarrasing.
Savannah: We are from a parallell universe. A universe wherein I and Rudhira and three other people are participants in BigTwin 2013.
Jack: That's very hard to believe, Savannah.
Savannah: I know. And judging by what I've seen in most science fiction movies and TV series, there are probably a lot of protocols and laws that forbids us from travelling between parallell universes, but I never say no to an adventure.
Jack: You know what... Let's just get to know each other and talk about something less weird first.
Anna: If I get out of here, I'll kill Lily for putting me here out here...
Savannah: So, Erika... Would you like to discuss DC Comics?
Jack: Please don't, because I know nothing about them.
Rudhira: So what do you usually paint? I like to draw scenes from the Old Testament.
Kim: I've done the same actually, with both the Old and the New Testament. Otherwise I just paint landscapes.
Savannah: I'm Savannah Lichtenstein, 17 years old. My cognitive functions are dominant introverted thinking and auxillary extroverted intuition. I can't drink soda because it makes my stomach so bad that I have to run to the bathroom every 15 minutes. I also know the first one hundred digits of π.
Erika: ... Right.
Savannah: I do! Don't you believe me?
Erika: Oh, I believe you.
Jack: Uh... I'm Jack Stevenson. I like sports and my favorite subject in school is Phys. Ed.
Savannah: Nice to meet you, Mr Stevenson. My favourite subject is Physics, but I also like Math.
Jack: Yeah, I can tell...
Savannah: Is my social awkwardness repelling?
Erika: *ignores his question* Do you have any hobbies?
Savannah: Astronomy, making evil plans... And chess. I'm in a chess club at my school actually.
Erika: "Evil plans"?
Savannah: I'm going to take over the world someday.
Erika: Right.
Jack: You know, that reminds me-...
Boss: *walks in*
Savannah: *leaves jacuzzi*
Savannah: Greetings, I am Savannah Lichtenstein. *bows* I come from a parallell universe where I, Rudhira and three other people are contestants in BigTwin 2013.
Boss: Parallell what?
Savannah: We found the portal - or rather, the gate. The bookshelf in this house is the gate to an alternative universe, a reality different from this one.
Boss: Um...
Talkroom
Boss: Savannah seriously thinks he found a parallell universe?! That bookshelf is just a shortcut to the second house so I can walk between the houses without anyone getting suspicious.
Boss: Uh... Yeah. You know what, it doesn't matter. Put on your finest formal wear, we're going to a party. The party is at Sweet Wrangler's Karaoke Bar, I'll call some taxis to pick us up. The other guests are all reality show celebrities, so don't embarras yourselves! *phone rings*
Boss: *answers* Oh, hi Lily! Everything is going great, everything is under control. Rudhira and Savannah? All part of the plan.
Boss: Anna? Oh, don't worry about her, Alice will leave the party and open the building when she arrives. You know how much she hates parties... *leaves the room*
Erika: How did she know Rudhiras name?
Jack: Good question... Maybe she has used the gate and travelled between the... Uh... Parallell universes?
Savannah: That would explain why Boss exists in both our universes...
Erika: Maybe.
...
Rudhira: Thank you for letting me borrow this dress Kim!
Kim: You're welcome. It suits you really well.
Savannah: I can't believe I'm going to a party!! It's so exciting!!
Erika: Really? You like parties?
Savannah: I don't know, I've never been to one before! I never get invited...
Erika: Oh, really? I wonder why.
Savannah: Me too... Either it's because I only hang out with geeks, or that I don't play football, or it's because I have a feminine name.
Savannah: *sighs* Damn football players.
Erika: Yeah...
Erika: Don't change because of what other people think, Savannah. Just be yourself.
Boss: Look at you, all beautiful and classy! You will make all those celebrities look like townies!
Boss: Let's go, the party has already started!
...
Boss: *to the camera* Welcome to Sweet Wrangler's Karaoke Bar! This is where the, as many people like to call it, "Reality Show Reunion" will be held.
...
...
Rudhira: Jonas, would you like to model for one of my portraits?
Jonas: I don't know...
Rudhira: Is there something on your mind?
Jonas: No, nothing. I'm just hangover.
...
*enters the bar*
...
Cornelia: Welcome! Drinks are on the house!
Jonas: You look... Familiar.
Cornelia: Of course I do. I'm a little sister.
Alex: Sodomu no Yami, hikari no yami, kanata no yami, hatenaki yami. Zettai unmei mokushiroku!
Boss: Oh dear, this will not end well.
Alex: Zettai unmei mokushiroku! Mokushiroku! Mokushi kushimo, shimoku kumoshi, moshiku shikumo!
Alex: Thank you everyone! *bows*
Erika: This is a lot emptier than I thought it would be.
Jonas: The rest of them probably show up later. *drinks*
Erika: Probably...
...
Jonas: What are you staring at?
Erika: Nothing...
...
Justin: Is that who I think it is?! Self-proclaimed better-singer-than-Diego-Romeo wealthy rich-boy Jonas Almquist?!
Jonas: Fuck off.
Justin: Come on! Let's have a singing duel! We start the medley at the karaoke machine! We'd make an awesome team! Or are you too much of a snob for that?
Jonas: I have no idea what you are talking about.
Justin: I'm sorry, I meant; are you too much of a coward for that?
Erika: Jonas, let's go. Don't let him bully you into doing that.
Jonas: You know what, singing sounds great. I think we'd make an awesome team too.
Justin: Great. Follow me backstage and we'll get you proper clothes and makeup.
Jonas: *makes thumbs up at the camera*
Rudhira: I don't recognize anyone here.
Kim: I do. See that dancing couple over there?
Kim: That's Dragana Chaderov and Pierre D'Aubigne. He... Conspiracy theorists thought Pierre was a werewolf, but common sense disagreed.
Rudhira: Really? You can't tell that from looking at them.
Kim: Yes. They were part of a show called Small Sims, Big Challenges. Some people say it was a predecessor to BigTwin because of its similar premise. A lot of people who worked on that reality show later moved on to work on BigTwin.
Rudhira: Wow, you know a lot.
Kim: I like reality shows.
Steven: *hugs from behind* Have you missed me, darling?
Erika Uh...
...
Erika: Back off or I'll hit you in the face!
Steven: What? I thought we were friends.
Erika: You know damn well that we are not friends. Leave me alone and never speak to me again!
Boss: Nice suit.
Chief: Nice contestants.
Justin: Everyone, sit down, because now me and my good friend Jonas will sing a medley for you!
Jack: Oh my God... Is that really Jonas?!
Erika: Looks that way.
Justin: Rising up, back on the street. Took my time, took my chances. Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet. Just a man and his will to survive.
Jonas: You'll say the world has come between us, our lives have come between us. But I know you just don't care!
Justin: She's got her lipstick on...
Jonas: All the problems make me wanna go...
Justin: Here I come, da da dum!
Jonas: Like a bad girl straight to video.
Justin: She's got her lipstick on, hit and run, then I'm gone.
Jonas: Little darling welcome to the show. You're a failure played in stereo.
Jonas: I've been here for sure...
Justin: Do you really think that I wouldn't say this?
Jonas: One too many times before...
Justin: You know that I play this better than you.
Jonas: It's harder every time to ignore.
Justin: Fuck you...
Jonas: Oh, Heartbreak Hotel.
Chief: Jonas is a terrible singer! Get him off stage!
Cornelia: Yeah, he sucks! YOU SUCK JONAS!
*crowd starts mumbling*
Justin: Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you too.
Jonas: Umareta jidai ya unmei koete, saigo ni nokoro wa jun'na MAGOKORO!
Justin: Die Sonne scheint mir aus den Händen...
Jonas: Jaakuna yabou wa kanarazu horobosu.
Justin: Kann verbrennen, kann dich blenden!
Savannah: *whispers* Erika, what are you doing?
Jonas: SERA SOLDIER densetsu ni kakete!
Justin: Wenn sie aus den Fäusten bricht...
Jonas: Nanatsu no chikai hikari ni kaete...
Justin: Legt sich heiss auf den Gesicht!
Jonas: Nanatsu no kokoro hito suji ni shite!
...
End of Day Three!
Summary for Part I:
Boss wakes the participants up early in order to send them straight to the gym. Before leaving, Erika looks at herself in the mirror and thinks of herself as useless. Meanwhile Lily meets up with a girl called Anna Green-Forks and tells her that she wants her to be the next contestant to be sent in to the house.
When the participants arrive at the gym, Kim asks Aileen and Erika if it's OK for them if she changes with them. Aileen thinks Kim is just asking in order to look innocent and insecure and even wonders if she might be the murderer. Erika gets angry and slaps her in the face, which turns into a fight. Aileen cies but is later comforted by Boss. In the second house, Savannah asks Rudhira what she thinks about parallell universes. He thinks the door (bookshelf) he found is a gate to an alternative universe.
Erika tells Kim that she doesn't trust men because of previous bad experiences, which includes getting shot in the leg for refusing to sleep with one of her ex-boyfriends. Jonas and Aileen are holding hands and are about to take the elevator up to the gym when Jonas suddenly gets a flashback showing a girl with similar eyes as Aileen. He blames it on stomach pains and then walks away. Once he has left, someone walks up to Aileen and hits her with a shovel.
Summary for Part II:
Aileen is taken to the hospital. She doesn't have any serious injuries but her doctor, Tinni Zimmer, decides to keep her there for at least two nights more. The gym trainer asks to speak to Erika about something, but we are not shown what it was about. Aileen and Jonas talk for a while and Jonas mentions how Aileen gives him a reason to live, which worries her because she isn't sure if she is as serious about him as he is about her. Anna is sent to the desert similarily to how the other participants were in the beginning of the story.
Jonas takes off his clothes in front of Jack, Erika and Kim until he is completely nude, revealing that he has a strange machine implented in his stomach. Apparently the murder attempt made him so close to death that he had to replace some of his inner organs with it. Before anyone has the time to properly comment on it, Savannah and Rudhira appear from the bookshelf and introduce themselves. Erika is embarrased because she thought her encounter with Savannah (which we haven't seen the full scene of yet) was a part of the dream she had last night. Everyone goes to the jacuzzi room and talk in order to get to know each other. Boss walks in and Savannah explains the situation - although Boss reveals in Talkroom that the bookshelf is just a normal door and not a portal to an alternative universe.
Boss takes the contestants to a party at a karaoke bar where other reality show celebrities are gathered. Jonas gets even more flashbacks from the mysterious girl in Part I. At the party it turns out that participants from LittleSister - BigTwin's rival - are at the party too, together with their hostess Chief. Erika encounters one of her ex-boyfriends and ends up yelling at him for trying to hug her.
Jonas is challenged to a karaoke medley duel with Justin from LittleSister and accepts. In the middle of the performance, "LittleSisters" start yelling about how bad Jonas is, and Erika stands up from her chair, preparing to do... Something.
Points:
Aileen: 4
Jack: 3
Kim: 3
Jonas: 0
Erika: 0
Also, if you are curious, the songs used so far are:
Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
Breakfast at Tiffany's - Deep Blue Something
Lipstick - Jedward
Straight to Video - Mindless Self Indulgence
Heartbreak Hotel - YOHIO
Mutilation Is The Most Sincere Form Of Flattery - Marilyn Manson
Sailor War '94 - Sera Myu
Sonne - Rammstein
What do you want to see more of in BigTwin? Vote and it'll hopefully come true!