Alice in Borderland: New York

Discovering this world (4): The Tech Center

What even was the point of doing anything anymore? What did life have to offer to him? As he laid in the tech center with 3 playing cards in his hand, Teinejī thought about his life. About Peter, about Beans, about Alisson. The truth was, he couldn't save everyone. He continued thinking about the playing cards. There was one given at the end of every game, so it must have had a signification. Maybe it was important to go back to the normal world? So many questions kept popping in his head, minute after minute, hour after hour. He thought about what he could do to survive. He knew he at least had to protect his sanity in this world, so he had to find an objective, a purpose to his life. He'd gather all the playing cards in the tech center. Maybe that could do something...

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of knocking at his door. As he opened, he saw a smiling face outside. Peter came here in a wheelchair, with food and drinks. The 5 of spades did not leave him unscathed, but he still had hope. Hope. This was what he needed. Teinejī and Peter started talking.

"Are you alright, Teinejī?" Peter asked.
"Yes, I... I am. Thank you very much, Peter. I started gathering all the different cards for a collection. If you find any while playing, please give them to me.... By the way, your theory about visa days and card suits seems to be correct. I also discovered something. The suit corresponds to the theme of the game. Spades is about strength and physical aptitudes. That's all I could find."
- "That already is a lot! Thank you for telling me this, Teinejī." Noticing the different cards in Teinejī's hands, he asks: "And... How did the Ace of clubs and 3 of spades unfold?"

After this question, Teinejī stayed silent, refusing to answer anything. Peter kept quiet, not wanting to sadden him more. Then, Teinejī spoke:

- "Beans sacrificed himself for all of us to win. He's a hero, and the reason why everyone else is still alive right now."
- "I'm so sorry for what's happening, Teinejī. This world has not been kind to anyone. You can eat the food I bring you; it's starting to get dark."
- "I'm not hungry"

He then threw a can at Peter, expecting him to catch it. However, Teinejī's missed his shot, and threw the can out of the tech store. Then, something unexpected happened. From the clouds, a red light appeared, and pierced the ravioli can open. Peter, mere inches away from the door, looked at it in shock, realizing if he had moved forward even slightly, it would all have ended right now. However, it also meant something else. A game was about to begin. Then, all at once, the computer screens in the tech center started lighting up, all displaying a card. The 4 of diamonds.

"A 4... It should be easier than my previous game. And at least it isn't a spade." Peter said, still anxious about the game.
"We should still watch out. We don't know what could possibly happen."
- The voice then announced the game: "Game: Power Outage.
Rules: There are 3 computers in the center of the room, all turned on. In front of them, the players have 3 buttons, a blue one, a red one, and a green one.
The blue one turns the computer in the center on but turns the computer on the left off.
The red one turns the computer in the middle off, and every other one on.
Finally, the Green one turns the computer on the left on and turns the computer on the right off.

To get a GAME CLEAR, the players must turn every computer off. However, they can only press 3 buttons in total. If they press the 3 buttons and a computer is still on, if they press more that 3 buttons, or if all the computers are not off by the end of the 5 minutes time limit, it's GAME OVER for everyone."

Teinejī started panicking, not knowing how to react in this situation. He wasn't good at logic puzzles, and now he needed to solve one to stay alive. Besides him, he saw Peter in his wheelchair. He wasn't panicking, instead, he was... Smiling? What could happen to him? They were about to die! How could he have thought of a solution so quickly? Maybe he should press the green button first, which would only leave the left and middle computers left to turn off... But then, pressing the center one would turn the right computer back on...
Then, as he was completely lost, Peter started to speak:

"The only way the center computer can be turned off is by turning the left one on, and the only way to turn the left computer off is by turning the center one on... The buttons make this channel impossible. However, it still is a game, which means... It must be doable. Plus, it's only a 4..."

"What should we do then? Do you have any idea?" Teinejī said, trying to think of a solution. "No matter how impossible the odds may be, there is always something to do. I want you to press the green button, do you follow me?"
- "I am trusting you with my life right now, Peter. Don't make me regret that..." Teinejī said, doing as he was told.
"Now, I want you to press the blue button, and I'll do the rest." "Are you sure you have a plan here?" Teineji said, pressing the blue button. "We only have one try left."
Peter started rolling towards the center computer, and then pressed the third button... The power button of the computer. As the third computer turned off, the voice announced GAME CLEAR to all the players, distributing visas and cards while Teinejī was still in shock.

"When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Peter said to Teinejī. "I like that quote... Well, it's getting late... Have a nice night!"

Standing in the middle of the tech center, alone, Teinejī was still looking at Peter going away. Then, to his surprise, he noticed something. Several of the computers, which had previously been shut off, were now powered on, their screen glowing. These appliances were different from all the others: they had 4 stripes running horizontally across the top. He counted these special electronics, one by one. Five. Five computers were turned on. Upon looking at the electronics, about 52 of them had these 4 stripes. Could they correspond to cleared cards?
As Teineji looked at the mysteriously activated electronics, he smiled.

Yes, that was what everyone in this world needed.

Hope.