DIAMOND | Stray Kids

2;1

"What's DEATHROW?" Woojin asked, confused.
Chan stared blankly.
"If you don't know," Jisung answered, "Why don't we let ACES explain? ACES, explain DEATHROW."
ACES replied immediately.
"DEATHROW: a single player post-apocalyptic puzzle game in which the player must control the actions of nine characters to escape a university science block by completing nine dangerous puzzles. The aim is to escape with all nine characters alive."
"See," Jisung gestured to the AI hologram, "That's DEATHROW. So if this is a real life game, we're fucked."
"Chan," Jeongin spoke, "So, if this is a recreation of the original DEATHROW, you know the puzzles, right?"
"I can guess what they are," Chan replied, "but that doesn't mean I can guess the answers, or get us all out alive. I could never do that in the game."
"But you've got us, right?" Seungmin sighed, "We're not just in-game characters, we can actually help this time."
"That's true," Chan smiled, "You did solve the first puzzle for us."
"That was the first puzzle?"
"It had to be," Chan replied, "We saved Felix by opening that door. That means we have eight left to solve."

- - -

"I thought you said you knew where it was?!"
"It's been three years, okay? The original game doesn't even exist anymore, how do you expect me to know where the door is?"
"Guys, I think I got something!"
The other boys look to the computer room to find Felix standing on what appears to be an unstable floor tile.
"Congrats, dickhead," Changbin clapped, "you found a fucking floor tile."
"No, he's got point," Minho spoke, "It's a possible trapdoor."
"You can't be serious," Changbin huffed, "It's way to small for a trapdoor. No one's getting through that."
"Guys!"
All heads turned to Woojin.
"Has anybody thought about looking for a floor plan?!"
He was met with blank stares.
"I'll get on it," Jisung grinned, turning to the computer screen and searching files, "let me see... nope. Nothing on here screams 'floor plan' to me."
"Fuck," Woojin muttered, "I'm out of ideas, then."
"We've got ACES," Jeongin spoke, "maybe it will give us a floor plan."
"It's not allowed to help us remember?" Seungmin sighed in annoyance, "we need to find it ourselves."
"It's still worth a try," Jisung grinned, "The worst we'll get is a no. ACES, can you give us a floor plan of this building?"
"Indeed," ACES replied, "Printing laboratory floor plan now."
"Thanks babe," Jisung winked, then turned to Seungmin, "told you so."
Seungmin scowled. Jisung reached to grab the floor plan out of the printer, and layed it out on the desk. All the boys gathered around, studying the map closely.

After a few minutes, Minho spoke up.

"It appears the door is behind that computer tower," He remarked, pointing at the floor plan on the paper.
"Okay," Jisung nodded, putting the paper down and turning to face everybody else, "wait... how are we meant to move THAT?"
He pointed at the computer tower. It was almost the hight of the room, and at least six feet wide.
"Easy," Woojin said, "there's nine of us, it can't be that difficult."
"But..." Jisung sighed, turning back the the monitor, "my delicate bones..."
"You're such a pussy," Changbin huffed, waking over to the tower, "You may think you're a celebrity, but you can't-"
The moment he touched the side of the tower, it started to move sideways, revealing the steel door behind.
"Did you see that?" Changbin laughed, "It moved itself! suck on that, Mr. Celebrity."
"Nope," Jisung grinned mischievously, gesturing to the monitor behind him, "There's a computer program for everything. I just thought I'd look, and voilà! I found one!"
"Fucking dickhead," Changbin mumbled.

"You two can argue all you want," Chan spoke, "but unless you have a bright idea about how to get this thing open, you're not helping anything."
The boys stared blankly at Chan, shaking their heads.

They all turned to look towards the door. At first glance, it appeared to be exactly like the door to room nine. But, upon closer inspection, there was no keypad. In fact, it looked rather like the keypad had been torn off, leaving exposed wires behind.
"Hyunjin's a technician," Changbin broke the silence, "maybe he can try."

Hyunjin froze. His eyes widened.

"How the fuck do you know that?"

- - -

PLAYER NUMBER: FIVE
NAME: HYUNJIN HWANG
STATUS:

STABLE?