It didn't take them long to find the 2 elevators in front of the stairs.
They looked identical to the elevators on the top floor, with one exception...
These elevators had a card reader on the wall between them.
On the card reader was a strange mark...

Junpei: Hey, look, it's Lotus's symbol.
Lotus: Huh?
Junpei: See, it's the woman symbol with a thorn on it. That seems like--
Junpei: Ouch! Ouch ouch ouch ouch!

Lotus had taken hold of Junpei's hair.
She began to shake him violently, and he thought he heard a low growl coming
from her throat.
Such violence... Junpei began to wonder if she was not the Devil itself...
With an uncomfortable smile, June spoke up.

June: This is a [Mercury symbol].
June: The thorn symbolizes the wings on Hermes's staff.
Santa: Hermes, herpes, whatever.
Santa: If we can't get this thing to work, these elevators aren't going
anywhere.
Lotus: In other words, we need a [key card] with the [Mercury symbol] on it.
Santa: Probably.

They gave up on the elevator and returned to the stairs.
A hallway stretched out to the left.
A great many doors lined both sides of the hallway.
They weren't sure how many, but certainly enough to be discouraging.

June: Jumpy and the broom.
June: You were always playing around with the broom in front of the rabbit
hutch.
Junpei: I was...?
June: Don't you remember?

Junpei stared at the broom in his hand.

June: You mean...you don't remember that summer either?

She looked very sad. He shook his head.

Junpei: Of course I remember. How could I forget something like that?
Junpei: It was terrible...

They were in the 6th grade.
Junpei and June had been assigned to take care of the classroom pets--the
rabbits.
Their chief duty was to clean the hutches every morning.
On the final day of school before summer vacation began, Junpei overslept.
He rushed to school, and found June standing in front of the rabbit hutches.
No sooner had Junpei arrived than June began to cry.
He had no idea why until he looked behind her, into the rabbit hutch.
The first thing he saw was blood.
The hutch was filled with the dead bodies of the rabbits.
Even after their teachers and friends came to see what the commotion was, June
couldn't stop crying.

June: I just kept crying and crying, until you came over.
June: You held my hand and you looked very serious and you said...
June: "Don't cry. I'm gonna catch the person who did this."
June: After you told me that, I finally stopped crying.
Junpei: Well, the real fun started after you quit crying.
Junpei: You told me we were gonna catch the killer together.
June: *Giggle*

June smiled, and a little of the flush of life returned to her cheeks.

June: Then we decided that we'd ambush them.
Junpei: Yeah, I remember.

The school also kept roosters and guinea pigs.
Junpei and June had decided the murderer would likely return to finish off the
rest of the animals.
They would ambush the killer at night.
Junpei and June hid behind the hutch at dusk and waited.
It was a warm summer night.
The quiet sound of crickets whispered through the air.
As the sun went down, the stars began to wink at them from the sky.
And June's...Akane Kurashiki's face...
That night was something Junpei knew he would never forget, as long as he
lived.

???: Welcome aboard.
???: I welcome you all, from the bottom of my heart, to this, my vessel.

With the voice's invasion, the spell between Junpei and Akane was broken, and
all hints of burgeoning romance instantly forgotten.
They hurriedly untangled themselves from one another, and struggled to their
feet.
Their 7 companions had heard the voice as well, and many of their faces had
gone pale.
They looked around frantically, desperate to locate the source of the voice.
At last they found it... A speaker set in the ceiling.

???: I am [Zero]... The captain of this ship.
Zero: I am also the person who invited you here.

The voice was harsh, obscured occasionally by the crackle of static...
...But Junpei recognized it. How could he have forgotten it?
It was the same voice he had heard from the man in the gas mask.

Silver: Hey! Asshole! What the hell is this?! C'mon out here! I wanna get a
look at you!
Lion: What do you mean to do to us?!
Zero: I mean to have you participate in a game.
Zero: Some of you, I know, are familiar with this game.
Zero: The [Nonary Game]. It is a game...where you will put your life on the
line.
Dancer: Nonary Game...?
Mountain: What the hell's that?!

The voice continued, implacable.

Zero: The rules of the [Nonary Game] can be found upon your persons.
Zero: They are simple rules. Read them.
Dancer: Nonary Game...?
Silver: Hey... There's something in my pocket... Check this out.

Silver reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small slip of paper.
The rest of them reached into their own pockets, and pulled out similar slips
of paper.
Junpei followed suit, and dug into the pocket of his pants.
He felt the tell-tale crumple of paper, slightly damp from his earlier ordeal.

Junpei: Hey, I got one too!
Lion: Then it would seem Zero has seen fit to grace us each with a letter.
Lion: Would you mind terribly reading it to us, young man?

His request had been delivered to Junpei who, after a short moment of surprise,
did as he'd been asked.

Junpei: On this ship, you will find a handful of doors emblazoned with numbers.
Junpei: We will call them the [numbered doors].
Junpei: The doors in front of you are a pair of the same.
Junpei: The key to opening these numbered doors are the [numbered bracelets]
that each of you possess.
Junpei: Should you total the numbers on your [numbered bracelets]...
Junpei: ...and find that the [digital root] of that number is equal to the
number of that door, the door will open.
Junpei: Only those who have opened the door may pass through.
Junpei: There are, however, limits.
Junpei: Only [3-5] people can pass through one numbered door.
Junpei: All those who enter must leave, and all who enter must contribute.

[Bracelet], Junpei figured, had to mean the bulky thing on his wrist.
He glanced around. It looked like everyone else had one as well, and had come
to much the same conclusion.

Junpei: The purpose of the game is simple.
Junpei: Leave this ship alive.
Junpei: It is hidden, but an exit can be found.
Junpei: Seek a way out... Seek a door that carries a [9].

Junpei had reached the end of the letter. There was a long moment of silence,
and then the speaker crackled to life once more.