Jon shakes his head at Bernie's suggestion. "Oh yeah, like I'd have wanted to mention this to anyone who would believe it."

But at the same time, the revelation sent his mind spinning. Is it some kind of secret government project that Bernie managed to steal? Who could be even close to making something like this? And how did Bernie turned into Daniel Jackson to find the destinations he wanted?

So many questions, so many secrets buried with his old friend...

David was still recovering from the madness of what he'd just experienced from the Mario Kart racing, as he was taking in everything Bernie was saying.

"So he decided to put all this in our hands?" he said, disbelievingly. "Also, forget what I said about watching Akira. That's one world I definitely don't feel like visiting," he said, remembering some of the disturbing scenes that had haunted his nightmares for days after first seeing it.

Portals? Caleb had expected some kind of computer recreation  of reality, but portals to other dimensions? This was beyond anything he expected. ”What, so all of our media - the games, movies, TV shows - they actually exist in some other place? Something like Sliders or Terry Pratchett’s The Long Earth? Or was Bernie somehow able to create pocket dimensions that mimicked these stories and games?” The question itself seems ludicrous. Science fiction has prepared him for simulations, but this seems far beyond anything possible with current technology.

”This is all incredible. And I’m with you, David. I find it incredulous that Bernie left this in our hands.” He slumps down onto the couch. ”Portals? Other realities?” He shakes his head. ”Shouldn’t all this be in the hands of a foundation or something? Not Gates or Bezos, obviously. Those guys would become trillionaires with this kind of technology. The government would just weaponize this. I don’t know - maybe UNESCO? Or some kind of university consortium? Does the Ivy League have some kind of shared research association?”

"I guess..." Jon thinks for a moment of a good example. "I guess it's like the 'Timelord' explanation of how time works. In that game, they describe time not as a line, but as a sphere. What we think of as a 'time line' is just the path between the center of the spere, the origin of time, to our point on the sphere. And everything in the sphere are the points where time splits up for different possibilities.

In theory, and that a very loose theory, it could be possible for a different world to end up looking similar to a story someone wrote. Like with the Titan and the Titanic."

When Caleb suggest people better suited to control this, Jon just rubs his head. "That's... it's the kind of things that sounds resonable on the surface. But think about it, anyone who would believe our story wouldn't be the most rational of person. So expecting them to treat this rationally... I think it'd be a plan doomed for failure."

Bernie's recorded voice continues. "My bequest to you all is this place. A little bit of what you might call magic, in the Arthur C Clarke 'indistinguishable from' category. After all, what did we say back in the Rookhaven Ridge campaign? It's only magic if you don't understand the rules. And there are rules. For the most part, you don't need to know them... aside from these two."

"Rule 1: What happens on the other side is real. The consequences to you, your bodies, your mind, those are real. Your bodies go in, your bodies come out. But you can't die. Not on the other side. You might be in bad shape when you come out... but that's why I keep a crash cart in the cabinet under the television."

He smiles sheepishly. "Oh, and Rule 2? you're in for the long haul. Whatever that is. The duration of the movie. Or the TV episode. Or a round of the game. Might be a few minutes, might be days on the inside... but on the outside it's just however long it took to watch or play the game. Only way to get out early is, well, think about rule number one. So be prepared."

Bernard's face grew serious. "That's... that's it. This is a place where you can experience things you'd never find in the real world. It's not without risk, but  if you think about what you're doing you can treat it like a vacation. Have a drink on the Enterprise's Ten-Forward. Visit scenic Twin Peaks and watch Cooper try and solve a murder. Go catch some pokemon. Or, hey, break the collection up and sell it, pay off your debts, I'm dead, what do I care.

"Just don't... don't tell anyone. I'm serious. You keep quiet, you're safe, you make too much noise... let's just say that there are forces in the world that'd notice and step in."

He gives another sheepish smile, and the tape ends.

"That's it, I'm afraid," West says. "The collection and clubhouse are now yours to do with as you will." He crosses the room and punches in the combination for the archives' lock - it opens with a hiss. "Please do contact my office if you wish to divest yourselves or split up the collection. Frankly, I wouldn't blame you."

Jon blinks as Bernie mentions catching pokemon. He's spent a lot of time trying to control his urge to collect things by making a living dex (with questionable success). The chance to not only trying for real, but also getting to play with those pokemon...

His mind started racing as he wondered how to convince the others to try that.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:00, Wed 03 Nov 2021.

Leaning back in the comfortable old couch, Caleb ponders the situation. Surely they can't sell this collection. The value here comes from not just Bernie's collection, but if what he is saying is true, the ability to experience these games and stories in full detail. To be there on the Death Star when Ben faces off with Vader? A trip to Risa? Sailing in to Vvardenfell with Jiub telling him to wake up? Nah, scratch that last part. Morrowind came out in 2002. The chances of that game being in Bernie's collection are practically non-existent.

But Caleb is faced with another, perhaps lesser question, but one no less pertinent here. He finds himself comfortable alone. He has a few coworkers he is on good terms with, but for the most part, Caleb has enjoyed being by himself. He's never been married, hasn't ever really had a girlfriend. He likes Jon, Mel, Rita, and David well enough, but he was never really friends with any of them beyond the gaming table or getting together to watch movies and TV shows. Does he really want to go traipsing off on adventure after adventure with these folks? Perhaps their schedules wouldn't work out, and Caleb could spend a week or two playing through Final Fantasy VII.

And then another realization hits him. As frustrating as that game of Mario Kart had been, Caleb can't remember the last time he has had so much fun. The truth is he has led a very lonely life, and he simply accepted that as the way his life had turned out. Sure, he had his books, movies, and games. He had the library regulars, but other than those acquaintances, Caleb hadn't had much in the way of real human contact. In that, Caleb hadn't been all that different from Bernie. What might happen here?

"Thanks, Mr. West," he says at length. "My mind's still boggled that Bernie would leave this all with us. I'm still not convinced that us keeping this isn't hugely selfish, but I'm looking forward to exploring Bernie's gift."

Caleb looks at the others. "What do you think, guys? I'm blown away by Bernie's generosity, but I'm keen to see more. What do you say we all make a list of what we each want to try out, and then take turns checking these different worlds out?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:27, Thu 04 Nov 2021.

Jon opens his mouth, only to pause as he thinks. "Wait... maybe we should start with something that would make it easier for us to enjoy Bernie's gift. I mean, I don't know about you guys, but the bus ticket here wasn't really cheap. If we want to make this a regular thing, it would help if we had some extra money... like a treasure." He grins, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Like the treasure of One-Eyed Willy."

"I feel like all of this is a bit beyond my pay grade," David said. "The sensible part of me says we should take all this, leave, and never look back. But on the other hand, the money is appealing, and so long as we stay away from the worst stuff, at least we won't need, well, you know..." he said, glancing over at the crash cart.

Melanie returned after Rita helped her get cleaned up, having swapped her blouse for a thin black sweater.

"I could use a drink," she said, smiling weakly.

"We don't know what roles we'd get in a movie. We might be the Fratelli's. Anyway, Goonies was 80s - did Bernie even have a copy?"

"Only one way to find out." Jon turns to West. "I assume you have the code to the vault?"

"Here you go." West hands Jonathan a slip of paper. "The codes cycle weekly. Stop by the office when you visit and you will be provided with the new code."

"Would you believe I've never seen The Goonies?" Caleb says with a smile. "Putting us in the shoes of the villains sounds like a great game of D&D, but I think I'd rather be the kids in the movie."

He looks with interest at the piece of paper West handed Jonathan. The idea of somehow raiding Bernie's gift for material gain sits a little strangely with Caleb, almost like he would be profiting off his dead friend. The chance to explore these worlds seems priceless already. Caleb's life is already fairly comfortable, though of course he'll never be rich working as a librarian. However, if that had been his goal, he probably wouldn't have done an English degree.

"Goonies sounds good to me," he says. "Though I'd be up for anything, really. The Big Lebowski? The Fifth Element? Blade Runner? Mission Impossible? The Matrix? The Princess Bride? It was all so terribly exciting, and those were just the movies! Though perhaps it might not be all fun. Battlefield Earth, in particular, might be less than fun, and Waterworld would probably be excruciating. And though Caleb is a geek to the core, he hopes mightily that the group steers clear of horror.

"What's your pleasure, little lady?" Rita quips, "There are some nice bottles of red wine, including about a half case of Summers cab, which I remember serving when I worked in a wine bar in LA. We also have a selection of top shelf liquor. I can probably put together a cocktail as long as it only needs about four ingredient.

"I only saw Goonies once on tv, but it doesn't seem too lethal. Let's stay away from games like Doom though, okay?"

Once he's memorized the code, Jon hands it to Caleb so he can pass it to the others. Typing it in with a "open sesame..." Jon opens the door to the vault, looking at the full spread of Bernie's treasure and hard work.

It takes him a moment to walk through, just lost in admiration of all that his friend gathered. But more importantly, of what each of the tape, disks, and cartridge here meant. "Wow... Space Battleship Yamato, Mazinger Z, Speed Racer... He found all the classics..."

Shaking his head, he turns his focus to the movie section. "Oh! Highlander! Wait... Here!" Jon returns to the main room, holding triumphantly the Goonies' tape, while humming Princes of the Universe. "Ready when you guys are!"

Rita has picked up a bit of piano and some guitar for various parts.

Caleb joins Jonathan at the door to the vault and for a bit, finds himself lost in wonder. "This is amazing," he murmurs, stepping inside and letting his senses drink in the vast amount of pop culture treasure Bernard had gathered over the years. He has that feeling he had when he was a kid in Toys R Us, dreaming of Transformers and G.I. Joes, of all the video games, LEGO sets. If there were such a thing as heaven, for Caleb it would look a lot like Toys R Us from his childhood*. Bernard seemed to have set up his own heaven here on earth, and the sheer amount of media nearly overwhelms Caleb. Bernard's stash makes Caleb's look like a thrift store in comparison.

"Here we are, born to kings..." Caleb sings along. "Call me crazy, but I always preferred Duncan MacLeod to Connor. We have to do Highlander at some point!"

He rejoins the others in living room area. "Okay, I think I know the basic plot of The Goonies. There's a group of kids, and a gang of adult pirates, and the kids spend a lot of time running away from the pirates. For those of us who haven't seen it, Jon, what should we be ready for?"

OOC: Ready to go!

*Stolen from the excellent YouTube channel Toy Galaxy.

"I don't think I ever really saw the Goonies, maybe a few minutes on TV," David said. "So I got no goddamn clue what to expect. I'll trust you guys that this will be fun, but I'll get prepared just in case."

David made sure to grab some basic provisions and a first aid kit before they popped in the movie. He had no idea what they'd see on the other side, but it shouldn't be that bad... right?

”I wonder why Bernie never tried to invite any of us out here?” Rita says, settling on a big floor cushion, her back to an arm of the couch, a half-liter bottle of Coke beside her and a bag of nacho Doritos in her lap, “I think I might have come, just for old times sake.”

"Probably all the NDA he mentioned. They either expired when he did, or he figured they can't do anything to the rest of us."

Remembering all he could about the movie, Jon adds "well, we're going to be spellunking, so any light source would be useful. Oh! And we need sweets too! The bad guys have a disfigured sibling with the mind of a child, and the strength of an ox. The heroes befriended him by giving him sweets."

Once everyone had a chance to eat, and to look for any flashlight Bernie may have kept around, Jon puts the Goonies tape in the entertainment system. "And... PLAY!"

Melanie knocked back a glass of red wine, rather more quickly than necessary.

"Goonies could be fun even if we're the Fratelli's. But I wonder what will happen if we're the kids? We didn't transform in Mario Kart."

The prospect of being transformed into Andy and being a teenager again was definitely an attraction.

While no flashlights could be discovered, Jonathan did find a pack of red vine licorice whips. They were pretty sweet.

As soon as he hit play, the screen acted as it did before, whiting out the world...

[To be continued in the Goonies Thread]