To: 40c5333d41cf4@gatesofeternity.com

Bcc: nwaters@state.gov

Subject: Involuntary Absence due to Gates of Eternity.

Alice,

I hope you're okay. I've talked with HR and they've agreed to place you on paid leave for however long this thing goes. That's not exactly normal but neither is the situation.

Your position is low-level enough that we can guarantee a similar position will be open for you even if it's not necessarily exactly the position you left.

Some people in the office have compiled some questions for you. Please answer them at your convenience.

1. What's the general feeling among the players about the situation?

2. What do you know about what the exit condition is?

3. To the best of your understanding, what are the capabilities of the NerveGear headset?

4. Do you believe the situation for players not planning to engage in risky activities is stable?

5. Are there any other important details not captured by the above questions?

I hope you stay safe in there.

Sincerely,

Rachel Hadley

To: rhadley@state.gov

Subject: Involuntary Absence due to Gates of Eternity.

Thank you Rachel. That's all very good to hear. I'm staying as safe as I can.

The answers to your questions are below.

1. The general feeling of the players is best summarized as negative. Within that umbrella there's a great deal of variety, anxiety and anger are common. I believe this communications window will let out some of that tension and defuse a little of that anger but I fully expect that anger to return after the communications window closes. Some of the people here are almost certain to react in desperate ways and seek to escape by any means possible. I plan to do my best to help people channel these feelings in productive directions but there are distinct limits to my abilities in this field.

2. The only information I'm aware of is that we will have to travel through the gates in order to find it. It's possible other clues have already been found by other members of the playerbase.

3. I am a great deal less certain of the capabilities of the headset than I was before yesterday. I am particularly confused by the claim that the headset can kill someone thirty seconds after it has been removed. The claim that the headset can successfully scan the player's entire body also seems to have been corroborated but it is not consistent with my limited knowledge of medical imaging. Together these lead me to suspect that the headsets somehow injected us with one or more substances to allow for these unusual abilities. I further have suspicions that the developers of the game plan to experiment with using the headset for nootropic purposes. The in game assistant was evasive when asked about how the mental enhancements available to players function. Ostensibly this was to preserve immersion in the game but given the other circumstances it seems plausible that individuals willing to hold people against their will would also be willing to do medical experiments without proper authorization. If this hypothesis is correct it also suggests that the in game assistant is attempting to establish a reputation for honesty.

4. To all appearances the Sanctuary area we are currently in is safe and capable of providing for all of the needs of those who remain here. It's as yet unclear how many players will make the choice to remain in this area.

5. Daisy Decker seems quite firm in her assertions that there's a reason behind her actions. She may be deluded or lying but she at least does not give any signs of the later that I could discern. If her motives could be ascertained and addressed by other means it's possible she could be convinced to release the playerbase early.

Warm Regards,

Alice Wu

To: nwaters@state.gov

Subject: FWD: Involuntary Absence due to Gates of Eternity

Here are her replies as you requested Mr. Waters.

Sincerely,

Rachel Hadley