Here is what happened to me in Ascension, RETURN TRIP. It’s a long read *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *HERE COMES THE SPOIL*
I’m probably missing some details, just fyi:
When I got to the parking lot I was late due to real bad traffic. I was given a waiver and told just to sign it. I hardly had time to talk to anybody before a black van pulled up. Me and one other person who I didn’t even catch her name were told to get in. Put on hood, be quiet. I was out first and greeted by the receptionist. She led me to the bathroom and said to be truthful, I’m here to just see different things or change the outcome. I told her I’m not going to lie, yes, that’s one of my hopes. She then took me out of the bathroom to the photography room. Photographer and receptionist asked me what makes me so special. Honestly, I don’t think I’m special compared to everyone else so I gave a bit of a vague answer and led back to the receptionist area. The receptionist put a hood on me and led me down several switch backs. Eventually someone came up and said “why did you come back, you shouldn’t have come back, don’t you see we’re trapped here? I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, he’s coming”. I asked her who is coming but I got no response except “I’m so sorry” and then “kill me”. I was handed off and eventually greeted by the Overseer. She basically said I’ve been here from the start that I need to see something. So I’m hooded again and going down a hall, eventually to the Red Room. I could feel the sand and see the red through my hood but then lights turned out, door shuts. My hood was removed and the lights turned back on (red) and there was Overseer and behind her was probably the entire cast of Ascension and people I haven’t seen. I’d say there was about 60+ people, easily.
Overseer said that because of me, the people behind her would have been nameless, Ascension would have never been a thing. Basically thanked me for everything I’ve done. I was fucking stunned and speechless, choking up, jaw dropped. She then asked me why am I here and that’s when everybody said in whispered unison “why are you here”. So I told her two things: “I have a message from @mumumusings, he wanted me to tell you thank you for everything.” Then I said I wanted to be here to learn more, have additional opportunity to see things I know I missed. Overseer said that wasn’t good enough (cue everybody saying “that’s not good enough”) so I told them all that last time I was so wrapped up in my own emotions that I was not present enough to appreciate what was right in front of me, hopefully this time I’ll be stronger for them. She then put the hood back over my face and everybody left. I was then directed to the White room. Simon gave me shit, girl (who rode in the van with me) was already there getting grilled.
Simon took off my hood and continued to grill me, told me and girl to take off our clothing so we were getting questioned while in undies. I was interviewed by the oldest woman. Simon also gave me shit about back alley talk and that he knows things that I didn’t think he would honestly know. He also told me a video about me was going to Morgan tonight and it was all about me. Then I was led into an interview room adjacent to White room. I was asked by Ascender #2 girl if I thought she was attractive, etc and then to touch myself that would turn me on, oh ya I have 30 seconds. So…….ya I didn’t want to but I was told to DO IT. So…..I totally rubbed myself (over my underwear, never got turned on) until this dude with a briefcase popped in and told everyone to get out except me. He’s the one that told me to call up James and relay a message “The light is good, the light is submission”. Then he told me log onto my Tension acct and put that message about SUBMISSION onto my activity feed. I asked him what was his name and that pissed him off big time. I guess I’m not the one to be asking questions. After we got out of the masturbating office room we were led to a classroom. We were told to find the heart of the classroom and I found it almost immediately: it’s the heart in the anatomical model. Under the heart is a slip of paper that says we’ll get a private instruction on judgement from Professor Applebee. While still in our underwear we had to judge which handler was guilty of sin. Suffice to say we failed miserably (girl and I felt pity for them and said they were both innocent) but it was probably designed for failure anyhow. From the classroom we got our white jumper and led back to the white room.
In the white room I was ordered to sit at a bench, girl is just going on and on about the box in the middle of the room. Eventually the bench got filled so everyone had to sit on laps. My group was just giggling the entire time which I kinda felt for Simon, little shits shouldn’t giggle. Simon gave me shit for being a troublemaker, I talked back and said “Simon what did I DO” and he said I know exactly what I’ve done. Simon had enough of us and said “I’ve had enough, the voices in my head are RINGING” At this point girl is telling to go for the box. So we line up, I am more or less back in the line. Girl looks behind me and is just eyeing me and the box. So I told the newb behind me to just go for it but he said no, so I bolted as people were filing out and I got the cell phone out of the box. One of the interview ladies FLIPS THE FUCK OUT and says STOP STOP STOP. She immediately rats me out to Simon. Simon screams in my face and says why did I look in the box. I told him “because I wanted to know what was in it”. He then said “there is nothing in the box” and tells everyone if anybody else fucks up, we’re done. I was like ohhhh shit (and stuffing the cell phone into my bra–I was originally palming it, poorly).
From the hallway where Simon is screaming at me to red room, red room was not fun because my group was just complacent and not trying worth a damn. The plant (Trin) was sorta leading it. Needless to say I was picked to answer a question and that wasn’t fun but my response was very real and revisiting trauma. It’s amazing what that Red Room does to you. So we didn’t get out in time, got shit from professor Applebee.
So we were in the clockroom, more or less got the same monologue about time running out. Except the woman who ratted me out to Simon yanked me off the side and said “where is the phone”. I took it out from my bra and she gave me a different phone, explaining the one I have is a decoy? More clockroom monologue and eventually I was removed from clockroom to the Sacred Room. The priest told me and girl to kneel and that we would get a lesson from the Book of Anoch.
That’s when cell phone in my bra went off.
Priest was fucking PISSED. Screaming at me for having a distraction and that punishment is in order. Overseer comes in, priest rats me out to Overseer and she looks at me says “that’s fine”. She then asked me and girl if I wanna come with her, or go through the same symbolic removal of senses. We opted for the former.
So I follow Overseer to her office. She has her diary. Tell us to get our regular clothing back on. She goes into a monologue about how she doesn’t remember the words she’s written in here but they’re here and that They have rewired her brain so we knows information and new languages. I noticed several papers on her desk, I could have sworn one of them was a B.o.S written on a business card? I’m sad I didn’t look/nose around. Then she said that she knows the OOA is good but the Oracle process is not working so she’s trusting me to pick a chosen one. She leads us out and goes away. Eventually the doctor grabs us and tells us that many are here against their will and it’s people like us that are keeping them here indefinitely.
Handlers come over and basically tell us they never see the sun anymore. Asks us what do we know about this place. We asked them are they captive or free to go, they basically said they’re slaves. Before we really had a chance to get into it, Overseer comes over and says we’re going to choose the strongest. We saw behind the scenes of the wax room, told Overseer this is not enough for us to decide since only 4 people were present. One guy in there was crawling and being ridden like a horse by the wax lady. Other handlers were slapping people with knotted up cloth. I did eliminate one in the group and Overseer did seem to agree with my opinion.
We saw the Control room, one of the surveyors told Overseer who he thought was strongest but honestly I couldn’t make out who he was specifically pointing to–there are SO MANY VIDEO FEEDS.
Then we were led into the circle of chairs room and Overseer asked what one question would we ask to THREE people to determine if they’re worthy of becoming an Oracle. Girl couldn’t think of anything so I said “how about: tonight you will achieve the absolute greatest achievement ever, are you willing to lose your family and friends?” Overseer approved and selected three people. The first two said no, the last said yes. So she was picked. Overseer led us past a tub area (where one handler was bathing with another handler who appeared dead) past a woman who was lounging around in underwear, bra and mask….into a room that had an old ass video camera.
Overseer said that the person who was selected needs to say goodbye and if she doesn’t do it good enough, we need to press her to do it right. So we’re in here and in comes Trin. Trin is like “heyyy what’s up…I’m not the person you need to interview” and I was like ya I know, I saw you last time. So we were inquiring her about who stays here indefinitely, what is really going on. And she basically saying that some people in Tension take this real serious. I found a note in this room and it said not to drink anything. Beyond that I saw some stuff on the wall in wax “I am Anoch”.
So at this point girl starts shooting the shit with Trin and they were talking about other actors in here and she mentioned Darren. I was like “oh you know Darren?” and she was like “ya, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before but I’m his wife, I’m Laura Bousman.” I think my jaw dropped to the floor.
She said something like “oh thank you for everything Melissa” and I was like what no way thank you and started babbling about how my husband James comes up with these batshit crazy awesome ideas and how hard it can be as a wife to be supportive partner with these ideas.
And she was like ya it’s been hard, goes into how the investors nearly pulled funding multiple times but at that point we were cut off and the girl who was selected comes in. Photographer guy tell us to look at the corner and he explains to this girl that she needs to say goodbye to her family just in case. The woman in the underwear is filming and asks her questions. Needless to say the girl is not giving two shits about saying a proper goodbye and Laura is like “should we say something?” and I was like, give her a minute this is probably tough to find words. Girl did a piss poor job and I didn’t say anything. The one job that Overseer told us to do and we failed at that job. Let’s face it, I failed. Laura was probably a plant to guide me and I f*ck that up.
So we were led into the big finale room. Overseer has me stand up and she says I’ve been with this from the beginning and I’ll be here until the END. I was like, what? Then she comes to me and whispers “is the chosen one the right one” and I was like, no, she doesn’t care. Overseer looks at me like I have two heads. Trin goes up there as well. One of the handlers commits suicide on stage, the Oracle process goes poorly. We were led out and as I walked out the Handler collapses to her knees and cries hysterically.
Several things I’m KICKING MYSELF FOR NOT DOING:
-finding someway to MUTE that cellphone OR just answer it rather than standing there like a deer in headlights.
-Being far more proactive about girl who was giving the lousy goodbye
-Asking Overseer more questions/disobey briefcase guy
-Not thanking the shit out of the cast in the first red room
-Asking Simon what he meant by “the voices in my head are ringing”
Melissa. Reason: wanted to add an extra detail
