999 Gush Part 2: Ice-9, Morphogenetic Fields, Other Miracles

Warning: the following article contains spoilers related to Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (DS). Not the kind that would ruin the big twists at the end, but the kind of thing you really shouldn’t know until you witness it in-game.

I have a little brother whom I love dearly. In my eyes, he is nearly flawless. He is smart, he is industrious, and he is a man of good moral character. He also has panic attacks when presented with worldview-altering concepts. One time it even made him throw up.

(I’ve also had a rare bout of media-induced vomiting. But that was different!)

That’s why said little brother refuses to play NINE HOURS, NINE PERSONS, NINE DOORS, which I have found to be one of the most-cherished titles in the expansive Nintendo DS library. The game is rife with mind-expanding, perspective-shifting goodness. Very little of it is grounded in actual scientific fact. Much of it is the equivalent of “urban legend” for the scientific community.

But when you’re a college kid running around a sinking ship in a sick game set up by a serial killer trying to get out, and then someone says “hey, this reminds me of polymorphic EDT crystals,” you don’t have the time or resources to check Wikipedia. You just go with it. And the more you “go with it,” and the more it conveniently lends credibility to what’s happening within the story, the more you have to ask yourself: “what if?”

Today, we’ll explore a bevy of topics addressed in the plot and dialogue found in 999. And, as always, my thanks to Kotaro Uchikoshi for doing the writing and Aksys Games for giving it to me in a language I understand.

Sources include: 999 itself and Wikipedia (I’m a real scholar)

Ice-9 / Polymorphs / Crystal Memory

My older brother, the one who gladly digs through the sort of reading material that makes the younger one have nervous breakdowns, is currently enjoying his adventures in 999. When he first encountered characters talking about Ice-9, he asked me if I’d yet gotten around to reading Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle. And no, I have not. I absolutely adore Slaughterhouse-Five, and I’ve read many of Vonnegut’s short stories. But cat’s Cradle? Not yet.

“Well you realize, that’s where the concept of Ice-9 comes from! You need to read it!” Yes, elder Dactyl brother, I know. I’ll get to it. Just after I finish gushing about how much I love 999.

Now, this concept “coming from” Cat’s Cradle is mostly true. But it’s not entirely. Here’s the Wikipedia article, which I will now quote regarding the concept’s origins:

“The author Vonnegut credits the invention of ice-nine to Irving Langmuir, who pioneered the study of thin films and interfaces. While working in the public relations office at General Electric, Vonnegut came across a story of how Langmuir, who won the 1932 Nobel Prize for his work at General Electric, was charged with the responsibility of entertaining the author H.G. Wells, who was visiting the company in the early 1930s. Langmuir is said to have come up with an idea about a form of solid water that was stable at room temperature in the hopes that Wells might be inspired to write a story about it. Apparently, Wells was not inspired and neither he nor Langmuir ever published anything about it. After Langmuir and Wells had died, Vonnegut decided to use the idea in his book Cat’s Cradle.”

Note the subtle verbiage shift: in Cat’s Cradle, it’s ice-nine, whereas in 999, the term always appears as [Ice-9]. Nowhere in the game’s script are Vonnegut or his sci-fi classic referenced. And the details are a little different too. According to Vonnegut, Ice-9 is a polymorphic form of H2O that remains in a stable, solidified (“ice”) form until a little over 114 degrees Fahrenheit. 999′s first mention of [Ice-9], which happens in a locked freezer behind numbered door 4, has the characters Santa and June describing Ice-9 as something that melts at standard body temperature (about 98 degrees Fahrenheit).

The “scare” behind Ice-9 is that, if it really existed, one drop of the stuff would instantly “convert” all other water in the world. Just stick this stuff in an ocean, and days later, all the world’s water is now solid. In 999, Ice-9 is also suggested as a possible method as to how certain mummified bodies have stayed intact: beyond the point of saponification. One particular body is of utmost importance; we’ll get to that more when we reach the section on Titanic lore.

The idea that the same substance, the same chemical compound, might somehow take on a new state based on structure alone, and that this changed structure could affect the whole world, has come up in the annals of human history before. And by “history,” I mean “legend.”

Consider the story of the Glycerin Crystal. The legend goes like this: it was commonly believed that Glycerin couldn’t be crystallized. It would always be in a liquid state within the bounds of normal (room-ish) temperatures. But one day, a barrel of Glycerin on a British cargo ship was opened and they found it to be completely crystallized! Then, within days, all of the Glycerin in the world was turning into crystal, and to this day, the process used to make liquid Glycerin has been altered because the old method now results in crystallization.

So it turns out, this story isn’t true at all. Or rather, it’s grossly exaggerated and riddled with misinformation. A character in 999 presents the story of the Glycerin crystal to suggest that, perhaps, even inanimate objects can have “memory.” The truth is that, as far as we can tell, turning Glycerin to crystal had and has always been possible, and what happened on that ship was specifically re-created by scientists in labs to see if it was possible. The story got stretched and skewed, and is now a good pseudo-science urban legend.

What gives the story so much sticking power is that, from surface appearance, it’s easy to ascribe “memory” to crystals. Check out this article on seed crystals. Summarized version of the article: if you have a solid “crystal” polymorph of a certain chemical, and then introduce it to a proper liquid solution, the rest will rapidly crystallize. It’s like the seed crystal is teaching the others how to take on a lattice-like structure, yes? But here we as people are assigning personhood to where there is none. A better way to understand it is that the seed crystal is a catalyst that causes a chain reaction.

This same concept, with a different scenario, is also presented by the character “Seven” behind door number 7, but using a different chemical. He mentions ethylenediamine tartrate (EDT) because he notices it in a chemical supply closet. It can’t be coincidence that Seven notices this stuff and then tells you the story, after all you’ve heard about Glycerin and Ice-9 … can it?

You may think the game is beating you over the head with this particular concept, but what I love about the presentation here is that it’s being used as a very subtle suggestion that, perhaps, “memory” and “will” exist outside the perceived material world. Which brings us to our next occult/sci-fi topic…

Morphogenetic Fields

Lotus, behind door number 8, explains to Junpei the heart of the Morphogenetic Field concept. To paraphrase the young lady (I don’t want to get slapped), consider the following:

Sit down with a child, or time-travel 60 years in the past, and present them a computer. In front of them they find a keyboard wired to a monitor. The actual computer tower is in another room: both the input device and the visual display connect to the tower wirelessly. But if you asked “where is this image coming from?” or “what device is doing the computing?” … both the child and the 1950s individual would be inclined to say “well, that box in front of you is doing it.” But that’s only receiving signals. The real work of processing, and the actual memory, takes place elsewhere. Now imagine that your brain is little more than a computer monitor, and the “tower” lies in the Morphogenetic Field. Voila. There’s your explanation.

Yeah, that’s right. It’s cloud computing for YOUR SOUL!!!

Kotaro Uchikoshi is clearly influenced by the work of one Rupert Sheldrake; so much so that Sheldrake himself is referenced in the game (behind numbered door 9). The idea that the brain acts as a receptor and our memories are stored elsewhere is actually quite old. It’s one I’d never thought of, or heard of, before now. My older brother, having read Lotus’ lecture, informed me that it’s a pretty popular sci-fi concept (and on our own Podcast, both Pat Himes and Pete were quick to cite the Hyperion books, which use a similar concept).

Of course, scientifically speaking, this comes off as far-fetched. A quick application of Occam’s razor allows one to posit that all this “the memory is stored elsewhere” stuff is unnecessarily complex. You damage a part of your brain, and you lose certain functions and/or certain memories. Did you lose the connection to that part of the morphogenetic field, or did you merely lose that part of your brain?

Being a theist, I’m not the world’s biggest proponent of tossing Occam’s razor at every idea, like so many tiny shuriken. In fact, the concept that my mind and memories exist outside my body is a comforting thought, one that supports the possibility of “afterlife.” But Sheldrake’s work, his scientific studies to provide evidence for this field, telepathy, ESP, etc… it’s all considered unfalsifiable by the scientific community, putting it outside the strict realm of science. But the whole idea that, somehow, we can access something outside ourselves if we know how or where to look… it makes for a great story, anyway. How it plays into the story of 999? We’ll save that for our fourth and final part of the series.

Locke’s Socks

This one isn’t really false… it’s just a philosophical concept. And there are things we can say are certainly true.

The scenario is attributed to John Locke, and it goes like this: suppose you had a favorite sock. You wore it almost every day. One day, it gets a hole in it. To remedy this problem, you sew a patch over the hole. Is it still the same sock? Reasonably, most people would say “yes, it’s still my favorite sock.” You continue to wear the same sock as more and more holes are made, and you continue to apply the “patching” solution to keep the sock functional. Eventually, the sock is made entirely of patches. Not an ounce of fiber from the original sock remains. Is it still your “favorite sock?” Is it the same sock?

I like Locke’s paradox the most, even though technically the first recorded paradox of this type being presented goes back to the ancient Ship of Theseus. The question is simple: is an object defined by its matter, or by its form/structure? When we get to the molecular level, we humans are almost forced to answer the latter. Because, by the time you’re 60 years old, the likelihood that there’s a single molecule in your body that was also present at birth is extremely unlikely. In fact, if there were one, it’s most likely because it has left you and come back than that it stuck around for all time. That’s why we eat and expel waste. It’s why we breathe, and drink, and sweat. Life continues to move. New Age enthusiasts love to talk about the fact that our physical being is made of atoms that were once part of the stars in the sky.

But it’s the same me, right?

And when I die, do I exist? Is my body me?

Asking these questions, and then shrugging them off so you can solve the next puzzle hurriedly and not die, is a great mixture. Uchikoshi = genius. But let’s keep going.

The Titanic and the Mummy

Here’s what 999 gets “right” (that is, as historical fact). The Titanic was one of three Olympic-class ocean liners built by the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Britain. They are the Titanic, the Olympic, and the Britannic (originally known as the Gigantic). The Titanic sunk on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic, which I’m sure you know. The Britannic was lost early in World War I, as it was hit by a German mine in 1916. But the original ship in the series, the Olympic, was in service for 24 years and was properly retired instead of being sunk. It held the nickname “Old Reliable.”

999′s script also notes, correctly, that the Gigantic (Britannic) was a hospital ship, and that the Olympic’s exact history post-retirement is a little vague (pieces of it have been auctioned off, but there are some disputes over who has what).

From here, we leave fact and head right into the territory of urban legend. Uchikoshi leverages the myth that the Titanic sunk due to a curse from an Egyptian Priestess Mummy. Whether or not the actual mummy was on the Titanic when it sank is speculative, but most experts claim there’s no reason to believe a mummy was actually on-board. But if she was… what then?

Uchikoshi twists your mind expertly as he begins to merge fact and urban legend with some of his own theorizing: for example, what if the named ships had their names switched at some time? What if the ship we call the Olympic was the actual Titanic? After all, why should the first-built ship be the best? The characters in 999 theorize, based on Zero’s reference to the Titanic’s sinking at the start of the game, that the ship they’re in is one of the Titanic’s sisters. But what if it’s the actual Titanic? And what if, somehow, the coffin of the mummy were still on board?

Wait, who cares?! Let’s just get off the ship!!

Wait wait wait, there’s more! Didn’t you guys hear that rumor that somehow, the mummy maintained her form perfectly for thousands of years? What if something like Ice-9 was the cause? What if she’s still alive? What if SHE’S Zero?!

In 999, the mummy takes on the name “Alice” (ALL-ICE), and she becomes, in the minds of the characters, a nefarious specter and possible perpetrator of all the evil going on around them. Talk about being disoriented. These people think a resurrected mummy is the serial killer with the high-tech gadgetry. But then again…

The Nonary Game / Intellectual Gladiators

As far as I can tell, there’s no urban legend or myth to support Uchikoshi’s most impressive dip into the realm of conspiracy theories. He cooks this one up entirely on his own. And I’ll just spell it out right here.

A wealthy man named Lord Gordain was one of the survivors of the sinking of the Titanic. After recuperating from the tragedy, he becomes obsessed with the Titanic. He begins to buy up and collect everything he possibly can related to the ship, including the mummy and her coffin (which is sold on the black market in New York after it floats ashore weeks after the Titanic sinks). Gordain also purchases the Olympic after it retires. Then, he fixes it up to look exactly like the Titanic and hosts “extravagant parties” there. Everything Titanic-related he owned is put on that ship, including the coffin.

Outside the game, in a fantastic spoiler-heavy Q&A with Uchikoshi, Aksys Games reveals that those extravagant parties brought about the first Nonary Game. Gordain would kidnap commoners: children, adults, personal enemies, whoever. They’d have to find their way off of his replica-Titanic within nine hours by way of solving various puzzles and finding keys. Working together, everyone could potentially survive. With distrust, they may all die (or kill each other). Or, to make it easy, a few might choose to kill the rest, as the puzzle is designed so that with fewer people, it is easier to escape the ship. Whoever isn’t off the ship within nine hours is executed.

And so Gordain, and his successors (children? friends? business associates? winners of previous games?), continued to make this “game” happen every nine years. That’s the lengthy lead-up to the year 2027, in which the events of the game 999 unfold. And that’s all important for our next article, which will be “character profiles!”

Before I sign off, some quick editorializing: Japan seems to love these “survival competitions,” conceptually. If you haven’t seen the gross-out gore-horror Battle Royale or its sequel … let’s just say, that will give you an idea. What I love about the Nonary Game is that everyone can survive. What I also love about it is that it has precious little to do with physical strength. To get out, you need to keep a level head and be extraordinarily smart. That includes social and emotional IQ, as you’ll have to “read the thoughts” of others around you. But now I’ve said too much!