Moving On

In the infinite void, you drift blissfully nonexistent. You are content with this thoughtless unreality. There are no worries here, no sweat, or scraped elbows, no hunger, no serially stubbed toes, and CERTAINLY no heartbreak. Though you wonder, if only for an instant, how long you have enjoyed this euphoric nothing. Just like that, with a great and terrible crash, your home, your euphoric abyssal unreality, begins to collapse. You DARED to sully it with a thought, a question at that, and now it's all coming apart. You feel the world pulling you, kicking and screaming, back to its muggy embrace. Unbidden and unwanted, memories begin to play through your head. This will not be fun. You're back at your old elementary school, standing in an empty classroom, a wet patch running down the left leg of your pants. Panic grips your heart as you see the other children returning. God, does this really have to be the FIRST thing you remember? (link-reveal-goto: "No one will make fun of you if they're scared of you. (+ Strength)", "ccs") [(set:$Strength to it + 1)] (link-reveal-goto: " You can probably sneak out before anyone even knows you were here. (+ Dexterity)", "ccd") [(set:$Dexterity to it + 1)] (link-reveal-goto: "A clever deception will get you out of this mess. (+ Wits)", "ccw") [(set:$Wits to it + 1)]

(if: $Health > 100) [(set: $Health to 100)] (if: $Strength < 1) [(set: $Strength to 1)] (if: $Dexterity < 1) [(set: $Dexterity to 1)] (if: $Wits < 1) [(set: $Wits to 1)] (if: $injury is 1)[ You're missing a canine and your leftmost incisor. Everything tastes like you're sucking a penny.](else-if: $injury is 2)[your arms are shoddily wrapped in bloody bandages. Warm pain radiates from a hundred different places.](else-if: $injury is 3)[your head is wrapped in an excessivey quantity of bandages, and throbs with pain whenever you move.] (if: $jacket is true)[You are wearing a proufoundly hideous jacket. It fit's you like a second skin, and you don't ever intend to remove it.] (if: $gloves is true)[You are wearing a pair of flexible leather gloves with rubber palms. These were a good find.] (print: "HEALTH: " + (str:$Health) + "/100") (if: $Health <= 0)[(go-to: "Dead")](else-if: $Health <= 33)[Raw determination is all that's kept your organs from failing.](else-if: $Health >= 66)[You feel Fine and well rested.](else:)[You're a bit battered and bruised.] (print: "STRENGTH: " + (str:$Strength)) (if: $Strength is 1 or 2)[You're built like a child with progeria. The fact that you are mobile is a medical anomaly.](else-if: $Strength is 3 or 4)[You can't go to the beach without children calling you shrimp and stealing your girlfriend.](else-if: $Strength is 5 or 6)[your body is wholly unremarkable. Congrats.](else-if: $Strength is 7 or 8)[You've labored tirelessly to chisel your body into peak physical condition. you once tore a fire hidrant out of the ground when you were thirsty.](else-if: $Strength is 9 or 10)[You have ascended to a level of physical fitness that hardly resembles human. The plebian hordes kowtow beneath the magnificence of your inhuman deltoids. However, with no more peaks to climb, you cannot shake a sense of emptiness.](else:)[ERROR] (print: "DEXTERITY: " + (str:$Dexterity)) (if: $Dexterity is 1 or 2)[Your joints might as well be fused. A geriatric shuffle is your top speed.](else-if: $Dexterity is 3 or 4)[You are profoundly unflexible. The last time you tried to touch your toes, you seriously injured yourself and several bystanders.](else-if: $Dexterity is 5 or 6)[Your flexibility and coordination are unremarkable.](else-if: $Dexterity is 7 or 8)[You could have been an Olympic gymnast. At least that's what you tell people, and no one has ever argued.](else-if: $Dexterity is 9 or 10)[You're a true contortionist. Capable of moving without producing any sound whatsoever and squeezing through any opening large enough to fit your head through. People are repulsed by the uncanny hybrid of man and serpent you have become.](else:)[ERROR] (print: "WITS: " + (str:$Wits)) (if: $Wits is 1 or 2)[You don't think good.](else-if: $Wits is 3 or 4)[people tend to talk to you as they would a child. Occasionally it's too advanced for you to keep up.](else-if: $Wits is 5 or 6)[People at parties tend to laugh at you. At least you're invited.](else-if: $Wits is 7 or 8)[You're a modern philosopher, capable of creating original ideas and expressing them with the sparkling charisma of a cult leader.](else-if: $Wits is 9 or 10)[Your hyper-charged mind has allowed you to glimpse beyond the pale, and see the hidden arithmetic of the universe. You're always three steps ahead, with plans like fractals, constantly splitting and branching, but all leading to the same end. This is mostly useful for party tricks, however. You've come full circle from a leader of men back to party clown.](else:)[ERROR] (link-reveal-goto: "Back", (history:)'s last) []

(if: $Cash is 0) [You're completely broke.] (else-if: $Cash is 1) [you have a single dollar to your name.] (else:) [ you are the proud owner of $(print: $Cash).] Your lucky lighter. (if: $whiskey is true)[ A Bottle of Jim Walters- The Good Stuff" whisky- a personal favorite (link:"drink")[ Some of the pain is gone but now you're a little tipsy (+25 -Wits) (set: $whiskey to false) (set: $Health to it + 25)(set: $Wits to it -1) ]] (if: $journalkey is true) [ A Small key found in Al's Journal] (if: $exitkey is true)[A shiny key you found under a piece of paper in the study] (if: $revolver is true)[A tarnished revolver you ripped from a corpses hand. It has (print:$bullets) slightly rusty bullets in the cylinder.] (if: $buttons is true)[you are carrying several plastic buttons. God knows why. ] (if: $pipe is true)[A pipe of unparrallelled craftsmanship. A weapon blessed by the careful hands of a master plumber.] (if: $radio is true)[A Walie-Talkie gifted to you by Asmita] (if: $tea is true)[A box of Green Farm Purifying Blend® tea. just holding it fills you with an inscrutable sense of dread.] (if: $rope is true)[A roughly 15 foot long strand of yellow nylon rope.] (if: $screwdriver is true)[An adjustable screwdriver. It has both flat and phillips heads in a variety of sizes.] (if: $tape is true)[A roll of office tape. It's adhesive is suprisingly strong considering its age.] (if: $candy is true)[A small bag of Sour Insects candy (+50 Health) (link:"eat")[the candy is stale, but you don't think you've ever had it when it wasn't. It feels good to have something solid in your stomach. (+ health) (set: $Health to it + 50)(set: $candy to false)]] (if: $water is true)[A bottle of lukewarm water (max Health) (link: "drink")[This might be the first time you've had actual water in days. You feel about a hundred times better. (set: $water to false)(set: $Health to 100)]] (if: $zap is true)[A bright orange can of ZAPP energy drink. You're pretty sure these were recalled a few decades back (+Wits and Dex) (link: "drink")[Oh god, why does it taste like pickle brine? It's foul but you do feel more alert.(set: $zap to false)(set: $Wits to it + 1)(set:$Dexterity to it + 1)]] (link-reveal-goto: "Back", (history:)'s last)[]

(unless: (passage:)'s tags contains "no-footer") [ (if: $radio is true)[(link-goto:"Call Asmita","call")] (if: $memory1 is false)[(link-reveal-goto:"Maybe you should go through some basic memories. Make sure nothing is gone for good", "memory1")[(set: $memory1 to true)]] (print: "DEX:" + (str:$Dexterity) + " " + "STR: " + (str:$Strength) + " " + "WIT: " + (str:$Wits)) [HEALTH: (print: $Health)/100] (link-reveal-goto: "Inventory", "Inventory")[(set: $showheader to false)] (link-reveal-goto: "Stats", "Stats")[(set: $showheader to false)] (if: $Health <= 0)[(go-to: "Dead") ] ] (icon-restart:"⟲", "Restart")

{(set: num-type $Strength to 4)(set: num-type $Dexterity to 4)(set: num-type $Wits to 4)(set: num-type $Cash to 1.75)(set: num-type $Health to 60)(set: num-type $injury to 0)(set: $name to "void")(set: $name2 to "void")(set: num-type $roll to (random:1,10))(set: $memory1 to false)  (set: $whiskey to false)(set: $tookbottle to false)(set: $jacket to false)(set: $revolver to false)(set: $bullets to 5)(set: $exitkey to false)(set: $radio to false)(set: $buttons to false)(set: $pipefound to false)(set: $pipe to false)   (set: $tubclean to 0)(set: $doorjam to true)(set: $tryjimmy to false)  (set: $couchsat to false)(set: $windowwipe to false)  (set: $sockcheck to false)(set: $closetcheck to false)(set: $btablecheckS to false)(set: $btablecheckD to false)(set: $btablecheckW to false)(set: $journal to false)(set: $tablesmash to false)(set: $journalkey to false)(set: $jacketboost to 0)  (set: $studyvisit to false)(set: $checkedcloset to false)  (set: $visitLedge to false)  (set: $bridgew to 0)  (set: $radiodrop to false)  (set: $memory2 to false)  (set: $tea to false)(set: $rope to false)  (set: $power to false)(set: $deskcheck to false)(set: $game to false)(set: $playedgame to false)  (set: $voltage to 0)(set:$fuse1 to false)(set:$fuse2 to false)(set:$fuse3 to false)(set:$fuse4 to false)(set:$fuse5 to false)  (set: $broken to false)(set: $punchglass to false)(set: $machinekilled to false)(set: $zap to false)(set: $zstock to 1)(set: $candy to false)(set: $cstock to 1)(set: $water to false)(set: $wstock to 1)(set:$tryshoot to false)(set: $gunknowledge to false)(set: $gunfire to 0)  (set: $ropeset to false)  (set: $screwdriver to false)(set: $pushlocker to false)(set: $trylocker to false)(set: $gloves to false)(set: $glovefail to false)  (set: $balls to false)(set: $tape to false)  (set: $paneloff to false)(set: $wire to false)(set: $wirefail to false)  (set: $remember to false)(set: $moveon to false)(set: $wallow to false)(set: $bored to false)  (set: $mhealth to 100)(set: $tryshoot1 to false)(set: $intro to false)(set: $poison to false)(set: $round2 to false)(set: $distance to 4)}

You're dead. Your body and your scant possessions have been tossed into a gutter so that you might exist in death as you did in life. (icon-restart:"⟲", "Restart")

At least it's over. Oh, wait.. no. Here comes another one. Cool. You're a teenager, sitting on the ragged couch you and your friends dragged out of that collapsed furniture store onto the overpass. You see your crush walk by with their new sweetheart, and something inside you snaps. THIS WILL NOT STAND. You stand up, ready to prove in front of everyone and GOD that you are the superior partner. You already know how this ends, but through sheer willpower, you intend to return to the void. The memory comes anyway. (link-reveal-goto: "Your crush's partner doesn't even look like they lift. Take them to the gun show. (+ Strength -Dexterity)", "cc2s") [(set:$Strength to it + 1) (set:$Dexterity to it - 1)] (link-reveal-goto: "Nothing is more impressive than parkour. (+ Dexterity -Wits)", "cc2d") [(set:$Dexterity to it + 1) (set:$Wits to it - 1)] (link-reveal-goto: "Surely they'll respond to FACTS and LOGIC. (+Wits -Strength)", "cc2w") [(set:$Wits to it + 1) (set:$Strength to it - 1)]

The next memory is blessedly recent. You may just be reaching the end of this crucible. In fact, you think it might have been... last night? Yeah, it must have been. Something happened, and you were... sad? You think? Your buddy Luke wanted to cheer you up. Yeah.. and he took you out on the town, which with Luke, of course, meant a prodigious showing of functional alcoholism. Things definitely got out of hand. What's the last thing you remember? Ok, you were at a bar. Both of you were completely sloshed. A drink was spilled, some words exchanged. Right, through your impressive inebriation, you could sense the shift in the crowd's mood that accompanies the transformation of a party to a brawl. Things get fuzzy after that. What did you do next? (link-reveal-goto: "'He who doesn't strike first will be first struck' -Sun Tsu, you think. (+Strength -Wits -Dexterity)", "cc3s") [(set:$Strength to it + 1) (set:$Dexterity to it - 1) (set:$Wits to it - 1) (set: $injury to 1)] (link-reveal-goto: "Once the punches started flying, you dove out the window. (+Dexterity -Wits -Strength)", "cc3d") [(set:$Strength to it - 1) (set:$Dexterity to it + 1) (set:$Wits to it - 1) (set: $injury to 2)] (link-reveal-goto: "You knew what was coming. You just left. (+Wits -Strength -Dexterity)", "cc3w") [(set:$Strength to it - 1) (set:$Dexterity to it - 1) (set:$Wits to it + 1) (set: $injury to 3)]

You beat poor little Tommy Mathus into the dirt when he laughed at you. Broke his arm. Great move, genius. Now everyone knows you wet yourself AND thinks you're a lunatic. (+ Strength) [[Excellent! Great memory! You look forward to it waking you up in a cold sweat for decades to come. |character creation 2]]

You managed to squeeze through the open window, only for your pants to get caught on the way out. Now you're dangling from your ankles, pantsless, and trying to avoid eye contact with the poor old woman who happened to be walking by. [[Excellent! Great memory! You look forward to it waking you up in a cold sweat for decades to come. |character creation 2]]

As soon as anyone starts asking any questions, you insist someone else did it. Yes, some mysterious unseen individual pissed your pants. The worst part is you really thought it was convincing. [[Excellent! Great memory! You look forward to it waking you up in a cold sweat for decades to come. |character creation 2]]

There was a burned-out car on the overpass, and you were ready to flip it in a display of pure animal strength and overwhelming power. You did get it to move a little, and you did get your crush's attention. They even rushed you to a doctor for the life-threatening hernia. In your pained delirium, you confessed your love on the way. They didn't talk to you much after that. [[And here you thought you'd repressed that one |character creation 3]]

You strode up to your crush confidently, ready to blast them into smoking dust with a veritable dissertation on why you'd make a better partner than that THING standing beside them. You were 20 minutes in before you realized that you maybe shouldn't have shown exactly how much you knew about them and that just maybe you might have been stalking them. It was cause for some beneficial introspection after your crush's partner beat ten kinds of crap out of you. [[And here you thought you'd repressed that one |character creation 3]]

You figured if you put on enough of a show, your crush would drop that handsome, rich loser, and finally join you as your soulmate. After running full pelt to gain speed, you pulled a double handspring back tuck that bystanders would later describe as 'flawless' and 'sublime'. You did, however, somewhat misjudge the exact position of the overpass's edge. On the bright side, the dumpster you fell in was full of particularly soft medical waste, even if you couldn't get the smell out for weeks. [[And here you thought you'd repressed that one |character creation 3]]

If there was going to be a brawl, you figured you might as well be at the center of it. You broke your barstool over the back of the first guy you saw and knocked him right out of his wheelchair. Rather than kicking the fight into high gear, it only focused everyone's attention and, now righteous, anger at you. You ended up getting some good hits in, but regardless ended up a few teeth poorer, swearing indignantly as you were thrown out. [[Well that explains why your mouth feels moree spacious than usual. |character creation 4]]

You can do that. You don't have to be a part of every fight that occurs within a 100-meter radius of you. You grabbed your cup, pulled Luke by the arm, and stood outside the front door to finish your drink. As shouts and crashes poured from the open doorway, you couldn't help but smile to yourself. The chumps in there couldn't even see something as obvious as that melee coming. You chuckled to yourself right up to the moment when a poorly aimed bottle shattered against the back of your skull. [[A concussion does help explain your current situation. |character creation 4]]

As soon as you heard any noise rising above the usual boisterous din of the pub, you fired yourself as if from a howitzer through the large plate glass window at the front of the bar. You looked pretty cool doing it too until all the shattered glass started to fall on you. People should have lauded you as a hero for stopping the fight, not questioned what was wrong with you, or demanded you pay to replace the window. Well, the joke's on them you didn't even pay your tab. You chuckled to yourself as you walked down the street, picking shards of glass out of your arms. [[Some cuts and puncture wounds are a small price to pay for being a hero. |character creation 4]]

Fine, You've given up. You can't go back to the inviting nothing of the abyss. You are this thing. This pile of embarrassing memories and pain. You know you must open your eyes, but something is still missing. Something important to the core of who you are. (link:"What is your name?") [(set: $name to (prompt: [What's Your Name], "Jay", "Don't care", "Confirm")) (unless: $name is "void") [[Wake up | Dark Room]]]

You wake in an unfamiliar room, slumped against a wall, arm over some oddly shaped chair, whiskey bottle still in hand. You struggle to untangle your limbs enough to stand. As you rise, the tile walls echo with a choir of countless bottles clinking and crashing as they bounce along the floor. You choke at the stench as you stagger into the middle of the room. Where the hell are you? [[Turn on the lights. | Bathroom]]

The harsh fluorescent lights flicker on with a rattle and a buzz. You shield your eyes, your head throbbing, each photon like a gunshot to your ailing brain. No amount of cover your hands can provide will help you here. You take a moment to look around. Well, It's definitely a bathroom. Not YOUR bathroom, but a bathroom. That's a start. To your right theres a cracked (link:"sink.")[ sink. An experimental turn of the faucet produces nothing but a creaking in the pipes. (if: $tookbottle is false)[A bottle of "Jim Walters- The Good Stuff" whisky lays in the basin. The bottle appears to have a little bit of liquid left in it. ](else:)[you already took the whiskey bottle that was here] (unless: $tookbottle is true)[(link: "take bottle")[(set:$whiskey to true)(set: $tookbottle to true)]]] To your left is a (link:"bathtub")[(if: $tubclean is 0)[bathtub. A horrible stench emanates from the ceramic beast. Gathering your courage, you slowly lean over to see what unholy thing could possibly be so putrid. Different textures and exotic colors swirl in and out of each other in a pile of vomit. It brings to mind an undiscovered toxic deep sea creature, forced explosively into surface pressure. (link: "Turn on water")[The pipes gurgle and shudder as you turn the handle. Brown water pours from the faucet, washing away in some small part, last night's mistakes. The stench subsides. (set: $tubclean to 2)]] (else-if: $tubclean is 2) [The bathtub is thick with mold and grime, but at least it doesn't smell anymore. ]] On the floor is a comical number of (link:"bottles.")[bottles. A cavalcade of every type of alcohol you know and a few you don't. There's no way you drank all of these. Not in one night.] (if: $doorjam is true) [behind you is a (link: "door.")[door. The knob turns freely but the door refuses to open. It must be jammed. (if: $tubclean is 2)[Not distracted by stench +2] (unless: $tryjimmy is true)[(link:"try and jimmy it (wits)")[ (if: $roll-$tubclean <= $Wits)[ (set: $doorjam to false)(go-to:"door success")] (else:)[You jiggle the door ineffectually for a few minutes before giving up. (set: $tryjimmy to true)]]] (link: "force it open (strength)")[ (if: $roll-$tubclean <= $Strength)[(set: $doorjam to false)(go-to:"door success 2")] (else:)[ (set: $Health to it - 20)(set: $doorjam to false)(go-to:"door fail")]]] ] (if: $doorjam is false)[[ Living room]]

You masterfully jiggle the door until it gently swings open without a sound. [[ Go through the newly opened doorway. | Living room]]

You take a few steps back and hurl your weight against the door. You aren't sure if the crack you hear is the wood fracturing or your shoulder. (-20 health) [[ Go through the newly opened doorway. | Living room]]

Taking a few steps back, you aim a vicious kick at the door right next to the knob. The crumbling wooden doorframe is no match for your might. In a shower of splinters, the door swings open. You pump your fist. [[ Go through the newly opened doorway. | Living room]]

You walk out into what was probably once someone's living room, but now it's hardly cozy. The ceiling has collapsed, rendering half of the room inaccessible. The little light that illuminates the room comes diffused through a small window, so dusty that you can't see outside. (if: $couchsat is false)[sit on the (link:"half-couch.")[half-couch. You may have only moved ten feet from where you started, but feel like you deserve a break. You have to hunch over the slanted ceiling to get there, but it's absolutely worth it. The couch is remarkably comfortable. You sink deep into it and take a deep breath. For a brief, beautiful moment, the throbbing in your head subsides. +15 health(set: $Health to it +15)(set: $couchsat to true) (if: $roll < $Dexterity)[( Dexterity check pass) As you stand, you feel something moving between the cushions. Sweet! You found $1.25 in quarters! (set: $Cash to it + 1.25)]]] (if:$windowwipe is false)[wipe the (link:"window.")[window. You move to wipe the dust off the window and look outside to get your bearings. It takes you a few moments of rubbing it with your sleeve to realize that most of the dirt is on the outside. You still can't see anything distinct through the window.(set: $windowwipe to true)]] (else:)[The grimy window taunts you from its place on the wall.] There are several doors here. One leads back to the [[ Bathroom]]. Another leads to a [[Bedroom]]. Another goes to some kind of [[Study]]. (if: $exitkey is false and $journalkey is false)[The final door looks like the exit, but is visibly (link: "locked")[locked The front door to the apartment has been sealed shut with a chain and padlock. Disquietingly, it's been locked from the inside. This seems to suggest one of three things. 1. there's another exit 2. someone is in here with you And perhaps the most strange of all 3. You locked yourself in here, which means the key has to be around here somewhere.]] (else_if: $exitkey is true or $journalkey is true)[ The front of the apartment has been sealed shut with a chain and padlock. (if: $journalkey is true)[Try the (link: "small key")[small key The key doesn't fit the lock]] (if: $exitkey is true)[Try the (link: "shiny key")[shiny key The chains fall away from the door as you turn the key. The outside awaits. (link-goto: "exit", "Ledge")]] ] (if: $visitledge is true)[ [[Step Outside |Ledge]] ]

Everything in the room, from the messy bed to the empty bookcase, is covered in a sheet of dust. No one has been in here for years. That means no one will mind if you poke around. There's a window in here too, but its condition is much the same as that in the living room. check under the (link:"bed.")[bed. Theres nothing under the bed but more dust and a lonely sock forever separated from its partner.(if: $sockcheck is false and $roll < $Wits) [ (Wits check pass) You check under the sock for thoroughness's sake and find 50 cents. You rob the lonesome sock of its sole possession. (set: $Cash to it + .50)](set: $sockcheck to true)] (if: $journal is false)[ Beside the bed, theres a bedside (link: "table.")[table. It has a drawer that jams the moment you try and open it.(if: $btablecheckW is false)[ (link: "Try and fix it (wits)")[(if: $roll <= $Wits)[ (goto:"Table Pass W")](else:)[You have no idea where to even start. You Keep rattling the drawer back and forth in the vain hope that this will somehow miraculously fix it. It doesn't. (set: $btablecheckW to true)(set: $roll to (random: 1, 10))]]](else:) [You have no Idea how to fix the drawer] (if: $btablecheckD is false)[(link: "reach your fingers in the crack and try and clear the block Dexterity)")[(if: $roll <= $Dexterity)[(go-to: "Table Pass D")](else:)[Your fingers get caught in the crack, and you can barely free them. You probably shouldn't try that again. (set: $btablecheckD to true)(set: $roll to (random: 1, 10))]]](else:)[If you put your fingers back in the crack, you may have to chew them off to free yourself.] (if: $btablecheckS is false)[(unless: $jacketboost is 0)[Your new jacket lends you some of its power. (+(print: $jacketboost) Strength)] (link: "Bust it open (strength)")[(if: $roll <= $Strength + $jacketboost)[(set: $tablesmash to true)(go-to: "Table Pass S")](else:)[You brace your foot against the bedside table and pull on the drawer's handle. Your muscles ripple and bulge as your eyes bug out of your skull. A moment later, you're sprawled on the floor, the handle in your hand. The bedside table stands monolithic over you. You know you've been bested. (set:$btablecheckS to true)(set: $roll to (random: 1, 10))]]](else:) [You dare not challenge the bedside table in a battle of strength again.]]](else-if: $journal is true and $tablesmash is true)[what was once a bedside table is now a pile of splinters and broken legs.](else-if: $journal is true)[The bedside table sits open, all its secrets revealed.] (if: $journal is true)[A red leather journal, apparently once having belonged to Al sits on the bed waiting to be read. [[read |Journal]] ] look at the (link: "bookcase")[bookase. There are no books in the bookcase. You guess it's just a case.] (if: $closetcheck is false) [check (link: "closet.")[closet. All the clothes here are moth-eaten and ragged, all except one jacket. Somehow still hanging, undisturbed this may be the most hideous garment you have ever seen. Thai dye and plaid war for real estate over seas of equally eye-searing yellow and cyan. It's possible this abomination survived by instilling primal fear in the moths that ate its brethren. There's a hypnotic quality to it, though. Maybe it's just your alcohol poisoned mind, but it seems to call to you. "Wear me and be wreathed in my benevolence." it seems to say as its colors and patterns shift and warp. You realize you have started to reach for the jacket. (link-reveal-goto: "Wear The Jacket", "took jacket")[(set:$jacket to true)(set: $closetcheck to true)(set: $jacketboost to 2)] (link-reveal-goto: "Resist the urge", "left jacket")[(set: $closetcheck to true)]]](else-if: $closetcheck is true and $jacket is true)[The door to the closet is left open. You have freed the thing inside. The jacket seems to tighten around you.](else-if:$closetcheck is true and $jacket is false)[ The closet door is shut and barricaded. You dare not open it again, lest the aberration inside escape. May it never breach its seal and run rampant across the world. ] [[ Living room]]

(set: $studyvisit to true) What awaits you in the study isn't the strangest thing you've seen, but it's certainly a strong contender. The room is in complete disarray. A library's worth of loose pages and technical documents are spread across the room, pinned to walls, and connected by bits of red twine. A mummified corpse in a blue jumpsuit is collapsed over the desk, a revolver in its hand and a hole through its head. examine (link:"documents")[documents Most of the documents appear to be maps of different cities' sewer systems. One is scribbled over in red ink with incoherent notes and symbols. (if: $roll < $wits + 3) [(Wits check pass) Wait, you recognize the marked-up map. It's of Sant Puño's sewers. You've looked at a similar map when planning smuggling runs.] (if:$exitkey is false)[All the documents carry a thick layer of dust except for one. It must have been moved recently (link: "check underneath it")[Under the page is a a shiny key. You take it with you. (set: $exitkey to true)]]] examine (link:"body")[body The body is desiccated. It must have been here for years. It's wearing a faded blue jumpsuit with a logo on the back depicting a smiling cartoon man in a similar blue jumpsuit holding a monkey wrench. "Clog Stoppers," it says, written in bold block letters. The corpse's right-hand hangs from the table, (if: $revolver is false)[a revolver still clutched in its skeletal hand. You're no CSI but it seems like this poor soul, Ted according to his nametag, took his own life.] (else:)[You've snapped all its fingers to liberate the gun it once held. According to the nametag, this corpse was once called Ted] (if: $revolver is false)[(link: "check revolver")[check revolver you're hardly a gun expert. You have no idea if this thing will even fire after however long it's been hanging here. That said, guns, even broken ones, are hard to come by these days and should be worth a hefty price if you can find a buyer. Maybe today isn't all bad after all. (link:"take revolver")[take revolver "Sorry pal," you mumble as you snap the mummy's fingers back to get at the revolver. The gun has a satisfying weight in your grip. It takes you some time to figure out how to open the cylinder, and when you do, it grinds open, fighting years of grime. Five of the six chambers hold slightly rusted bullets. You hope they're still good. (set: $revolver to true) ]]]] (if: $buttons is false)[check the (link: "desk drawers.")[desk drawers. You open each desk drawer in turn, and find nothing but a few loose buttons. (link: "take buttons")[take buttons What? why? It's just some circular pieces of plastic. (link:"just take the buttons")[Ok, fine! You can have the buttons..(set: $buttons to true)]]]] (if: $checkedcloset is false)[check the (link: "broom closet")[You jiggle the door handle experimentally. It appears to be locked. (if: $exitkey is true)[(link:"Try the shiny key")[The key is too big to fit the lock]] (if: $journalkey is true)[(link: "Try the small key")[The key fits the lock. It turns with a satisfying clunk. (link-goto: "enter", "broom closet")]] ]] (else:)[ [[broom closet]]] [[ Living room]]

Its sentence in this musty cell has been served in full. You only hope the world is ready for this being's return. You feel emboldened as your arms slip through the jacket's sleeves. It fits PERFECTLY. ( + DEX and STR) (set: $Dexterity to it + 1) (set: $Strength to it +1) [[Back |Bedroom]]

Alarm bells sound in your mind. This thing is EVIL. It must never escape. You slam the closet shut, but you don't think the door alone can hold that THING now that it's awakened. Only once you've blocked the door with the bookcase do you allow yourself a sigh of relief. [[Back |Bedroom]]

You assume that the drawer has fallen off its track. You lift it slightly and tilt it left and then right. With a satisfying CLUNK, it realigns itself. The drawer slides open almost on its own. Inside the drawer is a journal bound in red leather. The name "Al" is scrawled across the front in thick black felt tip strokes. (link-reveal-goto: "Go back to examining the room.", "Bedroom") [(set: $journal to true))]

Something large and rough is blocking the drawer from opening. With some finagling, you flatten the drawer's contents, allowing you to pull it open. The drawer is empty aside from the blockage, a journal bound in red leather. The name "Al" is scrawled across the front in thick black felt tip strokes. (link-reveal-goto: "Go back to examining the room", "Bedroom") [(set: $journal to true))]

You aren't about to play around with a piece of wood. You hoist the bedside table over your head and hurl it on the ground. It explodes in a hail of splinters. Inside the shattered carcass of the nightstand is a journal bound in red leather. The name "Al" is scrawled across the front in thick black felt tip strokes. (link-reveal-goto: "Go back to examining the room", "Bedroom") [(set: $journal to true))]

The pages of the journal detail the daily exploits of a man named Al, who is so deeply horrifically boring that you are quietly grateful that (if: $studyvisit is true)[he's probably dead in the other room.](else:)[you haven't had the displeasure of meeting him.] The last few pages are more interesting, however. Each one is written in progressively a shakier hand. "April 13, 2036 I Have HAD IT with these incompetent plumbers at Clog Stoppers. Three times they've come here and told me they've fixed the bathroom sink, and THREE TIMES, has it not been fixed. I can't live here without a working sink in the bathroom. It's UNSANITARY. I'm going to march down to their office and talk to their manager. That'll show those lazy bastards." "April 14, 2036 The plumbers are up to something. The manager made me wait for 8 MINUTES. The gall! So, of course, I poked around their office and I found this map. It looked like a map of the sewers or something, but they didn't look right. Too circular. I'm going to look into this. Maybe they're trying to rob a bank or something. I could be a hero if I foil their plans." "April 16, 2036 This whole situation is bigger than I thought. I was right. The sewer isn't like any other I could find maps of. It's not like one group of plumbers is responsible for the entire city's civic engineering. This must go back generations. I'm trying to make sense of it. There are symbols hidden in the plumbing. Why is my building at the center? I'm definitely not calling those guys again. I can make do with the kitchen sink" "April 20, 2036 The plumbers came today, but I never called them. They said they were responding to my complaint, that they'd fix my sink, but I don't believe that for an instant. I told them that I'd fixed it myself. I don't think they were convinced. They might be onto me. "April 23, 2036 I'm SO close to understanding. The longer I start at this map, at these symbols, the more I understand them. I'm starting to see the hidden logic and read the intention behind them. I don't think I'm safe here. Someone just came to my door. I saw them through the peephole. They were dressed like a missionary, but it was one of the plumbers from the other day. I recognized his face. What do I do? I can't just leave. Whatever they're up to it's happening here, and if my hunch is right, I can't let them in." "April 30, 2036" I've hit a wall. As hard as I try I can't figure out what they're planning. The symbols won't speak to me anymore. More of those thugs come every day. They even pretended to be the police. If I'm going to crack this I need to go back to where it started. I had a fake uniform made. Today I'm Ted. Whoever finds this, know that the plumbers at Clog Stoppers are insane. They're playing with powers far beyond their control, ~~focusing spiritual energy FOR GENERATIONS into a single spot~~. It doesn't matter. If they obtain what they're after who knows what they'll do with it. I've done what I can to stop it. I found what they were looking for first and replaced it. The real one is locked in my broom closet with a dozen fakes. Tomorrow I dispose of it. (written in rushed and shaky hand) They must have seen me while I was sneaking around. They look ready to bust my door down. I'm hiding this journal if you're reading this, trust no one. Find a way to get it to the media. My name is Al Koski and I have no intention of killing myself. Don't let them get away with this. (if: $journalkey is false) [As you leaf through the last page of the journal a small key falls out. Neat! (if: $jacket is false)[you tuck it into your pocket.] (else:)[You tuck it into the chest pocket of your hideous jacket.](set: $journalkey to true)] [[Bedroom]]

Alright, let's go through the basics. Your name is (print: $name). you are in the city of Santa Puño, California. It is June 2052 You are a smuggler working for the Vapor Punks No Problem with the basics. Now how about last night's events. The memories play back as a blur and occasionally disappear altogether. A few loose snippets do stick out. There was an argument You made a new friend You walked a tightrope with your arms full You ensured you'd have a one-man party You gave Ted something important. And that's all you can dredge from the drunken abyss of last night's events. At least it's something. (link-reveal-goto: "Back", (history:)'s last)[]

You were really expecting some incredible treasure or an ancient artifact. Instead, the closet is full of different lengths of pipe. It's like the dumpster behind a plumbing supply shop. What a disappointment. (if:$roll < $Wits + 3 and $checkedcloset is false)[Well, the journal did say there would be decoys. Maybe It's worth giving this more of a thorough search. You meticulously sift through the different bits of pipe, until your hand brushes up against something electric. It looks like a pipe, it IS a pipe, but it's so much more than that. You've never seen anything quite so perfect as this steel wonder. Its balance is flawless. You swing it experimentally. The sound of it cutting through the air is nothing less than musical. Years ago, a man surrounded by the heat and thrumb of a factory wiped the sweat from his brow. He took a breath and decided that he was to make his mater piece. This pipe, this length of steel and copper, would be his Mona Lisa, The implement by which he would achieve immortality, living forever in the hearts and minds of a loving world. You feel stronger just holding it. Though the world outside is a mystery, you know that with this pipe by your side, you can bludgeon any challenge it throws your way. It shall be your Excaliber. Your mind feels sharper just from holding it. (+ WITS) (set: $Wits to it + 1)(set: $pipe to true)(set:$pipefound to true)] (set: $checkedcloset to true) [[Study]]

(set: $visitledge to true) Warm sunlight bathes you as you step out through the door. The light blinds you, and the pain in your head goes berzerk. You have to take a minute to close your eyes and adjust. The fresh are at least helps your nausea. Finally, you open your eyes and try and get your bearings. JESUS CHRIST you stumble back from a ledge that must drop 30 stories. One more step, and you would have been a smear on the asphalt. You're standing in what used to be an apartment building's hallway. Half the building has fallen away, giving you a clear view of the scenic beaches and rubble of Santa Puño. Your elders (usually the ones who used to be rich) tell you the city used to be much nicer before the San Andreas fault turned it into a landfill, but this world suits you just fine. You don't even need to look around to know where you are. This half-building is visible all over town, though no one is stupid enough to climb it, unstable as it is. Well, you thought anyway. Apparently, drunk you has transcended to a new realm of idiocy. The good news is your bunk is only a few miles away. The bad news is you have no idea how to get down. Where do you even start? You feel like you're staring at a beached whale, and you have a plastic fork in your hand. This building used to be made of two towers connected by bridges every ten or so floors. The other tower looks more intact, so getting across might be a good start. You can see the remains of one of the bridges a few floors down. Getting down should be easy enough, but you probably won't be coming back. This will be your last chance to search that apartment. [[ Living room]] (link:"Climb down. (Strength + Dexterity)")[ (if:($roll + 3) < ($Strength + $Dexterity))[(set: $roll to (random: 1,10))(go-to:"climb pass")] (else:)[(set: $roll to (random: 1,10))(set: $Health to it -20)(go-to:"climb fail")] ]

You managed to shimmy your way down but lose your grip about a story above your destination. You hit the ground like a ragdoll. Just be glad the floor was relatively flat. (-20 health) [[Dust yourself off and move on to the bridge. |BRIDGE]]

You shimmy hop and jump your way down. Confidently leaping between the sturdiest-looking hunks of concrete and hanging from exposed rebar in an impressive display of athleticism. [[Stretch you shoulders as you approach the bridge.|BRIDGE]]

What you're looking at less resembles a bridge than a gameshow obstacle course for the mentally deranged. Most of the floor has fallen away. If you want to cross, you'll have to balance across an exposed I-beam. The wind blasts by in gusts up here. You'll be lucky if it doesn't sweep you off as you try to cross. On the other side, a woman reclines in a lawn chair, taking in the sun. She appears to be asleep. (link: "Call Out")[Call out You can barely hear yourself over the wind. There's no way she can.] There has to be a way to make this (link: "easier (Wits)")[easier (Wits) (if: $roll < $Wits)[(set: $roll to (random: 1,10))(go-to:"Bridge PassW") ](else:)[ You spend a few minutes thinking about how you'd reinforce this bridge if you had the right tools, materials, education, or inclination. Alas, you have none of these.(set: $roll to (random: 1,10))]] There's nothing left to do at this point aside from (link: "just crossing.")[just crossing. (if: $roll < $Dexterity)[(set: $roll to (random: 1,10))(go-to:"Bridge PassD")] (else:)[(set: $roll to (random: 1,10))(set: $Health to it - 20)(go-to: "Bridge FailD")]]

(set: $radio to true) You swing your arm in a smooth motion that doesn't betray your internal panic. The object fits into your hand like a key into a lock. You look down to find you're holding an old walkie-talkie. Asmita languidly holds up an arm from her reclined position, revealing the walkie-talkies partner. She pulls it down and talks into it. You hear her voice double from her and your new radio. "These things have a pretty good range. Call me if you run into anything weird. I've been all over this crap sack building and might be able to help. You offer her thanks. [[She gives you a thumbs up.| Hallway]]

(set: $radiodrop to true) You jerk your hand manically at the object, making a dozen micro-adjustments and corrections, trying and failing to get closer. You don't even make contact. Watching in slowed time, you see a walkie-talkie sail over your right shoulder. It plinks off the ground once. Twice. And over the ledge, it goes. You're frozen, still looking over your shoulder at the spot where for a moment, the was a walkie-talkie. Asmita's irritated voice snaps you back to reality. "Dude." You may not be able to see her eyes behind her shades, but you're sure they're squinting in mystified disbelief at your incompetence. "Well, I was going to give you a radio to give advice on your way down, but I guess that's not happening now. Good luck, I guess." She seems skeptical that you'll make it very far. [[Oh, uh, thank's anyway.| Hallway]]

You take a few minutes to look around for stable pieces of debris from the surrounding wreckage. Once you've gathered enough suitably long and sturdy pieces, you lay them over the gaps between solid chunks of floor on the bridge. You cross your makeshift path with little trouble. "pretty clever there (print: $name)" says an unfamiliar voice The young woman lays far back in her lawn chair, barely lifting her head to see you. She's wearing a Hawaiin shirt with a pattern of colorful little cartoon skulls, all the buttons undone but the top. It flaps in the wind as she appraises you from behind gold-rimmed aviator sunglasses. "Though the first time was far more exciting. I give this one a four." How does she know you? You've never seen this woman before in your life. [["Do I know you?" | Other Side]]

(if: $jacket is false)["What?' You seem to have offended her. "And here I thought we really gelled the other night. I guess you were pretty goddamned blasted, though. Can't hold it against you too much.' She lets her weight fall back into her chair. "UGH! I hate introductions, and here you're making me do it again.""] (else:)["What?' You seem to have offended her. "And here I thought we really gelled the other night. I guess you were pretty god damned blasted, though. Can't ho-' She stifles a laugh. Her train of thought has left the station. "Dude. what is that jacket. It- It's- You look like the 1990s threw up all over you." You pat the jacket's sleeve to comfort it. You know that she didn't mean that. She lets her weight fall back into her chair. "Well, I guess you're gonna make me introduce myself again, huh?"] Wait wait you think you remember her (link:"name") [(set: $name2 to (prompt: [That's right. her name is:], "Elle", "Don't remember", "Confirm")) (if: $name2 is "Asmita")[Wow you actually remembered. How kind. [[Mind if I aska few question |Asmita]] ] (else:)[ What? No. That's not even close. You nervously laugh to yourself, and squeak out a "sorry." She sits up in her chair, putting all her weight on the left armrest. "I'm Asmita, and you're (print:$name). Are we good? Can we move on now? [[Mind if I ask a few questions? |Asmita]] ]]

You've learned to trust your inexplicable (and inconsistent) cat-like balance and coordination. Even the strongest winds couldn't dream of making you stumble as you march across. To you, this I-beam might as well be a four-lane highway. Halfhearted clapping greets you on the other side. (link-goto: "End your performance with a bow.","Bow") (link-goto: "Resist the urge.", "No Bow")

Two steps in, and you slip. For one glorious second, it feels like you're flying. The next second, your face is pressed painfully against beam, your spine bent so your feet are above your head. (-20 health) You scramble to grip the sides. Someone upstairs must have taken a shine to you because, in any just world, you would have just plummeted to your death. You aren't about to roll those dice again. You spend the next ten minutes scooting along the I-beam like a dog with worms. When you finally crawl onto the opposite side, you're greeted with uproarious laughter. At the moment, falling almost seems preferable. "(print:$name) man, what the hell was that? Are you somehow more drunk than last time?" The young woman lays far back in her lawn chair, barely lifting her head to see you. She's wearing a Hawaiin shirt with a pattern of colorful little cartoon skulls, all the buttons undone but the top. It flaps in the wind as she wipes a tear from behind her gold-rimmed aviator sunglasses. "Ten out of ten!" She announces "Excellent performance!" How does she know you? You've never seen this woman in your life. [["Do I know you?" | Other Side]]

You perform a deep and theatrical bow, left hand on your chest, right arm splayed out. Your audience whistles in approval. The young woman lays far back in her lawn chair, barely lifting her head to see you. She's wearing a Hawaiin shirt with a pattern of colorful little cartoon skulls, all the buttons undone but the top. It flaps in the wind as she appraises you from behind gold-rimmed aviator sunglasses. "well damn (print: $name). That was almost as impressive as the first time. Bonus points for the flare, though. I give it an eight." How does she know you? You've never seen this woman in your life. [["Do I know you?" | Other Side]]

You know if you were to encourage your fans, they'd only demand an encore, and there is no way you're doing that again any time soon. "Not as impressive as the last time (print: $name), but still not bad' says an unfamiliar voice." The young woman lays far back in her lawn chair, barely lifting her head to see you. She's wearing a Hawaiin shirt with a pattern of colorful little cartoon skulls, all the buttons undone but the top. It flaps in the wind as she appraises you from behind gold-rimmed aviator sunglasses. "I give it a seven. Need's a little je ne sais quoi." How does she know you? You've never seen this woman in your life. [["Do I know you?" | Other Side]]

(unless: $radio is true or $radiodrop is true)[She falls back into her chair and throws her hands up in histrionic exasperation.] [[How'd we meet]] [[what happened last night]] [[Why are you up here]] [[Has anyone come looking for me]] [[Is it safe to go down]] [[Got any spare change?]] (if: $radio is true or $radiodrop is true)[ [[Say goodbye and move on.|Goodbye]] ] (else:)[ [[Head out.|Radio]] ]

"Oh! Before you go, take this." She tosses you something. It's a gentle lob directly at you. Time seems to slow. If you don't catch this, it's going to be embarrassing. You swallow hard as your sweaty hand reaches for the object. (link: "Grab it (Dex)")[ (if: $roll < $Dexterity + 2)[(set: $roll to (random: 1,10))(go-to:"Catch Pass")] (else:)[(set: $roll to (random: 1,10))(go-to: "Catch Fail")]]

Asmita tilts her head toward you only slightly as you want by. "catch ya later, pal." [[ Move on | Hallway]]

This part of the building seems to be made of different offices. There are several doors, each with its own sign. At the end of the hallway, there's an elevator, its door cracked open. Next to it is a colorful "good drink" brand vending machine. [[Asmita]] [[Greenfarm Tea]] [[Clever Conjecture Games]] [[Elevator]] (if: $broken is false)[ [[Vending Machine]] ] (else:)[ [[Vending Machine|Vending Machine Broken]]] [[Stairs]]

You pull out your walkie-talkie and try to call Asmita (if: (history:)'s last is " Hallway")[You Hear her voice doubled. "Dude, are you really calling me from like ten feet away. Just come over here and talk to me if you have a question."] (if: (history:)'s last is "fusebox")["Oh, you're trying to fix the power. I haven't bothered with it in a while. It always goes out before long. I know the last fuse is supposed to be on, but I don't remember anything else."] (if: (history:)'s last is "Vending Machine" and $power is false)["Checking out that vending machine, huh? Still works if you've got some cash on you. You'll have to turn on the power in the room with the dragon painting first, though."] (else:)["Checking out that vending machine, huh? Snacks are fair game if you can afford them."] (if: (history:)'s last is "Vending Machine Broken")["Did you really destroy the vending machine instead of paying like 5 bucks? You're like next-level stingy." She says it with approval."] (if: (history:)'s last is " Elevator interior")["I'm PRETTY sure that elevator is safe. I could never get it working, but hey, it hasn't disastrously collapsed yet."] (if: (history:)'s last is "Elevator")["I'm PRETTY sure that elevator is safe. I could never get it working, but hey, it hasn't disastrously collapsed yet."] (if: (history:)'s last is "Greenfarm Tea")["Oh, you're in that room with all the boxes. Not sure whats going on with it, but it always gives me a weird vibe. Take whatever you want in there I guess."] (if: (history:)'s last is "Stairs" and $power is false)["Checking out the collapsed stairwell? It's pretty spooky with the lights off, huh? There's some stuff down there, but you'll probably want to turn the lights on in the dragon room first. Also, don't just jump down there. I know you're thinking about it, and it's a bad idea."] (else:)["There's some stuff down there. Don't know if I'd call it good stuff, but it's still stuff if you want to check it out."] (if: (history:)'s last is "Downstairs")["There's some stuff down there. Don't know if I'd call it good stuff, but it's still stuff if you want to check it out."] (if: (history:)'s last is "Clever Conjecture Games")["Hell Yeah! You're in the dragon room, aren't you? I have no idea what it used to be used fo,r but I like the paintings, and there was some pretty good stuff to scavenge, too. Shame the bodies in their kind of ruin the mood."] (if: (history:)'s last is "Santa Puno Wholesale")["You in that room with the blocked door? I can't tell you how many times I've tried to get in there. Damn, locker is too heavy. I bet there's something really cool back there too. I guess if you can get in, you get first dibs on whatever you find. Aren't I nice? "] (if: (history:)'s last is "Johnson Johnson Johnson and Johnson Law offices")["Let me guess. You found the flag shed. That's what I call it. There's nothing in there but office supples. I'd look somewhere else if you want something valuable."] (if: (history:)'s last is "Hidden Room")["You made it in!? What's in there? Wait, it's seriously just a closet with a bunch of TVs. Dude, that's so LAAAAAAAME."] (link-reveal-goto: "Back", (history:)'s last)[]

" So here I was after a pretty crap day when you bust in hauling an entire liquor store. Seriously, I have no idea how you got all those bottles up here. You seemed like a fun enough guy, and I've got to say I was pretty curious about what your whole deal was. So, I joined you for a few drinks." She gives you a long look. "you're a lot more fun when you're drunk." [[back|Asmita]]

" Last night? Not a whole lot. Spent it stargazing." She looks appreciatively at the clear blue California sky. "Wait, do you mean when we met? Dude, that was like two nights ago." (link: "Wait. Two nights?")[ Her face twists with either concern or amusement. It's hard to tell with the glasses. "Yeah, it's Tuesday today, and you came up here Saturday. " She counts on her fingers "So yeah, two night's ago. We had a few drinks, talked for a long time." (link:"What about?") [ "Relationships. Good and bad ones. Mostly mixed ones. Our place in the world. How to be better. You had some pretty insightful things to say. It was honestly pretty nice. I don't have those kinds of talks often. " (link:"What then?") ["You got up and declared, 'It's time to make this a party of one' or something. You just gathered up all the bottles with anything left in em in your arms and skipped across that I-beam, and disappeared into the night as quick as you came. Was damn surreal. Kinda half thought I was dreaming until your friends came by yesterday."]]] [[back|Asmita]]

Asmita looks down at the tiny city below. It looks like a fight has broken out. Probably Vapor Punks caught too far from their territory. "Some scuzzy-looking blonde dude came poking around here yesterday asking after you. Seemed pretty concerned. I told him that if you didn't fall off the tower, you probably drank yourself to death. Think he said his was like Leon or something." (link: "Luke?")[ "Yeah, that was it. I wonder if he ever made it out." (link: "what do you mean")[ "Oh yeah. I guess you wouldn't know. Pharmakon has been setting up a lab on the first few floors of the building. Started the morning after you showed up. They don't know we're up here, but getting in or out is a good way to get yourself dead." (link:"Pharmakon this far downtown?")[ You know the other gangs have been making moves on vapor punk turf, but Pharmakon getting away with building a lab this close to vapor punk HQ doesn't bode well for anyone who lives here. Asmita Shrugs. "Yeah, just what we need, a bunch of mutants and addicts. There goes the neighborhood." For the first time she sits up fully in her chair. "Look man, I really hope your friend made it out, but you may want to prepare yourself for the possibility he didn't."]]] [[back|Asmita]]

She snorts "No. No, it really really isn't. Trust me, man. I wouldn't have been up here for 4 days if I could just take the elevator down. Half this building is a deathtrap, to begin with, if you don't know what you're doing, but now even if you do make it down to the ground floor, you'll probably just get shot, or torn in half by a giant green dude." She stretches and adjusts her position in her chair. "I'd suggest you do what I'm doing and wait this whole thing out, but something tells me you're in a hurry to get out of here. Probably want to check on that friend of yours, huh?" [[back|Asmita]]

She lowers her glasses to make direct eye contact with you. It's the first time you've seen her startlingly green eyes. "Are you seriously trying to panhandle on my ledge? This is my turf ya bum. No, but seriously, I'm not an 80-year-old grandma with a coin purse. So no. No, I don't have any spare change. [[back|Asmita]]

She looks over her shoulder back at the building. "I know everyone thinks this building is about to fall over, but between you and me- seriously, don't tell anyone this place... She spreads her arms. "It's as steady as it was before the quake. The bad reputation means no one's come through to loot the place. There's still tons of valuable stuff in here. I make a living exploring and looting the place. Plus, no one bothers you up here. " A deep sigh escapes her lungs. "Been stuck up here a bit longer than I'd like lately, though. [[back|Asmita]]

There's an old "Good Drink" brand vending machine here. It's still fully stocked with snacks that stare back at you through the glass like a littler of puppies waiting for adoption. (if: $power is false)[The machine is currently hibernating without power. Curiously most of the machine is filled with identical boxes of Green Farm Purifying Blend® tea for 5 cents each there is also a ZAPP energy drink for $1.50 a bag of Sour Insects candy for $1.00 a bottle of water for $1.50 unfortunately without power you can't acually buy anything.] (if: $power is true and $machinekilled is false)[The lights in the machine are on. Seems like you could buy something. You have $(print:$Cash) (if: $buttons is true)[Those buttons you found earlier look like they'd fit in the coin slot. Maybe They'll trick the machine. (link: "Feed the machine buttons?")[(go-to:"killed machine")]] Curiously most of the machine is filled with identical boxes of Green Farm Purifying Blend® tea for 5 cents each. (if: $tea is false)[ Interesting. (if: $Cash is >= .05)[(link: "buy a box")[ The box falls into a slot with a louder bang than its light weight would seem to allow. You're not sure why, but you're hand sweats profusely as you reach for it.(set: $tea to true)(set: $Cash to it -.05)(go-to: "Vending Machine")]] (else:)[ Somehow you dont even have a nickle. Is this rock bottom?]] (if: $zstock > 0)[there is also a ZAPP energy drink for $1.50 (if: $Cash >= 1.5)[(link: "buy it?")[With a clunk the can falls into the slot at the bottom of the machine. You grab it. (set: $zap to true)(set:$zstock to it -1)(set: $Cash to it -1.5) (go-to:"Vending Machine")]](else:) [Unfortunately you can't afford it.]] (if: $cstock > 0)[a bag of Sour Insects candy for $1.00 (if: $Cash is >= 1)[(link: "buy it?")[The candy tumbles down into machines slot. You used to love these when you were little. you grab the bag. (set: $candy to true)(set:$cstock to it -1)(set: $Cash to it -1)(go-to:"Vending Machine")]](else:) [Alas you don't have a dollar to your name.]] (if:$wstock > 0)[a bottle of water for $1.75 (if: $Cash is >= 1.75)[(link: "buy it?")[The life-giving water falls into the slot with a dull thump. (set: $water to true)(set:$wstock to it -1)(set: $Cash to it -1.75)(go-to:"Vending Machine")]](else:)[ Seems like water is only for the well-to-do. come back with more money.]] ] (if: $machinekilled is true)[Curiously most of the machine is filled with identical boxes of Green Farm Purifying Blend® tea for 5 cents each there is also a ZAPP energy drink for $1.50 a bag of Sour Insects candy for $1.00 a bottle of water for $1.50 Unfortunately, you've poisoned this machine with buttons, and it can no longer accept change.] Why pay when you can smash? (if: $punchglass is false)[(link: "Punch the glass( Str)")[ (if: $roll <= $Strength)[(go-to:"Punch glass")] (else:)[The thin pane of glass might as well be a brick wall. Your hand pops and cracks as it impacts the pitiless glass (-10 Health). After rolling on the ground, clutching your hand, and whimpering for a little longer than is appropriate, you climb back to your feet and see your reflection in the machine's smugly undamaged facade.(set: $Health to it -10)]]] (else:) [your throbbing hand begs you not to try punching the machine again] (if: $pipe is true)[use your +1 Pipe of smashing to [[vanquish the glass|Pipe Glass]]] (if: $tryshoot is false and $gunknowledge is false)[ (if: $revolver is true and $bullets > 0)[Make like Hans Gruber and [[SHOOT THE GLASS|Shoot Glass]] ]] (if: $gunknowledge is true and $bullets > 0)[ Make like Hans Gruber and [[SHOOT THE GLASS|Shoot Glass Pass]] ] [[ Hallway]]

(if:$power is false)[The elevator's door is cracked open. Through the gap, you can see the dark elevator stuck halfway between this floor and the one below.] (else:)[The elevator has risen to your floor. Its steel doors have slid open. The warm lights invite you in. [[Enter| Elevator interior]] ] [[ Hallway]]

The walls of this cramped office are covered in a faded tableau of pixelated characters doing battle with a dragon. Despite the bright decor, this place seems like a miserable place to have worked. Several of the cubicles are occupied by the skeletons of the poor bastards who presumably literally worked themselves to death. There are tons of old computers and game consoles in here that'd probably be worth a fair bit to a collector. You aren't about to carry one all the way down to the street, though, not like all this other far less valuable crap you're hauling. (if: $deskcheck is false)[ Glance through the (link:"cubicles")[cubicles The drawers on most of the desks are ajar. Someone must have come through here before you and taken anything valuable. You notice those cubicles that house skeletons have been left undisturbed, probably out of respect. (if: $roll <= $Wits)[(Wits check passed) The corpses wont mind if you look through their (link:"stuff.")[stuff. The drawers contain little aside from documents and schedules. For a moment, you think you've desecrated the dead for nothing, but you're soon reminded how grave robbing always pays. Tucked in the back corner of one of the drawers, buried behind a mountain of miscellaneous paperwork, is a GameChild handheld console and a few games. Somehow its battery still has a charge. (link-goto:"play it","Game Child")(set: $deskcheck to true)(set: $game to true)]] (else:)[(wits check failed) Probably best to follow suit and leave them alone.(set: $deskcheck to true)] ]] (else-if: $deskcheck is true and $game is true)[You've robbed this sacred gamer burial ground and have been rewarded with a sweet retro game console.] (else-if: $deskcheck is true and $game is false)[You've decided to leave the dead men's cubicles undisturbed. Rest in peace, you ancient heroes of the digital plane.] (if: $game is true and $playedgame is false)[The GameChild sits on a desk, begging to be played. (link-goto:"Play it.","Game Child")] (else-if: $game is true and $playedgame is true)[The game child lies inert on a desk. Its final living act to provide you with a rollicking good time.] Check the meeting (link:"table")[table The meeting table is a long rectangular thing, beside a large whiteboard, still marked from its last meeting. There are timetables on the table never to be completed. Not because the city was destroyed in an apocalyptic earthquake, but because they're completely unrealistic. This team's ambition seems to have eclipsed their sense. Who knows. There still might be some devs out there working on this stupid bloated project.] (if: $power is false)[At the back of the room theres an open [[fusebox]] ] (else:)[You've managed to reset the fuses and fix the power.] [[ Hallway]]

(if: $ropeset is false)[ (if: $power is false)[The stairs have collapsed completely. There's just a black pit in front of you. Maybe if you had some light, you could see if there was anything down there. ] (else:)[The stairs have collapsed completely. It looks like it goes about two stories down before solid ground. If you want to explore down there, you'll need some way to descend safely. (if: $rope is true)[(link: "Set up rope to climb down")[ You tie the rope around a bent piece of rebar and tug it. It should be able to support your weight.(set: $rope to false)(set: $ropeset to true)(go-to: "Stairs")]]] ] (else:)[You've set a rope so you can climb up and down the collapsed stairway to the floor below. [[Descend the rope|Downstairs]] ] [[ Hallway]]

The room is pretty innocuous. A few desks with computers, old even for the time this building was destroyed, and lots of cardboard boxes of miscellaneous office supplies. In truth, you would think this was just your average, boring office space, where it not for the incredibly obvious hidden door behind a steel locker. Hiding a doorway behind a piece of furniture a few inches smaller than the opening isn't exactly the ultimate in subtlety. That aside, anyone with even one partially functioning eyeball could see the long tears in the carpet under the locker's feet. Just a bad job all around. (if: $screwdriver is false)[On one of the shelfs theres an open (link: "toolbox")[toolbox It's full of screwdrivers. Screwdrivers exclusively. Whoever this belonged to must have really needed to drive some screws. (link: "Take one.")[You never know when something like this will come in handy. (set:$screwdriver to true)]]] There's a mystifyingly conspicuous hidden door here behind a locker. (if: $trylocker is false and $pushlocker is false)[ (link:"Try to push the locker aside. (Strength)")[ (if: $roll <= $Strength)[(set: $pushlocker to true) This locker stands no chance against the overwhelming force of your massive, grotesque biceps. You push it aside without breaking a sweat. (link-goto: "Go through the hidden door?", "Hidden Room")] (else:)[(set: $trylocker to true) This Locker has to be some kind of spatial anomaly. You imagine It's always been here, suspended in thin air, and the building was erected around it. That must be it. You aren't weak. This thing just stands in contempt of all physical laws. ] ]] (else-if: $trylocker is true)[The Locker is still blocking the door. To try and move it now would be pointless. It will be there in that exact spot until vaporized by the sun's inevitable explosive death. Perhaps it will survive even that.] (else-if: $pushlocker is true)[The locker has been pushed to the side of the hidden door. You flex your arms involuntarily, looking at it.] (if: $pushlocker is true)[ [[Hidden Room]] ] [[Downstairs]]

Several pallets of cardboard boxes take up most of the small room's limited space. One of the pallets has been partially unloaded. It looks like the boxes are full of (link:"packs of tea.")[packs of tea. You pick one up to get a closer look. Across the top of the box, in bold green typeface, it says "Greenfarm Tea" The logo depicts a simplified farm with a worker in the fields silhouetted green against white. In a curvy serif font arranged in an arc over the logo, it says "Purifying Blend." (link:"read the back.")[read the back. "Feeling bogged down by the stress of the daily grind?" Greenfarm's Purifying Blend® clears the negative energies and toxins you absorb daily right out of your system for a happier and more productive day." The vast majority of the back is filled with smaller text. "*Do not exceed the daily recommended dose *Keep out of reach of children *Do not drink Greenfarm's Purifying Blend® if you are pregnant, have a heart condition, respiratory condition, any form of colitis, or any condition relating to weakness of the spine. *Do not take Greenfarms Purifying Blend® with any form of painkiller or antifungal medication. *If you experience swelling of the extremities or tongue after drinking Greenfarms Purifying Blend®, contact a doctor immediately. *Greenfarms Purifying Blend® may cause dizziness, headaches, wide fluctuations in blood pressure, rectal bleeding, heart murmurs, temporary blindness, an overwhelming sense of imminent doom, and in rare cases a permanent and inescapable feeling of ennui."]] Theres a sheet of printer paper stapled to one of the boxes with a handwritten (link:"note.")[note. "Ok, everyone, Malik over in shipping screwed up and sent this last shipment of the new blend here instead of to the warehouse. Apparently sending it back will derail the whole schedule for the rest of the quarter, so we here at marketing are going to have to do what we always do and turn lemons into lemonade. I want everyone out there handing out free samples around the building. The sooner we get rid of this crap, the sooner we can all get to our desks. I know this is inconvenient, but I'm going to talk to corporate about getting us some bonuses for this debacle. It's time they start paying us what we're worth. Seriously, who do they think cleans up the PR every time this crap puts someone in the hospital."] (if: $tea is false)[(link:" Take a box of Green Farm's Purifying Blend®.") [You never know when you need some tea.(set: $tea to true)]] (if: $rope is false)[There's a pile of yellow nylon rope in the corner. It was probably used the tie the boxes down for shipping. (link:" Take rope.")[ You can definitely find a use for this.(set: $rope to true)]] (else:)[There are scraps of yellow nylon rope in the corner. You've already taken the only strand long enough to be particularly useful.] [[ Hallway]]

This room looks like the detonation site of a vexillological cluster bomb. Flags everywhere. American flag curtains, American flag patterned furniture, and no less than 3 flags folded into neat triangles hung on the walls. All topped by the bronze bald eagle, situated at the desk at the far end of the office. It's such an excessive display of patriotism you'd almost think Russian spies used to work here. There are four desks in the room, with the largest and most impressive of them at the far end. Check first (link:"desk")[desk The desk is sparse. It has a nameplate that reads"Tim Johnson." (link: "Check drawers.")[The drawers contain nothing but legal files and stationery.]] Check second (link:"desk")[desk It bares the nameplate "Trey Johnson." (if: $balls is false)[There's a newton cradle sitting motionless on the table. (link:"Play with it.")[you pull one of the balls back and release it. CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK It's weirdly satisfying (+5 health)(set: $Health to it +5)(set: $balls to true)]]] (if: $balls is true)[CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK] Check third (link:"desk")[desk There's nothing on the desk save a nameplate that says "Thomas Johnson." You notice the wastebasket under the desk is filled with crumpled pieces of paper. (link: "read one")[ " ~~We've been together for a while no~~ ~~Maria, ever since we first met I knew you~~ ~~I'll never forget the ~~ CRAP CRAP CRAP ~~So, I have this ring and I was wondering if you'd wear it~~ HOW AM I SO BAD AT THIS" Something locked in your subconscious is scraping at the walls of your mind to get out. You're filled with inexplicable sadness. ]] Check the big (link:"desk")[desk The regal flag-adorned desk overlooks its domain. A bronze eagle stands dutifully on guard, ready to defend its master from any encroaching salmon or hares. The name "Tanner Johnson" is engraved on an elegant nameplate. There's a mug on the desk that says #1 Lawyer Dad. Apparently unable to reach the top in either category, the mug's owner combined them to reduce competition. Its contents have long since dried into a cracked pattern across the bottom of the vessel, but it still has a strange acrid scent. Like kerosene mixed with lavender. Under the slightly insecure ceramic is a coffee-stained piece of paper with official-looking letterhead. (link: "Read it.")[ "Dad, I'm writing this on a piece of paper like a damn CAVEMAN because I'm not going to risk losing even an hour of time to one of these damn power outages. Not when such a golden opportunity is staring us in the face. Hopefully, this is the first thing you sew when you get back. You know that tea company upstairs? They're handing out free samples of a product that hasn't gone to market and get this. The stuff is POISON. You know the nice old janitor Piero? He had a cup of the stuff and hasn't left the bathroom in HOURS. He could be dead in there for all I know. When this stuff gets released, a class action lawsuit isn't a matter of if. It's a matter of when, and here we are with a huge headstart. If we start preparing now, we can have a suit together when the first complaints pop up. We'll be able to take those hippies upstairs for all they're worth AND be heralded as damn HEROS for stopping them from poisoning a bunch of other granola-munching rubes. I know you have the final say in this kind of stuff but think about it. It's like free money and clout. -Tom"] (link:"Check the drawers.") [The drawers are full of files on the office's clients. Two decades ago, there was probably some information in there that an information broker would kill for. Now it's just paper. (if: $tape is false)[There's a roll of old scotch tape hiding under some of the paperwork. (link: "Take it.")[You grab the tape, now more ready than ever to stick two things together.(set: $tape to true)]]]] [[Downstairs]]

You've slain the vending machine. Its bounty is yours by right. You need only reach through its wrecked carapace. Curiously most of the machine is filled with identical boxes of Green Farm Purifying Blend® tea. (if: $zstock >0 and $zap is false)[ZAPP energy drink (link:"take it")[you reach through the glass, careful not to cut yourself as you harvest the machines innards. (set:$zap to true)(set:$zstock to it -1)]] (if: $cstock >0 and $candy is false)[Bag of Sour Insects candy (link:"take it")[You claim the machines liver, keeping it to savor later (set:$candy to true)(set:$cstock to it -1)]] (if: $wstock >0 and $water is false)[Bottle of water (link:"take it")[The Beasts blood is yours (set:$water to true)(set:$wstock to it -1)]] [[ Hallway]]

(set: $broken to true) (set: $water to true) (set: $wstock to it -1) Your blow through the vending machine's outer shell like a mantis shrimp cracking a clam to get to the succulent meat inside. You pull your hand back, holding a water bottle, as though it were this poor creature's, still-beating heart. Your prey slaughtered, it's time to feast. Asmita shouts from down the hall. "What the hell are you doing back there, man?" [[Back|Vending Machine Broken]]

(set: $pipe to false) (set: $broken to true) You take a step back and prepare to swing your masterwork pipe. This feels a little like a misuse of its power, but you REALLY want those snacks. You step into the swing like you're going for a home run, and time seems to pause the instant the pipe makes contact with the glass. There is no sound, no thoughts. You are simply entranced by the spectacular light created at the point of impact. You've never, and perhaps no one has ever, seen something so beautiful. The moment ends all too soon. With a massive pressure wave and terrible bang, you are thrown into the opposite wall. Looking up, you see half the machine has been vaporized. Through some miracle, the snacks seem to have survived. The pipe, however, did not. Its awesome power expended, your Excaliber lies in pieces on the floor. It feels like you, and humanity as a whole have just lost something precious. You know longer feel its clarifying presence (-Wits)(set: $Wits to it -1) Apparently, the pipe had one more miracle to give, because you see Asmita out of her chair and running down the hallway. "The hell are you doing? Did you just set off a bomb in here? She helps you onto your feet as you attempt to stammer out an explanation; to give voice to the tragedy your snack lust has caused, but you cannot articulate it. Perhaps the words for such an event don't exist. It doesn't take long for her to lose interest in your babbling and return to her sunny ledge, leaving you standing in the dim hallway with a familiar sense of loss. [[Back|Vending Machine Broken]]

You draw your revolver and point it at the glass. Let's see if this thing still works. (if: $roll < $Wits +3)[You try pulling the trigger, but nothing happens. Oh, right, you probably have to pull back the hammer, huh?.(set: $gunknowledge to true) (link-goto: "Do that and try again", "Shoot Glass Pass")] (else:)[You pull the trigger. The gun remains inert. You try again, and still nothing. You double-check that the safety is off. It is, and still, the gun won't shoot. It must be in worse condition than you thought. Still worth holding onto, though. (Wits check failed)(set: $tryshoot to true) [[Give up|Vending Machine]]]

You draw back the hammer and pull the trigger. (if: $bullets >0)[ (set: $gunfire to (random: 0, 1)) (if: $gunfire is 1)[With a deafening bang and the clinking of shattering glass, your revolver has blown a hole straight through the back of the machine.(set: $bullets to it -1)(set: $broken to true) (link-goto: "Time to loot", "Vending Machine Broken") ] (else:)[Click. Nothing happened. Maybe that bullet was a dud. You toss it.(set: $bullets to it -1) (print: $bullets) shots left. (link-goto:"Give up", "Vending Machine") (link-goto: "Try again", "Shoot Glass Pass")[ ] ]] (else:) [ [[You're out of gun food |Vending Machine]]]

(set: $machinekilled to true) The buttons slip down the slot easily. You can hear them plinking around inside the machine and then an awful grinding sound like a wheezing cough. The noise comes in waves, gaining in volume until it suddenly stops, and a strange clattering sound escapes the bowels of the machine. Its lights flicker and go out. You're pretty sure you just heard the machine's death rattle. (link-reveal-goto: "Back", (history:)'s last)[]

Most of the doors down here are covered in debris and completely impassable. Two doors, however, are still usable. [[Santa Puno Wholesale]] [[Johnson Johnson Johnson and Johnson Law offices]] [[Climb the rope back upstairs|Stairs]]

The rectangular piece of plastic's screen glows invitingly, as you turn it on. You found three games with it, but you probably only have enough charge to play one for any meaningful length. Which do you try? [[Dr. Plumber M.D.]] [[Donkey Country 2]] [[Box Out]] [[come back later|Clever Conjecture Games]]

(set: $playedgame to true) Turns out "Dr. Plumber M.D. is a puzzle game. Shapes made from different colored blocks fall down into a grid, and by placing enough of the same color adjacent, you clear them. The goal is to maintain the flow of water between two specific points without the path being obstructed by the blocks. In your short time with it, you get PRETTY good at it. The console dies just after you achieve the high score. You walk away, satisfied and feeling a little bit more clever than before (+ Wits)(set: $Wits to it +1) [[Back|Clever Conjecture Games]]

(set: $playedgame to true) Donkey Country 2 turns out to be a platformer and an infuriatingly difficult one at that. Your reaction time is thoroughly tested as you attempt to donkey protagonist save his mule friend from a bunch of insidious snakes. You've barely made it through the second world before the console dies. You walk away frustrated, but your twitch reflexes feel a little sharper. (+ Dexterity)(set: $Dexterity to it +1) [[Back|Clever Conjecture Games]]

(set: $playedgame to true) Box Out turns out to be a game about putting things in boxes. You were hoping to see burly athletes punch each other, but you guess you don't always get what you want. You control a warehouse worker who has to move boxes around a massive warehouse with an inscrutable method of organization, all while being verbally abused by your foreman. The game is tedious and frustrating. You're glad when the console finally dies. For all it's faults, the game did have some good advice for how to handle lifting heavy boxes(+ Strength)(set: $Strength to it +1) [[Back|Clever Conjecture Games]]

There's a note pinned beside the fusebox. "So I've talked with the landlord, and apparently, we're just using too much power for this building's grid to handle. Bummer, I know. Everyone on this floor has been giving me dirty looks since that last blackout. I know more of them are inevitable, but the least we can do is make them short. To that end, I want everyone to know how to reset the fuses so we can handle it quickly next time. The wiring is weird, though. There's a trick to it. Ask Piero if you don't know how to fix it, or just memorize the pattern next time you're flipping them randomly to turn things back on. Oh, and save your work frequently. I'm tired of hearing people complain about losing a day's worth of work. That's your fault, not the power's. -Diane There are four switches on the fuse board, and it has a built-in voltmeter. The LED's on the board are on, so this floor must still have power. You just need to rebalance the voltage at 100%. (if: $fuse1 is false)[Fuse 1- OFF] (else:)[Fuse 1- ON] (link: "Flip Switch")[(if: $fuse1 is false)[(set: $fuse1 to true)(set: $voltage to it +26)(go-to:"fusebox")] (else:)[(set: $fuse1 to false)(set: $voltage to it-26)(go-to:"fusebox")]] (if: $fuse2 is false)[Fuse 2- OFF] (else-if: $fuse2 is true)[Fuse 2- ON] (link: "Flip Switch")[(if: $fuse2 is false)[(set: $fuse2 to true)(set: $voltage to it +8)(go-to:"fusebox")] (else:)[(set: $fuse2 to false)(set: $voltage to it-8)(go-to:"fusebox")]] (if: $fuse3 is false)[Fuse 3- OFF] (else:)[Fuse 3- ON] (link: "Flip Switch")[(if: $fuse3 is false)[(set: $fuse3 to true)(set: $voltage to it +37)(go-to:"fusebox")] (else:)[(set: $fuse3 to false)(set: $voltage to it-37)(go-to:"fusebox")]] (if: $fuse4 is false)[Fuse 4- OFF] (else:)[Fuse 4- ON] (link: "Flip Switch")[(if: $fuse4 is false)[(set: $fuse4 to true)(set: $voltage to it +48)(go-to:"fusebox")] (else:)[(set: $fuse4 to false)(set: $voltage to it-48)(go-to:"fusebox")]] (if: $fuse5 is false)[Fuse 5- OFF] (else:)[Fuse 5- ON] (link: "Flip Switch")[(if: $fuse5 is false)[(set: $fuse5 to true)(set: $voltage to it +26)(go-to:"fusebox")] (else:)[(set: $fuse5 to false)(set: $voltage to it-26)(go-to:"fusebox")]] (if: $voltage is 100)[(link-reveal-goto: "Hit confirm", "Power on")[] [(set:$power to true)]] Voltage: (print: $voltage)/100 [[Back|Clever Conjecture Games]]

The room is cramped. It's almost more of a closet than a room. There is only enough space to accommodate a single desk. The desk is covered in monitors, stacked atop each other haphazardly. Each displays a pure blue screen, apparently not connected to whatever it used to be. Several outfits are hung on the wall. There's a policeman's uniform, a tidy button-up with slacks, and several blue jumpsuits. (if: $gloves is false and $glovefail is false)[There is also a pair of impressive-looking leather work gloves hung on the wall. (link: "Wear them.")[(if: $jacket is true) [As you reach for the gloves, you suddenly become aware of the weight of your jacket on your back. You feel ashamed you were about to commit an act of garment adultery. (set: $glovefail to true)] (else:)[The gloves fit well. You waggle your fingers to investigate their flexibility. It hardly feels like you're wearing them at all. They have texture rubber palms and fingertips that should help your grip. (+ Strength)(set: $Strength to it +1)(set: $gloves to true)]] ] (else-if: $glovefail is true)[You will not fall to the temptaions of the seductive glove. Your jacket is the only outerwear you will ever need.] There is a notepad and pen on the desk. [[Read it|Notepad]] [[Santa Puno Wholesale]]

The sterile office lights turn on with a clink. Looks like the hallway lights are on too. These fuses must be for the entire floor. (if: $radio is true)[Asmita's voice comes from your radio. "Oh, you turned the power back on. That always makes getting around easier for however long it lasts."] [[Clever Conjecture Games]]

The pad has a series of dates and times marked with brief notes. "April 12 Scouting team has confirmed the presence of artifact in the search area. Area has been bugged to help prevent any potential interferences. Subject will be observed and any deviations from their rigid schedule noted here." "April 13 Subject left apartment at 13:12. Returned 15:23 I have been informed that the subject Went to the front business to complain. Subject seems unaware of observation. Recommend we move up timetable none-the-less" "April 15 Subject left apartment at 14:21 Returned at 19:11 Subject was followed to public library and then city hall. Tail could not confirm their activities more precisely." "April 19 For three days subject spent significant lengths of time in study. No clear view of desk,. Subject likely suspects our activity. still unaware of observation. Suggest deployment of cleaners" "April 20 At 10:00 cleaners approached door with cover story. Were refused entrance for reasons known to be untrue. Area too crowded for forced entry. Cleaners return to front." "April 22 Subject has not left appartment in several days. Subject has begun to avoid camera views. Might be aware of observation. Possible artifact may be influencing subject. concerning. " "April 23 Collection date has arrived. Subject still refuses to leave apartment. Subject has begun avoiding cameras completely. Audio only indication Subject is home. too much longer and artifact may become unstable. Suggest holy man procedures. 20:00 Holy man arrives. Holy man refused entry. Holy man takes cast of doors lock. Area least populated Thursdays between 20:00 and 22:00 will attempt again in 8 days. hopefully, artifact will not destabilize." "April 25 Subject still refuses to leave appartment. Subject has removed surveillance equipment. We are now dependent on external observation." "April 28 "Subject has received a package" "April 29 Subject remains in appartment. " "April 30 Subject remains in appartment" "Somehow subject left apartment without being observed. Subject was seen wearing a disguise at front and going through archives. We can no longer afford to be subtle about this. Suggest immediate deployment of cleaners." "cleaners deployed successfully. Artifact recovered. Good work everyone" "The artifact we retrieved appears to have been a fake. Suggest compiling all documentation of subject's recent activity to try and find artifact's location. Considering subject evaded observation before this may be a lengthy process." Someone really pissed these guys off. [[Back|Hidden Room]]

Being in an elevator in this wrecked building makes you uneasy, even if you've been assured it's structurally sound. [[Back| Hallway]] (set: _bonus to 0) (if: $paneloff is false)[The elevator clearly has power, but the floor buttons on the panel are dark. Maybe it's broken. It looks like it'd be easy enough to remove if you had a way to get the screws out. (if: $screwdriver is true)[(link-reveal-goto:"Use screwdriver to unscrew panel.", "Elevator Unscrew")[(set:$paneloff to true)]]] (else-if: $paneloff is true and $wire is false)[The panel hangs from the wall revealing the buttons and circuitry below. A large red wire has been frayed to the point of splitting. The two ends flash and spark as they brush into each other. You hold the wires together, and a few buttons light up. You need some way to keep them together (if: $tape is true)[That tape you have should do the trick. (if: $gloves is true) [The rubber fingertips on your gloves should help immensely (+ 5 to roll)(set:_bonus to 5)] (link: "Tape the wires together without being electrocuted. (Dex)") [(if: $roll <= $Dexterity + _bonus)[(set: $wire to true)(go-to:"Tape Pass")] (else:)[(set: $wire to true)(set: $Health to it -30)(set: $wirefail to true)(go-to:"Tape Fail")] ]]] (else-if: $paneloff is true and $wire is true and $wirefail is false)[ You've repaired the panel to the best of your ability. You're handier than you thought. Maybe you were an electrician in a past life. However, despite your best efforts, only two buttons are illuminated and seem functional.: "1" and "P." You don't have any reason to go to the garage, but at least you won't have to climb down to the lobby. [[First Floor|Confirm]] ] (else-if: $paneloff is true and $wire is true and $wirefail is true)[ Somehow you're still alive after eating all those volts. You ought to be more careful. Your luck can't hold out like this forever. Perhaps due to you shorting the system, only two buttons are illuminated and seem functional.: "1" and "P." You don't have any reason to go to the garage, but at least you won't have to climb down to the lobby. [[1|Confirm]] ]

You unscrew three of the panel's corners. The rectangular piece of steel falls in a circular motion and dangles from the remaining screw. [[Back| Elevator interior]]

It would take at least three hands to do this effectively. The process is irritating and nerve-wracking, but somehow, you attach the two wires without ever touching the exposed metal. The tape isn't exactly electrical quality, so who knows how long it'll hold. Best not to linger too long. You wipe the waterfall of sweat from your brow and take a deep breath. [[Back| Elevator interior]]

Ok, you just need to hold these pieces together long enough t- ZAP JESUS. Ok, calm down. Maybe if I dangle a strand of tape like thi- ZAP AGH. GOD. Let's try ZAP This process repeats itself for an embarrassing length of time. By the time you finally finish, the tape roll is empty, the wires are wrapped in a two-inch thick cacoon, and you're hands are charred. You're pretty sure your heart has suffered permanent damage (-30 Health). At the very least, you did get the panel working. Kind of working, anyway. [[Back| Elevator interior]]

(if: $radio is true)[With a beep, Asmita's static-tinted voice comes in through your radio. "Hey dude you going down? Just, heads up I'm going to kill the power if I see that elevator coming back. Don't want any of those creeps downstairs coming up here. It'll be a one-way trip, right? So if there's anything else you want to do up here do it now. Oh, and you'll probably be outside my radio range, so you won't be able to complain to me while you're being disemboweled. If you could just leave it on the floor there. I'll grab it later." (link: "Down I go")[ "Alright, man. Come hang out sometime if you don't get killed or whatever." [[1st Floor]] ]] (else:)[Asmita's voice echoes and bounces off the walls as she shouts to you from her perch across the hallway. "Hey dude, you going down? Just heads up I'm going to kill the power if I see that elevator coming back. Don't want any of those creeps downstairs coming up here. It'll be a one-way trip, right? So if there's anything else you want to do up here, do it now. (link: "Down I go")[ "Alright, man. Come hang out sometime if you don't get killed or whatever." [[1st Floor]] ]]

(if: $radio is true)[You gingerly place the radio on the ground in the hallway, and pat it softly for all its good work. Then step back into the elevator, pushing the "1" and watching the doors slide shut.(set: $radio to false)] The elevator bumps and jitters as it descends. All things considered, it's a smoother ride than you were expecting. It's been one hell of a day so far, and you're ready to end it early. Each foot you descend brings you closer to your bed, mindless television, and an aspirin. You aren't looking forward to the three or so miles you'll have to trek across hot asphalt to get home, but compared to the rest of today, it'll be easy. You feel like you're forgetting something, though. Wasn't there supposed to be something down on the first few floors of the building? Didn't Asmita say there was a Pharmakon lab down here? She seemed serious when she said it, but you're pretty sure it was a joke. It's so hard to tell with her. If she was joking, it was a pretty off-color one. Pharmakon has been terrorizing and doping up entire neighborhoods around the industrial district. Even a bunch of rabid goons all hopped up on Knuckle-Dragger, and Speed wouldn't be stupid enough to push into Vapor Punk turf, though. They have downtown locked down. You're pulled from your thoughts by the elevator's ding. You've reached your floor. The doors slide open to reveal a moment frozen in time. There must be over two dozen people in the lobby, rolling barrels, moving crates, assembling and loading weapons, and in more than one case, preparing to shoot up a curious green fluid. They're all looking at you. It's at least a second before you can think to do anything. You move your hand as slowly as possible to the panel. The rest of your body remains perfectly still as if any sudden changes will shatter the spell that keeps everyone staring at you in confusion, and not charging over here to bludgeon you to death. You must look like a statue of a man bombing at a comedy club open night. Still perfectly motionless aside from your hand, you hammer on the only other working button in the elevator. A burly man with a tourniquet around his arm and a missing nose turns to his friend, a shirtless guy failing to hide a bald spot with a ridiculous spiky haircut. He puts into the air the question on everyone's mind. "The hell is this jabroni?" All two dozen goons go through the simultaneous process of looking to someone they think knows what's happening. A shrug kills each of their hopes of an explanation. You continue to pound the elevator button so hard you think your finger may pierce the metal that houses it. A man, or woman, you can't really tell, shrouded in a hazmat suit, walks into the portrait your arrival has painted here. So engrossed are they with a clipboard they're holding that they walk straight into one of the frozen thugs. They take in the curious sight around them before turning to you. They squeal through a heavy filter mask, and all attention in the room is on them. "What are you idiots doing. GET THEM" And now all eyes are back on you. All you can think to do is give a terrified smile and a stiff wave, as the doors finally slide shut, and the elevator ferries you down into the [[garage]].

As the elevator doors slide open. You're relieved to see the lights are on in the underground parking garage. You're less relieved to see it's been converted into a makeshift prison camp. The space is filled with a strange assortment of cages. Some look like they're from a kennel, others welded together from scrap. None of them large enough to humanely hold a person. They hold people regardless. You recognize some of them and others you think you might have once recognized, but their proportions are changed, warped. Nearby is one of these poor bastards twisted in his cage. His limbs are grotesquely elongated and wrap around themselves in his tight confines. He doesn't react to your approach. You snap a few inches in front of his face. A drop of drool is his only response. The lights are on but nobody's home. You turn and check the door next to the elevator. The sign above indicates it should lead to the stairs back up to the ground floor. It's locked tight with a heavy padlock, not that it'd be particularly wise of you to go back up there right now. Speaking of which, guards will probably be coming for you any second. You should find a place to hide. You're pulled from your thoughts by a familiar voice. "(print: $name)? Aren't you supposed to be dead?" [[Luke?]]

Looks like Luke came looking for you after all. Looks like he got caught too. Never one to give his energy to bad feelings, though, he looks pretty comfortable lounging in his tiny cage. Now could be an opportunity to fill in some blanks about the last couple days. (if: $jacket is true)[He interrupts you before you can even begin to talk. "Ok, dude, I get it if you're having some kind of crisis of identity or something, and you want to change your look, but this... He waves his arm limply at your beloved jacket. "This is -" He seems to lack the vocabulary to describe what exactly "this" is "It's bad. It's really bad."] [[What's going on here]] [[How'd you get caught]] [[ What happened the other night]] [[How do I get out of here?]] (if: (visited:"How do I get out of here?"))[ Luke glances behind you and gives a half-knod. [["Oh. uh, heads up."|Capture]] ]

"Welcome to the hoosegow, brother. The VPs have been trying to push the Pharmas out of this building since they got here, but apparently, it's built like a damn fortress, so that's probably not happening anytime soon. Just my luck they show up 10 minutes after I get here. " He pauses for a moment, satisfied with his answer, (link: "'What about him,' you ask, pointing at the human pretzel in the opposite cage.")[ "You mean what's going with Frank and some of the other guys around here. Yeah, pharma chemists'll come down here every few hours and test their new witch's brew on some lucky guy. It's like winning the lottery, but instead of getting a bunch of money, you probably die. Been a real party down here." Sarcasm drips from his mouth like venom. "Anyone dies or resists, they just throw em in the angry pit over there." He indicates a collapsed chunk of floor that has fallen deeper into the garage. A low groan echoes out of it. "God knows what's down there, but it sure as hell isn't happy." ] [[Back|Luke?]]

"How'd I ge- I was looking for you, dick. You disappear for like, two days and don't expect me to be concerned? C'mon, give me some credit here. Ok, maybe I felt a little bit responsible too. " He pauses for a second. "Someone said they saw you staggering into this building the other night. So, I checked it out, only for that girl upstairs to tell me you were dead. Probably should have been more thorough instead of just taking her word for it. Maybe I don't deserve that credit after all." [[Back|Luke?]]

(set: _bonus to 0) "Ok yeah. It makes sense that you wouldn't remember much. We were both pretty goddamned sloshed. I was tired of seeing you moping around for so long and being all depressed. You were bringing everyone down. So I figured I'd take you out for some drinks and good times, and maybe I could pull you out of your funk. I just way underestimated the number of drinks it would require. The whole night turned into a bit of a pub crawl. Then you got hurt in that fight, and we had to get you fixed up. Being out of the crowd got you thinking again, I think, and suddenly you're crying all over the place. Completely inconsolable. Ok, and maybe I was just a little bit too harsh telling you to get over it and nut up. In my defense, you were being a total downer, and I was pretty wasted. You pushed me over and stumbled out into the night. Figured you needed some time alone. Didn't figure it'd be more than a day." (if: $remember is false)[ (link:"what was I so upset about though")[ "Wait, you actually don't remember. That might honestly be for the best. It's a chance to start fresh. You clearly put a lot of effort into killing that memory. Why not leave it alone?" (link: "I want to know")[ "You're sure?" (link-goto: "No you're right. Let's leave it be.", "Luke?") (Link: "Yes tell me")[ "You were dumped, man. It was BRUTAL. They came up to you IN PUBLIC with their new partner, announced to you and the world that your relationship was over and that their new friend was rich and way better in the sack than you. It was like one of those nightmares where you're naked and can't find your class but real. They sucked anyway. I say you're better off." The dam breaks, and the memories come flooding back. You know your relationship wasn't exactly healthy, but you can only think of the good times, snuggling on the couch, how their eyes crinkled when they smiled their smell. Now it's all gone forever. You take a deep breath. Maybe it's time to try and (link:"move on")[move on You've had one hell of a day. Compared to this mess, forgetting your ex should be easy. +1 (set: _bonus to it +1) (if: $jacket is true)[Your new jacket will keep you warm through the lonely cold nights. + 2 (set: _bonus to it +2)] (if: (visited: "call"))[Asmita liked you enough to talk to you and help you around the building. You don't need your ex for to have friends. +2 (set: _bonus to it +2)] (if: $pushlocker is true)[You moved that locker upstairs like it was nothing. Not just anyone could have done that. You're remarkable in your own way. you don't need your ex to be special. +2 (set: _bonus to it +2)] (link: "Remember what your relationship was actually like. (Wits)")[ (if: $roll is < $Wits +_bonus)[For the first time, maybe ever, you see your relationship objectively. It was POISON. You constantly felt you didn't deserve your partner, and they did everything they could to make you feel that way. They were always belittling you, and in retrospect, they were probably cheating on you the whole time. A Huge weight is lifted from your shoulders. You haven't felt this light In years. (+ everything) (set: $moveon to true)(set: $Wits to it +1)(set: $Dexterity to it +1)(set: $Strength to it +1)(set: $remember to true) (link-goto: "God they were awful. Why did I put up with them?", "move on")] (else:)[What do you mean, "see it how it actually was." It was wonderful. It was the only meaningful thing in your life, and now you have nothing. You feel terrible. You should have left the memory interred in your subconscious. (- evverything)(set: $wallow to true)(set: $remember to true)(set: $Wits to it -1)(set: $Dexterity to it -1)(set: $Strength to it -1) (link-goto: "I really shouldn't have asked huh?", "wallow")]] ] ] ] ] ] [[Back|Luke?]]

"You mean "how do WE get out of here," right? There is no way in hell you're going to just leave me behind here after I got caught trying to rescue your ass. You'd need an army to get out of this place, anyway" He offers a wry smile. "Which is why we're going to build one. " He glances around the garage from cage to cage. "There's a lot of guys down here, and most are in fighting shape. You just need to get us out and get us armed" (link: "Got it. Want anything else? A cure for cancer or how about a unicorn?")[ "No, just some guns are fine, thanks. Listen, those pharma freaks are on our turf, and they don't know their asses from their elbows. Vapor Punks have weapon caches all over downtown. Now do you want the good news or the bad news first?" (link-goto: "Good","good") (link-goto: "Bad", "bad") ]

Someone grabs you from behind and puts you into a full nelson. They shout directly into your ear. "We got 'em." Apparently, this old collapsing building has the quietest doors in the city. You were too distracted talking to Luke to notice the guards enter the room. They turn you around to face the figure in the hazmat suit from earlier. They speak with the same unusually squeaky voice muffled by a gas mask. " I will ask you this one time, worm. How did you escape your cage." [[I didn't actually escape. I've been here longer than you have]] [[wouldn't you like to know]] [[I chewed through the bars. No cage can hold me.]] [[ Your Mother]]

"Honestly? They were super hot. Like crazy supermodel attractive." [[Yeah, that figures.| What happened the other night]]

You focus hard, trying not to let the tears flow. "Oh god damn it. We're doing this again. Come on, man, this is neither the time nor the place for a breakdown." [[Yeah that figures| What happened the other night]]

"Good news is there's one of those caches in this building. In this very room, in fact. I helped stock it a few months back." (link: "So, what's the bad news?")[ "We found a really good place to hide it. The guns are in a box under some plywood and rubble in this big hole we found." He looks meaningfully at the pit as it rumbles and gurgles. He gives you an apologetic smile. "There was nothing down there when hid it." The garage is silent, aside from the strange noises escaping the hole. "So yeah. Good luck" [[Awesome...|Luke?]]]

"Bad news is It's down there." He points over at the moaning hole in the floor. (link: "Ok, so, what's the good news?")[ "I'll be honest, I was really expecting you to ask for the good news first. I was going to say the cache was in this building, but that's kind of redundant now, isn't it." The garage is silent, aside from the strange noises escaping the hole. "So yeah. Good luck" [[Awesome...|Luke?]]]

One of the guards sneers "We've got a clever one here." You can clear this up. Just tell them how it happened. "No, seriously, I was up in an abandoned apartment thirty stories above street level, binge drinking without food or water for three days. Then I tightrope walked across from the other tower and fixed the elevator with random crap I found around a bunch of offices." Suddenly you realize how ridiculous that all sounds. The figure in the hazmat suit makes an expression of skepticism so extreme it pierces through the hard acrylic and plastic of their suit. "We aren't getting anything out of this one. Make an example out of them." You insist in vain that you're telling the truth right up to the moment you're thrown into the [[pit]].

".. yes that is why I asked" Well, this is the path you've chosen, and it's too late to come up with something that will actually convince them. Maybe you can stall through the sheer power of suspense. "Ok, fine, I'll tell you." You launch into a supremely long-winded and legendarily banal story about a time you went grocery shopping and couldn't decide between two brands of cereal. Any time anyone tries to interrupt, you insist that you're just getting to the point, and soon it will all make sense. There's no point here. You have no endgame. Your best plan is to pray that your monotonous voice and dull stories literally [[bore them to death.|Bored]]

(if: $injury is 1)[ One of the guards notices your missing teeth from the brawl the other night. "I think this guy is being serious. He actually chewed his way out of one of these cages. THIS GUY ROCKS.] The shrouded figure appraises you as if you are a particularly gauche antique. "We have the perfect place for someone as tenacious as you claim to be." They snap their fingers and immediately turn to leave as you're dragged away. You do your best to try and bite the guards right up until they throw you in the[[pit]].

That was a good one. Cuts deep. Surely this lampooning will stick with them and detract from their happiest moments in the future. They will remember when you so thoroughly owned them in front of their men. This might disrupt their power structure. This sick burn might be the crack that brings their entire organization- While you were distracted congratulating yourself, you've been thrown into the[[pit]].

You fall weightless in complete darkness. You can't help but feel like the sensation is familiar. It's nice. The impact on the ground is less so. (if: $wallow is true)[You already knew you'd hit rock bottom. You didn't need it to happen literally as well.] (if: $moveon is true)[You finally drag yourself out of rock bottom, getting over your ex, and now this. Reality certanly has a sense of humor.] You squint through the dark to get your bearings. The area appears to be the next floor down from the parking lot. It's surprisingly spacious, with only a few cars scattered around. You give yourself a quick check. you're a little banged up, but it doesn't seem like anything is broken. Looking up the walls are rough and full of cracks. It should be a relatively easy climb back up. You need those weapons first, though. They're right there, across the room, under that plywood, behind the giant slavering [[mutant]].

A few hours have passed, and you're still going strong. They let you out of the full nelson some time ago, and now you're all just standing around as you try to describe from memory every pair of socks you've ever owned. One of the guards is rubbing his temples. The other is sitting crosslegged, trying to stay awake. The prisoners in their cages are getting visibly restless. They may have been trapped in cages meant for dogs for days and experimented upon, but getting caught in the crossfire of this psychic attack is easily the worst torture they've endured. As you transition to talking about the time you couldn't find your keys, the tension boils over. A yell erupts from one of the cages. "For the love of God! Just kill them or something. I can't take any more of this." The prisoner starts weeping. More voices chime in. "Yeah, I don't care what you do with them. Throw 'em in the pit. Just get them out of here. A cheer starts. "IN THE PIT! IN THE PIT! IN THE PIT!" The guards are roused from their stupor, and for one beautiful moment prisoner and guard are united against a common enemy. Shame that the enemy is you. You kick the babbling into hyperdrive! Maybe you can still salvage this. You talk about your cousin's hamster's diet up to the moment they toss you into the [[pit]] to the raucous applause of a grateful nation.

(if: $intro is false)[The creature's green skin shines in the half-light as it gulps a viscous fluid from a barrel. It turns to face you, blood dripping from its mouth. It tosses aside a half-eaten severed leg with the smaller of its two arms. The horrible roar it releases echoes off the walls as it charges you..(set: $intro to true)] (else:)[The mutant stumbles and lurches as it chases you around the dark garage.] (if: $pipe is true)[ [[If there was ever a time to hit something with you masterwork pipe, it would be now.|pipe mutant]] ] (if: $tryshoot1 is false)[ (if: $revolver is true and $bullets >0 and $gunknowledge is true)[(link-goto: "Shoot mutant")[Shoot the thing before it gets too close.] ] (else-if: $revolver is true and $bullets > 0 and $gunknowledge is false)[ [[Draw your revolver and pray it will actually fire.|try shoot mutant]] ] ] (if: $tea is true and $round2 is false)[ [[Throw your box of Green Farm Purifying Blend® tea into the barrel.|poison barrel]] ] (if: $round2 is false)[ (unless: (visited: "md"))[ [[Slip into the dark and go for a surprise attack.|md]] ] (unless: (visited: "mw"))[ [[Use the environment to your advantage.|mw]] ] (unless: (visited: "ms"))[ [[This guy might be huge but you're huger. Prove it.|ms]] ]] (if: $round2 is true)[ (unless: (visited: "md2"))[ [[Hit him with quick attacks and stay out of reach.|md2]] ] (unless: (visited: "mw2"))[ [[Use something else in the area to your advantage.|mw2]] ] (unless: (visited: "ms2"))[ [[Go full caveman. Hit with rock.|ms2]] ] ] (if:(visited: "md") and (visited: "mw") and (visited: "ms") and $round2 is false)[(go-to:"Round 2")] (if:(visited: "md2") and (visited: "mw2") and (visited: "ms2"))[(go-to:"mutant victory"] Mutant Health: (print:$mhealth) /100 (if: $mhealth < 33 and $round2 is false)[(go-to: "Round 2")] (If: $mhealth < 0 and $round2 is true)[(go-to: "mutant victory")]

You draw your revolver and point it at the charging behemoth. Let's hope this thing still works. (if: $roll < $Wits +3)[You try pulling the trigger, but nothing happens. Oh, right, you probably have to pull back the hammer, huh.(set: $gunknowledge to true) (link-goto: "Do that and try again", "Shoot mutant")] (else:)[You pull the trigger. The gun remains inert. You try again, and still nothing. CRAP! Why does everything not work when you need it to most? (Wits check failed)(set: $tryshoot1 to true) [[Try something else|mutant]]]

(set: $distance to it -1) You draw back the hammer and pull the trigger. (if: $bullets >0)[ (set: $gunfire to (random: 0, 1)) (if: $gunfire is 1)[With a deafening bang and a pained grunt, the bullet blasts straight through the mutant's chest. (-20 mutant health). That barely slowed it down. (set: $mhealth to it -20)(set: $bullets to it -1)(set: $broken to true) (link-goto: "Shoot again.", "Shoot mutant") (link-goto: "Try something else.", "mutant") ] (else:)[Click. Nothing happened. Maybe that bullet was a dud.(set: $bullets to it -1) (print: $bullets) shots left. (link-goto:"Give up.", "mutant") (link-goto: "Pull back the hammer and try again.", "Shoot mutant")[ ] ]] (else:) [ [[You're out of gun food |mutant]]] (if: $distance is 3)[The giant is across the room.] (else-if: $distance is 2)[He's closing in.] (else-if: $distance is 1)[The mutant is only a few feet away from you.] Mutant Health: (print:$mhealth) /100 (if: $mhealth < 33)[(go-to: "Round 2")] (if: $distance< 1)[(go-to:"closed distance")]

You've been carrying this tea around all day despite the fact it makes you know without a doubt it's not fit for human consumption. Maybe it's not fit for mutant consumption, either. You dip under the mutant's clumsy arm as it swings at you and sprints to the barrel it was drinking from earlier. You don't know what's in there. You don't care. All that matters now is that there's a big box of teas in there. The clear fluid begins to turn a murky brown. Now you just need to get this guy to drink it somehow. (set: $tea to false) (set:$poison to true) [[The mutant starts another charge|mutant]]

One of the pillars looks about ready to tip over. You'd bet you can goad the mutant into knocking it onto itself. You position yourself at its base and try to make your face even more punchable than normal. (if: $roll <= $Wits)[As the goliath comes charging you, you duck out of the way. It runs straight into the pillar and is too busy clutching its head in pain to realize what's about to happen. The pillar falls straight onto your enemy, and though he starts to stand almost immediately,[[ it cant't have felt good|mutant]]. (-35 mutant health)(set: $mhealth to it -35)] (else:)[As the goliath comes charging at you, you duck out of the way. It runs straight into the pillar. you're too busy watching it clutch its head in pain to realize you've misjudged how the pillar would fall. It hits your shoulder hard on the way down. At least it wasn't a direct hit, and the monster took some damage too. [[Silver linings right?|mutant]](-30 health)(-10 mutant health)(set: $Health to it -30)(set: $mhealth to it- 10)]

(set: _bonus to 0) (if: $jacket is true)[Your jacket is like a neon sign strapped to your back. Good luck trying to sneak around. (-800 to roll) (set:_bonus to -800)] (if: $roll <= $Dexterity + _bonus)[You duck under one of the colossus's clumsy swings and hide behind a car before he can turn. He's lost track of you, now you only have to choose the right moment to strike. You grab a long shard of broken glass from the ground and keep track of your target through the car's side view mirror. As soon as his back is turned, you run silently at him, jump high into the air, and plunge the glass into his soft shoulder (-35 mutant health)(set: $mhealth to it-35). [[You make some distance while it recovers from the surprise and pain.|mutant]] ] (else:)[You duck under one of the colossus's clumsy swings and hide behind a car before he can turn. You think He's lost track of yo,u now you only have to choose the right mom- what's that shadow? The colossus is standing on the car, staring down at you. If it had lips, they'd probably be curved in a cruel smile. Its punch sends you reeling across the room. (if: $jacket is true)[Your jacket saves you from the road rash as you slide at the very least (-10 health)(set: $Health to it -10) ](else:)[Ok that really hurt (-30 health)(set: $Health to it -30)] [[Dust yourself off. This isn't over yet|mutant]]]

This thing wants to throw down? you'll throw down. You take up a boxing stance, shifting your weight from foot to foot, You dodge the monster's haymaker, and there's an opening. (if: $roll <= $Strength)[You drop your weight and fire a punch straight into the mutant's jaw. You can see its entire face ripple with the impact. It lurches forward and collapses on the ground. [[It wont stay down but you know that had to hurt|mutant]]. (-35 mutant health)(set:$mhealth to it -35)] (else:)[You drop your weight and fire a punch straight into the monster's gut. It does less than nothing. You're sent sprawling from the follow-up punch. (-30 health) (set:$Health to it -30) [[Damn this guys got hands|mutant]]]

It is time. The pipe gleams as you enter a batter's stance, ready to swing at the world's angriest lumpy baseball. Energy hums around you with the raw power you possess at this moment. You step deeply into the swing, angling it upward to hit the monster's jaw. Time seems to pause as the pipe strike wetly across the creature's throat. There's no sound, no thoughts. You are simply entranced by the spectacular light created at the point of impact. You've never, and perhaps no one has ever, seen something so beautiful. The moment ends all too soon. With a massive pressure wave and terrible bang, you and the mutant are thrown apart. As you fly through the air, you see the mutant impact a car as it soars. The metal and plexiglass collapse and bend around them like they were made of cardboard. A sigh of release escapes your lungs, and drag yourself to your feet, only to freeze midway when you hear the creaking of bending metal. Somehow that thing is still in one piece, the pipe, however, is not. Awesome power expended, it lies in chunks on the floor. You feel like you, and humanity as a whole have just lost something precious. There's some small solace in knowing its power was used for a good cause. (- 80 mutant health) (set: $pipe to false) (set: $mhealth to it -80) Mutant Health: (print:$mhealth) /100 [[ How tough is this thing|mutant]]

(set: $mhealth to 70) (set: $round2 to true) (if:(visited: "md") and (visited: "mw") and (visited: "ms"))[Your continued attacks, successful or otherwise, seem to be working. It looks exhausted.] The mutant stagger back to the barrel it was drinking from when you first arrived. It collapses with its head submerged, and strained gurgling gulps and slurps fill the air. The giant reels back and roars at the ceiling. You'd swear its wounds had closed. What the hell is that stuff? (if: $poison is true)[The creature takes two steps forward, then stops stock still. It groans in pain clutching at its stomach as it collapses to the floor. You cannot believe anyone thought they could get away with selling that tea. It doesn't look like he'll be getting back up again. [[Thank christ|mutant victory]]] (else:)[Whatever it is, you're not letting the big guy have anymore. You circle around the room as the thing chases you, trying to make space. Once you're confident in your distance you tip the barrel spilling its contents across the asphalt where it bubbles and steams. [[time for round 2|mutant]] ]

(if:(visited: "md2") and (visited: "mw2") and (visited: "ms2"))[Your continued attacks and flailing about have exhausted the mutant. It collapses, no longer capable of supporting its enormous weight.] (if: $mhealth is < 0)[With a groan of pain, the goliath falls, finally succumbing to its injuries.] How the hell did you pull that off. You feel like you just used up your entire life's worth of luck in the span of five minutes. You go about looking for the weapon cache. It doesn't take long. Under a piece of plywood with a stain of red paint that looks a little bit too intentional, you find what you were looking for. A camping backpack filled to the brim with blades, bludgeons, and things that blast. The bag's weight pulls you down as you put it on, but you're well past the point of caring. You just want to go home. The climb back up is about as easy as you expected, even with 30 pounds of weapons on your back. [[clamber over the ledge]]

Your adversary has grabbed you by the head. He lifts you up to look you in the eye as you struggle and squirm. You smell his rancid breath as he roars. He throws you like a ragdoll across the room, where you collide with a pillar. You're pretty sure some of your ribs are cracked. If that's the worst of it, you'll be lucky. You have no idea where your gun went. (-50 health) (set: $Health to it -50) (set: $revolver to false) [[Pick yourself up|mutant]]

You out your screwdriver. It's not a knife, but it will have to do. Now you only need to get in, stick it a few times, and get out without getting ripped in half. Easy. (if: $roll <= $Dexterity)[You're faster. That's what matters. You duck a swing and stab the goliath twice in the gut. He tries to smash you into the ground with a big overhead strike, but you slip to the side and get him twice in the shoulder. When your blood-slick hand finally loses its grip,and the screwdriver stays embedded in the giant's leg [[you've done a lot of damage|mutant]](-50 mutant health)(set: $mhealth to it -50)] (else:)[You let out a battle cry and charge, straight at the mutant, a legionnaire with spear extended. you're effortlessly batted aside, landing hard and leaving a dent in a car's hood. (-30 health)(set: $Health to it -30). [[get up. you need to keep moving|mutant]] ]

One of the cars is leaking gasoline. You can use this. You guide the abomination to the car, ready to act. (if: $roll <= $Wits)[The same moment you vault over the car, you toss your lighter into the gas puddle. Mutants must be made of dry grass because it goes up in less than a second. Flailing and screaming, it lurches around the room. The garage smells like burned meat when it finally puts itself out. (-50 monster health)(set: $mhealth to it -50) [[It looks extra mad now|mutant]]] (else:)[The same moment you vault over the car, you toss your lighter into the gas puddle. Nothing happens. That may actually be a puddle of water. Whoops. The Abomination flips the car at you. It hits you hard in the forehead as it tumbles over. (-30 health)(set:$Health to it -30) [[Now that you're on the floor, you're sure it was water.|mutant]]]

You tear a loose piece of concrete the size of a bowling ball out of the wall. This will hit a hell of a lot harder than a fist. (if:$roll <= $Strength)[As the freak bears down at you, you lift the concrete over your head and bring it down hard directly onto the creature's skull. One of them cracked, but in the dim lighting, you can't see which. The creature falls back into a sitting position and doesn't move for several seconds. Finally, it rises unsteadily to its feet .(mutant health-50)(set: $mhealth to it -50) [[you're amazed that didn't put it down|mutant]]] (else:)[As the freak bears down on you, you try to lift the concrete over your head. "Huh, this is really heavy," you think as the monster plows straight through you. (-30 health)(set: $Health to it -30)[[You scrape yourself off the pavement just in time to avoid a stomp|mutant]]]

(if: $bored is true)[You're met with boos and jeers as you pull yourself up and lay spread eagle on the floor. "Not this guy again!" "Get back in the pit." It's not exactly a hero's welcome but, you've come to expect things to always be as obnoxious as possible. Their tune changes when you pull a pistol from the bag] (else:)[There's a surprised murmur as you pull yourself over the ledge and lay spreadeagle on the ground. People cannot believe your back up here. The room erupts in cheers as you fish a pistol out of the bag and raise it over your head.. ] You go from cage to cage, shooting off every lock in turn and handing the occupant a weapon. People argue and trade them behind you as you go about your work. You know that after the first shot, guards will be coming down to investigate, though you can't summon the will to care anymore. You've done your part, now you just want to go home. You hear Luke's voice bounce around the garage with a shout. "LISTEN UP, EVERYONE! We have a chance to give back every ounce of hospitality those Pharmakon bastards upstairs have so graciously given us these past few days, and it's all thanks to (print: $name)." He hoists your hand into the air like you just won a prizefight. "Now, why don't we do 'em proud and show the goons upstairs WHO RUNS DOWNTOWN!" Just as he says it, a guard opens the door, and his look of irritation switches on a dime to one of dumbfounded terror. He's scrambling up the stairs within the second, and all 30-odd prisoners are cramming in to follow him. You don't have the energy to run after them.[[you'll walk]]

The lobby is pure chaos. 20 small fights intermixed with random gunfire. No one seems to pay you any mind as you walk through the anarchy toward the exit. Somehow your straight line of a path manages to weave through the chaos without so much as getting nudged. The noise fades away as you step out into the hot sunlit street. "Maybe things are starting to look up." you think to yourself, as you begin the long walk [[home.|results]]

(set: _score to 0) (if: (visited:"Journal"))[found Al's journal +50(set:_score to it +50)] (if: $jacket is true)[Wore the jacket +25(set:_score to it +25)] (if: $jacket is false and (visited:"left jacket"))[Resisted the jacket +50 (set:_score to it +50)] (if: $pipefound is true)[found the +1 pipe +100(set:_score to it +100)] (if: (visited: "Catch Pass"))[caught the radio +30(set:_score to it +30)] (if: $cstock is 0 and $zstock is 0 and $wstock is 0)[got everything in vending machine +50(set:_score to it +50)] (if: (visited:"Game Child"))[played the Gamechild +100(set:_score to it +100)] (if: (visited:"Hidden Room"))[Entered the hidden room +50(set:_score to it +50)] (if: $gloves is true)[got the gloves +20(set:_score to it +20)] Fixed the elevator +50(set:_score to it +50) (if: $moveon is true)[Got Over Your Ex +250(set:_score to it +250)] (if: $bored is true)[Psychologically damaged prisoners +25(set:_score to it +25)] Defeated the mutant +200(set:_score to it +200) Bore with me till the end +1000(set:_score to it +1000) (print: _score)/2000 THANK YOU FOR PLAYING!